Mountains of the Merfynion is a 900km mixed surface extravaganza of Welsh gravel and side roads…

When

Date: September 1, 2023

Time: 9:00 am

Details

Event Website

Organizer: The Perfidious Albion

Email: hello@theperfidiousalbion.cc

This is a mixed surface extravaganza, tackling some of the best Welsh gravel and hardest paved climbs. Anyone who has ridden in Wales will know just how good the cycling is. But this good cycling continues long after the roads end, as the Mountains of the Merfynion route aims to demonstrate.

To describe this as a gravel event is probably a bit misleading. Yes, it does have some sumptuous gravel in it. But it is better thought of as a very beautiful (but somewhat tortuous) obstacle course to be tackled by bike. With everything from hike-a-bike and single track to smooth forestry tracks and sweeping asphalt, this ride is for people looking to take drop bar bikes where they don’t belong.

The 900-kilometre-long route is around 70% tarmac (in distance not time), so this is gravel bike territory. The aim when designing the route has been to include a mix of everything but keep the really tough stuff short and sharp, using hike-a-bike and singletrack to link less technical road and gravel sections. That being said, this will not be a fast ride, not least because of the sheer amount of climbing. But if you’re looking for an adventure that takes in all the best of the Welsh mountains then look no further.

This is single-stage, unsupported, ultra-endurance event and there will be a series of unmanned selfie checkpoints along the way. With over 16,000 metres of climbing included, you will have six days in which to finish.