That's a Wrap

Donald Has Done It!

One Week In

Mechanicals and Mountains

Normal Service Resumes

Heat Stops Play

Two Hot to Handle

Three's a Crowd

And They're Off!

The Preview

Before the sun had even come up on the final day of 2022 edition of The Perfidious Albion, Joe was on his bike and making progress. Only just over an hour later, he had reached the top of Cleeve Hill and CP8. Unlike Donald, he managed to avoid getting lost on the off-road shortcut and was swiftly into the northern Cotswolds.

![TPA22 Joe Cleeve Hill](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3vubwQKDMF7XVcK2UEaDI/8fb449ddab69f54853b54e7281373ec1/WhatsApp_Image_2022-07-24_at_6.58.40_AM.jpg)

With few cafes and pubs along today’s route, Joe was making unusually rapid progress. In Moreton-in-Marsh, he managed to squeeze in a final coffee and cake. But just one cafe stop in 150 kilometres must have been a shock to his poor body after the past week.

Just after 13:00, Joe finally reached Wild Carrot at Chavenage, greeted by a welcoming committee of his entire family. He was in characteristically good spirits and had enjoyed the ride. In fact, he confessed that his least favourite parts were the flat, transitional sections before and after Wales. He’s clearly a man that likes hills!

![TPA22 Joe finish t-shirt](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4hUS07XOilP28oJrhS9k7E/3a2065ee36966cf1d95877cf5bfbe6a5/PXL_20220724_120923171__1_.jpg)

And with Joe finishing, that brings The Perfidious Albion to a close for this year. Five riders left Lockerbie and just two made it to Wild Carrot, but they definitely kept us entertained. Thanks to the riders, dotwatchers and weather gods for their enduring sense of humour. See you next year…

![TPA Joe family](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2sAHZan43FA7eKD2eOn9pL/d194314a3c29dc92c20b18d3206d72c7/PXL_20220724_121004277__1_.jpg)

At 17:40 today, Donald Munro arrived at Wild Carrot at Chavenage, bringing to an end his epic 1,600-kilometre journey that begin Lockerbie last Saturday. He was very happy to get off his bike.

And that was hardly surprising, given the eventful morning he had today. As I rode with him for the last few miles, he brought me up to speed with what had happened since last night. Firstly, he had decided yesterday that he was going to ride non-stop to the finish. After his moment of weakness yesterday morning, he was worried his resolve would crumble if he stopped cycling to sleep, so he just powered on.

![TPA22 Donald climb Cotswolds](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/U6Zk2aKdhEu2D0tQv8txE/054007559f4ab96c9249fa13efe2c9ef/IMG_0727-01.jpg)

This was all going to plan until his Tailfin broke at 01:30. Unable to fix it, he ended up stashing it in a field and packing any essentials into his jersey pockets. Not long after this, he made it to CP8 at the top of Cleeve Hill, but got very lost trying to navigate the off-road shortcut over the top, which was impossible to find in the darkness and mist.

Just when had got himself back on course, his ailing brake pads finally gave out and he was forced to bail into a verge to stop on a descent. And just to add some salt into the wound, it was around this time that his front derailleur stopped working.

Somehow, he limped on to Chipping Camden, where he managed to get a taxi to the nearest bike shop in Moreton-in-Marsh. They patched his bike up and he was soon deposited back in Chipping Camden to continue his journey.

![TPA22 Donald ford](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4v8i1q2dg1BwHlI3ymoSPS/05c054111bcb4adc2c1c9c1aa2184d3a/IMG_0725-01.jpg)

At this point, Donald was less than 100km from the finish, but he had lost so much time to mechanicals that it had effectively negated the advantage of riding through the night. Nevertheless, he pushed on and was soon joined by John Barnes (who scratched on day two) for the last few hours of riding. This company undoubtedly made the final stretch a bit less tortuous.

By the time he made it to Wild Carrot, he was satisfied and smiling but definitely exhausted. It was an incredible ride from him, having to overcome so many challenges along the way. Chapeau, Donald!

![TPA22 Donald celebrate](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4nTIBeFbUn78zq25WWKdF3/a2096abb05cfc5b21d9585b28260a3a8/PXL_20220723_164302328__1_.jpg)

Meanwhile, back in Wales, Joe was having a far less eventful day. Fuelled by yet more pastries, he ticked off Llangynidr Mountain shortly after dawn. Then, after a customary second breakfast at Greggs, he rode over Gospel Pass (CP7) and was soon back in England.

