The craziest race in Britain?
The Battle on the Beach
The Battle on the Beach is becoming an early season off road classic, in its ninth year it has gained quite the reputation of being one of the best ‘’race’’ weekends in the UK.
I put race in quote marks because although the event has everything you might except at a race such as prizes for fastest times and number boards, the emphasis was very much on having fun. It certainly ticked that box and I personally found it to be one of the most welcoming and laid back cycling events I have ever been to.
So what is it? The event calls itself a battle which can easily put people off, although it will push you both physically and technically the event encourages everyone to enter. At roughly 45 kilometers long the race takes place at Pembrey Country Park, with the start line being on the edge of the beach you complete 3 15 kilometer laps. This year the winner finished in a little over 1 hour 20 minutes but there was some people finishing over 3 hours after the start and with 1000 people being on the start line the chance of you riding the whole event alone is pretty slim.
As touched on earlier, the race itself starts right on the edge of the beach, just where the sand is soft enough to make riding a challenge. This is the first challenge, with the hard packed sand being around 30 to 40 meters in front of the start line it is possible to start on your bike, however although quicker you can risk wheel spinning and actually losing places. The other option is to start off of your bike which is what 90% of the field opted for, running off of the start line was a first for me but it did enable me to squeeze through a few small gaps where people had unsuccessfully managed to ride.
Remounting was the second challenge of the day and it has to be said there were some questionable techniques. Channeling my inner cross skills I was okay, however I did witness some remounts that looked like they hurt a lot, so definitely a skill to practice if you are considering entering next year!
Once onto the hard packed sand there is no time to stop and make sand castles as the race follows the sea for the next 6 kilometers. Being allowed to use the whole width of the beach made for a phenomenon that should be considered as the 8th wonder of the world, looking back at the drone shots and videos from my go pro it was a site to behold. 1000 people is a lot of people, but for all of them to be riding a bike certainly meant it was the largest peloton I have ever been apart of.
Obviously it’s a lot easier to ride on the compacted sand rather than the soft stuff, so keeping as close to the seas edge is definitely worth considering and so is trying to surf the wheels in front of you rather than ride by yourself as it can windy on the coast! After 6 kilometers comes the first pinch point of the event, racing off of the beach you make your way onto a number of gravel fire roads that are only wide enough for 3 to 4 riders at a push.
Twisting and turning through the trees it is very easy to become disorientated, luckily getting lost is the last thing you need to worry about. Firstly that’s because there is likely to always be someone in front of you to follow and secondly because the course is extremely well sign posted, plus there are event marshals scattered all around the course to help you if you are really struggling.
After 5 to 6 kilometers of these lovely smooth, fast fire roads comes what was personally my favorite part of the course. The sand dunes! Yes you read that correctly, the course takes you back onto the edge of the beach as you navigate your way back to the start line via the dunes. The sections of sand span only 20 to 30 meters at maximum, intersected with hard packed grass so that it is all possible to ride. However, the dunes will test your technical ability, with some short steep ascents and descents that may force you to run up if you don’t have a clear run at them.
Finally you exit the dunes and head into the woods where you will find flowing single track. Carving through the trees and through gravel pits and even one or two tunnels you finally make it back to the arena before heading out onto the next lap. This is the craziest part in my opinion, getting back onto the beach. As you race off of the tarmac you are greeted by the beach, too fast and you risk your front wheel sliding out on the loose sand but too slow and you will sink and be forced to run onto the harder packed sand ready for the long stretch of beach ahead.
3 laps later and you make it to the finish line. The final lap does have a slight detour towards the end to help limit the likelihood of riders being lapped. At this stage I had made it to the front group of 6 and as we darted off of the beach for the final time a Dutch specialist beach racer slipped away with my team mate Mickey.
There were a few big digs by the riders in the group to bring them back but in doing so they just fatigued themselves and set me up for a counter attack over one of the climbs where I was the only one able to ride. Bridging the gap to Mickey we then powered on through the final technical section together but unfortunately we couldn’t bring back the leader who took the win with myself and Mickey ending up 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Battle in the Dark.
