Thought I'd just document my thoughts after having got help from the forum with making my 2024 edition of the Khalid Bin Waleed Challenge. Dewsbury, Huddersfield, Manchester, Wrexham and back round after some more Welsh climbs via Coed Y Glyn and Bridgenorth. Report below, bear with!!

Excellent excellent route btw so thanks to all that helped.

Anyway, so the route had been some time in the making. After putting a request on here asking if someone could look over my route so I did'nt need to go and ride it in person, a few obvious errors were brought to attention straight away. Finally a route was finalised in OS maps with the View ranger app.

There was so much elevation on the edited route though - I usually aim for about 14000ft of up and over 200 miles length. More ft of elevation and the closer to 200 miles I can make it, the better. I'm sure Stu doesn't design his route with that in mind (that's a joke btw), but I try to make it hard enough on the Khalid Bin Waleed 2nd yearly routes, that they're not achieving a 100% finishing rate. I've been that statistic at least once before this!

Now, coming back to the current route, after seeing so much elevation after the full edit with the priceless input, I tried to remove some elevation at my end. Mainly the 25% climb that comes soon after entering Huddersfield and also features on the NorthPeaks100. So I removed that and tried to flatten off a few bits n pieces. Especially since the major climb out of Huddersfield - towards Wessenden Head from Meltham and past West Nab Point, is so tough. It's actually taken me many years before even attempting this again, but last year I tried it and completed it for the first time during a Bearbines Delivery to Manchester.

Anyway, when converting the OS gpx file from Viewranger to Strava, something strange happened. Strava from its own data thought the route is actually 19500ft or so of elevation. Hmmm, surely that's a good thing as it ensures it remains a super tough ride. Afterall, once it's completed then I can take a look at whats more accurate. Strava uaer data or the trig-point OS data.

However, in the middle of all this, I forgot to train. Most riders dropped out and I'm sure it surely can't be the elevation issue. Ride day came (yesterday) and early this morning we were off. The whole 3 lads of us. Once again we were fundraising with a target of £750 and me choosing the Syria Orphans, again.

This is where it gets interesting, as both riders were doing their very first ITT (I know, it's a road route, mainly) and merves were high. Even with me! Last night they didn't get to mine until late, so the food the wife had cooked was 'off limits' to me until they arrived. 2200 came and we ate, prayed and set up the sleeping setups in the local masjid. 0600 lads, without fail. If you're not ready, I'll be off and you can catch up.

0415 came and early morning prayers. After that I had my usual Weetabix, ready brek concoction in the hope that after another 45 minutes of sleep I might be ready for a big clear-out... of the bowels. Sadly, cos I'd eaten so late last night my weetabix potion didnae work for me. Then I get a text from one of the lads at about 0550, just before departure, 'Shafiq, have you got a plaster'. He'd caught his finger in the spokes and it was blleding.

I got to the masjid and thankfully with them running behind, managed to get another toilet slot in. 0600 became 0615. Then 0630 and then 0635. They still were not ready so I left. They were only 4 minutes behind but made light work of overtaking me even before Wessenden Head. Actually by the time we were at the top of the 25%er, they were ready for an overtake.

Now, I got to the Wessenden Head climb and the bowels were calling. So, off I went to do my business and as I remounted the bike I realised that the Ginger Beer I'd packed as a pressie that I'd drink after the 120 mile mark (then instead the 60 mile mark) had popped and all over the inside of my waterproof pack. Oh dear!!

Now, lets backtrack a bit here. My plan was to remain in the 150 beats/min target for heart rate. Surely that would mean that I was never gonna become anaerobic excercising. But, though I managed the first 25% climb with (relative) ease, the next one I had to get off and walk. Maybe in the name of heart rate or maybe in the name of, WTH, I'm knackered.

I'd come for a 19000ft of up ride with just a 30t cassette up back. So after that first climb of walking I stopped at the next shop and downed a full 1L of water. I was dehydrated as anything. Now, another strategy I was using was to take 'no photos'. This worked well and I was gonna win. Surely if I keep going, at some point they'd break and slow off to a stop.

Lots of poos came and went, with repeat hydration to make up the deficit. I just kept on going like the energizer bunny in turtle mode. But, unbeknown to me I never was in full aerobic zone even though I had the HRM strapped up.

Lets just backtrack a little. So, when the ginger beer went all over my bag. I gave it a clean and tried to air it. From that the elevation profile on the Wahoo started doing funny stuff. Maybe evaporated ginger beer doesn't allow its altimeter/barometic thingy yo read well. So by 60 miles, a quarter of the ride, I was being told that I'd gained over 4000m. Sounded good as I only had a 3rd of the eleavtion to go but 3/4 of the mileage.

The elevation profile pic on the Wahoo/route didn't quite match up though. With most of the bug climbs shown towards the last half of the route.99.9 miles came and I felt a whiff of breathlessness. Then 100 miles and I was full-on quietly gasping for breath. Could it be my hear condition had returned as I was certainly not in a massive oxygen debt by riding in an anaerobic zone for 9 hours or more.

Not willing to take the risk, I became the statistic once again. Me, the DNF person and I chucked in the towel. Grabbed a train to Shrewsbury from Ruabon. Still gasping for air!! Read a bit more into oxygen debt and it certainly was. After about 3 hours though I could breath easy again.

Did I make the right call. Well, yes for definite as after I Strava corrected my elevation from the recorded 15500ft, I learnt that I was only at 6000ft and so 14000ft to go over 140 miles. The two lads are still out there, racing against the clock. Some in the Welsh hills, west of Church Stretton. I've given em the time limit of 28H and I hope they both make it.

The End...

NB. The ginger beer was all over my spare boxers. I wasnt gonna risk it after so they went straight in a bin at the time.

Mainly the 25% climb that comes soon after entering Huddersfield and also features on the NorthPeaks100

Brutal climb that not helped by doing it as the last climb. I did clear it but did also stop for a rest about half way up

Glad to say that we didn't get a 0% finishing rate. Through the night the 2nd of 3 riders had to tap out. Mechanical issue somewhere in deep Wales (chain caught behind sprocket which he couldn't pry out). But, the other lad finished it and within the time limit.

Overnight I had increased the cut off limit from 26 hours to 28H. Nasir arrived within 10 miniutes of that Alhamdulillah (all praise to God). My page has raised about £1800 for the orphans of Syria and he has raised about £1000 for his own project. Anyway, in pictures...


Good lad, ge managed to keep the project going and proven that it can be done.


Only 7 hours of stopping time despite the downpour at the end, prayer stops and eating management etc.

Last but not least. A bit of a 'bikes of the KBWra Challenge'.




This was the bike of the only finisher Nasir. So looks like 'naivety' did the trick.

If anyone wishes to sponsor me - even though I left it unfinished - can click here https://campaigns.givebrite.com/cycling4syria

Thanks again...