The Fred 2026
The Wheelbase Fred Whitton Challenge 2026
Once again, with the intensity of The Wheelbase Fred Whitton Challenge fading into a low background hum, we at steveflemingphoto.com look back on a truly exceptional weekend.
There is a shift in our behaviour here at Fleming Towers in the weeks before the Fred Whitton Challenge. Alongside the mountains of cameras, lenses, memory cards and batteries other things like waterproof trousers, wooly hats, and camera protecting sacks begin to appear in neat little piles. Quite suddenly, isobars become very interesting indeed and we whisper words along the lines of, “As long as it’s not like 2013.”
In the 21 years we have photographed the event we have become well practised in the art of preparing for 4 seasons in a day (plus a few that haven’t been classified yet). All this preparation for our singular vision- “We might well be soaked, but there will be pictures.”
Mercifully, all our wet-weather prep was redundant this year and we experienced the blessing of truly rare “Goldilocks Fred Whitton”. A gentle tailwind up Hardknott Pass too? Ambassador, you are spoiling us.
The closure of Kirkstone Pass also changed things up a little; with The Struggle detour adding a touch of a Marmite ‘Love or Hate’ dichotomy to proceedings. It made the ride a smidge shorter than usual (108 miles to the usual 112) and, with a more compressed starting window, riders coalesced into groups to tackle the day together.
We saw some exceptional timings too, with the fastest chip time going to Josh Hall, who rode a 5:23:14 Fred Whitton. Chapeau, Josh! It was the spirit of every rider that made The Fred Whitton 2026 so special. We find ourselves saying it every year now, but taking on the challenge with indefatigable good humour and the attitude that every effort is ‘a good effort’ makes a world of difference. It’s always a pleasure to see friends and familiar faces across the route, and it always makes us smile to see the new and uninitiated say, “We don’t have hills like this in xyz.”
As always, it was our privilege to photograph The Wheelbase Fred Whitton Challenge, we have received so many enthusiastic responses to our work, with kind words and tags on social media letting us know how pleased people are with their photographs. We’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you all for making the event such a pleasure to photograph and invite you now to take a quick look through some of our images from the day.
The Struggle
Newlands
Hardknott Pass
Camera 1: The (relative) Calm before the Storm
Camera 2: The Shot Everybody Wants!
Camera 3: The Last Gasp!
The Remote Camera is Always Watching!
Wrynose
Blea Tarn
Thanks for making it to the end! Here's a quick example of some of our Photoshop services:
Once again, with the intensity of The Wheelbase Fred Whitton Challenge fading into a low background hum, we at steveflemingphoto.com look back on a truly exceptional weekend.
There is a shift in our behaviour here at Fleming Towers in the weeks before the Fred Whitton Challenge. Alongside the mountains of cameras, lenses, memory cards and batteries other things like waterproof trousers, wooly hats, and camera protecting sacks begin to appear in neat little piles. Quite suddenly, isobars become very interesting indeed and we whisper words along the lines of, “As long as it’s not like 2013.”
In the 21 years we have photographed the event we have become well practised in the art of preparing for 4 seasons in a day (plus a few that haven’t been classified yet). All this preparation for our singular vision- “We might well be soaked, but there will be pictures.”
Mercifully, all our wet-weather prep was redundant this year and we experienced the blessing of truly rare “Goldilocks Fred Whitton”. A gentle tailwind up Hardknott Pass too? Ambassador, you are spoiling us.
The closure of Kirkstone Pass also changed things up a little; with The Struggle detour adding a touch of a Marmite ‘Love or Hate’ dichotomy to proceedings. It made the ride a smidge shorter than usual (108 miles to the usual 112) and, with a more compressed starting window, riders coalesced into groups to tackle the day together.
We saw some exceptional timings too, with the fastest chip time going to Josh Hall, who rode a 5:23:14 Fred Whitton. Chapeau, Josh! It was the spirit of every rider that made The Fred Whitton 2026 so special. We find ourselves saying it every year now, but taking on the challenge with indefatigable good humour and the attitude that every effort is ‘a good effort’ makes a world of difference. It’s always a pleasure to see friends and familiar faces across the route, and it always makes us smile to see the new and uninitiated say, “We don’t have hills like this in xyz.”
As always, it was our privilege to photograph The Wheelbase Fred Whitton Challenge, we have received so many enthusiastic responses to our work, with kind words and tags on social media letting us know how pleased people are with their photographs. We’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you all for making the event such a pleasure to photograph and invite you now to take a quick look through some of our images from the day.
The Struggle
Newlands
Hardknott Pass
Camera 1: The (relative) Calm before the Storm
Camera 2: The Shot Everybody Wants!
Camera 3: The Last Gasp!
The Remote Camera is Always Watching!
Wrynose
Blea Tarn
Thanks for making it to the end! Here's a quick example of some of our Photoshop services: