Bugger it! I slept in. - Though I have the excuse of waiting on the photographers earning their keep and passing on some pics for me to blether about. A quick note on our photographers. Dan (Mr Breakawaydigital), Ben (bbriffett.com) & Tommy (Tommycheck.com). When not taking holiday snaps of the riders they will be sitting on their arses’ doing chuff all waiting for their leccy cars to charge. Expect to see lots of moody photos of hard done by photographers leaning against cars, coffee on dashboards etc. That kinda crap… ;-) Oh and as if by magic… We have already had a prologue of sorts today. Proof of awesomeness was required, so our riders had to take a time stamp selfie somewhere in or around the famous landmark prior to 8am. [#gbduro21stage1start] The queue to the Land’s End sign post was reportedly longer than that of the queue at Gregg’s the Bakers post (1st) Covid lockdown. Having been on the end of Morecambe Pier prior to the start of one of TRC taster events - the TransEngland - there will be some riders faffing about trying to find their phone that they’ve packed away in a safe place inside a waterproof pouch. Some will have forgotten to download the timestamp app, some will still be stuffing porridge in their face whilst they watch the majority of the field ride away from them. I would have been one of those who will have forgotten to download the time stamp app… 😶 Yesterday evening, we saw our riders assemble for some pre ride beers and a chance for them to get to know each other. Fear of missing out is indeed real as I’d have loved to be down there preparing for what will be for some a life changing ride. Some friendships will have been formed and some rivalries will have been secretly ignited. I’m somewhere in between, don’t mind getting the craic but I’ll send those who I know are more talented and generally younger than me proper daggers. Let the revelries commence.
Hydration and nutrition on point. I’ve just realised what I’ve signed up for here. Giving all you lucky readers (if anyone is actually seeing this) ‘brief’ updates during this years event. I’m usually a couple of hours into my first of two weekend, de-stressing bike rides. Thanks Miles. Appreciate the opportunity! Although, my minor meltdown from last night has put paid to my planned ride this morning. Being a grumpy Scot, I complain about what little summer we get in the wild North. Being also a bike nerd, I have chain cleanliness OCD for which there is no cure. So when the penny pinching Scot in me turns off the central heating for the ‘warm months’ (read - less cold) I can’t dry my pristine clean chains. So when the wife goes to bed… Our new oven is a bit punchier than the last so I may have a little extra chain stretch 😢 I digress. I’ve just checked the time (0904hrs) as I type and I’ve already missed the excitement of the roll out, sorry. Think they all got away fine. I suspect Angus Young had the rollers out. Mark Beaumont is still hanging about signing autographs… As I go to press we have those that maybe had one too many beers… ….those that are heading top the pharmacists’ for Sudocrem - sand and chamois don’t mix… …and those that have reached out for glory early doors… Righto folks. I’m meant to be meeting the ball and chain up the road in a couple of hours for a lunch with friends and family. But it’s a 3-4 hour bike ride away. Better get a wriggle on.
