0:00:30 > 0:00:32Hello and a very warm welcome to The Adventure Show.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36This month, we're at the Strathpuffer 2014, and with
0:00:36 > 0:00:40over 500 competitors, this promises to be the biggest Puffer ever.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43And unusually this year conditions are fairly mild,
0:00:43 > 0:00:46so no snow and ice for the competitors to deal with.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50They'll have to deal with lots and lots of mud.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53The Puffer course can get very, very churned up.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55It is muddy and it will get really muddy.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00This is one of the toughest mountain bike races on the planet.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03It's ridden continuously over 24 hours,
0:01:03 > 0:01:0717 of which are in the dead of the Scottish winter's night.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10There's something about riding mountain bikes in the dark.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12It's just like you're on a different planet.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14Hopefully I keep going through the dark bit -
0:01:14 > 0:01:17the three, four, five o'clock. It's quite special when you're up there
0:01:17 > 0:01:21and you see the Highlands in the mist, and the sun coming up.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24I promise I'll get back on the bike in just a few moments!
0:01:25 > 0:01:29Now, I think of myself as an outdoors kind of person.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32And I have tried this event a couple of times in the past.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35On you go. Good effort.
0:01:35 > 0:01:40Look at that. He's flying! It's nine o'clock in the morning!
0:01:40 > 0:01:43We've been going for 22 hours and he's flying!
0:01:43 > 0:01:47He hit his head and he's been sick.
0:01:47 > 0:01:48I just went off. I don't know...
0:01:48 > 0:01:52I've been off the bike more than I've been on the bloody thing.
0:01:52 > 0:01:53I just keep falling off it.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56I think I've learned my lesson. But that's not the case for everyone.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00This year's Strathpuffer is full to capacity.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02But what goes on in the mind of the competitors
0:02:02 > 0:02:06during their most joyous and perhaps darkest moments?
0:02:06 > 0:02:09To find out, we have set up this.
0:02:09 > 0:02:10Our confession cam,
0:02:10 > 0:02:14where riders can come in and reveal all to the camera.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Hi. I am the Monkey half of Ness and Monkeys.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25And the Monkey half has quit.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29Try to crack a smile.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31- Is this going to be on the telly, then?- Aye.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33Awesome.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36And this month's Adventure Show
0:02:36 > 0:02:39explores more of the night-time than usual.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41Alan Rowan's been nicknamed the Moonwalker
0:02:41 > 0:02:45because he thinks the best time to explore our hills is in the dark.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47It's so quiet. You're on your own.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51And it's a different beauty than going walking during the day.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53Cameron McNeish on the other hand will be heading into our
0:02:53 > 0:02:57wintry mountains in the daylight and enjoying what they've got to offer.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01It's hard work in the snow.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05But hard graft in such beautiful surroundings never feels so bad.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07And we're off to one of the coldest
0:03:07 > 0:03:10and most extreme places in the world.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12Where some intrepid Scots are blazing a trail.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15And a very bizarre one at that.
0:03:15 > 0:03:16It was about minus 30.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20And the sun's just popped up over to the side here.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23It's risen slightly to minus 25.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29But first, to the Strathpuffer 24.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31The race starts at 10am on Saturday
0:03:31 > 0:03:35and finishes at 10am 24 hours later on the Sunday.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39You can compete as a quad, a pair or as a single.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43But whichever way you do this, it is a very tough race indeed.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47You've got to do it once. It's a rite of passage for a cyclist.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50I should know better cos I'm local. I've seen it all before.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53I said I'd never do it ever, but I've been sucked into it this year.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56I'm feeling my age this morning! Old and stiff.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59Maybe that's getting used to what I'm going to experience for the next
0:03:59 > 0:04:0230 hours or whatever.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Absolutely torturous.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06But what a giggle.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09- How are we doing?- Good? You? - Terrible.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12We'll be keeping tabs on all the riders throughout the event,
0:04:12 > 0:04:15but we'll also be keeping a very close eye on some people
0:04:15 > 0:04:18who have volunteered to let us share in their struggle,
0:04:18 > 0:04:21like these people here, the Deeside Divas, Kirsty and Jayne.
0:04:21 > 0:04:22How are you feeling?
0:04:22 > 0:04:25Butterflies beginning to creep up in the stomach, but, yeah,
0:04:25 > 0:04:30we got some sleep last night I think, so getting ready to go.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32You both did the event last year, I understand.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35- So why have you come back? - We're asking ourselves
0:04:35 > 0:04:37that question at the moment, actually, to be honest.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41I think, we did it as a quad last year and we did quite well
0:04:41 > 0:04:45last year, so we thought the next step must be to do it as a pair.
0:04:45 > 0:04:50So Kirsty and I both stupidly agreed that we would pair up together.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52We might be regretting it at three in the morning,
0:04:52 > 0:04:54but we think why not?
0:04:54 > 0:04:57There's a large contingent of riders from Aberdeenshire this year,
0:04:57 > 0:05:02and another team that's aiming for top spot is the Deeside Puffers.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05Ian Wilson was in the winning quad last year,
0:05:05 > 0:05:08and with the new line-up, he's back for more.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12This is my seventh. There's nothing else to do in January.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15I'm a time-trialist, so I've got a season coming up
0:05:15 > 0:05:17starting in March, and I just love it.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20There are other things to do in January, like, you know,
0:05:20 > 0:05:23sit and watch the telly, go to the pub, that kind of thing, you know?
0:05:23 > 0:05:28Strange folk do that kind of thing. You want to be out here in the mud.
0:05:28 > 0:05:33I'm pretty happy to give the mud, cold and wet a miss this year.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Another cyclist who on her admission is a glutton for punishment
0:05:36 > 0:05:39is Morven Mackenzie-Fleming.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41It was her first Strathpuffer last year
0:05:41 > 0:05:44and she's riding once again as a soloist.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47It's amazing how much you need for 24 hours, isn't it?
0:05:47 > 0:05:51I've only been biking a couple of years, so I still am a beginner.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55But I've been doing more biking this year. Whether I've improved not...
0:05:55 > 0:05:58I don't think I've got any faster, but I keep trying!
0:05:59 > 0:06:02With just seconds to go to the start of this year's Puffer,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05it's the traditional piping in of the competitors
0:06:05 > 0:06:08before the Le Mans-style sprint to the bikes.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10This is it.
0:06:10 > 0:06:15Three... Two... One... Go!
0:06:16 > 0:06:21And here they come. The biggest Puffer yet. Over 500 competitors.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26Now it's all about picking up your bike and getting going.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28And look at that already.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30People are cycling into the back of the runners.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33It's just carnage at the start of the race! My goodness me!
0:06:34 > 0:06:37With such a huge amount of people, this is where people fall over.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39The last thing you want to do
0:06:39 > 0:06:42when you've been prepping for this race is fall over, break a bone.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44People are taking photographs, getting in the way.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Supporters are getting in the way.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49Some are walking because it's a big 24-hour race,
0:06:49 > 0:06:51plenty of time to get things right.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54But you do not want to get things wrong at the start.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57So the fastest people all screaming up the hill, running away,
0:06:57 > 0:07:01getting their bikes away and getting away early.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04But it's a long, long race.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06- Have a marvellous time.- I will!
0:07:09 > 0:07:13So, this is the ninth Strathpuffer event. All the quads are out fast.
0:07:13 > 0:07:18Obviously they can afford to burn a bit more on the first few rounds.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21And the sprint up the first hill is particularly difficult.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27So, 24 hours of graft ahead of everybody on the course.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32And the strategy is to try and learn as much of the technical part
0:07:32 > 0:07:34of the course as possible before it gets too dark.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36Hello there!
0:07:36 > 0:07:38They've got a few hours to do that, but not many.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40Hiya!
0:07:40 > 0:07:42As the racers head round the first lap,
0:07:42 > 0:07:46Alex Glasgow of Team Nevis Cycles takes an early lead for the quads.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50He's an experienced Puffer rider with a determination to win.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53But in the past things haven't always gone his way.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56Last time we did this, I remember standing here
0:07:56 > 0:07:58and I went for a warm-up along there
0:07:58 > 0:08:02and seriously got 20 yards along the road and met the ice.
0:08:02 > 0:08:07And went, "Oh, it's all going to go wrong." And it did.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10So, I'm a little bit more cautious of the whole thing,
0:08:10 > 0:08:12and talking to you guys this year.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15That's Alex Glasgow, first in.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17Absolutely flying on the first lap.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21And I make that less than 30 minutes. He is an absolute beast.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24He knows this course very, very well indeed.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28Almost caught us out there. He is so far ahead of the rest of the pack.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30They mean business. Look out for them.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34Second over the line for this first lap are the Deeside Puffers.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37So, it's a great start for them too.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40One down, seven to go!
