DISASTER At My First Gravel Race | Dirty Reiver 2023 

Thanks Stu! Haha but think of the video you could make 🤣. It’s double hard being knackered from an event and then trying to piece together a video, but we wouldn’t have it any other way would we 😬

@@hbguitar thanks very much :)

Thanks very much David, I really appreciate that :). Well done to you, see you next year!

Thanks! Love Ireland, going over for a triathlon later this year. I'll check it out!

Thanks George, well done to you! 65k is still a great ride in those conditions and terrain that's for sure. See you next year!

FTP means nothing on this sort of thing does it :D well done to you indeed, thats a massive day out on a bike and the numbers don't give any idea about the conditions we rode in, great work. Hmm yes I wasn't on them much, but I mount my garmin to them so they'll probably stay on for the foreseeable :)

Thank you so much 😀

Cheers Ian! I love these sorts of challenges, just only so many weekends/ time/ money isn't there. Might get one more in this year. See you next year then!

Cheers! It certainly was, but I'm keen to do a "proper" long one now

Thanks Stuart! Great ride by you, brilliant time over such testing terrain

Thanks very much indeed, really appreciate that :). I'm back on it now, just a few nights of sticky sheets and painful showers :D

Cheers buddy, for sure! I’m persistent if nothing else 🤣

Cheers Matthew, I’m scabbing up nicely, hopefully another few days and it won’t be as tender. It’s looking like there will be a next time 😬

Ahhh man sorry to hear it! At least you could still roll on the road. Can't exactly rebuild a wheel during the day can you :(

Thanks! Well done indeed, a couple of my friends did the 200 too and said the same. Great effort.

thanks :)

Thanks very much Dave!

Cheers Tony! I didn't have all day to wait around for you ;)

Thanks Gwyneth! Well done to you. When entries open, we will have all forgotten the pain :D

Cheers dude and you! Thought we’d end up on the ‘road’ together at some point, next time 😬

thanks very much :)

Thanks, nice one! I'll miss this one this year :(

@@TriathlonDan Will be next year for me, part of a big year of cycling I have planned in 2025!

Thanks Stephen! We’ll be back 😬👍

Thanks very much Bob! Exactly, I’ve got lots to learn but it’s all good fun isn’t it 😬

Thanks Alan! Great effort, 130 was plenty on the day wasn't it! Next year :)

Thanks very much Robin, hope you're well!

Cheers Josh!

Thanks Darren :)

Thanks! I had a long sleeve lycra base layer and a jersey under it. I've ridden that setup down to 0 degrees and it's spot on for me, just need to keep moving. I had a rain jacket and spare base layer in my bag though. Hard to plan clothing when climbing is hot but descending is cold, plus rain! Thanks :)

Thanks very much Russell :)

Thanks very much :)

Cheers!

Thanks! Oh no, sorry to hear it, hope you're not injured and the bike is ok :(

@@TriathlonDan I hope people understand the amount of time you put into your work. Your such a grounded person, who has the right outlook on life. Keep up the incredible work you do for all of us👏 Just remember when your feeling low look across the bed and see the beauty that's in your life❤️ take care both of you.

@@rlsideswipre4187 too kind. Thanks for the support, all the best to you 👍👍

Thanks Steve!

Thanks Freddie :)

Cheers! Mech is only scuffed, new hanger sorted it :)

Cheers! No more of a hinderance than my bike handling skills :D

Thanks! Haha everything had to be shook outside before going in the wash!

Ah yes I spoke to you at the finish Andy! You certainly looked like you'd given it your all haha :D. Hard to take on fuel when the conditions are so tough isn't it, but we live and learn!

@@TriathlonDan hydration pack next time drinking grit is not the best 🤣

@@andyoffler3494 yes I was thinking the same!

Still picking mud out my eyes! Thanks James :) these things are sent to test us eh

hahaha luckily for him, he can escape at will

Thanks Dave! Yes maybe, I just couldn’t bring myself to change it with the filth / cold / aching limbs etc. I only had around 20k to ride to get to the end and wasn’t riding at any fast pace so just limped it in. I’ve swapped it now though :)

Thanks very much Gus!

