Well that was hilly. My wife and I headed down to Port Talbot on the Saturday night. We stayed in the Holiday Inn Express just off the Swansea junction of the M4, which proved the perfect (if expensive) base for the Dragon Ride - it looked like quite a few other had had the same … Continue reading Sportive Review – L’Etape Wales Dragon Ride 2017 – Gran Fondo
First, let me say sorry I've not put up a post for a little while, it's been very busy since the Castle Ride and I've kept running out of time! I've managed a couple of rides over the last two weekends, the longest just a 72 miler yesterday. This isn't really by design (I'd aimed … Continue reading Dragon Ride preparations
I first rode the Castle Ride in 2013, when I did the Classic route at around 70 miles. Action Medical Research are a great charity doing great work and they also put on great sportives, so for my 2017 training the Castle Ride was a no brainer. As I had recently upgraded my Dragon Ride … Continue reading Sportive review – Tonbridge Castle Ride 100 2017 – don’t forget the jelly beans…
Since my 'Going up a gear' post, I have done just that, with two pretty hefty training rides the last two Fridays. It's been satisfying and I've seen some beautiful countryside, but I'll admit I've struggled to enjoy doing the distances, both from a comfort point of view but also from a time perspective. The … Continue reading Training rides – down to the coast and across to the hills
This is a post I've been meaning to do for a while now, but I wanted to make sure I'd done enough riding to do a full review justice. So here it is, my complete and honest thoughts about my bike, a 2017 Giant TCR Advanced Pro 1. Why a Giant TCR? I'll split that … Continue reading Bike review – 2017 Giant TCR Advanced Pro 1
I've had a couple of weeks now where I've not been able to get out on the bike for a proper training ride, although I have managed to squeeze a couple of turbo trainer sessions in on weekday mornings before work. That has to change from now though, as it's less than eight weeks until … Continue reading Going up a gear
The weekend just gone brought the best weather of the year here in Kent, with temperatures well into the twenties in the sun. Perfect for a nice long ride? Well yes, but also perfect for barbecues and relaxing at home! I picked the latter option, for a few reasons. First, you might have seen on … Continue reading A weekend off can be a good thing
What a route. That sums the Fool's Errand VI up rather well I think. I'll admit I'm a local to this Hadlow based sportive (living just down the road) so possibly biased, but actually thinking about it, I think that should mean it would take more for me to be impressed, as I've already seen … Continue reading Sportive review – The Fool’s Errand VI – “the joy of six” 2017
This weekend I'm signed up for a local sportive in Hadlow, Kent: "The Fool's Errand: the joy of six" It's organised by a charity, Wide Horizons, who work to help provide adventure learning activities for children as part of their usual education. Doing the long route (120km), it's hopefully going to be a good challenge … Continue reading The Fool’s Errand, in more ways than one…
Second sportive of the year and it was off to West Sussex for the Wiggle Super Series Haywards Heath Howler, organised by UK Cycling Events. I'd signed up for the Epic route, taking in 80 miles, although not as much climbing as the Kentish Killer last month. A traffic-free 45 minutes cross country drive over … Continue reading Sportive review – Haywards Heath Howler 2017, Wiggle Super Series
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