Time to soak in the views from the gravel trails.

Felix’s long day on the King Alfred’s Way

by with No Comment BlogOur RidesTraining

A gentle start and a good job it was too!

The first part of my big day riding the King Alfred Way route took me from Reading down to Farnham. This part of the route featured a decent number of road sections on quiet country lanes as we left the urban area of Reading behind. A smattering of flat-ish and not-too-technical tracks dispersed amongst the lanes was a lovely way to start the ride. And a big relief for me I had packed my clipless mountain bike shoes but had forgotten that my flat pedals were still on the bike. Faced with either 100 miles in my trainers or the chance of picking up some SPD pedals in Farnham (at the cost of riding the first part of the ride precariously perched on the flat pedals in my cleated shoes) I decided the latter option would be less unpleasant.

With October mud lingering on some of the off-road sections and more rain forecast later on in the day I was pleased that this first section was not too climby or too technical and I was able to make it through without incident. The paved sections allowed the kilometres to tick by quickly and I was in Farnham for an early lunch with 60 km already ticked off.

Sandy sections and the climbing arrives

After creating trouble for myself through the morning, I was excited to get clipped into my pedals and to tackle the middle of the ride. Fuelled by sushi, crisps and sausage rolls from Sainsbury’s in Farnham I set off onto a really unique part of the route. The military training areas on the hills in this part of Surrey have a very sandy surface and the route twists and turns its way to make the most of these. It is hard to believe just how close to urban centres such as Guildford (not to mention London) you are as you Chris cross your way through the open landscape.

Things turn up another notch as you head towards the Devil‘s Punchbowl. A truly spectacular piece of the south of England’s landscape… or so I am told. The mist closed in as I toiled up the sustained climb to the top and stole any views down off the escarpment from me . It was still a beautifully tranquil and atmospheric setting for the middle part of my ride as the mist turned into a light drizzle.

After a brief pause to re-gather my legs at the top of the climb I headed down on a part of the ride that featured some road sections but also a spectacular sunken lane where the tree roots tower over you, never mind the trunks and branches. It was turning into a gloomy afternoon weatherwise but now, deep amongst the Earth, it felt like I was in a mystical land. Heading out through the now sustained drizzle into Liss for a bit of respite sitting on a wall by the train station – 90km done and reflecting that I still had a long way to go on my hundred mile plan itinerary.

The ratchet gets turned a few more times

The climbing was really now starting to pile up and as a result (alongside the reduced paved kilometres) the distance was ticking by more slowly. Or was that my glycogen reserves flagging? Nevertheless, the long descent through Queen Elizabeth Country Park in the close mist under the sodden trees was a super cool thrill ride. Especially as my glasses kept fogging up and I could barely see where I was going.

A short sign that I was feeling the distance where my first few unspectacular tumbles. A couple of occasions were a slippy surface combined with a steep gradient and tired legs left me to flop into a hedge or two as I ran out momentum. I will admit that this started to become frustrating, and I now realised how much having the Bike the UK for MS Rest Stop van on hand would be ideal. Nevertheless, it was time to climb the most significant challenge of the day: Butser Hill. Looming ahead of me up into the mist and beyond.

Low visibility in the clouds

I made a mental wager with myself at the bottom, gazing up at the fence line that led to what looked like the steepest section of all closer to the top. Would I make it to the gate before dismounting? How far would I get on the other side, up what looked (from the bottom) like a wall of grass? The answer was a pleasing surprise and suggested I still had some gas left in the tank: apart from a short 50 m or so on the steepest ramp I pedalled the whole way way up. Into what felt like very low clouds where the visibility was down to about 15 to 20 m.

It was very much evening by now (although the gloomy weather meant it had seemed like dusk for hours) but even in October there was still several hours of daylight left. As I crossed Old Winchester Hill, a place I have cycled many times in brighter weather, the rain really started to come down. This was perhaps the first time I was relieved I wasn’t on my cyclocross bike because having successfully descended the chalky soil in the dry several times I had heard about how slippy things can be in this part of the world when things are wet.

Getting dark

In the end, with the mental fatigue of my day’s riding so far, I decided to walk it anyway. Turns out the ‘cross bike probably would’ve been better. Onwards I headed, with more climbing. I now was racing to get as close to Winchester as possible before the light ran out. There were a couple of road sections left that I wanted to try and do before darkness fell, knowing that my lights would see me through but ideally I wanted to avoid having to get the head torch out of the bag.

In the end the head torch was more than needed…

 

My solo ride interrupted by several hundred motorsport fans

As I made my way over the hills towards Winchester it was clear there was a huge bright light on top of one of the horizons. Some technical or manufacturing facility, I assumed. My route of ancient byways took me ever closer to the beacon on the hill. It turned out that I would be surrounded by the headlights and tail lights of the mass exodus of motorcycle racers leaving their weekend events, just as I happen to be peddling by. A bit annoying to be stuck in a traffic jam whilst riding on a byway, and it also necessitated me rigging my lights up earlier than otherwise needed so I could be seen amongst the headlights.

