Products to help you run, race, remember
Stretching – what, how and why?! Stretching can sound like yet another thing we know we should probably do, but don’t! Even if you commit to doing it, you’re not always sure you’re doing it right. Do I need to stretch? Latest research and thinking will always evolve. These are what I think we can[…]
How mantras & visualisation can help you be your best Visualising a goal time Visualise your dream time as you cross the line at your event. It doesn’t need to be ‘good’ by anyone else’s standards, it just needs to be meaningful for you. Maybe you’d like a post injury comeback time, or a new[…]
Conker your goals: What squirrels can teach us about autumn training AUTUMN TRAINING Seasonal scenery (& scampering squirrels) Autumn is a fantastic time of year to run or cycle outside. If you don’t live near a park or any trails, it’s a perfect time to visit some. In contrast to our high tech world[…]
Motivation’s a big deal. It’s one of the things I’m asked about most. It seems to come naturally to some people. To others, I look like someone who finds it easy. But in reality I’ve just thought hard about what works for me, and worked to put that in place. Here I break it down[…]
Most of us are time-poor. Family, work, friends, home; it can be a challenge just fitting the basics in, let alone training. We often wonder how much better we’d be in our sport if only we had more time to train. It’s also common to assume everyone else has more time available. In reality, we[…]
Racing doesn’t mean you have to be a competitive person. You can race for many reasons. Racing is hard but the rewards are worth it. Running, triathlon or cycling, here’s 5 reasons why you should race. 1. The competition is up to you For most of us, unless we’re elite, it’s unlikely we’ll win our[…]
If you chat to other runners and cyclists, you probably talk about how hard or long your workouts were. Much less-talked about is recovery. Maybe it doesn’t create as good stories of hardship as training or racing can, but it’sjust as important as your physical training. Don’t just take it from me, in her autobiography[…]
Most of us want to be motivated, and most of us love to be inspired. But are they different, and do we need them both to get out and run? Do you feel any different when you say you’re motivated, to when you say you’re inspired? Or do you use them as two words for[…]
The Devil, stuffed lions, plastic squirrels and how do they go to the loo?!… You’ve seen how much there is to the Tour – the jerseys, the tactics, the super fast racing. Now take it to the next level and get fully submersed, with full-on fascinating and fun Tour trivia. The Devil There are millions[…]
How teams work + time trials, lead-out trains & crashes So now we know about the different competitions for the jerseys & how racing works , it’s time to look at how the Tour riders do their fastest racing. Who’s in a team? There are 22 teams of nine riders (that’s 198 total men[…]
Tactics, the peloton, drafting, breakaways and attacks So now you know all about the jerseys from Étape 1 of this guide, it’s easier to get to understand how the race works and what makes it exciting. TdF Structure – the stages The Tour follows a standard structure: It’s always 21 stages (1 stage per day[…]
Why I love the Tour de France and how you can too On one of my early cycle trips, we cycled from London and finished by cycling up the legendary 21 bends of Alpe d’Huez, slightly surprised that there were so many cyclists, camper vans and writing all over the road the day before the[…]
Efficiency is key: The first thing is to make sure your bike is properly fitted to you. Hopefully the bike shop did this when you bought your bike, or you can see a specialist for a more bespoke bike set up session. Comfort is key to cycling, and when you’re comfortable, you’re also more likely[…]
A good question, and one I get asked a lot. Bikes are booming now, and I love seeing more people out on the road than there were 10 years ago. But when we’re new to something, it’s easy to get bamboozled by the technical lingo, and oversold. So we go home with a coffee machine[…]