Fat Girl Fit

Be fearlessly unapologetically you

Category: Events, Fitness, OCR, Running

My Sisters First Ever Obstacle Race

You will have seen many blog posts from me over the years about various muddy obstacle runs that I have taken part in and I will be the first to admit that it has been a while – Covid and all that!

Nuclear Races has always been a firm favourite of mine with events that never disappoint, amazing atmosphere, great staff and always sure to bump into someone you know (and probably met through OCR). When they got in touch about attending their Rush weekend I was very excited BUT I have a previous knee injury that has been niggling me and with some endurance riding coming up I thought it best not to take a chance. However, I knew of someone who is always up for a challenge – my little sister.

This would be her first experience of a muddy obstacle race and she would be doing it with a friend in the same position. I gave them hints and tips on what they should be wearing and also some ideas of what should be in their kit list for before and after. Below is an idea:

OCR Kit List

  • Phone with race entry plus photo ID
  • Trail shoes (trainers will work but will have much less grip)
  • Kit in tech material and not cotton (gets heavy when wet and doesn’t dry out quickly)
  • Dry robe for after (if you have one)
  • Spare clothes, socks, trainers for post race, including warm hat
  • Wet wipes
  • Towel
  • Black bag for wet, muddy kit
  • A bag for all the above
  • Watch to record your activity (if you wish)
  • Compression gear (again if you wish or are racing and not for fun)
  • Money (you will be hungry after)

I will admit that some of the questions I had ahead of the race from my sisters friend (I will not name her) were amazing and honestly made my day! They included:

  • Will I break a nail?
  • Will my hair get wet as I had a blow dry yesterday?

Naturally I went along to support – this was going to be fun!

I should start by saying my sister was always the sporty child in our house growing up and still is in her adult life. She has 3 children but continues to manage a netball team for the county, whilst still training and playing herself, she walks a lot, runs and is competitive! Her friend has 5 children and is also very active, again with netball, the gym and lots of walking.

What Did They Think?

They did the 12km course for Rush and here is what they thought:

  • there was a group of six of them who ran together and they agreed that this is about the fun and that doing the course together would be their preference rather than alone – there are people who race solo but for them this was a fun experience and the group helped
  • my sister is small (but mighty) and very much has the attitude to give it a go and so that is what she did
  • even once my sister got home she messaged me to say she was still buzzing – honestly she loved it and would go back without a second thought
  • let’s just say my sisters friend gave it a go but in future she may spectate – she had not appreciated how much mud and water there would be (this is Nuclear and their slogan is Love Mud)

Sarah’s Review:

I had the BEST day ever at Nuclear Races at the weekend. From the moment I got there until I got back in my car (was actually still buzzing when I went to bed). I was a little nervous to start with, wondering if I would be able to do everything and complete the whole 12km course but all the marshals were so supportive and encouraging and guided you through all the obstacles – even the cameraman, Tony, was enticing people to get involved!

I ran the course with my bestie, who to be honest was not a fan. She didn’t realise it would be so muddy and wet, but that for me was one of the best bits. I just threw myself into everything – literally. The muddier the better – you just have to embrace the mud.

A couple of the obstacles were daunting due to being vertically challenged at 5ft 2” but where there’s a will, there’s a way.  The marshals find a way for you to do everything and even the other runners help you out with tips and a leg up here and a pull over there. It’s a real community and everyone wants everyone else to do well. You get a sense of achievement of completing an obstacle you arrive at and think ‘there’s no way I can do that’.

I think my worst obstacle was Ebenezer, purely because it stinks and is slimy mud so you’re waist deep in mud and slipping in every direction trying you’re best not to get you face submerged for the fear it tastes as bad as it stinks. But again, once I got out the other side I felt like a warrior!

It’s hard to pick a favourite. The Death Slide and Zip Wire are obviously up there and the half pipe at the very end. My body was screaming at me to stop, legs and arms dead but you just find that reserve in the tank to sprint up a near on vertical wall, lucking I had a strong helper at the top pull me over.

I honestly cannot wait to do it again. I’m going to bring my kids as they will love it just as much as I did. Thank you Nuclear Races!

What If You Want To Spectate?

There is something for everyone at Nuclear! Parking is free and to spectate you pay £5, unless you are accompanying a child taking on the Rookie course or under 12, in which case it is free. What can you expect?

