Hi EXers,
It is only a couple of weeks now before we will get together in beautiful Exmoor for the 3rd THE EX presented by DMRBIKES!
Before we head down there to set it all up and sort the last few things out, we would like to give you the final details for our three-day trail fest.
Location:
We are based once again at the Allerford & Selworthy Community Hall, Hare Park, Allerford. The postcode is TA24 8HL. We will mark the venue from the main road and Allerford is small, so you will not miss us.
Event opens:
The event is open for camping set up and arrival from lunch time on Thursday. If you can avoid turning up before then would be super helpful, as we will be in the middle of setting up.
Food at the event:
Officially our ‘all inclusive’ event food starts from Thursday evening. So if you are arriving before then, please make sure that you have a few snacks etc with you. Neither Porlock or Minehead are far away if you need to purchase a few last minute items.
Briefing:
You will find the event briefing for THE EX by clicking HERE. Please read it thoroughly before you head to the event so that you know the ‘small print’ and what to bring as well as what to do and not to do.
Course:
We will be setting up the course pretty much till Thursday afternoon (as we are doing it all by bike and it is hilly down there). If you are keen to go for a little spin when you arrive, please have a chat with either Paul or Michael and get some tips regarding where to go.
Here the basic stats of the three days:
Friday: 34km – 1,500m of climbing – 7 special stages
Saturday: 50km – 1,850m of climbing – 8 special stages (with one EXTRA special stage)
Sunday: 29km – 1,500m of climbing – 6 special stages
Mechanics and gear:
We will have the team from Boost Bike Co. (www.boostbike.co.uk) coming along to the event. They are there to offer any mechanical help you might need. Their services are not included in the event price, so please bring some money in case you need their help. Also, they are well equipped, but they will not have every possible option of product with them. Please keep that in mind. And above all, make sure that your bike is in perfect working order before you turn up.
Schedule/timings for the weekend:
For simplicity, we have put a schedule together which we are intending to stick to, but with being a ‘live’ event, please keep in mind that some items might move a bit nearer the time.
Thursday: 13th September 2018
– Event venue/camping opens at lunch time
– Guided ride (approx. 2 hours) leaves around 4.00 pm
– BBQ and drinks from 6.00 pm onwards
– Signing on will be open in the afternoon/evening
Friday: 14th September 2018
– Signing on opens around 9.00 am
– 10:30 am pre-ride ‘yoga session’
– 11:30 am official briefing/welcome
– 12 noon – start of the ride
Saturday: 15th September 2018
– 8:30 am pre-ride ‘yoga session’
– 9:30 am official briefing
– 10:00 am – start of the ride
Sunday: 16th September 2018
– 8:30 am pre-ride ‘yoga session’
– 9:30 am official briefing
– 10:00 am – start of the ride
– Approx. 3.00 pm final presentation and end of event
Extra things:
As you can see from the schedule, we are running our very popular ‘pre-ride’ Yoga classes again. So if you fancy a little ‘pre-ride’ stretch, then make sure you are ready to ‘stretch’ in the main marquee at the times we have given out in the schedule above. Also, we are intending to go for a little bit of a spin on Thursday afternoon. So if you are up for that, maybe drop us a quick email to ride@the-ex.co.uk to get an idea of numbers. The ride is entirely on your own risk. There are no marshals or medical cover for this ride.
Reduce rubbish:
We are super keen to reduce the amount of rubbish the event creates. So besides asking you for the obvious of not leaving any rubbish on the trails, we are also looking at a few things for around the event venue. We are using proper cutlery and crockery throughout the event, but we would like you to bring your own coffee/tea mug with you, to reduce the number of paper cups we have used in the past. And to make sure we don’t waste any beer glasses, we will give you your own beer glass when you sign on and ask you to look after that for the weekend. Hope we can all do a little bit to help!
Protection:
If you haven’t done THE EX then you might not be aware that the terrain we are using is super technical and super steep at times. We don’t have any sudden drop-offs or big jumps on our courses but, it is certainly demanding riding. So from that point of view, we can only recommend to bring at least knee pads to the event and also consider any other protection you might see fit. Helmets are obviously mandatory, but there is no Full Face helmet rule.
Keep your face and your vision clean:
Our friends at RideGuard have been busy. Their new Enduro specific mudguard has just been launched, the BFG is nothing short of badass and we’ve got a VIP offer exclusively for THE EX riders. Order before the event* and receive a 20% discount off the RideGuard range of mudguards, including the new BFG and the best selling PF1 front MTB guards.
Order your RideGuards now at www.rideguard.co.uk and use THE EX Promo Code ‘EX2018′ to receive your 20% discount.
We’ve been testing the BFG and with it’s Pro Curve feature allowing you to fit the guard to any wheel and tyre size, the option to adjust for more mud clearance the guard will be fitted to all our bikes heading into the winter. If you haven’t heard of RideGuard, they’re ahead of the competition with their environmental stance, all their guards are made from recycled plastic waste and like us they support the Trash Free Trails initiative. Oh and if you didn’t notice their designs, well go and check them out! www.rideguard.co.uk.
*Closing date for orders 16th September 2018.
Sponsors:
Besides the lovely crew from DMRBIKES (they are also bringing Lezyne, TRP and XFusion along) who are supporting us this year (cause they love what we do J) we will have BONTRAGER with us once again.
To make sure that bikes are clean and chains run smoothly we will have Fenwick’s on board, as well as the guys from Rideguard who will make sure that your face stays clean as well. DiscoBrakes and CarbonCycles are also back on board and will have a few of their wares to sell.
To guarantee that we are well energized out on course we have NAMEDSPORT Superfood with us, and we have support from the Bristol Beer Factory when it comes to the after ride ‘refueling’.
And finally, and possibly most importantly, we have the support of the National Trust who, since the very beginning of our THE EX idea, has worked closely with us and enabled us to run our little event. Thanks to all out sponsors – the event would not be possible without their help!!
So that’s it.
If you have any more questions, then drop us a line to ride@the-ex.co.uk.
Hope you are looking forward to the event as much as we are, we can’t wait to welcome you all in Allerford.
Thanks
The Bikefest Team