A Royal Gravel Epic | Bike Packing The King Alfred's Way
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 31. 10. 2020
- 300km of epic gravel riding on King Alfred's way is just the kind of adventure we need to take our minds off the pandemic. Aided by our friends over at Moots, Si and Hank did the route in just 2 days, with some wild camping and cobbled-together dinner on the way.
In association with Moots: www.moots.com
Check out the full ride here on Komoot
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What is your favourite epic gravel route?
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Music - licensed by Epidemic Sound:
ES_A Travelers' Gloom - Dew Of Light.wav
ES_Amb Birds - SFX Producer.wav
ES_Bird Flex - Bonkers Beat Club.wav
ES_Bird Scary - SFX Producer.wav
ES_Calling Me - Ooyy.wav
ES_Car Drive Interior 2 - SFX Producer.wav
ES_Car Ride Gravel 2 - SFX Producer.wav
ES_Church Bells - SFX Producer.wav
ES_City Rooftop - SFX Producer.wav
ES_City Traffic 18 - SFX Producer.wav
ES_Clean Cut - Bonkers Beat Club.wav
ES_Dharana - Van Sandano.wav
ES_Entropy - Gregory David.wav
ES_Fire Truck Horn 1 - SFX Producer.wav
ES_Forest Birds 1 - SFX Producer.wav
ES_Frustration in Disguise - Taylor Crane.wav
ES_Gas Flame Loop - SFX Producer.wav
ES_Got Real - Splasher!.wav
ES_Hedgerow Ambience With Insects - SFX Producer.wav
ES_Helicopter Int 2 - SFX Producer.wav
ES_I Fold - Gavin Luke.wav
ES_Last Survivor - Deskant.wav
ES_Orange Warnings (Instrumental Version) - Blood Red Sun.wav
ES_PE Crescendo 8 - SFX Producer.wav
ES_PREL Glitch Noise 3 - SFX Producer.wav
ES_PREL Noise Harsh - SFX Producer.wav
ES_PREL Noise Short - SFX Producer.wav
ES_PREL Noise Static 10 - SFX Producer.wav
ES_PREL SSFX Noise - SFX Producer.wav
ES_PREL Static Noise 9 - SFX Producer.wav
ES_Psychopath - Blood Red Sun.wav
ES_Psychopath (Instrumental Version) - Blood Red Sun.wav
ES_Quick Fix - Anthony Earls.wav
ES_Radio Nights - Curved Mirror.wav
ES_Revitalize - Yonder Dale.wav
ES_Riddles of Time - Curved Mirror.wav
ES_Schhh - Bonkers Beat Club.wav
ES_Seagulls and Sapphires - Howard Harper-Barnes.wav
ES_Spring Queen - Dew Of Light.wav
ES_Stumbling in the Dark - Yonder Dale.wav
ES_Swoosh - Bonkers Beat Club.wav
ES_The English Affair - Howard Harper-Barnes.wav
ES_This 808 Kills Fascists - Bonkers Beat Club.wav
Photos: © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Bettiniphoto / www.bettiniphoto.net/
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Leave us a comment below! - Sport
What is your favourite epic gravel route?
This one I think. Seriously.
Gotta do it next year, thanks for the inspiration.
I have a local route from Matlock (Derbyshire) to Ladybower Reservoir www.komoot.com/tour/279248570?ref=itd The scenery is to die for (and if you get too close to the cliff edge at Curbar I mean that literally) and it ends on a 27% climb up to Shatton Moor (although I do tend make it a loop and head back home over the moors via Houndkirk Road which is an old Roman road that heads out towards Sheffield)
Must admit I've done really done much gravel opting for endurance on the road, but earlier this year I did complete the Transpennine Trail on my Sonder Colibri Ti over 4 days - my first venture into something resembling a gravel ride. This was back in September so not much mud about, generally dusty and dry, got by on 35C tyres (it's more of a TCR mile-eater geometry then gravel) and certainly not as much grass riding the King Alfreds Way from what I just watched. Certainly got a taste this year for bikepacking and bivvying in some hedge or village bus stop thanks to LEJOG and TPT. This year, well for me at least, has been about solo adventures and going by the number of bar bags and saddle bags I have seen this year there has been an explosion of interest in self-sufficiency and pushing boundaries.
@@TerryNutkins3 ive cycled around their and taken daughters in the morsal trail - loved the rolling hills & country side.
