The rain check edition, to be precise. Last year in November, the traditional National Championships Headwind Cycling were going to be big, with lots of wind predicted. But the wind developed into a storm, named Ciarán. Now this championship needs fierce wind in the first place to even take place, but there are certain limits. Safety limits in this case and with wind speed reaching 130 kilometers an hour, the safety of the participants could not be guaranteed. Unfortunately for all the participants who had gathered already at 7.00 am at Neeltje Jans in the province of Zeeland, the event was cancelled and postponed until further notice. And although Holland is used to a lot of wind, this event can only take place when the conditions are perfect and to be foreseen within three days prior to the event.   Last year's edition got cancelled at the very last minute  One year later, December 5th, the big news is shared. On Saturday Dec 7th, winds of 6 to 7 Beaufort will be on the menu, the official green light for a championship. Back to Neeltje Jans it is, a small island in the province of Zeeland. Due to a disastrous flooding in the 50s, with more than 1800 people killed and so much land and houses destroyed, action needed to be undertaken for this part of Holland. A storm surge barrier was built in the late 70s and the island of Neeltje Jans was being set up as a working island, from which the operation of building was undertaken. The Oosterscheldekering, the name of this hydraulic operated barrier, forms, together with twelve other constructions, the biggest surge barrier in the world (Deltawerken) and started operating in 1986. From that moment on, the south west of Holland is protected from future flooding. This particular dam is nine kilometers long, with a three kilometer barrier that can be shut in case of high water. That barrier closes approximately once a year, when nature gives it a test.  No high water today - the cyclists are good to go. For a championship like this, there is no need to proof yourself in earlier editions to make your way to the start line. Just register quickly (places are limited to 200 individual riders and 25 groups of four riders and get sold out in no time) and show up, at 6.00 am. Off to the start by busses. All the participants are driven to the start, from which they will do the race back to the beginning of the barrier. The parcours is 8,7 kilometers long. Just like a time trial, there are 30 seconds in between the start of each rider. You can dress the way you want, but the bikes are the same for everybody and are handed out at the start. Adjusting of the saddle is allowed, but that’s about it for these plain Dutch city bikes. They come with a coaster brake and up until this year, with only one gear. But modern times are slowly making their way to this championship. New for 2024 is the luxurious choice of gears: easy, medium & hard. We are still hoping to hear from riders who have used that last one and actually finished.  Lau and Steef were excited for this year’s edition, after last year’s deception. Not competing for a spot at the podium, but invited by the sponsor to help promote the event, they would do this parcours on a tandem, with a personal challenge to fulfill. Every rider they would pass, would count as an extra shot of whipped cream on the traditional cookie ‘Zeeuwse bolus’, they would get after the finish. When overtaking, they would do a mini-interview with the rider. In reality, not a lot of words were exchanged, except for a long 'how you're holding up?' because after a while, even on a tandem, you will be gasping for air. The pictures say more than words.    What a succes, this late 2024 edition. The perfect weather - a nice steady strong wind blowing and no rain- made this year's event just fun to attend. Even former vice premier of the Netherlands and current King's commissioner for Zeeland, Hugo de Jonge, took the plunge. In the end, he also could not beat the time of 19.36 by Jurjun van der Velde, who took the first place in the men’s category with an average speed of almost 27 kilometers per hour and Ingrid van de Wijngaard for the women’s in 23.11. Well done and enjoy that jersey. We hope to see you next year again to defend your title.

This year, LSRF is stepping up the jersey game for real. Following up on the choice of new fabrics for the jerseys of the SS24 collection, the new line for fall and winter includes two new styles of long sleeved jerseys. The LSRF Midweight Thermal jersey in the designs Cleone and Mendocino is a very versatile jersey, giving you that extra layer when temperatures are fluctuating between 8-15 degrees Celsius. Adding a gilet or a warmer base layer will get you even past that point. We would say this jersey is made for the mild winters and all throughout fall and spring.  When colder, or when you just need the extra warmth, the LSRF Thermal jersey in the designs Granite Chief and Scott Peak is your best choice. The inside feels soft to the touch, but the fabric stays stretchy and wicks moisture, so you don't get overheated. Combined with a warm base layer and a gilet, this jersey can be used in temperatures dropping from 8 degrees Celsius to just above 0.Both jerseys are best used in dry to moderate humid conditions. If you are looking for a jacket that can put up with the worst possible training conditions like a combination of cold, rain and/or snow, we suggest the Winterdrifter 2.0 jacket. In addition to the jerseys, the LSRF thermal bib short keeps your upper legs and hips warm when riding in cold conditions. Combined with the LSRF legwarmers, this combo gets you through the whole season.  Check out the whole FW 24/25 collection here.

The launch of a new cycling collection can be celebrated in many ways. But what better way to do it than by hosting a social ride? Not one in Amsterdam this time, a city that is already the centre of many universes, but a bit further away. Unknown territory. So, we decided to go east. The city of Zwolle could not have been more welcoming. Roderick, Klak Af! member, had invited us to host our party at his grand café Lübeck. After days of gusty wind, snow, hail and rain, the sun decided to show herself again on Sunday 24th. A weird meteorological phenomenon took over and made this day probably the warmest Sunday in late November ever. On the day we were going to present the new LSRF Fall Winter collection, we were able to ride in shorts and short sleeved jerseys with armwarmers, which, although being a weird fact, definitely added a bonus to this day. Gravel or road, about 100 cyclists found their way through the city, into the wide open and off to the woods.   But why did we call it the Bomba Tour? What’s up with that name? To explain the Bomba, you have to know a little story about a man called Eros Poli. Eros Poli is from Italy. And when he was a pro cyclist in the 90s, he was the type of guy, that, besides being dead fast on a bicycle, could squeeze lemons between his biceps and underarm. Not to mention his impressive length of 1.94m.. Not really your typical modern day skinny cyclist. When he succeeded in winning a big mountain stage in the 1994 Tour de France, after a long solo on the Mont Ventoux, he became instantly famous. Laurens and him met during an InGamba cycling holiday trip in Italy, long after Eros had retired. Laurens was still a pro cyclist back then and Eros was curious to know what Laurens was taking in the final hour of the big stages. Not really sure what to answer and maybe a bit overwhelmed by this question, Laurens responded: ‘’I don’t know, nothing special really. A bit of caffeine and maybe some painkiller, if needed.’’ Well, that was when Eros smiled and let him in on the big Bomba secret.  ‘’That is not enough. Let me tell you. What you should take, is this: for the grand finale, you need some strong stuff. So you take two egg yokes, right? You mix them up, you add two espressos, you add a shot of grappa and you mix in some sugar. Or a lot, if you like that. Shake well and bottoms up. That, my friend, is what we Italians call a Bomba.’’  Of course Laurens tried it himself, when he got back home. He did not dislike the taste of it, but the idea of having raw eggs in a warm bottle in his jersey was just too much. Not much later, the team at LSRF designed a hip flask and named it the Bomba, after Eros’ recipe. We filled it up with many things, but no egg yokes were included. The Bomba was our friend on camping and bike trips, all-nighters and 5 to 9 adventures. At one point, the Bomba Tour was created, which was basically yet another excuse for Lau and Stefan to go on a little cycling adventure and to check out the local moonshining business. That Bomba needed to be filled, right? Do check out the movie of that trip later - it’s linked here.  So, back to the story, halfway our LSRF Bomba Tour route, all the riders were asked to stop. In the woods, there was a little stand from Distillery Blauwvinger. They had joined the party to let everybody have a taste of their product and to fill up those hip flasks. Their coffee liquor was highly appreciated by the group. The ride continued after this little break and back in Café Lübeck, it was time to relax and watch the cyclocross World Cup of Antwerp on the screens. Everybody was free to check out and try on the new LSRF collection or get personal sizing help from Willem. Burgers and bites were provided by The Bastard, who had set up their cooking tent in front of the café. After a live Live Slow Ride Fast podcast, the day had ended in style. We had a lot of fun and we want to thank everybody who joined us.    The LSRF Bomba Tour is definitely here to stay, if it is up to us. We are already looking forward to discovering new routes and meeting new people. What city is next? What region is ready for more cycling? And most importantly; where can we fill up those Bomba’s? Local moonshiners of the Netherlands and Belgium, home distillers, legal or illegal brewers, let’s hear from you!

