An on-the-ground update on the Ice Run from Mr. Tom.

As Thursday night closed on the Siberian town of Irbit, home of the mighty URAL motorbike teams of bleary eyed fools began to gather from all corners of the globe. By Friday a full set of teams had descended and the World's first Ice Run kicked off with a quiet dinner at a local restaurant. And then the vodka started to flow. Usually gentile Europeans turned mentalist and half the crew were dragged and carried home in the small hours.

The day broke on 21 wincing faces and come the afternoon all the teams got a first look at their steeds. Within minutes the sound of grinding gears filled the air as the Ice Runners started to get the hang of riding a vintage URAL. Some a little heavier handed than others, Nick Dodd must have shaved a good number of teeth off the gears with his skilled rapid shifting and did his best to crash into anything he could see. Roderick for some reason drove straight into the wall of a 2 storey building, they are hard to see sometimes, especially in bright daylight.

The sun is fading again and I can see the glisten of vodka on the bar, I suspect they will be scraping each other off the streets of Irbit in only a matter hours.

Tomorrow, for those who survive the night, we shall be heading to a frozen lake and 'test driving' on an ice racing track. Should be rubbish.

Mr. Tom

Follow the teams live

We'll be posting more updates on the blog throughout the adventure and from Monday you can follow the teams on the Live Tracking Page.