I have not found a sport I don’t like yet but my main focus is marathon running. Having done three marathons so far I think I can do better than my previous best of approximately 3:26:43.

I also do a fair amount of road riding – I cycle to the office when I can and I’ll be taking on a few local ten mile time trials and the odd sportive. My first taste of mountain biking behind the JMC offices was fun and this could be my next sport.

Follow me on Strava: http://www.strava.com/athletes/660376

I have been a keen, non-competitive mountain biker and swimmer for many years now and never had any intentions of riding a road bike, running or doing any form of competing. Until May 2007 when Nick Isherwood asked for people to join him in a team triathlon and I bit the bullet and took on the swimming role within the team, that’s when the bug hit me.

I was a keen runner until discovering mountain bikes about 10 years ago and since then bikes have dominated my sporting activities.  I favour mountain bike and cyclo-cross endurance events lasting anything from a couple of hours up to 24. Also recently rekindled my interest in fell running.

My exploits can be followed on Twitter @budge_team_jmc

I began running in my mid 40's after undertaking a challenge to run a 10k, since that first challenge I've competed in many running events and even managed a marathon!

I discovered mountain biking several years ago after undertaking an off road duathlon and developed a liking for it. Up until then I’d been a spectator at many biking events, but soon discovered the enjoyment of actually taking part.

At the moment I'm just keeping things ticking over on the biking front and concentrating on running.

We're enthusiast amateur riders that came across Team JMC at the Northern Grip festival. It's great to hear about a club that welcomes both serious athletes and budding enthusiasts alike. Tom and I get out on our bikes and on hikes as often as possible and love the challenges that Holcombe Hill and surrounds throw at us. We're delighted to be part of Team JMC and will wear the jerseys with pride! Looking forward to meeting fellow riders and the MTB community in and around Ramsbottom.

Hi I'm Chris, currently living in the North West of England. I starting riding bikes about 4 years ago to rescue a very unhealthy lifestyle. Since then I've been hooked. A bit of a 'jack of all trades' as I love all areas of racing but for 2017 and beyond, I have decided to concentrate on Cyclo-Cross for the winter, with the added fun of MTB racing in the summer. Since my first ever MTB race in Summer 2014 I have been improving with each race and 2016 saw me break into the top 20 NWCCA with some solid results. I'm really looking forward to being part of Team JMC and it has pushed me into entering my first endurance event at this year's Mountain Mayhem, which is going to be a real test! Oh and who can forget 3 Peaks CX in September!

I’ve now been a part of Team JMC since 2010. Most of the early years were spent XC racing, swiftly followed by the longer distance races, enjoying many weekends away with the team.

I am now looking to introduce much more in terms of duathlon and triathlon. I’ll still compete in MTB events but looking forward to the new challenge that comes with Ironman triathlon!

As a youngster I was always on a bike, whether it be BMXing on my paper round or long road trips into the deepest and darkest corners of northwest England. My first love was football but a severe injury ended any ridiculous ambitions or pipe dreams. I tried running, but that got the better of me. So after my second knee operation in 2010 I decided to take up road cycling instead to compliment years and years of mountain biking.

Then a mate persuaded me to do the Strathpuffer. I was relieved to get that monkey off my back. Another mate told me I should be road racing competitively, so I found something physically and mentally challenging that would take me out of my comfort zone - time trialing.

And I just haven't looked back. Cycling is simply too addictive, sociable and enjoyable. I'm now having a crack at Cyclocross. Well, why not?

My bottom line is very simple; I'm just looking for any excuse to get on a bike. Sometimes it's competitive, often I'm training hard, but it's always fun. There is little to lose, but so much to gain (weight being the obvious exception).

That's me, but more importantly, what about you? What's your next challenge?

Catch up with my wibbling via my Blog or Twitter.

