Cold. Brutal. Epic.
Casting my mind back to last Thursday, I was sitting with my coffee in front of the morning news watching various reporters on every channel warn me not to drive anywhere. “Don’t go out in your car" they told me. “Avoid long distance journeys” they said, “as heavy snowfall is causing dangerous conditions”.
Naturally, I climbed into the fully loaded Alpvan, picked up marketing man Dan and bike guru Liam, and began the journey north. 8 hours north, to Strathpeffer in Scotland where we would be taking part in one of, if not THE, toughest 24hr mountain bike endurance races in the UK (and quite possibly on the planet). Maybe we’d lost our minds, maybe we were just pumped full of adrenaline in the face of the incredible challenge that is the ‘Puffer.
Entering the Cairngorms
Strathpuffer has always been on our radar and when the opportunity to sponsor the ‘Quads’ category arose, we jumped at the chance. Being our first year, we thought we’d just head up to see what it was all about with a small Alpkit pop-up shop for anyone seeking a warm jacket in the cold, as well as some Sonder bikes for a few test laps.
After racing the weather on the way up, we arrived in plenty of time to pitch up the 6 man Heksa, meaning there was plenty of room for our winter camping kit as well as Liam’s extraordinarily long legs.
were there to help everyone see in the dark, local bike shop took care of emergency repairs, Fuel10K kept riders peddling through and supplied satisfaction for our stomachs.
We’ve had our first taste of the notorious ‘Puffer and, like many others we met there, are wondering a) why we ever thought it would be a good idea, and b) where we can sign up for next year!? It’s an event that really gets under your skin (in a good way!) and we can’t recommend it enough, whether you’re a serious rider or just up for a good crack, Strathpuffer should be top of the list.
If you want to get involved with Strathpuffer 2019 then keep an eye on the official website for updates. You can also check out how the riders did and the winners of each category.
Alpkit tested out Strathpuffer this year, meaning next year we’re going full throttle. We have some grand plans for 2019, so keep an eye out as the year goes on for developments, we’re already pretty darn excited for it. See you there!
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