by hattenburrow | Dec 16, 2013 | Biking Adventures, Kit Reviews, Nutrition
The day started early, leaving the house at 7.00 to drive down to the New Forest to take part in our first Sportive. I had convinced Martyn we should do it together and that we wouldn’t race it but just enjoy it, I wasn’t until we arrived that it became apparent Martyn had other ideas!
Arriving in Brockenhurst it was great to be back where I had spent so many days training last year. I love the New Forest it’s one of those places where you can ride for miles through different landscapes from heathland to forest, the scenery is always changing and hills spring up out of no where.
We set off on the Epic route which was 35 miles long at 9:45. The course meandered through forest and heath using the main forest tracks linked together by the odd road section. It was great to see so many people of different abilities doing the same ride, all out to enjoy the fresh air with friends on their bikes, it reminded me of The Ride London back in August which had the same feel.
Martyn soon picked up the pace and we seemed to be eating into the miles, to get ‘Gold’ you had to finish in 3 hours 50 which seemed fast for an off road race and like I said we were taking it easy, or so I had been led to believe !!…
The first food stop was at roughly a third of the way round, there was lots of snacks to choose from and I had half a banana and tried one of my USN Vooma caffeine gels, which USN had kindly given me to test during the event. I had used other brands of gels before in my XC races but not during an endurance event. As we were stopped I could open with my hands, but usually during a race I would do this with my teeth moving. I think from the way the packaging is designed it would be easy to open with teeth and shouldn’t spew out over you before you can eat it which is a bonus!
The gel was mocha flavour, not being a coffee drinker I was intrigued to see what this tasted like! it tasted like it smells when you walk into Starbucks with a hint of chocolate and a warming feeling. What I liked about this gel is that the texture was nice, some can be too sticky and leave your mouth feeling dry but this did not, which is a real plus for me as there is nothing worse than having a sticky horrible mouth when your racing and breathing hard.
The gel contained 24g carbs which is good for the size of pack and I would have been able to fit a couple easily in my jersey pocket.
As with most other gels if taken, it contained a mix of carbs and electrolytes which is great because it means you can take it just with water, saving you from having to buy energy drinks as well, and for a racer on a budget like me that’s a great option!
The gel seemed to kick in after about 10/15 minutes and I felt like I had an extra boost of energy and was able to push hard which was good as we had reached the hilliest part of the course and the extra energy helped me keep up with Martyn who was setting a medium/fast pace.
I only took one gel but think that if you needed to take them more regularly it would still taste and be fine. Some gels, if i take them too often don’t agree with my stomach but this seemed fine and I would be keen to try during a XC race where I usually take one per lap (every 30/40 mins).
The miles seemed to fly by as we got close to the end. We chose not to stop at the next feed station and pushed on, we were doing very well until we got about 8 miles from the finish and I heard this shout of ‘stop’! from behind, Martyn had a puncture! We quickly pulled out a new inner tube and got it changed but had some pump issues. Luckily a nice guy and his little boy stopped and lent us their pump. Once sorted we continued in having lost around 10/15 minutes, we pushed a little harder, but now raining slightly as well we were keen to see the end and a nice hot drink! It seemed like all the drama was going to happen in these last few miles as we went flying down a hill and it was my turn to shout stop! Martyn pulled up and pulled along side him, not able to open my eye because I had so much grit in it, not ideal. After a brief stop we were back in and eased off slightly and enjoyed the last part of the course.
We crossed the finish line in 2 hours 50 minutes travelling time which was a great achievement for our first sportive and meant we were comfortably within the time for a gold finishing position.
For anyone thinking about doing an off or in road sportive I would say go for it! It’s a brilliant way to get out and see new areas you wouldn’t usually cycle in and also a great sense of achievement to finish.