  • there is a main event village, which has the start and finish so you can watch the warm up, see the runners off and finish for both the adults and children
  • food and drink stalls, including a licensed bar
  • merchandise shop
  • live music
  • inflatables for the kids
  • two tractors work at the same time to ferry people from the event village to the fun zone so you can spectate on course
  • the fun zone is near the lake zone and so you can see the obstacles on the lake such as magic carpet, donuts, death slide, zip lines and ebeneezer for all the mud!
  • also at the lake there was an ice cream van and a van selling drinks, crisps and fresh pizzas

It was an amazing day, despite having serious fomo once there, I had a blast watching them and walking round the course, although I did get very sunburnt!

Head to my Instagram for a short reel to give you a taste of some of the course.

Entries were gifted but all opinions are our own

Category: Cycling, Events, Fitness

Women V Cancer – Ride The Night

At the weekend I took part in the Women V Cancer Ride The Night 100km event. I have done this ride before as a ride angel, that you can read about here.

This time round I was gifted my place on the event and having taken part before I quickly accepted the opportunity again for such a great cause. Participants taking part challenge themselves to cycle either 50km or 100km through the night. The 50km point is by Buckingham Palace and if you finish there the organisers have put on coaches to return riders to Windsor Racecourse and lorries to take bikes back too – I have not done this before so cannot comment on this element of the event.

All fundraising from the event raises vital funds and awareness for Breast Cancer Now, Ovarian Cancer Action and Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust.

The atmosphere is amazing and the effort people go to is amazing! You don’t have to, but a lot of people dress up, add to their cycling kit with all the pink things and lights – there are lots of lights and some truly superb outfits – even from the doggos!

I knew quite a few ladies who were doing this ride as ride angels so also want to take a moment to give them a shout out. Events like these rely on volunteers and having been a ride angel on this event myself, I know how crucial that role is to support those taking part. Plus look at those halos!

I knew a lady who was taking part in the ride solo and we had done some mountain biking together and also a couple of road rides so I offered to ride with her. She was fab and managed to finish within the first 10 riders back to the racecourse – super proud of her!

Highlights

Highlights for me are:

  • absolutely the atmosphere at all stages of the event, beforehand, during and after
  • in with your event entry you get a pink hi-vis waistcoat to wear and a ticket for the pasta party so you can carb up ahead of the event starting
  • in the event village there were food trucks, face painting, music, dancers, kit to purchase and photographers to capture it all
  • the support along the route and at the finish – you can tell how much this event means to so many and heading out to London there were so many people by the side of the road cheering too
  • in addition to event day there is a lot that the company do by way of support including emails with training tips and advice
  • there is a facebook group you can join where so many share stories, hints/tips/advice and support
  • the feed stops were amazing with everything you could have wanted included more support from the volunteers there
  • marshalls who were out for the duration of the event in the dark and cold but always had a cheer and kind word
  • when we got to the Mall it was closed off as the Westminster Mile was taking place the following day and so riding up that to ourselves was fab
  • there is such a huge mix of abilities taking part so people are returning over quite a long time period but the organisation to allow people to leave when they were ready and not disrupt those riders returning was very well thought out

Not So Highlights

There are a few negatives as follows:

  • there could have been more toilets in the event village – as always there are queues before events take place (that nervous wee) but with so many people taking part and just over a dozen portaloos it definitely could have done with more
  • we found a few stretches of the route where we were unsure if we had gone wrong or missed a sign but we would eventually come across one – this is super hard as the organisers cannot put signs up everywhere but we were not the only ones who wondered if they’d made an error
  • some of the signs were a little late with instruction ie you would be on the left in the cycle lane and it would have an arrow straight forward and then it would show right and there were more than one lane of traffic to get across in busy areas
  • there was one part of the route towards the end where you were directed down a side turn that appeared to be to a closed gate but actually you were turning right to get on a cycle path but by the time we realised we were at the bottom so had to get off bikes and bump up the pavement
  • absolutely nothing to do with the event but there was a lot of speed bumps, pot holes on some roads – the joy of riding in London!

If you are thinking of taking part as either a participant for the challenge or as a ride angel I would definitely recommend both having taken part now as both.

I was gifted my place at the event, but all opinions are my own.

Category: Cycling, Product Reviews, Van Life

Transporting Your Bike

Do you travel with your bike? I don’t necessarily mean abroad/by plan, however, I have written a post about travelling abroad with your bike that you can find here.