0:08:40 > 0:08:42Nice ride.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45Loved the rock of it. Good circuit, actually. Very, very good.
0:08:45 > 0:08:50Meanwhile, in the pairs race, Phil Simcock's team came third last year.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54Today, he's completed his first lap in just 33 minutes.
0:08:54 > 0:08:55He's set the time to beat.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57You always come to a race to win it.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00But there's bound to be some really fast lads here. There always is.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02And fast girls as well.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05First couple of laps will be key, get out there fast,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08see what other people are doing and get your head down and go for it.
0:09:08 > 0:09:09In the female pairs,
0:09:09 > 0:09:13fastest round are the Deeside Divas, Kirsty Aitken and Jayne Taylor.
0:09:15 > 0:09:20That's Jayne, aiming for about 46, 47 minutes for her first lap.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25She'll battle back halfway up the hill and hand over to Kirsty.
0:09:25 > 0:09:26Smile!
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Really go for it. It's good.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33OK.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36- Enjoy!- See you later!
0:09:36 > 0:09:39Right, warm clothes, I think. Quick change and go!
0:09:40 > 0:09:43I love it at this stage of the Strathpuffer.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45Everyone's smiling as they're coming in.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47First lap done, thinking, "That wasn't that bad!"
0:09:47 > 0:09:50Good, one lap in. 23 to go!
0:09:50 > 0:09:53Each lap here is 11km long.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55There's a mixture of forest roads,
0:09:55 > 0:09:57singletrack through the trees
0:09:57 > 0:10:00and those infamous technical sections.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02No wonder it's been voted
0:10:02 > 0:10:05one of the ten toughest mountain bike races in the world.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07It's harder than I thought it might be!
0:10:07 > 0:10:11The worst bit's got to be the second section fire road.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13You think you've done the boring bit already,
0:10:13 > 0:10:16then you go through a little bit of singletrack
0:10:16 > 0:10:18and then you've just got this kind of long climb.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20Getting there!
0:10:20 > 0:10:21Go on!
0:10:21 > 0:10:23Go on, woo! Go on!
0:10:25 > 0:10:27It's, like, downhill all the way.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29Fit as a fiddle, just easy!
0:10:29 > 0:10:31Really easy!
0:10:31 > 0:10:33Is that convincing?!
0:10:33 > 0:10:35Can I die now?
0:10:35 > 0:10:36Ah!
0:10:36 > 0:10:39I'm definitely concentrating!
0:10:39 > 0:10:40Feeling great, actually.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43I like it when you have to do a little bit of thinking
0:10:43 > 0:10:47cos it takes your mind off sort of the long hours, really.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49There's lots of lovely bits.
0:10:49 > 0:10:50Ooh!
0:10:50 > 0:10:52What's the course? Six miles long and about five miles in,
0:10:52 > 0:10:54it's all downhill to the finish.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56So that's the best bit. You get to that, you know
0:10:56 > 0:10:58you've done the lap. There's nothing between you -
0:10:58 > 0:11:00as long as you don't fall off - and the bottom.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02Wa-ay!
0:11:02 > 0:11:05In many ways, the Strathpuffer is three races in one
0:11:05 > 0:11:07with the disciplines, solo, pair and quad
0:11:07 > 0:11:10throwing up significantly different challenges,
0:11:10 > 0:11:12as Duncan found out yesterday
0:11:12 > 0:11:15when he rode the course with race organiser, Steve Macdonald.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19So, Steve, a long time ago
0:11:19 > 0:11:23I rode this as a sort of unsuccessful quad, and we had real difficulties
0:11:23 > 0:11:26with timing and eating and all the rest of it.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30Which is the most difficult of the disciplines?
0:11:30 > 0:11:33I think the pair is the most difficult
0:11:33 > 0:11:35because you never see your partner.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39All you're doing is handing over your dibber to him,
0:11:39 > 0:11:42and then he's off and then three quarters of an hour later,
0:11:42 > 0:11:45he's back again. You don't get time for sleep,
0:11:45 > 0:11:47you don't get time to fix your bike
0:11:47 > 0:11:49and if you want to let somebody down
0:11:49 > 0:11:51there's only one person to let down as well,
0:11:51 > 0:11:54so there's a lot of pressure on you in the pairs.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58With the quad and the pair, you are batting off someone.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02But as a solo, it really is a big psychological battle, isn't it?
0:12:02 > 0:12:05Yes, I think the guys that do well in the solos
0:12:05 > 0:12:08are from a different planet, really!
0:12:08 > 0:12:11The guys that do well stop for no more than five minutes
0:12:11 > 0:12:14every few hours. They just keep on rolling.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17And that's an extraordinary thing to be able to do anyway -
0:12:17 > 0:12:19to think about staying up for 24 hours
0:12:19 > 0:12:22but to keep motivating yourself to go and ride is something else.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26Yeah, and it must be so easy to stop because, again,
0:12:26 > 0:12:30you don't have any other team-mates that you're letting down.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34Even though this is the ninth Puffer, the jury is still out
0:12:34 > 0:12:37about whether being a soloist or part of a team
0:12:37 > 0:12:39is the best way to tackle the race.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41For me the quads are really competitive cos I think
0:12:41 > 0:12:44some of the good guys come out and try and compete
0:12:44 > 0:12:46against other good guys and it's a good opportunity to do that.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48It's something we get a chance to do.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52Four good guys competing against another four good guys.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54I like pairs.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56It's... Solo's too hard,
0:12:56 > 0:12:59cos you're just going round and round constantly.
0:12:59 > 0:13:00Quads, you don't get out enough
0:13:00 > 0:13:03and you're freezing cold, waiting for everybody to come back in.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05I think pairs is ideal.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08As long as you're not in the top three, trying to
0:13:08 > 0:13:10really race your way around it, you can use it
0:13:10 > 0:13:14as an event and just keep going at your own pace.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Last year, I did pairs, this year I've done pairs.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20I did solo for two years before that, so...
0:13:20 > 0:13:22I probably won't come back next year!
0:13:22 > 0:13:25You have to, it's the tenth! The tenth anniversary.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27Is it? Don't say that, don't say that!
0:13:27 > 0:13:29We've already said we're going to have a year off!
0:13:29 > 0:13:34One competitor who knows this event inside out is Katy Boocock.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37She was one of the race founders and the winner
0:13:37 > 0:13:38of the first women's solo.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42This year, she's back in an all-female quad.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44Yay! Come on, Katy!
0:13:44 > 0:13:47Well done! OK, woo-hoo!
0:13:47 > 0:13:49How's it been going so far? You've done four laps
0:13:49 > 0:13:51and it's just over three hours into the race.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53And so we're very happy.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55And I've just ridden the first complete lap I've ever ridden
0:13:55 > 0:13:57without having to put my foot down.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00So pleased. That horrible Bridge of Thighs, I got over it!
0:14:00 > 0:14:03Conditions are clearly this year very unusual. It's very rideable.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06Yes, so it's the wussy Puffer this year, isn't it, really!
0:14:06 > 0:14:07You should be riding!
0:14:07 > 0:14:10- Yes, cos it's the wussy Puffer, - I- should be riding(!)
0:14:10 > 0:14:13It's amazing. Times for laps are very, very fast at this stage.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17However, you know it's a physical race. It goes on for a long time.
0:14:17 > 0:14:18Do you this think early euphoria,
0:14:18 > 0:14:20people putting in these fast lap times,
0:14:20 > 0:14:22might bite them in the backside later on?
0:14:22 > 0:14:25I think it'll bite ME in the backside, yes!
0:14:25 > 0:14:29In the middle of the night I'll think, "Why did I go so fast?!" Yes.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31First time I've ever done that.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34The competitors have been on the go for just over four hours
0:14:34 > 0:14:38and the fastest have already completed more than eight laps -
0:14:38 > 0:14:41that's 88km of off-road mountain biking.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45But this race is only just warming up.
0:14:45 > 0:14:46We'll be back with them shortly.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50First, though, we're heading out into the hills with Cameron McNeish.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03As a young teenager wandering the hills of the Campsies
0:15:03 > 0:15:05just north of Glasgow, I quite often
0:15:05 > 0:15:08would stand on the highest point there, Earl's Seat,
0:15:08 > 0:15:12and gaze north to the outline of Ben Lomond and think to myself,
0:15:12 > 0:15:14"One day, I'm going to climb that."
