Bristol off Road Duathlon

The Bristol Off Road Duathlon will take place on Oct 25th 2009 at 10am.

Taking place at Ashton Court in South Bristol, with easy links from the M5 motorway, Bristol Airport and Bristol Temple Meads train station, the event is sure to attract a large field for this rare opportunity to race in this beautiful venue, completely off road, yet only 5 minutes from one of the largest cities in the country.

The event itself consists of a 5km undulating run, followed by a 20km mountainbike course which follows much of the same route as the hugely popular and excellent Bristol Bike Fest, before completing a  second loop of the 5km run course.

This will be completely off-road, with various challenges facing riders, from the infamous Timberland Trail, technical and muddy sections, to fast descents and long flowing climbs, sure to test the mettle of every rider, and yet be achieveable by all at the same time.

The event is already attracting interest from a number of high profile athletes as well as club and novice athletes from across the country. Kit Stokes, Age Group winner and course record holder of Half Ironman UK has confirmed that he will be racing, as have a number of other local high profile racers.

Entries cost £30 for BTA members, and an additional £3 levy will be added to cover registration and insurance with the BTA for those currently not a member. We have online entry which can be found here http://sole-events.co.uk/onlineentries/ if you would like to enter do so by following the link and filling in the form. Or if you would prefer to enter by post you can download an entry form here Bristol Off-Road Duathlon Entry Form

There will be free parking, toilets, massage, retailers, and food all available on the day and the event will have a real family feel to it, with plenty of open space for others to ride, plenty of spectator spots, including a main transition area, as well as spectacular views across Bristol and the Mendips, the spectacular Ashton Court Manor House and the world famous Deer Park.

For more details or for any questions please feel free to get in touch by phone on 07894 144595, or in the office on 01934 425510 or by e-mail marc@sole-events.co.uk.

We look forward to welcoming you to Bristol!

UPDATE – We have been asked a lot of questions so we thought we would put a few of them down here for you.

Question – What type of bike do I need for this event?

Answer – This course is really only suitable for Mountainbikes. There are some rocky sections meaning Cyclo Cross bikes are not advisable – Single Speed MTBs, while crazy in our opinion, are perfectly suited to this course!

Question – What is your Cancellation Policy?

Answer – If you do need to cancel for any reason, firstly we would miss you at the event, but secondly you have two options, the first is to carry your entry over to the next years event, and the second is to apply to us for a refund. If you choose a refund, we will charge you £10 to cover the costs of admin and bank charges and refund the rest of your entry fee. You will need to do this at least two weeks before the event. If you cancel within two weeks of the event we will charge you £20, this is to cover the costs of the equipment and goodies etc we have to buy and hire at this stage. We hope that seems fair, but more importantly we hope you don’t need to cancel!

Question – Which sponsors do you have on board?

Answer – At this stage we are delighted to have Easy Runner on board. Easy Runner is a running shop based in Bristol, who will be at the race on the day supplying clothing, footwear, nutrition and last minute essentials, as well as supplying goodies for all entrants. We have more sponsors lined up which we will announce soon, if you or your company would like to get involved please e-mail us marc@sole-events.co.uk

Question – What is the age limit for this race?

Answer – There are several age category races taking place at this event. Prizes will be awarded for the winners of the male and female open category (ages 16-39) the male and female veterans category (40-59) and the 60+ category. We hope to extend the prize categories, but this will depend on the number of confirmed entrants we have. Unfortunately under 16s will not be allowed to take part this year, although we hope to run a young people’s race at next years event.

Question – I am not a very strong runner/cyclist, is this event going to be too hard for me?

Answer – Not at all! We have designed a course which is suitable for the speed demons, based on the hugely popular Bristol Bike Fest course, but at the same time, there is no limit to how long you can be out there so take your time, get your breath back and take on the next part of the course. There are several parts to the course, from technical single track (wide enough for one bike at a time) to wide flowing downhill trails (not too steep though!). You do need to do some training and if you are at all unsure if you can take this on please check with your doctor, and if you have any medical conditions please do let us know before you set off.

Question – Can I ride the course before the event?

Answer – Of course you can, Ashton Court is open all year round and welcomes riders and runners. We run regular coached Mountainbike sessions on a Saturday morning from 10am-midday which you would be welcome to join. We also have specialist running and cycling coaches who would be happy to devise you a training plan based on your needs and ability. If you want any more info about any of this please get in touch, marc@sole-events.co.uk.