When it comes to travelling within the UK, or the same country that you live, there are many options to consider, and the below are some that I have experience of to share:

Roof Bars/Racks

For our old car we had the Thule roof bars added to transport our bikes on the roof of the car. For this you need both the roof bars and then also the bike bars. We upgraded when we changed to carbon bikes so swapped from the system that leaves both wheels on to the one where you remove the front and connect to the front fork mount as certain frame clamps are not recommended for carbon bikes.

Just don’t forget your bikes are on the roof and go under a height restriction – it happens!

Wheel Bag

When we moved to the front fork mount we got some wheel bags so that we can store the wheel safely inside the vehicle. These tend to be padded, have internal accessories pockets if needed, carry handle and for double wheel bags also have extra internal padding to protect the hubs.

Tow Bar Rack

For our camper van we decided to invest in a tow bar and Thule tow bar bike rack so that we could maximise space inside the vehicle for when travelling. We did need to get the tow bar added by a specialist and we do not leave on permanently. I would say this rack is heavy and can be a little awkward – it can definitely be a one man job but easier with two people!

Inside Rack

We found this rack advertised for storing your bikes inside your vehicle shortly after we purchased our camper van. We thought that this might make a good addition for when we were travelling with the bikes without an overnight stay and so didn’t need the space inside the van. This rack is from Bike Inside and is so easy to use – you literally extend to the right length, secure in place and connect your bike to the fork mounts. It is super easy to store and there are options for different lengths, adapters, extenders and other straps and accessories.

Thule Carrier

To go with the transportation, and this is an add on for the Thule tow bar bike rack mentioned above, we also invested in the Thule carrier and this is an awesome piece of kit! It attaches and locks onto the tow bar rack, is waterproof, lightweight, packs down when storing, and you can add a bike rack with this too.

Chuck It In

There was no fancy technical way of saying this, but let’s face it, we all do it and it is always an option to literally just put your bike in your vehicle! I know I still do sometimes. We have a connector in our camper van to tie the dog lead too and sometimes (minus the dog) I use this to literally put my bike in and secure with the dog lead. No judgement here – it works a treat!

Trains

There are of course booking tickets on trains for your bike, however, I have never (believe it or not) used this so cannot comment.

As you can see we are big fans of Thule items – they can be a bit of an investment but the quality is amazing and we’ve found their stuff lasts forever (maybe not literally forever but for a long time)!

How do you travel with your bike?

Category: Fitness

#BreakTheBias – International Women’s Day 2022

Today, 8 March 2022, is International Women’s Day and the theme for this year is Break The Bias. According to the official International Women’s Day website:

‘Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women’s equality. Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.

Celebrate women’s achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality.‘

But what does Break The Bias mean to you? What does it mean to me? Well the name of my blog is Fat Girl Fit and that is my way of breaking the bias. I am not cover girl size, but that does not define me, it does not determine my worth and it is not indicative of my ability. I am more than capable and I am fearlessly unapologetically me, always!

I spoke with some ladies who I respect and admire to find out what this years theme means to them:

Bianca Fernandez-Clark

Being a cyclist and triathlete is being constantly reminded that I am not the norm: female, black, and with a bigger body. Breaking the bias is ensuring that my sport sees me, makes me feel represented and that my strength is not questioned, because I am constantly seen as weak because I’m a woman.

Amy Marren

Sport to me is total freedom and pushing your body beyond own boundaries. I love sport because it gives me a chance to feel strong, when the world would expect otherwise. I also love how sport does not have a “one size fits all” nature about it, you can be the tallest or the littlest and still be in it for the love of the game.

Lucy Edwards

The number of women who compete in triathlon has increased, but the ratio still remains lower for females compared to males. This gender gap is caused by many factors, including cost, ability, access to training facilities and time constraints.

But often the biggest barriers to triathlon are not external, but rather internal blockers and fears which prevent women from getting outside of their comfort zone.

One of the ways I try to help break down the barriers is to share my own journey openly and honestly, including my own fears and how I’m overcoming them. I’m passionate about encouraging and supporting other women to challenge themselves in sport.

On International Women’s Day, I’m grateful to the women who inspire, encourage and empower me to challenge myself.

Sarah Biss

Netball has always been a big part of my life since school years. I have continued into my adult life both as a player and coach and now my two daughters also play. It is not uncommon for me to be one of the shortest players on the team and sometimes underestimated, which is wrong. I am quick, constantly moving and work hard on the court in either centre position or wing attack.

I am a mother now to three children, one boy and two girls, and people assumed the sport would be something I stopped but instead it is something I can share with my daughters and continue to be passionate about. Plus it is as they say the best things come in small packages.

