The Tour Divide - a cycle racing odyssey.

Apparently "The Hardest Cycle Race on Earth is not in France!" (according to Outside Magazine).

There are plenty of cycle races around the globe that bill themselves as the hardest, Le Tour de France (TdF) and Ironbike both have a good shout. But when you stack up the figures nothing quite compares to The Tour Divide.

First up, Le Tour is a Pro race, fully supported, with all the pampered luxuries that the teams can muster. It's also on European roads, riding 6.8kg carbon super-bikes.

Ironbike (MTB) is tougher. Racers camp together every night before tackling ferocious climbs and terrifyingly exposed descents, one after the next.

Tour Divide is longer than TdF at 2745 miles. It has more climbing than Ironbike - 200,000 ft/61,000m. That's not a typo! And it is entirely self-supported. Racers cannot accept any outside assistance and have to be completely self-sufficient for the entire duration, including carrying all of their necessary kit, from food, clothing, maps, and spares, to camping gear. They also have to navigate The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR - The longest off-pavement route in the world) all the way from Banff in Canada to Antelope Wells, New Mexico, on The US/Mexican border. Most of it on remote trails frequented by Bears and Mountain Lions, amongst other hazards like snow, altitude, and deserts. Oh, and the clock starts ticking non-stop from the second you start.

The American "Adventure Cycling Association" recommends taking 64 days to tour the route. The fastest Tour Divide racers do it in less than sixteen.

It's a bold claim from Outside Magazine but all claims are subjective, it just depends who you ask. "Shaggy" John Ross (speaking to Privateer Magazine) thinks The Colorado Trail Race is the hardest. I have several friends who are firmly in the Ironbike camp. Tour Divide is almost certainly the longest though. 

The Strathpuffer 2015.

The Strathpuffer is a 24 hour mountainbike race held annually in The Highlands of Scotland, on the edge of The Cairngorms Range,  and it's something of a unique event. It is held in January each year, boasts 17.5 hours of darkness, and usually delivers a mix of wild conditions; anything from high winds or heavy rain, through to snow and ice! It is considered to be one of the toughest 24 hour races in the world. And that is the whole point of it! :)
It's also hugely popular; 800 racers took part this year including Solo's, Pairs, Quads, and specially for the 10th anniversary, 10 x Teams of Ten.
The Solo category sells out in less than 10 minutes every year! The hardest category is the most popular. Go figure that out! :D
Mitch Bryan and I both had a score to settle. I attempted it in 2013 and Mitch in 2014, both of us retired before finishing.

Yak Attack TV!

Check out the full edit of Yak Attack's "Rumble in the Jungle" in Sri Lanka. It looks great.

Also look out for the very handsome, and familiar, dude at 1.34 and 4.19! He looks just like me! :D
The Full HD version is available here

And not only that but Yak Attack is heading for mainstream television, Channel 5, in the UK this Friday (January 9th at 7.00pm) as Part 1 of the new Richard Parks series "Race to the Pole". It covers the 2013 Yak Attack in Nepal (the one where I dislocated my shoulder) and is apparently getting rave reviews from the national media!

Look out for a potential cameo appearance from me! :D (God only knows how that might turn out!)

Richard Parks during The Yak Attack 2013.

Richardʼs first gruelling challenge on the road to his record attempt finds him in the mountains of Nepal to take part in the Yak Attack. Set against one of the most spectacular backdrops on the planet, this is the highest, toughest mountain bike race on earth.

He battles against blistering heat, extreme cold, near-fatal collisions, sheer drops and extreme altitude on a course that winds 400 kilometres across the Himalayas. The eight stages climb from 300m above sea level all the way up to the snow-covered Thorong La pass at 5,416 metres.

It will also be available to view on Demand5 here

For more information on The Yak Attack and their amazing "World Series" of  extreme mountainbike races have a look at their website HERE

Sri Lanka - Pre-race: Let's get ready to RUMBLE!

Yak Attack - Rumble In The Jungle 2014

The weekend prior to registration was spent catching up with old Yak Attack friends around Negombo Beach, Phil & Kate, Steve Edwards, Zoltan Keller, Eric Coomer, Sonya Looney, but our little group continued to grow and we added new ones each day too; Hannah Barnes, Myriam Saugy, Kerstin Kogler, and others, all showed up at meal times in Mr Crab, our favourite little restaurant. We had a new little "Rumble" family growing by the day. It is my experience that extreme events seem to attract a particular type of person; normally laid-back, un-flustered, kind of people that just seem to slot in well. Perhaps it's the adventurous spirit that makes people easy-going and easy to get on with?

Registration was held on Monday 17th November at The (very nice) Catamaran Beach Hotel in Negombo; Phil & Kate were ensconced in a little air-conditioned office for the day as racers came and went. Andre Deplechin and I rolled up together and I got lucky Number Seven; surely a good omen :)

Lucky Seven!

Christmas Cheer.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Chase The Rainbow!

Hopefully you are all enjoying yourselves and making the most of the holidays. I've (Neil) had an unusual one but I'll spare you the details for now!

Please spare a thought for all of our wonderful Mountain Rescue Teams. Each team is crewed by volunteers who give up their precious time to, not only, help members of the public in distress, but also to support our Emergency Services.

Even on Christmas Day when everyone else is tucking in to turkey! 

They do an amazing job, day and night, 365 days a year; all for free!

Please consider donating a few pounds to support them, if you can spare it.

You can view the websites from the links below. Most of the teams also have a Facebook page that detail their day to day actions and call outs. Please give your local team a "like", you might be very surprised at some of the things they get called out for on a daily basis.

Mountain Rescue - England & Wales.

Derbyshire/Yorkshire Peak District teams.