How Should I Tackle a 1,200 KM Bikepacking Race – B-Hard, Bosnia.

Hello all and thanks again for coming back,

It’s getting exciting over here, I am just two weeks away from B-Hard Ultra Race in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I have done a lot in terms of training and equipment, but believe it or not, I have not decided on my strategy.

This should be an awesome Ultra Cycling adventure into the Balkans and my first time there too. Hopefully you might be able to help with a last couple of bits.

Have a good week! Andy

This ride – https://www.strava.com/activities/14591221534
Insta – https://www.instagram.com/andyc_trp/
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🍏🍌🍓 Nutrition
Veloforte 20% discount! – ANDYCO20
https://veloforte.com/ANDYC20
Why Veloforte – https://youtu.be/OcOS6d9OhuY
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🚴💨 Coaching
Coach Giovanni Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIacLXCJ_yo
https://www.gprocoaching.com

That kind of brings me on to the next thing I’ve been considering and to be honest I’ve been going back and forth on quite a long time. It’s my strategy and what my goal should be for the event. I don’t really know and I’ve got two possible outcomes. One is to go as hard as I can and go for a result the best result. [Music] [Music] Good morning friends and welcome back to the channel in another ultracling related video. And I am currently enjoying a roaring tailwind. So, I’m going to enjoy this and not think about the ride home cuz it is windy as. Nevertheless, these moody conditions make for really epic rides. I’m aiming for about 7 hours training today roughly. I managed 5 hours yesterday and I had 12 for the weekend. So hopefully I’ll finish off all my hours in one go and go home for a rest. My weekend endurance rides getting bigger and bigger at the moment. The overall loading across the week, it’s not too bad. Givani took on board my feedback, how tired I was feeling, and it’s adjusted my training. So a lot of the intensity in the week has eased off a bit, but the endurance of the weekends is the same. So 12 hours this weekend. Next weekend I got 16 hours. But right now officially I’m 2 weeks away from Be Hard. So I’m using this ride to process things. I’ve still got a couple of unanswered questions and a couple things I need to organize. So I’m hoping maybe you can help me put a few of those to bed. If you’re new to this channel, then I’m training for ultra bike packing races. And my next one is in about two weeks in Bosnia called Behard, which is,200 kilometers all around the country of Bosnia, Herszkavina. But the reality is starting to hit now that I’ve got to get myself to Stanstead airport. I’ve got to get across Croatia, over the border into Bosnia, to Baluca to the race and then race, 1200 km. I’ve got quite a lot to think about. So today I’ve got 7 hours, 120ish miles, something like that. I’m going to use the time to process everything, have a think about the last few bits I need to plan for. I’m going to put a few things out to you guys, too. If you got any ways you can help me, you got any suggestions for me, ways you can help me. Otherwise, I’ll just bring you along for a very windy, moody, long ride. So, it goes without saying, although I say it quite a lot. If you’re not already subscribed, then subscribe if you want to see how that event goes. And if you’re not following my Instagram, a lot of people don’t bother following there, but that’s where all the live updates will go during the event. If you give that a follow, you can see it real time. Windy. [Music] [Applause] [Music] This weekend is what we call in the UK a bank holiday. So Monday, nobody works. Most most people don’t work. So you tend to find in the middle of the weekend the roads are a bit quieter. People have done their traveling to get where they’re going for the bank holiday week. Today we have exactly that. I woke up pretty early today. Got up at about quart 5 to get on the road as early as possible. And to be honest, it’s been bloody lovely. No cars and a roaring tailwind for ages. And I’ve got no work on Tuesday either. So nice long weekend for me. [Music] That’s it right here. [Music] [Music] [Music] Well, no prizes for guessing where I am. I’m in Brighton, which is the premier destination for zero hills and monstrous tailwinds, except for the fact I’m about to turn around. So, it sucks to be me. Also, somehow on this ginormous bike path, I nearly got run over. [Music] Typical. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] [Music] That was a lot of fun. Ended up speaking too soon and had about three or four miles of climbing out of Brighton and then really good descent through a place called Devil’s Dyke. I think that probably just means really steep hill, but it’s a really cool climb. An amazing descent. And now I don’t really know where I am. I kind of took a leaf out of Robert’s book. I always ride the same routes and it’s quite good fun. But this time I created a new one. So let’s see where I end up. At least I’m about 63 miles round. So more than halfway. I reckon I probably got about bit less than 4 hours to get home. 3 and 1 half 4 hours. Something like that. The sun’s come out. So I’m in no major rush. So Bosnia. Where to begin with Bosnia? I’ve done so much work already to get to this point, but there are a few things that I’ve got to sort out. First and foremost, I can’t wait to get there. I cannot wait to get to Bosnia. When I rode the transcontinental race and I had to scratch, my route went through Bosnia. My route went all through the Balkans. The part that I actually rode all the way through Western Europe, the flatter part, that was just the introduction. Getting to Bosnia was always going to be the start of the adventure, the start of the Balkans and when cultures start to change, and I never made it there. So, I was really gutted. So, first and foremost, cannot wait to get there and see Bosnia. Having said that, getting there is the first hurdle. Bosnia is not the easiest place to travel to by plane. from the UK. Couldn’t find any direct flights. So, I’m flying from Stanstead direct to Croatia. That’s the first hurdle. I’ve got to get the train. Got to get to the train station with a bike box. Pack my bike first. Train to London. Got to get across London with a bike box in the tube in the morning in the week during the week. Then get another train to Stanstead just to get to the airport. Then obviously you got to trust the airline with my bike. But what can you do on that front? I’ll just pack it really well and see what happens. Once I get to Croatia, that’s when it’ll get a bit more interesting. I’m flying to Zagreb, so I need to get to Zagreb airport, get to a bike shop nearby who are going to hold my box and look after that for me, which is really helpful. Build my bike. And then I’m going to ride from north of Croatia across the whole country over the border into Bosnia. And then I’ll be near the start of the race with one day to chill out and then get stuck into 1200k race. There’s quite a few things. W I am feeling the headwind now. There’s quite a few things that need to fall into place with the travel, but I’m sure it’ll be okay. I found a good few hacks for traveling with a cardboard bike box. So, I’ll pass them on at some point. It’s probably a good time to ask. If you’ve got any good hacks for flying with a cardboard bike box, then let me know. But one thing’s for sure, it is going to be a proper adventure and it’s only really the warm up for my main race in July. Hope you can hear me over this wind. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] that kind of brings me on to the next thing I’ve been considering. And to be honest, I’ve been going back and forth on for quite a long time. It’s my strategy and what my goal should be for the event. I don’t really know. And I’ve got two possible outcomes. One is to go as hard as I can and go for a result, the best result I can get. Anyway, I’ve trained every day really hard for the last 6 months, every single day to get as strong as possible for these events. All the while kind of knowing that I’m never going to be podium or that fast. I’m quite competitive, so I kind of want to have a good push and see what I can manage, especially after all the training. That’s really tempting, but also I really love making these films. So, I really want to make a really good film out of it. The problem is you can’t do both. Well, I saw that out the on the loop. As soon as you pick up the camera like I am now, my focus comes away from the pacing and then I just drop away. People that were ahead of me in the on the loop, as soon as I got the camera out, they just went further and further up the road. So, it’s really hard to do both. And I know what I’m like. If I don’t make a decision, I’ll just go out and try to do both. Neither will go very well. That’s something I need to figure out. But actually, what do you think? Would you rather see me go for it and not film very much? I can film bits and pieces here and there and go for it. Or the alternative is I spend more time sleeping and videoing the scenery, setting my tripod up, off the camera, off the bike shot, stuff like that. I’m honestly in two minds anyway, but probably more toward making a good film at the moment. I watch a lot of YouTube myself, so it’s kind of monkey see monkey do