3 Peaks Cyclo-Cross: No Gravel Bikes Allowed

Those rules have changed quite a lot over the years already. It wasnt long back that the tyre width was a max 32mm. 35mm is quite a big difference!

I would personally make it a rule of no bike or wheel changes allowed. It would then make it more about rider skill than how deep a riders pockets are, although to be fair I imagine the top guys probably dont end up changing many wheels or bikes.

Clickbait title! Essentially gravel bikes are allowed but they have to confirm to their rules on types, bars, suspension. Last year (one of) the bikes Nick Craig raced on came with flared bars as standard so had to put regular drops on. Not that it stops people towards the back of the grid pushing the rules a little I always see bars and tyres that wouldn’t pass scrutineering. Seems like a big risk to turn up that way given the effort and training to get to the start line.

Don’t ask too many questions about suspension stems in case they are banned, though my Redshift stem is stealthy enough nobody noticed. I could live without it as long as disc brakes and dropper posts are still ok. Seriously as a tall lad the dropper made the biggest difference to my enjoyment of the event, I can keep myself low and not feel like I was going over the bars constantly.

If they need to ban something it’s the multiple bike swaps to gain marginal advantages and the cavalcade of support vehicles that follow the race round - I think this creates too much visibility for the haters puts unnecessary impact on the area. Racers should be encouraged to self support as much as possible though it wouldn't be possible / practical to stop the big teams placing people and kit round the course.

I'd always assumed that flared bars came from Cyclocross to Gravel and not the other way round.

I would personally make it a rule of no bike or wheel changes allowed. It would then make it more about rider skill than how deep a riders pockets are, although to be fair I imagine the top guys probably dont end up changing many wheels or bikes.

The top guys change all the time. They have a very "roadified" CX bike for the start, the road between Ingleborough and Whernside and then again for Whernside to PyG. Then a full on CX for the off road bits.

This creates a wave of traffic as cars and vans hurtle around the circuit trying to support their rider, overtaking frantically to park up and get into position. I was gaining on a guy a few years ago on the run back into the finish when a car shot past me, up alongside him and a very very sticky bottle materialised. Cheating ****er.

It needs an all out ban on bike changes. Sort your kit out in advance and the wealthy/sponsored riders with acres of kit suddenly have much less of an advantage over the regulars or the folk without an army of support "staff".

Some of the driving standards leave a lot to be desired, the traffic congestion around there is horrific on race day.

Looking at that top pic I’d also make it a rule that if there is a rut, you ride the rut, rather than hopping up onto unbroken ground and widening the mess.

Spoken as somebody who has never ruined a perfectly good bike ride by making it a race.

The whole thing sounds like a farce to me. Surely it should be one bike for the entire event and limited assistance.

I've not participated in 3 peaks, but maybe one day... who knows, it definitely appeals but my fitness is certainly lacking.

I think it's a positive in a lot of ways to control the bikes used a bit more, what you don't want is for it to become too much of a technology and disposable income "arms race" thing.

The 35mm tyre rule is giving ground to some extent, but then someone with a "gravel bike" can obtain 35mm tyres without too much fuss and thus something sold as a Gravel bike can meet the 3 peaks accepted definition of a "CX bike".

I still think most "gravel bikes" sold to the public are serving duty as commuters and winter road bikes anyway and are only a tyre change away from meeting those rules.

I'd agree the no bike change rules, maybe say there's only a couple of defined neutral service locations where wheels/tyres can be changed(?)...

Is that bullet point list the full extent of the rules?
Its interesting that flared drops are banned, One thing I'd ,maybe add to the list would be No Droppers, but that's just me.

There's still a fair bit of leeway in there that means you could pull together an affordable CX bike and the chaps with money and/or sponsors wouldn't have a huge equipment advantage beyond a bit less weight or maybe some nicer tyres(?)...

