Who needs world championships when you have bolting up and down terrifyingly steep fells on completely inappropriate bikes? After a three-year hiatus, the legendary Three Peaks Cyclo-Cross race is back this weekend... cycling
Is it the greatest off-road bike race on earth? It may not have the muddy gore or the sand-blasted glitz of the great Belgian cyclo-cross classics, the mass participation numbers of the big US gravel events or the miles of the epic marathon mountain bike races, and yet this quintessentially British affair well and truly holds its own.
The race was first held in 1961, when its founder and long-time organiser, the late John Rawnsley, fittingly took the honours. John was very much the life force behind the classic event, and was largely responsible for preserving its low and key yet high profile status during the 50 years that he organised the race, also competing in 45 of those editions himself.
Nick’s heritage and his motivation when lining up for this race are both humbling, and we caught up with him as he prepped his bikes for the big day: Nick’s dad Ian was also a two-time winner of the race: “Having won in 1991 when my dad was still alive meant so much to me, as we’d ridden the previous four years of the Peaks together, which was where I worked out how to win.
"He had a plan that he had already started in 2016, by running Pen-y-Ghent. He said that when he’d recced it he’d be old enough to race for the Ian Craig Trophy for first junior, That’s now the Ian & Charlie Craig Trophy.”Lancashire lad Paul Oldham, 45, is a four-time Peaks champion.
“Back in the day the Peaks was always featured heavily in the magazines, and it was toying with becoming an international race with having a Swiss team and a GB team" says Tim. “I decided to make my 50+ comeback in the Three Peaks, because I thought it would be easier to start with a race that was more stamina oriented.
Sue Clarke won the woman’s race in 1998 and 2000. She remembers: “It’s such a unique race, I last raced it in 2000, and the atmosphere was amazing.