Britain's toughest race

[voodoo_simon]

Right, so I'm skimming through the magazines at work and come across Cycling Plus with the title 'Britains hardest race'. My first thought were HTR550 but realised it was a roady mag, so had a look expecting to see some form of Audax (although these aren't races?), turns out it was the Three Peaks. As it's an off-road race, then I think its fair to say, probably not the toughest race*

So, I'm saying its the EWE, any other suggetsions?


*Disclaimer - I've never done this race, so will likely be talking rubbish!

[Ian]

There was an 80 year old chap did the 3 Peaks last year - how hard can it be?

(I know the answer to this - it's quite hard, but not compared to some other stuff I've done)

Single day races should be ranked differently to multi day. Must be some long/ hard Audax's out there, but are they races?

For single day: how about Strathpuffer or Cairngorms loop (if done in less than 24 hours)?

[Bearbonesnorm]

how about Strathpuffer

Not sure ... something like the Strathpuffer can be made as hard or as easy as you like. Obviously winning is bloody hard but you could compete with no more than riding 8 miles or so.

[SRS]

Time trials whether it be cycling or running, like running a marathon, are very different to road racing. In a time trial event you are competing against the clock and you get set your own goal - completing the course in x amount of time etc. The route / terrain / parcours and the time target combine to determine how hard it will be. Road racing is different - the time is largely irrelevant - all that matters in your position vs the other competitors. Road races are categorised and unless you are competing at the lowest level (Cat 4) you cannot simply enter . The highest category races are national A and you need to be an Elite, 1st or 2nd cat rider to compete. With any road race, competing and finishing in the points is all that matters. Finishing out of the points counts for nothing - you need to achieve points every season to retain your category status.

[pistonbroke]

In the defence of the 3 Peaks, I seem to recall that Thomas Frishknecht did it a couple of years ago and said it was the hardest race he'd ever done and he's done a few!

[JohnClimber]

Enduro.........

I'll get me coat.

[Justchris]

Must be some long/ hard Audax's out there, but are they races?

For single day: how about Strathpuffer or Cairngorms loop (if done in less than 24 hours)?

I see audexs as racing against the clock. 300 km with 6-8k of climbing on the snow roads of scotland is pretty tough. And there is no support allowed. And the audex cut offs are way tougher than the likes of the cairngorm loop, capital trail etc. It always suprises me they is not much chat about audex's on this forum. They are self supported ITTs but on the road. And everyone uses dynamo hubs and 'bikepacking' gear nowadays.

A good subjective thread.

May I point out that I have no idea of the toughest race. But there is no way I would attempt the ewe or ht. But if tom roundtree 'won' or came first last year. It's a race Imo.

Thanks

C

[GregMay]

Enduro.........

I'll get me coat.

If you can't descend for toffy they would be one of the hardest races.

[Alpinum]

Enduro.........

I'll get me coat.

If you can't descend for toffy they would be one of the hardest races.

good point... It took my a few months to get ready to ride the HTR and enjoy it (mostly), but it has taken me years and years to develop the technical riding skills for DH/enduro.

Coming from a DH background and taking part in events/races like Wales C2C and HTR I've seen and still do see both.
DH oriented racing is very very different to ultra distance and I can't find any way to compare it. But if you dance on both parties, you can use the skills/power/endurance/mindset you developed in one for the other too.
So, as we see, things get mixed up.

There are many elements which put tough into toughness. I believe the more elements you throw in there, the tougher it gets to handle all of them. As far as I'm concerned the HTR has a solid balance of challenges in various areas; of technical riding (although Alan G is making it easier in that part), endurance, mindset, weather resistance and general outdoor experience. EWE must score high on that too, or Ian's Wales C2C route I rode with him in 2014.

But then again, the most damage to my body was done DH/enduro riding, this is not because I can't ride, but because you're charging in such a way - to put it plainly - it's part of it. The intensity is so high, it's like you're stuffing a full day of biking into 30 min of frenzy. Your heart rate does the same...

Then there's another answer to the question:
I'm rather sure it's way tougher to win the Fort William DH WC race than to win HTR/EWE. (clearly most must come down to more competition - in quantity but also in quality)
I've ridden many DH race tracks and compared my times to swiss top guns and world elite DH racers and those 30 - 60 seconds down on them feel much further away then a two day difference in a bike packing race. The difference in bike packing seems out of reach, the difference in DH is just unbelievable.