I’m a long time Chorlton (Manchester) resident. I grew up and learnt to mountain bike in and around Abergavenny. I love MTB riding in all its guises, especially occasional stage and unsupported races. I also dabble a bit with CX and have a long term love/hate relationship with the 3 Peaks CX. I’m looking forward to making new friends, exploring new routes and finding opportunities for new challenges.

After spending most of my youth playing on and racing BMX’s, and after a short period of well being a teenager I needed something to feed my soul. Mountain bikes, that's the answer!! I threw all my money into the best bike I could afford and spare time to exploring my local area, every chance I got I would pop on my bike to the local trails (Cuerden Valley) smashing out a massive 6 miles, that felt like a long way back then!!

I met Dave Powell when a good friend at work invited me on a bike ride around Rivington, me in jeans and a baseball cap! We started going to local races as a social riding event once a month, then Dave seemed to get the bit between his teeth and started doing silly races.

I had just passed my Cytech 2 qualification and Dave asked if I would be his Mechanic/pit helper for Mountain Mayhem. I could not refuse as it was pretty much a dream come true for me and I have never looked back.

We have both made a few good friends along the way with Team JMC being one of them. I have somehow by either my pit skills or by pure chance been accepted in to the Team JMC pack and have become the Team JMC it race mechanic, winning races and friends everywhere we go/race.

In the past I have done many many road running races from 5k to marathon distance, triathlons and, more recently, fell running and am a very active member of Darwen Dashers running club. I ride my road bike most weekends, have taken part in a few sportives over the past few years and ridden the Way of the Roses. Also I’m a mum of 3 and a border collie! I walk dogs for a living, bake cakes and do a lot of knitting in my spare time.

I have always been a runner…at the age of 11 I used to run cross country for South Manchester, my best was to come third out of 700 runners in a North West Championships.  School and work then began to take over but I managed to continue running but not as much.

In my early thirties I got the bug again competing in races from Marathons (best time 3.29) all the way down to 5k and 10k (my best for a 10k at 37 mins, but not as quick now….).

I have now taken part in various Sprint and Olympic triathlons and will be trying to complete a Half Iron Man.

I cut my teeth as a BMX racer in my early teens travelling round the country competing in regional and national races. I discovered mountain biking when a shoulder injury rudely interrupted my mediocre racing career. It wasn’t long before I was entering events like the Dyfi Enduro and then graduated to marathon and endurance races. I’m not particularly competitive, and doubt I’ll ever get anywhere near a podium, but I do like riding fast, both uphill and down, and racing allows me to do that. I have a weird addiction to 24hr solo races even though I’m not very good at them. After Mountain Mayhem in 2016 I swore I’d never do another and yet a few months later I found myself at the Kielder Chiller 24 in 2017 so I guess I’m still hooked. One day I might actually figure them out and I can retire.

Running was always just a way to keep fit until I entered my first race in June 2014. Since then running has became my obsession and I now regularly compete in events over varied distances and terrains, with hills races being a punishing yet rewarding favourite. I can be found training for these races in the early hours of the morning on the roads and hills of the Scottish Borders. I am always looking for a new challenge and to push the limits of my comfort zone.

Having been dragged up mountains from an early age I quickly developed a interest in outdoor pursuits and subsequently endurance events. After serving 9 years in the Royal Marines, a lot of which was teaching Nordic skiing, I settled in Lancashire and joined Chorley Harriers where I got hooked on triathlons. Since then I have completed numerous events ranging from double marathons to Ironman triathlons. I'm also developing a great love for cake.

I'm in my mid-50s and a keen sportive rider having taken part in the Etape du Tour, Etape du Dales and hopefully the Etape du Yorkshire and Quebrantahuesos and some others this year. In my spare time I'm an electronics/computer engineer based in Bradford.

I live in Ramsbottom opposite the Shoulder of Mutton (bright yellow Citroen outside) where the cobbles start.  So if any other Team JMC riders are passing feel free to knock on the door if you need a coffee, gel etc.

Follow me on Twitter @billhoath for more info.

