The call of winter miles…

Winter rides, how we learn to love them. Awake before the birds and well before sunrise, pull on layer after layer of clothing (all carefully laid out the night before) then out the door. Friends think you’re mad and maybe you are. Why on earth would anyone want to cycle at this hour and in…

Rapha Festive 500

It’s back! In conjunction with Strava, the Rapha Festive 500 is on again this month and challenges you to ride 500km – that’s 310 miles – in the eight days over the Christmas holiday period starting from the 24th until the 31st December. Last year I tried to complete this challenge, but I didn’t really…

When the weather turns wild

I think it was Billy Connolly who said “there’s no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothing.” When the weather takes a turn for the worst you often see numbers at the Sunday club ride plummet. Only the strong (or maybe foolhardy) turn up and tackle the elements, but if you’re going to turn up…

Power never lies…

“Power never lies to you. It is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver. Friends may come and go. But two hundred watts is always two hundred watts.” The above quote is a modified version of one by Henry Rollins who at the time was talking about lifting weights. It’s a quote often thrown around in bodybuilding circles, but…

Ten miles per day

At the beginning of the year I set myself a fairly loose target of averaging 10 miles per day for no other reason than it seemed like a nice round number. I don’t commute so all my miles are “recreational” rides. These vary greatly and are made up of anything from racing time trials, fast paced…

Yellow is the new black!

Winter is fast approaching. The days are short and dull, wet weather is more frequent and the nights close in quickly. One of my pet hates when out on a ride is seeing a fellow cyclist dressed head to toe in black and with no lights, especially early in the morning or late in the evening!…