SPAMBiking’s Winter Challenge on the edge of Salisbury Plain has been the traditional year-opening event in the South for many years. With over 800 riders (about half doing the long 50km option) rolling out of Erlestoke on 3 January, its popularity remains strong.

The 2010 course was largely unchanged from 2009, being just over 30 miles with 3,000ft of climbing. There’s quite a lot of Tarmac in it, largely in response to a few years of spectacularly muddy conditions. One rider we passed commented that he thought the course had been “over-winterised”, and while you can see his point, it’s worth bearing in mind that later finishers took the best part of five hours to complete it, and those people certainly wouldn’t thank the organisers for making it any harder. And with the route having to be agreed with the landowners eight weeks in advance and the weather being somewhat unpredictable, SPAMBiking is pretty much obliged to play safe.

The Winter Challenge has never been about the tech, though. It’s more about getting yourself out there and taking on the conditions. This year the Challenge experienced superb cold, clear weather, with rock-hard trails making for either brisk going or Death By Frozen Rut. By midday some bits were thawed out, but anything in the shade was still pretty firm.

Up at the front, the fast boys were taking advantage of the firm going with some quick times. First man home in the 50km event was the appropriately-named Sean Frost (1:58), while Pip Hildesley just got in ahead of Angela Friar in the women’s event with a 2:55. Full results are at www.timelaps.co.uk.