Blogs

Be Inspired to RideAward Winning Blogs

Join the Revolution & Be Inspired

Award winning blogs, by Robert, Nadezhda & the team

Since 2012, our writing team here at Pedalnorth have been creating award winning content, riding, racing and winning cycle races all over the globe. Their blogs are created in order to provide world leading informative content, about all manner of cycling subjects, and to inspire you on your own cycling journey. Here’s the full collection for you to browse through and read. If you have any suggestions for subjects, then simply click here and let us know.

We’ve been promoting and leading the way for ladies cycling since we began, and we continue to drive forward in empowering women to express themselves and to be able to ride as equals within the cycling world. That also means having the best information for women’s cycling kit, training tps, lifestyle and skincare tips too. As a former international triathlete and model, Nadezhda has all the tips you need to be the best possible  version of yourself, on 2-wheels.

Working closely with the leading brands within the world of cycling, our writers know what makes cyclists tick, what motivates you and what looks stylish to0. We’ll tell you the very places places for cycling travel and how to look after your bike along the way. Nadezhda and Robert have a wealth of experience and expertise to share with you, so why not take a look below and join the new cycling revolution – at Pedalnorth!

Performance Comfort & Style in Perfect Harmony

Sutton Bank and Boltby Scar

A super stunning all year round mountain bike route, with some of the best views in Yorkshire. Natural trails are mixed with man made tracks, to bring you a fantastic ride.
October 22, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Tips for Female Triathletes to Complete the Perfect Race

Here's some really useful tips that I wished I had known when I first got into the sport, and which I now want to pass along to other women. The physical and mental aspects of women are different from those of men - and that's something we should celebrate. However, whenever women are training for triathlons, they have specific motivators and different challenges to overcome. These are the issues that I'll cover in this article - helping you to train as a woman 🙂
October 20, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

The Ultimate Naroo Mask Review

As cyclists, we know that environmental factors such as weather, pollen, and pollution can make it difficult for us to breathe and this can affect our overall performance. As a solution, sports masks have been created to be highly breathable to help us and other athletes breathe with ease when performing outdoor activities like long rides, training sessions, a leisure hike, or a marathon.
October 19, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Wensleydale TrailFest

While this is a reasonably short 2 hour ride, it packs a punch, and is probably one of the very best rides in the National Park. With hard climbing, the rider is rewarded with epic descents and superb views across the hills. This is definitely a favourite ride with the team here.
October 14, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Nicholas Roche Interview

One of the most enigmatic and well known cyclists within the peloton, Nicholas Roche is an interesting character. He's twice been national champion and has twice finished in the top ten of the Vuelta a España, and won stages in 2013 and 2015. Nicholas has also competed for Ireland 7 times at the road world championships. So what's he really like - time to chat...
September 30, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Elite Cycling – How to ride rollers

We’ve been using the Elite Quick Motion and Nero Smart rollers this year, both of which have technological advancements to help you stay on the trainer. However, riding the rollers can seem daunting and a recipe for an accident, but in truth it’s easier than you think. Time for us to give you some detail and confidence.
September 24, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

CAMELBAK Rogue Light Hydration Pack

In Camelbak's marketing material, they say that the Rogue lightweight pack is everything that you crave for on the everyday trail, by being: minimal, durable, cool and comfortable. They sent one to us here at Pedalnorth.com, in a lovely teal colour for us to try out and see if their marketing spin is true. It certainly looked the part on first impressions.
September 24, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

SIGR ‘RIKSVÄG 92 CARGO’ – Cycling Bib Shorts

Have you ever thought about the connection to your bike and ultimately the road? You might say it's’ your cleats, it might be your gloves or it could be your shoes. How many times do you consider what’s going on in the bum department? How many times do you feel that tell-tale ache coming on and as a man that dull numbness starting which forces you up and out of the saddle to bring some life back to that area of darkness.
September 15, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

SIGR White Horizon Cycling Jersey

Sigr has been a favourite of Pedalnorth for some time. They consistently design and deliver cycling apparel gold with that touch of Swedish class. You just know if you buy one of their products that it will be just right for the job, well thought through and provides that level of class that other roadies will nod their heads in appreciation when they pass.
September 15, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Choosing The Right Skinsuit

Whether you ride a road bike, time trial, triathlon or MTB, you've probably landed on this website looking for the best skinsuit for your needs. For those who are unfamiliar, a skinsuit is an aero short-sleeved or long-sleeves onesie made of lightweight cloth that is particularly developed for cycling.
September 10, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

The Athletes Guide to Hydration and Recovery

Along with the rigorous training and exercise that are routinely accomplished, athletes must be more health-conscious and pay attention to signs of stress on the body. They heavily invest in their bodies because it is the most important asset for an athlete. Of all the energy drinks and products available, how many actually deliver?
August 14, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

