Prepared for the Rovaniemi 150

Over the past year, we've been following former Chester store assistant manager Single Speed Simon as he has trained for one of the most unique races on the planet, the Rovaniemi 150.

This isn't your average mountain bike race - not by a long way. For a start, Rovaniemi is the capital of Lapland, sitting 6 miles south of the Arctic Circle. This means that in February, when the race is held, there is snow, and lots of it. Normal mountain bikes are out of the question - this is the domain of fat bikes, with huge monster-truck-esque tyre that provide the float needed to stay upright on the white stuff. Competitors can even choose between riding the course on bike, completing it on skis, or on foot. Either way, they must complete the 150km route in under 42 hours.

Every ride Simon has undertaken in the last 12 months has been gearing towards this weekend, when he will find out whether his long hours of pedalling over soft sandy beaches and snowy hills of North Wales has paid off.

We thought we'd share a few of his pictures from his training rides and wish him luck as he tackles this Scandinavian epic.

You can find race updates here.