Katie-Jane L'Herpiniere

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Katie-Jane L'Herpiniere

British Adventure Girl • Type 2 Fun Addict • Passion For Exploring The World

Expedition Leader

17/11/2023

Geared up in winter layers and embracing the cold November sunshine.

30/05/2023

// The Full List - Hellenic Mountain Race //

Clothing - wearing

Sunglasses: Sutro
Helmet: Ventral Air Spin
Cycle Top: Explore Shirt
MTB Shorts: Fernflow
Ride Socks:
Shoes: Pro Gravel
Gloves:

Clothing - additional

Down Jacket: Forclaz
Waterproof Jacket: C5 Gore-Tex Shakedry
Waterproof Hooded Jacket: Endure
Waterproof Trousers: C5 Gore-Tex Paclite
Gloves: Windstopper Thermo
Waterproof Over Gloves: Goretex Mitt
Waterproof Booties:
Neck Protector: Komoot
Sleeves:
Sleep T-shirt: Traverse
Sleep 3/4 Leggings: Speed Dryarn
Sleep Socks:

Bike & Bags

Bike: Exploro Ultra
Tires: Juniper Ridge
Aero: Carbon
Top Tube Bag: Node 2H
Handlebar Bag: Roll Bar 16L
Frame Bag: Zip Frame
Rear Bag: Harness & 16L
Backpack: Active Skin 8
DryBags: Ultra-sil
Water Bladder: Shape-Shift 2L
Water Bottle: Fly 550ml
Emergency Water Bag: Seeker 2L

Electronics

Front Light: Airstream2
Rear Light: Blaze .lights
Head Torch: Nao +
GPS: Etrex 30x
Power Bank: PowerCore 747
Fast Plug: Duel Port

Sleep

Bivvy: Escape Lite Survival S.O.L
Quilt: 350
Matt: NeoAir UberLite

Food

Meals:
Spork: AlphaLight
Rehydration: Dioralyte

REPAIR KIT: Road Morph G Pump, Multitool, Spare Tube x 2, Tire Plugs, Tire Levers, Magic Links, Chain Wax, Adhesive Patches, Tire Boots, Spare Tubeless Valve, Valve Core Remover Tool, Needle & Dentlefloss, Cleat Bolts, Spare Hanger, Break Pads, Gaffa Tape, Tenacious Tape, Superglue, Cable Ties

HYGINE KIT: Suncream, Lip Protection, Tooth Brust, Tooth Paste

MEDICAL KIT: Paracetamol, Anti-diarrhoea, Anti Inflammatory Gel, Antibiotics, Antihistamine, QuikClot Dressing, Steri-strips, Sterile Dressing, Antiseptic Wipes, Vet Wrap, Safety Pin, Blister Patches, Strappal Tape, Tick Tweezer, Multitool

P.s. As a thank you for putting all their kit through it’s paces in the toughest of environments and conditions, GOREWEAR are offering 25% off for anyone using code: KATIEJANE25

28/05/2023

// Winners and Losers on the kit list - Part 2 //

⬇️ My waterproof booties kept my feet nice a dry from the rain, but they weren’t high enough to keep the water from going over the top during some of the river crossings. So my feet got wet and I abandoned using the booties. Knee-Length waterproof socks may have been a better shout in these conditions. In Metsovo I bought some socks from the supermarket. Big mistake, they had no support or shape, they soon got wet as well and gave me bad blisters, something I have never suffered from in races such as this. In hindsight, with the weather forecast as it was, I should have packed another pair of technical socks for riding in. (My sleep socks always stay as sleep socks!)

⬇️ I got through all my blister pads, strapping tape and dressings pretty quickly, as my feet became a mess in the rain, river crossings and hike-a-bike. At checkpoint 3 I had to wait for a pharmacy to open to get more supplies. Should I have carried more… I don’t think so, I just shouldn’t have worn the rubbish supermarket socks.

⬆️ For bear protection at night, I put my phone on speaker and played music out loud which I would sing along to. This meant any animals would hear me coming and quickly scarpa, but it also meant I spent a fair amount of time apologising to riders who passed me in the night, for my terrible taste in 80’s rock music that they were momentarily forced to endure.

