Life In The Saddle

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...

Last year I published a post on ' 7 Essential Ingredients for an Isle of Wight Bike Ride ' — they included highlights such as historical landmarks, beaches, café stops, and quiet country lanes. In this post, I have put together the 'Tour de Wight' — a custom made route that links together elements of all these highlights, and creates a road cycling tour that will show you the best of the Isle of Wight. The route is 100 miles long, starting and finishing at the Wightlink car ferry terminal at Fishbourne. This is a convenient starting point, but you could also begin from East Cowes, Cowes, Yarmouth, or Ryde Esplanade without needing to ride too much extra distance to join the route. From Fishbourne, the route heads south over the Downs towards Newchurch. Here you turn onto the Sustrans bike path towards Newport and continue through to the crossing at Horringford — a great piece of bike path that demonstrates the efforts made to reuse old railway line routes as bike p...

There is no question—the Schwalbe Pro One Tyres are the best tubed bicycle tyres I have used to date. When combined with the new Schwalbe Aerothan Inner Tubes, the Pro One offers the feel, performance, and superlight weight that I have only experienced before in tubular or tubeless road tyres. Schwalbe are not afraid to tout that they are onto something completely unique here. The Pro One tyres are the showcase of their unique new Souplesse construction, while the Aerothan Tubes are a revolution in tube production—created entirely from a plastic polymer. So, what is this new tech? How does it improve performance and comfort? Review – Schwalbe Pro One Road Tyres (Tubed Version)  The Schwalbe Pro One Road Tyres combine three of Schwalbe's unique technologies; to create a tyre that outperforms its predecessors and competitors by a significant margin.  The first of these technologies is the Souplesse Carcass Construction. This development aims to supply the 'feel' of...

There is nothing quite like the feeling of stumbling in from a freezing winter ride and resting up in front of a roaring log fire with a plate of steaming hot pub food in front of you. Equally, a sunny summer beer garden is one of the best places to relax. The Isle of Wight is fortunate to have many superb country pubs that make ideal rest stops on a cycling tour. This blog post looks at my seven favourites… The Pointer Inn, Newchurch For many years this was my local, but that did not stop me calling in there for a post ride meal on many occasions. Serving up incredible home-cooked food, and with a classic country pub atmosphere; it is a wonderful place to stop whatever the time of year, with its warm cosy fires for the winter and large beer garden for the summer months. I heartedly recommend Rob's 'Newchurch Pie'—the pub's signature dish. The Buddle Inn, Niton Riding the Undercliff Road from Ventnor to Niton is a pure delight—even more so now it has been shut t...

The Stan's NoTubes Grail S1 Wheelset is designed to be a go-anywhere, ride-anything set of disc brake wheels. Combining robust mid-depth aluminium rims, laced with a high spoke count onto Stan's NEO hubs; this is a strong and reliable set of wheels for mountain bike, road, and gravel riding. I have previously tested and extensively used the Stan's NoTubes Crest S1 Wheels — both on MTB and gravel bike. The Crest has a lower profile rim, and a slightly lighter overall weight than the Grail; branded primarily as an MTB and Gravel wheelset. The Grail S1 is branded as a do-everything wheelset. It uses the brand's slightly narrower (24.1 mm width) deeper section rim (24.5 mm depth), which are more aerodynamic and rated to a higher pressure than the Crest wheels. Consequently, the Grail wheels are deemed more suitable for road cycling as well as off-road adventures. I set up the Stan's Grail S1 wheels with tubeless 40c tyres. This is always easy on Stan's whee...

I am an advocate of the benefits of going bigger, when it comes to road cycling tyres. Greater volume means more comfort, more grip, and research suggests very little increase in rolling resistance. As a result, I was pleased to be testing the 28c version of Vee Tire Co.'s Road Runner tyres this autumn; this is the largest size tyre that will fit into most standard road bike frames. The Road Runner is pitched as a do-it-all road tyre: providing grip, puncture protection, and longevity. With my riding focussing largely on endurance challenges, it appeared to be a good fit. Despite a relatively low thread-per-inch of 90 TPI, the Road Runner promises traction from first inspection; the rubber compound feeling tacky to the touch. The low thread count does mean that the tyres are relatively quite heavy, at 280 grams for the 28c version. But, the added rubber in the casing translates into greater durability, and puncture resistance. Out on the road, the Road Runner feels sure-f...

It always takes a few days for me to feel at home in the mountains. Yesterday, I saw the dark side; the unpredictable and untamed alter-ego. Today, thankfully, things were different. After a few days, I begin to descend better; climb better; and even gain small learnings that make the ride that much easier: things like when to put on a rain cape, and even when to eat and drink on the climbs. Day 3 of the #5MaratonasChallenge was clearly my day of coming to an understanding with the mountains. With 175 kilometres to ride, and 5,800 metres of climbing to complete, the 1990-1991 Maratona course was going to be another long day in the saddle. Valparola and new ground The day began with the same ascent of the Valparola pass as yesterday; before a long descent to Cortina, and a new loop up and over the Passo Tre Croci - an incredible little series of switchbacks. Passo Giau From the top of the Passo Tre Croci, it was a long fast descent back to Cortina. The...

The first edition of the Maratona dles Dolomites was run in 1987. The planned route was 170 kilometres in length, and featured 5,300 metres of climbing. On the day of the event, the weather forced the organisers to divert their route over the Pordio pass, rather than the Fedia pass. The distance was slightly increased, and the elevation remained unchanged. The challenge would still be an awesome day in the saddle. The Gardena Pass Rolling out from the Ustaria Posta Hotel in Badia , the route heads up the valley to Corvara, and then onto the Gardena Pass. Hazy morning mist rises off the valley, and the Sunday morning roads are beautifully clear. It is a beautiful start to a second day on the Dolomite passes. Passo Sella From Gardena, the descent is fast and clear, finishing at the base of the Sella Pass. Up through the small car parks, full of hikers and climbers. The view from the summit is a stunning reward. Pordio The climb to the top of the Pordio Pass is a s...