Viavelo Magazine 7

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adventure cycling

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issue 7


Get in touch Website www.viavelo.cc Email info@viavelo.cc Facebook.com /viavelomagazine

Contributors Words and photography Jeroen Dijkstra, Jan MĂźhlethaler Joachim Rosenlund, Dieter Schietse Photography Ben Delaney, Bart Dewaele, Stefano Maria Torchio, Espen Rasch-Ekstrom, OSM Films, Michiel Rotgans Cover photo Dieter Schietse Proofreading Hanneke Bergsma

Š 2017, ViaVelo Magazine Copyright remains with the publisher. No part of this publication may be copied or reproduced without the written permission of the publisher.

ViaVelo is supported by

Photo by Stephan van Raay

Concept and layout Stephan van Raay


Welcome to issue 7 In the past two years of ViaVelo Magazine I have spoken and met a lot of avid cyclists from different countries through ViaVelo. I ride selfsupported races organised by contributers to former issues. I made friends and ride with them occasionally. Adventure cycling, as we like to call it, connects. I would like to thank everybody who contributed to this issue. Special thanks to Joachim Rosenlund, Jan ‘Herr Roja’ Mühlethaler and Dieter Schietse for sharing their personal stories and beautiful photos. Extra special thanks to Jeroen Dijkstra who is a great addition to our small team. With this seventh issue we are rolling into 2017, our third year. I am already looking forward to the interesting cycling products to review but most of all the inspiring stories and amazing photography from our readers. Let me know what you think of this issue or if you want to contribute in the next one. Happy reading and riding. Stephan van Raay


Contents Stories 6

The places we ride

Cycling photo gallery

14 Straight back home

Jeroen Dijkstra following his father’s footsteps

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It started with a poster

Joachim Rosenlund on the Torino-Nice Rally

42 Alpine passes in winter

A cold Festive 500 by Jan MĂźhlethaler

60 Stroke after stroke

Riding the distance with Dieter Schietse

Gear 82 Cycle2Charge V2

Affordable stem cap USB charger

86 StolenGoat Winter Jacket

High tech winter cycling apparel

Foto4Laurens v i a V e lvan o m Raay agazine

Photo by Stephan van Raay




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L A P CE E H

GALLERY

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E D RI

Photo by Espen Rasch-Ekstrom Nordmarka, a protected forest outside Oslo @eleswan viaVelo magazine

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Photo by Stefano Maria Torchio

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Photo by Bart Dewaele | Haaghoek, a famous cobble section in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the Ronde Van Vlaanderen

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in Sint-Kornelis-Horebeke and Zegelsem, Belgium.

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Photo by Ben Delaney | Ruins of Menlo Castle, on the shore of the river Corrib, just outside Galway city |

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@transcon_ben


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Those adventures were music to my ears

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[ Column ]

STRAIGHT BACK HOME Words and photography by Jeroen Dijkstra

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hose of you who read my column

onto the bicycle path and went straight

in ViaVelo Magazine issue 6 might

back home. But I wanted to do longer

remember my dream to be able to ride

rides like my dad did. So the second

around the IJsselmeer. A serious ride

time I turned left because I knew I could

considering it’s over 400km from my

ride a bigger lap that way. Every time

hometown. That desire for long distance

I rode a bit further and stayed away a

day rides started to grow from an early

little longer. Until my parents found out

age. When I was a little boy my dad

about it. But instead of being mad at me

could ride his road bike for hours. And

for not telling them, they gave me more

when he came back home, he always

freedom as long as I promised to tell

had a nice story to tell about the places

them where I was going to ride.

he went that day. Those adventures were music to my ears. I wanted to do it too,

I’ve always kept that promise, even when

but there was one problem: I was only

I grew older. And although I sometimes

six years old.

saw a little fear in their eyes - like that time when I went on a 300km ride as a

Once you are on the bicycle path, you

fifteen year old - they never tried to stop

turn right and head straight back home!”

