Life In The Saddle

For those that haven't seen this great documentary, it is about Lance Armstrong's training and racing for the 2001 Tour de France.  Enjoy! The second video on my 'Weekend Watch' Series. Courtesy of Nike Inc.

Need some inspiration for training tomorrow?  Take a look at this great montage of the fantastic 2011 Tour de France. Courtesy of SBS Australia 

As the end of 2011 draws nearer, and the season has come to an end, it seems like a good time to look forward to 2012 and think about what I want to achieve next season. This is a list of my aspirations, hopes and dreams for the big 2012; both on and off the bike. If you have any suggestions, comments or you think you might be able to help me in the route to ticking off an objective, I would be extremely grateful to hear from you: either comment on this post, contact me on Twitter or email me at timwiggins@aol.com. Cycling: Become A 2nd/3rd Cat. Road Racer 2011 saw my entire season on the trails, as the mountain bike became my race-steed for the Island Games and other XC events. In 2012 I really want to break into the road-race scene. I'm very excited that the Wightlink RT has offered me a chance to race with them at events in 2012, and I look forward to hopefully collecting some decent results! 12hr Mountain Bike Race I've been eyeing one of these up fo...

With the winter weather setting in, and the roads getting progressively wetter and muddier, overshoes are a very worth-while investment. I received a pair of these great booties from Pro earlier this year, and in the last few weeks have really been able to put them to the test. I was originally drawn to the product by the ability to use them with both mountain bike and road bike shoes: as a cross-discipline rider, it seemed logical that my feet should be just as toasty on the trails as on the tarmac. The simple velcro fastening under the soles of these covers, means that a variety of cleat types can be easily accommodated, whilst the fit and durability is not compromised. As the "H2O" branding suggests, the overshoes are fully waterproof and have done a fantastic job of keeping my shoes clean and my feet dry on the few torrential downpours that we have "Endured" this autumn. The tips of the toes and the heels are Kevlar reinforced for added durability, espec...

I bought my first road bike for £5 from a family friend about 5 years ago; and on a brisk but clear October day, my mountain biking buddy and I set out to test out what the skinny tyres were all about.  15 miles from home, in the cliff-side town of Ventnor on the south coast of the Isle of Wight - the weather changed. Wearing just bib shorts and jerseys we found ourselves in the middle of a hailstorm; pellets of ice stung our legs and our bodies froze, we desperately looked around for somewhere warm to shelter.  We headed into the Botanic Gardens and were relieved to find that the café was open for business. Like blocks of ice we shuffled in, and sitting huddled next to the radiator we scraped together a few coins from our saddle bags. Counting it up we realised that there was only enough to buy one hot chocolate; we didn't care, we clip-clopped over to the counter in our SPDs and laid down our change by the till.  Taking pity on us, the waitress gave us two ...