0:15:16 > 0:15:18And eventually, I did climb Ben Lomond.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21I gazed north again, as you do,
0:15:21 > 0:15:23and saw this great jumble of hills
0:15:23 > 0:15:26that seemed to choke off the northern end of Loch Lomond.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31And it was later I realised those were the Glen Falloch Hills,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34containing no less than seven Munros.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37I'm going to climb one of them, Cruach Ardrain, today.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50A good word of advice for anybody hill-walking in Scotland
0:15:50 > 0:15:54is to be very wary of any hill that contains the word "Cruach" in it.
0:15:54 > 0:16:00Because, quite literally, it means "a heap", which is not very flattering.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04But Cruach Ardrain actually means "the high-stacked heap",
0:16:04 > 0:16:06or some people translate it as "the high slopes".
0:16:06 > 0:16:09And it's a much better hill than its name suggests.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18It was on these Glen Falloch Hills that I first started
0:16:18 > 0:16:22to develop some youthful notions about what wilderness was.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27It was always exciting,
0:16:27 > 0:16:30leaving the head of Loch Lomond and all the trees,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33and coming into this bare landscape of upper Glen Falloch,
0:16:33 > 0:16:38with pine trees dotting the landscape and these high, gnarly hills behind.
0:16:38 > 0:16:43And for the young me, this was the epitome of wilderness.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56It's rather dank, misty day.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00But the forecast is good.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02And already I'm coming into a different landscape
0:17:02 > 0:17:04and the ground feels that little bit firmer,
0:17:04 > 0:17:07that bit more frozen, so I'm pretty confident that,
0:17:07 > 0:17:09by the time we get up onto the ridge,
0:17:09 > 0:17:11up on a little top called Grey Heights,
0:17:11 > 0:17:15that things will improve underfoot, and I'm hoping that this cloud
0:17:15 > 0:17:18will disappear and we'll get some blue skies
0:17:18 > 0:17:20and some sunshine. Fingers crossed.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37The early pioneers of the Scottish Mountaineering Club
0:17:37 > 0:17:42loved Cruach Ardrain, largely on account of its Y-shaped gully
0:17:42 > 0:17:45that's on the north side of the mountain.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48It seems to me that these early stalwarts weren't content
0:17:48 > 0:17:51with taking the easiest route up the hill, as we do today.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54They always looked out the most difficult,
0:17:54 > 0:17:56the most awkward way to climb a hill.
0:18:01 > 0:18:08In May 1892, on this very mountain, William Naismith, himself a member
0:18:08 > 0:18:12of the Scottish Mountaineering Club, devised a fairly simple rule of thumb
0:18:12 > 0:18:16for working out how long it would take on your mountain walks.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23It's become known as Naismith's Rule, or Naismith's Formula.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25It's basically three miles an hour,
0:18:25 > 0:18:29and half an hour for every thousand feet of ascent.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37It works out surprisingly well and surprisingly accurate.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40As you become more experienced,
0:18:40 > 0:18:43you tend to work out what suits you personally,
0:18:43 > 0:18:46and I know now that I take 15 minutes to walk a kilometre,
0:18:46 > 0:18:50and I add on a minute for every ten metres of ascent.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09It's hard work in the snow,
0:19:09 > 0:19:12but hard graft in such beautiful surroundings...
0:19:13 > 0:19:15..never feels so bad.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28When the snow covers the hills like this, it is remarkably beautiful.
0:19:28 > 0:19:33But also, our hilltops are the wildest parts of our wild land areas
0:19:33 > 0:19:36and when the snow covers all the human-made tracks,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39it's probably the closest we'll get in Scotland
0:19:39 > 0:19:42to what you could call pristine wilderness.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03Quite often nowadays we'll hear people say,
0:20:03 > 0:20:07"There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing."
0:20:07 > 0:20:12But the truth of the matter is that sometimes, in the Scottish mountains,
0:20:12 > 0:20:16the weather is so bad it's just not compatible with human life,
0:20:16 > 0:20:19no matter how well you're equipped in the latest hi tech clothing.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25It's quite good to remember that in winter we need more layers.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28We need extra layers just because the weather is that bit colder.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34We need stronger boots and we need to carry an ice axe and crampons
0:20:34 > 0:20:37so there are extra things to say but, at the end of the day,
0:20:37 > 0:20:40we shouldn't have to rely on equipment.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44It's much more important to rely on knowledge
0:20:44 > 0:20:47and knowing what the weather's going to do and having the awareness
0:20:47 > 0:20:50to get off the hill if the weather begins to look really bad.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08Oh, it's quite tough today.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11Probably due to the soft snow conditions.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14And I've been hoping that I'll be rewarded with a fantastic view
0:21:14 > 0:21:15from the summit.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19But it's not to be, I'm afraid.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22You pays your money, you takes your chance on a day like this
0:21:22 > 0:21:24when the cloud is coming and going.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29But, anyway, Cruach Ardrain, a great little hill.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32I'm kind of tempted to hang about here for a wee while in the hope
0:21:32 > 0:21:36that the mist will clear and give me a view but you can never tell.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42So, thanks very much for joining me on this hill walk anyway,
0:21:42 > 0:21:44and I hope to see you next time.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00In a scene slightly more reminiscent of Apocalypse Now than
0:22:00 > 0:22:04a mountain bike event, welcome back to the Strathpuffer 24.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06The night-riding is fully under way
0:22:06 > 0:22:10but the riders still have bags of energy but a long, long way to go.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15Sight. Hopefully all the training will pay off.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18We saw the course in the daylight once and then you go out at night
0:22:18 > 0:22:19and it's like a totally different route.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22It's impossible to see what's coming. But it does keep...
0:22:22 > 0:22:24It keeps you on your toes.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27Night-riding, you've got limited vision,
0:22:27 > 0:22:29so you can't really see what obstacles are going to come
0:22:29 > 0:22:33your way so I suppose you've got to float a bit more on your bike, be
0:22:33 > 0:22:37a bit more loose so any obstacles, you can just get over them, really.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40I'm confused. What's happening here?
0:22:40 > 0:22:44Just trying to keep plodding away just now. Still a long way to go.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48- So we'll see how it goes.- And the body's feeling fine?- Ah, brand-new!
0:22:48 > 0:22:50LAUGHTER
0:22:50 > 0:22:51- Good luck.- Cheers.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55Keith Forsyth is an experienced Strathpuffer rider.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59Competing as a soloist this year, he's aiming for the top spot
0:22:59 > 0:23:02and started the race at a cracking pace.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04Well, the course was running really well.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06It was running really fast
0:23:06 > 0:23:08and you've got to make hay while the sun shines, haven't you?
0:23:08 > 0:23:11So I think we got something like ten in before it got dark.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14Keith's got fierce competition, however,
0:23:14 > 0:23:17and the battle is now on with last year's winner Jason Miles.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21The first four hours, four or five hours,
0:23:21 > 0:23:25Keith Forsyth set just a ridiculous pace and we were
0:23:25 > 0:23:29kind of tearing chunks out of each other for a couple of hours.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31I was looking at the results from last year
0:23:31 > 0:23:34and I think Jason had got eight in or something before dark
0:23:34 > 0:23:37and I was kind of thinking, "Right, well, the conditions are bit better.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39"Maybe we'll get nine." But it was just...
0:23:39 > 0:23:42I think we were under 40 minutes.
0:23:42 > 0:23:43I just left him to it.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46I thought, "I can't carry on at this speed."
0:23:46 > 0:23:50And, sort of inevitably, it kind of...
0:23:50 > 0:23:53He ended up kind of sat down for a little while.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57However, this is not just a two-way battle.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00Motorbike racer Guy Martin is no stranger to speed
0:24:00 > 0:24:03and he's very much in contention.
0:24:03 > 0:24:08Last year was my first ever 24-hour solo. That was tough.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11- That was tough because I just was not prepared.- Yeah.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15Well, I'd done as much as I could, training-wise
0:24:15 > 0:24:16and preparation-wise,
0:24:16 > 0:24:19but nothing prepares you for the Strathpuffer 24-hour. Nothing.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21So, finished fourth last year
0:24:21 > 0:24:24but I was just a shell of a man at the end of it.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28Meanwhile, the fight is on in the quad events, too.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30After a great start from Nevis Cycles,
0:24:30 > 0:24:33a new team from the Midlands, Flatout Cycles,
0:24:33 > 0:24:38has pushed into the lead and they're setting an amazingly fast pace.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42A few of the guys showed me their race. It looked really, really cool.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45I entered it a while ago and you think, "Oh, yeah, it's
0:24:45 > 0:24:47"not going to be that hard." But then when you get here, it's real...
