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Sunday the 25th of September saw the triumphant return of the unique racing spectacle that is the 3 Peaks Cyclocross race! The 58th edition of the race took place on a relatively calm day, with light winds and just a little light drizzle on the 3rd and final peak of Pen-Y-Ghent around midday. After a brief hiatus due to Covid it was fantastic to see lots of familiar faces returning to the race along with plenty of first time competitors all lining up at Helwith Bridge to take the start just after 9.30am. Waiting ahead of them was a testing 38 mile loop, with 20 miles off-road and 18 miles on-road as well as 5,000 feet of climbing some of which is completely unrideable, as racers summit the 3 peaks of Ingleborough, Whernside and finally Pen-Y-Ghent.
Watch the 3 Peaks Cyclocross 2022 film by Dave MacFarlane…
Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli were there in numbers to show themselves at the sharp end of the race and went into this year’s edition with high hopes for their racers, particularly Giles Drake who has continually shown himself to have the potential to take the win in recent years. Coming into the event with great form and with even more focus on the event in his training Giles couldn’t have been better prepared for the Peaks. With a well-organised support crew and some of the very best equipment at his disposal, including his Cannondale SuperSix EVO CX team bikes the only potential fly in the ointment was lady luck. A podium place in 2018 and an unfortunate navigational error early in the 2019 edition had left Giles hungry for success in 2022 and we all went into this race excited for what the outcome could be.
As the front of the race hit the infamous slopes of Simon Fell Rob Jebb and Giles Drake were already pulling away from the rest of the field.
Lining up alongside Giles as part of the Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli team was experienced racer and current V40 World Cyclocross Champion Lewis Craven. Lewis has also tasted success at the 3 Peaks in previous years, having already raced this unique event 13 times before as well as taking a podium place in the past. Seeing Lewis race in the distinctive World Champion’s Rainbow jersey would be particularly special and we were confident that barring any mishaps Lewis would be towards the front of the race.
Wheelbase’s Lewis Craven, the current V40 World Cyclocross Champion quickly established himself in the top 20 riders up Simon Fell.
Wheelbase’s Olli Dawson took an impressive 3rd place at the UK’s toughest Sportive, the Fred Whitton Challenge earlier in the year behind Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli teammates Giles Drake and Tom Merry so we knew he had the potential to deliver at the 3 Peaks; a super-strong rider on the road who also has jedi-like bike handling skills off-road Olli held a lot of promise going into this year’s Peaks which would be his second attempt at a high placing.
In only his 2nd attempt at the 3 Peaks Wheelbase’s Olli Dawson was right at the sharp end of the race from the very beginning.
Wheelbase’s Dave Haygarth was lining up in Helwith Bridge for the 22nd time! A true veteran of the race Dave probably has more enthusiasm for the 3 Peaks Cyclocross than any other rider. It’s common knowledge amongst the racing fraternity that the 3 Peaks has to be learnt over time and there’s been some hard lessons along the way including the odd broken collarbone for Dave. It could be called the school of hard knocks, but racers like Dave Haygarth, Lewis Craven, Rob Jebb, Paul Oldham and Nick Craig can all claim to have done their homework, carrying an encyclopaedic knowledge of nearly every single metre of the 38 mile course.
Despite feeling a little under the weather Dave Haygarth’s enthusiasm could not be dampened, as he took on his 22nd edition of the 3 Peaks.
To capture this amazing a race I firstly positioned myself on the precariously steep slopes of Simon Fell along with our talented photographer James Vincent and brilliant videographer Dave MacFarlane. After the fast-moving peloton of riders had completed the first 3 mile stretch of road they swung off onto the first stretch of grass and open moorland with the infamous, near-vertical gradient directly ahead of them. As the pack thinned out and riders came into clear view it was obvious that there were already two racers pulling away from the group; multiple 3 Peaks Cyclocross winner Rob Jebb had the lead but Giles was directly on his heels and holding pace as they passed us breathing hard but completely focused on the task ahead of them.
