How can I put the Fred Whitton into words? Well, it is both brutal and beautiful given it routes around the Lake District. I suffered for 7 + hours in glorious sunshine soaking up the scenery and relishing the moments when the roaring crowds shouted comments of encouragement on the side of the roads. A truly mesmerising experience and one I will never forget.
As an avid cyclist from the Muslim community I was keen to have a go at one of the UK most difficult cycling event. What made this even more challenging was it took part a week after the month of where I’d been observing the fasts of Ramadan. In hindsight this was a blessing as I was the lightest I had ever been at 70kg which definitely helped with the climbs.
I had travelled the day before in order to collect my race number and was staying in a lovely BnB in Ambleside 3 miles from the start. This was super convenient as everything was close by including an abundance of restaurants for the evening meal.
On the day of the event I left the BnB at around 5:30am in order to start in the first waves mainly to ensure I finished within the cut off times due to the distance and elevation involved. I hadn’t ridden in the Lake District much but knew how strenuous and challenging it was going to be. The route takes in all of the Lakeland passes such as Kirkstone, Honister, Newlands, Patterdale, Whinlatter, Hardknott, Wrynose and Blea Tarn. Hardknott at 98 miles with a max gradient of up to 30%….OUCH!
At the first climb (Kirkstone pass) I found myself amongst a small group of riders and kind of all stayed together as we crested the top. Descending wasn’t my strength and therefore dropped off the back only to find another group on the flat section. A bit of through and off kept the group together but more importantly being efficient in the draft to help recover for what was about to come towards the pointy end of the event.
After tacking the first couple of climbs I started to feel better and better as the day went on. I began to get into what felt like my own rhythm and flow. My body started to adapt to the challenging terrain but in the back of my mind I knew it was going to get harder as the day went on. Seeing riders in front helped me focus and reminded me I wasn’t alone. I managed to jump across to different groups in the draft saving energy. At one point I rode past a fellow club member so eased off so we could ride together. After waiting for some time I decided to make progress and carried on at my own pace only to realise he had ridden to the start from Bradford which is why he never came across!
As I rode over Cold Fell and into Eskdale it was onto the main climb of the day, Hardknott Pass. Id done it once before on Brothers on Bikes organised ride about 5 years ago so kind of knew what was in store! It was going to be a real big test, 10/10 climb in the Simon Warrens infamous 100 climbs book and it sure was. Grinding my way up it on a 35/33 through the switchbacks and praying it was going to end soon. At times I tried to sit down and pedal but it just wasn’t happening without getting out of the saddle. Lots of people walking but I was determined to get to the top without putting a foot down as they say.
As I started descending Wrynose Pass I felt slight cramp on my right leg and luckily there was a water stop in the distance. I managed to unclip for a brief moment to take some water as well as stretch the leg. By this point the adrenaline was kicking in, I knew I hadn’t long until it finished. One final climb Blea Tarn and that was it. I crested Blea Tarn with ease and then looked forward to the mainly flat final section into the start finish. A rider from the Lakes Road club who I rode with earlier came past shouting to get on his wheel. I tried to get on but didnt want to push too hard at this stage given the cramp earlier so let the wheel go. As I got closer to the start/finish banner I was greeted by huge crowds which helped lift the mood. I was surprised as to how fresh I felt at the end considering I was observing the fasts of Ramadan for 30 consecutive days a week prior to the event.
Fred Whitton 2023 | Ride | Strava
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Altaf Hussain 
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