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OPINION
Video: Racing the howies Battle on the Beach
battle on the beach screenshot.pngBeaches are normally the place for buckets and spades, Frisbees and footballs, but yesterday beautiful Pembrey Beach in west Wales was overtaken by 600 cyclists on a wide assortment of bikes, from massive fat bikes to cyclocross bikes, and a few tandems, in the second running of the howies Battle on the Beach.
The very unique race started on the beach, with the first of three laps featuring a long 10km section on the sand. The battery on my GoPro run out just as the course turned off the beach and headed into the sand dunes and woods that made up the majority of the course. Subsequent laps used a shorter, but no less punishing, section on the beach, making this one of the most unique cycle races I've ever done.
And also one of the most fun, exhilarating, exhausting, rewarding and entertaining events I've ever done.
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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11 comments
I'm really missing looking forward to the Battle...roll on 2016
Why the loathing for fatbikes? Compressed sand isn't really the territory for fat tyres anyway - but if it was 6" of soft sand, then it would be a different story.
May I ask which bikes came first? Was there a trend e.g. fat tyres first or XC bikes first?
Strangely, I found the beach a respite... Time to spin and breathe... Some of the loose sandy bits I found really draining....
Must reiterate though, epic day
I finished 21st in category, 33rd overall, quite chuffed with that, found the beach section hard work, quite a headwind even though it wasn't really that windy, and unfortunately found myself with a bunch to shelter in on the third time up the beach
Under the banner like everyone else
where did you finish?
"Interesting mix of hard to full sus MTBs and cross bikes in there. I see not one fat biker made it past the first 30 seconds at the head of the peloton."
Look more closely at the turn off from the beach on the ramp at what bike is in front of David...
It was indeed epic. I have a sunburnt nose.
Interesting mix of hard to full sus MTBs and cross bikes in there. I see not one fat biker made it past the first 30 seconds at the head of the peloton.
Brilliant event, brilliant day.