Blog — Category_Opinion

Sportives – mass participation cycling events – have become hugely popular in the past few years, and it’s not hard to see the appeal: the route planning is all done for you; it’s a chance to discover new hills, lanes and views; there are convenient food and toilet stops; there’s the opportunity to meet and ride with hundreds of other like-minded people, and you often get a medal too, woo-hoo! For a first-timer though, it can be a bit daunting to take part. Organised events attract quite serious cyclists and large groups of confident club riders taking on the challenge...

The women in my local club are always keen to try out new ride food – we’ve got such a great mix of riders that it goes without saying we’ll have different nutrition needs – so we’re often on the lookout for that perfect bar that’s not only delivers the energy and recovery benefits we want, but is also transportable, won’t upset the digestion, and tastes nice too! And we’re not alone - athletes are often ahead of the curve in nutrition technology, seeking to gain competitive advantage from the latest products. Think whey protein, creatine, BCAA's – bodybuilders were...

It was ridiculous. Almost laughable. “If you can ride 50 miles,” the sales guy said earnestly, “you can ride 50 miles on anything.” I was standing in front of a Specialized Venge, aggressively racy, cast-off by a pro half my age and weight, and now displayed for sale. OK, it was my size, and it definitely had the wow factor, but I knew it was wrong for me. Like an unsuitable boyfriend, this bike would hurt me if I let it into my life. But I get where the guy was coming from - to think more ambitiously about my...