RALLYING CALL

Rapha’s Pennine Rally positions itself as an inclusive, accessible, multi-day bikepacking adventure, tasking participants with a lumpy 520km comprising bridleways, singletrack, drover roads and quietways between Edinburgh and Manchester. Charlie Allenby joins the three-day Express edition of the ultra-event

Charlie Allenby

I’ve run out of gears and any show of brute force through the cranks causes the loose, avocado-shaped pebbles to skittle from beneath my rear wheel. Navigating the boulder field on the 20%- plus incline has been made even more difficult with a full – albeit lightweight – bikepacking set-up; my handlebars have a mind of their own and edge me dangerously close to the hill’s precipice. My heart is pounding in my ears and adrenaline is coursing through my body. The top of the radio tower that marks the peak of ‘The Glack’ teases me on the brow of the climb but, with another 147km to go before my planned stop for the day, it’s time to accept defeat, save my matches and hike-a-bike the final 100m to the…

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Cycling Plus (Digital) - 1 Issue, November 2024

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