Life In The Saddle

We put our bodies through a tough time when we are out on the bike or head out into the wild. Our muscles might feel the strain, but you should also consider what the wind-burn, abrasion, UV-rays, and cold temperatures can do to your skin. Here are some top tips for looking after your skin when you are enjoying an active outdoor lifestyle.   My featured brand in this piece is Weleda—who make by far the nicest and most effective range of natural skincare products that I have found to date. They are sustainably sourced, feature organic ingredients, and hold zero micro-plastics or petrochemicals. Lip Balms and Barrier Creams  Throughout the year I apply Weleda Skin Food Lip Balm before a ride. This natural balm helps to avoid painful chapped lips caused by windburn and sunshine.   In the wintertime, I use Weleda's Weather Protection Cream—it creates a unique natural protective barrier from the drying effects of the winter elements. In the summer, I compliment this with th...

For road cyclists, road rash is unfortunately something you are likely to suffer at least a few times during your riding career. Icy lanes, bad drivers, greasy roundabouts, and tyre blow-outs; they are just a few of the potential hazards that could leave you with the painful red abrasion to your hips, elbows, and knees. I have had my fair share of road rash. The worst was the 2014 season—plagued by crashes. During that season, I learnt a few tips to help the healing process of tarmac abrasions. 1. Get it Clean. Straight Away Tarmac is not a hygienic or sterile surface and getting bits of grit in your road rash and cuts will prolong the healing process, and potentially lead to infection. It hurts like hell but wash your cut out thoroughly in the shower after the accident, and use antiseptic wipes to really get it clean, before you do anything else. 2. Apply Antiseptic Salve Road rash unfortunately takes a long time to heal and can often leave a scar. The best remedy is to...

Your skin takes a battering when you ride in all weather — in the summer sun you can be left burnt and overheated; in the winter winds you can be left cold and dried out. The new range of skincare products from UK brand Bullet and Bone is designed for active sports; providing preparation, protection and recovery for you skin and muscles. The range consists of four products: Muscle Activating Rub, Vapour Release Balm, Protective Moisturising Spray, and Cooling Recovery Body Wash. All of the products are designed with a specific purpose that should provide comfort and enhanced performance when taking part in active sports. Bullet and Bone Muscle Activating Rub The Bullet and Bone Muscle Activating Rub contains natural ingredients such as ginger, tea tree, and black pepper, which give it a subtle and pleasant smell compared to many warming balms on the market. The natural warming effect comes from the ginger and black pepper extracts, while the willow bark and clary extracts hel...

Looking after your skin is a task that is often overlooked by outdoor sports enthusiasts; that is, until it is often too late. There can be fewer excuses though, when the range of natural and organic skincare products from Ride Skincare provides a pleasant and easy way to protect yourself from the elements. Ride Protect Suncream Cycling tan lines are a feature that riders seem to embrace or endure. Personally, I am indifferent: I don't purposefully cultivate razor-sharp tattoo-like tan lines, but I accept that they are a feature of being a cyclist (I don't wear sleeveless jerseys to avoid them). Cycling tan lines demonstrate the challenging conditions that we put our skin through when we ride. The Ride Protect sun cream is an SPF25 cream, composed of natural ingredients. Coconut and jojoba oils provide moisturising properties, whilst candellilla wax provides water resistance. UVA and UVB resistance comes from titanium dioxide, which is kinder on the skin than many par...

Cyclists are tough on their bodies; from aching muscles and feet, to wind burnt faces - we put our bodies through a lot, as we spin those pedals. Sportique is a Swiss-Czech brand of skin and body care products. Over the past few years of using their lotions, balms and gels, they have firmly secured themselves as my favourite 'care products' for cyclists. The Sportique range is extensive: with everything from hand creams to deodorants - in a whole host of varieties. In this blog post, I've selected the ones that are especially good for cyclists; products that feature in my personal bathroom cupboard and wash bag, all year round. Sportique Century Riding Cream Let's start with a true essential... chamois cream! This is a must for anyone that is putting in serious miles on the bike, and helps to reduce friction and discomfort between the seat-pad and skin (it can actually be used to reduce friction against any piece of clothing). The Century Riding Cream from...