I now have five years of experience with Bodi (who has recently turned ten years old) doing bike-pack trips. I can safely say we did the best trip we’ve ever done this third week of October. I used my lessons from those earlier trips in order to make this trip one to remember.  I must admit I kinda burned out his older brother Jens on one of our first bike-pack trips five years ago. I plotted an ambitious route containing a fair amount of kilometers on the beach, and the only way we managed to reach home was the promise that he was allowed in the ferris wheel in the distance if he would make it. He did, but didn’t want to bike far anymore for months. The following year we went bike-packing, Jens agreed on joining me and his younger brother on a trip, but only because this was going to be a trip just five kilometers away from home. So we did. And we had fun. You really need a goal for a trip, but that goal doesn't have to be far away.  Lesson learned. Don't overdo it when they are young. For my kids it was about spending time together with dad on the bike, camping out and having fun. The distance wasn't important. At least not when they are young. Jens, who is now twelve and getting stronger, suggested to me the other week to do a trip “Tour Divide style”. I told him dad wasn’t ready for this yet and asked him to go easy on me, haha. Secretly, I am planning this one already :) That one year we did a bike-packing trip with the three of us, only five kilometer from home, I learned another lesson: a one-on-one trip is better. I too still remember like yesterday that one weekend a year I camped out with my dad without my siblings. One weekend a year, you’ll experience pure harmony. With two or more siblings fighting for attention (or just fighting each other for fun) it won’t work as smoothly as a one-on-one trip.  This year, it was the first time me and the youngest did a two-nights trip. Not only because I had the time to do it, it was also to balance out the week in late November, when I will be away with Jens in Tenerife where he has a baseball tournament. After a two-minute discussion, in which Bodi expressed the ambition to do a difficult mountainbike course, we decided to bike towards Texel, an island in the Dutch Waddenzee, where you'll have a mountainbike course like that. The set-up of our bikes was of course matched to our strength. Bodi just him, a water bottle, a snack-pack attached to his handlebar and his stuffed monkey. In my Tailfin bike bags, I carried the tent, mats and sleeping bags, as well as a very light backpack with spare clothes. The fact that we went to an island, made up for a ferry trip too. We biked the full 50 kilometers to the ferry on day one. It was the biggest distance we ever biked together and he told me he was so proud of himself, but he had a sore ass too. In anticipation of our night of camping in “the Dutch wild” I made sure the boat arrived in the twilight. After about 10 kilometers we found a quiet spot for our tent and I could prepare our traditional bike-pack dinner - dried pasta bolognese heated up with hot water from the Jetboil. The teamwork setting up the tent, preparing dinner and ‘beds’ was unmatched and after our dessert of a lot of chocolate, I read a long bedtime story before going to bed around 8.30 pm.  Day two was our 'mountainbike day'. So we biked to the course, did a nice lap, but I remembered the 'don't overdo it' rule and I googled not only a swimming pool, but also some seals to watch. On our way back, we even found an empty tennis court, where we could rent some rackets and a ball. Changing activities keeps the fun going and your kid will not be too focussed on the biking, which can be a little monotone. At the swimming pool we decided to book a hotel, because, as Bodi described, his tired bones needed some well deserved rest… Apparently, I had not slept very well because of my snoring. I personally looked forward to a nice dinner at a restaurant after the dried food we had the night before, but Bodi insisted on a simple snack dinner at that hotel room. So we did and after two days of biking, swimming and tennis, the amount of food he ate was impressive. Remember, they eat like wolves on those trips. At 08.30 pm, we were both ready to go to bed and we slept for 11 hours.  Day three was about getting home. We raced the 10 kilometers back to the ferry and we were proud of ourselves again for not missing it. And, with the sweat on my back, I doubted for a minute to bike the whole 50 kilometers back from there to home, but I looked at his face and decided we were going to take the train home. Don’t overdo it, Laurens. Do make sure there is an achievement to accomplish, but keep it fun. This way, they will probably want to go every year and the distance you will cover, will grow organically. 

A wise man once told me: ”A plan is not the goal itself - but without a plan, it's not going to work out anyway.”And so we made a plan: Willem, Laurens and I, Stefan, will finally ride the Brown Divide, the gravel route designed by Erwin Sikkens, that connects about every green area of Holland. Biking. But make it Live Slow style. Because it's the off season. In two days. Starting in Naarden, finishing in Zwolle. The goal: to get ourselves on the bike again, all geared up, ready for anything, not knowing where the journey will end. And that's where the problem started: “We will see where the journey will end.” And thus we left. A bit too late in the afternoon, but we left. And the universe was on our side: fresh new bike bags by Tailfin, shiny Diverges to sit on. And the sun was shining. Harder than she ever did in October. Day 1 ended in Wageningen. More precisely: in a bar called De Vlaamsche Reus. One of the very few bars on the route, as Willem had pointed out already, so we had to get there. And we did. Wageningen on a Thursday night. Buzzing is maybe not the word we are looking for, but there was a lot more going on than we had expected. No better feeling than entering a packed bar after a long ride in the dark, wearing your spandex shorts and with the sweat on your face. We indulged ourselves. Kwaremont beer on tap. A place to sleep offered by newly made friends. A bowl of peanuts. A great night. All went well. It was the type of night that gives you enough energy to keep going. It was that good, that we woke up the next morning with a satisfied feeling, a nail in our heads and, well, not that much fire anymore to continue our ride.   We did leave Wageningen of course, after we had a breakfast at the local supermarket and stacked a bag of 'pepernoten' in our bike bags. And we did make our way through the muddy tracks of the National Park De Veluwe. But you know what the thing is? If you start a ride with three guys, and everybody is hungover and there is not one person making sure that there is absolutely no room for discussion about the ambition behind the journey, nor about reaching the destination, you are basically screwed. Or better yet, you know right at the start: this is going to be a DNF. And it was.  Despite the beautiful route, the ride, the weather, the amazing light, the continuous flow of bad word jokes, the astronomical amount of calories, that were taken in and the never ending weird situations, we never managed to reach the destination of the Brown Divide - Zwolle. Wageningen became our Waterloo. Arnhem our final battle. Zwolle a bridge too far. It's always nice to have a plan, even if it is only there to give you a reason to change it. This was the most fun DNF ever. 

Infinite horizons, roaring waves, the wind playing with the sand and the sea foam. If you are up in the north and you are lucky, you can spot seals too. Taking your bike to the beach can be a great experience for anyone, who doesn't live close to the coast. For others, it is a weekly thing as part of their winter training, but never a dull one. Fall is here and that means it is okay again to ride your bike on the beach all day. Whereas in summer, bikes aren't allowed on most beaches between 9 am and 7 pm, you can now end your ride in the dunes with a nice long stretch on the sandy shores. Take your mountainbike, gravel bike or special beach bike and make sure the tires are wide and low-profile and keep the pressure down, below the 1.0 bar.  Biking the beach can be fun and fast, or grueling slow and tiring, depending on the tide and the wind direction. To enjoy yourself to the fullest, be aware of those elements, when designing your route. Unexpected holes in shallow water after high tide can be tricky, even though the best place to bike is next to the water. And please remember to share the beach with others, including dogs... They also get to enjoy life without a leash between those hours ;) Finding the exact regulations per community can be difficult, but Google is your best friend in this case. Also, at the beach entrances, you can find a sign with all the info you need. Generally speaking, we would say you are free to ride all day until May1st.

