Pure Peak Grit

We were unable to tempt JJ and Sean to enjoy more hillage and both DNF’d this.  There was a buzz in HQ though as the Prologue finishers emerged from tents triumphant, DNf’d debriefed over coffee and our volunteers kept everyone fed.  The best part of the facilities at Barn Farm is the social side!

Out on the course, Andrew was continuing his steady march onwards in classic Andrew style. Reports filtering back suggested that progress was occasionally being interrupted by the discovery of particularly appealing patches of wild berries, and at some point he'd sensibly tucked himself into his bivvy for a well-earned micro-nap before pressing on once more. There are different ways to tackle PPG, but arguably few that look quite as civilised.

Ross, meanwhile, was making excellent progress on his second loop. He was now reaping the rewards of a full night's sleep, chewing through the climbs as he swept past the northernmost point of the course. The legs clearly hadn't forgotten what they were there for.

At the front, Michael continued to turn heads. Now powering his way around the final loop on his debut attempt, he looked firmly on course for a fantastic finishing time. First attempts at Pure Peak Grit aren't normally this composed, but Michael just kept riding with quiet determination, making one of the toughest rides in the calendar look almost routine.

The supporters began to gather at HQ in anticipation of welcoming the first finisher back and Andrew timed his second arrival to HQ just in time to cheer in Michael as he rolled in with a tremendous finish time of 33hrs42, very close to our current course record.

The only rider still on the course was Ross, and with a strong rumour that Andrew would go out on the third loop if he did, the crowd of supporters was on tenterhooks to see what his decision would be…

Ross rolled in having spent over 10hours out on loop 2, which was not a dissimilar pace from his first loop, and had definitely rallied overnight. However, two fun filled loops of hillage was enough for him this year and he decided to hand in his tracker.

And with this PPG26 is over for another year… with just a single finisher!
Congrats to all riders!

Hours 12-24

Andrew headed out back to the hills, Ross was weighing up his options as he felt fit but was suffering with tiredness.  He’s taken the sensible option to get a solid nights sleep in before returning in the morning to see how many more hills he can enjoy.

Race Director Dave has been out of the course cheering the Prologue riders on and Ally has been in good spirits, but Jess suffering with the miserable weather over exposed Holme Moss.  We try our best to do everything we can to support our Prologue riders to have a great ride.

The keen DotWatchers will have noticed James doing a bit of a U-turn near the Dale and we’re sad to have our second DNF as his ride is over this year.

Next in were Sean and JJ who’d paired up to tackle most of the first loop as a team and certainly seem to have kept each others spirits up. They had also worked up an appetite and between the two consumed crisps, lentil bolognaise pasta, crumble, haribo, pot noodles, biscuits and anchovies in no logical or reasonable order which left us questioning what the hills had done to their tastebuds.

After some late night discussions about deep frying maltloaf, the depth of Ronald McDonald’s pockets, the aerodynamics of a cow and the dangers of chicken sushi; our second Prologue rider Jess arrived, and was soon followed by Ally and we are delighted to have all of our Prologue women having successfully completed the event.  Ally even said how much she enjoyed the route… which is almost unheard of amongst PPG riders who are normally lodging formal complaints on behalf of their knees.

On the full PPG ride Henry, then Michael made their second visit to HQ, rolling in in the early hours of the morning.  Both looked remarkably strong and are setting a blistering pace. They refuelled well and both headed out on their third loop, but a few hours later we had an update from Henry that the weather had got the better of him and he DNF’d and Micheal confirmed the situation with video that mainly showed fog.

Meanwhile Andrew is still far North on the course, but ticking the miles off, and from experience we know he has the tenacity to continue.

As of 8am Ross has headed back out!

It's the morning after the night before... and we can't quite believe its all over!

Congratulations again to our sole finisher Michael again, and to Kate, Jess and Ally who all completed the Prologue... but to all the riders who put in some brilliant and well managed efforts to get through one or two loops!!

We didn't get around to mentioning our spot prizes yesterday, will riders receiving some very snazzy goodies from Restrap and KOSTÜME including a custom frame bag, cannister bar bag, cargo gilet from Kostüme's latests edition and some very snazzy caps and neck warmers! We're super grateful 🙏 for the ongoing support from these two amazing brands.

Also big shout out to Happy Bottom Bum Butter for keeping our riders gooches peachy 🍑, Print My Ride for the Peaky custom prints and Thornbridge Brewery for post ride beers 🍻! You guys are the best 👌

The facilities Barn Farm Camping, Birchover were fantastic and made a great spot to welcome the riders back. 🦚

This year we have supported Derbyshire Wildlife Trust through riders entries, so really grateful to everyone that came to and we've had a brilliant weekend!

