It's a Wrap!

Alison Dockney and James Scrivener win the pairs race at Wild West Country 2024

Nicky Shaw is the first female home on Wild West Country 2024

Thomas Reynolds wins Wild West Country 2024

Lights in the night sky and being able to pee again

And They’re Off!

Route Preview

Thomas Reynolds

John Hale

John Barnes

Trystan Sanders

Nicky Shaw

Ben Chuilon

Jon Regler

Nick Hodgson

Caroline Buckland

Amy Powell

Mark Kowalski

Patrick Turpin

Rupert Kellie

Jack Tyler

William Ogborne

Jonny Packham

Jenny Rice

Adam Cottingham

Harvey Tye

Mick Tomkinson

Jonathan Riding

Dot Perkins

Emma Karslake

Adam Jones

Tayyab Dilmohamud

James Gill

Steve Cole

Will Miners

Sanjay Laidlaw

Pat Wirenski

Tom Stephenson

Marcus Adey

Di Taro

Simon Vale

James Neal

John Wilson

Ben James Bollans

Jonathan Pugh

Calvin Friedman

Ian Trevis

Lizzie Dunthorne

Andrew Hodgkinson

Alison Dockney

James Scrivener

Sean Parrett

Jess Golding

Lulu Sheard

Kit Menzies-Wilson

Kirsty Paterson

Aaron Hoyle

Alex Maling

Joscelin Smith

Crew 4

Crew 2

Crew 3

Crew 1

Cheers to that! Wild West Country rider Harvey Tye enjoys a much deserved Guinness at the finish line, hand delivered by his partner. Harvey is no stranger to Rob's events. Armed with ample gears and an expectation of arduous hills, bike mechanic Harvey rolled home in 19th place on Sunday afternoon. 

The cut off time is 10pm tonight, however all the final riders made it back to Brinscombe Mill today with plenty of time to spare. The final riders are Emma Karslake, closely followed by Tayyab Dilmohamud and Adam Jones. We also welcomed home the final pairs riders - Kirsty Paterson and Aaron Hoyle. Following the blistering sunshine we saw over the first few days of the race, riders at the tail end have suffered from the weather gods turning and some wet & drizzly weather returning. Congratulations to all, enjoy some well earned R&R and hopefully you don't have work tomorrow!

![5bf714c5-711b-4ded-bea7-a10a67ed6a80](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3LdCD8sTaXc8izkYtg491U/fdca01ed9abc38adbd7abe2876803941/5bf714c5-711b-4ded-bea7-a10a67ed6a80.JPG)

And now for some stats: of 50 starters (40 solo and 5 pairs), 25 solo riders finished and 4 pairs finished. The women have shown some real girl power on this edition of WWC, with all the solo women finishing 3 of which were in the top 10. Riders have been recovering hard, with reports of morning visits to the local brewery for hydration of varying kinds. Photo by pairs rider Sean Parrett - when you can't decide between beer or caffine, opt for both!

![2ed06d86-e8cb-4686-a159-71e796a62727](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4cfblgLTTAy7O50GWO1000/baa44ffaff0c060ca66aae47b19c16f3/2ed06d86-e8cb-4686-a159-71e796a62727.JPG)

As you can see, the cap design was greatly recieved by riders this year and will remain as a special momento for all who lined up at the start. Deisgned by Nicky Shaw, these same caps will also feature at the subsequent two events under the same organisation: The Perfideous Albion and Mountains of the Merfynion. On that note, thank you for following the commentary, we're looking forward to some more races to follow later this season!

Alison and James came home around 5:30 this evening to become the first pair home have a very close battle with Sean Parrett and Jess Golding. Alison and James overhauling Sean and Jess lead in the last segment from CP4. What a battle.

There have been some lovely stories from Alison and James out on the road. It was James birthday during the race so Alison smuggled presents in the bike packing bags. Then passing through CP3 they were close to where they are going to get married later this year. 

Third place pair were Lulu Sheard and Kit Menzies-Wilson who crossed the line just over three hours behind the winners. A very close podium. Story of the day for me comes from Lulu and Kit who are also an item as well as an ultra cycling pair. Both of their parent apparently met for the first time at the finish line!

