What started in Girona now has an address on the Côte d’Azur, 100 yards from the beach. The Service Course, Nice marries beautiful rental bikes with coffee and rigorous programme … Read more

As the second-largest German speaking city and former centre of the Austro-Hungarian empire, Vienna’s urban landscape is iconic. Freud, Beethoven and Mozart called the city home, streets composed of Baroque … Read more

Every now and again, restoration projects transform a place enough to convert it into a destination and draw a crowd. The Pig hotels have done that with their renovations of … Read more

Tucked away in the south-west corner of Switzerland is Whitepod, a luxury eco-camp high that’s been standing in the Valais region of the Swiss Alps since 2004. Perched at 1400m … Read more

Known for its G!ROPRESSO seasonal blend, G!RO Cycles is a stronghold of London’s Surrey Hills cycling scene. G!RO is perfectly positioned in Esher, just within the M25 and a short ride … Read more

Strewn across a patch of ground to the east of the A3 near Guilford, the Surrey village of Compton has developed a reputation not as a sleepy satellite for London’s commuter … Read more

Any carefully structured plan for a Saturday beer tasting tour of South London’s breweries is bound for collapse. With a clear route in mind, and five breweries to hit, I headed … Read more

Perhaps, more than anything, what’s most rewarding about wielding Etón Corp’s Boost 4200 is not the on-the-go charge it provides, but the social kudos you get from being so stylishly prepared. No waterproofed … Read more

Neighbouring some of France’s mighty winter destinations, Samoëns packs a punch for summer endurance athletes and downhill mountain bikers. The traditional medieval village is one hour’s drive from Geneva, carving out a … Read more

At around the time when you’ve accumulated enough dirt in your sunglasses to warrant a viable export, thinking about a review of your favourite sunglasses is truly in order.  For their obedience … Read more

Set to hit the The Sorting Office in early May, Spin London is a 3-day festival tuned to latest developments in cycling culture. The event plays  host to a number of … Read more

Located 50 miles upstream of Portland, Oregon’s Hood River is another desirable location for lovers of the outdoors, especially those who like to combine sublime riding with coffee and beer. The small … Read more

There’s no doubt about it, Element Case make some of the chunkiest smartphone cases out there. But despite the considerable dimensions and weight of Element Case’s offerings for iPhone, Samsung … Read more

Perhaps the toughest thing about early morning winter cycling is the shock of swapping a warm bed for a whistling chill right at dawn. While you’re busy thrusting a high cadence to shake some energy … Read more

It’s always amazed me how Buffwear survive as a business. They’re at all the tradeshows, in stores around the UK and US, but their core product is so remarkable – … Read more

If you were to map out all the places I have ever lived, you wouldn’t need a big map.  An astute observer, however, would also realize that it also has … Read more

Earlier this summer, I was in Andorra for some riding with friends in and around the principat. Set high in the Pyrenees at base elevation of 1400m, Andorra is spectacular, framed on every side by peaks of up to nearly 3000m above sea level. Andorra hasn’t quite sussed the summer season yet, so you’re bound to find plenty of accommodation at low season rates.

The tour began simultaneously in Cape Reinga (North of the North Island) and Bluff (South of the South Island) at 8am on Saturday April 14th, from where cyclists routed 700 kilomtetres over eight days to the Beehive in Wellington on the south of the North Island. Cyclists were able to choose which route they took, either by linked South with North, or by completing the ride entirely on the North Island. The optional routes gave rides the chance to experience very different terrain from Queenstown to Wanaka, then Twizel, Tekapo and Fairlie on the South Island, or Waitomo, Wanganuie and Wellington on the North Island.

When the surf is flat but the sun is still shining, us Welsh outdoor fanatics get out our bikes and hit the road, or the mountains – depending on how energetic we’re feeling! Wales is a cyclist’s dream and offers world class routes for all levels of riders, both on and off road. From hidden forest dirt jumps to challenging hill climbs with breathtaking scenery, Wales literally has it all.

In June this year I went on a five-day mini cycletour of Northern Scotland. The aim of this trip, outside of being a good adventure and opportunity to see some different parts of Scotland, was to learn the ropes before embarking on a longer trip the following July. I wanted to assess how my kit performed and identify any weaknesses, to see if I go insane in my own company and to see what sort of distance I could cover. With a reasonable base bike fitness, I was not too concerned about the riding but the other aspects of the cycle touring which were largely new to me.