07/08/2026
SSX Mystery Tour just had its biggest edition: 120 riders.
In the world of cycling events, that’s both a lot of people and almost nobody.
They arrived in Forest Row, somewhere between Brighton and London, at 5:30am for 255 kilometres and 4,000 metres of climbing, on a route that race organiser Liam Yates kept secret until just four days before.
No start-line production, no feed stations, no finish arch. Just a GPX file, a few confirmed cafés and water stops, and a line on your bike computer to follow.
Liam Yates’ SSX Mystery Tour sits somewhere between a race and a big day out. Serious enough to attract riders chasing the clock, but loose enough that everyone’s day unfolds differently.
The first riders returned after around 13 hours, with Liam arriving just 45 minutes later – too late to join the welcoming committee at the finish for the fastest, but he stayed out serving pizzas to basically everyone else.
Others kept moving through the night, including a trio who briefly left the route for a McDonald’s stop before finishing around 9am the following morning.
Around 45–50 riders completed the full course — the most in SSX Mystery Tour’s history.
The finish was a football pitch, pizzas, camping chairs, cold drinks, family picnics and tired riders slowly appearing back from the multi-terrain route.
Like we said: a big day out.
millie gibbons, second woman back, what did you think?
