The recently-announced Kona Mash-Up is coming closer and there's still time to enter this unique challenge on the 30 August at the Glyncorrwg Mountain Bike Centre in Afan Forrest.
From XC whippets to the most technically gifted downhill riders and every breed of trail warrior in-between, the Mash-Up breaks down traditional riding boundaries, encouraging a step out of regular comfort zones to go against the clock on seminal sections of Glyncorrwg's trails.
How does it work?
The Kona Mash-Up will be using Whites Level and the July Trail (part of the Skyline trail) at the Glyncorrwg Mountain Bike Centre, and on two trails will be chip activated timed sections.Most of these are on the much loved swoopy singletrack and downhill sections plus one on the uphill sections of the Whites Level trail.
Riders go through these sections as fast as they can with their accumulated time determining their position within the event. Besides going for the fastest overall time riders will also compete against all other riders (no matter what category) for the fastest time in individual sections. The in-between sections can be ridden at ease or even walked if you prefer - no rush.
The two categories
Enduro: You have to ride the Whites Level loop (excluding the black run) plus the July trail (total riding distance approx. 40km) and your time will be taken on all the timed sections. So you will be timed on a climb and the several single track and downhill sections.
Technical: You have to ride the Whites Level loop (including the black run) but your time will only be taken on the single track sections and the downhill sections. You are still riding (or pushing) up the climb but the time that takes you is completely irrelevant for your overall time.
Age restriction
Due to the enormous amount of requests we have had from younger riders we have now lowered the age limit to 16 years rather than originally 18 years. So if you are a young up-and-coming trail warrior then come along and join the Kona Mash-Up and go for the Mini Masher.
Entries and Camping
Entries to the event have been going strong, and in particular the last couple of weeks have been very busy. However there are still places in both categories up for grabs, and we also have plenty of camping space available around the Mountain Bike Centre.
At the moment it looks unlikely that we will have entry on the day so make sure that you get your entry in as soon as possible. Please be aware that there may be few days delay in getting the confirmation back to you as the whole team will be out on the TransWales (16-23 August). As long as you enter before the 22 August you will definitely be in. Simply go to www.konaworld.uk.com/mash-up for further details on the event and to enter.
The Supporters
Kona Bicycles, the main power behind the Mash-Up will be on site with a selection of their latest test bikes. Fronted by the latest Kona Magic Link range the guys will bring a selected range of the finest Kona machines out there for you to take out on the challenging courses around the Glyncorrwg Mountain Bike Centre.
Torq will be on-site looking after the riders with feeding stations, special offers and lots of advice how to get the most out of your training and energy food intake. We will also have a Cycle-Ops warm-up corner in the start and finish area, as well as up on Windy Point (start of the Black Run) so that riders can hit the timed section properly fired up. Skyline Cycles, Sombrio, Torq, Saris, CycleOps, Sun Ringle and Pro-Tec are supporting the event alongside Kona Bicycles, and will all contribute to the huge prize fund.
