- [Narrator] In 2018, Jenny Graham smashed the
'round-the-world by bike record',
circumnavigating the globe in just 124 days
completely unsupported.
So, who better to teach a complete newb
the art of bike packing
and yes, I am a complete newbie
because the trouble with being a pro cyclist
is that you get accustomed to being looked after.
Someone makes sandwiches, washes your clothes,
and even cleans your bike.
All you have to do is pedal,
and even then, you might have a team manager on a radio
telling you how hard to go and when to put in your effort.
On the cycling spectrum,
bike packing couldn't be much further removed from this.
- Good thing about being in the wilderness
is that you aren't going to wake anyone up.
(thumping)
- [Narrator] Freedom, the ability to go where you want,
as fast or slowly as you want,
staying where you want, and eating what you want to boot.
So, what's not to love?
Well, honestly, I don't know yet.
But sleeping in hedges is a bit suspect, if you ask me.
(groaning)
- [Man] I didn't get to stroke a sheep
- I am, however, due to go to South America
at the end of the year for an epic ride,
so before I go, I need to learn some basics.
(rapid thumping)
- Come on, James!
- I'll break a wheel.
- Jenny has emailed a kit list over to me
and I've gone and bought everything on the list,
but to be honest, it doesn't look like much,
so, I've added a few bits of my own.
Now, I hope all this is going to fit on my bike.
I really do hope.
- God, I hope Jenny's going to turn up soon.
I'm freezing.
(wind howling)
Hang on a minute.
There she is.
(laughing)
- Hello, there!
- How you doing?
- You're looking a bit lost there.
- I'm very lost.
This all looks alien.
I bought my race bike, I've got my one bike beard on,
and my saddle bag, my tube, and spare kit.
- Wow, okay.
Yeah, we've got a little bit of work to do here.
- Yeah, you sent me a kit list and I bought it.
I added a few bits 'cause I thought you can't go away
without a few essentials.
- Okay.
- Like? - Like?
- Toothpaste, bargain, one pack.
- Bargain.
- Mouthwash, pro cyclist, hygiene absolute paramount,
so make sure you keep your mouth nice and clean and fresh.
I've also got,
I mean you can't go without flapjacks.
And no night can start without a bit of chocolate.
- Okay James, so a bike packer's essential list
and a pro roadie's essential list are very, very different.
- Yeah. (chuckling)
- Better get started, hey? - Yeah.
Okay, so out of all the stuff you packed James,
which was quite a lot.
- Yeah, I've left quite a lot behind, haven't I?
- You have left quite a lot behind, but that's good.
So we have got the essentials right here.
- Yeah, to be honest Jenny, I'm so glad you're here
because, well, I'm not going to lie
I'm struggling to part ways on mouthwash, my hot chocolate.
- You don't need part with your hot chocolate.
- Oh, I can bring that?
- Yeah, you can bring that but we can portion-size it.
It's all about portioning, isn't it?
- So this is all I need?
- Yes.
- Can I save weight anywhere?
- Yeah, you could.
So things like your toothpaste,
you don't need to carry that box with ya.
You could take it out of the box.
Ideally, you'd only have a tiny, little one with you anyway,
so you wouldn't have a whole tube,
but if you have to take that tube, then ditch the box.
Things like your stove,
there's no way you need a protector on that stove.
I mean, you could wrap it in a bag if you wanted,
but look how much weight that is saving, tons!
- Tons.
- And then you can just stick it in, stick it in there.
I mean, it doesn't fit.
(raucous laughing)
- We'll make it work.
- You could wrap it up in your socks is what you could do.
- That's a good idea.
- Yes, that's a really good idea, isn't it?
Just thought of it right now.
- Right, I guess we should get all this packed up
and on the bike.
- Yes we should.
(slow electronic music)
- Right, that goes in there.
I've got more than mongrul in my throat to play with.
Sill got a lot more stuff to put in.
I've never tried to get such a big bag
in such a small sack.
So I ditch that?
- It's quite, it's bulky.
- Okay, ditch.
- I mean put it in the maybe pile just now.
- Maybe pile.
- Feels a bit, I can't be this-
- Tryna get a grip.
- Just as well, you've got all that weight in the bag.
- I know.
(groaning)
- [James] My first bike packing trip
which seems more like a school trip than an epic adventure
takes place in the closest National Park to GCHQ Exmoor.
We used a trusty planning app, Komoot
to plan an incredibly scenic
but ultimately quite modest route.
Just 30K on day one and another 50 on day two.
The important bit for this trip is less about
the epic miles and more about everything that goes with it.
As we touched on earlier, this staying alive stuff.
