Lake District Cycling in Winter – Are We Stupid?

Last week Dan Jones (@Daaaanjj) managed to convince me to go for a ride in the Lake District in the middle of December. I wasn’t convinced, I’m what you’d call a fair weather cyclist.

But, it was a good excuse to get the newly winter proofed Titanium Reilly out for a ride.

Dan – https://www.instagram.com/daaaanjj/

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Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/grantritchie/
Strava — https://www.strava.com/athletes/6460943

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Road Bike 1: Canyon Endurace CF SL 8.0
Road Bike 2: Reilly T325D Titanium
Gravel Bike: Canondale Topstone
Wheels: Hunt & Strada
GPS Cycling Computer: Wahoo Element Bolt
Road Shoes: Lake CX332
Gravel Shoes: Quoc Gran Tourer II
Helmet: POC Omne Air Spin
Clothes: Universal Colours / Maap / Rapha
Turbo Trainer: Wahoo Kickr
Nutrition: Styrkr (Use code ‘GRANTRITCHIE’ for 25% off)

The small camera I use: https://geni.us/small_camera
The big camera I use: https://geni.us/big_camer
The mount I use for cycling: https://geni.us/my-mount

#cycling #winter #bike #titanium

Friends welcome back to the channel it’s been a little bit of a quiet winter here but today is the 18th of December it’s currently 9:00 a.m. I’ve been up for many hours already and I am driving up to the Lake District today to do a ride with Dan Jones he has managed to

Convince me I don’t really know how to come up to the lake distri in the middle of winter which could be an absolutely stupid idea the weather doesn’t look too bad but you know what it’s like in the late District things can change and it can get cold and wet really Quickly how are you doing I’m good I’m good good see GL the weather’s holding up for now good it’s cloudy but not rainy when we were driving off it was just absolutely Torrid rain so I was worried we was going to have have a bit of a a rough day on the

Bik don’t worry you got your M guard on this is a state of the art top of the range on God I need one of them so yeah like Dan said we’ve got just under 90 km today and we should be taking in two quite big climbs here in The Lakes we got the kirkstone pass and then we’ve got the I can’t remember the name I’ll Flash the route up now so yeah

It’ll probably be fairly slow going it usually is out in the late District cuz it’s so up and down but we’ve got all day we’re just about to hit the first climb of the day and Dan is already made a bit of a gap I’ve got a feeling that

He’s going to smash me up this clim 15 minutes into the rad ride jacket’s off we’re on the kirkstone pass and it’s uh got some bumps this is like a 5 6 km claim um with a few steep ramps nothing crazy but I do feel like the older I’m

Getting the longer it takes me to warm up on a ride the legs aren’t quite feeling up for what this claim is giv me but the good news is the sun’s coming it’s the middle of December in the Lake District it’s a steep climb mate hey telling me we’re only 1K into

It as well so we got 4 4K to go have you seen behind you though sun’s coming right beautiful stuff beautiful is this what I’ve been missing all winter when I’ve been training indoors it is it’s always like this it never rains it’s never cold it’s lovely cyly in winter W it’s about the top it super windy up here steep climb out of the gate man also think I may be getting on well I’ve got that feeling in my throat and in my chest Al Al Al toughest climb I’ve done in a minute that is it yeah I’ve not done that many

Climbs to be fair I know we got to go down there the best bit oh my lungs are burning no for The Descent look my line I get ready feeling too Trippy get it cracker like a lovey I’mma show them all how to party the lety count down and release the confet

The problem don’t start till I get there I said it’s all and the rest in it he Fair I’ve been waiting on this moment my whole life yeah give me my crown if it’s just it look good good watch yourself huh yeah you make it look good make it

Look good don’t let it watch yourself huh cuz you make it look Good watch this pull out with the top now ain’t anything I’m way too hot now I radiate don’t need a rear view they behind me cuz my future so bright in my blind hold up why I got to shine so bright don’t need a reason escorting my

Head is out they wish your s can’t be nobody else I’mma Be it’s like the 18th of December what’s going on I’m actually too warm I’m like sweating on my glasses you got these guys out in the boats the lake is still I mean wow 18 December feels like summer

Look at both of the cameras unbelievable um right let me let me talk to you about the bike let me show you the winter upgrades that we’re rocking today so this is the bike that I’ve been riding for the last few months I know you’ve probably seen me talking about this but

This is the Riley 235d titanium bike which honestly like I think I might be falling in love with it a little bit it’s just so comfortable to ride it feels fast it feels responsive it feels stiff but it just brazes is through like some of the winter roads

And I made a few updates if you seen my last video some winter updates to the bike just to keep it looking good I’ve got these SKS race blade mud guards on the front and the back these literally just strap on um and so they’re super

Easy to fit but you get way more coverage than like an ass saer and stuff so the bike is like pretty clean I’m pretty clean I’ve got no spray or anything like that and so yeah and then a couple of Lights tool bag that’s pretty much my setup today and I think

