Meeting James Stockhausen

In this week's 'meeting' we get to know James Stockhausen. James works for Temple cycles, a small British company who build bikes in Bristol. James loves to get away and travel on his bike so we find out more about the man and his travels...

Please introduce yourself, who are you, what do you do and how long have you been riding?

Hi, I'm James! I am the workshop manager for Temple Cycles, a Bristol based bicycle manufacturer. I have been riding bikes since I was tiny, but became properly obsessed with mountain biking about 6 years ago and more recently bikepacking/touring.

Tell us a bit about your recent trip to Morocco. Was this your first bikepacking trip? How was travelling in Morocco?

My most recent bikepacking adventure was in Morocco. I used the Komoot route from the GCN Morocco special which took me up into the High Atlas as a loop starting and ending in Marrakech. Morocco instantly became my favourite place to cycle. The roads through Marrakech were... exciting. The people are so kind and willing to share advice and food. Speaking of which, the food was brilliant, nothing like a hearty tagine to power you up the climbs. And there were plenty of climbs! The standout moment has to be the endless gravel descent from the highest pass of the trip. The dirt was prime for drifting and the sun was setting, illuminating the surrounding peaks. What an end to the day! I was prepared for wild bivvying but found a place to stay every night. Previous trips include Northern Spain, the Austrian Alps and the Portuguese coast.

You were riding a very striking bike in Morocco. Tell us a bit about the bike and your gear setup. And of course, we all want to know what tyres you were running!

I have yet to plan my next adventure overseas. There are so many options but I would like more mountains and different cultures. Maybe Japan? Better get saving!

Thanks for your time James, and all the best for your next adventure. Check out Temple Cycles HERE