Life In The Saddle

Last month, in a constant quest to find new and interesting energy bars, I came across the Vite Naturals brand. Their Vite Brain Bar is a plant-based energy snack, enriched with Omega-3 and Nootropics—to provide a mental and health boost when you are pushing hard, whether on the bike or in everyday life. While I favour homemade snacks over pre-packaged ones, sometimes packaged bars are a necessity as a quick and convenient jersey pocket snack. When buying pre-packaged bars, I always start by looking at the ingredients list.  For the Dark Choc and Nut Flavour Vite Bar the ingredients list reads: Dates, Cashews, Chocolate with Sweetener, Sunflower Seeds, Pea Protein, Cocoa Powder, Cacao Nibs, Cocoa Butter, Rapeseed Oil, Milled Flaxseed Powder, Emulsifier, Natural Flavouring, Sea Salt. Choline, Caffeine Anhydrous, L-Theanine, Sweetener (Stevia), Rhodiola Rosea Root, Lion's Mane Mushroom, Bacopa Monnieri, Vitamin B5 (Calcium Pantothenate).  That is quite a list, and some of the listed

To get the most from your long summer rides, you need to keep fuelling your body with tasty and wholesome ride snacks; the range of vegan snack bars and bites from UK-based brand Creative Nature are a great option that I have been trying out on some recent summer endurance rides. Creative Nature Raw Fruit Oaties are cold-pressed fruit flapjack bars; packed full of dried fruit, oats, and berries. They are raw, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, and nut-free—making them suitable for all diet types. They taste great, are free from artificial sweeteners and refined sugar, and are also rich in Vitamin C—counting as one of your five-a-day. I have tried all six varieties, but I think the Carrot Cake is my firm favourite. Creative Nature Gnawbles are another super ride snack or everyday high-protein snack. They are crispy nibbles of pea protein coated in chocolate, in a variety of tasty flavours. The Dark Orange Chocolate flavour is particularly delicious. They are low in sugar, so the perfect sn

I ride a gravel bike on the Isle of Wight more than I ride any other; it is the perfect way to explore the vast network of quiet roads and exciting open trails. In this ' Explore ' blog post I have tailor-made five of the best gravel cycling routes on the Isle of Wight, with suggested pit-stops and highlights. The Isle of Wight roads, trails, and tracks are my home. I have toured all over the world, but whenever I come back to this small island off the South Coast of the UK I am amazed at how diverse and beautiful the riding is here. The Island is very easy to get to with a bike—use one of the three car ferry routes from Portsmouth, Lymington or Southampton; or come as a foot passenger and bring your bike for free on the Wightlink FastCat  from Portsmouth Harbour train station. You can get to the Island from Central London in just a little over three hours. Once you are here, there is a plethora of bike-friendly accommodation: from hotels and B&B's to campsites a

The Lonely Planet rated the Isle of Wight as one of the best places in the world to explore by mountain bike; it might not have mountains, but it has hundreds of miles of fantastic natural trails with a wide variety of terrain, and spectacular views. I have been riding a mountain bike on the Isle of Wight trails for as long as I have been walking, and I can safely say I have explored every bridleway and bike path the Island has to offer. These five routes link up my personal favourite sections and paths; with a range of lengths and intensities to cater to different rider abilities. For routes for Gravel Bikes and Road Cycling, check out my other Explore-IOW posts. Wight Mountain Bike Route #1 — Red Squirrel Trail Difficulty – Easy Distance – 22.5 kilometres (14 miles) Elevation Profile – Flat (170 metres elevation gain) The Red Squirrel Trail is a signposted family friendly mountain biking route on the Isle of Wight. The below selection of the route is a circular loop sta