0:24:47 > 0:24:49It's real tough.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52I think all these mountain bike endurance events are always just
0:24:52 > 0:24:55dead friendly and it's not about winning or anything like that.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57It's just about coming and enjoying it.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59It's about riding your own race.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01Yeah, and just pushing yourself as hard as you can go.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04There's always going to be a million people better than you somewhere
0:25:04 > 0:25:06else. It's not like beating people.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10It's about finding that kind of new level of pushing yourself.
0:25:10 > 0:25:11I hate this bit.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Night-time riding for a lot of people -
0:25:13 > 0:25:16I used to do a lot of it - is very sort of therapeutic and relaxing.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18Yeah, it can be really, really cool.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21Coming down to this fire road it's kind of...
0:25:21 > 0:25:23the descents are quite safe and flowing.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25You get a real nice sense of speed. In my head,
0:25:25 > 0:25:29I had an image of it being pan-flat kind of thing for some reason.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33- It's Scotland, though, isn't it? - Yeah, yeah. It's real cool.
0:25:35 > 0:25:40A recent generation of high-powered lights have revolutionised
0:25:40 > 0:25:43night-riding, but it's still a full-on experience
0:25:43 > 0:25:46and one that requires great skill.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48It just changes the complete atmosphere.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51You have to focus a lot more on what you're doing.
0:25:51 > 0:25:52It really concentrates
0:25:52 > 0:25:54and I think it gets you away from everything else.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56We've done some night-rides during the week.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00You know, get away from work and you just go on a night-ride
0:26:00 > 0:26:03and because it is that sort of intense
0:26:03 > 0:26:06you have to really switch on, you can't do it half-heartedly.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08- How are we doing?- Good. You? - Aye, not too bad.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10It's brilliant. I love night-riding.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12I like it better than riding in the day.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15You have to absolutely focus on what you're doing and that's it.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18There's nothing else. You can't think of anything else,
0:26:18 > 0:26:21especially on those big rocks at the top there.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26You live in your own little bubble of lights and,
0:26:26 > 0:26:29especially on this course, you're thinking about the next gear change.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33Cos you're changing gear frequently, very much so when you get tired.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35You learn to ride by feel quite a bit,
0:26:35 > 0:26:38when you're riding in the dark so if you practise a lot I think
0:26:38 > 0:26:40it improves your balance quite a bit as well.
0:26:40 > 0:26:41It's odd cos every now and then
0:26:41 > 0:26:44you'll be in a big group of people and then they'll either
0:26:44 > 0:26:47drop behind or get in front and you're just out in the middle of
0:26:47 > 0:26:50nowhere on your own with this tiny patch of light sat in front,
0:26:50 > 0:26:52and then you plod away up the fire road and you turn onto
0:26:52 > 0:26:55the single track and it's just like chaos has been unleashed.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57There's people everywhere, bikes on the side,
0:26:57 > 0:26:59people behind you, people in front
0:26:59 > 0:27:02and you're trying to get through the rocks at the same time and it's...
0:27:02 > 0:27:04It does keep you going, it really does.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07It keeps the adrenaline up and I think that's what gets you through the night.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11- Cheers. Hey. Right, have a good one. - See you later.- Enjoy.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14- Cheers.- Well done.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19- So, how was that? - That one was pretty tough, yeah.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21Still feeling like we can go out for one more
0:27:21 > 0:27:25and I think if we just keep on saying, "One more, one more,
0:27:25 > 0:27:29"one more," and seeing where we end up at ten o'clock tomorrow.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34In the women's pairs race,
0:27:34 > 0:27:36the Deeside Divas have led from the start.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39Now they're making the most of the night-riding.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41They're well ahead of their nearest rivals
0:27:41 > 0:27:44and currently in tenth place overall.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48I actually like being out there with no other riders about.
0:27:48 > 0:27:49You can concentrate on the route.
0:27:49 > 0:27:54When you've got people tagging in behind you to try and get past, it's
0:27:54 > 0:27:58a bit off-putting but I kind of like just going for it in the peace.
0:27:58 > 0:27:59Coming through.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04The bridge is coming up.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10I bashed my knee. A bit of blood, a bit of bruising,
0:28:10 > 0:28:13but apart from that we've been doing OK.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15Beginning to... A bit tired now.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19The laps are taking a little bit longer now.
0:28:19 > 0:28:20Can't see a thing.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25You do kind of get into... Get into a bit of a zone
0:28:25 > 0:28:28and you begin to know where all the key points are.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30You've made it to the skeleton, tick.
0:28:30 > 0:28:32You've made it to the bench, tick.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36So we've been doing just one lap each and I think we're going
0:28:36 > 0:28:39to keep that up probably for the next at least few laps
0:28:39 > 0:28:43and then from there we might do a couple of double laps each
0:28:43 > 0:28:45so that we can get a bit of a sleep.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48- Coming through.- No bother.
0:28:51 > 0:28:56- Well done.- This is my eighth. - Eight?- Yeah. You?- Seven.
0:28:59 > 0:29:01Getting tired.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06Having competed last year in the winning female quad, Kirsty Aitken
0:29:06 > 0:29:11and Jayne Taylor know exactly what's required in this event.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14We met up with them the evening before the race as they made their
0:29:14 > 0:29:18final preparations after a day's work and a last training run.
0:29:18 > 0:29:22It's taken a lot of juggling between work schedules and stuff like that.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25Yeah, it's been a busy week, a busy couple of weeks.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27Just looking out kit as well.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31Sourcing kit, checking you've got enough lights and things like that.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36It's sometimes quite difficult to find like-minded females
0:29:36 > 0:29:39but we're quite lucky in the club that we are in.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42It was through the Deeside Thistles that we kind of
0:29:42 > 0:29:45got to know each other, so we started going out, doing a bit
0:29:45 > 0:29:50of mountain biking, evening cycles then thought about the Puffer.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54Organisation is really, really important, isn't it?
0:29:54 > 0:29:57We put a shopping list together. A massive, big shop done on Sunday.
0:29:57 > 0:30:01And just hoping it's done for the right amount of kit.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06We've got a big pot of pasta getting cooked tonight.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10We have got lots of sugar. Lots and lots of sugar.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12Hundreds of Jelly Babies.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15Hundreds of Jelly Babies. All sorts. You name it.
0:30:15 > 0:30:18It's just all sort of quite carbohydrate-heavy stuff
0:30:18 > 0:30:19and stuff that we like.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22I think we found out last year it doesn't matter how
0:30:22 > 0:30:24much stuff you think is meant to be good for you -
0:30:24 > 0:30:27if you don't like it, at three in the morning you won't want to eat
0:30:27 > 0:30:31it but you need to find something that you do want to eat.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34- And I may find that I don't eat pasta again for a few months.- Yeah.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36I'll eat it throughout the night.
0:30:40 > 0:30:44Back at the Strathpuffer, we're now well into the wee, small hours.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46It's a time when any problem is magnified
0:30:46 > 0:30:50and the lack of sleep is taking its toll.
0:30:54 > 0:30:55- You OK?- Aye. Cheers.
0:30:58 > 0:31:03Hello. I'm Alistair. Number 405 in a quad.
0:31:06 > 0:31:10I'd just like to say that is the hardest thing I've ever done.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13Now I'm going to finish my Mars bar.
0:31:13 > 0:31:14My name is Ben.
0:31:16 > 0:31:18Three don'ts of the Strathpuffer.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21Don't sign up the week before.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23Don't do it single speed.
0:31:23 > 0:31:28And don't let your mate finish on you.
0:31:28 > 0:31:30You know you are, Gibbins.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38Hi, my name's Mark Hanlon. I don't know what I'm doing here.
0:31:38 > 0:31:42Never done anything like this in my life. Thought it looked great fun.
0:31:42 > 0:31:46Conned into it. It's not for rank amateurs like me.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48It's for guys who know what they're doing.
0:31:48 > 0:31:53- You must be sadists.- Are you talking about us or you?- You.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56- How are you getting on? - We're masochists.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00No falls until this lap and now it's two.
0:32:00 > 0:32:01You're doing good.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04- Doesn't feel like it. - You're doing great.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09HE SIGHS
0:32:10 > 0:32:14Well, it's just gone three o'clock in the morning
0:32:14 > 0:32:19and I came back in and there was nobody there to meet me
0:32:19 > 0:32:21so I went back to the camper van and they're all asleep.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24So I woke them up and said, "Who's going next?"