Alongside Battle on the Beach runs the Battle in the dark, included in the entry fee the night race is a 9km time trial on the Saturday night. In the most British way possible everyone forms an orderly que in a random order and riders are set off at 10 second intervals.
Most of the course is single track through the woods so you are soon either passed or catching up to the rider in front. There is a prize for first place however the focus is very much again on having fun so there are prizes for every 10th rider to encourage everyone of every ability to take part.
From personal experience a good front light is vital, I was only running a 700 lumen front light and once darkness fell I panicked that I needed more so duct taped a second front light to my handle bars. It wasn’t long till I ended up hugging a tree and this front light was pointing so far to the left that I was struggling to see what was coming up in front of me.
A helmet light would be a great idea if you were planning on taking part, by having the light on the helmet means that it will be far easier to point the light to where you want it to be looking. Luckily I managed to catch up to Neil who had one of these and he showed me the way which evidently worked as I clocked the fastest time and Neil the second fastest.
The kit
Beach racing is a common site on the continent and two specialist beach racers made the trip over to Wales and with them they brought two specialist beach bikes. Very similar to a gravel bike both Richard and Bram used prototype Imming bikes with some massive, slick tyres. With such a large volume in each tyre surface area is increased and so is buoyance which helped them float over the sand and power them onto first and fourth respectively.
Don’t be put off by thinking you need these special bikes, Battle on the Beach promotes variety through the number of different disciplines it has. From a fat bike competition to a tandem category there were also riders on gravel bikes as well as mountain bikes.
Personally I joined the around 90% of people riding gravel bikes and that worked well for me, helping me finish second overall. The bike I was riding was the Ribble gravel SL which worked perfectly for the event, with the long stretch along the beach being ridden at 35 plus kilometers an hour meant I was able to hold the pace with relative ease whilst also having something zippy and aggressive enough to help me through the more technical, tight and twisty sections.
The bike is an important factor but the tyres arguably are more important for this event. With such a variety of terrain having something that will float over the sand but provide grip through the corners is vital. For me this meant riding a 38mm Hutchinson Overide on the rear and a Goodyear Connector on the front. The Overide on the rear had a very slick profile which allowed for a large surface area whilst the Goodyear provided a greater amount of grip to help me through the technical sections.
The combination seemed to work well, however for next year I have already been eyeing up what combination I would like. Something with a little extra volume would have floated over the sandier sections a little better, so a 50mm Hutchinson Overide on the rear with a 50mm Touareg on the front I think would be perfect combination.
Another vital component to consider is pedal choice, SPD’s or flat pedals are a must. With numerous dismounts and remounts likely, being able to easily clip in and out is crucial to preventing you from ending up in a pile on the floor. Practicing your dismounts and remounts is also a wise idea, as touched upon earlier I witnessed some atrocious remounts that I am sure must have hurt. Looking back at my go pro footage did make me wince by how hard a few people landed on their saddles so take a look on YouTube and get practicing your skills.
Gloves are also a wise idea, something I was silly enough to forgot. With salt spraying up along with sand and mud made for a lovely gritty combination that sure provided some friction between my hoods and palms resulting in some rather painful blisters and cuts.
Punctures were a common site, with sharp beach shells and thorns from the forest I witnessed a number of upside down bikes with inner tubes being replaced. Opting for a tubeless set up can help to prevent these if you use a sealant inside that can help to seal up small holes. Taking tyre plugs and CO2 cannisters with you can help provide a quick fix if you do suffer a slice slightly larger than your sealant can handle.
From my experience I think that I can hand on heart say that Battle on the Beach is the craziest event I have been apart of and it is clear from taking part why there is so much hype surrounding the event. 2024 will be the events 10 years anniversary and we have been promised the biggest, best event to date so be sure to keep your eyes peeled and get your entry in before it’s sold out!
