Meet Chris Hall
Chris Hall is a UK-based adventure and ultra-distance cyclist, known for completing extreme and unique challenges, often for charity. We had a chance to speak with Chris as he joins the Argon 18 family of athletes for 2024.
Argon 18: Welcome to the Argon 18 family! Tell us a bit about some of the things you’ve been doing on the bike.
Chris Hall: Well, to name a few: I’ve cycled across Australia, I have two top-10 finishes in the National 24-hour TT in the UK, I hold British and European Under 30 24-hour distance records, and I’m a three-time finisher of the Badlands Gravel Ultra in Spain. I took on the challenge of riding seven Everests in seven days and achieved 95% of the total elevation (I'll be back to hit 100%...). I successfully completed a trenching challenge on Box Hill (11034 meters elevation in 451km). Both the Everests and trenching were done to fundraise for Movember. And I cycled 107km every day for 107 days whilst working a full-time job to raise funds for The Pace Centre, a kids’ school for 107 children with cerebral palsy.
A18: Cycling seems like much more than a sport to you. What makes it so inspiring for you to find these challenges?
CH: I love exploration when I’m out on the bike. I believe cycling is truly the best way to see a country. You are traveling fast enough to cover some serious distance, but at the same time, slow enough to absorb the sights, sounds and smells around you. The bike is a tool for freedom, honesty and vulnerability. It allows me to be open and genuine to people and the elements.
A18: What’s your proudest accomplishment in your career so far, and why?
CH: I'm really proud of several of the accomplishments I’ve achieved. Most recently the seven Everests project is one I'm incredibly proud of because it was about showing vulnerability and completely opening myself up both physically and emotionally. Demonstrating that there was no weakness in showing that vulnerability, and demonstrating that I needed to rely on the help and support of my friends for that week was really powerful. I'm proud of it because I truly believe men are awful about expressing emotions and showing how they truly are feeling, and I hoped that challenge would show that there really is no weakness in it - only strength. It was and will always be the hardest thing I have ever done.
A18: What’s the biggest challenge that you haven’t crossed off the list yet?
CH: I’ve cycled across the UK at the widest and narrowest point. I've ridden from London to Land's End, then up to John O'Groats, to Lowestoft (the most eastern point) and back into London. I have always loved the idea of riding around it to truly tick it off. I also dream of bikepacking each of the grand tours in one year. That's been on the wish list for some time, and I hope one I can make happen soon!
A18: Why is Argon 18 a good fit for you and what you’re doing on the bike?
CH: First, we are the same age! Both born in 1989! In all seriousness, I have been a long-time follower of Argon 18. One of my best friends has an E-80 TT bike which he raced successfully on for years (and still uses). He’s always raved about it! I believe Argon 18 has designed some of the best, most practical and usable bikes available across road, gravel and TT. When I first saw the current generation Krypton in Austria whilst riding with Mark Beaumont, I thought heck, that's a bike I would buy. Practical, robust, diverse. A bike that can tackle all roads and also define what the limits are of an all-road bike. What's important for me is to use bikes that allow me to go further, faster and more comfortably than ever before. I believe Argon 18 allows me to do that, in absolute bucketloads.
