Fartlek is Swedish for “speed play,” and that is what this training session is all about! Fartlek is unstructured and alternates moderate-to-hard efforts over a period of time.
During the winter months it’s good to mix up your training on the bike to keep you energised and excited about layering up and pedalling on.
I hope you enjoy my video!
Hiring a bike is always an option when going abroad, but hire costs can be expensive and if you are like me your faithful bike is set up how you like it and no ‘hire’ bike can quite compare. Fortunately, there are many ways to take your bike abroad – here are just a few options to consider.
This post comes on a day when I have spent, the best part of the day packing up my bike ready to fly to Romania for the Carpathian Stage Race. I am flying with my bike and borrowed a bike bag of a friend. It’s a Evoc bag with wheels making life easier to wheel it about. There are other ways to travel abroad with your bike so below is some information on what else you could do:
Travelling by car
If you’re travelling abroad by car, you could consider getting a bicycle rack fitted. A bicycle rack can be fitted on the roof or on the boot of your car. Both types of rack have their advantages and disadvantages – roof racks allow easy access to the boot but will add height to your vehicle, whilst boot racks won’t affect the height of your vehicle but will limit access to the boot. Consider which one is more practical for you.
If you like to go on family bike trips abroad, you could even consider investing a caravan or a motor home that will allow to carry multiple bicycles. Caravans could allow accommodation on the move as well, saving you money on hotels. You can look into local caravan storage if you don’t have space outside your home to park your caravan and you can even rent out your caravan when not using it to make some extra money. Pickup trucks and vans are other good options for carrying multiple bike racks.
Travelling by Eurostar
An alternative option could be to take the Eurostar to Europe. By booking ahead, you can reserve a space for your bike on the same train as you – not booking ahead could mean waiting for your bike for several hours on the other end whilst an available space is found. There’s a fee of £30 for taking you bike on the Eurostar. If you’ll willing to bag or box up you bike, it will count as oversized luggage and only cost you £25 – however this can entail dismantling your bike.
Travelling by air
It’s also possible to fly with a bike, which could be useful if you’ve got plans for a cycle trip further afield. Different airlines charge different rates for taking a bike – in some cases it’s free, whilst the likes of Ryanair and Easyjet charge £15. Most airlines require you to bag or box up your bike. Bagging it up in a see-through bike bag Box My Wheels are also a great option, where you hire a bike box for your trip.
Plan ahead when getting to an airport – if you’re taking the train to an airport and need to go via the London Underground, you may find that some lines don’t permit you to bring a bike.
Travelling by ferry
Taking a ferry is one of the more convenient methods of travelling abroad by bike. Most ferry operators charge only £5 and it’s a simple case of rolling it on and locking it up. If you’re taking a foot passenger ferry, be wary that your bike could be stored on the outside of the boat exposed to the elements, so make sure it’s well locked and consider taking off any luggage you may have with you.
Nothing quite gets your heart racing like mountain biking, hitting the trails, zipping along on two wheels through singletrack.
As a beginner it can be a challenge to navigate through wheel sizes, suspension set ups and handle bar length. I remember my first mountain biking adventure as a 10-year-old riding my ridged Raleigh bike from Halfords on a holiday to Slovakia with my Dad and Step Mum.
Sometimes the hills were so steep my Dad had to tie a rope to the front of my bike and ‘tow’ me up them! But I loved the singletrack and the exhilarating feeling of racing downhill, trees whooshing by as my mountain bike gripped the ground with its knobbly tyres.
I like to think my skill level on a mountain bike has improved since those early singletrack days! Here are my top tips for beginners looking to start mountain biking:
So you’re ready to hit the trails! Mountain biking is great fun and these next few tips will help you enjoy your time on the bike.
2. Cornering – When cornering your mountain bike do all your braking before the corner, enter the corner wide and exit on the inside. Look around the corner and use the banking (berms) to help carry your bike around the corner.
