The Crossing 11th-13th July 2014
#Rule 87 The ride starts on time. No exceptions.
The Crossing 11th-13th July 2014
Oslo, Norway was where the journey began for my riding partner and good friend Hans Kruger. His 2,000km trip via Amsterdam on Wednesday 9th July would, I hope, be worth all the hype that I had talked to Hans about when I met him in Andalucia at Pure Mountains in September last year.
Pick up at the airport was trouble free and we were soon on our way to Halifax where Hans unpacked and prepped his bike for the adventure that lay ahead.
The Crossing is an off-road mountain bike ride that starts at Whitehaven and ends in Scarborough. The only thing is that you have to do this via the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors – a total of 194 miles and a total climb of 18,000 feet. Fortunately for me it was my second year for entering this event, so I was super excited. The forecast was looking like another hot one and it is simply one of the best mountain bike adventures you can experience in the UK.
As Hans unpacked and started to build his bike he noticed the Hub wasn’t engaging which for those of you who know anything about bikes, it simply means his wheels wouldn’t be going anywhere when he turned the pedals. Of all the days for this to happen it was a Wednesday and my most reliable bike shop PedalSport was shut. We had to sweat it out on Wednesday night and hope Mark and Rick could fit us in on Thursday morning. Fortunately Mark did the miracle job and sorted the hub. Big thanks to PedalSport. (I don’t think Hans will be messing with his bike again ha ha).
Thursday 10th July
The journey up to Whitehaven was via a taxi that also picked us up at Scarborough. We registered at The Beacon and zip tied our race numbers (11). We had registered as a pair as this would mean we could ride together and support each other through the event. The bikes were stored in a secure storage unit with 24hr security. As we racked the bikes, Hans was a little bit disappointed with the amount of Cannondale Scalpels Carbon Leftys on show. I looked round for Salsa El Mariachi but didn’t see any.
The hotel we stayed in was The Chase Hotel in Whitehaven – very reasonable.
Friday 11th July
An early rise of 4.15am was ridiculous, but needs must as the race started at 6am. We ate a healthy breakfast and jumped into the taxi at 5.15am.
The bag drop-off was done, bikes un-racked and we were ready to roll.
The usual instructions over the mega phone could be heard stating that “this is NOT a race” but I’m not sure anyone was listening to that bit as the mountain bikers at the front (including Hans and myself) were ready to go.
We left Whitehaven at 6am and rode a steady 15 road/track miles before the off-road climb kicked in and people started having to push their bikes. My thoughts were that if you have to push your bike at this stage of the event, then this does not bode well for the next 180 miles. After some climbing we reached the pit-stop and were ready for food. We filled our bellies and replenished our hydration packs ready for the second half.
The weather last year was hot and who would have thought that we would have the same soaring temperatures and beautiful blue skies 2 years in a row.
The Lake District is a beautiful place but even more so when the sun is shining.
We continued at a fair pace and Hans was ahead gaining some distance on the road. I caught up and then stopped to help a fellow rider whose chain had stuck in-between the tyre and the cog. This was proving to be a pain and had taken at least 15 minutes to sort meanwhile Hans had shot off and was going for a podium place.
I made my way up the steep climb and then enjoyed the long descent into Glenridding by Ullswater where urgent supplies of water, a can of coke and a toilet stop were needed. After my break, I headed up over Patterdale that is a hike a bike and a very long hard climb. The views at the top were amazing so I suppose it was worth it although the descent was a killer. Hans had told me that he had attempted it but that doesn’t surprise me.
The last climb of the day was signposted well so there was no way we were going in the wrong direction this time. The fabulous descent followed and now it wasn’t too far from the finish line.
I finally reached Shap at 1.20pm after leaving Whitehaven at 6am and was glad to see Hans at the finish line who was 5 minutes ahead; a good massage was required by R and R Physio.
