Event and weekend MTB break organiser Trail Break has rearranged
its regular trail rides and Navigator races into a new dual-event weekend format for the coming winter season.
Each weekend features two separate events from the same location.
On Saturday there is an Evans Cycles Trail Ride for when you just want to ride, and on Sunday, a Navigator race for the explorer in you.
There's a possibility that you're not familiar with these rides, so allow us to elaborate. The Saturday Evans Cycles Trail Rides are waymarked open hill circuits with a choice of three distances from 15 to 30+ miles. The routes are fully marked (although the long route may require some navigation) to make them easy to follow, and you get
a marked-up OS map of the course to back you up. Each ride is designed to offer a great morning's riding on excellent trails without the headache of route planning and navigation. If you're taking part in the following day's Navigator Race then the Trail Ride also offers an excellent way to get a feel for the area.
The Sunday Navigator Races pit your biking wits against a 28 checkpoint course laid out in the same area as the Trail Ride. This time though, there are no markings to follow, it's just you, the trails and the map with 3.5 hours to find as many checkpoints as you can. The navigation is kept quite straightforward though and the checkpoints are placed in open view, giving these events a fast and furious pace. You set your own targets and choose your own route, making Navigators easy to get into for the first timer, as well a great challenge for the competitive rider.
Each day is a totally separate event, so enter one or both. Both
events take place from the same base, with hot food, snacks and drinks on sale both days (including the legendary Trail Break chili; the ultimate post ride reviver!) finishing off the day with a great post ride 'cafe' atmosphere.
What else do you need to know? Oh yes, dates:
- 25/26 November 25/26, Shackleford
- 13/14 January, Kintbury
- 10/11 February, Bramley
- 10/11 March, Woodcote
In all cases, it's Evans Ride on Saturday and Navigator Race on Sunday. For more about Navigators, visit http://www.trailbreak.co.uk/navigators/. For more about Evans Cycles Trail Rides, visit http://www.trailbreak.co.uk/evans/.
