Trainer Viewing: Namur, Nepal, and Canada’s frozen north

Adventure, inspiration and cyclocross to keep you motivated on the trainer this week

Terry McKall December 20, 2018

This weeks edition of trainer viewing arrives right as we head into the excitement of the holiday season. For some of us, that means tune-up trainer rides before tackling the #Festive500 challenge. For others, it means squeezing in trainer sessions between family obligations to try stay fit.

It’s also the year’s darkest week, with the the fewest hours of daylight all year. With that in mind, here’s some inspiring and entertaining video’s to help keep you dreaming of summer adventure while you’re spinning indoors. From far off lands to expeditions closer to home, here’s the video’s you need to keep riding this winter.

As Canada wades into the winter months, Canadian Cycling Magazine will be giving you some ideas of what to watch on the trainer. Every week, we’ll dig up something different for you to enjoy while you churn out the hours in the pain cave. From classic races to binge-worthy TV series, from epic films to live cyclocross races, keep your eyes here for our best suggestions each week. Last week we featured the best of incredible career of Paul Sherwen.

BeAlive – RJ Ripper: Nepal’s mountain bike champion

Rjesh Magar (RJ) has been riding the streets of Kathmandu since age ten. As he began to venture out into the mountains, his skills started to attract attention. Eventually, his trail led to four consecutive Nepal mountain bike championship titles. RJ’s story of unstoppable determination to make it as a mountain biker in the rugged Himalaya, as told by acclaimed director Joey Schusler, will inspire you to keep chasing your dreams.

Escape – A journey into the Canadian north

“Listen to the voice inside you. It’s telling you to go.” Montreal-based DJ JaBig has been riding his single-speed, fixed-gear bike long distances from his Quebec home for years. When he decides to try beat the record for the longest continuous bike ride in a single country, his adventures take him all the way to the Arctic Ocean in the depths of winter. From Montreal to Tuktoyaktuk in the North West Territories, all on one gear, JaBig’s 17,000km ride ends with on an 188km-long ice road.

Motive

Now on RedBull TV, Motive looks behind the scenes at what drives the worlds top gravity athletes. Young Canadian downhill racer Finn Iles features, along with the best of the World Cup and international freeride scene. More than your average shred-fest, Motive opens a window into why and how these athletes push the limits of whats possible on a bike.

2017 Namur Cyclocross World Cup – Elite Men

After dominating much of the season, Dutch superstar Mathieu van der Poel found himself in the unfamiliar position of battling for the lowest spot on the podium, while Wout van Aert found speed in the rainbow stripes. Who had the legs to get between the two top cyclocrossers? Re-watch last years Namur World Cup to get prepped for this weekends racing.

2017 Namur Cyclocross World Cup – Elite Women

Namur always has a way of throwing a wrench in the World Cup standings. Different riders make their way to the front on the unique, and technically challenging cyclocross favourite. Last year, Nikki Brammeier, Katie Compton, and Eva Lechner found themselves riding at the front of the race, but young Evie Richards was hiding just behind and had other ideas.