Mallorca 2022 – Strava
A taste of the Spanish sun, a short two day trip to explore and meet a hero, Sa Calobra. Having seen it on social media and had it recommended to me, I booked my flights and the cheapest room on Airbnb to hit the islands tarmac at the end of August. What can I say, whatever you believe in, there is definitely something that has happened to this little island to make it so utterly perfect for cycling. As I left Palma on the first day I settled into a nice rhythm, no haste or urgency. Soaking in the weather and the vistas and ready for the first kick of the day up to Lluc. Descending down Sa Calobra I only then realised how much I had actually bitten off with my sweaty hands struggling to arrest my speed around the switchbacks. A sandwich at the bottom and a shake of the legs I cracked on, avoiding a number of busses and cars all eager to hit the beach. Huffing and blowing I reach the top sum 45 minutes later. To then continue to Soller for a Cafe con Leche and to see more of this fabulous Island. Day two focussed more on the coast road down to Andratx and cemented my urge to come back, More spectacular views, weather and tarmac.

Nice – Strava
This trip was my first cycling holiday with others and it only made the trip better. having loaded up our gravel bikes and heading to Luton, we boarded the flight excited for what lay ahead. We arrived at are Airbnb with a great balcony view of the airport and the planes landing we planned the next days outing, a short spin around Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat acclimatising and sight seeing. We did stop at Cafe Du Cycliste which was a great haven for cyclists and we got some great recommendations for rides in the area. The next day featured a gravel climb up the Col D’eze and a lap around the Monaco GP circuit, which as far as bike rides go it doesn’t get much better, especially being able to share that with mates. The next day I had an itch to scratch climbing the Col de Braus and the Col de Turini which was a spectacular 24km climb up to 1600m from Sospel featuring nearly every possible weather system and some serious output lugging a gravel bike. There was not a single other person on this climb in the last 3rd into the pouring rain and once I reached the top I had two of the best blueberry muffins I’ve ever had and a ham and cheese baguette which fuelled me well for the decent and return back to Nice for a night out with the boys, they definitely caught me at the right time greeting me at the gate with a beer and words of praise. The next day was a recovery day with a leisurely 66km to Cannes for lunch and a swim in Antibes on the way back, great to be able to see so many sights with ease on the bike and that we were able to make rapid decisions without relying on transport or worry about parking etc. The next day was another gravel ride featuring Mont Macaron with its inhumane starting slopes of 20% which then relented into a swelteringly hot climb with plenty of switchbacks. Descending back down into Tourette-Levens we stopped for lunch and reflected on the brutality of the climb and the trip overall. The final day and one more itch to scratch for myself being the Col de Vence, I set off slightly earlier than the boys to tackle one final col before a relaxing day on the beach. A very nice climb with some early steepish ramps that then tempered into one of the nicest climbs of the trip, on my decent back down I managed to catch the boys on their way to Antibes and we cruised along the coast road ready for lunch, beer and a swim. What a spectacular week and spectacular company to share it with. I am most definitely am not done with the Cote d’azur just yet.

Flanders – Strava
This was a new one for me, having chosen the 170km route and my road bike over the gravel bike, I was picked up, the bike put in the van and we headed for a trip the Belgium to conquer the cobbles. A seamless trip across the channel and we arrived at a very quaint hotel and went for dinner, steaks and Duvel are well renowned for their performance enhancing qualities so a few where consumed. The others had selected the 77km route with a far more agreeable start time, I ate and drank coffee with the other in the hotel wanting to meet the earlier start time (0700) then pedalled the 20km to the start from the hotel. I picked up my kit and pinned my number to the front of my bike. Setting off with a larger group was nice and helped me settle into a nice rhythm with the focus of the day being completion rather than timings. The rain never really making much of an impression but it hung in the grey air all day. I hit the first sector of cobbles and it was a massive shock to the system, I’m not certain what I was expecting but it certainly wasn’t that! My hands slipping all over the hoods and my front wheel carving its own path through the cobbles. Once the first sector had been dealt with I knew I was in for a long day with large road sectors bumping to kms up nicely I hit the first feed stop and replenished my bottles and banana supply. Unaware that these feed stops where present I decided to go slightly more nuclear with my fuelling strategy opting to consume some gels earlier than expected. Sector after sector of cobbles knocked off, meeting some real greats of the classics was fantastic and some early fans already well lubricated cheering people as they battled cobbles, gradient and weather. Towards the end of the ride a well place Redbull stand offered out cans and I gladly accepted one which helped me float to the final km on a wide open piece of tarmac with the boarding up for the next days pro race. On my return to the finish I was very kindly met by the others who picked me up and ferried me back to the hotel so we could start debriefing about our days and the fantastic ride we had just completed. One big source of fun was my significant lack of brake pads which had reduced to the point where the carrier was being forced into my rim leaving significant scoring, nothing terminal but a strong reminder to check the important stuff before big days out. Another great trip and something I wouldn’t have done without an invite so big thanks to great friends with great ideas.

