The Strathpuffer is an annual amateur 24-hour winter Mountain bike race in the Scottish Highlands. The race is held in late January near Strathpeffer with around 17 hours of the race taking place in darkness. It was first held in 2006 and attracted more than 1,000 competitors in 2018.

Strathpuffer
Race details
RegionScotland
TypeWinter mountain bike racing
Web sitestrathpuffer.co.uk Edit this at Wikidata
History
First edition2006 (2006)

History

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The circuit is circa 12.5 kilometre route through the Torrachilty Forest, on the outskirts of Contin. Competitors can enter as a solo rider, or as part of a team of two or fours. Alternatively, schools can also enter teams of eight.[1] Around 17 hours of the race are in darkness.[2]

In 2016 there were over 800 participants who faced mud and snow.[3][4] By that point it had established a reputation as being one of the toughest mountain bike events in the world.[5]

 
"Bill" the model skeleton marks the ceromonil halfway point.

In 2017 there were 6,583 laps completed by competitors.[6] In 2018 the race attracted over 1,000 participants.

Guy Martin placed second in the male solo rider category in both 2014 and 2015.[7][8]

Recent Years

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Due to its increase in popularity, it was planned for the Strathpuffer to grow by about 1.5 kilometres over 2018 and 2019, and those plans have since been put into place, making the track go from 11 kilometres to 12.5 kilometres.[9]

In 2018 the BBC 2 show The Adventure Show covered the race and followed two teams around the course. One was a quad of girls from Dingwall Academy being mentored by the Adventure Syndicate and another was a team of two sisters calling themselves "Sister Sludge."[10][11]

Results

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2019 Results

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2019 Strathpuffer Results[12]
Category 1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place
Male Solo Marty Ross - 25 laps Keith Forsyth - 23 laps Chris Pitblado - 22 laps
Female Solo Sally Evamy - 17 laps Annie Lloyd Evans - 16 laps Eva Kupska -15 laps
Male Pairs RT23 - 30 laps Stage One - Mark Beaumont and Alex Glasgow - 30 laps MBUK Magazine - 29 laps
Female Pairs Jacqui and Julie - 21 laps Fandango Ultimate Duo - 21 laps The Linda Lawton Fan Club - 19 laps
Mixed Pairs Team Breakpad - 24 laps ABC - 24 laps Fife Cycles - John Simpson Fan - 24 laps
Male Quads ABC JMC Mountain Fuel - 31 laps Squiggly Balls - 30 laps Team Goon/Orange Fox Bikes - 29 laps
Female Quads Gingym - 22 laps Boo & Crew - 22 laps 42 Engineer Regiment - 19 laps
Mixed Quads BASE - 27 laps GMBC ON ICE - 26 laps 3 MEN AND A GINGER LADY - 25 laps
Schools (teams of eight) Dingwall Academy - 26 laps Fortrose Junior Team - 23 laps Fortrose Senior Team - 22 laps
Achievement awards are listed below.
Youth Award Team 56 Combined Minus 1
Youngest Rider Dougal Masterson - 11 years (in a team with Victor Atkinson)
Oldest Rider Ron Smith - 79 years (solo)
Fastest Lap MBUK Magazine - 39 mins 26 secs

2020 Results

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2020 Strathpuffer Results[13]
Category 1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place
Male Solo Kyle Beattie - 25 laps Robbie Mitchell - 25 laps Martin Ross - 24 laps
Female Solo Zara Mair - 18 laps Natalie Munro - 17 laps Claire Campbell - 17 laps
Male Pair I - Cycles - 27 laps Young and Old - 25 laps Team Hair Loss - 24 laps
Female Pair bennachie bike bothy - 21 laps Double Trouble - 19 laps BlaneRiders - 12 laps

References

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  1. ^ Tares, Scot (20 January 2018). "Strathpuffer Webpage". Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  2. ^ "Tackling the Strathpuffer. The world's only winter 24-hour mountain bike enduro". bikeradar.com. 11 August 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  3. ^ "This Guy Has Got Stamina". The Highland Times. 18 January 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  4. ^ "Uneasy riders: Strathpuffer cyclists face mud and snow". BBC News. 19 January 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  5. ^ Green, Eve (30 December 2015). "9 of the best mountain biking events in 2016". Red Bull. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  6. ^ Barrett, Wil (23 January 2017). "Most Laps Completed Ever At 2017 Strathpuffer". Singletrack. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  7. ^ "The King And The Joker – Guy Martin And Jason Miles". Singletrack. 5 January 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  8. ^ Macleod, John (23 January 2015). "Snow, ice, blue skies - and darkness - make for the perfect Puffer at Strath". Ross-shire Journal. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  9. ^ "Route Changes Update | Strathpuffer 24". strathpuffer.co.uk. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  10. ^ "Four Teenage Girls Ride The Strathpuffer24 // Lee Craigie". The Adventure Syndicate. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  11. ^ Smith, Laura. "Extreme mountain biking sisters show their mettle in the gruelling Strathpuffer". Sunday Post. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  12. ^ Fiona (21 January 2019). "Strathpuffer 2019: The toughest yet". FionaOutdoors. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  13. ^ "404 - File or directory not found". {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
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