me for going out on a ride. It’s something

my mom said. “Yes mom, I will” I shouted

I’ve been thankful for ever since. Because

while I was already riding away. My

with all those wonderful adventures I

parents allowed me to ride on my own

went on I can almost fill a book.

through the neighbourhood. That first time I indeed turned right once I got

Jerome

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Photo by OSM Films


Words by Joachim Rosenlund Photography by OSM Films, Joachim Rosenlund and Michiel Rotgans


Photo by Michiel Rotgans / Rotgans Photo

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Photo by OSM Films

T

hinking back, I can’t even remember where I saw it. I was surfing the internet, reading about bike-related stuff, looking at beautiful bikes and suddenly there it was: the poster for the first Torino-Nice Rally. I googled it, found the web page, noted the dates in my calendar and signed up for the newsletter. And then forgot about it. Weeks later the first update came via email, which I scanned through. And then forgot about it. Weeks became months, and somewhere in August I was checking my calendar. On the 5th of September it said “Start in Torino”. At first I had no idea what it meant and was worried I had

signed up for something I had forgotten all about, which I kind of had. I looked at some pictures of the route again and decided; “This is something I want to do!” Unplanned as I am, I landed in Torino near midnight the day before the start. Whilst the other starters were eating pizza and drinking beer on the piazza, I was putting my bike together at the airport and riding the 5km to my hotel through the darkness. By the time I had checked in and brushed my teeth, it was 2 o’clock. Time for bed. My hotel was next to a highway and I had several mosquitos in my room, but that is another horror story.

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Photo by OSM Films

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The next morning is a blur, but when tired routine takes over. Getting dressed, packing my bags and having breakfast was done in 45 minutes. I was ready to start. I am always nervous before events like these, but as soon as everything is packed and I am on my bike the nervousness leaves my body and all that remain is that one feeling; freedom. People ask why I do these rides. The easy answer is, I feel free. There is a certain feeling that I have difficulties with obtaining elsewhere, a feeling that takes over my whole being when heading out on a (mini-) adventure. It doesn’t have to be far, but rather something that breaks my routine. Something that scares me a bit, something that challenges me on a mental level. And reading the itinerary of this route certainly made me respectful of it; Col del Finestre, Col Angel, Col D’Izoard, Col e Colombardo, Col Bassett, Col Blegier, Col dell’Assietta, Col di Sampeyre, Col Preit, Col Margherina, Col di Tende, Col de la Madonna. One pass after the other. This was going to hurt.

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Photos by OSM Films

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The rally started at the piazza of Torino and quickly headed out of town through a little green valley. Soon I was greeted by the first climb and after a few hundred meters asphalt t urned to gravel. Suddenly I was surrounded by a forest and the adventure began.

beautiful and as soon as I got to the top I knew why I was doing this.

Climbing Col e Colombardo was probably one of the hardest climbs on the route a nd there was a lot of Norwegian swearing involved. First the road turned from asphalt to gravel and then to something with rocks the size of basketballs. But the view from the pass was surprisingly

But as always, after the descend is before the next ascent. Colle delle Finestre was waiting, a legendary climb.

As if the view wasn’t rewarding enough, the descent down to Condove was as fantastic as the climb was hard. This is what cyclists dream of!

I would still consider myself a newbie and I am experimenting with how to prepare for events like these. How to train, how

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Photo by OSM Films

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Photo by OSM Films

Photo by Joachim Rosenlund

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Photo by OSM Films

many rest days to take before the event and it seems my plan for this one was not optimal. 8km from the top I was ready to stop. Feeling completely knocked out after having done 130km made me frustrated and my mind was bombarding me with negative thoughts. It can be a dark and lonely space when your mind plays games on you. Getting in to my sleeping bag I felt heavy and I embraced the warm feeling of sleep taking over.

