ride everying, ride erry day

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Season’s last cross race

Whistle blows, first 15, go hard at the start, get up the field, find the gaps, touch elbows and shoulders to get out the traffic. Don’t look down, 5 minutes gone and you’re at the limit, 55 to go. First lap down, settle in.

Hit the second 15, race get’s harder, tracks all chewed up. Make it manageable but keep pushing, you’ll regret it if you don’t,  it’s just an hour. Don’t flake. Stop thinking about it. Just ride. Get your line right, eyes up the track.  Don’t look at your computer, just ride. Past the pits and cheers, then deep into the woods, shouts of ‘left’, ‘right’.

Third 15, you know the laps, stay upright. Find the dry line. Make time up on sections, lose it on others, don’t blow up, don’t let up.

Last 15, keep pushing, the end is coming, 7 minutes a lap, 15 to go, just two more laps. Two more times to run that churned section, two more times to make that climb

Bell goes, don’t lose places, push, pass that runner, flick through the inside. Push through the mud, the suck, churn, soup, clag and bog. Cheers as leaders finish, not long now. Sprint up climb, pass that last rider. Blurred vision, finish line, pull over, sit on cross bar. All over until next year.

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RED Interview - Jamie’s JOGLE

Back and forth from polo, cyclocrossing across the downs or haulin’ some cargo through town. If you live and ride in Brighton you’ve probably seen Jamie rolling across the city. He rides everything and he rides everyday, whatever and wherever. He’s a rad guy to know and he’s done some amazing stuff, including riding unsupported from John O’Groats to Land’s End (JOGLE).

His eleven day ride was mostly done solo and all of it was unsupported, so we decided to ask him some questions to get an idea of what it feels like to ride the kind of distances where the day is four hours shorter in the place you finished than the place you left and what climbing nearly twice the height of Everest is like.

What about riding JOGLE attracted you to it?

Cycle touring combines all the good stuff for me, riding bikes, camping, and visiting new places, and JOGLE was a route that meant I could do a lot of the good stuff.

Most people would only attempt this as part of an organised ride, what prompted you to do this unsupported, did you feel there was more you could discover by relying only on yourself?

Part of my decision to ride JOGLE was definitely to see what I could achieve on my own, I wanted to challenge and push myself. Also I enjoyed geeking out about routes, and equipment. You learn more about the thing that you are doing when you put the time and effort into the research. Not having to fit to anyone else’s schedule was also a big factor when deciding to do it on my own, having the freedom to change up my route if needed, to stop at all the places I wanted, and to eat, sleep, rest when I wanted was really important.

I mentioned a bit about the distances in the intro but to be clear, the ride is over 1,600km with around 15,000 meters of climbing. You also did a large portion of this solo so how did you prepare for the distance and knowing that you would be spending a lot of time alone on the road?

I started training about 5 months before, I didn’t really have a set routine, I just increased my normal weekend rides, I tried to hit at least 120km one day of the weekend, and did a few overnighters, riding around 120 km camping and riding home the next day. I am quite a solitary person, so riding long distances on my own comes quite naturally, but having an mp3 player handy is always a nice comfort.

You must have had some hard days in the saddle, what kept you from wanting to jack it in when it got tough?

The first day was the hardest, I started later than planned and I was riding into a headwind and rain all day, I had planned to hit 120km, but only managed 95km. I camped in the garden of a Pub in the highlands in a tiny village, and doubted myself, had I done enough training? Was my daily distance target to high? But the next day I woke up and the sun was shining, I ate my porridge, rode 180km through some amazing scenery, from then on everyday seemed easier than the first, and the next 9 days were some of the best days I have spent on a bike.

You passed some spectacular country but what was the most memorable part of the journey?

The UK sometimes gets a bit of a bad rap, lots of people think they need to go abroad for a memorable holiday, but the UK really has some amazing places to visit. There wasn’t a boring day in the saddle, but riding through Scotland was the highlight for me, riding alongside Loch Ness, through Glencoe and skirting round Ben Nevis were all things I won't soon forget.

