3 Peaks CX 2023 - this weekend

Quick practical question - how busy does Helwith Bridge get if you're driving to the start? I'm getting dropped off so would it be a better bet to stop up the road (Stainforth say), and just ride to the start?

I did the race last year with my daughter and sister in law, I'll be spectating this year. Sister in law entered this year too but currently ill with the covids and complaining about her back when carrying - she's probably just getting excuses in early in case she doesn't beat my PB.

If you are getting dropped off continue past Helwith Bridge turn there's a gravel area people also park. If that's a little busy carry on 1/4 mile to Studfold where there's a tea rooms and space to drop off. It's surprisingly hilly from Stainforth and you need all the legs you can keep! If you turn into Helwith they put in a one way you'll end up parking in the field there.

I'm very much not ready, but sort of looking forward to it!

If you are getting dropped off continue past Helwith Bridge there’s a gravel area people also park.

That was closed off when I rode past it last week, had a load of aggregate etc piled in there.

It gets VERY busy - like, you won't be able to drive through Helwith at all from about 08:45.

I'd try to avoid parking in fields too, it's been wet all week and the forecast for Sunday isn't much better.

I'm hoping to get up there to spectate but I'll park a few miles put and ride in.

Good luck everyone doing it! 11 starts and 10 finishes for me so once I got into double figures I swore I wasn't going to race it again! 😂

There are a couple of steeper climbs on the main road between Settle and Helwith, but the minor road on the other side of the Ribble is far more mellow in terms of gradient. Getting dropped off at Stainforth, just cross the main road, go down a steep road and up gently to the Knight Stainforth campsite (restaurant with good food, if you're interested for later). Then right at the junction and up and over to the Helwith/Austwick road. Good warm-up.

planning to drive up to settle park up and get on my bike to go ride/watch, seen the time sheet 930 start with aproximate times at each stop, what itinery would people recommended for watching [whilst on a bike]..

ribblehead / bacon butty van / coffee mid ride.. TIA

and good luck to participants

As a spectator I wouldn't bother with Helwith for the start it's not that interesting, try to get to Gill Garth farm (aim to be there before 9:30 as the Horton road gets closed) so you can see everyone trudge up towards Ingleborough. Then head towards Chapel-le-Dale turn down Philpin Lane (on the race route) you can then watch the Whernside ascent. Take the bridleways towards Ribblehead and you can catch them on descent too. Now back to Horton to watch them do Pen-y-ghent as well.

This year, just to mix it up I'm going to park in Austwick (note the Austwick to Helwith road is closed in the morning) take the bridleway to Clapham and view the Ingleborough descent at Cold Cotes, then ride to Chapel-le-Dale, Ribblehead, Horton and back via Helwith.

Good luck everyone. Did it a handful of times and marshalled once (at Rawnsley's Leap, top of the first Simon's Fell climb. A high adrenaline experience.) Disappointed not to do it last year but glad not to be doing it this year (and haven't they reduced the number of participants?).

For a drop off I'd look to be dropped somewhere round the quarry, unless you want a spin of the legs, road up through Swarth Moor on the OS map but you can come at it from Little Stainforth or Austwick to dodge traffic if you're worried. (I always dropped off bottles in a couple of places round the route before parking for the race with zero problem scooting round). You do get a bunch of vans parked up lower down the road nearer the official car park as it's wide with gravel verges with folks warming up on rollers. This info about four years old but I can see what will have changed.

Top of Simon's Fell is the best place to spectate, albeit you'll share a bit of pain with the participants to get there. It's quite something to stand on the edge waiting for the race when tiny dots appear (Jebb plus a couple of others), then a few more, and then hordes....

I've done support by bike quite a few times. Usually parking in the field at Helwith (if supporting a rider) or at Clapham if just spectating.

So Helwith to see the riders at Cold Cotes using the little lanes and bridleways above Austwick and Clapham. Then into Ingleton but, leave the race route and use the little road on the other side of the valley / by the waterfall walk. This is MUCH nicer than the main road chaos.

If supporting a fast rider then go straight to Ribble Head, possibly including the Bruntscar / Ivescar bridleway. If you are following a mid-field rider then there is usually time to include the Twistleton bridleway.

Then road for a mile or so towards Hawes to pick up the Pennine bw to Horton to meet your rider after PyG.

Then road back to Helwith.

Anyone else been out on the rain and low cloud today?

I got to Helwith Bridge about 10 mins before the start and watched them roll out then rode around to Clapham via a bit of road then Pennine BW. Cafe for second breakfast then up to Cold Cotes in time to see the first few riders. One rider crashed just before the road and was getting medical attention then a guy skidded violently at the foot of the grassy descent, put his leg out and there was a CRACK as his ankle broke. 😳 However the medics were with him in seconds.

I rode around to Whernside on the road following the race route. @chipps came past me, going well so I had a quick chat then he pushed on. Saw a few other folk I recognised then went to Ribblehead and watched there for a bit. Big gap between the front 5 and the rest. Nick Craig came through in the top 15 or so having got a bit lost in the mist on Ingleborough - he wasn't the only one!

Headwind and rain all the way down the road to PyG which was thoroughly unpleasant. A few riders and small groups came caning past and I watched the front third going up PyG as the leaders came down. Giles Drake had a significant lead over the rest.

Then back to the finish to watch a few folk coming in then I left cos I was getting cold and wet!

I watched a bit at cold cotes. Did a circular ride from Bentham, round to Austwick, bridleway to Clapham and up to Cold Cotes.
Very misty and the rain was starting by 11 at Cold Cotes, didn’t see anything more as I headed back from there.
Some of the support drivers/spectators in cars need to have a word with themselves. Passing groups and single riders on the climb out from Clapham round bends when it’s so narrow, can see the traffic jam at the top as people are trying to park on the embankment but still pushing past. Some absolute cockwombles that really should have known better.
Hope the rider that was down on the slope just before the road isn’t too badly injured.

