After months of training exclusively on Zwift, Lorraine finally leaves the “pain cave” for her first major outdoor adventure—a 60km loop through the stunning New Forest National Park. Dan leads the way as they navigate technical gravel tracks, countless gates, and the transition from stationary pedaling to real-world handling. Discover how a modern e-gravel bike can provide the ultimate safety net for beginners looking to build confidence and explore further than ever before.
Route 👉 https://gcn.eu/DennaRoute
Chapters: ⏱️
00:00 – Indoor Success to Outdoor Adventure
01:06 – The Route: 60km of New Forest Gravel
02:20 – Essential Gear & Set-Up
03:00 – Hitting the First Gravel Tracks
05:01 – Pro Tips for Beginner Gravel Riders
06:30 – History at the Canadian Memorial
08:16 – Why Choose an E-Gravel Bike?
10:04 – Adjusting the Bike for Confidence
14:03 – Fueling the Ride: Coffee & Lunch Stops
18:49 – Final Reflections
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Lorraine did an incredible job jumping from indoor sessions to a 60km outdoor ride! 🚴♀️ Have you ever made the transition from training on Zwift to your first big outdoor epic? What was the biggest surprise or challenge for you? Let’s hear your stories in the comments! 👇
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43 Comments
Huge shoutout to Lorraine for smashing 60km on her first proper outdoor ride! 🚴♀️✨ Are you an indoor-only cyclist thinking about heading outside, or do you remember your very first big outdoor ride? Let us know your tips for beginners in the comments!
My favourite video of the year so far… If Lorraine and GCN are up for it, this would make a great series.
Really refreshing watching this video Dan and Lorraine. After all GCN is about the enjoyment and promotion of the sport. This video definitely does that and I’m sure this will encourage more couples to spend more time together. And on the bike!
Dan showed us some great getlemanhoodness. Watch carefuly boys and girls. That is how you treat a woman.
Those trails are beautiful.
Agree love e-bikes. I have an e gravel bike and myself and my wife on her e bike today did, in France near Dijon, an excellent 20 mile ride today with 2500 ascent. Heap of fun and so much more enjoyable on an e bike and definitely a work out!
surprised you didnt start at velo cafe?
one of my favorite places presented so beautifully
How about the Shimano click'r pedals as a first SPD? I first started on SPDs by using them with some Shimano touring shoes. The flat and more flexible sole of the shoe not only made walking feel relatively natural and comfortable but they also made riding more comfortable and easier than regular sneakers. Added to this, the pedals are large giving good support and comfort and have an easier, lighter spring for unclipping. Basically any movement other than directly up leads to unclipping. So if you forget to unclip when stopping, just wiggling allows your feet to pop out.
Does Dan's pint of beer have a naked man on the side if it? 😂
As a 75 year-old cyclist who uses flat pedals, I was really encouraged to see what can be done on a long, gravel route!
So, when is the power couples' ride?? Dan, Si, Alex and spouses?
You guys are super cute together.
It's nice to see Lorraine is both the beauty AND the brains in the relationship 🤣 "waxing my chain would make it more efficient wouldn't it?" What a lovely episode. GCN you have done it again.
E-bikes have a lot of advantages that have been covered, the slight problem for a beginner though is the price tag, that is a lovely Orbea e gravel (love the colour) but at £4-5k it’s not going to be where most beginners start, they will be on a couple of hundred quid bikes to see if they stick with cycling first and that’s the catch. Those cheap bikes will most likely be awful old budget ‘mountain bike esque’ pigs. Worth mentioning that hiring a suitable gravel e-bike is money well spent for the first few rides.
Great vid and recognising loads of this on rides with my wife. Lots of mansplaining which totally ignored, mtb etiquette goes out the window meaning I open the gates, cafe vs pub stop is a coin toss but most of all it’s not about performance, it’s about getting out, staying healthy and having some fun.
Flat pedals for the win … I've cycled over 5000 miles so far this year on flats …
Coffee shop with on the Ferrari Shop ! nice neighborhood!
Great job, Lorraine. A question for Dan – I too have an Orbea Denna which I bought to keep up with my friends while riding on the weekends. At 70 years old, I just can't keep up with those in their late 50"s and early 60's. I try to keep the assist at the lowest level, so sometimes when going uphill I get out of the saddle to climb. I really feel the weight at the bottom bracket as the bike sways back and forth and sometimes it feels like I am going to lose control. Other than sitting on the climbs, is there anything that can be done to make the bike feel more "normal"?
