Cath and I joined nearly 300 other riders at Arnside Pier yesterday (Good Friday) morning for the Grand Depart of this year's Dales Divide. There were a few Boners there - Escape Goat and In Reverse were a couple that I recognised.

Anyway I didn't set off with great expectations and lets just say they were met. Basically I've had a complete shitshow of a winter health wise and have done very little riding so I entered as much to give the body a good once over rather than entertain any notion of actually finishing the route.

An absolute corker of a day weather wise but it did mean that there was frost on the cars early doors and everyone was dressed for winter! An hour or two in and things had warmed up so you were basically in summer kit! The start of the route passed through a few VeloViewer squares that I hadn't previously visited including one where I went off-route because while I had copied the route onto the GPS I hadn't actually enabled it. Doh! Anyway that added eleven squares to my main cluster including seven to the core contiguous block

Until you hit the Dales most of the route was on quiet roads and undulating rather than hilly. A big pull up from Ireby then another up Twiss End. It was here that Escape Route caught me up, he'd just passed Cath about a km back. At the top of this climb I had a sit down and ate a stuffed pitta bread and then onwards on the nice moorland singletrack towards Ribblehead. In Reverse passed me on this section and we chatted a while.

I had to walk parts of the climb up Cam Road, something I'd never had to do before and decided to only do the shorter route. That decision would be changed shortly afterwards when I took a tumble and landed on the ribs I'd broken three weeks ago Generally I was a bit fed up and TBH struggling. I met up again with Allan and Andy at the café in Feizor where there were quite a few riders assembled even though the organiser's house and food/water stop was only 1km further on.

Onwards and upwards towards Malham Tarn and the cramps arrived so lots of getting off the bike to try and walk them off. As darkness approached I planned on reaching a shooting shelter we've bivvied in before and kip there before. Cath arrived about an hour later.

I'd decided to scratch so this morning Cath got away fairly early while I hung around waiting for it to warm up a bit before heading down to Skipton then home.

Just looking at Trackleaders, the leader is only 25km from the finish!

Ah well Bob, cramps and crash aside sounds like a fine ride. Good luck to Cath (I see she is in for the HT again this year) and look forward to her tales.

Bit daft doing it with broken ribs to be fair Bob Decent effort to get as far as you did given the circumstances, and good to see you again obviously.

My chances of getting all the way round were very slim - I'd only ridden 39km this year - so I cut my cloth accordingly on the second day. Jibbed across from Boroughbridge to Leyburn and picked the route up again north of there by the tank training ranges. My legs were giving me dreadful grief on the Cam Rd climb and by the time I got to Dent my left knee and achilles were properly throbbing so I cut across Stone Rigg and Barbondale, not sure that was any easier tbh

Really good event again. I set off about 45 minutes after the grand depart so spent most of Friday daytime gradually overtaking people who, for the most part, were doing their first big bikepacking ride. Chris has done a fantastic job of bringing loads of new faces, especially women.

Daft? Moi!

I was just wiped out yesterday - spent the afternoon asleep

Cath's about 2km from the top of the Roman Road climb, so about 70km to the finish. Not sure what her plan is for tonight, there's a band of rain coming through after midnight that will last a few hours, not ideal being on top of Fleet Moss when it's like that so I imagine she'll try and get down into Dentdale and find a field to pitch up in.

It was interesting seeing what the newer riders thought - "are you carrying *any* gear?" When I listed it, including pillow and merino base layer/pyjamas because sleeping bags are rated for wearing such - "Oh my god I didn't know that, I'm going to freeze!". Also we've moved on from dangle mugs and now have dangle pans

I took a down gilet to use as an extra footbox for sleeping. Game changer.

Top effort Bob. Ever since seeing your mini report in Strava I hoped you'd do a fuller picture. Hope you heal soon and you obviously know this but (in case it helps anyone else) deep breathing and pain killers are your friend (maybe a fair share of honey ).

Ouch, falling onto already broken ribs!!! Good on you though for getting to the start!!

All these tales of newbies and people doing this for their first ever bikepacking event .... and starting knowing one may not be in peak condition and quite probably not make it to the finish ... makes me wonder, maybe I could consider having a go ??

I took a down gilet to use as an extra footbox for sleeping. Game changer.

I always thought a puffer jacket with zip off/velcro arms was the TLS solution and use the arms as socks - I lack the skills to make this happen as MYOG but can confirm i can get my legs in the arms of the jacket i would use

Surely a dangle pan is both annoyingly swaying all the time and noisy and who wants to cook in pan covered in trail detritus

Verena wrote: ↑Mon Apr 10, 2023 7:38 am All these tales of newbies and people doing this for their first ever bikepacking event .... and starting knowing one may not be in peak condition and quite probably not make it to the finish ... makes me wonder, maybe I could consider having a go ??

Being able to pack light and set up a good bivvy in a range of environments is at least as important as outright fitness for these things, particularly for a multi-dayer like the DD - go for it!

Lazarus wrote: ↑Mon Apr 10, 2023 9:39 am
I always thought a puffer jacket with zip off/velcro arms was the TLS solution and use the arms as socks

That is genius

fatbikephil wrote: ↑Mon Apr 10, 2023 10:10 am

Verena wrote: ↑Mon Apr 10, 2023 7:38 am All these tales of newbies and people doing this for their first ever bikepacking event .... and starting knowing one may not be in peak condition and quite probably not make it to the finish ... makes me wonder, maybe I could consider having a go ??

Being able to pack light and set up a good bivvy in a range of environments is at least as important as outright fitness for these things, particularly for a multi-dayer like the DD - go for it!