Let’s say you are asked to be the national coach of the Dutch gravel selection and you have all this experience in the world of gravel. What do you do? You make sure the party is as big as the event itself. Yes, there was of course official stuff to do in the months and weeks before the race, like the selection itself - choosing which riders were invited based on their performances and which riders were given a wildcard. There was the obligatory need for uniform orange clothing and the organization of handing out the water bottles and gels. But what was most important, was to make sure everybody was going to have a good time. Before and after the race, preferably also during. TeamNL set up camp in the city of Waterloo, a house with a big yard, so riders could camp out with their vans and campers. On Thursday the whole team of women and men were invited to do a recon together. That evening, there was a big barbecue to get in the proteins needed for the next few days. A chance to get to know the colleague-athletes, participating all together in this crazy game called gravel cycling. The youngster with only a few personal sponsors chatting with the former pro cyclist, the wildcard gravel enthousiast meeting the top female cyclists. Because, let’s be honest, in what other discipline do you get to mingle with all the athletes, from different levels and age groups? Tactics? Not really. Try not to push a team mate into the barriers. Gravel cycling is and will remain an individual sport and athletes should always try to get the best out of their performance. The thing is: it should be okay to have a beer together one day and chase each other on the trails the next day. That’s sports. Now, as for the riders, TeamNL was very lucky to have a big group of podium candidates. Riders such as Marianne Vos, Lucinda Brand & Rianne Marcus are known for their skills and were keen on performing on Saturday at the women's race. The biggest competition came from Belgium, in the likes of Lotte Kopecky. An intense finale and a close sprint decided on this year’s World Champion Gravel: Marianne Vos. On Sunday, it was time for the men to perform. A dazzling 300 men had registered for the race in Leuven, with 8 elite men starting in the front, first row. The rest was called to the front individually with a few minutes in between each age group. The parcours was going to be hard, sometimes technical and mostly very narrow, leaving just enough space for maybe two riders next to each other. There was a constant line of riders, with men getting kicked off at the back, not being able to keep up the pace. TeamNL had one big ace up her sleeve and by the looks of it, everything was going perfect for him. After Florian Vermeersch took the initiative to attack from a smaller group of mainly Belgian riders, Mathieu van der Poel joined him and together they took off. With 15 km to go, Mathieu took his chance, lost Florian and ended solo on the finish line. Two out of two. Let’s say you’re the national coach of the Dutch gravel selection and you bring home both the women’s and the men’s rainbow jersey. You make sure the town turns orange. Now, to get back on that party: it was big. At the Ladeuze square, the riders were honored on the podium and Live Slow Ride Fast hosted the afterparty with beers and music. For riders and fans. Just like it is supposed to in gravel.

Thank you for joining us in Amsterdam for the best watch party of 2024! It's the World Championships Cycling, people!

I have spent most of the month of June riding as fast as I can from Banff National Park, Canada to Antilope Wells, New Mexico, USA. The route of Tour Divide stretches across 2,745 miles (4,418 kilometers) of mostly unpaved roads and has a total elevation gain of over 150,000 ft (45,720 meters). It took me 15 days and 6 minutes. My body had crossed boundaries I had never experienced before. After the initial full body muscle pain was gone, my body needed rest and sleep for another two months. When people asked me, how was it, I could not answer, because I felt exactly nothing. No joy, no pride, just relief. Sometimes I dreamt of the scary parts, like the fast and tricky downhills, sliding my bike down, trying not to fall (did not work). A long holiday with my family in August got me back on track and I started doing short rides again. And even then, the body was still protesting. Now, in early fall, I look back on the Tour Divide as an extreme race and I am starting to feel proud for accomplishing it. Flashbacks take me to some of the cool stuff too now, like seeing a mother bear with her three cubs passing me by at only a couple of meters. The beauty of the vast woods of Banff. The amazing people that helped us riders out, by leaving food and drinks along the side of the road or by offering help when needed most. Time has taken away the painful memories and the body has recovered. When people now ask me, will you do it again, I say I might, or might not. Never say never. But I do have some gained wisdom to share, which will allow me - or you - to go faster and to enjoy an ultra more. 1. Showering is optional I knew on forehand I have no trouble lowering my standards when it comes to personal hygiene, if time is of the essence. But during Tour Divide, it seemed like a good thing to warm myself up after a cold 500+ k ride in the snow and rain. Sadly, I found out that, getting to the bathroom (sometimes halfway the campsite or at the far end of a basic lodge), does not warm you up. Instead, it cools you down even more, getting undressed in cold temperatures, with only a sad stream of lukewarm water reaching your legs. By the time you get back to your room/tent/bungalow, you are 30 minutes behind schedule.  Next time, if there will be one, I will only clean my face and bits and cover myself with lots of blankets. 2. Sleeping is sleeping Why did I even bother getting to certain hotels, if I was going to stay there less than three hours? Checking in, checking out, getting to your room; it takes so much precious time. I was tired anyways so sleeping in a ditch would not have been a problem. Did I think I was going to be more comfortable in a hotel bed? Better rested? Warmer? Note to myself: Next time, if there will be one, I will only get into a hotel, if I am able to rest longer than three hours. 3. There are such things as ‘essentials’ and fricking life savers. Now if I may give anyone advice: a bivy is a bivy and you do not have to pay 300 dollars for a thin aluminium blanket. The one that comes with the first aid pack will do just fine. Instead, invest in a really good rain jacket, rain pants, puffer jacket and puffer pants. They will serve as protection from the elements and be of use as a sleeping system. However, the lights on your bike are maybe the most important part of your setup and it is really awful when you loose them. And I did loose them. Getting new ones isn’t easy either because you are mostly in the middle of nowhere.  Next time, if there will be one, I will make sure my lamps can’t possibly get off my bike, even on the shakiest rides. 4. There is no such thing as too many spare tires, replacement kits and valves. I flatted. I flatted again. I flatted once more. And then the tire was too busted to reuse. So I used my spare tire and it got ruined again the next day. This situation forced me to stop the race for a while, take a hike from a friendly man called Pete, drive 70 miles to the nearest bike shop, drive 70 miles back and start again at the point where I had left. Mechanical problems can make or break your race and even tough you don’t want to carry too much, you have to carry this much extra to be safe.  Next time, if there will be one, I will make sure I carry more than enough spare parts. And one more to be safe.  5. I will let go of expectations, wether they are from people telling me I can win this, or wether they are my own, having to beat this or that record. No doubt I was looking at the incredibly fast time of Lachlan in 2023 and thinking: how do I get into his rhythm of cycling? I checked out the amount of kilometers he rode between stops, where he did his reststops, how much hours he rested. I checked the parcours, which seemed pretty similar. But I could not know if it was going to be exactly the same. Well, guess what, it wasn’t. At a certain point, it had changed and a lot of single track was added. And once you are giving in on your -presumably- solid time table, because the road that lies ahead of you isn’t the one you had in mind, you are going to be frustrated. That frustration brought nothing but negative energy. I felt guilt, after every little thing that took more than the amount of timeI had in mind. I was losing time, little by little and it got to me. It also took away the joy, which seems hard to find in an extreme race, but is something I have always felt, no matter the distance or the hardship. I remember finding a bit of it again, once I realized my chances of finishing first were completely swept off the table. It was the moment when I stepped into the car of a stranger, to go get a new tire and some taco’s :) 70 miles off the track. Next time, if there will be one, I will only look at what I can control and what not. Strong competition gives me the energy needed to go all in from the very start, but in the end, I am my own opponent. 

