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We’re always excited to hear how people integrate our products into their lifestyles. Whether it’s to support a busy life, promote healthier eating habits or fuel sporting success and adventures.
Until recently, we weren’t too sure what ‘Bikepacking’ was, and had never heard the term ‘S24O’, Then Dan joined our marketing team and took us on a Bike Packing trip through the Yorkshire Dales!
Here’s the gist…
Bike Packing is essentially camping, but you get to your overnight spot by bike. Generally, you’ll be self-sufficient, carrying your own supplies and equipment, and keeping everything light enough to be efficient (and have fun) on the bike. These trips will range from a brief overnighter (more on this below) to multi-night, hundreds-of-mile escapes.
An ’S240’ is a ‘sub-24-hour overnighter’ – You’ll ride out, camp one night, ride back. A perfect little slice of countryside escapism for those who lead busy work or family lives.
This is exactly what Dan did last month in the Yorkshire Dales, and he took a supply of GSN products with him (get yours here).
“Sometimes I get bored of the standard junk breakfast in a can” Dan stated as he decanted an GSN English Breakfast into a Tupperware and stashed it into his bike bag.
A top tip here, repacking the meal into a sturdier container once defrosted will help keep it secure during any ‘rough’ activities, whilst also helping it pack away efficiently into a tight gear set-up. Dan also sealed his into a large ziplock bag ‘just to be sure’, perhaps he knew this wouldn’t be smooth sailing… (Cycling).
“When I have the opportunity to ride anywhere remote, it’s often difficult to find decent eats, so where possible I try to carry nutritionally focussed foods to keep me going, if I find an open pub on an evening – I’ll jump right in. But, knowing I’m covered for the energy I need to keep moving is invaluable – especially if things aren’t going to plan!”
Dan’s recent Bike Packing adventure in The Yorkshire Dales saw him secure a lift to the northwestern edge of the Dales after work on a Friday evening, build his bike in a car park and ride south through the glorious Yorkshire countryside until the sunset. Then climbing in darkness out of the Dent Valley to secure a wild-camp spot with a view for the morning. Needing to be back in York on Saturday evening, the trip was a short, but beautifully scenic one, blessed with constant sunshine…
“Planning is key, but also one of my weaknesses, I had a rough idea of where I wanted to sleep, and the sort of terrain I would have to navigate to get there. The final ascent to my bivvy (think sleeping bag in a waterproof cover) spot was a 17% incline, which I walked, getting to camp around 2200.”
A secluded bank behind a drystone wall provided enough shelter for Dan to unload his ultra-light sleeping and cooking gear and prepare his hot choc and GSN Piri Piri Chicken nightcap.
“I’ve found the Pots O Gold cook through really well over a gas stove, once defrosted they have enough moisture in them to simmer on a gentle heat and not burn!”
The aforementioned GSN English Breakfast pot (but with freshly brewed coffee) AND a GSN Blueberry Overnight Oats tub in the morning and Dan set off, although his self-confessed disregard for planning soon came into play!
“Part of the fun with this sort of adventure cycling is not sticking to the plan. Coming round a steep bend to find a dozen old men pointing cameras at you can change your morning…”
‘Hey, what’s going on?’
’Steam train’ Man-A bluntly replied
‘Oh nice, which one?’
‘Man-A points to the viaduct I’d just ridden under and walked away. I stood a little away from him on the hill and waited alone for the train’
‘I still have no idea which train it was, but it looked great as it crossed the viaduct and chugged off into the distance!”
Some planning, oddly, underpinned Dan’s second disregard for planning… Having opted for the ‘Adventurous Route’, and heading off-piste, against the advice of local farmers he found his energy depleting.
“Sometimes you just need to see where that sign points, this time I ended up carrying the bike along a large chunk of The Dales Way, a particularly rough rambling route which runs behind the mountain of Whernside. Thankfully the weather was wonderful, and I’d packed a few GSN Rocky Road Bars to keep me going.” – The irony of eating Rocky Road on a Rocky Road is not wasted on us!
Once through the hiking trail and back onto civilised tarmac, Dan ventured towards some of the iconic Tour de Yorkshire and Tour of Britain roads which snake through the Three Peaks area, ending up in Skipton, for a well-deserved train back to York.
Dan rode just under 100km, with around 1500m of climbing and burnt almost 2600 calories on this ‘S24O’, all powered by GSN 💪
If you’d like to see the route, click here.
“This was a lovely ride, the weather definitely helped me stay upbeat during the walks, I’d leave the bike at home if you fancy The Dales Way, or maybe take one not loaded with an extra 10kg of stuff.”
If you’re interested in learning more about Bike Packing, here are a few links.
A great intro:
https://bikepacking.com/bikepacking-101/how-to-bikepack/
The absolute founding pioneers of Bike Packing, (inspirational stuff) here:
https://www.instagram.com/rsfarchive/
Find Dan, on Instagram here. And a more long-form version of his adventures, here.
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Thank you for reading, if you take us with you, let us know!