The top guys change all the time. They have a very “roadified” CX bike for the start, the road between Ingleborough and Whernside and then again for Whernside to PyG. Then a full on CX for the off road bits.

not necessarily, it was a while ago now but  I was on the podium 3 times and the only time I ever changed a bike was when i snapped a rear mech 2 miles from the finish line and borrowed a bike from Charlie Craig and his mate who were riding past as I was running in.  I never once changed a bike for speed gains.

The whole thing sounds like a farce to me.

This

Surely it should be one bike for the entire event and limited assistance

And indeed this

I've supported the event in the past. Carrying spare wheels, food and clothing for riders and TBH there's no reason to drive like a dick, so perhaps there should be just a bit more visible police presence? Or just restrict the places you can get assistance?

Wasn't there a massive thread on this years ago when last the rules were updated?  A certain forum contrarian/curmudgeon asked why folks don't just ride mountain bikes?

Surely it should be one bike for the entire event and limited assistance.

Definitely. Would stop the farcical train of support vehicles driving like ****s along narrow lanes between Helwith and Ingleton.

Coming off Whernside you could definitely save a shed load of time if you knew someone had spare wheels for you on the way down. Same on PyG too.

When I did it I pumped my tyres too hard and in reality went too slow on the descents just to avoid bike damage as I had zero support.

For me its all part of the talent of the event, having the level of skill needed to get down quickly and not break stuff.

This has been informative. I had no idea that cyclo-cross bikes and gravel bikes were not the same thing!

Good.  Although cyclo-cross races allow bike and equipment changes, so this is an extension of that spirit?

Interesting that flat handlebars are not allowed.  I'm sure that they  used to be allowed as long as they were below a (very narrow) maximum width?

I got a place in this year's race - an exciting prospect, not done it before. Never used 35 tyres either but sounds like they'll be worth looking at here.

The whole support circus sounds out of hand, but end of the day it's a cyclocross race so there has to be support if you want it - that is the heritage and culture of CX racing going back 100 years. Guess in an ideal world you would ban support vehicles other than bicycles and just strip things way back.

This has been informative. I had no idea that cyclo-cross bikes and gravel bikes were not the same thing!

It's a useful distinction, allows CX bikes to become the thoroughbred, uber-niche racing bikes they are supposed to be, without manufacturers looking over their shoulders trying to design for the majority of people who really want a gravel bike.

Its interesting that flared drops are banned

I could see why if there were fast groups forming on road sections. Perhaps exposing myself as a pathetic noob but when riding on road in a group at the end of a gravel ride, I hooked handlebars with the guy next to me and he went down, hard. 100% my fault but everyone (including him) seemed quite understanding as his bars had a pretty extreme flare. I just wasn't concentrating and had adjusted my road position unconsciously to where his arms/elbow were, not where the ends of his bars were!

I like that 3 Peaks is trying to protect the sanctity of the event, disappointed to hear people are allowed to change bikes and have support teams though, that seems to be against the spirit!

It's nice that it's actually happening - I thought it was toast because of some access issues? But OTOH, it has to look out for its reputation locally with regard to the support team behaviour, as it needs the support of local landowners to continue.

Nice pic of Dave H on his Pickenflick up there.

Three Peaks was my favourite race. I absolutely loved doing it and always hoped I'd make a comeback. Now it's become too big, expensive and hard to get a place. Glad I've got my memories though.

"I could see why if there were fast groups forming on road sections."

The start is (was) particularly mental.  Assuming its still the same, its closed roads with a police escort and 100s riders all close together in a bunch on tiny roads.  Makes sense to keep flared drops out of that.  I never experienced a bunch after my race as was simply battling to finish.

Best race ever.

Hardest ride I ever did.

Would love to do it again one day.

Three Peaks was my favourite race. I absolutely loved doing it and always hoped I’d make a comeback. Now it’s become too big, expensive and hard to get a place. Glad I’ve got my memories though.

11 starts and 10 finishes for me.
It does get under your skin a bit - every year you finish and think "if only..." or "what if I did...?" and for a while I took it reasonably seriously - certainly seriously enough to do a lot of CX-specific riding in the Peak District, a few runs (as in on foot, not on bike) along sections like Whernside and PyG etc but there are a lot of uncontrollables and the simple fact is that no matter what bike you have, it'll be unsuitable at some point of the course!