[Ian]

So we have three different categories of tough then:

1. Requiring the highest level of technical ability (e.g. DH)
2. Having to deal with a greater number of external factors, and/or increased likelihood perhaps arising from increased duration, that could end your attempt (e.g. HTR)
3. Requiring the highest level of physical fitness, and possibly specificity in training (e.g. 3PCX)

It then depends on whether tough is measure of what is required to win (or place in the top x%), or whether it's just to scrape a finish.

Notwithstanding that point, the toughest race is then the one that requires all three of these things with the goal to place highly.

[Alpinum]

You did sum that up very nicely

3. Requiring the highest level of physical fitness, and possibly specificity in training (e.g. 3PCX)

Specificity in training can be found in any of the divisions, given a high enough level.

[voodoo_simon]

Actually point 4
"The amount of people who wake up in cold shivers, drenched in sweat at the thought of re-riding a route"

Which leads me into the one event in glad I didn't enter, BB200 2014...

[voodoo_simon]

Actually point 4
"The amount of people who wake up in cold shivers, drenched in sweat at the thought of re-riding a route"

Which leads me into the one event in glad I didn't enter, BB200 2014...

Edit, never thought about downhill, that's a whole different thing all together! Wouldn't be able to finish the Fort William one at all with the big drop offs

Wouldn't say Enduro is the toughest, most seem to be at trail centres (at least in the UK) so can't imagine they are that tough to finish in one piece. To get on the podium though would be very difficult due to the amount of competition

[whitestone]

Surely the hardest race is the one you haven't prepared for?

[Zippy]

To get on the podium though would be very difficult due to the amount of competition

Being competitive in something is a very different thing to simply doing something (and indeed not necessarily related to how hard someone finds it).

Tough is a subjective word, and different people will find different aspects of different races tough (as already kind of covered, but some people find mental toughness more tough than technical downhill monster drops toughness and vice versa)...so this is going to be a hard one to pin down.

[jameso]

Johnclimber's half right about enduro, those videos of Dan Atherton at full speed for 12, 13 mins show what fitness you need to keep going that fast, I know as soon as I red-line whatever technical ability I have goes to pot.

Surely the hardest race is the one you haven't prepared for?

I think it'd be the one you had weak motivation or reasons for racing in, if you're not motivated for the right reasons as soon as it gets uncomfortable you're in trouble.

[jam bo]

You mean this one. Mind blowing video, compounded by the fact he was 5th on that stage, Richie rude put nearly a minute into him I think.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=StPeEgz5Cfo

[Ian]

Fair play, that did look hard

Kind of ticks all three of my factors above - technical, long enough for lots to have gone wrong (in proportion to the technical nature of the riding); requires high level of fitness to place well.

[Zippy]

He makes that look so smooth!

[Alpinum]

And that's likely one of the technically easier stages...

Ian, come to switzerland and I can show you how I 'enduro bike pack'

[Alpinum]

He makes that look so smooth!

Speed is the key. When I follow a slower rider the biking often feels rougher. Higher speeds stabilise (rotational mass and velocity) and by unloading the bike a bit you can skip the rough stuff easier and the wheels don't drop into the holes as much.

[Richpips]

HTR
Strathpuffer
3 Peaks.

Hardest first.

Getting to the end of the HTR is quite an acheivement. There is so much that can go wrong over such a distance.

[boxelder]

The 3PCX is, for the distance, pigging hard I'd say. You can't really back off can you? - everything on it feels a bit of a struggle.
Is the HT550 really a race? More an individual challenge - clearly harder in the effort required, but not that intense (mostly).
2011 Kielder 100 was a long period of suffering.
Manx 100 must be tough, looking at the finishers list (% drop out)

[jameso]

Is the HT550 really a race?

Ask the guys in the front 3 or so, I expect they would say they were racing : ) Certainly looked like it from where I was (the sofa/laptop)

edit, actually a daft comment from me, hard to see how something as subjective as 'hardest' is answered so on the same level whether riders are racing or group personal-challenging, who knows.