new winter kit

Sunday's loose arrangement for me and Mark to ride turned into a slightly more auspicious affair - contact from Design HQ informed us that the winter kit had arrived. A quick trip to Duncan's on Saturday was never in doubt to pick up said kit and Rich was keen to come over and collect his too, on the Sunday.

So, 3 newly kitted Belgians headed into the somewhat thawed East Lancs wastelands for an offroad tester......



The mixed conditions made for fun, though slow riding - ice, snow, slush and mud were mixed liberally giving a good technical workout and quite tough conditions.



For those of you waiting for your own kit delivery, see pics for a sneak preview - for those that missed it this time, I have seen the design for the summer kit and that is going to be a real head turner...........





The winter tops are surpisingly warm, with the fleece backing working well with just a base layer below. The real winner is the wind jacket - loads of technical features, real presence, lightweight and foldable. For the price, it performs amazingly well. The hat just tops off the 'authentic' Belgian look.

Chapeau to Duncan for the design and ordering of this lot - and as I hinted there is much more to come.

Please look out for announcements about an early March Belgian social ride in the Peak District and a special one-off Ronde van Oost Lancashire with cobbles, flags and Flandrian beer, on April 4 to co-incide with the real Flanders. All welcome!