REGISTRATION

Registration is at Epic Coffee House (adjacent to Epic Cycles), 8 Tower Street, Ludlow, SY8 1RL.

This is the start/finish point too, and where the finishers party will be on Sunday 14th June.

Registration is possible all day on Wednesday 10th June from 9am until 4pm, and from 8:30 until 4pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

You will be asked to sign a liability disclaimer, provide emergency contact details, and will be given your musette, event tee shirt and tracker.

You will also be given a voucher during registration for a free barista coffee (or other hot drink) and a choice of a local bakery flapjack or brownie. You can either use this when you register, if you are registering the day before your ride, or use it pre-start on the morning of the ride itself.

The rides start at 9:30am on the Thursday (this is by far the most popular start day) and again on the Friday and Saturday. If you set off later your start time will still be recorded as 9:30am that day but you’ll soon forget about that….it’s not a race after all.

BAG DROP

If you have a bag that you’d like to leave with us until that’s no problem. But just be aware that if you finish outside of shop opening hours we may not be able to return it to you until we open again, or at the rider party.

THE BLAENAU ROUTES

Blaenau Classic

The 2026 Blaenau Classic route is 621km long with 11,700m climbing and is around one third off road by distance, but well over half by time.

The route is highly rideable, with just a few sections of hike-a-bike but no extended slogs – the longest comes late in the ride on the approach to the route’s high point at Twmpa in the Black Mountains.

The surfaces run a full range from tarmac to rocky singletrack, and while there’s nothing super technical there are some sections that are pretty rough under the wheel. There are some steep climbs, a few streams to cross, and plenty of rapid descents, with one or two steep drops that we’d advise riders to walk down in parts – especially Twmpa.

The final route is here: Blaenau Classic >>

Blaenau North

The Blaenau North route is 488km long with 8,700m of climbing. At the 380km point on the Classic route you have the choice of turning right to continue on the Classic or riding straight on towards the Elan Valley on the North route. The Balenau North follows some extended sections of the Trans Cambrian Way to take you back to the finish in Ludlow and is stunning.

The final Blaenau North route is here: Blaenau North >>

Blaenau South

The Blaenau South route is 347km long with 5,600m of climbing. It sets out from Ludlow, following the reverse of the North’s return route. At 107km it then heads south at the Teifi Pools to complete the southern section of the Classic’s route, including the iconic Gap climb up over the Brecons, and the highest point of any of the routes at Twmpa in the Black Mountains.

The final Blaenau South route is here: Blaenau South >>

Blaenau XL

The Blaenau XL route is 760km long with 14,500m of climbing. The XL takes you into the heart of Snowdonia, with stunning sections through the Clwydian Mountains and taking in some awesome new trails to the west of Eryri.

The final Blaenau XL route is here: Blaenau XL >>

General Route Advice

Much of the riding passes through remote areas, so don’t be a hero. If you are 50/50 as to whether it’s rideable then walk! This is a wholly self-supported event, so you need to look after yourself, as well as your kit and bike.

At Registration you will be asked to confirm your initial choice of route. But if you decide to change route during the ride itself, just take the route you are switching to and we’ll pick this up from your tracker – if you can Whatsapp us it will also help us to differentiate immediately between people who are scratching from the event and those who have changed their route choice.

MANDATORY KIT LIST

For the safety of riders we are operating a mandatory kit, due to the remote and mountainous nature of many parts of the route.

This is NOT a recommended kit list – you’ll need quite a bit more kit – but you must carry these items at all times in addition to your other clothing, tools, electronics, spares, food, toiletries, water etc.

We don’t feel this is overkill and avoids unnecessary risks being taken in the pursuit of low weight. It is the same for all riders, so handicaps no-one, and does nothing to detract from the nature of the event.

• Properly functioning and suitable bicycle, with appropriate tyres for rough off-road conditions
• Cycling helmet
• Two independent front and two rear lights
• Outdoor shelter, such as a bivvy bag, survival bag or tent
• Waterproof jacket
• Full leg cover, such as over trousers, bib-longs or leg warmers
• Full arm cover, in addition to waterproof jacket, such as a long-sleeved jersey, puffer jacket or arm warmers

START

We will operate a staggered start on the Thursday only, with small groups of 5-6 setting off at 3 minute intervals, starting at 9:30am.

This is simply to ensure that we don’t get too much bunching and congestion in the very early stages as the lanes are narrow and there’s a gated road close to the start that we’d like to avoid queues at, however short. By design the Blaenau is not an event with large numbers of riders, but even a small group can get tangled and bunched up in the opening couple of km.

You will be allocated alphabetically to a wave at registration, and your elapsed time shown on the tracking site will reflect your actual start time. We will read out names rider numbers at the start too in case you forget your wave.

RESUPPLY OPTIONS

You’re on your own, self-supported, so you’ll need to plan ahead for food and water. There is one long section to the south of Machynlleth in particular that will need some thought – it’s close to 200km until the route passes through the next town.

So you’ll need to decide if you’re going to divert a small distance off route for supplies, re-joining where you left, or carry what you need with you.

If you’re planning to re-fill water bottles from wild sources make sure you have chlorine dioxide tabs with you. A filter is not enough, as many have discovered in mid-Wales.

Due to the remote nature of this event, and the sporadic resupply, we have decided to outline some key options for food and water below. This is not an exhaustive list, and there are alternatives out there if you do your own research, but this is a good starting point when planning your ride. The background map is based on the Classic Route, but includes supply points that cover the other routes too.

Resupply Overview >>

FINISH

Our plan is to try and greet every finisher in person, and post their arrival in Instagram, regardless of the hour.