![TPA22 Joe Gospel Pass](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7CZ77DU9ZpHjPjDBMO76lh/2f3fe70356c0bcf3523fae9d72a5225a/WhatsApp_Image_2022-07-23_at_9.44.40_AM.jpg)

Following a big day yesterday, Joe has taken a bit easier today (relatively speaking) and has stopped for the night just south of Tewkesbury. This leaves him with about 150km of Cotswold lanes between him and Wild Carrot, so I expect him to roll in sometime tomorrow afternoon.

![TPA22 Joe on road](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7SJ9kwZAIcAkFsBam3Rbg/fdde379c40579555fb470dc84f556a34/WhatsApp_Image_2022-07-23_at_4.02.09_PM.jpg)


We’re now a week into the ride and it’s at this point that your body tends to really start protesting. Donald experienced this when he woke up this morning, feeling shattered after a massive day of climbing yesterday. But after a few more hours of recovery, he was back on the bike and heading up his first Welsh hill of the day.

When I bumped into him after the Llangynidr climb, the rain was spitting down and he was definitely still flagging after a tough morning. But he remained resolute about making it to the finish, which, barring absolute catastrophe, will now happen tomorrow. Both body and bike are suffering, but his progress forward is still steady.

![TPA22 Donald Tumble 1](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/69N74Lkm9EBgbNSOBBZpS2/adc4801784f69e5ad651e52f1e792f52/IMG_0691-01.jpg)

Donald did admit that his attempt to pick himself up with music had backfired a little after he had somehow selected a playlist full of melancholic tunes. However, he switched to some more upbeat choices as he left and seemed to appear less laboured almost immediately!

Further north and west, Joe had woken early to begin the loop through the Cambrian Mountains. Though the weather didn’t exactly treat him to the scenery at its finest, he made good progress and had soon ticked off CP6 at Strata Florida.

![TPA22 Strata Florida selfie](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5c81IlTsLz2hbC5ZKsuJEQ/ea837c427b8c9589a33f433cc221b5e9/WhatsApp_Image_2022-07-22_at_8.53.30_AM.jpg)

I caught up with him in the early evening, as he was climbing out from the Talybont Reservoir, already thinking about his campsite - and more specifically its hot showers - at the foot of Llangynidr. As ever, he was in good spirits, unfazed by the immense amount of climbing the morning had contained. The sun even came out as he was ascending the valley, almost for the first time today.

![TPA Talybont Joe climb](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5vMHCCH7Fpl3Ri7P3f9tCa/be7c22e338a400146fe9853d449bbf93/IMG_0712-01.jpg)

Joe remains on track to finish on Sunday, which he has resolutely insisted is his target despite a few signs that he might arrive a day earlier at one stage. However, as a Cotswold native, he will soon be on familiar roads, which should give him a bit of a boost.

Lastly, as I write this, Donald hasn’t yet stopped for the night and has less than 200km now left. He is back into England and onto flatter roads. Could he be going for an all-nighter? It would be pretty remarkable if he did, but he certainly doesn’t need to in order to finish tomorrow. I guess we’ll see when we wake up…

![TPA22 Donald Tumble descent](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3EbQqPDj5AVV6RBV7AQ9wD/8e443c7b1e0c22615658c59d170db46e/IMG_0692-01.jpg)

We’re now into the sixth day of riding and our remaining two riders are going from strength to strength. It was another early start for both of them and another puncture for Donald before long. Despite this, he was making good progress, closing in on Rhayader and the start of the Cambrian Mountains loop.

![TPA22 Joe Bwlch](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3SfFRumE3UTzd42Xxt79Pv/5cd70eb3993f0263eb08085761ce08ac/WhatsApp_Image_2022-07-21_at_11.16.10_AM.jpg)

Joe had a tricky loop of his own to contend with, following the route from Bala to Dolgellau and then up to Bwlch y Groes and CP5. Armed with an entire bag of donuts, he ticked this off by mid morning, with Donald checking off CP6, Strata Florida, an hour later.

![TPA22 Donald Cambrian](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4qzPXh0NAFyBWL4AMeQ6PF/d5560d7f7e339d76b10813754338257a/IMG_0650-01.jpg)

I tracked Donald down in Tregaron, the midway point on the Cambrian Mountains loop. Despite his mechanical woes, he was in good spirits and had enjoyed the beautiful ride over from the Elan Valley. We stopped for a coffee and discussed his problematic rear wheel.

