Reflections on failure

Despite the negative connotations of this title, I'm trying to see the positives. I decided this year to dive head first into the weird and wonderful world of audaxes. An audax is a non-competitive, but timed, long-distance bike ride. It features several control points which are only open for limited time windows throughout the day, …

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Trans-Cambrian, days 3-5, or, “it’s all downhill to Machynlleth”

I'm sorry it's taken me so long. I'll give you all my excuses another time. In the meantime if you've not yet read about the first two days of our Trans-Cambrian adventure, you should do so first.Day 3: Claerddu bothy - Cwmystwyth valley (30 miles)I left you a long time ago in a bothy in …

Trans-Cambrian, days 1 & 2, or, “what kind of sick f**k brings a horse up here?”

At the beginning of this year I set myself a few intentions, one of which included doing a long, multi-day off-road ride. I ticked this off my list in July, when we rode the Trans-Cambrian Way. The Route In case you've not heard of the TCW, it's just over 100 miles, with 3,248 metres of …

Cycle Touring to the Cycle Touring Festival, Day 3

Click for part 1 and part 2. Day 3: Nantwich to Clitheroe (70 miles, in theory) We awoke once again to an undisturbed night's sleep in a farmer's field. I was feeling awake and refreshed, having slumbered very deeply while tucked away in my tent. It's amazing what a difference it makes, and I was …

Cycle Touring to the Cycle Touring Festival, Day 2

If you haven't read part 1, click here. Day 2: Ludlow to Nantwich (70 miles) This is what I look like after cycling 70 miles, and then laying in a field all night without sleeping: Needless to say, I felt like shit in the morning. I'd had no sleep at all, I had a banging …

Cycle Touring to the Cycle Touring Festival, Day 1

Sorry it's been a while! I don't have much time to write anymore, but I've finally managed to set aside enough time to write about a recent adventure of mine. Admittedly, it was a few weeks ago, but it's better late than never, right? As this second May bank holiday draws to a close, I …

The Brake That’s Breaking Me

It's the perfect pun, but it's also a sad truth that one lousy brake is causing me to have a breakdown. I'm not a mechanic, but I possess certain mechanical skills that lead me to believe that I should be capable of solving this. But then again, when it leaves my boyfriend - an actual …

Moving house by bike

I hate moving house, and yet I seem to do it pretty often. Back when I first came to Bristol I moved every 6 months to a year for about three or four years straight. I settled down for two, and then my stuff was back in boxes. It can be really stressful, trying to …

#IWD #TBT – A year of progress

Happy International Women's Day! This time last year, Adam and I cycled from Bristol to Oxford to attend the Women and Bicycles Festival at the Broken Spoke Co-op. A year on, I'm looking back and I can see that that particular ride marked a pivotal point for me in my cycling journey. I haven't had …

Clipping in off-road

I promised you progress, and I'm happy to deliver. Sort of. Last Sunday I met up with Lucy, Grainne and her partner Livi, and the four of us rode around Ashton Court and had lots of fun. I used the day to test out my newly purchased Pearl Izumi X-Alp Launch II shoes, and Time …