Bruno

Alright, it's been a while and we'll have some catch up to do. It's been a pretty quiet Summer for me, not a lot of riding done. BUT! I did ride @therifticeland in Iceland for the second year in a row. The good part is that the washboards were almost non-existent compared to last year but the terrain was a lot heavier, making some of the steeper climbs even harder. And we had some good headwinf for a long stretch near the end of the ride... have I ever told how much I hate headwind? Well now you know. Anyway, it felt harder than last yer but took me only 10 more minutes to complete, with a lot less fitness than in 2023. The landscapes were once again fantastic but of course the wow effect was lessened a tiny bit by the fact it was my second go at it. More rides summary coming soon!

Final touch of the Belgian trip: discovering the beautiful city of Namur (in good company). Definitely worth spending some time to visit. Last year I only had a brief hint of it while cycling up towards the citadel at night, and having a proper look at the city this time was really nice. #namur #belgium #citadel

And Belgium was also a good occasion to expand my tattoos collection. I got the Temperance tarot card tattooed on my stomach by @gamma_gt at @laboucheriemoderne then ended up almost by accident at the @wildtattooshow convention in Namur and fell in love with this moth flash by @weeping_hyena . #tattoos #belgium

And of course Brussels is a treasure hunt for murals! #brussels #art #belgium #murals #streetart #bruxelles

Visiting Brussels is always nice and this time I had a bit more time to really explore. While the city center is small enough to see all the main monuments within a day or two, there are plenty of museums to discover as well. The two highlights from this visit: the museum of musical instruments (very lettering and interactive) and the Banksy museum. #brussels #bruxelles #banksy #museums #belgium

Another year, another crack at @raceacrossseries Belgium. The 300km route last year left me shattered. This year it looked a bit easier so I told myself: why not do the 100km gravel race on the Sunday as well? Let me tell you : it was the best choice ever! The 300km was tough as expected. The first 2/3rd was pretty rolling without any huge difficulties outside of surviving fatigue at the end of the night. But the last 100km were a succession of punches in the mouth : Paterberg, Koppenberg, Muur van Geraardsbergen and a cheeky little 14% climb just before reaching back Braine l’Alleud. Super glad I managed to not push my bike and conquer them all. After that I had some doubts regarding how smart it was to start the 100km gravel race the day after. But I went and it was actually super fun ! Neetles, sand, mud, cobbles: all the right ingredients for gravel delight ! My legs could have skipped all the climbing though 😅 Final results : 300km in 16:34:00 (24th general / 2nd in 35-39 group) and 100km gravel (timed segments): 02:55:50 (5th general) I’ll be back ! Thanks to @arnaudmanzanini and all the organizers for the fantastic events they provide us and to all the other participants for their kindness and the great community that they are part of ! #bikingisfun #ultracycling #raceacrossseries #shituplegs #belgium

It seems the opener for my 2024 season was bound to be full of obstacles. For the Race Across Paris, I decided to combine the 300km route on the road as a duo with @apoification and the 100km gravel one alongside @sonny_spiegel . The 300km was rough, mainly because of the rain and cold as well as our lack of proper preparation. And after 231km and almost 19h30min outside, we had to abandon. A huge thunderstorm had just drenched us to the bones and at the pace we were maintaining we would have needed another 6h of riding to reach the finish line. Nonetheless I’m super proud of how far we went despite being in trouble for so long. Regarding the gravel part, my rear brake decided to stop working after 11km… so that’s a second abandon… No regrets though, it was great to ride and see friends, no matter the final outcome ! We’ll be back in 2025! @raceacrossseries #teampmu #bikingisfun

Final long ride before @raceacrossseries Paris. Legs were ok but the weather conditions made it really rough. Could not use my small ring because it was trapped in ice, my cassette was not so much better and I even lost the use of my derailleur’s bottom pulley. Oh and I was properly frozen and emptied of all energy by the end. #bikingisfun #finnishspring #letitgo

And another edition of @nordicgravelseries @fallingleaveslahti in the books! This year was a spicy edition as the XL version was introduced: 2 days - 320 km of gravel fun. On the first day, we took the roads less ridden towards Porvoo. 150 km under the sunny sky, enjoying wide endless groads. Nothing too crazy, a nice enjoyable day on the saddle with the @smugglerspath crew. Capped by a delicious dinner at @runohotelporvoo Day 2 on the other hand, was a different beast. 100km to go back to @pajulahti1929 followed by another 70km loop where we could meet the riders from the sorter distances. From the start we could feel there would be a few more technical segments. And of course: plenty of rain. After maybe 30km the sky opened on our heads and we were drenched to the bones. Nothing else to do but push harder to warm up. I couldn't take as many videos once the rain really started because my hands were to wet to use my phone. I kinda like the rain anyway, so no big issue for me, but some of the paths were really really muddy and slippery. In the end we were only 3 to do the extra 70km loop, which is not really a surprise considering the weather conditions. I arrived covered in mud from head to toe, super happy to have completed it and ready for more. Thanks again to the whole @nordicgravelseries team. It's always a blast to see you and ride your events! #bikingisfun #gravelgrinder #gravelfinland #shutuplegs #lahti #ngs

Back from my 3rd @grinduro event! After Switzerland in 2021 and Germany in 2022, this year I headed to Italy, in the beautiful region of Tuscany! It's always a fun event, with challenging routes and their signature formula: go hard on the 4 timed segments and choose your pace for the rest of the ride. Well... it was a bit more complicated than that for me this year as I almost lost my small chainring during the ride (when I realised it was loose I had already lost 2 out of the 4 screws holding it in place) then lost my bidons twice in the downhill stage before slashing open my front tire and realising while fixing it (thanks to the guys from @schwalbetires for their help) we realised I actually cracked my wheel 😭. Despite the advice to stay on the asphalt to go back to the camp I decided to ride the remaining 30+km of the route (cautiously though). I reached the finish line in one piece but with my bike sounding like it wanted to be put out of its misery. All good after a good cleaning though (apart from the wheel ofc). Anyway, once again it was a great event. So 2024... @grinduro Wales? NB: No images of the most technical parts because... well I couldn't film and ride then #grinduroitalia #puntalacampandresort @puntala_hostedbynature #bikingisfun

Another fantastic weekend of gravel grinding in the bag. @nordicgravelseries Bergslagen was wet, painful and a lot of fun! Seeing how riders from abroad were amazed at the scenery made me even more thankful to be able to find this kind of routes at my doorstep all year long. I even managed to identify why my knee has been bugging me so much for a few months, so hopefully my next ride should be even more enjoyable. That was my last race part of the @gravelearthseries23 this year but I might try to add a few more next year.

What a beast of a ride that was! @therifticeland you were beautiful, thrilling and a brutal beating of every part of my body. But it was so worth it! I wish I could have taken more pictures but I would have crashed for sure. Every corner was the opening of another surreal landscape. And the route itself was brilliant (but really tough) the first 100km destroyed my legs with all the climbing then 20+km of washboard roads made me want to turn off every single nerve in my hands and wrists and as soon as we hit the slightest bit of asphalt the headwind made it punishing as well. I finished completely drained but with the biggest, dustiest smile on my face. Next adventure: @nordicgravelseries in Bergslagen 🇸🇪 #therift @gravelearthseries23 #travelforgravel #bikingisfun