that looked like a fun ride from someone who rides among the Redwoods in northern California glad I stubbled on this Channel, loved the walk of shame, all of us have been there
Thanks Jamie, I actually really enjoyed the ride until the sunstroke got to me and my knee gave in, and then it was a real struggle. I’m definitely going to have to go back and tackle the two climbs I failed, but it might be a while, as that Martinhoe Common was just a wall!
Well done everyone mega kudos , reminds of of a ride I did a couple of years ago in Wales 🏴, , took a wrong turn and lost the club LRTCC road tho Llangollen walked up a few climbs , got myself more lost garmin and phone died eventually made it to Chester got train home it was the hottest day of that year , wen out 8am got home 11pm 💯🚴♀️😢
Jeepers Terry, that’s a long day out! It did feel like I was never going to get back to the group on that road from Countisbury to Porlock, which just went on forever. It had 500m of the total climbing and I thought it was a flat road! 😥 I was also suffering from sunstroke during the ride, which later came out on the way home. Literally, all down the side of Justin’s car 🤮
Hi Darren. I discovered your videos last month and have been watching them daily since. Very inspiring and motivating, if not a little crazy and beyond me. Very well made videos and interesting too. Even my wife, who is not a cyclist, gets drawn in!
Thank you Martyn, I’m glad you’re enjoying them. My ordeal on Exmoor didn’t end after filming the video, as I threw up 🤮 on the way home, all down the side of Justin’s car! 😬 As beautiful the area is to ride in, its constant steep up and downs definitely take a toll. Maybe one day, I’ll be brave enough to go back again.
Thanks John, I was in a lot of pain last night and didn’t sleep much, and I have hobbled around Plymouth this morning for Abbie’s Graduation. But hopefully, it feels a lot better this evening.
Thanks John, it was the hardest 100km we’d ever done, even without the knee issue. The others all said how tough it was, particularly in that heat. It is a beautiful place Exmoor.
I just keep re-living this ride. It was incredibly beautiful, stunning scenery, and felt, to me, more challenging than Chase the Sun (perhaps because of the heat). Survived it because of the company x. Thanks all 😅. I keep going on about there almost being tears- this was the one - ‘at the end of the day’!
I watched you all disappear up Countisbury Hill and all I could think of was how strong all of the Chase the Sunners were now, you blasted up the 25% gradient at the bottom. You did incredible on this ride, so I’m glad you enjoyed it.
I don’t know how - it was just head down, and keep turning the pedals. I thought that Toll Road had been moved. It was like a weirdly amazing and emotional nightmare 😂. The feeling that you should be enjoying weather that we wait for all year, and then not being able to appreciate it because you think you’re going to die #dramaqueen
@@delmoran433 that road to the Toll road took an eternity. I was starting to think I was in a time loop, in a never ending cycle of reaching the top of a rise expecting to see the downhill, but instead repeating the trudge up another climb. It was soul destroying.
Thanks Lewis, it was obviously hotter than we thought it was yesterday. My wife tells me that my kidneys were what was hurting through dehydration, and I drank more yesterday than I have on any other ride I can remember. I even threw up on the way home which was probably a touch of sunstroke.
Bloody hell, I feel knack’d just watching that! I reckon on 100ft of ascent (ave) per mile being a pretty good climbing rate over a 100k ride, that’s nearer 150! Good work and great vlog, stunning - hope the knee recovers!
Thank you, a few of us said afterwards that it was the hardest 100km we’d ever done, and Dean found a very similar route in Simon Warren’s Ride Britain book, which he called the hardest ride in his book! 😳 Not the ride to have chosen on the hottest day of the year. It’ll definitely be a flatter route next week, to help my knee recover some more. It’s actually feeling ok this morning, so fingers crossed.