⬆️ Food felt a little ‘feast or famine’ on the route. So to take away any concerns of ‘what lies ahead’ I, like always, took with me 6 dehydrated meals. On the start line of every race, they always feel a little bulky and heavy, but once on the trail I never regret bringing them. They give me peace of mind that I can always continue.

⬆️ Was the gravel bike the right decision, for me yes, because it is so much lighter than my mountain bike. I would have struggled to lift, pull, push and haul my heavy mountain bike up the brutal hike-a-bike sections, especially the infamous ‘river section’! If I had a lightweight hardtail MTB then maybe I would consider it, but at no point during the race did I regret my decision.

📸

27/05/2023

// Winners and Losers on the kit list - Part 1 //

So here is the low down on what was a life-saver and what was missing from my kit list for such a brutally tough route and some pretty horrendous weather of non-stop rain.

⬆️ The best kit decision I made was to take as much top-quality waterproof clothing as I did. When the weather was very bad I wore 2 jackets for protection and warmth, the Shakedry and the Endure with a hood, as well as Paclite rain paints. I was bone-dry the entire race (apart from my feet, but we will get on to those). Arriving in a restaurant in Motsovo, having been riding in continual rain for more than 12 hours, I found lots of other riders soaked through to their skin and trying to dry their clothes on heaters. Many of them were thinking of scratching. I was a little cold from the last descent in the rain but was completely dry under my waterproofs. After a meal to warm up, I was back out on the road.

⬇️ If I was to ever see such a bad weather forecast for a race again, I would make sure I pack 4 spare lots of brake pads not 2. I was having to be super cautious in the last couple of days, trying to make the pads last until the finish line which wasn’t ideal.

⬇️ Again, with so much rain I should have packed a bigger bottle of chain l**e. The bike needed reapplication all of the time, and I had to use my micro bottle more sparingly than the bike ideally needed.

⬆️ Despite the bad weather, I was happy with my choice of a survival SOS bivvy bag. Although it offers very little protection against the elements, I knew I only wanted to bivvy in hamlets and villages because of the bears. I was always able to find a covered area where I could sleep protected from the rain. The only night I slept out of a village, I slept in an old abandoned Mazda car with the seats reclined. 😆

To be continued...

📸

22/05/2023

Hellenic Mountain Race - it was brutal!! With just 29% of riders making it to the finish. 920km and 29,000m of climbing.

It was undeniably the most physically demanding race I have ever done. The unfavourable weather and the difficulty of the terrain turned it from a bike race into a survival race (…my favourite kind).

I will never be a super strong cyclist, but I have a strong mind, and the worse the conditions got the more I relished the challenge.

I’m extra happy to have finished this one, as it completes the trilogy of Mountain Races (on first attempts.) With and now being known as some of the toughest bike races on the planet.

Snowy mountain passes, never ending river crossings, torrential rain, mud fest, strong winds that blew my bike from the ground, agressive dogs, bears, wolves, bike malfunctions… you name it, we endured it.

This was made a little easier by just how unexpectedly amazing this country is. The kindness, the hospitality, the food, the scenery, how clean it is… ‘Greece, you are a beaut!’

More to follow once I have had time to let it all sink in.

Big thank you to everyone’s support.

12/05/2023

It’s that time again where I do everything in my power to keep my little dot moving slowly forward, in the bid to reach another finish line.

At 9am tomorrow I will be on the start line of the inaugural in Greece. This is the latest creation by Nelson Trees, the director of both the and . An unsupported ultra of 950km with 29,000m of ascent. Which basically means I’m either going up or down!

I’m definitely a little nervous about this one. I’m excited and nervous in equal measure about the possibility of seeing a brown bear. However, it’s the large packs of agressive shepherds dogs that are giving me sleepless nights!!!

It’s going to be a tough event, especially as we have a wet and cold week forecast, but if the spectacular start line here in Meteora is anything to go by, then we are in for a beautiful ride.

Cap Number: 62

https://hmr23.maprogress.com/

08/04/2023

A wonderfully joyous, yet still slightly sad day. As today was probably Boogie the adventure dog’s last ever skin up the mountain, as i’m not sure his little old legs will be up to it next winter, but what a beautiful bluebird day for it! 🐕🏔️☀️🎿

Then we might have slightly over indulged with a very long lunch on the mountain… Well it is Easter!

