7th September 2026
GB Duro Triumph
GB Duro is a single stage, self-supported race from Land's End to John O'Groats - via the scenic route.
A fixed 2000km course with over 35,000m elevation took riders well off the beaten track across English moors, Welsh mountains, and Scottish wilderness.
This year, supported rider Ella Brown took on the challenge aboard her MASON Macro.
"GBDuro was probably the hardest ultra race I've ever done. Partly because of the off-road segments, but also just the UK in general with its varying weather and endless grassy fields and gates. Harder than it sounds!
I started off with a very sore wrist that I had injured at the Dorset Divide beforehand and feeling very, very nervous about how it would handle the next week. However, luckily, the first couple of days through cornwall had more road than it did off-road and full of sun! That and a slightly adjusted setup including new grips, and brake positioning on my handle bars, meant that I slowly strengthened my wrist and felt a lot more comfortable in those days.
On top of that, I forgot that I'd been resting for 2 weeks, and I actually had quite a bit in the legs. So I managed to keep a very steady pace, staying at the front, but without over exerting myself.
It definitely got a lot harder though. The further north I got the off-road became much more technical, and the weather also got a lot colder, and a lot wetter - spending most of the race with completely wet feet was suddenly a normality.
That being said, I absolutely loved the off-road segments, particularly those in Wales, they were very technical, but really enjoyable and a lot of fun. Very happy to have had a flat bar setup and big tyres though, as it was rocky! This was inter-mixed with lots of fire roads that were easier and nice to ride through when feeling a little bit worse for wear.
I think I struggled most in the Yorkshire Dales, just so many gates and lots of very awkward grassy tracks that were very stop/start. This got frustrating, that and the bogs in Scotland, which were very wet and deep. I think I spent a lot of time walking my bike here, alongside the hike a bike sections.
Sadly, I realised at the end that I think I did all of the major climbs apart from Great Dun Fell in the dark. So the one in Exmoor, Windy Gap in Wales and the ones in Scotland, I all ended up doing at night - that wasn't planned! Maybe it helped me go faster by not seeing what was coming... I'll have to go back to all of them and do them in the daylight!
A big highlight for me was actually having no mechanicals whatsoever, which was very lucky. I didn't even touch my tools bag! I'm not sure how I got away with that, but it was great, and the bike felt great. I really loved the tyre choice, they rolled well and were super comfy off-road. The whole set up was great. In the end, the only thing I think I would have added is front suspension. Granted, it's a mix of road and off-road, but the off-road was very off-road and my hands and arms are feeling it a bit now.
My favourite parts were the MTB tracks in Wales, particularly in North Wales. I actually enjoyed the hike a bike section after Great Dun Fell, too - it was very pretty there. So much of Scotland was also absolutely stunning. The bits I didn't like were just the bogs, anything where I was walking through mud and puddles and water, and there were a lot of stream and river crossings, and they only got more frequent the further north you went!
I managed to get about 5 hours sleep a night and kept stopping time to a minimum. My only detour was losing my bag of electronics on a descent and having to go to a cycle shop in Chester to get a new SRAM Charger. That an a muddy crash in Scotland that pushed me mentally to the limits....
It's given me great prep and confidence for taking the Macro to the Atlas Mountain Race next year! I don't think I will change anything other than adding a bigger bag to the bar at the front and a suspension fork! The bike handled so well otherwise and gave me great confidence. I have definitely improved my skills off road that's for sure!"