A ride less ordinary
Adventure Biking & the art of Going Slow & Getting lost
Category: adventure road-biking
Midges, Grace & Wild Camping
This is a story about one of my early adventures, in the days when cycling was a minority interest, when the internet and mobile phones weren’t even distant dreams, fuel was something you put in your car and GPS was when you had more… Continue Reading “Midges, Grace & Wild Camping”
All about the bike
‘It’s all about the bike’ ……. an often-quoted phrase in the cycling world, which I happen to think is an over simplification. This blog post, however, is unashamedly all about the bike because I have just bought a new one. It’s been a long time coming.
A Girls Own Adventure
My recent cycling trip to Sri Lanka was peppered with ‘firsts’. It was the first time I had planned an independent road-bike trip outside of Europe, it was also the first time that I hadn’t booked accommodation in advance, and the first time I… Continue Reading “A Girls Own Adventure”
Street-view Sri Lanka – a cycle tour
I have been to Sri Lanka twice before, once on a minibus and beach holiday, and once on an organised bike tour. So why a third time? The reason is a tad on the nerdy side. Sri Lanka happens to be one of the… Continue Reading “Street-view Sri Lanka – a cycle tour”
Chasing the sun; a winter cycle tour
I promised myself that every couple of months I would get out of London and go somewhere different. It didn’t really matter where, Timbuktu or Bognor Regis, just a change of scene. I didn’t make it as far as Bognor Regis, but decided on… Continue Reading “Chasing the sun; a winter cycle tour”
Who needs an Adventure Road Bike?
Is it really necessary to invent yet another type of bike? Well, all I can say is that I am definitely coming around to the idea! At first I thought it was just another marketing ploy to convince cyclists with a lot of spare… Continue Reading “Who needs an Adventure Road Bike?”
An Adventure Bike tour of South London
A friend of mine recently returned from an epic adventure, cycling alone from Amritsar, via the Hill Stations of North India, to Kathmandu, and having returned home to no job, I invited her on a mid-week adventure road-bike ride. I wrongly assumed she would… Continue Reading “An Adventure Bike tour of South London”
Not quite the Pilgrims’ Way!
My recent trip to Whitstable along the Pilgrims’ Way re-ignited my plan to complete the entire ‘track-way’ in a series of day trips. In retrospect I could have benefited from knowing where it started and finished. I decided to complete the section from Rochester… Continue Reading “Not quite the Pilgrims’ Way!”
A Pilgrims Tale
This is the story of the Bella Velo Cycling Clubs summer trip to the sea. It was a road ride full of unforeseen adventures that pushed us all to various limits. We conquered extreme heat, punctures, thigh-burning hills, came close to mutiny and possibly… Continue Reading “A Pilgrims Tale”
Up the Ravensbourne
….and down the Darent. That was the plan. As part of my scheme to ride to the source of all the rivers entering the Thames along its passage through London, I thought I would start at Deptford and finish at Dartford; going up one… Continue Reading “Up the Ravensbourne”
Hoo Dunnit!
It was time to forge further east along the Thames and pick up a Thames-side route from Dartford to Rochester, and with the days getting longer and the weather forecast set fair, I seized the day. My mission was to stick close to the… Continue Reading “Hoo Dunnit!”
Strava, Streams & the Serra de Bernia
…….and so it came to be that I found myself on a road-biking holiday in Calpe, a resort just along the coast from Benidorm. I had confessed my love of the road less traveled to the group leader (Keith the honorary Bella Velo), so… Continue Reading “Strava, Streams & the Serra de Bernia”
…….here comes the sun!
Barcelona! Beautiful trails through pine clad hills, gravel tracks up dry river beds, classic road-bike climbs ….. gambas al ajillo, Rioja. I will definitely be back for more! This blog describes my winter escape to seek out some Mediterranean sunshine and to discover… Continue Reading “…….here comes the sun!”
Adventure Road-Biking
What is Adventure Road-Biking? It’s a mind-set. You can be an adventure road-biker on any kind of road bike, although you may wish to consider the wisdom of using your top of the range Pinarello (should you be lucky enough to own one)! It… Continue Reading “Adventure Road-Biking”
Col du Petit St Bernard II or a ride ‘gastronomique’?
Improving on my last ascent of this col shouldn’t be too hard, as on my previous trip I found the road ascent a bit dull, and then got chased off the mountain by the rain and cold, so surely room for improvement? I decided… Continue Reading “Col du Petit St Bernard II or a ride ‘gastronomique’?”
‘Doom’ du Vaugelaz II
I planned to extend Dome de Vaugelaz I, which was one of my favourite rides in June. So why try to improve it? Dunno! I just thought that perhaps it wasn’t quite long enough, so I added an additional loop to the beginning and… Continue Reading “‘Doom’ du Vaugelaz II”
Ghostly ski resorts & off-road bliss
The plan was to ride along the valley to Villaroger and then try the un-surfaced road up to Les Arc 2000, keeping high above Les Arc 1600 & 1800 and linking with Peisey Nancroix ride that I did last trip. A higher than average… Continue Reading “Ghostly ski resorts & off-road bliss”
Last Chance Saloon
I awoke from a terrible nights sleep due to eating a huge portion of pasta the previous evening, and the women in the room upstairs going to the loo at least 3 times. I couldn’t decide between Col de Madeleine (with a train ride)… Continue Reading “Last Chance Saloon”
A Gravelly Descent
The plan to do the Roselend Epic (via the ‘closed’ Cormet d’Areches road) with a local cyclist called Ben had cratered. It was raining at 8 am and then again at 9 am and after a bout of email ping-pong we decided against it. … Continue Reading “A Gravelly Descent”
Ascent of Dome de Vaugelaz
Another beautiful sunny day. Set off without a plan in the Bourg direction and decided to explore above the village of les Chapelles. The Ride. Arrived at the start of the narrow winding road that I noted a couple of days ago and I’m… Continue Reading “Ascent of Dome de Vaugelaz”
A ride less ordinary 