"B" is for "Bus Stop"

When venturing forth on long distance rides, one of the great, versatile shelters which are found in every country, on many roads, is the humble bus stop.

Late at night, or even during the day, these marvellous monuments of civilisation (even though they're obviously not designed for use by cyclists) can be used by your weary, pedal-sore self for:

• Sleeping - bus stops usually have a roof and are sometimes closed on three-and-a-bit sides, with a bench, which means that you can safely sleep sheltered from the rain and wind, and raised off the cold ground
• Eating - a nice relaxing sit-down and munch away
• Cooking - if you're touring, stoves can be sheltered from the wind
• Changing - sheltered from the rain and wind, you can change into dry, warm clothes
• Toilet stops - with a spare plastic bag, some toilet paper and/or baby wipes, a number two can be comfortably performed in privacy - do clean-up after yourself!

When you're tired enough, a bus stop can look like a five star hotel.  Ultra - you're doing it right.

Catch some Zzzzzs - goodnight!  Even if it's daytime...

"A" is for "Aero"

2017 is All About Aero!  The dream is bike, wheels, and kit, all of it slipping smoothly through the air in the pursuit of going faster for longer.

As with every ultra race, this year's Transcontinental Race has plenty of flat sections (think of flat-as-a-pancake-Slavonia in the Hard Cro route, a candidate to rival the pancake flatness of Kansas), which is a bit disappointing, as I love mountains and climbing.  Also, Croatia won't feature in this year's TCR route (booo hissssss), unless you get really lost...

Weight is always a consideration, but the aerodynamic drag created by rider and bike consumes more power, even on uphill sections.  There are plenty of good, informative videos by Fastfitnesstips on YouTube, Specialized, as well as many other scientific studies (not GCN, bless 'em).

I'll make some compromises on the optimal aerodynamics, such as disc brakes and drop bars, but these will be (typically) very much about safety (eg: fast mountain descents - you'll kill your hands on TT bull horn bars, and probably kill yourself if it's wet and you have rim brakes and carbon wheels) and comfort over huge ultra distances, rather than pure speed.

All About Aero!  Watch this space for the unveiling of the aero setup...

Flatness of pancakes versus Slavonia versus Kansas - discuss...