After a good night’s sleep and waking up to the sound of birds, the heavy feeling was almost gone. My heart felt light but my thoughts were still lingering around yesterday’s events. And then the magic happened. After climbing a few hundred meters I left the suffering behind. Pain is something we all experience. Pain is real but suffering is optional; suffering is your mind playing games on you. And this is the not so easy answer to why I

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Photo by OSM Films

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Photo by OSM Films

do this. On the other side of suffering, freedom unfolds. Freedom from being controlled by your thoughts gives you clarity. Leaving space between thoughts arising and acting on those thoughts is a healthy and refreshing feeling which occurs in that space. Cycling is meditation in motion; it’s my church. Climbing to the top of Colle delle Finestre was suddenly nothing but pleasure and reaching the beautiful Strada dell’ Assietta in this mood brought on a huge smile! The road twisted und turned up the mountain and stretched for miles along its ridge, mostly above 2000m. The mountain air was crisp

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and it propelled me. I thrive up here, feel at home and the kilometres that followed flew by in no time. From here on the rally is pure bliss. Climbing the beautiful hairpins of Col D’Izard whilst watching the light change as the sun sets. Climbing Col Agnel as the warmth of the sun embraces me the next morning. Reaching Colle Di Sampeyre in the blazing sun and blasting down the road of death, all with the feeling of lightness and joy. Sleeping under the stars near Col Preit and cruising down the 48 hairpins of Col de Tende, reaching Col de Turini and


Photo by Joachim Rosenlund

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Photo by OSM Films



Photo by OSM Films

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I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in – John Muir

cheating myself into thinking I can smell the ocean from there. Nice was drawing closer and with it came a sense of relief, mixed with a dose of sadness. This is the kind of event where you are happy when you arrive, but 10 minutes later you are sad that it is over and you wish it would go on for a few more days. “Never again!” turns in to “When can I do this again?”, faster than I can finish my espresso.

Sitting at the Café du Cyclist in Nice, chatting with other riders, you see the spark in their eyes. People glow when they arrive and you can see that it changes them. There are harder events out there, much harder, but life is not a competition. It is about getting out of your own comfort zone, about pushing the boundaries of what you think you can do.

Joachim Rosenlund is a team rider at Bombtrack Bicycle Co. odinavatar OSM Films is a small creative video production company based in Slovenia. www.osmfilms.com | osmfilms | osmfilms

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Waterproof

Apidura Saddle pack

spare bib , rain/wind jacket, spare jersey, spare pair of socks, long sleeve merino jersey, thin fleece jacket, leg warmers

Apidura Frame bag

Spare part, tools, head torch, batteries, wallet, knife and food, food, food! Bars, chocolate, nuts and raisins, but also take away Pizza (wrapped)

Bombtrack hook EXT

steel frame with carbon fork

Tires

WTB Nano 27.5� x 2.1�

Photo by OSM Films

Apidura Top tube bag USB-charger, phone and charger cables


Navigation

Garmin Etrex 30

on 100% waterproof, sturdy, runs but button AA batteries, no touch screen h gloves on, means you can easily use it wit with sweaty hands and so on

f Waterproo

roll t n o r F a r u id p A and bivvy bag

at sleeping bag, m My sleep system:

put my mat and Before I start, I de the bivvy bag sleeping bag insi gether. This way, and roll it up to g is all I have to do in the evenin w take it out, roll it out and blovy Biv the ide ins ill up the mat (st bag) and I’m ready to sleep. It is much faster and easier to handle than when rolling tely and packing the three separa and works really well!

Apidura Accessory pocket Food, food, food!


The 2nd

TORINO-NICE RALLY A 700km journey over high cols and stradas No entry fees No timing No support Cues + GPS provided

5TH SEPTEMBER 2017 Meet for food + drinks 4th Sept, 6pm onward See site for details 38

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Bombtrack at the Torino-Nice Rally 2016 is a short film by Bombtrack Bicycle Co. and OSM Films Rider: Joachim Rosenlund (bombtrack.com/team/joachim/) Production: Tina Lagler & Blaž Miklič / OSM Films (osmfilms.com) Sounddesign: Guido Craveiro at Pork & Rabbit Studios, Pulheim Graphic Design: Marko Šajn / cognitive-state.com Music: Homeless Atlantic “Newfoundland” & “Drift”, Dana Boulé “Clichy Waltz”

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V I AV E LO T E A M-SHIRT 100% Organic Cotton 155g T-Shirt by Earth PositiveÂŽ Organic cotton & ethically traded & carbon neutral manufacturing = 100% sustainable Fair Wear Foundation = no sweatshop labour Screen printed with water-based ink in Germany

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Words and photography by Jan Mühlethaler

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here’s no up without downs - that’s no secret - like Ying and Yang or day and night. Both determine each other, but still I get surprised over and over again about how thin the line between them sometimes is. Geographically for instance, when a downhill directly leads into the next climb. I guess halfway into Festive 500 I witnessed such a direct change from low feeling to high motivation in the extremest way so far. It all started out so good. Our plan was to ride a few alpine passes for this year’s Rapha Festive 500. Switzerland suffered from a lack of snow in December,

everybody was praying for snow while we checked out road-conditions online every day until Christmas. The first climb we did was Grosse Scheidegg near our hometown of Bern. After the town of Grindelwald you get an impressive view of some of the world’s most famous and scenic mountain-panorama’s. The road up the Grosse Scheidegg from Grindelwald on is a small road closed for traffic and one of my all-time favorite climbs. From Grindelwald on we were climbing in the sun and really did enjoy ourselves. Halfway in the climb there was some snow on the side, but the road was all dry and clean. Then suddenly the road was totally

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covered by snow. Apparently the town of Grindelwald prepared a sledge-course for the tourists missing the snow adventure. Without any question or discussion, we continued our climb. For once light riders and light bikes were a disadvantage - long live steel bikes! At the top we changed into dry baselayers next to a huge snowmobile and the scenic mountaintops. We felt unstoppable and great. Then we drove our campervan to the border of Switzerland, Italy and Austria. We reached Switzerland’s national park somewhat before midnight, and because any form of camping in the park is forbidden, we parked our van next to a huge pile of trees just outside the town of Zernez. And so we tried to sleep - totally hyped for the upcoming adventures. In the morning, the thermometer showed minus 15 degrees Celsius. While we were drinking an espresso at the train station and waited for our friend Sara to arrive, we double-checked today’s route – which basically means that we double-checked the climbs. Our plan was to make a circle with three alpine passes crossing the Austian and Italian border.

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When Sara arrived we definitely were at the peak of our hype and motivation. United and having such an amazing adventure in front of us! We got on our bikes and very soon the valley became more and more narrow and shady. Here the first sunrays would probably arrive in a few hours. And what made it all worse; the road kept on dropping down. Not very steep, but enough for a constantly fast pace. After an hour our little group became very silent. A few hand signs were given for ice or snow on the road, but besides that everyone suffered and tried to get over the cold. Doubts came up, not spoken out but mental. Why couldn’t we just ride our Festive 500 rides on the flat, like everyone else? This would be the return for our laughs when people tried to tell us our trip was an insane idea. They were right and we were blind! Soon we would get really sick, catch pneumonia or worse … and staying in bed while the others finish their 500 kilometres and celebrate New Year’s Eve! Without overstatement I can say that was the lowest point in my entire cycling-time. By the time we reached the Austrian border we all invaded a little shop at the

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border-control. Our water bottles were totally frozen, our collars were icicled and our feet didn’t respond anymore. I had trouble searching for some coins for a coffee because of heavy shivering. No one dared to speak it out loud, but we were all questioning our plan. After a while we weren’t warmed up completely, but at least we got on our bikes again. We crossed the border into Austria and the road immediately kicked in. There we were on the first slopes of the Norberthöhe, hairpin after hairpin. After three serpentines, we reached sunshine. As a Ferrari can go from zero to 100km/h in only a few seconds, we all just went from mental rock-bottom to best time of our lives in only a few hundred meters. From that point on everything else felt like an encore or like a dessert. And there were a few highlights coming up like the frozen lakes of the Reschenpass, a tasty apfelstrudel at the top, a fast descent in the sun, the long climb of the Ofenpass, the wonderful light of the magic hour in the Swiss national park, and the Berninapass the next day together with our Italian Rapha Cycleclub friend Carlo.