29/03/2023

GranGuanche Gravel Recap:-

WOW…what a stunning route! The 5 islands might as well have been 5 continents. So uniquely different from each other. The 700km route took us across beaches and sandy deserts, luna landscapes under the peak of Mount Teide the world’s third highest volcano, through lava fields and black gravel roads, lush tropical forests shrouded in mist and Jurassic Park landscapes full of ravines and epic rock formations. The flora was constantly changing too, from giant succulents to ancient pine forests within just a few metres of each other.

We were blessed with dry weather, with temperatures soaring to the low 30Cs on Tenerife, making for beautifully clear starry night skies and breathtaking sunrise and sunsets. Something that I was less enamoured with was the wind!! Of course, when it was a tailwind I was all for it, but on the Monte de Anaga alpine climb a gust took me clean off my bike on one of the switchback bends, and I landed body across the top of the wooded safety barrier. Without the barrier, I would have gone clean off the cliff and unlikely to have seen another day. It completely shook me up and I walked pretty much the entire 10km climb to the summit!! On the last island of El Hierro, in the middle of the night and at the wildest remotest end of the island, with no protection from the Atlantic Ocean, the wind reached a whole other level of bonkers. Riding the bike around the switchback bends and into the wind on the way up to the Mirador de Lomo Negro was not an option, even walking at times was brutally tough. At one point I was using all my strength to brace against the wind and stay upright whilst clinging onto my beautiful new bike, which despite being ladened with bags was flying off the ground horizontally high in the air like a kite… if I hadn’t experienced it for myself, I wouldn’t believe it was true!

Apart from these two slightly hair-raising moments, this ultra could be the first that was 99% type 1 fun for me, everything went smoothly and I had a blast. Loved it!

Compared with other ultras I have done, this route feels less remote, I found I was always near other riders and the ferries brought everyone back together making it feel very social. The 4 ferries made it almost feel like a stage race, riding hard to make a specific ferry departure, but once at the ferry port you take the time to eat, rest/sleep, sort your kit out and chat and share stories with other riders. Because of this, I think it would be a great option for someone looking to do their first unsupported bikepacking ultra event. Slightly tempted?… go for it, you will love it.

It felt great to get some winter sun on my skin, to get off the indoor turbo and get some outside miles in my legs pre-season, and as always to meet some new wonderfully like-minded people who are all living their lives full of adventure and new experiences.

Kit:-

This route is a lot shorter than any ultra I have done before (700km with 16000m of ascent, taking me 3 days and 12 hours) and with the ferry timetables dictating when and if I slept, I went with a minimal sleep system.

I didn’t take a sleeping bag, and opted for just a thin foil survival bivvy. But in addition, I took insulated knee length trousers and an insulated jacket, both to be worn instead of a sleeping bag or on the bike if I was cold descending from altitude. This system worked great for me on a race of this length.

The only kit I didn’t use during the event was my waterproof over-gloves, my bike repair kit and my medical kit… this is the perfect outcome. 😁

Although we had no rain, I wore all the clothes I took, as my waterproofs were great protection from the wind.

‘For me’ this kit list was perfect and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Clothing - Wearing

Sunglasses: Sutro
Helmet: Ventral Air Spin
Cycle Top: Explore Shirt
MTB Shorts: Fernflow
Ride Socks:
Shoes: Sequence XC Elite
Gloves:

Clothing - Additional

Waterproof Jacket: C5 Gore-Tex Shakedry
Waterproof Trousers: C5 Gore-Tex Paclite
Waterproof Gloves: C5 Gore-Tex
Down Jacket: Forclaz
Down Trousers: Knee Length Insulation Trousers
Sun Sleeves: UV Protector
Neck Protector:
Sleep/Spare Socks:

Bike & Bags

Bike: 3T Exploro Ultra
Tires: Gravel Kings 43mm
Stem Bag: Wide Bottle Bag
Top Tube Bag: Node 2H
Frame Bag: Zip Frame
Rear Bag: Harness & 16L
Backpack: Active Skin 8
DryBags: Ultra-sil
Water Bladder: Shape-Shift 2L