My tips would be take lots of layers, even if it looks like a nice day the weather in the UK is unpredictable especially in winter! Drink plenty, staying hydrated is important so make sure you have at least one bottle of water with you. If you’re doing a longer distance than you are used to make sure you have some decent padded shorts and chamois cream or Vaseline to stop any irritation. Take two snacks with you incase you get hungry in between feed stations, peanut butter sandwiches are great, as are bananas and gels. I can personally recommended the USN Vooma mocha gel it kept me going to the end.
by hattenburrow | Oct 20, 2013 | Kit Reviews, Training
When Giant send things through to review its like Christmas the anticipation of ripping of the tape and opening the box to discover what delights are inside to try out.
So when in October a month before my birthday a huge box big enough for me to fit in arrived at work from giant I was intrigued as to what I had been sent!
I was so excited to get my new turbo trainer home and test it out that I got it out in the office to have a quick look!
Winter has officially arrived in the UK with nights drawing in, frost on the car and bike lights a must if you’re going out. Having the luxury of being able to train indoors is brilliant and has meant I’ve kept up my training over the last couple of months.
The Giant Cyclotron turbo is very easy to set up, you just change the skewer in the back wheel of your road bike, open up the trainer and pop the bike in. It’s very heavy and feels sturdy and secure when training.
It folds away neatly into a carry bag and can be stored in a cupboard or bottom of the wardrobe which is a bonus.
The turbo has 5 levels of resistance, plus any gears you have and the effort can be made quite hard or very easy. I find I need it on about 3/4 most of the time and then just change my gears. This works well, but takes some getting used to as it took my a while to find what worked for me. It will depend what type of training you want to get out of the trainer to what setting works for you.
The turbo trainer is very sturdy I have done sprint sessions and really given it a pounding and it keeps me and the bike upright.
I tend to use the turbo in front of the TV for long tempo and AT threshold rides as I find these dull in the gym, it’s a great way to train for these rides once you get the resistance right you can just enjoy watching the TV whilst getting the miles in.
I would recommend buying a fan to use when you’re using the turbo as it gets so hot and no amount of window opening seems to cool you down (it also annoys anyone you may be living with who isn’t working out). But they could always go in the kitchen and cook your post training meal!!
The turbo trainer is noisy, but once you have the TV on loud you don’t really notice it.
I have found the turbo very useful and it’s improved my winter training by giving me no excuse not to train, however I don’t think you can beat getting out on your bike and I wouldn’t want to spend more than 2 hours on a turbo as it’s not as enjoyable as getting out on your bike, even when it’s dark and cold. You can’t beat getting out and braving the elements!
Overall my new turbo trainer has helped me put in session where I need to train in a specific heart rate zone which are hard to do out on the road and can be dull in the gym. I would recommend getting a turbo to anyone who is trying to do specific zone training as, like the gym, it’s a controlled environment.
the other great thing about turbo training is hooking it up to Strava.
Check out my other reviews for Giant here.
by hattenburrow | Jul 10, 2013 | Kit Reviews
This month I have been reviewing the Contact SLR TR Trail Riser Bar and Sole-O lock grips for Giant.
The bar is wider than my previous bar, at 730mm. I was unsure about to start with, as I spend most of my time weaving through tight single-track this extra bit of width has proven a little interesting at times.
The Sole-O grips are really nice and give you lots of grip, making it easier to change hand position to suit the type of riding you are doing, whether its down hill, up hill, technical or flat.
The handle bar is incredibly light at 175 grams, making a notable difference from the aluminium bar I had previously. I have tested the bar in lots of different conditions and terrains. It is certainly better for bombing downhill the wider position makes it feel very stable, and it’s easier to shift your weight around. On steep, rocky, rooty sections the carbon takes out some of the vibration too, which is a bonus. However, to start with I noticed it changed my balance on the bike and I found myself too far over the front wheel going downhill. This can be unnerving as every mountain biker knows being too far over the front wheel when going downhill often ends up with you taking a closer inspection of the trail!
Overall the bar and grips are fantastic and I have enjoyed learning how they differ from my previous bar, I have decided to get the bar cut down a little to suit the style of riding I do, which can be done at most good Giant retailers.