67 miles 108km, 7,557ft 2,303m, 6hrs 37min moving time
Day 2 – Saturday 12th July Shap to Northallerton
The sleeping arrangements last night were a twin room, now I don’t mind sharing but I always seem to end up with the snorers and Hans was no different to Breakers and Rob. I asked Hans “if he had had a good night’s sleep” and he said “yes did you”? “Oh, of course, apart from the snoring” he replied “so I really do snore” ha ha…..
It was another early get up and we had breakfast at the Kings Arms Hotel that was within walking distance of the start. Today Hans had said he wanted to pace it much better as tiredness from yesterday’s effort was kicking in.
We started out at 7am and headed out on to the road for some steady miles until we reached the off-road singletrack that would be leading us on to the beautiful moor. Hans and I rode together at a comfortable pace and also found enough energy to chat. We bumped into the local farmer whose field we were crossing and I asked him if we were in the Yorkshire Dales he said “no not yet” so we are still in the Lake District? “No” he replied “ok so where are we?” I asked, “No Mans Land” was his reply.
The road climb out of Nateby is a killer and is one of the routes used on the Tour De France this year that eventually brings you to the Welcome to North Yorkshire sign. We were both looking forward to the descent that would bring a pit-stop for a well deserved and much needed break. Before the pit-stop though there was a big off-road climb that would have most people pushing but I was determined to ride it as last year I too was pushing. I cleared the horrendously long gravel, rocky climb and my fellow mountain bikers even opened the gates and cheered me on as I made my way to the top. We reached the pit-stop and refueled whilst there I also had the mechanic from Wheels of Callander take at look at the gears as the top three were slipping. Hydration was the key for today as the temperature was 24c and bright blue skies. The pit-stop offered plenty of food etc. and we also chatted with some of Hans’ fellow countrymen/women from Norway who had also entered The Crossing and were finding it challenging. We were soon on our way for the final 30ish miles of the day that apart from a climb or two would be reasonably flat.
We approached Northallerton at 2.20pm after leaving Shap at 7am
67.2 miles 108km, 4,654ft 1,418m, 5hrs 51min moving time
Day 3 – Sunday 13th July Northallerton to Scarborough
Wake up call and I felt rough – too many gels/sugar had played havoc with my stomach so I was on the loo at 4.30am, 4.45am and 5.30am.
We headed for breakfast at 6am and a bit of Alpen and toast would keep me going for the first 30 miles before the final pit-stop of The Crossing.
It was a steady 9 road miles out of Northallerton and we were now heading on to the North York Moors. The climb to the top was a push as all riders were off their bikes due to rocks and mud. We eventually reached the top and Hans had shot off again enjoying the final day. I stopped for an energy bar and a chat with Matty and Karl, two brothers from the Isle Of Man where I will be on the 27th July for the Manx100. The riding through the fields, across moors was fabulous even though there wasn’t any blue sky but the terrain was mud free. I can feel my lower back starting to give me some grief so I needed to take a minute and stretch. Once that was done I was back on it at a steady pace heading for the pit-stop. Hans was a couple of minutes in front but he too was feeling tired and was ready for the last 30 miles to Scarborough. We rode together for the final time of The Crossing, riding wonderful singletrack and we even had the pleasure of blasting through Dalby forest (a mecca for mountain bikers).
As we approached Scarborough the heavens opened and we were soaked but that didn’t matter as we had had the adventure of our lives and Hans Kruger from Norway was a superb riding partner and great guy. We collected our medals and we were ready to do it all again…Next Year!
60 miles 97km, 5,349ft 1,630m, 6hrs moving time
Many thanks to Ratrace for another fabulous event.
Finishing time was 20 hrs and 44 mins
Position: 6th out of 26 paired riders
91st out of 362
431 Entered, 362 started and 340 finished
Techincal Info:
Salsa El Mariachi Titanium 29er
Fully Rigid Carbon Forks
SRAM XX1 1×11 32t-42t
Red Metal Fulcrum Rims
Shimano XTR brakes
SRAM XX1 Cranks
Schwalbe Racing Ralph Tyres 2.1
Nitro Flat Pedals (I do not wear cleats!)
And lots of other bits
Weight of bike 21lbs 9.5kg
