Neil Cottam

Mechanical Engineer, mountain biker, Outdoorist, and traveller with a penchant for the offbeat or unusual. Blogger, tree Hugger, bookworm, earthling. Impulsive, passionate, and possibly a little bit reckless… Favours the underdog.

Neil enjoys racing but he's not a racer (particularly stage races and ultra-endurance). He likes the dynamic that racing brings to an adventure and he enjoy the impetus it gives him to push himself harder than he might.

Neil's also a trail runner, snowboarder, mountainboarder, bad climber (semi-retired due to injury), slackliner, and carp angler.

Neil holds a PADI Open Water certification and he is a long serving member of the prestigious British Carp Study Group.

"The earliest and most important influences that shaped my future-self included Biggles, Evel Kneivel, Asterix the Gaul, and The Wombles. Current custodian of a small woodland and I’m particularly fond of Yorkshire Tea, good coffee, and beer. Favourite Alpkit stuff: Faro Shorts, anything Kepler, Velocity and Momentum socks. Atom. The Sonder Signal Ti."

The Number Crunch.

• Countries visited: 35
• Yak Attack, Rumble in the Jungle, and Strathpuffer (solo) finisher – multiple times. (MTB)
• Circumnavigated Sri Lanka on a local singlespeed bicycle.
• Circumnavigated Eastern Nepal (Kanchenjunga) and Western Nepal (Rara Lake) – Bikepacking.
• Ultra Tour of the Peak District 60 mile Ultra Marathon.
• Everest Marathon - 5^th placed international.
• Crazy Golf World Championships – 67^th.
• English Amateur Freestyle Wrestling Champion – Twice.