The 2023 Raffle Bike

Again I raffled off a bike to raise funds for Movember. The 2023 raffle bike was a Cervelo Caledonia 5 in a size 58. Here’s the videos of painting it with Kustom Flow.

What it's like to do a 780km Ultra Race: Badlands 2022 (part 1 & 2)

The penultimate part of the Badlands video series showcases the first half of the race, getting through The Gorafe Desert, up to Calar Alto and through the brutal Tabernas Desert, where many spaghetti westerns were filmed. I hope you enjoy the first part of the race!

The FINAL part of the Badlands video series showcases the second half of the race, starting after another rough night's sleep just outside of the Tabernas Desert and heading to the finish. I hope you enjoy the final part of the race!

20 REALLY USEFUL BIKEPACKING THINGS YOU NEED

I've done a LOT of bikepacking trips over the years. So, I thought it would be useful to go through the top 20 things you NEED for your next bikepacking trip.

1- Tailfin straps: https://www.tailfin.cc/product/cargo-cage-system/cargo-straps/cargo-straps/?v=79cba1185463

2- Emergency Bivy: https://amzn.to/3jj8W6u

3- Fold up Shoes: https://amzn.to/3Rqt435

4- Tracker: https://amzn.to/3wO2Myk

5- Water Filter: https://amzn.to/3WUdAoX

6- Down Jacket: https://amzn.to/3Dx97BL

7- Bicycle Computer: https://amzn.to/3HtqCo1

8- Attacus Bib Shorts: https://attacus.cc

9- Dynamo Lights: https://www.klite.com.au

10- Spork: https://amzn.to/3HPVuR1

11- Bag: https://www.apidura.com/shop/packable-musette/

12- Power Bank: https://amzn.to/3WUdSwm

13- Top Tube Bag: keep an eye out on  @TailfinCycling 

14- Spare Lights I Use: https://amzn.to/3l40yYL

15- Spare Tools: I use a mix of stuff from different brands as explained in the video

16- Sunglasses: https://www.sungod.co/en-gb/

17- Spares: as explained in the video from various brands

18- First Aid Kit: https://amzn.to/3XTvJVf

19- Cafe Lock: https://amzn.to/3HP4JAM

20- Multi Charging DooDa Box: https://amzn.to/3XWIsqb

The Seven Everests Project

I will attempt to cycle 7 Everests in 7 days to raise awareness for mental health and funds for Movember

On the 16th May until the 22nd May, I will attempt to cycle 7 Everests, one every day of the week to raise awareness and funds for the incredible work Movember carry out in supporting mental health. 

The concept of Everesting is fiendishly simple: Pick any hill, anywhere in the world and complete repeats of it in a single activity until you climb 8,848m – the equivalent height of Mt Everest. I will be tackling his challenge on the iconic Stwlan Dam.

Stwlan Dam Chris Hall

As far as climbs go, the Llyn Stwlan Dam in Snowdonia may well be the best kept secret on British soil. It boasts the type of tight switchbacks that look more like the Stelvio Pass than anything you might expect in the back roads of Wales, as well as a savage gradient of 9.7%. Its second half hovers at a far more punishing 12%. As it is the service road for a dam, it is also blissfully free of motor traffic. And once you reach the dam itself, the view over Snowdonia is unique, and well worth a few minutes in the red.

I will need to complete 33 reps of the climb every day to climb the 8,848m required. It will total around 182km each day and is expected to take around 14 hours.

I’m inviting people to come and join me in my quest to complete this challenge. 

Source: https://www.chrishallrides.com/7everests

Jumbo Visma Cervélo R5 Bike Build

Here's an absolutely stunning bike build for you, one of the super limited 2022 Cervélo R5s that Primož Roglič first teased to us in Fleche Wallone way back in April 2022. We later saw the Belgium steam train, Wout Van Aert win on this bike in Le Tour De France on the iconic Mont Ventoux stage! The new R5 is a semi-aero, super lightweight bike with tweaked frame shaping and fully internal cable routing.

I was incredibly lucky to get my hands on one and built up an absolute dream bike thanks to the guys at The Service Course in Wilmslow. The bike has been professionally built up using Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, and finished with a PRO Stealth saddle. The wheels are the highly rated Parcours Ronde wheels equipped with 28mm Schwalbe Pro One Tyres. I hope you enjoy watching this build.