Bikes of Solstice Sprint 2023

Benjamin Bollans

Name: Benjamin Bollans

Age: 37

Cap number: 37

Location: Warwickshire

Bike: Fairlight Strael 3.0 58R

Key items of kit: Ultegra 11spd mechanical Hunt 44mm aerodynamicist, 30mm Pirelli P-Zero tubeless Apidura race top tube bag Restrap large frame bag Topeak saddle pack

David McNamara

Name: David McNamara

Age: 55

Cap number: 13

Location: Odiham, Hampshire

Bike: J. Laverack GRiT Titanium frame with Shimano GRX. 46/30 chainrings, 11-40t sprockets. ÆRA wheels with Son DELUX dynamo hub.

Key items of kit: Apidura Expedition Frame and Saddle Packs, plus Race Long Top Tube and Aerobar Packs. UGreen 25000mAh and Anker 20,000mAh power banks with UGreen 65W charger after running out of power on the All Points North race this year. Supernova E3 Triple 2 front dynamo light and Son rear light. Plus Exposure Sirius and Boost R backup lighting. Zipp Vuka Clip carbon aerobars. Garmin Rally SPD pedals.

Mark Moroney

Name: Mark Moroney

Age: 73

Cap number: 23

Location: Derry, Ireland

Bike: GT grade gravel bike Tiagra groupset(46/30 by 11/34); Hunt wheels; dynamo; Specialised endurance saddle

Key items of kit: Wahoo Roam gps; bivy, blow up mat, sleeping bag; Restrap and Ortlieb bags: Mossie the moose is keeping me company the whole way! i'm carrying lots of dressing for my bad leg!

Dries van der Kleij

Name: Dries van der Kleij

Age: 42

Cap number: 18

Location: Belgium

Bike: Trek Domane SL6 disc of 2018, the endurance model of Trek, the one with which Lizzie Deignan won Paris-Roubaix. It has a standard compact 50-34 and 11-34 cassette. Wheels will be both Light Bycicle 35mm.

Key items of kit: A custom frame bag of Wit Slingers allows me to carry everything in the framebag- no need for a saddle pack. Tyres Enve SES 29mm. No need to go wider because of the smooth surfaces I'm expecting. A front hydration system and handle bars of Profile Design. A Garmin Varia backlight for optimising my safety. 3 supercheap but functional RockBros front lights. A DIY food basket on top of my stem so I can see what I'm eating. A standard bontrager saddle, but it's pointing 10° down which is outside the UCI-limits but gives me the most comfort after hours and hours of riding the bike. And the 20mm off-set seat mast is reversed allowing me to sit way more in the front. Running everything on 2 power banks since I plan to have 1 long stop to recharge.

Benny Wallace

Name: Benny Wallace

Age: 25

Cap number: 36

Location: London

Bike: Cannondale SuperX 2020

Key items of kit: Hunt 40mm Carbon Wheelset w/ 28mm Schwalbe Pro ones - Sram Force 1, 34t front, 11-36 rear - Roswheel frame and top tube bags, saddle drybag (w/ emergency bivvy and a down jacket) - Profile design aero bars and Lezyne lights (1800L / 1000XL)

Joep Croonen

Name: Joep Croonen

Age: 39

Cap number: 55a

Location: The Netherlands

Bike: J. Guillem Orient ultegra

Key items of kit: Tailfin + Apidura bags Exposure front light No sleeping gear

Simon La'Moon

Name: Simon La'Moon

Age: 38

Cap number: 11

Location: Scarborough

Bike: 2020 GT Grade Gravel Elite

Key items of kit: Mixture of Alpkit, Topeak & Apidura bags. Lezyne micro drive 600 front lights. Alpkit Hunka bivvy & Cloud Peak sleeping bag. 1x 36t front with an 11-34t rear, 8 speed Claris groupset. Hope wheelset with WTB fast rolling 34mm tyres & Deda aero cockpit for those flat sections (wherever they may be!)

