Double header: Erlestoke 6hr and Dorset Gravel Dash 100

Back to my local endurance race, Erlestoke 12 has been blessed with awesome weather for as long as I can remember, unfortunately it wasn't to be this year. A wet week in the run up then torrential race just before the start meant it was going to be a tough day. Being a local i'd pre-empted the mud and set up my spare bike with awesome Maxxis Beaver mud tyres, they are grippy yet fast, just a great tyre, turned from my spare bike, to the bike I rode for the whole race!

I didn't get the best start, being held up, but I was top 10, George Budd, last years winner,  was riding his awesome Salsa Beargrease carbon fat bike, was gone, never to be seen again, but I expected this.

I made steady progress trying to conserve energy through the sections which were unrideable, I was around 5th or 6th, not great but it was a 6hr race, i had time to close them down. Each lap was taking around 50minutes which was reducing my time to catch people, luckily i was getting faster!

I was up to 3rd place with one lap to go, I knew I could catch 2nd, he is a good friend but a competitor, I caught him halfway through the lap, and made sure I kept my pace high. I finished 2nd which i was pleased with, a lap behind George on his fat bike of shame.

I'm glad I raced in the challenging conditions, it disappointments me when people bail because its muddy, running the right tyre make a huge difference.

I got back to my parents, had dinner then got back to Poole. The day after we headed to Swanage for Charlie the Bike Monger Gravel Dash 100, the inaugural 100mile gravel race. I was feeling ok, so i knew i just needed to eat lots and turn the pedals! I rode with my friends for a few hours then left them on the longest climb of the day, I spent the rest of the ride by myself, keen to get back to Swanage. The route was nice, great views and fun terrain, not much single track but it wasn't about that. In all it was 92miles and 6300feet of climbing, just under 8hrs. It given me lots of ideas for new routes and it was nice to hang out with a different type of racers. 14hours of racing and riding in 2 days, the bank holiday was useful for recovery! 

Vacant look after 14hrs of racing in 2day

Trusty chinese 29er, 2500miles old