Will update you with the rest of the days shenanigans laters. Peace out… Deadpool
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The UK’s premier Lo-Fi bike packing event kicks off this coming weekend. Affectionately referred to as a ‘scrappy rolling picnic through Britain's ever changing landscapes,’ it has attracted all sorts of weird and wonderful but like minded souls. For 2021 we see the return of the ‘normal’ staged format (if you can call riding the length of the UK predominantly off-road normal) after last years hobo edition. More on that later… Basically a dirty version of LEJOG - Land’s end to John O’Groats. Riders will tackle around 2000km of some of the best trails, singletrack and gravel that the UK has to offer. Throw in some shitty weather, midges, stale service station food, mountains, glens, valleys, more mountains and maybe even some angry badgers, will altogether make for a melting pot of entertainment that we, the readers and dot watchers, can enjoy from the comfort of our couch whilst the riders have to get stuck in and sweat it out. Nae luck! the routeThe GBDURO actually follows the GB Divide route, the brainchild of The Racing Collective (TRC). Originally conceived as an Individual Time Trial (ITT), a self supported gravel, bikepacking adventure that anyone can tackle at any time. If you think you can better Lachlan Morton’s insane completion time he posted during the inaugural GBDURO then head on over to the website for more information and start planning. Last year the pandemic forced The racing Collective to run GBDURO in a self-sufficient' format rather than self-supported. To get your head around the difference see the following: Expect to see another Hobo edition in the not to distant future, but not everyone is quite ready for that yet - this year's edition has reverted back to the conventional self-supported-stripping petrol station shelves bare of chocolate milk... edition For the statos out there, GBDURO is split into 4 stages of varying distances and elevation. Stages will start at 8am sharp and the riders will have 3 days to complete each stage with the exception of stage 4 where they will only be allowed 1.66 days. (I’ll leave you to do the sums…) Any rider that misses the start of the stage will not be given a GC (General Classification) placing, but their dot will stay live on the tracking website so we can still cheer them on to the end. We don’t have a broom wagon as the budget wouldn’t stretch, but you get the idea. We’re screwed if the riders club together out of protest to form a Grupetto… As we have to return to our regular life at some point. There will be a general regroupement at the finish of each stage to allow all the riders to unwind, gather themselves, share their stories with fellow competitors and hopefully us so we can get a bit of content for the stage round ups to share with those following the event from afar. I dare say a beer or two will be cracked open around a camp fire before being set loose again on the next stage. So added impetus to arrive at the checkpoints with little time to spare. They’ve come to the wrong event if they are expecting team buses, chefs, soigneurs, warm comfy hotels and a smorgasbord of grub. Stage 1 will be the grand depart from beginning at Land’s End to checkpoint 1 in Ysbyty Cynfyn (not a spelling mistake…) mid Wales. To ease the riders in they will tackle one of the longer stages at 635km in length with 11700m of ascent. Here’s me thinking the South was flat! Ysbyty Cynfyn (yup, still had to double check I spelled that correctly) to checkpoint 2 at Garrigill which is pretty much smack bang in the middle of the UK. ‘The easy stage.’ Shorter and flatter at only 460km long with only 6700m of climbing. Leaving England behind, from Garrigill, our riders will enter the wild North for the first time finishing at checkpoint 3 at Fort Augustus on the shores of Loch Ness. 485km this time and another 6700m of vert. By now, even the mountain goats will start complaining. By now the riders have almost reached the top of the hill. The shortest of the 4 stages at 380km, sees the riders leave the Bonny Bonny Banks heading for the sprint finish at John O’Groats. A mere 4400m of climbing will finish off those hardy enough to make it this far. So there you have it. 2000 odd kilometres and a few times up Mount Everest separates our heroes from eternal glory. It’s their choice if they want to smash it, tour it or something in between. The lowest aggregate time for all 4 stages will be crowned the winne… will get lots of kudos from their fellow riders and the respect from the rest of us following from afar. the riders (some of)First home in the past have included a ringer from Australia and one of the UK’s original bike-packing drifters. Both are too feart (adjective - Scottish) to turn up this year so the crown is up for grabs! However, it's not always about who can cover the distance the quickest, although there are