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Bike checks: The gear taking on the TransAtlantic Way bikepacking race
Bike checks: The gear taking on the TransAtlantic Way bikepacking race
The Wild Atlantic Way is a tourism route stretching the entire west coast of Ireland. At 2,600 km (1,600 miles) it is one of the longest defined coastal routes on the planet. Starting almost literally a stone’s throw from my childhood home the route twists and turns uphill and down dale, along the Irish coastline touching the most northerly, westerly, and southerly points of mainland Ireland as it traverses Ireland’s steepest roads and highest passes.
Offering stunning scenery and an idyllic getaway, the route is a popular tourist attraction, even if it’s only feasible to visit a few of the 14 stages that make up the route per visit. Ireland is not a big place, but the route is long enough that I can’t imagine driving it all would make for an enjoyable holiday for anyone with less than a month to spare.
So naturally, someone decided this route, too long to drive, would make for the perfect bike race.
At less than half the distance of the Race Across America, the TransAtlanticWay is by no means the longest ultra-endurance race on the planet, far from it. But unsupported, entirely self-sufficient, battling the elements of Ireland’s western coast by day and sleeping in ditches by night, not to mention close to 30,000m (98,000 ft) of climbing, the TransAtlanticWay must still rank amongst the most difficult of bike races.
Best of all, there is no prize at the finish line. According to the race website, “there is no prize for 1st, 2nd and 3rd. The fastest rider gets the kudos and bragging rights for being the fastest. Everyone else will be riding against themselves, each other and the weather just to finish.”
Despite the 3:30 am alarm and the 5 am grand departure, I had to get to the start line to see for myself the 70 odd brave souls who felt compelled to sign up for five to seven days of pleasure and self-inflicted torture. Of course, equally interesting would be the dedicated bikes and equipment that would become these riders’ homes on wheels for days on end.
In previous editions of the race, riders would set off individually from the Peace Bridge in Derry City centre and so I assumed this year’s edition would begin in a similar fashion. I was wrong and less than ten hours before the 5 am start I found out this year’s riders would set off en masse before heading off individually at the official Wild Atlantic Way in my home village of Muff. Thereby scuppering my plans to shoot each bike and rider individually as they lined up for their respective start times.
Regardless of the start type, the bikes were ready, bags fully laden, Crocs, cakes and cups stowed front and rear, here’s a snapshot of tech on show at the start line of the TransAtlanticWay.
Alasdair Macniven set off for his west coast adventure on this steel Shand Stooshie handbuilt in Scotland. While not immediately obvious from this bike, Macniven is a weightweenie at heart and has focused on reducing weight as much as possible for his TransAtlanticWay ride. Opting for just three (or 2.5) bags, and carbon components where possibleA Hope carbon seat post saves a few grams, while a well worn in Brooks Cambium C15 saddle presumably provides plenty of comfort to the rear end it has been shaped by. First bike and already the first dynamo hub. Macniven is relying on Exposure Lights Revo Dynamo hub from Ultimate Sports Engineering. The hub powers an 800 lumen head light and reaches peak illumination at 17 mph. This Enve carbon bar and stem are pretty crowded with an Ortlieb bar bag, that Exposure Revo light, Wahoo Elemnt Roam, race GPS tracker, power pack and a second head light. Uwe Schmidt’s Canyon Aeroad was the first, and one of the best, example I came across of the paradox (as I see it) of ultra endurance and bike packing races: bags left right and centre with aero wheels and an aero frame. Uwe hadn’t planned on racing an Aeroad but his dedicated ultra bike was stolen days before the race and so he turned to his road racing rig. The last-minute bike change seemingly posed no issues as Schmidt was the first person to reach the finish line of the shorter 1,600 km Setanta route. Irish folklore has it Setanta was the nephew of King Conor of Ulster, son of the sky god Lugh, who while still a boy was able to slay King Conor’s ferocious guard dog with just a hurl and slither (a ball in the Irish field sport, hurley). Having