Day 1 of 5. A ride with no real destination, an opposing style to the more rigid constraints of my recent scouting trip. I wanted simply to head North and see the landscape chage.
A More links below ↓↓↓
=== The Route ===
As it was recorded :: https://www.strava.com/activities/18278605873
==== Coffee & Merch ====
Chip in to buy me a coffee, offer regular support or buy some wonderful merch :: https://ko-fi.com/jethrojessop
=== T-Shirts, Mugs, Accessories ===
Amaze and enchant everyone with these channel branded clothes and accessories
https://jethrojessop.myspreadshop.co.uk/all
=== Supporter Links ===
Örebro’s only mobile bicycle repair service – https://cykeltek.se
=== SUPPORT THE CHANNEL ===
There are affiliate links below to the gear featured in this video. Clicking on them gives me a little commission on anything you buy during that shopping session. It doesn’t have to be the thing I link to even!
I’ll only ever link to stuff that I have personal experience of and that I genuinely rate as quality products.
== Ombraz Armless Sunglasses ==
Just great sunglasses for all outdoor pursuits
https://alnk.to/5Q7mTXR
== Tilley Hat ==
Comfy and indestructible. Protects from the rain and the sun and makes you look like Indiana Jones 😉
https://amzn.to/4lsmo2o
== Bollé Eco ==
Really comfy helmet.
https://amzn.to/3SQo0G6
== Magicshine Lights ==
Used them for years. Solid, well made, bright.
https://amzn.to/3TXjVkl
== Quadlock Mounts ==
Best way I know to attach a phone (or other device) to a bike (or tripod, or car)
https://amzn.to/4avmMrL
== Sawyer Mini ==
Small, light water filtration system
https://amzn.to/4vxcMJ8
== Selfie Stick ==
Another Quadlock product
https://amzn.to/4iHPAlN
== Humangear Stax ==
Modular storage for food and more!
https://amzn.to/3KEQ67s
17 Comments
Looks like a fine first day. Looking forward to the next one.
🌳🏕️
At least it wasn’t raining
Train tracks are the most poetic "object" I know, a trampoline for imagination.
The big gravel/tarmac difference is the noise. Gravel makes the same noise as onions and vegetables frying in a pan. Tarmac is just boring.
Hi Jethro. To me it makes not difference what surface I ride, as long as the 'view' is interesting. No large fields with grass, bare soil or some crop, but a variety of trees and shrubs. Maybe a small hill now and then (but I don't like real climbing). Or something of 'cultural interest' (and old house/castle, a steam train, a megalith …)
Tarmac is nice but we must suffer
Interesting. I wonder at which point your meandering will cross my own old tracks.
In the summer of 2000 I shipped my bike as freight goods to Malmö and cycled to København – and back. It was on the only day ever that cycling on the Øresundsbro was allowed, before it was officially opened for car traffic. Then I set out to ride home! I eventually made it to Linköping, over a course of several days. I remember staying at a campground on the northern side of Ringsjön, my plan being to follow the Sverigeleden cycle route, which some friends of mine had scouted and signposted a few years earlier. Anyhow, after a detour to a camping down the road to Olofström, I made it back "on track" and headed north, passing Växjö and on. Definitely not your style of road choices, but I enjoyed it. I generally prefer the route choices made by the SCS (Swedish Cycling Society) over those from CF (Cykelfrämjandet). Anything with a name that ends in "leden" is SCS while CF made the ones under the "Cykelstråket" banner. The latter were often influenced by local chambers of commerce who wanted tourists steered to their areas of interest…
With tarmac there is a hard border between the road you're on and the surrounding landscape. With gravel it's never exactly clear where the road ends and the surrounding forests or fields begin. It's more flowy, like you can always make a turn and ride off into the neighboring forests. Disappear between the trees. That and the sound. And often the smell too, I think.
If I had to pinpoint it I would say that for me it's the sound while riding on gravel that makes me happy. I'm pretty sure that there is more to it than just the sound but that's the one thing that's easily described.
I think I prefer gravel because it feels less like everyday riding than tarmac does to me. Living in a big city makes me crave for a bit of unpaved roads.
I prefer gravel on the way out and tarmac on the way home – basically switching to tarmac when the legs have had enough punishment (or when I get sick of stopping to open and close all the gates) and I just want to get some miles in.
I love the slower pace of gravel though, and the greater opportunities that it brings to drift off a little without getting squashed by traffic. The greater chance of bumping into some of the lesser spotted wild animals draws me to to the gravel too. I also end up thinking about the history of how all the old byways and bridleways ended up where they are, and what places they must have connected that don't need connecting anymore, or why the route got replaced with a different one when tarmac arrived – usually the answer gets revealed at some point, when I am forced to cross a ford, end up ankle-deep in wet clay, or have to do a ridiculous climb that the tarmac road avoids – but I get to tell myself that it's all "XP" banked on the Garmin, and promise myself that I don't have to come back this way ever again, now that I've done it once and 'bagged' the route…
This was really great Jethro! Good to see you’re settling in there in Sweden and finding some good places to spin your wheels. When we moved here to New England from San Francisco 26 years ago I was worried I wouldn’t find anyplace to go backpacking. I’m one of those weirdos that takes all the gear on your bike and puts it on my back!!🤪 wow!! I suddenly feel like an idiot 🤣. Anyway… great to see you again and … of course…. I must ask about Alan and when we can expect him to take a break from his work work work and go packing with Jethro for a few days😊
Take care sir.
NQU
Hmmm… If you want rough, remote, painful, thoughtful, cerebral challenge, philosophic endeavor, ride the GDMBR. At the end of each day introspection will follow you into the tent.☮
Just came up on my feed long time no see watching it now while crashing at a budda temple while touring Thailand
Ventriloquism now…lol… I like the creativity! Thanks! But… I would have moved that dead bird off the trail 😞
A nice and varied day from my (Dutch) perspective. Woods/forests, hills, rivers/streams, agricultural fields, etc.
When walking, I tend to like the unpaved paths more too. Maybe because those are the smaller paths where you're literally a little bit closer to nature. But cycling, I like the sound of the gravel too.
Jethro meets Clone Jethro! I love it!
I spent some time reviewing your channel, and it’s clear that you’ve developed a strong sense of direction in your content.
That said, it also appears you might be experiencing a plateau where growth isn’t aligning with your level of effort. This tends to be one of the more challenging phases for creators.
It’s often not about working harder, but understanding what’s quietly limiting visibility.
I noticed a few patterns that may be contributing to this. If you’re open to it, I’d be glad to walk you through them.
Lovely ride! mad dubbing skills!