John Adamson

Name: John Adamson

Age: 34

Cap number: 42

Location: Maidenhead, Berks

Bike: Trek Checkpoint ALR5

Key items of kit: Shimano 105 groupset, Prime 50mm Carbon Wheelset, Hutchinson Fusion 5 (tubeless) tyres, Deda Parabolica aero bars, Restrap Race Range saddle bag, top tube bag and custom frame bag. Garmin 1040 Solar for nav, Exposure Strada front light and Blaze rear light. Alpkit ultra sleeping bag and numo mat (if needed). All clothing by DHB Aeron Ultra/Lab

Jonathan Walford

Name: Jonathan Walford

Age: 46

Cap number: 60

Location: Banbury

Bike: Canyon AeroRoad

Key items of kit: Speed

Paul Watts

Name: Paul Watts

Age: 45

Cap number: #19

Location: Northants

Bike: S-Works Roubiax & VéloElite Wheels. Running Sram Red With Praxis Crankset.

Key items of kit: Profile Design Areo Bars With Apidura Bag. Restrap Saddle Bag & Apidura Top Tube Bag. Using a Decathlon Saddle Bag As A Makeshift Treat Bag Strapped To The Stem.

This Is My First Ultra Event. I Fell In Love With Cycling During Covid When I Purchased My First Ever Road Bike Aged 42.

Jonathan Abbott

Name: Jonathan Abbott

Age: 25

Cap number: 54

Location: Lincoln

Bike: Scott Addict Gravel

Zipp 303s wheels with GP5000s TR (32mm).

Key items of kit: Huge stash of OTE duo bars and anytime flapjacks.

James Brown

Name: James Brown

Age: 39

Cap number: 43

Location: Birmingham

Bike: Ribble CGR SL, Shimano 105, Hunt 40 carbon aero wheels

Key items of kit: Topeak saddle bag, Restrap frame and bar bags.

Mark Aldred

Name: Mark Aldred

Age: 36

Cap number: 62

Location: London, UK

Bike: Trusty Cannondale CAAD12

Key items of kit: Restrap bags, Exposure Lights.

Tom Lightbody

Name: Tom Lightbody

Age: 37

Cap number: 49

Location: Essex

Bike: It began life as a lockdown project to build a mid-range bike on an entry level budget - £500 all in. It’s a mix of parts from other bikes I’ve worked on, eBay, and a handful of new bits. Since then its evolved a little as I’ve ridden it more and the spec is now as follows. It’s a real mish-mash, but it all works great:

2015 Genesis Volant Frame & forks Miche Long drop calliper brakes Shimano 105 11 speed shifters Shimano 105 Front Mech Shimano GRX Rear Mech Sram Rival 50-34T Chainset Sunrace 12-40T Cassette Schwalbe 40mm G-One Performance Tyres, running tubes but with sealant. This is a recent upgrade and has meant doing away with mudguards as the clearance is about 1mm 😬 Mavic Aksium Wheelset Bontrager aero clip on bars Ritchey WCS bars and seatpost Brooks B17 Imperial saddle (veteran of many a voyage on many a bike) Shimano SPD pedals

Key items of kit: Bags: Restrap 14L Saddlebag Restrap Race Top Tube Bag Restrap Race Stem Bag Roswheel Road 3.5l Frame Bag

Key Items of Kit: All my interesting bits of kit are related to my #plasticfreeultra attempt. Number 1 is my enamel mug! It's the perfect size for a petrol station coffee. Second is my “Full Windsor” titanium multitool/spork. Critical for opening (and eating!) cans of rice pudding - a vital part of my plastic-free nutrition strategy. Nutrition wise I’ve spent a bunch of time working out what I can buy on the road, and what I can carry that will have minimal impact. The main things I’ll have with me from the outset are: a bunch Outdoor Provisions energy bars; Luchos DIllitos energy cubes; loose jelly beans purchased from local sweet shop; and a huge back of DIY trail mix from local refill store.

And an honourable mention goes to the two other things I couldn’t live without: hayfever tablets, and my Bontrager Biodynamic insoles. One to keep the allergies in check, and the other to keep the hot-foot at bay.