[Closed] Lands End to John O Groats - Off Road

That’s it, then. 2198km, 23 days; daily distance typically more than 110km, average taken down by a handful of short days. Five Everests? something like that, through and over MTBing test pieces in Exmoor, the Quantocks, the Black Mountains, mid-Wales and the Berwyns, the Dales, the Howgills, North Pennines, Galloway Hills, Kinglass, Rannoch, Corrieyairick and the Far North.

No suspension. No GPS, digital mapping or SPOT. No backup, support or resupply. No posting food ahead. No hotels, hostels or B&Bs. No sponsorship, no freebies. No padded shorts. No bullshit.

A fantastic achievement no doubt, but having read through a bit of it he seems unnecessarily angry about everything and everyone.

As I said in the bikepacking thread. The thing I like about PJ is his no bullshit aproach. I also like the fact he has not posted a route.

I think its more suffers no fools. There is a lot of bullshit in the bike and outdoor world, a lot of navel gazing, I think its fair to point that out.

padded shorts would make the whole thing pointless clearly.

Some nice looking singletrack in what looks like the Pennines

The singletrack at around 2:20 in to the video is Bowderdale in the Howgills, not sure where the section over the flagstones after that is. The first clip of Scotland is the West Highland Way leading in to Tyndrum.

The thing I like about PJ is his no bullshit aproach.

Ay fair enough, to be honest I'd not heard of him before and haven't read the bikepacking thread but I'm going back through his blog now and it's really good - even if he is a bit angry 😉

[quote=chambord ]

The thing I like about PJ is his no bullshit aproach

I spent a few mins looking at the blog and I am afraid he comes across as a bit of a cock, seems nobody is as good as him at anything.

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Unlike most bloggers I don’t/didn’t have much weight I could afford to lose

hooli - Member
I spent a few mins looking at the blog and I am afraid he comes across as a bit of a cock, seems nobody is as good as him at anything.

Comments like this

Unlike most bloggers I don’t/didn’t have much weight I could afford to lose

Hit a nerve?

I really like Petes writing, I find a lot of humour in it.

I'm surprised he's not a bigger name in the cycling/outdoors world, man knows his onions - https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/directory/?user=tracksterman

I remember Steve Thomas doing it in the 90's. Wonder if his article is still available from Mountain Bike International (I think).

The first clip of Scotland is the West Highland Way leading in to Tyndrum.

Apparently not, according to his latest blog post:

http://tracksterman.tumblr.com/

Ummm..!

"scotch"

oh dear

he could have added "no bike that fits"

[img] [/img]

I really like Petes writing, I find a lot of humour in it.

really?

 

I really enjoyed reading his blog, it was refreshing to read. He seems more about riding than telling you what to buy. I also enjoyed his little rants, it made me read more.

just read a it and thought it was funny once you got into his style. Liked the way he had ago at a few things, its good to be challenged. Great trip and brave I reckon.

Nice to be on the receiving end of a correction 😛

That summary up there just makes me think he has a massive chip on his shoulder. The other quotes just reinforce this.

His latest blog posts make him sound like a massive snob too. Which is ironic, given the blog content.

He does LEJOG off-road and he can't even line up his valves with his tyre decals correctly 🙄

A quick glance at his blog - it's full of dry irony, not anger.

Now for a longer read...

eg

"You might be carrying a bigger pack than that fat knacker ticking off his semi-autistic list of signposted long distance pathways, but you will be out there doing it."

and

"Advertising and industry hype leads many people to underestimate the abuse their bodies can take and still function at an acceptably high level.

and

"...but dare suggest that and you’ll be shouted down with accusations of elitism by the Mafia of the Mediocre."

I'm going to follow this bloke. Like his style. 🙂

And finally 🙂

"...riding rigid forks sharpens up your bike handling skills, and also toughens up your wrists (which comes in handy spending so much time alone in your tent)"

Genius.

Top Stuff IMO. Now, where did I put those old tracksters...

No route posted...are we sure he actually did it? 😉

Still got a lot of time for PJ - though may disagree with him too. A point of view worth hearing, anyway.

I've been following his blog for yonks and really enjoy it. It is absolutely chock full of inverted snobbery though.