BIEHLER Signature Mens Bib Shorts

A good jersey needs great bibs, and these Signature shorts from Biehler are a worthy ambassador product for this high end performance brand. Time to take a look then,at what makes Biehler so special.
August 14, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Stoneman Trail Mountain Bike Challenge

If you’re a lover of mountains and adventure and you ride a mountain bike, then you’ll love the Stoneman Trail in the Dolomites. The route sits neatly in the mountains in the north of Italy and briefly crosses the border in Austria. With a distance of over 100km, this mountain bike challenge has a number of days in which to complete the ride, visiting certain checkpoints along the way, so that your ride can be verified. It’s a challenge and a tough one, but ultimately it’s up to you.
August 13, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

SIGR Sverigeloppet Black Jersey

“Beautiful, comfortable cycling jerseys for going fast in. But that also look great at the coffee stop”.
Diane Vilarem has been out testing this stylish ladies jersey from Swedish brand, SIGR
August 11, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

VOOM Rapid Recovery Shake

Madison Curzon recently took up triathlon and we thought that she'd benefit from some VOOM power, with their Rapid Recovery Shake. Read her thoughts here.
August 9, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

London by Bike

We are at Liverpool Street in the City of London, deciding to rent bikes and start exploring and there is so much to see.
August 7, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Skincare for Triathletes

Triathletes are considered some of the healthiest individuals on the planet. Apart from the constant exercise, most of them are often incredibly conscious about what they eat and their health.

However, because of constant exposure to the sun and other chemicals, these triathletes are also in danger of having their skin damaged or, worse, having skin issues. With that being said, here are some skin care tips for triathletes.
August 3, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Signs and Symptons of Overtraining in Triathlon

Most beginner athletes, including triathletes, have the opinion that at each training session you need to give all the best - only then you can achieve the result 🙁
July 31, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Ladies Cycling Skinsuits

Pedalnorth believes that it's time to focus more closely on brands that specialise in performance cycling clothing for women, including the best ladies cycling skinsuits in the world. And so, here's a new Ladies Cycling Skinsuits section, edited by triathlon coach Nadezhda and bringing you amazing designs.

Lenzerheide to Arosa and Chur MTB Route

Lenzerheide and Arosa is the ultimate venue for mountainbikers. The two valley sides of Lenzerheide, 'Red Peak' and 'Western Summits', as well as the foothills to the north and south are the real trail paradise for mountainbikers to visit from all over the world.
July 31, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Furka Pass Cycling Route

Sean Connery took to these roads in the classic Bond Movie 'Goldfinger', and now you too can, as you ride through spectacular scenery and enjoy the breathtaking mountain roads of Switzerland.
July 29, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Trail building the ELECTRIC SNAKE for Val di Sole World Championships

 The UCI MTB 2021 World Championships will be held in Val di Sole from 25 to 29 August. But how is a world cup track created? Who is a trail builder and how does one become one? THOK E-Bikes asked a real guru (Italian but internationally renowned): Pippo Marani. He uses THOKs E-Bikes to move around the slopes.
July 28, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Summer Cycling in a Pandemic

It’s summer, but it’s not really summer. Yes, the sun is high and warm, but we simply can’t enjoy it in the way that we want to. Our writers were supposed to be competing in and writing about the legendary Trans Alp mountain bike race this year - but covid travel restrictions put paid to it.
July 26, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

New Ordnance Survey Mapping

We're changing how we share Ordnance Survey mapping of our routes. From August 2021 there'll be far more mapping options available to you, and the ability to do 'fly throughs'.

Read about the reaons and benefits here.
July 25, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Elite Tuo – Summer Rescue

Summer cycling can hit and miss due to the unexpected weather. Thankfully Elite have developed interactive trainers like the TUO that aren't too concerned about the rain. Using the Elite 'My E-Training' app with the TUO, you can cycle around the world when heavy sorms and showers stop your outside fun.
July 14, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Triathlon Training – Brick Workouts

Training for 2 disciplines back to back - brick training. It'stough but worthwhile, and triathlon coach Nadezhda guides you through the process with this great article.
July 5, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

DS Pro Dainty Blue Bib Shorts for Women

The dainty cycling shorts from dynamic young brand DS Pro are designed just for women, like everything from this stylish company. They’re the newest and hottest trends in town and look fantastic.
July 5, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

DS Pro Nana Blue and Black Ladies Jersey

Looking good and feeling good on the bike is important - especially to women athletes.Thankfully, DS Pro know this and their latest jerseys are designed with performance and style at their heart. Time to take a look at this chic Nana jersey deisgn then...
July 5, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Elite Bio Green Bottles