After fitting a brand new tyre, he is pretty convinced that it is the dented rim that is causing his continuing pucture problems. And given that it was originally caused by a cattle grid, he is extremely concerned about riding over them, so has taken to walking across every cattle grid to protect his rear wheel and tyre. In Wales, this is a repetitive and thankless task, so I was amazed he still seemed fairly upbeat about the situation!

![TPA22 Donald descent cambrian](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6giSguKn2V1NfFfYf7R0P1/2f4b93e8064f3e94eaf61dc19b599a0d/PXL_20220721_135811781__1_.jpg)

I rode with him up into the hills and all the way to the foot of the Devil’s Staircase (which I’ve charitably not included in the route), before he flew off down the valley and towards Llyn Brianne. He was still climbing strongly and has made it all the way to Brecon tonight, keeping him on track for a Saturday finish.

Meanwhile, Joe had left Lake Vrynwy behind, tackled the rollercoaster road to Llanidloes and then pressed on south towards Rhayader. I was surprised to see less frequent - and certainly less leisurely - stops than usual from him, particularly as I knew that he had already booked a room in Rhayader.

![TPA22 Joe Rhayader](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/69MKySqzDA3M5uoR2yLpt0/ca3fb09fc65f7770a0b4bfa761b65dd3/IMG_0673-01.jpg)

All was explained as he thundered past me as I intercepted him a few miles outside of Rhayader. I sprinted after him and he soon explained that his disc brake pads were toast and he had 20 mins to get to the bike shop before it closed. He had already taken the last resort of swapping his front and rear pads, so his brakes were on their last legs.

![TPA22 brake pads](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/419F0pV0DCfonardd16ofk/6b1f7b3f109c99d248ca2ab5a483df0c/WhatsApp_Image_2022-07-21_at_6.37.49_PM.jpg)

Fortunately, Neil’s Wheels was still open when Joe rolled up well after 6 pm. And a very relaxed Neil immediately sorted him out with a pair of replacement pads. Crisis averted, Joe returned to form and immediately sought out pub meal to replenish his neglected energy stores.

![TPA Joe Rhayader meal](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1dko2o24AByOdvADGIg6ug/1228c880663d4e0fd2ae6f1d38d8f989/PXL_20220721_180951517.jpg)


This morning, the heat finally relented and the riders hit the road once more. Both were up early and soon back into the rhythm of things, ticking off the miles at a good pace. Joe passed the halfway mark and Donald was closing in on Lake Bala, marking the start of the big Welsh climbs.

Sadly for Donald, it all went a bit pear-shaped just before Bala. First of all, his Garmin mysteriously decided to take him completely off course. By the time he realised, he had already gone over the Milltir Cerrig pass and flown down the other side.

This is a challenging climb at the best of times, but to have to do it unnecessarily - and from both sides - was not at all welcome for Donald. It meant he did several hundred metres more climbing than needed and, by his estimations, another 40 kilometres of riding. Ouch.

![Donald wheel TPA22](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/dc3NEYA5fzI9BShoCiInj/445862820764f0e11cd760f4e4178727/Donald_wheel.jpg)

And just as Donald was finally about to rejoin the route, he suffered more bad luck. A bad puncture damaged his tyre and also led to him denting the rear rim. Fortunately, by this point, he was not too far from Bala and he managed to limp to the local bike shop.

![Joe wales TPA22](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1vLQEW4v8MRVHBtiwlnZjY/5d9ce2b757b633fe45a36c9bad178604/Joe_wales.jpg)

Meanwhile, Joe was making good progress and, in between copious amounts of eating, he had managed to cross the Welsh border. It was around here that he was ambushed by Bruce, who he completely failed to recognise at first, having never seen him without lycra and not basted in suncream.

![Bruce and joe TPA22](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6CXisTEMAg73XkT67BVh44/7f5d16eef9a5fd1bbe0482e77910d4b9/WhatsApp_Image_2022-07-20_at_1.58.46_PM.jpeg)

Joe has confessed that his knees are starting to complain slightly in the past couple of days, but he’s hoping to be able to manage the discomfort. Given that the first day was his longest ever day on a bike and he has followed that up by tackling some of the hardest climbs in England, I’d say his knees have every right to protest a little!

