Hi EXers,
It’s not long now; the waiting is almost over. On the 16-18th of September, we are heading once again to beautiful Exmoor for THE MERIDA EX 2022 presented by Shimano, and we wanted to give you a few more details on the event.
Location:
We are again based 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 lunchtime on Thursday (15th). If you could 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 on Thursday evening. So, if you are arriving before then, please make sure you have a few snacks etc., with you. Also, neither Porlock nor 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. You can find the racing rules and regulations here.
EXPOSURE LIGHTS night stages:
Last year we were lucky enough to welcome EXPOSURE LIGHTS as the partner for our exciting night stages. Being one of the highlights of last year’s event, the night stages will return and, in fact, extend to altogether 3 tracks, paired with an uplift to the top of Exmoor. The night ride will be paired with a shorter day session, but be assured; you will get in plenty of riding and stages on the opening day of THE MERIDA EX. Please ensure that you bring adequate front lights for the night enduro stages and rear lights for your way to and from the trails.
E-bike details:
We have once again an e-bike category at THE MERIDA EX presented by Shimano, and we have a few extra pointers for the riders in the e-bike category. To start with, the e-bikers ride the same course and stages as the rest of THE EXers. But they have their own category, so there is no assisted vs non-assisted racing in THE EX. Besides that, here are the other details which are e-bike category-specific:
- Only regulated (maximum assisted speed of 25km/h / motor limited to a max. of 250 Watts) can participate in the event. We will check every bike and disqualify every bike/rider not riding within the limits mentioned above.
- THE EX is very demanding from a terrain point of view, and battery management is going to be a crucial part of the event. Please keep that in mind throughout the day as Friday (27km / 1,200m of climbing) will not have a ‘top-up’ charging station on course. You want to consider riding certain sections without any motor assistance to save battery for the latter part of the ride.
- We will have a ‘top-up’ charging station on Saturday (40km / 1,550m of climbing) at approx. 20km and Sunday (29km / 1,250m of climbing) at approx. 19km. Every rider will be given approx. 30min of ‘top-up’ charging time. Please make sure that you give your charger (with your name and race number written on the charge for easy identification) to Paul Newman, who will be in charge of the charging station.
- If you have a 2nd battery, then we will not restrict you from using it and will take it to the feed station for you. Please see Paul Newman for details prior to the start of the riding day.
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 are the basic stats of the three days:
Friday (afternoon no uplift – riding out of the venue): 27km – 1,200m of descending – 1,200m of climbing – 5 special stages
Friday (EXPOSURE NIGHT ENDURO): 13km – 700m of descending – 300m of climbing – 3 special NIGHT stages
Saturday: 40km – 2,000 of descending – 1,550m of climbing – 9 special stages (incl. one non-competitive)
Sunday: 29km – 1,400 of descending – 1,250m of climbing – 6 special stages
Enduro time trial:
Originally, we had the Enduro time trial planned for Thursday night, but due to various tree-related issues, which we can’t overcome, we had to park the idea for 2022. So instead, we will again offer our warmup ride on Thursday afternoon for everybody keen to go for a couple of hours spin before racing action gets going on Friday.
Schedule/timings for the weekend:
For simplicity, we have put a schedule together which we intend to stick to, but with being a ‘live’ event, please keep in mind that some items might move a bit nearer the time.
Thursday: 15th September 2022
– Event venue/camping opens at lunchtime
– Guided ‘warmup’ ride (approx. 2 hours) leaves around 4:00 pm (taking part is on your own risk – as always)
– Snacks and drinks from 6:00 pm onwards
– Signing on will be open in the afternoon/evening
Friday: 16th September 2022
– Signing on opens around 9:00 am
– 10:30 am pre-ride ‘yoga session’
– 11:30 am official briefing/welcome
– 12:00 noon – start of the ‘day’ ride (no uplift)
– Food at the end of the day ride back at the venue
– Approx. 7:00 pm – uplift to the start of the ‘night stages’ (please make sure you have adequate night riding lights) followed by a BBQ just meters from the finish line of the 3rd special stage
Saturday: 17th September 2022
– 8:30 am pre-ride ‘yoga session’
– 9:30 am official briefing
– 10:00 am – start of the ride
– Approx. 7:00 pm – THE MERIDA EX dinner party and Enduro quiz presented by Shimano and Exposure Lights
Sunday: 18th September 2022
– 8:30 am pre-ride ‘yoga session’
– 9:30 am official briefing
– 10:00 am – start of the ride
– Snacks and drinks back at the venue
– Approx. 4.00 pm final presentation and end of the 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 intend 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 at ride@the-ex.co.uk to get an idea of numbers. The ride is entirely at your own risk. There are no marshals or medical cover for this ride.
Reduce waste:
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. Once again, we are using proper cutlery and crockery throughout the event, but we would like you to bring your own coffee/tea mug to reduce the number of paper cups we have used in the past. Finally, most of our drinks are in cans as they are easier to transport and recycle. Should you wish to enjoy your well-deserved post-ride beer or cider from a glass, then we would ask you to bring your own. It will further reduce the need for plastic and/or throw-away glasses. Hope we can all do a little bit to help!
We aim to recycle the bottles and cans from the bar as well as feed stations, so please make sure you use the recycle bins provided.
Protection:
If you haven’t done THE EX, then you might not be aware that the terrain we are using is super technical and steep. We don’t have any sudden drop-offs or big jumps on our courses, but it is undoubtedly demanding to ride. So, from that point of view, we can only strongly recommend bringing 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.
RideGuard number board:
As in the years gone by, we are once again using the fantastic RideGuard mudguards as our unique THE EX number board. So after they have done their duty during the event, they will do rather nicely on your bike to keep water and dirt out of your face. In addition, this year, we have gone the extra mile, with THE EX RideGuards being made from discarded fishing nets, further reducing the impact our event might have. To learn more about this exciting project, check out the RideGuard OceanX page.
Sponsors:
Besides the crew from MERIDA BIKE, who has been with THE EX as a title sponsor for the last three years, we have once again the Shimano team joining the fun. Both teams will be at the event and always be up for a chat.
BONTRAGER will be with us, showing some of their latest tyres, helmets and riding gear, while new partner Race Face will have some of their latest protection gear on show.
After supporting one of the most memorable riding and food evenings of the 2021 event, Exposure Lights will once again be part of THE EX supporting the extended night racing action. On top of that, they will have the latest light technology on show.
DiscoBrakes and CarbonCycles are also back on board, so make sure you get yourself equipped with some top-quality brake pads.
The team from CAMS are very excited to be sponsoring THE MERIDA EX Enduro and will be out on the trails getting involved in the race action as well as informing you guys about their various services.
We have support from the Bristol Beer Factory once again, ensuring the all-important after-ride ‘re-hydration’ is taken care of.
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 our 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 at ride@the-ex.co.uk.
We 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