Also worth noting that for both Alison and James and Lulu and Kit this was their first big event like this. Chapeau to you all. I'm sure you will be back :-)

Honourable mention in the pairs/not pairs category goes to Dot Perkins who despite his pair pulling out with a few days to go carried on and finished. Good work Dot.

A few more interesting stories from the trail, Patrick Turpin who finished 12th managed to get Match of the Day on his phone on Saturday but then struggled to stay awake. Not sure if this was whilst riding or not though 🤣

Rupert Kellie was on a deadline as he had to get back to work later on Monday. He rode 25 hours straight to finish at 5am this morning. Hallucinations were blurring with reality and after seeing meerkat's, herds of cats and wooden figures that weren't there, he didn't realise the toad was real and whilst doing a late avoiding manoeuvre managed to jam his chain between chainrings and frame!

We have 5 riders still out on course but all are within striking distance of the finish line so barring disaster they should all make it before the 8pm cut off time. 

Nicky Shaw is the first female home on Wild West Country 2024!

Nicky Shaw crossed the finish line at 12:52 today for a total time of 51 hours 42 minutes. An incredible ride on very little sleep. She said that the wheels were starting to come off towards the end, of her, not her bike, and at the finish line Rob said she should be putting in charge of nothing more serious than airline cutlery for the next week :-) 

Both the men's and women's podiums are also complete. John Barnes came in at 50 hours and 15 minutes with Trysten Sanders just 30 minutes back. In the women's race it got close at the end but Amy Powell couldn't quite catch Caroline Buckland in the end. Caroline came home with a time of 57 hours and 18 minutes with Amy a time of 57 hours and 56 minutes. All three female finishers so far inside the overall top ten. Fantastic riding from them all.  Ben Chuillon in 6th, Jon Regler in 7th and Nick Hodgson in 8th round out the top ten.

Sleep has been pretty minimal for the top ten so they will now all be in search of sleep and food. Lots of both! I'm sure there are a lot of stories being shared at the finish line. Most of them wondering if the northern lights were real or a hallucination! 

As I type Mark Kowalski has just crossed the finish line in a time of 58 hours 30 minutes. Fantastic effort and 11 riders sub 60 hours. 

There are still a lot of riders out on the course and some great rides happening. It's worth remembering that we are only 2 1/2 days into the event and with all remaining riders over half way there is still a lot to play for. The pair of Kirsty and Aaron are currently lanterne rouge but hopefully enjoying the beautiful Jurassic coast safe in the knowledge that most of the hard stuff is behind them. 

Patrick Turpin and Rupert Kellie should be the next riders in with both having a chance of finishing tonight albeit around 1-2 in the morning. There are then a bunch of riders all looking for a four day finish. 

Tune in for the next update tomorrow morning where will hopefully have more tales from the road. 


Thomas Reynolds wins the Wild West Country 2024!

What a stunning ride from ultra cycling rookie Thomas Reynolds over the course of the last 2 days. He crossed the finish in a very impressive time of 39 hours and 51 minutes. He was closely followed by John Hale who crossed the line just one hour later. John will take a 30 minute penalty after he informed race director Rob Gardiner that he got a short lift to a bike shop on day one to fix his bike issues. That doesn't take  away from an excellent ride from John, pushing hard to keep Thomas honest all throughout day 2 of the race.

But what a performance from Thomas in his first race. He rode consistently throughout the two days, with a great level of efficiency allowing him to maintain that gap over the chasers. As it was his first race he was conservative on kit choice, taking plenty of items that would not be needed given the good weather out on course but it's a great reminder all riders that you don't need to obsess about weight to win these things. I'm sure we will see great things to come from Thomas in futures races. Congratulations!

![Thomas Reynolds on WWC 2024](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6lpWamMvIY2E8v5RMRTE9w/62feca1297ffcb98f1f218b2e1d00f8b/IMG_0140.jpeg)

The next pack of riders including leading female rider Nicky Shaw along with John Barnes and Trystan Sanders should be arriving at the finish line around lunch time today. Looking at the tracker this trio have done nothing more than catnap through the second night and are approaching 48 hours riding time with no sleep. I suspect some strong hallucinations last night. 

Further back in the women's race it might get interesting towards the later part of the day. Caroline Buckland has around 165km to go to the finish so we could expect her home around 7pm this evening given her average moving speed so far. Amy Powell is just 25km back.

