Life In The Saddle

Wild camping and bicycle touring or bikepacking go hand in hand. Camping in fields, on beaches, and in remote rural locations means you can choose your camping spot; allowing far more freedom in terms of route planning and far more scope to account for adverse or favourable riding conditions. Wild camping is also an incredible way to get closer to nature. It lets you experience sunsets and sunrises in secluded places, and lets you truly escape from civilisation on your bikepacking adventures. There is also the fact that wild camping is free, and it is often the only choice for back-of-beyond bicycle touring. This blog post details my personal top tips for wild camping. The advice comes from experiences on hiking trips, and bicycle touring or bikepacking adventures such as the #RoadsFromRome , #7Countries7Passes , #CelticCrossTrail , and #CoastsandCols tours. Camping in the wild is an unforgettable experience—one that should be enjoyed by all. Hopefully, this wild camping guide

Bellroy make brilliant products. From their All Conditions Phone Pocket and Card Wallet that come with me on everyday adventures, to their Passport Wallet  and holdalls for travel further afield. The new Bellroy Laptop Caddy is a fantastic addition to the range, which is perfect for transporting your laptop from home to boardroom, whether in your bicycle pannier or rucksack. Neoprene laptop sleeves are easy and cheap to come by, but after a year of daily use and abuse they will look tatty and stained. The Bellroy Laptop Caddy uses a wipe clean fabric, with a water-resistant zip, to create a protective compartment for your electronics that keeps them safe from dust, moisture and dirt. It has stayed looking smart and presentable after intensive daily use. When unzipped, the front panel of the Bellroy Laptop Caddy hinges down to reveal a smart organisational compartment; with stretch mesh pockets designed to house your mouse, pens, charger cables and plug. This innovative design mea

Those that have ridden a road bike on the Isle of Wight will know that it is an incredible landscape to explore. The unique geology of the island has created a topographic profile that is undeniably tough, but unquestionably beautiful; from towering cliffs to wild wind-swept flats. In this post, I have selected five of my favourite road cycling routes on the Isle of Wight—an insider's choice for the best road cycling on offer, as well as my personal recommendations for café stops and highlights. Wight Road Route #1 – Panoramas and Pottery Difficulty – Medium Distance – 50 kilometres (31 miles) Elevation Profile – Moderate (400 metres elevation gain) We start with a fairly easy route in the West Wight—starting and finishing at the wonderful Caffe Isola in the centre of Newport, the ideal place for a pre-ride breakfast and coffee. The route then heads out of town through the rolling hills of Bowcombe and down to Chale Green—a picturesque village at the southern point of th

I am a strong advocate of wearing protective glasses year-round when cycling; in the winter they shield your eyes from wind, road spray, and grit; then, on sunnier days they protect your retinas from UV rays as well. To account for low light levels and night riding in winter months, a pair of adaptable photochromic sunglasses is the perfect solution when considering the best sunglasses for cycling... the Koo Supernova sunglasses are the best photochromic option I have found to date. The limited edition Koo Supernova Strade Bianche Edition sunglasses are subtly branded with the name of the iconic Italian Spring Classic race, while the design and functionality is the same superb lightweight set-up found in the standard Supernova glasses from Koo. The Supernova glasses are ultralight at just 22 grams per pair; they use a frameless single lens that is shatter-proof and anti-reflective, while providing 100 percent UV protection. The photochromic lens quickly adapts to the riding light