On August 4 2024, the Unofficial RAD RACE Fixed Gear World Championship 2024 was held in Berlin, Germany. Eamon Lucas (USA) and Michelle de Graaf (NL) won the title of Fastest Boy and Girl Alive and tell us what's so fun about this fixed gear cycling.                                                                                                       Eamon Lucas (15/10/1992, USA) ‘’You show up and do your qualification. No UCI, just show up and proof it.’’ The open elite category is, like the title says, open to anybody who dares. Qualifying for the finals is done through heats, with about four of those heats to complete to get to the final. In every heat, the top 20 proceeds. At the end of the day you are looking at a final with about 100 guys. Besides qualifying it is also important to get the right grid position, just like in the motorsport. In between heats there are time trials for this purpose. Eamon: ’’It was my first fixed gear race back in five years. Last one was Milan in 2018 for Team Rocket Espresso.’’ Eamon raced a regular program of road criteriums and races in the USA and Belgium and decides to give it a go. He had a good season, won a couple of races (five or six criteriums and some road races, a couple of times more on the podium), felt very competitive and fit. What made you come back? ‘’The culture and the mood around it, I guess. It’s fun and flashy, competitive but stylish. I sent an email to the team manager of Look Crit and asked if he was open to the idea.’’ Before Eamon knew it, he was on the team to join them in Berlin. Tell us a bit about the race.. ‘’The parcours was 39 kilometers long, starting from the south of Berlin on to the autobahn into the city. The 15 km parcours went through the middle of Berlin, finishing in the center. Into town, there was a good crowd, even tough it was raining. People were really interested to see what was going on. The start is pretty simple, by 3-2-1-go. The first few kilometers go really, really fast - and then, when there is a gap, it’s the race. It is pretty difficult to come back. For sure in the past, a bit of team effort could make a difference in getting back. But 8 times out of 10 you get away, you stay away. It’s all about the max power for a few kilometers.’’ Eamon broke away with a German guy, Marcus Blume. They rode together for a while and with five kilometers to go, Eamon rode away. Another guy broke from the peloton, an Argentinian guy named Facundo Lezica, who caught Marcus and got really close to Eamon. With the last kilometer straight ahead, he had to keep the pace. ‘’I could not go any faster, you know. There is only that one gear. I just hoped I could manage my speed. With 50 meters before the line, I was sure of the victory.’’ The art of cycling without brakes You can’t brake, but there are two ways to go slower. You can try to skid, which means you put the weight forward on the handlebars and push back. It feels like the bike will kick and you have to practice this a lot, to get the right feeling of it. Or you can do the Fred Flintstone, which is to put your foot on top of the wheel, so you’re foot jams against the frame and forms a break. It is the very last option, you don’t want to do this. In races, there is resisting, but no full breaking. It’s the skidding, but not all the way. You get the warning before. You have to be okay to feel a bit out of control in fixed gear races. You have to be okay just to ride and get along with the tempo. There is only so little you can actually do in a split second if things go south. But the good thing is: everybody in those races knows how to handle a bike, knows the rules of passing and every rider is concerned with each other. After Berlin, Eamon rode in Zürich and will finish his fixed gear season in October in Los Angeles. ‘’Fixed gear cycling still has a lot of potential. The community is willing to get it to thrive again as it did with Red Hook Crit in the earlier days. In the next few years, I can definitely see a series of races coming back.’’ What are your plans next year? ‘’I am gonna try to pull of three teams at once. With the right approach and concern for every team’s stakes, it would be possible. So it would include another year of Shifting Gears, Belgium for the European races, Mike’s Bikes for the American races and hopefully for fixed crit life Team Look. Looking forward to that timetable…’’ Michelle de Graaf ( 01/12/1997, NL)  ‘’When Eamon stopped racing fixed crits five years ago, I actually started racing them. I rode about three Red Hook Criteriums and continued fixed gear racing almost every weekend. Due to many circumstances, there were less fixed races since then. This year though has been an all time low when it comes to fixed racing: the Rad Race in Berlin was my first race this year.’’ How did the race go? ‘’I won Rad Race two years ago and I decided to use the same tactics. I would count on the sprint and therefore used a heavier gear. But the amount of attacks surprised me a bit. One attack after the first few kilometers succeeded and she stayed away. The little group I was in made sure she stayed within eyesight, so we could still force something in the end. There were some efforts to get her back, but none of them succeeded. I did a lot of the work by making sure we stayed together, which gave me the impression I was probably the strongest in the group. The girl in the front was my biggest opponent on paper, but she would probably be tired by now. The moment we got close to her as a group, I decided to take the chance and go for it. There were still seven kilometers to go, a big straight line to the finish, and it was all out on that big gear. Luckily I managed to keep the pace!’’ ‘’I would love to see more riders getting into fixed racing. But knowing that the sport is already suffering with less and less races and teams are finding it difficult to continue, it will be hard to stay positive. They provide you with this special expensive bike, that you can’t really use for any other purpose than fixed racing. For me personally, it is having a team that makes or breaks the fixed gear season. It is something to think about, which sucks, because the sport is so fun.’’ What makes it so much fun? ‘’The amount of adrenaline you get in such a short time and riding so fast, is so good. It’s not just the speed and the limited time of the race, but the crowd and the ambiance is such a big part of it. The people behind the barriers are so enthousiast, but the community is just next level. You keep bumping into people with the same passion and mindset and you have a good time after the race as well. Everybody hangs out together and has fun, wether you are on a secluded track in no man’s land or in the middle of Barcelona under a freeway overpass. I also ride a lot on gravel, beach and a lot of normal road crits as well. I would love to have that same vibe in those races.’’ Is it just a money problem then? ‘’I have thought about this. Sponsors come and go, so attracting them doesn’t seem to be the issue. But how do you make them stick around long enough to make the sport grow again? And of course, there is the amount of participants. For the men’s elite group, there are probably enough riders, but as women, we struggle to find enough competitors.’’  In de women’s category, Michelle finds herself at the start line with maybe 30 other riders. So there are no heats, participating means riding the finale. There are, just like in the men’s category, qualifications for your starting position, but that's it. She enjoys a really fast start, which practically leaves her with a small group of riders in only a few kilometers. When talking about the danger of the sport, she doesn’t think it should be a big problem in the women’s races. ''Sure, you have no breaks, but you are riding in such a small group. In normal criteriums, there is such a bigger chance to fall with the amount of riders riding in big groups.‘’ Somehow, the idea of fixed gear racing being a dangerous sport seems to persist? ‘’I have fallen only once in a fixed gear crit, and many times on the road. I feel the same as Eamon does: I know these girls can handle their bikes very well and I trust them completely. I have tried getting friends from the peloton to try the sport, but even they were reluctant. It is the idea of not having the possibility to break.’’ After Berlin and Zürich, it was done for her the rest of the fixed season. The race in Los Angeles Eamon is doing, a real Go Cart track, is way too curvy and technical to her liking. ‘’I like the parcours to be more straight, made for big gears. But I totally trust Eamon to do a really good job over there.’’   Finish pics @bjoern.reschabekPodium pics @piarazzi

Rediscover your own backyard, build your own route and push as much gravel as you want. We make this the biggest gravel event in the world. And the best thing: it starts at your doorstep. REBOUND is likely to be your next cycling goal and this is why.

