#JENNRIDE 2021 – PHOTO EXTRAVAGANZA!

Last Saturday the 26th of June saw the return of the challenging #JENNRIDE two day Bike Packing event starting at Wheelbase in Staveley. It was great to see the event back after a year off due to the Coronavirus!

The #Jennride is a 100 mile off road bike packing charity event in memory of Jenn Hill organised by Wheelbase’s own local postie and well-known Lake District mountain biker Rich Munro! This brilliant bike packing adventure follows a route that takes in all that’s good with the Lake District trails – long off-road climbs, picturesque stretches and super-fun downhill sections.

In memory of Jenn Hill the event was raising money for St Gemma’s Hospice – St. Gemma’s Hospice provides specialist medical and nursing care for people with life threatening illnesses, predominantly cancer, along with support for their families, in the In-Patient Unit, by the community care nurses, in the Day Hospice, or as an Out-Patient.

After a particularly wet Friday spent setting up the event we were relieved to find that come Saturday morning the sun had reappeared and then pretty much stayed out for the duration of the weekend, save for a few hours of darkness during this mid-summer event. Participants rode a really wide range of adapted mountain bikes, carrying everything they needed to ride and camp for the night.

Our talented photographer James Vincent was there to capture this super-social event and we’ve put together a collection of images to help reflect on such a successful event; if you took part, then thanks again for your support and participation. If you didn’t take part this year and are inspired by our photos then please do make sure you enter the 2022 edition, it really is a fantastic event!

 

One of the most interesting aspects of the #JENNRIDE is seeing each participant’s Bike Packing rig and exactly what they choose to carry, here’s some great examples… 

 

About Jenn Hill…

Jenn Hill sadly passed away in October 2015 after a short battle with Cancer. She was well-loved by so many people within the UK mountain biking community and her death touched a lot of people. Her passion for racing and in particular, taking part in gruelling 24 mountain bike events was infectious; adventure was in her heart and she was renowned for being able to take on big challenges on the bike with a focus on racing solo for 24 hours being her speciality. One of Jenn’s greatest achievements within mountain biking was her completion of the Great Divide Race – a 2,500 mile race down the spine of the Rocky Mountains in the USA from the Canadian to the Mexican borders. Aside from racing Jenn had a background working in the bike trade before moving into mountain bike journalism within the small Singletrack Magazine team and eventually becoming the Deputy Editor. Living in Calderdale Jenn would often make the trip up to the Lakes to ride some of her favourite trails and with this in mind we think it’s really fitting that the #JENNRIDE continues to take place here, challenging adventurous bike packers to complete a 100 mile loop in memory of Jenn while raising money for St Gemma’s Hospice.

Thank you to all of the participants who took part in this year’s #JENNRIDE and made it another super-friendly, fun event! We look forward to seeing you all again next year!

 

Written by Johnny Dodgin

All (awesome!) photos by James Vincent

 

Want to start Bike Packing yourself? Not sure where to start when it comes to equipment? Check out our Apidura Bike Packing feature!

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