Linking Stage Three
Brechfa to Tregaron
Total distance: 75km
Climbing: 1950m

Today the event broke into its stride and took the riders into the dark yet bewitching heart of Wales to deliver all that it had promised. From beautifully wild landscapes, hypnotic singletrack, epic climbs and sweeping descents along quintessential Welsh drovers tracks, today's stage from Brechfa to Tregaron - some 75km apart - served up a gourmet course of some of the finest Welsh riding going.

With the heavy rains over night finally dying out around 5am, the riders awoke on Tuesday morning to lighter skies and brighter hopes. A spin along the black top eased tired and aching bodies gradually back into life ahead of entering the trees and the dirt to begin the climb up Esgair Ferchon at 433m. Leaving the trees behind and below the riders began the first true wilderness portion of the event so far: boggy and marshy it sapped energy. But with the tranquillity that only wild places know, it saw riders gritting their teeth and savouring the views whilst they spun it out.

Summiting Mynydd Mallaean at 448m further lifted spirits as the trail began pointing down for some hard earned gravity pay off, picked up speed and began galloping headlong over rocky outcrops and techy, adrenaline-birthing trail. The trail then coursed into the fast and furious singletrack descent at Cwmrhaedr used for the Exposure Lights Maxx night special stage. With the lights up, riders stormed it and gratefully pulled into the lunch stop with pinging rotors and pumped arms.

Another black top section helped settle stomachs before a beast of a climb - both steep, rocky and sustained with a few switchbacks thrown in for good measure - did it's best to upset said settled stomachs. Then with a major altitude chunk notched up in one go the trail entered the woods once more before dropping down the open descent of Hafod Las and taking in a beasty of a river crossing: with the heavy rains of previous weeks being captured on the Welsh hills the flow was fast and verged on being in spate. Riders had to negotiate it with caution and keep hold of their bikes to prevent them from being swept away. After surviving the torrent, riders then entered into Cwm Berwyn Plantation for an extended woodland visit.

Then came a choice: cut the route off short to save energy or tackle the final loop into Tregaron that had been billed as the hardest and most technical section yet. The sting in the tail for cruising back on the tarmac? A 2 minute time penalty. But with many tired and weary bodies making strong cases to cut short many did, and only the hardy, the pumped up, and those in contention in the general classification ran the final section. But despite the large number of time penalties, there was no change in the top three riders in each category in the general classification.

Running along the flank of Esgair Ffrwdit the trail then dropped quickly before climbing once more and although wet, the descent was fast and fun, with riders working their way steadily downwards along a mix of drovers tracks and singletrack, before launching down a steep chute into the final stream crossing and a gentle spin to the event village on the outskirts of Tregaron.

With the rains beginning to die out there's optimism that the event has weathered the worst of the storm. “The magic is definitely here [at the Merida Bikes TransWales],” said Trans veteran Charlie Eustace (Ellsworth/Freeborn/Torq) after finishing the day's stage. “It's wet - really wet and the streams are angry - but we're in the middle of Wales, we're camping, we're riding and we're with friends and that's what biking is all about. I'm grinning and loving it.”

Things are looking brighter, the riding is improving day by day, and the Merida Bikes TransWales is preparing for another big day that will take the whole Trans circus 79km and 2000m of climbing all the way to Machynlleth via the coastal town of Aberystwyth and into the mountains proper.

Coming up on Day 4

Linking Stage 4: Tregaron to Machynlleth (82km, 2045m of climbing).

Full results at www.mtbtransuk.co.uk