VILLA TOUR 2024: it's a wrap. Three weeks of daily podcasts with the latest news, predictions, analysis and inside info on the Tour de France and its participants. Merci à tous!

Sometimes, the stories that happen before a big event, are more interesting than the race itself. Laurens and Thomas will always remember this trip of what happened in Oklahoma, two weeks prior to UNBOUND.    Training in remote area  It's not the first time Laurens and Stefan chose to do a training camp in between Gravel Locos and UNBOUND. It is part of their final preparation, far away from the buzzing centre of Emporia, Kansas. No distractions, no small talk, just the daily grind of eating, training and sleeping. The only down side? The house they are staying at is perfect for cyclists, but in this remote area, food stores are hard to find and getting groceries takes up a big part of your day.   Tornado Alley  About an hour drive, there is a town with a Family Dollar store. It was their go-to place, but upon arrival, the whole place seemed destroyed. They soon learned that is was the result of a huge tornado, that had occurred the end of April. Change of plans. They decided to drive a little further to start and end their training next to the local Mexican restaurant. A perfect way to get in some carbs afterwards. They parked their van just behind the place on a quiet parking lot. Done and busted  A long and dusty ride followed and when they came back, they quickly changed their bib shorts for some summer shorts. Thomas took a bit more time and used a gallon of water as a provisional shower. Not facing the road, in between the two doors of the van, the privacy of the cyclist was guaranteed. At least, that is what a regular European person would think, right? At about 40 meters, a guy passed the van and started shouting. "What do you think you are doing? What if there were children present? Someone should call the police!" Laurens, who was in the van and already dressed, was somewhat dazzled. He quickly threw a towel at Thomas and two minutes later, they found a seat in the busy restaurant, ordering two Cokes. But then they saw a police car turning around the corner. And four more within seconds. Two cops enter the restaurant and the two cyclist are asked to come out and follow them to the car. Before they know it, they leave the site in cuffs in the back seat of a police car.   Thug life  Off to the police station of Marietta. Fingerprints, mug shots, orange overalls, paper forms addressing them as inmates Laurens and Thomas. First Thomas was put into a cell and Laurens was questioned. Then the other way around. And then all communication stopped for the next few hours. Dressed in nothing but shorts and a tanktop, the concrete cell soon felt like a fridge. And after three hours of hard training and no food at all in the countless hours afterwards, the men really felt sorry for themselves. With no concept of time and no idea what was going to happen, they could only hope for the best.   Clash of cultures  It must have been a couple of hours later, when two plates of food and a blanket were shoved through the hatch. Best potatoes and meat ever? After they had finished their meals, they still had no clue how long this was gonna take. At 10 PM, they were released, after having paid the bail of 180 dollar each. The two cyclists walked out of the police station, hoping to find their van back and drive back home. They had spent a dazzling 10 hours in jail, for changing their bib shorts on a parking lot. A day later, they learned that their case was not going to be brought to court, so they could continue their training camp without the fear of being prosecuted. A huge relief, because traveling to the USA is Laurens' greatest hobby. It was awful to experience, but at least we have the mug shots to laugh about it once in a while.     

Riding Gravel Locos is one of those things the team is looking forward to every year. It is just a vibe. For us, Dutch cowboys, it feels like a complete western film set, but it is very much real and we are loving every minute. Stefan and Laurens arrived at Dallas Int. Airport on Wednesday May 15th. They quickly took their jetlag towards Hico to get settled for the next few days. Nothing better to get rid of a long flight, than to sit in the sun, in front of an Airstream Classic Trailer on a RV Park, putting the bikes back together. The next day, sadly, the weather changed for the worse. It was time to do a recon of the course, which meant four hours in the pissing rain. The Dutch Mafia was represent, full force: Niki Terpstra as the undisputed dictator, Ivar Slik - your UNBOUND WINNER 2022, Jasper Ockeloen - winner of Gravel Locos ’22 and Thijs Zonneveld - journalist and beach race podium beast, joined Lau and Stefan. However, the amount of rain caused some flooding, which was a risk for the cyclists, as they had to do river crossings as well. A part of the course was taken out later that day and shortened by 15 kilometers. On Friday, they did a last small recon and called it a day. The sun came back and they had a great bbq at the ranch where they were staying to get the carbs in for the next day. Saturday Race Day The course, now 237 kilometers long, was gonna be a tough one with some nasty climbs and the return of the scorching Texas sun. To make things even more interesting, the peloton started off as if they were chased by the devil himself. Apparently, there was a rumor, that the Dutch Mafia wasn’t the only alliance active today. A couple of French-Canadian riders were said to be the answer to the reign of the Dutchmen and there was no time to do some fact checking as the pace quickened and the peloton soon came down to only 25 man. Lau flatted after 33 kilometers. Not the best time, but, hey, is there ever a good moment? He could resolve it quickly, by using a plug and pumping some CO2. The bad news was he had to chase the group on his own for about 35 kilometers. Just as he rejoined them, a few men decided to take off. Sebastian Schönberger was one of them, a guy who had already impressed him in Austria. Jasper Ockeloen managed to grab his wheel, but the rest of the Mafia had to take a moment to catch their breath. After 80 kilometers and three steep climbs, the group rejoined them and immediately formed a front group of about 11 riders, including Laurens, hanging on a thread. The second rest stop came just in time and forced the group to have a two minute break to supply on food and water. Although the second group rejoined them shortly after this stop, it quickly fell apart again, leaving both Thijs Zonneveld and Sebastian Schönberger with flats. It appeared the winner was going to be in this final group. An unknown man in black took off, having the advantage of being the underdog. Nobody really knew what he was capable of and the riders in the group itself were too eager to win themselves, so there was no real commitment to work together to get this Canadian fellah back. He rode in front for an amazing 100 kilometers, by only 3 minutes. The best of the rest was Niki, getting the help of his fellow Dutch men in the finale, to shake off his opponent Adam Roberge (CAN). Who knew this Canadian Mafia thing was going to be a real threat :) LtD crossed the finish line at a 9th place, happy with the performance. Stefan had a great day on the bike too. He found himself in a group of similar riders, only to find out halfway, that they were going to take a left for the shorter route. The rest of the race was long and hot, but satisfying nevertheless. Taking a 44th place in the GC, he found himself amongst the top 10 of his age group 40-49 year olds. A big personal succes. After the finish, the gang all went to the Cuban rest stop down the parcours, to help out the volunteers and to enjoy the event from a different angle. Later that evening, they celebrated Niki’s 40th birthday with shots at the local saloon. They had a blast. The next day Stefan flew back to Holland and Laurens picked up Thomas Dekker to continue the mid-western vibes for another two weeks, as a preparation for UNBOUND GRAVEL on June 1st. UPDATE:  A few days after the event, our friend and Dutch Mafia colleague Ivar Slik crashed into a car just outside Bentonville, Arkansas, where he was preparing for UNBOUND and was taken to the hospital. He has a severe concussion, a broken nose and a small fracture of the skull. He is conscious and will hopefully feel better in a few days, but this news is of course a big shock. We wish him a speedy recovery.    Photo credits go to Velophoto and Stefan Bolt

