2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013
2023 (17)
- Col du Grand ColombierAt the south-east corner of the Jura mountain massif, it was a beautiful day to take on the tough climb of le Col du Grand Colombier
- Pra LoupA bike ride from Barcelonnette to the ski station at Pra-Loup, famous as a Tour-de-France stage finish, with wonderful views over the valleys. Short ride - quick post
- Les Trois ColsFinally I got to do this epic loop in the Mercantour National Park, climbing over le Col de la Cayolle, Col des Champs and Col d'Allos in one day.
- Col de MenthièresAnother wonderful bike ride in the Parc Naturel Régional du Haut-Jura, climbing the Col de Menthières and descending via Chézery-Forens.
- Col de BérentinA bike ride around Col de Bérentin, in the Jura mountains, including ten more cols on the route, and a spectacular view of Lac de Sylans
- Col de la Faucille (Gex)In the Jura mountains, I tackled the other side of the Col de la Faucille from Gex, and climbed to the top of Mont Rond for a wonderful view of Lake Geneva
- Col de la SchluchtA wonderful cycling loop in the Vosges mountains from Le Markstein via Route des Crêtes and Col de la Schlucht. Lakes and cols were the features of today's ride
- Col du Petit BallonStill on the theme of 'Ballons', today I tackled the Col du Petit Ballon on a beautiful September day here in the Vosges
- Le Grand BallonI decided to ignore the weather forecast and took on this toughish ride to the highest point of the Vosges mountains, Le Grand Ballon. The gamble paid off...
- LimouxAn early morning ride in the Aude department of south-western France. I managed to bag another nine cols!
- Les Gorges de la NesqueI finally got to see les Gorges de la Nesque. It's been on my list for years. An amazing gorge road that goes on and on and on..
- Montagne de LureA sixteen mile climb through the forest took me to le Sommet de la Montagne de Lure, to be rewarded with far-reaching views. It's like a mini Mont Ventoux..
- Col de PertyRide on a rainy day over the Col de Perty and Col Saint-Jean, after which my luck ran out.... !
- Col du NégronA ride on a sunny but chilly and very windy day in Provence, over the hills via the Col du Négron and Col de l'Homme Mort
- Col du GranierStill in the Chartreuse this ride from Entremont-le-vieux to Col du Granier bagged me another 4 cols on the way! Beautiful day. Beautiful scenery.
- Col du CucheronAfter the last ride, I revisited that amazing gorge road (la route des Gorges du Guiers Mort) to get photos and find out more..
- Col de PorteMy first ride in the Chartreuse massif on a beautiful day ended up being a very long slog
2022 (31)
- Boxing DayMy first solo winter ride for years. A return to the hills around Wrotham on a beautiful sunny Boxing Day..
- BouchanièresThis short ride to Bouchanières was the last of my cycling holiday. I got my last look at the mountain scenery and rounded my monthly climbing total to 20,000 m.
- Beuil (not Saint-Léger)Once again, a ride through the Gorges du Cians was scuppered due to roadworks. Still I got to see Beuil and the north section of the gorge I'd not seen before
- Les TourresA ride from Guillaumes to the remote hamlet of Les Tourres, by way of a gravel mountain road, turned out more interesting than I'd expected..
- ValbergA ride from Guillaumes up to Valberg ski resort and beyond to the col de l'Espaul, followed by a stunning descent..
- Col d’AllosI climbed to the col d'Allos (2,247 m) from Barcelonnette. This road runs parallel to the Col de la Cayolle road on the other side of the Gorges du Bachelard before turning to the west
- Cime de la Bonette (Jausiers)My longest climb yet, I rode up to the Cime de la Bonette again, this time from Jausiers on the north side. And this time I walked the last bit up to the peak. There was nowhere higher to go!
- Col de la CayolleAn amazing, beautiful bike ride following the Bachelard river from Barcelonnette to the Col de la Cayolle at over 2,300 metres
- Col de VarsI rode from Guillestres in the Queyras valley to Col de Vars (2,109m). Steep at first and then gets easier towards the top. Once through the ski resorts it turned into a nice road.
- Colle dell’AgnelloI rode from Castello in Italy to the Colle dell'Agnello (2,744m). An amazing ride, with lots of marmots and spectacular mountain landscapes.
- Colle del NivoletIn the Gran Paradiso national park in Italy, I rode to the famous Colle del Nivolet through spectacular wild mountain scenery.
