The grande finale - A race to the pizza party

Morning roundup

Day 3 - The riders come rolling in

Second time's the charm

Day 2 - a war of attrition

Sleep strategies and scratches

Day 1 - Steamy and stormy

Things are already heating up!

Rob Gardiner

Ewan Partridge

Lee Endres

Lucas Ashworth

Steve Chapman

Daniel Mills

Eoin Corcoran

Jamie Muirhead

Nicholas Pow

Richie McColl

Rebecca Richardson

Hannah Sargent

Tudor Gillham

Robyn Llewellyn

Andrew Turner

Greg Hilson

Jason Oliver

Mike Jacklin

Robert Flack

James Griffiths

Barry Lynham

Tanja Kaehler

Webster Wickham

Ben Yarnold

Jon Endres

Russell Jelly

Ben Wormald

Alan Goldsmith

Daniel Tsoi

Michael Drummond

Sandra Padilla

Timothy Basham

Tom Page

Andrei Tereskin

Sam Bennett

As we entered the fourth and final day of racing on the Blaenau 600, a steady stream of riders made it home throughout the day, with only three left out on the trail in a race against time to make it back for the evening pizza party.

Although nothing is ever guaranteed in ultra racing, and it really isn't over until it's over, talks of scratching felt well behind everyone now. For all intents and purposes they were into the final push, although they would soon learn that the terrain never gets easier. Many riders surprised by the sting in the tail of this route, dragging their exhausted minds and bodies up steep climbs and back through the woodland one last time.
![IMG 4709](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/I7pasEOnPXMg3e2nTgkGa/71d61fc9556983467d9dc4dc529f2d4d/IMG_4709.JPG)
First back after almost four days of racing was Daniel Mills, pushing on hard through the night to make up time in the closing kilometres. We had met him out on the trail 12 hours earlier, looking a little worse for wear. The route went through the town he lives in, fatigue had hit hard, and it would have almost been too easy to call it quits. Pulling himself back from the brink, the mental fortitude to press on impressed us all!
![IMG 4871](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3I9ULou4thZDIWJolPDRtt/41b4552fa5d2ada8827a496da97d183a/IMG_4871.JPG)
Shortly after, just as Dan set up camp on the pavement, Eoin Crocoran turned the last corner. We had been watching his dot throughout the night, checking progress every couple of hours, and the average moving speed was showing as 5kph. We were worried something had gone wrong, perhaps a major mechanical meaning he had to walk, but it turned out destroyed legs (and in particular knees) were to blame. Riding for a few minutes, then stopping for a few more, was the only way forward. The final climb and descent off the Black Mountains, the highest point of the route, turned out to be one hike too many, but he pushed through to complete the ride. Slow progress is better than no progress, one pedals stroke at a time!
![IMG 4783](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2baN9PGovk3jHgvNBcQ5CD/6d6663baabe2e70bdcbfbe09a7cccac6/IMG_4783.jpg)
As the afternoon heat began to set in we had a trio of riders finishing within minutes of each other, with all of Jamie Muirhead, Nicholas Pow, and Sam Bennett rolling into town. The vibes were immaculate, with the comradery created out on the trail shining through. Nicholas Pow had done the entire ride plastic free, bagging himself a new FKT in the process. No easy feat out in the wilderness, with little resupply, and in the middle of a heatwave. Chapeau!
![DSCF0700](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/9Q10P4JVGb5LMwIa6bR03/832e9563aa7d1022cfa4f6a1acf95bbf/DSCF0700.JPG)
Powered by positivity, Richie McColl cruised up the last hill and into the home stretch with a coolness only he could summon. Setting out to really live in the moment throughout, and enjoy the ride above all else, he had definitely succeeded in these goals, having an appreciation for the experience that was a joy to witness.
![DSCF0711](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/vGmXqwn9WhqJ0OZyHKBbS/89621ec2d615b8a1e546a5a083e6b5a8/DSCF0711.JPG)
With the pizza party countdown well and truly on, and the smell of wood fired dough beginning to fill the streets, our first woman home, Rebecca Richardson, crossed the line. With a big reception present for her triumphant return, tears were shed and hugs were shared. Nobody know how they'll react when the adventure comes to an end, when something that becomes your entire world for a short but completely overwhelming period of time is over. Rebecca's plans had changed out on the trail, something which isn't always easy to manage mentally, but she rose to the challenge with a smile.
![IMG 4837](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1Yn0LqFfZRgkwv35OIN4Lw/b6b5c9d13048fb1b4fcdff5de5f3d24e/IMG_4837.JPG)
As the last pizza was being served, riders, relatives and friends, returned to their phones and the dotwatching resumed. Everyone glued to the progress of Hannah Sargent, the last rider out on the route. Anticipation building, her family arriving to cheer her home, the community coming together one last time. She rode into the alley, looking happy and fresh for someone who had spent the past 84 hours on their bike.