At this very moment, I couldn’t agree more! It did seem like a good idea at the time and something I’ve done without issue in the past. So I’ll add old age sucks as well to that!! 😂
This was an awesome ride and video. Well done to all of you. Exmoor is big and beautiful. Hope the knee improves. (Sorry for late comment. I watched on TV a while back but can only comment on computer)
Thanks Sootycollins36 to be honest, I’d been away all week and hadn’t even looked at the weather, but knew I wanted to go out for a ride. Dean suggested Dorset or Porlock for an away day and I had this route planned and ready. Safe to say, I learnt a few hard lessons from this ride!! 😂
@@DarrenPhillips at least you didn't fall off the first corner going up porlock hill into the hedge as I did many years ago on a 125cc Yamaha motorcycle, pinned to the hedge totally 😂 your next route to plan has to be Minehead to Dunster on to wheddon cross head to exford up to withypool over Winsford hill to Tarr Steps over the ancient clapper bridge (a walk across) hawkridge area down to dulverton, exebridge then the ex valley back via Bridgetown, timberscombe on to Minehead 😁😉
@@DarrenPhillips its a beautiful route just make sure Dell watches out for the sheep and Exmoor ponies on Winsford Hill. Oh and there's plenty of pubs along the way 😉
Awesome effort guys n gal...!! I miss these epic rides and would have loved the challenge of all those climbs! (scary though :). I'm still alive...... been very distracted by a beautiful woman who i'm about to propose to💕.....but i'll be back for sure!!! Keep up the good work, and see ya soon....Al... 👍🙌👌
@@DarrenPhillips I hope so too! 😬 She doesn't ride bikes in the way that we do... She had a retro fixie until it got stolen a year ago...needs replacing 🤷♂️👍
Well done all another great vlog You will have to look after those knee's m8 I used to love cross country running but that's what buggered my knee up 7 operations later and swimming and cycling is all I can do now And we don't need to see you in your speedos So keep them moving with no resistance and ice m8 Good luck 😎😷
Thanks Fred, thankfully, this morning they are feeling much better, but they were ready hurting yesterday as I hobbled around Plymouth at my daughters graduation. I’ve had a word with myself and I’ll be shelving the running and digging out my turbo trainer instead.
Sorry Tony, I thought I’d answered that one, it’s not something I’ve had a problem with, but there have been other comments on the videos to that effect, where some have had an issue. It was suggested it was where the cables go into the plastic by the headset. It might be worth asking a Trek dealer if there is a fix for it, but luckily I’ve not had any issues. But thanks, despite not managing to ride up all the hills, O was pleased I got around. I would have had serious Fomo, if I’d not given it a go. I’m paying for it now though, as I’m still limping around. I’m treating myself to a flat ride next week.
Believe it or not, I used to run a lot, from many years of playing football, to when I was a referee and latterly just for the fitness. The mistake was doing my longest run since the age of Strava as my first run for ages. It felt better this morning, but I’ve been for a walk and it’s got worse again. I’m back to work sat on my backside from tomorrow, so it’ll get plenty of rest. Especially as I’m hoping to bring the gang to the New Forest next weekend for a flatter ride.
@@DarrenPhillips that's what did it for my knee too, coming back to running after easing off for a while. Good news is my physio told me to take up cycling to fix it ☺️ Good luck in the Forest👍are you doing Gravel or Road?
@@WheelersAtLarge Road if I can convince enough people. We did have this weekend set aside for a special ride, but we’ve postponed it as a few couldn’t make our Queen Stage ride of the year. But it will be coming soon.
@@DarrenPhillips Yeah road riding can be pretty flat in the forest. You need to go off road if you want to accumulate a good amount of climbing in a single ride. The Potting Shed at Hyde is a good coffee stop (28% Blissford Hill just around the corner), Hockeys near Ibsley or Brockenhurst has cafes. Woods Cyclery in Lyndhurst has a new coffee bar, haven't visited yet bur I would think its pretty good.
Thank you, me personally, I have an 11-34 on my Bike, as does Dean. Del has an 11-32, but Iain rides Campagnolo, so persists with an 11-27 and just flies up the hills. I’m not so sure about the others. This is the first year I’ve used an 11-34, as my other bike is an 11-28. Oddly, when I’m riding the 11-28, it never feels as if I haven’t got enough gears, but on the 11-34, it always feels like I need a bigger sprocket! Either that or I’m just getting old! 😂
Always wanted to ride Lynton, Blackmoor Gate, Simonsbath and back to Lynton, but my wife would never let me.......she’s now my ex wife, so the possibilities are now endless 😁😁😁😁 just love the Lynton and Lynmouth area, I’ve walked to the Blue Ball Inn more than once
It’s very beautiful around there David, but you’ll need to bring your climbing legs as it’s steep hilly! That Martinshoe Common was the hardest climb I’ve ever attempted.