The final bit of Jeopardy added to my day was a raft of train cancellations. I had been keeping an eye on things throughout the ride, albeit with very few options to change things as I went. There was a single train showing as running that evening, that would get me back home from Winchester. Despite being equipped for a ride into the darkness, I now have a very strict deadline to arrive at the train station. As a result I began assessing my options regarding my route choices.

 I could stick to the mainly off-road routes which meandered its way across the hills to pick out the best rights of way. Or would it be better to stick myself on the roads, trust my lights to keep me visible and make a bee line for the city centre? In the end, I decided that I had enough time in hand to stick to the off-road routes and I preferred being able to ride in the knowledge that I was minimising the amount of time spent on the road whilst in the dark.

A wrong turn…

That judgement however had not accounted for navigational issues. Diligently following the GPX on my watch, I had only ever had minor issues all day despite the web of bridleways, byways and lanes I was following. But in the dark it can be a little harder to spot the small entrances and exits you need in order to thread your way onto these paths. As I approached a turn in the darkness, it looked like I was going to follow the edge of a field to head down the hill. About a kilometre later, as the way in front of me was guarded by a bristling bramble bush, it became apparent that I was on the wrong side of the hedge that I had been following along the edge of the field. What was worse is that I had followed this hedge for a whole kilometre, all downhill.

To return to where I had left the path would be adding distance, time and more climbing which I could ill afford. Fortunately for me, as I cast my head torch around in the darkness approaching the corner of the field, it appears I was not the first to make this mistake. A bike-sized gap had been punched low in the hedge on my right. Thrilled to have avoided having to retrace my steps I shoved my bike and myself through this hole in the hedge to find the byway I was supposed to be riding on. Onward I went towards Winchester, with several kilometres less potential distance on hand and more minutes that would help to ensure I would catch the train.

Cutting it close!

Despite a brief wrong turn on Winchester‘s one-way system which led me to run my bike 500 m or so to avoid having to go the long way round, I cruised up the ramp into Winchester stations car park with a whole six minutes to spare. It had been an epic adventure of the like which I had hadn’t taken on in nearly a decade or so. When I was a student many cycling trips would end up hungry and tired at a train station to take me home. I’m glad I wasn’t having to find a last-minute hotel for the night.

What Bike to bring

I completed roughly the first two days of our planned King Alfred’s Way trip in May during my ride. Personally, I would have preferred to be on my cyclocross bike than the hardtail mountain bike I rode on. I chose the mountain bike so I would have a wider range of low gears for the climbing and this definitely was super helpful in the main climbing section of the ride. However, I would say that the momentum and speed lost by being on a mountain bike compared to a cross bike was not worth the trade-off. With the exception of the descent of old Winchester Hill (which I walked anyway) there were no technical sections that I wouldn’t have been confident to ride on my cross bike, even on a wet day like the one I rode.

 I am a reasonably confident rider on my ‘cross bike albeit far from a proficient mountain biker. So I would say that if you consider yourself a confident off-road rider, a cyclocross or gravel bike will be more than sufficient. I have spoken to number of people who have ridden the route on a gravel bike in varied conditions and they said it was the best tool for the job. If I was asked by someone who was less confident riding in an off-road setting, I would recommend a hardtail mountain bike. You will be slower covering the distance but less likely to find lots of sections where you feel you have to walk. If you are riding an e-mountain bike, then the whole route will fly by and will be a complete blast.

Take a look on our Instagram and Facebook to see the full summary of Felix’s day on King Alfred’s Way!

The 2017 Land’s End to John O’Groats team meeting up with the Dumbarton group of the MS Society

Day 1 of #MOVE4MS

by with No Comment Alumni AdviceBlogOur RidesTraining

2,101 km moved on day 1 of Move4MS 2025.

The 375 members of Bike the UK for MS’s Strava club are aiming to move 150,000 km in January – One KM for each person living with MS in the UK.

It’s not too late for you to join the movement and fill the first month of your year with movement! Last year we were only 4% short of our target so with a few more of you joining in then we can make it to the target this year!

You might even secure some of the wonderful achievement badges to mark the difference you could make this month.

We also have a team competition for you to join with your friends, family, colleagues or clubmates. Last year the teenagers of Avid Sport took the crown – who will be the top team this year?

Tag us (@biketheukforms) in your photos as you move so we can show what an amazing job you are doing, it doesn’t need to be on a bike, any movement logged on Strava counts.

You could even use it to start your training and fundraising for one of our summer trips!