timed stages so I guess it is… but about the random stories that come to light, often from the unlikeliest of riders or circumstances. That’s why we follow dots and scour social media right? Nevertheless, we’ve put together some names of riders you may want to keep an eye on that could either smash it all the way or entertain us in some random way. In an unashamedly clickbait like manner, we have a number of riders who should offer us all some entertaining dot watching. In no particular order…. after checking their social media follower numbers ;-)…. We have the following: lee craigieFirst up and being totally unbiased, a fellow Scot that doesn’t really need an introduction. Multi discipline biking bad ass and ambassador for all things outdoors is Lee Craigie. She’ll no doubt crush most of the field (I’ve been on the receiving end in the past) all the while having a laugh and getting the craic with her fellow riders. ANGUS YOUNGOur very own Angus Young. Flying the flag for The Racing Collective and fresh from pinching my crown at this years Pan Celtic Race. Wishing you a headwind all the way buddy… Building up a impressive Palmares he’ll be one to keep a close eye on. Or in my recent experience, a very distant eye on! Being second home in 2019 and then having to scratch in 2020 means there are some demons to slay. Will 3rd time be the charm? Naomi FreireichAs difficult a surname as my own! Can ride her bike for hours on end with piss all sleep. Has the silverware to prove it. At home on wider flat bars but seems to be able to go a dropped bar jobber just as well. Will she be able to translate her 24hr into 200+hrs? MARK BEAUMONTA newbie to bikepacking bunch racing by all accounts as I believe he prefers to ride on his tod most of the time is Mark Beaumont. Keeps himself to himself, quite low key, so it’ll be interesting to see how he copes with the shoulder barging when the gun sounds. Elbows out Mark! Philippa BattyeA GBDURO veteran ;-) Philippa Battye co-organised the inaugural edition of the event and was the first female home . She has racked up an impressive amount of race miles in the big events across Europe and beyond. Chris Bower & Sharon CaltonUnfinished business for this pair. Returning after scratching in 2020 in Appleby. Turns out that every cloud has a silver lining however… Checking into a local hotel which happens to be a rather nice castle atop a hill. It transpired that the hotel held weddings after a chat with the chef. The following April they returned again clad in their cycling clobber to tie the knot. So this is honeymoon part 2! ADAM COLVINAnother GBduro vet. Took part in the aforementioned Hobo Edition. Back again and looking for a bit of redemption after a mishap going into checkpoint 3. A cruel end to an impressive ride so close to the finish in such a punishing edition of GBDURO. He’ll be giving the mighty Corrieyairack Pass plenty of respect this year. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. You’ll nail it this time pal. Sharn HooperLikes to ride mtb’s fast so this should be a piece of piss for her. As you really only need to go slow and steady for about a week solid. An event like this has been on the radar for a while and reckon she’ll give it laldi. No pressure! Easily recognisable by the grotesquely coloured bike! Boke! Sorry not sorry ;-) My mate has a Space Chicken. I don't ride with him that often.... JIM HIGGINSJim, an adopted highlander like myself. Funny accent so don’t think he’s a proper local but will be shouting him on nonetheless. Another totally unbiased inclusion ;-) Likes to go high and far. Lover of the outdoors and has a similar mantra of ‘if you can walk it you can bike it.’ Starting to become a familiar face on ‘the circuit.’ If you want to see some inspirational photos keep an eye on him. LEE BROWNLikes to go quick on tarmac but has been putting in the long miles. One of only two riders to have completed the TRC Trans Series events this year. TransEngland, TransWales & TransScotland. He’s been going well and been building up to the biggie. Sounds like he’s hooked and becoming one of ‘us.’ Hope he’s left something in the tank! For anyone that feels aggrieved that they haven’t been given a mention then tough. I’ve a restricted word count and my dinner isn’t going to make itself! Joking aside, these types of events have a way of surprising us, as quite often there will be a random punter that’ll silently fly under the radar and stick it to the favourites. ‘Mon the underdog! We try to be as diverse as possible and have always strived to have an equal gender split. The goal is to eventually have a 50/50 split which we have fallen just short off this year. However, 43% of riders this year are female which is near as damn it. You may correct me as I haven’t done any research on the matter but I can’t think of many other mixed events of this type than can boast as high a figure. We’re up from 31% in 2019 and 27% in 2020 so we’re moving in the right direction. I’m sure the quality and depth of this year's female field won’t fail to inspire others to sign up in the future. It’s going to be a very tight race and they’ll be knocking lumps out of each other all the way to the end. For some those hardy souls who’ll be lining up at the bottom of the UK (I sit here typing away in the Highlands of Scotland so it always feels like uphill to John O’Groats) have more than likely been inspired by the antics or exploits of fellow riders tackling similar events and thought - ‘that looks fun’ or ‘I reckon I can do that’ or ‘I’d love to be part of that.’ They’ll probably not care how or when they will finish, they may not even finish but their stories will be just as compelling as those at the pointy end of the field, if not more so. For a snap shot of all those riding hit the button below and you'll be transported to a popular vanity app to see who all is taking part. #noflyride.What’s that all about then? This will be the more serious part of what is quickly becoming a novel… “Chris, can you write a wee intro for the ride please” he said! From the outset, The Racing Collective have tried to promote responsible travel where possible. Cyclists and bikepackers who generally have a leave-no-trace ethos, face a difficult decision when planning that must-do ride or race abroad. Life, work, costs and time normally dictate how we get to and from events. In most circumstances this involves a couple of flights which will use up your yearly allocation of CO2 emissions! I have been guilty myself but I’m learning. Hopefully recent climate change reports and the upcoming climate change conference will help bring the issue to the forefront of the wider public. Together we can make a difference. This year we have been overwhelmed and humbled by the riders' commitment to get to and from the event either under their own steam or using public transport. An honourable mention to some of our overseas riders; Martin Biseenbacker who will be driving all the way from Denmark in a leccy car. I wonder what the car's range is… Sofie Joore and Tim van Gemert will both be making their way from the Netherlands by train, ferry and pedal power. Thanks folks! Further night time reading below if you can spare us a few minutes. tracking the gbduroWe’ll be (when real life doesn’t get in the way) providing daily updates of how our intrepid adventurers are faring. There will be reports and round-ups of the individual stages, and of course a final wrap up of the results and stories. There’s only so much we can do from behind a screen, so get involved, shout on your local hero or get out on the trail to offer encouragement or abuse as they battle their way through peat bogs or sheep shit strewn bridleways. Post up on your preferred medium, hashtag to death (non-official hashtags can be found below to use) and spread the word. Enjoy the show folks. It’s going to be a great ride. #GBDURO21 #GBDIVIDE #noprizenosupport #noflyride #goneferal #ridetorewild #routetonetzero #beyondleavenotrace #bemoremike #theracingcollective To get you daily fix of how it's all unfolding click below! a note on the writerThese pieces will unlikely be proof read or censored in any way, so any spelling or grammatical errors are entirely my own mistakes. I may occasionally use bad language, but this is only when I struggle to think of the appropriate word from my limited vocabulary. Any pedantry will not be accepted and will be dealt with in a swift and sarcastic manner. Also, if I cause any offence I’ll probably have meant it and it’ll likely be merited so you have been warned. I am Deadpool on a bike. Not the bonnie Ryan Reynolds man crush kinda way I must add. You’ll know what I mean if you have ever seen the state of me during a race. [Postscript]
As it turns out there has been some proof reading and some censoring :-( I sneaked in a couple of naughtiness afterwards though! Rabbits dart left to right, right to left; occasionally they just stare, petrified in the glare of my headlight. To my right a pink moon has risen above an archipelago of clouds in the midnight blue sky. The moon looks oval but that seems implausible, it’s been a long night. COVID19 precautions required The Racing Collective to replan the usual 11pm mass start in favour of an open start window running from 8pm - 11pm. A daylight start for the TransEngland was a rare privilege that I wasn’t going to miss out on. I was there at Morecambe Pier head for 7.59 to join a small socially distanced group trading route strategies and taking pre-ride selfies against the spectacular Lakeland backdrop across the estuary. Nobody wanted to be the first rider rolling but eventually riders drifted off down the pier past the diners in the Midland Hotel. The greenway to Lancaster was as characterful as always; broken glass to keep you on your toes, weed smoke to calm them again. I was looking forward to the lanes of the Trough of Bowland. Pssst - pssst - psssst - PSSSTTT! I stopped at the top of the Quernmore climb to plug a hole in my rear tyre. A tubeless plug seemed to do the trick and I was soon chasing down the riders that had passed me. As the flashing red lights became brighter the gradient increased but I was soon over the top and dropping down the fast twisty descent towards CP1 in the Trough of Bowland. The still evening air was a novelty for those used to windy Pennine conditions but I paid the penalty every time I rode into a bank of midges, mouth open and gasping for oxygen only to choke on legions of black bugs. I came to an abrupt halt on the climb out of Slaidburn as my bike became two speed following a gear change. Fortunately a few minutes of daylight remained to throw it down on an overgrown verge whilst I looked for disconnected Di2 wires. Reconnected a few minutes later and the race was back on, well, kind of. For once I was enjoying the excitement of chasing distant riders but I wasn’t going to lose sleep over the results. Settle, Horton and Ribblehead were soon behind me and I was onto the gravel climb up to the Cam High Road. I first rode this way over thirty years ago on what seemed like an epic loop from Sedbergh riding an early 501 steel MTB. Back then I carried little food or spares and the closest thing to a mobile phone were the red telephone boxes that dotted the countryside. What I lacked in contingency kit I made up for with bulletproof optimism, and somehow this always got me home. Tonight I had spare chain links, pads, tubes, chainring and cleat bolts, down jacket and the rest; I may as have well been equipped for a haul across the Alps. The climb wasn’t really suitable for a road bike on deep section wheels but with a bit of careful line choice I reached the top unscathed.
Tan Hill was alight, a new outdoor seating area was festooned with strings of light bulbs. It was a little surreal, the kind of bar you’d expect to find in the corner of a festival field but here we were atop the Northern Pennines at the highest pub in England at 2am. As soon as the CP3 selfie and water were taken I was spinning east towards the market town of Thirsk. After the hills of the Dales this next section always felt to drag, after Reeth the road dropped into the wide valley separating the Dales from the Moors, with only the A1, A19 and the York - Edinburgh railway to break up the patchwork of arable fields. Early dawn was creeping in, un-noticed save the realisation that my headlight was no longer lighting the road. Whilst thick banks of cloud hid the colours of the dawn sky, limbs became chilled by the dense, dank air clinging to the valley floor. Left - right - right - left - left - left - right; I had no idea which direction I was headed, only the sweet scent of rapeseed interrupted by a manure strewn farmyard to punctuate progress. I blindly followed Komoot’s arrow down lane after lane until with a sense of relief I eventually reached Thirsk. The climb from here up Sutton Bank was a tough one after so many flat miles, I inched up the first 25% ramp as sunrise crept over the horizon. I would have celebrated at the top but unable to persuade both eyes to focus on the same piece of road I pulled over and lay down in a lay by for ten minutes. Bliss. BEEP-BEEP-BEEP! A rude awakening from my watch alarm; it was time to move - next stop CP4. I hadn’t ridden this way before and I was looking forward to the lanes after Helmsley. I didn’t see a car for hours en route to Bransdale, I threaded through dense verdant woodland until I emerged to climb to the most closely guarded of the North York Moors dales.
A steep drop into the meagre ford at Egmont Bridge preceded a taxing 33% climb up to Egmont. I wasn’t expecting it but by this point in a ride you just deal with whatever the road throws at you. The lanes to Whitby were a riot of bucolic English summer, cow parsley vying with buttercups for attention on the verges between ordered columns of hawthorn and hornbeam. I rejoined the rest of the world above Whitby. I slotted into the steady stream of caged day trippers descending from the Fylingdales road only to discover that my rear tyre had partially deflated mid way through a roundabout. An orange clad rider was ascending the Robin Hood’s Bay climb as I descended - a reminder not to loiter, and I didn’t. Straight back up that hill and onto the cinder track south. As soon as I could I picked up some asphalt and progress was good despite the headwind. I spotted the same rider once more in north Scarborough so I took a gamble on my route and split downhill to join the dawdling tourists on Marine Drive as he stuck to the main road. The headwind was especially savage by the sea but I knew the finish would soon be in sight, I pushed on to thread through the zombie crowds on the pier and I arrived at the Diving Belle. Finisher's selfie taken and tweeted, I could finally relax and swap tales with the other finishers in the Scarborough sunshine.
