In just a few days entries will open to the eagerly anticipated 2016 Battle on the Beach event. Since its inception in 2014 we have been ensuring that the event is better year on year, without impacting what it is that everyone loves about the unique event.

Here is what to expect in 2016:

Improved course – We have changed the course slightly, finding some new tracks at the furthest points and also changing the first section of singletrack to try and avoid the bottleneck. The full distance will also be a little longer (3 full laps), but may be dependant on the weather (wind) direction.

Camp site improvements – New facilities are now in place which are a significant improvement over previous years. Permanent showers, toilets and electric hookups are now available. Because of this we are no longer offer free camping to all, but 2 nights camping will be included in the weekend pass (£40). This is per-pitch, so you can camp with all the family with full facilities. Electric hookup will be an extra £6 (not available for tents).

Battle in the Dark – A new race! We are excited to announce the new, Lezyne Battle in the Dark. This is a time-trial single lap, shortened version of the full lap held on Saturday 19th March. It is free to enter for all those with with the weekend pass (entry on the day possible for all others, entry fee TBC). Riders will be set off at 20-30 second intervals around 7pm. £100 prize for fastest male & female riders with prizes for 10th, 20th, 30th and so on.

Surly Magic Lap – Your chance to WIN a Surly frameset – and all you have to do is ride. At some point before the event Matt will set a “magic lap” time. Whoever matches, or gets closest to the lap time during the event wins the frameset.

Fat Bike UK Championships – We are delighted to announce the event will once again host the Halo Fat Bike Championships. Eligible for all bikes with 3.5″ tyres and above, which means standard plus sizes are not eligible.

Single Lap event – On Saturday afternoon we will have a single lap event for anyone aged 12+ and perfect for novices or those looking to enter a smaller sized event. Starting approximately 4pm on Saturday entry will be available on the day (£10 entry fee).

Youth Races – Once again we will have races available for all ages, with U8, U10 and U12 to 16 events taking place on Saturday afternoon. These are kindly being organised by West Wales Cycling Club.

New Sponsors – We are delighted to announce new event partners, Halo, SIDI and Kinesis with a few more soon to be confirmed. Category & special sponsors will be:

Open Categories – Cash prizes
Veteran Categories – SIDI Shoes
Grand Veteran Categories – Kinesis UK
Super Veteran Male Category – Schwalbe tyres
Fat Bike UK Championships – Halo
Magic Lap – Surly Bikes
Battle in the Dark – Lezyne

New entry system – We have a new entry system in place which will hopefully make it quick and easy for everyone to enter. We recommend using a tablet or desktop over a phone. Payment will be via a debit/credit card only. We are no longer accepting Paypal.

What stays the same – Everything that makes the event unique will remain the same. A mass start with 3 laps of a 12km course for all standard categories (2 laps for fun race). All bikes are welcome and all take part in the same race. Mountain bikes, cross bikes, tandems, fat bikes, beach racers and everything in between. Kids races will return again, with thanks to West Wales Cycling Club, but this time they will take place on Saturday afternoon and will be open to all under 16.

Most of the course will remain similar, all the best sections remain in place, which means plenty of fun singletrack, double track and of course the fantastic beach!