The supportive team environment on the London to Paris cycle.

Consistent Training: The Key to Summer Cycling Success – Part 2

by with No Comment BlogTraining

Part two of Felix’s Consistency Tips when training for a multi-day cycling trip. Read Part 1 here!

Don’t Take it on Alone

This also features in my winter cycling tips but linking up with someone else to improve your commitment to training is a huge help. I don’t like strength training but a neighbour wanted to start training more and so we now do a strength session together each week.
 
Without this setup, I can guarantee that I would not do a weekly strength session. The last 15 years of my life are the evidence to support that.

Nevertheless, it has worked. We train each week and if schedules are tight then we have found a way to squeeze a short session in. Both of us are training when normally we wouldn’t have. In no small part, because it is social as well as being
a chance to improve our fitness.

It doesn’t need to be strength training. You could arrange to ride to a café and meet a friend there regularly. Tying in a social element to your training creates a completely different mindset towards the activity – one that is more immediately gratifying.

Many of the positive effects of training are only felt a long time later – enjoying spending time with a friend gives you an immediate pay-off.
 
Celebrate 10 years of Bike the UK for MS with our 10 year reunion ride from London to Brighton.


Fitting it in With a Busy Life

When surveyed, the most common reason that people give for not exercising is a lack of time. You are not alone! It can feel like a big challenge to fit in frequent exercise around everything else that is going on in your life.

Everyone’s circumstances are different but ultimately it is about integrating exercise into the rest of your life. This may mean that compromise is necessary.

I love riding my bike. Long, social café rides are the best. Family commitments make going for 6 hours out on the bike at the weekend impossible for me. So, I dusted off my running shoes and headed out for short morning runs with the running buggy.

Would I prefer to be on a café ride? Yes. I always used to joke that running was for people who hadn’t discovered cycling yet. Here I was though, running pretty much every morning and it was able to give me a significant chunk of what cycling did. It was (a lot) better than nothing. It also meant that when the opportunity for a good bike ride can along I was ready and able to make the most of it. 

I had made a compromise that allowed me to ensure that regular and consistent exercise remained part of my life despite changing circumstances. The same might go for someone who loves mountain biking but has to get most of their riding in along the road as they commute to work. Maybe you can only train on the turbo or at the gym but doing so means that you can still enjoy your trip to ride in the mountains in the summer (Highlands Tour, anyone?).


Rest Weeks – Do Less to do More

If you are trying to train more consistently – how does resting more help?!
 
I’m “resting” all the time now anyway! Rest weeks have a few helpful benefits from the perspective of your physiology, your psychology and also the practical aspects of training.

Resting between periods of time where you have increased your training allows your body to carry out the adaptations that you are trying to trigger by exercising. It allows your muscles to develop, your blood capillaries to grow around your body, your bones to remodel and reform.


Training adds stress and stimulation to the body by design. Blending this input with time to recover is what all athletes do from Olympians to those trying to build new active lifestyles. 

Your mind also needs support and rest weeks can contribute to this. A rest week can give you a more immediate objective than an event that can be several months away. I often tell myself that I just need to keep up my training sessions for another few days and then a rest week can act as an opportunity for a release in pressure.

Resting keeps your training consistent

Practically, having rest planned in as part of your training can also make it more possible to keep up with a consistent pattern of exercise. You might know a busy week of work or travel is coming up and so plan to train in the run up to that week, safe in the knowledge that you will not have to try and fit too much into the time when you are busy. 
 
What if you get caught out and something you weren’t expecting comes up. That can be enough to break your training routine and make it feel like you need to go through all the effort to “get back on the horse” again. Well, if you know that a rest week was coming up then you can just bring that forward and take the time you need without falling too far from what you were planning to do in the first place. You can get back into a training week after things calm down a little.

This small change can make a huge difference psychologically and whilst it is of course a compromise from an “optimum” situation it is these compromises that are essential to long-term consistency.
 

Take a look on our Instagram and Facebook to see the full summary of Felix’s consistency tips

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Consistent Training: The Key to Summer Cycling Success part 1

by with No Comment BlogOur RidesTraining

Here is the latest installment of Felix’s training tips series – this time covering the importance of training little and often to help get you ready for summer cycling adventures like a Bike the UK for MS trip. Whether you are used to riding and are looking to up the mileage in preparation for something like Land’s End to John O’ Groats or you found your love of two wheels more recently and are looking to test yourself on a shorter trip like Coast to Coast or Lon Las Cymru; consistency is the key to preparing yourself for a cycling challenge.