It gives me great pleasure to ride a bike in the forest, to hear the birds chirping, to enjoy the landscapes and to see other creatures which live in the wilderness.
Thankfully, we have lots of wild and remote and very beautiful paces here in Transylvania and Romania. It’s very important to treat nature as if it were our home; to keep it clean, to take care of it and not to exploit it.
June 28, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Elite Summer Performance

As we reach the middle of the year, Larisa and Robert write about how their use of the Elite interactive trainers has prepared them and ensured that they've got early season smiles on the long cycling miles.
June 17, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Biehler Signature Ladies Bib Shorts

Stylish performance bib shorts from German brand Biehler ,tested in the South of France by Diane - are these shorts as good as they look - read on and find out 🙂
June 17, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Biehler Supreme Cycling Jersey

Biehler like to design modern cycle clothing that also perfroms at the highest level. Riding in the south of France is uncompromising, with steep hills and a hot sun, so kit needs to work well. And, as a women, it also needs to look good - so let's take a look 😉
June 17, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Schwalbe Aerothan Tube and 28mm Pro One Tyre

Schwalbe are working hard to bring new developments to your cycling. We fitted their new Aerothan tubes to their latest Pro One tyres - and the bike danced with joy... find out why.
June 10, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Healthy Oatmeal Breakfast

Here’s the first of a series of healthy recipes from our Health & Fitness editor Nadezhda. It’ll get you firing on all cylinders and performing at your best all day long. Nutrition is a key element of any training plan, and these recipes from Nadezhda will help you to create your own nutrition routine.
June 8, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Richmond Park to Chichester Cycle Route

How about a cycling route that takes you from London, through the Surrey and Sussex hills, with the South Downs waiting for you,as you approach historic Chichester.
This is an excellent route for a two day trip into the hills, using Chichester as an overnight halt.
May 26, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

DS Pro Floral Bliss Skinsuit

It's time to look at skinsuits, with the new Floral Bliss design by ladies only brand, DS Pro. This high end performance brand from Florida design kit that makes you look as good as you feel. Read Nadezhda's thoughts on this body hugging cycling suit.
May 25, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Achieving Your Best Time Trail Race

A time trial is racing at its most basic level, with just you, your bike, and the time to contend with. It tests the cyclist’s and machine’s ability against the clock.

A time trial bicycle (TT bike) has a shorter wheelbase, more aerodynamic, places the rider nearer towards the front of the bike in aero position. Besides, it can have solid disk wheels. It comes with some complexity and you need to know the tricks to ride a faster time trial.
May 25, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Around Fertainu Peak – Romania

Take a trip with Larisa Chinces, into the beautiful forested hills and mountains in the west of Romania and Transylvania. Romania is Europe's last great wilderness and has the best mtb trails in Europe to explore. You can find your own adventure in Transylvania - with Triada MTB
May 22, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Elite Bottle Cages

There are some key areas that we all need to focus on when buying new bottle cages: Lightness & Performance, Great Grip and Access, and finally, Fitting & Aesthetic. In order to get the highest possible results in each of these areas, Elite put their considerable knowledge and expertise to good use, resulting in cages that the top riders in the world rely on.
May 15, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Mont Ventoux with Diane Vilarem

Mt Ventoux? The legendary climb. For whatever reason everyone kept talking about it. “Have you ridden Mt Ventoux yet? It’s awesome” If you google famous Col’s in France this one always pops up high up on the list. I had to find out why! Could it be even harder than the holy grail of the French Riviera - Col de la Bonette?
May 13, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Tour des Combins

Take on this classic bike packing tour in the Alps. If you're after a real adventure, then this could be for you. There's some bike hike along the way, but the rewards are epic. Either a hardtail MTB or a Gravel Bike is the ideal way to travel this route at speed.
May 9, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Walmer – Wide Drop Bars

Finding the correct size drop bar for a road bike has always been straightforward. Measure the distance between the acromial arches (the bony protrusions on the anterior shoulder) and that is your centre to centre bar width. Following the evolution of gravel and adventure bike geometry, the choice of bar shape and width is expanding with width and degree of flare being the most significant differences.
May 3, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Spring Into Action with Elite

It's spring and Larisa as making the most of the weeks since she started using the Elite Nero rollers and Direto XR interactive trainer. How has it benefited this multi sports athlete -let's find out 😉
May 2, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Cleat Wear

When was the last time you checked the state of your cleats or even fitted new cleats? What is your criteria for deciding to change your cleats or the pedals? With the forces being driven through the pedals and the constant movement from the lateral float, cleats and pedals are an area which are susceptible to significant wear depending on distances ridden, intensity and trail conditions.
May 2, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

The Jeroboam Franciacorta 300km

The Jeroboam Franciacorta 300km is Beauty and the Beast, gravel riding redefined between the shores of lake Iseo and Lake Garda. Spectacular riding and views awaited us, but not without earning them via some hefty climbing.
May 1, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Renew Not Replace – Bike Love

