Bikes of The Southern Divide - Spring Edition 2025

Holly Seear

Location: Wraysbury

Bike: Vielo V+1 Race Edition 🩷

Key items of kit: Tailfin Aeropack Precision Fuel and Hydration Garmin Edge 1040 Solar Vel 650b Carbon Gravel Wheelset with Vittoria Mezcal 2.1 tyres Exposure Lights (Maxx-D and Joystick) SRAM Red eTap XPLR 12spd

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Carbon

Wheel size: 650b (27.5")

Tyre width: 50mm+

Electronic shifting: Yes

Richard Fowler

Age: 37

Location: Bristol

Bike: Ribble CGR Shimano Ultegra groupset DT Swiss HE1800 wheels Schwalbe G-One R 40mm tyres Brooks C17 saddle

Key items of kit: Restrap frame, top tube and saddle bag, and Topeak handlebar bag. Room for Alpkit Elan bivvy, sleeping mat and Ultra 120 sleeping bag. 1.5l water bottles

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Carbon

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 40mm-44mm

Electronic shifting: No

Julian Mills

Age: 37

Location: Cornwall

Bike: Genesis Tarn with some Fox 34 forks and a load of Hope component upgrades.

Key items of kit: Upgraded to some serious Tailfin bags and a custom alpkit frame. Also the Restrap Hydration vest for snacks and water source.

Frame type: Hardtail - Front Suspension

Frame material: Steel

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 50mm+

Electronic shifting: No

Colin Deady

Age: 49

Location: Berkshire, UK

Bike: Scott Spark RC Comp 2024 with 11-50/32T gears. Full sus 120/120mm with 3-stage remote lockout. Continental 2.2" Race King Black Chili compound tyres. Ergon SM Pro saddle. Ergon GA3 grips and SQLabs 410 2.0 innerbarends. Redshift aerobars up-front.

Key items of kit: Tailfin Aeropack, frame, top tube, and downtube bags. Restrap Race Aero bar bag, and feed pouches.

Ravemen PR2400 front, Magicshine SeeMed 300 and Ravemen CL06 rear lights. Plus a few Specialized Stix as backup.

GPS via Coros Dura (100 hours battery life!) with Smartphone running LocusMaps, and Corus Pace 2 smartwatch as backups.

Lofoten 1 ULW tiny tent, Sea to Summit Spark sleeping bag, Alpkit Cloudbase mat, and small inflatable pillow.

Over 5000kcal food just for first half of first day. As always: 1 tiny plastic duck from a friend.

Frame type: MTB - Full Suspension

Frame material: Carbon

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 50mm+

Electronic shifting: No

Marco Fabiani

Age: 44

Cap number: 10

Location: London

Bike: Frame: Kinesis Tripster AT Groupset: SRAM Rival AXS 1X 38t, 10-44 XPLR, Quarq Powermeter Cockpit: Selcof stem, Zipp 70 XPLR handlebars Saddle: Prologo Dimension Space Seatpost: Thomson Elite Wheels: Fulcrum Rapid Red 900 Tires: Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M 45mm (tubeless)

Key items of kit: Light: Lezyne Macro Drive 1400+ GPS: Wahoo Elemnt Bolt 2 Handlebar bag: Alpkit 13L Frame bag: Restrap Race Toptube bag: Restrap Race Saddle bag: Topeak 7L

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Aluminium

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 45mm-50mm

Electronic shifting: Yes

Jon Opie

Age: 38

Location: Exmouth

Bike: Giant Revolt

Key items of kit:

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Carbon

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 45mm-50mm

Electronic shifting: No

Henry Howes

Age: 38

Location: East Midlands

Bike: J.Laverack GRiT, AERA wheels, Vittoria T50 45mm tyres, GRX Di2

Key items of kit: Tailfin bags, SON dynamo and Sinewave Beacon 2 for USB charging and lights, Trekkertent and Thermarest for sleeping and 42T gear on the back to help with the climbs!

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Titanium

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 45mm-50mm

Electronic shifting: Yes

Chris Shaw

Age: 60

Location: West Sussex

Bike: Surly Bridge Club

Key items of kit: On-one Geoff handlebars, Brooks B17 saddle, Bontrager Rack, Alpkit 20l roll sack, Osprey Talon 33l Bag, Osprey Seral 7l bag, deBoyo Race vacuum drinks bottles

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Steel

Wheel size: 650b (27.5")

Tyre width: 50mm+

Electronic shifting: No

Angus B

Age: 54

Location: Winchester

Bike: Salsa Cutty

Key items of kit: Mix of Revelate and Restrap

Frame type: MTB - Full Suspension

Frame material: Carbon

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 40mm-44mm

Electronic shifting: No

Adrian

Age: 61

Location: Surrey

Bike: Sonder Broken Road

Key items of kit: Going with no-camp option this year for the first time! Lots of clothing options just in case.