I'm not sure that having bike changes would really have helped me much. Could have done with a wheel on a couple of occasions but even then by the time I'd got everything sorted, I'd lost loads of places that I was never going to get back.

I still have an interest in seeing just how quickly you could go if you had:
road bike from start to first off-road section
gravel bike until it became unrideable
Run up the steep bit (no bike at all)
collect a full on enduro/DH MTB at the top
road bike again from the bottom to the next off-road bit
repeat as above.
It'd be a fun experiment.

I've supported 3 or 4 times, but only by bike. It is quite a pleasant chilled ride round using bridleways and back roads (e.g. the tiny road out of Ingleton with some limestone pavement if you fancy the extra climbing, looking across the valley at the carnage of bikes and cars on the main road).

Maybe just limit it to bike only support? As a helper, I've only ever carried an extra tyre, tubes and tools so that all fits in a rucksack. Some other bike helpers have spare wheels on their back or a frame rack. It is only very rare occasions that a whole bike change is actually "necessary" (e.g. the guy that snapped the stem / steerer coming down PyG).

Unfortunately the pointy end of CX has become a bit of an arms race with much crying and gnashing of teeth if you dare to suggest limiting spare bikes or banning jetwashes.

wow i clearly havent paid that much attention , riders are actually switching bikes for different bits ?

does that mean i can get the smallest lightest balance bike, get a friend to switch bikes with me on the tough climbs/descents sling the bike over my shoulder and run up and down, and switch back on the rolling foothills section ?

sun 24th sept, think i'll go up on my gravel bike to watch.

I’d always assumed that flared bars came from Cyclocross to Gravel and not the other way round.

Yeah, this, Salsa Bell Lap bars were (one of) the first with a flare, no? And they pre-date Gravel by a good ten years.

I think overall the intent of the rules makes sense. Not sure what the goal of this one is though:

Axles shall be 12mm through axles or quick release only

So technically my Open UP which I happily race CX on with CX tyres and non flared bars is out because of its 15mm front axle? 🤔

That 27″, 29” or 700mm wheels in mountain bike frames will not be allowed;
The width of the tyre cannot be more than 35mm as displayed on the tyre;
Frame or fork suspension of any form is prohibited;
No flared or flat handlebars are to be used
Handlebar width shall be no greater than 440mm; and,
Axles shall be 12mm through axles or quick release only

So pretty much gravel bikes are allowed, its adapted/frankensteined MTBs (and some crazy marketing idiocy that some more outlandish "gravel bikes" have become) that aren't allowed.

Edit - not sure about the axle rule - are there common 15mm forks for 700c wheels? have they awkwardly accidently banned legitimate bikes by trying to ban MTB forks

they pre-date Gravel by a good ten years.

Only if you think "gravel" is a fairly recent innovation. I bought my Kona Sutra in 2007 IIRC.

I couldn't give a damn about rules about the 3 Peaks or the difference between a gravel bike or a CX bike but agree with the point above, whats the point in the rule about QRs and 12mm axles?

And...

This has been informative. I had no idea that cyclo-cross bikes and gravel bikes were not the same thing!

Every bike manufacturer's marketing dept called. They want to speak to you about selling you a new bike. Be aware, they might try and sell you a down-country bike at the same time...

As a helper, I’ve only ever carried an extra tyre, tubes and tools so that all fits in a rucksack. Some other bike helpers have spare wheels on their back or a frame rack. It is only very rare occasions that a whole bike change is actually “necessary” (e.g. the guy that snapped the stem / steerer coming down PyG).

I  raced it 3 or 4 times, supported a couple more. I don't remember a year when it ever went smoothly, without punctures or some kind of mechanical. (And every year going over the bars into a bog on the Ingleborough descent!) I once snapped two spokes in my rear but didn't have a wheel change so had to ride to the end. The last year I did it, I was dropping off PyG with the aim of finishing in under 4 hours and double punctured, front and rear, in a place where I'd seen someone break his ankle in a previous year. When I helped, I tended to carry spare wheels, track pump, tubes, etc, and plenty of food. Keith Bontrager needed my assistance at the viaduct one year. It is a very hard race on equipment.