One Step, Not a Giant Leap

Whilst riding all day (or weekend, or week…!) is the closest thing to what you will do on a long-distance cycling trip, relying on those rides alone is not the most effective way to prepare. These rides take a lot of physical energy (not to mention emotional energy) and time and as a result you will need to recover for a substantial amount of time between each one. As a result, the adaptations to training won’t be able to accumulate and make you fitter. In order to achieve the frequency of exercise to start to see fitness gains, you need to make the training stimulus a frequent enough thing that your body reacts; “I am being asked to exercise lots, I should prioritise making it easier to do so.” If you were asked a question about the headlines each morning when
getting to work, you might check the news on your way in. 

However, if you were asked to write a detailed analysis of international politics with no preparation on an irregular basis then you would not be able to do an effective job. You might give up and work elsewhere. This is like asking your body to muster up a huge bike ride once in a while with little preparation. It isn’t ready to carry out the task properly and as a result you are likely to quit.


Better to accumulate knowledge in small chunks over a long time. It is the same with training and fitness. Something that you can do often can build up to a really strong base of fitness. When you then ask your body to do a big ride (like being asked to write that long essay), then all it takes is a bit of final preparation to build on what you already have in the locker.

Starting with an achievable amount of training that you can replicate day to day and week to week is the key at the beginning. As you get used to training and your body adapts, then you may be able to train for longer or harder and continue to develop your fitness that way. Trying to skip ahead and do too much too soon is likely to cause injury. Or, like the analogy above, increases the chance that you will just give up on what you are trying to achieve

Build a Routine to Build a Habit

How can you achieve this consistency? For a lot of people, establishing a regular routine is how to start. If you keep the approach the same again and again then a good habit can follow and it becomes (relatively) effortless to sustain the routine. It can make it easier for things to be planned if less needs to change.

Same time, same place, same kit – you can almost start to do things on autopilot. If lots of the pieces are in place then it allows you to focus your energy on the other things that may be making it harder for you to do your session.
 
I love exploring new routes on a ride or run, but at 7am before breakfast when I am fitting in 30 mins before work I just need to follow a route that I always do so I don’t have to think about it. If I needed to plan a route, then the run would probably not even happen.

 

I am More Spontaneous Than That!

Maybe a fixed routine isn’t for you. What tricks can help to get a consistent pattern of training established? Whilst a routine is the set dinner – put an a la carte menu in front of yourself. Having a range of different sessions on hand to allow you to react to the
circumstances (or what you fancy doing) is super useful. This is also a really good tool to have at your disposal should life get in the way of your routines.

 

Here is the kind of menu that you might have available:
–2 hour road ride
–30 min easy run
–Strength session at the gym
–45 mins hill rep session on the bike
–Brisk walk for an hour
–Yoga and stretching session at home
–Mountain bike ride on the local pump track or trails
–1km interval run


Imagine the scene: I have got home from work and it is dark & wet out, dinner needs cooking and so I only have an hour or so to exercise. If I saw things as a 2 hour ride or nothing then I would have to do nothing. It isn’t worth getting all my wet weather cycling gear on (I would have used my entire hour up by the time I got out of the door!). I don’t want to ride in traffic
in the dark.


But… running in the rain isn’t as bad (in my opinion) as cycling can be and there is a good loop around the neighbourhood where I can do some intervals. Or, I could get out for a walk/easy run if I don’t fancy running hard. I could do a yoga session at home or pop to the gym and get a strength session. If you have a ton of options available, instead of “it’s dark and rainy” meaning that you don’t get any exercise done then it just changes what you do. You can be a lot more consistent as a result. All the things on the menu will help in their own way and the variety can actually be a huge help.

Take a look on our Instagram and Facebook to see the full summary of Felix’s consistency tips

To read more on how to be consistent with your training, click here to read the second part of this blog.

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Felix‘s Top Tips for Winter Cycling – Part 2

by with No Comment BlogOur RidesTraining

Here is part 2 of Felix’s Guide to Winter Cycling! Including the final 4 tips to complete the list.

check out part 1 first if you haven’t seen it yet!

Tip 4 – Mudguards

As you will be able to tell by looking at any of my bikes, I am often guilty of not following my own advice in this regard. Mudguards may not be the most exciting bit of cycling gear to upgrade your bike with but they can make a huge difference in the winter.

Riding with mudguards can help keep your bike clean but more importantly for this list, they can keep you drier and help to remove some of the discomfort that can come with winter riding. Even if it’s not raining, the ground will often be wet during winter, so spray from your wheels can turn you sodden – even during a sunny ride. 

It’s not just you it can help!

What’s more, if you are riding with others then the spray from your rear wheel will fly up into the face of the rider behind you which is an excellent way to put people off riding with you. Some cycling clubs will strictly enforce mudguards on winter rides for this very reason.

One of the biggest uses I have had for mudguards is when I am trying to combine my cycling with something else, for example commuting or riding to meet up with someone instead of driving. This is a great way to rack up winter riding time but if you are covered in water and muck from head to toe it can be incredibly inconvenient. If you have mudguards on, these rides are much easier to manage and I find that as a bonus I can pack lighter too as less of my stuff will be sodden.