This one. Did it in September. Absolute gravel bike heaven.
Guys, you have no idea how much I needed this video. I'm lying here in a hospital bed having just been sliced from my belly button to my nether regions to remove an aggressive tumor from my spine which was slowly paralyzing my right leg, among other things. The possible outcome could have been total paralysis but at least the tumor would be gone. The first thing I did when I became conscious again after surgery was to try to move my foot - and it moved! Now all I want to do is ride my bike and this vid really hit the spot. My doc is trying to manage my expectations with regard to recovery, but I don't care. I know I'll try too hard too soon and set my recovery back but I WILL be riding hard again by summer, and videos like this will fill the void in the meantime. Please keep them coming.
Thanks for taking the time to comment! So sorry to hear about your situation but it sounds like you're on the right track to recover! So great to hear how much you enjoyed this video, we hope it provided suitable inspiration. Take it easy, and we hope you're back riding soon!
Get well really really soon! Listen to your doc, so you can ride ur bike again perfectly! Remember u need those legs to fill those watts! đȘđȘ
I know, I see you will ride soon. Wish you very good health bro đ
Get well soon. Iâm sure you will. Prayers and blessings đ
Lovely post mate and glad the op went well . This video has got us all planning to do this and hope your recovery allows you to do this too
Things I learnt in this video:
- I really need to get out
- There is "adventure" and "adventures with Hank". He can probably make accounting fun.
Hank takes adventures to the next level!
Hey! My wife's an accountant and she's far from boring! ;-)
I have watched this video about a dozen or so times. Doing this loop is a major life goal of mine. I keep coming back to this video to remind myself not to let go of this dream.
Agree - canât believe it has so few views - watched it 2,000 times myself, and just booked to ride around in about 3 weeks time âŠ
@@JIMMYHIBBS1 best of luck to you!! Let me know how it goes once you finish.
I've never been myself but my friend Vladimir has also told me that Salisbury Cathedral is well worth a visit.
Comment of the week!!!
đđ
Always try to be yourself.
Visited Salisbury, train got in late, bought fish n chips, heard the choir from outside the entrance.
đ€Łđđ
Nice to see pupils from my old school blindly walking through the shot at the end and looking gormless. Some things never change :D
Hank is like one of those Duracell ads, always loaded on energy
@@byc1013 I would love some of that hemoglobin stuff that lets you hold a lot more oxygen. I donât race or anything it would just be really great on long uphills and adventures. Or when I wanna make my commute faster and sprint it lmao.
The ULTIMATE Cool would be for a loyal viewer to have the opportunity to ride one of these epics with the presenters!!!! Fully sponsored of course!!!
Well...I live in Italy next to Venice...you out in my head to take the first plane (covid permitting) and start my biggest and savage adventure of my life...I got a whole winter and a whole spring to dream and plan this adventure...I want it with my both legs and bike!!!!thanks guys,really!!!i hope youâll come in Italy to go out for a gravel ride with our Alan and Giorgione (the italian GCNâs boys)..YOUâRE FANTASTIC!!!!
That image of Si hugging a tree at the beginning.. that encapsulates how we all feel this year
Si is a sissy.
Nah cuz actually some people have escaped it, no masks, lockdowns, or any of that stuff in my state. I honestly forget bout the virus stuff most of the time until someone online mentions it.
@@KandiKlover The only time I see it is when I go to the supermarket. Life goes on....
My two favourite things about this video...
1. The camera work and editing are delicious.
2. The cameraman's laugh is brilliant.
Well done for cheering us cyclists up!
Who agrees that the quality of GCN videos rises exponentially in each new video đŻđŻđŻđŻđŻđŻđŻđŻđŻđŻđŻđŻ
To all Strava average speed checkers, please do yourself a favor and watch this video and always remember, there is lots of joy and freedom in cycling way beyond who is faster.
Freedom, Adventure, and Nature. The point of cycling.
Absolutely!
I really love the style of the clip, kind of cineastic - the drone shots are beautiful too. Not sure if it's the first time you produced it this way, but please do more of this đ
We'd love to do more films like this!
There's so many more. Check them out. Si's epic rides are Godly.
@@gcn Well, you shouldnât have broken your drone then!
These videos are the 'Topgear' of cycling. I just wish there was more of them!
One hell of an epic ride, no schedule, just eat-drink & ride...heavenly British countryside.
Cheers from Canada.
Kie Foster and Cycling UK deserve huge credit for putting this route together.