He called it a day at a campsite in Bala, finishing relatively early but unable to resist the lure of running water and a modern shower block (we will ween him off these unnecessary luxuries yet…)

![Joe camping Bala TPA22](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1zTWBYJOnXy2mhVnaJ3JtR/c917bc0bca4f9c2f7254df44ff027eeb/WhatsApp_Image_2022-07-20_at_6.55.01_PM.jpeg)

But up the road, Donald was pressing onwards, tackling the challenging loop that begins just after Bala and takes the riders over a succession of climbs. The hardest of these is the notorious Bwlch y Groes with its brutal 25% wall at the top. This is also CP5 and Donald checked this off earlier this evening.

He has pushed on a little further, leaving Lake Vrynwy behind, and looks to have bedded down for the night at a pub in Llangadfan. Tomorrow, the Welsh Desert awaits him, and hopefully so does some better luck!


This morning, Donald and Joe were both up early to take advantage of the cooler temperatures. And they both managed to make some good progress before the heat got too intense.

Donald was joined on the road for a few miles by Bruce, who travelled to his parents' house after scratching, which happens to be just off the route near Leigh. His company provided a welcome distraction to Donald with the heat already oppressive by mid morning.
![TPA22 Donald and Bruce](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/gI0nM2gHeVaWjyES5fjlZ/7e9495a5ea4af5475c59a49c3c1e3856/WhatsApp_Image_2022-07-19_at_10.32.41_AM.jpeg)

Just after midday, Donald crossed into Wales, signifying the imminent arrival of more hills. Meanwhile, Joe made his way across the Forest of Bowland, ticking off CP4 along the way.
![TPA 22 Joe Bowland](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2WWfRs3X23x1zF5cgoh6Ed/17c56ce7394d009de2bcd89a19e131a5/WhatsApp_Image_2022-07-19_at_10.01.48_AM.jpeg)

But by the early afternoon, both of them had sensibly found somewhere to stay and stopped cycling for the day. They will start again tomorrow, when the heat is forecast to have subsided significantly!

Last night, I rode out to meet Donald on Cold Fell (the name is misleading currently), above Ennerdale. Having dragged himself up Honister, Newlands and Whinlatter after leaving Keswick, he had already broken the back of the Lakes loop. And that was after crossing the North Pennines and ascending Great Dun Fell in the morning!
![TPA22 Cold Fell Donald 1](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7GxVi1AtlD13yVuHH3aLiL/773eadeb950054ca0e4bf801b4d1625c/IMG_0543-01.jpg)

He decided to save Hardknott for morning, stopping for the night in Gosforth. I wanted to ride with him to the pass in the morning, so I asked what time he planned to leave: “I think I’ll give myself an extra hour tomorrow. I’m pretty chuffed with today.” He definitely should have been!

But “an extra hour” still meant we were rolling out of Gosforth at 05:00, with the sky lightening above the crags around us. By the time we made it to the base of Hardknott Pass, the sunrise was beginning to warm the valley behind us. But with the road to himself, Donald made it up quickly through a combination of pedalling and pushing.
![TPA22 Hardknott Donald 2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5cJ4a03cA7QibRPevVY8zk/0b198663dd5ecd7f04b4ca1350fa9eb7/IMG_0573-01.jpg)

I left him at the top and he has since ground his way southwards, as the hot and humid conditions have become more unpleasant. As I write this, he is still moving and has already despatched the Forest of Bowland.
![TPA22 Hardknott Donald 3](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/65EOhcNKHi9DjZjRJKJ5Tk/7944e291f35cbaf2487d20908983f92c/IMG_0575-01.jpg)

Back in Keswick, Will Ward had got a full night’s rest and he set out this morning hoping to feel rejuvenated. Unfortunately, despite getting over Honister and Newlands, he quickly discovered this wasn’t the case. Therefore, he sadly decided to scratch, leaving us with just two riders.

I found the second of these, Joe, exactly where expected: demolishing yet more beige food at a cafe in Ennerdale Bridge. Joe was in good spirits in spite of the tough riding and increasing heat. And despite his every effort to delay his arrival, his fast pace led to him arriving at Hardknott just after 2 pm. Not an ideal time with a heatwave in progress.
![TPA22 Hardknott Joe 1](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3r6ZkjhSOUBLpvRJybFbKO/ed8e986a69dfa7281c7c1be501b34d87/IMG_0595-01.jpg)

Nevertheless, he swiftly tackled the climb and - with the benefit of gravel gearing - was tapping his way up without issue. In fact, such was his strength on the climb that I nearly melted into the softening tarmac when I tried to get a few switchbacks ahead of him for photos.