"That is such a fun route, a rollercoaster of enjoyment". Words nobody but Hannah has ever used to describe it!

...and just like that, the race was over for another year. The calm after the brutal and beautiful storm.
![DSCF0810](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/42qcMujbu5KHWjQwcjSrQa/0f33150d8eb72e1b71c932c615601bb6/DSCF0810.JPEG)

As darkness descended yesterday, and the final night shift began for the rest of the field, we had more finishers roll in.

First up was Lucas Ashworth, who put in a seriously impressive ride to cross the line in 4th in a time of 60hrs 45mins. A first time ultra racer, and one of the coolest, calmest characters around! He climbed his way up the leader board over the final 24 hours, and definitely surprised a few people. A seriously impressive ride, we have a feeling it may be the first of many for him!
![DSCF0494](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5qjASTPkgqfRfAS5cX06xM/a34020b138088a9498f207ac7d94287c/DSCF0494.JPG)
Next in was Steve Chapman, our 5th rider home in a time of 61hrs 18mins. A redemption ride after last years scratch, he overcame a challenging second night on the trail to finish this one off with a strong performance! Still surprisingly chipper and chatty after so long out in the wilderness of Wales, recounting stories that could only come out of an ultra.
![DSCF0504](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1QG56MhyThHUnvVV5e1ehi/8ae064c64c5feacb77a7583f7c01b49c/DSCF0504.JPG)
Elsewhere in the mountains there were riders sleeping, and others pushing on through the night. Both Eoin Corcoran and Daniel Mills will be arriving home soon, with others left to race to the pizza party into the evening!

After a thankfully uneventful and scratch free night, we had a steady roll of finishers today, and got to catch up on tales from those elsewhere on the trail.

Our second rider to complete the route was Ewan Partridge in a time of 53 hrs 43 mins, after an incredibly strong performance throughout the weekend. The pace he set on the bike was impressive, and with two proper sleeps during the race under his belt he was still looking incredibly bright at the finish! A big smile on his face, just as he had every time we saw him out in the wilds of Wales.
![unnamed (7)](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4cdMUQ6b0gK9xmlsKRJHsp/9ed1da18b82b0b719283fa9d7c387792/unnamed__7_.jpg)
After seeing Ewan in it was back to the woods for us, chasing down dots we hadn’t been able to catch earlier on in the race.

A conversation with Daniel Mills as he paused at the foot of an unpleasantly steep climb, talks of scratching came and went. Sticking to the rule of not stopping at night, he had awoken from his slumber this morning and pushed on through dawn, ultimately feeling better as the hours ticked by. It’s a mental game as much as it is a physical one, and keeping the faith when you’re really hurting is never easy. But, no feeling is final and he’s covered many more kilometres, and a mountain, since he thought it was all over.
![unnamed (8)](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/19R29be8tDFVWvURLqnC1r/c50cdcbb8f72ad6e3f857990a2549681/unnamed__8_.jpg)
Winding through the hairpins of the forest on the outskirts of Llanwyrtyd Wells we unexpectedly bumped into Rebecca Richardson again. The highlight of this run in being the well told tale of a battle with the relentless cloud of midges last night. A rapid turn of speed to outrun them, a well timed phone box offering some relief while a plan was made of where to sleep now this spot had become unbearable, and the blessing of a covered bus stop further down the road saving the day. We’ll skip over the torrential thunderstorms, hole in the bivvy bag, and ineffective wake up call, just as she did with her usual positivity.
![btbtbt](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/16nSb81yU7WthLPLGrwltK/b4d46499461840c5e1c4d380a8fdfa91/btbtbt.JPG)
Shortly after her came the pairing of Jamie Muirhead and Nicholas Pow, who were in very good spirits. Another pool noodle (aka tyre insert) wrapped around a rear pack aside, it appeared to be a drama free ride for both.
![DSCF0436](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5QFDwKGEQ2sVZAyu3NmW3Z/41c5b33885173ca726874eb40f1db17d/DSCF0436.JPG)
Later on in the evening, back in stormy Ludlow, the arrival of Lee Endres was imminent. A group of riders, dotwatchers, and family, eagerly awaited his triumphant return after a challenging ride. As he wheeled up the street, there was a palpable emotion in the air. This ride is hard, really hard, the conditions extremely challenging, and he hadn’t had a drama free run, so crossing the line obviously meant a lot. Mostly that he could finally stop pedalling. First ultra, first finish, first podium, smashed it.
![unnamed (9)](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6lx7kbAO8E37qxMdbV8nxn/9997525ce293547b2a3bb884aba6925b/unnamed__9_.jpg)
Lee rolled off to a well earned shower, likely the best of his life, and a much needed sleep, and the next dot was making his way up the final climb.