Karla Williams

I have fallen in love with cycling and the ways it can help physically and mentally.

As my love of the sport grew, I realised how hard and intimidating it is for women to get into the sport and e-racing. This realisation made me passionate about promoting, highlighting and supporting women’s e-racing by managing a women’s e-racing team, Aeonian Race Team, and offering different types of races for the women’s community on Zwift. By doing this, I hope to provide the ladies the opportunities to try these races and get the confidence in themselves to enter the racing scene, which in itself is very intimidating.

Managing a women’s e-racing team also comes with it’s own challenges. People often think my e-racing and cycling knowledge is lacking simply because I am a woman, have no professional background or race at an elite level. My experience in Zwift and e-racing have empowered me with a lot of knowledge to offer. With my work in promoting women’s cycling and my love for the sport, I hope to help break some of these barriers and show other women out there, we can do anything.

Michelle Shaw

Cycling is still very much seen as a male dominated sport. Breaking that bias for me means being visible, being loud and standing proud.

Share your achievements and support other women to do the same.

Social media gets a really hard time but I’ve met some of the most inspiring women online-women like me, who I feel I can totally relate too, we are a force to be reckoned with, there will always be those who think men are more superior but these views are now being called out-people don’t seem as afraid to shout up when they think something is unfair.

Category: Cycling

Winter Cycling Motivation

There is no doubt about it, someone as definitely left the freezer door open in recent weeks. It’s that time of the year where I wake up and despite all best intentions, I can head downstairs and see ice on the decking, plants, grass, cars and think right what’s the plan for today?

Winter Cycling Options

There are always options, here are mine:

  1. Stay in bed – I mean let’s face it that is always an option #justsaying.
  2. Gravel/MTB – take it off road, especially if you are cautious of road conditions during the winter months.
  3. Road cycle – some people have the luxury or a summer and winter bike (I am grateful that I do) so swapping bikes is an option, if not you may want to look at swapping tyres especially if you have slick or race summer tyres. Just because it is winter does not mean you cannot ride if the conditions are ok. It does, however, usually mean there is more cleaning/maintenance required just because of the conditions but remember if you look after your bike, it will look after you.
  4. Turbo trainer – if you have a turbo trainer then this can be a great option and means you can continue with training from the comfort of indoors!
  5. Strength training/Yoga – because not all bike training sees benefits from just being on the bike and the off bike work has many benefits in itself to compliment the on bike training.

How To Stay Motivated

There will always be barriers, but there are almost always solutions too:

  • It is too dark! Good lights and visible clothing make all the difference, charge before your ride so they are ready and good to go.
  • It is too cold! Layer up! There are some amazing kit choices out there. I cycled last weekend and it was 2 degrees so fair to say it was chilly! I wore thermal bib tights, base layer, winter cycling jacket, buff, winter cycling hat, full fingered gloves and toe covers. Despite the temperature I was absolutely fine whilst riding – naturally any stopping time is when you can feel the cold more but layers that wick the sweat are great for these conditions.
  • I don’t want to go out! If you have a turbo trainer this is an option, there are may plans online if you are using certain programmes ie I use Zwift and there are many plans available including Active Off Season which is geared towards maintaining fitness during the off season/winter months by providing some structured sessions.
  • Do I need to? Make a note of what your goals are and what you need to do to maintain fitness or initiate the build phase. Having your focus goal in mind helps put in the necessary structure required at that time.
  • Don’t put too much pressure on yourself! This is easier said than done but there is no need to start the year thinking I have a century ride to do in six months time and so I should be doing that sort of mileage beginning of January – doing too much too soon could have a negative impact if you have not trained to build to that stage.
  • I’m too tired! Listen to your body – winter months are the time of year with more cold/flu bugs going round, and in addition to this Covid is still around, so if you feel low on energy or fatigued then pushing yourself too much is not productive. I mentioned above about strength training and yoga so you could use the opportunity to switch things up.
  • I want company! See if you can rope in a fellow cycling friend to join you – I do and makes a lot of difference. With the right clothing once you are out you will enjoy the ride and be glad you went.

I do have another blog post about winter cycling specifically around kit choices and bike set up changes that you can find here.

Category: Cycling

Zwift Racing Training Plan

I recently wrote a post about how I had completed my first season with the amazing ladies e-racing team, Aeonian, that you can read here. Following this there were so many learnings and I wanted to develop that ahead of the next league so I signed up to the Zwift Racing training plan.

