Daring duo’s double dilemma

TEAM STELA’S ROUND THE WORLD RECORD BID

Daring duo’s double dilemma ARE THEY TOURISTS OR TREKKERS?

On the eve of their attempt to set a new round-the-world cycle record, husband and wife tandem team, Laura Pugh and Steven Massey put their new kit to the test with an 820 mile trek around Wales – while pondering the essential differences between touring and bike-packing. Here is Laura’s latest report on the couple’s preparations…

CYCLE TOURING versus bike-packing – are they two different things, or just a rebranding? On our “training camp”, circumnavigating Wales at Easter, we weren’t sure which tradition we were engaged in – but doing it certainly provided food for thought ahead of our Round-the-World record attempt, due to start in June 2022.

With every Audax or long ride we attempt, we learn something new from the experience – things that will be important on our record attempt. We know that cycling and fitness are just small elements of what will spell success.

An eight day trip around Wales, covering over 820 miles as close to the coast or border, was a great challenge in itself. We hoped it would iron out any problems before our big trip, testing kit and strategy.

The Welsh ride was planned using an online mapping platform and app which allowed us to see distance, elevation and road type, and compare options easily. Once uploaded on to our GPS all we needed was to follow the purple line. We still prefer to use a good, old-fashioned route sheet on Audaxes with the GPS as back-up, but for route planning it certainly makes things easier. Maybe some of the magic of unfolding an OS map is lost, but it’s certainly quicker. Problems can come making changes on the road as it’s a bit fiddlier on a phone and this is where unfolding a map of more detailed scale might well help. Your trusty cycle tourist would certainly be quick to unfold his Ordnance Survey!

In terms of where to stay we chose a mix of luxury and leisure – and roughing it. We didn’t take this to the extreme of a bike-packers’ bivvy (or the good old Audax hotel) but we did factor in a couple of wild camps as well as Warmshowers (warmshowers.org) which proved a great way to meet like-minded cyclists, and we were over the moon to be treated to a hearty dinner on two occasions.

To stay in Warmshowers you must arrive on a bicycle and offer to look after yourself, while the host provides somewhere to pitch a tent (at least) and a warm shower. This is probably surplus to requirement for most Audaxes but we’d certainly recommend it for longer tours.

Derby-based veterinary surgeon, Laura Pugh, and her husband Steven Massey, are due to set off from Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate in June this year to tackle a 180-day journey around the globe, with the aim of breaking the world record for a tandem circumnavigation, while raising money for charity. You can follow their progress and read their blogs on www.stelatandem.com, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and watch their Stelatandem YouTube channel. For information about donating to their chosen charities (MIND, Sustrans, and VetLife), visit www.justgiving.com/ team/SteLa-Tandem.

Steven, looking very pleased with his panniers

We also had a night of luxury in a real Bed and Breakfast which resulted in a pannier explosion as we tried to wash and dry everything, including ourselves – definitely not bike-packing! With our still damp cycling shorts wafting in the breeze from our pannier rack the next morning we were certainly on tour.

Wild camping was made much more comfortable by having the right kit. Having relied on heavy synthetic sleeping bags and trusty inflatable foam mats for many years we found the newer lightweight products pretty revolutionary. Air pocket inflatable sleeping mats are extremely comfortable and have so far proved durable. Downfilled sleeping bags kept us comfy, so maybe a bike-packing bivvy wouldn’t be roughing it so much after all? We also erred towards touring by taking a gas stove – a 44g gas burner which allowed us to brew up in a matter of minutes. I think both bike-packers and tourists would agree a hot drink is essential but will let you judge who’s more likely to go for a good old cuppa or freshly ground coffee!

This kit was all stowed away in four panniers, two frame bags and two “nosebags”. Again, mixing traditional with modern frame bags allowed us to use up space on the tandem efficiently, have things easily accessible and snack on the move when timings did not allow for another cafe stop.

The panniers were easy to pack and the contents easy to retrieve, an issue which seems to be a problem with some more modern chute packs. There was also plenty of space for extra provisions. The panniers are a rather startling yellow (which got us recognised by a keen Audax UK Facebook follower!) as opposed to traditional waxed cotton.

The pace of our ride didn’t necessitate being as aerodynamic as possible, and the speed of the tandem through the hilly Welsh coastline would, on paper, look like an ideal cycle touring pace, but the distances and duration were definitely in the realms of not being a holiday! We did however stick to asphalt where possible, and apart from a couple of sandy bits, steered clear of the gravel and mud.

