AllPointsNorth Ultra Endurance Event (rookies viewpoint)
So, listening to podcasts whilst riding my bike has always been a fun thing to do. A few years back, whilst listening to one of my faves, the imaginatively named “The Cycling Podcast”, they discussed this thing called ultra distance bike racing, & dot watching (following the riders online via GPS). Interest piqued, I looked into dot watching & got quite hooked watching these ladies & gents take part in this lunacy. Over time I realised, I was always the watcher, but (despite being nearer 60 than 50)…I wanted really to be the dot! Fast forward to Sept 2021 a Saturday afternoon, & here I am in sunny (really it was) Sheffield, at “race”(the organisers say its not a race…it is:) HQ. I’m attending the pre ride, safety briefing of AllPointsNorth (a self supported 600 miler with 40k feet “ish” of climbing in the North of England & a wee bit of Scotland.) I’m confirming I know when the soldiers at one of the ten checkpoints we have to visit, will be firing from tanks!! I