Rat Race | The Crossing

Terrain

You should expect more off-road than on and where there are roads or tarmac surfaces, these are predominantly quiet country lanes and cycle-ways which link together superb and varied off-road sections. Feedback from those who complete it say the road sections are a welcome change and allow the body to recover from some of the tougher off road action.

Bike type

You can bring your own bike or hire one for an extra fee. A mountain bike is best (all other bike types will struggle). It does not have to be flash or fancy, but it does need off-road tyres and must be reliable. Electric bikes are permitted too.

Accommodation

Accommodation is offered on a double or twin room basis. If you are taking part on your own, you will be paired with another participant of the same sex in a twin room.

Meals

All meals are included - breakfast, snacks, lunch and dinners. 

Kit list

A comprehensive kit list will be available.

Season

• Jan
• Feb
• Mar
• Apr
• May
• Jun
• Jul
• Aug
• Sep
• Oct
• Nov
• Dec

Meeting point

Whitehaven
Whitehaven
Cumbria
UK

Itinerary

• Day 1 | Meet up at HQ

  It is here that you will park your cars for the weekend and meet up with your fellow riders. There’ll be a short registration process to get the admin out of the way after which you’ll load the bikes and baggage in to trailers. This should take about 2hrs before heading off on the 3hr drive to Whitehaven. The convoy will stop for a break on the way. After checking in the hotel you’ll be free to get yourselves ready for the next day before gathering for dinner which will include a briefing about the first day riding.

• Day 1 | Lake District

  Early start. Be up and ready to leave the hotel by 7am for the short drive to the start. After unloading the bikes and some general faffing your journey across the country will start at 8am. After dipping your front wheel in the sea you’ll tackle 70 miles and 6500ft of ascent today so there’s plenty of riding to do and the biggest climb is in the second half.

  

• Day 2 | Yorkshire Dales

  Up and at ’em again! 7am breakfast for an 8am ride start. At 64 miles and 4500ft ascent day 2 is easier than day 1. The on-road content is also higher so progress should feel notably quicker. The Yorkshire Dales are stunning and the route winds through Swaledale, the jewel in the crown of today's route. The main pit stop is at 39 miles at The Dales Bike Centre. Once past Richmond the flatlands of the vale of York allow the legs to coast you into Northallerton for night 2. That's the second National Park done.

  

• Day 3 | North York Moors

  Final day to the coast. Up an hour earlier today aiming to start by 7am. The North York Moors offers exceptional mountain biking, saving the best till last! 61 miles and 5300ft of ascent are all that lie between you and victory in this coast to coast adventure. The pit stop is in the quant village of Hutton le Hole at 32 miles. You’ll finish right on the shore in Scarborough so you can dip a wheel in the sea to mirror the start in Whitehaven. That's the third and final National Park done! Fish and chips and an ice cream are your reward for 3 epic days of riding!

Included

• Accommodation

  3 nights accommodation in hostels and B&B with luggage transfer from day to day.

• All meals

  All meals included as standard, at hostels and in camp, cooked up by expert catering crew.

• Guides and support

  Professional mountain safety, mechanical, medical and welfare staff and support.

• Safety

  Professional local and UK safety staff, bike mechanic, medics, drivers, route safety staff and experts on hand throughout. Audited and accredited to BS8848 expedition safety standard.

• Transfer policy

  Flexible transfer policy on bookings.

• Medal and t-shirt

  High quality medal, rat rag and premium t-shirt for all participants.

Not Included

• Bike hire

  You can provide your own bike, or you may hire one for an extra fee.

Meals

• 3 breakfasts
• 3 lunches
• Daily Pit Stops
• 3 hearty evening meals

Mechanics

At the overnight locations (and at the start) there will be a Bike Workshop offering light bike maintenance. It has bike spares for sale. The labour for this service is free to you but any parts that are required will need to be paid for. To be clear, this is repair support for issues you may be having or have arisen during the day and not a free daily bike service.

Trip leader

James is your leader for this adventure. He's a multi-lingual running machine!

Environmental pledge

This adventure has made a firm commitment to really elevate its approach to a sustainable and environmentally aware way of working. Each activity has been assessed to improve its environmental impact, including:

• race t-shirts to be collected at the event and not shipped across the world
• wooden medals instead of metal
• phasing out single-use plastics
• local event catering
• tighter recycling activities

This event is on track to achieve carbon-neutral in its day-to-day business activities and is making progress with carbon off-setting for worldwide travel, including ground-breaking ways to make a difference in some of the host locations.

Age

16 and 17 year olds will be considered on an individual basis, if taking part with a responsible adult.

Instalment plan

eg. Pay £250 in 5 instalments.

Choose how many months you want to spread the cost over, totally interest free. There is no credit check required to use this facility. When you sign up to the installment plan a recurring payment will be set up and your card will be debited on the same date each month.

Refund protect

Add Refund Protect to your booking during purchase and receive a full refund of your entry fee if you are unable to attend the event due to a qualifying unforeseen circumstance.

Costs