I have always enjoyed the outdoors having Rivington on the door step and holidays to the Lakes and Wales when I was a kid. I also have always been interested in mechanical stuff. So my journey really began with mountain biking and walking. I am quite competitive so mountain biking quickly turned into XC racing then I progressed to endurance events. In 2005 I entered a triathlon for the first time and had to buy a road bike, I really enjoyed the variety of training and the lack of a clean-up operation after a bike ride really appealed to me. I entered more events and in 2009 entered the UK Ironman, after six months of training I pro-lapsed a disc in my back (not while training) and stopped doing pretty much everything for 8 months until I finally had an operation. I recovered and started competing again in 2010 having some really good results, only for back pain to return at the end of the year. I then took it easy, although when I say easy, I am still really proud of my times in the Etape du Dales and the Buxton Half Marathon in 2011. This was before I was hit by a car which had not seen me, whilst I was cycling to work. Whilst at home I thought I won’t be doing a triathlon for a while and enrolled to do a part time degree to further my career. In 2016 I graduated having only cycled during the University summer break. 2017 is the first year since the accident I have been able to really focus on cycling. So I have entered the mountain mayhem in the solo category.

After leading a less than active lifestyle for many years apart from the odd gym visit, I became involved in the occasional running event and had a natural desire to improve my fitness. A mate asked if I’d be interested in trying a sprint Triathlon so with some running behind me decided to borrow a bike and some arm bands then give it a go. After teaching myself to swim ‘properly’ I crossed my first Triathlon finish line and was instantly hooked. That was 8 years ago and since then I have raced all over the UK, swimming across lakes, cycling over mountains and running through cities. In 2012 I progressed to the Triathlon holy grail and competed in Ironman UK for the charity Medequip4kids. Having survived through to the finish line, I’m now looking forward to my next challenge and also to seeing my son and daughter in Ironkids, getting an early start on his athletic career.

Born & bred under the rolling hills of Horwich Lancashire & the enigmatic Rivington Pike my earliest years of racing were via the red rose XC league and local fell events and in the summer junior road races for Bolton Harriers. I then took a hiatus to relocate to London where later on I then picked up the triathlon bug racing for East London Triathletes until I discovered Epping Forest and mountain bikes.

My first mountain bike event was the twelve hour night race 'dusk till dawn' and I just fell in love with spirit of competition and camaraderie. Since then it's been mountain bikes all the way. Now settled in the natural beauty of The Chilterns I throw my hat in the ring of endurance racing and have been highly successful at the top level of mid pack mediocrity

I started riding bikes when I was about 15 and my school had a mountain bike club (pretty rare I reckon!) and we went all over the place including to Morzine on a downhilling holiday! I was hooked by both the riding and the camaraderie that goes with weekends away riding with mates. I’ve always just ridden mountain bikes and my only tarmac weapon ever has been a 35lb commuting cross bike. I’ve dabbled in a bit of downhill stuff so I like the technical descents first and foremost but discovered in the last few years I can apply my stubbornness quite successfully in 24 hour races which are now my focus. The ethos of Team JMC is very close to my feelings about our great sport. I grew up in the club’s heartland of Ramsbottom making it even more special to join this great group of people. I’m also very lucky to have the support of some excellent sponsors that make all this possible: M. Steel Cycles, Roll for the Soul, USE/Exposure, ESI Grips and E3 Coach. I’m @mattjonesmtb on Twitter and my website is mattjonesmtb.com

I’m not a racer, I’m not fast, I’m never going to podium, I’ll never complete a 24hr race, I’m not a bike packing adventure racer and I don’t like yellow. But one thing I am is a cyclist who loves his fat bike.

My name is Keith Kitchen and I’m 49. I started mountain biking 25 years or so ago and love everything 2 wheeled. Most of this time has been spent riding and falling off on the trails around my home in Barnsley, Yorkshire, further afield around ‘Gods Own County’ and the various trail centres that have sprung up over those years. Love riding natural trails and a good day out can see me ride from home out to the peak district around Hope and Castleton. Got the competitive bug about 5 years ago and have found that I love riding the longer endurance events. Have done a couple of solo 24 hour races the last being Mountain Mayhem this year where I got talking to Andrew and Sally on the start line. The support from trackside by team jmc even though they had only met me was brilliant and help me to 18th in Solo Male and made me realise that this was a team I would love to ride for.

