You know when your mates come up with one of those crazy ideas, relentlessly plaguing every conversation with this mythical plan they’ve devised in the not-so-distant future. You feel bad dismissing it so you pay them lip service in the belief that after a week or two (or three) they’ll forget about it all and quietly move on. Well, none of you have a Jack Moulsdale in your ranks. Not only does the guy have a seemingly endless plethora of ideas to drop on you before you’ve even taken a sip of your beer, but he also possesses an incredibly rare skill of actually following through with about 99% of the plans he’s concocted – to the end.
Riding from Calais to Brussels was the latest in a long series of Jack’s fantastic schemes – and a million billion WhatsApp messages (and pints) later, that plan became a reality.
It was only the week before the gang actually left on this expedition that I started to believe it was happening. Frame bags and pannier racks were turning up on next day delivery left, right and centre, pictures of tents and cooking equipment were being deployed in the groupchat, and v12DraftFinal of the route was added to everyone’s Komoot. “These mad bastards are actually going to do this,” I thought to myself. I couldn’t focus on it all as I had spontaneously moved house the previous week and was in the midst of moving everything in: the window for a last-minute boarding of the Brussels convoy had been firmly shut and I was definitely going to be sitting this one out.
On the Saturday morning of departure, I watched vicariously on my phone as videos and pictures of the ferry boarding started to roll in. A double dosage of FOMO and pride hit me like a fully-loaded cargo bike. I was absolutely gutted to not be on that boat with them all. But on the other hand, I got to watch eight of my mates – who were pretty much all strangers to each other 12 months ago – embark on a massive bike camping trip abroad. Before Hands® started, I’d dreamt of these sorts of trips while watching Genosack videos, and this shit right here, was exactly what it is all about. Only this time, it was us.
The trip was documented beautifully with photos taken by Hamish, Ed and Joe – and a couple of the crew have penned some words for you all. I can’t even begin to describe how immensely proud I am for all of them, and I hope you too enjoy their accounts of their shenanigans.
Jack:
In early January, after going on a few longer rides with Sunday Love Songs (our needlessly-branded Sunday rides), I decided I wanted to go on my first multi-day bikepacking trip from Calais to Brussels. There was a lot of uncertainty floating around in my life at the time, and this trip gave me something solid to aim towards. I wanted not only to escape for a few days, but to earn the feeling that came with it.
If you know me, you won’t be surprised to hear I ended up telling anyone who’d listen about it – pedals or not.
I was obviously hoping someone might want to join me, but it wasn’t a determining factor in planning the trip. I know everyone has busy lives and, with bikepacking, you need a lot of gear – the barrier to entry isn’t exactly low. I thought to myself, “YOU WILL GO ON YOUR OWN AND YOU WILL HAVE A CATHARTIC EXPERIENCE!”
The day after a ride with Hamish, I received a message saying he was keen.
Now it wasn’t just me I had to worry about. After a WhatsApp group was set up, things started gathering pace. Ed was first up with an “I should probably sort my passport out if I’m thinking of joining,” and then he added Dan and Fen to the chat, who I already knew from the longer Sunday rides and are an absolute pleasure to ride with.
Ferries were booked, campsites softly launched, and Ed mapped out the routes so we all had GPX files to rely on.
This was the plan:
Day 1 – Calais to Dunkirk — 60km
Day 2 – Dunkirk to Bruges — 72km
Day 3 – Bruges to Ghent — 45km
Day 4 – Ghent to Brussels — 79km
Alongside this, I’d been spending time with Gareth and he was bullish on coming, to the point of buying a new bike to accommodate racks. He invited his brother Andy, who I’ve known for a long time and is an extremely good egg. He also invited his friend Joe, who I’d met a couple of times and I was relatively confident would slot right in. Little did I know how good he was at karaoke.
Fast forward a month and we were at the ferry port, ready to go…. all of us bar Gareth, Joe and Andy, who we watched sprinting onto the ferry ramp with seconds to spare before departure.
All I will say is that this was one of the best experiences of my life, shared with seven incredible people. The dynamic we all had together was perfect and so much fun, I cannot wait to do it again.
I didn’t really know what my life would look like at this point, but I know I want more of this: bikepacking trips, good people and plenty of camaraderie. Massive thanks to everybody involved for making it what it was.
Hamish:
I feel like prior to going I had often dreamt of a trip like this. Travelling by bike visiting towns and places that you would miss by car, travelling slower and making the most of it with a solid crew. What I love now is that what seemed like a distant goal can become the norm. When the people around you say yes to challenges, you can really make the most of life. What may have seemed like a once in a lifetime can become a lifetime’s worth of adventures.
“…When the people around you say yes to challenges, you can really make the most of life. What may have seemed like a once in a lifetime can become a lifetime’s worth of adventures.”
Fen:
This trip is testament to the incredible things that can happen when you say “yes”. Having only started riding bikes in earnest a year ago, there was a natural apprehension about whether I’d be able to handle it. But as somebody who also loves Beers, and Being Outside in addition to the bike, the answer was easy…
“I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful group of people (and with better karaoke skills) to do it with and I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat.”
What emerged ended up being so much more than that. The close bonds we formed from riding together through blissful countryside, problem solving the – luckily minor – mechanicals, and belly laughing all day long are unparalleled. I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful group of people (and with better karaoke skills) to do it with and I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat.
Ed:
This was my first experience of bikepacking, so to have my first try at it – in another country – with a solid distance between us and the finish line was daunting. But it couldn’t have been a better experience. Everyone was great together, we waited when we needed to, we pushed when we could and we had no real worries of when we would arrive or how much further was left.
By the third day, we had turned into a well-oiled machine, riding 3 wide (+1 tucked in somewhere) at a solid pace, with very little room for error. And when an obstacle came our way? We transformed into a 2×3, or even single file, with little more than a hand signal and a glance to the side. It was pretty surreal.
I genuinely couldn’t ask for anything to have gone differently. Even the mechanicals – bike or human – were minimal issues. Broken chain? Two links removed within minutes and we’re back on our way. Broken Crank? Okay, not so easy to repair but with a bit of quick thinking and the grabbing of a spare strap, a tow rig was assembled within a matter of seconds. It all added to the experience and never soured the mood in the slightest.
Belgium was awesome: great food, greater drinks, pretty damn good cycle lanes and a solid acceptance of bikes all round. It really is a great place to experience bike riding.
“Belgium was awesome: great food, greater drinks, pretty damn good cycle lanes and a solid acceptance of bikes all round. It really is a great place to experience bike riding.”
I’m already planning my next trip as this experience made me wonder why I haven’t done this sooner… Offa’s Dyke Path is calling.
For now, I will sit dreaming that I’m on back on that bike in the middle of nowhere (well, somewhere in Belgium) with a group of brilliant mates making more memories – until the next one!
Love to Jack, Gary, Ed, Hamish, Fen, Dan, Joe and Andy for making it happen. That’s all folks,
Fin
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