Absolutely brilliant! One of your best ever, well done GCN. Makes me want to throw my bike in the car and drive down from the Lake District right now. Hank and Si are turning into GCN's very own Lachlan Morten đ
Glad you enjoyed it, Karl! Best of luck on your own adventures!
was he the dude from A-ha?
This was seriously one of the best ever, wasnât it?
Forget the car. Ride the bike the whole way there.
GCN's Inspirational video of the week. Who cares about what the Pros are doing and forget the repetitive tips..... This is why I watch GCN.
Merci les gars pour ce superbe et passionnant voyage-reportage en vélo Gravel! Oh! Sorry; I try in English:
Thank you guys for this great and exciting gravel bike reportage trip! I had the chance to drive part of this incredible historic road that is The Ridgeway! ... 27 years ago. Ouch It hurts! Your report threw me violently into the past. But what a pleasure! Thank you so much.
Si's reaction in the morning to Hank realising he shouldn't have got his lycra wet was like a school teacher realising there students have no common sense
The knowing tone in his voice makes me think that Hank lost a bet over who'd try it, hehe.
I don't believe Hank road in wet lucrative and shoes.
Their student
*laughs in teacher*
06:40 Si tests the conductive properties of the new Moot Gravel bike as an earthing point đ
I truly miss a good old English breakfast...a very good way to start a day of riding! Nice video Gents!!
This was fantastic! Great views, great pub/coffee stops and Si cursing! So lucky to have something like this.
The editors must have been busy this week, the Halloween video then this! They seemed to be having as much fun as Si & Hank too, especially during Hankâs carrot cake eating demonstration.
Would love to see the editors featured in a video themselves, Iâd personally be fascinated by their equipment and techniques!
+1 for this. A behind the scenes video about what goes into making one of these productions would be fascinating! And to meet the team behind the cameras!
PiĂšce of jewellery. Music amazing calm or drumming depending on the mood of the ride.
Chapeau to the videographer(s) and editor(s) who put this together!
HANK the POWER and SLY SI Richardson - great video finally got chance to watch it! Please you liked my home town of Farnham, very lucky to live in the surrey area and enjoy many of the paths and roads you took in on the trail. Looking forward to HANK having to do it in a day next year! lol Always come back and do more adventures in the south downs and some epic short road climbs as well, I am sure the viewers would love!!!
Great video lads, much enjoyed by me, as I live near a lot of the route.
I have to say, though, King Alfred was not buried in Winchester Cathedral. Nobody knows where he was buried. Winchester was the capital of that part of England at the time, so it was where he presided over his kingdom.
One of the best GCN videos ever. Si electricutes himself and Hank goes for an October plung đđ And on top of that some great cycing. Not jealous....much.
The equation for a great GCN adventure is an Epic Ride and add Hank....great sense of humor, he can " bring it " on the bike and he will practically do anything...Great Job
Alanâs coffee is awesome, we ride via Old Winchester most Sunday mornings and my highlight is an espresso and the views.
That..... is an epic ride! No KOMs, and No FTP, just scenic views and enjoyment on the bike!
Different editing style and filming. Everyone here had lot of fun, not just the riders! Including us watching the video! Really one of the best
Somehow need to get Hank and Jeremy on an epic ride together...I imagine it would be the most energetic video ever on GCN!
This video was fantastic. I watched the entire ride. I started in the basement then I stopped and resumed watching in my bedroom. I love you GCN guys and ladies. I road as a young man and I recently bought a Trek Fitness bike at 61 years old. I can't wait to really get started riding again. And this Epic ride was awesome to watch.
So jealous of that ride. Nothing remotely as beautiful or remote as that here in Southern California.
Another classic from the Guys Cruisinâ Network: âWe canât even spoon mate. mate thatâs what I was looking forward toâ. âMate, itâs a bit moist.â âMate, mines a bit hard.â âMate, this is my first time out.â âOh, the freedom, mate.â âYouâre an animal, Hank.â âJust cruisin around, Mate.â Hank, give us a bazooka, Mate.â
Trail running brought me to running and now gravel biking back to cycling.
In both we find this type of adventures in our backyards.
It's great to get these motivation videos. Never get enough of them.
Thanks to everyone putting this together.
