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Gravel cycling is all the rage right now. Hitting the trails and tracks has been in the ascendancy for a few years, but 2020's socially distanced riding and a need to get away from it all has seen gravel's stock soar.

Perfect for a socially distanced day out and free(er) from the 'rules' that have come to dictate road cycling, the gravel world is the younger, more relaxed and better looking sibling. Should you give gravel a go in 2021?

But what actually is gravel cycling, and how does it differ from road cycling or mountain biking (or any other type of cycling for that matter)? 

Check out our guide to gravel cycling below, and we'll take you through everything you need to know to get started. The good news is that it's less than you think.

We've also included some London gravel cycling routes that are perfect for your mandated daily lockdown exercise. 

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The dreaded Zwift drop out. It usually happens when you're about to win the race/set a PB/do something wonderful. It happens to everyone, but how can you stop connectivity issues when using Zwift?

We’ve teamed up with Broadband Genie to cover the common connectivity issues you’ll face both online and off. If you're a new cyclist this may help explain some of those random drop outs.

Prevention is better than cure. Nowhere is that more true than in cycling. Whether you’re riding indoors or out in the wilds, preventing technical issues is far better than having to deal with them when they occur.

Avoiding issues on the bike is all part of the experience. It’s also the easiest way to guarantee what little time you have to ride is spent on the bike instead of trying to fix it!

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SPOK'D is an online coaching and training platform that we've had the pleasure to be partnered with for just over a year now. Many Dirty Wknd members are improving their cycling and fitness with the platform, so Dirty Wknd founder David (virtually) sat down with SPOK'D founder Rich for a chat.

To be crystal clear, SPOK'D are a partner of ours and members get a 15% discount on the £9.99 monthly fee. But nothing else has changed hands for this blog.

Hi Rich. Where are you right now and what are you up to?

Hey David. I am currently back in Manchester having spent the Christmas period back home in Sydney. It was the grey skies that brought me back.

Though since being back it has taken a little time to get adjusted again. But currently, I am getting stuck into building and growing SPOK'D plus enjoying my dog Bella the beagle. 

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I felt like I'd won the lockdown lottery when I dusted off the untouched turbo trainer I'd been given for free three years previously. It had been sitting unloved in the shed for ages, but 4 weeks ago I decided to dig it out and get stuck in.

It seemed like turbos had become the hottest commodity since toilet paper during quarantine, and I felt pretty lucky to have one. The only problem was I didn't really know what I was doing. As a somewhat beginner cyclist (I've been cycling on and off for a few years, but never consistently), spending time on the bike has always been more valuable than having the latest technology. I figured the best way to start was just mounting my bike on the trainer and getting going. 

I'm now an expert at taking my rear wheel on and off, as well as understanding the importance of regularly cleaning your bike (chain grease is a nightmare to get off your clothes!) My turbo is what is not very kindly known as ‘dumb’, which means it isn’t a smart trainer that changes the resistance automatically. It has five resistance settings, plus of course my bike’s gears, so it took some getting used to. I started by spending 20-30 minutes at a time getting used to being on the turbo and how the resistance settings worked with my gears. Wow, that was boring!

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Welcome to Part Two of our Mallorca trip debrief. For those that don't know (or clearly aren't on Instagram) we recently spent a week in Mallorca, riding up and flying down hills. For a full run down of the members and roles of Team Dirty Wknd Estrella Viva Velo Pro Cycling (or DWEVVPC for short), as well as a thorough debrief of days one to four of our trip, please - Click Here.

In all honesty - days one to four were the warm up! The prologue in, the correct cycling parlance. Sure, the team took on a few massive hills without really breaking a sweat, but the likes of the Col de Femenia weren't going to trouble hardened climbers like Veronica and Rachael - they literally eat #hillsforbreakfast! DS Dyll Davies was going to have to find some much tougher climbs for his mountain goats.

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