Howies Battle on the Beach brings beach racing to the UK

If you enjoyed Jo's feature on beach racing in the Netherlands and you fancy a crack at it then you might be pleased to hear that the UK will have its very own beach race next year: Howies Battle on the Beach, on 16 March.

Unlike the classic Dutch beach races, which are out-and-back affairs along the edge of the North Sea, the Battle on the Beach will comprise a number of laps of an 8-10km loop that will take in "sand, dunes, singletrack and a few surprises" according to the event website. The location is Pembrey Country Park near Llanelli in South Wales, just along the coast from Pendine Sands where Guy Martin managed 112.94mph on his overgeared Rourke bike recently.

There will be £250 cash prizes for the male and female winners and there are vets, fun, novice, youth and fatbike categories too. The event will be electronically timed and fully route marked, and there'll be a bike wash to get all the grit off your pride and joy, as well as full event support and photography.

If you fancy a crack at the inaugural running of the race then entries open on 1 Jan and will cost £18; given the fact that it's currently the only beach race in the UK (that we know of) we'd expect them to go fairly quickly. The website doesn't state how many places there are, only that they're limited. So don't delay!

www.battleonthebeach.co.uk