Only a couple of days now before we will revisit the birthplace of UK mountain bike marathon riding Builth Wells for the third round of the Merida 100 MTB Marathon Series. This is the last update before the weekend kicks off.

Registration and location

The registration which is based at White House Farm (directions and details here: http://www.whitehousecampsite.co.uk/) will open at 12 (noon) pm on Saturday (1 July) and will stay open till 8pm. We will have again a superb Merida mountain bike to give away as part of the questionnaire draw. Make sure you stay around for that as you can only win the bike if you are present. The draw will be around 8.15pm. On Sunday (2 July) the registration will reopen at 7am and will stay open till 9am. Please make sure that you have entered/registered before 9am on Sunday as we can’t include you if you are too late. The start of the rides (all categories and distances start together) is at 10am from the White House Farm in Builth Wells.

Course/Weather

John has been out on the course clearing trails and adding new sections for the last few weeks and he hasn’t stopped raving about it. The slightly moist conditions of the last few days should be sorted out by the Saturday which should make for a nice dry course. Looking at the weather forecast it is looking good and very warm for Saturday and Sunday with the potential for showers on Saturday afternoon. So make sure you have a light rain jacket with you and plenty of drink – and don’t forget, don’t just carry it – drink it! As far as tyres go – you might be pushing it a bit using semi slicks so we would recommend a fast rolling all round tyre like the Schwalbe Nobby Nic or the Schwalbe Smart Sam.

Event village

The guys from Ergon grips will be on site again, running their grip testing scheme and having some of their new E-1 grips on display. Go over and say hello to James from Ergon (http://www.fine-adc.com/) when you get to the event village. Besides that we will have the regular ULTIMA bike clothing sale going with lots of super cheap deals in particular on base layers. Don’t forget base layers are particularly important in the summer as they keep your body cool and dry. Come and see the guys at registration.

Football

Lots of you have probably been wondering if you can watch the football on Saturday whilst being at the event. Everything is sorted – we will have a 42in plasma screen in the marquee so that everyone who wants to watch it can.

Photos

We will once again have a photographer on site and on the course trying to take pictures of all the riders. He is going to try to get all the images up on the site by Wednesday next week. Here is the link to where you can find the images: http://www.sleepmonsters.co.uk/photoshop.php. Make sure you all give him a big smile as you ride by!

Entries

We are still taking entries but please make sure you don’t send any postal entries after today or enter online after Friday 6pm. We will struggle to get hold of those entries. As we have now extended the entry we will have entry on the day but please be aware that there is a £2 surcharge for this. If you want to get hold of a downloadable entry form or enter online simply go onto the entry page (http://www.mtb-marathon.co.uk/entry_forms/entry_forms.php) and follow the on screen instructions.

Austria

…is coming closer and closer. There are still last minute places available so if you can manage a short break and you want to ride amongst proper snow covered mountains Bad Goisern is just the ticket. Check out the details on the event and on our package deal here: http://www.mtb-marathon.co.uk/events/bad_goisern.php. There are lots of cheap flights around (http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/) and as the package deals include transfer from the airport your holiday will start at the airport in the UK. The guys in Austria have also put lost of updates about the new course, the helicopter shuttles, the Dachstein Track and many other things on their site. Check out http://www.trophy.at/show_bericht.php?ber_id=2742.

Warm up and Coaching rides with CycleActive

If you are taking part in one of the many rides organised by the team of CycleActive (check here for details: http://www.mtb-marathon.co.uk/home/news1.php#20068) make sure you get there early enough. The 2.30pm rides are rather busy but there are still a few places left for the 12pm (noon) and 5pm sessions.

Next Marathon in Selkirk – worth the journey

Finally a quick note to all the riders who can’t make it to Builth Wells this weekend – don’t worry the next marathon is just around the corner. On the weekend of the 29-30th July the Merida 100 series will head north for the 3rd time to settle in Selkirk, Scotland. Selkirk has established itself very quickly as the favourite amongst lots of riders and if you haven’t been up there yet maybe this year is the year. We still have places available but we are heading towards the maximum fast. So if you are up for one of the best courses in the UK come up to Selkirk at the end of the month.