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Transcontinental for Kinesis UK

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step “Lao Tzu

A few words on, our new Kinesis UK ambassador Phillipp Schwedthelm.

GFTi disc

When Phillipp Schwedthelm moved to London from Darmstadt, little did he know that he would end up taking part in a ride that would change his life. Moving countries is a big thing but bikes are a great leveller and he took it upon himself to get involved in the local cycling club scene in south London. Phil has ridden all over the world across many disciplines, racing, riding and enjoying being part of the fabric of cycling in the cycling trade.

Over time his long distance adventures have taken the form of MTB races, Gran Fondo’s in the Alps and long training camps in Mallorca. However it would be the Dunwich Dynamo that gave him his big idea. The Dynamo is an Iconic ride, something with an ethereal quality. A 200km ride from the middle of London to the Suffolk coast on a full moon night in July each year. The ride has grown in popularity even though it still remains an unofficial event. In 2015 when a tired Phil arrived on the beach in Dunwich, ate his fill and looked to return by train to London he realised that his already epic sleep deprived ride to the coast would by necessity turn into something far more challenging.

Through conversation at work and connection that only the cycling trade rely on we came to meet Phil at a show through a mutual friend, Mike Hall, the organiser of the Transcontinental race. A friend of Phil’s began his own transcontinental ride and through a combination of following the race live tracker daily as well as the mind-set of “I can do this”, Phil put his name into the Transcontinental race hat for 2016.

Gerdads bergen

Since the start of the year it’s been all about big mileage and getting a comfortable yet high performance bike and kit together. With over 8500km ridden since the start of the year whilst holding down a demanding full time job, it’s already been a significant challenge. Training highlights include a 560km nonstop ride to his native Germany from London to see his parents for Easter. Riding to Dover, then across Belgium, Holland and into Germany through the night all through typically unpredictable early spring weather!

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More recently Phil rode from central London to Port Talbot in south wales, not to investigate the Uk’s largest steel works but to complete the Dragon ride, one of the UK’s toughest sportive, a total of over 672km. With the enormous 6573m of climbing certainly helping to ready him for the challenge of riding to Instanbul.

Phil’s bike of choice? The Kinesis GF_Ti Disc along with our Racelight Disc wheels, but we are working on a set of beautiful dynamo wheels for the race.

Phil is lucky to also have full support from Assos of Switzerland so he can #SufferinComfort while going the distance.

Follow Phil on Instagram in the build up to his race, we will show you more about him in the coming weeks! Phil's Instagram

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