Life In The Saddle

Riding a bike is not just about turning the pedals. Your body and cycling will benefit from integrating strength and conditioning exercises that build your core strength, leg power, and help reduce the risk of injury. These five exercises are simple strength-building drills taken from yoga and 'functional trunk strength' (a.k.a. core stability) workouts; they will help increase your comfort on long endurance rides, and also aid cycling performance improvements. 1. Squats If you do one thing, SQUAT. Squatting is the most natural but most powerful weight training exercise that we can use for building cycling strength. The motion uses our powerful quadriceps, glutes, and lower back muscles in one fluid motion. The key thing with squatting is to display good form. You do not want to be bent over like a hunchback. A simple set of instructions for good squatting technique: Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart, splayed at 30 degrees With your arm...

This year has been the first in decades that I haven't (yet) had my 'Mountain Fix'. The start of family life has been a wonderful adventure, but it has put many of my adventure plans on hold. Books have provided one means for me to live out those adventures vicariously, and to make many great plans for future ones. The Cairngorms and Perthshire are a beautiful and surprisingly accessible part of Scotland, which I have only very briefly visited in the past; a visit that left me with a strong feeling of wanting more. Markus Stitz's latest book provides everything you could need for planning a gravel adventure in the wild and wonderful Scottish landscape. With detailed route plans, genuine 1:50,000 OS Map inserts, GPX files, and stacks of local information on places to visit, equipment to take, and general safety advice; ' Gravel Rides Cairngorms and Perthshire ' is an indispensable resource for anyone wanting to visit Scotland and ride in this beautiful area. ...

The OpenRock S2 is a set of open-ear headphones that delivers on all fronts. These open-ear, hook-clip earbuds are designed to give cyclists—and all active users—a high-quality sound experience without sacrificing awareness or comfort. After a few weeks of riding with them, I am convinced that they are one of the best open-ear headphones I have tested to date. Lightweight Design Weighing in at the lowest end of its class, the OpenRock S2 is a masterclass in minimalism. Thanks to an ultra-fine titanium wire construction and a smart 3-point ergonomic support system (ear rim, ear clip, and ear wheel), the S2 rests on your ears very naturally. The design is both firm and feather-light, staying securely in place during aggressive rides, sprints, and rapid head turns. A “20° golden angle” optimizes the tilt of the earbuds to match your ear canal's natural curve, making for a truly universal fit. Unlike traditional in-ears, these do not require frequent adjustments and never cause e...

Sleep is the unsung hero of so many aspects of life. Good sleep is critical to recovery, physical performance, and mental health; for cyclists and athletes, a good night's sleep will probably make more difference than weight savings on your bike, or what you eat the night before a big ride. Yet, we do not, or sometimes cannot always prioritise sleep. There are multiple factors that can deprive us of good sleep: life factors such as work or family, as well as controllable factors known as 'sleep hygiene'. I became a dad at the start of this year – a 'life' factor, and the sleep deprivation is very real and uncontrollable. I have felt the effect on my energy levels, recovery and performance. The feeling of getting poor sleep, sometimes 2.5 hours a night for several weeks, made me realise how important sleep is to your wellbeing and your cycling. It also got me wondering, how many people suffer from poor sleep longer term? And while we cannot always control 'l...

Not all cycling caps are made equal. I have worn dozens of different brands and styles throughout my time in the saddle: from Gore-Tex® waterproof ones to lightweight summer ones – each has their place and virtues. It is the classic cotton casquette that I keep coming back to though: the one with a wide brim, and a soft natural fabric that only seems to get better with age. The cotton cycling cap is the perfect headwear to keep the rain off your face in a downpour, or the sweat and sun from your eyes in the summer heat. Yet, I have an issue. I have a large head. At 61cm, it maxes out most helmets and stretches most cycling caps to their limit. To avoid the circulation being cut off to my forehead (and the embarrassing red halo you are left with at the end of a ride), I have resorted to cutting the elastic from many cycling caps, and trawling the market for the largest size available. Then, I discovered Uncle Pete’s… Uncle Pete is based in Bromley, UK, and makes custom cotton cy...