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Bikes of the TransAtlantic Way 2023
9 June, 2023
This fixed route road race along the Wild Atlantic Way on the west coast of Ireland returns for 2023. An original of the UK's bikepacking scene, the TAW is well known for its ferry crossings, out-and-back peninsulas and Irish charm.
Take a look below to see how riders have equipped themselves for this lap of Ireland's rugged west coast with plenty of climbing, inclement weather and mandatory rest periods.
You can follow along with the race commentary here.
Nick Fowell
Name: Nick Fowell
Age: 51
Location: Letterkenny, Ireland
Bike: Ridley Adventure New, SRAM Rival AXS, FFWD wheels with 28mm Continental GP 5000.
Key items of kit: Restrap & Evoc Bags. BBB strike 2000 lights x 2. Precision Hydration tabs. AEGISMAX Ultra-Light sleeping bag, Sierra Designs- bivy, Therm-a-Rest NeoAir.
Craig Morrison
Name: Craig Morrison
Age: 54
Location: Kinsale, Ireland
Bike: BMC URS, SRAM AXS 1x setup 38T x 10-52T, CRD400 wheels , 32mm Conti tubeless tyres and Zipp clip on aero bars.
Key items of kit: Bags: Top peak saddle bag, Apidura Frame, top tube and food pouches. Sleep system: Sierra Back Country Bivy, Thermarest Uberlite, Nordisk sleeping bag, OHM jacket.
Philip Horton
Name: Philip Horton
Age: 26
Location: Cambridge, UK
Bike: Fairlight Strael with Hope wheels, Son dynamo hub, tubeless 32mm GP5000s, Ultegra Di2 11-34/50-34, Profile Design aerobars, and PDW mudguards.
Key items of kit: Frame bag has clothes, toiletries, and food. Saddle bag has bivvy setup. Top tube bag has electronics and snacks. A small saddle bag wedged between the aerobars has tools and spares. Lights are Son dynamo, with backups from Exposure/Ravemen. Lucky item is an engraved top cap - ask me about it on the road!
Liam Landers
Name: Liam Landers
Age: 44
Location: Cork, Ireland
Bike: Sonder Camino Ti. GRX RX600 Front 46-30t, Rear 11-42t MTB cassette. I’ve done the route twice before with bigger gears so it’ll be nice to spin up the hills this time with lower gearing. Profile Design aero bars with 70mm riser kit, high and comfortable. GP 5000 32mm tyres (tubes). Specialized Zee side entry bottle cages for my small frame.
Key items of kit: Restrap Race Aero Bar and top tube bags. Wildcat Ocelot frame bag and Tiger Saddle harness. Alpkit Stem Cell feed bags. OR Helium bivi. PHD sleeping bag. Sea to Summit foldable backpack to carry extra food. Fenix BC26R front light (rechargeable and replaceable batteries). Exposure Joystick on my helmet. Cateye TL-LD610 rear lights.
Graeme Cook
Name: Graeme Cook
Age: 53
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Bike: Kinesis RTD Scandium
Key items of kit: DT Swiss 1600 rims, SV-9 Hub dynamo, Exposure Revo & Redeye, Donnelly X'Plor CDG tyres, Apidura Expedition bags.
Daryl "The Sloth" Mcintyre
Name: Daryl "The Sloth" Mcintyre
Age: 49
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Bike: Trek Domane 4.5 disc 2016, Shimano Ultegra 50/34t x 11/32 compact. Bontrager Aeolus Pro 37 OCLV Carbon wheels. Vittoria Rubino Pro Graphene 2.0 tyres 30mm. Profile tri bars (70mm riser). Selle SMP Saddle, Favero Assioma Duo power meter. Garmin Edge 1030
Key items of kit: Clothing wearing: shoes, socks, light base layer, summer jersey, knicks, fingerless gloves, head band, helmet, sunglasses (day and night), Garmin HR monitor, water bottles x 2 and ankle fluro stripe
Clothing/kit spare: socks, short sleeve winter jersey, merino sleeveless base layer, knicks, shorts and Tshirt (so can eat in a BnB), rain jacket, gilet, waterproof booties, toe covers, arm warmers (winter or summer?….....hum), leg or knee warmers, skull cap (need for emergency bivvy), high visibility vest, emergency bivvy (need midge net), plastic poncho, shower cap for helmet, cycle wallet - CC, cash, DL, Passport (waterproof bag) and spare snap lock bags.
Packs: Apidura Backcountry Food Pouch Plus 0.8L, top tube bags, saddle bag frame bag and backpack for food.
Gadgets: 1 x SPOT Gen3 tracker, power bank, USB plug - 4 points, Garmin Accessory cables - charge lights, phone, power meter. iPod Nano 4 with earbuds. rear lights on bag, frame and helmet. Front light Bontrager and Quad Lock,
Spares/repairs: hanger for derailer, inner tube x2, section of tyre, set of patches, Hiplok cable lock, roll of electrical tape, cable tie x8, spare cleat, multitool, chain lube, tyre lever x2, chain link (Quicklink), pump, CO2 inflator valve thingy and Boa left and right.
Hygiene/Drugs: nappy bag, baby wipes, toothbrush + paste, factor 50 sun lotion, chamois cream, Compeed Blister patches, band aids, dermaid 1%, baby but cream, Panadol, Neurofen, Salt, Magnesium, multivitamins, deodorant, floss, antihistamene.
