Trail Break’s winter events have had a makeover for the 2006-2007 season, with a dual-event weekend being the result.
The events will take place in one location, with Saturday hosting a non-competitive trail ride sponsored by Evans Cycles, and on Sunday there will be a Navigator Race for the explorers among us.
Saturday’s Evans Cycles Trail Rides are marked out, open hill circuits with a choice of three distances, from 15 to 30+ miles, so that there’s a ride for everyone. The routes are fully marked and you also get a fully route-marked OS map of the course to back you up. Each ride is designed around excellent trails without the headache of route planning and navigation.
The Sunday Navigator Races pit your biking wits against a 28 check-point course laid out in the same area as the trail ride. This time, though, there are no markings to follow — it’s just you, the trails and the map, with 3.5 hours to find as many checkpoints as you can. The navigation is kept quite straightforward, though, and the checkpoints are placed in open view, giving these events a fast and furious pace.
Each day is a totally separate event, so you can enter one or both — it’s up to you. Both events take place from the same base, with hot food, snacks and drinks on sale both days (including the legendary Trail Break chilli; the ultimate post-ride reviver).

The remaining events are taking place at the following venues:
January, Kintbury: Evans Ride, Sat 13; Navigator Race, Sun 14.
February, Bramley: Evans Ride, Sat 10; Navigator Race, Sun 11.
March, Woodcote: Evans Ride, Sat 10; Navigator Race, Sun 11.

For more information on the rides, or Trail Break in general, go to www.trailbreak.co.uk.