Andrei Tereskin, our first rider home on the Blaenau 480 route, looked more like he was stepping off the bike from a recovery ride than an ultra. He told tales of a botched attempt at riding a river crossing (we all know how that can end), luxury nights of sleep, smugly avoiding the midges, and cursing the route makers on a long grass climb that we honestly can’t even remember.
![unnamed (10)](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2qg0unPvOjasbDm1ITYWrl/e8e119b5381d7a30819d03c1ac884640/unnamed__10_.jpg)
Heading into the night it looks like there will be two more riders before midnight, and then it’s into the final push for many! With the pizza party calling here’s hoping for some smooth kilometres ahead, metaphorically speaking.


We have a winner!

The most consistent rider of the race is also the first home, with Rob Gardiner crossing the line in a time of 49 hrs 20 mins! Knocking 3 hours off the men's record from last year, he also bags a new FKT in the process.

Chatting at the finish, he was fresher and chattier than you might expect. A fairly drama free ride for him, and one where the plan was pulled off to perfection.
![hbhbh](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3D4Tl4YZsPD1LsemeSM5d0/a648dce92ba592985a1134890812f2d1/hbhbh.JPG)
The only thing that began to fall apart was his feet on the ascent of The Gap in darkness early this morning. Unable to see the very narrow line you need to follow on this climb, and opting for a gravel bike this year, it made for a long hike both up and down the mountain. Unlike the usual culprit of trench foot after a river crossing, it was grit in the shoes that was to blame for this one.
![njn](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/515XWSDmnSCeT8IjBPTY98/7c87d642118ff08f66f867b6948c1793/njn.png)
Proving that experience counts, both Rob's exceptional riding background, and his ride into third place on this route last year, made for a beautifully executed victory.


Instead of opening on scratches we’ll open on starters, withTudor Gillham and Tanya Kaehler setting off at 9am to chase down the race. A combination of a cancelled flight and best friends wedding making yesterday a busy one away from two wheels for the pair.

Onto the days dramas…

We began the day with three leaders, and we ended the day with three leaders. Aside from that fact it was all change out there over the last 12 hours!
![unnamed (3)](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2vbIJUzbiwv5TAnyYba1qm/9d2833d645fef4d4604a8eb108806532/unnamed__3_.jpg)
As we headed out onto the route this morning to catch up with a flying Robyn Llewylln, who had steadily continued to build his advantage, his dot turned grey and we knew his tracker had been turned off. Despite a flawless ride over more than half of the route, a snapped spoke and cracked rim meant this is where his race would end.
![unnamed (4)](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7gNebibpAZhfbRuVoyyOSl/5c433b954247d996685059feed48e4e7/unnamed__4_.jpg)
This meant that Rob Gardiner had moved up into the lead, his confident and considered ride paying dividends. Fresh from a crucial resupply he seemed in control, if a little tired after his lack of sleep last night. He didn’t know where he was in the standings, and didn’t want to know, very much riding this his own way.
![unnamed (5)](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3eeMXrGgASGEWf9wiQA5kv/0e47dc5f2b43e481b19927c2ac04f9e9/unnamed__5_.jpg)
An hour later, high up in a long stretch of woodland, we waited for the arrival of second place rider Lee Endres. It turned out we would be waiting all day, as his dot mysteriously disappeared. It wasn’t until an hour or so ago that it burst back into life, our best guess for his absence being a sleep in the trail side bothy. 

The still unsolved absence of Lee meant that the podium places shifted, with Ewan Partridge storming into second place and Steve Chapman climbing the ranks into third.
![IMG-4478](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/24Eqgpl2c8rtzL8Bb7O6fp/8dfef83557923a34c20f3e492d39a0eb/IMG-4478.JPG)
For the data lovers out there, Ewan is riding at an average moving speed that is 2kph faster than Rob’s, and Ewan has had a much longer sleep so far. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out by the finish! Heading into night two the strategy of speed and rest may well prove victorious.