- Cormet de RoselendCycling in the Savoie, this stunning ride took me from Bourg-Saint-Maurice to Cormet de Roselend and down to Lac de Roselend and the chapel
- Ballon d’Alsace (South)I took on the Ballon d'Alsace again, this time climbing from the south side and descending to the east. Cycling heaven..
- La Super Planche des Belles FillesBack in France again! Cycling in The Vosges mountains, I took on The Super Planche des Belles Filles, a tough climb often featured in the Tour de France
- Col de la MachineI rode the 'other way' around Combe Laval to see the balcony road from the opposite edge of the cirque
- Col de l’Iseran (FERMÉ)I rode to see if I could reach the Col de l'Iseran, even though it was officially closed..
- Col du Petit Saint BernardI rode from Bourg-Saint-Maurice to Col du Petit Saint Bernard and the Italian border ...
- Col de la FaucilleA quick late-afternoon ride up to the Col de la Faucille, with views of Mont Blanc..
- Notre Dame de la PaixNotre Dame de la Paix, slight return. Quick ride up the hill to see the statue..
- Col de la ViergeA bike ride from Cornimont to Col de la Vierge visiting Lac de Kruth-Wildenstein and Col d'Oderen
- Ballon d’AlsaceCycling in The Vosges. I rode from Cornimont, climbing the col de Morbieux and the more famous Ballon d'Alsace
- Col de Grosse PierreA tough ride on a hot day to Lac de Gérardmer via Col de Grosse Pierre, in the Vosges region of France
- Ardennes AgainAnother chance for me to enjoy the wonderful roads of the Ardenne forest and the Semois river
2021 (16)
- Le LavandouThe last ride of my 2021 French tour. From Collobrières over the hills of the Massif des Maures to the Mediterranean
- Col de la SinneA breathtaking ride over the hills between the valleys of Le Tinée and Le Cians via le Col de la Sinne..
- Col de TendeAn epic ride up the Roya valley and then a gravel climb to the Italian border at the Col de Tende, or the 'Colle di Tenda' in Italian
- Col de Turini (from Sospel)I took on the Col de Turini for the second time, but using a different route up and a third route down. I think that's the lot now..
2020 (13)
- Gravel at lastFinally did a gravel route on my GT Grade. It was the track I declined on my Colnago last year
- Puget-RostangFirst ride of the year. First ride on gravel bike. First hot sunny day of the year. Lots of things learned
- More Upgrades to GradeHow I fitted a whole new drivetrain to the GT Grade and serviced the DT Swiss freewheel hub
- Gravel Bike Gear RatiosGear ratios on the GT Grade are too high for a gravel bike. "Where's the data?" I hear you ask...
2019 (31)
- Col de la Madone (not that one!)Cycling in the Alpes-Maritimes, this was beautiful, peaceful ride to the remote village of Thiéry, via le Col de la Madone
- Col de la Joux VerteWent in search of a mountain lake, but found a building site Then some goats, Then another lake....
2018 (9)
- Mission to AxminsterHills, rain and a heavy back-pack probably not a good idea the day before a big ride...
2017 (2)
2016 (16)
- Mont VentouxFinally completed this long-standing goal of doing the Bédoin climb of Mont Ventoux, non-stop
- Gorgeous Narnia (aka Gorges du Nan)A ride in the Gorges du Nan. Such a magical place, I prefer to call it Gorgeous Narnia!
- UCI Track Cycling World Championships 2016When my friend offered me a spare ticket to the UCI World Championships at the London Velodrome, I nearly took his hand off! Even better was that we chose to ride there and back.
2015 (26)
- Hollingbourne Hill Climb 2015For some mad reason, I decided to enter the Hollingbourne Hill Climb this year...
- The Hoo PeninsularI was going to call this post "Le Tour de l'Isle de Grain" until I realised that the Isle of Grain is just the NE-most tip of the Hoo Peninsular
- Hernhill (No, not that one!)No wind, no sun, no nothing. Just grey. Grey sky, grey roads, grey trees. Just interminable greyness. And it was cold. And I got a puncture And it was so GREY!!
2014 (50)
- OmmadawnAb yul ann idyad awt En yab na log a toc na awd Taw may on omma dawn ekyowl Omma dawn ekyowl
- Padgham CornerWet and windy ride started well but came to a painful end through some sort of knee problem.
- Exmouth ExodusAs the still potent remnants of Hurricane Bertha approached SW England, we rode through the night, straight into its path, armed only with rules #5 and #9...
- Rye Harbour (SFA)A big group of 16 of us rode out to Rye Harbour. Had a slow puncture in my front tubular.