Lovely to see some of the tracks I used to tear around on when I was a kid.
Huge respect to you both getting out and just enjoying riding, my partner and I are just getting out in the bikes together after years of me riding solo, here’s to many miles to come for us all.
Yes, I’ve done 60miles around new forest with my partner and her e-bike me on xMtb. Food stop at Lyndhurst is a good call as it has the most options. it’s a great day out, beautiful scenery, lots of animals wandering about, highly recommend. You do though have to stop and open loads of gates to keep them happy 😂.
The road going past Rhinefield is the highlight for me on the UKCE New Forest Sportive ive done for the past few years. Tree lined canopy and just a lovely place to ride. You are a lucky man to live in the NF!
I want to take a quick moment to thank Dan and Lorraine. Even though their weekly workouts fall at 6AM here in Chicago, (so early that I've just done each one once) I've copied the workouts and been doing them later in the day on Tuesday and Thursday, and they're really helpful. So thanks for putting those out there.
Great video! The Orbea Denna is a fab bike, love mine. Completely unlocked a new way of riding for me. Can’t get enough off the hilly long off-road trails now. The extra watts from the motor really make a difference in distance and enjoying the ride. Road and MTB bikes aren’t getting a look-in right now.
This was a really sweet segment.
Oh Dan, you were doing so well with the gates……getting off and making sure she was safely through. Too bad you biffed it on the second last one there. I hope Lorraine's finger was okay.
Missed this one and glad I went back to watch, love the couple riding no matter what! and Dan, your commentary is just the best
Lorraine didn't say much about her new bike, it looks amazing 🤢
Great video, and the New Forest is a great for building confidence; can be as tough or light as needed. Also living on the edge of the New Forest so great to see. The route is brilliant, and for those not from around the Forest or been, then there's loads of camping and signed routes; Woods cafe/bike shop is amazing stop off, and super friendly. The Canadian memorial is also near one quite a few WW2 airfields. Stoney Cross is a road, and Beaulieu is gravel and worth a visit, and also a full out blast if you can – plus, the tarmac sections is 1km long and each 100m is marked out 🙂 enjoy
I thought this was a cycling channel. e-bikes are not really bikes. Mopeds for class 1 and otherwise electric motorcycles. Why not just ride a bicycle 20 km instead of 60 then? I hate all those memes about "participation trophies" but electric bicycles are the beginning of the end of our sport.
Absolutely loved this video. You have gained heaps of brownie points with opening those gates Dan. Loved it when you can see Lorraine "sprint" after she gets on the other side of the gate and you have to catch up.😂❤ i love riding with my husband as well. Even when you don't talk, it is nice just being together.
Wow! what a stunning route to ride, including the lunch stop and post ride pint. I would enjoy riding that every day if I lived in the area.
Love this. One of the few things better than a ride with your mates is a ride with your missus. Also, the set-up. As a slightly younger idiot I spent years telling my missus how important it was to be in clipless pedals, then I suddenly realised that she wasn't actually enjoying it as much as she should have been because she was stressed. I finally smartened up and said yeah, flats is a good idea, and the change was immediate.
Also, seeing her do a 60km ride, it is obvious that the answer to the earlier question is obviously "Yes, Lorraine is fit".
todaYs ride captain was a true gentalmen, and he didnt evan leave his leader to go win the race on his own😂❤❤❤. well done Lauraine
Never rode with my mum.
I don't really understand the fuss about pedals; I rode clipless for 20+ years and recently switched to flats on all my bikes (with flat cycling shoes, not trainers)– there's really no difference, except I look less 'pro' (whatever that really means)!
COUNTRY MUSIC? Lmao, yall – I had to look up from my bike maintenance to make sure I was still watching GCN
Epic ride from Lorraine – even on a e-bike, 60k is not to be sniffed at for a beginner. Great video too 🙂 Finally I wholeheartedly agree with your comments on flat pedals. I average about 5000 miles a year on them (a good chunk on gravel). Never got on with clipless.
Flat pedal superiority club
Pretty clear who’s in charge. Just sayin.
As a flat peddal gravel rider, coming from mtb, I encourage you to try mtb flat shoes. Much stiffer, and better match with a flat peddal than a running shoe.
A great video! Are you going to be cycling frequently Lorraine? (Maybe Dan should buy you the bike if you guarantee him at least one bike ride a fortnight) 😉
This must be why Dan says cycling has too much gatekeeping.
as an American its crazy to think you could ride through multiple cities, instead of 50 miles in between