It can be a little tricky to get mudguards fitted properly so that they don’t rub, rattle or break off entirely. It can take a bit of fiddling around but you can even get clip on ones for road bikes without mounts for full mudguards so there is no excuse not to use them. As a minimum, you can get a small plastic fin to extend behind your saddle – unnoticeable to even the most particular rider but just enough to keep the spray off your backside!

Tip 5 –  Lights

It gets dark early during the winter months. Even if you are riding in daylight hours the weather can be gloomy (or a low sun can make it too bright) and visibility on the roads can be severely compromised. Flashing lights can make a huge difference to how visible you are on the road to other users.

There are bike lights available that are super bright and very sophisticated but you can use a basic rechargeable flashing light to make a big difference to how visible you are out riding. Of course, during the hours of darkness they are a legal requirement.

There have been a number of times during the winter months where a daytime ride can suddenly become an evening one and so having the lights rigged up, charged and ready to go can make sure you don’t get yourself into a dangerous situation unexpectedly. I have even done a fair amount of riding (commuting or otherwise) in the evenings after work in the dark; if you are meticulous about your route planning and ensure you have taken measures to ensure you are visible this can be a great way to ride in the winter.

This doesn’t need to be on the roads but if you are going to be going exploring in the dark then some proper bright lights will be needed to make sure you can see where you are going. A headtorch is also a good thing to combine with lights on your handlebars – that way you can see what you are looking at, not just what is in front of your bike!

Tip 6 – Spares

You should always ride with enough spares and tools to get you home from the most typical mechanical issues. For example spare tubes, tyre levers, a pump and a multi tool. However, the winter months can put more of a strain on your bike and so being extra prepared for issues when riding in the winter is an important way not to come across problems.

Wet weather can bring extra grit and dirt to the road surfaces, from the verges and fields alike. The cold weather also means that cracks and potholes in the road surface open up and are more likely to snag you with a pinch puncture. 

Hedges are often also trimmed in the autumn and as a result you can end up with all manner of thorns and sharp bits strewn across the road ready to put a devasting hole in your tubes (and morale!). You can even find yourself exposed to the threat of a hole hidden under a puddle – where a puncture or other mechanical issue might be getting of lightly. 

So whilst a puncture can happen at any time of the year, riding with a bit of extra security in the winter can account for the increased potential of an issue. Whether that means bringing an additional tube to usual, also putting in a patch kit that you normally wouldn’t bring or taking a larger multitool with more options – it is normally worth the minor inconvenience. 

Not least because whilst stopping and waiting for rescue because you have run out of spares is never a good place to be – it is even worse when it is cold/wet/windy/dark. This tip will also be endorsed by whoever it is that you would be calling to come to pick you up.

Tip 7- Adaptable planning

My final tip is about being adaptable and flexible with your riding plans to fit the conditions in the best way possible. You might have a preferred way of riding in optimum conditions but pragmatism may be needed in the winter when optimum conditions are less likely to occur!

You may have had a morning where going for a ride was on the agenda and then the weather is stormy with dangerous gusts. Or perhaps the rain has flooded the roads around you and the lanes are impassable. Perhaps it is icy and starting out is too risky early in the morning.

There are lots of ways that you can still get most of the benefits of riding, even with a bit of compromise. Perhaps you can do your ride indoors on a turbo trainer or rollers – Zwift and other online platforms have made indoor training better than it has ever been before. 

Maybe you can ride at a different time when the weather is better. I use a rain radar to plan when I make my 30 minute ride home from work as I am fortunate to be able to be flexible about when I come and go. If the rain is going to stop a bit later then I change my plans so I can ride when it is dry. There is no point being out in the rain and then getting home for the sun to come out (if I have the option!)

It doesn’t have to be on a bike…

You can also exercise in a different format. Many of the things that make a winter bike ride unpleasant (or even dangerous) are far more manageable on a run or a walk and you can still get much of the training benefit that you will get from riding. Even going to the gym or joining an exercise class will be of benefit – even though it might be quite different from going for a bike ride.

Finally, being able to see the wood for the trees and putting a single missed riding opportunity in context. You might miss a ride here or there but over the course of a year it will make very little difference (or no difference at all). Sometimes, things just don’t work out. What is important is not to let missing a ride or two (due to weather or anything else) lead to a huge gap in your riding. That is what will lead to you getting towards the summer and feeling unprepared to make the most of your riding. 

If you have spent the winter running, walking, going to the gym and riding when you can then things will come together quickly in the summer. It is a long way to get ready for a summer ride if you haven’t done anything for months on end. So get out there – future you will thank you for it!