slayed the guard dog, Setanta vowed to take on the guard dog’s role in protecting the entrance to Ulster and so became known as the hound of Culain or Cu Cuhulain, pronounced ‘Koo cull an’. Just as the 1,600 km route borrows young Setanta’s name, the full 2,600 km TransAtlanticWay race route borrows the legend Cu Culhainn’s name.Any bike is a bike packing bike. Schmidt tackled the 1,600 km route with just a top tube and frame bag from Restrap and Apidura. Out back the 2022 Setanta route winner had two bottles and a saddle bag. Andy Gorman‘s Ridley Kanzo adds to the slow aero bike race paradox. A gravel frame easily doubles up as a bike packing frame with aero wheels and aero bars again surrounded by bags and extra bottles. The aero bars are more likely for comfort and an extra riding position option than for any aero gains. Voile Straps or “ski straps”, as the name suggests, were designed for strapping skis together but are a firm favourite amongst bike packing adventurers and ultra-endurance racers alike. A stem bag, or as I like to think of them… pick and mix snack bags. With a minimum of five days of riding ahead, the Garmin Charge power pack is almost an essential piece of kit. “If it ain’t on Strava, it didn’t happen.”A Canyon Ultimate is a bit closer to what I was expecting to see at the start line of a self-supported ultra-endurance race, but still very much not what I was expecting to see. Sjoerd Witjes raced the Cu Cuhulain route aboard this fully equipped Ultimate CF SL. At the time of writing Witjes had covered 1600 km in 5 days 14 hours with a moving time of almost 2 days 16 hours making an average speed of 25 kph. Like many on the start line, Witjes’ Ultimate was equipped with Tailfin’s AeroPack carbon luggage carrying racks. The AeroPck is said to combine all the best features of seat packs and pannier bags into one with a quick release mount designed to fit almost any bike without the need for dedicated pannier mounts. The non-pannier rack pictured here has a claimed weight of 257 gr (not including the bag), although, at £249 the Tailfins are on the higher end of pannier rack prices. Witjes, who also enjoys shorter more typical road races, rides with non-round chainrings….Aero bars and time trial shifters…Plus a packet of cakes always within reach. The SON delux 12 Disc Dynamo front hub was another popular choice across numerous bikes on the start line.The dynamo hub powers both lights and devices as well as charging power packs. The bar tape caught my eye. Then the battle for handlebar real estate distracted me from the real talking point… A Van Nicholas frame. I hadn’t seen a frame from the Dutch titanium frame specialists in longer than I can remember. Van Nicholas titanium frames are designed with durability in mind, probably a good attribute for a ride encompassing Ireland’s entire western seaboard. This Yukon Disc is a touring specific offering, featuring rack mounts, fender mounts and dropped seat stays along with a touring specific geometry with shorter reach and taller stack. As Van Nicholas explains, the Yukon is “designed to go reasonably quickly in relative comfort for a long time” in other words, multi-day ultra-endurance racing. David Walker from Sheffield, England is the proud ower if this Van Nicholas featuring GRX Di2 and Dt Swiss wheels. Stuart Fahey is riding this Fairlight Cycles Faran 2.0. The Faran is a dedicated bikepacking utility rig and one of the most extensively packed bikes I found on the start line. Fahey estimated with all the bags, clothing, and equipment the bike weighs in excess of 20 kg, that’s a lot of weight for a ride including 30,000 m of climbing. Fahey explained a good resting mat is an essential and stores his within easy reach. Upfront, Fahey again opts for aero extensions for a relaxed leaning over position option.. In addition to the Garmin, Fahey keeps detailed route guide within sight at all times. Another Son Delux dyanmo hub powers this front light. I love these classic looking bottle cages from Japanese brand Nitto. Nitto specialises in long lasting durable components, the T Stainless Steel Bottle Cage is said to securely hold bottles even across rough surfaces and is TIG welded for added strength. As an added bonus, the closed design supposedly does a good job of holding almost any bottle direct from a supermarket fridge. Fahey explained this tool has a dual purpose, but explanation of it’s use in answering natures number two call distracted me from catching what it’s number two main use is. Read More