I’m going to take you down memory lane; to that time when you stood outside of the bike shop on the way to school and you looked at the shiny new bike, with your nose pressed to the window. I was reminded of this a few years ago at Velo Follies in Flanders, looking at a youngster eyeing up the new bike helmets on show. The truth is that we’re all kids at heart, and whatever the technical data or artistic sales description, the colour and look of the bike is still one of the key factors.
April 29, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Top 5 Traits of Thriving Endurance Athletes

The success of endurance athletes is not measured by how fast they achieve something. It is about the commitment of doing something that they set their minds to do. This definition of their success is encapsulated in the say-do gap, which refers to the space between what athletes say they will do and its potential result.
April 28, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Mandy Marquardt Interview

As part of her series on inspiring women athletes, Nadezhda interviewed Mandy Marquardt,from the USA Track Team. Mandy Marquardt is a professional track sprint cyclist racing for Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s first all-diabetes professional cycling team and for the USA Cycling National Team. She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 16.
April 27, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Looking After Your Female Body

Enjoy the strength and beauty of your youth. As long as life is not pleasant to us, it passes. In 20 years, you will look at your photos with a feeling that you do not understand now. How many possibilities were open to you and how amazing you really looked.
Nadezhda Pavlova
April 12, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

DS Pro Chasing The Stars Cycling Kit

This dynamic brand produce stylish performance gear for women... yes, not ladies - women -  allowing you to express who you are and to wear the very best performance fabrics, designed by athletes and yet remain totally feminine. Let's take a look at their latest kit, 'Chasing The Stars' and its modern and chic design.
April 10, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Benefits of Indoor Cycling

We’re into month 4 of our Elite indoor training project and it’s the perfect time to examine the initial benefits and how it all fits in to the reasoning behind using an indoor trainer.

Let’s get this out of the way early then: indoor cycle training is not about avoiding cycling outdoors - quite the opposite. I’m happy to evidence this viewpoint for you.
April 10, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Elterwater Independent Hostel

We want to help you to get back to what riding is all about -adventure. In the first of a new series of blogs, we're visiting Elterwater Independent Hostel in the English Lake District, to show you some amazing mountain bike routes from the door.
April 2, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Winter Miles On Skis

Our team of writers are multisport athletes, and so we thought that we'd tell you what we've been doing over winter. Scott lives in beautiful Chamonix, where the snow means that he skis more that cycling during winter.
April 1, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Marcus Smith Marathon Man

Some people are just inspirational. Marcus Smith is one such person. This amazing athlete ran 30 marathons in 30 days, came back from near death and still competes. Being a good friend of Marcus, Diane  decided to have a chat with Marcus and to find out more...
March 30, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

ALÉ Bullet WR Bib Tights

These bib tights are designed to go well with the Ale´ winter and cold weather jersey range. Thankfully, they also go well with many other jerseys and jackets from across their ranges. They’re form fitting, which means that you look great in them, and they also have good compression where needed, showing off your body and your style and allowing you to perform to your best.
March 24, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

DS Pro Floweral Outlines One Piece Suit

Cyclists wants to look stylish and to be confident while riding, and DS PRO has really captured this into their selection of outfits. And, as women we want and deserve to be stylish. Having examined the new DS Pro Floweral Outlines one-piece TriSuit when it arrived, it was soon time to actually put it on and get out riding into the French Maritime Alps.
March 22, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Elite Jet Water Bottle

Looking across the water bottle range at Elite, we previously wrote about their award winning super lite Fly water bottle. This time we’re going to be telling you all about their Jet bottle, which takes a few of the advancements from the Fly and puts it into a more robust biodegrable bottle that’s suited for tougher riding environments.
March 12, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Bike TransAlp 2021

During the Covid pandemic, sales of bikes have risen exponentially, with more and more people seeking the freedom and adventure that cycling brings. Riding our bikes takes us back to days of childhood, gives us the opportunity to explore new challenges and new places. And, if you’re looking for real adventure in spectacular surroundings in the future, then there’s only 1 Trans Alp race.
March 9, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Elite Tuo Interactive Turbo Trainer

I've been  using Elite Cycling's interactive home trainer 'Tuo' now for several weeks. I have to say, now that I’m further into the experience, it’s most definitely providing the levels of performance and interactivity that I had anticipated from the marketing information on the Elite Cycling website.
March 8, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

ALÉ Bullet DWR Jersey

If you’re looking for the ideal winter jersey, that also comes in useful in late autumn and early spring, then this is definitely the jersey for you. In a short space of time, it’s become one of the jerseys that I instinctively go for as a favourite.
March 4, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

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