3. Look ahead – Riding through singletrack, obstacles will appear quickly as you glide through the trees, to be able to react and look for the smoothest line you need to look ahead down the trail.
Mountain Biking Utah
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Happy trails!
Hi sorry for the lack of blogging lately I have been working on a really exciting project and it has taken up a lot of time. More on that to follow….
I’m a 33 year old northern lass living in London who loves to escape the city. I was introduced to hiking and camping about five years ago and it soon consumed my weekends and holidays. Then three years ago I started cycling and last year chased my dream of going on a long bikepacking trip.
I quit my job after ten years in the IT industry and set off for the Scottish Hebrides islands for a solo twelve week trip which entailed many nights of wild camping along beautiful secluded coastlines. There is nothing quite like the feeling of waking up surrounded by the sights and sounds of nature and you don’t always have to go on a long trip or holiday to enjoy a night of wild camping.
My first wild camping experiences happened back in 2015 when a friend and I decided to embark upon a year of Microadventures which involved a wild camp night once a month on a ‘school night’.I was very lucky to have a friend crazy enough to join me because it can be a daunting prospect to consider going out for your first wild camp with someone, let alone doing it solo. So, when I saw a post on the Adventure Queens Facebook group earlier this month from someone wanting some company on their first wild camp, I jumped at the chance to help a fellow camper and to make a new friend.
This is the story of our camp out in the New Forest
This post is a little different instead of a story of adventure I asked Michelle Reed creator of Basecamp Nutrition, bad ass mountain bike racer, and of course super team mate for the Bike Trans Alp to share some nutritional wisdom and recipe selection to getting those pedals turning through the winter.
But first.. an introduction from team Basecamp.
Hi everyone, my name is Michelle.
I am a South African currently living and working in Germany. I am a qualified BSc (Hons) Nutritional Scientist and currently completing a Nutritional Therapist diploma. I have a great passion for living a healthy lifestyle and helping others create the same for themselves and their families.
My aim is to further my studies to become a sports nutritionist and to always keep up with the latest and greatest in the world of nutrition, to educate those who require my services.
Remember health is not a diet, it’s a lifestyle.
Hey guys, my name is Tom.
I am currently living and studying in Bayreuth, Germany. I am doing my masters in Sports Economics with a focus on competitive sports. 
As a competitive cyclist, currently riding for a German mountain bike team, Kreidler, I have gained a lot of experience regarding what to eat and what to avoid.
With all the knowledge Michelle has and my experience as an athlete, we hope to present you with a lot of great recipes that will support your healthy lifestyle.
Never lose the fun when cooking and eating! The recipes presented here should only give you an idea. You can (and should) adapt them to your very individual taste.
Healthy recipes for winter training
In my (Michelle’s) opinion an athletes performance revolves around 3 aspects; head strength, physical fitness and nutrition. Nutrition is one of the easiest ways to help improve performance and keep your body well conditioned.
Training through winter is never an easy process and it is the time of the year when many are preparing for their upcoming season. Come rain or snow training comes first to ensure you are earning that 1% over your competitors. The long hours in the saddle are accumulating to set up a strong base for the new season.
With intense training and a change in conditions, your body is put to the test in more ways than one, which makes taking care of it highly essential. This means supporting its processes in order to ensure that you are recovering quickly and not catching any colds along the way.
As a natural process with the increase in training, comes an increase in cortisol and inflammation. Cortisol is a stress hormone that is not only secreted at the sign of a stressor but also during intense and prolonged exercise. This natural increase has a tendency to lower immunity, which is why during this time many athletes battle with illness.
In order to help support your body by strengthening immunity, aiding digestion and absorption of nutrients and regulating inflammation, it is important to eat foods that hold the properties to do so.
Here are the links to our healthy recipes to keep you going through winter.
Breakfast – Warming raspberry oats
Lunch – Broccoli salad
Dinner – Pumpkin soup