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  • 9 hours ago
Gravel cycling until our lungs hurt. Welcome to the Cycling Weekly Going Long Adventure Strava segment hunting challenge, the first in a series of gravel bike rides where we upgrade our gravel bikes, find the hardest climbs and tackle the UK's best gravel bike rides.

Have you tried the gravel bike segment or got one you think we should try? let us know in the comments below...
Transcript
00:17Welcome to Going Long's Big Strava segment of the week, where anything over five miles is fair game.
00:23I'm Ian Toe.
00:24And I'm Steve Shrubsell.
00:25Ian, can you tell us a little bit about today's segment, where we are, etc.?
00:29We're in sunny Chiseldon, Wiltshire, and today we will be travelling down a 2,000-year-old route, travelled by
00:35the Romans.
00:35The route is around six miles long, or just over.
00:38The elevation gain is about 300 feet.
00:41Current KOM is 2133, while the QOM is 2759.
00:49So with just 300 feet of elevation gain, that's fairly flat, but it all comes towards the end as one
00:57big kicker.
00:58I reckon I might be able to hold your wheel up until there, and maybe even keep on to you,
01:02keep a hold during the climb.
01:04Maybe. Try your hardest.
01:06I will be.
01:08I'll be trying my hardest to drop you.
01:10Well, let's see what happens out on the course.
01:12Let's go.
01:18We can do anything that we're going to do.
01:22Long as you got me, and I know I got you.
01:25We a team.
01:28No in between.
01:32And we can be anything that we're going to be.
01:35Long as I got you, and you know you got me.
01:39We a team.
01:41Live in the dream.
01:45Light that fire, there ain't no stopping.
01:49Pull back down, cause you can't be beat.
01:52We keep going, and they're just talking.
01:55It's doing now like one in a team.
01:59Come and bring it all together.
02:02We're like birds of a feather.
02:05You know I got your back.
02:07We got it down like that.
02:09Yeah, this too is always better.
02:12Go, team, go.
02:15Go, team, go.
02:19We don't give in to the pressure.
02:22You and me, we find the treasure.
02:25We find the treasure.
02:26You'll see us on the news.
02:27We're going to the moon.
02:29Yeah, we're ready for whatever.
02:38Canetio Road starts with a sense of quiet history.
02:42The name comes from Canetio, the Roman settlement buried in nearby fields.
02:59The area is layered with old routes, Roman tracks, farm roads, and the long-gone Malba railway.
03:06And it's along here where most of the segment plays out.
03:17In the summer, it's beautiful, almost champagne gravel.
03:21But in the depths of mid-winter, we have puddles and mud aplenty to deal with.
03:32Riding amid such beauty always throws up some decent wildlife.
03:37Red Kite and Monkjack are really common around here.
03:40And at this time of the year, Field Fair and Red Wing peck away at the berries on the side
03:44of the trail.
03:46Until they get disturbed.
03:58Back to the segment, and for the most part, it's flat.
04:01At least for the first four miles.
04:03And just as you're tapping out an easy tempo pace, on the way to T and Medals, a punchy climb
04:09looms into view.
04:12The next time I turn around, you're left going into a woman in a single bound.
04:17I hope I never take you for granted.
04:20Spending time with you is all that I wanted.
04:23But I'll go back to when you were small, burning all our favorite records on the CD run.
04:29We were splitting headphones in a hammy.
04:32To a soundtrack we could get lost in.
04:58At 0.7 miles long, with 14% ramps, it hurts.
05:05But keep the blinkers on.
05:07Keep going.
05:18And keep your eyes on the prize.
05:20Nearly there now.
05:45If you're scared of the dark, let the run-down street lights be your stars.
05:51Let them know who we are.
05:53Let them shine for you.
05:57It's no use living if you're already there.
06:01It's not worth saying if it's already said.
06:04Even if it all goes over your head.
06:07Believe it if you want to.
06:09So keep your eyes on the road and your head in the stars.
06:12Follow it down and wrap it all just a little while longer.
06:16You can change anything if you want to.
06:21You said it's not worth living if you're already there.
06:24It's not worth saying if it's already said.
06:27Even if it all goes straight to your head.
06:30Believe it if you want to.
06:33Believe it if you want to.
06:35Believe it if you want to save.
07:04Well that was muddy wasn't it?
07:06Best British gravel.
07:08How did you find it?
07:09Well it was hard.
07:10Then it was a bit harder.
07:12Then there was a hill.
07:13Then there was mud.
07:15What about you?
07:16Yeah the first half was pretty slippery.
07:18Then there was the hill.
07:19Then it was downhill on the road mostly.
07:22How did you get up?
07:23Well I got a 2044 which took about 50 odd seconds from the original KOM.
07:33So I'm really happy with that.
07:35How about yourself?
07:35Nice.
07:36I got 1901.
07:40So you're the new KOM.
07:41Nice one.
07:42Thanks.
07:43But if you're ever in the area come and have a go at it.
07:47It's pretty beatable I reckon.
07:49Yeah it's totally beatable.
07:51So get yourself down there and we'll see you next week.
07:55Bye.
07:55Bye.
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