2007 will see the fifth running of the Rough Ride enduro in the Welsh Marches. And after various Bikemagic affiliates reported very favourably on the atmosphere, organisation, scenery, course and all-round loveliness of the event (for example, here’s Dave’s account of 2005 and Alex Leigh’s (somewhat lengthy, as tradition dictates) report on 2004) we decided to join existing sponsor Dialled Bikes and get involved.

So for 2007 it’s the Rough Ride Supported By Bikemagic and Dialled Bikes. The date is fixed as 3 June, and entries are now open at www.roughride.co.uk.

And what can you expect? The organisers are planning a raft of changes and improvements, but one thing they’re not going to tinker with is the style of the event – “laid back” is the key word here, except for the actual riding, which is likely to be pretty hard work. The Rough Ride is well-known for its unique moorland feel, running on the otherwise little-used open trails of East Radnorshire. We’re told that the course will be 80% changed from last year, which is testament to the quantity of trails in the area. The course will be 75km long and will feature a substantial 7,000ft of climbing (and, of course, descending). There’ll be a short-course option too – both routes share the opening sections, so you can see how you feel and then decide which one to do.

The event campsite will be open from early on 2 June, with an informal leisure ride planned for the Saturday afternoon to give you a flavour of the terrain – it won’t be too long and it won’t share any trails with the Rough Ride itself, so you don’t need to worry about spoiling the main event.

It’s going to be great. More details coming up over the next few weeks, but for now we’ll leave the last word to the organisers:

We couldn’t have put it better ourselves. Did we mention that entries (either postal or on-line) are now open at www.roughride.co.uk? Don’t hang about, though – entries are coming in thick and fast…