Calendar

Nov
23
Wed
Witchel-Wednesday @ Waitrose Swindon
Nov 23 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Witchel-Wednesday @ Waitrose Swindon | England | United Kingdom
You might have noticed it being a bit moist so far this week, so we’re going to do our Witchelstowe loop this week. 
Starting at the Waitrose car park we will head along the southern flyer, by the canal onto the old railway line round the bottom of Old Town, right to the top, before heading to Croft. After an optional lap there we will proceed back to Waitrose through Witchelstowe along canal and “lakes” (ok, large ponds!).
The ride will be about 9 miles (plus and laps of Croft you want to do) and is nicely suited for beginners.
Meet by the disabled parking at the front of Waitrose at 6pm – you will need lights and a helmet.
Jan
10
Wed
SMTBE AGM @ The Plough, Wanborough
Jan 10 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
SMTBE AGM @ The Plough, Wanborough | Wanborough | England | United Kingdom

We are holding our AGM on Wednesday 10th January at 7pm at The Plough in Wanborough.

This is your chance to have your say on the running of the club, vote for committee members, see the club’s finances and for the committee to show you our plans for 2018. We have what we think are some good ideas that we would like feedback on, but would also love any ideas you have. Don’t hold back – we might not be able to do everything straight away, but as long as we know, we can start to plan. 
 
Non-members are welcome to the meeting, but only members get a vote. 
 
If you can’t make it to the meeting, but have an idea you would like to share, please email us at ideas@swindonmtbenthusiasts.co.uk 
 
 
 
Look forward to seeing you there! 
Dec
5
Wed
CANCELLED – Wednesdays After Work at Croft @ Croft Cycle Trail
Dec 5 @ 5:45 pm – 7:00 pm
CANCELLED - Wednesdays After Work at Croft @ Croft Cycle Trail | England | United Kingdom
APOLOGIES EVERYONE, BUT TONIGHTS EVENT IS CANCELLED
Sorry, but due to ride leader unavailability (due to sick child!), I’ve had to cancel tonight’s ride. 
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We’re back for a Wednesday Night session at Croft.
The trail takes on a different vibe in the dark – loads of fun still with a bit of extra spice that comes from riding with lights 🙂
The tight nature of the trail keeps you on your toes too!
 
We’ll be taking easy as usual for Wednesday nights, so perfect if you’ve not been night riding before and going round as a group boosts the available light too.
 
Needless to say you’ll need lights for this ride, a helmet as always and current forecast suggests waterproofs as well.
 
Meet in the car park at 5.45pm
Feb
15
Fri
@ The Tawny Owl
Feb 15 @ 7:00 pm – 9:45 pm
 @ The Tawny Owl
This year’s AGM will be held at the Tawny Owl at 7pm . To discuss items on the agenda from the club accounts, voting on election of the committee and future plans.
It is open to members and non-members, but only members will be able to vote, so please make sure you have an up to date membership.
If you wish to have any comments to raise on the night, we will have a slot for it, but for smooth running of the evening, if you wish to put forward suggestions prior to AGM or you cannot attend, please PM or email Andrew@swindonmtbenthusiasts.co.uk 
Apr
3
Wed
Wednesdays GetintoMTB @ Croft Cycle Trail
Apr 3 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Wednesdays GetintoMTB @ Croft Cycle Trail
Wednesday rides are back with a new format.

The evening will be split into two parts:

6-6.45pm will be a Croft trail ride, laps of the trail (when it gets lighter we will also be sessioning some of the features). This week this bit shouldn’t need lights 😀

6.45-8.15pm will be a local, fairly flat route, less than 10km in total.
PLEASE LET US KNOW BY POSTING BELOW IF YOU INTEND ONLY ATTENDING THE 6.45PM RIDE, so that we know to wait for you, as we leave promptly.

