Guest post by Peter Ebro – Denmark Gravel racing

Guest post by Peter Ebro – Denmark Gravel racing

Gravel races in Denmark

A couple of years ago, gravel cycling was totally unknown for Danish cyclists. It would be wrong to say, that every cyclist knows gravel cycling today, but almost every month a new gravel race pops up in my Facebook feed, that is already packed with pictures from gravel social rides. Gravel cycling is now booming in Denmark at the moment, and will only get bigger.

Gravel cycling in Denmark, is defined by the social element, together with the adventure part. There are of course riders in front of every race, that are competing to win the races, but believe that for most Danish gravel cyclists it’s about experiencing new routes, in new areas together with like-minded cycling friends.

I have personally participated in a couple of these gravel races, and Hansens Cykelløb is be far my favourite. I participated in the second edition in 2017 together with my colleagues from GripGrab. A 130km long gravel race in the Danish countryside of Northern Zealand. The race is arranged by the Danish ice cream brand Hansen, why the three feed stations where well equipped with the best ice cream you can dream of, and of course good coffee and sandwiches. Not the best fuelling for riding on the AT threshold, but perfect fuelling for a cozy ride with your friends. Exactly how I like it! I’ll be back for more ice cream and gravels in 2018.

Read Tim Wiggin’s, from Wiggle, race report from Hansens Cykelløb at:

https://www.lifeinthesaddle.cc/2017/08/the-­‐hansens-­‐cykellb-­‐ice-­‐cream-­‐gravel.html

 

An e-biking adventure in Austria

An e-biking adventure in Austria

A two day adventure in the Austrian Alps

Monday was the first day visiting Austrian Alps in the picturesque village of Solden nestled in the Tyrol region.

This scenic village is an adventurous paradise with skiing in the winter and mountain biking and hiking in the Summer.

The Solden tourist board (Bike Republic Solden) is creating great infrastructure for biking and I was keen to try it out. So along with fellow mountain biker’s Dave, Martin and Peter we headed out on the first adventure of our trip.

Our first day in Solden was spent testing e-bikes. I had a Hai AllMtn with 150mm travel weighing in at a hefty 25 kilos I was glad I wouldn’t be needing to ‘hike a bike’ anywhere!

We hired our Hai e-bikes from intersport in the village and set off to the pump track with our guide Alex, from Bike School Ride On.  As a coach I was very impressed that instead of heading straight to the trails he talked about bike techniques and we used the pump track for him to give us feedback on our riding technique.

We then headed up the mountain towards our first trail, Monday was trying the ‘silent side’ of the mountain where there are no lifts so under our own steam, with the help from the e-bikes we headed swiftly onwards and upwards.

Having never ridden an e-bike before I was pleasantly surprised, the motor works when you’re pedalling and has four settings eco +, eco, standards and high depending on how much assistance you need depends on which setting.

The e-bike made easy work of the Alpine climbs, I used the standard and eco settings mainly, rolling up the gravel paths at an easy 16km the climb to the top took no time at all which was great I can really see the benefit of an e-bike for long days climbing in the alps for those who don’t have the needed fitness levels for such demanding climbs.

The first trail of the day was a black run called Jagers Notweg, Bike Park Solden have introduced a passport system where riders can collect stamps of each trail they have ridden in return for goodies, neat huh!

 

This was a natural trail with sharp, steep corners which I found a little too technical for my liking. I had to walk sections with the bike and this was really hard work the e-bike weighs almost half of me so lugging it around the trail was cumbersome.

The natural trails were brilliant, if not a little testing, with steep sections, rock shoots, lots of tree routes and the odd hiker to contend with. All natural trails are shared rights of way so you need to be alert and respect other trail users.

Jagers Notweg – the start of this black trail lulls you into a false sense of security as you traverse a very pleasant path with trees on both sides. The trail soon turns into a testing singletrack with hairpin turns, jagged rocks waiting to pinch either you or your tyre and roots at the most unhelpful of angles. The days previously it had rained which had made both rocks and roots slick and the payment for getting things wrong on this tiny trail was not worth thinking about so there was a lot of negotiating on foot this is where e-biking was an issue weighing in at around 58kg my bike at 25kg was nearly half my weight and keeping myself and it upright was a work out in itself.

Just as you think this little singletrack has thrown all it can at you, you reach a bridge and then a 10 minute climb to the double track path. Delighted to reach the top Dave and I chilled and chatted about our attempt at the most technical trail in the whole of Bike Republic Solden, happy to have that stamp in our passports we headed onwards and upwards. I was happy to have some assistance from the e-bike which plodded along nicely in eco mode my feet turning the pedals around 80rpm. Sometimes forgetting I had assistance at all until I stopped pedaling and the bike would coast along like a normal bike losing power. With an e-bike the more power you put in the more it gives back.

We then headed back up towards our lunch spot at Kleble Alm, a typical Austrian chalet serving delicious Goulash Soup. Batteries re-charged we headed down the Kaiser trail and back towards the village.

Overall I would say e-bikes have a great place within mountain biking to help those who don’t have the fitness level to have access to the outdoors and go on adventures.

Tomorrow is Enduro day using the uplift to get to the top and enjoying the flow trails on the way down.

Subscribe to find out more….

Grip Grab photo shoot in Denmark

Grip Grab photo shoot in Denmark

 Last weekend I had the pleasure of working with Grip Grab on the promotional videos and photography for their up and coming women’s range. This progressive company has been listening to customer feedback and decided to produce an exclusive women’s range designed specifically for female riders. 

The new women’s range has been developed to work seamlessly with existing cycling kits, the colours they have chose turquoise and purple/pink compliment many existing women’s kits, however if you fancy being totally matched then their new women’s kit is an appealing choice. 

The new women’s kit includes matching shoe covers, gloves, headbands and cycling caps all designed using the highest quality materials with performance and comfort at the core of each product.

Here are some of the pictures from the shoot.

Photo by Martin Paldan | GripGrab Media Crew

Photo by Martin Paldan | GripGrab Media Crew

Photo by Martin Paldan | GripGrab Media Crew

Grip Grab high vis leg and arm warmers

Grip Grab high vis leg and arm warmers

Here is my latest product review for Grip Grab this time it’s the high vis arm and leg warmers. Not only are these super comfy and warm in the winter but they also serve a safety purpose making you more visible on the roads and trails.

 IMG_1416

As a cyclist who trains mostly in the early hours of the morning on quiet country back roads I feel it’s important to make myself stand out to drivers as much as possible.

The arm and leg warmers have a warm fleecy lining for those cold morning rides, the breath ability of the fabric means you don’t get hot and sticky when your body starts to warm up which is great.

 IMG_1407

The silicon gripper at the top of the leg/arm keeps them securely in place even on the busiest of trails.

My arms and legs are both mediums, the legs are a little long on me (5ft5) but this isn’t really an issue the arms are also a little tighter in my upper arm than I would normally like when you first put them on, after a little while riding I forgot about this and I don’t feel it affects the function of the arm warmer, it still keeps my arms toasty!

Training ride around Dunwich Forest

Training ride around Dunwich Forest

My latest training ride edit, from Dunwich Forest with my highly skilled videographer Dad! (thank you Dad). I love heading home to Suffolk and racing around Dunwich forest it is an unspoilt part of the countryside with wild natural trails and secret spots of singletrack.

One of my favourite rides involves a plank ride through the marshes, a path of steps to hop down and a beach ride past Sizewell nuclear powerplant with the waves crashing against the shore and the sea air you can’t help but fall in love with the beautiful landscapes you can reach on two wheels.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYSI-1Jzl0M&w=420&h=315]