Final Finishers Come In

A New Day Dawns - Day 3

And the Riders are off...

5 Days and Counting…

Keen to know what the riders are taking?

Warm up!

It was pleasing to the see the Herculean efforts of the last three riders, as they finished this afternoon. We had Thomas Casey, Ali Macleod and Ross Pheonix come in at around 4-5pm today. We're pretty sure that is all the 'Grand Depart' riders finished. ITT rides will continue and can be signed-up on Track Leaders (as yellow dots) for people to follow.

Its been like a race of two halves, for those who rode quickly and stopped little, they benefitted from fast trail conditions and good weather, albeit cold. For those moving at a steadier pace, they were challenged with the horrendous weather yesterday and had to apply a 'survival' mindset in order to finish the race, rather than the usual 'press-on' mind-set. One thing is for sure and that is the bar has now been raised to a really high level, the levels of endurance are amazing, across a spectrum of riders including many 'new names' to the sport. We have new record times for both female and male - Chapeau to Sally and James! Chapeau to all who finished. Chapeau to Chris Ellison for making it all happen!

![James Craven winner](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5BhH27Y78Qe7a6vucOdNo/2d50b7c9026a2be68342ce43cb9bb728/James_Craven_winner.jpg)
__The Face of a Winner!__

Going back to a question that we were asked a lot... "what bike is best for this event?"

It’s worth noting that James and Sally are both on hard tail MTB, however others in the front end mix are on gravel bikes and it shows that for the conditions of the course (i.e. dry) there is little advantage of one bike over the other.

Chris has updated Track Leaders and it should show all the finishers (still some checking to do though - so please be patient,). Further work has to be done as we verify some of the GPX tracks. There has also been a small number of riders who have missed out one or more parts of the track and didn't go back to rejoin at the point where they left it - the ruleset for this sport is as simple as any sport that I have done and if you want a valid race position / time then you ride every part of the track. We do have to rely on technology for this. The only exceptions are those sections that Chris briefed out prior to the start and those towns listed (allowing for easier food re-stocking). 

We have been swamped with many emails, it is pleasing to hear all the gratitude for the organising that has been put in. This is one of the ones that I like the best...

*Hi Chris,
Well I can't thank you enough for putting this route together and for letting me ride it over the weekend.
This has been a fantastic eye opener into the world of bikepacking for me and I've come away from the weekend having learned a lot, none more so that my gearing was wrong, bigger than 38mm tyres are probably best and that you must check you fasten your rear canister into the holster correctly or you'll lose it somewhere in the fells.
Now I just can't wait for my next event. Thanks for a brilliant, brutally tough but rewarding experience.
Many Thanks,
Elliot *

*Elliot,
I am really pleased to hear about your weekend.  People learning and moving their bar up a bit is what the Dales Divide is all about.  For the accomplished racers they are just fine, but for so many more it’s important to have  a platform to learn, to try, to fail a little but succeed a lot towards becoming far more accomplished.  I know you will have done all of those things.
For your little failure, losing your bag, today is your lucky day!  I picked up guys in Hawes who had been cut down by the weather.  I think one of them, Lewis, has your bag, along with Alpkit full sleeping gear and was asking me to publicise it.  I have copied him in on this email so that you can buy him a pint and talk to him about postage!  You see, lesson learned.  Actually that might be two pints as he carried it all the way up the roman road!!!!
He did a good thing to look after it, to take the effort and good things come to good people because I am sure he was happy to be offered a lift.
Best wishes to all, stay safe, be good to other people.  I hope you get back to ride the Dales soon.
- Chris*

So that's going to be it from me. I finish my house build project off and then look forward to getting out to do some more long adventure rides and regain my bike fitness, but above all enjoy the hills, mountains, the nature and all those moments that go with this stuff.

Keep riding and keep being good!!!

- Alex Pilkington.


__Day 4.__
Yesterdays weather was about as bad as it gets for bike-packing - prolonged heavy rain, cold (3deg on high ground) and windy. This when you need your good kit and often the super-light weight stuff won't cut it. You also have to make wise decisions about pausing your ride, taking shelter etc. Sometimes pushing on is not the best thing to do... This year the option of Cafes, Pubs, B&Bs etc has not been available because of the restrictions still in place. I mentioned yesterday about the riders at Hawes, luckily the public toilets were open and they had some temporary shelter there.

A lot of stuff happened yesterday, it felt like a long day! - we had the leaders come in during the early hours, then there was a constant 'trickle' of finishers coming in during the day. Elizabeth Hughes got picked up I believe after taking shelter at the farm at Newby Head - she had ridden so well! A few finishers came in during the night; Stevan (just before midnight) and Beccy a couple of hours after - amazing riding guys, and I think that this may make Beccy the second female finisher (we need to check for other non-tracked riders before confirming), irrespective of place still a fantastic effort!

There are riders still out there riding and hopefully not getting as wet as yesterday, Karl Booth is closing in on the finish and we have Ali, Thomas and Ross heading towards Askrigg, we should see them finish this afternoon.

We'll update the TL leader board, at the moment the placings are still 'provisional', until all the rider GPX/s / Strava logs come in. There's some work to do here, this includes a check over the tracks - we'll keep you posted as soon as possible. Notwithstanding that this years race has provided lots of gripping action across the full spectrum of the event - so many amazing efforts..!  Chris has been up all night worrying, but I think we are through the worst of the weather now... 

Its Day 4 - Lets have a bit of a recap and see who's out there...

We've seen some more riders arrive at Arnside today, some just before the rain and some in it. But first to those who are active and on the course, as we have some updates to tell. We have also got some pictures sent in from yesterday - picturing big skies and beautiful sunsets. None of that today though. Also just worth mentioning that Steve Heading (untracked rider) finished at 11:26. 

Chris has had to repatriate 3 riders with their vehicles at Arnside who had taken shelter at Hawes, I beleive helping a fellow rider who was struggling with the cold and wet. I'm guessing that the option of being able to bundle into an Inn or B&B is not possible at the moment and for some that is the only way of being able to warm-up, dry-out and get your head around going on again... I've been there myself on the ill fated 2019 HT550... 

During the afternoon while tracking Elizabeth's dot, it looks like after the tediously long and exposed section up the Cam Road, she had to take refuge at Newby Head Farm, it now looks like she's on the move again... Meanwhile Dotwatchers own Beccy is starting her way up that stretch, now that the rain has stopped and there is in fact some bits of sunshine, hopefully she'll have enough energy to push to the finish, some 5-6 hours perhaps - We are behind you Beccy!!!

Looking at Trackleaders, it shows a lot of trackers as 'Active' however a number of these have retired, or short coursed home in some way. But there are others still moving across the flat section around Northallerton, also in this town it looks like there is a group who may have used the train to get back..?

Lets see some rider pictures now...

![image10](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/NPrTTStZtJP0pRDZsPpMz/8b9bb75fec12c7d90b09e998ba64ed83/image10.jpeg)
From Dave Breedon

![IMG 20210503 125132](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1UprT7kvDLfB7BzmYOGs8A/c74b675e96d44365976db944e30bb69e/IMG_20210503_125132.jpg)
Name this location..? from Danny Bellion

![IMG 20210503 102038 593](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4wbV2cKqVS5jDuRV8qUcpP/40a70f3e0a3aa298fc7ad89e89d1fb49/IMG_20210503_102038_593.jpg)
Marcus Nicholson at the finish (If I'm not mistaken when I caught up with Marcus at CP1 he told me he had come down from the Shetlands!)

![IMG 8851](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7zpCmhNdnRe3AFthcA26Bq/df1041f47a93d74e272df7d1784599b9/IMG_8851.JPG)
Sharon Calton and an amazing sunset.

__Latest check at 22:00__  - shows that Stevan and Beccy are about 20km and 30 km respectively from the finish. The rain has started again, but they are on lower ground with some shelter spots and barns to nip into if needed... Further back it looks like Thomas Casey is in one of the huts in Swaledale - some have wood-stores so hopefully he can get the wood-burner lit and stay dry and warm...

Stay safe out there...    ...Its not at all nice, but it is part of the game and you learn a lot from bad-weather situations!

A Change in the Weather...