I got into triathlon in 2011 after finishing University and needed something to replace the daily (often twice a day) games of 5 a side football. Ignorance is bliss so after 6 months of training and a few ‘warm up’ races I found myself crossing the finish line at Ironman UK (10hr 18 minutes before you ask). The experience didn’t put me off but decided to focus on the sprint and Olympic distance race scene for a few more years and in 2013 became the 25-29 AG: British Triathlon Champion, ETU Silver Medalist, North West Duathlon & Sprint Triathlon Champion, and Manchester XC Champion.

Since 2014 I have been racing for the TORQ triathlon team.

Follow me on Twitter: @lawtonalex

I am mainly into riding bikes. I try other sports on occasion but tend to find they fall by the wayside in favour of getting out on my bike. I do a fair amount of road riding but my main passion is mountain biking. Racing is something I've only taken up in the last few years but I find a lot of fun. My favoured race formats are long endurance events from point to point MTB marathons to pedaling round and round in circles in a field for 24 hours. 24 solos appeal to me the most and I've had a modest amount of success in a couple of them. For the moment I'm keeping my target races to 12 hours or less in duration but I wouldn't be surprised if I get back to 24s when I get the opportunity. You just can't beat the crazy head games involved with riding your bike for 24 hours straight.

I’ve been riding bikes for about 4 years. I started on mountain bikes and then took up road riding for fitness, but I really got to like road riding. I have been on and off cycling so far, but have taken part in a few races on my MTB and hill climbs on my road bike. My aim for this year is to train harder and enter a few more events.

I’ve been into cycling from a very early age. I used to race Moto X but as I got older and injuries started I decided to take up mountain and road biking. I enjoy mountain biking especially trail centres.

I’ve been riding and occasionally falling off mountain bikes since the mid 90s. I’ve had a go at 24 hour races but found I was better suited to the organisational side of events and became one of the founders of the Hit the North race series which ran 8 times over 6 years. Together with Jason Miles and a few others we put on a great show and gave over £20k away to charity. A feat that I am immensely proud of.

Most of my riding now is on the social side, usually in the dark with a bunch of mates and pretty much always ending up in the pub. I’ve also started BMXing, which has given me an excuse for another bike.

So this is me. I ride bikes with my friends.

As a teenager when I got my first bicycle, I quickly realised that physical effort and exertion wasn’t for me and that I should carry on using the bus and pass my driving test ASAP. Many years of physical inactivity followed, before one day, inspired by a forty-something neighbour doing wheelies down the street, I realised what I was missing out on and went and bought my first MTB. These days I truly have the cycling bug and will ride just about anything with 2 wheels – so long as it doesn’t have an engine.

After years and years of running several thousand kilometres a year I somewhat inevitably picked up an injury that’s stayed with me. I still run, but I ride my bike more these days. I used to pinch one of Jason’s bikes until he got sick of that and built me my own mountain bike. It’s a pink one. After supporting Jason’s endurance racing exploits and being very much a part of Team JMC right from the beginning, I finally entered my first bike race in 2016. Rather than ‘starting small’ and doing something local I thought it’d be a great idea to start with the Salzkammergut Trophy in the Austrian Alps. I didn’t finish last, I didn’t die and it was great. I’ve got two bikes now….

Endurance cyclist, likes a bit of fell running on the side. Particularly good at 24 hour mountain bike races and riding a bike way past my bedtime. Standing on podiums makes all the pain and suffering worthwhile.