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Take a look on our Instagram and Facebook to see the full tips video and more!

Part 2 coming soon…

LLC inside van

Packing Your Cycling Gear – Part 1

by with No Comment Alumni AdviceBlogOur RidesTraining

Packing for a supported bike tour like our 2025 trips requires some planning – not least for what riding kit to bring. Here are some of my best tips for packing your cycling gear ahead of taking on a trip like Land’s End to John O’ Groats or Lon Las Cymru.

For our tips on packing your off-the-bike stuff, see Charlotte’s blog post from last month HERE

1. Cycling Shorts

Nothing can have more impact on your comfort whilst riding than your shorts. I always start packing my cycling kit with my best pair of bib shorts, they act as a starting point for everything else.

The main question for a trip where you have many days of riding to do and a support vehicle to carry your stuff (albeit, you cannot bring the whole wardrobe!) is how many of each item to bring. For shorts this is, again, a key question. There is the aforementioned question of comfort but even more important is the question of hygiene. 

Saddle sores, chaffing and worse are triggered and then exacerbated by poor hygiene “down there” and for every other packing question it is important to first answer “how am I going to make sure that my cycling shorts are clean at the start of each day’s riding?” From Tour de France professionals to the seasoned bikepacker – it can be game over for a ride if you get this one wrong. 

As a result, if my trip is three days or less, then I will bring fresh shorts for each day. If the trip is longer than three days, then three pairs of shorts is an absolute minimum for me. One pair that I am wearing on a given day, one pair that was washed the evening before and have hopefully started drying and then finally another pair that are hopefully dry (or at least, no longer completely soaked) from the evening before that. 

With this system, even if something has gone wrong – then you should never find yourself without clean shorts, even if they haven’t had time to dry. If there is space to put in a fourth pair (or even a fifth) then they are the priority over extra spares of other bits of kit (such as jerseys).

2. Flexible Kit can solve many packing problems

When trying to pack for the variable British weather, you can find a case for nearly any piece of cycling kit at nearly any time of year. However, the bits that go straight into the bag early doors are the ones that can be used in as wide-ranging conditions as possible. It’s a bonus if they also take up relatively little space.

Arm warmers and leg warmers can change a pair of shorts into tights and a short sleeve jersey into a long sleeved one whilst only taking up the space of a pair of socks each. Whilst they are a compromise from the real deal, in a tight packing situation they can save you lugging kit “just in case”. 

The same goes for base layers (these can be long-sleeved, short-sleeved or sleeveless) and buffs. For minimal packing space they can help keep the wind off you and the warmth in whilst being easy to switch out when the weather changes and only take up a very small amount of space if they don’t end up being needed. I will normally combine a lighter wind/rain jacket with a couple of extra base layers if things get cold to save the big winter jacket being brought around for a summer trip (*more on this later!).

One extra benefit of base layers is that if you can keep them clean (in a similar way to mentioned in the section on shorts above) then you can get away with some re-used jerseys for a while longer! Combining base layers, arm & leg warmers and “normal” cycling kit can cover the vast majority of conditions outside the winter months.

It was a running café-stop talking point amongst my cycling friends whilst at university: “gilet weather”. It was always “gilet weather”; i.e. weather where a combination of a wind-proof gilet (or jacket) and arm-/leg-warmers did the trick.

3. Preparing for the worst (weather)

Once I was happy that I had enough of the kit choices mentioned above sorted (including socks, shoes, helmet and other non-negotiables) I would then see if I had space to put in the items that I hoped not to use: winter jacket, overshoes, winter gloves. If there was space, best to have them, right?

There have been numerous trips that I have brought those three items on for them just to float around in the bottom of the bag/box only to be brought home stinky and needing a wash despite never seeing the light of day. As a result, they can often be foregone unless space really is no issue. 

Despite this, they normally do come with me!

If they do get used, it is normally for a short window; a cold morning or an exposed section where the wind is whipping across open ground. A day where rain has left puddles everywhere or if I want to ride at a more leisurely pace to socialise with riders in the group I don’t normally ride with.

The other reason that I put them in if possible is to be used should others have been caught out with what they have brought. I confidently back my flexible warm gear plan from section 2 but if someone is armed with only a jersey and shorts then a spare winter jacket in the van or some winter gloves might just make a huge difference. 

4. Spares and tools

It is rarely necessary to bring the whole tool box. Especially on a ride where vehicle support is on hand. However, I do always aim to bring tools to get me out of all but the most extreme mechanical situation – ideally, as above, tools that can be flexible.

In the workshop, it might be best to have a set of spanners. But I bring the adjustable one on a trip. A full set of Allen keys and screwdrivers is ideal but a multi-tool with everything up to an 8mm (for my pedals) will be able to save space.