Only a couple of places behind was Wheelbase’s Olli Dawson who was clearly feeling strong and displaying an obvious determination to keep the leaders in view as he crested the steepest portion of Simon Fell before taking on the long, exposed plateau on the top of Ingleborough. Lewis Craven passed us shortly after looking comfortable and in good spirits within the top 20 and having enough energy to join in on some hill-side banter with UK mountain bike legend and former 3 Peaks winner Nick Craig who was happily updating us on racing conditions as he negotiated the steepest gradient of the entire route. Further down the fell Dave Haygarth came into view, his distinct silhouette instantly recognisable as his long legs levered him up the hill; it would come to light after the race that Dave had been a little unwell going into the 3 Peaks and this was affecting his ability to hold the sort of pace he typically carries uphill.
The steep gradient of Simon Fell is something to behold. Giles Drake successfully kept pace with fell running specialist Rob Jebb.
I’ve eluded to this already, but it can’t be understated, luck nearly always plays a roll in the outcome of the 3 Peaks. Despite all the meticulous pre-race training and preparation along with all of the equipment-tuning and strategizing of your support team things can and do go wrong very quickly. The 3 Peaks asks a lot from cyclocross bikes that were never designed to handle the sort of terrain encountered in this slightly ridiculous race. Gearing and braking options are keenly debated beforehand but there’s one aspect of bike equipment that’s discussed more than any other – tyre choice and setup. The unforgiving rocky tracks wreak havoc on thin, fragile 35mm cross tyres forcing riders to finesse their bikes downhill as effectively as they can, balancing the benefits of a speedy descent with the ever-present risk of flatting a trye.
Wheelbase’s Giles Drake incurred a slow puncture coming down the first descent down Ingleborough, but thanks to the modern tubeless tyre set-up with sealant inside this one sealed itself and helped Drake to chase down Rob Jebb on the long valley road before starting the arduous climb of Whernside. Waiting at the bottom of the long Whernside descent, stood next to the iconic Ribblehead Viaduct we listened to the race announcer for updates on who had scaled the 2nd peak first and were overjoyed to hear the Giles had in fact gained the lead along the exposed plateau at the top before the descent back down to civilisation.
Shortly after, it became clear that something had gone seriously wrong as Rob Jebb came into view alone, dropping down to the feed station alongside the viaduct looking focused on putting as much time into the chasers as possible along the next road section. An unfortunate puncture on the descent had seen Giles’ advantage reversed in the time it takes for a cross tyre to eject its air and now he was tasked with chasing alone of the fast road down to the base of Pen-Y-Ghent.
After leading the race on the top of Whernside Giles Drake succumbed to a puncture on the descent, leaving him to chase the leaders alone.
Not long after Olli Dawson arrived at the same spot with a rear wheel puncture and had to quickly seek assistance from his support crew to do a rapid wheel change to prevent him losing too many places. The young rider remained as composed as possible and was soon sprinting back up the remaining gravel track and onto the smooth tarmac for a brief respite before taking on the 3rd and final peak of Pen-Y-Ghent. Next up was our very own World Champ Lewis Craven who was just quietly getting on with the race, riding strongly where he could, conserving energy on the running sections and gaining significant chunks of time by throwing his bike down the descents with the sort of bike handling skills he’s developed over years of riding this unforgiving course.
Wheelbase’s Olli Dawson incurred a puncture on the way down off Whernside, but remained composed enough to save his race.
The effort is obvious for all to see as Olli begins the chase back towards the very front of the race.
With 13 editions already under his belt Lewis Craven has all of the experience required to put together a strong result at the 3 Peaks.
Resplendent in his V40 World Cyclocross Champion jersey Lewis Craven passed Ribblehead Viaduct ready to make short work of the road section to Pen-Y-Ghent.
At the front of the race Giles had put the hammer down and had amazingly clawed his way back to 2nd place behind a charging Rob Jebb. Pen-Y-Ghent is a little different to its two companion peaks in that riders climb and descend on the same track; this adds a little more chaos to an already frenetic race with the leading riders scaling the top and turning to descend back down as the majority of competitors are still at the foothills, just beginning their ascent. Throw in packs of enthusiastic spectators, family, friends and support crews all along the track and it all gets a bit unpredictable when it comes to line choice. It’s safe to say that with a large portion of the climb up being rideable, racers who have dosed their efforts to this point can make real gains here, however, switch off mentally on the way down and start thinking about the finishing line too soon and you’ll come unstuck.