Sleep

Mat: NeoAir UberLite
Bivvy: Escape Lite Survival S.O.L

Electronics

Front Light: Airstream2
Rear Light: Blaze .lights
Head Torch: Nao +
GPS: Edge 530
GPS Charge: Garmin Charge
Power Bank: PowerCore 26800
Fast Plug: Duel Port

Food

Meals:
Spork: AlphaLight
Backpack: Ultra-Sil nano
Rehydration: Dioralyte

Repair Kit

Road Morph G Pump, Multitool, Spare Tube, Tire Plugs, Tire Levers, Magic Links, Chain Wax, Adhesive Patches, Tire Boots, Spare Tubeless Valve, Valve Core Remover Tool, Needle & Dentlefloss, Cleat Bolts, Spare Hanger, Break Pads, Gaffa Tape, Tenacious Tape, Superglue, Cable Ties

Hygiene Kit

Suncream, Lip Protection, Tooth Brush, Tooth Paste, Mozi Repellant, Toilet Roll

Medical Kit

Paracetamol, Anti-diarrhoea, Anti Inflammatory Gel, Antibiotics, Antihistamine, QuikClot Dressing, Steri-strips, Sterile Dressing, Antiseptic Wipes, Vet Wrap, Safety Pin, Tick Tweezer, Multitool

16/03/2023

The snow might have finally made a return to the Alps, but I however am busily packing up my bike ready for the heat and volcanoes of the Canary Islands.
 I am taking part in the .route. It’s a fixed-route un-supported gravel event, 700km in length with 16000m of climbing across 5 different islands. Starting on Saturday at 10 pm, it is quite unlike any event I have done before. Rather than racing each other, racing the ferry schedules between islands is the goal! Miss the last ferry of the day and you have a forced stop overnight until the first ferry leaves the following morning 😱

For the fastest of riders, the challenge (known as the ‘AUDAX pace’) is to connect all the scheduled ferries in one non-stop ride. For those that achieve this, then they will have their entry fee fully refunded! 🏆🎩💪

Just as a quick heads-up, so you are not disappointed… the ‘AUDAX pace’ schedule doesn’t feature in any of my plans 🤣🐌. This event is a relatively short ultra and needs speed, which isn’t one of my strengths. So who knows what ferries I will or won’t manage to make in time 🤷‍♀️😬. I, therefore, have route-cards for plans A, B and C 🤪

What I do know for sure, is I am heading to the canaries to ride a stunning route, get some winter miles in my legs and meet some wonderful new people from the ultra family. I can’t wait 💛

For those of you who like to watch a good challenge unfold, then you can dotwatch at https://dotwatcher.cc/race/granguanche-audax-gravel-2023. The calibre of the women on the start line is pretty impressive, and includes a few pro female cyclists who might just make that elusive ‘AUDAX pace’ 🤯, so it will be a fun one to watch I’m sure.
 
(Fingers and toes crossed that things go a little smoother for me than the last time I visited the canaries 🤞)

📷 No 2 -

19/12/2022

The gang back together again! Sunset ski tour after work 🥰

01/11/2022

Riding as a pair in ultra-distance cycling races is notoriously more difficult than riding solo. Having raced solo and as a pair several times (and with three different pairings), I can vouch that being in a pair is harder, but that doesn’t mean solo is necessarily better. They both have plenty of advantages and disadvantages.

But if you are going to ride as a pair, here’s my simply advice for success…

SMILE, LAUGH, STAY POSITIVE & BE EACH OTHERS ROCK!

Here are a few pics from the by the professional photographers, showing and I doing just that!

📸 Images 2,3,4,5,6,7,8

📸 Images 1,9,10

Address

Ιερα Μονη Μεγαλου Μετεωρου

Website

http://www.katiejaneendurance.com/

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A little about me

I am a British adventure girl, type 2 fun addict and lover of marzipan!

I’m a massive advocate of encouraging people to get outdoors more; to watch the sun rise, to breath in the mountain air, exercise more, and take notice of the natural wonders around us.

I have personally completed over 23,000km of unsupported human powered expeditions, including a number of world firsts, and am a qualified Mountain Leader.

My website www.katiejaneendurance.com is filled with; planning tips, advice, kit reviews and travel stories, in the hope that my experience, often gained through learning the hard way, may help with the planning of your next adventure.