Photo by Andy Dodd.

After a long weekend, we've finally got back to normal after such an exciting weekend!

The dots were a little tricky to follow this year but we hope we provided enough of an idea of what was going on via the commentary and our Instagram. This early season race is often a spot to see where the UK scene might be heading in the upcoming year, with the Dales Divide being the perfect kit test for the HT550.

We saw multiple riders scratching this year due to mechanicals and poor weather! With some reporting burning through 4 sets of brakepads, some pretty chunk stuff out there. We also saw a couple of minor crashes and some intense electronic issues with flooded devices.

For anyone following along during the race, I hope you enjoyed the photos by Andy and me.

See you next year.

All photos by Andy Dodd

Jade Simpson-Field was the 2023 Dales Divide first solo woman. We think she may be this year, but we need your help! With some faulty trackers and we can't quite tell who was where. She finished at 3am this morning even though she's still showing in Dent! Congratulations whatever the result Jade. Massive Ride!

Jade shared some thoughts:

The Dales Divide includes some of my favourite off-road riding in the UK, and is a fantastic event for both seasoned, rookie and aspiring bikepacking racers! This year was brutal, with most riders being hours slower than previous years due to the poor conditions. I loved how tough it was this year!"

Jade also shared that the Barbie sountrack (which I'm now ferociously listening to as I tyep) kept her going throughout.

First Mixed Pair

Yesterday Will and Polly rolled into Arnside finishing as the first mixe4d pair of the year. We really must commend the duo for their unwavering positivity and levity throughout what was a pretty gruelling race! Riding as a unit and making sure there was fun to be had throughout.

Oliver Glen

After letting him rest for a bit I caught up with Ollie for an insight into his race. I met him last year at the Mountains of the Merfynion. Oliver is a younger rider, in his very early twenties he has tackled some big local races and rides. Last year in September, I saw him summiting Bwlch y Groes Mountain Pass at midnight. I hope this gives an idea of this up and coming racers mentality:

"Felt strong on day one and settled into a comfortable pace. I was hoping for a top 10 so I was super surprised to find myself in third at Boroughbridge. Decided to push on through the night and ended up in second when I got to Scarborough. Saturday was fairly uneventful, slow going with all the mud and I didn’t see any other riders. I knew Alex was ahead but had no idea how far which made it a bit tougher to motivate myself to chase. On the final night around 10 ish with 80km to go my rear derailleur got bent after being caught in my spokes somehow, I thought I’d have to scratch but somehow I still had 3 gears in the middle ofthe cassette that barely worked so I could ride but would have to push my bike up all the steeper climbs. The last 80km having to push my bike and trying hard to stay awake was pretty miserable but I eventually got round."

Well done Oliver!

All Photos by Andy Dodd

As I sit in my bed this sunny Easter morning, catching up on the commentary I feel as pleased as the last time my tubeless tyre seated for the first time. Finding Alex throughout the weekend has been a challenge and being able to see his speedy form appear over the top of Cam High Road was the best reward a DotWatcher can get; finding a ghost rider. For anyone who didn't catch it, Alex's tracker didn't work from the get go so our DotWatchers (Andy and me) have been out keeping an eye on the trackerless riders. I expanded a little more in the previous post, so go check that out for Alex’s win.

Oliver Glen

Oliver put in a big haul on a gravel bike this year. He finished at 7am this morning and is probably taking a well deserved rest. We’ve also had some issues finding Josh Reid as his tracker stopped working, if anyone has eyes on Josh, please give us a message!

Pairs Pairs Pairs

The duo on everyone’s mind - Will Robinson and Polly Milson. They’ve been powering through, Andy has caught them a few times and literally every photo there’s a beaming smile on both their faces. Whilst the Dales Divide isn’t an official race we acknowledge the differences in pairs’ riding and solo. Polly is currently the first woman on the course but is riding with Will! This is great for DotWatcher, we’ve seen Polly’s malteser catching contest, Will’s updates and plenty of antics on their social media.

Women’s Field

The attrition rate this year has been pretty vast. Jade Simpson-Field seems to be the first woman after Penny had to scratch due to losing the operation of both brakes. Taylor Doyle and Amy Holman also pulled out due to the horrendous conditions, a crash and some culmulative fatigue. Did you see Taylor’s Ultra Distance Scholarship Everesting?

Jade is a fierce competitor who is a self-confessed hardcore rider as she steps up her training and tactics this year. Her first time on a full suss at the DD, she definitely came with the right bike but it definitely makes changing those tubes a little more messy! A few punctures have definitely been had.

Pizza Pizza Pizza

Andy was hanging out at the Dominoes in Northallerton for a while last night and saw a stream of riders rolling through. We had Carl Hopps (pictured) ordering a big one and plenty of other riders choosing the most calorific toppings they could find. With the difficult conditions a key to success is finding somewhere to refuel, recharge your devices, get warm, use the facilities. Well, Dominoes ticks all those boxes and also provides some great lighting for Andy to take lasting photos for everyone!

