Introduction

The challenge was to climb to the summit of Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon. I would be cycling the entire distance between all three peaks and aiming to do this within 72 hours. Unsupported and alone. The idea of cycling between the 3 peaks rather than driving was born during Arctic to Africa (a 5000-mile cycle tour 2 years earlier) with my friends Chris and Tom. The '3 in 3' had always appealed to me. It was an estimated 450 miles of cycling (according to a quick look on Google maps). I wouldn't have a sat-nav to guide me, instead I would be relying on written notes that would be tucked inside an Oyster card wallet and taped to my tri-bars so that I could navigate on-the-move. Looking at maps and then making notes of the route had worked for me before so I had faith that it would work again. I would choose the fastest/easiest to navigate route to minimize the risk of getting lost and cutting down on navigating time. The preparation for the challenge wasn't great. Approximately a week beforehand I went online to look at hostels to stay in along the way. The majority of the rooms had already been booked up. So the only option was to take the tent with me - the extra weight of the tent, sleeping bag and mat would definitely make life harder. Then again it would be good practice for cycling around the world (my grand plan for 2017). Regarding training the only thing I had done was some cycling around Iceland one month earlier with the same bike/tent/pannier setup. This was much more laid back with cycling every other day rather than every day, and with the longest day being about 80 miles rather than the 150 miles I'd have to complete for the '3 in 3'. I'd have to hope that my previous cycling experience, current fitness level and determination would be enough to see me through. I would be travelling all the way up to Scotland and back from Wales via National Express Buses (the cheapest option but certainly not the quickest).