Mallorca 2023 (Lap of the Island) – Strava

My second time on the island, this time in the cooler October temps, a far better plan and far more time on my hands. Rather than basing myself in Palma I took the shuttle bus to Alcudia to be better positioned for reaching mountains and having a far more relaxing roll out in the mornings. The first day was spent heading up to the light house and then lapping back over Coll de Femenia which was a spectacular way to start the week and great to blow the cobwebs out of my travel legs in preparation for a big outing the next day. I woke up early to feast on avocados and oranges then set out on my merry way to try and complete the famous 312 lap of the island. The first 100km on MA-10 will potentially go down in my memory as the finest 4.5hrs of cycling I have ever and will ever do. Spectacular coastal views and rolling hills are a potent mix for cycling utopia. I then dropped down into Palma and restocked of sweets and water whilst briefly sitting in the dock contemplating the 160km I had to get back to my bed. I hit the road into a pretty brutal headwind along the south coast of the island into a seeming never ending climb. This is were the effort increased massively as I reached the furthest point from home I punctured. Now as a cyclist with 10+ years experience you’d think I would have bought everything to deal with this eventuality, how wrong could you be. My karma must have been good because as no sooner had the air finished departing my rear tube another cyclist with a pump was approaching me and kindly offered to let me use their pump. With a hastily repaired tyre and a body that was fading somewhat I stopped for dinner to regroup. It was at this point I decided in the interest of making it home I would remove 30km from the route and take the most direct route back as my refitted tube had left a large bulge in my rear tyre which impaired performance somewhat. I set off into the night after a pizza and an espresso, a podcast keeping me company I nursed bike and body back. Getting a massive surge of energy getting back into Alcudia I was over the moon to see my hotel. A slow start on the next day, with a walk along the beach to the LBS for a set of GP5000s and a 50km spin for a large seafood lunch to aid recovery. The Wednesday was my first proper spin in the mountains taking in the Col de Tofla, Coll d’Honor, Coll d’Orient, Coll de Soller and finally the Tunel de Monnaber (from the Soller side). Maybe not quite what my legs asked for but another fantastic day out enjoying the proper gems in the hills. Another ‘rest’ day followed with a 90km flat route to enjoy some of the sights I missed in the dark on my way back on the Monday enjoying Inca, Llubi, Sineu and Petra. Final Day was a return to two of the classics Coll de sa Batalla and Sa Colobra, I went full gas up these two climbs, getting a 3min improvement on last year up to the petrol station and after a proper refuel I managed to smash an 8min improvement on Sa Colobra. Feeling awfully chuffed with myself a cruised back into Alcudia with a grin on my face and my fingers hovering over tickets for next year already.

Nice 2024 – Tour De France Arrivée

A spur of the moment decision to see the end of Le Tour ended up being one of the best weekends going. My third time in Nice however, this time without my own bike. The glorious weather of the Côte d’Azur greeted us on the Thursday evening with the anticipation of what was to come over the next three days. Friday was spent on the beach and in the fan park collecting random free bits of cycling merch followed by watching another brutal attack from the Tornado in the sweltering fan park. This was a fantastic taster of what was to come, we spent the rest of the day on beach and generally enjoying the vibes. Saturday the stage set off along the Promenade des Anglais, our first in person view of the Peloton, it was a spectacular sight even in the neutralised to watch 200 cyclists and a hoard of support vehicles. Once the cyclist had passed, we returned to the Airbnb, feasted on baguettes along with watch the rest of the stage to watch Tadej’s storming attack followed by an afternoon locked in on the beach. Sunday was the big one, 5 hours of cyclists coming past, railings getting smacked, chants being made was genuinely one of the best afternoons I’ve had for a very long time and to have Pogacar put the cherry on top of his completely dominant tour performance is something I will remember for years to come. If you can get out to support and watch bike racing at any level I would highly recommend it.

Lands End to Margate – Pending