by hattenburrow | Oct 10, 2016 | Kit Reviews, Nutrition
The Power Bar natural energy cereal is one of the samples I had through being a Power Bar product tester.
I have been really impressed with the products I have tasted and this is no exception!
During my 3 hour training ride I used this as an energy snack. The session was mid to high intensity and I found I had to slow down to eat this bar. However the taste was brilliant a mixture of wholegrain oats, fruit pieces, pumpkin seeds and peanuts. It was the right balance of flavours and the mix sweet and savoury.
The texture was like a normal cereal bar and it was easy to chew when riding at a steady pace.
I found later during my ride that my energy levels had been maintained and I did not get a sugar rush or a low which was great. On long rides you want your fuelling to maintain your energy levels for the duration of your workout without major changes in your energy levels.
Nutritional Information:
| Nutrition Information |
per 100g |
per bar (40 g) |
| Energy kJ (kcal) |
1549 (367) |
620 (147) |
| Fat |
7,2 g |
2,9 g |
| of which saturates |
2,6 g |
1,0 g |
| Carbohydrate |
65 g |
26 g |
| of which sugars |
22 g |
9,0 g |
| Fibre |
5,8 g |
2,3 g |
| Protein |
7,2 g |
2,9 g |
| Salt |
0,33 g |
0,13 g |
|
|
|
| Magnesium |
180 mg |
72,0 mg |
|
(48%**) |
(19%**) |
I would recommend this bar for a pre-training snack and on long steady training rides its great to have as a crunchy snack.
by hattenburrow | Sep 13, 2016 | Film & Photo, Kit Reviews
Earlier in the year I took part in the Trans Alp bike race. For the race I rode the Specialized ERA Comp. The brain technology in the shock made for a super comfortable ride without loosing power going up hill. The Era is a brilliant bike for long distance mountain biking because the full suspension allows the bike to keep excellent traction and provides a comfortable ride, whilst the 9mm FACT carbon frame is light and means that the bike is agile. The rear shock uses’ Fox/Specialized Brain technology which means the bike understands and adapts to the ground underneath it, it knows if the shock is coming from the terrain or from me and adjusts itself accordingly. Pretty cool stuff!
Thanks to MA-Aerial Worx for the video!
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by hattenburrow | Sep 10, 2016 | Training
Sorry for the long period of silence it has taken me some time to put my thoughts into sentence form!
Since competing the Trans Alp at the end of July life has been somewhat bizzare… I came back full of memories of the highs and lows and buzzing from achieving my dream to complete my first stage race.
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Top of Umbrail Passe
The Trans Alp was a magical time where life was completely consumed by racing. The year leading up had also been consumed by training, after a week of re-telling the story and the excitement that we had achieved it, I hit the ‘what happens next’ wall. I found it difficult to describe how I was feeling, but down pretty much covers it, after such a high it was a massive low and for a good few weeks I couldn’t get on my bike for the shear fact that I didn’t know why.
I decided to take the pressure off trying to find the next thing and spend some time enjoying cycling with friends and family which was fun.
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Portsmouth ride with Lauren
Getting out and having some chilled time on my bike was great and gave me time to clear my head and think about what was next.
After a coffee ride with my Mum one day she said why don’t we do a challenge together! after lots of discussion we have now decided to do London to Paris next year which I am super excited about!
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Mum and I riding along to South Cove, Lowestoft
Alongside this my plan is to tackle another stage race. I would love to try the Trans Pyrenees or Swiss epic, so whats next?
I am going back to the gym to build my all over body strength for a few months before putting in the miles starts again.
Thanks to all my friends and family and sponsors for your support over the years.
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by hattenburrow | Aug 9, 2016 | Adventure, Biking Adventures, Film & Photo
The Trans Alp bike race was one of the most incredible experiences and I cannot wait to do another stage race.
Here is the first video created by my Dads film company. Thanks Dad!
[vimeo 178005152 w=640 h=360]
Thank you to everyone who supported our journey we could not have done it alone.
Hannah and Michelle x
by hattenburrow | Jul 27, 2016 | Biking Adventures, Inspiration, Racing
Today was a mixture of emotions standing on the start line I felt elated to have made it this far, with no serious mechanicals for both me and the bike! But unhappy that it was to be the last 54 km ride in this beautiful race.
The start
After a dry start leaving Trento, we started the gradual climb up from 200m to 1700m. Starting on road, turning to forest tracks and gravel paths as we steadily made it to the top. I was feeling great today, no aches and pains and was actually enjoying this demanding climb. (Clearly I’m getting used to the Alps!)
Some sections were pretty steep and with all the rain over night rather slippy too and had to be walked. I joined a trail of silent cyclists pushing their bikes with a feeling of accomplishment that we all shared being there on the final day. Once the terrain was rideable I enjoyed the forest trails which were very like home in a way and the rain was certainly not dampening my state of mind as I looked for the lines ahead. The Era has been fantastic, apart from a few gearing issues caused by the 42t sprocket I put on for climbing. The low stand-over height and rear shock have given me confidence to try lines and go down singletrack which I know I would usually not do. I have relished in pushing myself out of my comfort zone and have found this whole week has been one long learning curve on bike handling, climbing, scrambling, nutrition and positive mental attitude!
The rain soon set in hard and I was so glad to have my Gore Tex jacket. The feed station at 19km was full of chilly cyclists sipping hot soup still with smiles on their faces.
I didn’t stop for long just grabbing some pineapple and a drinks refill before continuing climbing to the summit at 24km.
When I reached the top I felt relieved that my last big hill climb was behind me, but sad that I was nearly half way through the final stage. During this race there has been many highs and lows and I have learnt so much about myself, met some wonderful people and have fully immersed myself in the adventure, one that I am already looking to replicate by taking on another stage race, these thoughts filled my head as I soaked up the downhill. The first part was grassy paths through steep sided gulley’s, which in the dry would have been great fun, but the rain had made them like ice rinks and together with a group I cautiously made my way down these steep parts. Once we hit fire road, I enjoyed the sweeping corners singing songs with the word rain in them, as I made my way down to try and keep my spirits high as the rain tumbled from the sky.
The feed station at 32km came with a very welcome hot tea and waffles. I had two cups and carried on. Just up the road was my Dad, like a hot water bottle angel, he stood with dry gloves and arm warmers. I have never been so happy to pull on a cosy warm layer and this really helped get me up what was now my final climb in the Alps!
At the top of the climb Michelle was waiting huddled with Tom (her boyfriend). We finished the final downhill section together down some rocky singletrack which I really enjoyed. Now we were not as high, it was warm and damp, a little bit like a summer in Wales, so I felt really at home whizzing down the trails looking for the lines which avoided any slippy roots.
Racing into the back roads of the town, full of puddles and pot holes and through the final finishing archway was incredible, I felt like I was dreaming. After thinking of this moment for the last 10 months, visualising what it would feel like to have accomplished my dream it was difficult to describe how I felt, relieved to have finished climbing mountains for a while, exhilarated to have pushed my body out of the comfort zone both in descending and climbing and overwhelmed to now be able to say I completed the toughest Stage race in Europe! WE DID IT!
Thank you to all my family and friends who supported me. Thank you to Specialized for letting me use the Era, Thanks to Bike Fixers, Grip Grab, Food for Thought and Dogtag for supporting us on this journey of a life-time.