'' Een pequeño-ontsnapping in de pampa's del corazon'' Waarom noemen we een fietstocht van A naar B een avontuur, en een fietstocht van A terug naar A, nou ja, een fietstocht? De beste ideeën zijn vaak de eenvoudigste. Vooral in het begin. Pas als de uitvoering van het idee begint, beginnen de problemen. Er zijn allerlei praktische redenen waarom sommige van de beste ideeën nooit het levenslicht hebben gezien. Nou, deze keer niet. Dit idee had ook geen specifieke reden nodig, behalve de honger naar vrijheid en avontuur. Het kwam zomaar uit de lucht vallen. Het idee: laten we naar een zonnige plek reizen en fietsen. Drie nachten en vier dagen. En om het allemaal wat minder voorspelbaar te maken, hebben we voor deze reis een paar voorwaarden gekozen: zon, asfalt (van dat grappige compacte grindspul) en een lange, onbekende route van A naar B. A werd Madrid. B werd Valencia. De zon speelde hard to get. En op de een of andere manier werd het asfalt zo nu en dan grind. Dit is onze alternatieve stijl Ruta del Sol. Dit is Roger, een vriend van mij. Roger is koning als het om logistiek gaat (erg handig als je van A naar B wilt gaan). Vandaar de mobiele telefoon in zijn hand. Hij regelde een koerier (duur - vraag niet) om onze fietstassen van Madrid naar Valencia te brengen. Vanuit het kloppende hart van Madrid - Estadio Santiago Bernabeu vertrokken we naar onze eerste etappe. We dachten: waarom zouden we niet meteen aan de eerste 100 kilometer beginnen? Op de fiets het centrum van Madrid verlaten bleek nog niet zo eenvoudig en voor we het wisten verdween het aarzelende voorjaarszonlicht in de schemering en al snel werd het pikdonker. Deze plotselinge overgang deed ons stoppen om even snel naar het hotel te bellen: ''Wij zijn een poco mas tarde, is de keuken nog in orde?'' Dag 2. Km 5 vanaf 220. We hebben een grote dag voor de boeg en wat wij Project Ruta del Sol noemden doet zijn naam niet eer aan. Het is koud, het is nat en het is mistig. Een kleine tegenvaller. Zwijgend gaan wij verder. Zo nu en dan houden we de sfeer erin met grapjes als: ''Wat een geweldig uitzicht toch?'' We zijn nog maar net begonnen, dus we kunnen de situatie nog steeds belachelijk maken. Maar serieus, wat een leeg landschap. We trekken een vergelijking met de Amerikaanse Heartlands. En omdat we alles een Spaanstalige naam hebben gegeven, noemen we dit gebied de 'Pampas Corazon'. Dag 2. Km 70 van 220. We hebben eten en drinken nodig. En misschien nog wel belangrijker: warmte. We passeren veel verlaten dorpjes en komen terecht in Bar Los Cerillos, waar een open haard is. Zelfs in de dorpen voelt het nog steeds als op de Pampas: niemand daar. Geen winkels of bars en als die er zijn, is deze gesloten. ''Maar deze mensen moeten toch ook eten?'' vraag ik Roger, die druk bezig is met het checken van Google Maps. Zijn antwoord zegt genoeg: ''Welke mensen?'' Dag 2. Km 120 van 220. Om de boel wat op te fleuren, heb ik stiekem een ​​stukje grind aan onze route toegevoegd. Ik vond het een geweldig idee, maar in werkelijkheid bleek het een boobytrap voor Roger te zijn. Hij heeft een lekke band en hij is not amused. Hij geeft niets om de schoonheid van het landschap, dat naar mijn mening ten goede is veranderd. Een bleek lentezonnetje begint te schijnen en de prachtige Laguna de Bezas presenteert zich aan ons. Ik heb nog nooit in mijn leven groener water gezien. Binnen 30 minuten gingen we van de ene wereld naar de andere. Als we na een uur weer op de asfaltweg komen, komt er een hipsterachtige Spanjaard naar me toe en zegt: ''Volgende keer maar met de grindfiets komen, want je bent nu in Montañas Vacias.'' Later die avond in het hotel , Ik herinner me wat de man zei en google de naam. Er gaat een fantastische wereld voor mijn ogen open, die ook wel het Spaanse Lapland wordt genoemd. De volgende keer neem ik de Diverge mee. Als bikepackende Nederlanders zijn wij in deze regio volledig afhankelijk van Repsols en Pueblos. Elke keer dat we er een passeren, gaan we naar binnen en storten we ons op voedsel en water. Het is alsof je 's nachts in je slaapzak ligt en eruit moet om te plassen - doe het gewoon, aarzel niet. De volgende Repsol zou nog eens 50 kilometer verderop kunnen zijn. En nog iets over de bars: hoe 'cerrado' ze er ook uitzien, er is altijd wel een geheim woord dat je kunt gebruiken om hun keuken te openen. Het enige dat je altijd kunt bestellen: bocadillo. Con queso is goed. Conjamon nog beter. En con tomate y tortilla is gewoon de hemel. Dit is de Torre Mudejar de El Salvador. De route doorkruist een vrij onbekend, niet-toeristisch gebied en we zijn benieuwd wat het landschap ons gaat brengen aan vegetatie, wegen, bergen en stadjes. We passeren zoveel pittoreske en volkomen Spaanse stadjes, maar er zijn twee steden in het bijzonder die adembenemend zijn; Teruel en Albarracin. Je zou het inderdaad eens moeten googlen. In het centrum van Teruel vinden we een overnachtingsplek. Het ligt op het platteland op een plateau op 915 meter hoogte, op de kruising van de twee rivieren Alfambra en Guadalaviar, en staat bekend om zijn vele Mudéjar-structuren. Nogmaals, je zou het eens moeten googlen. Op dag drie kwam de zon. Om het plotselinge lentegevoel te versterken, waren de wegen van Aragon bedekt met bloesembladeren. Iedereen die wel eens een paar dagen achter elkaar op zijn of haar fiets heeft gezeten, weet dat er altijd lastige stukken zijn. Maar ook op de fiets beleef je deze geweldige geluksmomenten. Dit was er één van. Valencia ligt op zeeniveau. Teruel, het startpunt van dag drie, ligt op ruim 900 meter hoogte. Het spreekt voor zich dat dag drie een goede dag was. Zon, warmte, veel stadjes met bars, bloesem en veel lange, lange wegen, sommige omhoog, maar de meeste naar beneden. Hemels. De Spanjaarden zijn goed in veel dingen, maar snoep maken hoort daar niet bij. Je vraagt ​​jezelf af: ''Hoe moeilijk kan het zijn?'', maar zelfs hun snoepjes in Haribo-stijl zijn vreselijk. Dit is vooral moeilijk als je veel moet rijden en jezelf moet bijtanken met suikerhoudend spul en water. Godzijdank voor Oreo. Siempre mas Oreo, nietwaar? Er gaat niets boven het binnenrijden van een bruisende grote stad na ruim 500 kilometer rechte wegen, natuur en veel stilte. En Valencia binnenrijden is de kers op de taart. Met bruisende straten, gelach en een gastvrije 21 graden Celsius bereiken we onze bestemming. Dit brengt mij terug bij mijn eerste vraag. Waarom zou je van A naar B gaan in plaats van van A naar A? Waarom het gedoe om van Madrid naar Valencia te reizen in plaats van een gemakkelijk rondje langs de kust? Het antwoord is eenvoudig. Je laat iets achter waar je nooit meer naar terug zult gaan. Althans, niet op deze reis. Het voelt alsof het allemaal aan jou is, de goede en de slechte beslissingen. Er is geen weg meer terug, alsof je het huis verlaat zonder je sleutels. En het allerbelangrijkste: je bestrijkt een veel groter gebied om in te spelen. Het feit dat je door moet gaan, zorgt ervoor dat je plekken ziet waar je waarschijnlijk nooit zou komen. De berg die u vanuit het hotel afdaalt, hoeft u aan het eind van de dag niet meer te beklimmen. Het draagt ​​allemaal bij aan dat gevoel van vrijheid en avontuur, wat de belangrijkste redenen waren om aan deze fietstocht te beginnen, en, laten we eerlijk zijn, de belangrijkste redenen zijn om aan welke fietstocht dan ook te beginnen.

