Charity ride around the main Passes in the Lake District - 3rd May '04

After yesterdays 6 hour Enduro mtb race Bank holiday Monday should have been spent with my feet up but no I was pedalling around the Lake District. 114 miles and 14,400 feet of climbing! This is a challenge around the Lake District climbing the main passes. It starts and finishes in Coniston. During the circuit it takes in Ambleside, Kirkstone Pass, Patterdale, Troutbeck, Keswick, Borrowdale, Honister Pass, Buttermere, Newlands Pass, Braithwaite, Whinlatter Pass, Loweswater, Ennerdale Bridge, Gosfoth, Eskdale with the huge Hardknott and Wrynose Passes before heading back to Coniston. A true challenge. All proceeds are split between MacMillan Nurses and the Dave Rayer Fund. It is organised by the Lakes Road Club. I have never completed this challenge except for the "Cycling Weekly" version that was held one year. On that occasion it was quite leisurely with two cafe stops. Some people treat this event as their big race of the year and race. At the start I was undecided how I would approach it, I did not want to race as I do enough of them anyway but I was quite happy to ride at least half of it at a good speed.

There are two start time 8am and 9am. There were about 240 starters in the 8 departure and another 50 at 9. On the first hill out of Coniston the group started to split. This is how the event went on with riders getting dropped and riding at their own pace. When we reach Honister Pass Rob Jebb started to push the pace and the group split to bits. After the descent and the ride down the valley the first check point was at Buttermere. After signing the checkpoint form and having a cake it was up the steep hill of Newlands.

The route took us over Whinlatter through Lorton, across to Ennerdale before heading over Cold Fell. Then it was only 5 miles to the second stop at Gosforth. With 86 miles completed we still had Hardknott  & Wrynose two of the toughest climbs in Lakes to do. When we got there you could see a string of bikers some walking others zig zagging there way up. Once over Wrynose the run back the Coniston was great, even the little rises.

Robb Jebb set the fastest time of 6 hours exactly, I came in after 7:25. It was a good hard day out.

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(written 04/05/04)