It's often those towards the other end of the race that have the toughest journeys so a big shout out to the 2 guys holding up the Lanterne Rouge. Tayyab Dilmohamud and Adam Jones are stocking up in Tavistock before taking on Dartmoor and the Dorset Coast. Keep on moving guys. We are all cheering you on. 


There have been so many stories from the road over the last 24 hours but the most incredible was the appearance of the Aurora Borealis over Southern England as a lot of the riders made their way across the Somerset and Devon landscapes last night. Waking up to riders posting stunning photos of the sky as they crossed Exmoor it was a reminder that as ultra cyclists, it was a reminder that often we do these things not to race each other but to put ourselves in incredible environments to truly experience the world. I certainly had some serious FOMO and wished I'd been up there alone in the middle of the night watching the sky above me as I pedalled through the night.

Enough of me getting carried away, what has been happening? The overwhelming response from riders today has been about managing, or not, the heat. It's been a long cold and wet winter and with this weekend being pretty much the first sign of sunshine this year, it has caught riders out.  A number of riders got sick yesterday and realised today that recovery from heat stroke wasn't going to happen quickly. Some riders compounded this with interesting food choices given the heat (sushi in your frame bag all day anyone?). 

Sometimes ultra cycling can be a reminder of our core functions. Up at the pointy end, cap #11 Trystan Sanders, was proudly declaring to race director Rob that he'd pee'd 10 times today. An improvement on day ones 2 pees. Another key function is sleep, and non of the top 5 have yet to get any proper sleep. For positions 3 through 5 this could make for a very interesting second night. Trystan, John Barnes and leading female rider, Nicky Shaw, all have around 200km still to go. That could be at least 8-9 hours and maybe closer to 13 or 14 hours riding time. They will be getting some strong hallucinations tonight if they don't sleep. Don't worry guys those lights in the sky could actually be real. 

For the top two, this will not be as much of a problem. Second place John Hale has been climbing strong today but has not made any inroads into the 30km deficit to the leader. But with just 75km to go he should be rolling home around 2 in the morning.

So onto the overall race leader, Thomas Reynolds, he has ridden such a strong and controlled race you'd think he was an experience hand at ultra racing. But no, this is his first ever ultra race. Inspired by YouTube videos of the TransContinental race and Pan Celtic, he decided to start with a shorter, easier race. I will get someone to ask him at the finish line if he found this easy :-) But he has a strong cycling background having raced and done a lot of sportives, he also is in the military so bringing a structure and focus to his race. He now has just 45km to go so should be home around 12:30 - 01:00. A stunning race.

In the female riders, Nicky Shaw still has 220km to go and has not slept. Reports from the road are that she is feeling a little tired but this is not an unusual situation for Nicky. She will be hoping she has enough lead to hold out through the second night. Second and third place have clarified somewhat. Amy Powell diverted into Exeter to get some much needed sleep which has allowed Caroline Buckland to stretch out a 50km lead. It will be interesting to see if the extra rest allows Amy to close that down over the next 300km.

Meanwhile the photos coming in from the checkpoints are providing the DotWatcher chat team with much amusement. Cap #40 Mark Kowalski started things with a CP photo from Haytor showing much clothing removed for the climb. Everyone after seems to be in a similar state of undress. But all arriving at Haytor during the day have been making the most of the Ice Cream van for some chilled refreshment. My heart goes out to cap #12, Jenny Rice, who arrived too late for the Ice Cream :-( Riders arriving at Haytor over the late couple of hours are reporting a significant number of cars parked up to see the lights in the sky again tonight. 

Good luck to all the riders out there, and a safe journey home to those that have had to scratch. Here's hoping you all get more spectacular sights of the Aurora Borealis tonight. 

For the last 6 months the UK has been experiencing never ending rain and miserable weather. That stopped with a bang today as blue skies and hot weather greeted our riders as they headed out from Brimscombe. How we've all been wishing for dry warm weather. But be careful what you wish for they say. And the heat and sun has hit the riders hard today. Not only have the riders been complaining about the heat but the race director and his team have had their phones refusing to work!