From Hardknott, Joe sped swiftly onwards and has made it to Torver, where he has booked a room for the night. 
![TPA22 Hardknott Joe 2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6Vm87wVfKlxfA1Rw3kGKzj/d86cab1b1cd0411238bb02517c1354cd/IMG_0617-01.jpg)

Tomorrow, both riders will be heading into the hottest part of the country, so it seems sensible to ease off the pace a little. I have encouraged both to find somewhere to recover in the afternoon and not to ride. If this means I need to knock off some distance down the line then so be it.


As sunset approached last night, I went in search of the riders, who were deep within Kielder Forest. The first to emerge was Will, strolling up a gravel climb, pushing his bike and eating a sandwich. With 38mm tyres and flared bars, he was actually enjoying the gravel and was just having a “tactical walk” so that he could refuel.
![TPA22 Kielder Will](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4s7jHghrxy25y95JGoY26b/ff803eb927aba50353ecd7f3cb2fb96e/IMG_0515-01.jpg)

Only 20 mins further back, John and Donald were rolling along, having had a blast on the Borders loop but not enjoying the gravel as much. John confessed that his body wasn’t enjoying all the climbing, having only beaten off covid very recently. Whilst Donald’s rock-hard road tyres were making the off-road surface much less fun than it should have been.
![TPA22 Kielder John and Donald](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6AMHUUo7dlbArsOvc99hNg/2c0a63ad4f13f4f9914c1ad9239d4d73/PXL_20220716_204517642__1_.jpg)

They all dissappeared into the night and these three were joined by Bruce in Haydon Bridge, where they all found accommodation of some form or another. That left Joe further back, still in Kielder, where he had choosen to make camp amidst the midges and get an early night.

I met Joe as he left the forest this morning, just after several heavy showers had swept past. This had dampened his enthusiasm for the gravel (pun intended), but he was riding solidly despite a midge-disrupted sleep.
![TPA 22 Joe Haydon Bridge](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3VFHGcjKpbkQD0WQ6GSXbU/08a28955b84f06a09101d1accec9a160/PXL_20220717_071722409__1_.jpg)

The main challenge for all the riders today was Great Dun Fell, but with a tasty climb over the North Pennines preceding this, there was a tough morning in store for all of them. The first to crack was John, who finally accepted that recovering from covid and cycling 1,600 kilometeres across Britain were two mutually exclusive activities. Taking the sensible option, he is heading south to recover.

The first rider to summit Great Dun Fell was Will, swiftly followed by Donald, Bruce and then Joe. They didn’t have quite the same spectacular views as last year, but the cloud cover made the climb incredibly humid.

Next, it was Bruce who decided to call it a day. He had been sidelined by a knee injury earlier this year but was hoping to make it through TPA keeping this in check. Sadly, it became clear today that wasn’t going to be possible, and he made the smart decision to step off before the punishing gradients of the Lakes.
![TPA22 GDF Bruce](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3WTUgZOvuFjPignBSinZMx/2fad69009659deb800017bc57d21be30/WhatsApp_Image_2022-07-17_at_11.37.35_AM.jpeg)

Ahead of him, Donald and Will have both made it to Keswick. But the latter has decided on an early night there before tackling the challenging loop ahead. Meanwhile, Donald has just pushed on and is now approaching Honnister. 

Further back, Joe is continuing to graze his way across the north of England, having fuelled his ascent of Great Dun Fell at a pub at the base of the climb. He looks unlikely to make it to the Lakes by this evening, so will likely find somewhere to sleep before then.


Under the gaze of Stanley and Livingstone (the carved lions outside the Somerton House Hotel), our peloton of five put cleat to pedal at 09:00 this morning. I rode with them for the first 45 minutes, as we quickly climbed out of the valley that Lockerbie sits in and into far wilder terrain.

The impending heatwave has dominated conversation during the past day and they all set out basted in suncream, carrying plenty of electrolytes and with extra water. But the temperature was actually relatively pleasant this morning and they were flying along through the cool air.
![TPA22 Donald Borders](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/76wkh42EZHJHKuKnqOcV2j/667d8bc557cc4a08ddc0d8d3a88fcdb0/PXL_20220716_080733460__1_.jpg)

Before long, a few splits began to emerge, although they were all riding at a remarkably similar pace. Will Ward has begun to creep out in front and was the first to reach the significant milestone of Hawick (handily pronounced as if you can’t move your lips). This is the last town before they head into Kielder and may well be the last place to resupply.