@@DarrenPhillips I’ve done a lot of walking around there, but was never allowed to bring my bike😁😁, had our holiday after the wedding in Lynton, we were looking to move over there, but now we’ve gone our separate ways it would be strange going there, but it’s something I need to do, on a good day I can see over to Exmoor from the hill behind my house and I can see the windfarm behind my house from Countisbury Hill
that looked like a fun ride from someone who rides among the Redwoods in northern California glad I stubbled on this Channel, loved the walk of shame, all of us have been there
Thanks Jamie, I actually really enjoyed the ride until the sunstroke got to me and my knee gave in, and then it was a real struggle. I’m definitely going to have to go back and tackle the two climbs I failed, but it might be a while, as that Martinhoe Common was just a wall!
Well done everyone mega kudos , reminds of of a ride I did a couple of years ago in Wales 🏴, , took a wrong turn and lost the club LRTCC road tho Llangollen walked up a few climbs , got myself more lost garmin and phone died eventually made it to Chester got train home it was the hottest day of that year , wen out 8am got home 11pm 💯🚴♀️😢
Jeepers Terry, that’s a long day out! It did feel like I was never going to get back to the group on that road from Countisbury to Porlock, which just went on forever. It had 500m of the total climbing and I thought it was a flat road! 😥 I was also suffering from sunstroke during the ride, which later came out on the way home. Literally, all down the side of Justin’s car 🤮
Hi Darren.
I discovered your videos last month and have been watching them daily since. Very inspiring and motivating, if not a little crazy and beyond me. Very well made videos and interesting too. Even my wife, who is not a cyclist, gets drawn in!
Thank you Martyn, I’m glad you’re enjoying them. My ordeal on Exmoor didn’t end after filming the video, as I threw up 🤮 on the way home, all down the side of Justin’s car! 😬
As beautiful the area is to ride in, its constant steep up and downs definitely take a toll. Maybe one day, I’ll be brave enough to go back again.
Kudos to all. Fair play Darren hope the knees are better soon. See you all soon.
Thanks John, I was in a lot of pain last night and didn’t sleep much, and I have hobbled around Plymouth this morning for Abbie’s Graduation. But hopefully, it feels a lot better this evening.
Well done guys! Epic effort! I'm tired just watching it...... beauriful scenery..... watching this in the Winter!👍👍👍🚴♀️🚴♂️😁
It was about 30° that day! But I’ll never forget that climb I walked up, it was absolutely ridiculous!! Thanks Jason.
Just beautiful, we have some biking heaven here in Somerset
Love the ride as always, Great effort all
This is true, we have a lot of variation to enjoy, or suffer on in this case!! 😂 Thank you
Ouch that looked tough going.....but worth it to give US the views....!!
Thanks John, it was the hardest 100km we’d ever done, even without the knee issue. The others all said how tough it was, particularly in that heat. It is a beautiful place Exmoor.
I just keep re-living this ride. It was incredibly beautiful, stunning scenery, and felt, to me, more challenging than Chase the Sun (perhaps because of the heat).
Survived it because of the company x. Thanks all 😅.
I keep going on about there almost being tears- this was the one - ‘at the end of the day’!
I watched you all disappear up Countisbury Hill and all I could think of was how strong all of the Chase the Sunners were now, you blasted up the 25% gradient at the bottom. You did incredible on this ride, so I’m glad you enjoyed it.
I don’t know how - it was just head down, and keep turning the pedals. I thought that Toll Road had been moved. It was like a weirdly amazing and emotional nightmare 😂. The feeling that you should be enjoying weather that we wait for all year, and then not being able to appreciate it because you think you’re going to die #dramaqueen
@@delmoran433 that road to the Toll road took an eternity. I was starting to think I was in a time loop, in a never ending cycle of reaching the top of a rise expecting to see the downhill, but instead repeating the trudge up another climb. It was soul destroying.