Frame type: Hardtail - Front Suspension

Frame material: Titanium

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 50mm+

Electronic shifting: No

Ian Grail

Age: 58

Location: Exmouth, UK.

Bike: Giant revolt

Key items of kit: Garmin and bivvi

Peter Belcher

Age: 50

Location: Cornwall

Bike: Canyon Grail

Key items of kit: Sleeping bag

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Carbon

Wheel size: 650b (27.5")

Tyre width: 40mm-44mm

Electronic shifting: Yes

Dave Clarke

Age: 42

Location: Bristol, UK

Bike: I'm riding a custom built 2022 Cotic Solaris MAX with various Hope parts, Shimano XT 12-speed groupset, 29inch carbon wheels with 2.6 inch Vittoria Mezcal tyres and the heavy but super plush Rockshox Pike 120mm front fork. I'm running SQlab 30x bars with 16-degree backsweep, along with SQlab inner bar ends. Ergon grips and saddle with Hope flat pedals. Comfort rather than speed is the key for me!

Key items of kit: I'm running a mixture of bags. The rear rack in the photo has come off for the event, in favour of a much lighter Apidura saddle bag. Out front I have the Tailfin handlebar bag and top tube bag, along with an Apidura feed bag. I also have a custom made frame bag. A 1.5l Nalgene for water is strapped to a cage on the downtube. I'm sleeping in an MSR Hubba NX tent with Cumulus down quilt, and the dreamy-but-heavy Thermarest NeoLoft mattress.

Frame type: Hardtail - Front Suspension

Frame material: Steel

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 50mm+

Electronic shifting: No

Patrick Herron

Age: 51

Location: Watford

Bike: Kinesis ATR 2x11 40t Pirelli gravel M 40mm on zipp 303s

Key items of kit: Mix of apidura and restrap bags. Fenix light, Garmin 1030, Lightweight bivvy and sleeping bags.

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Titanium

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 40mm-44mm

Electronic shifting: No

Alison Holmes

Age: 56

Location: Midlands

Bike: Planet X Tempest

Key items of kit: SRAM Force 1x11 with modified SRAM GX Eagle mech to allow 11-51 cassette - such a great mod! Hunt 34 wheelset (non carbon). Other top mods I wouldn't be without: Redshift suspension stem & seatpost.

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Titanium

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 45mm-50mm

Electronic shifting: No

Rachel Wheatstone

Bike: Specialized diverge

Key items of kit: Eagle cassette

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Carbon

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 40mm-44mm

Electronic shifting: Yes

Neil Keirs

Age: 56

Location: Camberley

Bike: Reilly Reflex Shimano GRX 2x Parcours FKT wheelset with Panaracer Gravelkings X1 Selle Italia Boost Endurance saddle

Key items of kit: Tailfin aero pack, half frame bag and half top tube bag, restrap holster up front contains sea to Summit sleeping bag, RAB bivvi and an air mattress. Lights are Exposure Strada and a Gloworm, with Exposure rear

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Titanium

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 50mm+

Electronic shifting: Yes

Garry Spicer

Age: 49

Cap number: 0

Location: KENT

Bike: Specialized Epic Hardtail size 58. SRAM Eagle 12 speed 32t/11-50. 100mm of travel. Vittoria Mezcal XC-Trail 29x2.25 tyres.

Key items of kit: Restrap frame, top-tube, bar and saddle bag! Tailfin down tube pack. Vel+ bison(s) Lezyne lights.

Frame type: Hardtail - Front Suspension

Frame material: Carbon

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 50mm+

Electronic shifting: No

Ian To

Age: 44

Location: Marlborough

Bike: Custom steel by Alfano Frameworks (Pete). Rockshox XPLR fork (30mm travel), Conti Race King 2.2", Shimano Di2 11sp GRX levers with XT M8050 FD & RD, double 44/26 x 11-34, "trimmed" Racktime rack & Yves bag, Favero Assioma MX1 pedals, various bits leftover from previous ultras (bags, finishing kit, Infinity saddle)

Key items of kit: 3L hydration bladder, 2x stem bags, no dynamo, special homemade food by GF Ingeborg, a chorizo, plenty of tools and spares

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Steel

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 50mm+

Electronic shifting: Yes

Oliver Cash

Age: 42

Cap number: ?

Location: Lewes

Bike: Kinesis Tripster ATRv3

Key items of kit: Mason x Hunt 650B with Pirelli Cinturato 50mm, Oxford Aqua Evo bags, Apidura fork bags, Outdoor Reasearch Helium bivvy, luxury item…a Bripe!

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Titanium

Wheel size: 650b (27.5")

Tyre width: 45mm-50mm

Electronic shifting: No