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GvD #winterdumachschüsnüt is a short film by Jan Mühlethaler, roja-films about this adventure. Cyclists: Jonas Sutter, Mika Mischler, Sara Buckies & Carlo Gironi Invisible Cyclist, Camera-Operator & Editor: Jan Mühlethaler Music: Beats taken from “Beat Diary” by Julian Sartorius, additional music based on “Sweven” by OKRA © roja-films 2017

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HIGH-RES DIGITAL ISSUES PRINTS AND MORE W W W.VIAVELO.CC/SHOP



Words and photography by Dieter Schietse


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ovember 14th 2016 - We applied officially to participate in the Transcontinental Race 2017. This photo story explains in four chapters why we decided to join the world’s most famous self supported bicycle race.

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July 27th 2015 | Mont Ventoux

We’re climbing Mont Ventoux for the first time. Our goal in 2015 is to ride the ‘cinglé du Ventoux’, a challenge to climb the three sides of Mont Ventoux in one ride. A few kilometers from the summit a rider with bikepacking bags passes us. It’s Neil Philips participating in the Transcontinental Race no3. Mont Ventoux is one of the checkpoints in that year’s race. On the summit we see the TCRNo3 team, giving stamps to the riders who just finished the climb, and joyfully cheering on other riders in their final meters before the summit. It may have been the good weather, or just the Mont Ventoux magic but that day we saw and felt something we wanted to be part of too: the TCR community.

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II

April 23th 2015 | Virton

TCR No4 is coming closer but it’s too early for us to participate. First we must discover the world of long distance cycling. We sign up for the DuoDiagonaal, a race organised by Gunther Desmedt from bikepacking.be. From Virton to Oostende, more than 300 kilometres diagonally through Belgium with 3 obligatory checkpoints. You create your own route and ride your race self-supported. It’s like a one day Belgian Transcontinental Race.

April 24th 2015, 6:15 am | Oudenaarde

We were hoping for a beautiful sunrise to end our fight against the sleep after riding the night in complete darkness, but instead it starts raining and a hailstorm comes up. The average temperature since the start at 5:00 pm is 2 degrees and despite two nightstops in bank offices to warm our hands and feet, we’re cold. Too cold to continue. We weren’t prepared for this weather. A beginner’s mistake. Our first long-distance cycling adventure ends here, after 280 kilometres.

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III

May 6th 2016 | Condroz

We’re on a short cycling holiday in the Condroz in Belgium. The feeling in our hands and feet is back and despite being scratched from the DuoDiagonaal the Transcontinental Race is still on our minds. How would it be to ride more than 300 kilometres a day? And to repeat that the next day? And the next? And the next? For 15 days in a row? How would it feel to keep on pedalling with sore legs, hour after hour, day after day? How would it feel to hallucinate on your bicycle because your body is so tired? And how would it feel to finish the world’s most famous long-distance bicycle race? We decide to plan a bikepacking adventure in the summer from the south of Belgium to the Italian Alps. We only carry what fits in our bikepacking bags. Nights are spent at other cyclists’ homes via warmshowers.org or in hotels. From Arlon to the Colle delle Finestre, 1050 kilometres. This bikepacking journey will be our ultimate test before we decide whether to apply for the Transcontinental Race in 2017 or not.

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IV

July 2016 | Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Italy

In seven days and six rides we arrive on the summit of the Colle delle Finestre, after 1050 kilometres and 13,950 meters of altitude. In the first four days we ride 803 kilometres, straight to Oz en Oisans, on the flanks of the mythic Alpe d’Huez in the French Alps, where our friends from our cycling club Robocyclo are staying for a cycling holiday. During the fifth ride we cross the Alps via the Col the Lauteret and the Col du Galibier. Our sixth ride is a short climb to the top of the Colle delle Finestre. It’s difficult to express how we feel about the journey we made. The days were long, but simple. Wake up. Eat. Ride. Eat. Ride. Eat. Sleep. Wake up. Eat. Ride. Eat. Ride. Eat. Sleep. Nothing more. When we were riding, we were longing to take a break to stretch our backs, drink a coke or a coffee, to eat a slice of pizza instead of the sweet things you’re constantly eating on the bike.

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But during that very break, we just wanted to get back on our bikes as soon as possible to continue our route and get closer to our destination. We rode through so many beautiful places. Places we would normally stop, take a break and enjoy the view, eat something, drink a beer and just relax. But this time we kept on riding. A lot of people crossed our path. People full of stories. Stories we will never know, because we continued riding. It’s strange to travel that way. You know you’re missing some essential parts of what travelling is normally about. But, despite of missing all those things, it also brings a mental rest when the only thing you have to do is keep on pedalling, spinning the legs. Stroke after stroke. Like the meditation of a monk creating a sand mandala, the constant pedal strokes help you forget other things and free your mind. This journey, we wanted to test our legs and mind for a future Transcontinental Race. Because the stories we heard about the TCR were about hard days, painful legs and mental challenges when things do not go the way you planned them. But they were also about the great feeling of completing a challenge that big, of expanding your limits. In this journey we experienced those feelings, in what was for us a mini version of the TCR. The moment we reached the summit of the Colle delle Finestre, we knew: this is what we want to do. We want to ride TCR No5.

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Epilogue December 31st, 2016

Well, we weren’t lucky in the Transcontinental Race ballot. 850 entries for 300 spots means that a lot of riders got some disappointing news. Still, there are a lot of other beautiful long-distance cycling races left. Like the North Cape 4000, a 4000-kilometre bicycle race from Florence to the North Cape. Maybe our ride on New Year’s Eve was already an omen that our journey is heading north instead of south this summer …

Follow Dieter and Maarten as they take on NC4000 Dieter Schietse | dieterschietse Maarten Henskens | fiex.gent | www.fiex.be


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[ GEAR ]

CYCLE2CHARGE Words and photography by Stephan van Raay

Recently I came across the Cycle2Charge V2. This little device is – combined with a dynamo – a USB charger for your bike. It replaces the stem cap of an Ahead headset and is wired to a front hub dynamo. Inside the Cycle2Charge energy from the hub is converted to USB voltage (5V). Plug in any electronic device that can be charged via USB and start cycling. Simple as that! The Cycle2Charge is a direct competitor to Supernova’s The Plug III (€159) and the Sinewave Reactor ($220) but with one distinct difference: its price tag of only €56,90. With a price roughly a third of the other two devices only one question came to mind: does it work?

The looks The Cycle2Charge is a bit bulkier than two other devices mentioned above. The dome shape is a bit wider than the stem. But Cycle2Charge has a very good reason. If the charger is not in use you can twist the top to hide the USB port to protect it against rain and dirt. No need to fiddle around with small rubber dust caps or something. A cleaver feature!

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The casing is made out of metal and feels really sturdy. In my enthusiasm I totally forgot to weigh the thing before installing! More about that later on.

But does it work?

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meaning your device doesn’t charge anymore, meaning your Garmin starts beeping annoyingly every time you take a corner, head for an intersection, take on a climb and so on.

After installing I took it for a short spin. I switched on my Garmin and plugged a short USB cable into the Cycle2Charge. A beep and the small battery icon told me it was charging. Woohoo!

How slow can you go?