Descending off the final peak of Pen-Y-Ghent Olli could begin to enjoy his high finishing position of 10th place. A fantastic result!
Unfortunately Giles suffered ANOTHER puncture of Pen-Y-Ghent pushing him back from his hard-earned 2nd position back to 4th place which he would then hold to the line. A little further back and Olli Dawson was showing his talent for descending more than matched his strength pedalling uphill; he would soon be drifting over the loose pebbled section of track at the bottom of Pen-Y-Ghent and back onto the tarmac for a strong ride back to Helwith Bridge to take a brilliant 10th place overall. Lewis always enjoys the descent off the third and final peak and cruised down the fast, tight track and back along the road to cross the line in 15th position – another strong showing from this 3 Peaks veteran. Dave Haygarth was still feeling under the weather and lacking power on the pedalling sections, but was happily picking off riders on the descents where his ’22 rides and counting’ home advantage really came into play.
Lewis remained calm and composed throughout this unpredictable race and came away with another great result of 15th place.
All credit to Giles Drake, despite the obvious frustration of having his 3 Peaks race outcome affected yet again by an unwelcome slice of bad luck he quickly composed himself after the race and was philosophical about what could have been; taking his strong performance on the bike (punctures aside) as a sign that the win will eventually come. Rob Jebb’s 2022 win proves that longevity is key in this unique race. That’s no coincidence; it’s down to the fact that racing the Peaks to win is a real art that needs to be refined offer the years. Giles has time on his side and will be back next rear to try again; that’s the beauty of this ridiculous race, you can’t help but keep coming back for more…
We’ll leave Giles to sign this one off…
The 3 Peaks Cycloross race will always be be an uphill battle and I fought with everything I had for the win but luck wasn’t on my side. I punctured, I led the race over Whernside, I punctured again, I clawed my way back to second, I punctured again, I finished 4th. Anyone who lives with me, trains with me, speaks to me about my racing and asks me what matters, they’ll always get ‘Peaks, it’s all about the Peaks’ as a response. So yes, it’s safe to say I’m gutted but I’m truly proud of how I rode/ran/crawled to 4th place. The battle isn’t just against the legend that is Rob Jebb or fellow podium finishers Will Weatherill and Dave Mirfield, it’s against the hills, the terrain & yourself. Thank you to everyone that supported or tolerated me these last few weeks, months, years… it’ll never change & I’m already counting the days till next year…
Despite the frustrations of multiple punctures, Giles was philosophical about his performance. Wheelbase are incredibly proud of his excellent 4th place finishing position!
Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli Team Results:
- Giles Drake 4th
- Olli Dawson 10th
- Lewis Craven 15th
- Dave Haygarth 84th
- Ryan Middlemiss 201st
Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli’s Dave Haygarth is a true veteran of the 3 Peaks Cyclocross race; you can read his own account of his ride here:
3 Ups and 3 Downs by Dave Haygarth
Bike Check
Depending on how the race progresses and how much each racer’s luck holds it’s not unusual to see riders changing bikes at key parts of the course or as a speedy solution to an untimely puncture, rather than a more lengthy wheel change. Giles Drake started this year’s race on his favourite Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli team bike; the versatile Cannondale SuperSix EVO CX bike has been designed to handle traditional cyclocross racing AND fast-paced gravel racing with the bike’s geometry hitting a magic sweet spot that suits both styles of racing. This made choosing the SuperSix EVO CX as his ‘first bike’ a no-brainer for Giles.
Cannondale SuperSix EVO CX RRP £4,000.00 OFFER PRICE £3,199.00
Written by Johnny Dodgin
All photos by James Vincent
Video by Dave MacFarlane
It was great to see everyone back at the 3 Peaks Cyclocross race this year! James Vincent managed to capture the sheer grit, unpredictability and downright craziness of this unique race in a series of great photos; scroll through below….