Oh that breakfast. I remember doing the Cairngorms loop and after a night of heavy rain, packing a wet tent, getting up in the rain, we arrived in Braemar. There was a small lunchroom where we took at least two hours for an extensive breakfast followed by lunch :-)
I finish watching the video. Nice lights! Lol
Kudos to the people that edited this video, it was very nice! Hats off to you all
Thanks very much! We're immensely proud of this one!
@@gcn yes especially the transitions, just WOW! Thanks for the great content. Keep safe always mah dudes!
whoever did the filming, editing, and sound design absolutely crushed it! excellent content.
This video goes on the shelf right next to the Atlas Mountains video and the North Coast 500 video. I can't get enough of this stuff.
Thanks for this vid. Those routes through East Hampshire and West Surrey are an absolute joy for getting away from the traffic, as long as you can live with the sand slowing you down.
Si, James and GCN crew.. thank you so much for this video, I spent the whole video daydreaming about buying a gravel bike and getting out there. keep going with vids like this. Avid and longtime supporter of GCN. Steve
I was out for a walk on the SDW when you two rode passed me. I wanted to say 'Hi', but you were gone before I had chance. Glad to see Wichester featuring! Epic ride lads, welldone!
I'm watching this in bed at 8 months pregnant and with suspected COVID-19 (waiting for test results): I will ride this route one day!! Looks awesome!!
insane production value,its like watching Top Gear but with bikes.
The production value on this is absolutely fantastic. Quite possibly my favourite GCN video ever
Love the gratitude and good vibes from Si and Hank! I like how you take time to appreciate everything from the bikes to the views to the food and so on. Fun to watch you guys ride around and have fun!
Thanks very much!
Love Alanâs van!!! Great coffee
These longer format vids (of which there are dozens on GCN), are really inpirational and motivating. Excellent content, thankyou.
Incidentally, I would never have heard of Moots without GCN. After watching the factory tour and this, I'm pretty convinced that the Ti setup would be my next purchase. I like the idea of a robust, long term bike. I hate phases and fashion; the Moot hits the high points for me.
One of your best yet, chaps. As a devoted roadie, nothing has made me want to get a gravel bike more than this đ”đœ
Iâve just bought one as a direct result of GCN gravel coverage. Itâs so much fun to blast around on. And itâs a better descender than my (rim brake) Madone as at least the brakes work!!
Such an epic video and adventure Si and Hank! More of these long version adventure videos please. They are inspiring.
A Moots Mountaineer YBB with a carbon fork would be awesome on this route. Chapeau fellas!
Can confirm, Alan's coffee is brilliant!
The most enjoyable GCN video in a long time. Cool editing, breathtaking sights, unexpected soundtrack. Thanks!
Ah lads, sublime video! Had a friend watch this as the same time as me when he's London and I'm here in Kildare just now, feels like we were together watching this because we have been texting about all the things happening in the video! One thing we agreed the most.... would have been a PERFECT video if you guys CLEANED the bikes! :P
All the best GCN and thanks for producing the goods daily. Appreciate it!
So much fun! Pure pleasure and bromance!
Shout out to the video crew for great filming and editing! You guys have definitely increased the production levels in the last 12-18 months and this one is a great example... #chapeau vid crew đđđ
This is one of the best gravel video you have made, my next UK holiday is in the planning!
"There have been a lot of positives to that" oh Si, you really love that tree experience...or at least the GCN video editor does.
At 20:20, Si talks about the most elusive phenomenon in cycling. I didn't know it really existed up to now! Wow!
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My favorite sort of GCN vid
It's nice to see some action in southern England.
I did my toughest cycle to Uffington White Horse from London. Didn't get there but I went thru places that looked like a Bucolic romanticised England. Some of the places I felt like I was the only person on Earth.
And next time when you make it there you'll be even more rewarded when you slay dragon hill at the end and stand atop it. Chapeu
5000 years! That was about the time they started to build Stonehenge.
Yep bang on, and the full route goes past Stonehenge and Avebury
How is it that I have so much fun watching you have fun?
I don't even like riding gravel.. But yet I'm still here watching other people do it. Gotta say. I love the adventure vibes that this video has.
Really, really glad you guys got to do this before the new lockdown. It was great to watch.
De ja vu of Hank going through a river without knowing how deep it is.
He'll never learn!
That was so awesome. Do not do that in a mountain gorge after a Tropical Storm/monsoon or Thunderstorm people! That is not awesome.
