The Mature Athlete and The Vicious Circle

Over the last thirty years I’ve raced and trained consistently. From consistent top ten finishes in the CTT British Best All-Rounder competition, through cyclocross and MTB Cross Country. Twenty to thirty starts a year on average. Under normal circumstances, I love my sport and drive home just as euphorically happy after turning myself inside out to hang onto a group in a cross race as I did to score the occasional win against the watch fifteen years ago.

Voom Nutrition for Cyclists

VOOM is a young and vibrant brand from the U.K. and it’s one that has its base firmly in endurance sports, with triathlon, fell running and cycling being sports that the brands key people participate in at a high level. There’s also some good science behind what they do, with their own scientist within the brand team. All sounds good so far then.

London Fixed Gear

I’d better open up by saying that I wasn’t on a drug crazed trip in our capital city. No, I’d simply gone down to London to spend time with our son, a photographic artist who lives in the south of the city. Yes, a man after my own heart, whose apartment is filled with bikes and bike parts, all fixed gear machines, including a folding one! He has other bikes… numerous at the family home, but London is for riding real – and that means fixed gear.

Ladies Bike Saddles Review

A bike saddle is the most personal part of your bike, and it can make all the difference in the world. That’s why getting the right saddle for road cyclists and triathletes is so important. While a good saddle is barely noticeable, the uncomfortable one will make you beyond miserable. Unless you want to make your best friend’s thigh chaff and lower parts numb, you need to find the right saddle. But what exactly does that mean?
Well, to put it simply, women-specific saddles usually have a cut-out to relieve soft tissue pressure. The use of a wider saddle helps to accommodate a woman’s wider-spaced sit bones. Sit bones are the bones that make up the area in your buttocks that are the most likely to feel pressured during a ride.

Voom Hydration Powder

The Voom electrolyte mix aims to match what we sweat out, to replace those lost salts and to prevent cramp. A hypotonic drink with a small amount of glucose as ‘co-transport’ means faster hydration is possible when consuming both electrolytes and glucose rather than water and electrolytes or water alone. Simply drinking plain water won’t do what you need. Yes, it replaces fluid, but not the vital electrolytes.

Ladies Bike Saddles

Whether you’re viewing the rolling greens of the countryside, conquering the mountains or planning a cycle across the bustling streets, the bottom line is – your bottom is in the line. No matter what the scenery might offer, without the right saddle and perfect padding for your tush it isn’t fun and you won’t be able to push as much power as possible. There’s no reason to tolerate aching muscles and pressure points when you can find a seat that goes the extra mile.
Know your body

Cormet de Roselend France

Sitting at an altitude of 1968m the Cormet de Roselend connects Beaufort(744m) in the Beaufortain valley in the west and Bourg-Saint-Maurice(840m) in the Tarentaise Valley to the east. The climb has a rich TDF history. It was first featured in the 1979 Tour de France and ten times since. In 2019 the climb was cut from the tour as a mudslide rendered the climb impassable. It returns in 2020 for stage 18 and just happens to follow our preferred route over the Cormet!

Aeropress Coffee

I used to be a bit of a philistine when it came to coffee, coffee was just coffee and instant tasted okay. That was until I started drinking freshly ground and freshly made coffee. What a revelation and how bad instant now tastes. Far from being any kind of connoisseur, but I can now appreciate the subtle undertones of flavours in different coffees, although this has created a bit of hole for myself, demanding good coffee wherever I travel, even bikepacking.

Vitamin D Deficiency In Sport

Vitamin D is vital for growth and maintenance of the bone and in regulation of electrolyte metabolism, protein synthesis, gene expression, and immune function – lots of important things for athletes. These vital functions are essential for all individuals, and they’re especially so for the elite and recreational athlete.

A few thoughts on bikefitting

Riding a bike seems a simple process. However, it’s not until we start to look at the technical aspects, that we can really begin to reap the full benefits. Steve took a reluctant trip for bike fit and came back a changed rider… with lots of bikes to change too 😉