More info on racing, big adventures and results on my blog http://40psi.wordpress.com

It was whilst supporting my other half, Dave Powell (TwinklyDave), at winter 24h MTB races (which nobody else wanted to do back then!) that I initially met some of the Team JMC crew. Obviously recognising the potential of my fastidious – no sleep – timing system(!), I was soon welcomed into the fold and, whiteboard in hand, became “unofficial” Pit Manager. After a particularly successful Strathpuffer back in 2011 I was inspired to challenge myself. As an ex-club swimmer, a return to my childhood sport seemed the obvious choice but thoughts of the pool did not enthuse me and so I turned to open water. Concentrating mainly on smaller, friendlier, sportive-type events I’ve had a surprising amount of success. The natural progression to triathlon thwarted by dodgy knees, I’ve recently discovered Aquacycles which also enable me to put into action the road riding ability I’ve developed whilst struggling to keep up with Dave for years!

Bicycles were just way of getting about for me as a kid, a way of getting to whatever adventure was planned, rather than a part of it. Then, 18 years ago, I was invited out for a “ride” with some friends who were into the mountain bike scene. I took them up on the offer and never looked back. I was, by the end of that one day’s ride, a fully fledged mountain bike rider!

The racing scene back then was as much an excuse for a weekend away with my mates as it was a chance to see how good I was in comparison to the other riders. Events were judged a success by how much of a laugh we’d had. Over the years I got more serious about results, started training and planning things a bit more but each event I go to still, deep down, feels like those first races. Turn up, meet up with friends, have a laugh and maybe see if I can leave with a trophy or two after beating all the fast boys!

Follow me on twitter @twinklydave or read my blog at http://www.twinklydave.com/

I'm living proof that you don’t have to be particularly quick to be a member of Team JMC, I hold the unique distinction of having both won, and finished last, at Hit the North at the same event. A proud achievement! I started riding as a kid. I used to do a lot of road cycling, touring the Youth Hostels of the Lakes and North Wales. I also used to race BMX. Badly. Then like most people I discovered beer, pies, motorbikes, more beer, more pies… you get the picture. So…. noticing that I was looking far too ‘contented’, I bought myself a mountain bike. Then I discovered night riding. And that was what really rekindled my love affair with bikes. I’ve never looked back. Well… I never need too. There’s never anyone behind me. I just love being out and about on two wheels, in the hills and exploring new trails. I’ve even been messing about on BMX’s again. Strongly recommended. As well as riding, I also seem to have carved out a bit of a niche documenting the Monday Night Pub Rides through weekly illustrations, and drawing bike-related stuff generally. Somewhat bizarrely, this has now led to a change of career. Bikes? You’ve got to love ‘em!

I have been riding bikes on and off for about 10 years now. I originally started on the road but pretty quickly moved over to mountain biking. A few years ago a started doing a few regional and national XC events but soon realised I got more enjoyment out of the longer endurance riding events. Inspired by a number of the Team JMC members I thought I would have a go at 24hr solo racing. So far I have done three Strathpuffers and two Mountain Mayhems; a couple of which I have done on a fat bike. To me it doesn’t matter what you do just getting out and enjoying yourself is what it’s all about. Becoming a team member will enable me to pick up a few tips from some of my teammates.

Moving from the flat lands of Norfolk to the hilly and rocky region of Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland was a huge biking culture shock. Strangely this ignited my love of the simple things in life. Single Speed. From road to dirt I try and avoid those pesky little things called gears even when I am trying to pedal for 24hrs ( it gives me an excuse for pushing up the short & sharp hills) I have started to enter endurance events to challenge myself and to keep fit.

Growing up in the hot bed of Scottish rugby union (the Scottish Borders) I have always paired my spare time in catching an egg with riding my bikes. From my young days as a BMX Racer and rugby player to when I retired from getting my head stood on I have always had a passion for two wheels be it gravel, road, mud or kitty litter trails.

Spoilt with an area that boasts the Tweed Valley, the 7 Stanes set up and a abundant network of local trails in the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway I continue my quest in “having a go” at Endurance Racing be it 4 or 24 hrs.

