The Indian Fire Trail - Mountain Bike Blog | DirtyReiver200k #GravelRace #Kielder

April 18, 2016 In My Rides By San Kapil

DirtyReiver200k #GravelRace #Kielder

DirtyReiver200km

‘A Gravel Race Like No Other’

‘A Must Do Gravel Race For Every Gravel Rider’

www.alpkit.com Camino Ti conquers DirtyReiver200’

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“WE ARE FIRE” the words blasted out of my iPod – 120km in and I just needed to keep on riding.

Fire in your belly, believe in yourself and you WILL complete the DirtyReiver200km. These were the thoughts going through my head with only 50km to go, the equivalent of my commute home from Altham to Halifax along the Pennine Bridleway. Only one small problem I had never cycled 150km off-road already.

Anyway, let’s rewind to a few months earlier when I’d picked up via the social network sites that there would be a Gravel race around Kielder.

A forest area of over 250 square miles, which never having ridden The Kielder100miles (SIP events) before, this event was definitely on my radar.

I registered as soon as the entries opened knowing that this would be popular as Cross, Gravel, and Adventure Bikes are the “in thing” at the moment.

I would be doing this on a Cross Bike, or would I?

I couldn’t get my head round the descents on my cross bike something just didn’t feel right.

Salsa Spearfish Mountain Bike would be my choice – Happy Days.

I had been testing the prototype Fat Bike from Alpkit (Sonder Vir Fortis) which I had handed back the week leading up to www.dirtyreiver.co.uk. During the handover, Neil from www.alpkit.com asked me what I was doing at the weekend. I said I was riding the DirtyReiver on my mountain bike and explained to him that I couldn’t get my head round the Cross bike riding position. Neil then offered me the Sonder Camino Ti to use for the event saying, “if you like the position of the mountain bike then you will love this”. Neil was 100% spot on. www.alpkit.com/sonder/

It was a match made in heaven, the riding position suited me perfectly. Flared bars, the wheelbase has been lengthened and the head tube raised, quick and light running 40mm tyres set up with tubes, but can run tubeless.

Friday 15^th April

The forecast earlier in the week had been rubbish. Rain and more rain along with cold, northerly winds so everything “bar the kitchen sink” had been packed, along with the Sonder Camino Ti and the Salsa Warbird which I was transporting for www.salsacycles.com on behalf of www.mikehaworth.co.uk to be handed over to Paul Errington who was the brainchild behind this event.

I was staying with Stadium Riders at Whithaugh Park lodges where they used to hold the SIP 12/24 hr events at the Newcastleton Trail Centre. Saul Muldoon (Strathpuffer Singlespeed 2016 Champion) had organised and James from www.singletrackworld.com/, a friend of mine, would be my roommate for the weekend.

The Stadium Riders line up would be Saul, Ed, Andrew, Clare, Sally and myself.

We registered at Kielder Castle and made our way to the lodges where bikes would be prepped, race numbers attached (No.51) and brakes /air pressure tweaked.

That evening I cooked a pasta salmon dish ensuring we were carbed up and ready for action.

Saturday 16^th April

Early get up at 5am and I forced Porridge, Bananas and Toast down me.

It was cold. There was frost on the ground and snow on the hills.

The van was packed and we headed to the start line freezing and waited for the staggered start. My hands at this point were ready to fall off and I hadn’t even started riding yet.

Ed Wolstenholme was next to me at the start line whom I have recently met through Saul Muldoon and we chatted about our bikes and what lay ahead.

I would ride with Ed for the first 50 metres and then never saw him again 🙂

The ride would take us out of Kielder Castle and straight on to a fireroad climb where our timers would be dibbed.

My aim was to ride steadily as 200km is a long way off-road and not a distance I have done before. But if I kept re-fuelling myself it wouldn’t be a problem – food in – miles out.

The gravel soon turned into a tricky bit of single-track which slowed everyone down.

There were riders pulled up at the side with pinch punctures and someone I recognized was

Saul Muldoon. I stopped and chatted and this would be the one only time I would pass the SingleSpeed King. This was his second puncture and we hadn’t even reached the first feed station.

At 60km the feed station appeared and I refilled my water bottles had a chat with Saul, Andrew and James and kept on moving, as the Sonder Camino Ti just wanted to keep going.

The climb out of the first feed stop was tough with the Northerly headwind. I was glad to reach the top where Saul would pass me and I hoped the wind would change direction but it didn’t.

The fire-road riding was brilliant. Really fast descents mixed up with Singletrack and the banter with my fellow riders would pass the time until we reached the Ford crossing and undoubtedly we would get wet – well above our ankles and in the cold wind once we started riding it felt Baltic.

The descent to the 100km bag drop stop would be your chance to re-fuel or bail out if the going was too tough. I felt great the Camino Ti was ticking all the boxes, comfortable, quick and no mechanical issues. I tucked into my tin of Chickpea tagine and felt great the same could not be said for my buddy James Love who was feeling rough because of all of the energy gels he had consumed. It wouldn’t be long before James would call the ride in at 125km which to say he hadn’t done much riding was a superb effort.

The climb out of the first feed station was a long vertical single-track steep climb. Andrew passed me here and I didn’t see him again either.

It was time for the iPod as I could feel myself slowing down and my average speed was dropping even though I had consumed enough food to avoid “bonking”. I would yo-yo with other riders and we would chat and laugh as they couldn’t believe I was riding the event on flat pedals (no change there then).

The heavens opened with hailstones and it felt like nails were being hammered into your face with the strong headwind. Once that was over it started to snow, thankfully this lasted for about 20 minutes but not what you need after you’ve done over 120km.

I was happy to see the final feed station at 150km and now I knew I only had 50km to go. The only sting in the tail was I was about to “bonk” as I had run out of my energy gels and felt awful. The final 30km I unfortunately slowed right down.

I kept going through the fantastic scenery and this fabulous event that Paul Errington had created based on the www.dirtykanza200.com .

The mix of fire road and singletrack made it for me and the Sonder Camino Ti was the perfect bike for the job.

The finish line was in sight. It was just before 8pm and Saul Muldoon was waiting there applauding me and with a hug from Paul I had completed the event. I was happy with my efforts riding over 120 miles / 200km off road in the cold, hail, snow and evening sun.

The fastest rider was George Budd with an amazing time of 7hrs 58mins followed by the following: Joe, Josh, Ed, Rich, Keith, Matthew and Martin all know as The Highwaymen or The Hateful Eight 🙂

A big thank you to Paul and his team who had thought of everything from the signs with the Salsa flags to the feed stations with plenty of grub and the marshals who cheer you on when the going gets really tough. The mix of riding over this distance doesn’t get any better than this so for all of you who have thought of doing it, then make sure you do in 2017 as you won’t be disappointed. It will hurt but with over 11,000 feet of climbing on gravel/singletrack what else can you expect.

I would like to thank Helen, Leela and my friends who always give me the encouragement to go out and do the best I can.

A big thank you to www.alpkit.com/sonder/ for the loan of a fabulous off-road Gravel Bike that is ideal for long distance and adventure.

Looking forward to DirtyReiver 2017 but this time on my FatBike #SonderVirFortis 😉

Additional Info

Distance: 121 miles -195km

Elevation: 11,400 feet = 3500m

Riding time: 11hrs 21mins

Out there: 12hrs 37mins

Bike used:

www.alpkit.com/sonder/sonder-camino-ti

WTB Tyres Tubes no punctures or mechanicals 65psi – perfect

Food consumed: