Brandon is a South Korea based AUDAX rider who rode the KR1200 Brevet event on Audax South Korea's 2022 calendar. It's a 1200km AUDAX ride. Here's the map of the route.
Brandon rode this in 2019, setting a course record of 58 hours, 20 minutes. He was back in 2022 and smashed it with a time of 50 hours, 23 minutes. In doing so, he also set a a record for the fastest 1000km ridden during a sanctioned event in Korea in a time of 41 hours, 48 minutes.
Brandon details his record setting ride in this writeup. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Thank You's : Before jumping into the ride report, this was not an individual effort. I had a lot of support before the event and moral support during the event that helped me push through the best I could. A special thanks to everyone that messaged me during the ride. My phone was tucked away, nice and dry, in my frame bag for most of the ride, but I was able to see the messages on my watch, even if I wasn’t able to reply.
A special thanks to Mijin for helping me keep my sanity while preparing everything the week before the event and for sitting down and helping me prepare 40 individual baggies of carb mix (photo above, recipe later in this post). And lastly, this wouldn’t have been possible without Bas Kragt. He helped recon the route with me and find water stops along the way. He was of essential support during the ride sending messages on Kakao and keeping an eye on my safety during the ride. It was nice to know someone was tracking me if anything went wrong and when things did go wrong he was a lifesaver to have on the other end of the phone.
The rest is pretty long, but I've had a few friends say they're looking forward to reading the play-by-play. In short, it was a tough ride filled with rain, cold, sleep deprivation, and aches and pains. However, with some great support and a few road-side naps, I was able to finish. For the play-by-play, keep reading.
The Prep : I’ve been looking forward to the KR1200 for the last 2 years, but unfortunately it was canceled due to COVID in 2020 and 2021. The last time I rode it, I went to hell and back to finish in a time of 58h 20m through some of the worse weather imaginable.
I dug so deep in 2019, that I knew I would need some luck to go faster. However, they say, “luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” If the opportunity to go faster this year presented itself, then I wanted to make sure that I did everything possible to prepare for it. I did my best to take what I learned during my last KR1200 to try and make myself a faster, more durable rider for my next crack at it. I upped my general knowledge of cycling training over these last few years by diving deep into training methodology and completed a few coaching certifications to better my understanding of how to get faster (this could be a whole other post).
This left me with about a 50 watt increase in FTP compared to 2019. I also changed up my nutrition on the bike, moving to mostly a liquid diet of “Rocket Fuel” (aka my homemade glucose/fructose super mix- 🚀 recipe at the end). I decided to have 4 different flavors of “Rocket Fuel” so I wouldn’t get sick of drinking the same thing all ride. These 2 factors put me in a position to better my time from 2019.
I knew there were so many factors that would be out of my control, but if I could control my fitness and nutrition on the bike, that’d get me a long way in reaching my goal. After some success this year with smaller 200-400 brevets, I had the lofty goal of finishing in 50hrs, but all the stars in the galaxy would have to align for this to happen.
Gear : Weather was going to play a big role in my gear selection. The last thing I wanted was to have a mechanical mid-ride that would knock me out of the event. 2 weeks before the event, the weather was sunshine and rainbows. However, as the event got closer, the weather got worse each time I checked it. I decided to go with my heavy steel bike, a 2015 Salsa Vaya Travel.
It may be quite a bit heavier than my carbon race bike, but it is a tank that can survive almost any ride. Also with the dynamo wheel, I could also charge my electronics while on the bike. Bas also lent me his K-lite and USB-charger so I could use a bright light with my dynamo set-up. Little did I know, choosing the heavy steel bike would end up being one of the best decisions I could have made once the rain started pouring down.
I was also using a new GPS head unit, the Hammerhead Karoo 2. I was a little skeptical if it could handle a ride like this so I also brought my old head unit along as well. The great thing about the Karoo 2 was that I could send out a live-tracking link for others to follow me and keep tabs on where I was. This extra level of support and safety was essential late in the ride. We had a drop bag in Sangju that we’d visit twice at about every 400km of the event, so I tried to keep the bike as light as possible and keep heavier items in my drop bag.
For clothes, I had 2 pairs of RedWhite Cargo Bibs, 2 jerseys (one hot weather, one merino), Castelli Gore-tex rain jacket and cycling pants, Fizik cycling shoes, and my trusty POC helmet with my Exposure Light on top. I started with the warm weather jersey and RedWhite Cargo Bibs. My drop bag mostly had “Rocket Fuel” along with an extra change of clothes and charged external battery packs.
Divided into 3 parts :
I’m writing this about a week after the event. A lot of the event was a blur due to extreme fatigue and just being on the bike for so long. I was also a hurting unit after the ride and had brain fog for a few days after as well. I was able to get a lot of the details from my ride data, Bas’s Instagram stories, and chat messages along the way. I doubt I could put every memory and thought of the ride on paper, but hopefully, this will give one perspective of what the riders went through to complete the KR1200 in 2022.
Part 1: Start to Sangju (451km)
The first part of the ride was the best. I was surrounded by friends, the sun was shining, and we were moving fast. Jason Ham and I shared a hotel the night before and had our alarms set for 4:00am.
We woke up with the energy of the day already pumping through our veins, ate breakfast, and spun to the start. We were greeted by about 140 other riders and event staff. The event started at 6am. We were given the go-ahead by Jan and quickly rode to a red light about 100m from the start. Not quite the fast-paced start we were hoping for. After that, we cruised towards Sangju in a group of about 40, which whittled down to about 10 after the first 100km.
We were then left with 5 riders after the second CP (control point): Jihak Kim, Jason Ham, Sang Jun Je, another rider (I didn’t catch his name), and myself. This part of the ride was a blast chatting with other riders, blasting down descents with Sang Jun, and just being in good company. We hit the sea wall about 5 hours into the ride. This part can make or break your ride depending on the wind. It’s about 30km of a road raised above the ocean with nowhere to hide from the wind.
Luckily, our group of riders worked well together to fight the wind and finished the seawall without emptying the tank too much. We then got to our 3rd CP in Maryang. It was getting really hot by this time, so when we got to the convenience store we opted for some water and Coca Cola on ice. Jinhak didn’t want his legs to cool down too much, so he left our group a bit earlier than the rest. I left a couple of minutes later, leaving Jason and Sang Jun to finish their snacks. Little did I know that this would be the last time seeing them on the ride.
I could see Jinhak in the far distance and caught up to him after a few kilometers. We were planning on just spinning easily so Jason and Sang Jun could catch up, but that easy spinning speed was about 25kph and if we didn’t stop completely it would be hard for them to catch up. I decided at that point that I would just push on towards Sangju and hoped we may see each other again if we ended up sleeping at different times.
Little did I know, at about the time that I decided to push on, Jason and Sang Jun had actually ridden hard to catch Jinhak and me. After the ride, Jason said that he could see me in the distance and ended up catching Jinhak and riding together with him to Sangju). The next couple CPs flew by. I tried to stay as aero as possible in my TT bars and kept up on my nutrition. I then reached Malti Pass which was one of the most difficult and most beautiful climbs on the whole route. It was back-to-back switchbacks, lit up with streetlights, all the way to the peak.
When I got to the top, I was supposed to take a picture of what I thought was a colourful tunnel. I search and searched the parking lot at the top for the right picture, but couldn’t find it. After about 5 minutes of running circles in a parking lot, I realized that it wasn’t a picture of a tunnel, but a picture of a big black rock in front of a light stone wall. I snapped the picture and sailed down the descent towards Sangju.
When I arrived in Sangju at 10:30pm, I was greeted by Bas and Jan. They were working the CP in Sangju and helping with drop bags. I was about 1 hour ahead of schedule at this point. I was hoping to sleep for an hour or so since it had already been about 450km in the hot sun. However, Bas convinced me that I should keep going in hopes of making more time before the rain came. I got to my drop bag, changed into my merino jersey, grabbed my rain gear, restocked on “Rocket Fuel” and was off into the night ready to face the elements.
Part 2 : Sangju to the east coast and back to Sangju (374km)
On pre-COVID brevets, most of our CP’s would be convenience stores and we’d get a stamp at each one. This is convenient since you can stock up on water and snacks. However, during COVID, many of the CPs are now landmarks in the area that we take pictures of to avoid gathering many riders inside at one place.
This makes for a quick CP stop but also leaves the riders into figuring out where to get water and fuel along the route. I was lucky enough to have Bas help me recon the route beforehand and load convenience stores along the route on my GPS head unit. This was all working very well until around 2:10am on Sunday when I arrived at a convenience store on my GPS, low on water and fuel, only for it to be CLOSED!!!
I looked and looked, but there was nothing else around. I messaged Bas “CU CLOSED. Another????”. This led to a 2hr search for water. Bas was on messenger looking for places to get water. We tried a supermarket-closed, a 711-closed, a camp sight for spring water (apparently the spring water was the actual freaking river). Finally, I came up on an auto camping spot that Bas had pinned and there was a public restroom outside. Also outside was a little boy standing outside of the women’s bathroom at 4:28am! I wasn’t sure if I was hallucinating or if he was really there.
I said “Hi” to him and he bowed and said “hello” back. I then went into the bathroom to find a sink and filled up my bone-dry bottles. The little boy stood there watching me the whole time as I put my sugar mix into my bottles. I told him “goodbye” and was off again. I messaged Bas that I found water there and he later said he and Jan were like cheering like it was a goal at the World Cup. I then reached the east coast and was greeted with the coastal winds and undulating hills.
The coastal roads never disappoint. I made it through CP8 in Yeongdeok, which is where I slept for a few hours in a hotel in 2019. Up to this point, I hadn’t slept yet since waking up at 4am the previous day and it was now 5:35am and 620km into the ride. My hope was to make it all the way back to Sangju and find a nice comfy bed to sleep in for an hour or 2, but Sangju was still about 200kms away.
I made it about 4 more hours until I started to fall asleep on the bike. The last thing I wanted to do was crash and be out of the event. I tried everything to stay awake : singing, slapping myself, shining my light in my face, etc. However, I couldn’t stop the sleep from creeping in. I found a gazebo on the side of the road and messaged Bas at 9:52am that I couldn’t go any farther and would be taking a 30min nap.
I was really hurting by this point and urgently needed sleep. I set my phone alarm for 10:20am and laid down on the hard wooden floor, helmet and all. I immediately had the weirdest sensation. It was like the movie “Get Out” when the character is hypnotized and enters the black void. I could feel myself spinning and spinning, head over heels into this black abyss. Then all of a sudden, my alarm went off. It was the fastest 30 minutes of my life. Amazingly, all it took was a little nap to get some of my power back and feel “almost” like new.
I can’t exactly remember when the rain started, but I know it didn’t end until I almost reached the finish. I stopped and put on my rain jacket and rain pants before Sangju. I kept pedaling and pedaling until I got close to the city. The rain was really coming down by this point and I could see Jan standing in front of the CP. I felt miserable, wet from head to toe, delirious from lack of sleep, my quads, knees, and ankles were starting to swell, and my ass was getting rubbed raw after being wet from the rain and sitting on my saddle for so long. When I arrived at the CP, I mustered an “It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?” to Jan and Bas as the rain poured down. I’ve had so many people encouraging me along the way that I didn’t want to show how much I was really suffering at the time. Bas remarked that I looked “fresh” but I really think it was him just trying to up my spirits.
I had ridden for 32h 32m for 824km with 30 minutes of sleep. If I really looked fresh, he must have had something in his eye. :) All I wanted at this point was a shower and a bed. I went to the hotel and grabbed my drop bag and a room. I stripped down out of my soaking wet gear and jumped into the shower. Bas remembers me saying “Ah, hot water! Come on!” but it finally warmed up and I washed all the grit and grime off of me that had been sandpapering my skin for the last few hours.
I then looked at my progress chart and realized that the last leg of the ride took me from being up an hour to being behind an hour. The rain and fatigue really hit me during that last leg. I was planning on getting 2 hours of sleep in Sangju, but disappointedly set my alarm for just 1 hour. I needed to minimize sleep and keep going if I wanted to stay on pace.
Part 3 : Sangju to the finish (376km)
I woke up and jumped into a new pair of RedWhite Cargo bib shorts with fresh chamois cream. It felt so good after being in the same pair of bibs for the last 32 hours. With the Cargo bibs, I like to put my brevet card and credit card in the side pocket. This way, no matter what I’m doing, I’ll always have them on me. This works great until you decide to change bibs mid-ride and forget them in your dirty bibs.
I set off into the rain with some newly found power in my legs, only to realize after 5 minutes that I had left my brevet card and credit card in my old bibs. I raced back to the hotel room, disoriented and not remembering the room number. I was finally able to find the correct room and rushed off again into the rain, this time with my brevet card and credit card. Another thing that I put into my back jersey pocket during this stop was an emergency blanket. The rain was getting cold and I was rushing off into the evening and knew it was going to get cold. Never did I imagine that I’d actually need the emergency blanket.
I arrived at the next CP, CP11 in Goryeong, after another wet 99km at 8:28pm.
I was wet, tired, and battered. The rain was relentless at this point and didn’t show any signs of letting up during the night. I also started to shiver uncontrollably as the rain outside my rain jacket was pulling the heat from my body. Upon reaching the CP, I was shivering to the point that it was hard to steer my bike. The photo CP was next to a GS25 convenience store, so I went inside to try and warm up with a lukewarm coffee.
I asked the clerk if they carried any hot packs and she looked at me like I was stupid. I then realized that it was early June and why on earth would they have any hot packs. It was at this point that I was actually scared to continue. I would be riding through the Korean countryside in the middle of the night, away from everywhere and anyone. I was either going to have to find a way to keep warm on the bike or find shelter somewhere to get warm for the night, severely jeopardizing any hopes of a PR. I then remembered the emergency blanket in my left jersey pocket. I opened up this little card-sized blanket which opened into the size of a full bedspread. I wrapped and wrapped that foil blanket around my torso, chest, and shoulders under my cycling jersey and rain jacket in the hopes that my body wasn’t shutting down enough still to make sufficient heat and that the blanket would help keep some of that heat in.
I started to pedal towards CP12 but the shivering continued. I was looking for a bridge or tunnel to take shelter in to warm up when I hit a small hill. This hill was enough to bring up my heart rate to make produce some good ol’ body heat. The shivering stopped and the blanket started to do its job. Although the shivering stopped, the rain did not.
The leg to the next CP in Sacheon, CP12, was one of the longest of the entire ride. It would be 119km before I would reach the next CP and refuel.
The course profile didn’t look very hilly, but after being on the bike for 38 and a half hours, every hill felt like a mountain, and every mountain felt impossible. As I was cresting one of the larger hills in this stretch in the pitch dark and pouring rain, a white SUV pulled up beside me and asked if I was a randonneur and where I was going. He then drove off and I thought that would be the last I saw of him. However, he drove a safe distance in front of me and put on his hazards any time that a sharp corner was coming up. This was extremely helpful with the rain in your eyes in the dark. I reached the bottom of the hill and he shouted, “화이팅” (meaning “Let’s go!”).
After some time, I then turned off one of the bigger roads and the GPS route had me turning onto a bike path. However, when I got to the bike path, all I saw were contraction cones, dirt, and heavy machinery. It was the dead of night, so I couldn’t see how far the construction went. I tried to ride on the dirt/gravel a ways just to see if it was only a short section of the path that they were repairing, but it seemed to go on and on. I decided to turn around and jump back on the bigger road. Luckily, the Karoo 2 head unit re-routed me back on track and I joined the main route about 15 minutes later. This was about an extra 5km that I really didn’t want to ride and while racing the clock, precious minutes were wasted.
On my way to CP12, I got a message from Bas congratulating me on the fastest 1000km ridden in a KORA event in a time of 41hrs 48min, a PB of about 10 hours for me. This brought my spirits back up after the bike path detour incident. I only had 200km to go, but I knew it was going to be a long 200km.
I wasn’t able to make it to Sacheon before fatigue started to creep in again. I found a gazebo bus stop on the side of the road and let Bas know I would be taking a 10-minute nap. That’s right, a whole 10 minutes. I was out like a light and back on the bike before I knew it. To my surprise, a 10-minute nap brought power back to my legs and I felt a lot better. The rain continue, but so did I toward Sacheon.
I arrived at 1:52am, grabbed some water, mixed in my “Rocket Fuel,” snapped my CP pic, and was off again. Only one more CP and then it’s the finish. 158KM to go!
Between CP 12 and 13, the night monsters would come again, forcing me off the bike for another 10-minute nap in another gazebo. Another issue was all the grime on my bike from the rain. My front derailed was really sticky from all of the gunk and wasn’t shifting correctly into the smallest chainring. This wasn’t a problem on the flats, but when I hit a steep hill, it sometimes wouldn’t shift into the small chainring, leaving me to muscle it up the hill (and there wasn’t much left of my muscles at this point).
I arrived in Gokseong, CP 13, around 6:05am. I rode right to the control point on the map and I was supposed to take a picture of an old train station. However, when I went to the point on the map, there was no train station to be seen. I saw a train and a fence, but no train station. I thought it was just the fatigue getting to me, so I looked around and still didn’t see a train station. I rode around a bit and finally found the train station which was about 100m in the previous driveway. I had ridden right past it. Although, no fault of my own, the GPS file had misplaced the pin for the CP. I snapped my pic and let Jan know that the CP was in the wrong place on the map and was credited 15 minutes for identifying the mistake and letting them know. I then headed off for the finish. Only 56km to go!
The last 56km to the finish was a collection of the roughest roads on the whole course, or at least that’s how it felt on my butt. By this point, my bibs had been wet for hours with road grit and grime finding its way into my shorts and acting like sandpaper. Every bump was misery and there were lots of bumps in this last section. Luckily the rain had let up and I was able to take off my rain kit and let everything dry out a bit.
The weather app had said that I would hit a tailwind around this point and would just sail into the finish at 35kph with minimal effort. However, there was no tailwind to be found and I instead had to pedal hard just to keep it around 25kph. I had the singular focus to just keep pedaling, although my mind was trying to find any reason to stop and pull over. My butt hurt, so I should pull over for more chamois cream, I’m tired so another nap won’t hurt, my feet hurt so I should stop to adjust my shoes… No! Just keep going! As I got closer, I started to see signs for Gwangju. After several bumpy farm roads, I finally entered the city! Before the finish, there was one last small hill. My mind said “f*ck it, we’re almost there!” and I was able to sprint up the last hill knowing that I’d be off of the bike soon. I arrived at the finish at 8:38am in an official time of 50:23 dreaming of a crowd of people cheering me into the finish only to arrive at a closed bike shop and nobody around. I snapped my finishing CP pic and sat at the front of the closed bike shop with my shoes off, just exhausted. I filled out my brevet card with all of my times and let out a sigh of relief that it was all over.
* * * * *
I’m writing this a week after the event. My body was a mess after the event. After the event, I found the only fast-food restaurant open nearby and ordered 2 large value meals. I scarfed down the 2 burgers, fries, and colas and was still hungry afterwards. I was supposed to drive back to Busan on Monday since I had class on Tuesday afternoon, but I was in no shape to drive.
I rode back to my hotel and got another room for the day/night. I showered and went to bed around 11am. In the meantime, I was also tracking Jinhak and Jason. Jinhak was the second finisher around 6:45pm and ended up with a PR as well. I was able to get around and greet Jinhak at the finish. We grabbed some Korean BBQ afterwards and it was good to talk about our adventures. Jason was the third finisher, also finishing with a PR as well at around 2am. I hate the feeling of arriving at the finish with nobody around, so I drove back down to the finish to greet Jason too. He finished with a smile on his face and was just as relieved to be finished as I was.
I was so happy that Jinhak and Jason were both able to finish safely and PR on the event as well. Jason and I shared the motel room for the night and downed a whole pizza together and stayed up late into the night with adrenaline still pumping. It was wild talking about our rides, the high points, and the low points. We both had our share of highs and lows but were able to get through them, even with the miserable weather conditions. In the end, 79 riders (58%) finished and 58 DNF’d (42%).
For the gear, the Karoo 2 was brilliant. I was really worried about charging it in the rain, but I put a zip-lock bag over it and it stayed dry. My other head unit, the Wahoo Roam, was anything but. If I had only ridden with the Wahoo Roam, I would have been severely at a disadvantage. It would reset itself every 150-200km and I would lose all of the data. It was a complete dumpster fire.
Nutrition was the single biggest improvement over 2019. Having my “Rocket Fuel” ready in every bottle helped ensure that the calories were still trickling into my system even when my stomach shut down and I didn’t want to ingest any solid foods. At no time in the ride did I feel like bonking and my stomach stayed happy for the entire ride.
The RedWhite Cargo shorts kept my butt as comfortable as the conditions allowed and the side/back pockets came in handy to carry light pieces of kit (just don’t forget your brevet card when changing to a new pair) 😅.
My bike stood up well to the conditions too but was absolutely thrashed at the end of the ride. I’ll have to do a detailed overhaul of it before the next big ride. The Redshift Sports dual-position seatpost and suspension stem were also great and helped keep my position comfortable on the bike. My legs were also thrashed. I could hardly walk for the first 3 days after the event. One week later, I’m walking fine, but my legs are still sore. I had the appetite of an elephant for the first few days after the event as well. According to my cycling computer, I burned 32,693 calories, roughly equivalent to 450 cheeseburgers or 300 slices of pizza. Luckily a had a few of both after the ride. :)
I am extremely happy with my results and I know that I pushed myself as hard as I could go without breaking physically or mentally. In the back of my mind though, seeing the time of 50:23 really has me wanting to put a 49 in front next time. I knocked an outstanding 8 hours off of my 2019 time, which I thought at the time was close to impossible to improve upon. To go any faster I’d really need for everything to line up perfectly. I’m planning on taking a couple of weeks off the bike, but then will get back into the training just in case the stars align next year, I’ll be ready for my preparation to meet the opportunity of another “lucky” ride.
Ingredients:
Also needed:
Measure out the sugar and maltodextrin on a food scale. Add 3 TBS of table salt and put all ingredients together in a big plastic tub. Shake well.
I then use a 1/3 cup for a scooper with leaves me with ~78g of carb mix for each level scoop according to my food scale. I then put each serving in an individual zip-lock bag and plan for one serving per hour (if this is your sole source of fuel). This mixture leaves you with a 2:1 glucose to fructose ratio and around 20 servings with each serving costing around $.25 USD (I’ve gotten this down to about $.20 by buying the sugar and maltodextrin in bulk).
For the KR1200, I was anticipating 45hrs of ride time so I prepared 40 baggies of mix with the assumption that I wouldn’t solely be fueling off of the mix since I had my stash of stroopwaffels. I carried 12 baggies of the mix for each leg of the event and had a few extras in my drop bag if I needed them. By the end of the ride, I had consumed around 35 packets.
It’s recommended to mix one 78g serving with 1L of water to get the correct osmolarity so you don’t end up with stomach issues. However, I’ve used it successfully on 200-400km brevets with 800ml bottles without any stomach issues. It may take some testing and gut training to see what works well for you. For the 1200km brevet above, I had two 1000ml bottles and one 750ml bottle and used the same 78g serving for each. If you get a stomach ache due to it being too concentrated, just drink more water to balance it out.
Depending on your taste, you can reduce the ratio of sugar to maltodextrin, since maltodextrin isn’t as sweet as sugar. Maltodextrin also doesn’t contain any fructose, so you’d be potentially limiting the amount of carbs that can be absorbed per hour.
This article goes into a deep dive : https://www.climbingnutrition.com/supplements/make-your-own-sports-drink/
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The Kingmaker 1000 is a 1000km event on the New Zealand Randonneurs 2022 calendar. Mark Thomson rode over 737km of the route before bad weather forced him to stop. Here's his account of the event (originally published on Komoot).
. . .
This event centers on the Waikato town of Matamata. A sleepy little shire where the filming of hobbits began, and ended, where kingdom's rose and fell, and battles were won and lots.
But this ride is not about a fictional kingdom. This ride covers the land once ruled by a real kingmaker: Wiremu Tamihana Tarapipipi Te Waharoa. A Waikato chief who was instrumental in the setting up of the Waikato Kingitana movement, and the ordination of the Maori King, the first being Potatau Te Wherowhero. And even today, his descendants still ordain the next heir to the Maori throne. Wiremu Tamehana is memorialized in the Matamata All Saints church on Hohaia Street, in a Stained glass window.
This is an unsupported ride. All legs start and finish in Matamata, allowing riders to use it as a central base. My plan is to carry minimal sleeping gear and get some sleep in the night... where... we shall see.
The event is effectively split into 3 parts, each one starting and finishing in Matamata.
Part 1 - Starting outside the Waikato Information center the first day of the ride covers the South Waikato region of Cambridge, Te Awamutu and Otorohonga, before finishing back in Matamata. The first day has the most hills.
Part 2 - Day two travels North beside the Kaimai ranges through Te Aroha, and heads up to the Waharau Regional Park. On the return leg, the course travel across to Ngaruawahi, and past the original Maori Parliament House. before returning to Te Aroha and then back down to Matamata to finish leg 2.
Part 3 (not ridden due to weather) - The final leg of the challenge again travels North, besides SH2, to Waharoa and heads up through what once was thick Kahikatea swamp, but is now rich dairy farmland. The course heads up through the Western edge of Tearoha before crossing over to Morrinsville, before moving on to Gordonton. From Gordonton the course returns through Morrinsville, and back down through the Western edge of Te Aroha back to Matamata to finish.
I started at 06:00 on the 16th - Easter Saturday. It was cold but not enough for full jacket and winter gloves. Setting off into the quiet Waikato dark, the wrong way... hardly an auspicious start... re-orient... double check, go the right way!
I was mostly familiar with the route to Cambridge and growing up I knew the area around the towns I would be riding. The wind was calm, the traffic quiet as I got to my first checkpoint at Cambridge. Too early for coffee so after a toilet stop carried on. Dropping out of Cambridge was a long flat run across the peatland to Te Awamutu - now that is the time for coffee. Met a family of 5 - soon to be 6 - all out for a morning bimble on their bikes! That was great to see.
Heading to Te Awamutu from Cambridge over peatland
The course loops with and out and partial back to into the King Country and Otorohanga, following the infant Waipa River, and back to Te Awamutu. Rolling country, incredibly pretty. A quick sprint loop (ha ha...) out to Pirongia and I am in good time to make dinner at Cambridge. Found a Turkish takeaway - sadly they only had chicken, but it went down well. Then started the long haul of about 80km back to Matamata.. not much to see when it's dark.
Straight into Part 2, but it's cold. I washed my bibs, put on a new pair, and all my winter gear and headed out. It was just on midnight and I was needing sleep. I started looking for good places to stop. The Golf Course had some attractive looking trees and although on a quiet back road they were very close to the road. Then just at my turn off on the next road I came across an abandoned school... perfect, bike over the fence, quiet, dry corner, set out the gear, was in bed and the alarm set for three hours. Bang on 2 hours I was awake as anything... might as well get up. 03:00, 40 minutes to pack down and get sorted and on the road.
The full moon was making it awesome for night riding, but oh it was cold, and nasty cold as I dropped in and climbed out of river valleys on the gently rolling road to Te Aroha. I was faffing around trying to work out why my Pedalcell unit wasn't charging and ran off the road. Dumb mistake, I decided to leave it till the light turned up so I could see. Turns out I had dislodged the cable. Out of Te Aroha the road turns off to a section that avoids the main road but it is a steep roller coaster... then onto the really flat run across the Hauraki Plains. The road runs parallel to a lot of drainage canals. Into Ngatea for breakfast.
Being Easter morning there were few places open. I got a large coffee (should have got a medium... this one was too watery but it was hot...), sorted out all my gear and changed to day riding stuff and set doff. I am now on very familiar roads this leg. The wind has turned up today and it is helping me up the coast, this doesn't bode well for the return. Tag the top of my course and return, sure enough, the wind is a head wind quartering form my left for some and direct headwinds for other sections of the ride as I work my way back through Ngatea and the Tahuna-Paeroa Road, where it will be a tail wind into Tahuna. Sure enough, this 13km section is fast with the wind. Fortunate as well as this is the most busy section of road I will ride. There is a shoulder for some of it with a rumble strip... pick one side or the other... and the shoulder runs out without warning. I'm not looking forward to the headwind return.
Quick stop at Tahuna and off the Ngaruawahia. The Garmin is playing up, confused with the out and back so it is telling me how far away I am from the turn I just made... not helpful. I've got a reasonable idea of where and when I'm heading but I monitor it carefully... going fast in the wrong direction is not helpful. I had a popsicle in Tahuna and the sugar caused swelling in my feet. After 600km my shoes feel too tight. Nuts...won't do that again. Toilets and a quick dinner and shoe re tie, I gave my wife a call and had a chat. That worked as a great pick-me up! The course looped around the town and back past a BP service station where I stopped for food. The shop area is large, and there was no one in there and as there was no place to lock my bike I walked it in with me. It got a very rude reception with the staff member threatening to call the Police... hmmm... won't bother stopping there again.
The course back tracked all the way to Matamata. My Garmin had a moment and shut itself down. Fortunately I didn't lose much distance. I can sort that out later! I took a 30 minute power nap at Tahuna. That was great except when I started riding again I started shivering so hard I couldn't keep the bike straight. Need to work that out better. When I got to the long section of busy road the wind had died away much to my relief. Took me about 30 minutes to traverse the busy road then that was that. Delightfully uneventful.
Turning off the main road onto the roller coaster, i stopped for a quick pee. As I braked my front wheel rolled out from under me on the gravel and I was very quickly dumped on my right hip - ouch! That could have been a show stopper. I check the derailleur and to my joy it was all working. No apparent harm. Phew... on we go. 2km later... dogs... except these ones are out and chasing me. I get off the bike quickly and put it between me and them, then put my light on high beam which startles them enough and they back off. I shout out they should be under control and hope I woke the owners! You know at 23:00 I wasn't really wanting drama like this... no, no... give me a quiet ride... but the night wasn't finished.
Rolling into Te Aroha, feeling good. Warm, comfortable and happy to carry on through the night to finish early. Maybe another cat nap at the school... yes that works!
The wind. Ah... the weather had other ideas... the wind. I have never ridden in conditions like this. The wind... I don't know if tit was peculiar to the area, being close to the Kaimai ranges but the wind, blowing so hard between the buildings, I had to turn downwind or have the bike blown from under me. I ride through town trying to monitor when and where the wind will strike from. I am counting down the km's now to my next turn.
Heavy gust, brings me to a complete halt... WHAT? I need all my gears - and that is on a touring bike with gears low enough. Grinding a loaded bike up 20% inclines, to move into the wind, only to have it shift 90 degrees without warning. I move on, slowly, wary as I go. The wind settles down a bit and I can pick up speed... but it's just playing with me.
The road is the back road. Very little traffic even during the day - nothing at night. This is in my favor. 3 times I am blown from one side of the road into the grass on the other side. If that happened in front of a car it would be likely death, a truck would be a sure thing. This is very risky to continue on anything other than quiet roads, even without the cars the risk of getting blown into something is high.
My plans are now rapidly changing. I'm not prepared to ride with other traffic in these conditions. First priority now is to keep upright and on the road. Listen out for vehicles and get off as they approach.
The wind continues to use me as a play thing. Sudden wind shear causing strong winds changing direction 180 degrees in an instant. Fast approaches down hill you need to watch the land forms as you come out from behind a cutting or hedge. I am forced off to walk up some of the hills, but I'm close now. I turn off the road and have 6km to the school. The wind is a bit more with me now much to my relief but still intimidating.
I get to the school, it is 01:00 hours. Doing some calculations I have about 15 minutes to take me to the end of this section then start the remain 260km. Going slowly, I can do a 13 hour 200 and complete the 60km in 3 hours, so say 16 to 18 hours riding time to complete given the conditions. I set my alarm for 05:30 with a view to be riding at 06:00, knowing this will put my finish close to midnight if I continue.
05:30 - alarm goes off, wind is no better and rain is moving in. I checked the forecast on the phone and my suspicions are confirmed. I roll over and go back to sleep for another hour... I'm not completing this one.
I get up, pack, feeling a little annoyed but happy with my decision. I get to the Matamata checkpoint and sign off, notifying the organizers I am pulling out, turn off my Garmin to record the final distance of 737km.
All in all a great ride, with too much drama at the end. I finished feeling strong and was satisfied I had maintained my eating, drinking and mental well being. I was happy I made the decision to pull out, and even happier when the rain started later in the morning. But there is unfinished business here!
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Most cyclists would have heard about Everesting at some point on their cycling journey. Hells 500, the creators of Everesting, describe it as “Fiendishly simple, yet brutally hard. Everesting is the most difficult climbing challenger in the world”. It’s a simple concept. Find a hill and ride it repeatedly until you reach the vertical height of Everest of 8848 meters.
2021 in Australia was running smoothly with Covid suppressed. However, in the middle of the year, an outbreak in New South Wales plunged us back into lockdown. This put all my cycling events on hold. I watched them get postponed or cancelled one by one.
One of these events was the NSW Police Legacy Remembrance ride. This ride raises money for families of fallen Police Officers. I made a decision that Covid wouldn’t stop me and decided to continue with my fundraising efforts - solo. I wanted to plan a ride that would be Covid-proof. No lockdown rules could jeopardise the ride and, on a whim, I committed to an Everesting attempt.
I had long dreamt of the idea but never seriously considered it. I’m not much of a climber but am gifted with a “diesel” cycling engine and can chug along for hours on end. As I began my research it dawned on me the mammoth task that was at stake, I tracked down some cyclists who successfully completed an Everesting attempt. All had similar advice “Don’t!”. This speaks volumes about the task ahead of me.
About 12:15 am on Friday the 3rd of September 2021 I packed my car, slipped on my Navy RedWhite bib shorts (to match my blue Police Legacy kit) and set off for Mt Keira, Wollongong - my chosen mountain.
I started the ride at 12:51 am and successfully completed 24 ascents for a total elevation gain of 8923 meters. The effort took a total moving time of 13 hours and 43 minutes.
During this ordeal I never once regretted my bibshort choice. Not a single saddle sore or chaffing. I can not recommend RedWhite Bibshorts enough!
For those contemplating an Everesting attempt I will leave you with this quote about resilience :
“When your head in exploding under the pressure bearing down on you,
When your guts are being torn apart by chaos and crisis, when you
want to quit, when everyone wants you to quit, resilience is the dark drug that whispers to you:
Keep going.
Because you know you can. You must.
When you have nothing to lose, you’re free to do anything"
-Tim Grover-
By the time we hit the second half of the race, I was doing well, I was still the same distance behind Vlad, Bryan and Itai behind me weren't getting closer and I felt strong - boy was I in for a surprise.
The desert hit me unawares. I had never ridden the desert in Israel and didn’t realize just how hard it would be. Massive climbs with no shade, blistering heat (35C) and terrain that isn’t really rideable. I was doing everything I can not to ride in the heat, be it long nights, 24 hour rides or day breaks, but it wasn’t working, I hit the heat everyday and my physical and mental state was deteriorating. My riding and sleep patterns became erratic trying to outrun the sun.
On the last day I saw an opening, Vlad had gotten held up in front of me and was closer than ever, only 2.5 hours away. I decided to give him a fight and pushed hard after only half an hour of sleep the previous night. All was well until I was 2 hours from Eilat when the fatigue hit me. I started falling asleep on my bike and decided to take a nap, only to awake to hallucinations and vertigo. I made it to Eilat 2.5 hours later than planned, only 5 hours after the winner.
This was the hardest, most exciting and humbling experience I have ever done. I discovered a community of beautiful people who welcome anyone and everyone who want to participate. A sport where you are tested not just for your physical capabilities but also your mental preparedness and training. A race where it’s all about the long game, where every minute counts. A country whose landscapes are beautiful all throughout. A hobby for life.
I have to thank everyone who was there to support me while I was training and racing, be it by phone, messages, visiting and just watching. Thank you to the community for going ahead with the event despite the Covid difficulties, and thank you to organizers who devised the most sadistic route possible, in order to make one feel that much more proud in their achievement.
Well I have been using my bib shorts for several months now with great comfort.
Back in August I decided to put them to the ultimate test and entered the Hoodoo500. This was both a IRL and virtual event taking place in the state of Utah. The competitors had to complete 510 miles and 30,000 feet of elevation gain.
I entered on the Zwift platform and surprisingly finished the virtual event in first place taking 31 hours to complete it. For the most part I rode continuously without a sleep break. The shorts worked wonderfully and I will certainly need to get in an order for a few more pairs for my next event in November.
The event offered a virtual and IRL category and people competed in both separately because of the Pandemic state restrictions. My buddy from Ohio was able to travel to the actual event and compete but I was not because of my states mandates. Incidentally, my buddy Gianni won the race in his category.
]]>I have been riding a bike for long rides for a while now. Completing my first American century (100 miles) ride in the late 1970’s, and my first really long ride (in gym shorts and t-shirts!) of about 9,000km in about 1989 - meandering across the USA and Canada.
I decided to give RedWhite bibs a try about 3-4 years ago, and now they are the only bibs I have other than foul weather bibs.
I have since used them on a 2 month fully loaded tour in France of about 3,000km and 15,000m of climbing, and a 4 day 850 km self-supported sprint from Lyon to La Roche-sur-Yon.
In 2019, I finished the single stage Natchez Trace 444 (715km and about 4,000m of climbing) race in a pair of RedWhite bibs in 29 hours, well actually 2 pairs, and walked away pretty comfortably.
I have found my RedWhite Bibs to be comfortable, durable, and long lasting – even on long self supported tours where proper cleaning/care can be a challenge. I am extremely happy with their quality and have recommended them to a number of my friends. Planning on doing an epic ride again this coming summer – possibly self supported across Canada (Vancouver – Halifax), or a formal race like the Japanese Odyssey.
]]>I bought my Long Distance Bibs back in July, after the re-stock, knowing that I had some longer mountain rides in store. Living in Denver, CO, USA, there are plenty of beautiful mountain rides and many vertical feet to climb.
I’ve had a goal to ride Trail Ridge Road, in Rocky Mountain National Park, for the better part of a year. I hadn’t put much thought into it this year as I had a couple other goals to tick off. Once those were done, however, I was in a good position to hit this one as a timely weekend trip put me within striking distance.
I knew it was late in the season, but the 32-F temperature in the morning pressed the point home. Tights over my RedWhite bibs were a must. From my start point, I had 30 miles of rollers before a steady incline gave way to 12 miles of 5-7% of grinding grade. I could feel the elevation, and popping above the treeline was definitely an exposed feeling. In all, it was 106 miles out-and-back.
As always, the descent is worth the climb. Trail Ridge Road was designed with a minimum curve radius of 100’ so, switchbacks and hairpins were great for carrying speed. Then, it was back to rollers and some work back to the ranch.
My RedWhite bibs held up great on this long day (8 hours in the saddle), as I knew they would. These are the ones I pull down when I know I’m in for a long day in the saddle. Well done, Yuva.
(Sorry my tights were covering my RedWhite bibs. It was cold!)
]]>I’m not normally seduced by Facebook advertising, however your adverts kept on coming up on my feed, so I decide to give them a go; however I’m not normally a roadie. My riding career is fairly varied from a short lived BMX race (yes, singular), to social mountain biking in Canberra, Australia which is where I fell into the ‘right’ crowd of social roadie commuters. Coffee and breakie spots every Tuesdays followed by ice creams on the way home; however at this point, I was a Bellwether bib rider, as they had nice plush chamsios.
Though it all changed when I followed the first Indian Pacific Wheel Race (IPWR) as a dot watcher and was enthralled by watching the dots every moment I could; however when Mike passed away during the right, it really affected me. I ended up seeing a psychiatrist (for other reasons as well) that helped me realign what is important to me and what I want to achieve in the future. As I liked riding, he recommended that I look into long distance bike riding and with his threat to call me two days after our session to ensure I signed up to a race, I soon entered my first Audax (which was a 300km) and my first multi day event, the Transatlantic Way (TAW).
I must have been phone surfing to find the right gear and I came across Red White, and I’ve never looked back. 7 pairs later, they are the best bibs I have ever had, just the right amount of cushioning for a heavy guy like me. They are extremely hardy that when a pair that I was airing on my rear saddlebag, accidentally fell and lodged in the cassette and disk brake during the TAW, it took a good 20mins of hacking and stabbing to get them free (so they’re made well).
Since then, I’ve gone a few gravel rides but struggling with the motivation to get out for another multiday ride, however, I no longer worry about where my gear is coming from. Nearly every ride I do now is on Zwift and the turbo, and they're just as good there as they are anywhere.
Thanks for making such great kit (sorry I don’t have any outdoor pics but I'll try in a few weeks when the weather is slightly below the scorching 45degrees with bush fires all around).
]]>I live in Belgium, a small country but big business when it comes to cycling and all the marketing, apparel and equipment that comes with it. Belgium has great cycling roads for short and long distance rides. The magnificent Westhoek, the Flemish Ardennes with all its cobbles, the Wallon Ardennes with some pretty steep climbing.
The ride I want to share here however, was my climbing ride up the Mont Ventoux last summer. Being on summer holidays in the Avignon region, I could not resist the siren call of the mythic mountain. Having rode quite enough kilometers in spring, I knew I could face the challenge.
The climb from Bedoin known as the most difficult one, is about 21 km long, with an average elevation of 7.6% (max 12%), good for 1639 altimeters.
Quite a challenge for both body and mind, but I must confirm that the quality of my RedWhite The BIB Stealth made it much more comfortable for what the body concerns :). For the entire climb, It just felt perfect and very comfortable.
So if you want my opinion on RedWhite Apparel?
Great quality for sure, perfect fit and it makes you feel so good on your bike,
I started using Red White bibs and jerseys in 2018, and they quickly became my go to apparel. I’ve got three different bibs and three separate jerseys hanging in my closet. I’ve covered lots of miles in them and they sort of feel like a natural extension of my skin. They’re good that way.
I’ve climbed Arizona’s Mt. Lemmon, Kitt Peak and Mt. Graham in them, and I’ve participated in a number of local gravel races and Gran Fondos, but the ride that stands out for me was essentially an 80-mile gravel combo ride on my road bike here in Western Michigan. I typically ride with others, but on this morning, I rode alone.
It was my first experience with the Long Distance bibs. In some sense the ride itself was unremarkable. But isn’t that the beauty of cycling? Not every ride needs to be epic to be meaningful. The moments that happen during the ride are what you
remember.
Although I had covered most of the territory before, it was the gravel section that was new to me and it led me to the tiny town of Freeport where I stopped to refuel at the general store. Inside I struck up a conversation with a couple and their son who were headed to a nearby campsite where they would spend the summer while the father looked for work.
They seemed somewhat down-and-out, but they were hopeful. They were probably dealing with a set of problems that would never give them the opportunity to ride an expensive bicycle 80 miles through the hinterlands. My life experiences and perspectives were likely quite different from theirs, perhaps as
foreign to them as the Red White bib shorts and jersey I was wearing.
But we made a friendly connection and found time to share pleasantries talking about my ride and the surrounding area. Those simple interactions become imprinted in our minds in ways that give us richer experiences as we progress through life.
That’s why it’s a pleasure to live life on two wheels. Sometimes we take it for granted, but we shouldn’t. Because everyone can come along for the ride.
]]>After seeing some online ads for bib shorts and needing some new shorts I decided on RedWhite Race bib shorts.
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I've been hooked on RedWhite Bibs since late 2015 when I put my first order in prepping for WEMBO 2016 (World Endurance Mountain Bike Organisation) in Rotorua, New Zealand.
RedWhite Cycling Apparel liked one of my Instagram pic and that's how our relationship began. My riding style lends me towards endurance style of riding from 24 hour solos to multi-day stage races. I competed in 2017 edition of The Pioneer, an epic 7 day Mountain Bike Pairs Stage Race in the southern alps of New Zealand from Christchurch to Queenstown. The race covered over 546km with 15,508+ vertical metres in elevation and race time of 43hrs 58mins. I entered this race as a challenge to branch out from 24 hour solo to multi-day stage racing and to test my limits.
With the amount of time spent out on the trails training and the race, RedWhite Cycling Apparel bibs really showed why they are the most comfortable bib shorts going around. This made the race so much more enjoyable without the worry of having a sore bum! I even got my race partner onto them as well so we can be matchy-matchy!
All my racing since 2016 have been on RedWhites and I haven't looked back.
]]>My name is Joe Agosto and I’m from Garnerville, NY, just north of New York City. I got my first pair of RedWhite bib shorts in early August of this year, 2019. I got them with the intention of using them during a four day, 250-290 mile charity ride I do every year in September.
I’ve done this charity ride for the last 9 years and in the past there have been times when I couldn’t get back on the bike for several days due to the soreness and discomfort I’ve experienced.
This year I wore my best piece of equipment outside of my helmet and bike, of course. After four days, 250 miles, 7,700 feet of climbing and nearly 20 hours in the saddle I was not only NOT sore, but I felt good enough to ride again only one day later. For the record, that one day delay had nothing to do with how I, felt but rather I couldn’t ride because it was a travel day back home.
Most recently, I did a 50 mile ride called “Sophia’s Journey” to commemorate the life saving medical attention received by the daughter of a dear friend who, nine years ago, suffered an Arteriovenous Malformation. The ride traces the long and arduous route the ambulance had to take to transport her from one hospital to another to save the little girl’s life. It was 49 miles long with 2766 feet of elevation gain, compounded by rain and cold October temps.
After all was said and done, the ride was a complete success. Everyone arrived safely, donations were made to the Ronald McDonald House at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital and awareness was raised for AVM. Aside from the aforementioned important things about the event, it should be noted that I felt amazing both inside and out, largely due to the amazing performance of my RedWhite bib shorts.
PS. I ordered an additional pair Stealths and one of The Bib as soon as I got back from my September ride. Love them!
Yuva's foot note : It's amazing how many stories here are about rides done out of love and empathy for our fellow human beings. Some ride to raise funds for charity and others ride in support of a cause. I've listed a couple below :
1) Michael Roe's Movember charity ride (1600km)
2) Jason Roth's epic 272km ZWIFT ride for Ride to Conquer Cancer
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Michael is a mechanical engineer living in Perth. As of 2019, he's 51 years old. Michael rides ultra-distance events regularly. His exploits include :
Michael's latest adventure is the massive 1600km Great Southern Ultra Challenge, a solo and unsupported ultra-endurance bicycle ride follows the Public Silo Art Trail in Western Australia. The race commences from Elizabeth Quay at 8:00am Sat 23rd November 2019.
The ride makes it way out to Meriden before turning south towards Ravensthorpe, Albany and then back to Perth by the inland towns such as Brookton. Michael hopes to complete it in under 6 days.
This ride is different in 1 way. Michael will be riding it in support of Movember. Movember is a global charitable cause raising awareness, support and research for Men's Health Issues such as Prostrate & Testicular Cancer and mental health and suicide prevention. Michael's goal is to raise $1 for every kilometer he rides. Since he'll be doing 1600km, that goal is $1600 in raised funds which will go directly to the Movember cause.
Globally, the rate of suicide is alarmingly high, particularly in men. Too many men are ‘toughing it out’, keeping their feelings to themselves and struggling in silence. Movember is aiming to reduce the rate of male suicide by 25% by 2030, and Michael wants to help them get there. Help Michael stop men dying too young.
If you'd like to be a part of Michael's effort this Saturday and if you'd like to extend your kind support for the Movember cause, please donate generously to Michael's Movember page.
You can follow Michael's Great Southern Ultra Challenge "dot" on the race progress website or app: Map Progress GSUC Dot tracker ,Rider No. 15
Join the chat and race updates on the official Facebook group page: Facebook Great Southern Ultra Challenge
PS : Check out Michael's amazing Mo Bro.
]]>A job offer brought me to Songtan, South Korea, in April 2016. I had researched bike riding here from the time I heard I may be moving. Cycling sounded great! After waiting a month for my bikes to get here, I walked the city streets, researched popular routes, and waited impatiently. After a few months on the bike, I realized this was a bicycle country! And my road miles quickly overshadowed my offroad miles.
The first few months I was here, I heard about the Incheon to Busan ride, approximately 360 miles, formally called The 4 Rivers Trail. In my warped, but creative, mind, I thought riding straight thru, nonstop, sounded like the best plan. I have a tendency to take a normal ride and turn it into an adventure. Most people take 3 to 5 days for this amazing scenic ride, with hotel rooms and restaurants. The route has about 8000 ft of elevation gain, although most of it follows the two big rivers, Hangang and Nakdong, for a most of the miles.
My goal was 24 hours total elapsed time, and solo, riding a single speed bike. There are rumors of a few people doing this route in under 24 hours, but they include support vehicles, drafting groups, and alternate faster routes than the traditional route along the rivers, and they were riding normal geared bikes, which allow a higher cruising speed. As I was researching the most popular routing, I realized not everyone followed the same exact route. With the heatmaps feature on STRAVA, I could better see the most popular routing. Next was to draw the route for my gps and create a cue sheet with all the refuel stops I needed.
This route is beautiful! So much to see, from local and national culture to the natural beauty of the rivers, mountains, and flowers, and other growth along the route. Most of the riding is on multi-use paths, an overwhelming construction project a few years ago! In addition to the paths, there's a near continuous blue stripe painted on the streets and roads during gaps in the paths. With the path, the striping, and the many signs pointing the way, it is possible to complete the route without a GPS, but I trust my ability to monitor the gps more than the attention needed to follow the signs and stripes.
I first completed the route in 2017, in 32 hours, and in 2019 in 34 hours. I unsuccessfully tried the route in 2016 and 2018. In 2016 I was not solo, and we did not do enough homework; in 2018, a medical issue came up painfully a few days before starting and kept me from finishing.
Although there is so much to see along the route, my favorite time is riding through the night, watching the sun set and then rise, all while pedaling! The magic of night riding is lost on many cyclists, I’ve always felt a sense of an alternate environment at night, like being under water or maybe like being in space, it’s not where we are supposed to be, based on our physiology. And I’ve always been scared of the dark, but I somehow can ride and run in the dark.
Although wildlife in South Korea doesn’t get a lot of mention, there's a potential for seeing an assortment on this route - deer, raccoon dogs, many species of birds, and my favorite- the wild boar. Well, not my favorite at all, but the one I saw provided an experience I'll never forget.
Sometime around 0200 on the 2017 ride, I was cruising a twisty road stretch in the forest. I was wide awake, pedaling, and suddenly, I heard what must have been a truck driving through the uncut forest, crashing sounds like trees being pushed over! This was just ahead on the left, I slowed, waiting for a vehicle to emerge. IT WAS A HUGE WILD BOAR! Maybe 150 pounds!
I had been warned about these, but most of my Korean friends said I'd see these while mountain biking or running on the trails, not on the roads. They also said the boar would chase humans and eat me! Chase humans? EAT HUMANS? I had not prepared for being eaten!
The massive 200-pound creature landed in the road about 10 yards ahead of me, looked around, saw me, and started running away, down the road, same direction I was traveling. I was relieved! I was hearing the CLOP CLOP CLOP as its feet were hitting the pavement. Looked like we were both scared. I started pedaling again.
As I was accelerating, the 300-pound beast was weaving the road, looking for an exit, I was hoping; the forest and undergrowth was very thick. CLOP CLOP CLOP, it was accelerating, I was accelerating, and it dove into the trees on the right. Whew! Crashing, pounding, taking out the forest like a bulldozer at high speed!
But, do I sprint or wait to see if it comes back out? I chose sprint! I'm cranking, standing and spinning, when I start hearing CLOP CLOP CLOP and it is accelerating and sounds like it’s right behind me! How did it catch me so quick? With my headlight mounted to the handlebar, I can't see anything behind me without stopping and turning the bike, TOO RISKY! I look back, can’t see a thing. I'm freaking out, this 400-pound terror is catching me! CLOP CLOP CLOP! All I can squeeze out of my mouth is a week "EHHHH" wavering sound, more like crying than screaming. If anyone had heard this, they would have been laughing!
And then, as I adjust my position to become more aerodynamic and increase my speed, the CLOP CLOP CLOP sound changes. I realised it was my nylon jacket, it began flapping in the breeze, as I sprinted past the point where the Kraken jumped into the trees. Accelerating, increased the frequency of the clopping, sounding just like the boar increasing speed. I wanted to stop and relax and laugh, but I could not stop that close to that horror show experience. I was finally able to relax after sunrise, when all of us people scared of the dark can come out again. After this experience, I’ve always been prepared for the next wild boar experience, and maybe I imagine hearing and seeing them now.
I got my first pair of RedWhite bibs just in time for my September 2017 ride. They were amazing! And I’ve worn this same pair for many many miles, including on this route in 2019. The padding was very appreciated on these long rides. And the chamois has not compressed to nothing during that ride or other long efforts, maintaining the thickness and comfort. The lycra body of the bibs has not loosened or sagged, the shoulder straps still support the secure fit and maintain snugness in the right places. The front of the short is low enough for nature breaks for me, (male), with no loss of stretching or support over the miles.
These are the only bibs I've ever had that provided a cupped shape in the front, very comfortable for me! Don’t need to do the bib dance to get things right! With many miles of just cranking flat paths, the chamois gets a lot of uninterrupted action, and these take care of those areas very well!
The ride was great, both times. My stops consisted of convenience stores on or near the route. With about 20 of these stops, sitting for a few minutes, I never felt discomfort getting back on the bike seat. Would I buy these again? Yes! And I did buy another pair!
I’ve worn maybe 10 to 15 other brands of bib shorts, but these are by far the most comfortable, and very reasonably priced! The difference in the minor details add up to a fully capable and leading design. I may never know how many miles it takes to kill these shorts, but I'm smiling while trying! Thanks for making these bibs for me!
I have been wearing the KOM bib for about a year a half. I live in Folsom, California which offers a wide variety of riding terrain (a stage of Tour of California comes through this town/area). As I have noted in previous reviews, the KOM is my 'go to' bib whenever I do a long ride in the back hills.
I did a week long ride of the Dolomites and wore my KOMs to tackle the Mortirolo and Passo Gavia as I knew the day and climbing was going to be challenging, especially since these were back-to-back climbs. I wasn't disappointed in my choice; while the day was long in saddle, I didn't experience any dreaded saddles sores or other typical rider pain.
Bottom line : save your money and buy the KOMs - your butt will thank you after a long day in the saddle.
]]>I average 10-12 hours per week in the saddle and 10,000-12,000 miles per year. I first saw RedWhite's ad on Facebook and decided to give them a try after reading other user's feedback. First, I sent an email to the Sizing Helpdesk to ensure I was ordering the correct size, then placed my order using the UPS Express shipping option.I received the items within 5 days that included a weekend.
My first impression was very positive regarding the quality and materials used. The sizing was perfect (Medium) and I really liked the comfort/aero fit. The Jersey fit is snug with aero sleeve material and a zipper that works very smooth. The Socks are clean, simple, and they stay in place. I could tell the bib chamois was different than what I was used to (slightly thicker) during the first ride because I had a bit of a wedgie when off the bike (no big deal).
The bib straps are just the right width in my opinion and the leg grippers work to keep the bibs in place at all times...no slipping. While on the bike these bibs just disappear meaning no discomfort whatsoever. After a few rides, I liked the bib and jersey so much I ordered a second pair so I could always have a clean set ready to go. I used the free DHL eCommerce shipping option this time and it took 20 days to receive my order. Based on the customer service, quality, performance, and price of RedWhite's apparel, you can't go wrong.
**Foot note from Yuva (Founder @ RedWhite Apparel) : My apologies for the 20 day delivery. There was a long weekend which added to the delay in shipping the order.
]]>My background has mainly been the Triathlon/70.3/IM scene as well as the 3-4 stage Road events. Some 18 months back it was time to upgrade the kit and through browsing, RedWhite's The BIB Stealth fitted the bill - everything I required for my regular training stints of 4-6hrs in the saddle as well as a good 'look' for the regular 'coffee rides'.
This season the sessions have doubled on the bike (8-12hrs) as I prepare for the Great Southern Ultra Challenge, a 1600km unsupported event and now a Delirium 24hr in Albany WA in Australia in a couple of weeks.
The BIB Stealth, apart from being very comfortable, also have the style and 'feel' every cyclist demands, the Bibs have enabled me to ride in total comfort even on my longest session of 350k's and back up the next day with no signs of discomfort.
]]>I rode my first pair of RedWhite bibs in July outside Houston, Texas. Coastal Texas is flat. I’ve ridden most of my life on flat, windy roads.
Friends of mine suggested that I enter The Fort Davis Cyclefest, a two-day event including a 76 mile ride climbing almost 4,000 feet in the mountains of west Texas and a 6 mile time trial (climbing 1400 feet) to the McDonald Observatory outside Fort Davis, Texas. The event was in September.
By that time, my RedWhite bibs had a few centuries in them, and I knew that while I may suffer during the climbs and be timid about the descents, I would be comfortable on the saddle because the bibs rock. (I’ve since ordered two more.) I was so comfortable that I posted better times than I expected in both events. I am convinced that the bibs provided the comfort I needed and enabled me to concentrate on my form and not a sore bottom.
Above is a picture of me and my friends after the second event. I’m the one in the middle.
]]>I was found RedWhite Apparel on Instagram. They were developing The BIB Women at that time (2016) and I signed up as an early prototype tester for the new women's bibshort. 1000s of miles in them, I still own them and 4 other pair as well.
I remember one specific ride that I was wearing my RedWhite bibs. It was early spring. It happened to be a very warm day. Temps in the high 80s and very high humidity. I set out to do a training ride for the two half Ironmans (70.3). My goal was 65 miles. I had ridden that distance a few times. Completing a few 100 milers as well. So it shouldnt have been a hard day.
It was hard.
The humidity and the hot sun was melting me so quick. I did notice that I was able to keep riding in comfort. Which allowed me to focus on how sore my legs were. After climbing over 3,800 feet and completing those 65 miles I realised that I had not used any Chamois butter for the whole ride.
I have tried seven different brands of Bibs. None of them could be worn without applying Chamois butter. The best feeling is that Mile 65 felt as great as mile one.
I truly madly love your bibs. It is all I reach for. Next to my JLVELO jerseys. I have 4 sets from them. I just cant get on my bike without them
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First time I heard about RedWhite was after an event in Croatia, 3 years ago.The event was HardCro, 1400km self-supported race across whole country. I didn't finish it in time limit. Mainly because of pain in my sitting area. After that I decided to do serious research about best ultra riding bibs you can find. To be clear I owned some famous brands, but wasn't really happy with them. I was a bit sceptical at first, but after talking to some friends and reading reviews, the decision to try RedWhite was set.
Ordered first pair, and after few months second pair because they were the game changer. Since then i have ridden many BRM (Brevet des Randonneurs Mondiaux) events, not caring about distance or time spent on bike.Those were some 1400 km, 1000km, 200km distances, with 2000m to over 10000m vertical climb, basically all events represented in BRM/ACP (Brevet des Randonneurs Mondiaux Audax Club Parisien).
There were times when on a shorter 200km BRM I wouldn't wear my The BIB Stealth, and would regret that decision after few hours in a saddle. After finishing this years (2019) Paris-Brest-Paris, I qualified for the Randonneur 10000 award.
To qualify for this award, the randonneur must complete 2 full series of ACP (Audax Club Parisien) brevets (200, 300, 400, 600 and 1000 km). Longer brevets cannot be substituted for shorter ones. I did the following rides in order to qualify for this award :
I can say that RedWhites were with me all the way. And will be in future.
]]>In September 2019, my brother and I took our 75 year old father on a cycling trip in Virginia. We road 53 miles from historic Jamestown to Richmond on the Virginia Capital Trail. After having some fantastic barbecue and spending the night in downtown Richmond and we rode 53 miles back to Jamestown. Our father is not a cyclist and has not ridden more than 20 or so miles. He held up surprising well. We had a great time and even made a visit to the Journeyman's Adventure Co bike shop with all things bikepacking, tandems and Road plus.
I wore my RedWhite stealth bibshorts and gloves. I had no discomfort during the 5 hours in the saddle on first day and my hands felt great. The second day was equally comfortable with 4 hours in the saddle. Theses were my longest rides to date in RedWhites and I look forward to future adventures.
during the Epic Indoor Ride
setup for the Epic Indoor Ride
After shot - Epic Indoor Ride - 10 hours, 272km
Jason and Alex crossing the finish line in Niagara Falls at the 2019 Ride to Conquer Cancer
Jason and his son Alex after the 2019 Ride to Conquer Cancer
]]>I ride ACP/BRM most often. The ACP/BRM is a worldwide long-distance cycling program. Starting from 200km, 300km, 400km, 600km, and 1200+km with time limited. My first time using Redwhite bibshorts was in a 400km event in Aug. 2017. It was impressing me after that 400km riding.
Then I wear it to challenge 600km, 1000km, and Super 600, which is 600km distance with 10,000+m climbing within 60 hours. RedWhite bibshorts provided a very comfortable pad for my butt, totally difference with my other bibshorts. I knew RedWhite bibshorts will be my only choice for ACP/BRM.
I attended Around Hokkaido 2400km in Aug. 2018. It’s a self-supply and time-limited 215 hours event. I brought 2 bibshorts, RedWhite and VB, to exchange during the race. The weather was so bad during that days. Whole week raining, day and night. I wear RedWhite bibshort in first 2 days 600km journey, everything was fine although the bibshorts never dry, but it didn’t make me feel uncomfortable. I changed to VB in Day 3, I remembered that I felt not so comfortable like RedWhite bibshorts. I kept changing my sitting position in first 100km. At the end of day 3 riding, I found my skin of inner thigh were scraped off by VB’s suture rubbing. I compared the 2 pads and found the different. RedWhite bibshorts’ pad is longer and thicker than VB’s pad. I changed back to RedWhite bibshorts from day 4 to finish line. I spent 202 hours and 56 mins to complete this challenge.
This year (2019), I went to France to attend Paris-Brest-Paris 1200km, which is more than 100 years history cycling event. Of course, RedWhite bibshort is my only choice again. I wear it 3 days and it just become part of my body perfectly like usual. This time I spent 79 hours and 26 mins.
To whom may consider buying bibshorts to overcome the long-distance cycling challenge, I highly recommend RedWhite bibshorts. It’s your best choice, no exception. Upon you try it once, you will never go back to others.
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ロードバイクに慣れ始め持っていたビブショーツをより良いものに
RedWhiteを知りました。
レーシング性の高いビブショーツは締め付けがキツいものが多く,
また,値段も高い。
RedWhiteのビブショーツはロングライドの快適性が高いと
実際に距離100km,
頻繁にパッドの良い評判を聞きますが(
これ以上締まるときつくなり長く履いていると不快感が出てくるが
ロングライド,ツーリング,レース,グラベル何でも使います。
このビブショーツが110ドルで購入できることも非常に嬉しいで
欲を言えば,
今後も使っていきます。
. . .
English translation. Edited for clarity and context
I was looking to replace the current bibshorts I own which I wasn't happy with and came across RedWhite Apparel about 3 months ago. Typical bibshorts designed for racing are too tight and I wanted a bibshort that was form fitting, yet wasn't overly compressive for long distance riding. I also found many racing bibshorts on the market just too expensive for me.
RedWhite's Bibshorts had a reputation for their comfort on long distances. They were also relatively affordable, so I made a purchase. I tested them on a 100km ride that had 2000m of vertical gain and found the fit very comfortable, particularly around my hips.
The pad in this bibshort lives up to its reputation. The bib straps and the compression of the lycra was also perfect. If these areas are too tight, they tend to become uncomfortable the longer you spend on the bike. RedWhite's bibshorts had the perfect balance of compression and fit and I found them really comfortable.
I used these bibshorts on long rides, tours, races and even gravel riding. At their price point, they're very well priced. My only complain is that I wish they were available in more playful colours. I will continue to use them for the foreseeable future.
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