The challenges started early, Adam Jones had an early mechanical with a snapped gear cable. A quick diversion to Nailsworth and he was on his way again. James Neal scratched due to stomach cramps as he reached Chedder Gorge. Will Miners was struggling with heat stroke on the way up to Chedder Gorge but a cheeky ice lolly revived him and he has just passed CP1 and heading into the night. John Hale reported an exploding Bottom Bracket on the approach to Chedder Gorge but managed to divert to a nearby bike shop and get it fixed. Clearly the bearings are struggling to come out of hibernation too. 

The climb up Dunkery Beacon to CP1 has been the focal point of the afternoon and evening with a real mix of emotions up there. Ben Chuilon and Nicky Shaw have been the most upbeat on the climb whereas Ben Bollans was struggling in the heat and cramping up and has since retreated to Minehead to take stock. Steve Cole is also showing as in Minehead taking a moment. James Gill was found sat by the side of the road on the way up to the beacon by race director Rob, he had hit the wall pretty hard and took 5 to eat a pasty and collect himself. It must have worked as he is now through Simonsbath and looking good in 2nd place. 

Effort of the day up Dunkery Beacon goes to John Hale who came past Rob doing about 400 watts as if he was in a hill climb competition. Crying emoji face of the day goes to Mark Kowalski who rode up the first ramp of Dunkery Beacon only to realise he'd dropped his glove at the start of the climb. With temperatures likely to get cold as night falls he had to turn around and retrieve it. 

And finally a word on our leaders. Up front Thomas Reynolds holds a 20km lead over James Gill. Thomas is currently closing in on Woolacombe. Will he press on or will the temptations of the Red Barn and Mariscos Disco prove too much? In the women's field Nicky Shaw is not just leading the field but is also currently 5th overall and having a fantastic race. She has a 25km lead over 2nd and 3rd where Amy Powell and Caroline Buckland are neck and neck going up the Porlock Toll Road.

As the temperatures drop going into the night it will be interesting to see who makes hay whilst the sun doesn't shine. Everything can change through the first night. Kitty will be back tomorrow morning with an update on the night adventures!

Summer has arrived

As the riders gathered at the Briscombe Mills this morning there was plenty to chat about. The route is ready, bags are packed and all the final nerves are being used to fuel that first climb. 

Speaking of, the new start location means riders will have to tackle a 1.5km climb just out of the start. Straight away. What a way to warm up the legs in the picturesque Cotswolds. 

With riders setting off at intervals, which are accounted for in the final results, you’ll see a lovely string of dots heading towards Bristol and Cheddar as we speak. 

With a few different aspirations, you’ll see some riders pushing on through the night. With others taking a more tactical and planned approach. 

Most riders will hit the Quantocks by dusk, reaching checkpoint 1, Dunkery Beacon, either as the night rolls in or during the wee hours of the morning. With glorious sun piercing through the normal gloomy British weather, the riders will take in sights like Cheddar Gorge and the Clifton Suspension Bridge today. 

Keep an eye on the tracking and check back this evening for Niel’s update.

Welcome to this year’s coverage of The Wild West Country, which is yet again looking like it might be fairly warm and dry, following a soggy spring. It’s Rob Gardiner here and I’ll be quickly introducing the event before I hand over to Niel Copeland and Kitty Dennis.

## Introducing The Wild West Country
This fixed-route event is 837 kilometres long, with just over 11,000 metres of climbing, and sticks almost entirely to paved roads. Beginning and ending in the Cotswolds, it loops through the southwest of England, an area renowned for its short, steep climbs and narrow lanes.

We again have a staggered start this year, so riders will be departing in small groups at two-minute intervals.

## What is new for 2024?
We have a few small changes for 2024. The most obvious is our change of start and finish location, which is now The Bike Drop in Brimscombe near Stroud. They are a Community Interest Company and you can read more about them [here](https://theperfidiousalbion.cc/2023/11/introducing-the-bike-drop/). But for riders, it means a steep climb straight out of the gate and up onto Minchinhampton Common.

The other significant change is a reworking of the route between Dorchester and Salisbury. While some of this is just switching to slightly more scenic roads, we have also moved CP3 to Kimmeridge Bay on the Isle of Purbeck.