GBDURO20 winner Josh Ibbett shares his thoughts on the gravel wheel conundrum. 650b or 700c? The GBDURO route is roughly 50:50 road to off road. Of the off road sections a good percentage is relatively fast rolling dirt roads and gravel tracks with the rest being made up of rougher surfaces and the odd bit of hike a bike. So what should you prioritise, comfort or speed? Well that depends on what kind of rider you are and how experienced you are off road. For those aiming for a fast time the priority maybe speed, for others it may be about getting the job done and maximum comfort. So ask yourself this question before you consider your bike, wheel and tyre selection. A gravel bike is probably the best tool for the job, however a hardtail MTB will also work well. Let's assume though that most riders are at the cutting edge of bikepacking trends and are on a gravel bike. By now you should have decided if you are going fast or steady, speed or comfort? Personally (being relatively keen on speed and experienced off road) I would recommend a 700c wheelset. These roll faster on the road and dirt road sections and are generally more efficient, however will require more care when riding off road and can be a little less forgiving on the rougher sections of the route. If comfort is your priority, then a wider tyre will be the way to go. It will be a little bit slower on the smooth sections, however the improved comfort may well improve your experience. On a gravel bike the answer is to fit a 650b wheelset. A wider tyre can be run at lower pressures which will offer more grip off road and will help to absorb the smaller bumps. However, if you really want to go the extra mile for comfort it might be best to run a MTB with a suspension fork. What Tyres? The vast majority of the route is on hard packed tracks and trails, although there may be some softer and rockier sections at times, so overall a fast rolling tyre would be the most beneficial. I’d recommend a minimum of a 45mm tyre on a 700c, and a 2.1inch on a 650b rim or MTB. I used the WTB Ridder 45 in the 2020 event. Dynamo or No Dynamo? Dynamo hubs are favoured by many long distance cyclists as they allow more self-sufficiency with recharging gadgets and powering lights. Having power on tap is one less thing to worry about on a self supported event. GBDURO's four stage format means that there will be the opportunity to find a power point to recharge after each stage meaning a dynamo might not be as important, but just remember there will also be 100 other cyclists fighting over the same power points in the same small village pub! Words by Josh Ibbett who rides for Hunt Bike Wheels
With the race now only 4 months away you might feel the nervous energy building, maybe you're second guessing your kit choices. But, hopefully, you're feeling super excited for an incredible tour of our little island via the fantastic GBDivide route. Be assured that once you start racing from Land's End all feelings of negativity really do disappear and you'll soon settle into riding bliss. We reached out to GBDURO19 & 20 riders Philippa, Angus and Jason for their hot-tips for GBDURO and their good/bad kit choices. Between them they have experienced both first and second editions of the race. Hopefully these words of wisdom will answer some questions, or at least guide your race planning. Philippa Battye - rider of GBDURO19 The only things which were wrong or amiss as it turns out were clothing choices! En route I bought...:
Watch out for leaving things unattended on your bike if you're getting the train to the start. My almost worthless second hand etrex got swiped, although thankfully they left my far more valuable lights on my bike! Other than that, my bike and set-up were all good. Angus Young - rider of GBDURO19 and GBDURO20 Great kit choice: Preparing overnight oats beforehand to give me a hearty breakfast each morning in 2021. Poor kit choice: In 2019 I used 35mm Panaracer GravelKing SKs; great tyre but more volume is essential. Jason Black - rider of GBDURO20 Good Kit Choice - My JetBoil was brilliant. Fast and effective for reheating food and cooking, or, very importantly boiling hot water quickly to reheat the body struggling with hypothermia esp. in the Yorkshire dales where the cold wind and very heavy rain made life so challenging. Bad kit choices - I always use a Dynamo front wheel powering directly my trusty Sinewave front