The Endurance SL: A year in pictures with Katie Kookaburra
Cycling YouTuber Katie Kookaburra has taken her Endurance SL on some pretty epic adventures in 2020 despite the strange year we have all had. Here, she share the highlights.
The Ribble Endurance SL: A Year in pictures
Despite it being a difficult year for many, cycling YouTuber Katie Kookaburra has managed to get away on many mini-adventures with her beloved Endurance SL. As we come towards the end of the year, and with travel restrictions firmly in place, we wanted to share some of her best moments. Hopefully, this will inspire you and your Ribble for some 2021 trips.
Katie, how have you found this year?
To be honest it’s been such a strange time and I am lucky enough I get to travel with my bike to so many incredible places. But this year it really made me explore places so much closer to home. It’s also made me realise how much I took travel for granted.
What has been your most memorable trip this year?
Despite Covid, my friends and I have managed to go on some pretty epic adventures. We went bikepacking in Northern Ireland and Cornwall, rode from Manchester to Paris but I think my favourite was cycling down to Dartmoor in a day and wild camping. It was a long day taking us around 24 hours with fully loaded bikes to travel the 350km route but it was so worth it.
You do have the CGR bike which is more akin to the riding you were doing, so what made you take the Endurance SL?
I love the CGR Ti but it seemed too obvious to take that and I wanted to push the limits of what the Endurance SL could do. It handled being loaded with all my camping gear, a fair bit of gravel and even a tad of forest riding.
I was so impressed with its versatility - great for smashing efforts on hill climbs as well as adventure riding. It really is my favourite bike. And it’s the rim brake version, which I love. I will be riding this bike next year too, we have to save the rim brake haha. But seriously the braking power was great, even with a loaded bike. Don't underestimate what those mighty calipers can do.
So let’s have a look at your year in photographs of with the Endurance SL... caliper.
Wildcamping in Devon.
Getting in the carb on the 350km route down to Dartmoor.
The rig: Tent, bivy, food, electrics and a bobble hat all packed for the trip.
Home for the night: This was our spot for the second night of wild camping.
Ahhh camp life: Nothing better than waking up outdoors after a good kip.
Beach day: Walking on a stoney beach proving more difficult than the actual riding.
Bikepacking Northern Ireland.
Ferry life: One of many ferry crossings on this trip. Looks like the South of France, right?
Not always smooth sailing: Me & my mate just had a little argument about how far it was to the accommodation. Think we both needed food haha.
Views for days: Look at them mountains!
Giant's Causeway: No idea what's in my bottles? Looks nuclear.
Ahhh clambering over slippy rocks with a bike just to get this pic.
Said slippy rocks. How gorgeous are they?!
Manchester to Paris.
Arc de Triomphe: This pic does not show the 600-odd kilometres we rode on the hottest day of the year.
When in France: Baguettes on a beach.
Always time for photos: It took us a few attempts at this pic.
Way home: Riding back to the ferry after a long day in the saddle during a pretty sunset.
Hill climbs.
Over the year I have sweated it out and got the heart rate pumping on some of the most epic yet brutal climbs in the UK.
Winnats Pass: This brute is short and steep averaging 11% with 20% sections.
Mow Cop: 'The Killer Mile' - need I say more!
Park Rash: 30% on the hairpin. Brutal. And it was recently gritted to make it even tougher.
Mam Nick: One of the Peak's finest climbs, especially early morning with an inversion like that.
The Strines in Sheffield: Part of the Toughest 100km in the UK challenge. It was tough.
And finally, the UK's finest: Hardknott Pass. Sections of 33%.
Smiling because it's almost over.
Everesting.
I almost forgot, I also Everested. For those that don't know it's climbing the same climb until you ascend the height of Everest which is 8,848m. I did in on my all time favourite climb, Dovestones in Saddleworth.
Climbing: If there was ever going to be a climb for me to Everest, it was this one. Look at that view.
One of 28 repeats on the 5km climb.
The climb: Focused or tired? You decide.
The trusty bike that has been on all my adventures in 2020. Excited for where we will ride in 2021.
If you want to watch Katie's review after a year on the Endurance SL click HERE.
Or if you want to read about some of the adventures above, Katie documented each of her trips on the blog or her YouTube channel.
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