- London NightriderA beautiful night to be cycling around the world's greatest city. Warm, dry and calm. Raised £270 for British Red Cross
- WhitstableA ride to the seaside on a lovely sunny day. Only marred by an annoying rattle and an uncomfortable saddle.
- CommutingDoes commuting get any better? All this week I have been cycling to work at Tonbridge, a round trip of about 25.5 miles.
- Spring is in the AirA beautiful day for riding around the Vale of Kent! My longest ride since my knee injury...
2013 (63)
- Vigo HillDate climbed 29th October 2013 Elevation gain 244 feet Length 0.39 mile Duration 4.5 minutes This hill is so steep that, even in a car, it is scary going down. In fact most drivers seem to take it quite slowly. I have only included figures here for Vigo Hill itself. Before you reach the beginning … Continue reading "All posts"
- Of Cassettes and SpacersOnly read this post if you are trying to fit a 10-speed Shimano cassette to an 11-speed hub. Or if you are really bored!
- Shades of ChinaThese are really excellent quality for the price – £13.67 delivered! They come with loads of accessories including 4 interchangeable lenses, including polarised. I love Chinese stuff!
- East Hall HillDate climbed 11th July 2013 Elevation gain 254 feet Length 0.6 mile Duration 5 minutes This is one of the hills that rises from the Vale of Kent up to the Greensand Ridge. This one could well be the steepest of them all. It’s one of those hills where you can never really see what … Continue reading "All posts"
- Über Granny RingI can’t remember the actual reason why this all started; I guess I just figured that I could tackle some steeper hills with confidence if I had some lower-ratio gears. So I considered the possibility of fitting a smaller granny ring to my Campag Veloce triple (52Tx42Tx30T) on my Giant TCR 3. I called my LBS … Continue reading "All posts"
- Le solstice d’étéCloud and mist earlier in the day had given way to a sunny evening for the Summer Solstice. I went out for this leisurely ride: It was the first time I had ridden around Brenchley. There is an amazing view from Crook Road where there’s a nice lookout point with benches and a 3D model … Continue reading "All posts"
- Yalding Hill Falls AgainJust been out for a quick spin on this lovely warm evening. I scored another victory over Yalding Hill by smashing my previous ascent time by almost 30 seconds! “It doesn’t get any easier – you just go faster” Greg Lemond Edit (14/07/2014): Since this post, have now taken another 30 seconds off:
- Hastings for Father’s DayThe weather forecast said it would be dry in most places. Well, it started raining near Marden and didn’t let up until about 5 miles from Hastings. It was only fine rain really – enough to get me a bit damp, but the roads didn’t get wet enough to cause splashing. What I was mainly … Continue reading "All posts"
- Stonestile LaneDate climbed 16th June 2013 Elevation gain 336 feet Length 0.7 mile Duration 7.5 minutes About a mile north of Hastings. The first part of this hill is steep enough that I had to be out of the saddle. There was no possibility of sitting down. It’s quite a slog and reminded me of Cob Lane. … Continue reading "All posts"
- Holdsworth ProJust been out on this route and got 3 Personal Bests on Strava, including Yalding Hill. Yay! And now I’m aching. Nothing much else happened this week, cycling-wise, except on Monday as I was passing a bike shop in Ashford I saw this thing of beauty through the window I literally did a double-take and … Continue reading "All posts"
- Giant Defy Composite 2I saw a glowing review of this bike and it must have been just at the right time for me to be thinking about getting a new bike, even though there was nothing particularly wrong with my existing bike. It’s a bit like when you suddenly decide to get a different car. Once your … Continue reading "All posts"
- Tour of The Isle of SheppeyTour of Isle of Sheppey took me unexpectedly through the Elmley National Nature Reserve
- The Wiggle Surrey Sussex Scramble 2013My third sportive. This time I had decided to go a bit further still – 75 miles. It was an early start for me, getting up at 6 AM, after less than five hours sleep! A large bowl of porridge and a ninety-minute drive later I found myself in the increasingly familiar surroundings of a … Continue reading "All posts"
- Mavic Ksyrium Elite Wheels (2012)Got these wheels second-hand from eBay. The seller said they had done just 200 miles and, judging by the look of them and the tyres, I had no reason to doubt him. They came with a Shimano Ultegra cassette, which I sold on eBay for £35, so I ended up paying about £100 less than … Continue reading "All posts"
- Off-road and Above-road!New rule of thumb: If the Google street-view car didn’t go there, then think twice before riding a road bike there! Some of this route was pretty rough tracks – other bits were muddy bridle paths! Brilliant route though. Took me into the back of beyond, places and roads where you would never normally go. … Continue reading "All posts"