Cycling in the sun beats the rain any day. However experiencing high temperatures and humidity during full days in the saddle or racing can be exhausting and at worst be very dangerous. Having recently completed the Schleck Gran Fondo in Luxembourg the heat played a key factor racing over the 155km hilly course.

Sunburn contributes to fatigue and increases your metabolism which increases fluid needs, which will make hydration more difficult. When your body is devoting energy to keeping you cool, heavy exertion will limit your power output and performance. This can lead to mistakes, reduced concentration and in extreme circumstances collapse.

The Aussie mantra of slip slop slap is built in to their sun exposed culture to protect from the worst of prolonged exposure. Cyclists can follow a similar approach to keep safe and hydrated.

Look for cycle clothing which assists and has built in protection against sun burn. Remember the photos of Chris Froome who burnt badly through his Sky team kit. Don’t forget the head and eyes; a cycle cap can help shield your head from burns and sunglasses with UV protection protect your eyes.

Use a high factor suncream. I’ve been using P20 suncream for the last 6 years which offers up to 10 hours sun resistant as well as being great with resisting water and sweat. Remember to cover thighs and calves and the backs of your hands liberally with suncream as they’re constantly exposed to UV rays.

Drink plenty of fluids the day and morning before. Especially important if you have been travelling on an aeroplane to the event. If you are travelling try to get out their early to acclimatise to the heat.

On the day sip from water bottles preloaded with electrolytes during your ride and swill the water around your mouth. Set a reminder on your Garmin for every 10-15mins to take a sip from your water bottle.

You could even freeze your second water bottle so its cold when you come to drink it.  Cold water in your stomach will draw heat from the core of your body and potentially boost your energy.

Pace yourself for the heat and moderate to the lower or middle of your training zone. Listen to the signals and if ever in doubt just ease up a bit. Remember on the climbs there’ll be no cooling benefit of the headwind so moderate carefully.

Post ride keep in the shade and take a protein-based recovery drink which will rehydrate you faster. Eat some watery fruit such as watermelon and grapes and remember to keep hydrated throughout the day.

Big thanks for the four days of spectacular cycling action in the Tour de Yorkshire 2018!

Fabulous scenery, sense of community and cracking weather. Not to mention the incredible and demanding routes. The crowds and effort people went to with decorations adorning buildings, hedgerows and fields was a sight to behold. The shear numbers of spectators was staggering.

I watched the Stage 2finish on the 1.9km climb up to the Cow and Calf pub on Ilkley Moor. Riders were spurred out of their saddles on this steep section by the rapturous applause and banging on the barrier boards.

I also rode the Park Rash climb a few hours before the Tour riders came through in Stage 4; a brutal 2.3km climb with a couple of 25% hairpins. The blistering heat made this a tough feat among the beautiful Dales scenery. Fresh tarmac and a road sweeping truck was taking care of duty as I descended back via Horsehouse to West Whitton. Looping back via Hawes and Askgarth climb I caught the riders at Kettlewell with Stephane Rossetto way out front.

Super weekend, weather and cycling in Yorkshire.

Each year we look for new ideas for fundraising and increasing awareness for the children’s charity, Coram.  This year I experimented with the idea of ornaments that could be attached to a bikes handlebars for a bit of fun.  It started with a 3D printed prototype of Peppa Pig and in collaboration with Club Peloton quickly moved to ‘Harold the giraffe’, the charity mascot, for Coram. He has been computer modeled and styled from a photograph of the Coram hand puppet, then 3D printed and finally hand painted.  A Garmin mount has been incorporated to provide an easy fix to the handlebars.

The Harolds will join the Cycle to MIPIM riders travelling from London to Cannes along the 1500km journey* to raise money and increase awareness for Coram.  You can follow their progress and say hi on twitter; #haroldontour #cycletoMIPM.

*one name for a group of giraffes.  Others are a tower, a troop, a herd, a kindergarten, a kaleidoscope of giraffes.

Ecstatic to be a part of the Legal and General Cycle to MIPIM in 2017 as the ride becomes even bigger!  This year 2 routes will take 160 riders from London to Cannes in 6 days.

Cycle to Cannes MIPIM 2016 completed! We did it!

An awesomely massive thank you to everyone who supported me and sponsored me for the ride you.  It was your help with donations, training, cycle and bike gear, nutrition, motivation and even getting me out of bed to train that  really made the difference!

My ride has raised an amazing £3,000! In total all the Cycle to Cannes riders and team sponsors this year raised over £365,000 which is an incredible amount of money!  It will really make the difference to the lives of so many children and young people supported by Coram.

The harsh winters training once again paid off with a terrific 6 days of blue sky riding amazing roads through France.

The ride and welcome into Cannes was amazing with super massive support at the finish.  Thanks to everyone who turned out there and the help getting me back on walking feet.  A special thanks to Geraint who took the time out after Paris-Nice to come down to Cannes to present our medals.

As well as the awesome photographs lots of great video footage has been captured this year see below.  It also give you an idea of all the amazing support and logistics that go into keeping a ride of this size churning through the 1500km!

Rest.

 

 

 

 

An amazing £2,340 raised so far @Coram #CycleToMIPIM.  Thank you for all your support and generous donations they will keep me motivated next week during the 1000 mile Cycle to Cannes.  

Please keep the donations coming and sponsor me here;

https://race-nation.com/sponsor/e/20913/

  

I don’t know technical wheel speak or the science behind wheel construction so these are my straight forward thoughts on Hunt Wheels 4 Season Dura Road wheelset;

I’ve been using these wheels since November on my Condor Super Acciaio as an all round winter wheelset for Cycle to Cannes (MIPIM) training. They are about 1500 miles in and have been out in all conditions with minimal cleaning and maintenance. I’ll say up front I think they have been a great choice so far and if they keep performing they represent excellent value for money.

They weigh more than 300 grams heavier than my Dura-Ace C24 carbon laminate wheelset.  Not a great deal really just a 1/3 of a bag of sugar.  The Hunt wheels feel strong and robust with 24 spokes at the front and 28 at the back.  They give a good sense of security should the inevitable pothole take you by surprise.

I’m very happy with braking performance on the aluminium alloy rim. There are deep grooves in the rim which makes braking in the wet super dependable including in the worst of  London’s road grim. We’ll keep an eye on rim wear over the next few months.

The hubs have been smooth even in the worst of the weather. The noise made by the ratchet when not pedaling is a comfort on the commute for increased pedestrian awareness.  The spokes all seem firm and I haven’t detected any issues with tension.

I  like the graphics used on the rims of the wheels which are monochromatic and minimal.

The wheels are tubeless ready but I run them with inner tubes currently. Interestingly they came with tubeless rim tape specified as default (I didn’t notice).  The rim tape did give way to the inner tube causing a blowout on the rear where it pushed through  into the spoke hole. I have now fitted Vitorria rim tape which is much higher quality and resolves the issue.  The guys at Hunt also offered to sort it all out; good customer service ; )

The wheels continue to be highly durable and the double sealed bearings are great for the bad weather months.  They are most definitely a fit and forget heavy duty training and commuting wheelset which I’m confident will survive until the warm months arrive.