Any event with that in its description was bound to attract a few nutcases and sure enough about 270 turned up including a Quartet from the YRC. This event is held in the Colne Valley near Huddersfield which seems to have more ‘ups and downs’ than a fiddlers elbow. The terrain is such that you are either riding up a 1 in 4 or down one with hardly anything flat in-between.
             Brian Jennings, Mike Kershaw, Steve Gregory and Graham Heath all decided that pain was a good thing and decided to give it ago.  We massed on the start line and Brian and Steve pushed their way through the crowd to get a decent position. The whistle sounded and off they went, with Steve sprinting to the front up the first cobbled 1 in 4. Brian was shocked by Steve’s strong Start and only just managed to hold his wheel, unfortunately after about 75 yards Steve’s challenge was over and he melted back into the pack.
            Mike Kershaw’s usual excuses were trotted out. Mike had been out for a curry the night before and had suffered considerable discomfort on the way out with some ‘Mud in his eye’ (A curry related condition.)  Mike also made a wrong turn during the event which had cost him a great deal of time and effort. I must admit to a bit of a smile as I saw him riding flat out in the wrong direction!  Brian carried on at the pace Steve had set him and managed a very good second place. Consensus was that if he hadn’t tried to hold Steve at the start he would have probably won it by some considerable distance.
            Graham Heath and Mike Kershaw finished in 25th & 32nd place with Steve not far behind. Steve took some satisfaction from the pace he had set the Leaders and then nursed his injuries over a beer which he had sustained from a couple of unplanned dismounts that occurred during the event.