I bring 2-3 spare tubes and then a patch kit as a last resort should I really have puncture problems. I use a mini pump but even if I was relying on CO2 canisters the pump as a backup is essential (in my opinion, having had to offer mine up multiple times when others have had tubeless/CO2 let them down.  

Add in a chain breaker, tyre levers, some tape and some lubricant and then you can cover most of what goes wrong. There is of course an endless further list of things that you could bring – it normally pays to ask the rest of the group if anyone else is bringing something that could be shared. No point having ten bottom bracket tools or crank extractors!

The other mechanical-related thing that I get hold of before a trip like Bike the UK for MS is a spare set of cleats. I find I do more walking about than on a normal day-to-day ride and so they wear out a little quicker than normal. Whilst rarely ride-ending, if can become a major frustration and ruin a lot of the fun.

My worst crime in this department was when I was checking out the King Alfred’s Way route a few months ago – I brought my cycling shoes but still had my flat pedals on my bike! Bigger issues than worn out cleats at that point…

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Cycling training for your first multi-day bike ride

by with No Comment BlogTraining

Training to ride across the a country can seem like a daunting prospect. With the right preparation and cycling training, the excitement and sense of achievement that long cycling trips can provide are yours for the taking. Whilst cycling is as simple as putting one pedal stroke after the next, to ensure that you get the most out of your adventures it is important to prepare. Get ready to enjoy the experience, not suffer through it!

Getting out on the bike

The key to getting good at riding a bike? Riding a bike! It sounds simple, but getting regular rides in can prove more challenging than it would first seem when faced with the rigours of modern life. Be it work, family life or other commitments – carving out the hours (and it is hours…) needed to consistently train can often fall behind other parts of our lives. There is no single way to do things but here are some ideas to consider:

1 – The path of least resistance to cycling training.

Consider what is the easiest way to fit your cycling training in around the rest of your life. It may be a short time each morning that you can take to do some riding or it may be your commute to and from work. It may be that not riding every day allows you to get enough done that you can go for longer rides at the weekend.

Our cyclist have always loved cycling in the Highlands.

Perhaps jumping on an indoor trainer allows you to get a quick ride in where getting kitted up to head out of the door is going to use up all of the time you have available to ride. The question to ask yourself is – will this make it easier for me to ride? If the answer is “yes” then that is the path to follow!

2 – Consistency is the key.

It is certainly preferable to ride frequently than to stop and start. This gives your body the right prompts to adapt to the training and build fitness. If you only ride once a month, even if this is a monster ride, your body is not going to get used to what you are asking it to do. This is unlikely to mean riding every day (unless you are already riding lots or you are doing lots of shorter rides) as you must also be careful not to overload your body. 

Progressing things little by little will ensure that you are training the right amount. For example, adding an extra day of riding after a few weeks of consistently riding a certain number of days or extending one of your rides by half an hour to build more endurance. You will be surprised how much total cycling training “volume” it is possible to build up by doing little and often as opposed to big surges and stops.

Cheddar Gorge delivery the breathtaking backdrop on the LEJOG route.

3 – Make yourself accountable.

The beauty of an individual sport like cycling is that you can train on your own agenda. However, being your own boss also means that you have to be able to motivate yourself and hold yourself to account. 

Arranging to ride with friends or family can be a great way to drag your unwilling body out of bed on a weekend morning for a ride when the snooze button is calling (we have all been there!). Or knowing that you have a distance goal for the week that you are aiming to hit may help you take the bike to work on a rainy morning instead of grabbing the car keys. 

It will depend on the kind of person you are and what motivates you, but make sure the planning-version of you helps the athlete-version to overcome the hardest bit of any ride – getting your kit on!

4 – Find what you enjoy.

In a similar vein to #1, if you are able to ride in a way that you love doing then it will be far easier to do it more often. If you love to be social then build a calendar of rides with others. If you love data then use any of the apps, such as Strava, to log all your rides. If you love to explore then plan rides that will take you to new places. If you love a routine then find a pattern that you will enjoy. If you love variety then mix it up! 

Cycling training to get fitter isn’t 100% fun 100% of the time, but it is also supposed to be an enjoyable part of your life. You will be able to tackle the hard bits with full commitment if they are part of something you fundamentally enjoy 🙂

Cycling training is an eating contest on wheels

I enjoy cycling. I also enjoy eating. What a happy coincidence that those two things are such complementary activities. If you are going to travel a long way, then you need fuel. Fuel for a car or van is petrol, diesel or electricity. Fuel for a cyclist is food! There is a world of complexity that can sometimes make it seem impossible to know what to eat on a long distance cycling trip or whilst training for one but here are some of the broad places to start (that will probably be all you need to get there unless you are looking to break world records on the way…):

1 – Food is fuel for cycling training.