or was originally. So, a couple of examples would be like the two Joshes. Josh really focuses on races. You’re never going to see him flying a drone or setting up a tripod in the middle of a race. And then you got Josh Reed. He makes really good films. And I’ll be honest with you, he’s my biggest role model in terms of film making and riding bikes. He seemed to strike a really good balance. I know a lot of YouTubers don’t mention other channels, maybe scared they’re going to lose viewers or whatever, but watch whatever you want and watch what you enjoy. They both make really good videos and they’re a bit different. So, that’s kind of the difference in the approaches really and where I’m kind of stuck between the two. Climbing again. Now, I think between you and me, longer term, the plan for this channel and the content, it’s not really racing. I’m really enjoying that, but I know what I’m like. Once I crack something and accomplish a goal, I’ll move on to something else. And I have this 4,000k race in my head. I have to crack it. Once I do, I think racing wise, whatever the result, I think racing wise, I’ll be pretty satisfied. Ideally, I’d like to just be doing really cool adventures and filming them, doing events, doing really cool events, not necessarily stressing about finishing races or getting good placings. I just love riding my bike in cool places, having adventures, and I really enjoy making the films. So, I think that’s where the future lies. Maybe I’ll get to the point people might invite me to events to ride them and film the events for them. That would be really I think that’s probably why I’m kind of torn on my approach to this race. Anyway, I’m in the middle of nowhere on a really busy road. So, let’s get the hell out of it. [Music] [Music] Hey, feel it. [Music] Just over 99 miles now and almost to a place called Southing which is pretty close to home really. I think I’ve got about 20 mi left. So it should end up being just over 7 hours I reckon. Almost there. This headwind has been brutal. I don’t really understand how can be such nice weather and such brutal wind. I don’t mind all that much. It’s got to be done. I’ve essentially got one big climb over the South Downs ridge and then it’s all downhill home. I suppose the last thing I’ve been kind of considering about Bosnia, I’m going to change my my sleep set up. I usually bring a sleeping bag, an air bed, and my bivvie bag. I don’t really want the bulk this time really. It’s one thing I’m learning from the people that go light and fast and get a better time. More often than not, they’ve just got a bivvie bag and an air bed. And I think it’ll probably be okay to be honest. I’ve never done that. So, I need to test it in the next week or two probably and see how it feels in the UK. But I’m fairly sure it’ll be warm enough as I don’t get any weather like this anyway. [Music] That was St. Hubert’s Church, 1,000 years old. That can only mean one thing. I’m nearly home. Well, about an hour away from home. But if you’re from these parts, some that watch it from around here, then you know the last hour from here. It’s not exactly the scenic part of the ride. So, I’m almost there and I think I’ll leave this one here pretty much. If you’ve got any input, the areas are raised for Bosnia, then help me out. And if this was interesting whatsoever, give the video a like, subscribe if you’re not already. We are almost on that plane now, so that is really exciting. Anyway, I’m going to leave you with a bit of a pipe dream because I know not many people watch to this point, but ones that do watch all the time. I was talking about the future of the channel and the types of things I want to do in the future. A pipe dream I’ve always had is cycling around the world. After watching Mark Bowman do it and looking at the mileage, I’ve always liked the idea of just doing it. And I’m getting to a point in my life where it’s possible I could look at taking a sbatical in the next few years, maybe just doing it. But at the moment, it’s kind of a pipe dream. When I’ve looked at it, 100 miles a day for 6 months, something like that, doesn’t sound too bad. but it’s firmly set to pipe dream status at the moment. If you’ve got a pipe dream, then let me know what it is. I’m sure everybody’s got a little pipe dream niggling away at the back of their mind. Let me know what yours is. Just curious. Anyway, I’m going to love you and leave you. I’m almost to the busy streets. This will be 120 mi. Seven and a half hours is roughly about half an hour more than coach asked for, but that’s okay. So there, have a good week. I’ll see you all on the next one. I’ve got 16 hours next weekend, so probably going to be a long one.