In The Shadow of The Three Peaks
As ever, this event loomed over my summer. All of my off-road riding has to count towards the Three Peaks. I like it this way, it keeps me honest. Even descending on MTB trails in the Alps this August (on my 3 Peaks bike of course), I was comparing the speed and the terrain on Pen Y Ghent. The speed on PYG is higher because the trail is straighter, less winding. The rocks are looser and more numerous with some sections resembling a soft-play ball pit. Add in the level of fatigue, the pressure of chasing a time and two-way traffic and it makes the managed Alpine trail seem quite relaxing despite being on a cross bike in 100mm travel MTB-land.
"The appeal of the race - quite extreme terrain negotiated using wholly inappropriate equipment"
Peak Appeal
This, I think is the essence of the appeal of the race. Quite extreme terrain negotiated using wholly inappropriate equipment. It gets relatively sillier every year as the "appropriate" equipment gets better but is still not used.
We have disc brakes now, and much easier gears (38t x 11-46 this year) but no suspension, no flared bars and nothing wider than 35c tyres.
Race Day
My race was good. I had trained more than the last few years. Each of the six weeks leading up to the race included my usual commute KMs plus a 4-5 hour weekend ride including at least 1000m of ascent, much of it carrying the bike.
I had no nerves and even managed to catch up with someone I hadn't seen for a couple of years on the start line. I nice chat with Alan Yule who I have raced London League cyclocross with over the years.
There had been some rain overnight, but it was mild in the morning and became warm and sunny by midday. I started quite far back (people line up earlier every year!) with probably 250 riders in front of me. I pushed hard on the neutralised road sections to make up places and entered the first off-road section in about 100th place.
The ascent of Ingleborough
The ascent of Ingleborough starts in earnest with Simon Fell. Some of which is only just not vertical. For the first time ever, I took the really really steep route away from the dry-stone wall and wire fence. It was easier to pick a line and not be part of a procession. It felt quicker.
For much of the second part of the climb, I listened to Helen Jackson behind me opining on various aspects of the course. Bits she liked, bits she had forgotten about etc..I summitted Ingleborough in almost exactly 60mins and did a PB on the descent. Happy with that. At Cold Cotes, I took a bottle, and an unwrapped cliff bar was posted into my mouth by the younger member of my support crew.
"It gets relatively sillier every year as the "appropriate" equipment gets better but is still not used"
"I landed on a mattress of Juncus or Cottongrass"
For Peat's Sake!
Whernside was slightly more rideable than in previous years because of work done to reduce erosion of the path. My only crash of the day was on the way down towards the Ribblehead viaduct. I veered off one of the stone slab steps, my front wheel hit some soft peat throwing me diagonally over the bars to the right. I landed on a mattress of Juncus or Cottongrass.
Small(ish) man & Jack Russell
As I remounted, a small(ish) white-bearded man with a Jack Russell said, "Nice gentle one that, lad".
Serendipity placed me on a super-strong wheel from Ribblehead to PenY Ghent. My second best time ever here. I can only take credit for holding the wheel.
Pen Y Ghent was the climb I had bought my 11-46 cassette for. It worked really well and enabled be to stay on the bike for longer than usual. I rode the steepest part of the "new" descent for the first time and managed a PB from the summit to the finish.
Helen and Me...
I must mention Helen Jackson again here because I caught her on at the bottom of PYG and we rode to the finish together. She finished 2nd woman and 1st FV40. We agreed to help each other get under 4 hours, which we did."Gentle" is probably a stretch but I found the harshness more comfortable than I have in the past. I could make the most of my fitness because of this and because of my familiarity with the course. This perspective has gelled over the past couple of weeks after watching some content posted by another rider. He did manage to finish 10 minutes ahead of me on his first attempt, and I understand that hyperbole is a tenet of the genre, and it is all relative...
but it's a nice morning out in the hills before a pub lunch (with a bit of an edge admittedly).
Race number 17. 3h 57m
Until next year...
