Strathpuffer 2021 Cancelled

The Strathpuffer 24 hour race – an epic exercise in endurance, folly, or both – has been cancelled for 2021. Here’s the official announcement:

This is the message we didn’t want to have to post – The Strathpuffer in January 2021 is cancelled 😞
We just don’t believe that circumstances relating to COVID-19 will have improved sufficiently by January 2021 to enable us, in all good conscience, to bring almost 2,000 people from all over the UK to a small Highland village.

We have thought long and hard about this and tried to balance all the relevant factors such as current guidance from Scottish Government about events, the announcement of a possible vaccine, current and changing travel restrictions for competitors across the UK and beyond, our desire to give competitors as much notice as possible and the need to retain the support of the local communities impacted by the event.

We have also looked at all the possible ways in which we would have been able to make the event safer in a COVID 19 environment. However, in the end this decision felt pretty inevitable, even though we are so going to miss being together with you all for the annual winter madness.

Details regarding refunds or transferring entries to 2022 have been sent to all competitors in an email – be sure to check your inbox and follow the instructions.

We are sure that many of you will be very disappointed by this news but we hope that you will be able to keep this in perspective with everything else that is happening around the world as a result of this pandemic.

Sad news aside, we think it would be some sort of crime to let the Puffer weekend slide by without some sort of celebration.

So….we will be running a wee competition – post your stories and pictures of how you have celebrated the Puffer weekend in January 2021 on the Strathpuffer Forum on Facebook – you all know what the spirit of the Puffer is – the basecamps, the perilous riding conditions and the outlandish outfits – there will be prizes for the best posts!

Keep your eyes on Facebook for more details in the coming months…

In the meantime, keep riding, keep smiling and we can’t wait to see you all in person in 2022.

All the very best crew – stay safe.
Much love
The Strathpuffer Team

That’s no doubt sad news for many – but those who had been roped into a team as part of a foolish post-pub agreement can breathe a sigh of relief. At least until 2022.

Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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