0:32:24 > 0:32:26And they all told me to go away.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28So I've got a cup of tea and a burger.
0:32:30 > 0:32:35Hi. I'm Yvonne. 202B.
0:32:35 > 0:32:39I got two punctures, two laps in a row
0:32:39 > 0:32:41and then my quick release got jammed up with silt.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43I couldn't get it back on.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45I didn't have any spare tools with me so I had to go beg,
0:32:45 > 0:32:48borrow and steal from people in tents.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51Thank you, people who gave me them. We were an hour and a half down.
0:32:51 > 0:32:55We were a whole lap down. So we're up. We're now two laps up.
0:32:55 > 0:32:58And, quite frankly, I'm tired. So I'm going to have an hour's sleep
0:32:58 > 0:33:01and then we'll see what happens with our team and then we'll
0:33:01 > 0:33:03decide if we're going to do some more or not. Bye.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08Every rider who wants to be successful in the Puffer
0:33:08 > 0:33:09needs a plan.
0:33:09 > 0:33:14It requires the three Ss - skill, strategy and stamina.
0:33:14 > 0:33:18Whether you're out there to win or just to complete the course, it's
0:33:18 > 0:33:21hard to anticipate an experience like this.
0:33:21 > 0:33:23How do you possibly train for a 24-hour race?
0:33:23 > 0:33:25There's four of us
0:33:25 > 0:33:28so we've done a lap each first to see it in daylight
0:33:28 > 0:33:31and then we do two laps each so we can come back here, relax,
0:33:31 > 0:33:34get a bite to eat and that sort of thing. Just trying to keep fuelled.
0:33:34 > 0:33:36Try and get an hour's sleep if possible,
0:33:36 > 0:33:39which hasn't really happened, and keep plodding away like that.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42And so far, so good. We're all still going at the moment.
0:33:42 > 0:33:44I might just walk this bit.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47The guys that do this all the time can possibly prepare for it
0:33:47 > 0:33:49but I don't really know
0:33:49 > 0:33:52if your average Joe can understand how you prepare for something
0:33:52 > 0:33:55like this and, you know, you can ride as much as you want and
0:33:55 > 0:33:57probably try and do some training rides.
0:33:57 > 0:34:00I've tried to do some training rides late at night to try
0:34:00 > 0:34:02and prepare for it but you'll never know
0:34:02 > 0:34:05until you get into the situation to see how your body will react.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08So much for assistance! Four laps yous've been out here.
0:34:08 > 0:34:09Sorry. We're lost.
0:34:09 > 0:34:10LAUGHTER
0:34:10 > 0:34:14I've got a strategy, got a nutrition strategy involving cheese
0:34:14 > 0:34:18scones and croissants and bits of malt loaf and stuff like that.
0:34:18 > 0:34:20Hopefully that'll see me through.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22Woefully ill-prepared and unfit.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24It's that time of night, isn't it?
0:34:24 > 0:34:28A team of four so I can't complain too bitterly.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30I want to get to the end. That's my first objective.
0:34:30 > 0:34:34Second objective's not to sleep and then the third objective is to
0:34:34 > 0:34:37complete a set figure of laps in my head,
0:34:37 > 0:34:40that I'm not going to disclose at the moment.
0:34:40 > 0:34:42How are you doing, all right?
0:34:42 > 0:34:46- Yeah. Tired.- Struggling now. Really struggling.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49- You're doing brilliant. - Thanks, man, cheers.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51Sleep pattern - what's that?!
0:34:51 > 0:34:56I actually did get about an hour earlier on when Rob was out.
0:34:56 > 0:34:57And we all sort of just conked out
0:34:57 > 0:35:00and that's the first time I've ever managed to sleep, really.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03- How are we doing? - Good. You?- Terrible.
0:35:03 > 0:35:05Slowing a bit now.
0:35:06 > 0:35:10As the riders continue their way round and round the course,
0:35:10 > 0:35:12we're taking a short break from the action here
0:35:12 > 0:35:15at the 2014 Strathpuffer 24
0:35:15 > 0:35:18but we're not leaving the night-time behind.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28It's one in the morning -
0:35:28 > 0:35:32not the normal time most people take a walk up a Scottish mountain.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35Alan Rowan is an exception.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38Former journalist, often working well into the night,
0:35:38 > 0:35:42he devised a strategy to enable him to get out into the hills.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44It started off because there wasn't enough hours in the day.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47I had such a busy job, young family,
0:35:47 > 0:35:50couldn't find the time to do as many hills as I wanted.
0:35:50 > 0:35:52Especially the further away ones.
0:35:52 > 0:35:55And I thought, "Well, if you work 9-5, you don't
0:35:55 > 0:35:59go home at five o'clock and go to your bed," so I was finishing at
0:35:59 > 0:36:03midnight and still sitting up at six in the morning reading or whatever,
0:36:03 > 0:36:06not getting to sleep. So I thought I could use that time.
0:36:08 > 0:36:12The idea at that point was to drive up maybe two or two
0:36:12 > 0:36:15and half hours to somewhere like Fort William or further, have a
0:36:15 > 0:36:18sleep in the car and climb a couple of mountains at seven in the morning.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22But, of course, once I got there it was just so beautiful
0:36:22 > 0:36:27so I just got out and got started and, after you've done it a couple
0:36:27 > 0:36:31of times, like every thing else, it becomes almost like an addiction.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35It's so quiet, you're on your own,
0:36:35 > 0:36:39and it's a different beauty than going walking during the day.
0:36:39 > 0:36:41Using long-exposure photography,
0:36:41 > 0:36:44it's possible to chart Alan's route up the mountain
0:36:44 > 0:36:47he's chosen for tonight's walk - Schiehallion in Perthshire.
0:36:48 > 0:36:50Famous hill, of course, which is
0:36:50 > 0:36:53where they measured the weight of the Earth.
0:36:53 > 0:36:54This was the mountain they used,
0:36:54 > 0:36:57apparently because it's a regular mountain shape.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00If you look at it from one end, it's a pyramid
0:37:00 > 0:37:03and if you look at it from the other end, it's this long, long whale-back.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12If you're out during the day, sometimes, if it's a good day,
0:37:12 > 0:37:15you've got the view right from the start
0:37:15 > 0:37:17and there's no surprises in it.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20Whereas if you're coming at night, you're walking into the light.
0:37:20 > 0:37:24You're walking into a sunrise and suddenly everything appears.
0:37:24 > 0:37:25It's like these days... It's like
0:37:25 > 0:37:28days when you go out and it's cloudy and everything blows away.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31They're more spectacular days than when you just go out
0:37:31 > 0:37:34and it's beautiful all day. It's like getting a present, you know,
0:37:34 > 0:37:37and suddenly opening it and it's something fantastic
0:37:37 > 0:37:40instead of having it just sitting there when you go in.
0:37:46 > 0:37:52Well, the path is getting quite icy now and it's slipping quite
0:37:52 > 0:37:55a bit so I think it's time for crampons on for a little bit.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02I don't think it's the sort of thing you can suddenly decide to do
0:38:02 > 0:38:04one day and just head out if you haven't...
0:38:04 > 0:38:05If your navigation isn't good
0:38:05 > 0:38:08and you're not confident about where you're going.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13It seemed like common sense to me. It probably is...
0:38:13 > 0:38:16It probably is a bit strange to a lot of people.
0:38:19 > 0:38:25I did this for... Solid for 15, 16 years, big chains of hills as well,
0:38:25 > 0:38:27away for eight and nine hours,
0:38:27 > 0:38:30and never really had a problem with any of it.
0:38:31 > 0:38:35Part of that is probably some good luck but a lot of it is down to
0:38:35 > 0:38:38planning and just, you know, doing the right things.
0:38:38 > 0:38:40Don't take ridiculous chances.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43I mean, if you're going out on your own in the winter, don't go
0:38:43 > 0:38:44and do north faces.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47Don't do things that involve huge river crossings, that sort of thing.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49It's just common sense.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54When I used to decide I was going away that night,
0:38:54 > 0:38:56everybody else would be going away to get their cars to go home
0:38:56 > 0:38:59and I would disappear into one of the offices, change like Superman
0:38:59 > 0:39:02and come out with hill-walking gear, head in the car the opposite
0:39:02 > 0:39:05direction and they all say, "Oh, you're crazy."
0:39:05 > 0:39:12And then you come in the next day and you're so refreshed.