Overnight saw a good number of riders finish. Track Leaders has not registered some of the finish times, probably because the Spot trackers only ping a location every 5 minutes. First home was James Craven, we estimate his finish time to be around 40hrs, possibly just under - an amazing performance from this chap! Following James and around 2 1/2hrs behind was Danny Bellion, Danny scratched on last years ride, so he'll be super chuffed with his ride this year. Then we had Jason Black (over from Ireland). First female was Sally Ozzane, it looked like she, James McIntosh and John Allan all came in at a similar time of 44:39hrs. We don't think Sally stopped to sleep, or if it was it was only a 'power-nap'! I'll get an update from Sally later and give some insights... Another amazing performance though!  Next in was Kirk Wadworth and Mark Wildsmith in similar times of 46:21hrs. Mark is a local rder and has taken 6-7hrs off his time from last - so he'll be super-pleased with that. There are probably some other non-tracked riders finished also.

Over on the shorter 'cur-through' route, we had Richard Wilson as the first rider back, coming in just after 2am - around 42hrs. TrackLeaders has the courses and riders inter-mingled, post-ride the finishers and times will be all worked out and added to Dotwatcher.

But it now looks like the new Bench-Mark time for the Dales Divide is now 40hrs!!!!

__Any finisher pics - please send to dd@highbark.co.uk__

So why the incredible times this year..? Have all the riders upped their game..? Lock-down training regimes..? Terrain conditions and weather..? Some of the route tweaks..? As the rider stories come in I'll post some of the 'inside perspectives' here. Hopefully those who have finished are getting much needed sleep in their cars and vans!

So to the rest of the course... what's on most riders minds today must surely be the weather front that is coming in...? On Saturday it was forecast to come in early afternoon, but now its saying mid-morning and it looks to be set in for a few hours along with some winds from the SSE. Full-Body cover needed, Mtbing in the wet is tough as the water and rain comes at you from all directions.

On the course a few more trackers look to have stopped moving, we had problems yesterday with rider trtackers not updating - it is really important the riders check their trackers and make sure they are operating properly while riding, not only for people tracking them, but also rider safety.

At the moment it looks like Steve Combs is bring up the rear, heading towards Goathland, there are a number of other riders still on the high ground of the Moors. Many more are heading across the flat ground around Northallerton, hopefully having had a good breakfast to get them back across the high ground in the Dales.

It looks like there is quite a big gap till the next rider finishes, perhaps Philippa, and she's near Dent, having done the shorter route. On the full route it looks like Elizabeth and Beccy are still progressing along around 20km apart in 2nd and 3rd positions.

As rider stories come in today, we can post some insights later and hopefully some pictures. Chris Ellison, will be sending out a post ride email and will request GPX track-logs from everyone so that we can assimilate finish times and placings and check the riders tracks.


__James Craven churning his way up Newby Head (the last big climb!!)__

![769F4028-FC01-4269-97AC-AE80A8F41525 1 105 c](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1lUADTlqQdOf0mvZjpZQvy/2c06e60111412e8850020c11f23a2845/769F4028-FC01-4269-97AC-AE80A8F41525_1_105_c.jpeg)
__Sheep on the Podium - with DD rider in the far distance__

As we head into the evening on day 2 the upfront pace has been pretty damn relentless and there will no doubt be several hours chopped off the previous ride record... I'll report more on the up front action further down, however it now looks like most riders but not quite all are on the return leg and heading west and riding into the lovely (but cold) sunset. Not sure what the weather has been like in east Yorkshire, perhaps and odd shower..?

We've noticed that a good number of the riders trackers have not updated today - at least ten, not sure quite why so many..? We know a few people have retired, but they were reported on yesterday or this morning, if we find out more we'll add an update. Sally Ozzane's dot has not moved since early this morning, despite being messaged it has not come to life, having heard nothing from her, we assume that she's still trucking along as well as she was earlier. Elizabeth and Beccy are still in 2nd and 3rd place respectively in the females.

Other news in - Callum James, who was moving along nicely at the sharp end is looking to pull-out at Catterick with a reported sore knee, not sure if its due to an 'off' or just the load its been under - a shame for Callum as he'd raced so well until then. Another oddity is Jason Blacks track that seems to have deviated and gone off route for 6-7km to Carlton in Cleveland and rejoined down near Swainby, we'll try to find out whats happened there... Also Alan Goldsmith seems to have cut across from Boroughbridge and joined the cut-through route. 