A Reflection

With Alex being the only rider coming in before the wee hours the front bunch faced a strong dilemma: ride or rest. Night 1 is skippable, but once you start pressing for those 48 hours of awake it can really start to affect not only mentality and safety but also your riding speed and ability. Many riders will rest and aim for a midday finish today so make sure you keep an eye on the tracker!

Alex McCormack won the Dales Divide last night, rolling into Arnside Pier at 2125 local time.

With a tracker error from the get-go, our on the ground DotWatcher team, Kitty (me) and Andy have been ensuring we can catch Alex wherever possible.

Alex finished in 1 day and 13 hours, rolling in just two hours after Justinas last year. He was in good spirits as he rolled into Arnside and was greeted by his partner and dog Jura as well as a couple of dotwatchers! Alex had his eyes on the FKT, but with the change in weather this year the terrain was a lot harder to move efficiently over. Could we see a return for the FKT?

With deep bog, waterlogged tracks and heather fires, purposeful and controlled burning on brush in the UK, to contend with, Alex led the race from the off. Many onlookers tucked up over the Easter weekend missed the micro-climate that is the Yorkshire Dales. With hail, rain and high winds at the tail end of day 1 it has been a rough one!

Well done Alex!

All photos by Andy Dodd

After a long night, we’ve been trying to track the riders down. As the night wore on we saw more and more riders succumbing to the mud, with some choosing to spend the night in York and others heading home.

Alex McCormack is in the lead still, not tracking, we reckon he is floating around an hour and a half ahead of Oliver Glen. Oli had a nightmare last night, losing his GPS device’s power due to flooding it, he had to wait a few hours to get it sorted. There seems to be an issue with this for several riders, who are also reporting lost devices and running out of power.

Jade Simpson Field, Dales Divide fanatic, has reported this has been the hardest edition ever despite it being the first time she has headed out on a hardtail. If this isn’t a seal of “This is Hard” then I don’t know what is!

We’ve had quite a few scratches, notably Penny Wilkin who was in the top three women has had to scratch due to both brakes not working. Another issue that many riders are facing with brake pads being in short supply! The boggy, gritty riding terrain is accumulating and sticking on the riders’ rotors causing accelerated pad wear.

There’s been plenty of refuelling in Scarborough as riders follow around the East side of the route, McDonald's and the local shops have all been raided with muddy footprints, empty shelves and tyre tracks leading the observant few to find where the ultra-cyclists have been.

Whilst I head back out to find Alex (wherever he may be) I’ll try and find some entertaining anecdotes on the road.

Photos by Andy Dodd

This year's race was preceded by a torrent of rain, wind and hail throughout the Dales. Despite the sky clearing and the glorious sun shining down on our faces at Arnside Pier, the ground didn't quite get the memo. With the first section between Arnside and Ribblehead being described as a soggy mattress, the fat tyres and extended gear ratios have been a godsend for this edition. The time can be made up on the road and the compacted gravel, but will the cumulative fatigue catch up to the thinly tyred gravel riders?

The tracking has changed for the DD this year with a new provider. This means there are a few changes and some may not be as well acquainted with this system. To add to this, many riders have opted not to use a tracker this year and others are having tracker issues. We’ll try as hard as we can to demystify the dots with our on-the-ground DotReporting from yours truly and Andy Dodd.

What has been occurring?

Alex McCormack, Albion and Tailfin R&D rider led the charge into Ribblehead with a slick setup and plenty of gas still in the tank. As of this post, he seems to be still leading the race. Other riders in the top group are fighting through the rain in Glasshouses at the moment. Importantly, who will rest through the rain and who will push through? With the current Fastest Known Time being a day and a half, sleep may not be enticing to the many speedy riders pushing through.

In the pairs category, Will Robinson and Polly Milson are the first pair with Polly therefore being the first woman in the race. They’ve been riding quickly from the get-go, with a seemingly strong ethic to their team riding.

Penny Wilkin is riding in 1st solo. Amy Holman was pacing along behind Jade Simpson Field in 2nd and 3rd but a long and gruelling day in the rain and Amy has called it. So the top three are vying for a spot with Taylor Doyle closing in on them.

What are we looking out for?

The riders are moving quickly along the Southern half of the loop but as they head into York for most likely a resupply, they’ve got the boggy Moors. Notorious for being knee-deep mud and bog, the North Yorks Moors are bleak, cold and often disorientating. The going will get tough after York and Scarborough will be calling to a lot of the riders, a solid halfway stop. Will we see most of the riders pushing on or will there be some hotel rooms booked last minute in York? Keep an eye out on the tracking to see what happens!

We’ll be back in the morning to add some context to the night’s antics, but for now here is Andy Dodd’s light trails through Glasshouses as the riders push on into the night.

EDIT: Ashley Cordingley is a male rider and we've amended to reflect it in the commentary.

This year, we've got an in-depth preview from race vet, Ali Macleod with photos by Jonathan Kambskarð-Bennett:

For most, Easter is an invitation to enjoy a long weekend of home comforts: two extra days off work, time well spent with family, and getting outside in the warmth of early spring. For a small few, it marks the annual congregation at Arnside Pier, a double traverse of the English countryside, and late night dining at petrol stations. An unpredictable April holiday, better known as the Dales Divide race...

Click here to read his full preview