Life In The Saddle

For those that have not heard of the Café du Cycliste brand, you have been missing out. Established in the beautiful city of Nice on the French Côte d'Azur, this brand produces some of the finest quality and most stylish riding kit on the market today. As part of their new Audax range, the Café du Cycliste brand has released the Ingrid long sleeve jersey—a winter cycling jersey designed for those long-distance adventures. With special fabric, clever pocketing, and a unique hooded design—it offers something quite different for the endurance rider. The first thing that strikes you with the Ingrid jersey is the fabric. Unlike the windproof softshell fabrics found on most winter cycling jerseys and jackets, the Ingird instead uses a brushed micro-fibre fabric—most akin to a micro-fleece that you might in a hiking shop. This fabric is impressive; it provides superb insulation, but also offers exceptional moisture management—allowing perspiration to be wicked away and letting it eva...

Riding a bike in the mountains is a bit like playing roulette with the weather gods. Sometimes you get lucky: you ride light and fast, in blue skies and sunshine. The inevitable will come though... at some point you will be struck a blow: rain, sleet, wind, and snow. The answer is protection. More specifically, layers of protection. To stay comfortable and safe cycling in the mountains you need to build a layering system of adaptable insulation and waterproofing. This is your shield against the power of the weather. Windproof Cycling Base Layers It begins with a base... The foundation of any cycle clothing layering system starts with a base layer.  This basic garment plays a vital role. A base layer wicks sweat away from your body—transporting moisture to the outside air and away from your skin. It helps to cool you in the heat, and to keep you warmer in the cold. The GripGrab Windbreaking Base Layer  takes things one step further though—shielding your front-fa...

A rack-top waterproof trunk bag is the ideal place to stash ride essentials when bicycle touring or on a cycle commute. The Altura Dryline 2 Rackpack 7L is a superb example and offers a safe and watertight carry. Whether you a commuting, brevet event riding, or on a trans-continental bike tour; a rack top trunk bag is a great luggage solution.  Hopefully, you have read my post ' What Is in Your Gravel Adventure Bar Bag? '—well, on my touring bike that has a pannier rack permanently fitted, I opt to carry the same selection of products (plus a lightweight windproof jacket), but in the Altura Dryline Rackpack instead of a handlebar bag. The Altura Dryline 2.0 Rackpack is designed to be a simple but sturdy, and highly functional rack-top pannier pack. Mounting the Altura Dryline Rackpack is easy. A base plate attaches to the pannier rack using two strong Velcro straps. The rack bag then attaches to a base plate using Velcro strips and three quick-release buckles; to allow f...

The new Rapha Handlebar Bag has fast become a favourite bikepacking 'day ride' handlebar bag. Rather than just write a product review of this compact handlebar bag though, I thought I would also look inside—to see what comes with me on a solo self-sufficient gravel ride. This is my pack of essentials to keep you riding all day… It has become increasingly important for us to become self-sufficient on our rides; the outbreak of Coronavirus in March 2020 closed most shops, cafes, and even public conveniences, as well as making solo riding a necessity. Luckily, experience with off-road and back-of-beyond bicycle touring has taught me a few tricks to avoid needing to depend on support or re-supply stops when out on the road or trail. I used to favour a saddlebag as my on-bike bag for carrying spares and tools, but that choice has evolved over time; a small handlebar bag does not restrict your view of the front wheel at all, it is a lot more accessible than a saddlebag, and it...

The #CelticCrossTrail will be a 2000 kilometre journey from Inverness to the Isle of Wight; encompassing many parts of the Highland 550 Trail in Scotland, the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland, and the Brecon Beacons in Wales. The route will offer up a diverse and incredible mix of scenery and terrain. From the rugged Highlands and North Coast of Scotland, down the Mull of Kintyre, then across to Ireland by ferry. On Irish soil the route heads out to the Atlantic coast to see the iconic cliffs and harbours of the exposed western shoreline. Then, turning south and east, the path goes across the Irish Sea from Rosslare to Fishguard, and the journey continues through Wales, down to Bristol, and back to the Isle of Wight. See the route map here . 12 days of riding, through some of the most remote regions of the British Isles. This is the kit that I have personally selected for the tour... Luggage and Camp Kit Prototype Waterproof Panniers Prototype Waterproof Frame Bag Prot...

The Dolomites always deliver. I have ridden in the area on a racing bike, cross-country MTB, and passed through the region on both the #7Countries7Passes and #RoadsFromRome tours. One area I have yet to explore though, is the opportunity for GRAVEL... On my #5MaratonasChallenge I stayed at the great Ustaria Posta in Badia, and the owner Igor talked of the opportunity to create an amazing multi-day off-road route linking up alpine huts. That pipe dream is about to become a reality... The #XPDTN3Dolomites will be a three day bike-packing trip; travelling from Ustaria Posta into the UNESCO World Heritage site, and exploring the road less travelled. These are paths normally only scouted by walkers in the summer, and alpine ski tourers in the winter; we will be taking to them on gravel bikes. My choice of weapon is the 3T Exploro. The full story will unveil itself on Instagram over the next week — follow #XPDTN3Dolomites   For now, here is a look at the kit that i...

When it comes to GPS cycle computers, the market is surprisingly small in offering. Brands like Garmin and Wahoo have ruled the roost for some time, but the Lezyne Mega XL GPS - the latest release from the brand, could well throw a very favourable option into the mix. Lezyne have been making exquisite pumps, tools, and other cycling accessories for some time, and they are my go-to choice for most of my ' Every Ride Carry ' selections. Their cycling computers have been on the market for a few years now too, but haven't gained such a following as their other accessories. Of the past range, I have tested the Lezyne Power GPS unit and the Lezyne Super GPS; both were fit for purpose, but lacked a lot of the ease of use and style of the offerings from other brands. The Lezyne Mega XL GPS is something different… Outstanding Value First of all, let's consider what you get in a box. I have on test the Lezyne Mega XL GPS 'Loaded'; which contains the unit itself, ...

Last February, I rode the TorTour Ultra-Cross Stage Race in Zürich. It entailed three stages of snow and sub-zero temperatures, but proved to be fantastic racing (read the report here). This year, I am heading to the Lucerne region of Switzerland for the inaugural TorTour Summer CX Ultra-Cross Stage Race. This is what I'm packing… The Event The TorTour CX is a three day programme: featuring a short prologue stage on the Friday afternoon, and then two longer weekend stages that head out into the challenging Swiss Alps. The total distance is 200 kilometres, almost entirely off-road on gravel paths and single-track. I haven't ridden in Lucerne before, but I have visited on family walking holidays. It is a beautiful and challenging landscape, with steep alpine peaks punctuated by azure blue lakes. Racing in February for the TorTour Winter CX demanded the best winter kit available; there aren't many situations where you are racing for four or five hours through the sno...