2 months ago me and my dad entered the Fred Whitton Challenge 2025, notoriously the UK’s toughest cycling sportive. And the reason it’s taken me 2 months to make this video is because it didn’t quite go to plan…
📍For more running, lifting and general fitness content, SUBSCRIBE down below:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrXWeu-E7iXgHFdDvkAzP4A?sub _confirmation 1
📸 Follow me on INSTAGRAM:
https://www.instagram.com/andrewrussellfitness/profilecard/?igsh=NWVoaDB0YXc3emps
🏃🏻♂️Follow me on STRAVA:
https://www.strava.com/athletes/45395211
22 Comments
Awesome video mate, i'm also starting to go cycling more next to lifting and running, just like you. Pleasure to watch the content every-time 😀. Cheers from Belgium 🇧🇪
Very fun video even if the outcome wasn’t ideal (still made good watching) great stuff
Good vid. Perhaps there are less hilly rides you could take on together? Have you thought of the "Racing the Sun" events? They're a good day out and whilst demanding don't have the killer climbs of the Fred.
Well done for trying! I was going to say definitely enter again for 2026, but I think you're both going to anyway. I'd strongly recommend some structured training for it. I've done three sportives this year and the combined elevation would not exceed the Fred Whitton. It's the hardest, you may want to take on some other sportives for training, I tend to do the 50 ish mile routes as anything more seems too long. My next is in Canterbury next weekend.
That quad cramp looked nasty from the ironman. I took a cramp one time after a football match sitting in the back of a car and my leg locked out over the centre console. Had to jump out of the car on the hard shoulder and walk it off
Great video mate, good learning experience.. go again for 2026 with a better plan and you can have a day out to remember with your dad (not that this wasn't a day to remember!) .. maybe some cycling specific structure through the winter of 2025 might not be a bad shout 🙂
Great video and a huge congrats to both you and your dad still. I think your attitudes show that if you have a bit more structure you'd both be able to smash it next year.
Get on Zwift and start doing those Climb Portal rides to prepare
Foolishly entered grand old dukes gravel race this year with zero training. 10000ft climbing and over 100 miles off road!! Long day out but a great memory and good feeling achieving something like that. Great video
Interesting confirmation of the importance of exercise-specific training. I had assumed that you’d ace those hills courtesy of your running and leg strength work. Great effort, anyway, and nicely edited video 🎉
Great video and good to put out the low points as well as the highs. Conditioning for a specific endurance sport is definitely essential regardless of your engine and firepower. Great effort and your dad is a legend for being so fit at an older age and after the breakage.
Swimming/Lifting hybrid athlete here — wanted to challenge myself by doing my first triathlon, thought the biking would be a breeze. After a great opening swim I got absolutely wrecked on the bike (which granted was a used one I picked up on the cheap)…lesson learned!
Dude. Love the channel but to get a sub uou need to get that shed sorted. i love a transformation
Great video Andrew – it was always a tough ask particularly with very little training.
The thing with these events is efficiency – moving through feeds quickly and cutting down on stationery time – you've both come to the same conclusion.
If you do get in via the ballot again – get an indoor trainer and rinse it through the winter.
You used to be able to do it as an independent time trial with the garages on route acting as a brevet to stamp your time but don't seem to be able to throw anything up on that now.
Andrew I'm absolutely loving your videos! This one with your Dad was such a great thing to do together, go for it next year! I'm neither a runner or lifter but I love your style and get inspiration from all your content.
the real FWC is the friends and memories we make along the way <3
Looking forward to our next challenge. Really enjoyed the day in spite of the premature ending. Thanks for the memories❤
Bro how do you do it all , I mean the wrist should be struggling
Did you try/consider trying pickle juice for the cramps?
I was there at 4am running the car parking! 1600 cars in 2 hours.
Supported some friends doing it. With food and treats in Braithwaite.
I did look out for you and saw you’d stopped but well done. Let’s hope you get another crack at it next year and the weather holds up. I gather it’s grim in the rain! ☔️
You might able to do triathlon with swimming added
An excellent video and what superb weather! The Fred offers a Four Seasons ‘event’ that you can do at any time of the year, they supply fobs so you can scan your fob at different fixed point/unmanned timing stations and then enter the Four Seasons leader board- there’s further information on the website. Me and a group of friends cycled it in September 2012-a beautiful Autumn Lakes day. We were very average cyclist back then, but what a superb achievement it was. Set off at 6:30am with 9.45hours of cycling and back in the pub for half six! I’d highly recommended it as way of doing the Fred!