Cycling is a mucky sport. Clothes, shoes, bags and other material accessories that you use for your ride, will likely take a battering. Even the best waterproof, will loose its water-beading capabilities after continued use and abuse. Certainly, those pristine white disco slippers won't stay white for long, without protection. Enter Muc-Off's Fabric Protect. This easy-to-use aerosol "proofer" rejuvenates waterproof fabrics, and can also add a water and stain-repellent protective layer to other material products. I have used it on jackets, trainers and panniers, and it gives a great repellent surface, which has kept the products functioning and looking at their best. A simple and effective option, to keep kit in top condition. Muc-Off Fabric Protect is available at Wiggle (Link)

Proteins are an essential element for repairing, rebuilding and creating new muscle; they are the 'building blocks' of muscle formation. Each protein is made up of BCAA's (Branched-Chain Amino Acids), and research suggests that delivering essential BCAA's to your muscles, before and after strenuous exercise, will help to boost muscle repair post-activity. Conventionally, amino acid supplementation comes in the form of pills and capsules. Muc-Off have opted for a new tack with their Athlete Performance Range; delivering BCAA's directly to the muscles through the skin, in the form of rub-on balms. Their range comes in a three part series, with the amino profile of each product varying to provide a targeted approach. You can either use one or all of the products during one training/recovery session. First up, there is the Explosive Power Balm. This contains Arginine Aminos, which are used to make nitric oxide (NO) in the body. Science suggests that a higher lev...

Going travelling with a bike is one of the greatest joys in life. It can have its difficulties though; one of which, is the need for a pretty extensive packing list. In this post, I thought I'd feature five products that always make it into my wash bag, whenever I travel to a big ride, event or training camp. Sportique Century Riding Cream Any big ride deserves chamois cream. Whether it is hot and dry, or damp and humid; protecting your seat region from friction is a worthwhile preparation. The Century Riding Cream from Sportique is one of the best I've tried, and is formulated using natural ingredients, with a pleasant scent. You'll be grateful of this when you rack up the miles. Sportique Elements Cream It's not just your seat region that will benefit from some TLC when you are training/racing hard, you should also consider how you are protecting other areas of exposed skin. My favourite 'barrier cream' for riding, is the Elements Cream from Spor...

Considering cyclists tend to be gear fanatics, we are surprisingly often a bunch that are hard to find good gifts for. We only want the latest, the greatest, that  saddle, that frame; if it's not the right one, then it's probably not going to make your best bike. For that reason, it's always great to find products that really are great gift ideas for cyclists; products which you could give to any two-wheeled enthusiast, and it would bring a smile to their face. I reckon that the Secret Training Race Day Personal Care Kit is one of those... Secret Training might seem an odd name for a company that currently provides predominately care products, but it has an interesting background. Founded by Tim Lawson, a European Track Cycling Champ and highly accomplished cyclocross racer, it is designed to give you the edge in tough race conditions. Tim Lawson explains the ethos behind 'Secret Training' very well on his blog: ... " Tips and advice (from coaches) ...

Most of the regular readers of the blog will know that I'm a big fan of the Sportique products, and I've previously reviewed a number of their balms and gels ( Link ). Recently though, I've been keen to demonstrate just how useful they are: a few weeks ago I posted on ' Hints and Tips: Treating and Recovering from Road Rash ', and mentioned how much better the Sportique Road Rash Balm was than your standard antiseptic cream. In this post, I focus on pre-event preparation and post-event pampering, tying in the Sportique products that I use for the purpose. Pre-Event Preparation Before a race or other major riding event, it clearly pays to be prepared; whether that be your bike, your kit, or your body. For most enthusiast road cyclists, preparing their legs includes the task of shaving, and often applying warm-up balm to reduce the chance of injury. Neither of these tasks are particularly scientific in their backing, but they are common place amongst cycl...