In the women’s race, Rebecca Richardson has continued to pull away our front and is now 8th overall. Catching her after a big resupply in Machynlleth, she hadn’t lost any of the positivity and happiness she had 300kms ago. Telling tales of beautiful scenery, plans gone awry, and thunderstorms dramatically dodged, the learning curve has seemingly been as steep as the roads out there, each challenge confronted with a coolness most only aspire too.
![IMG-4474](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/UAvboMDgEReR9kDX4NtoS/f872c385527e0d1380605ae32e75ead5/IMG-4474.JPG)
Alongside Robyn’s shock departure from the race, there were a couple more scratches throughout the day. Ben Wormald succumbing to a combination of heat and fatigue, and Greg Hilson calling it quits after numbness in his hands set in.

In some better news, we’ve now seen all remaining riders pass through checkpoint two, an achievement that can’t be underestimated. It’s exciting watching the fun at the front, but there are always unsung heroes and stories of overcoming throughout the field.
![unnamed (6)](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5TnxsvucBgV3JNkHotS1C2/bd87f33147d275084f41f0b568b8951f/unnamed__6_.jpg)

A special shout-out to Sam Bennett, who celebrated her birthday ultra styley today. For anyone concerned, we have had reports that happy birthday was sung to her more than once along the trail by fellow riders and dotwatchers alike! 

Tune in tomorrow for an update on the nights pedalling, we’re hoping for a few fairytale endings in the early hours!
![IMG-4479](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3veFxGJUOWWtK2ApKy24LF/f1b289b1d0e32ecfde4436f791ec5d8e/IMG-4479.JPG)

As dawn broke on the Welsh mountains, there had been a reshuffling of riders throughout the whole field.

The race leader is still Robyn Llewylln, who after a sensible and steady start rode himself to the front of  the pack during the afternoon yesterday. He continued to pull away throughout the night, with a stoppage time of only 14 minutes in total so far!

There’s been a general changing of the guard at the front end, with Rob Gardiner opting not to sleep and pulling ahead into second, with Lee Endres now comfortably in third.

There are some larger gaps now to those who opted for a bigger overnight stop - a tactic that often pays dividends in the long run, especially when it comes to enjoyment out there in the hills! We could even see a few dots in campsites and hotels along the route, perhaps their plan from the start, or maybe a choice made in the midst of the storm to take shelter.

Rebecca Richardson continues to move further ahead in the women’s field after hunkering down for the night, and has made her way up to ninth overall. There’s been a cool calmness about her ride that continues to impress.

Now for the morning scratch report, which unfortunately has a few more names than we were hoping. Pre-race favourite Andy Turner is now out after his series of punctures yesterday proved fatal to the tyre, and he’s joined by the in form Jon Endres for the same reason. Alongside them we have James Griffiths with a ride ending broken rear brake, and all of Mike Jacklin, Russell Jelly, and Rob Flack calling it a day in the early hours!

The weather is looking far more favourable today, with the rain clearing the humidity and leaving behind a warm, fresh feeling in the air. As we head through the Welsh desert and into the real mountains it will be interesting to see how the race evolves.


![ddd](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/51Xkj5SsFJHrTEmgkB5Kh5/9fd1695256f339bf8e6819c92be11a24/ddd.JPG)
The end of day one is nearing, and the night shift is on the horizon for the riders. Before attention turns to sleep strategies, or lack thereof, it’s time to wrap up the antics so far!

We’ll begin with the scratches, with both Jason Oliver and Webster Wickham struggling with the intense heat of the day, Barry Lynham unfortunately suffering one too many punctures, and Ben Yarnold succumbing to illness out there! It will have to be second times the charm for Jason, and third time lucky next year for both Webster, Barry, and Ben.
![42a599e8-3d3d-4756-8049-9167d59d6739](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6morPI8zNSik4iXoIjuml/0804dc9e1580aa90478b80370f3a76d0/42a599e8-3d3d-4756-8049-9167d59d6739.JPG)
Now onto the better news, we’ve had a good number of riders make it swiftly through CP1, with the rest of the field making steady progress towards Llangollen themselves.

Robyn Llewellyn flew across the bridge first, taking himself clear into the race lead. Shortly after this the weather finally broke, with a big storm hitting the quicker riders first. A few made it to CP1 in quick succession, with all of Lee Endres, Jon Endres, and Andrew Turner choosing to shelter inside a kebab shop in the town and wait out the worst of the downpours.

This momentary pause in action from the trio allowed Steve Chapman and Rob Gardiner to catch up, and Robyn Llewllyn to add to his buffer ahead of second place.

