With round one of the Chain Reaction Cycles MTB Marathon Series gone in a flash of sun and dust, it’s time to think about the next stop on the five-date tour – now less than three weeks away.
Llandovery, Wales makes its series debut on May 21-22, with four distances – 25km, 48km, 70km, and 88km – on offer, ranging from 600m to 2,300m of climbing.
The marathon heads out of Llandovery over Mynydd Myddfai, on the edge of the Black Mountains and enters a small area of forestry around the beautiful Usk Resevoir, from here the route follows the Sarn Helen Trail, an old Roman road.
After the split, the long route drops down to, and crosses, the A40, entering Halfway Forest and then into Crychan Forest, renowned for its technical single track and fire road climbs.
With a challenging loop complete in Crychan, the route follows the Afon Bran, back down the valley towards Llandovery.
All in all, the course takes in a mix of open hill, bridleways, forest roads, and dual and single tracks, taking riders into the Brecon Beacons National Park and the Black Mountains.
While the main mountain bike event takes place on the Sunday, riders looking for a truly epic weekend, or who prefer Tarmac to trails, can ride the CycleOps Power Road Sportive 24 hours previous.
Click here to secure your place in the MTB Marathon, or head this way to enter the road sportive. You can book the reduced weekend ticket, which includes both rides, on either page.
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