Frontier300

Distance: 300Km

Terrain: 50:50 Gravel/Tarmac Split   

Elevation: 4,600m Elevation Gain

The Salsa Frontier 300 is not a race but an epic, supported ride from the west coast of Scotland to the east coast of England. Your aim is to get to our Salsa Beach Party – Frontier style!

The start window is between 4:15am and 4:45am from Rockcliffe, we will light the fire early evening and our caterers will serve evening meals from 7pm. There will be camping and showers at the finish and you will be able to send a limited amount of luggage ahead for your camp.

Riders have the option of doing the event solo or as a pair. Paired riders will have designated ‘hand over’ points along the route where one rider can pass the timing baton to the other.

Each rider will be given a route booklet with event information as well as maps of the course. All forest sectors will be signed with course marking arrows and tape, linking road sections will be clearly marked in the route booklet and via the event gpx files.

Please note that a degree of navigation is required on the linking road sections between the forests. At 96km there is a short steep carry which is not suitable for road style pedals.

Riders should ensure that they remain on the event route in case we need to locate you.

Whilst we expect riders to aim to finish late Saturday/early Sunday we appreciate that unforeseen circumstances may prevent this. Our final Feed Station at around 230km will have facilities to allow riders to get a few hours rest. For rider safety you will not be allowed to leave there between 10:30 and 04:00.

Our closing event will be the Salsa Brunch on the Beach (food/drinks included in the entry) from 10:30-12:00 on the Sunday morning. This will be a chance for all riders to come together, share finishing stories, epic moments and celebrate their achievements.

The Salsa Frontier 300 is a well balanced mix of good forest access tracks and minor roads. The forest sectors tend to be fairly fast with wide hard pack surfaces, though the route does climb to over 500m, with one hike a bike section, most of the climbing is relatively steady.

Quiet roads and established cycle routes are a good chance to get a breather and pick up some speed.

A Gravel bike with a good range of gears and disc brakes is the ideal machine for this route, or a lightweight MTB. E-bikes are not allowed. We recommend 38mm or above tyres to give that extra comfort, though a good ‘cross’ tyre would suffice. MTB style clipless pedals and shoes are a must (definitely not road shoes and pedals!) as the section of hike a bike is short but quite steep – it is worth it for the view and the amazing descent!

Start – Registration will be at Colvend Village Hall, where there will be toilets, limited parking and indoor space to re-assemble bikes if required. There is a range of accommodation available locally for Friday night. Further details can be found in the Logistics section, with camping within 1Km of the start.

Rider Briefing will take place at registration. There will be no announcements in the morning as we will need to respect local residents with our early start!

Finish – The finish at Druridge Bay will have camping, toilets and shower facilities (all included in entry), along with various catering options to buy. This will be available to supporters too (Friends and Family entry) and there is plenty of parking, and hard standing for vans/campers. If you prefer not to camp, there are accommodation options nearby.

Druridge Bay is a great place for riders to relax and for family and friends to spend the day. There are miles of sandy beaches, woodland walks, parkland to explore and a lake. We expect many riders to take the chance to relax into Sunday and enjoy their achievement.

We hope everyone will be able to stay and celebrate their achievement at the Salsa ‘Brunch on the Beach’ from 10.30am on Sunday – included in the entry.

Due to the nature of the event ALL riders MUST carry the following items in addition to their riding kit (with the exception of the waterproof). These may be checked at any point on the route. Any rider who does not have this will not be allowed to ride.

• Whistle
• Survival Blanket/bivi bag
• Waterproof Jacket (taped seams)
• Spare warm layer (jersey/jacket)
• Full leg cover (leg warmers/tights)
• Spare base layer – we recommend a long sleeve for the cool morning/evening
• Warm hat/Buff
• Front light with a minimum 3hr burn time and at least 300 lumens
• Rear light with flashing mode
• Mobile phone
• Cash for any extra purchases
• Food for the duration of the event
• Ability to carry at least 1.5l of water
• Spare tubes, tools, lube, split chain link and a pump

We would also strongly advise that riders carry a GPS device with the route loaded plus sufficient spare batteries/back up power for the duration of the event. Feed Stations will have some access to USB charging facilities but should not be relied on.

Riders should make additional preparations in light of the weather forecast.

Entries Open 01.01.2020 – 10am

Solo: £95,  Pairs relay: £90/rider (£180 per pair)

Entries include:

• Navigation – Route mapping, signage and GPX files
• Drop Bag Transport
• Electronic timing and checkpoint tracking
• Marshal support at regular intervals and sweep riders/vehicles.
• Professional medical cover
• Detailed route booklet covering all ride sectors
• Event liability insurance (does not cover loss, theft or damage of equipment and/or bicycles)
• Supporters Handbook with maps, support points and things to see and do
• 4 support posts (food, water, mechanic and medical support)
• Hot meal at Feed 3
• Baggage transport to the finish
• Drop Bag transport to Feed 3

• Camping at the finish, with showers and toilets
• Camping gear transfer to the finish (10Kg limit)
• Brunch on the Beach on Sunday – Salsa Frontier hospitality

Please note that the Frontier 300 is an A2B route, as such riders should be aware that a high degree of self-sufficiency is required.

Family and Friends/Supporters:

Adults: £12, Children £4

Ticket includes:

• Access to the event villages
• Camping at the finish on Saturday
• Brunch on the Beach with riders
• Access to showers etc at the finish
• Detailed maps and information about meeting places and things to do along the route