The Fox Antifreeze returns to Coed y Brenin

The Fox Antifreeze, the event which was our last to take place before the pandemic put things on hold, will be our first to return.

The Fox Antifreeze last took place in March 2020, shortly before the arrival of the first lockdowns. It will return (Covid permitting) on the weekend of the 12th and 13th of  March 2022 to Coed y Brenin Forest Park, North Wales. 

With a staggered start, the event provides a very covid-friendly format, removing any need for a large gathering on the start line and reducing bunching that can occurs at pinch points on the course. Instead, riders are individually timed with their event beginning when they first cross the start line. The event number boards are fitted with RFID timing chips which read each time the rider crosses a timing mat, this trigger provides an individual time point reading, starting their personal event time clock, which from that this point remains ticking until they finally cross the finish line to exit the course.

Rain stop play….nope, no way!

As to the weather, it’s anyone’s guess. Over its history the event has seen everything from brilliant sunshine to heavy rain and one year we even had to spend a day shovelling snow off the car park to ensure the event could go ahead as promised. What we can guarantee is some great riding come rain or shine. Coed y Brenin boasts possibly the finest all-weather trail network in the UK. The rocky terrain and higher than average rainfall mean that the trails don’t waterlog or become impassable in the wet, things might get a little slippery in places but it all adds to the fun and you certainly won’t find yourself mired in a mud pit or knee deep in a trail that feels more like a bog. Adding to this is the excellent tree cover that forest park provides to shelter the trails from the worst that any weather and you’ve got a combination that guarantees some great riding no matter what the conditions are.

The Ride

The course is a single lap of around 12km, crafted from a selection of the park’s most popular trails. You can expect some flow sections, some quality singletrack and it’s Coed y Brenin so things may be on the rockier end of the scale in places but the riding won’t disappoint. Connecting things up you’ll find fire road climbs that will, weather permitting, offer some fantastic views of the forest park and the surrounding mountains of Southern Snowdonia.  

The event had a fun, relaxed atmosphere and provides a great way to kick off your riding year. You can elect to ride 1, 2 or 3 laps of the course so have the option to go as easy or hard as you like. Better still, you don’t need to decide before hand. After every lap riders as riders pass through the timing gate they are met with a waymarked split, one direction labelled “Another lap”, the other “Finish”. You simply choose if you have the legs for another 12k or want to end your ride there. 

This year, to further reduce covid transmission risks we will be issuing target start times and streamlining the sign on process. This means riders will be issued a target time slot to help ensure we don’t get crowds at the start line.  

Event sponsors Fox will be on hand and our event partners Beics Brenin will have their fabulous trailhead store open and packed with a wide range of quality MTB gear & ride essentials including the latest kit from Fox.

Entries are now live.   You can enter on the link below or visit the event page for more information. 

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