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Twenty-two year old Moray woman, Beth Sands, recently faced the challenge of a lifetime, taking part in one of the top-ten most difficult mountain bike races in the world.

The Strathpuffer, started in 2005 as a local one-off event for a few brave souls, has grown to become one of the most highly contested mountain bike challenges of its kind in the world. It takes place each year in January in the Torrachilty forest at Contin, near Strathpeffer in Ross-shire and is a 24 hour mountain bike race that is as tough as it comes. Not only do competitors have to cope with around 18 hours of darkness, they also have to deal with whatever weather a Scottish winter can throw at them. From gales to temperatures as low as minus 10 degrees, the Strathpuffer has seen it all in its short history. Riders have to cope with mud, rain and ice and more often than not they have only head torches and bike lights to illuminate the way.

In amongst the solo riders this year Beth Sands was one of only 16 women taking part. This is a sport where men out-number the ladies by a long way and ladies that take part in mountain biking of any kind are a tough breed indeed. Along with the solos; pairs, quads and teams of ten make up the numbers in the ‘Puffer and as well as ladies, under 16s also take on the challenge. It’s to the men though that the top places and records generally go.

So revered is the ‘Puffer that it took three years for Beth to actually gain a place in the race, only being offered the chance to join the 2016 event late in 2015 when more places became available. Beth, a seasoned mountain biker who has successfully completed the women’s only Ride Like a Grrl event twice and the Smugglers Soiree held at Glenlivet a couple of years ago, regularly rides and trains from her home on Speyside. Not only does Beth ride mountain bikes though; she rides horses for a living, being one of the very few freelance equine grooms in the area.

Fitness is all-important for the ‘Puffer and Beth’s base fitness is up there with the best. If you stop to consider that the competition at Contin is as much about mental stamina as it is physical and that the mind sapping darkness is probably the most difficult obstacle to overcome, then mental stamina becomes all-important.

The 11km course includes fire-roads and single track paths through the forest with several large stone slabs to catch riders out, particularly in the dark and if iced over. The route climbs to Loch na Crann and drops in a series bends, swings and turns throughout the forest before returning to the ‘dibbing’ in area, where the whole thing begins again. The idea is that the person, pair or team who completes the most laps in the 24 hours takes top place in their particular section.

The race begins at 10am on the Saturday with a Le Mans style run to the waiting bikes and ends at 11am the following day with a prize giving shortly after. Each solo rider must ‘dib’ in at the end of a lap with teams and pairs doing similar, each lap is accurately timed with the fastest riders being able to complete early laps in a little over 30 minutes. As time wears on lap times get longer and through the night as the darkness takes its toll, riders may opt to sit out for several hours taking time to rest or eat.

Following the drive from Moray to Contin, Beth and her back-up team consisting of mechanical help, cook and organiser and supporter, set up camp. Setting up at the Puffer is almost as important as the race itself and to the untrained eye can look a bit like organised chaos. Those who need flat ground for caravans and the like are directed to the area closest to the official marquee, everyone else who is able to, is directed to park on the course and there mobile homes rub shoulders with 4x4s, horseboxes, vans, tents, awnings and innumerable home-made shelters. This sprawling ‘village’ provides a temporary home for the mass of riders and supporters throughout the race. It’s here that generators hum throughout the night, home-made heating devices belt out heat and flames and cooking out of doors takes on a new meaning; for food and its production is all important for riders who rapidly use up energy and need refuelling and re-hydrating every couple of laps or so in order to continue riding. The 2016 ‘Puffer was no different to other years with entrants being required to register on the Friday evening or prior to the race briefing on the Saturday morning. The briefing over; with a quick reminder to look out for your fellow riders, cyclists were piped to the start and at 10am on the dot began the run to the assembled bikes.

Those first off the mark included lorry mechanic, TT motorcycle ace and occasional TV presenter Guy Martin who was in training for his Tour Divide debut later in the year. Having cycled the 400 plus miles from his base near Grimsby to the ‘Puffer didn’t stop the inimitable Mr. Martin from putting in a creditable 15 laps in the ensuing Puffer but precluded a podium finish, something he’d managed several times in recent years. Beth wasn’t far behind the main crowd and started the race with her characteristic smile. Training had clearly paid off for Beth with the ride up the fire-road towards the top of the track presenting few problems. Always a steady rider and mindful of her bike, Beth maintained a good pace throughout the first lap thoroughly enjoying the downhill section and the new line of descent through the trees to the dibbing in area. Then the real fun began.

Riders spaced out and due to warm weather following a few frosty days in the run up to the ‘Puffer the ground began to soften, mud appeared and on the newly created sections a cement like substance began to create problems for many of the riders. Beth commented that if you’d let go of your bike in some areas, the going was so difficult that the bikes would have stood up by themselves. Many riders took to walking or running the most difficult sections and the queue at the bike-wash grew longer and longer as riders washed chains and gears clear of thick, glutinous mud, grit and debris in order to keep going. Many riders swapped to second or back-up bikes with most needing running repairs. Conservative riding enabled Beth to ride on without this.

As darkness fell Beth got her second wind and found riding in the dark easier than in the daylight. ‘Not being able to see more than 20 yards in front of you helped you forget about the mud and the camaraderie between the riders kept me going,’ she said. At 10pm, a full 12 hours into the race fireworks marked the halfway point, spurring riders, including Beth, on. A steady stream of bike lights showed just how many riders were still out, a stream that continued relentlessly throughout the night. Just prior to midnight and following an accident to a fellow rider, Beth decided to call it a day and with 5 laps of the 11km course under her belt, took a well-earned rest, on this her first ‘Puffer attempt.

As dawn broke on the Sunday morning the solos and teams still riding put in their last few laps before the cut-off point at 11am. Keith Forsyth, overall solo winner managed to still look fresh as he completed his final and 28th lap to take top spot, and almost as suddenly as it had begun the 2016 Puffer was over. Beth’s response to her first ride in the epic race was enthusiastic. ‘It was fantastic I wouldn’t have missed it for the world, the best part was riding shoulder to shoulder with Guy Martin, something I never thought possible. He holds the British record for outright speed on a bicycle at 110mph, so to be there riding with the likes of him was a personal highlight for me. Will I be back next year? I most certainly hope so.

Mountain bike riders are amongst the friendliest group of people I’ve come across, couple that with the ‘Puffer and you have perfection on two wheels,’ she ended.

All rights reserved. © Heidi M. Sands. 2016.