From talking to you about this a couple of times I know that you love your Specialized Awol, tell us a bit about the set up for JOGLE

I pretty much rode it stock, that bike is great straight of the box in my opinion. I did upgrade the wheels and tyres though, mainly because I wanted a dynamo set up. Not having to worry about batteries and having the ability to charge my phone and Ipod whilst riding was pretty sweet.

Travelling light is key when you’ve got those sorts of climbs and distances to cover each day so I guess space for luxuries was tight but what item could you not have traveled without?

Coffee, I had a mini grinder, an Aeropress and enough beans for a cup a day. Coffee and cycling are best buds, and having a good cup in the morning after waking up in a tent with nothing to do but ride for the next 10-12 hours is damn fine.

If you had to give one piece of advice for anyone planning a long solo expedition what would it be?

Don’t rush, and have fun. Being able to even think about going cycle touring is a privilege so enjoy it. Take your time planning, make sure your route is right, and you have the right equipment. You don’t need lots of expensive stuff, but you do need to trust that things that you have work and will keep you going.

...and finally... what’s next

If all goes to plan an adventure in New Zealand will hopefully happen later this year.

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There’s a lot you can do in a short time; your journey to where you’ve got to be each day can be more. I scoured maps to explore those turns off the road that always flashed by as my head was down. One turn off that road lead me here, a barely visible single track. A small finger of woodland stretching down through the city. As I rode down the staccato flash of sunrise and the tap of mud hitting the frame broke to a bright wide banked grass park. I dove up, back into the tree line then, down the trail, hopping roots and skirting mud on the small berms.

I crossed the park in the city and then back onto the road

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When you don’t have your ride, you run

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Instead of bashing along the coast, stop to check out the view

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Vittoria Cross EVO XM II Tubular Tyre 32mm

Aggressive tread for those muddy days. Capable of going down to 30PSI and up to 90 (not recommended). A lot of resistance on hardpack so a good choice for deep winter when things get sticky. I also found that it performed really well in the loose dust and dry leaf mulch. Subtle ride, they float over roots and rocks. A good ‘do it all’ tyre for the British crosser as things are likely to get wet early on in the season where you’ll need aggressive tread and low pressures

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Last year, swamp cross

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Searching for the hidden trails was rewarded with a mud filled commute through the woods

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5 reasons to cross

1. HTFU Crossing is hard, riding through the wet, the suck, the roots and rocks. It's MTBing without the gearing, road riding on the gravel and dirt. This is the reward for crossing, pushing harder on new terrain to go places you've never seen

2. Outta sight Bridleways, chalk paths, gravel cut throughs. You've got the tools to dive off the road and onto the grit. Find those places you never knew existed. Wooded trails through the city centre, high cuttings with endless views. Get outta sight and be reminded what makes riding dirt so special

3. Race day Lung busting, leg burning, filthy. As soon as the whistle goes its elbows out and power down. Inclusivity is a big thing on race day, everyone is welcome, after lap one no one knows what position you're in, and you don't care either. There's always someone to race no matter where you come at the end of the bell lap. At the finish it's all handshakes and laughs when we're a mud covered, beaming, sweaty mess

4. Handling Flicking between the tapes, over roots and down slick banks. Ride cross and you'll be a better bike handler. Race cross and you'll take it to another level. Everything about your riding improves when you cross

5. n+1 As if you needed an excuse for another bike. Build a cross machine, choose discs or cantis, glue some tubs, learn more about tyre pressures and traction. See how buckets of clay interfer with drive chains, understand why clearances are important. Build more, learn more, ride errything

Find out more about CX racing in London and the south here

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My son was born in June, way before the rain and wind of January. Crossin’ to the hospital to see him each day was a joy.

Sights set on daisy filled summer rides

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Ride everthing, ride erry day 

Crosser commuting into the sunrise on the race machine