The women’s field is still being headed by Rebecca Richardson, who was in incredibly high spirits when we saw her earlier this evening. All smiles, even when regaling tales of wrong turns and added climbs out there. At least she got to enjoy some more descents along the way, her words not ours.
![DSCF0106](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4dm3sQ6HijrveetwoeDbkZ/e1d78e42f67c7deae7be6bc66c0deba7/DSCF0106.JPG)
In second place, although with a few more miles to makeup now, is Hannah Sargent. Still riding at an incredibly strong and consistent pace, it will be exciting to watch the tussle continue over the next couple of days.

Onto to the dramas (and narrowly avoided disasters) of the day! 

The first of these being Andy Turner and his new pool noodle accessory (aka tyre insert) that is beautifully wrapped around his rear pack for the foreseeable future! A puncture, tubeless explosion, inner tube insertion, and failed attempt at finding an open bike shop, later and he’s cracked on with the ride kicking it old school.
![mmm](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5qXsxj88lwxeri6hSm1CK6/24eb4a58ee9ce01c94deeae2e4fda16a/mmm.JPG)
There were the unfortunately inevitable minor spills out there for a few riders, although everyone has emerged unscathed, some navigational hiccups, and misjudged resupply choices. It turns out that you can spend a long time lost in the aisles of a big Tesco, and the frustration of this only grows when you pass a convenient garage on the course a few kilometres later!

To round off the day, as I type this the storm continues to blow through the countryside. Aside from some soggy chammy and shoes, this hasn’t dampened the spirits of the riders, and it might even have been a welcome relief from the intense heat of the last 12 hours.

Having said that, we have had live reports of a lightning strike on a building along the course, resulting in a road closure. Thankfully the firefighters are allowing riders through, and the worst is now behind them in terms of weather (well that’s what the forecast is telling us, which as we all know can often mean nothing).
![unnamed (2)](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5tnl12vCNhTkE3rCNOnuBu/6f07ddd40e3a4d7a0455af15cb3c4acb/unnamed__2_.jpg)
We have our fingers crossed for a dry night tucked up in bivvy bags for all, and we’ll catch up with the action tomorrow morning!

![DSCF9622](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7JUosq7VzJpPlFD0PyXin9/4e40973000a21b0de3cda197656f1014/DSCF9622.JPG)

And they’re off!

We’ve been blessed with some beautiful weather for day one of the Blaenau 600, with it looking hot and humid throughout the long weekend. There’s a chance of thunderstorms over the next couple of days, which added a nice element of uncertainty to the kit faff and morning rumblings amongst riders about extra layers and sleep systems.

Everyone has now made it up and over Long Mynd, the first serious bit of off-road riding (well, hiking) on the route, with the front few still within a kilometre of each other as things begin to really hot up.

![DSCF9696](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4W84qyCyfalWP4qwkLrXm8/98555f73a15d06878e45eff4556dbd46/DSCF9696.JPG)

Retuning rider Andy Turner (with some serious unfinished business after coming so close to pulling off the win in 2022), Ewan Partridge, Robyn Llewellyn, and Lee and Jon Endres (fighting it out for family bragging rights) make up the pointy end of the pack. They're all looking incredibly strong, but a couple have clearly made a more conservative start - plenty of time for chatter as we snapped photos, and smiles still plastered on their faces.

Hill climb champion turned adventurer Rebecca Richardson is fronting up the women’s field, and looked to be comfortable on the climb as you would expect given her pedigree! Close behind is Hannah Sargent, who with a quick wave was off into the distance, clearly in the zone already.

![DSCF9802](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3AQRe7HSYkNJlRHuVD3jcb/0f79afe448237e52f2a5abf9d188a5b9/DSCF9802.JPG)

It's  early days, and with the route being backloaded with some serious climbs including the Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains a steady start may well prove to be a smart one.

Temperatures are rising, competition is hotting up, and if one thing's for certain it's that nothing is in ultra racing. We've already heard rumblings of drama out on course, from burst camelbak bladders, to bent rotors, and inner tubes being patched.

![unnamed (1)](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1Vwx4iy9CErXZtfDPdps46/6953aea2161e1536342e614acf319b6f/unnamed__1_.jpg)

We'll be back this evening to update you on all the dramas of the day!

Molly Weaver

Blaenau 600 2023 Wales gravel/off-road adventure through Cambrian Mountains, Brecons, Berwyns and Black Mountains.

Blaenau 600 2023

A truly Welsh upland adventure through some of the land's finest off-road sewn together with characteristically hilly tarmac, including the Brecons, Berwyns, Black Mountains, Cambrians and Snowdonia.

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