Clive’s Countdown
Three Peaks timeline
06:30 Awake in Wales with James Brown’s The Boss going round in my head. Eat porridge, drink tea, tape ankles and prep Transition Bandit. 07:45 Official start. Head up Snowdon’s Llanberis Path with blue sky and rising sun sneaking up over the ridgeline. 09:01 Reach Snowdon summit, feeling great. 09:21 Arrive back at the car, with very hot brakes. 09:26 Depart Llanberis quicker than Ayrton Senna on speed.
09:53 Arrive at Marin Trail. 11:40 Complete trail, well ahead of schedule. Hoping for a clear run north. 13:10 Join the M6. Minimal traffic and maintaining a good average. Still got The Boss on repeat play. 14:48 Reach Glenridding, in the Lake District. 14:56 Start the long haul up Helvellyn. It’s now super-hot – 31°C according to my Garmin Edge 1000 GPS unit! 16:14 Summit Helvellyn, discuss full-suspension bikes with intrigued walker, bag a selfie, eat a MuleBar, then start the descent. 16:43 Arrive back in Glenridding, quick change and depart. 17:23 Reach Whinlatter – it’s Transition TransAM time. My support team heads off to refuel the car in Keswick. My pace slows as I try to conserve energy. Complete the Altura Trail in 1hr 24mins. Time for a quick wash and change. 19:10 Depart for Scotland. Try to sleep but I’m wired and JB reminds me “I’m a bad mutha”. Bad muthas don’t need no sleep. 23:20 Arrive at the Ben Nevis Inn and Bunkhouse, just outside Fort William. Methodically prep for nighttime ascent and descent. 23:40 Grab Transition Covert and begin the climb. 02:28 Summit Ben Nevis with an aching leg (bike hit me hard in the calf while climbing). It was tough, my head has gone, it all seems surreal. 02:36 Treacherous descent in darkness begins. The vibrations shake the remaining energy from my limbs, cramps increase. 03:00 The witching hour and a small crash. I’m back up and rolling but aching. 03:44 The noise of the wind and roar of the river silences James Brown. “I’d paid the cost to be the boss.” I just want to be off that mountain and back with Daria and Kevin. 04:22 Arrive at Nevis Range. I’m beaten, broken and soon to be bitten by hordes of midges. Force myself to relieve the cramps and refuel. 05:00 Depart the car park. James Brown is back! Told you so… The sun rises as I crest the high point on the World Cup trail. Overwhelmed with emotion, a surge of energy propels me to the finish. There are no podiums, no prizes, just a crowd of midges and two sleeping pit crew to greet me. 05:48 Wake the crew and stop the clock. It’s done – 22hrs 03mins!