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, … Read more

Cycling ride to do by road bike out of Chateau-d’Oex, Switzerland

If you’re looking to kit your bike out with a temporary pair of aero bars for a triathlon or time trial, the Styke from Profile Design is well worth investing … Read more

The Gore Bike Wear Contest Shorts are the cheapest cycling shorts Gore make and can often be found discounted as they are a long standing product that stays in their range year on year. Compared with lycra shorts from other manufacturers who make less-expensive sub-£20 shorts that look similar, the Gore stand out. However, the Contest shorts are a basic, yet quality product that epitomises what I love about Gore Bike Wear kit.

I’ve recently started training for a triathlon later in the summer, but living in London have struggled to find decent cycle routes to train on. Cue the RideIt! series, a selection of organised mountain bike and sportive bike rides that take place twice a month around the UK. Arranged by Evans Cycles, the series offers a variety of distances to cater for all cyclists.

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.

I was really keen to test out Gore’s new Active Shell fabric, so when Gore offered the chance to test out one of their jackets, it proved the perfect opportunity. Having caught a rumour from a riding buddy that Gore where going to release a new super breathable, fully waterproof material I knew that it would be ideal for damp UK winter conditions. The new three-layer laminate has an inner layer, which offers excellent comfort next to skin.

This review concerns Chariot ‘child transportation system’ trailers and as I’ve now owned all three models in their ‘Sport’ range (in ascending order of expense!) over the space of six years I’m not going to limit myself to one model – this entire range is worth a mention. Chariot (part of the Thule group) design and assemble all their products in Calgary, Canada and make extensive use of recycled materials in their products. They also have a sister brand of cheaper children’s trailers entirely made in the Far-East called Croozer. Chariot runs two ranges of trailers: the first is the ‘Touring’ range designed with an emphasis upon urban cycling, the second is the ‘Sport’ range designed for flexibility so you don’t have to buy many different carriers for separate outdoor sports.

First Ascent is the leading specialist outdoor gear manufacturer in South Africa, and has been around since 1989. Up until now, they have provided the South African outdoor sports scene with ‘performance tested gear’, which means that each product you see with their significant lizard- logo has been tested by worthy athletes, and it works. Their new range of compression garments was given to me to see how well they do in the Stellenbosch mountains while doing a trail run or mountain bike ride.

As the name suggests, Steamboat, CO-based nutrition company Honey Stinger have a preference for making quality sports nutrition using the natural power of honey. Bars contain over 30% honey and their … Read more

TORQ are a UK-based fitness consultancy that specialise in training and nutrition. Owing to the success of their performance coaching which started in 1999, TORQ moved into performance products to complement their existing services.

Having detailed some of the steps I took in preparing and carrying out my touring trip for Route Planning, Equipment and Nutrition, the final blog in this series on cycle touring … Read more

Annency-based Salomon are a sports equipment brand who were primarily known for their skis. Recently, the French company has expanded its range to provide mountain gear for all seasons. They are focussed on maintaining the environment by reducing their carbon foot print and reliance on non-renewable materials.

In August, I linked up with a group of Clif Bar employees on a fundraising ride for their Climate Ride California. After meeting at the Clif-owned Velo Vino tasting room in St. … Read more

Last weekend I completed the second iteration of Rat Race Adventure Sports’ ‘Scotland Coast to Coast’ race. This one day epic traverses 105 miles across Scotland on foot, bike and kayak.

Colorado-based Osprey have been designing packs for the outdoors since 1974.  Maintaining a strong commitment to the environment, they support a number of North American conservation organization and even sew the 7 … Read more

I’ll start by stating that I’ve a fair bit of experience with lightweight packs having run numerous mountain marathons over the past 10 years and gravitated gradually towards lighter and … Read more

As technology takes a greater hold on the way we run our lives, it’s no surprise that adventure brands are jumping on the digital band wagon to enhance user experience. To bring their adventure software in line with established platforms from other watch manufacturers, Suunto released Movescount, their version of performance tracking. As well as updating training data features, Suunto introduced a neat social networking element to enhance the Movescount product. Here I’ll outline some of the key features, and guide you through the process of setting up an account.

Found on the northern edge of Spain’s Costa Brava in the heart of Dalí country, Hostal Spa Empúries has recently furnished its way to the top end of eco-chic tourism, becoming … Read more