Life In The Saddle

Choose cycling. Choose to ride. Choose to train. Choose to explore. Choose road, mountain, cyclocross, touring, and gravel.  Choose a jersey and shorts in matching colours.  Choose the awkward tan lines and chain oil tattoos.  Choose sunrise ride outs and multi-day epics.  Choose to adventure beyond.  Choose the mountains, the coast, and everything in between.  Choose café runs, park laps, and local loops.  Choose far-away rides and wilderness wild camps.  Choose watching the sunset dip below the horizon with no-one else in sight.  Choose waking up on the side of a mountain and wondering where the hell you are on a cold misty morning.  Choose ride music: dance, trance, rock and pop—to make those million pedal revolutions feel more varied. Choose exhaustion.  Choose elation.  Choose to ride with friends.  Choose to ride alone.  Choose how far and how fast.  Choose freedom.  Choose to dream, and to pedal as fa...

Signs of Life: A Doctor's Journey to the Ends of the Earth by Stephen Fabes is an amazing book, documenting an incredible journey. Stephen cycles the length of six continents, over six years; his story of experiences makes for a superb read. The narrative is thought provoking and inspiring. Stephen writes extremely well, and his journey is peppered with amusing forthright observations and encounters. Stephen comes across as a kind and compassionate man—who laughs at himself, and at the world he discovers. Stephen's ride offered him time to really look, listen, and think about the people in the hidden corners of our Earth. Reading his accounts, I longed on many occasions to be at his shoulder; tackling another climb, sharing the view at the summit, and marvelling at yet another new and fascinating culture. Signs of Life: A Doctor's Journey to the Ends of the Earth would be an excellent book to put in any cyclist or adventurer's stocking this Christmas, or indeed j...

I have been dreaming a lot lately. Dreaming of faraway places, wilderness, and wild camps; of campfire dinners, loaded panniers, and long twisting trails that meander across the map. Big Rides by Kathy Rogers and Markus Stitz arrived on my doorstep just in time to add some achievable goals and route ideas to my bikepacking dreams. The book features 25 of the best long distance road cycling, gravel, and mountain biking routes across the United Kingdom. Markus Stitz is a friend I have contacted on several occasions regarding route ideas and trip itineraries. Big Rides is a paperback portfolio of beautiful routes all over the UK, crowd-sourced from knowledgeable bikepackers, but curated and edited in a comprehensive and very coherent manner in this detail publication by Markus and Kathy. From well-known routes such as Land's End to John O'Groats, to lesser-known trails such as the West Country Way or the Great North Trail. This book presents every route in meticulous detail, as we...

Post World War Two Europe makes for a fascinating study. At school and university my history and economic history courses delved deep into the political, economic, and social impact of the divisions between the communist bloc and the democratic west during the Cold War period. However, what my studies never really touched on, was sport. So, when the ' Race Against The Stasi'  was published I was sure it would be a compelling read. The historical account follows the life of Dieter Wiedemann—a cycling hero from the GDR (East Germany). Dieter's biography: composed of quotes, news extracts, and letters from his life, is a captivating account. It is story of ambition, success, challenge, and love. The narrative begins with Dieter competing for the GDR in amateur events such as the iconic Peace Race and tours of the communist bloc countries. However, after realising the true extent of political influence on his life and sport, Dieter eventually makes the life-changing decisio...

I have always been a fan of Mark Beaumont's past documentaries and books. Both ' The Man Who Cycled The World ' and ' The Man Who Cycled The Americas ' were superb in their ability to showcase the beauty and captivating cultures seen on long distance bike rides. ' Africa Solo' is an equally interesting story, but in many ways a quite different sequel; and unfortunately, I must admit one that in some ways I found slightly depressing... Mark makes it clear early on in ' Africa Solo ' that the attempt at the World Record from Cairo to Cape Town will be about speed, big miles, and racing the clock. The focus on culture, content creation, and storytelling will be pushed back to second place. I found this rearranged focus to slightly mar what I am sure could be a beautiful story of exploration of the African continent. Mark's previous tales of solo unsupported tours of the Americas and the World were a real immersion in the civilisations seen an...

Cyclists can be a tricky bunch when it comes to Christmas gifts, with their peculiar fashions and particular tastes. These gift ideas for cyclists are my personal suggestions for great presents that almost any bike rider would appreciate. From solutions for smelly feet and long dark wet winter rides, to cleaning kits, care products, and the finest coffee outside of Italy. There should be something for cyclists of all backgrounds and ages—whether you are looking for a Secret Santa idea, special gift, or simply a stocking filler. Muc-Off Rainproof Essentials Case With the Muc-Off Rainproof Essentials Case you can keep your valuables clean and dry as you ride through the winter weather. Made with a water-resistant fabric and featuring a waterproof zipper; the jersey pocket-sized wallet can house essentials like a phone, keys, cards, and coins; or mechanical aids like a multitool and inner tube. The internal divider and zippered compartment mean you can keep objects separated to avoid dama...

I have long had an ambition to design a logo for Life In The Saddle—an emblem that stands for adventure, travel, freedom, and life on two wheels. During the 2020 lockdown, I found the time to work with a good friend of mine to bring this insignia to life... The classic roundel design of the logo takes inspiration from brevet badges found on historic audax rides and endurance challenges—it alludes to my passion for long distance riding and the heritage of cycling. It is a nod to inspiring events such as Paris-Brest-Paris and The Trafalgar Way . The central image on the logo is a silhouette of a photo taken of me, on a bikepacking ride on the Isle of Wight. I was riding my Kona Private Jake with lightweight bikepacking luggage and 40c off-road tyres; a set-up that is typical for many of my cycling adventures ridden to date. The out-of-the-saddle stance and gradient of the terrain seen in the silhouette typifies my favourite kind of riding—in search of mountains and summit viewpoints...

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. 

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...

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...

This year has been a constant and unrelenting state of 'flow' — jumping between work projects and personal adventures; meeting amazing new people and exploring spectacular places. I started 2019 with very few aims or objectives on the bike; but finished it with more memorable moments than I can count. This blog post is a look back at the last twelve months — 12 photos to commemorate another momentous year in the saddle. Year End Statistics Numbers are not everything, but they tell a story. Below are my figures for 2019, as well as the split of bike types ridden.  My personal record broken this year was for elevation gained – 452,269 metres. The equivalent of climbing to the top of Mount Everest from sea level 51 times. Dedication to my  #insearchofup motto. Distance 25,540 kilometres (15,870 miles) Time 1095 hours 40 minutes Elevation Gain 452,269 metres (1,483,822 feet) 2019 Bike Distances 18,441 km – Gravel/CX Bikes (3T Exploro / Kona P. J...