Some of the support drivers/spectators in cars need to have a word with themselves. Passing groups and single riders on the climb out from Clapham round bends when it’s so narrow, can see the traffic jam at the top as people are trying to park on the embankment but still pushing past. Some absolute cockwombles that really should have known better.

It's LONG been a problem. All the complaints from locals aren't about the bike racing, they're about the traffic and standards of driving/parking

Every year they try and manage it with more restrictions, more parking zones, specified pit zones (new this year) but every year there's some shockingly bad driving - some from locals but most from supporters trying to beat their rider to the next feed/pit etc.

Trudge of doom, drizzling with gusty winds higher up.

Good luck everyone doing it! 11 starts and 10 finishes for me so once I got into double figures I swore I wasn’t going to race it again! 😂

Oh come on James, you're easily young enough to go for 20 finishes 😁

Great event today, had a solid ride, some good chat, and happy to get round in 4h.40.

Technically went really well, bike was bomber, no mishaps at all. Physically also felt very decent over the first two, was riding with a smile on my face, but PyG hit me with the hammer. Just cramp building up.

I was a little worried about Simon Fell but a friend told me that adrenaline would get me through - it really did, the hard steep part was not pleasant but it was over quicker than I thought. Visibility at the top was like ten yards and you couldn't actually see the way, took a short detour but picked the main descent up after some rock clambering.

Whernside went ok, enjoyed the descent, but then PyG - man that was hard. Partly lack of endurance training for me, but tbh I guess cramp must strike even the strong riders on a race like this. Both quads very unhappy when walking, there was a middle 15 min section that felt like a death march, but it did calm down a little. Got to the top and took the (bone-shaking) descent no bother.

Massive thanks to the marshals - particularly the guys on the tops. Weather was a bit softer than forecast I felt, but it was still pretty harsh at the summits, esp standing still.

Tried a dropper on the cross bike and it was good (I think, not having done the event without one). Easier over the rocks and position just a bit comfier on the neck and shoulders on the long descents,

Partly lack of endurance training for me, but tbh I guess cramp must strike even the strong riders on a race like this.

One guy (one of the top couple of dozen or so) got to the road off PyG and yelled in agony as cramp set in. His leg was spasming, he was trying to pedal one-legged and hold his other leg out straight! I've suffered down there before - the prolonged periods of out of the saddle descending really kills your calves.

Technically went really well, bike was bomber, no mishaps at all.

Were you on a Mason by any chance?

I was on a vitus energie - stockport clarion top. Ran an old hunt wheelset but with some new tubeless inserts that feel like an excellent idea for this race.

13th outing for me. Had been doing lots of riding and felt good, but the course was so much slower than previous years, so I was happy with 11 minutes slower than last year.

Got in a three rider train with Verity Appleyard on the road to Horton, into the headwind. But couldn't hack it all that way, so had to let them go and ride my own pace. It's hard work trying to be fast.

Seemed to be a year of bog and mist on the tops...

My second time shooting it. Didn't see Chipps out on course, but I did watch him inhale a Mars bar at the finish line!

@chipps mars bar supplied by Jo Allen by any chance? Best mars bar I ever had!

Had a bit of a torried train, lack of fitness and riding since taking on a new job. Totally the wrong gearing on the bike, why I didn't fit a bigger casette I don't know. Tumble coming down Whernside and then puncture 30 seconds later. Decided to run down Whernside rather than replace the tube and risk another puncture as there were spare wheels at the bottom, except there weren't as my support had forgotten them! Lost a few minutes making sure some of the felled riders were ok. Descending I had no issues with and the Pickenflick was great but lack of training (I got in on the reserve list 3 weeks ago!)

There seemed to be some proper dodgy shortcuts being taken and a lot of dodgy bike changes as well, particularly along the road and on the way up Whernside and some very "dubious mechanicals". And the guy on the monowheel on the road? Bit daft really.

Big time loss on 2019 where I did a 3h54m. This year was 5h4m, dissapointed but inevitable with lack of riding, racing and running.

Training starts this week for next year!

Thanks to all the marshalls, staff, MTR etc., for staying out in some grim conditions. Thanks to my family and in laws for the support as well they seemed to really enjoy it, even if they didn't know what they were doing!

Well done to all the finishers, it's a proper hard event that gets under your skin in a coulda, shoulda, woulda, way. 29 DNF's including last years ladies winner and big congrats to Giles for the overall win, chuffed for him after bad luck last year.

I know some of the fast guys got lost on Ingleborough because rather than following the tape for the 'safe' route they go for the more direct 'pro' line, which isn't easy to locate even on a clear day - it's pretty featureless up there. A bunch went so wrong they ended up in Ingleton and had to go back in the road to Cold Cotes to dib in! And still beat my course PB!

A bunch went so wrong they ended up in Ingleton and had to go back in the road to Cold Cotes to dib in!

That would explain why there were a few riders riding up to Cold Cotes then, crazy stupid idea considering the conditions.

thanks @fooman great advice,  parked at clapham, took the tunnels bridleway and a left over the moors,

timing was off by 5mins so only saw the stragglers for the first climb , but visibility was low so wouldnt have seen much anyway, saw the leader (2 mins lead) and first 10-15 riders at the start of whernside,

then again on bridleway on from ribblehead and down to horton, which was a wet windy slog,

a great day out, think i'll get their a bit earlier and up on ingleborough for next years,

This looks brutal and optimises how much suffering cyclists will subject themselves to.

I'd like to give it a shot at some point.