Entries Tagged 'holidays' ↓

A Smiling Cyclist outside Stow on the Wold.

Sunday, I cycled 101 miles to Broadway in the Cotswolds. I rode 50 miles into quite a strong wind then turned back. Ironically, Sunday was the same day as the National 100 mile Time trail championship, I nearly entered. I took this as a tourist ride stopping to take a few photos. The Cotswolds, could be described as rolling countryside. There aren’t many major climbs to speak of, but, it rarely feels flat.

I can’t believe how much I ate in the 6 hour ride. There was a very nice bakery in Moreton on the Marsh, when I got some bread and an almond croissant.

In Broadway, there is a long climb out of Broadway up to Broadway Tower. It is about 3 miles long

My bike outside Bourton on the Water - a popular destination for Cyclists

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The recent Irish holiday was the first time I too a bike on a plane. I had always been nervous about taking a road bike. But, I knew that renting a bike would be a disaster. The more cycling you do, the more important it is to ride a bike with the same set up as your own. If you switch to different sized bike, you can cause yourself an injury. Also when you are used to riding a top of the range bike, there is no joy in reverting to a heavy mountain bike with fat tyres. My friends were amazed at how quickly I could cycle; but, alot of the difference is the speed of our bikes. When I tried their bikes it was torture - so slow!

Bike Bag.

I choose this Pro Race bike bag from Probike kit. It cost £90. I was tempted to get a hardshell bike box, to give complete protection. In the end I choose the cheaper option. However, I added extra protection to the bag.

• Several layers of bubble rap.
• Some clothes padded between bike and bag.

The effect was that the bike was well protected and I didn’t notice any scratch.

I took my winter training bike, as I didn’t want to risk my racing bike; but, next time I would probably be happy to take any bike.

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Cattle block the road ahead.

The recent cycling tour to Ireland was a great experience. It was the first time I took a bike by plane; but, definitely want to do more of it. These are some suggestions for a successful cycle tour, mostly which come from experience of our recent trip

Get A Good local Map.

I was using a small scale, free tourist map. The problem was I turned down roads, not marked on the map. The road would suddenly come to an end at a farmers gate. It is really hard to navigate unless you have a proper map.

Don’t rely on Road Signs.

I really love Ireland, but, forgive me their road signs are often inadequate. Places would be signposted but you would later come to junctions where there are no signposts, and you have to guess. When they say Derry 10km, it could mean anything from 8-13Km.

Don’t Rely on Others to Organise.

Because I was riding with a group, I made less preparation than I would if I was riding on my own. I wish I carried more food and a proper map. Always be prepared for getting lost.

You will Never Regret Carrying too much food.

Many non-cyclists who cycle a long way will underestimate how much food you need to eat. People are used to 3 meals a day and many don’t realise that when cycling you need to be eating throughout the day. I saw one or two get the hunger knock. Fortunately, it wasn’t too bad; but it could have been much worse.

Carry enough Dry Clothes.

One day it rained, waterproofs don’t stop all your clothes getting wet. Make sure, you have enough spare clothes; it’s difficult to dry clothes on tour.

Stick To Roads.

Be wary about taking short cuts across mountains on ‘walking paths’. My friends were keen to take a short cut on a path across a mountain. I refused because I knew walking with cleats was difficult. I took a 30km detour on roads and arrived in an hour. They took 4 hours to walk over a muddy mountain road, carrying their bikes on their backs. I didn’t gloat at all when they returned to the hostel as the light was fading at 10pm…..

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The Dingle Peninsula from Connor Pass

The past few days, I have been on tour in the South West of Ireland. Fortunately, the weather was kind, and we had two good days of dry, even sunny weather. It is said that the South West of Ireland is often drier than the rest of Ireland. I would definitely recommend this as a destination for a cycling holiday. There are some great roads, low levels of traffic and stunning scenery.

At the top of Connor Pass

On the first day we cycled from Dingle  to Cahersiveen via Connor pass on the second day we cycled through Molls Gap to Black Valley I was constantly amazed at the lack of traffic. There was something fascinating about cycling on a road where you are the only person for miles around.