If you dislike Tyndrum so much, I hope you never find yourself in Gretna tracksterman. Expect some sort of fatal heommorhage of you do!

Hit a nerve?

I really like Petes writing, I find a lot of humour in it.

No, not hit a nerve at all. I don't keep a blog 😉

Interesting blog, good to hear a different point of view. Glad he's out there doing stuff but after reading quite a few pages of it I can't reconcile why he's so bothered about what other people are up to, whilst simultaneously writing a lengthy blog on how he doesn't give a crap.

I rode a bit of WHW yesterday, it's always interesting seeing the variety of folk walking it. Yes they may have read about in National Geographic, they may well be carrying a selfie stick and have a 150l rucksack with a sink strapped to it but they're still doing it. Maybe it will get them into doing "proper" adventures, maybe it won't. Still doesn't feel right to look down on them for it.

Tracksterman is one of the few outdoor blogs I read every week. I love it. (Even if he takes the piss out of me!)

Quite something, and if there was the time and energy available to me it's something I'd love to try.

I've never come across his writing before and I like the tone of it. He does seem a little hot-headed in his description of situations, people and locations, but on the whole it's more or less justifiable. I'll have to set aside some time to read through more of his posts.

However:

No backup, support or resupply

What's with the arse slapping? I was watching the video in bed with my 4yr old and I had to tilt the screen away as it was wholly inappropriate! lol

I enjoy reading his blog. He is out there, having adventures. More than most of us. I include myself in that.

No backup, support or resupply

Not too sure about this. To me that would mean carrying all your food with you from the start or gathering it naturally as you proceed (ie, not from shops). Or am I missing something on this point? The bike doesn't look that loaded up.

It means he was on his own (i.e. no-one following in a van) from the start and only had what was available to anyone, so shops and cafes. Its fairly common for longer offroad adventures as who has a mate that can also take a month off to follow you in a motorhome, but shorter rides and road rides there can often be some 'support' by way of vans carrying gear and meeting at regular intervals.

Also some people (although i think its mostly a US thing) post gear forwards to collect on route, so changes of clothes, specialist food or spare parts. For a timed event this can be a help, but for a non-timed tour (or on a route your not sharing 😉 ) i dont see the problem as its essentially the same as just buying from shops but you just bought it at home.

He sounds like a bit of a character to be sure but I agree with him on a fair few points. Too many people are worrying about their kit and technology and not getting out there and doing stuff until they have the perfect set up and everything planned out. In the UK you can get on pretty much any bike and ride anywhere at most times of the year with pretty simple gear. Just get out there!

For people that like his writing he also has an account on crazy guy on a bike under "Pete Jones". some cool tours. One of the few readable journals on there!

TheBrick - Member
For people that like his writing he also has an account on crazy guy on a bike under "Pete Jones". some cool tours. One of the few readable journals on there!

I linked to that upthread. It was those journals that made me get into cycle touring. Great reads.

So, he is better than most other people because he didn't have gps, support, food sent ahead and did it all on a fully rigid bike that looks just wrong? Well god help anyone who does ride anywhere with a little 'luxury' then eh.

I'll admit I'm an angry person most of the time, but even I think this guy is a little much. I don't think it is 'refreshing' either, or that I don't like 'the truth'. His truth is obviously way off what most peoples is. A little mockery at biking/trends/people within once in a while is all good, but the constancy of it with him is tiresome.

It is no more of an achievement than doing it with a gps and lots of planning ahead lets be honest.

It is no more of an achievement than doing it with a gps and lots of planning ahead lets be honest.

I think his points are a lot of people new to touring (be they total novices or fit racers) are changing the general understanding of what it is or what is required, i.e. must have all this fancy kit to do it. Given he has been doing it longer than most (to extremes) he is probably in a better position to say what is gimmic and what it truth (even if its just his opinion). If you look at his blogs he is not averse to modern or specialised kit, but still fairly grounded about what is luxury and what is basic need.

I dont particularly like some posts, but then i dont like everything everyone writes, so enjoy it in the most part. For the amount of 'im going on an adventure here is my 101% breakdown of gear' blogs, there is definitely space/requirement for an alternative to balance.