After a two year hiatus, Urban Hill Climb returned to Swain’s Lane. The only hill climb within Greater London and an iconic event on the UK circuit. The climb averages 8% and maxes out at 20% over 700m of tarmac making it one of the only places within Central London for hill climb specialists to test their mettle. Racers, families, Bromptons and cargo bikes all shoulder to shoulder battling up the 20% gradients. Whether you’re racing, riding for fun or simply spectating, this is an event with an incredible atmosphere and a great day out for all. Please subscribe and hit that bell icon! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bike.challenge Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thebikechallenge Strava: https://www.strava.com/clubs/bike-challenge Gravel Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7qneYOeW60&list=PLyK3Kyuzlym4gFNE4SwsLPAodZsXbaCnB Gear used: GoPro Hero 10 - 4k @ 24fps ISO range 100/1600 Edited on: Premiere Pro - Peter McKinnon Kodak Killer LUT Bikes: Steel Vitus SRS-1 and Aluminium VRS-1 Tyres: Road - 700c DT Swiss R500 w/ Hutchinson Fusion 5 30c Groupset: 11-speed SRAM Apex 1 + e-thirteen 9-46T cassette Music: Artlist.io https://artlist.io/Bike-3657234 ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFGBolE8RM8

We took our bikes for this one, not taking bike hire as a chance here to ensure we could ride 400km in only 3 days and a half. After flying from London to Venice we built the bikes up from the boxes and took a train to the lovely Bassano del Grappa where we met with other cool cyclists that were starting their adventure. A short 60km ride to our first accommodation just before the biggest climb of the route. We loved the vibe and scenery, but this was just the beginning... Day 1.5: We start the day with the biggest climb of the route, about 500m high and 12km long, The Colli Berici were not to be trifled with... We met some new friends @FeniceBike_Cycling and fun companions for the climb and soon after started a very long descent down to Verona. After an obligatory selfie at the Arena and the Ponte Vecchio we swiftly headed down towards Garda, with long stretches of green and canals leading us west... Day 2.5 was an hot one! Starting the day in a lovely B&B near Lake Garda and riding down towards #Gardaland and the Lake with stunning views all the way to Peschiera del Garda, a small town south east of the lake itself, where we stamped our 2nd checkpoint of the route at @gardagravel After a quick break and some photos we rode past the busy area along the canals and river paths and back inland towards Montagnana, our stop for the night. It was halfway there we realised we forgot our house keys at the B&B! ?Sadly we had to call them and tell them to throw them away as we wouldn't reach it in time to complete the route too. (Luckily we had a spare at a friends' house when we got back to London ?) No problem, onwards we went and through definitely more gravel than the first half of the route. Nothing too technical but definitely more watts to be consumed and more pasta to be had to replenish the carbs lost that day. That was also an excuse to taste the amazing Montagnana Cured Ham and Bigoli from a local restaurant that produces their own pasta ? Have you been in Veneto before? Day 3.5: The last day of Veneto Gravel started with little sleep from the night before... thanks to a noisy hotel neighbour that decided to have a call about her life choices the whole night ? We started a bit late to recover and get some rest while rain was looming on the horizon. We headed to Este and the countryside towards Colli Euganei, one of the prettiest sections of the route so far. We saw where Petrarca lived and composed some of his poetry and dreamed of simpler times while climbing higher. We then got to Padova for lunch and looked for a nice place to eat just outside the main town. A long straight led us to Bassano del Grappa where the finishers were waiting for us, along with some nice and well-deserved food and beer at the end. We managed to reach some of the cyclists we met earlier that had surpassed us, had a few chats and avoided most of the rain that day! Check IG for more photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CsQ7iFPIbXM/ Please subscribe and hit that bell icon! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bike.challenge Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thebikechallenge Strava: https://www.strava.com/clubs/bike-challenge Gravel Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7qneYOeW60&list=PLyK3Kyuzlym4gFNE4SwsLPAodZsXbaCnB Gear used: GoPro Hero 10 - 5.3k @ 24fps ISO range 100/1600 Edited on: Premiere Pro Bikes: Steel Vitus SRS-1 and Aluminium VRS-1 Tyres: Gravel - Teravail Rutland 47c + WTB Venture 47c Groupset: 11-speed SRAM Apex 1x + E-thirteen 9-46T cassette Music: Artlist.io https://artlist.io/Bike-3657234 ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na1saT8X2es

