However this bold date decision turned out to be one that goes a little way to explaining the Chain Reaction Cycles MTB Marathon Series for those who haven't attended. The other thing that stands out for me is the fact that these events, like a great bottle of red wine that I would usually have been drinking with my over-indulgent Easter Sunday roast, seem to get better each year – but I'm getting ahead of myself here.

Builth Wells is the spiritual home of the MTB Marathon Series and also the home town to creative organiser and route designer, John Lloyd MBE. It's also an annual mountain biking mecca, with followers heading to the small town in mid Wales for the last 13 years. This is a point not missed by the other personable organiser Mike Wilkens: "It's hard to get any post-event reports anymore as we are not a new event and so we can sometimes struggle to attract the mountain biking press to attend," Mike states as a fact with no concern.

It's of no matter though because the 1100-odd riders along with, in a lot of cases, their families did come after a six month break since the last round of the 2011 series, and they chose to be with their wider family on a prime weekend in anyone's calendar. This is testament to the strength of these events and the camaraderie of those who continue to attend year in year out.

So how was it?
Well, seeing Nick Craig [professional racer and multiple UK National Champion] – who always remembers your first name – is a buzz. The guy is a machine. He, as usual did both the Exposure Light Big Night Out and the main 72k Marathon. I guess he (fastest in all categories) was tucked up in his Scott-branded sleeping bag by the time the final night heroes crossed the line at 12.30am. The massage students from City College Norwich were the last port of call for those who, like Nick, were signed up for the Marathon on the Sunday. Everyone was in bed by about 1.30am.

Sunday came and we were up early. The riders were arriving, getting breakfast and wandering over to get their last minute stuff from our fully stocked event store. The place was buzzing. Over 900 had registered and looking at them lined up you could've said twice as many were on the line and nobody would have argued. 10.30am came and they were off; 28km, 55km and 72km were the distances. Just shy of two hours later they started to come back over the line greeted by Matt Carr, who is another person on the scene who knows everyone by their first name, or so it seems.

The town may have remained the same for the last 13 years, but John had worked his magic and riders were happily surprised with the new sections and challenges that he had laid out for them.

The amount of times I heard: "I'm hoping to do all five this year," was a refreshing reminder that these events may have been around for a while, but they are fresh and have a vibe, and that is a special thing in cycling. Happily spending the weekend doing what they love to do, riding with a larger family that the CRC MTB Marathon Series brings together year in year out is something that all the riders really appreciate.

Rides of note

For more pictures from Builth Wells click here to go to our Facebook photo album.

Why not join us later in the year at the following rounds in Selkirk, Marshbrook, Abergavenny or Ruthin?

Click below for more details now!