With back-to-back days of long riding we needed to sustain ourselves, and gels, bars or dehydrated meals were just not going to cut it. The full Welsh breakfasts, and a surprising number of curries, saw us through. Snacks were Mars Bars, cheesestrings and dried apricots supplemented frequently with a protein recovery ice cream. We discovered the vegan breakfast in a Tesco café to be delightfully multicoloured but still succumbed to a Cornish pasty in St.Davids.

Our new kit from our sponsors made us feel pretty swish and the layering worked well for the varying temperatures. Lycra padded shorts were essential for comfort on our new Brooks B17 carved saddles.

Posting on social media and with me filming on a GoPro from the backseat for the next YouTube instalment definitely put us at risk of being classed as influencers, but there are some great Audaxing Youtubers providing tips and advice as well as numerous profiles to follow for those that like to dot-watch.

Our rides were uploaded to Strava every evening to prove they really happened; because if it’s not on Strava

who can say if it did or didn’t happen? Mind you, I reckon my achy thighs were evidence enough! We also revelled in the kudos, especially when the full map was made up at the end. I expect many have done similar, harder or faster rides and not been as public about it, but at the end of the day the more followers we have the more we hope to raise for charity.

One bit of kit that brought us back into the cycle touring category was my SPD sandals, with and without socks underneath! These worked well, however, and were not too hot or cold and worth any perceived fashion faux pas. They’ll be especially beneficial in monsoon season on RTW.

Our speed was definitely in the realms of touring, but arguably our distances/ride time was verging on “long-distance”, although not a full brevet. We believe that Audaxing happily bridges the gap between tradition and innovations, and our rather tongue-in-cheek description of the “cycle tourist” and “bike-packer” is actually a much greyer area where we can learn from both ends of the spectrum.

We celebrated our success with a few pints of craft beer and real ale – so we’ll let you decide what that makes us!

Here’s how to tell the difference… 2022 SEVERN BRIDGE RANDONNEURS

RIDES SCHEDULE

Severn Bridge Randonneurs is proud to offer a range of rides from 50km to 300km, ranging from the very flat to the most challenging Audacious rides possible. Complete a 100km, 150km, 200km and 300km SBR ride this season a receive a free SUPER ROULEUR medal. To book your place visit our website www.sbraudax.com or book directly at audax.uk

25th June – Tintern Express 50km, 1 AAA 25th June – Devilish Devauden 100km, 1.75AAA 23rd July – 10 Peaks Challenge 200km, 4.5AAA 23rd July – Canal Boats & Mountain Roads 160km, 2.5AAA 23rd July – Devils Hell 300km, 6.5AAA 13th Aug – Looks Like a Welsh Dragon 200km, 3.5AAA 13th Aug – All That Glitters isn’t Gold 160km, 2.25AAA 10th Sept – Welsh Ruins 200km, 3.75AAA 29th October – Turn Back Time 100km 29th October – The Ticking Tortoise 160km

All rides come with a Free Event Patch for all finishers

BIKE PACKER

Routing Only took a few hundred hours analysing heatmaps, terrain and elevation...

CYCLE TOURIST

Wherever the wind takes me...

Distance Aiming at least 200km, any less isn’t worth posting on Strava. To the pub Speed Is determined by a combination of my wattage and HR zones (and maybe the segment KOM) What’s the rush?

Terrain The gnarlier the better, I don’t want to be able to tell what colour my bike is Kit Fortunately this year’s most recent release just arrived and I look forward to reviewing it online later… it’s gifted of course! Back lanes are the best, but nothing that involves mud, sand, gravel or tree roots If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it

Sleeping New lightweight bivvy bag +/- sleeping bag and mat if I’m feeling luxurious. A good night is when I crack the ice off after 2-3 hours 8 hours minimum A bed

Nutrition strategy

Carbo gels every 40 minutes, electrolytes in every other bottle in the meantime, back pockets full of vegan, gluten free, paleo bars Food Lots of it

Recovery strategy

Protein shake immediately the pedals stop A decent pint, or two, or three…

Twitter Updated at all costs, carrying 2 spare battery packs for this purpose The noise outside my window in the morning Spare kit Huh? – My kit stands up by itself! None of it’s spare... all essential…especially the evening wear, slippers and bikini