Stories

How time flies when you are having fun, by Julie De Leeuw

I have always been an outdoorsy person and growing up I was often mistaken for a boy; perhaps it was because I was always halfway up a tree or tearing around the village on my bike? Another reason why I love the outdoors is because my dad was always late, so it was easier to cycle or walk to a hockey match or my friend's house to ensure I was there on time! We also lived on a hill, so cycling uphill was and still is the norm. I am a country girl at heart and still live in the beautiful Cotswolds. I get great pleasure out of walking our four dogs each morning in the woods and roaming the hills.

As I have mentioned, cycling up hills is a way of life so when I started mountain biking I was not phased by them on courses. I used to enjoy racing up the hills and then not letting the technically better riders overtake me on the downhills - it used to drive them crazy! Nonetheless, over time I got better at the technical bits and moved up the ranks, finally becoming a sponsored rider in the elite category.

I will never forget one year at the National Champs. The course was perfect for me as the race started on a long, steep, technical climb. After discussing race tactics with the team, it was decided that I should just give it everything on the first climb to gain a lead. This sounded logical until I saw Caroline Alexandra on the start line who was ranked in the top 10 in the world and was renowned for being the best climber in the world. Oh well, what's the worst that can happen?! I tore off from the start and found myself in the lead which I managed to keep to the top of the climb - I could not believe it, I was beating Caroline! Caroline was not number one for nothing. As we cycled over the brow of the hill into the descent my body decided it had had enough. BANG! I felt instantly fatigued, my coordination had gone and I could not turn the pedals. One by one, all the racers started overtaking me. I had gone from first to last in a matter of minutes.

Anyone who has experienced "bonking" before will know how I felt and how quickly it can take over your whole body. I walked my bike down the hill, determined not to give up. The crowd was shouting for me to get back on my bike but when I did, I wobbled and fell off so I chose to walk and eat as much sugar as I could. Luckily, I respond well to sugar so after a few minutes (that felt like hours) I got back on my bike and slowly started riding. I managed to work my way back up the field and took every sugary snack that was offered to me by my team and others who helped me. The mountain bike community is amazing. As time went on, I felt my strength return but boy, oh boy it was mentally and physically tough. This was, and still is, my proudest race as I managed to go from first place to last, and on to win a bronze medal. (Though I was sick for a week after due to it taking every ounce of my energy to finish the race.)

I am hoping that I am able to demonstrate as much resilience when I tackle the Silk Road Mountain Race (SRMR) with my husband Anton in August 2021. The SRMR is known as being one of the toughest cycle races in the world due to the altitude, extreme temperatures, terrain and lack of facilities available during the race. I do know that we will have the support of Expedition Foods who will enable us to fuel our bodies with the right number of calories and nutrients to provide an optimal nutritional balance. Thanks to the range of choices available, we will not have to rely on local food sources for supplies. Riders have failed before having struggled with stomach problems due to not being used to the local foods available. Logistically, carrying 14 days’ food each will be heavy (there is no outside assistance allowed) but Expedition Foods provide 1000 calorie meals suitable for two which will lighten the load. Although I am not a vegetarian, I prefer the taste of vegetarian food and was delighted to see the choices available to me so far. My favourite is Vegetable Tikka but I am munching my way through all of them.

Although I am quickly saying goodbye to the forties, I feel that I will never stop challenging myself and will always be an outdoors person. On our list of competitions this year is the SRMR and the Adventure Racing World Championships. Notwithstanding our own challenges we set ourselves on route to these events, life is about getting outdoors and having fun. 

Check out Julie's website at www.antonandjulie.com. 

The Plan

It's Friday and I crave adventure. 

It's time to get all my gear out of storage and take a little exploratory trip to the Basque Country. The availability of time and the physical fitness of each person may be different, but the harshness of the Basque topography is constant.

I have one goal: To unite the three "Hiru Hiriburuak" capitals (Bilbao, Vitoria-Gasteiz and Donostia-San Sebastián) of the provinces (Bizkaia, Alaba and Guipuzkoa) of Euskadi by gravel bike, creating a route that facilitates tourism in the area and is accessible to all.

