The Moments Between: A look back on the in augural Land Between

There are a few moments of calm just after 07:30. It’s Friday and puddles stretch across the road in front of the Rose and Thistle Pub, Alwinton. Water overtops drains. The wind threatens to tear down Rich Rothwell’s brand new “The Land Between” banner.

Rich (and son, James) is a Restrap ambassador. He’s a long-time endurance mountain bike racer and now event organiser. The Land Between draws a lasso around Rich’s home territory of Northumberland, and the forty or so riders who set off into the building storm are about to spend the next 550km discovering the empty, historic, brutal beauty that led to Rich setting up the event in the first place.

THE CHASE IS ON

The calm doesn’t last for long. Rich, James and I dive into Rich’s van to play a twenty four hour game of cat and mouse, using Dotwatcher to follow the riders’ progress and try and grab photos as they go. En route to our first location, we stumble across Josh Ibbett riding in the wrong direction. Just a few hours in and he is already out, scuppered by a rogue gust of wind blowing down his bike outside a shop that he’d dashed into. His rear mech didn’t survive the fall and he understandably didn’t fancy singlespeeding the remaining 500 or so kilometres.

We see the places 5-10 pass St Cuthbert’s cave, then run back to the van and drive out to the east coast, intercepting riders a couple of times along the way to the Tyne Tunnel.

“There’s not many bikepacking races that go under a river…” – Rich Rothwell.

RESUPPLY

The Chopwell Coop is perfectly located for quicker riders to load up before riding through the night (or bedding down in the hills beyond). We stuck around for long enough for the front three of Josh Reid, Niall Shannon and John Hale to conduct their supermarket sweeps and dash off into the sunset with kebabs from a takeaway around the corner.

Kerry MacPhee and Jack Wright appear not long after they’ve left. We drive into the dying embers of the day, hoping to catch up with the front runners one last time before the long night shift.

“Three of us stopped in a kebab shop in a tired little mining town.

“Two ordered and paid cash. The other got a tap water top-up and left as he had no money. We went back to collect [after a Coop raid] and they’d made a third kebab ‘by accident’ and want us to have it. I’m forced to take an extra Sprite for free, ‘just in case my mate wants it’.

“My reflection – these communities know what it really means to have no money, and they recognise tired and hungry when they see it. We looked rough and they were looking after us. We need to be careful how we articulate hardship in these races, sleeping wild surrounded by kit that costs the same as a family’s annual food bill.

“I googled Chopwell; it has a history of Communism, cannabis and Britain’s cheapest house. Chopwell, I’m glad we visited and I’ll remember you.”

– Niall Shannon.

THE TRUE IN-BETWEEN

Darkness falls and dotwatchers fall asleep. Rich, James and I camp next to the track just above a village called Edmundbyers. The first three pass as we pitch tents, still looking fresh. We set our alarms for 5am. I hear squealing brakes a couple of times during the night. Dots creep along a virtual line. In their own lonely worlds.

Saturday morning dawns with a barrage of midges. We return to base camp in Alwinton and run up some “bonus” hike-a-bike that Rich has included “because there’s a good view from the top”.

We meet the front three as they crest the top. They are still together, although John has stopped for a 20 minute power nap during the night and caught back up. Rich is almost relieved to see that they are exhausted. This route wasn’t meant to be easy. He didn’t want it to be tapped out in sub-24 hours. It was to be a true journey. And that is playing out. While the finish line is only a few kilometres away, the riders still have another 70km loop to complete before they can relax. They stop at the pub briefly to top up with water and head back out again.

A LOST DAY

Saturday brings its challenges for riders and organiser alike. Rich is mostly confined to base, thanks to a van that went into limp mode on our drive back from Edmundbyers. Many of the riders passing through Alwinton on their way back out appear to be on limp mode too. Sleep deprived and sore. Bikes needing lube or brake pad changes. The lure of the pub proves strong and many stop for a hot meal before turning pedals once more. Our Alex washes down his chips with a Guinness 0% and lingers perhaps a little longer than planned, but sets off with purpose.

Later on, Danny the product designer arrives in time for an evening meal, but decides to sleep in his van and finish the loop the following morning (Rich expressly states that this is allowed in the rules). Riders trickle in all day and night and into the early hours of the morning – either completing their ride or readying themselves for the last leg.

The top three finish as they have ridden almost the whole way; together. They chatted with each other on the last lap. Should they cruise in for a joint first place? That would be boring. They race. Rich would be proud. Josh attacks first; with under 5 km to go. He is neutralised and Niall makes the most of his superior descending skills on the last section of gravel. He might have got away had it not been for a missed turn. Then John and his big engine (he is a former Commonwealth rower) wins the sprint to the line.

Kerry finishes a few hours later. Fourth overall and first woman. They all pose in front of the banner. Hollow and yet fulfilled.

A CHANGE OF PACE

Five of us roll out at 07:00. Danny, Jack Howker of Albion and Amy Drysdale. Rich and me. Three tired bodies and two fresh. This is so much better than leaning out of a van window to grab a fleeting image.

Golden light pours over fields. Rays punch through gaps in hedgerows and slowly, legs wake up. Eyes are set on Rothbury – 45km away – and a fry up. What lies between is so typical of what makes Northumberland so stunning. Quiet back lanes, sweeping gravel through silent forests and huge, wide open moors, flecked with purple heather.

Greasy spoon ticked off, our fivesome finish the route, catching up with Geoff Frost over the last rolling tarmac hills.

Over the course of the afternoon. The final riders finish, scrub themselves clean and sup a well earned pint.

THEN THERE WERE TWO

At 18:00 James and Edward Roff reach Alwinton. The father-son pair have been at the back of the pack for most of the ride. But they have kept rolling. Edward is just 13. The weather has turned once more and sheets of drizzle are blown over them as they shovel in a sandwich and some chips. They still have that final loop to do. Are they sure they want to go back out? Edward is in no doubt. Away they pedal.

Rich has applied a cut off time for official finishers: midnight Sunday. Every eye in the pub is glued to their trackers all evening. The pair move slowly, but surely. They aren’t losing time, but they don’t have a minute to spare.

A crowd of us stand outside at 23:55. Our eyes strain in the darkness, hunting for a sign of their lights. 23:56. Their trackers say they should be right coming down the road any – moment – NOW. Two pairs of lights appear. They are flying now. Sprinting. 23:57. Finished. Exhausted. Happy. The perfect finish to an incredible event.

When Rich approached Restrap a few months ago and asked if we would like to provide a prize, we were only too happy. We agreed that it shouldn’t be for the person that finished first. It should be for the person who best embodied the spirit of the event. In the end, there was no doubt. Youngest finisher, last finisher, smilingest finisher. Nice work Edward.

THE LAND BETWEEN 2025

Rich is already planning a 2025 edition of The Land Between. Give him a follow and if you fancy a journey through a part of England (and a tiny bit of Scotland) that delivers some of the best riding in the country, see you on the start line.

If you need some further inspiration, check out our ambassador, Josh Reid's video. Even more impressive is to think that he made this while racing to third place!