It's a CX race - bike changes and a certain level of assistance are all part of that sport. If people want a self-supported event then they are in the wrong place.

My current CX bike would fall foul of the rules, it's got 38mm tyres on it ! Although if I was racing that course, I'd be getting something more suitable for mud, currently on 'gravel' tyres.

Definitely. Would stop the farcical train of support vehicles driving like **** along narrow lanes between Helwith and Ingleton.

That's disgusting if it is the case, (and I have no reason to doubt it having seen support vehicles at other races) and probably the best way to get support for the whole event withdrawn if there's an accident or local complaints.

Sounds like an ideal opportunity for a small, informal vintage tractor rally. 😈

does that mean i can get the smallest lightest balance bike, get a friend to switch bikes with me on the tough climbs/descents sling the bike over my shoulder and run up and down, and switch back on the rolling foothills section ?

I wondered that ish. In theory you could ride a bike to the hills, then switch to a bike made out of tinfoil/balsa wood for the runs up. You could even put straps on it to attach the thing to your back.

One year I just went to watch at the top of Whernside. I may have helped some of the top 20 ish lift their bikes over the stile near the top. Couldnt believe how light their bikes were compared to what I had used. Made me think about going back with a really light bike one year, and coming in the top 20 😂 (not)

On the way down though I cant see a gravel bike with limited suspension and 35mm tyres being much faster if at all than a well ridden CX bike with no suspension.

I did it because I love the area, and you cant just ride all 3 hills on a bike easily at any other time. Its the only race ive done where finishing is also one hell of an achievement in itself.

Sounds like an ideal opportunity for a small, informal vintage tractor rally. 😈

i know when I have marshalled some farmers have decided to move their sheep on the road just by chance at the same time as the race.

I dont think flared bars are any more dangerous than disc wheels etc. Hopefully they are banned under fashion police rules.

Its a CX race why are people up in arms they are limiting entry to CX bikes?

Also CX has always allowed bike swaps just like the road.

MTB races were conjured up to be different, unsupported races.

If you don't like the rules, go do an MTB race, you will be welcome on your gravel bike.

That’s disgusting if it is the case, (and I have no reason to doubt it having seen support vehicles at other races)

It may have changed since the last time I was up there but the only problem I ever saw with support vehicles was my fault, when a sports bike took offence to my slowing down to shout something to my brother (who was racing) and gave me a load of hand gestures as he ripped past. And then slowed down to a crawl for a couple of miles to teach me a lesson. Is it irony that he wanted to rip around the roads on a fast motorbike but took offence because he wasn't able to?

Looking at the current rules we have.

12.2 Bike changes are permitted for mechanical reasons only. Any bike changes must
therefore take place on the off-road sections of the course.

and also

15.1 No cyclists or support riders (except competitors) have permission to go on the
following sections of the course:
1.Gill Garth - Ingelborough
2.Brunscar (Chapel-le-Dale)-Whernside-Blea Moor
3.Up and down Pen-y-Ghent from from the gate half way up.
Commissaires to enforce this regulation. Any competitor in the race connected with a
cyclist caught breaking this rule will either be penalised or disqualified.

So gaming the system with balsa wood bikes is a non starter.

I've ridden the event 5 times now and helped out, either marshalling or supporting club riders quite a few times as well.  When you have a team of people supporting multiple riders it quite easy to do it in a considerate way.  Last time I helped we had 5 or 6 riders and put support in after Ingleborough, before and after Wherneside and at Phenygent so we didn't have people trying to keep ahead of their rider by dashing between locations.  For individuals being supported by a single other person this is harder - especially as your sharing some sections of the route with the riders.

It used to be that marshalling the event guaranteed you an entry for the following year, if you wanted it, but I don't know if that is still the case.

It used to be that marshalling the event guaranteed you an entry for the following year, if you wanted it, but I don’t know if that is still the case.

