60 hrs 17 mins 409.44 m 38,100 ft elevation gain
Day 1 – Saturday 12th August
My 30th Birthday. And what a way to spend it.
The day started with a pedal down to the start line, around 10 miles or so, with a couple of other racers who were staying at the same accommodation. The early morning chill woke me up and before we knew it, it was nearing 8am and we were lining up at Lands End, ready to head north until we reached John o’groats, with a few squiggles on the way.
8am came and we were off. I am always wary of not pushing too hard in the first few hours of these events, and I tried not to chase when people overtook me on the uphills. The smooth road quickly turned to cut through field bridleways, which were mostly dry, so a good start. Chatting sporadically with riders was nice, but also was the solitude and taking the first few hours to get into the rhythm of the race up and now the Cornish hills and rolling into Devon before I knew it.
The weather changed and the rain started to come on and off, ensue rain jacket on and off, a constant battle between correct riding temperature and staying dry.
I tried to keep stops to a minimum, and only stopped for just over an hour for the whole day. My first stop had been planned and was Great Torrington at around 127miles done. It was around 7pm. Here I dashed around the co-op and got some fish and chips to eat in. The race rules were that you had to carry all of your own rubbish to the end of each stage, so this was logistically difficult, so the more times I could eat in somewhere without any rubbish, the better.
At the chippy, Pete, another racer, came in and joined me for a chippy tea. It was good to chat and compare days and plans for the night. After a farewell, I packed my bags with snacks for the night and the following morning and headed off into the rain and dusk.
The rain really came down and after a few up and down road climbs, I reached the edge of Exmoor National Park in complete darkness. I came across a pub still open and took the opportunity to fill my water bottles for the night. I entered the national park and a 15 mile or so off road section that I wanted to complete before sleep.
The going wasnt too bad, mostly field and gates. What really annoyed me was that most of the gates were open. This was obviously done by another racer as no one else would have been going through these at 11pm on a saturday night. So I closed all the gates and put a message in the race whatsapp group to remind people to close gates.
After getting through the off road section, I was now thoroughly soaked through and knackered, it was around 1am. I found a piece of grass over a fence, threw my bike over and awkwardly set up my tent in the rain. First day over.
Day 2 – Sunday 13th August
Early alarm, 5am after 3hrs30 of restless sleep. Packing up always takes longer than it should, but I was away for just after 5.30am and the weather looked to be much better today.
After a steep decent off road, there was a great off road climb through the Quantocks with stunning views out to sea.
After a brief stop at a petrol station in Bridgwater for some overpriced pastires and coffee, I was aiming for Bristol. The next 30 miles or so were pan flat, mostly on road. To my surprise, Karl, who I had raced with in Italy in 2022 and at All Points North this year was on the road ahead of me. He lived close by and rode with me for about 30 minutes. it was great to catch up and I was so thankful he came out to cheer me on. He gave me a run down of the route to Bristol and knew I was in for a big off road climb and some awkward off road sections to get there. Thanks for coming out Karl!!
The Mendips were tough. I didn’t really think about them too much as thought I was close to Bristol, which I was, but the Mendips were in the way. A big off road climb, a lot of pushing ensued and some muddy descending saw me pop out in Bristol around tea time. It was very tempting to stop and waste some time in one of the many restaurants I passed, but no, head down and aim for the Severn bridge to Wales.
Another great surprise was a dotwatcher out cheering riders on. I stopped for a few minutes and we chatted about long bike races and our favourite sweet snacks, then I set off and the excitement grew and I got closer to the Severn Bridge.
Over the bridge and into Wales around 6pm.
I stopped at a petrol station to stock up on snacks as wasnt 100% sure what resupply would be like heading into the hills.
The excitement of being in Wales soon died down as the rain, cold and tiredness came. I was struggling, mostly tiredness, but also hunger. Who knew. All I knew was that a pub I passed with a log burner wouldn’t have seen the end of me if I stepped through the front door. I winced and continued to push my bike up a steep road climb.
I had planned on getting to Brynmawr to get food at Mcdonalds, but that was looking less and less likely as the going was slow through the valleys.
A second ( or third or fourth) wind caught me when the constant calculations made it slightly possible that I could make Mcdonalds before closing time. The draw of the golden arches spurred me on through the night and I made it for 10.30pm, 30 minutes to eat, warm up and look where I was going to sleep that night.
The rain was pounding on the window, but I had to go, they were closing up. I had planned on riding another 10 miles or so into the Brecon Beacons and try and find a sheltered place to camp.
20 miles later, the rain and wind were really slowing my progress and I still hadnt found a place to camp. it was now nearly 1am, so I found a half sheltered spot, not ideal, but no one around and set my tent up as quickly as I could in the rain and jumped in and fell asleep almost instantly.
Day 3 – Monday 14th August
My alarm woke me up at 4.30. The rain was hammering on the tent, the bottom of my sleeping bag was wet and now my feet were. I set another alarm for 5.30 and turned over to sleep.
The alarm went again, the weather was exactly the same. I packed up and headed back out into it. This was going to be a long day to get the last 100 or so miles to the 1st checkpoint done.
Little did I know, I was headed to the infamous The Gap climb. I didnt really clock on until I reached the top beacuse the fog was so bad I couldnt see anything around me. I only clocked on beacause I noticed the track at the top from a photo of the race i had seen a couple of years back. It was raining, I was pushing uphill, I was soaked through, my headphones had broke and I was starving, but I was absolutely loving it. How much a few hours of sleep and a new day can change perspectives. I was in the race and I knew that morning that I was going to finish it no matter what. I still had a long way to go but nothing was stopping me.
At the bottom of The Gap, I spotted another racer hiding from the elements in a bus shelter. I went over and we chatted about the mornings ride. I ate a whole bag a sharing crisps plus some chocolate of some sort, then tried to convice the other rider not to scratch as he was seriously considering it. We only had 70 miles or so to go until the checkpoint. I found out later that day he scratched only a few miles later.
The weather cleared up in the afternoon and just above Llandrindod Wells I bumped into Anthony, a race photographer. He was on his bike, so we rode together for a little while and he took a few photos, then he turned around to wait for the next racer.
I then dropped down to Llandrindod Wells, a place I have always wanted to visit. I was ready for some hot food and a coffee. I found a lovely cafe and a seat next to a raidator. I filled myself with a panini, chips and cake alongside coffees and coke. I only had around 50 miles to go to the checkpoint, but they were mostly off road and up and down. So i thought this feed would help me through them, and they really did.
The next 50 miles were an absolute joy. The going was tough, but the gravel was smooth and the views were stunning. I listened to an upbeat playlsit and just enjoyed being in the moment through the Elan Valley. I bookmarked a few places and promised myself I would be back here when I had some more time on my hands.
The race was turning into highlights reel of the best of Britain, and I was loving it.
I descended into Ysbyty Cynfyn and with it CP1. I was pleased to see it. A field with a few tents scattered around, a couple of big tents with hot food and somewhere to recharge.
Stage one complete. It was time to try and dry out!
Jordan Matthews 