My first venture into ultra-distance cycling was TransEngland 2025, run by The Racing Collective.
The premise of The Racing Collective’s trials is simple: riders are solo, completely self-supported, they’re free to enter, there’s no external assistance, and progress is tracked through time-stamped photos posted on Instagram.
TransEngland consisted of six checkpoints (all bridges) between Morecambe and Scarborough, with a set-off window between 20:00 and 00:00 on Friday.
There were plenty of ups and downs – and lots of lessons learnt!
I started at 20:00 on Friday night from Morecambe Pier. Having been to university in Lancaster and lived there for six years, it felt symbolic setting off from Morecambe – the place of my first ever ride on my first road bike six years earlier. We rolled down the cycle path along the river, the route filled with memories of river swims, blackberry picking, and canoe polo training over the years.
Before I knew it, it was time to find the first checkpoint at the top of the Forest of Bowland. There were quite a few riders out, most passing me, but I started to flip-flop with a few, which was nice.
The headwind was brutal and relentless, especially through the Yorkshire Dales in the early hours. I genuinely thought I might be blown off my bike, and it was so cold that I couldn’t feel my hands
A pitstop (and a 30-minute nap) at some lovely public toilets in Kettlewell at 4am warmed me up again, and by the time I was ready to head out, it was light – the brutal night was finally over!
After considering a sensible bail option at Thirsk in the afternoon (after nearly falling asleep on my bike a few times), I finally silenced the little voice telling me “I can’t do it.” I rode onwards into the North York Moors in the late afternoon sun, feeling grateful that the wind had eased a little.
The sun set just as I descended Rosedale Chimney, a perfect use of the last of the light. I estimated I’d finish just after 11pm; the end was finally in sight. This was good, as for the first time in my life, I had started hallucinating.
With just one checkpoint to go, I passed through Grosmont, climbed a very steep hill, and then… my front light ran out of charge. I hadn’t expected to be riding this far into a second night. Although I’d used a power bank to recharge the light earlier, it hadn’t filled completely, and it was touch-and-go whether it would last to the end. The final stretch was along a busy main road, and riding it without a working light wasn’t an option. To make things worse, my phone was down to 15% battery. If my front light failed, there may not be any way to call for help.
It was time to make a sensible decision. I rolled back down the steep hill into Grosmont and headed for the pub. The lovely bar staff let me charge my phone and gave me a hot drink. When I called Zach, he ordered me a taxi to Scarborough with my bike. I was less than 20km from the finish, so although I was disappointed not to have completed TransEngland, I knew I’d made huge progress in my long-distance cycling journey.