One of my entries was via that system. 🙂

My year marshalling was good fun, I really enjoyed it. I've spectated/supported a couple of times as well. Nice to see the event from all sides.

One thing I’d ,maybe add to the list would be No Droppers, but that’s just me.

Short-arse by any chance?

Marshaling does not guarantee a place anymore. To keep the event alive (landowner / park permissions) the number of riders has been restricted further, I think the first time I did it there were 900 riders now its something like 450, so not a bigger event these days and there's just not the capacity to guarantee the 60 odd places that came from marshaling.

On flared bars I think some were taking the mick with practically flat flares, so it was easier / clearer just to rule them out.

Fair enough. Thanks for explaining. It's been a few years since I looked into entering. I have also been lucky enough to race, support and marshal at the event.

For those saying "it's a CX race! Therefore" - it's not like any other CX race, so CX rules need not apply, it's entirely up to the organisers. Normal CX races have assistance only in 1 place , the pits,  for one thing.

I'm dismayed to hear about the support vehicles though. An army of support vehicles supporting a bike race never sits particularly well with me, even though I know it is a reality, all the more so for races at the 'professional' end of the spectrum.

Ranking points are available during the race, hence it's taken pretty seriously.

For those saying “it’s a CX race! Therefore” – it’s not like any other CX race, so CX rules need not apply, it’s entirely up to the organisers. Normal CX races have assistance only in 1 place , the pits,  for one thing.

It is the 3 Peaks Cyclocross Race. They run to CX rules amended to suit their event.  I seem to remember three official support points -  Cold Cotes, next to the viaduct and then the bottom of PyG - with rules about support in other places. So, think about it having 3 pits - seems reasonable for an event which is at least 3 times longer than a standard CX race. And I'm not sure why anyone is arguing against the rules - if you don't like them, don't do the race. There are plenty of other events.

It is the 3 Peaks Cyclocross Race. They run to CX rules amended to suit their event.

It's one of those weird anomalies that's "allowed" because it's traditional, it's the Three Peaks, etc. If you tried to introduce a race like that now, no-one would touch it, it would be laughed out of the room before you'd even finished pitching it. But because it is so brilliantly bonkers, it's been sort of allowed to run more or less according to its own rules.

It's a British Cycling event - yet it would fail every single one of BC's risk assessments, rules & regulations, and event criteria. If you tried to market that as a Sportive, everyone would look at it in utter bewilderment and it'd have no entries. But it's the Three Peaks, so it's a cycling institution!

I remember the first time I read about it (probably a race report in Cycling Weekly or something), way back in the 90's and just thinking WTAF?! And then somehow getting interested enough to actually see it, then get a CX bike and eventually to put an entry in. I do remember some of the races being utterly insane back in the days of 700+ riders and I've ridden it in some truly horrendous conditions - one year (50th anniversary of the race IIRC) there were several sections of the course that were flooded.

For everyone moaning about the race being "exclusive", two female first timers  from my (tiny, very much non BC-affiliated, non competitive) riding club have been offered places this year. I do raise an eyebrow at some of the more pernickety rules but it also feels like the organisers know what they're doing.

with rules about support in other places. So, think about it having 3 pits – seems reasonable for an event which is at least 3 times longer than a standard CX race. And I’m not sure why anyone is arguing against the rules – if you don’t like them, don’t do the race. There are plenty of other events.

I think the argument against support/pits is that it doesn't just help the (semi) pro's, it adversely affects locals and spectators as it's not "3 pits" it's 1 pit, racing between locations to get ahead of the race and setup for their rider.

I don't think eliminating the pits would change much, it's not like a normal winter CX course in a park where you need 2 bikes and a jetwash, and ripping mechs off in the is common. Tubeless all but eliminated punctures, the sharp end is riding through relatively unridden tracks (i.e. not cloggy mud), which just leaves crashes and major mechanicals, which wouldn't be out of character with the random madness of it all to say tough luck you should have avoided that rock.