These rides are part of our GetintoMTB series, designed for anyone just starting mountain biking, coming back after a break or just wanting a shorter, flatter ride 😊

Helmets are compulsory and you will also need lights for the ride out at 6.45pm.

Meet in the Croft Trail car park for both rides

May
24
Fri
The Peaks Weekender @ The Peak District
May 24 @ 8:00 pm – May 27 @ 12:00 pm
The Peaks Weekender @ The Peak District | England | United Kingdom

The Peak District is simple awesome for mountain biking – stunning scenery and brilliant riding.
I’ve done lots of riding up there and am putting together some of the best in one long weekend.

We will be based in the Hope Valley, which has a great selection of campsites, B&B accommodation, cafes and bike shops. Personally I’ll be camping and will make a recommendation for a campsite after sampling a few, but there are plenty of great B&Bs for anyone that doesn’t like camping.

For the riding, we have 3 days:
A scenic starter, along the Monsal Trail. Starting at Bakewell Station up to Blackwell Mill and back. This is a former railway line that has been converted into a bridleway, using all the old features, including a number of viaducts and 4 tunnels through the Peaks. This gives us the chance to soak in the gorgeous scenery along the route, as well as a stop to enjoy them with a drink.

Day 2 is an epic XC ride starting in Hope and heading over Mam Tor out towards Derwent Water and back. The views on this route are even more stunning than the previous day, but the riding will be amazing too, with some epic descents – this one isn’t flat! 😉 We will be doing 25-30km with 1200-1500ft of climbing (depending on the weather), but the pace will be relaxed.

The final day will be a trip to the brilliant (but short) Lady Cannings trails, which we will use to end a 10km loop of the local Blacca Moor, which is another Peaks “must do”. That should see us finish at lunchtime, on the Bank Holiday Monday.

If you are planning on coming, please register either on the Facebook group event or by sending an email to adrian@swindonmtbenthusiasts.co.uk – just so we know to keep an eye out for you before setting off anywhere.

Aug
21
Wed
Wednesday GetintoMTB @ Croft Cycle Trail
Aug 21 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Wednesday GetintoMTB @ Croft Cycle Trail

Wednesdays are one of our #getintoMTB events, designed to help people get started, get back into MTB or anyone wanting a shorter, flatter ride. But there’s plenty of fun for all abilities.

The evening will be split into two parts:

6-7pm will be a Croft trail ride, laps of the trail (sessioning some of the features along the way)

7pm-8pm will be a local, fairly flat route, less than 10km in total.
PLEASE LET US KNOW BY POSTING BELOW IF YOU INTEND ONLY ATTENDING THE 7PM RIDE, so that we know to wait for you, as we leave promptly.

Under 18’s are allowed on this ride unaccompanied, as long as you have been out with us before. If you haven’t and wish to come, please drop an email to welfare@swindonmtbenthusiasts.co.uk so we can let you know the process for signing up to these rides.

As with all our rides, Helmets are compulsory.

Meet in the Croft Trail car park for both rides

Aug
31
Sat
MTB-Marathon – Hope Valley @ Hope Valley College
Aug 31 @ 10:00 am – Sep 1 @ 6:00 pm
MTB-Marathon - Hope Valley @ Hope Valley College | Hope | England | United Kingdom
We did the MTB-Marathon in Hope last year and loved it. The whole series are brilliant events, incredibly well organised and supported with fabulous routes too. And free camping as well!
So we’re going to do this excellent final round in the amazing Peak District in 2019.
Although the main event is on the Sunday, there are also a Ladies Ride on the Saturday morning and a night marathon on the Saturday night, which has a choice of distances and light hire available from Exposure Lights.
On the Sunday 3 distances are available – Mini (25km), Half (45km) and Full (65km!). Bear in mind it’s in the Peak District, and the hills are big too, as well as the distance!
We’ve got members booked on the Half, but all routes start out together.

Full details here:
https://www.mtb-marathon.co.uk/events/1st-2nd-september-2018-hope-valley-peak-district.html