Matt Ryan: An introduction to bikepacking and the Pan Celtic Race

This week's guest is Matt Ryan, the organiser of the Pan Celtic Race series. It's a self-supported bike packing race which celebrates everything to do with the Celtic Nations. Host Helen will be doing the 4th iteration of the event in the summer of 2023 as a pair, with friend and listener to the podcast Lowri Bowen. They will be taking on the 'shorter' version which sees riders cycle around Brittany, before catching the ferry to England and then cycling from Portsmouth on the south coast, to the finish line in the seaside town of Llandudno in North Wales. 1700km in total. The longer version is 2,400km.

You'll hear:

03:00 Intro to Helen and Lowri doing the Pan Celtic race

25:00 Interview with Matt begins. What is the Pan Celtic race and how did it come about? And why does the bike ride evolve around the Celtic Nations of Brittany, Cornwall, Wales, Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man.

27:00 The designing of the route for the Pan Celtic Race and why it might be a bit different to your typical cycling event.

28:00 How Matt juggles his full time job as an emergency responder with running the Pan Celtic Race Series.

31:00 Matt's own interest in bikes and cycling

35:00 What's Brittany going to be like for entrants in 2023?

42:00 How does Matt do the research for the routes?

45:00 Why does the Pan Celtic Race provide a route for competitors, rather than competitors having to design their own route, like in the Trans Continental Race, for example.

48:00 Do you have to bivvy or can you stay in a BnB?

50:00 Can beginners do it?

53:00 Questions from Lowri - would Matt race it or enjoy it if he was doing it? How long do people tend to take to do the shorter and longer routes? What 3 things should you not leave at home? Passport, spare rear light, an air mat and salt tablets.

What's so good about the Pan Celtic Race Series for Matt?

What happens when the 5 year Pan Celtic plan comes to an end?

Find out more about this week's guest:

Pan Celtic Race Series Instagram

Pan Celtic Race Series website

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