Strathpuffer 24  19-20^th January 2008

With the road season still weeks away Derek Simpson started early by swapping his skinny tyres for the chunky treads of a mountain-bike to take on the mega-tough Strathpuffer 24 race. As the name suggests the event involves racing for 24 hours over an 8 mile course which this year involved long stretches of sheet ice, knee deep bogs, freezing temperatures and 17 hours of riding in the dark. Fortunately, as a team of four each rider only has to race for around 6 hours but that’s more than enough in mid January.

Derek’s team included 2 leisure mountain bikers a hill-walker and of course a roadie. The team only met for the first time 12 hours before the race start. Starting the team off Derek intended to put in a quick lap to get clear of the crowds however sheet ice put paid to these plans as the riders were forced to march single file along the side of the trails which were covered in sheet ice. Those who tried to ride the ice almost invariably ended up sitting on it – some may still have the scars to prove it!

As the day went on the ice began to break up and most of the course became rideable. By then darkness had fallen meaning picking your way carefully through bogs, negotiating unseen boulders and bridges and finding yourself on sheet ice just hanging on until your wheels lost grip. Derek reports crashing more than 20 times, fortunately without serious injury although a last lap tumble almost resulted in a broken collar bone.

As the event wore on through the night Derek had to contend with mechanical problems as a broken rear mech and a chain that snapped twice threatened to end his race. Drawing on his triathlon background Derek ran the majority of a lap to pass on the baton to his team mate half an hour behind schedule.

The team put in solid performances the rest of the night and with a rushed repair on the mech and a new chain Derek was back in action before morning came. As daylight broke the team were lying just inside the top 30 and just behind the team from Stirling Tri Club. By the end of the race Stirling Tri were 3 laps behind having given up prematurely.

Reporting on his experience Derek avoided saying never again but conceded any future attempts would have to involve some prior training, honing the mountain-bike skills and the purchase of a decent set of lights. For now though Derek has decided to stick to the road and avoid ice at least until the bruises have healed.