@@DarrenPhillips this is exactly how it felt!
You lot deserve a combative award! Only madmen and Englishmen go out in the July sunshine!! Well done. 💪👏
Thanks Steve, it was a lot hotter than I realised and suffered from sunstroke on the way home. Lesson well and truly learnt. 😂
Brilliant effort all…. That was soo hot out there today, Thankfully we didn’t have your hills to overcome!! 👏🏽
Thanks Lewis, it was obviously hotter than we thought it was yesterday. My wife tells me that my kidneys were what was hurting through dehydration, and I drank more yesterday than I have on any other ride I can remember. I even threw up on the way home which was probably a touch of sunstroke.
Bloody hell, I feel knack’d just watching that! I reckon on 100ft of ascent (ave) per mile being a pretty good climbing rate over a 100k ride, that’s nearer 150! Good work and great vlog, stunning - hope the knee recovers!
Thank you, a few of us said afterwards that it was the hardest 100km we’d ever done, and Dean found a very similar route in Simon Warren’s Ride Britain book, which he called the hardest ride in his book! 😳 Not the ride to have chosen on the hottest day of the year. It’ll definitely be a flatter route next week, to help my knee recover some more. It’s actually feeling ok this morning, so fingers crossed.
Well done all 7! 👍 this goes to show… running does suck 😂😂
At this very moment, I couldn’t agree more! It did seem like a good idea at the time and something I’ve done without issue in the past. So I’ll add old age sucks as well to that!! 😂
This was an awesome ride and video. Well done to all of you. Exmoor is big and beautiful. Hope the knee improves.
(Sorry for late comment. I watched on TV a while back but can only comment on computer)
Thanks Pete, hopefully you can make the Portland Bill ride in a couple of weeks.
You guys are just the best 😁 mad to attempt all them climbs in one day in such heat as well. As always though great to see some familiar places 😊
Thanks Sootycollins36 to be honest, I’d been away all week and hadn’t even looked at the weather, but knew I wanted to go out for a ride. Dean suggested Dorset or Porlock for an away day and I had this route planned and ready. Safe to say, I learnt a few hard lessons from this ride!! 😂
@@DarrenPhillips at least you didn't fall off the first corner going up porlock hill into the hedge as I did many years ago on a 125cc Yamaha motorcycle, pinned to the hedge totally 😂 your next route to plan has to be Minehead to Dunster on to wheddon cross head to exford up to withypool over Winsford hill to Tarr Steps over the ancient clapper bridge (a walk across) hawkridge area down to dulverton, exebridge then the ex valley back via Bridgetown, timberscombe on to Minehead 😁😉
@@sootycollins36 I’ll have a look at that route, it Sounds interesting! 👍
@@DarrenPhillips its a beautiful route just make sure Dell watches out for the sheep and Exmoor ponies on Winsford Hill. Oh and there's plenty of pubs along the way 😉
Awesome effort guys n gal...!! I miss these epic rides and would have loved the challenge of all those climbs! (scary though :). I'm still alive...... been very distracted by a beautiful woman who i'm about to propose to💕.....but i'll be back for sure!!! Keep up the good work, and see ya soon....Al... 👍🙌👌
Well let’s hope she says yes!! Keep us posted and hopefully see you soon. Does she ride a bike?
@@DarrenPhillips I hope so too! 😬
She doesn't ride bikes in the way that we do...
She had a retro fixie until it got stolen a year ago...needs replacing 🤷♂️👍
Sounds like a good excuse for a new bike!!
Well done all another great vlog
You will have to look after those knee's m8
I used to love cross country running but that's what buggered my knee up
7 operations later and swimming and cycling is all I can do now
And we don't need to see you in your speedos
So keep them moving with no resistance and ice m8
Good luck 😎😷
Thanks Fred, thankfully, this morning they are feeling much better, but they were ready hurting yesterday as I hobbled around Plymouth at my daughters graduation. I’ve had a word with myself and I’ll be shelving the running and digging out my turbo trainer instead.
