You probably don’t know why I wrote that title. If you can’t rememberJim Bowen saying that phrase at the end of ‘Bullseye’ every Sunday teatime, then you’re probably of sound mind. …But it’s a phrase that keeps ringing out in my head in the run-up to the 3 peaks each year.
The connection (in case you think I’ve just lost all my senses in a mire of Beetroot and Sardine fitness juice) is Bull Hill – my nearest hill – is the scene of a good 50% of my Three Peaks training. It’s a relatively small, fairly unspectacular mount of a hill, aspesially from most local vantage points, and you wouldn’t see it as having any particular value for training, but it is absolutely perfect; and here’s why:
- It’s very near to home.
Having something within jog-home distance means that I have to take no spares with me. No pump, so spare tubes or tubs, no tools – just me, bike. That in itself is significantly less faff. 
It is a very close simulant
Somehow in a circuit up there of 12-14 minutes (depending on how well I’m going) it packs in so much of the 3 peaks it is uncanny. We have- steep rideable bottom gear climb,
- uncomfortable gnarly descent
- have-to-walk/scramble grassy bank
- able-to-jog boggy moorland climb
- grassy moorland fast, rutty descent
- Any colour you want as long as it’s brownSomething comforting about the nasty boggy peaty stuff that is predictable. I’m being polite to Bull Hill here, it’s wet – it’s always wet, even when it’s dry, it’s very wet. At least you know in advance
- Repeat as Required
With a ‘lap’ taking you that long, you can do an hour or as long as you want – the beauty of reps.
I heartily recommend you find your own simulant like this so that Simon Fell doesn’t come as a shock to your system on the last Sunday of every September.
If you want to take a look at the parcours, then check out one of the many the GPS files I’ve uploaded to Garmin Connect... or read more Bull on Crossjunkies blog
Join Us
For the next three Fridays, (2nd, 9t and16th September) we’ll be meeting up at the car park of the White Horse pub in Helmshore at 12:30 for an hour of peaty Bull Hillery. Be there. You can’t beat a bit o’ Bully. More details on UK Cyclocross here