Hope to see you next year... 👀
🚴‍♀️💨⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️

So...not only is Kate the first person to complete our new Prologue ride... she is our first spot prizes recipient!!

With the support of the lovely folks Restrap she has a snazzy new cannister bag!
Hopefully we'll tempt her from cross riding to ultra-distance yet!! 😅

Our other Prologue spot prize winner is Ally (who currently looks like she's tucking into a McDonald's which could be an equal win!)
She will be able to carry as many happy meals as she can eat in her new KOSTÜME Cargo Jersey, with bigger pockets than Ronald McDonald's trousers!

We're looking forward to cheering her and Jess Jess Golding 🚴‍♀️ Adventure Cyclist back to HQ later tonight!

It was a strong start all around on PPG26 this morning as the riders headed as a solid bunch through the scenic Chatsworth Park together, the ever so lightly lumpy terrain potentially giving them a taste of what is to come…
Breaking news: there may be climbs we don’t mention on this route!!

The field split slightly after Winnats Pass with the main pack flying up to Glossop and JJ and Sean taking a more sensible pace. Many a time we have seen a conservative approach pay off when there’s a lot of hillage to go!

Back into Hope Valley the front 6 appeared to be going strong, but unless they are looking at the tracker it is hard to know if they are aware how close their fellow riders are…

The next few climbs of Sir William Hill, Curbar Gap, “Climbing up” and Longstone have created a few gaps, first time riders Michael and Henry jostling out the front, old hands on the hills James and Alan hot on their heels and then returners James and Ross not far behind either.

On the Prologue the women seem to be attacking the hills with gusto- although Jess revealed a mere 35km that she had twigged there might be a few extra hills than we mention! The Prologue will have a similar elevation per mile to the full route so it’s great to see these riders going strong, especially on knee-breakers like Woodfall Lane and the Bradfield Beast.

The front four PPGers (inadvertently) joined in the parade at Bakewell but it doesn’t seem to have slowed them down much! But Henry did claim he had “never been cracked so bad in his life”...

The infamous Rowsley Bar and “Matlock loop” cheered them all up though and good spirits all around when they returned to HQ! Michael and Henry both had speedy turnarounds and James wasn't far behind. Sadly it wasn't Alan's day and we have our first DNF.

Ross and Andrew made better use if the fantastic HQ facilities and Stevie's special lentil bolognaise and Ross even caught 40 winks!

They were very nearly beaten back by Kate, our first Prologue rider back to HQ. The Prologue lap is longer than loop one so this is a brilliant effort and a fantastic start to our inaugural Prologue ride!

Well here we are again, back at the beautiful Barn Farm Campsite in Birchover for PPG26!
Proceedings kicked off last night where thanks to KOSTÜME we had freshly made pizzas and a screening of Fergus Coyle films including “In at the Steep End” documenting last year’s event.

An early night and a small but elite group of 8 full Pure Peak Grit riders were ready on the start line at 8am. They are joined this year by our 3 Prologue riders: the Prologue being a new format designed to give women an introduction to ultra-distance riding and racing, and a taste of the full Pure Peak Grit route by following one loop.
The Prologue is all about participation, so whereas you can watch the Dots, there is no leaderboard for this event. We have Ally, Kate and Jess joining us for the ride!

On the main PPG26 you may spot some familiar faces… Ross and James are back again for another fix of hillage, and proving he really does love spending as much time as possible on those hills is our Lantern Rouge from last year and 3rd year in a row rider: Andrew. Andrew had a mechanical set back early on last year but pushed through to a solid finish so we’re excited to see how he gets on this time around.

Alan is our KOSTÜME sponsored rider and we’re delighted he could make it this year, having had to pull out last minute in 2025. We hope you have a great ride Alan!

Other new faces for 2026 are Sean, Michael, JJ and Henry and it’s always interesting to see how riders from a mix of backgrounds cope with what the Peak District has to throw at them.
The weather is looking reasonable… but we know from experience that you can’t rely on the forecasts up here and anything could happen over the next 55 hours!

We’ll be filling you in with 12hourly updates, but in the meantime live dotwatching from Follow My Challenge UK
www.purepeakgrit.cc

?

We're really excited to be back Barn Farm Camping, Birchover for PPG26 and The Prologue!
We had a great time last year!!
🦚🦚🦚