If it's a gravel event you are looking for:

https://www.torosdegravel.com/

Includes links to some 'warm-up' rides on the island.

I think this is the same route as Duncan's wikiloc link.

Details for this years event are sketchy, but loads of positive feedback on last years ride.

Sounds like yet another great Spanish ride, and would love to join you all (despite the Gelato famine), but I have work commitments that week, which I doubt I can wriggle out of!

Have fun!

Great to read about a trip that inspires me to strap kit to the bike and get out in the wilds again, rather than just day tripping from the van or more comfortable accommodation, increasingly becoming my preferred option these days as I become more intolerant of an uncomfortable night lying awake ‘‘...

https://twitter.com/Clarionrider/status/1133743846049886209?s=19 Karl had a rucksack on when I took these photos yesterday... He was on top form complaining a bit about elephant legs and planning on putting his feet up for a while to drain them in the bothy. He looked a bit gutted when see later on...

Anybody tried the bar bag? I need something more durable, and too tight to splash out on the Ortileb bag.

Who is the go-to supplier of quality custom frame bags now that Wildcat are no longer?

Just got a new FS bike with a very unusual small space that nothing off-the-shelf will fit.

How much confidence do you have in an over-the-horizon forecast like this? Having lived my life by daily forecasts for years, in the U.K. I rarely look more than 3 days in advance.

Still getting excited. I’m in the Lakes for a few days warm-up in not-so-warm conditions!

DC Rainmaker doesn’t think so, and he knows more about these things than anybody:

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2019/05/wah ... eview.html

Why would you try to sleep on the ground when there are networks of great huts-with-a-view that will give you a comfortable bed and decent meal?

Perhaps I’m missing the point...

ScotRoutes wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 29, 2019 7:28 pm

whitestone wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 29, 2019 5:45 pm

Marc Beaumont and Si Whatshisname from GCN do the NC500 in 3 days.

Well, some of it...

So, what would you have done differently?

The 'leaf spring' comfort version:

Canyon VCLS 2.0

Or

Ergon CF3 Pro Carbon

I believe they are identical, just rebranded.

Hard to get hold of in the UK, unless on a new Canyon bike.

Thanks guys - Hardtail MTB it is then. I'd much rather lose a little bit of speed on the roads but enjoy the trails without getting beat-up. I've always contended that the best gravel bike is a HT MTB anyway; drop-bar 'gravel bikes' are only a good choice when the route is at leats 50% road, linking...

One question: what bike? I am totally unfamiliar with the route or general area, so no idea how knarly the off-road gets. There is clearly a lot on roads, by distance, if not time, so would a drop-bar bike be quicker, and would I need knobbly tyres? Thinking about 47mm semi-slick byways, or 2.1” Sch...

Similar experiences to Trail Rat; I might consider using it on a long sedate-paced tour in an isolated area, but for general riding, not really. Aesthetic aside (Fugly, but that’s subjective), it is definitely draggy, and the concentration of mass on the rear axle does make the bike feel dead. I als...

Looks fab, but won’t know when I can take leave until mid March!

Interested, but like everything else for 2019, I don’t know when I will be able to take leave until I settle in to the new job.

Hyperlink?

Interest notified. There certainly are loads more of these type of events popping up, which I think is is great. When the BP bubble bursts, some will inevitably disappear, as happened in XC MTB, when Enduro became the on-trend thing. Enjoy it whilst it lasts, and hopefully the best events should end...

Diving liveaboard in the Andaman Sea.

Thought I’d spend my savings before the pound was entirely worthless...

Just cracked 215 km on the highway today, and might have to reconsider my previous comments! There is some random driving, particularly overtaking at crazy moments, but balanced by the relative lack of traffic (compared to the U.K.) and no worse than I experienced on the northern parts of the HT550,...

Leading on from VS thread about best of 2018, how about your favourite smartphone app (with bikepacking utility, obviously!)? I have found a lot of useful examples, many focused on general travel admin (trip advisor, Booking.com, etc), but my fave has to be maps.me; download the maps for the area yo...

What's the traffic been like? So far the traffic has not been bad at all - drivers use their horn as a friendly warning they are passing rather than in an aggressive manner. Local cops have been great, saluting me as I ride past! There is definitely a right-of-way based on size of vehicle, so even t...

Route - this is the easiest one: Colorado Trail. Having dreamt about this one since doing the Breck Epic in 2012, I finally made it happen this year. Having had a super enjoyable tour I might even go back for the race... runner-up: TNR (again). Kit - tricky this one, as there are lots of contenders,...

Not having a go at bloggers; I learned loads from some of the older HT550 blogs when I started doing this, but the zeitgeist of hipster attempts to win the Turner Prize (or promote their position as prostitute influencers) are a bit of a turn-off. Quite happy to ride my bike without chugging, instag...

I found out the answer this morning. Currently touring Southern Thailand, and whilst having breakfast this morning I was engaged in conversation by a loud Texan expat and his niece. The bike was in sight and the usual questions followed, culminating in the lady asking if I was blogging the trip. I r...