The Hardest Race In The World - The Strathpuffer - Part 3

And they are off.......
The real racers set off at and alarming pace with Dougie Vipond somewhere in the middle, with a cameraman following close by his side.
Ross was jogging happily at the near the back, smiling away.
Picking up this bike he set off up the steep fireroad climb, which was all covered in inch thick ice after the first 600 yards.
I headed to the catering, which was in one of the farmers sheds, hastily cleaned out due to the high winds and flooding. Grabbing a cup of tea I headed back to the tent to get the bike ready and stuff down half a bar of chocolate and a few chocolate digestives, obviously for energy reasons.
Trekking down the mud slide entrance to the start/finish to get a few shots of my partner coming home from his first lap.
Flying down the down the ice riddled fireroad about 45 ish minutes came the first load of riders, many of them just dibbing in and going straight out for another lap. There was a steady stream of competitors rolling in over the next 45 minutes with some of them looking ready for going straight to the 'recovery center' for a beer, other why they came but most were grinning ear to ear despite the course being 80% ice and 20% 4 inch mud.
Ross came around with the same grin on his face covered in mud (pictured here) and describing the first loop as ICE! ICE! MUD AND MORE ICE!...mmmmm very encouraging.
Handing him the camera to take a shot of me setting of I to wondered why I was here??..

Tony Haresign
Mountain Biking Scotland
"Get Out of the Woods!"

Barlow Wins TransScotland

The final day of the Chain Reaction Cycles TransScotland (Powered by Merida Bikes) brought Britain’s toughest mountain bike challenge full circle and home to Selkirk after seven full days in the saddle and almost 498km (310 miles) and 14,100m of climbing (46,300ft). Course designer Pete Laing brought to bear the big singletrack guns together with more open country riding and vistas, to make the final linking stage from Glentress to Selkirk one to truly savour.

The riders clipped in by The Hub café and bike shop and got on with the business of climbing upwards on a mix of singletrack and fire roads into the heart of Glentress forest to 602m. The hard work and effort of forcing reluctant legs and depleted muscles into action for the final push was more than rewarded once the summit had been crested: the trail dropped down on curvaceous singletrack, broiling downwards with an unmitigated intent to deliver a turbo-charged, endorphin shot straight to the frontal lobes that, for the smooth singletrackeers in particular, was simply seventh heaven.

Then after 21km, the riders were eventually spat out to refuel at Cardrona from where they snaked down into the Cardrona Valley and upwards once more to 400m up Wallace’s Hill. The trail dropped via the Glen Estate and onto Innerleithen’s Traquair trail, where riders steeled themselves one final time for some serious gravity gains up to 500m on the singletrack climb up Minch Moor and out onto the Southern Upland Way. A descent and 230m climb back up Broomy Law to the Southern Upland Way had to be cut out at the last minute, so the riders were left with a final chance to savour Scotland’s scenery from the back bone of the Borders before a fast skittering descent swept them finally, gratefully, and for the last time back into Selkirk to complete the course and to receive their finishers’ jerseys.

With What Mountain Bike magazine hosting the finisher party, providing copious amounts of free drink and a choice selection of good time tunes for the well deserving and saddle sore riders, the final prize presentations were made: For some, the spoils of victory, for others the commiserations of coming so far and yet so close; yet all could lay claim to a share in the proud knowledge that they had completed and survived Britain’s toughest mountain bike challenge, the Chain Reaction Cycles TransScotland (Powered by Merida Bikes).

Meggie Bichard (Extreme Endurance) took the Scottish Tourism Women’s Solo Open Category competition, whilst her male counterpart was the popular Andy Barlow (Whyte Bikes), who had a winning time of 47:13:13.

The Scottish Borders Veteran Women’s race was claimed by Julie Dinsdale ahead of Tatjana Troll. In the men’s, Rob Waller (ERC One Week Younger) clinched the title and led the thanks and praise for the organisers and support teams from the podium. The High5 Mixed Category was a runaway win for the pairing of Maddie and Jay Horton (XC Racer.com/Trek) who finished almost 20 minutes up on second placed Alice Crook and Neil Hamblin (Cakemonsters).

Elsewhere, the Gore Veteran’s Category was sewn up by Bryan Singleton and Peter Strong (Global/Torq/Buff), whilst Robert Barker and Mark Langdon (Sportstest.co.uk) took second, with the charismatic and ever playful Police Team Italia pairing of Mario Brunello and Fulvio Damian rounding out the podium in third. The winners of the Buff Female Category were the strong and fearless pairing of Julie Cartner and Renel Brennan riding for the 7Stanes. And finally, Keith Bontrager finished the event himself to claim ninth overall in the Scottish Borders Veteran’s Men’s Solo race.

Thanks to Matt Skinner of TransScotland for the words and pictures.

Tony Haresign
Mountain Biking Scotland
"Get Out of the Woods!"

Mountain Biking Photos

Here are a few pix taken from the World Cup Downhill Championships in Fort William, Scotland between 2003-2005

HOPE YOU LIKE THEM... :-)






Tony Haresign
Mountain Biking Scotland
"Get Out of the Woods!"