- You've not got ninja moves.
(groaning)
- I didn't get to stroke a sheep.
What, an amazing view.
- We've worked out, haven't we.
- Who would have thought down south was so beautiful.
- Felt we could've done Scotland.
- I know, right, but we've done a bit of off-road
and some on-road but already says the perfect bike
because we've both got very different bikes.
- Yeah.
- To go backpacking with.
- Very different bikes.
So you're bike is amazing on hills, isn't it?
It's climbing really well.
- It's amazing at going fast.
- Yeah, it really is
but yeah, we've got completely different say apps for,
for what we're doing
and it just depends on what your route is,
I mean, you know that's all it comes down to,
but the that you can't fit a front bag onto your handlebars
is, is a little bit of an issue
because you're so back heavy now.
- I'm so dependent on that bag aren't I?
- Exactly, and all the weight is on the back.
- Yeah.
- So if you've got a bike that you can share that weight,
spread it over the bike,
then yeah, that's going to make for a much comfortable,
more a comfortable ride.
Plus, if you're doing multi tee stuff
then you know, the kit, like the kit that you have to take
is sometimes a lot more
so, and the food that you have to carry
so you'd be relying on that bag.
- Now, we're going to be going kind of like,
over that direction to where I'm sleeping.
- Yup.
- But I mean, how do you find shelters?
Like, is it, it's something that's got to be
absolutely paramount I guess
if you're doing multi-day self-supportive.
- Yeah, and it depends on the weather, doesn't it?
So it's a little like, you know it's been a bit windy today
and it's a bit drizzly, so you'd put on,
it's quite cold as well.
It's November so you'd be looking for some sort of shelter
but that could be in the woods,
that could be shelter, you know like,
maybe a bus stop that you find.
- A bus stop.
- You could, you could get some shelter that night.
You really just want to, want to be sort of out of the wind
and out of the rain a bit.
- And how do you kind of grade it?
I hear you've got like a grading system.
- Yeah, I've absolutely got a grading system.
Right, so out of 10.
The top score is ten and there's 5 categories.
Now you can only get two points for each category.
Right so the first category is how much you need that stop.
So, it's a bit drizzly today, it's a bit windy.
Chances are if you're sleeping out,
it's going to be quite cold
so finding somewhere to stay would be, would be good.
Yeah, so you can get out of two for that.
The facilities.
Now I'm not talking like, spa, gym
- Do you have a swimming pool?
- Buses
Like, they're really basic
like if you've got a public toilet
and it's got a hand dryer in it, it's like, what.
- Or a hanger.
Yeah, like a baby changing unit
that you can hang all your stuff on is just great.
or hot water as well is really, really good.
A lock on the door, perfect, yeah.
- So you actually-
- Get yourself in there.
- Better security.
- Yeah.
- Bike in there.
- Bike in there, yes, or like your, your surroundings.
What are your surroundings like.
Is it big enough to get your bike in, is the floor clean,
is the window smashed, you know, that sort of thing.
The fourth one is how well you sleep in it.
So you could, it could be quiet a, you know,
not such a nice place to be sleeping
but actually you get really good sleep
so you can bang that like two points
and then the most important one is the fifth one
and that's how close you are to coffee the next morning.
- We're all cyclists, we have to have our coffee stop.
- Like, coffee.
If coffee is within five miles it's like.
- It's a two.
- Yeah get in there, yeah,
especially if it's like five miles downhill.
- yeah , true.
Right, I well, I hope when we make it to where I'm sleeping
we can grade it out of ten and it's going to be a ten.
- We'll, no promises.
- Yeah, as long as it's next to a coffee stop.
Off we go.
Oh it's windy.
Whoo.
Here we are.
Home sweet home.
I think my bikes tryna pull away from me.
Right, let's get out of the storm.
Can you open it?
Go, go, go.
- [Narrator] Finally we arrived
and it was the first time that I set eyes
on the place I would be staying
and much to my surprise
I was going to be on my own.
Yep, Jenny thought it was best
that I was chucked into the deep-end.
So, here it goes.
Can't even tell if it's going on.
My first night in the wilderness.
Beans on toast.
Well it's not actually, beans in a cup.
I guess it could be worse.
- Now, this might seem a little bit harsh
that I'm in this beautiful hotel room
and I've just left jeans in the Bothee down the road
but actually, he has got some big back packing plans
for the next year
and he doesn't need to worry about training his legs
what he needs to train is his head.
So he needs to know that he is capable of
riding through the dark, of sleeping out by himself.
So him spending that night alone,
he's really going to be testing himself
that I wouldn't have started him off by sleeping in a,
you know, a ditch or a hedge somewhere.