This will be the third training plan I have completed with Zwift and so far I have found them all useful so would definitely recommend if there are specific objectives/goals you have and a training plan that would facilitate that.

What Is This Plan?

Zwift website explains this training plan as follows:

‘The Zwift Racing plan will prepare you for all types of Zwift races, particularly longer or hilly courses. There are even race simulations based on popular routes in Watopia, London, New York, and Crit City. On easier days, you’ll do cadence work to help get your legs ready for anything.

This plan was designed for beginner and intermediate Zwifters, but any racer can benefit from the workouts – especially if you have trouble with those fast race starts!’

As it explains, the sessions largely simulate races and whilst good they certainly take their toll! As all the plans, the intervals work off your FTP, and it is a race so expect a lot of hard efforts – there is a lot of red in some of the sessions!

There are also some easier sessions that focus on cadence, which I use for training so am very familiar with that. I actually wrote a blog post on the subject of my training with cadence that you can read here.

What’s Involved?

The course is 7 weeks long and has a total of 27 workouts, although I will admit I did not complete all as I swapped some out for actual races and for an endurance ride I had planned.

There is a lot of commentary on the sessions where you are given prompts to how races on the various courses can be ie where there may be an attack or the group likely to split, giving hints and tips as to how you should ride to try and stay with the group.

The sessions are named by the courses so you know what session relates to what Zwift course, including the number of laps that you should expect in the race and the session simulates.

The quick starts are included and are always a shock to the system but valuable for the races as I have experienced they are full on right from the start so good to practice the need for quick power!

My Thoughts…

I would definitely recommend this training plan if you are interested in Zwift racing. Before I joined Aeonian, I was oblivious to the many tactics involved in e-racing and the team have been so helpful in sharing knowledge and tips but having the plan added to that in my training also.

I did sadly get Covid whilst in the middle of this plan and whilst my symptoms were super mild with just a sore throat, I did see a noticeable difference in my energy levels and some sessions definitely felt harder than they should have been!

It also transitioned nicely from the end of the plan to the next league in Zwift racing, so now time to put what I have learned to the test!

Category: Cycling

100 Miles on a Turbo Trainer

When your work gives you the day off, your husband is working and the weather is rubbish, what should you do? Well I had the brilliant brainwave to jump on the turbo trainer and complete one of the long badge routes.

I got everything ready the night before, had my kit laid out and early alarm set. When I got up I packed all the nutrition in a Tesco bag (classy) and headed down to our gym to get started.

About The Route

I was doing The PRL Full route, which was 174km with 2,496m of climbing and it would get me the route badge and the bonus badge for riding 100 miles in a single ride.

I really want to say this was a great route but it wasn’t. Not trying to be overly negative but 11 laps of the London Loop including the Box Hill climb was pretty boring pretty quickly.

  • Lap 1 – went pretty quickly and I got a PR on the route
  • Lap 2 – I started to realise that this was going to get boring pretty quickly
  • Lap 3 – I had decided that I would get off the bike and eat some sandwich, which I did
  • Lap 4 and 5 – I was already super bored and all I could think was that I was not even halfway through
  • Lap 6 and 7 – getting past the halfway mark should have made it easier but all I could think was how many laps were left
  • Lap 8, 9, 10 – I got off the bike after every lap, I had to both physically and mentally

My Nutrition

Knowing that it was going to be a long day in the saddle I wanted to fuel with real food rather than just ‘bike/sports fuel’. Here is what I consumed:

I have tried and tested Torq for several years now so I know that it works for me. I also still giggle at a bottle of Coke that Performance Chef, Alan Murchison, refers to as red ambulance and so figured having a bottle handy would be a good idea.

What I Learned

Here’s the list:

  • The Prudential Full in real life is 100 miles. I operate in miles and so when the route finished at 108 miles, let me tell you those extra 8 miles count!
  • A spare change of bib shorts was a great idea!
  • My Premax warm up cream and chamois cream was amazing, as was the recovery cream post ride.
  • My Mimic saddle was brilliant!
  • My Wahoo Kickr was brilliant!
  • Laps were, as expected, dull and boring.
  • Having something to watch for the duration was a necessity to help with the boredom.
  • My power went down slowly and each lap gradually took longer and varied from the start to the finish by 16 minutes, which is quite a lot.
  • I finished putting out less power than I would on a warm up interval and it took everything I had.
  • I run Zwift through Apple TV and twice I got a notification from the TV as it was on for so long prompting it to turn off that I had to override – total judgement from the TV!
  • I put on gloves after lap 8 as the palms of my hands hurt from leaning on the handlebars (core work needed).
  • Getting off the bike several times, changing and walking around meant it took much longer than I originally thought but was needed.
  • Whatever way you put it that distance on a turbo trainer has a lack of natural movement and is tough.
  • My turbo fan is my best friend.

