Life In The Saddle

Horchata is a creamy and sweet drink from the Spanish city of Valencia; made from soaked, ground, and sweetened tiger nuts. The light and nutty flavour, along with its creamy texture, make for a great dairy alternative. This Horchata Porridge recipe uses Horchata in place of dairy milk, and has a fruity and tropical flavour thanks to other ingredients such as vanilla, banana, and cinnamon. This is one of my favourite pre-ride fuels. Ingredients 1/2 cup Rude Health Daily Oats 1 cup Tiger Nut Drink (or ½ Tiger Nut Drink ½ water for less sweet porridge) 1/2 ripe mashed banana 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract/powder 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon Optional toppings: Desiccated coconut Dried apricots Blueberries Chopped walnuts Nut butter Method Combine oats, mashed banana, cinnamon, vanilla and Tiger Nut Drink in a pan Simmer for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until desired consistency Pour porridge into a bowl and add toppings of choice >> Shop Rude Health Tiger Nut Drink h

The Tour Divide is an undeniably long bike ride. 2745 miles from Canada to Mexico, off-road down the backbone of the Rockies. It is feat of endurance just to complete the ride, let alone to race it. Yet, my motivation for taking on this monument of bikepacking routes does not stem from competitiveness or a love for herculean efforts; my attraction to the Great Divide lies far deeper within… In December 2019 I announced my intention to ride this year's Tour Divide—starting on June 12th in Banff, Canada. Read the announcement blog post here: ' Making Plans – Riding The Tour Divide 2020 ' To date, I have extensively toured the European continent by bicycle: across the mountain ranges of the Alps, Dolomites, and Pyrenees; through the forests of Germany and the heat of Southern France; around the fjords of Scandinavia, past the lochs of Scotland, and down Ireland's Atlantic Coast. The journey has shown me many things, but also taught me many lessons… The first les

My copy of Henrik Orre's original 'Vélochef' (see my book review here ) is well thumbed, and well read. I have tried dozens of the recipes from the collection; all of them have been superb, as well as easy to follow. 'Vélochef in Europe' is Henrik's sequel release, and looks into four European regions, with 80 local recipes. Mallorca, Nice, Girona and Lombardy: four regions that are famed for their great riding, but also for their fantastic cuisine. Henrik combines both passions in this 'Vélochef in Europe'; inspiring you to experiment, and to get out and ride. The book is set out in the four different areas, and the exploration of both the riding and cuisine that can be found in each. Mallorca is the region that I am most familiar with, as I have visited the island on several occasions, including for the Mallorca312 and Mallorca1127 . I have always loved the Mediterranean cuisine that I have been served on the island, as well as the bike riding

There is nothing quite like the feeling of stumbling in from a freezing winter ride and resting up in front of a roaring log fire with a plate of steaming hot pub food in front of you. Equally, a sunny summer beer garden is one of the best places to relax. The Isle of Wight is fortunate to have many superb country pubs that make ideal rest stops on a cycling tour. This blog post looks at my seven favourites… The Pointer Inn, Newchurch For many years this was my local, but that did not stop me calling in there for a post ride meal on many occasions. Serving up incredible home-cooked food, and with a classic country pub atmosphere; it is a wonderful place to stop whatever the time of year, with its warm cosy fires for the winter and large beer garden for the summer months. I heartedly recommend Rob's 'Newchurch Pie'—the pub's signature dish. The Buddle Inn, Niton Riding the Undercliff Road from Ventnor to Niton is a pure delight—even more so now it has been shut t

A protective wallet for your phone and credit cards when cycling is a necessity; your jersey pocket is bombarded by spray, sweat, and dirt—none of those go well with electronics. The Baggicase Cycling Phone Wallet is a neat weatherproof phone wallet that is designed for cycling adventures. The case is a soft case design—it is made from ripstop waterproof nylon, overlaid on a soft padded interior that helps to create rigidity and protection. The external fabric is treated with an anti-bacterial finish that reduces the chance of the case developing a foul smell after hours of being in a sweaty jersey pocket. To seal in your phone, cash, and cards, the Baggicase uses a waterproof zipper with a 'Camlock' design to hold it shut. Inside the Baggicase Cycling Phone Wallet you get three sleeves that can hold a house key, cards, and paper cash. The cards are held securely in the slots with no risk of them slipping out when you open the wallet, and one of the sleeves has a small fl

Commuting by bicycle is a fantastic way to reduce stress, kick-start your metabolism, and counteract a day sat in an office. In 2017, I was labelled the 'UK's Super Commuter' ( article link in the Telegraph Newspaper ); it was testament to the number of hours and miles I clocked up each year riding to and from the office. With more than a decade of experience riding a bike to work at various locations around the UK, these are my ' 7 Tips ' for a bicycle commute. 1 – Daytime Running Lights Even in the middle of June there are shadows, morning mist, low sunlight and changing light conditions. All those things can make a cyclist hard to pick out on the road. Invest in some USB chargeable lights with an output that is strong enough to be seen even in bright daylight; your presence on the road will be increased significantly, and you will notice that you have fewer close calls and near passes. These are my Top 3 Daytime Running Light choices: Lezyne   ( Reviewed

The Felvarrom brand – meaning "I will stitch it up" – was set up in 2008; collecting used bicycle parts and materials to be cleaned-up and re-used into some great fashion accessories. I have been testing out a signature Felvarrom PUNCTURED Recycled Inner-tube Belt, and their INTUBAG Reclaimed Inner Tube Bag. The Felvarrom brand is all about the environment—making changes to re-use and reconsider what we might label as waste. All the materials are sustainably sourced and cleaned using environmentally friendly methods; the products are then formed from the useful components and the remaining residue is recycled. The Felvarrom products subtly brand you as a cyclist, and an eco-conscious individual. Felvarrom 'Punctured' Inner Tube Belt Review The Felvarrom 'Punctured' Inner Tube Belt is their signature product. Coming in 14 varied colour combinations and arriving in its own recycled inner tube pouch—the belt is made from hand-sewn bicycle inner tubes an

It is a sponge... okay? Well, not all sponges were made equal. The SpongeJob CleanParts sponge and sponge cloth, from UK brand Juice Lubes, is a darn good sponge (set). Super soft and super squidgy; the circular sponge is great for cleaning off the frame of a bike. The sponge cloth is then ideal for those hard to reach places; such as behind brakes and underneath cables. It is hard to get excited about a sponge, but these are exceptionally good sponges. They also last a lot longer than your standard big yellow car washing sponge.  Well worth adding to your autumnal cleaning arsenal... >  Shop the Juice Lubes SpongeJob CleanParts  <