Buy Ireland: Gel for emergency x 6, sports powder, spare ziplocks for food, cliff bars for day 1 and 2 x 25g CO2 cartridges.
Phil Chandler
Name: Phil Chandler
Age: 61
Location: UK
Bike: Paradigm Zenith Titanium
Key items of kit: GRX 2x; DT Swiss ER1600s; Conti GP5000s TR 32mm.
Keith Buchanan
Name: Keith Buchanan
Age: 56
Location: Dingle, Kerry, Ireland
Bike: Canyon Endurace CF SL 8 with Shimano Ultegra Di2 12 speed, DT Swiss Endurance LN back wheel and DT Swiss R460 front wheel with Continental GP5000s TR 30mm tyres.
Key items of kit: Profile Design Aero bar with RESTRAP Aero Bars 7L Handlebar Bag - hopefully a bit more aerodynamic in those south westerlies. Various other bags from Topeak, BackLoader and Restrap. SP PD-7 dynamo with Busch und Müller front and rear lights. E-Werk mobile charger for charging Wahoo Element Bolt gps, phone and backup lights + powerbank. Carrying sleeping gear but hoping to stay in B&Bs and hostels along the way if timing is right.
Julian Young
Name: Julian Young
Age: 55
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Bike: Ribble CGR Ti Custom with Deeda carbon fittings. Shimano GRX 800 Di2 2x 48/31 11-34 + Rotor Qrings, 4iiii powermeter, Chiss King Ceramic BB. DTSwiss ERC1100 wheels + Pirelli P Zero TLR speedCORE 30mm. SMP Saddle, Profile Design TT bars.
Key items of kit: Apidura packs, Garmin Electronics. Power Source: oats.
Wieland Hill
Name: Wieland Hill
Age: 66
Location: Odenthal, Germany
Bike: Ghost Fire Road Rage, SRAM Rival 1x11, Synthace C3 bars and Speedplay pedals.
Key items of kit: Ortlieb bags with Fizik Arione saddle
Hugo Karas
Name: Hugo Karas
Age: 24
Location: Currently Zurich, Switzerland
Bike: Fairlight Secan 2.5 with 32mm GP5000. Standard build with Hope 20Five wheels and a GRX 800 groupset.
Key items of kit: A random collection of gear bundeled together in Apidura bags. Light & Motion Rando as main light with an assortmont of extras. Sea to Summit sleeping bag paired with Alpkit bivy.
Nic Gharbaoui
Name: Nic Gharbaoui
Age: 53
Location: Bristol, England
Bike: Reilly Gradient T47 with Roval Terra CLX wheels and Ultegra Di2 and for easy shifting with tired hands, and Pro Missile Aero Bars set up at a very comfortable height for a relaxed alternative riding position.
Key items of kit: Tailfin Aero Pack containing sleep system from Sea to Summit and Alpkit and spare clothing; Apidura bags for electronics, spares and toiletries; and Wizard Works snack bags for food. Exposure Strada front and Cateye rear lights; and a Garmin 530 for navigation. Finally -midget gems as a go-to treat and some great tunes to listen to for those low points.
Aureli Bisbe Cerveto
Name: Aureli Bisbe Cerveto
Age: 35
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Bike: Focus Atlas 8.9 a.k.a. "Focus Pocus". SRAM Rival AX 1x 40t chairing Sram eagle x01 rear derailleur and 10-52 raindow cassette Brooks b17 leather saddle
Key items of kit: Apidura bags Restrap handlebar bag Aerobars Pedalcell dynamo
Edward Dillon
Name: Edward Dillon
Age: 50
Location: OB, Liberties, Dublin, Ireland
Bike: ORRO, TERRA_Ti, EKAR 13 Speed, Igaro charging, Sun Hub, FF carbon wheels, pirelli Gravel H, ORRO Carbon Bladed handlebars & Carbon Stem.
Key items of kit: Helium Bivy, Sea to Summit ether light mat, spark 2 sleeping bag, Mix of apidura and ORTLIEB, Garmin 1040 solar, fenix 6X (backup) 5000 & 10000 Mah banks, mix of assos and castelli cycling clothing, M99 DY PRO front light, actic core 350 lumen, 7 rear lights mixed (one main),
Steven Bishop
Name: Steven Bishop
Age: 48
Location: Bangor, NI
Bike: Cube Cross Race Pro, Hunt Wheels, Supernova lighting, SON dynamo
Key items of kit: Alpkit bags, Hunt Wheels, Supernova lighting, SON dynamo
Chris Case
Name: Chris Case
Age: 45
Location: Colorado, USA
Bike: Mosaic GT-1 AR, titanium Shimano Di2 Ultegra drivetrains/components
Key items of kit: Pro Bike saddle and mini clip-on aero bars Castelli clothing Top tube bag and seat pack by Ortlieb Small top tube bags by JPaks Panaracer Gravel King+ 32mm tires Sinewave Beacon dynamo light Shutter Precision dynamo hub Bivo stainless steel water bottles Outdoor Research Helium bivy Merino wool sleeping bag liner
Caroline Buckland
Name: Caroline Buckland
Age: 32
Location: London
Bike: Liv langma advanced
Key items of kit: Alpkit and pods bags Garmin Sungod sunglasses Met helmet