0:39:12 > 0:39:14There's almost a smugness.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18Despite not having any sleep, you feel fit and healthy.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21The other guys are coming in having sat up watching TV till
0:39:21 > 0:39:27six in the morning, looking terrible. And you come in with this rosy glow.
0:39:27 > 0:39:29Once or twice somebody's even said to me,
0:39:29 > 0:39:31"How do you manage to get a suntan
0:39:31 > 0:39:35"when it's been raining here all night?" Because I was above the rain.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38It's the best feeling in the world. It always is.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41You come up and you see this, the light at this time in the morning.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44It's amazing. And the snow as well.
0:39:44 > 0:39:49It all wind-blasted and the colours it's adding, it's incredible.
0:39:50 > 0:39:54You just can't... You couldn't buy that, you know.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57Do the hard work in the dark, get the sunrise, sit up here
0:39:57 > 0:40:00and have your breakfast for a couple of hours. You can't beat it.
0:40:00 > 0:40:04Sometimes it makes you think you're the only person left in the world.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09And if you'd like to explore our mountains at night
0:40:09 > 0:40:11but are unsure if you have the right skills,
0:40:11 > 0:40:15don't forget there are many mountain instructors who can help you.
0:40:15 > 0:40:17Just remember - be careful.
0:40:17 > 0:40:19The Adventure Show can't afford to lose you.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22And if you want to find out more about Alan
0:40:22 > 0:40:26and everything else on the programme, follow us on Facebook.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37From Highland Perthshire, let's go east.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40This is Mongolia,
0:40:40 > 0:40:43one of the coldest and most extreme places on the planet.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47It's winter and the temperature is minus 40 degrees at night
0:40:47 > 0:40:53and only marginally warmer in the day. So why are we here?
0:40:53 > 0:40:55It's simple, really.
0:40:55 > 0:40:59A group of Scottish adventurers want to do something new.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02They're about to play the very first game of what they're
0:41:02 > 0:41:05calling the Wild Golf World Series.
0:41:05 > 0:41:06Doglegger!
0:41:06 > 0:41:10This, rough as it may seem, is a nine-hole course.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13It's golf but not as we know it.
0:41:13 > 0:41:18There are no fairways, greens, and even teeing off isn't easy.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21We had a look over the course yesterday
0:41:21 > 0:41:25and it became very apparent that the ground is extremely frozen
0:41:25 > 0:41:28and holes aren't readily available so we're using
0:41:28 > 0:41:32a mixture of marmot holes, holes in the rock, cracks in the rock.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34We have a problem here.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36I don't how I'm going to hit it
0:41:36 > 0:41:40because I have to putt it like a hammer. I'm going to try.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42Oh, no.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45Also, of course, you can't get tees in the ground so we've
0:41:45 > 0:41:49played around with a variety of improvised tees.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52I think the best we've settled on was a sliced onion.
0:41:52 > 0:41:53Adventurers from South Africa
0:41:53 > 0:41:57and Italy have joined the Scots to explore this harsh but starkly
0:41:57 > 0:42:02beautiful country and to make their own little bit of history.
0:42:02 > 0:42:07Wild golf is the brainchild of Glasgow-based explorer David Scott,
0:42:07 > 0:42:10who is also the honorary consul of Mongolia.
0:42:10 > 0:42:14I've been coming out to Mongolia for just over 11 years.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17Some of the things I think are apparent to everybody who comes here
0:42:17 > 0:42:21are the similarities between Scottish people and Mongolian people.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24Both spoilt with beautiful countryside.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27The weather can be pretty extreme and I think that draws people in
0:42:27 > 0:42:32and gets them together in the gers and the hospitality is superb here.
0:42:32 > 0:42:36The Mongolian people have adapted to living here over centuries.
0:42:36 > 0:42:40In winter, their yurts are a haven of warmth.
0:42:40 > 0:42:42You forget how cold it is outside.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46Oh, that looks delicious. Delicious.
0:42:49 > 0:42:50It's tournament day
0:42:50 > 0:42:53and whilst golf purists may look on with horror, it's time
0:42:53 > 0:42:58for these competitors to pit their skills against this environment.
0:42:58 > 0:43:00Jurgens Schoemin is a South African who has
0:43:00 > 0:43:04travelled around the world but this is his first trip to Mongolia.
0:43:05 > 0:43:10We don't have snow in South Africa so to play in these circumstances,
0:43:10 > 0:43:17I think one needs to have kind of a...extreme sense of humour just
0:43:17 > 0:43:21to enjoy this beautiful environment, playing golf in these circumstances.
0:43:21 > 0:43:23Lovely.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26John McKnight is a roofer from Glasgow.
0:43:26 > 0:43:28He's got two advantages.
0:43:28 > 0:43:32He's married into a Mongolian family and he's a keen golfer.
0:43:32 > 0:43:36Even so, he's finding this course a challenge.
0:43:36 > 0:43:37It's really wild.
0:43:37 > 0:43:42It's the most wild golf I've ever played in my life. But really nice.
0:43:42 > 0:43:43Really nice.
0:43:44 > 0:43:47The other Scot is no stranger to this country either.
0:43:47 > 0:43:52Gordon Adam won the 140-mile Gobi Challenge in 2007.
0:43:52 > 0:43:54He's an accomplished runner
0:43:54 > 0:43:59but he's less sure about his golfing ability. Especially here.
0:43:59 > 0:44:01There's cold golf courses around the world but nobody,
0:44:01 > 0:44:04I don't think, has taken it out into the middle of nowhere.
0:44:04 > 0:44:06So I'm sure we must be the first.
0:44:06 > 0:44:10Certainly the first Scot in Mongolia playing golf, wearing a kilt.
0:44:10 > 0:44:13- Oh.- Nice. Nice.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16Representing Italy is Robert Atwater.
0:44:16 > 0:44:19He's visited this country numerous times including
0:44:19 > 0:44:22a number of winter expeditions.
0:44:22 > 0:44:25He doesn't underestimate the difficulties of hitting a ball
0:44:25 > 0:44:28when it's minus 35.
0:44:28 > 0:44:32This is very hard to do here in Mongolia. It's very cold.
0:44:32 > 0:44:38Very hard to see the ball. But so far, so good.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41Because this is the future of extreme golf.
0:44:41 > 0:44:43Bella Italia.
0:44:43 > 0:44:46LAUGHTER
0:44:47 > 0:44:48Hey!
0:44:48 > 0:44:51There's a lot of pressure here because Italy have putted.
0:44:51 > 0:44:56They're in the hole already so Scotland has to hold its end up.
0:44:56 > 0:44:57So, here we go.
0:44:57 > 0:45:00- Yes.- No.- No?
0:45:00 > 0:45:04The temperature is still way below freezing, yet the competition
0:45:04 > 0:45:09is hotting up. And those national characteristics are coming out.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12There's growing rivalry between our Gordon Adam
0:45:12 > 0:45:14and Italy's Robert Atwater.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20- Yeah!- A bit of catching up. It's all going to go my way now.
0:45:20 > 0:45:22I can feel it.
0:45:24 > 0:45:27- Better.- What a shot!- Italia!
0:45:28 > 0:45:31Scotland now has to be very, very careful, eh?
0:45:32 > 0:45:36- Because I'm getting very close. - Oh, look at that.
0:45:36 > 0:45:40I think it's the highest score wins. That's the good news.
0:45:40 > 0:45:42So I think I'm doing OK.
0:45:43 > 0:45:46We are going to make an alliance for victory.
0:45:46 > 0:45:48South Africa and Italy.
0:45:48 > 0:45:52- Yes! Yes!- We beat them! - Yes, yes, yes, yes!
0:45:52 > 0:45:56Robert and Gordon are battling it out for third place.
0:45:56 > 0:45:58Meanwhile, at the top of the leaderboard, there is
0:45:58 > 0:46:02a tussle between Glasgow's John McKnight and Jurgens Schoemin.
0:46:02 > 0:46:06The Scots, I think, they try their best but I think we will
0:46:06 > 0:46:10show them where we are coming from and that is Africa.
0:46:10 > 0:46:11Yes!
0:46:14 > 0:46:20- Yes!- This is it. Final hole. Two shots up. But it's not finished yet.
0:46:23 > 0:46:27I have to put this in. Then South Africa will be in the lead.
0:46:27 > 0:46:30Oh!
0:46:31 > 0:46:34CHEERING
0:46:34 > 0:46:35- You are the winner.- Freedom!
