Cyclite

We tested the complete NANO Set against a bare reference bike using the same standardised outdoor aero protocol multiple runs in both directions on one flat course, with total system weights matched across every configuration, stabilised position on the hoods. And the results were really interesting.

Thanks again Patrick Zasada | Bikepacking • Gravelbike • Ultracycling for the study! Link in bio.

Your bike doesn’t care what’s in your bags, but rather where is the weight. Here, 10 small tips for packing for your next bikepacking trip or race.

We tested the complete TOURING SET against a bare reference bike, and against the same set with the HANDLE BAR AERO BAG removed. A standardised outdoor aero protocol was used: multiple runs in both directions on one flat course, total system weight matched across every configuration, stabilized position on aerobars. The results were very interesting!

Thanks Patrick Zasada | Bikepacking • Gravelbike • Ultracycling for the study. Link in bio.

So many possibilities, and only one setup per trip.

How’s your setup looking like?

Elodie Robert (Elodie Robert) finished as first woman and second overall at the Holy (S**t) Alps Conquest! 🥇

2.170 km with 40.000m+. For Elodie, the highlight was the people. She kept having conversations when she met participants and organisers along the way.

Also, she didn’t expect to enjoy the dead-end climbs, which in her opinion were really fun, specially Bonette, Col de la Loze and Gotthard. The hardest part for her was the last flat 300 km!

Congratulations Elodie!

Elodie Robert (Elodie Robert) has been 3 days riding Girona to Munich. She is currently leading the women’s field and sitting second overall.

During Holy (S**t) Alps Conquest the participants have to ride around 2160 km, 40.000 m up, 17 passes above 2000 m. The route between the Col d’Ares and Jausiers isn’t fixed every rider draws their own line, which makes it very fun to dotwatch.
Still a long way from Munich!

📷 Ultracycling Challenges,

Some rides are about much more than the finish line.

After 4,751 km, 47,900 m of climbing and 12 days, 11 hours and 1 minute across Europe, Sarah Bosslet has become the winner of the new FLINTA category at the The Transcontinental 🤍

An incredible achievement built on determination, resilience, and believing in herself from start to finish. Sarah’s journey is a powerful reminder of what can grow from someone believing in you until you’re able to believe in yourself. Her ride has inspired not only us, but so many others. We’re proud to have been part of her adventure and grateful that our bags could accompany her every kilometre along the way.

What does winning the FLINTA Category mean to her, what surprised her most and which race moments will stick with her for a long time? Find out in the next slides.

Congratulations, Sarah. What a ride. And safe travels on your bike trip back home!🚴‍♀️

📸: Matt Grayson

Q: Being the first winner of the new FLINTA category, what does that mean to you personally, and what impact do you hope the category will have on the sport?

A: To me personally, it means the world to win it. I never ever thought about winning it because it’s so huge. But to actually achieve it and tell my story behind it, I hope to inspire many more FLINTA to just try it and apply for the race or even just to go cycling or get a little more active. If you really want something, you can achieve it. The most important thing is to never give up even when live gets really hard. Eventually it pays off and you get rewarded. I hope to pass this message to many more FLINTA and encourage them to just try something, no matter what others are saying. Just believe in yourself.

📸: Michael Drummond

Q: What was the most irrational decision you made during the race that somehow turned out to be brilliant?

A: Ithink the craziest decision was going for the 11am ferry from Malmö. The day before I planned and booked the ferry for the evening and I was worried not to make it. So I had a short but really good night. I felt fresh and had so much fun riding to the Oslo ferry and then I realised that it’s possible to go for the Malmö ferry, 24h earlier than expected.

Snacks for Thought: Fast or Slow?

Ultra-racing is about compression: stop, move more, fuel thoughtfully and shave minutes. The ride becomes a problem you’re solving with your legs. No hiding from the clock, no pretending the suffering isn’t there. Performance is what matters there, improvement, winning.

Bikepacking is the opposite bet. You’re not racing anyone, not even yourself. The detour to the weird church, the second coffee, the nap in the shade; the journey is the goal. For bike tourers, slow isn’t the absence of ambition. It’s a different definition of what you’re trying to win. They don’t carry more because they’re not as minimalist. For them, their essentials require more space; because what matters is being able to continue riding even if that means slowing down.

In a third group, riders line up at ultra races, they stop when they want to stop, they eat a real meal when they feel like experiencing it, they sleep the hours their body is asking for instead of the four or less that their plan allows, but they still push enough to make the cut time. Not first, not DNF. They stay at the heart of the race. That’s not a lesser version of the fast riders’ race, but a slow bikepacker that is able to push their limits when it’s needed.

Neither is more “authentic” than the other that’s a trap people fall into. The real question isn’t fast vs. slow. The question is: what are you actually racing? Time? The noise in your head? Pick your setup and the pace; the whole answer follows.

Where do you see yourself more represented?

📷:
ChrisBurkard
pataspts
Gregg Dunham
Gavin Kaps
Philipp Reiter
Jakob Herrmann