FOR ONE GROUP OF MOUNTAIN BIKERS, THE WINTER MONTHS BRING AN EXTRA DOSE OF CAMARADERIE, FRIENDSHIP AND STIFF COMPETITION.

WORDS NICK HAMILTON

Long cold dark nights, rain and mud. Flurries of snow and biting winds. Snowballs in the face. As mountain bikers, these are the facets of winter which tend to have us putting another log on the fire and flicking over to the next page of our favourite riding mag, dreaming of when the clocks will change and the trails might dry out a bit. The committed ones are out there with shovels and trail tools shaping summer dreams, investing in their futureselves, but what about the rest of us? Bike washing, night rides and booking riding trips? What else could we be up to?

Faced with these difficulties but fuelled by a desire to keep riding and not give in, a group of us Sheffield riders devised a plan that has kept us out in the dark in all conditions since 2010. As with most good ideas it fermented in the pub after a few post-ride pints and what began as a possibility evolved into a movement. Dual. It rules, and we think you should be doing it too. Let me explain why.

PHOTOGRAPHY RICHARD BAYBUTT

CLOCKS GO BACK , STOPWATCHES COME OUT

Each year when the clocks fall back, our ritual begins. We meet every two weeks at locations dotted around Sheffield, and plant a series of parallel poles in the ground to mark out a course. Bike lights and AliExpress torches are strapped to more poles and set to illuminate each corner. People arrive in waves, with practice beginning at 8pm to allow us to get the feel for both lanes and adapt to the inevitably increasingly slideways conditions. At 9pm racing starts with the blow of a whistle. Each pairing of riders races head-to-head twice, once in each lane, with the fastest combined time moving through to the next round. Runs normally last 15 to 30 seconds. We use a stopwatch and a spreadsheet to keep track of progress with old hands taking turns to put their fingers on the buttons when it’s not their time to race.

We run a knockout format, moving from heats, through quarters and semis towards the big and little finals depending on how many riders turn up. Those who make the finals are running back up the hill repeatedly, getting knackered, but it’s a very good problem to have. Race entry has remained the same since the first race: two quid in the pot and a random prize for the bag, with a suggested minimum donation of tinned fish. The quids are used to buy race essentials like new lights and replacement poles as the poor things have a very hard life.