You can’t deny it just looks beautiful especially in this Light yourself huh cuz you make it look good make it look good watch yourself huh you make it look good make it look good we’re just under halfway we’ve um been enjoying the lovely sort of winding roads next to the lake for the last like

Half an hour or so it’s um obviously the Lakes so it’s up and down but this is definitely the flatter part of the route so um yeah we’ve just been chatting and having a good time how are you getting on been lovely yeah probably the nicest winter ride I’ve been

On I’m not freezing I can feel my fingers got a dry bom cuz of my mud guard there nothing to complain about this is what we love it watch yourself huh yeah you make it look good make it look good don’t let it watch yourself huh cuz you make it look Good watch this pull out with the top anything I’m way too hot now I already don’t need a rear view they behind me cuz my future so bright and my blind just P up why I got to shine so bright don’t need a reason escorting my haters

Out they wish she s can’t be nobody else I’mma Be myself so they going to have to watch me treat you make it look good make it look good watch yourself huh yeah you make it look good make it look good don’t let it watch yourself huh cuz you make it look Good you make it look good make it look good watch yourself huh yeah you make it look good make it look good don’t let it watch your huh cuz you make it look good make it look good watch yourself huh you make it look good make it look good honestly this is

Unbelievable it is literally what 6 days till Christmas and it’s just a beautiful day it’s not the warmest but the sunshine is unreal The Vibes are good and uh oh I’m just having a great time I should really get out more in my bike in Winter cuz this just beats Endo training

Every time I mean I love Endo training don’t get me wrong and it serves a really important purpose but you just can’t replicate this oh man alive the lesson is friends just get out on your bike make it winter prooof get some nice winter gear and just get out

On your bike unbelievable I can’t believe that flap has been loose all day D the last thing that we rode together was Raiders gravel and you’d actually only been riding for what like a month or something like that yeah about two months at that point how have you been

Finding the cycling over the last little while really good I’ve been uh I’ve become a bit of a road cycling Merchant when I on the gravel bake yeah yeah when I initially started obviously I got the gravel bike to do gravel but I found Road cycling is a lot more accessible I

Can just literally leave from my house don’t have to drive anywhere uh and yeah course I love it really I do running as well but cycling is just a bit more fun do you feel like the fitness translates between both no I think I think the running helps the cycling I’m yet to

Really feel the the cycling help the running aerobically obviously it definitely does help yeah I’ve got like a decent base level of Fitness now for like longer slow runs but my leg strength is severely lacking I’ve gone in reverse I’ve uh I’ve started running but it’s not going that well how do you

Do you find it just sore like knee pain I got Shen splints and like I’m not even doing like I’m doing like 5 6K three times a week you know high impact in to the bike you can go out on the bike for hours like what four five 6 hours a day

Worries absolutely sound you go on a 5K run for 25 minutes these are literally just done like a mad little concrete grally claim but we’ve been rewarded with this oh right Y Yeah Time going over that never been to the UK before is just an example of our sort of typical Road surface mate where did you get this rout from I thought you said reputable Source we’ll find out hold this he where did you f that from this is called being prepared my friend where

Have you I I’m genuinely shocked where have you been hiding that my back pocket can not see it bulging I thought that was a waterproof jacket no that’s on the left that this has been in the middle greig’s ham and cheese the fuel for absolute rookie Cyclists look I get ready feeling too Trippy get crack like a so we’ve got just under 8ks left so we’re pretty much done and it’s absolutely flown by today we’re sort of loosely contemplating adding some more on but if there’s a pub in the village that

We finish in then that might ruin that plan I think quick piec up starting to get to that point now for me at least where I need more than gels I need some substance yeah some big forette look at that view unbelievable if you’ve not been the late

District is a beautiful place to come and ride your bike I mean I won’t lie and all of its winter kit it doesn’t look quite as good but it is still a good looking bike like that like Classic Bike Tu in it’s not like all Arrow or

Anything like that just looks like a bike should look right Dan to lunch sounds good today or you’ve just finished your lunch say full now and we are done end r no struggle some uh I’m not feeling it I’ll take the brunt for that one I think we’ve missed our window we

We took quite a relaxed final 10 km home and I think we missed the window but anyway we’re back probably going to get changed maybe get some food and then I got to drive back to Nottingham tonight okay we are changed back in the car probably should have brought a cap some

Stats from today’s ride uh just under 90 6 km 86.2 uh 3 and 1/2 hours didn’t have my power on there but slow average speed of 24 km/ hour but there was over 1 and a half th000 M of climbing so good rid like a lot more climbing than I get down

In Nottingham so it was nice to come up here and do that and I hope that you’ve enjoyed this kind of style of video again I really love doing this kind of thing like just getting out on the bike capturing it making a fun video and it

Was really nice to hang out with d as well so hope you enjoyed this let me know down in the comments if you did and if you’re not already then please do consider subscribing um for hopefully lots more content into next year so yeah this is my probably my last video of the

Year and I hope that you enjoyed it and I’ll catch you in the next one cheers