light. However the low speeds at night on lengthy gravel sections with a very heavy laden bike made charging virtually impossible, and more often as the light strength was determined by totalling speed there were times I had a very dim light to ride with making visibility poor. I would also have had a back up power pack but again that was struggling with recharging due to the low speeds. To add fuel to that fire, my Garmin 1030 a day later started to die which in reflection was created by the intermittent power surges from the hub to the device experienced during the hike a bike sections to chugging along at low kph climbs and gravel speeds. Eventually my Garmin data routes and maps gave up and I ended up looking at a rainbow for several hours on end.. which led to my DSQ. So avoid that at all costs. Second - I am a test rider for Infinity Seat who are based out of California. They asked me to trial their new carbon seat and seat rail - not a good idea on a super aggressive gravel race with a bike laden down like a tank in war. The outcome at the midway point was catastrophic, as I was at the head of the race and that put a dent into my race. A small emergency tube of superglue and an engineering mindset got the rails reattached with a wobbly 800km limp to the finish line. The UK countryside views and the landscapes were breathtaking, the silence and solitude from the handlebars was eerie but peaceful. There is something special about being plucked and removed from this busy world and emerging on a remote gravel track deep in the highlands, lowlands or wetlands. Here, nature’s your only friend.. I didn’t know or did it even matter if I was an ultra cyclist or an endurance athlete, what mattered was I was here and I was living it ... that feeling of freedom it was priceless and humbling. Did I win? No. Did it matter? Absolutely not. Did I finish? Yes, absolutely that mattered for me. Words by Cal of Mason Cycles, the FastFar Company
A cosy glow spills from the windows of an isolated highland croft at dusk. The smell of beer and a hearty pub meal escaping out the front door of a country inn. Bangin’ bass lines and laughter heard through the open window of a remote house at 2am on the Pennine Bridleway. These are the moments where choices are brought into sharp relief. I could be in that pub, at that party or settling in for a good night’s sleep, but I’m not. I’m pursuing a notion or conquering a self set challenge just because; well it seemed impossible. Thats’s where this year’s GBDURO sits. At first glance riding 1963km without resupply seems impossible. Of course it’s not, adventurous types trek to the poles dragging sufficient provisions for 90 days on a sled. There are no shops on the Iditarod route and you’ll struggle for a SPAR at Everest base camp. This forces a shift of gear, a whole new mindset and a self reliance that endurance athletes are familiar with. Full self sufficiency takes this further though, there is no escaping the soaking chill of an unexpected thunderstorm in the embrace of a hot shower at a hotel. Dodgy stomach? You’d better get your trowel out and dig some catholes. There is no shoulder to cry on and you’d better know yourself very well because your food choices for today were made weeks ago. Self sufficient riding has a more important role than demanding better planning though. It forces us to really consider consumption, the noun that sits at the centre of 21st century capitalist ideology. How much do we actually need? How much is enough? These questions are more easily answered when every gram slows the pace of our wheels. Less and lighter spells success. Even packaging carried is wasted effort, it pays to minimise. Big money cycling has for years relied on money from sponsors whose raison d’etre is simply more. More stuff = more profit. Consider the 14 million items of landfill thrown from the caravan of the Tour d’France each year. Cheap trinkets to pass the time until the riders arrive, each of those riders supported by several team cars spewing CO2 into the atmosphere. A crash? It’s OK, just grab a spare bike and carry on. The consequences of the rider’s actions are focussed on their athletic performance and it is a poor metaphor for life. We as a race and individuals must learn to live within our means and that means looking at everything we carry with us on our journey. |
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