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Gas Station Fueling Tips: When Cycling Nutrition Goes Rogue

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Gas Station Fueling Tips: When Cycling Nutrition Goes Rogue

Even if you’ve never given the phrase “carbs per hour” a second thought (or a first), Hailey Moore would bet that all cyclists have a shared performance goal: we want to feel good while riding. And while performance-focused sports nutrition brands like Skratch Labs have largely catered to the carb-counting crowds, the science of nutrition underpinning their products can still be applied outside of the controlled confines of racing—to bikepacking, randonneuring and other unsupported adventure riding—when nutrition goes rogue. Hailey sat down with Skratch Labs dietitian, Colette Vartanian, to talk about gas-station fueling strategies, the magic of chocolate milk and if drinking ‘Trash Juice’ is actually ok. Read on for an unconventional conversation about cycling nutrition.

Hunting Double Track in Peru’s Sunchubamba Reserve: The Road to Nowhere

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Hunting Double Track in Peru’s Sunchubamba Reserve: The Road to Nowhere

With a seemingly endless array of dirt roads scattered throughout the Peruvian Andes, it’s easy to see why it has become a favorite destination for bike travelers like Ryan Wilson.  During his latest trip to the country, Ryan looks to connect the northern city of Cajamarca to the Ancash region along some rarely traveled dirt tracks through the Sunchubamba Game Reserve.  With little information about this zone to be found online, read on to find out how it went. 

Dropper Post Seat Bag Review Roundup

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Dropper Post Seat Bag Review Roundup

The most fun addition to any bike? Ask Colt Fetters and the answer is unquestionably a dropper post. He’d argue that droppers are more fun than suspension, fancy wheels, and wireless shifting, because getting the saddle out of the way is key to maneuvering a mountain bike to its fullest potential. But for multi-day riding, running a dropper can present logistical challenges. In the following roundup, Colt reviews seven dropper-post compatible seat bags to ensure that you don’t have to compromise carrying capacity in exchange for confident descending on multi-day mountain biking missions.

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VIDEO: The Slow Lane

Dedicated to slowly exploring the world on two wheels, Pierre Bouchard and Janick Lemieux have covered more than 250,000 KM by bike and spent 14 years in the saddle since 1990…

The Moor, the Forest and the Sea:
Two Days Bikepacking Yorkshire’s YC Adventure Route

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The Moor, the Forest and the Sea:
Two Days Bikepacking Yorkshire’s YC Adventure Route

In the North East of England, between vast swathes of exposed moorland and the storm-battered cliffs of the North Sea, a sprinkling of Victorian seaside resorts and ancient fishing villages line the coast. Designed off the back of the already famous road trip, complete with twelve variations, Route YC is the latest addition to journeys by bike in England. It explores some of the best of the Yorkshire Coast.

Starting and finishing in Scarborough, the Adventure Weekender takes in Roman-built upland roads, winding forest singletrack and the sands of wide open beaches. At the tail end of January, in the thick of one of the wettest winters of recent years, Chris Hunt joined the inaugural group ride of the 150-kilometer loop, with the hope of filling-in the blanks for what could only be described as a blind-spot in his geography of the motherland.

Highs and Lows in Ecuador’s Volcanic Corridor

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Highs and Lows in Ecuador’s Volcanic Corridor

Last year, Ryan Wilson met up with fellow bike traveler Joe Sasada to tackle the dirt road version of the Trans Ecuador Mountain Bike Route.  In Part one, they got their feet wet on this classic route, but in this chapter, Ryan and Joe visit the heart of Ecuador’s iconic volcano corridor and run into the trials and tribulations that come with any good bike tour.  Read on for a slice of the highlights and lowlights of their ride across the Andes.

A Review and Some Tinkering with Shimano CUES 1×11 Drivetrain

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A Review and Some Tinkering with Shimano CUES 1×11 Drivetrain

With Shimano releasing CUES to replace Alivio, Acera, and Altus groupsets, is it possible we are getting something better? CUES unites all the parts under its umbrella with the same flat cable pull ratio and chain pitch across 9, 10, and 11-speed drivetrains. Spencer Harding devised his own mix of CUES parts to fit his touring demands at a low price point. Check out what he found and his thoughts on this new parts offering from Shimano below…