The bit I like which shows you how much has changed is Johns words at the end of the 1991 results advising of the date of the next race, an entry limit of 200, which wan’t reached either year, and that you had to send off an SAE to get an entry form.
Some things don’t change, apart from the descent from Ingleborough I think the course is the same, the scenery is still as stunning.
I still do some last minute bike adjustments. This years new brakes and wheels fitted in the last week and the wheels only tested on Saturday night worked superbly unlike the MTB crankset I threw on for one of these races which during the race started to throw the chain off the inside, I can recall one of my fellow competitors pushing me along the slight rise on the way back to Horton when it did this, I assume because he wanted someone to work with on the way to the climb. Mountain Rescue still get called away, in 1992 I think there was a major callout and the bread bag tag collectors had left Whernside when I got there so in the fog on top of Pen-Y -Ghent I asked a rider coming down if they were still on top collecting tags and got a look telling me he wasn’t going to say I assume because he thought I would just turn round but I didn’t want to spend any time looking for them , needless to say they had gone so I returned to the finish still with 2 tags.
