Recipie for a perfect ride: Clear blue skies SunshineNo wind, maybe a slight breezeQuiet roadsA bikeOh, and maybe a 3 day weekend I'm sure there are a few other things, but I can't think of them right now. This bank holiday weekend has been a good one, despite being in lockdown. As I mentioned in... Continue Reading →
OK, so I'm a bit late to the party... and when I say party, I mean sitting at home either at a computer or in front of the TV. Luckily we are still allowed to venture outside for some daily exercise which, thankfully, includes cycling. I'll be honest. I haven't really taken advantage of this... Continue Reading →
As promised, I have shaved my legs! For those of you who don't know, when I was raising money for a charity called Debra, I'd set myself a target of £500 and I may have said that, if I managed to hit it, I would shave my legs in an attempt to look like a... Continue Reading →
This is what it's all been about for the last 10 months. All of the training, all of the time spent on the bike(s). It all boils down to one ride. Sounds dramatic... I can almost hear the trailer music playing. The morning of the ride we woke relatively early. With the hotel we were... Continue Reading →
I can't believe I've done it! My main event/ride of 2019, it has been my focus for the last 10 months or so. As most of you know, last weekend, I took part in a cycling event up in Yorkshire, starting in Thirsk and winding its way through the Yorkshire Dales. I am so pleased... Continue Reading →
It really isn't long now until my main ride of the year. 4 days to be exact. I'm feeling pretty happy about it, don't get me wrong I still have worries about not finishing or struggling half way round and not enjoying it. But I can't let those thoughts get the better of me now.... Continue Reading →
Who doesn't love riding in the bright sunshine and the warmer temperatures? I know I do. Any excuse to get out on the bike in shorts and a jersey and I'm there. In fact, I used to say hotter the better until I went out for a 70 odd mile ride in 30 °C heat.... Continue Reading →
As most of you know, I'm due to take part in an event called Ride Yorkshire. It'll take me a total of 102 miles and 5,500 ft of climbing around the glorious Yorkshire countryside. I'm actually really looking forward to it, I'm sure that'll change once I embark up the first of many hills. Still never... Continue Reading →
The first ride of any new bike is always a wonderful occasion. I was extremely excited to get out on my new S-Works Tarmac, although I was also a little apprehensive. I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between my old Tarmac and my shiny new one. Still,... Continue Reading →
When you've fallen out of love with riding your bike for whatever reason and you just can't bring yourself to swing your leg over and push down on the pedal. This has happened to me on a number of occasions. About 4 weeks ago I stopped riding and hadn't even pulled a bike out of... Continue Reading →
I love building bikes. Especially my own, it gives them a more personal touch. After building up my new S-Works frame this will be the fifth bike I have built myself for myself. The plan was to use all of the bits and pieces from my old road bike and port them across to my... Continue Reading →
For as long as I can remember I've always wanted an S-Works frame. I love the look of the Specialized Venge, but I found it a little too stiff for the kind of riding I do. Don't get me wrong, if money and space weren't an issue there would certainly be one in the collection.... Continue Reading →
Some very pretty scenery around a place when we don't ride often enough. We set out from Will's after a few text messages the night before organising where we'd ride. We both agreed that we were slightly bored or riding the same roads. The issue was that we didn't normally have time to go further afield.... Continue Reading →
Recently my blog posts have been about my bikes themselves. Some enjoying the delights of a few upgrades, others just requiring a little bit of TLC. Either way, I've not been able to ride them as often as I'd have liked to. There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, the weather has been shocking. Here... Continue Reading →
In my last post, I talked about the upgrades to my track bike. The main thing was the wheels. I love how simple track bikes are and how they look without the 'clutter' of brakes, gears and cables. This was the first time I'd changed the wheels on a track bike. It's similar to a... Continue Reading →
A couple of weeks ago I talked about having a bike day. Not a day of riding but a day where I managed to spend a bit of time giving some of my bikes some TLC and a few upgrades. One of these bikes was my track bike. When I bought it, I came across... Continue Reading →
You have to be slightly prepared when you buy a second-hand bike. Or second-hand anything for that matter. You never fully know what has happened or what work has been carried out before you get your hands on it. I've had a few second-hand bikes and components over the years and I'm starting to become... Continue Reading →
Sun, glorious sun! A ride where I needed to wear my sunglasses. A ride where I didn't need to have 3 million layers on. And a ride where my bike was still clean by the end of it. It was a short ride. Before setting off, Josh had come over and we'd gone through trying... Continue Reading →
Finally! We are definitely on the edge of winter and nearly into spring. The evenings are getting lighter; I'm now able to go to and from work without turning my car headlights on. Ok, bad analogy, I don't turn them on, my car does it for me. But still. The temperature is increasing too! Over... Continue Reading →
One of the best things I have ever invested in, other than waterproof socks, is overshoes. Especially for when the temperature drops. For a long time, I'd never bothered with overshoes, until I started going out for longer rides in cooler temperatures. Don't get me wrong, these weren't freezing temperatures, I don't do those on... Continue Reading →
Life Behind Bars 