0:46:37 > 0:46:40So, after nine holes of what is almost certainly the most
0:46:40 > 0:46:45extreme game of golf ever played, we can be proud of the winner.
0:46:45 > 0:46:49Experience has paid off for Glaswegian John McKnight.
0:46:50 > 0:46:56I'd just like to thank David Scott for inviting me. It was really nice.
0:46:56 > 0:46:57But a bit wild!
0:47:07 > 0:47:09Welcome back to the Strathpuffer.
0:47:09 > 0:47:13The 17 long, lonely, gruelling hours of darkness are almost over.
0:47:13 > 0:47:15It's quarter to eight in the morning,
0:47:15 > 0:47:17just over two hours left in this year's race.
0:47:17 > 0:47:21And already we know that every single record, in terms of laps
0:47:21 > 0:47:25completed, in every single category will be broken,
0:47:25 > 0:47:27and, in some cases, smashed.
0:47:28 > 0:47:32In the men's quad race, last year's winner, the Deeside Puffers,
0:47:32 > 0:47:37have currently completed 32 laps and are lying in fourth place.
0:47:37 > 0:47:39I think there's a real good quality of teams.
0:47:39 > 0:47:42I wonder, last year, if people saw the weather and just thought, "Right,
0:47:42 > 0:47:44"we're not going to do it,"
0:47:44 > 0:47:46which is why we had a result cos we don't mind riding in it.
0:47:46 > 0:47:51But we've done eight laps. We did eight laps by I think half past five.
0:47:51 > 0:47:54I've never done more than eight so we have been working hard.
0:47:55 > 0:48:00In second, Team Nevis Cycles have completed 36 laps -
0:48:00 > 0:48:02the total for last year's winners.
0:48:02 > 0:48:04But even with that amazing performance,
0:48:04 > 0:48:07they are currently two laps behind the leaders.
0:48:07 > 0:48:11We are just doing what we can and we can't go any faster.
0:48:11 > 0:48:16We're putting it all out. That's fine. We're just accepting it.
0:48:16 > 0:48:17They're so far down the road
0:48:17 > 0:48:21so we are just sort of relaxed in our position at the moment.
0:48:25 > 0:48:29The current leaders, Flatout Cycles, are living up to their name.
0:48:29 > 0:48:33On their first ever Strathpuffer, they've already completed 38 laps.
0:48:33 > 0:48:37It's just trying to keep it together on all the kind of technical bits,
0:48:37 > 0:48:39all the rocks so you don't slash your tyre.
0:48:39 > 0:48:41And as soon as you hit any climb or anything like that,
0:48:41 > 0:48:43that's the time to kind of open the taps
0:48:43 > 0:48:45and give it everything you've got cos that's where you'll lose
0:48:45 > 0:48:49and make up time, really, and don't take any risks trying to make
0:48:49 > 0:48:51up time on the rocky bits at the top.
0:48:51 > 0:48:55In the men's solos, Keith Forsyth is suffering from his
0:48:55 > 0:49:00overenthusiastic start, when he set a great pace straight from the off.
0:49:00 > 0:49:04I hit the wall a little bit early on and I think it was the top
0:49:04 > 0:49:08section where it's really rough on the rocks and just becomes Purgatory.
0:49:08 > 0:49:09Overnight, you're just getting...
0:49:09 > 0:49:12Ramming into rocks and you're getting knocked off-line
0:49:12 > 0:49:14and it's really, really sapping.
0:49:14 > 0:49:18- I could've just lain down on the ground and slept.- Go on!
0:49:18 > 0:49:22This means the battle for the top spot for the solos is now on
0:49:22 > 0:49:26between motorbike racer Guy Martin and last year's winner Jason Miles.
0:49:26 > 0:49:30Jason knows he's up against the stiffest of competition.
0:49:30 > 0:49:33Guy's a phenomenal athlete and he's got quite a lot of mental
0:49:33 > 0:49:39fortitude and drive, so he's ideally suited to this kind of thing so...
0:49:39 > 0:49:43And he doesn't tend to get grumpy like I do.
0:49:43 > 0:49:44I was horrendous.
0:49:44 > 0:49:48In the women's pairs, the Deeside Divas have a commanding lead
0:49:48 > 0:49:51but they are still finding it tough.
0:49:51 > 0:49:55It's just been absolutely brutal.
0:49:55 > 0:49:59My upper body's just feeling shocked from just the impact of all
0:49:59 > 0:50:03the rocks and I'm making mistakes here, there and everywhere,
0:50:03 > 0:50:06so I think now it's just a case of survival rather than even
0:50:06 > 0:50:08looking at any lap times.
0:50:08 > 0:50:11We're just going for it, just to keep on going round
0:50:11 > 0:50:13and round as many times as we can.
0:50:13 > 0:50:16The dark is really quite demoralising
0:50:16 > 0:50:19and it's been quite a long time going round in the dark so looking
0:50:19 > 0:50:22forward, definitely, to seeing the sun come up.
0:50:22 > 0:50:27By this stage in the race, both body and mind are suffering.
0:50:27 > 0:50:29You talk to the trees or your bike
0:50:29 > 0:50:32or anything that will talk back to you.
0:50:32 > 0:50:34And when it does start talking back to you,
0:50:34 > 0:50:35that's when you start to worry.
0:50:35 > 0:50:40You get these horrible lows. I'm focusing on that dawn lap
0:50:40 > 0:50:42and hopefully when the sun comes up you get
0:50:42 > 0:50:45a sort of feeling of elation, and that'll carry you through.
0:50:45 > 0:50:47Just take it one chunk at a time.
0:50:47 > 0:50:50Just think that, "Well, I've got this next little bit to do
0:50:50 > 0:50:53"and that'll be it ticked off one more time," and then just think
0:50:53 > 0:50:55of the next wee bit and just keep ticking off
0:50:55 > 0:50:56one little bit at a time.
0:50:56 > 0:50:58Don't think, "I've got another six laps to do,"
0:50:58 > 0:51:00or another three laps, just think,
0:51:00 > 0:51:03"Right, just the next bit, just the next bit," and all the little
0:51:03 > 0:51:06bits will just add up, and before you know it you're round that lap.
0:51:06 > 0:51:09- How you doing? All right? - I'm pretty burst.
0:51:09 > 0:51:11The uphills, I must admit, I'm having to get out my seat
0:51:11 > 0:51:14and really grit my teeth to get up some of these hills.
0:51:14 > 0:51:16So, so far, I've not had to get off the bike
0:51:16 > 0:51:19and I'm determined not to get off the bike at all.
0:51:19 > 0:51:22So, yeah, it's basically just head down.
0:51:22 > 0:51:25You've just got to keep your head down. That's all I'm doing.
0:51:25 > 0:51:27And, you know, so far,
0:51:27 > 0:51:31no-one's overtaking me on the lap, which is good.
0:51:31 > 0:51:34Chains stuck. It's knackered now.
0:51:35 > 0:51:39As the sun rises and the riders finally leave the darkness behind,
0:51:39 > 0:51:42it's easy to see that this event
0:51:42 > 0:51:44is about much more than just the racing.
0:51:44 > 0:51:46It's the best feeling in the world.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49You know, the best lap in the Puffer is when the light comes up.
0:51:49 > 0:51:53It's like... You can understand why cavemen dug that kind of thing.
0:51:55 > 0:51:59This is excellent. This is great fun. The sun's nearly coming up.
0:51:59 > 0:52:02One of the race marshals, Howard Swindell, was inspired to
0:52:02 > 0:52:05capture the spirit of the Puffer in song.
0:52:05 > 0:52:07# If you like to ride your bike
0:52:07 > 0:52:09# If winter cycling's what you like
0:52:09 > 0:52:12# If you love to ride through rain and hail
0:52:12 > 0:52:14# The freezing wind of a northern gale
0:52:14 > 0:52:16# The place for you to go, I guess
0:52:16 > 0:52:18# Is heading north from Inverness
0:52:18 > 0:52:20# Over the Kessock Bridge you go
0:52:20 > 0:52:22# Through drifting deeps of snow
0:52:22 > 0:52:24# To ride the Strathpuffer
0:52:24 > 0:52:27# Oh, there's no race tougher
0:52:27 > 0:52:31# If you pass up the chance to ride it, you're a duffer
0:52:31 > 0:52:33# Just ride the Strathpuffer
0:52:33 > 0:52:35# It'll make you suffer
0:52:35 > 0:52:39# No, the tracks and the roads just won't get any rougher
0:52:39 > 0:52:42# So find yourself some buddies who
0:52:42 > 0:52:44# Are maybe just as mad as you
0:52:44 > 0:52:46# Who don't mind riding through snow and ice
0:52:46 > 0:52:49# And think that blizzards are quite nice
0:52:49 > 0:52:51# Go and get your entry in
0:52:51 > 0:52:53# It's probable that you won't win
0:52:53 > 0:52:55# But you'll have a night you won't forget
0:52:55 > 0:52:58# You'll get frozen, filthy and wet when you ride the Strathpuffer. #
0:52:58 > 0:53:01I've been involved in marshalling the Strathpuffer for the last few years.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03I've never actually done it yet. So I'm a bit of a duffer.
0:53:03 > 0:53:05I should do it. I'd quite like to.
0:53:05 > 0:53:10And I thought it was a good song to try and get some good rhymes into.
0:53:10 > 0:53:13- What can rhyme with Strathpuffer? That was...- Duffer.
0:53:13 > 0:53:18- Duffer was definitely one of them, yeah.- And tougher.- And suffer.
0:53:18 > 0:53:22With ten o'clock fast approaching, the race for this year,
0:53:22 > 0:53:24at least, is nearly over.
0:53:24 > 0:53:28All around the course, end-of-race fever is catching on.
0:53:28 > 0:53:30Last lap! Whoo!
0:53:30 > 0:53:31Last lap, hooray!
0:53:34 > 0:53:36We're trying to get another one lap in,
0:53:36 > 0:53:42- if I can get in before ten.- You'll be all right.- Go for it.- Surviving.
0:53:43 > 0:53:47- Last lap. I'll get there.- Started training on the 6th of January.
0:53:48 > 0:53:53- Who said it couldn't be done? - Almost done.
0:53:53 > 0:53:57No-one can be more relieved to see the finish line than Jason Miles.
0:53:57 > 0:54:02He's completed more laps than anyone in the history of this race.
0:54:02 > 0:54:04What an achievement.
0:54:04 > 0:54:07And there he is. Here's Jason coming in.
0:54:07 > 0:54:11Quite extraordinary. 31 laps.
0:54:11 > 0:54:16Smashing the record set by him last year and, my goodness me,
0:54:16 > 0:54:23look at the state of him. He is absolutely burst. Sensational stuff.
0:54:23 > 0:54:25I said it was really hard last time
0:54:25 > 0:54:29but that was probably one of the hardest things I've done.
0:54:29 > 0:54:32But glad I've won. Yeah.
0:54:32 > 0:54:35So, last year you did 28. This year you've done 31.
0:54:35 > 0:54:37Back next year, get to 35 or something?
0:54:37 > 0:54:4165, I think. Yeah. I don't know.
0:54:41 > 0:54:45Wrong time to be asking me if I'm coming back next year.
0:54:45 > 0:54:49It's the tenth anniversary next year, isn't it? Yeah. Well, maybe. Maybe.
0:54:49 > 0:54:52It seems there'll be no stopping Jason Miles.
0:54:52 > 0:54:56But, into second place and just one lap behind,
0:54:56 > 0:54:59Guy Martin has had an amazing race.
0:54:59 > 0:55:01You were pushing Jason all the way at the end there.
0:55:01 > 0:55:03- You must have known how tight it was.- Well, Jason...
0:55:03 > 0:55:06Cos he's been helping me with my training, Jason has.
0:55:06 > 0:55:09He's been helping me... How long's Jason been helping me with training?
0:55:09 > 0:55:13- What, the last year or so?- Yeah. - About last year or so. So, yeah.
0:55:13 > 0:55:16He'd have been gutted if I beat him. But he was single speed.
0:55:16 > 0:55:21- He was single speed.- But second place is not bad.- It'll do. It'll do.
0:55:21 > 0:55:24And in the quads, another record has fallen.
0:55:24 > 0:55:27Flatout Cycles didn't know what to expect at the start
0:55:27 > 0:55:32but they've completed 43 laps, two ahead of their nearest rivals.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34We knew we had a fairly good team
0:55:34 > 0:55:38but you never can underestimate anybody in a race like this.
0:55:38 > 0:55:40It's much harder than...
0:55:40 > 0:55:42Everyone says it's hard but, like everyone says,
0:55:42 > 0:55:45until you've done it, you don't realise how grim it's going to be.
0:55:45 > 0:55:48At three in the morning it was... We were all sitting in the van.
0:55:48 > 0:55:51In our van was a bit of a state, wasn't it?
0:55:51 > 0:55:53- We were all sitting there. - Hugging an oil radiator.
0:55:53 > 0:55:56Shivering, yeah, yeah. It was pretty cold.
0:55:56 > 0:56:00Leading the field in the women's pairs, the Deeside Divas have
0:56:00 > 0:56:05completed 27 laps to come in first for the women and tenth overall.
0:56:05 > 0:56:08Very chuffed. Really pleased with that.
0:56:08 > 0:56:11Just got a real buzz just coming down that last descent and thinking,
0:56:11 > 0:56:16"Wow, we've done it." I think if anybody had said to us before today
0:56:16 > 0:56:19that we would have managed 27 laps I would have probably laughed at them.
0:56:19 > 0:56:22We thought we were aiming pretty high for going 22
0:56:22 > 0:56:23and then we upped it to 24,
0:56:23 > 0:56:26- and then 26, and she went out... - Knocked a last one in in the end.
0:56:26 > 0:56:30So, yeah, really pleased with that. It's been a really good race.
0:56:30 > 0:56:32Really good race, yeah. Chuffed with that.
0:56:32 > 0:56:35- So, top of the podium and breaking the record as well.- Really? Oh, wow.
0:56:35 > 0:56:37- We didn't know that.- For girls.
0:56:37 > 0:56:41- Yeah, for a female pair, you've broken the record.- Amazing.
0:56:41 > 0:56:45- Yeah, that's... Yeah, just absolutely buzzing.- Oh, well, we can retire now.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48- Well, I can.- We'll retire on a high.
0:56:48 > 0:56:51So, confirmation of all those results.
0:56:51 > 0:56:54For the women, Morven Mackenzie-Fleming
0:56:54 > 0:56:56was the first soloist, with 15 laps.
0:56:56 > 0:56:59The Deeside pair of Kirsty Aitken and Jayne Taylor
0:56:59 > 0:57:03achieved a hugely impressive 27 laps.
0:57:03 > 0:57:07While Velocity Cafe were the first in the quads with 29.
0:57:07 > 0:57:08- It was amazing.- Brilliant.
0:57:08 > 0:57:12Yeah, it was exactly like I'd imagined it to be, actually, yeah.
0:57:12 > 0:57:15Really good craic. Much better craic than I'd thought.
0:57:15 > 0:57:17I had the least rest I've ever had in a quad team
0:57:17 > 0:57:20cos these guys kept going out and coming back very quickly.
0:57:20 > 0:57:23The adrenaline's buzzing so much that you don't want...
0:57:23 > 0:57:25You can't sleep anyway so you ride, you get in, you eat
0:57:25 > 0:57:28and then you put your head down and try and sleep but you don't.
0:57:28 > 0:57:32In the men's competition, for the solos, Jason Miles managed
0:57:32 > 0:57:37to defend his last year's win to complete a staggering 31 laps.
0:57:37 > 0:57:40In the pairs, Phil Simcock and Rich Rothwell
0:57:40 > 0:57:44led from start to finish, with a total of 36 laps.
0:57:44 > 0:57:49While in the quads, Flatout Cycles completed an epic 43 laps.
0:57:49 > 0:57:53But coming first isn't the main reason they're here.
0:57:53 > 0:57:56The win is like icing on the cake but if I'd come tenth
0:57:56 > 0:57:58and tried as hard as I did,
0:57:58 > 0:58:02I'd still be dead pleased that you've given it your best.
0:58:02 > 0:58:04Well, that's it for this month's Adventure Show.
0:58:04 > 0:58:08Congratulations to all our record-breaking winners.
0:58:08 > 0:58:10This is the last event of this series
0:58:10 > 0:58:13but we do have one more programme following someone who is
0:58:13 > 0:58:16perhaps Scotland's most famous living landscape photographer.
0:58:16 > 0:58:20In search of that perfect image, Colin Prior
0:58:20 > 0:58:24takes on a project which is perhaps his most ambitious to date.
0:58:24 > 0:58:26Please join us for that if you can.
0:58:26 > 0:58:28In the meantime, from all of us here at the Strathpuffer,
0:58:28 > 0:58:31thank you so much for your company. Bye for now.