Planning The Black Forest 400 - #BlackForest400

My previous distance record for a non-stop ride stands at 485 kilometres (300 miles): the distance of the Trafalgar Way ride from Falmouth to London, in 2014. The #BlackForest400 will be a new personal distance record, in new riding territory.


The Route

The route starts from the city of Arras in northern France, before heading east and south into Belgium, the Ardennes, Luxembourg, and through Strasbourg; before ramping up significantly to the finish in the Black Forest. A total of 644 kilometres (400 miles), with over 8,000 metres of elevation gain.

You can watch the ride unfold on social media, with the hashtag #BlackForest400


The Bike

The #BlackForest400 will be adventure into a new territory, but I have opted to do it aboard a familiar bike - the Neil Pryde Bura SL.

The Neil Pryde was my bike of choice for many great adventures on the road last year, including the #5MaratonasChallenge and the St. Boniface Down Everesting.

I have made a few modifications to the bike, to make it more suitable for such a long endurance ride:
Image below was before modifications



The Equipment

A non-stop ride of 30 hours demands some significant additional equipment. This is my pack list for the #BlackForest400



    The Food and Drink

    I will aim to stop to pick up food along the route. Popping into a patisserie, pizza takeaway or bar for some refuelling is one of the great things about touring on the Continent.

    However, to keep me going between food stops, I will be taking the following in my seatpack:



    The Clothing

    For a ride of this length, I have opted to take kit from Sportful, GripGrab, Mavic, POC Sports and Sidi; all brands that I trust to deliver great comfort, and consistently superb quality kit.

    The selection is designed to be as lightweight as possible, but with versatility in mind.


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