Background and Why I’m Doing This: I’ve had a complicated relationship with cycling. When I was younger, everything pointed towards performance. Within a year of starting, I was on a UK elite team, racing national events with pressure landing hard on my 15-year-old shoulders. I was good, and the future looked promising, but the environment swallowed me. Cycling stopped being fun; it became a chore, and I walked away for a few years. During that time, I travelled until the money ran out, came back to the UK, worked, took holidays here and there, but never scratched that bigger travel itch. Life got comfortable, the nine-to-five routine set in, but my curiosity was still there. Coming back to cycling as an adult felt completely different. I ride because I love it, without expectations hanging over me, and it showed. In 2024 I trained harder than ever, had my best results, and finally tapped into the rider I wanted to be. Then 2025 hit differently: illness, drops in motivation, and a quiet sense that I needed more in life than just power numbers on a screen. Life around me also felt stable, probably too stable. I have a good job, strong progression, and the kind of security most people work years for. But sometimes I wondered if I’d slipped into a loop, choosing comfort over curiosity. I wanted a break. Not from cycling, but from a life where everything is scheduled and predictable. I wanted adventure again, to see what happens when I drop myself somewhere unfamiliar and have to figure it out. And I wanted a challenge that doesn’t fit neatly between Monday meetings, weekend training blocks, and annual leave.
My Bike Setup and Kit: This bike has been my home for the past couple of weeks and for the next few, so I needed a setup I could rely on. My frame of choice is the Gloria All-Road. Titanium makes it strong, light, and resilient, perfect for long days in the saddle. With 45 mm tyre clearance, it can comfortably tackle everything from smooth tarmac along the Great Ocean Road, to rough gravel tracks in New Zealand’s mountains. Its versatility also means I’ll use it for winter training back home. For wheels, I’ve chosen the HUNT 40 Limitless Gravel Adventure wheelset. Built for ultra-endurance races and loaded bikepacking, they give aero efficiency on road, wide clearance, and rock-solid durability when the gravel gets rough. Paired with Vittoria Terreno T30 45 mm tyres, they balance speed on tarmac with confidence off-road, carrying my gear across thousands of kilometres without compromise. I’ll be using Tailfin bags, a Shimano 105 groupset, a Specialized 3D-printed saddle for comfort, and Exposure lights for visibility. Clothing wise I’m packing light: a mix of my 2026 TAAP Kalas race kit, Albion cargo shorts, and essentials I’ve collected throughout the year. My shoes will be Lake MX239, their most popular gravel adventure shoe, solid and comfortable. These aren’t just logos on a picklist; they’re brands I trust and have used for years. Hunt in particular feels close to home. I know quite a few of the team well, and have raced, trained, and bikepacked on their wheels for years. Having them with me on this trip just feels right.
