Skip to main content

LRB News ! - Issue #7

 GBH


This edition LRB News ! is pleased to present another in-depth and hard-hitting interview with one of the wild cards of the invitation list, sometimes bad-boy and favourite for outright honours,  Ben Greaves.

 


Name :  Ben Greaves, aka GBH

Age : XXXVIII years young

Palmares :  Too numerous to list fully.  High-lights include:  Architecture tragic, fake Bianchi ownership.

Career Highlight : Embracing failure

 

Ben,


L’enfer du Nord is an entirely new event coming up early in 2022.   With the final course a controversial unknown at this point, can you share with LRB News ! your approach to training as we build up to what will be an historic first event ?

Between coffees, sweet + savoury takeway goodness, and my erratic circadian rhythms, I am relying heavily on decades of sustained bad habits in preparation for the torturous inaugural L’enfer du Nord…!

Bad habits could be read several ways Ben.  We all now know what 'Preparation' meant inside the Festina camp in 1998...


And how is the bike build/prep going ?  What inspiration are you drawing on for the event ?  Knowing that course conditions will cover varied terrain, are you able to provide some insight into your bike and equipment selection for the day ?

Struggling to find the right helmet, my head is not very aerodynamic and surgery waiting times are horrendous. To make peace with this I am looking for a robust, durable rig for continuity. Alum frame, solid gear range, telescopic fork and meaty tyres. Budget and weight considerations may define whether I go without front brakes, or even a seat.

Hmmm.  Having consulted the 'guidelines' LRB News ! would have to concede that there is nothing outright illegal in any of this.  Our spider-sense is tingling however, wondering what you have up your sleeve...


Here at LRB News ! we are always on the lookout for pro tech tips and prep tricks.  Are you able to share any snippets, hints or hacks with our readers ?  Thinking tyre pressure, gear ratio’s, handlebar wrap, shoe selection here.

Typically I leave my ride in disarray within the periphery of other mamils who eventually cave and seek to repair my faux Bianchi (for the record nicknamed the Fausto Cop Out).

Guilty as charged - but riding on double flats is not conducive to minimising rolling resistance - and here at LRB News ! we are all about the marginal gains.  Come race day, don't expect the same milk-of-human-kindness to flow your way.  As you know, this is a hard sport for hard men ( er, and women - ed ).

 

With Training and the Bike covered, kit selection is the other big variable to be considered for the day.  Without giving too much away, any hints on fabric selection, colours, themes ?

Right off the bat I have looked into changing it up, but am a little wary that even if I suit up, it almost always ends up a camp aesthetic.

There seems to be a bit of a trend appearing here folks.  Be warned that a French maid costume with fishnets might get you some pre-ride and/or post-ride attention, but you may not score in the way you intend...


And finally, can you outline any tips to manage the energy bank over what will be a testing 26.2 - 29.8 Km of flat course ?

I have spent weeks meticulously hiding energy bars about Launceston to ensure I have coverage for any route brought forward on the day.  I otherwise consider myself energy efficient - with every 10km ridden, instead of a vehicle, I will spare the planet 2.65kg of CO2 emissions. Hurrah

Well played.  You didn't fall for that leading question.  Having considered some of your previous responses, we were beginning to think you may have required a fresh sled or two to complete the course...

 

Oh, and just one more question before we close out;

 

It has been rumoured that your 'wild man' reputation may add an unpredictable dimension to the event.  With a little skulduggery a potential points winner on the day, how would you respond to this unverified and potentially spurious suggestion ?

I am conscious my unyielding moral rectitude may unravel on the day, with probability increasing each kilometre. Will have to stop spreading these rumours so as not to be pipped by my reputation at the finish line.

 

Ben, thank you for your time, it was great chatting with you, and Good Luck with finalising your preparations.  We look forward to seeing you on the start line.

 

Next Issue, LRB News ! will unveil the coveted and exclusive L'enfer du Nord trophy that one truly gritty and determined rider may take home on the day.  Until next time...

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

LRB News ! - Issue #9

LRB News ! Tech Spy Camera Reveals...  Hi all, and welcome to issue #9 of LRB News!  In the final week of build time before the big event, it seemed timely to send out our spy camera's to see what you all have been up to. Now Wes, it seems as though LRB has come around just in time to rescue your machine from a silent burial.  While I'm impressed by your under-floor insulation, and the bonfire-like stacking of flamable materials to near floor height, the team here at LRB News! have been wondering how on earth you have managed to dislodge the beast ?  And what else of value did you find on the way both in and out ?  Yes, look closely into the black centre ( at first glance we did wonder what this was a picture of exactly ).  A very tall skeleton lies in wait. Obviously your chosen steed has been sequestered away for quite some time ( juding by the life-time's worth of accumulated stuff piled in after it ) just waiting for the call to rise like a pheonix....
Post a Comment
Read more

LRB News! - Issue #12

 LRB in Pictures... While the elevator musics hums gently in the background as the points are tallied, LRB News! would like to share some previously unseen images from the Hell of the North. We'd also like to once again congratulate and thank all participants for their company on the day.    Stick with us, your patience is appreciated.  We'll get to your query as quickly as we can... Tall and tan and young and lovely The girl from Ipanema goes walking And when she passes Each one she passes goes, "Ah" When she walks, she's like a samba That swings so cool and sways so gently That when she passes Each one she passes goes, "Ah" And, ah...no, this is not quite the final issue of LRB News!  Lucky Issue #13 will round out the points and confirm who will receive the trophy as king of the Hell of the North !
Post a Comment
Read more

LRB News ! - Issue #8

 LRB Trophy Revealed ! Well fellas, here it is.  The coveted LRB trophy... This artisanal relic is what we all will be vying for at the inaugural L'enfer du Nord.                                   And what a masterwork it is. Carefully hand-crafted artefacts, masterfully patined as though pulled from a badly crashed and discarded machine from years gone by, and appearing as though assembled with other left-over detritus from around the LRB Service Course, this piece has been drawn together with the sort of laser precision only possible with modern artisanal tools and techniques. In order to take this beauty home as the centre-piece of your trophy cabinet, you will need to score points on the day in the following loose, and likely to change categories;          1.  Bike selection and build + adherence to the budget.          2.  R...
Post a Comment
Read more