Updated 30 June 2003
The Kona 100 MTB Marathon, Rhayader,
Mid-Wales, June 1st 2003
The Kona 100 Enduro has grown from being a once-a-year
event to being a whole series, each one of the three events located somewhere in
deepest mid-Wales at intervals of about 6-8 weeks.
Andrew and I made the trip down from up North, Andrew
having decided that as he couldn't do the 24hr race with us at the end of June
he wanted to do something "epic" to make up for it. The race village
was tucked away in Rhayader and we arrived on the Saturday afternoon to set up
our tent, sign on and enjoy the free pasta party. Sunday dawned bright and
sunny, the promise of a warm day. We joined the other 800 or so people lining up
on the start line including a few faces we recognised from Beastway and several
riders I knew from the singletrackworld website. Circling gracefully above us,
watching proceedings, was a lone red kite.
At 10am we were led out of the race village by a police
escort and a lead car for the 8 or so miles of neutralised road that would take
us up onto the moorland above Rhayader. There was the usual jockeying for
position behind the car but Andrew and I both got a reasonable start up near the
front. The course was a 2-loop route, riding out on a mix of tarmac and fireroad
to where we joined the first loop. This was about 25 miles in length, at the end
of it, riders doing the 60km "fun" route were directed right; we were
sent left to hook up with the loop again. We came to the first feed station,
two-thirds of the way up a steep fireroad climb. I was riding with a bottle of
energy drink and a full 2ltr CamelBak of water, which in the hot conditions was
going to be nowhere near enough for the 100km. My plan was to ride at a fairly
steady pace and stop at alternate feed stations to top up with water and energy
bars. The plan began well but then I hooked up with Andy Dickson, a rider who
can regularly be seen at the front of the Masters field in Beastway races. The
pace was quick but at least we were among the first people on the course and
there were no queues of riders through the singletrack. I let Andy go after 10
miles or so and continued at my own pace. The tracks were mostly bone dry and
the weather was excellent which made things a bit easier. I reached the end of
the first loop and we hit tarmac again, through a tiny village that gloried in
the name of Bwlch-y-Sarnau. The road led me back to the start of the steep
fireroad climb up to the feed station. Here the course doubled back on itself
and I saw Andrew, who at that point was about 5 miles (20mins or so) behind me.
We had a brief chat, then I left along another bit of fireroad while he
continued the climb around the extra loop. By this point the heat and exertion
was starting to tell on most people and I passed a couple of riders who had
clearly gone off far too hard at the start of the race and were paying for it
now. There seemed to be far more hills than I remembered during the first loop
but I was still maintaining a steady pace. I reached the final singletrack
descent through the woods and, having ridden it on the first loop, knew what to
expect and went haring down it, skipping the bike over the ruts. I jumped the
ditch at the bottom and saw a mate who'd failed to make the bunnyhop and had
pinch flatted as a result. He was annoyed but otherwise OK so I left him to it
and headed off, beginning to ride faster now that I was only 10 miles or so from
the finish. I reached the road section in company with a rider on an almost
identical bike to mine. We turned off, heading downhill to Rhayader and
discussing our respective bikes when we turned a corner…and the road rose
dramatically upwards. I could have cried, all along I'd been under the
impression that it was downhill all the way home from the end of the off-road.
All thought of technical bike talk dried up, I locked out the suspension and we
both crawled up the mile long 1 in 8 listening to the gears grinding and our
harsh breathing. After what seemed a lifetime, the gradient finally eased off
and then it really was downhill all the way home. We both hit the low 40's on
the 2-mile descent and, tires skittering on the tarmac, made the turn into the
race village and through the finish. I'd completed the 62 miles in 4hr53 mins
(4hr33mins actual riding time).
I expected to see Andrew not too far behind me but he
limped into the finish almost an hour later having blown up his rim on the final
tarmac downhill. He'd stopped to sort out the mess and take off the knackered
tire and tube, then ridden the last 2 miles very slowly on the rim alone. In
spite of the wheel destruction we both agreed it had been a fantastic event,
well organised and the superb weather had really made it enjoyable, giving us
some amazing views of the Welsh countryside.
62 miles, mostly on fireroad and singletrack with about 15
miles on road and a total of 7500 ft of climbing. An epic by anyone's standards!
The remaining two Kona 100 Marathons are on July 6th at Builth Wells and
September 21st at Corwen.
James Lyon