Haha I thought the same, bike washing is a whole new level! I pack baby wipes everywhere I go now :D

Cheers dude! Maybe :D I'm not writing anything off or committing to anything at this point. Great ride by you!

Haha yeah maybe! I find the drop bar position comfier

Thanks!

It's a 76 projects TT mount :)

#engagement

You know it 😂😂😂

Cheers!

Thanks very much, appreciate the feedback! I was just conscious it was already a long video and in honesty haven’t had the time to set up a camera and do a debrief in daylight since then. I didn’t know exactly where the 2nd feed was, it was that muddy / hectic I was just planning to stop there when it came up. I think I’d have a similar plan next time, bar the crash 🤣

Cheers Dean! Haha no, but she did make me wash the area under which I washed my bike afterwards 🤣

Thanks! I'm 6ft2 and I have the Large, fits me perfect. I have a couple of older Canyon's which are XL, they've sized up in recent years

@@TriathlonDan Thank you for the quick response! I'm one of those that are always in-between sizes and it is always so difficult to determine the best option.

Haha brilliant, they certainly provoke some discussion! I didn't use them much, I'm pretty comfortable on aerobars so felt fine on them when I did, high sided armrests keep me locked in pretty well. Ahh no, easily done isn't it, it was like ice with the compact mud. Hope you're not too banged up and the bike is ok!

@@TriathlonDan yeah I was fine thanks - the benefit of so much 'natural padding'. It was a fairly mundane place to come off and soft going so hopefully we both had softer landings. Interesting on the aero bars. I'm fine with eating whilst riding on the road but even that I found a little bit more challenging on the dirty Reiver, exactly because of the thing you noted about having to frequently concentrate on getting in the line of the softer/smaller gravel, and also that there's not a lot of flat in the course after halfway - it was almost all up or down until you got to the woodland bit where you make the 130/200 choice - by which time its almost too late to eat anyway.

Thanks Dave, it's been a slow process this week but it's scabbing up now, my elbow is giving me some aggro. Why do we do these things eh :D

I had a jacket, emergency blanket, pump, spare base layer, that was about it. High volume low weight kinda stuff. I'd use it again, very practical

Nope - it’s the Apidura x Canyon top tube bag. I just bought it from Canyon when I ordered the bike, didn’t really shop around 🤷‍♂️

@@TriathlonDan I was wondering how you'd got one in time for the Reiver.

Rolling start from memory around 9am

It’s too easy to get carried away isn’t it 🤣

Haha 😂 such a tough day out

Cheers David!

Hmmmm I’m not 100% sure to be honest, I’m debating the Frontier 300 but it’s a long way & time & cost etc. Gritfest looks fun! Hope Wales is drier than Scotland 🤣👍

@@TriathlonDan seems to be always wet in wales, the joy of living here, hopefully it will be nice in june.

Saddle bag was spares, top tube bag was food, frame bag was a jacket, base layer, emergency blanket, couple of other bits of random spares. Some of those things were mandatory as per the event guidance and I knew I'd rather have too much than too little :)

@TriathlonDan just that most other people I saw "racing" had nowhere near that amount of bags? Just asking because I'm planning on doing it myself next year. I did the Glorious Gravel N Wales this year & no kit was mandatory.

@@glennwilliams5869 yes I thought the same, I don’t think many people actually heeded the ‘mandatory’ part but I could have certainly travelled lighter. It’s all learning isn’t it. Given the weather and my riding skills I could well have needed the emergency kit 🤣

Splash and dash 🤣

I'm a triathlete at heart, yes there were a few others with them too. Obviously didn't get a lot of use but still handy at times

yeah I don't think there was any lead moto or anything so it only takes one person to press on and the whole thing is chaos

Exactly my thoughts 🤣 it was supposed to be because the roads were open, but we rode on open roads later in the route. Goodness knows, but I know for next time 😬