3 Peaks Cycle Challenge 2023
Not Over the Hill, Yet!
Back in pre-pandemic 2019, a plan was hatched for a group of 5 middle-aged maniacs to take on the National 3 Peaks Challenge in 24hrs, during the Summer of 2020. Sadly, COVID put the kibosh on those plans and they were shelved.
Wind the clock forward a couple of years and, sitting at the bar during an Army reunion (always dangerous), the “man with the plan” Richard Carman (me), somehow persuaded an old pal (Will Manners) to rejuvenate the challenge.
Hatching a Plan
The original plan in 2020 had been to climb the National 3 Peaks and drive between them in 24hrs. However, it was agreed that racing a 24hr clock was too reliant on luck with the 450 miles of driving involved. So, replacing motorised transport with bicycles seemed like the obvious answer.
The National Three Peaks Challenge takes on each of the highest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales...
Ben Nevis - The highest mountain in Scotland and the UK at 1,345 metres high, and the longest walk at around 5 hours
Scafell Pike - The highest mountain in England at 978 metres, Scafell Pike is the smallest of the three peaks, however is most notably ‘hard going’ and a real test of resilience
Snowdon - The highest mountain in Wales at 1,085 metres, but with a starting height of 359m at Pen-y-Pass it’s the quickest to conquer.
Much research was conducted and it was soon established that most ‘cyclists’ tackle the challenge in 3-4 days, however, a few elite athletes have completed it as a non-stop event. The current official Guinness World Record for a male team is 36hrs 45mins in 2020 - https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/526121-fastest-time-to-complete-the-uk-national-three-peaks-challenge-by-bicycle-male-t
However, the fastest (unofficial) recorded completion was by Angus Young in 2021 with an astonishing solo time of 32hrs 10mins - https://masoncycles.cc/blog/3-peaks-by-bicycle-a-new-record
After much deliberation, we considered that if a couple of middle-aged blokes could climb all 3 peaks, and cycle the 450 miles between them, in 3 days (72hrs), it would be a massive achievement. And so the challenge was set and the training began.
The Essential Element
First and foremost, I was never going to be able to do this on my own, which is why I roped in Will as my wingman. But what you also need to understand about Will is that he was commando trained and now works as a mountaineering instructor in the Scottish Highlands - https://freewilloutdoors.co.uk
Apart from that, he is a highly accomplished endurance cyclist and triathlete, so this was simply an extension of business as usual. It was therefore no accident that I asked him to join me because I knew he’d keep me honest and I can assure you he did just that, in spades. To Will, I am forever grateful you agreed to join me; thank you!
Having said that, there was no way we were going to achieve this without a support crew, and with hindsight that proved to be critical for success…
Matt Garman, an Ironman, Channel Swimmer and Atlantic Rower (proper Action Man indeed) headed up the support team - https://www.mattgarman.com ably assisted by his son, Joe, who turned out to be an absolute star!
‘Marlene’, a beautifully equipped VW Campervan, was our fabulous support vehicle - https://www.camplify.co.uk/rv/campervan-rental-reading-marlene/19165
Many other supporters assisted along the way, but a few notable mentions have to be made to the following…
Alison Manners - heading up the social media updates to keep everyone updated on our progress and promoting our fundraising for The Brain Tumour Charity
Alistair Abbott - for taking the wet headwind on the nose on Day 2 and giving us a very solid wheel to tuck in behind
Neil & Steph - for their amazing hospitality, providing an exceptionally welcome hot meal and bed at the end
Mairi Burgon - for the amazing sports massage the day after
Putting the Plan into Action
Day 1 - Climbing Mt Snowdon from Pen-y-Pass (11.61km, 811m ascent)
Having created the plan and assembled the team, we finally found ourselves at the Pen-y-Pass car park, starting the climb of Mt Snowdon at 04:06hrs on Tuesday 1st August by the light of our head torches. The first half-hour was hard going until we realised we’d missed the Pyg Track and were attempting to go straight up a grassy slope. A few navigational adjustments and we were back on track and moving swiftly, despite the wind and rain. A quick summit photo at 05:46hrs and with a brisker pace down, we were back in the car park in under 3hrs.
Day 1 - Cycling from Snowdon to Great Langdale (285km, 2,444m ascent)
Following a quick change parade in the car park ‘facilities’, we started our longest day on the bikes. The initial downhill from the car park was a very fast, wet 350m descent to Capel Curig. We were cruising at a good pace, all the way to the N.Wales coast, where the weather improved and a welcome tailwind took us up to the Wirral and on to the Mersey Tunnel at Birkenhead. Not being allowed to cycle through the tunnel, we threw the bikes in the back of the support van, popping out 5mins later in Liverpool. Here we discovered one of our biggest bugbears, red traffic lights, which almost definitely added an hour (or more) to our total time over the course of the challenge!
The rest of the day was relatively flat, however the wind was slowly moving round to the East and finally North as we approached the Lake District, accompanied by a steady trickle of rain. We finally pulled into a rather damp Great Langdale Campsite after 13.5hrs on the road, putting us 1.5hrs behind our planned schedule.
A huge plate of pasta, cup of tea and a hot shower later, we got our heads down in the tent for just 4.5hrs of broken rest, listening to the rain gently tapping on the canvas.
Day 2 - Climbing Scafell Pike (20.67km, 1,133m ascent)
04:00hrs reveille, running gear and waterproofs on, we forced down a bowl of oats and headed out at 04:40hrs for what would be our most testing climb. Quite apart from being a longer route, the weather was appalling as we inched across the boulder fields that approach the summit in 40-50mph wind and rain. The long section on the bikes the day before started telling on my legs and our pace down the mountain was much slower than planned, getting back to the campsite after 5hrs, a good hour behind schedule.