Further back, Joe Tresadern has started to drop back a little. But this can be almost entirely attributed to the frankly obscene amount of food he has already purchased - and presumably eaten. I can only applaud this approach and it will stand him in good stead as things get tougher.
![TPA22 Borders descent](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2vggP5uHhnEeZHwnY8BQBD/3c0a612cd85f1798fd6c4f73caf4a9df/IMG_0499-01.jpg)

In between these two, John Barnes, Bruce Edwards and Donald Munro have all been trading places. Bruce set out painted so white from suncream that I thought all heat would surely reflect off him, but he informs me that he is already feeling this afternoon’s temperature a little. Hopefully, the cooler evening riding will help him.

For now, they are all heading towards Kielder and into a very sparsely populated area, so it’s a safe bet that they will be bivvying tonight (if they sleep at all).


A scorching UK-wide heatwave is forecast, so it can only mean that The Perfidious Albion is just about to start again. Welcome to Dotwatcher’s commentary with me, Rob Gardiner, as we have a look at what lies in wait for the riders on this year’s edition (other than 30-degree temperatures, of course), which begins at 09:00 on Saturday.

## A Quick Introduction to The Perfidious Albion

Now slimmed down to a more reasonable distance of 1,600 kilometres, the route still includes 23,000 metres of climbing. And hidden within these numbers are a succession of classic British climbs, such as Great Dun Fell, Hardknott, Bwlch y Groes and Gospel Pass. Just to keep riders on their toes, there are a handful of gravel sections scattered throughout the route, although this is still very much a road bike ride.

## The Route in More Detail
![The Perfidious Albion GDF](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/14ZIOIKuRSoS1fpgw92nl4/c025d0fac036b9b00d7af38c548976b7/GDF.jpg)

The Perfidious Albion begins in Lockerbie, in the Scottish Borders, a region often overlooked. The riders will head north for a loop around a series of dramatic reservoirs, before swinging back south and into England towards Kielder Forest. Here, they will get their first taste of gravel south of the reservoir, as they cross into the North Pennines.

They climb up into this barren landscape – which regularly crosses 500 metres in elevation – before hurtling back down, only to do it all again with the biggest climb of the ride. This is where they tackle the dead-end climb of Great Dun Fell, which is spectacularly beautiful on a clear day but tough work under the summer sun.

After flying back down Great Dun Fell (dodging sheep along the way), the riders will head west and into the Lake District. Here, they begin a counterclockwise loop that takes in the passes of Honister, Whinlatter, Newlands and Hardknott. The last of these is one of the UK’s most infamous climbs and the 30% ramps will test their gearing choices.

After a brief foray into the Forest of Bowland, some easier cycling offers the riders some respite as they transition from the north of England into Wales. But once in Wales, the climbs begin aplenty. Bwlch Y Groes is the most challenging of these, but the route also takes in the Elan Valley and the incredibly remote area surrounding Llyn Brianne, often referred to as the “Green Desert of Wales” because it is so sparsely populated.

Entering southern Wales, they hit the Brecon Beacons, where a few more gravel sectors await, including a white-knuckled descent that might be safest walked in the dark. They also tackle Llangynidr Mountain and descend The Struggle, before climbing over Gospel Pass – one of the most beautiful climbs in the area.

From the flatlands of the Severn Valley, the riders will climb up onto the Cotswold Escarpment via a slightly unusual grassy cut-through. They will then head into the golden limestone villages of the north Cotswolds, passing Broadway Tower before swinging south and through the idyllic Coln Valley. They will finish at Wild Carrot at Chavenage, a beautiful rural cycling hub and cafe.

## The Riders
![The Perfidious Albion Rider](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1ySvstKw42I43tRfXla0Vx/4a2c65a6896265fa5328d9b7e546efb5/2021-05-02_08.49.26.jpg)

Covid, injuries and other maladies have torn through what was already a small field (note to self - try not to overlap with the two biggest UK and European races next time...) This means that we have just five riders lined up to start on Saturday.

However, The Perfidious Albion has always been about tackling the best that the mainland UK has to offer, so the challenge facing them remains unchanged. And I'm looking forward to seeing them conquer it.

Check out the Q&As on our [Instagram feed](https://www.instagram.com/theperfidiousalbion/) to learn more about the riders taking part.


Donald Munro

The Perfidious Albion 2022 Tracking: A very Great British adventure from the North to the South of the island through Scotland, Wales and England, tackling iconic British climbs.

The Perfidious Albion 2022 Tracking

A very Great British adventure from the North to the South of the island through Scotland, Wales and England, tackling iconic British climbs.

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The Perfidious Albion 2022

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