Life In The Saddle

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...

Whether or not you should listen to music when you ride a bike is a topic that sparks a great debate around safety. The new Momentum True Wireless earbuds from Sennheiser could well be the ultimate solution to the cycling headphones question though — thanks to some very clever adaptable technology. The Momentum True Wireless Earbuds are Sennheiser's range-topping offering, and quite frankly offer incredible sound quality and comfort. The clarity and stereo acoustics of the Momentum are unlike anything that I have used previously, and even outshine my Bose over-ear headphones that I previously used for travelling. Music takes on a whole new dimension; with a surround-sound feel and great balance. You can even adjust the equaliser settings to your personal preference using the Sennheiser App, so you can have a more bass focussed beat if you desire. The Momentum earbuds are also extraordinarily comfortable. They sit snugly inside the ear and come with a collection of four earp...