It would be a route that people could complete in one go, divide into several stages, or even spread over a number of weekends, taking advantage of the different means of public transport that connect the main cities.

Equipment

The route is 90% off road. My preferred mode of travel is gravel bike. I'm 100% self-sufficient, and my kit is quite ultralight. Bikepacking means I don't have to depend on any facilities and can travel long distances.

My chosen configuration:

• Orbea Terra M20i bicycle - light and capable.
• Shimano GRX DI2 2x1 groupset - delivers precision and efficiency on all terrains.
• Fulcrum Rapis Red 900 DB wheels - robust and reliable.
• 40mm tires - perfect for the tracks (in good condition) without penalizing the asphalt sections.

Necessary kit and material distribution:

• Apidura 17L saddlebag
• Spare clothes
• Sleeping bag
• Stove, gas cylinder, cup

• Apidura 9L handlebar bag
• Large tent
• Hinged Carpet

• Pocket for apidura handlebar accessories 
• Expedition Foods freeze-dried meals
• Power bars

• Apidura 4.5L frame bag 
• Wash kit
• Electronic elements
• Mini padlock

The Result

I travelled 380km in 48 hours and the route was almost finished, my body was tired but my mind was restored.

I leave you with this advice: Organise your time, sometimes just a weekend is enough, for an exploration trip by bike and an escape from routine. Know your environment and its history. 

Pack up and dare!

Ibai Fradejas

We've come up with our top ten ways that Expedition Foods meals can improve your camping experience and make a great time even better.

You’re out of breath, you feel like you could drink a gallon of water, your legs are burning, and your feet are screaming at you. You’ve just started training for that 250km ultramarathon, and right now completing it probably seems impossible, maybe even ridiculous.

Life is all about setting yourself goals and working towards them. RacingThePlanet are there for you every step of the way to help you prepare yourself mentally and physically and achieve that incredible goal.

There's nothing we'd rather listen to than two awesome explorers discussing food.

Alex Mason, 38 year old British adventurer, has been well and truly on our radar since her incredible row across the Atlantic Ocean with Monkey Fist Adventures in 2020. She recently started her Hungry for Adventure podcast, talking to her fellow adventurers about food (and all things adventure), and having listened to an episode - we're already huge fans! 

For the third episode, Alex talked to Wendy Searle. If you haven't heard of Wendy, then you should have! In January 2020, Wendy completed her epic solo crossing of Antarctica, becoming the 7th woman in history to complete Hercules Inlet to South Pole, solo and unsupported.

This podcast is brilliant - funny, interesting, surprising and full of useful information for current/aspiring explorers. Thanks, Wendy for the shout out (approx. half way through) - we love working with you!

You can listen to the podcast by searching 'Hungry for Adventure' on your podcast player, or clicking this link.

If you're looking for gift ideas and inspiration for your outdoorsy loved ones, check out ExplorersWeb's Gift Guide for Polar Explorers.

They've included gifts across the range of prices and uses including wrist warmers, polar ski bindings, and, of course, Expedition Foods!

To take a look at the gift guide on ExplorersWeb click here. Or for a range of great gift options checkout our freeze-dried meal and our snack ranges on the Expedition Foods website.

Speaker, author and explorer, Mark Wood is no stranger to cold extremes. His experience includes guiding film crews to the Magnetic North Pole, leading two expeditions to the Geomagnetic North Pole and completing solo expeditions to both the Geographic North and South Poles. He has been a part of major BBC and Channel 5 documentaries and over the years has trained and led people in the extremes of the planet.

We asked Mark about his life and his incredible upcoming SOLO 100 expedition.

Campsites have re-opened following lockdown and unprecedented demand due to the "staycation" movement has meant new pop-up sites are opening everywhere. Whether you are on a site or if it's (leave-no-trace) wild-camping that interests you, Expedition Foods meals are perfect for camping.