When Alaina invited me to join the inaugural 48 Hour Pure Peak Grit event, I initially declined. I am Dutch. I am a flatlander. I am scared of painful hills and have done my best to avoid them. I’d choose a headwind any day over a climb, taking my chances battling an invisible enemy rather…
Tag: long distance cycling
Try new things: hilly, bloody hilly and mountain madness
The last few years July has been all about the National 24 hour time trial championships. No holidays could be booked; no other events could even be contemplated. It is a great event, one I am proud to have won once (and even came third overall), and one I still warmly support, but I am…
Oman Oh (wo)man!
2019 is the year of new challenges, of trying new things, of seeing how I get on in unsupported ultra-cycling races, and of combining my cycling with seeing my family who are scattered all over the globe. First up is seeing my sister in Dubai and lining up for BikingMan Oman. I will do a…
Rethinking Fuelling
After my first attempt at the LEJOG record abruptly came to a halt due to uncontrollable puking, it was obvious I had to go back to the drawing board for an overhaul of my nutrition strategy. After a few months of re-jigging and testing, I think we have found the answer. Nutrition is of course…
WORLD 24 HOUR TT CHAMPION
A wise woman once said “It does not matter how fast you ride if you cannot finish; the key is to learn to ride optimally. Ultra-cycling racing is more about you and less about the other person”.
LEL – Sign me up for 2021!
About 10 days have passed now since that epic cycle ride from London to Edinburgh and back. Since then, many blogs and Facebook group posts have been written with riders’ and volunteers’ tales of London-Edinburgh-London. All contain great stories of camaraderie and ingenuity when faced with challenges. This left me with a warm feeling and…
National 24hr TT – WIN !
Last weekend 5 really cool things happened: 1. I became the 2017 women’s national 24hr TT champion and – with a provisional distance of 456.45 miles – I came within touching distance of the all-time women’s competition record (461.45 miles), despite enduring far from ideal conditions; 2. I also became the 1st woman ever to…
LEJOG Recce #1
On the May Bank Holiday Saturday, I started my first solo reconnaissance ride of the Land’s End to John o’ Groats record attempt route with a mixture of foolishness and optimism – two ingredients that are definitely required for this challenge. Six days later I arrived in John o’ Groats a little wiser, but possibly…
National 12hr TT – WIN!
It took me a year, but I am super chuffed to have achieved last year’s goal: winning the National 12hr TT title. Being awarded the Best British All-Rounder title last year was amazing – and I wouldn’t do it justice by considering it ‘solace’ for missing out on my main goal – but winning the…
#mixitup
…from the wonderful world of aerodynamics and power data to the equally quirky scene of AudaxUK… Probably one of the most popular hashtags among UK timetriallist on Twitter is #smashitup. Coined by (I believe) TT Champion of Champs Matt Bottrill and used by many of his coached riders, this approach may work for some but for…
Wonder Wheels
For my last birthday I asked my dad for Eileen Sheridan’s autobiography ‘Wonder Wheels’ as she is a big inspiration (see this blog post from last year). During a trip to Rome with my husband at the end of last season, I finally found time to read the book on the plane.
Duracell Bunny on a Bike 