It was second time lucky for Will Beresford, whose 2015 entry never netted him the ride. He posted a great blog here about his first effort.
And we’re off. The first 3 miles were all on road, allowing me to move up and gain some valuable places, I passed probably 100 people by the time we hit the climb at Gill Garth and onto Ingleborough. This is the first of three climbs and probably one of the most iconic images of the 3 Peaks as a long snaking line of riders make their way to the summit. It really was quite a sight. It was also pretty tough… We hit the grass and lower slopes and people almost instantly started to shoulder their bike and run, I was perhaps expecting to ride the bike for a little bit longer than this, but it simply wasn’t possible as the long slog started. What also wasn’t really possible was being able to run at any kind of pace. I mean, i’m sure Oldham, Jebb and Craig all managed this, but it was not easy! The gradient ramped up and the pace dropped even more, this was now basically a walk with my bike, it wasn’t that comfortable despite padding on my shoulder, and the weight on my back meant this was painful. At this point I wasn’t quite sure how i’d finish, let alone in a competitive time! Reaching what I thought was the summit in thick mist and damp air I was delighted to see riders in front of me going up again, and walking with their bike, again… Finally reaching the summit, and dibbing in at the checkpoint in 100th, taking 58 minutes in total.
Source: Riding Circle: Race Report: 3 Peaks Cyclocross