I bet he wouldnât have done that to his own bike. Those poor bearings đ€Ł
@@parkysouthlondon true that. I passed a few creeks like that in August and now I need new wheelset and bottom bracket. đđ
@@C.Medina that could have been avoided by servicing the stuff before and after the trip, at least most of the time. The are even special greases that sticks much better and have really high water resistance. Maybe that helps for the future
When this is all over I look forward to GCNs video on spooning
Finally some epic bikepacking and in-hedge-sleeping content! Been waiting eons and forever for these to arrive on the scene again! Now do it all again in november, december, january and february and why not throw in march, april, may, june, july, august and september along with it. Preferably thrice in august! Can't wait!
9:34 I thought that was si hugging the treeđ€Łđ€Ł
Me too!
So did I!
Such an awesome ride! I'm very jealous.
These videos just make me happy. The guys, the bikes, the cinemetography, and especially the music. Well done and thank you!
As a Brit now living in the Pacific North West (America), I love where I am, but I really miss the British countryside. This is such a great video, thanks GCN! More of these, please.
Can feel the joy of this one. Get yourselves to Whilshire for a spring ride too. Such a lovely county
Never mind the bike or the route, that cinematography and editing was phenomenal, first class GCN.
Finally a proper purpose for a gravel bike. I was starting to think it was merely marketing hype but this little video suggests that neither a road nor a MTB could have performed quite as well on that route.
I'm not rushing to a store just yet but I no longer dismiss the gravel bike as nonsense. Great video, as always. Cheers!
This is up there with the hank and his dad ride, there is something very special about these gcn ride epics. Itâs like being a part of the worlds biggest group ride. Keep doing what youâre doing gcn. We love you all and the content you provide so regularly.
nice ride keep it up guys .. hey from Syria
Hi from the UK! đ
Enjoyed watching every bit of this journey..... Cheers :)
Thanks very much!
Guys! Such an amazing video! What a ride and what a great editing! This makes me come over to England and ride the king Alfred's way! Kindest Regards from Germany!
Hey GCN you should do a special about cycling in China. Obviously not now due to covid but the country is breathtaking, the most beautiful place I've ever cycled in. I recommend Tibet/Yunnan, Sichuan or Anhui regions.
Hank, a bridge is a good piece of tech. Use it.
If I lived near by, I would need to own a gravel bike or mountain bike for that route alone.
I'm trying to work out whether I live nearby enough to give at least part of it a go. I've done a section of the Ridgeway, and it is so nice to be on a bike away from any roads for so long.
Me and my mates have done most of it and are planning on doing the whole thing in 1 day. Defo mountain bikes
I know the main reason for this video is selling the bikes and those 2 dudes could have achieved the same results on $200 bikes. However, gawddaym this video is good!
After watching your epic adventures hubby and I just bought his and her Canyon Grizls with all the bike packing bagsâŠcanât wait to get going on our first adventure!!!
Amazing video! Would love to see a making off - behind the scenes kind of video of this. How did you Film it? Did someone come along on a bike? How did you get the drone shots?
Great vid!
We wouldn't want to give away our secrets ;) Although we do have a lot of behind the scenes footage so perhaps it's something we could look into...
@@gcn Is your secret that you never did the full ride at all and stayed in a hotel?
Everytime i see Hank's GPS tilted, i closed my eyes. Damn symmetry OCD.
Can't even begin to stress how much this was stressing me out. :D
I appreciate the ancient history guys, very cool. Thanks.
Beauty of gravel. Anywhere, any surface and endless road
This ride was electric, wasnât it Si?
arent your feet freezing after the river crossing ? :D
Feet? Yeah, and the rest ;-)
On my 2021 bucket list for sure, big shout to all the team that made this route possible in the first place.
I love James' laugh. It is not Matt, but it is authentic.
Y'all, Why push the speed for such a lovely trail? SO much missed. I mean If I had that track, I'd spend a some good time. ... Reflection upon the ability to traverse a space as old as that is something perhaps we should all do if we are so able.
I assume time restrictions, and the need to have x amount of points of interest to fill the video.
I'd definitely want to do the whole thing, and over a week though
Some people just like to go fast and si is definitely one of those crazy people
If youâve only got two days, you might as well go as far as you can!
They're trained professionals.
I don't know who edited this video, but give he/she a raise! Bloody brilliant stuff! Epic ride boys!
Courage
Couldn't stay through all the commercials but enjoyed the first 1/3 of the vid. I was curious about this route as soon as I heard about it. Looks great, might have to make the trip back to the UK!