John Timmermans on Land van Grind en Zand (Northern Limburg), Scotland and gravelling social media

Explicit content warning

10/26/23 • 47 min

Gravel Union Talks is a podcast series full of inspiring stories, news and events from the world of gravel biking. Each month hosts Carlo and Olly will be chatting with guests who are passionate about riding off the beaten track... adventure riding, bike packing and gravel racing.

In this episode:

Guest:

John Timmermans. Gravel rider and fan of Land van Grind en Zand... the North and middle part of the Dutch province of Limburg
Gravel Union Talks podcast with hosts Carlo van Nistelrooy and Olly Townsend.
GU’s editor-in-chief Olly on last month’s most popular articles on the Gravel Union platform.

Want to bring in ideas for topics or guests? Mail Olly at [email protected]

Check out our platform and socials
www.gravelunion.cc
Insta: @gravel_union
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GravelUnion/
Komoot: https://www.komoot.nl/user/1080024447202

Thanks for listening. Please share a review, like and share!

Don’t forget: join us now

SHOWNOTES:

Land van Grind en Zand (Land of Gravel and Sand)
(Dutch) Platform on riding offroad in the beautiful and diverse area of North and Middle Limburg (NL). With komoot routes, stories and info that will inspire you to visit this area and ride off road. John Timmermans, our guest of this episode is a ambassador for this region.

The Gear - Searching for the gravel Holy Grail

If you were about to launch a brand new (and highly anticipated) gravel bike aimed squarely at racers and then one of your sponsored riders wins the UCI World Gravel Championships on a prototype of the new bike just a few days before the official unveiling, you would be pretty happy, wouldn’t you? In the search for the gravel Holy Grail of fast, light, stiff, comfortable and adaptable, we suspect the addition of some world champion stripes to their new bike led to quite a few celebrations at Canyon this week.

Launch of the 2023 Gravel Union member survey and the chance to win a Cube C:62 Pro gravel bike

Love gravel riding? Love Gravel Union? Want to help make it even better? If you answered yes to any of these questions, we suggest you fill in our member survey. It will only take 10-15 minutes of your time and you could win a Cube Nuroad C:62 Pro gravel bike for your trouble.

UCI Gravel World Championships photo story

Gravel racing is somewhat of a polarising topic. For every gravel rider that loves the combination of speed, endorphins and do-or-die attitudes, there are riders who aren’t interested one bit. But for anyone with even a passing interest in competitive gravel riding, the recent UCI Gravel World Championships was the highlight of the year. Emmie Collinge and Phil Gale sent in an incredible photo gallery from a very dusty and unseasonably hot Veneto region of Italy.

In this episode:

Guest:

John Timmermans. Gravel rider and fan of Land van Grind en Zand... the North and middle part of the Dutch province of Limburg
Gravel Union Talks podcast with hosts Carlo van Nistelrooy and Olly Townsend.
GU’s editor-in-chief Olly on last month’s most popular articles on the Gravel Union platform.

Want to bring in ideas for topics or guests? Mail Olly at [email protected]

Check out our platform and socials
www.gravelunion.cc
Insta: @gravel_union
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GravelUnion/
Komoot: https://www.komoot.nl/user/1080024447202

Thanks for listening. Please share a review, like and share!

Don’t forget: join us now

SHOWNOTES:

The Gear - Searching for the gravel Holy Grail

Launch of the 2023 Gravel Union member survey and the chance to win a Cube C:62 Pro gravel bike

UCI Gravel World Championships photo story

Previous Episode

Shimano's Rob Busser on GRX 12 speed - Unbeatable, Undroppable, Unstoppable

In this episode:

Guest:

Rob Busser, Product Coordinator at Shimano Europe
Gravel Union Talks podcast with hosts Carlo van Nistelrooy and Olly Townsend.
GU’s editor-in-chief Olly on last month’s most popular articles on the Gravel Union platform.

Want to bring in ideas for topics or guests?
Mail Olly at [email protected]

Check out our platform and socials www.gravelunion.cc
Insta: @gravel_union
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GravelUnion/
Komoot: https://www.komoot.nl/user/1080024447202

Thanks for listening. Please share a review, like and share!
Don’t forget: join us now at www.gravelunion.cc. It is free!

Shownotes

News - Shimano GRX turns up the volume to 12
- It’s perhaps not been the best-kept secret in the gravel cycling world, but today Shimano announced the launch of their latest GRX gravel groupset and it’s been updated to 12-speed.
Gravel Inspiration - #Underbiking
- Big volume tyres. Plush suspension. Huge disk brake rotors. Dropper posts. These are just some of the things that most gravel bikes don’t come fitted with. To most gravel riders, the simple, paired-back functionality of a gravel bike is part of the appeal. Less to go wrong. A more visceral riding experience. A bigger buzz. The question is, where does this desire for a simpler way of riding become #underbiking?
Armchair Adventure - A rookie first attempt at ultra-cycling
- For many gravel and adventure riders, the decision to enter a 720km long bikepacking event which contains a mighty 19,000m of climbing would be one that was taken after a lot of careful consideration and only with the right preparation in place. For Valerio Stuart though, the decision was made on the spur of the moment after some holiday plans fell through. With barely any time for preparation and a mountain of untested kit, would he survive or would he end up scratching?

Next Episode

Gravel Guide Francis King on the pros and cons of the ultimate dream job

In this episode:

Francis King, professional gravel cycling guide
Gravel Union Talks podcast with hosts Carlo van Nistelrooy and Olly Townsend.
GU’s editor-in-chief Olly on last month’s most popular articles on the Gravel Union platform.

Want to bring in ideas for topics or guests? Mail Olly at [email protected]

Check out our platform and socials
www.gravelunion.cc
Insta: @gravel_union
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GravelUnion/
Komoot: https://www.komoot.nl/user/1080024447202

Thanks for listening. Please share a review, like and share! Don’t forget: join us now

Links:

Travel Gravel - Bamboo Bikepacking
As Gravel Alliance rider Saoirse Pottie writes this article, she’s staring at a beautiful view of Table Mountain overlooking Cape Town from the window of her B&B. In a couple of days, Saoirse and her friend, Abby Popplestone, will cycle out of the city and begin a 10,000km cycle that winds its way across the African continent, eventually finishing in Nairobi, Kenya.

Gravel Inspiration - Five things I learned as a guide at a women’s-only gravel camp
It’s no secret that there’s a profound impact that comes through doing any sort of outdoor sport – especially when you do it as part of a community. Fresh from guiding a women’s gravel camp in central Italy, Shimano Gravel Alliance rider Claudia Gerosa looks back on how riding in an all-women’s environment can be so inspiring.

#filmfriday - Seven Serpents 2023 recap
Back in June, we ran a fantastic story from Claire Frecknall about the trials and tribulations of taking part in the 2023 Seven Serpents bikepacking event. Beset by horrendous weather conditions, the already demanding event turned into something even more challenging. The event organisers have now published the official event recap film and it's brilliant.