Rich and Tom are endurance bike riders. Though Tom is only 11 he has managed in the last few years, along with his Dad, to put in a good few miles on his bike. Not many kids of his age can say that they’ve competed in a 24 hour Mountain Bike race, and the 2017 Strathpuffer will be his 3rd as a soloist! They also enjoy bikepacking, and this summer (2016) rode over 2000 miles round France, which should be good training for their Tour Divide trip in 2017. Rich has moved up an age category this year, and we hear that he’s hoping to make a return to solo 24 hour racing at Relentless 2016. Tom won’t be resting up though, he will take charge of his Dad’s pit crew duties.

I started with being a cross-country runner, then moved onto triathlons and then marathons but always cycling in the background for enjoyment. Now I concentrate my efforts almost totally on the great fun of mountain biking. The last few years have been more directed on mountain bike enduro events and in the last year I am starting to see some results.

I’ve been mountain biking now for nearly 20 years but it wasn’t until meeting Team JMC members, Jason Miles and Andrew Burgess, that I started to compete in races. It started with a local long distance race ‘for a laugh’ but quickly gathered pace. More races were raced, training increased and then somehow I find myself competing in 24 hour endurance races as a soloist. At the end of the day, whether racing, training or just going out for a ride with your mates, you’ve always got to remember – it’s all doable!

My background is anything with pedals, be it a full on downhill mountain bike in the French Alps or a sleek, stripped down aerodynamic Windcheetah racing around Lee Valley. I have raced in duathlons as well as endurance mountain events and can chart my history back to racing the Malvern Classics…Yes, I really am that old!!!! Most days I can be found in my workshop drinking numerous cups of tea whilst musing on our future laid back bike designs developments (as well as hand building Windcheetahs, marketing, ordering, R&D, hitting things with hammers, sweeping up etc etc… ).

Follow me on Strava: http://www.strava.com/athletes/660376

Hi I’m Jo, a runner, cyclist and triathlon doer. I’m one of those people who loves a challenge – I’m not the kind of athlete who will win a race – a young family and a penchant for beer has put paid to that – but I love the chance to pit myself against a tough route, a big climb or a hard triathlon. I’ve done a few things in my time. In 2016 my target is to beat last year’s time at the Helvellyn Triathlon. I’ve been hard at work doing the Coniston Old Man Half Iron, the Holme Moss sportive and I’m planning to get some time trials under my belt.

Having joined JMC IT in 2011 I quickly got the “Team JMC” bug and bought myself my 1st bike in over 30 years. My background and first sporting passion is football, having played, coached and refereed for many years.

My aspirations to get a little fitter has led me to enter a number of MTB challenges and more recently I have started a bit of running, competing in a number of 10K races.

Having bought my first road bike in 2010, I spent 4 years riding solo around my home turf, the Fylde Coast (where the wind is our hills!!). I joined the local cycling club in 2014 and haven’t looked back, with regular group riding on weekday evenings and weekends mainly out to the Ribble Valley and Trough of Bowland (and back into that lovely westerly). Commuting to work in Preston on the bike, when I can, also helps keep some regular miles in the legs.

I have also taken part in local running events including Preston, Blackburn and Blackpool 10k and Blackpool Half Marathon, although the future is likely to be more bike focused as a lifetime of playing football has left me with dodgy ankles and achilles.

I look forward to getting involved in cycling sportives this year and would love to take part in a touring ride event (such as Coast to Coast or Tower to Tower). I also yearn to climb the classics in Europe (Tourmalet, Alpe d’Huez, Galibier etc.) although balancing my passion for cycling with the needs of a young family is a skill in itself!

I was an amateur boxer for years as a youngster and started mountain biking after an injury stopped me boxing. I’ve been biking for about 2 years now and I love getting out and meeting new people and talking to the Team JMC people at Northern Grip gave me the confidence to join the team. I’m looking forward to getting out and involved.

