Never again:The first time was the last time, this time was the first time I’d forgotten about the last time.

I swore I would never do this again. I always do: but never have I made such a vow with such fervour. After the last time I raced this race, I was still limping weeks later waiting for toenails to re-grow, still struggling to sit down on my bruised and battered ischial tuberosities. I even wrote it down, for the avoidance of doubt: Never again, never ever again.

Yet here I am again five years older, scrambling up the summer remains of a glacier as steep as a staircase, bike across my shoulders carefully stamping my feet into the holes in the snow left by the hundred or so hunched figures in front of me: rider 229’s foot leaves the hole as mine slips in and, as my foot leaves another from behind replaces it. I dare not look up, as I know this weary caterpillar stretches several kilometres ahead. I know that with the steep icy bone threatening descent to come that I’m still on the easy bit.

This is the annual ordeal known as the Transalp Challenge: one of the crueller manifestations the sport of endurance mountain biking

Most of us are just recreational riders,weekend warriors, cafe racers or just Sunday riders. Many of us,(like me) are long past our peak; but the elite riders bear comparison to the best road riders in the world. There is barely, however a fulltime athlete amonst us. This is sport as it used to be, fitted in around day jobs.

There is great camaraderie in our world and very little known of us outside it. Most Britons have never heard of the sport.Those who have generally find the idea baffling. How, they wonder can rational people expose themselves to so much struggle and risk? Answer: because it's fun. Launching yourself of the side of a mountain on a lightweight piece of carbon or aluminium down steep rocky slopes is neither easy nor sensible. But,when you get it right the payback is phenomenol.

Eight days and 50 hours of riding/carrying/walking time and we cross the line in Jesolo on the coast of italy. Who's won? We don't, know we don't care. We've all won, we've beaten it. Our proof? A green euro flouro t-shirt that has finisher written across the front.

To take part go here:yes:: http://transalp.upsolutmv.com/en/

My photos: http://raymond189.fotopic.net/c629939.html