About the event
Your chance to ride from one end of a country to the other whilst conquering some sizeable peaks along the way. The 75km route of the Isle of Man Sleepwell Hotels Manx End to End Challenge incorporates 1500 metres of climbing with a thrilling mixture of fast fire roads, sweeping moorland paths, country lanes and forest singletrack. You’ll also experience stunning views and great support from the local spectators whilst you gain a real sense of satisfaction as you make your way from the northern most to southern most points of the island. A full range of rider abilities are represented, a small number of top riders make the trip but most of the field is made up of weekend riders just looking to complete the challenge and enjoy themselves while having a laugh with likeminded mtbers. The course is usually completed within 3 hours for the leaders and anything up to 6 hours for the more relaxed riders. The event is a challenge but times are provided and category prizes are awarded.
The first Sleepwell Hotels Manx End 2 End was held in 1996 and with 2013 being the 16th running of the event the Manx Mountain Bike Club have learnt a lot about how to make sure you, and the other 1700 riders, have a great time and go home wanting to do it all over again.
The route
The course runs from the Point of Ayre at the northern tip of the Island to the Calf Sound at the Southernmost tip. The course varies slightly each year but remains fundamentally the same. Starting from the Northern tip of the Isle of Man the course warms you-up by skirting along the ‘flattish’ North West coast of the Island. After crossing the TT motorbike course you start climbing across the mountains in the north of the Island with stunning views out across the Irish Sea to Ireland. You then start your hair raising descent along fast and loose fire road trails into St. Johns where you can congratulate yourself on reaching halfway, just the small matter of the second half to go. As you ride over the southern half of the Island you’ll enjoy ripping up the singletrack through the forests as well as the winding switchbacks on the moorland of Cronk Ny Ary Laa Mountain as you speed into Port St Mary. Now you just have the small matter of Howe Hill to take you to the satisfaction of the finish where you will earn your bragging rights.
Check Points
There are 3 manned checkpoints: One at Brandywell Road (30km), one at St. John’s (42km) and the other at Eary Cushlin (51km).
These will have water to refill your bottles and energy bars. They are intended to supplement your rations and you should carry adequate supplies to meet your needs rather than relying on these. Checkpoint closing times are:
CP1. Brandywell @13:00 CP2. St. John’s @ 14:00 CP3. Eary Cushlin @ 15:30
What’s Included
Your entry fee covers your race entry, race number, timing chip and event T-Shirt. The entry fee is as low as possible and offers extremely good value for money. There is an additional fee for transport to and from the start finish if required and this is just to cover costs. In 2012 I think I paid £30 for entry and a further £13 for the bus and bike transfer to the start and return to Douglas. You even get fed twice! Not only do they include a meal at signing-on on Saturday evening but they also give you a meal at the presentation event on Sunday night. You won’t go hungry here and yes both meals are provided free of charge by sponsors Sleepwell Hotels.
Next Steps / Options
I am looking to participate and don’t mind going solo but if anyone would be interested check out the event website www.manxe2e.org and video clips on YouTube. They also show a 30min review of the event on Sky and there are some photos on my Facebook. Last year I flew over but if a few were interested in going over I can look at other travel options or organising a bike drop. I know Alistair Bratten and Colm Loughrey are interested in participating again and there is a host of folk from Northern Ireland who participate annually. The entry is due to open 1st February and does sell out fast however they do have a ticket exchange site for folk to buy and sell tickets if they are unable to participate. I know a group of lads from Dublin who decided to go last minute and were able to pick up tickets however getting to the IOM with a bike can be tricky if not planned in advance!!
If you have any questions / queries or are interested give me a shout. There are several MTB Trails opening up locally in 2013 with Davagh (Cookstown) due to be completed end of March and I’ll aim to organise a Scotland MTB Day Trip around Easter so I’ll ensure you can get plenty of practice in before End2End!
Andy Bate ( / 07557952756)