It’s that time of year again, the great race that so many have been waiting for is upon us. No, we’re not talking about the World Road Race Championships in Rwanda… we’re on about the proper rough cut northern Yorkshire classic that is the annual 3 Peaks Cyclo-Cross race.

This year will be the 61st running of the race. It’s a true old-school epic, and arguably the toughest and most unique cyclocross event in the world. Although the regulations on Peaks race bikes now stick to traditional cyclocross specs, and limit bike changes to mechanical issues and inside pit zones only, during the 1980s and 1990s, flat bar cross bikes and mountain bikes were also permitted. Some top riders even took several kinds of bikes for the different sections of the course.

> Inside the legendary 3 Peaks

We caught up with a couple of the race’s greatest all-time riders to hear about their race rigs of old, and new…

Nick Craig

Nick Craig bike for 3 Peaks Cyclo-Cross race 2022 full bike
Nick Craig bike for 3 Peaks Cyclo-Cross race 2022 full bike (Image Credit: Ratio Technology)

It was way back in the ’80s when a teenage Nick Craig tackled his first 3 Peaks, following in the tyre tracks of his father Ian, a past race winner. With three 3 Peaks wins to his name, and a whole 20 years separating the first and the third, Nick is still a serious contender for victory at 56 years of age. He finished sixth in 2024. 

road.cc: Will you be racing the Peaks this year, and why is the race so important to you? 

NC: Yes, I’m going to do my 26th this time! Last year I said maybe my 25th will be my last, but it only took about 25 seconds to decide I’m going to be there next year.
I first watched the race in 1979 ,when my dad made his return after winning it in 1963. It’s a special race to me. 
 
road.cc: Can you remember anything about your dad’s winning bike, and what did you learn from him about bikes, kit and setup for the race?

NC: No, as I wasn’t born until 1969. I just looked at photos of the classic cross bikes.
I first raced it when I was 16, and did it for five years until I won it in 1991. It was a special day as my dad was seriously ill with multiple myeloma, but he managed to be there to see me take the victory.

I then concentrated on my mountain bike career, so I didn’t return to the peaks until 2002. I have ridden every edition that’s been able to go ahead since.

road.cc: What was the first bike you raced the Peaks on, and had you got it right for the era?

NC: I just raced it on my cyclocross bike, with nothing changed on it. It had 28mm CX tyres on, and in those days, it was less on gravel tracks, and more on peat bogs. It was very heavy going. 
 
road.cc: What have been the main changes to your Peaks bikes over the years. Were there any secret tweaks, and have you made many bike and kit selection mistakes?

NC: I guess Interrupter brake levers and SRAM MTB gearing made a big difference 15 years ago. I remember also having inserts in 2019, and that allowed me to run lower tyre pressures.
 
road.cc: Rules on what bikes are permitted have changed over the years for the Peaks. What did you go to the race with back in the 90s vs now? 

NC: This year I will race on my gravel bike with a set of CX wheels in to meet the tyre width regs [35mm max]. You’re allowed to run a slight flare on your bars [up to 15 degrees] so that’s great news. I think this is the right thing, because if the organisers don’t move a bit with the times, it will be more difficult for riders to get the parts that aren’t made any more. It’s not a retro bike race, it’s just one of the best cyclocross races that exists.

road.cc: What will be the bike and set up for this year?

NC: I’ve raced it for a while on my carbon CX bike. That was eight years old and I had to keep it set up as just a Peaks-specific bike. I gave that bike to my wife to race CX on last year.

With the new rules I’ll race my SCOTT Addict Gravel RC with ‘Peaks wheels’. It has 13 speed SRAM T type with a 10-46 cassette, and I’ll switch the front ring from 42 to a 40t so I have the one-to-one-plus-one rule. That I made up…
 
road.cc:  If there were no regulations on what bike you could use, what would be the perfect bike setup for the race?

NC: Probably my SCOTT Scale RC with a Rock Shox SID 110mm fork. This would be light, fast, and easy to carry. The tyres, I’d go for Schwalbe 2.25 Thunder Burt with liners in. I would definitely be faster on that bike.
 
road.cc: Can you remember much about when Tim Gould took a selection of bikes for different sections? 

NC: Yes I do. It was bike changes for every section, including a TT bike for the road!
 
road.cc: What specific Peaks changes/tweaks do you make to tyres, and how late do you leave final choice?

NC: Tyres will be decided mid-week before the race, based on the weather forecast, as it’s nearly all gravel after Ingleborough. I nearly always go for Schwalbe G-one with file treads.

Rob Jebb

2022 Rob Jebb Scott Addict CX Three Peaks Cyclocross - 13 (1).jpeg
2022 Rob Jebb Scott Addict CX Three Peaks Cyclocross - 13 (1) (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

With 13 wins on his score card, Yorkshire lad Rob Jebb is the undoubted King of the Peaks. At 50 years of age, he’s still one of the fastest Peaks racers around. 

Last year he finished fifth, and starts this year with high hopes of adding to his victory tally. We asked Rob about his Peaks bikes and setups from over the years.

road.cc: What was the first bike you raced the Peaks on?

RJ: My first bike was my dad’s Pennine CX bike. I rode this early 1980s bike in my first Peaks back in 1992. It was all I had and could afford, with a Reynolds 531 steel frame, a TA single 42 tooth chainring, and a 6-speed 13-28 cassette, all very standard.

road.cc: What have been the main bike innovations you’ve seen over the years for the race?

RJ: For me, bikes didn’t change that much for the Peaks for years, but they have ac lot in the last 10 years. Disc brakes, carbon frames, tubeless tyres, and the ability to run mountain bike gears on a cross bike… this makes the bike much better for the race nowadays.

Steve 3 Peaks 8
Steve 3 Peaks 8 (Image Credit: Steve Thomas)

road.cc: What’s your bike and tech support setup for the race?

RJ: From the late 90s until 2015, I used to have three to four bikes. One for each hill and one for the road, with my dad driving around with the equipment. It was stressful to organise, but now I just have the one bike with a spare set of wheels.

road.cc: What will your Peaks bike be for this year?

2022 Rob Jebb Scott Addict CX Three Peaks Cyclocross - 21 (1).jpeg
2022 Rob Jebb Scott Addict CX Three Peaks Cyclocross - 21 (1) (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

RJ: This year I will be riding the same bike that I have used for the last seven years, a Scott Addict CX with SRAM mechanical gears, a Hope chainset with a 40T single ring, and a SRAM Eagle 10-52 rear cassette.

The rear mech was modified by Ratio Technology, and has a longer cage to handle a 10-50 tooth cassette – this year I will run 52t. I use Hope brake levers, and Hope 20FIVE alloy wheels with 35mm Vittoria Terreno Dry 35 tyres.

road.cc: If there were no bike regs for the race, what would be your weapon of choice?

RJ: If there were no bike regulations I’d like to ride my SCOTT Addict Gravel bike, with SRAM Red XPLR 13 speed drivetrain, and 45mm tyres. This would be great!

road.cc: Do you still own any of your old race-winning bikes?

Steve 3 Peaks 9
Steve 3 Peaks 9 (Image Credit: Steve Thomas)

RJ: For a while I kept a Litespeed titanium bike, but in the end I never rode it and needed some money, so I sold it. A friend also still has the original Pennine bike, and still rides it!

Have you ever rode the 3 Peaks Cyclo-Cross? Let us know how it went for you in the comments