This week’s newsletter covers one of the coolest things I’ve seen in cycling, backflipping a cargo bike. We also cover bikepacking in Kenya, and how to mountain bike indoors. There’s a podcast with a man cycling to space, videos on prepping for Badlands and a guide on solving coffee legs. Enjoy!
Hola!
Welcome to another edition of the N+1 newsletter. We’re coming at you from Girona this week and I have finally started riding my bike again after my three-week off-season.
I had my first ride back last night and joined one of my close friends for his training session, and I’m not really sure why. We went out at 6 pm, catching the last of the daylight but we were soon switching our lights on as we ascended Els Angels. We dropped down the back side in the dusk, and then cracked on with the intervals.
After three weeks of very limited exercise, and an awful lot of parting, I wasn’t expecting much. I surprised myself and was decent enough, but was suffering an awful lot. I’ve missed the feeling of going hard, and although a long path, I’ll be back sooner than I hope.
Next up, I head to Toulouse for the final trip of my off-season before flying back to the UK for a few weeks to start training.
Happy Pedalling,
Joe
Feel free to email me at joe@nplus1.cc if you have any questions, or feel I’ve missed something that is worth putting in the Newsletter.
N+Read 🗞
The groad trip
The gravel season came to an end with the Big Sugar Gravel race in Bentonville, Arkansas. It also brought the lucrative Lifetime Series to an end too, with Keegan Swenson and Haley Smith taking the title.
⏱ 3-minute read
Getting winter ready
Winter is coming. With the colder months upon us, especially for those living in Northern Europe, it’s time to get the bike prepared too. Getting your bike ready for winter will save you time, energy and money further down the line.
⏱ 6-minute read + a few euros spending!
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How to backflip a cargo bike
Cargo bikes are becoming ever more popular across Europe. They’re convenient, cool, car replacing and good for the environment. What’s not to like? Cargo bikes are tools and are rarely thought of as vehicles of fun, but that just changed.
⏱ 2-minute read + 14-minute watch
Mountain biking indoors?
Their combined system allows users to use a Discord-style voice chat while riding together, as well as use “real roads” across the world. The most bizarre feature is mountain biking. Based on the Dunoon Crossover in Scotland, the MTB feature will add more resistance, but we’re not too sure what happens after that.
⏱ 5-minute read
A Kenya cycling odyssey
Over 1,000 km of dirt roads and a single track, the Kenya Cycling Odyssey is everything you expect from an African trip. Starting in Nairobi and crisscrossing forests, lakes and mountains it is a feast for the eyes.
⏱ 6-minute read
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Solving cafe legs
We’ve all been there. Take a long cafe stop and you’re faced with the dreaded cafe legs. How can it be that a refuelling stop where you drink coffee and take on sugar makes you feel worse?
⏱ 2-minute read
N+Tweet 🎲
Is cyclocross the greatest cycling-party combination in the world?
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N+Listen 🎧
Jack Thompson, aka JackUltraCyclist, is an Aussie cyclist living in Girona. That isn’t anything unique, there are many talented Aussie pros living in Girona, but Jack is different. An ultra-endurance cyclist, he sets himself the craziest of challenges, but 2022 might bring his craziest one yet.
⏱ 44-minute listen
N+Watch 👀
Badlands is an unsupported ultra-endurance race on the edge of Europe. It has a reputation for being one of the sport’s hardest challenges with racers often sacrificing sleep on their way to chasing a fast time. This is part one of a multi-video series on Chirs Hall’s YouTube channel.
⏱ 24-minute watch
N+1 Introducing 👋🏻
In this part of the Newsletter, each week we introduce one of the brands we work with at N+1.
This week we are introducing… Bookman
Stockholm-based, Bookman lights combine minimalistic design and draw on the heritage of Swedish safety-conscious brands. Coming from the land of 24hr darkness, you can guarantee their lights will be effective.
Be sure to download our app and browse their products!