Gravel grinding and L’Eroica

Gravel. Even the word sounds uncomfortable. At odds to my road biking world, the usual black tarmac lines swapped for the stark white trails. It’s riding, but not as we know it…

The glimmer of success

A hill climb podium position and the power of small victories. It’s all relative, right?

Back to the hills

Back among the stick insects. Hill climb racing. Competitors so thin they almost disappear when viewed in profile. Sleek and minimal, it’s hard to believe a human is crammed inside. Widths and waists measured in millimetres in the pursuit of milliseconds.

Cycling in the Peak District – Routes and climbs

The clue is in the name. Peak District. The road is either up or down, rarely flat. Hard up, terrifying down. Short yet sharp climbs to test the legs followed by twisting, snaking descents to test your grip on the brake levers. Yet the ever changing landscape is magnificent, one minute rolling moorland, the next […]

Cycling in Pembrokeshire

A warm up ride through the Brecon Beacons seemed like a good idea when sat at my laptop, not so much when sat in the saddle. It’s been a while since I last cycled in Wales, how quickly I’d forgotten the only flat roads in this land are supermarket car parks.

Climb! Zwift Mountain Expansion Course Review

Hailing outside, I decided to go for a spin grind up the new Zwift Watopia mountain routes. First impressions? The graphics are stunning. From the mountain vistas and single track winding roads, to the snow and the mist, and the small details such as the cracks in the road. You can read my full Zwift […]

Riding in the French Alps – Part deux

Riding in the mountains is addictive. The drug comes with its own highs and lows, pleasures and pains. Thankfully the former are great enough to help you forget the latter. Half way through my cycling holiday in the French Alps (part one here) and I was compelled not only to climb but to ride into […]

Road cycling in the French Alps – Climbs, routes, pain and awe

The French Alps. A cyclist’s nirvana but with the addition of suffering, a strong sense of self and an even stronger desire to cycle forever. So nothing like nirvana then. Too much torture to be heaven too. A rapture then, for here you are transported from earth to heaven or your sins are punished accordingly. Will you be […]

Hill climbing – repetitions, training and technique

Hills. I love and hate hills in equal measure. Love rolling down ’em, hate riding up ’em, some might say. Not me. There’s a distinct pleasure in the pain of heading to the heavens. Not that many cyclists share my passion for hills. Beginner cyclists in particular tend to hate hills, as I once did. […]