Der er flotte ord til Baghjulets Xtreme Melfar 24 i det seneste nyhedsbrev fra Race Across America. Siden 24-timers løbet blev qualifier løb til RAAM, er antallet af danske deltagere i RAAM steget betydeligt - i år deltager 15 danskere.
Vi bringer teksten her.
"Melfar is the first of three 24-hour time trial RAAM Qualifiers in Europe. Held the first week of June near Middelfart, Denmark every year since 2004, the race is the only 24-hour RQ on the Continent. The other two are both in England - the Mersey Roads RTTC 24-Hour National Championship (Cheshire - July 23) and the Brands Hatch 24-Hour Track Challenge (London - September 10).
Organized by the Baghjulet Bicycle Club, Melfar has grown steadily and is now the most popular ultra-bicycle race in Northern Europe. Racers start/finish in Strib, a small village NE of Middelfart. There are both 12-hour and 24-hour races. Nearly 300 racers from 6 countries (Denmark, Sweden, Germany, UK, Slovakia and USA) have registered for this year's event. The 24-hour racers will use 3 loops - 55.8km day loop, 14.6km night loop and 2.9 km finish loop. The course shows off the quiet roads, beautiful, gently rolling hills in the surrounding countryside. The event is open to solo racers as well as 2, 3 and 4-person teams.
12 and 24-hour time trails are great gateway events for the sport of ultra-bicycle racing as they enable racers to self-crew from a fixed location. But Melfar is unique in that they allow those attempting to qualify for RAAM to have a support vehicle on the race course. They believe this approach gives racers and crew "... a chance to practice crew functions under conditions similar to RAAM."
There are many things to like about Melfar. Their website is clean, clear and information is easy to find (in 3 languages - English, German and Danish); they provide food and beverage, rest/sleep area, masseurs, and as they are fond of saying, "lots of smiles". They are serious when they say, "The only thing you have to concentrate on is riding."
Since Melfar has become a RAAM Qualifier, Denmark has become a leading contributor of riders to RAAM. This year Denmark will be sending 15 racers to RAAM and RAW, including leading contender in 2016 Solo RAAM, Dan Nielsen.
Melfar is great fun - the Baghjulet Club does an outstanding job. We highly recommend this event. More on Melfar here. "
