Life In The Saddle

What would be your ten ingredients for a perfect cycling event? Mine look something like this: Great weather - it is always better when it's warm and sunny Great roads - a mixed terrain (preferably mountains), adds variety Great planning - a good route and signage; no-one likes getting lost Great people - riding companions and event helpers are a key feature Great food - tasty pre, during and post ride refreshments are vital! Adventure - something new and different is exciting Competition - a bit of gentle rivalry always adds some exhilaration Back-up - sometimes things go wrong; it's good to have a contingency for peace of mind Nice kit - your bike and riding kit are all part of a good ride Atmosphere - friendly support fuels an incredible willingness to take on a challenge! On Saturday, I rode the Mallorca312: a sportive/race around the perimeter of the Mediterranean island, it had all of these perfect ingredients and more... It was, quite easily, one of t...

I thought last weekend's ride was big, it was certainly my longest ride to date. This weekend things are about to get a whole lot bigger though... I've been invited to 'Ride The Trafalgar Way' this Saturday; a route that follows the historic path a horse messenger rode non-stop in 1805 to announce the death of Admiral Lord Nelson. The route traverses the country from west to east; from Pendennis Point in Falmouth to Admiralty House in London. The distance is 500 kilometers (310 miles). My hope is to complete the ride in around 24 hours. Non-stop. To say that I'm a little nervous would be fair, this will be by far the longest that I have ever ridden in one go, and the latter part of it will be in the dark. However, I'll be fully supported by the RTTW (Ride The Trafalgar Way) team, and will have a support car, camper van and some very experienced personnel on hand to help me through. I'm not doing it alone either; at the same time as I hope to rid...

In March I wrote a post on Race Nutrition Strategy ; the basic message of the post was fuel up before the race, take solid food on during the race whilst you can, and the pace is low, then as the intensity builds switch to energy gels and plenty of energy drink. However, for many readers of the blog, a Sportive event rather than a race will be the main focus of your season; that big ride will be what your training has been building up to all season, and will often be the biggest day on the bike. Although I race far more than I ride sportives now, many of my long training rides are similar in length and intensity to a middle or long distance sportive. In this post I look at the distinctly different kind of nutritional plan that I would adopt for a sportive or long ride, compared to a race situation. Pre-Event Nutrition What you put into your body in the lead up to any event is as important, if not more important, than what you take during the event. For the first few hours...

One of my team mates Jack Elton-Walters rode the Wiggle Wight Winter Sportive on Sunday and had a very enjoyable ride. He very kindly offered to let me blog his ride report; I hope that it will inspire you to come to the Isle of Wight to ride your bike sometime soon. For further ideas on a weekend cycling break on the island, please check out this blog: A Weekend Cycling Break on the Isle of Wight . Jack's Ride Report: "Coming right at the end of the season, and on my own glorious Isle of Wight, I just couldn’t miss the opportunity to ride another Wiggle – UK Cycling Events Sportive. A few weeks previous I’d done the South Downs Sportive and, despite a funny five minutes in the middle, had pretty much loved the whole thing. So with this one starting just 30 minutes from my house, I had to take part. My weapon of choice for training, racing and sportives is a 2010 Fuji Roubaix, on which I recently upgraded everything except the frame. A new carbon bottom bracket, c...

When I bought my Planet X around three years ago it came with a set of Michelin Lithion road tyres. Whilst the tyres are now on my training wheels and the back one ran out a long time ago, the front is still going strong and overall I've been very impressed by the quality of them. Retailing on-line in most stores for around £15 for a folding tyre, these are a great deal. They are a lightweight, durable and safe all weather training tyre, which look good on the bike and provide a comfortable ride. Here are a few highlights: Tread:  Lithions are branded as a good all-weather tyre, which is certainly true. The have a slick centre tread, with grooved outer panels. This provides good speed, yet safe and confident cornering even in wet conditions. Puncture Protection:  A high density rubber and inbuilt puncture protection mean that these tyre have a strong resistance to punctures, with the majority of punctures I have encountered coming from pothole pin...

Francis, Ben and I at the top of the Col du Tourmalet Back at the start of the year I did a twice round the Island ride with Francis, one of the lads that I went with on the France and Spain Touring Trip. It was an epic ride, we started just as it was getting light and finished in the dark. 110 miles over the very hilly Randonnée route in six and a half hours. A few weeks ago I almost jokingly suggested to Ben (the third musketeer on the France and Spain trip) that he should have a go as well. He decided it was a good idea - always one for a challenge! So on Thursday Ben came over to the island on an early boat and after getting the bikes ready we headed off. The first lap went very smoothly; clear blue skies, dry roads and a good average speed of 17.5mph. By 1pm we were back at home after the first lap, on schedule for a huge lunch of pasta, coffee and cake. As we sat in the warm kitchen though, some very heavy showers passed over, and it was clear that dry roads would not fea...

Long rides such as Sportives or Century Rides require our bodies to take on a large number of calories, with specific nutritional qualities; in order to keep our legs spinning optimally. The modern energy food market is so broad and so developed, that when you begin shopping around for your "Event Diet", the choice can be overwhelming, both in terms of diversity and price. Having completed 5 consecutive 'Century Ride' days coming back up through France on my touring trip last year [ Link ], and then starting 2012 with a Century Ride twice round the Isle of Wight; I have begun to learn quite a bit about what my body needs and wants for long hours in the saddle. This blogpost is titled "Alternative Energy Foods"; I do not want to take away from the benefits of modern energy gels and bars; they have their place in every jersey pocket. But I have discovered that after a few days or even a few hours of consuming them your body wants something different, or at...

Every year the Wayfarer Cycle Touring Club, an active and very friendly (if a little geriatric) group of riders from the Isle of Wight organise their free "sportive" type event 'The Isle of Wight Randonnee'. It follows a signposted route around the perimeter of the Island, taking in some of the best roads, climbs and sights that we have to offer on the Isle of Wight. This year, the route was to go in an anticlockwise direction around the island; with many of the roads that the route follows having been resurfaced already under the Private Finance Initiative, the route can be a fast one, especially if there is a prevailing South Westerly wind to blow you along down the back of the island. However, today's wind was not South Westerly, not even a bit; it was coming from the East with a good 25mph volume. From the outset then, today didn't look like it was going to be one to set a record time on the route; but the legs felt good and I set out around 10, to complet...