I recently became a brand ambassador for Natural Hero, so to celebrate the brand I thought I would do a mini review shout out about their latest product - the Hot Ginger Muscle Soak. Back in December last year I reviewed their Hot Ginger Muscle Rub and Peppermint Cooling Spray ; both impressed me greatly and I have been using them throughout the 2013 season to aid warm ups and to combat sore spots after intense training sessions. The Hot Ginger Muscle Soak is the latest product from the UK brand; made of 5 essential oils including Ginger, Rosemary and Fennel. You just pour a little bottle of it (there are 6 in a pack) into your tub and hey presto you have a relaxing soothing bath. Ideal for after a hard winter training ride! Available from NaturalHero.co.uk Recieved a 20% discount on Natural Hero products with the code  WIGGINS20

A month or so ago I reviewed a number of Sportique Balms and Bodycare Products ; they were so good that I felt compelled to share my thoughts on some more products in the range. The quality has been similarly impressive... Elements Cream Wind, rain, sweat and dirt are hard on your skin; the Elements Cream is designed to protect against the "Elements". The cream is effectively a high quality moisturiser; stopping chafing and chapping of skin that is exposed to the weather conditions. For example, in the colder weather I have used the Elements Cream on my lower legs that are left exposed below knee warmers. The cream is effective at keeping your skin from drying out and chapping, and is easily absorbed and applied. Elements Cream is available from Wiggle Bike Shop (Link) Shea Butter Hand Cream Your hands are another area that often suffers in colder weather. It is important to keep them moisturised as the skin on your hands is a major barrier to infection, and fo...

Sportique has a clear mission with its skin and body care products: to produce completely natural, highest quality balms, ointments and creams for the active sports person. Over the last few weeks I have been testing out the products from their range that are particularly tailored towards the cyclist's world; including muscle rubs, massage oil and chamois cream. I've been thoroughly impressed by every product that I have tried, and every product has been different. Below I give a short review of each product within the cycling range... Century Riding Cream (Chamois Cream) The Sportique Century Riding Cream is essentially a high end chamois cream; a friction reducing bottom butter that will help to avoid saddle sores, irritation and abrasion during long rides. The product is completely natural (like all the Sportique formulas), so it doesn't have any petroleum jelly or other synthetics mixed in there.The natural botanical nature of the product is also reflected in the f...

Chamois cream is something that seems to be increasingly necessary for me when I ride the bike; it certainly makes those hours in saddle a lot more comfortable, and is a sure-fire way to get rid of saddle sores. For the  last few weeks I've been using the Udderly Smooth Chamois cream on my nether-regions when I go out for a ride, and have also been very impressed by their hand cream to stop cracked hands in the cold weather. Udderly Smooth are a US brand, which is available in the UK through select distributors; it produces body lotions, foot creams and most importantly for cyclists, moisturisers and chammy cream. I've been pleased by both the hand cream and chamois cream I've had on trial. Udderly Smooth Chamois Cream Providing some moisturising chamois cream to your under-carriage is often all it takes to overcome saddle sore. (For more tips on how to cure saddle sore see my blog: Hints and Tips: Saddle Sore Prevention and Cure ). This lightly sce...

A few weeks back I wrote a blog on Saddle Sore Prevention and Cure . It's a problem that many avid cyclists encounter along the road, and chamois cream is one thing that can really ease or even eliminate the discomfort. This cream is custom made by racer John Whittington in Bristol, and I have to say he knows his stuff!  The Bristol BUTT'R is marketed as an antiseptic ointment, with the active ingredient being tea-tree oil; it promises to tackle the greatest concern of saddle sores - infection. Making sure that your nether-regions are free of bacteria is a crucial step in eliminating saddle sores.  The cream certainly has a "buttery" consistence as well; beautifully thick, it stays put on your seat pad and vital chafe regions. This is a problem that I have had with other creams and they consequently lose their effectiveness after a few hours in the saddle. The BUTT'R has stayed firmly where you want it though, and the thick consistency also means t...

Think back to when you were at school...that familiar smell of Deep Heat in the changing rooms before a sports match, and Deep Freeze afterwards (or the screams from the ice baths); using heat and ice on sore or damaged muscles is nothing new in sports science. However, it's not something I've ever been that taken with; it works, but I've never liked the idea of spraying my legs with chemicals. Finding out about  Natural Hero Muscle Rubs was therefore a welcome discovery! With almost 100% natural ingredients, the efficacy of these rubs come from natural sources, as does the scent, feel and ethos of the product. Natural Hero produce two great products: the Hot Ginger Muscle Rub and the Cool Peppermint Muscle Spritz. I've given both a good bit of testing over the last week or so, and both seem to work very effectively, smell natural and feel great. It's a fantastic approach to sports medicine, and certainly the route that I'll be heading down for muscle rec...