The two-day Cateran Dirt Dash is billed as a ‘reliability trial’ rather than a race. This may account for the discernible absence of testosterone in the air as riders of all sizes, genders and ages gather for the start in the genteel surroundings of Alyth Bowling Club in Scotland. We will be heading off-road into the Perthshire Hills but are reassured ‘The Broom Wagon of Eternal Shame’ will only ever be a phone call away.
I don’t know whether ‘bunch’ is the right collective noun for a group of bikepackers – it seems appropriately less formal than ‘peloton’ – but I quickly learn that while riding with company off-road may not offer any drafting benefits, it does provide other perks. Firstly, there will be regular gates to be passed through during the next 48 hours and the person at the front will be the one expected to wrestle with a mind-boggling array of latch mechanisms and tautly sprung ‘pull and release’ lever systems, so it pays to position yourself mid-bunch.
‘It’s OK, I’m fine!’ he shouts, bouncing