Chris Ellison and I caught up with Alan at Newby Head (CP14) and he was saying how cold it was and reported that he awoke this morning covered in ice!!! ...he seemed in good spirits otherwise. Just 5 minuites before we caught up with race leader, James Craven on the last big climb of the ride at KM 550, he managed a smile as he churned his way up the gravel - amazing effort from this chap!

![IMG 0468](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5XgUx3eXz6WvXStuYST6xv/ffed2d42fe5e1cde63542d8d7bdc8f16/IMG_0468.JPG)
__Alan Goldsmith - of HT550 Fame__

Most of the 'cut-through' riders are back on the main circuit and there is a mingle of dots on the map, the leader board seperates these though. Speaking with Chris, he estimated that there are around 30 other riders going round without trackers, thats about 100 riders in total! Post ride there will be much time spent by Chris and myself reconciling all the ride times and checking the GPX logs.

So as we go into the second night there will be a handful of riders finishing the route before we report again in the morning...


Riding into the Sunset.

![0DBE671A-47DA-4DCB-B242-9176917E5731 1 105 c](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7oWjMBIboETuILvzNamqZ1/98e79aac5a6e547ea4e5bf1f07d95685/0DBE671A-47DA-4DCB-B242-9176917E5731_1_105_c.jpeg)
Heartbeats 'Aidensfield' (2019 DD)

While the majority of the riders settled down for the night in a field, ditch, bus stop or park bench somewhere, the leading pack of 7-8 riders pushed through and did a night shift. The ride times through Scarborough CP6 were indeed very quick! Its going to be interesting to see how the return leg west takes its toll on the sleep deprived leaders...? There is a lot of jostling of positions and it looks like James Craven and Jason Black are heading on to the high ground of the North Yorkshire Moors and have formed a 15km lead, over the next three riders - or perhaps four riders as I think that Sally Ozzane is in this bunch, however her tracker looks to have not updated... There is also Steve Heading probably in that mix too, but he has no tracker.

By all accounts the night time weather was still and cool, but with the frost holding off because of cloud cover. Today's weather looks set to be mainly dry, with light breeze from the west, so perhaps wee headwind on the return leg and also the chance of a rain shower. Many of the riders are still heading east at the moment and will be passing Scarborough for chips and other high calorie food during the daytime today.

Philippa Battye has recovered a lot of ground and must be pleased to be moving well after her mechanicals. It also looks like Dave Jackson is back in the ride again, so I presume he managed to fix his mechanical..? Julie Elders tracker may be back working - she's in York at present. Dotwatchers Beccy Waters seems to have made  good ground early this morning and has moved up the pack and is now behind Elizabeth Hughes who looks to be second female, as they head into the rolling hills of the Yorkshire Wolds.

On the shorter 'cut-through' it looks like there are 3-4 riders taking this option, with Richard Wilson just back on the main route again heading towards Northallerton - so where will it be when the James Craven Steam Train passes him..? Place your bets now...  Askrigg, Newby Head..? Richard looks to be riding well. 

No other news to report just yet, and I'm affraid no pictures either, if some rider pictures get sent in we can post them.

The Night Shift ...and into Day 2

As daytime comes to a close on day 1, its all been pretty hectic, so heres a snapshot of the action...

Mechanicals... Always a riders worst nightmare, usually unpredictable, some are fixable (or a make do bodge even..) others like free-hubs not so. We've had reports of 3 hub failures:  Philippa Battye had her failure only 10km in to the ride, it looks like she'd paid a visit to Lancaster then Kirky Lonsdale to get it repaired - Good On Her - she's rolling along again 

![Screenshot 2021-05-01 at 20.47.48](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6oN8D2GKOL1E3auWVQApmO/800782551df042e3521bd6ac28dd3d52/Screenshot_2021-05-01_at_20.47.48.png)

__Philippa's Track to Recovery...__

Stu and Zach on their Tandem had theirs fail on Twistleton Moor above Ingleton - a shame to see the lads out...
Then reports of Dave Jackson suffering the same problem near Ribblehead.