All food is fuel. There are some fuels that are better than others, but it is far more common to be eating not enough than too much. As a result, something is usually better than nothing* (*caveats apply, of course!). There are sport-specific products that offer convenience, typically at a cost premium, but in general terms the food you like to eat (or the food you can get your hands on if you are being particularly adventurous!) is a great place to start. 

Riding for hour after hour leaves your muscles primed to gobble almost anything up ready for use to push the pedals around. Carbohydrate and fat are the primary fuels that the body uses with protein needed to repair the body from the battering that riding can cause (think: sore muscles). What a luxury – the more your ride the more you need to eat!

2 – Staying topped up during a ride is essential…

…particularly if you are riding for more than two hours. Your body can store up to around 2 hours of fuel and if you are exercising for longer than that without eating then it is going to have to start scrambling around for scraps which can start to have damaging consequences. You don’t have to be able to eat whilst still moving (although practicing this can help you stay on top of things) as planning a stop with a view (or coffee!) can help you top up the tank.

If you run out of energy on a ride it can be a really horrible experience (speaking from personal experience again here…). For cyclists, your blood glucose levels drop as your body searches around for a way to keep the muscles going. This can leave you feeling dizzy and make it very hard to go on. If you get to this point, you have already not eaten enough and by a long way! 

The quiet towns of Wales on Lon Las Cymru, one of our 2024 Charity Bike Rides for MS

3 – Getting it in can be the hardest thing (and keeping it in!).

There are lots of foods that I love to eat but make a poor companion to a bike ride; a roast for example. Think about having food that will be comfortable and easy to consume (not to mention carry – jersey pockets were not made to carry gravy) as your body will be busy enough powering your muscles that adding other complicated things for it to deal with (such as digesting a heavy meal) may be too much.

Practice makes perfect in this regard and this is a key reason why eating during your cycling training will help ensure that you are ready for your main ride. Not only will you start to get an idea of what works for you, but your body will also start to get used to the demands of dealing with exercise and digestion at the same time. 

Learning from mistakes while cycling training

I said at the start that cycling can be as simple as one pedal stroke after another. However, there are lots of small things that can add up to a successful cycling trip or remove the fun from one. Even people who have been riding for decades still do things that make them think “I’ll never do that again.” To give a personal example, on my first long-distance bike ride I took a heavy bike lock with me. I never locked my bike to anything and there was never really the prospect that I would. I essentially took several kilograms of metal for a trip around the countryside (and up all of the hills). Now, I think ahead about whether I might need a lock before starting out on the ride.

Where you are matters!

These little mistakes are unavoidable – they are part of the experience. Nevertheless, it is a lot better to learn that your jacket isn’t actually waterproof when you are 15 minutes from your house instead of on the North Coast of Scotland with several hours more riding to go. It is useful to know you need some lower gears whilst riding on your local hill instead of facing up to a steep Welsh mountain. It is useful to know in advance that your bottle rattles out of your bottle cage whilst heading down the street outside your house instead of crossing a cattle grid on Dartmoor. 

The list goes on and on, but the crucial point is: the more rides you do in preparation for your multi-day cycling trip, the more of these snags you will catch and turn your ride into an enjoyable experience packed with new and exciting memories instead of answering the question of “how was your ride from Land’s End to John O’ Groats?” with “my pedal creaked a million times: once for every pedal stroke I took!”

Looking for your next cycling trip?

Join Bike the UK for MS this summer with rides ranging from 3 day Coast to Coast cycles to 2 week Land’s End to John O’Groats adventures. Visit Scotland for the North Coast 500 cycle, Wales for Lon Las Cymru or even mainland Europe with our London to Paris trip.

Zwift Training for MS - Tuesday Evenings at 7pm - Bike the UK for MS

Zwift Training for MS Rides

by with No Comment BlogTraining

Starting January 31st, our weekly virtual Zwift training rides are back for everyone! Whether on Zwift, keen for a social chat on Zoom or need some added motivation for a home workout, we’ve got you covered.

Join Bike the UK for MS founder, James, on Tuesday evenings at 7pm on Zoom to chat all things training, Bike the UK for MS and Zwift training for MS. Joining instructions below.

Whether you’re riding a 2023 Bike the UK for MS adventure, interested in a summer ride for MS or one of our star alumni, get involved! It’s an opportunity to meet fellow team members, ask any questions you may have and kickstart your winter training.

Zwift Training ride - Bike the UK for MS

How to join the Zwift Training for MS

ZWIFT Riders:

1. Follow ‘Bike the UK for MS’ on the Zwift Companion app or here
2. Look out for a meetup request to follow
3. Join Zwift ready to ride at 7pm on Tuesday

Zoom:

Join the zoom call following this link.

Everyone is welcome to join the Zoom call even if you aren’t on Zwift or not riding!