Life In The Saddle

There are some bicycle components that impress me straight out of the box—the Moon Nebula Rear Light is one such product. Beautifully made, with an impressive 200 lumen output, and an outstanding battery life; this is one of the best rear bicycle lights I have had on review to date. The Moon Nebula has a sleek aluminium body and a featherweight profile of just 44 grams. The slimline casing holds one 50 chip LED—that has an impressive lumen output and offers particularly good side visibility. The Nebula comes with a plethora of attachment options. First there is the Universal Strap Mount, which allows you to securely attach the rear light to any shape or diameter seat-post or seat-stay—whether oval or round. You then also get a belt clip and saddle rail mount—to supply even greater versatility. The Nebula has four steady modes and four flashing modes—toggled between using the mode/power button. The 'memory mode' function means the light stays in your last used mode when it is po...

It is an age-old cliché, but You Are What You Eat . As a cyclist perhaps you realise it more than most; but if you fill your diet with processed food and the wrong balance of nutrients, you soon realise it. What you put into your body has a direct correlation to what it will give back to you; both in terms of feelings and performance. Eat Right, and you will perform at your best. Eating natural whole-foods, in their raw and unmodified state, is one step towards eating right. Celebrating seasonal produce is another. Adopting age-old production methods and experimenting with foreign traditional foods and recipes, is a third. It is all part of enjoying and getting the most from your food. That is what Nick Barnard's 'Eat Right' is all about. Nick is the co-founder of Rude Health —a brand that regular blog readers will be familiar with. Their ethos is around the best possible natural products that make the most of whole-grains, nuts, seeds and fruit; through a range of snac...

'Outside Is Free' by Henrik Orre arrives in a waterproof pouch with a titanium spork... a hint at the theme of this latest recipe book from Vélochef—this, is food for adventure. Henrik Orre is a Norwegian chef who was Head Chef for Team Sky Pro Cycling. His previous books ' Vélochef ' and ' Vélochef in Europe ' are two of my favourite recipe books; providing great insights into the nutritional science behind a professional cycling team—with fantastic ideas for performance enhancing and mouth-watering dishes that you can try at home. 'Outside Is Free' delves into Henrik's new passion... adventure cycling. With the rise of gravel bikes and back-of-beyond touring, this book is packed full of simple recipes that could be made when camping out in the wild. The focus of 'Outside Is Free' is less on the performance approach, and more on simple, wholesome, and satisfying natural nutrition. These recipes are meals to begin and end 'epic...

Lightweight bicycle touring and bikepacking is a unique way to discover new countries and meet new people. It comes with its own challenges though; a personal challenge I often encounter is the need to find quality 'fuel' in the form of good food and drink. At home, I strive to make the perfect cup of coffee to kick-start my day's adventures. Camping in back-and-beyond locations does make that more of a challenge. It is still possible though, and with my experience of trying to create a good coffee in many wild locations, these are my five top tips… 1. Water Storage Water quality is a key component of good coffee. When you are touring or bikepacking I suggest making at least one of your water bottles a stainless steel carrier. Plastic bicycle bottles are easier to drink from on-the-go, but they will leave water tainted—especially if you are collecting it the night before a camp. I recommend the Elite Deboyo Stainless Steel Vacuum Thermal Bottle —as it can also be...

If tasked to select one true super-fuel, I would undoubtedly pick the humble oat. The ancient wholegrain has fuelled more rides and more adventures than I can possibly count. Whether in the form of porridge, muesli, flapjack, or oatcakes; oats really are the ultimate endurance fuel. In Praise of Porridge When I think back to past challenges, there is one common factor... porridge. It was porridge I ate at 4am when I started the 'St Boniface Down Everesting' . Porridge was my fuel of choice at midnight, in the pouring rain, midway through the 300-mile Trafalgar Way ride . Even in the south of France, on the final day of the #7Countries7Passes , it was porridge that kick-started the epic ride. Porridge is the without question the king of breakfasts. Wholegrain oats are the key to porridge's 'super-fuel' status. Oats are high in soluble fibre, which helps fill you up and release energy slowly. They are also rich in vitamins and minerals, and they are a sourc...

I have always had a love of mountains. I grew up by the coast but take me into the majestic land of peaks and valleys and I suddenly feel at home. 'Mountains' by Michael Blann is the only book I have discovered that seems to be able to articulate this deep-seated emotional connection through print; it is a literal and pictographic window into the hidden beauty of the mountains of Europe.