The broken thumb incident was Tom Molyneux, must be really gutted as he said it was a stupid little crash - he's set his hopes on an ITT later in the year - Speedy Recovery Tom! 

![IMG 5624](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1fAnqCq8trleyPISMbwvic/d76a8528ae909341039d20b5ccb8227b/IMG_5624.jpg)

__CP1 Leaders__

I popped along to CP1 at High Bark, to see some action. First through was the threesome group of Calum James, Jason Black and Steve Heading (NB - Steve is not being tracked, so it will be a bit tricky to report on his progress later on). A real mix of tallent here, Steve is thick end of his fifties and has spent his life biking, previously a lot of MTBO, so he nows how to navigate and read terrain; Callum is a young lad from deepest darkest Lancashire, but has been planning and setting himself some incredible challenges - nice to see a strong passion for adventure at a young age. Jason is over from Ireland and is no stranger to endurance sport, having completed numerous Bikingman events and other notable rides, plus a spectrum of other tough outdoor sports.

![IMG 5644](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/338hfiQtWppd2YGhZ8bR01/1748c509d59733ecc59493c95168a64b/IMG_5644.jpg)

__Danny Yates coming over the lovely Feizor Nick__

Sally Ozzane was the first female to arrive at CP1. Sally always smiles - and that's what its all about! If you are feeling good inside and smiling outside all is good. Unlike the first 3 through, Sally had a good amount of kit and will sleep tonight. No smiley picture of Sally I'm afraid!!!

Several other pockets of riders passed through CP1, all reporting to be enjoying the dry conditions, however clothing selection was troublesome, warm in the sunshine, then cool and no doubt tonight freezing cold... The the next female comes through - Julie Elder, however from Track Leaders it appears her tracker is not 'pinging' properly, hope she sorts it...
![IMG 5639](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/70FCyVVc8vxCPeFwc5qOAY/8e5d0bf4807da19e849ad211550d72a0/IMG_5639.jpg)

__Julie Elder with a Tunnocks Grin at CP1 (KM80)__

Another retiree report in a couple of hours ago and sadly this is our Captian Chris, feeling under par and hot/cold/hot, but he has made it to CP1 - his house! perhaps this convenience is a mental downside. Fair up Chris ... we can ride out an meet some riders coming back through later in the weekend!

![DSC 9109](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7yJs1PHZueFvNgcSarcPam/873ecaa25888601672943b885c2dabf7/DSC_9109.jpg)

__Captain Chris at the start__

__Into the night...__

Riders are now spread across Yorkshire from Bolton Abbey to the Vale of York. Decisions will be being made... people will be fueling-up in Boroughbridge or York. Then the connundrum of where to stop the night ...or stop at all...? some of leaders look to have minimalist kit, i.e. no sleep system!   Putting some banging music on and pushing through the night is an intersting dynamic, obviously making good forward progress during that time, but will there be a pay-back later-on... as the body, mind and muscles tire and fatigue? Faff-itis then sneaks in... We'll have to see... I won't be dot watching all night! 

Next report tomorrow lunch time, I'm expecting the first rider could reach Scarborough as early as 5am, if no sleep is taken and thats about 3 hours up on my time through last year - exciting!!! Also hoping that the riders send in some photo's to dotwatcher HQ, so we can post and picture the action...!

Sleep Tight...


Day 1 comes to a close - What's in store Tonight..?

![IMG 5620](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/218ffPPgl480zWkOy1umzH/8152ce4e4b37682c65c4bb753eddfdea/IMG_5620.jpg)

__Riders Gathering on Arnside Pier__

The third edition of the Dales Divide Race got started at just after 8am this morning. There was a quiet almost relaxed atmosphere as all the riders steadily gathered on the pier, with no winds, a clear blue sky and a backdrop of the Lakeland Fells - it felt all so perfect. 