Great riding everyone, well done
Thanks Carlo. On Friday I could barely walk, so I was happy to get around, even if it did make me physically sick.
@@DarrenPhillips - the route looked awesome, stunning scenery.... When I drop a couple of stones I will ask for a copy of the route.
It might be wise to do it in the winter, as those hills will definitely keep you warm.
Way too hot great effort 👍🥵🥵 still need to know has your trek domane sl5 got cable rattle inside the frame?
Sorry Tony, I thought I’d answered that one, it’s not something I’ve had a problem with, but there have been other comments on the videos to that effect, where some have had an issue. It was suggested it was where the cables go into the plastic by the headset. It might be worth asking a Trek dealer if there is a fix for it, but luckily I’ve not had any issues. But thanks, despite not managing to ride up all the hills, O was pleased I got around. I would have had serious Fomo, if I’d not given it a go. I’m paying for it now though, as I’m still limping around. I’m treating myself to a flat ride next week.
Well done everyone 👍 Running? Really? 😂 You got to be careful with that running stuff. Hope you recover quickly...
Believe it or not, I used to run a lot, from many years of playing football, to when I was a referee and latterly just for the fitness. The mistake was doing my longest run since the age of Strava as my first run for ages. It felt better this morning, but I’ve been for a walk and it’s got worse again. I’m back to work sat on my backside from tomorrow, so it’ll get plenty of rest. Especially as I’m hoping to bring the gang to the New Forest next weekend for a flatter ride.
@@DarrenPhillips that's what did it for my knee too, coming back to running after easing off for a while. Good news is my physio told me to take up cycling to fix it ☺️ Good luck in the Forest👍are you doing Gravel or Road?
@@WheelersAtLarge Road if I can convince enough people. We did have this weekend set aside for a special ride, but we’ve postponed it as a few couldn’t make our Queen Stage ride of the year. But it will be coming soon.
@@DarrenPhillips Yeah road riding can be pretty flat in the forest. You need to go off road if you want to accumulate a good amount of climbing in a single ride. The Potting Shed at Hyde is a good coffee stop (28% Blissford Hill just around the corner), Hockeys near Ibsley or Brockenhurst has cafes. Woods Cyclery in Lyndhurst has a new coffee bar, haven't visited yet bur I would think its pretty good.
@@WheelersAtLarge thanks, I’ll have a look at those cafes and see which one best fits my route. Although the early forecast looks dodgy! 😬
Another awesome video. What gearing are you all riding ?? I've done a 20% climb with 11/28 but it wasn't pleasant that's for sure.
Thank you, me personally, I have an 11-34 on my Bike, as does Dean. Del has an 11-32, but Iain rides Campagnolo, so persists with an 11-27 and just flies up the hills. I’m not so sure about the others. This is the first year I’ve used an 11-34, as my other bike is an 11-28. Oddly, when I’m riding the 11-28, it never feels as if I haven’t got enough gears, but on the 11-34, it always feels like I need a bigger sprocket! Either that or I’m just getting old! 😂
@@DarrenPhillips mine is a 12-30 I think 🤷🏻♀️- will check when I get it back - definitely not a 32
Always wanted to ride Lynton, Blackmoor Gate, Simonsbath and back to Lynton, but my wife would never let me.......she’s now my ex wife, so the possibilities are now endless 😁😁😁😁 just love the Lynton and Lynmouth area, I’ve walked to the Blue Ball Inn more than once
It’s very beautiful around there David, but you’ll need to bring your climbing legs as it’s steep hilly! That Martinshoe Common was the hardest climb I’ve ever attempted.
@@DarrenPhillips I’ve done a lot of walking around there, but was never allowed to bring my bike😁😁, had our holiday after the wedding in Lynton, we were looking to move over there, but now we’ve gone our separate ways it would be strange going there, but it’s something I need to do, on a good day I can see over to Exmoor from the hill behind my house and I can see the windfarm behind my house from Countisbury Hill
@@davidharris4062 I hope it lives up to the promise for you.