The first question every client asks after signing up for one of our climbing-based bike trips in Europe is ‘What’s the best thing I can do to train and be prepared for this trip?’ I ask myself the same question every season. Logically, we know what to do on the bike. Put in your base
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Chanthaburi, Thailand to Ko Samet 112 km+ Conditions: Road surface was perfectly paved asphalt, fast flats until Ko Samet. Weather: extremely muggy and hot. At just 12 degrees north of the equator, the extreme heat upon waking up this morning was predictable. It was another sunny and muggy day in Southeastern Thailand and we performed our
Battambang to Phsa Prum/Ban Packard Thai Border – 103 km Conditions: Good paved roads, light traffic, very little shade, pancake flat for nearly the first 60 km. After a few too many rest days, flying to Siem Reap, Cambodia, touring the Angkorian temples and eating our way through the streets of Siem Reap, we finally made our
Day 2- Kiouw Kacham to Kasi Hot Springs – 75 km/1235m (4050’) vertical. Conditions: Generally good asphalt with some dirt on the hairpin turns. Weather was perfect with coolish windy conditions in the morning and overcast skies in afternoon. The age old question presented itself early this morning as chickens and roosters kept crossing
Luang Prabang to Kiouw KaCham – 78 km, 6300’ vertical, conditions = smooth perfect asphalt, cool morning and hot afternoon. There’s a difference between a rude awakening and a healthy challenge. Today was a mix of both. Our 8:15 departure from the Merry Lao Swiss Guesthouse in Luang Prabang was as smooth as silk. Satiated
There it is. The word is officially out. Nine years after my first cycling trip to the Ariege there it appears on the world cycling map in the 2012 Tour de France route! It’s not the first time the Ariege region has featured in a Tour de France. When it does, however, it usually passes
It’s true, the holidays are upon us and as commercial as ever. Try as I may to start a new tradition, I have yet to convince anyone in my circle that gift giving is unnecessary. Inevitably when I start shopping for others, I’m attracted to things that I can’t live without. So, here’s my Top
I was dozing on the train to Grenoble when the enormity of the Alps filled the eastern window like an IMAX theatre screen. I’d cycled what seemed like half the world, but I’d never seen giants like these before. The mountains rose dramatically from a lush valley floor forming a natural ampitheatre of sharp peaks
The Giro d’Italia 2012 route will be announced on October 16th but stages are spilling out in what promises to be a showcase route! With a new race director at the helm, organizers have promised a ‘safer’ tour with less transfers. But Italians can’t do boring and safe is a relative term. Instead, in their
I used to have fond memories of Grappa. It reminded me of a time well over a a decade ago when I had a love affair with a man who preferred it. Something about getting the quickest buzz with the least amount of alcohol. In its simplest form, Grappa is fire water made from the