Day 2 - Cycling from Great Langdale to Strathclyde (212km, 1,255m ascent)
Heading off for our climb out of the Lake District on the bikes, a minor route misjudgement saw us tackling a 15% incline just 10mins into the ride. This seemed to be the story for the next 3-4hrs, until we were finally greeted by gentler terrain and started to pick up the pace again. Thankfully, Alistair had joined us for Day 2 and, as an accomplished Ironman, he was quite happy to sit on the nose and give us a wheel to tuck behind as we tackled a brisk northerly headwind all the way. However, Day 2 was never flat, with the slow but steady rise from Gretna Green up Beattock Pass to Abington providing no respite. It was also our first puncture of the trip, with Will hitting a pothole and immediately pulling up with a pinch on his front tyre. By now I was struggling with my nutrition plan, with oat bars becoming almost impossible to consume without gagging. However, about halfway through the day Will and I both discovered Ambrosia creamed rice with fresh blueberries was sheer nectar. Finally, with daylight fading fast, we inched into the Strathclyde Campsite after a long 11hrs in the saddle, putting us another 1.5hrs behind schedule.
Day 3 - Cycling from Strathclyde to Glen Nevis (185km, 1,152m ascent)
After the late finish on Day 2, we opted for a 04:30hrs reveille, but with the finish line in sight now, we were on the bikes and away for the final stretch at 05:04hrs. It was lovely and quiet through the centre of Glasgow, which was a bonus considering the UCI World Championships were just starting and there were road closures planned all over the City for later that day. The support team and our growing band of ‘desktop’ followers had a minor melt-down when our Garmin LiveTrack stopped in the western quarter of Glasgow as we followed the Clyde out of town. Soon after, I succumbed to our second and only other puncture of the whole challenge. Despite that, we motored along nicely until finally turning off the top of Loch Lomond and onto the long, slow climb into the Highlands. By now, time in the saddle was telling on both of us with ‘Baboon Bum’ the primary topic of complaint.
Climbing slowly up over Rannoch Moor and through the Glencoe Range, we dug in, lifting our heads at brief intervals to cuss near-miss passes by impatient motorists. Special mention must go to the van driver who stopped in the middle of a steep climb to remonstrate vociferously with a motorist close on his tail who almost took us out.
Finally, at 14:35hrs, after another 9.5hrs in the saddle, we pulled into the Glen Nevis Car Park and were greeted by an entourage of family and friends, keen to join us for the final ascent of Ben Nevis.
Day 3 - Climbing Ben Nevis (8.28km, 1,327m ascent)
It may be the highest peak of the three, and you may have to start from almost sea level, however it is an extremely well-trodden path. So finally, with our happy band of followers we set off at a pleasantly sedentary pace, recounting our tales of the past 3 days. I felt somewhat overdressed on the lower slopes, but didn’t regret it in the slightest as we approached the summit in near 0oC temperatures and a howling breeze. A quickly orchestrated photograph by the summit cairn in Brain Tumour Charity livery and we beat a hasty retreat for the lower slopes to warm up once again.
We finally stopped the clock at 18:45hrs; a total of 62hrs 39mins after we started, beating our 3 day (72hr) target by a whopping 9hrs 21mins.
That night we were treated to warm Scottish hospitality by Neil and Steph, with a generous plate of chilli con carne and a celebratory wee dram, followed by a hot shower and a proper bed.
After the dust settled
It’s always good to look back and ask a few key questions after such a challenge…
Could we have done it faster?
Yes, quite possibly, given better weather, more training, better route selection, better nutrition, and many other factors. But actually, at the age of 57, having only just started road cycling properly last year and having never climbed a mountain before, I’m pretty chuffed with what we achieved.
Did we ever feel the challenge was unachievable?
Never in doubt, at least not in my head! Yes, there were times when my body felt like it was going to fail; yes, there were times when I was deep in the pain locker; yes, Will did ask me this question in the middle of Day 2 when we were struggling through the wind and rain around Gretna Green. However, failure was never an option, even if it meant going through the night, because I can be a bit of a stubborn bugger when I want to be, plus I don’t like letting people down!
What would we do differently next time?
So many lessons learned and far too many things we could have done better, but that will always be the point; you can only prepare so much. In the Army we had a saying: “Make a plan, create contingencies, and remember, no plan ever survives contact with the enemy!” So, we then learned to ‘Improvise, adapt and overcome!’ And that’s exactly what we did, which is why it worked. We smashed our goal and raised a tidy sum for The Brain Tumour Charity in the process; ‘Job done!’
Would you do it again?
Probably not, because it’s done now and it’s finished business. Time to look forward and find a new challenge, but before I do, definitely time for a break to rest and recuperate.
Why we did this
In 2019 I lost my Mum very suddenly to an aggressive brain tumour. Thanks to the efforts of The Brain Tumour Charity, much more is now known about brain tumours and new treatments are being discovered. But, they rely totally on charitable donations, which is where you can help.
This was for you Mum!
About The Brain Tumour Charity
The Brain Tumour Charity is the world's leading brain tumour charity and the largest dedicated funder of research into brain tumours globally. Committed to saving and improving lives, they are moving further, faster to help every single person affected by a brain tumour. They are set on finding new treatments, offering the highest level of support and driving urgent change. And they're doing it right now. Because they understand that when you, or someone you love, is diagnosed with a brain tumour a cure really can't wait.