Wat is er zo aan Colombia dat ervoor zorgt dat je elk jaar terug wilt komen? Zelfs als je weet dat je nog meer zult lijden? De immense Andes zijn prachtig maar vernederend, de steile beklimmingen zijn indrukwekkend maar dodelijk en de hitte, laten we daar niet eens over beginnen. Het is de race die alles vraagt, fysiek en mentaal.

Het was leuk om met Transcordilleras in Colombia te rijden en elkaar achterna te zitten op het asfalt van de Canarische Eilanden, maar laten we eerlijk zijn. Er staat maar één datum in mijn agenda waar een rode cirkel omheen staat. Ongebonden | 3 juni Het leidt allemaal naar deze gebeurtenis. Alle trainingsuren, alle opofferingen, alle verwachtingen. Oké, oké, kalmeer, leef langzaam, weet je. Maar serieus, voor mij persoonlijk is het grindseizoen nu officieel begonnen en dit is waar ik de komende maanden aan zal denken. REISBUREAU TEN DAM Het begint allemaal met wat serieuze laptoptijd en een goede blik op mijn agenda. Ik zal niet alleen elke dag moeten trainen, maar ik zal ook enkele racedagen nodig hebben om beter te worden. Ik heb gewoon een paar grindevenementen nodig om in de focus en vorm te komen. De Belgian Waffle Ride, Sea Otter Classic en Gravel Locos zijn de Amerikaanse races die ik absoluut niet wil missen. Alle snelle rijders zullen aanwezig zijn en het is altijd leuk om daarna met ze rond te hangen. Maar deze reizen kunnen een logistieke pijn in de kont zijn. Het boeken van vluchten voor mij en mijn teamleden, ervoor zorgen dat bagage en fietsen worden meegeteld, hotels, huurauto's en campers die enkele reizen maken; Ik ben een paar dagen een klein reisbureau. Soms kom je aan in stad A, heb je een grote reisdag van 500 km met de auto, race je ergens anders, reis je naar het volgende evenement en vlieg je uit stad B. Ik ben heel blij dat mijn hoofd daarna weer helemaal operationeel is Die hersenkneuzing heb ik anderhalf jaar geleden gehad, omdat dit onderdeel van de ‘going to race gravel events’ anders een regelrechte ramp zou zijn. FIETSINSTELLING Nu de vluchten geboekt zijn, kan ik me zorgen maken over de opzet. Ik moet ervoor zorgen dat ik al het gewenste materiaal op tijd krijg, om het gewenste frame voor de racedag op te bouwen. Afhankelijk van het specifieke parcours moet ik kiezen tussen banden en versnellingen. Twee verschillende racebanen op dezelfde reis, die een totaal andere opzet vereisen? Oef. Nieuw materiaal van de sponsor dat alles op je fiets compleet verandert? Oké, laten we daaraan werken. Wat voor weer wordt het en is het parcours modderig? Bandenwissel? En dat is ‘maar’ de fiets. VOEDINGSPLAN De laatste weken voordat ik naar de VS vertrek, moet ik nadenken over mijn voedingsplan voor de racedag en trainingsdagen voorafgaand aan het evenement. Hoeveel kauwsnacks heb ik nodig, hoeveel hydrotabletten voor mijn flesjes en hoeveel gels per uur? Het klinkt misschien niet als rocket science, maar dat is het wel. Mijn gemiddelde inname tijdens een 10-uursrace als Unbound is veel meer dan je zou raden. Ik neem elk uur 90 gram koolhydraten, wat iets meer is dan de gemiddelde maag aankan. Dus als je net begint met racen, neem dan niet meer dan 75-80 gram per uur. Tijdens een race als Unbound neem ik de koolhydraten de eerste twee uur in poedervorm in mijn flesje en de rest van de race stap ik over op kauwsnacks. Halverwege heb ik altijd een back-up esdoornwafel, om de maag te kalmeren en me aan thuis te herinneren. De laatste twee uur voeg ik een beetje cafeïne toe aan het menu in de vorm van gels. En ik mag niet vergeten te hydrateren: minimaal elk uur een flesje water met hydrotablet, of ik neem het rechtstreeks uit mijn Camelbak. VERPAKKINGSDAG Last but not least: pak mijn koffer. Hoe vaak in mijn leven ben ik het huis uitgegaan en heb ik mezelf afgevraagd: schoenen? helm? Het moet een miljoen keer zijn geweest. Naast de LSRF-racetrui en een meekleurende zonnebril heb ik twee essentiële spullen om mee te nemen op de fiets en dus in mijn tas; mijn gps en vermogensmeter (EN HUN OPLADERS). Er is gewoon geen weg zonder hen. Ze vertellen me wat ik heb gedaan, waar ik heen ga, waar ik heen moet en ze voorzien me van alle benodigde gegevens om hard en efficiënt te trainen. Samen zijn ze als die beste vriend die je de eerlijke waarheid vertelt. Misschien niet wat je wilt horen, maar wat je moet horen. Deze computers zijn nauwkeurig en betrouwbaar tijdens regenbuien en ander ongunstig weer en solide genoeg om met ruw terrein om te gaan. Ze zijn onmisbaar tijdens ritten en races. En wist je dat ik mijn gps als timer gebruik om ervoor te zorgen dat ik op tijd de juiste voeding binnenkrijg? Oh en een kleine maar belangrijke opmerking voor mezelf: vergeet niet de DI2 op tijd op te laden. Die klootzakken vertellen je nooit dat ze bijna leeg zijn. Het is mij tijdens de training al meerdere keren overkomen. Voor het geval dat, sluit hem aan. Je wilt niet halverwege de race in één versnelling blijven hangen.

Op 3 juni 2023 reed Laurens UNBOUND GRAVEL, wat resulteerde in een 4e plaats overall. Een moddergedeelte van 18 mijl zorgde voor wat drama, evenals een lekke band waarvoor drie pluggen nodig waren. Tien uur jezelf tot het uiterste drijven, samengevat in tien sheets. Alle gegevens, alle informatie. Als cijfers jouw ding zijn, zul je blij zijn. Met dank aan Jim en JOIN voor alle resultaten.