However, we’re relying on tracking data to do so, and we may not manage this if you have a tracker issue and it is outside of shop/cafe hours. If you do arrive at the finish outside of hours and no-one is there to greet you, don’t forget to post photo on Instagram as there will be people cheering following you!

RIDER PARTY

The rider party will be 5pm-8pm on Sunday 14th June in the courtyard of Epic Coffee House. Your entry fee includes the cost of food from a local caterer and we’ll also have some beers and soft drinks for you. If you have friends or supporters who would like to come along, they will be very welcome.

ACCOMODATION OPTIONS IN LUDLOW

Ludlow is a tourist town so there are plenty of hotels and B&Bs. If you plan to camp before or after the event the best campsite is at Monstay Farm (http://monstayfarm.co.uk/ ), with another smaller option a bit closer to town at North Farm (https://www.northfarmludlow.co.uk/whitcliffe.html ).

PARKING IN LUDLOW

If you need to park a car for the duration of the event there is a Park and Ride car park on the edge of town at Ludlow Eco Park. It’s a small town so it’s a short ride to the start.

There are also a number of Forestry car parks that are not locked out of hours in Mortimer Forest on the edge of town. Be careful with street parking, as much of Ludlow walled town has narrow medieval streets and the parking attendants are vigilant. There is plenty of free roadside parking outside of the centre of town though.

If you stay at Monstay Farm Campsite they may well be OK for you to leave your car there. Otherwise, there is a large forestry car park directly opposite the campsite entrance.

BIKE CHOICE

The most common question we’ve been asked over past editions is whether it’s a gravel bike or a mountain bike route.

The unhelpful answer is that there are pros and cons to both.

In previous years the split has been 60/40 in favour of gravel bikes, but there were finishers on gravel bikes who thought an MTB might have been a better choice, while conversely several MTB riders thought they should have ridden a gravel bike.

Some parts of the route do clearly favour a gravel bike, especially the longer paved or gravelled sections, while others are more rideable on an MTB, such the rockier descents or occasional really loose stuff.

The best advice is simply to ride whatever bike you prefer in terms of riding position – you’re going to be out there for a long time, even if you’re quick.

The one firm tip is to fit ‘mixed terrain’ or ‘all-rounder’ tyres. At least 40mm too –preferably a bit wider if you can fit them. This isn’t a ride for slicks, narrow racing rubber or heavily treaded enduro style tyres.

WHATSAPP GROUP

In the week leading up to the event we’ll invite all riders to join a Blaenau Riders Whatsapp group – not mandatory of course, but it has proved popular in previous years for social exchanges, as well as helping the organisers to communicate any last minute news to riders.

SOLO RIDING

The Blaenau was designed as a solo self-supported challenge ride.

But if you want to ride in a pair or group feel free. Just let the registration desk know when you sign on and you will be shown as such in the finishers list.

One of the cool things about this kind of event is the folk you meet along the way. So no-one will be dropped from the finishers list if they ride alongside someone else for a couple of hours every now and then, especially at the start of the ride when riders are naturally bunched together.

If you end up forming an impromptu pair or group out on the trails please let us know at the finish and we will re-classify you.

HELPING OTHERS

This is a self-supported challenge event, but if you come across someone in trouble this of course takes priority.

Even if it’s an unrecoverable mechanical problem, rather than a health or injury issue, please help if you are able.

If you’re concerned about the finishers list, don’t worry – riders who receive assistance will not be classified as a finisher – but will still get fed at the party!

Riders providing assistance will NOT be penalised.

3rd PARTY INSURANCE

Most riders have emailed their 3rd party insurance info to the organisers already, but if you haven’t, please try to do so before the event as it will make things easier on the day – but we can also check it at registration.

RIDE TRACKING AND GPS

You’ll be carrying a tracker issued to you at registration, mainly so that people can follow your ride (dot watch).

The tracker runs for 6 days on one charge, but can be recharged via a USB-C cable if needed. It will already be switched on for you.

You need to store this in a ‘skywards’ facing bag, not one that is shielded by any part of your bike, or in a secure jersey pocket. See https://www.followmychallenge.com/tracker-instructions for more info.

We STRONGLY recommend taking two GPS devices for navigation, so you have a backup – a phone is also an option as a back-up navigation device but this will drain charge very quickly, so it’s really a last resort.

SPARES

There are a few bike shops on or just off the route if you need one, but none between Machynlleth and Hay-on-Wye (250km). So you will need to take plenty of spares and don’t use fragile kit – reliability trumps light weight every time in this kind of event.

SLEEP

This one is over to you – riders should never risk safety by skipping sleep and rest when needed, but we leave it entirely up to you to adopt a responsible sleep strategy that works for you as an individual.

There are quite a few places on the route where you can find indoor accommodation, including a couple of bothies as well as quite a few inns and B&Bs, if that’s your strategy, but there are also plenty of campsites and a lot of remote wild areas where you can grab rest or sleep.

Be aware that although Wales isn’t famed for them, there may well be midges. No private accommodation should be used – only accommodation that is available commercially to everyone.

Feel free to book accommodation in advance – some events disallow this, but our view is that it is one stress that you don’t need if you are not going for the fastest possible completion. Pre-booking removes this stress but is generally not consistent with a swift finish.

PHONE RECEPTION

It’s very poor along much of the route. Vodafone is the best overall, but still has a number of gaps in coverage. There are good patches around a number of towns, so any posts or messages you send will tend to upload every now and then when reception kicks in, but it’s non-existent for long stretches. Do not rely on phones for live re-supply searches.

SOCIAL MEDIA

As well as ‘dot watching’, followers love photos and social media posts, so please post lots using the tags #theblaenau and @the_blaenau.

The earlier you start the better. No need to wait for the event itself. Things like kit ‘flat lays’, bike set-ups, food planning, prep rides etc are great content.