For me, cycling has always a form of exploration rather than just a type of exercise. Therefore, the arrival of the first lockdown in spring 2020 didn’t have me instantly jumping on my bike to do loops of my local roads. Instead, I turned to walking and began to explore the beautiful network of paths …
My phone rings on a balmy September evening. “Hi, this is Kevin from Great British Escapades,” says the voice at the end of the line. “We’ve just had someone drop out from next week’s race and I see you put yourself on the waiting list today. Are you serious about taking part?” I had entered …
As it turns out, I rest for too long. I eat, shower and then sleep for an hour. But as I wake, I look to at the trackers to see Shawn is closing in on the checkpoint. My precious gap is fast disappearing. I leap from my bed and race to my bike, keen to …
Dawn brings storm-free skies and, after forcing myself to eat some breakfast, I set off feeling much better. I’m aware that such a late start means that any chance of a good position in the race has probably gone. But, after having to scratch in Italy, I just want to finish this time. After a …
At 04:00 on a quiet Sunday morning, a group of lycra-clad riders stand outside the modern Onomo Hotel in central Kigali. There is an energy rippling through the bunch as the clock ticks down to 04:30. The inaugural Race Around Rwanda is about to begin. Suddenly, cleats click into pedals and we are off. Flying …
This is part of a series of posts detailing how my record-breaking ride from Tarifa to Nordkapp panned out. Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4 can be found here, here, here and here. Part 5 begins as I approach the final 1,000 kilometres and edge closer to the Arctic Circle. If you want to know how tough this ride …
This is part of a series of posts detailing how my record-breaking ride from Tarifa to Nordkapp panned out. Part 1, 2 and 3 can be found here, here and here. Part 4 begins as I approach Russia, having battled busy roads and some tiring gravel detours during my time in the Baltics. Day 13 – 303km – Zarasai …
This is part of a series of posts detailing how my record-breaking ride from Tarifa to Nordkapp panned out. Part 1 and 2 can be found here and here. Part 3 begins in the Czech Republic, as I try to recover from a tough (and hungry) first few hours in Eastern Europe. Day 9 – 338km – Touzim …
This is part of a series of posts detailing how my record-breaking ride from Tarifa to Nordkapp panned out. Part 1 can be found here. Part 2 begins on my first morning in France, with me having entered from Spain during the previous evening and spent the night sleeping out. Day 5 – 333km – …
The ride is over and the magnitude of it is just starting to sink in. Whilst it’s still fresh in my memory, it seems like a good time to explain how everything panned out over the 19 days of riding. Therefore, over the next month or so I will be publishing a write-up on each …