Female riders are under-represented so more likely to be offered a place. Last year my sister-in-law said if I bought her a gravel frame, she would enter the race. I'm not saying I wanted to see her suffer but it was the best £300 I've spent (I didn't say I'd buy her a new frame!) and yes she raced and got a sub 5 hour first time. My daughter was also a first time entrant last year both finished with no issues. No car support my wife biked round on the road to help out if if required but they didn't need it.

Issue with no bike changes or wheels, is they are are allowed in a normal cross race round a field. I get the point about the massive support cavalcade though. They could have a unsupported category, but then some bugger would cheat at that as well.

Only if you think “gravel” is a fairly recent innovation. I bought my Kona Sutra in 2007 IIRC.

I was riding gravel on a road bike with CX tyres back in the 80s  We called it "roughstuff" but its whats now called gravel.  My dad was doing it on an SS road bike back in the 50s.  BIkes have been around since before tarmac so way back in the day everyone was riding "gravel"

Yeah but if you looked at a 2006 Sutra it would pretty much match your average gravel bike of today. Drop bars, disk brakes, decent tyre clearance. It certainly wasn't a CX bike. As has been pointed out already, they're typically lighter and have snappier/sharper handling. "Alt" bars have been around since bikes were invented too. My point is - as you seem to agree - "gravel" riding was around before everyone started calling it such.

In my opinion it's handy to have the deliniation between gravel and CX too. When I was selling bikes we'd get loads of folk asking for a CX bike who had no intention of racing and were after a comfier, more robust, road bike, usually with disc brakes and often used for commuting so they'd want mudguard and rack fittings.

There are plenty of other events that will allow non-cyclo-cross bicycles in.

I think this is the only bike race that takes in the Yorkshire 3 peaks and there is not another opportunity to ride the 3 peaks so the above statement does not apply to here.

That 27″, 29” or 700mm wheels in mountain bike frames will not be allowed;

I can get 27.5 X 2.4 and 29x 2.1 tyres easily in my drop bar cotic cascade so not an MTB frame but it's really a drop bar MTB so 🤷‍♂️

I'm all for tradition but sounds like the rule makers should get up to date with current tech and ban drop bar bikes with clearance too as they exist

Will there be scrutineers like in F1 doing spot checks with a tape measure checking geometry?

Will there be scrutineers like in F1 doing spot checks with a tape measure checking geometry?

I wouldn't mind if there were but it seems very ad-hoc. One year a guy was going round with a cardboard cutout to a 35mm wedge to measure tyres but it was more a token gesture - so many riders with spare wheels and bikes that it's easy to get a slightly wider tyred bike on a hillside somewhere far away from the gaze of any race officials. It's an impossible race to fully enforce, it sort of relies on general good sportsmanship and a degree of respect for the rules and traditions.

Crikey, that guy is a looker. 😊

Have to disagree about the 'no bike changes' thing.  It's a cyclo-cross. I know it's a strange course, but the clue is in the name.  It's fine for many disciplines to not have changes, no problem with that.  But in 'cross, we do.

(The traffic thing is just because the field of riders is too big.  But the event costs so much to put on that they need the revenue, so yes, a tricky one)

I’ve done it with support and without.

Mechanically I’ve largely got away with it and never had to use the second best (by a long way) bike I sometimes had spare.

However food is the massive issue for me. You just can’t carry enough (or actually I think I stop having the mental capacity to get it out of pockets and bags). One year I was dying as I started climbing up Pen y Gent and someone I knew randomly had some bars ‘just in case’ and put one in my hand. I don’t think I would have made it without that!

Making the cut off at the top of Ingleborough the first year that I did it - also the crazy 2012 edition where the course was flooded and the dibbing stations loomed out of the slate grey mist like weirdly cheery sentries to Mordor - I think I was the most elated I’ve ever been on a bike. If I could do one peak in a 40 mile an hour wind, I could surely finish. I did and it is still one of my most memorable rides ever.

One of my favourite pics from 3 Peaks. That’s got to have hurt ! 😳

Agreed. That's the most memorable one of them for me too. I was buzzing so much when I finished. Absolutely exhilarated and then went a bit hyperthermic!