![DSC 8959](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/sS4APidMjHEZiI3CSidb7/8d6ad6c43e8984be737bac6d9cc6eb24/DSC_8959.jpg)
             __Backdrop of Bay  -  Railway   -   Lakeland Fells   -   Stunning!__

To set them off was ride organiser Chris Elison, Pat Hall and previous winner Alex Pilkington. It was again a great honour to have Pat come to the start and see us all off, her son Mike Hall is pretty well considered a legend in the niche world of the bike-packing community, Alex read out a short peom that was written for Mike and then set the riders off - about 65 according to Track Leaders and perhaps another half dozen 'sans-tracker'! 

![DSC 9122](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7ftGTwSBVdbgsLdTwXmNVO/7d4c907389ab9ff4748fb751208a482a/DSC_9122.jpg)

 __Alex  -  Pat  -  Chris  -  Starting the Riders Off....__

A few early reports were coming in of mechanicals; Philippa Battye was reported to have had a broken freehub shortly after setting out and may have been detouring to a local cycle shop... Reports of broken spokes and saddles were also coming in by midday - the Dales 'rough-stuff' taking its toll already..! On a more serious note, there was also reports of a rider accident, just after Silverdale at around KM12 of a broken thumb, the name of the rider is not known, however the tracker does show a dot at the location earlier today and not moved forward since then ...we'll try to get some more news for you. Also the Taylor father-son tandem duo is off-route and back at home town, so another story there to report later on - hope all is okay guys...? 
![DSC 9183](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6QMtIF17bjZDHuVEQrKCfj/d6eff6d889431204ade8a10ab401849a/DSC_9183.jpg)
                        __Young Zach Taylor - 11 years old__

Another update will be posted this evening, hoping to have some enroute pictures as well as some more stories to tell, but one thing for sure it looks set to be a quick ride this year as the lead pack came through CP1 (High Bark) about 20mins up on last years times. More to report later...
![DSC 9419](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6XGmGme2Ead4tK8I3dhAix/ad07fb0316741cd4629ca5b58c82ba54/DSC_9419.jpg)
                      __Not out of the woods yet..!__

Wonderful photo credits to Laura Hayton (Laura has more pictures from the start and if anyone is interested please contact DD email)

News Just in...  Previous rider and big supporter of the Dales Divide - Stu Taylor, who is also all things bike-packing and a brewer of good beer, fine coffee roaster  ...the list goes on...! He and his son Zach are riding the Dales Divide on their tried and tested Sonder Bikes Cahoot Ti tandem. They will be taking on the shorter route variant - but still a whopping 475km, most of which is  off road.
This is a massive under taking for Zach aged 11, like the rest of the 60 or so riders they will be fully self supported, sleeping in ditches or cow sheds, eating from where ever is open en-route cafes or shops. 

Zachs Grandad Reindeer has recently be diagnosed with cancer so they are going to try and raise some awareness and funds along the way. 

Please donate if you can, if not give us a cheer!

![84674267 10157244235343472 9015788463483518976 n.jpg? nc cat=109&ccb=1-3& nc sid=174925& nc ohc=x30AawgAVOMAX-AxUgU& nc ht=scontent-man2-1.xx&oh=4e975378eca7d04dbadb910e7f68e40b&oe=60B01845](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2KMIH5YKKzqj4rnCVJF6za/8fb4946d9ce50abdbd18bece9b0bd4c7/84674267_10157244235343472_9015788463483518976_n.jpg)

                                  *Zachs Dales Divide 2021 page*

[https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/stuart-taylor75](https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/stuart-taylor75)


Father and Son Tandem Team Signed-up

What’s in store…? Firstly the conditions and the weather -

Its barely rained in the last three weeks here in the Dales, so the trails are super-perfect, even the few soft ground sections enroute have dried nicely, so this should help to provide some quick times this year!  Forecast… (met office) if it is to believed..? looks to be pretty reasonable - continuing quite cool, so just touching double figures by day (in centigrade!), by night perhaps some frost. Winds are also forecast to be quite light from the E to NE, so a bit of a headwind on the way out and hopefully a helpful wee push on the return. There's an outside chance of an odd light, overnight, shower and I’m sure that all the riders are keeping a close eye on things and will be tweaking their kit respectively.  There is a super-bright moon at it's maximum just before we start but will still be strong while we're riding.
![Arnside - DD2020](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5Kubp1CM9DEJGDUZCRxkfG/c8ca3f2e72cb0dce8e7af48da68de7cb/26B5AFFC-19DE-4C74-9B5C-7922658B1385_1_105_c.jpeg)

Whose ’signed-up’ and riding…?

