Award Winning Team Announce New Edinburgh Mountain Bike Marathon
News Release / 23.08.2013
Rare Management, the team behind the multi –award winning Mountain Bike World Cup at Fort William, have today (22/08/13) announced a new endurance biking event for Scotland - The Edinburgh Pentlands Mountain Bike Marathon, supported by the City of Edinburgh Council - to be staged within the Pentlands Regional Park, Edinburgh, on 28 and 29 September 2013.
Entries are now open for The Edinburgh Pentlands Mountain Bike Marathon (Sunday 29 September), the first MTB marathon to be staged in the Pentland Hills, and aimed at all abilities from recreational riders and weekend warriors to pro endurance racers.
Starting and finishing at Swanston Farm there are three distances to choose from that all include a wide variety of surfaces, gradients and technical challenges. There is the single loop of 47km that climbs and descends over 1,400m. There is a longer 78km distance and then there is the full 94km marathon (double the 47km loop). With organisers including a tough climb that ascends 170m in 1km on all three routes The Pentlands MTB Marathon is going to be a tough but achievable challenge for all riders taking part.
The courses contain an amazing collection of existing trails that have been linked for the first time and will take riders from the very edge of the City, into the heart of the hills and back, using established rights of way and old droving routes, dirt roads, well-maintained wide trails and technical singletrack that criss-cross the Pentland Hills. The final route map has involved consultation and discussion with more than 30 separate landowners and will be released in the next few weeks.
On Saturday 28 September there will also be a number of age group mountain bike races for those too young to enter the marathon - under 8’s to 18 year olds. This will be followed by a brutal timed 1km hill sprint on the notorious MOD access road at Howden Burn with £1000 in prize money.
The Edinburgh Pentlands Mountain Bike Marathon is supported by City of Edinburgh as part of their commitment to cycling and the promotion of the Pentland Hills Regional Park. Investment in trail improvements and the introduction of an annual Mountain Bike marathon are both part of the long term plan to give a legacy for future sustainable biking in the Pentlands.
Cllr Steve Cardownie, Edinburgh's Festivals and Events Champion, said: "The Council is delighted to be supporting this exciting new addition to the city's packed events calendar.
"The event offers a range of challenging routes through the Pentland Hills, giving riders of all abilities an opportunity to take part while enjoying breathtaking views over Scotland's Capital City."
For further information on The Edinburgh Pentlands Mountain Bike Marathon and to enter go - http://edinburghpentlandsmtb.
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