One of my favourite pics from 3 Peaks. That’s got to have hurt !

Illegal extreme flex-steerer technology. Hopefully outlawed by now.

It's a great shot, can't work out if it's him before realisation or at the 'close eyes, accept fate' stage.

Normal CX races have assistance only in 1 place , the pits, for one thing

One way of looking at. Another way would be that normal cx races have assistance every 6 mins or so.

3 peaks has always been a law unto itself. And plenty people want to be involved so I guess why not continue.

But is it really a race anymore? Like a lot of events I'd call it an elite race for 20 or 30 pointy end competitors financed by a mass entry free-for-all of no hopers there for the experience. I guess for the bulk you make a pretence about caring about the rules to make you feel part of the 'race' and to keep the land owners happy you've not turned it into a mountain bike event.......but you are just a cash cow.

there is not another opportunity to ride the 3 peaks

Eh, I used to live near the foot of one of them and rode all 3 regularly. Not on a CX bike, obviously - I'm not insane.

Well yes but I suspect the poster meant ride legally.

Only Ingleborough has a bridleway up and that's not the route most would ride.

You know, you lot could save yourselves a lot of bother by running the 3 peaks instead. The tops are open access land, you can go round whenever you want, and if you really want to race then that isn't such a scrum to enter, you just need to show you can manage the distance via some comparable prior experience.

You don't have to carry a bike round either. Really, it's the smart option.

(though arguably not quite as smart as not bothering with the bike, run, or walk versions at all 🙂 )

A few answers to add to the queries here:

@thecaptain - the track halfway up PyG is also a bridleway, but I think it's allowed as it's also a track as far as the gate.

35mm tyres have been allowed for years - and note that the rules say '35mm as stated' - not all are equal 😉

There are murmurings among the race organisers about looking to bring in a one-bike-per-racer rule in future, which'd stop the file-tread bike swaps for the road sections.

I can see the argument for banning droppers, but it's not that different using a seat QR, or even an Allen key to drop your saddle, so I don't reckon it's worth policing. Besides, I'd argue that dropping your saddle is as much a safety thing as a speed thing.

And talking of policing, I'd reckon that the further near the front you are, the more legit your bike has to be. A slightly flared bike that comes in 350th isn't going to worry anyone.

I love the Peaks, this'll be my 12th race over a 30 year stretch. I love that it still maintains a village fete feel - they only got a podium about five years ago! If it were in the US, it'd cost $500 an entry and be sponsored by Jeep. I think that if they want to keep the rules relatively tight, then great. There are other events out there, but really only one Three Peaks... 🙂

I see the need to limit the event to CX bikes but is the execution of the rules any good?

"The width of the tyre cannot be more than 35mm as displayed on the tyre"
This is soft compared to UCI which limits the width to 33mm measured with an actual template. Surely this is open to abuse bodging with rim width and tyres with real measurements that are larger than the label.

Also, I wonder what the definition of flared handlebars is, because most CX riders and even a good portion of road riders run ergo bars with drops a bit wider than the tops?!

Also they state that no road bikes are allowed, but none of the actual cycle design rules preclude a road bike...

Also they state that no road bikes are allowed, but none of the actual cycle design rules preclude a road bike…

Yeah there's a huge amount of crossover possible in terms of fitting road tyres or having gravel tyres on a road bike (my disc road bike will take 33mm tyres at a push).

That said, it'd probably break if I tried riding it down PyG so there's an element of "you get what you deserve" if you try and use unsuitable bikes.

Surely this is open to abuse bodging with rim width and tyres with real measurements that are larger than the label.

You'd have to do a LOT of comparison work with wheels and tyres for a gain of only 1 or 2mm in the real world of tyre width. Better off just buying a 35c listed tyre, banging an insert into it, filling it with sealant and getting on with life.

is a gravel bike that confirms to UCI regs on CX still a gravel bike?

gravel bikes are the biggest load of marketing nonsense in bikes for some time, and thats saying something.