After having done no exercise for quite a few years I bought a mountain bike about 8 years ago, I’ve not looked back since.   Loving the fun of mountain biking, getting out on the bike became a bit of an addiction.    Endurance events are a fantastic challenge, there’s always a smile on my face when flying down hills or having the bike slide from underneath me in the mud.  There’s nothing better than finishing an event and finding one of Team JMC on the podium.

I was an old BMXer looking for an excuse to get out and get dirty again, so around 15 years ago I got into mountain bikes and instantly felt like a big kid again. I started just riding my bike around Glentress, Innerleithen and the Scottish borders where I met fellow Team JMC members Richie Scott and his wife Lisa. I now enjoy racing at anything from 4hr to 24hr MTB events but must admit I’m more of a pairs racer as I enjoy a wee sit down between flat out laps.

Originally from a small town, in the West Midlands, called Stourbridge to now being an ‘adopted Northerner’ well and truly settled in Rammy. I moved here with my wife (who is a Northerner) and pretty much started Rammy MTBers straight away to meet like minded people, enjoy the amazing rides we have on our doorstep and make new friends. From a seed of an idea to start the group to now having 70+ members with regular weekly local rides, trail centre days out, weekends away, drunken socials and even 2 Majorca MTB holidays under our belts! It was out of this group that one of the first ever members, Tom W, came up with the Northern Grip idea and Tom and myself thrashed out the idea on a ride one summers evening back in 2015 over the moors. I’m a big fan of old school lines on a MTB with the golden age for me being the old steel Kona’s, DeKerf, Yeti’s, etc back in the very early 90’s. I’ve just built my dream bike for my 40th, a custom made Enigma Ti hardtail. The ride is amazing. Other than MTB’ing, I’ve played lead guitar for over 20 years, been in and out of band and have played in excess of 200 gigs. I’m passionate about animal rights and I’m a vegetarian.

Hi I’m Ticker, born and bred in Accrington where I live with my wife and four children. I’m a Toolmaker at H&T Presspart in Blackburn where I’ve worked in industrial and now in the pharmaceutical division. From a young age I’ve always been involved in all sports and particularly bikes! BMX ruled until I got an MTB in my teens. I also took up Muay Thai-boxing and had a good 12 years of competing. In 2013 I bought myself an MTB again to start riding to work on, which quickly escalated to entering my local endurance event the Mary Towneley Loop, which I’ve done every year so far and intend to continue doing along with other endurance events. My next challenge is the 24hr Mountain Mayhem race in 2017 which I’m really looking to going forward.

My name is Dewi Williams from a small village Groeslon near Caernarfon. I started riding bikes in May 2014 and find it very addictive. I mostly ride a mountain bike and have done a few of the Scott Mountain Bike Marathons as well as the Dyfi events like the Dyfi Enduro. Back in January 2016 I did the Strathpuffer 24-hour as a pair and finished 14th overall. Was really pleased with this result as I had a rear derailleur snapped clean off on the first lap and we had to use one bike between us for 23 and a half hours! I also regularly get up at 5.00am to ride my Cotic single speed 40k to work!

Having ridden bikes for years I was ‘challenged’ in the pub one night to try racing and a 24 hour solo MTB race was selected. That was Bontrager Twentyfour12 in 2010 and having quit exhausted after 17 hours I had caught the bug of endurance racing and haven’t stopped since then – I am mid-pack and proud!

Time trialing has become a mid week staple and more time efficient form of racing whilst juggling bikes, work and family life. Its also a great excuse to buy more bikes and kit.

Having been brought up in a small village between the Lakes and Yorkshire Dales, I can be regularly found in the mountains, either skiing in the winter or walking/running/climbing in the summer. In 2013 I organised and completed a ’33 peaks in 24 hours’ charity event that proved to be a life changing experience. I lost loads of weight and got fit and now participate in Mountain Marathon events throughout the year. I’ve also completed my Summer Mountain Leader qualification so am officially able to guide groups in the mountains, something I’ve been doing for many years.