Don’t woohoo too much yet, because now the next question comes up: how slow can you go? This is important because some devices stop working at slower speeds,

To prevent damage to the electronics the Cycle2Charge has a top limit, or overvoltage protection. I went to one of the few climbs in my area and started descending. 30km/h

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I started slowing down. 20km/h … 19 … 18 … 17 … 16 … 15 … still charging! … 14 … 13 … 12 … wow! … 11 … 10 … then it stopped. Still charging at 10km/h, another big woohoo!


… 40 … 50 … still charging. As it turns out there is not an actual top speed where the charger stops working. Instead all the ‘extra’ power is cut away before it enters the critical electronic parts, to put it in my layman’s terms. So, no reason to take it slow on those descends!

Easy install You don’t have to be a electrician to install the charger. Follow this link to our website for an easy how-to. Note: The fork must be open at the bottom for the cable to run through. Otherwise there is a handlebar adapter available.

In conclusion The Cycle2Charge is a USB charger you get easily accustomed too. Turn your bike into a USB power generator in just half an hour. It is a bit bulkier than the competition but adds the easy ‘twist to hide’ feature. With a price of only €56,90 it is a real bargain compared to the other two well-known stem cap USB chargers. Recommended! Pros: affordable price, ‘twist to hide’ protection, works at 10km/h and up Cons: bulkier than competitors €56,90 (excl. shipping) www.cycle2charge.de (in English)

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[ GEAR / ADVERTORIAL ]

STOLEN GOAT CLIMB & CONQUER WINTER CYCLING JACKET Words by Stephan van Raay Photography by Jeroen Dijkstra, Stephan van Raay

If you are cycling in the winter – why wouldn’t you – you know the delicate balance between staying warm enough and sweating too much. A little bit of sweat is not a problem, but being completely soaked, you cool down quickly the moment you stop pedalling. So it’s important to choose the right kit. The jacket, as outer layer, being an important piece of the puzzle. When shopping for a winter cycling jacket you will soon find out there is a lot to choose from. Different fits, different styles, different prices and different materials, water-repellent, waterproof, windproof, insulated and so on. I tried out the Climb & Conquer Winter Cycling Jacket by our sponsor stolen goat. With a price tag of £139 – roughly €165 – I would say it

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belongs to the mid priced winter cycling jackets. What do you get in return? Let’s have a closer look at it.

Cut Stolen goat offers clothing in what they call Race Fit and Performance Fit. The C&C jacket belongs to the latter. Performance Fit means tight, but not body hugging tight, the emphasis more on comfort. It is still very much a fast looking cycling jacket though. Behind its modest look the jacket is pretty technical. It is made from Tempest Protect, a fabric from Bioracer. If you don’t know this brand, you have definitely seen their

professional cycling wear on television during the biggest of races. The C&C jacket is both windproof and waterproof. Stolen goat states that the jacket is designed for temperatures well below 8 degrees. Let’s find out.

Soft lining Inside the jacket is a white lining which is super soft and comfortable. The jacket feels warm right away, even off the bike. During my first long ride the outside temperature was around freezing point. I already wore the jacket before and my guess was that only a long sleeve base layer underneath would be enough. It was. I wasn’t cold at all the entire ride.

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Like a traffic sign

Zip up

On the back there are your standard three pockets. But there is more! One hidden compartment on the right hand side closed with a zip for valuables like your phone. And a really nice safety feature for winter riding: the pockets are made from Pixel 100 fabric. Hardly noticeble at daylight this fabricis is highly reflective at night. You are like a moving road sign to traffic coming from the rear.

For the protection of your precious beard, or comfort in general, the C&C jacket has a zip garage, a piece of fabric on top of the zip. That zip is a YKK by the way. I am not a zip expert, but I have photographed professional workwear and they all swear by this brand too.

Airtight sleeves The cuffs! My former winter jacket only had elastic band at the end of the sleeves, but now real cuffs. And long ones too! They match my winter gloves and overlap nicely.

Next to this red version the jacket is available in a blue, green and orange option for men. For women stolen goat offer a similar red/black jacket and a very stylish ‘claret’ dark red/blue option.

£139.00 (excl. shipping) www.stolengoat.com

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