05/04/2026
After a wild night, with some trees down - Storm Dave has now passed, however today will still be very difficult with winds continuing until the evening and the odd rain/hail shower thrown in.
We have had 8 riders finish, Kit Nisbet being the last in this front group. Chris and I met Kit at Newby Head at around 22:00, we also met Jesse Yates who had not long taken the decision to scratch, looking cold and hungry, one of the Restrap Team had him in their van and were looking after him.
Although Kit looked strong, we agreed he should not go back on to off-road high ground section up Wold Fell especially in the peak of the storm and instead take the road to Cowgill and rejoin the route there (this could save around 60mins, we agreed he would not be penalised for this as he was 2hrs+ from any other riders).
Weather events like these force sensible decision making and kit choice selection - from the map it looked like most riders had found some sort of shelter last night, or instead were riding in a group for safety.
The DD team will aim to make fair decisions on other rider route deviations, keeping safety in mind.
Hopefully when cafes open, riders can get a good meal, warm up and continue the ride.
Kudos to the 8 finishers and kudos to those out there still riding the course or making another return😀💪👍
🐣Happy Easter Everyone🐣