I think that might have been a little bit harsh for him
but the fact that he's got a nice
basic shelter for the night, yeah.
I think he, I think he'll be all right.
- All right, it's coming up to around 10 o'clock
and I don't know if you can hear the wind but it's so loud.
It's like a proper storm outside
but yeah, off to bed.
Warmed up with a bit of hot chocolate
and down for a nice night of sleep.
Good night.
(music)
oh I mean it's, oh I thought you're going to leave me hanging.
How are you?
- Morning.
You all right?
- How was your night in the hotel?
- Oh, I mean it was okay.
It was all right.
How was yours?
- I'll be freezing.
- You survived.
- Yeah, just about.
Right, I've nearly sorted my bike.
- Really.
- I've packed the sleeping bag and roll mat
and then I'll be good to go.
- Perfect.
- Give me five seconds and I'm good.
Let's go.
At least we, at least we got a tailwind.
[Music]
How did you get into back packing?
- You know, I came across this race called
Highland Trail 550.
So it was an individual time trial rather than the race
and it was a mountain biking.
Mountain biking bike packing.
- Yeah
- And it was online so everybody had GPS spot trackers
and you could follow them, the race online
and watch it go round Highlands of Scotland
and I was like, wow, that looks amazing
and there wasn't a lot of women doing it
there was only one woman on it that year, Hyuna
and I thought, I'm going to give that a go
and so from there I just sort of
started looking into kits
started like, getting out.
Made some, like friends that we're into it as well
and sort of built up the experience from there.
- And then you went from there to then,
taking on a huge, a huge adventure
and circumnavigating the globe, solo
without support on your own
and became the first woman to do so or the fastest.
- Fastest yeah.
It just seemed like the logical next step James.
- Really?
I mean that's quite, that's quite a big step
and were there any like,
really high points and really low points?
- Of around the world?
- Yeah.
- Oh yeah.
I mean the whole thing was like,
an emotional roller coaster.
- It was.
Like overall, it was the most incredible thing, like,
I've ever done.
It was such a cool journey and I felt like,
I felt incredibly lucky to be out there
and to be able to take the time out of my life
to go and do that.
To be able to get the sponsors on board to help me do that
and just to be of like,
you know fit and able body and mind
to take on a challenge that.
So yeah, that was the overall feeling
but some of the low points
which people seem way more into than the high points.
- Yeah, of course.
- When I was in Russia, like eight days into the trip
just coming east of Moscow,
the road just became crazy
and I was like getting run off it all the time
it was so, so heavy with trucks
going up and down this highway
and it's just not like, not expecting bikes to be there.
It was very clear that death was accepted on that road
and accidents were happening
and so I had to really learn to pass through myself
yeah, and once I did, I can walk through the night
and got out of that busy areas
and once I did that I became better than better
at trusting my own judgment eye on the road
so that actually turned into a positive.
- oh wow, so you literally had to bail off your bike.
- Oh yeah, so we'd be coming along here
and I'd hear a beep and I would jump with my bike.
- What if you jump in the bush?
- Yeah.
- Really.
- It was a horror film.
- Did you get your stravers.
- So many first ruins, ever.
- Oh it was amazing.
- First woman every to do those sections.
- Jenny, our adventures come to an end sadly.
It's been so fun being with you.
I guess I've learned three really major things.
First off, having the right kit
and making sure you're taking essential kit
and making sure I'm rethinking what I'm taking.
- Exactly, like rethinking your necessities.
- So, maybe not the mouthwash and the toothbrush package.
- Yeah, think about how much hot chocolate
you're actually going to drink that night.
- Yeah, secondly keeping a good mindset
because the high is going to be really high
and the low is going to be really low
but either may not last.
- Exactly, yeah.
- so the high is always there on the horizon
and then lastly shelter,
because a night spent under the stars is lovely
but when you have bad weather, you know,
finding somewhere where shelter is going to be better.
- Absolutely.
- And I liked out.
- You like dumping town last night.
- It wasn't five star but it wasn't far off.
I've actually thoroughly enjoyed it all
and I've learned so much from you
so thank you so much taking me on this trip.
I hope you guys have enjoyed it as much as I have
and we'd both like to know how you've got on
in your adventures
so make sure you let know in the comments section below.
- Absolutely, and if you enjoyed this video
then give us a big thumbs up.
- And for more back packing videos
because I'm sure you want to know a lot
why don't you click on the bikes and to be honest
my bikes not looking quite so adventurous as yours.
- Getting there though James.
- We're getting there.
- Definitely getting.
- We've got bags in there, do you know what I mean.
- Potential - See ya.