James ‘Hank’ Lowsley-Williams and Mark Beaumont aren’t afraid of a challenge. They completed the world’s longest descent on a volcano in Chile, broke the Land’s End to John O’ Groats relay record, before failing the same challenge on a tandem bike. For their latest challenge, they took on one of their toughest routes yet, riding from Fort William in the Scottish highlands to the remotest pub in the British Isles on the Knoydart peninsula. Find out how they got on here.
Not only did they need to be prepared for the terrain, but also the conditions in what has been a (typically) bleak British summer. Luckily, Yoeleo stepped in to help out, providing our dynamic duo with their new gravel bike, the G21. Yoeleo will be a newer name to many, but the Chinese-based manufacturer has been creating bikes for other brands for over 15 years. It now puts all of that know-how into its own range of bikes, including the G21 used by Hank and Mark.
Specced with Shimano GRX components, it proved to be a worthy adversary for the terrain, conquering everything from gravel tracks to rivers, standing up to everything our dynamic duo could throw at it. It’s also lightweight and has all of the mounts needed for a bikepacking adventure, making it the perfect bike for the job.
In another stroke of luck, Gore provided their full range of clothing – and Hank and Mark needed it in the unpredictable British climate. This Included the GORE-TEX lightweight and breathable waterproof jacket, which came in useful day and night with our presenters even sleeping in it. It was paired with the Gore Ambient Vest, Transition bib shorts and a range of jerseys – a combination ready for any conditions.
Check out a full breakdown of the bike and Gore’s kit in the video.
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