To bring the race to life, most riders will be using a Spot type tracker and will be signed-up on Trackleaders, so that their ‘dot' can be followed by the world at large. We now have around 42 riders signed-up, with probably a few 'last minute.coms' coming in - depending on forecast etc…! so if you have not signed up please get on and do so - the weather forecast looks good!!!

Its strange times (but positive!) coming out of ‘lock-down’, really inhibiting peoples usual training regimes and habits, so it will be interesting to see how everyone fairs on this years first UK off-road endurance ride...
![IMG 0418](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/52Nl04fXU3BDffWB5jRBK3/38097066d7fc70adf96967cf565d65fa/IMG_0418.JPG)

Women

Chris like a lot of ride organisers is trying to encourage and welcome more female riders to the niche sport of back-packing / off-road endurance racing. A 50 / 50 gender split would be a good aspiration! It's becoming more and more obvious that female riders can fare better at endurance events as outright winners - take the Spine Race and Transcontinantal Race, have both been women beating all the men into cocked-hats!  It's good to be part of a sport that genuinely can be gender-equal.  In no particular order we have:-

- El Jaskowska – is the UK lead for Komoot.  Done plenty of road long distance events and very long Audaxs. She is Mrs 'Liam Glen'. Can she push him round? (see Liam’s excuse below…)
- Jo Gibson – a long time XC racer.  With that skills base give her the edge especially in the Masongill to Summerbridge section..?
- Julie Elder – signed up on TLs but we don’t know her experience or ride history.
- Beccy Waters – from here at DotWatcher  – knows exactly what it takes.  Has youth on her side to kick ass.
- Sally Ozzane – Outdoor instructor, more outdoor sports skills than anyone I know. I spent several years on the Adventure Race circuit racing along with Sally in the Mountain Hardware Team - in fact she taught me how to look after myself when the tough gets going! She’ll rip through the field in the second half!
- Liz Hughes – road in the UK national road championships – so should be a strong rider, but the off-road and long-distance element poses other challenges
- A good number of other female riders confirmed as riding but not yet registered on trackleaders...
- Sharon Calton, Transcontinental racer, GB cyclist and fitness instructor.  Will know what it's like to put in the long hours.

Men
- Over from Ireland is Jason Black - plenty of big rides and podium results under his belt and wealth of endurance experience plus the luck of the Irish!
-  William Harper has to be a strong contender, pro-rider, so should be fast, but can he deal with the long course and looking after himself for 600k?  Maybe he will be the UK version of Lachlan Morton!  Not on Track Leaders yet though...
- Liam Glen another very strong contender, but he has been doing a mega run the weekend just gone so reckons he’ll have no chance...  
- Andy Williamson from North Cumbria – Chris Ellison recons he’s a dark horse!  as they used to ride together 20 years ago.  His legs are some of the longest in the world and is a '4hr' 3Peaks CX man.
- From last years DD2020 ride is Isaac Hudson, placed 5th, also Ian McNabb placed 9th.
- Mark Wildcard-Wildsmith – slipped under the radar last year and nipped round in 51:52hrs
- Also great to have along Mr HT550 - Alan Goldsmith, he’s been banging in some big rides and is Wiley old fox!
- Karl Booth is another previous rider of the DD2019 and also HT550s and is no stranger to big rides.
- Callum James has been putting in some really long rides in the area and some relentless back-to-back days in the Lakes, quietly under the radar, but he lives in Lancashire so surely not.....
- Dave Jackson and Les Brown both Tour Divide racers.  Will they be as fast without the bears chasing them?
- Not forgetting our captain - Chris Ellison …his words not mine - too fat – too slow – just happy to get round.

There's a bunch of other names that we're not yet familiar with, who have as good a chance as all the others, maybe they will be famous next week!

Alex P.

Back for a third year, this 600km route traverses two of the UK's National Parks: The Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors.

Kicking off the UK ultra season with a roster stacked with some of the best British racers, this is set to be a fiercely competitive race.

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Dales Divide 2021

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