Lands End to John O' Groats, off road and unsupported: Ross' 2,000km challenge

Saint Piran’s Ross Holland is gearing up to tackle an epic 2,000km ride from Lands End to John O’Groats at the beginning of August. The GBDuro consists of four stages of around 500km each and riders will have to average around 200km per day (including some 3,000m of climbing) to make it before the cut-off point.  

Sharp-eyed observers will note that this event is almost 600km longer than the ‘traditional’ end-to-end route. That’s because the organisers send participants over a winding course that includes road, single-track and gravel. But that’s all part of the ‘fun’! 

So why is Ross taking on this extreme challenge? He explains:

“When races started disappearing from the calendar due to Covid, like many riders I started to panic, wondering if we’d get a 2020 season at all. So I looked for an opportunity to do something a bit different. While I love conventional racing, I often find myself craving an adventure, but the demands of the season make this tricky. This was my opportunity and GBDuro is the perfect adventure.”

At 8am on 1st August, riders will roll out from Land’s End, bags fully laden, on a route that snakes its way from south-west England, up into west-Wales, back across to Manchester and then onwards to Scotland and, eventually, John O’Groats.

This route would be challenging enough, but there’s an added twist: the event requires that the riders be fully self-sufficient. As Ross explains:

“I will have to carry or find all my food or water as we cannot resupply, use any buildings for any reasons or dispose of any non-biodegradable waste. The minimal sleep I’ll get will be in a bivvy bag, most likely in a bush. These strict rules allow the event to go ahead despite Covid and keep it environmentally friendly.”

The unique demands of the GBDuro demand some pretty specialist equipment. Ross says:

I’m fortunate to have the backing of some amazing sponsors. I will be riding the new Colnago G3X gravel bike with RSP Calavera wheels, Hutchinson 40mm gravel tyres and FSA components. Keeping me warm and dry will be my Saint Piran custom Castelli kit and Bont shoes. with my Met Helmet up top keeping my head safe. I will be cramming my stuff into Straight Cut Design bags, which are handmade in Scotland by a craftsman named Ross O’Reilly.”

Ross aims to cover 250-300km a day and hopes to finish in around eight days. He will carry a tracker to allow anyone to follow his progress and will try to regularly update social media on both @saintpiran and his personal account @rseholland .

He concludes: “This is my first event of this kind, so I’ve thrown myself in at the deep end. It scares and excites me in equal measure - just how I want it. A little bit of discomfort does wonders for your perspective and I hope to come out of this event with a greater appreciation for the fortunate situation I find myself in and hopefully to grow as an athlete and a person.”

You can find more details of the GBDuro event here: