MINEHEAD Cycling Club were out in force taking part in the Plymouth 3 Six 12/24 Hour MTB Marathon, one of the highlights of the mountain bike race season.

Riders could choose between the various race lengths, solo or as a team, but always as a relay, one riding while the others rested.

Mark Brewer took on the full 24-hour challenge, riding solo, putting away a remarkable 27 laps of the 8.5-mile course to finish second overall. Riding through the night, he cemented his reputation as a star of the endurance racing scene, only stopping briefly to eat, he kept a consistent pace and finished strongly just 2 laps behind the winner.

Also in the 24 hour class were Nienke Hensbroek and Mark Franklin, paired up with Ben and Jess Johnson; they tucked away 30 laps, pacing well with consistently quick lap times that rewarded them with victory in their class. Nienke put in a sprint to get the last lap done with just 10 minutes to spare.

Nick Thorne and Nick Welsh were in the 12 hour pairs, finishing 7th in a hard fought category with 13 laps. Recovering from an early crash which threatened to end their ride they paced their race well, chalking up 13 laps.

Also on 13 laps in the 12 hour pairs were Louise Crossman and Janet Hewlett, winning their class with another reliable ride, with no mistakes they mastered the roots and rocks on the challenging course.

Martin Hurst and Stephen Crossman were also in the 12 hour pairs, after Martin became unwell, Stephen continued on to total 9 laps for the team, but well out of contention for the overall.

Elsewhere, club activities continued with the Sunday road ride and MTB rides across Exmoor, making the best of the excellent weather.