Saturday, 7th May 2022. With rain overnight, it was a humid start at the registration, but that didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits. The parcours for the ‘Fast Times in the High Weald’ was a daunting one: 200km with 3200m+ of ascent is certainly nothing to sniff at and would be a real AAA point earner for those that complete it successfully. Despite Rob’s potentially punishing route, the start list included a refreshingly large proportion of first-timers to the audax game, and what a way to start! Rolling out of London through Crystal Palace we headed for Sevenoaks, following the rain as we went and using the looming clouds as our guide towards the inevitable elevation pain. The roads were slick, but the temperature was perfect for riding as we left the Big Smoke behind, making good progress towards Knells where we were met with some stunning scenery as the sun made an appearance. With the first information checkpoint down there was still a long way to go, but nothing quite replicates the sort of camaraderie created by 30+ cyclists simultaneously jotting down the details of a street sign while trying not to choke on a banana. We rode on. In inimitable audax style, the only stamped control of the day was hosted at a village hall in Bells Yew Green, complete with a serving hatch of endless cups of coffee for the stream of riders already showing the strain of the elevation profile. Though only 80km in, the challenging climbs and wet roads were already taking their toll, and the repair stand out front was just as popular as the porcelain throne within! Nevertheless, we soldiered on. With our sights set, the pack strode towards Battle, cutting across a quintessentially English countryside landscape that would have been twee if it were not for the punishing gradients. Leaving Battle felt more like heading into it: storm clouds loomed ominously overhead, and as they sank into the woodland the condensation didn't so much produce rain as simply drench any object in reach instantaneously. Slick road surfaces curtailed any hope of picking up the average speed on descents, dropping the expected arrival time like a stone, and the wet tarmac heralded the arrival of the puncture fairy, halting progress again and again. Once we hit Ashdown Forest we were relieved of the slick surfaces, however, they were replaced by exposed roads and demoralising headwinds. Groups split and reformed in new configurations as riders were briefly broken, but found their second winds among new compatriots. The struggle against the headwind and the harsh gradients was a tough one, but we soon found reprieve in the exceptional views across the gorse-stricken hillsides – not to mention the euro-smooth asphalt on the sweeping descents towards Hartfield. The Applegreen garage in Uckfield, sitting perfectly on the route, was a popular stop for receipt collection. Bemused passers-by visibly questioned how a fossil-fuel vendor could have ended up with this crowd of haggard-looking cyclists strewn Da Vinci style across its forecourt. While these fuel companies aren’t exactly our favourite businesses, they do usually have a functioning coffee machine and something solid to lean against! It might sound like the worst of it was over, however, Rob’s knee-busting route had a sting in the tail. BCC veterans were all too familiar with what was to come: Ide Hill, for the last info control, bore an arrow-straight path through the Kent countryside – quite the opposite of what the doctor ordered after 9 hours on the move! Saving the best until last [best being a relative term here], just as the home stretch came into view, so did Hogtrough Hill. With 180km in the legs, every rider did at least feel the luxury of being able to take it as easy as possible guilt-free, and as a South Hills classic it felt only right that a BC tough-cookie ride should end its ascending here. Taken from https://brixtoncycles.co.uk/news/audaxing-with-bcc/ Strava of the ride: https://www.strava.com/activities/7106376883 Please subscribe and hit that bell icon! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bike.challenge Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thebikechallenge Strava: https://www.strava.com/clubs/bike-challenge Gravel Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7qneYOeW60&list=PLyK3Kyuzlym4gFNE4SwsLPAodZsXbaCnB Gear used: GoPro Hero 10 - 4k @ 24fps ISO range 100/1600 Edited on: Premiere Pro Bikes: Steel Vitus SRS-1 and Alloy VRS-1, Road: 700c DT Swiss R500 w/ Hutchinson Fusion 5 30c 11-speed SRAM Apex 1 groupset + e-thirteen 9-46t cassette Music: Artlist.io ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sXn1ImlxYc

Battle on the Beach 2023 #Shorts Full video out this evening! Please subscribe and hit that bell icon! If you would like to support the channel and the creation of our videos, we accept one-time donations through Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/bikechallenge Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bike.challenge Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thebikechallenge Strava: https://www.strava.com/clubs/bike-challenge Gravel Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7qneYOeW60&list=PLyK3Kyuzlym4gFNE4SwsLPAodZsXbaCnB Tyres: Gravel - Teravail Rutland 47c + WTB Venture 47c Groupset: 11-speed SRAM Apex 1x + E-thirteen 9-46T cassette Music: Artlist.io https://artlist.io/Bike-3657234 ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTp25_L37E0