Hallo, maak kennis met Michelle de Graaf, een 25-jarige fietsenliefhebber, woonachtig in Nederland. Ze werkt voor Live Slow Ride Fast en LSRF.cc en in haar vrije tijd fietst ze. Gravelfietsen, racefietsen en fixies. Op zaterdag 23 september reed ze het SfiDARE Criterium in Yokohama, Japan. Deze megasnelle, 20 minuten durende short fixed gear crit was één van de vele side-events van de Wereldkampioenschappen Bike Messenger, die dat weekend werden gehouden. Ze arriveerde daar woensdag met haar teamleden van Team Look Crit en het feest was vanaf het moment dat ze arriveerden. Pre- en afterparty's, sociale ritten, sprintraces, slipwedstrijden, kwalificatieraces en een grote expo, alles in de aanloop naar het grote evenement op zondag. Dit was voor haar niet de enige reden om een ​​vlucht naar Japan te boeken, maar wel een perfect excuus om deze ervaring af te ronden met een bikepackingvakantie. RACEN MET VASTE GEAR Laat me je eerst iets vertellen over racen met vaste versnellingen. Het is een unieke stijl binnen de vele fietsdisciplines die er zijn. Er zitten geen remmen op de fiets en je hebt geen versnellingen. Je kiest één versnelling om op je fiets te zetten en houdt je daaraan. Dit betekent dat de pedalen altijd met het achterwiel meedraaien, ongeacht de snelheid. Remmen doe je door te slippen, waarbij je je banden zijwaarts schuift om de snelheid te verminderen. Het wordt gezien als een sport voor waaghalzen en snelle sprinters. De gemeenschap van liefhebbers van fixed gear is groot en vindt zijn oorsprong in de fietskoerierscultuur uit de jaren 80. DE RACE Terug naar Yokohama. De race zelf was superkort, snel en intensief en ze kende geen van haar Japanse concurrenten. Normaal gesproken houdt ze van lange rechte stukken waarin ze de boel echt kan versnellen. Maar hier waren er meer bochten dan ze kon bevatten en ze moest van tactiek veranderen om de rest te slim af te zijn. Ze besloot vanaf het begin alles te geven, in de hoop dat de rest moeite zou hebben met inhalen. Ze wist niet dat het gat dat ze had gecreëerd bleef bestaan ​​en tijdens de race zelfs groter werd. Ze voelde zich een koningin met al het gejuich om haar heen, ze won en voelde zich nog nooit zo gevierd als die avond. De sfeer was geweldig. Het was extreem druk en de sfeer deed iedereen denken aan de Red Hook Crits van jaren geleden, met duizenden mensen die naar de races in Brooklyn, Barcelona en Londen keken. Helaas zijn die reeks evenementen er niet meer, maar de drukte bij de SfiDARE Crit bracht die herinneringen zeker terug en stak een vuur aan dat nog steeds smeult. De Japanners waren, in tegenstelling tot wat ze overdag had gezien, super luid en opgewekt. Eén waanzinnig feest, dat eindigde met veel bier en lokale sterke drank. Ze kan niet wachten om meer van dit soort fixed gear-kritieken terug op de racekalender te krijgen. LEEF LANGZAAM Wat een begin van haar reis naar Japan. Met een lichte kater pakten zij en haar vriend hun fietstassen en reisden de volgende dag naar Tokio. We fietsen over de oversteek van Shibuya en halen alle sushi die ze maar te pakken kunnen krijgen. Op de bullet train naar Kyoto, voor een fietstocht naar Nara en vandaar kwam het koppel echt in de 'live slow' modus. Ze reden de bergen in, waar de mensen tot hun verbazing twee jonge mensen op de fiets zagen, bepakt met alleen het noodzakelijke. Ze genoten van de 'onsen', warmwaterbronnen die rechtstreeks uit de vulkaan ontspringen en sliepen in 'ryokans', een soort traditionele familieherberg uit de 17e en 18e eeuw. Geen bed, maar een tatami met een deken en een kussen en een gemeenschappelijke ruimte waar je kunt koken en wassen. De gekte van het eerste weekend in de stad leek lichtjaren verwijderd. Ze reisden ongeveer een week door het land om hun reis af te ronden op het fietsfestival Grinduro Japan in Hakuba. FIETSVERPAKKING Fiets inpakken in Japan is misschien niet het eerste waar je aan denkt, maar Michelle kan het zeker aanbevelen. Fietspaden zijn zeldzaam buiten de stad, maar de wegen zijn veilig en goed onderhouden. Chauffeurs houden afstand en zijn uiterst beleefd, net als iedereen eigenlijk. Supermarkten zijn er genoeg, ook op het platteland, en het is één grote leuke belevenis. Bovendien staan ​​er overal langs de hoofdwegen automaten (naar schatting één voor 23 personen), dus u hoeft niet bang te zijn dat u zonder vers water of snacks komt te zitten. Hulp is nooit ver en mensen doen er alles aan om ervoor te zorgen dat u in goede handen bent. Kortom, dit was een van de meest memorabele reizen die ze ooit heeft meegemaakt.

Hallo, maak kennis met Erika van Tielen. Ze is een actrice & gastvrouw uit België en gepassioneerd door fietsen en hardlopen. Als voormalig presentatrice van het Belgische televisieprogramma 'Vlaanderen Vakantieland' weten we dat ze helemaal van reizen houdt. Elke keer dat ze de kans krijgt om haar koffers te pakken om op pad te gaan en van haar fiets te genieten, zal ze die pakken. Dit was begin oktober ook het geval, toen het regionale toeristenbureau van Costa Brava Spanje haar een reis aanbood om de (gravel!) fietshoogtepunten van de noordoostelijke kust van Spanje te ontdekken. Vier dagen fietsplezier, met twee wegetappes en twee grindetappes. Ze stapte uit het vliegtuig in Barcelona en bracht drie nachten door in verschillende hotels, te beginnen bij een hotel in de buurt van Tossa de Mar. De eerste wegetappe volgde de kust met om elke hoek prachtige uitzichten. Het is echt waar deze regio bekend om staat. Kliffen, stranden en de grote blauwe zee begeleiden je. De tweede, langere wegetappe voegde wat bergopwaarts klimmen toe van de hoogtepunten aan de kust naar het Banyoles-meer, ten noorden van Girona. Mooie, gladde wegen, rustig verkeer en als fietser voelde ze zich volkomen veilig. Omdat het tweede hotel in de stad Girona lag, eindigden ze in het epicentrum van de wielersport. Tijd om te genieten van een lekkere apéro en tapas! Na de asfaltetappes was het tijd voor haar eerste grindervaring. Ze reed over de Via Verde, een gemakkelijke onverharde weg van 100 kilometer van Olot in het vulkanische gebied van Garrotxa naar de kustplaats Sant Feliu de Guixols. Een geweldige route langs oude stadjes, groene bossen en uitgestrekte maïsvelden. De volgende dag, na een nachtje in Sant Feliu te hebben doorgebracht, was het tijd voor de slotetappe, die haar echt uit haar comfortzone haalde. Het was een zware route, die haar zowel op als neerwaartse stukken tot het uiterste dreef. Bij de middeleeuwse stad Pals, een dorp gebouwd rond een fort bovenop een heuvel, keerde de route terug richting Palafrugell. Het was een geweldige ervaring; ze overwon een aantal van haar afdalingsangsten en herwon het vertrouwen tijdens de etappe. Wat een manier om je rijvaardigheden te perfectioneren en te ontdekken dat losse rotsen, singletracks en zand niet het einde van je rit betekenen. Eerlijk gezegd moest ze wel even wennen aan deze zware grindfiets met grote banden en was ze soms gefrustreerd dat het nooit 'makkelijk' aanvoelde, de hele tijd moeten duwen. Welkom in de grindwereld, Erika ;) De fietsgemeenschap in dit deel van Spanje is geweldig. Geen wonder dat er zoveel profwielrenners en oud-profs in dit gebied wonen. De hele regio ademt fietsen. Overal zijn leuke bars en coffeeshops en leuke fietsenwinkels vind je bijvoorbeeld in Girona en Pallafrugell. De lokale bevolking spreekt hier verrassend goed Engels, dus zelfs als je Spaans wat roestig is, kun je hulp vinden. Erika had het voorrecht twee lieve gidsen te hebben, de 61-jarige Joseph en Toni, een voormalig pistier, beiden gepassioneerd door fietsen. Hoewel de hele moderne grindhype geen invloed had op deze oude roadies, wilden ze ze graag uitzwaaien en met het stel meegaan op de laatste kilometers van hun grindrit. Erika kan niet wachten om terug te keren naar Girona en de Costa Brava, want er zijn nog zoveel wegen te ontdekken. Of je nu zin ​​hebt in een gemakkelijke en soepele rit over de weg of zin hebt in een extravaganza op grind, er zijn honderden wegen om uit te kiezen. Heuvelachtig of eigenlijk vlak, steil of gestaag klimmend, op of naast de weg. En... hadden we het mooie weer het hele jaar door al genoemd?