Gorrick 100 marked the start of my season, it had been in my calendar for a while and I think it’s fair to say I was a bit apprehensive before the start. It was my first time at the event and I was in for the full 7 laps aboard my new BTR Chaser rigid single speed.

The rain was falling as we waited for the start horn, but it wasn’t long until we were flying down the fire road towards the single track. The first lap unveiled the steep climbs and fast descents littered throughout the 8.5 mile lap, it was definitely going to be a tough day.

I was conscious not to get carried away too early on, although it was hard not to with such a fun course. There weren’t many other single speeders but I always enjoy hearing the reaction when someone realises you’re “one of those masochists”!

I love technical riding so the course suited me well and there weren’t many times I felt the lack of gears and suspension slowed me down. That said, by the last lap there were quite a lot of braking bumps which challenged my tired arms to hold onto the bars. Also, trying to descend with riders on full suspension bikes is always a bit of an eye rattler but that’s all part of the rigid fork charm.

The sun finally made an appearance at the start of lap 5, so I decided it was time to start reeling in some of the riders that had faded after the fast start. I managed to make up 8 places in the last 3 laps and crossed the line with cramp in my calves, hamstrings and quads - A seriously painful combination.

My total time was 6:05hrs, I was 20/57 overall and (unofficial) 1st Single Speeder, which I’m really pleased with considering it wasn’t an SS friendly course.

Thanks to BTR Fabrications for their support this year, the new Chaser is an awesome bike and had bags of traction whether it was pointing up or down the hills.

Thanks to the Gorrick team for a well organised event with an exciting course that kept us all on our toes. Finally, thanks to Kevin Sheldrake for taking pictures at the event, it’s always good to look back at the pain faces that were on show.

It’d be great to connect with some other endurance riders, you can find me online at:

Words - Ryan Mckee