This idyllic bay lies at the end of a private toll road with beautiful views over the dramatic coastline. However, it is only open from 08:00 to 20:00, meaning riders outside this time will turn back and get a 15-minute time adjustment instead. But those who ride all the way to the CP will find themselves metres from the ocean, next to some crumbling boatsheds.
<iframe src="https://ridewithgps.com/embeds?type=route&id=45866908&metricUnits=true&sampleGraph=true&hideSurface=true" style="width: 1px; min-width: 100%; height: 700px; border: none;" scrolling="no"></iframe>

# The Route in More Detail
## A fast start
The riding begins very slowly with a steep climb up Brimscombe Hill, but it soon speeds up as the riders cross the gently rolling landscape of the southern Cotswolds, so progress will be fast. After 90 mins or so, the riders will drop off the escarpment and speed towards Bristol.

This deceptively fast progress will be a feature of the first 150km of the route. Passing over Clifton Suspension Bridge and descending Cheddar Gorge, the riders will be treated to some of the tourist sights. However, a headwind on this section is highly likely.
![P1021477](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6fVoHuYHNp70cCJygIp0dm/b17914715440e39a4f0ad8d4272a005b/P1021477.JPG)

## The climbs begin
Once the riders pass Bridgwater (not one of the aforementioned tourist sights), the difficulty begins to slowly ratchet upwards as the climbs become steeper and more frequent. Their fresh legs will likely get them over the Quantocks with little difficulty, but the toughest section of the route lies at around 200km.

Here, they begin the first of two ascents of Dunkery Beacon, which are swiftly followed by the Porlock Toll Road. Although gentler than the main road, this is still a tough climb after what precedes it.

The following section contains yet more climbing through Exmoor and over to Woolacombe, before they finally happen upon some respite on the Tarka Trail. This multi-use path is the only flat bit of tarmac for miles and will likely be empty by the time most riders reach it, if they do not stop before then.
![DSC07773](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6oZtHZkIpI2Y6IHRzjSTGV/72e4c5202657f39a042203f02bf39312/DSC07773.JPG)

## Across Dartmoor and towards the Purbecks
The recovery on the Tarka Trail does not last long before Dartmoor appears. The route crosses the national park via a succession of tough climbs, culminating with Haytor, which is at roughly the halfway point on the route. For the riders who have gone through the night, they can expect to be getting here around sunrise.

Some gentler riding will follow as the riders make their way through Exeter, before they begin a beautiful stretch of Devon and Dorset coastline. For the next 100 or so kilometres, the climbs are a little smaller but just as steep and unrelenting.

This section culminates with the last few sharp climbs on the (misleadingly named) Isle of Purbeck, with spectacular views over the coast below. From the beautiful ridgetop road, the route drops towards CP3 on the coast. The final 1.5km are on a toll road with views over Kimmeridge Bay, where the CP is located.
![PXL 20240302 102446788 (1)](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2BnZTjBidFrljvDX5Ju9pk/f222bab2e9554438cf6242cf5ab1994e/PXL_20240302_102446788__1_.jpg)

## Inland and away from the hills
Swinging north, the route leaves the coastline behind. This inland riding brings with it much gentler gradients and faster roads, as the rolling countryside resumes. In fact, this section is relentlessly rural and actually offers surprisingly little in the way of resupply, which may present an unexpected challenge for riders.

With just over 100km to go, the Wessex Downs will rise up and greet the riders with a carved white horse. They will then fly between the standing stones of Avebury’s ancient circle, as the flatlands south of the Cotswolds offer up some precious easy riding.

A final loop of the idyllic Yanworth Valley is included to give a taste of the best of the Cotswolds (and some bonus climbs), before the route swings back towards the finish.
![image-12](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5c0XuSYCEKVoT6ZYUchCNC/03502c3d042551ef701f598faf209418/image-12.jpeg)


Niel Copeland

Kitty Dennis

Wild West Country 2024 Tracking and Commentary: The Wild West Country is a display of some of the finest roads in the South West of England and ticking off some National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty via some short sharp climbs and winding lanes.

Wild West Country 2024 Tracking

The Wild West Country is a display of some of the finest roads in the South West of England and ticking off National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty via some typical West Country short sharp climbs and winding lanes.

The Wild West Country 2024

DotWatcher.cc

The Wild West Country 2024

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