I have the charcoal version, the bar also comes in white, both colours look great, but the charcoal matches the rest of my bike, which is predominantly black. The O-lock grips have different colour rings, mine are blue, which was a brilliant choice by Giant as blue is my favourite colour.
At £130 this handle bar is well worth the investment for the stability, control and weight reduction.
Thank you to Giant retailer Cycle World Southampton for fitting the bar and as always thank you Giant for the opportunity to test out your products.
Check out my other product reviews for Giant here.
by hattenburrow | Jun 10, 2013 | Kit Reviews
“This month I have been reviewing the Liv / Giant breathable women’s specific jacket and the ¾ length lycra pant.
I decided to head to Wales to test out my latest bits of kit from Giant, after all what better place than the side of a mountain to try out functional clothing!
The jacket is cut to suit a women’s body shape and fits really well giving you enough room to manoeuvre your bike without feeling like your clothes are restricting or getting in the way. The colour is a dusky pink which looks great and has reflective piping and panels for extra visibility when out at night. The extra features, which I feel really make this the best cycling jacket I own are, the wet suit like cuffs which stop any drafts, the fact its so light you feel like you have nothing on and yet have good wind blocking properties and the two sides and back pocket which give enough space for all your biking accessories to be stored.
The jacket is a real asset to any girls biking wardrobe. It fits easily inside a biking bag, taking up no room when the sun did shine and then when it was windy it worked brilliantly at keeping me warm but without that sticky back feeling you get with some jackets once you have them on under a biking bag. The jacket was also light enough that when it did rain it didn’t feel uncomfortable and with my body heat dried really quickly.
I fell in love from the moment I sat on my saddle with the ¾ length pant the padding was incredible and made even the rockiest of single track descents bearable on my hardtail. The design really suits women, as the front is cut into a ‘v’ shape, which sits under your belly button, this is far more comfortable than an ordinary waist band which can cut in and feel uncomfortable on long rides. The ¾ length is something I hadn’t tried for biking before and I found this to be really handy as in shorts I often get cold when I stop, the longer length kept me warm, but also were not stifling when riding as long bottoms can sometimes be. When not riding my bike these are also comfy to walk in and don’t restrict your movement even though the padding is quite thick, which is great!
My only concern would be the wear and tear I wore these for a couple of hours with kneepads over the top and found they plucked and rubbed, which was a shame. However this is only a minor issue and would be easily solved by not wearing kneepads!
I found both items to be very high quality both in design and functionality, and would recommend them to all ladies out there.”
by | May 5, 2013 | Kit Reviews
Product reviews
I have had the privileged of being chosen as a real rider for Giant, I will be testing products every month for the year which will be posted to their website.
You can find out more about Giant Real Riders here.
by hattenburrow | Mar 10, 2013 | Kit Reviews
This month I have been testing the Giant Illuminator Combo light set. The first thing you notice about these lights is how small they are they can easily be fitted in a pocket of a jacket for safe keeping when you don’t want them on your bike.
These bright LED front and rear bike lights come with batteries and take a matter of minutes to attach to any bike with a simple to use mechanism which attaches the lights firmly to the bike. The only issue with this system is if you are transferring your lights between bikes it is a hassle to keep undoing all the screws to take them on and off, compared with some lights that have heavy duty rubber bands which hold them firmly in place but make the lights easily transferable between bikes. However retailing at £15.99 these lights are excellent value for money and if you are lucky enough to have two bikes, you could just buy two sets.
The front light has two settings flashing and steady beams both of these are very bright and the steady beam gives a good area of light coverage. The backlight has four different modes, steady and three different flashing modes. The backlight also comes with a handy clip that is great for attaching the light to a bag allowing you to have two backlights for added safety. As a bike commuter in a city I would recommend this option, having the ability to attach a light to a bag is a great addition to the lights functionality.
These lights provide ample light for on the road and even dusky rides off road. However for off road night rides I would recommend a much more powerful light to give you maximum light coverage.
Overall these lights are brilliant for the price, they work well are easy to use and have a long battery life.
Check out my other reviews for Giant here.