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I have a week off teaching, so I am spending a week in Yorkshire, with my parents.

Today I cycled 70 miles  to Otley, Pately Bridge, Lofthouse and Burnsall. It is very hilly; in particular greenhow hill out of Pately Bridge is really tough. It has about 4 sections of 16-20%. After 10 minutes of climbing the gradient flattens a little, but with a strong headwind it was still very tiring by the end. Earlier in the ride, I also climbed Norwood Edge from Otley towards Pateley Bridge.

There is a good cycling road from Pately Bridge to Lofthouse. This road is rolling and takes in the beautiful Nidderdale Valley, which is characterised by the above picture. At Lofthouse there is a very sharp climb over to Masham or you could visit ‘How Steen Gorge’ a series of caves. I decided to race up a river valley to Scar House reservoir. It took 15 minutes, but the gradient is always very gradual. Continue reading →

One thing I really loved about the Yorkshire cycling scene was the number of ‘cycling cafes’. My introduction to cycling came through Otley CC. The club was based on the old traditional style British club run; cycling all day Sunday from 9am to 5pm, with 2-3 cafe stops. These days I don’t seem to have time for a cafe stop, but, on a cold winter’s ride the first cafe stop was like an oasis in the desert; it was something that kept you going; often for me it was a chance to warm up my frozen toes and fingers.

The traditional morning stop would involve tea and toasted teacakes. I don’t know why but the tea and teacakes always tasted much better in a cafe than they ever did at home. A strange thing, Until I started cycling aged 15, I never drank anything except water.  When I went on the club run, I was told I couldn’t drink just water and I should try some tea. And that’s how I got into drinking tea. (Shortly followed by discovering beer).

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Interesting blog here, Family on a bike One families adventures on a Land’s End to John o Groats adventure

Two adults, three young children, two tandems, two trailers and at least a thousand miles of continuous, unsupported riding. Oh and just seven weeks before the kids had to be back at school. Some said it couldn’t be done. We thought it pretty unlikely. So we did it anyway.

Congratulations! It’s great to see people take to cycling with such enthusiasm, especially with the whole family.

The ride helped raise money for BBC Children in Need, You can make a donation through the website here

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Cycling in Mallorca

Mallorca is the largest island of Spain. It is located in the Mediterranean Sea and part of the Balearic Islands (Catalan: Illes Balears, Spanish: Islas Baleares). Like the other Balearic Islands it is noted for its good climate and is a popular tourist destination, throughout the year. It is particularly popular with cyclists, especially in the spring when the weather is not too hot, but, significantly warmer than Northern Europe.

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The Yorkshire dales provides a great environment for cycling holidays. The scenery is beautiful and there are several cafes which specifically welcome cyclists.

There are some stiff climbs throughout the regions, so to get the most out of cycling in the Yorkshire Dales, it is advisable to have a good gear selection or be very fit.

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Go on any British club run in winter, and it won’t take long before the conversation inevitably turns to complaints about the British weather, and British motorists.

Even the best laid winter training plans can go astray when the winter weather gives us many excuses to stay indoors and avoid getting wet and cold. Taking a cycling abroad, to a place like the Algarve, Mallorca or Spain can do wonders to your cycling training. These are some reasons to take a cycling holiday abroad

1. Cycling on a Turbo is boring. Yes, I know some people can spend 3 hours on a turbo. But, it is pretty demoralising for most of us mortals. Even after half an hour, we can get bored and just be sitting dripping in sweat.

2. Weather is much better

3. Psychological Break.

Taking a break abroad is a good way of preventing our winter training going stale. It is something to aim for and look forward to. If we have a big training week, we will motivate ourselves to be reasonably fit in order to get the most from the training week.

4. Less Chance of Illness / Falling off

Cycling in a good climate means we are less susceptible to falling off or getting ill from the cold and damp.

5. You don’t see many professional teams training in Britain…