Life In The Saddle

Twelve photos to reflect on twelve months of a quite different and challenging year. There have been no races, events, multi-week tours or distant destinations in 2020; yet here are twelve images that showcase a year that has still been fun and enjoyable in many ways... January January – The Kona Sutra Ltd arrives, in anticipation of the 2020 Tour Divide. This bike was built for 3200 miles of off-road exploration. I have enjoyed riding it around the Isle of Wight and the Dolomites this year, but it is still definitely destined for greater adventures... February  February – The XPDTN3 Algarviana . This was my last escape from the UK for a while. An amazing gravel adventure across the width of Portugal, just before the world went into lockdown. March March – Back in the UK, I took to tearing up the trails and tracks of the Isle of Wight; riding a different kind of bike everyday and making sure no route was ever the same was a way to add diversity and interest within the confines of ...

Another year comes to a close — months of memories and miles found. I began the year with very few objectives, ideas or motivations; but finished with a ride log that surpasses any of my expectations. Here is a look back at the last twelve months — 12 photos to commemorate another great year in the saddle. Year End Statistics Numbers are certainly not everything, but they can tell a story. Below are my figures for 2018, as well as a break-down of the bike types ridden.  My personal record broken this year was for elevation gained – 400,000 metres is the equivalent of climbing to the top of Mount Everest from sea level, more than 45 times — dedication to the #insearchofup motto. Distance 25,185 kilometres (15,649 miles) Time 1039 hours 55 minutes Elevation Gain 403,693 metres (1,324,452 feet) 2018 Bike Distances 9448 km – Gravel/CX Bikes (3T Exploro / Kona P. Jake) 9070 km – Road Bikes (Neil Pryde Bura SL & others) 3870 km – Touring Bikes (Kona ...

2017 has been a year of so many challenges, smiles, and adventures. It is hard to condense them all into one blog post. This is my attempt to summarise an incredibly memorable year... Early Beginnings TorTour Cyclocross Switzerland (February 2017) - The season began early, with the TorTour Cyclocross Stage Race in Switzerland. Mud, snow, sweat, and sub-zero temperatures. An awesome event, which was both impeccably organised and super challenging, as well as being great fun. 4th place, in an international field containing professional riders and national champions. Read the TorTour Cyclocross Ride Report here Tuscany Torrents Strade Bianche Grand Fondo (March 2017) - The next event on the calendar was the Strade Bianche Grand Fondo, on the white roads of Tuscany. The weather was not kind for this early season Spring Classic; rain turned the white Tuscan roads to sludge. Narrow tyres squirmed and skidded on the rutted roads. My Sportful Fiandre kit showed its true virtue...

Another year comes to a close. Another season of rides concluded. They say that variety is the spice of life, and 2016 has certainly been a flavoursome one... There was a significant change in focus for me at the start of the 2016 season: I moved away from short course racing, and turned my attention to endurance challenges. The season began with the H12 Mountain Bike Race in Denmark , as part of the GripGrab team. 12 hours of dust, roots and laughs. From Denmark, to the Dolomites: June's X-Bionic MTB Cup , and the legendary HERO Dolomites  were next on the agenda. Both these mountain bike races proved to be fantastically challenging events, but I came away with podium finishes against fields of amateur and elite Italian racers. On the road, my events of the year were RideLondon100, and the Rapha West Country Prestige . My final major challenge for 2016 came in September, with my long distance ' Coasts and Cols ' tour: a 1,900 kilometre bikepacking expedition th...