It sounds quite negative and that is not intentional but I am pleased that it is done and dusted and that I will not have to do it again! I am pretty proud of myself for having the mental strength to get it done, as it would have been so easy to bail.

For those of you that have done the route already – kudos! For those who are planning on doing it – good luck! And yes the pic in the post is clearly not from the session but honestly the last thing on my mind at the end was taking a photo.

Just two route badges left for me to complete – but not just yet ha ha!

Category: Cycling, Events, Fitness

A little 2021 Roundup

Not to sound like a broken record as I realise I added a round up at the end of last year, but it got me looking back at the year and you know what? Yes, there may have been fewer events but I had a blast!

2021 Events

As expected, most events were cancelled, rescheduled of postponed until next year, but I did complete:

  • Virtual Vatternrundan 315km (not the same as being out through the night in Sweden sadly – but I will be going back 2022 with all my fingers and toes crossed)
  • Ride Essex Dirty 58 miles off road

2021 Cycling Highlights

Looking back I was surprised that I have done pretty much an equal amount of road riding as I have off road. Considering I only got my first ever MTB towards the end of last year I am loving it! However, despite lack of events I wanted to maintain my training and have completed the following:

  • Women’s 30 day Cycling Challenge
  • I joined Aeonian E-Race Team and started racing in the virtual world
  • Breeze Champion for both road and off road rides as I was part of the inaugural Into The Forest champions to qualify and have led a few rides off road already this year
  • Level 2 British Cycling Coach qualification
  • British Cycling Trainee Commissaire qualification
  • 100 Women In Cycling award from Cycling UK
  • First try at bike packing on part of King Alfred’s Way and looking forward to more!

Other 2021 Highlights

I have had so many weekends away in the campervan and don’t think I will ever get tired of that. The flexibility of working mostly from home has meant I can balance the work/life balance so much easier.

I did finish the year with Covid but super mild symptom of a sore throat only so can’t complain.

I have my 2022 events set so I am hoping everything goes to plan and these continue to be in real life events.

On a more positive note, I will be going into 2022 as my third year as a Foher ambassador, which I am very excited about!

Category: Cycling

Cycling Christmas Gift List

Remember being a kid and checking through the Argos catalogue to list what you wanted to ask Father Christmas for? When I had a child my parents did the same, as a grandparent’s prerogative I was told. I remember one day picking up our son from being babysat and he proudly announced that he had started his Christmas list but instead of being a few items it was more like the whole of page 24 from the toy section! I am a bit like this when shopping for cycling kit – I want it all!

I am lucky to be supported by Evans Cycles this year and so I have spent a lot of time going through their website admiring all the things!

Top 5 Items (that could fit in a Christmas stocking!)

  1. Hiplok Z Lock Combo – £19.99 – if you are like me there are often cafe stops mid ride and these locks are nice an compact to fit inside a jersey/jacket pocket to take with you on a ride and use when stopping to make sure your pride and joy is safe and secure.
  2. Endura Merino Neck Warmer – £16.99 – I am a huge fan of a buff/neck warmer as they are easy to carry and can be used multiple ways.
  3. Bontrager Flare Front/Rear Light Set – £59.99 – this time of year more than ever it is essential to ensure you are safe and seen and you can never have too many lights!
  4. Topeak Survival Gear Box – £27.99 – you may have tools, you may prefer to use a mechanic for your needs but this is a handy little box to have with the main essentials for basic bike maintenance.
  5. Kalf Phone Case – £12.00 – I always cycle with my phone and a bank card in a phone case and this is such a handy little stocking filler too!

In addition to the above I am looking to get creative with a pair of cycling shoes and found these Pinnacle road shoes that I am going to plan on customising in some way – ideas always welcome! Also have a pair up for grabs so if you head over to my instagram you can see how you could win a pair.

And just in case anyone is feeling particularly generous or wants to know what would be on my Christmas list if I could pick anything cycling related, then it would be this stunner of a bike (husband hint hint):

Specialized Aethos Pro