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The \'Heb\' - The Racer\'s Favourite

John Laughlin / 30.06.2005

Scan through the Profiles section on Sleepmonsters and the same ‘Favourite AR race’ keeps popping up again and again, especially amongst the more experienced racers on the UK scene. That race is the One.Tel Hebridean Challenge which is taking place over 5 days from Monday 4th July, along the 150 mile length of the Outer Hebrides archipelago. A small scale event last year with 8 teams and three soloists has been superseded beyond all expectation with a bumper crop of 24 teams taking in the unique experience of this 5 day stage race.

As testimony to the appeal of the race, this will be my fourth year in succession making me a ‘Heb’ veteran at only 23! Every event has been unique with three different course planners and this year’s planner (and last year’s) Jon Brooke is set to take us to parts of the island chain that we’ve never been to before. Interestingly the traditional day spent on Barra has been ditched and we are set to race through the lower island chain quickly, in order to quickly reach the more mountainous and challenging terrain of Harris and Lewis.

Last year’s winners ‘Team 2x2’, captained by John Houlihan, are sure to be pre-race favourites, although ‘Burach’ with former Scottish Commonwealth Games cyclists brothers Kenny and Roddy Riddle will push them hard on the many biking sections. Hopefully, our team Macpac Smartwool will be able to contest at the front of the race again, although we are all suffering a bit with injuries apart from Helen Bennett who has just returned from three weeks cycling round Iceland so should be on good form.

There are a few other teams that jump out of the team list; Extremedreams.co.uk with inspirational blind outdoor enthusiast Dean Dunbar captaining; Access Sport with a team of ‘celebrity’ sports stars; and the Royal Marines with two teams in the field.

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