A particular edition of a long running and occasionally exceptionally stupid mate's race, in the Pennines. 100km of the featureless, trackless, mind-numbing nothingness up the Pennines. Starting in Nateby, up onto Nine Standards, Tan Hill, across the '66, Goldsborough, Cauldron Snout, High Cup Nick, Dufton. Wouldn't have been so hard if it hadn't come a week after a muddy Sleepless in the Saddle and if I'd have had some decent recovery. Never been quite so broken by a single ride...
SDW double for me. Although there have been rides that I’ve fared a lot worse in.
There was a Gorrick 100 that I bonked in and felt like I’d been smashed on the head with a hammer by the end and also a saturated Brass Monkeys (both at
minley funnily enough) that I thought was never going to end. I remember laying in a soaked field at the end of that trying to scoff anything I could get
My hands on.
Last years Vittoria Bike marathon at pippingford was pretty grim - it had rained incessantly the day before and there were over 50% dnf’s looking at the results. None of them should’ve been “that hard” on paper
I did the Pioneer stage race in 2017 and there was one day at over 60 miles and 3,000m of climbing which saw us grovelling for about 12 hours. Also the 200km of 'The Rift' last year had a couple of sucky moment and some the last couple of climbs on the Fred Whitton can be a bit draining.
La Marmotte, just rode the course, not the actual event – was pretty tough…
Yeah, I did the event in 2013 and was definitely my toughest single day on a bike. Three HC climbs and my Garmin was showing 40 degrees at the foot of Alpe d'Huez. The locals were gathering spring water to throw over us. The hardest event I've completed was the Bryan Chapman Memorial audax this weekend - but that was over two days.
Taking my bike and the ex’s over the Thorong La Pass. Pushing not riding though.
I went over there in a snow storm. My gloves froze and I have a permanent loss of sensation in one finger. The altitude meant I could manage only a few steps at a time before stopping for a rest. Can't imagine trying to push a bike as well!
Big Beastie. 100km+ and almost 4000m of climbing in the tweed valley, up and down up and down , March, had barely ridden post vasectomy. Wanted to bail so many times.
40odd miler back when I was young, fit and healthy. Trouble was it was with Tim Woodcock, the photographer, and we had to keep going over sections again for the Mountain Bike World photographs.
Meant it took twice as long.. Pretty sure we started out at 9am but it was dark by the time we rode back to the beginning of the loop. Had a bag of chips to get over the bonk.
Every ride seems to be as bleedin hard as that these days.
65 miler on Good Friday with 7,500ft of climbing on the South Downs, training for the full SDW 100 mile/12,000ft in July. 9 hours elapsed and 7:10 riding, needed plenty of breaks for food, drinking and general breathing!!!
I have done a few corkers, biggest day out in miles was the 310 miles in 19 hours from Newcastle to London, and i've done the 250 miles from Manchester to London for same charity.
Hardest day was either 180 mile Dragon Devil with 4800, climbing or the 160 mile Tour of Flanders route as i'm not a natural climber.
But enjoyed them all, only one i have enjoyed was 150 mile Flat out in the Fens, no climbing, nothing but soul destroying headwinds, you know it is bad when you are looking forward to corners for something to do...
Some of these make me feel very inadequate!
2005 Etape du Tour.
Drove to within 10km of the start.
178km for the event.
26km back from Pau to the car.
So 214km in total.
Temperature got up to 40 degrees C and the Marie Blanc was a proper bastard.
For me it’s probably the west highland way in a day. 96 miles, 12,250 feet of climbing. 14h26 moving time 15h45 total. The misery of hauling my s150 down the side of Loch Lomond still haunts me, but it was a great day.
Will see if the frontier 300 next month beats it. Twice the distance, more ascent, but no hike a bike down Loch Lomond.
Day two on my successfully Cairngorm Loop 200 ride in 2020. Couldn't walk more that a couple of hundred metres for week after. Ankles were seriously sore.
Day two (might be a them) of our attempt to ride to Cape Wrath. Riding from Durness in the smallest gear I had into one of the strongest winds I've ever encountered. The ferry was off so we rode to a bothy instead, trudging across the bog in the pissing rain, carrying our bike bags. That was a great night next to the fire. Well deserved.
My first imperial century was a tough one as well. My pal said "let's do a 130 mile ride!" I said "I've never even ridden 100 mile" my pal said it was all in my head and he was right. Still a long tough day on the bike. Good fun though.
I've ridden 200km threw times and all were very tough but probably not as tough as the above. It's all life affirming though. Food and drink never tastes so good as when after a tough ride.
The three ways up Ventoux in a day, around 100 miles and 12000 feet I think. TBH only the Mallaucenne climb was hard, it was a perfect day and we had support so nothing like some of these horror rides. Worse thing about it was I was too knackered to go out properly that night. Still went out but not OUT. I love everything about that area of France.
Day 3 of the Haute Route Alps in 2012. Madeleine, Glandon then Alpe D'Huez. Not especially epic but it was after two days of hard riding, 35C in the valleys, my shoes were too narrow and every pedal stroke hurt, and I was desperate for a dump in the last hour. That was the worst bit.
A ride I did to Grossglockner up the High Alpen Strasse. Started in Leinz, again very warm in the valley. The climb is pretty much 50km long (with s little bit of downhill) and 3-4 km from the summit we were in the snowline. I was dressed for the valley, plus a light gilet. Then it started snowing. So, so cold. Only three of our group of 7 made it to the top (and we were all decent climbers), and we took the van down as it was just to risky to ride.
Hardest ride i've done lasted less than an hour.
A hilly TT where i went out too hard and then have no recollection of anything past the first junction until i "came round" sitting on the verge a few minutes after i finished with blood all down my front from the nose bleed i'd developed on one of the climbs (6 of them IIRC).
On the plus side, i won a fair bit of cash and beat a lot of well known riders. Took me about 3 days to get back on the bike though.
Not bad for a race i only entered on a whim half way through an MTB season.
Hardest ride from a motivation perspective was the 12 hr pairs race at the 2017 TwentyFour 12. It rained all day on the Friday before, all of Friday night and for the entire 12 hours of the 12 hr race. As the race went on the little motivation I had at the start of the race soon started to wane, I was running out of dry kit (I had brought all of my riding kit). Towards the end, the changeovers became silent, no words.
We finished in 4th place with 14 laps, our best result for the 12 hr. ALL of my kit, the bike, the tent, the car - everything - was soaked and muddy. After the race, the bike needed a complete strip and rebuild and a new chain, freehub bearings, lower headset bearing, BB bearings and brake pads. It took days to clean the car, the tent and all of my gear.
So glad we didn't do the 24 hr race, the rain had stopped on the saturday night and then course became a total mud fest...
Not sure what was more silly Manchester to London or the Keilder 100 MTB race when it rained from the very start and didn't stop all day. Ran out of pads at 30 miles in did another 30 with no brakes in the rain and grinding filth new set fitted at 60 miles in and they lasted to the end. 500+ field on the start line I think only 180 finished it on that wet wet wet day i came in at 50ish position just as broken as the bike. Chainrings, cassette, chain and the jockey wheels all went in the bin after that one. Manchester- London was just a stupid day out, Managed 235 miles in one go as I got lost in London trying to navigate to my brothers house whilst bonking horribly. No money what's so ever at the end if I could have gone into a hotel and got a room and a meal I would have around 40 miles earlier I would have.
Don't forget your cash card ! .
