The TransWales Event: What the Race Week Looked Like
A stage race is only half sport; the other half is logistics. The TransWales, which ran between 2006 and 2010, moved up to 150 two-rider teams, their tents, luggage and catering around a week-long loop of mid and north Wales. This page reconstructs the race week from the organisers’ own published material. The format of the racing itself is covered on the concept page, and the wider history on the main TransWales page.
The base: White House Farm, Builth Wells
The event lived at the White House Farm campsite in Builth Wells, a few minutes’ walk from the town centre. The farm was the start and the finish: riders left their cars there for the week (at their own risk), the route looped back on the final Saturday, and the finishers’ party was held there. The site had hosted the organisers’ Merida Bikes MTB Marathon series for years, and signposting to the event village went up from the Friday afternoon.
Registration day
Everything administrative happened on the opening Saturday — there was no registration on Sunday morning. Between noon and 8 pm riders signed on and had their mandatory kit and bikes checked against the published requirements list. Each rider collected a timing chip against a £10 deposit, mounted in front of the bottom bracket as shown on a display bike — a chip fitted wrongly meant no time on the special stages. Every team also had to register a fully charged mobile phone for emergencies, with the number noted at sign-on.
Riders also received their event holdall — valued in 2006 at up to £150, doubling as their luggage for the week and theirs to keep. The evening closed with the initial briefing and a pasta party, and the first stage rolled out at 9 am on Sunday morning.
The moving camp
From Sunday onwards the camp travelled with the race. Overnight stops used visitor centres, campgrounds, leisure centres and farms — in 2006 running through camps near Ponterwyd, at Machynlleth Leisure Centre, near Ganllwyd, south of Corris, at Llanafan and near Rhandirmwyn — each with showers, toilets and water.
The luggage system was simple. Everything a rider needed for the week — clothing, spares, sleeping bag and mattress — had to fit in the one event holdall, roughly 35 × 40 × 100 cm, with one tent (no bigger than a three-man) carried per team under its own identity card. The transport crew moved bags and tents from location to location so they were on site when riders arrived; each morning riders packed up, handed over their kit and rode. On the bike, teams carried only day rations, tools and emergency kit — the same pack-light discipline covered in the multi-day pack guide. A broom wagon followed the course carrying essentials and picking up struggling riders.
There were no charging points — phones had to last the week on one charge, kept for emergencies, and night-stage lights arrived fully charged, with only an Exposure Lights top-up station available.
Food and rider support
Riders were fed three times a day: breakfast in camp, a rolling lunch — a lunch pack handed out at a feeding station riders passed around midday — and an all-you-can-eat dinner in the evening. Energy food was available at selected checkpoints on the linking stages, with two to three service stations on the long 80–100 km days; riders were expected to stay self-sufficient and use the stations as top-ups. A crew from High5 travelled with the event selling energy food and drink, and riders were advised to bring cash for supplies, repairs and the odd luxury.
At the end of every stage a mechanic and a massage tent were waiting. Roaming medical cover ran along the fully marshalled course all week. Guidance in the requirements ran to the practical details: roughly 750 ml of fluid and 60 g of carbohydrate per riding hour, adequate clothing for changeable Welsh conditions, and a helmet without exception — “no helmet no ride”.
Followers, families and support crews
The race welcomed an entourage. Families and friends could follow the event from camp to camp with caravans, camper vans or mobile homes, provided the organisers knew the vehicle size and headcount in advance. Teams bringing their own support were asked to carry their own equipment, and a meals-only voucher — £100 in 2006 — bought a supporter the same meals as the riders. The campground stayed open until the Sunday after the finish, with the finishers’ party and prize presentation on the closing Saturday night.
What entry included
Entry in 2006 cost £400 per rider and bundled the whole week: the fully marshalled and marked ride with medical cover, all meals, the service stations, luggage and tent transport, maps and course material, camping at every stage location, parking, the event holdall and a finishing jersey. The event carried a £10,000 prize fund — half cash, half products — with day winners, overall winners and leader jerseys across the male, female, mixed and veteran categories.
Entry ran on paper: a form and a £100-per-rider deposit cheque payable to Mountain Bike Events Ltd in Bristol, with the balance due in the spring and confirmation returned by post with a start number. Riders without a partner could ask to be matched with another lone entrant, and overseas riders could arrange bank transfers and airport pick-ups. The details as they stood are preserved on the entry page; the day-by-day timetable is on the stage breakdown.
Frequently asked questions
Where was the TransWales based?
At the White House Farm campsite in Builth Wells, a few minutes' walk from the town centre. Registration, the pasta party, the start, the finish and the closing party were all held there, with the camp moving around a loop of mid and north Wales in between.
What happened on registration day?
Between noon and 8 pm on the opening Saturday, riders signed on, had kit and bikes checked, collected timing chips and event holdalls, registered an emergency mobile number and joined the briefing and pasta party. There was no registration on Sunday — the race started at 9 am.
How did riders' luggage get from camp to camp?
The organisers transported one event holdall per rider — roughly 35 × 40 × 100 cm, holding all clothing, spares and sleeping kit — plus one tent per team (up to a three-man). Bags were handed in each morning and waiting at the next camp; riders carried only their day rations and tools on the bike.
What food was provided during the race week?
Breakfast, a rolling lunch handed out at a mid-route feeding station, and an all-you-can-eat dinner every day, plus energy food at checkpoints and service stations on the long stages. High5 travelled with the event selling additional nutrition.
Could family or friends follow the race?
Yes — followers with caravans, camper vans or mobile homes were welcome at every camp, as long as the organisers knew vehicle sizes and numbers in advance. A £100 meals-only voucher bought supporters the same meals as the riders.
What support did riders get on the trail?
A fully marked and marshalled course with roaming medical cover, unannounced checkpoints with linked feeding stations, a broom wagon sweeping up struggling riders, and a mechanic and massage tent at every stage end.