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Everesting Tips

France & UK
Everesting Tips

Hawaii
Mauna Kea

Land’s End to John O’Groats
A Guide to Cycling the GB Divide

Come Along For the Ride

And just like that, the Mauna Loa Access road has

And just like that, the Mauna Loa Access road has been cut by a fresh lava flow this afternoon… sadly @tom_townsend__ had already lost his @strava KoM, otherwise it would have been his for all eternity! I’m feeling very privileged to have ridden this road back in the winter of 2018 - who knows when it will be re-laid, reopened and accessible to the public again! #maunaloa #hawaiicycling #mosaiccycles

THIS! Still the most extraordinary road I’ve eve

THIS! Still the most extraordinary road I’ve ever ridden and as of yesterday, it’s CLOSED because Hawaii’s mighty Mauna Loa is erupting again, for the first time since 1984! Lava is flowing from the NE vents which are above this road… one of my bucket list wishes is to see a live volcano - tempted to pack my bike right now and book a plane ticket 😉 #maunaloa #assosofswitzerland #opencycle

So, let’s talk about Paris - Roubaix, arguably t

So, let’s talk about Paris - Roubaix, arguably the most compelling cycling parcours in the world? I first rode it back in 2015 and it was everything I expected and more: terrifying, brutal, marginal and yet oddly, addictive. In the following years, I started going back and riding sections of the route, taking my time to get to know the various different cobbled secteurs and researching the history of each one. I built a specific bike for the job and visit whenever I can. So what’s it really like for normal cyclists like you and me to ride these famous cobbles? Well, the answer depends on three variables: firstly, the weather: if it’s wet, it’s other-worldly difficult and you have to ride it differently: the middle ‘crown’ of each section - your sanctuary in the dry - becomes a slick nightmare, pushing you down into the mud and holes either side. I’ve ridden it twice in the wet, but massively prefer not to. By contrast, in the dry it’s doable and huge fun (well, I like it 😉). The second variable is your bike: the better suited it is, the more viable your ride becomes: that means tyres c.35mm wide, strong wheels, a responsive yet compliant frame and components that can withstand crazy abuse. The third thing is your clothing which will get tested like never before: for example, I rode the 2,000km GBDivide recently, without gloves and my hands never got sore. Roubaix has my hands sore within 30km! Arm warmers and knees warmers slip down and shorts move around more than you would ever expect, so clothing needs to be excellent - a close fit and designed in a way that keeps it in place, despite the pounding of the cobbles. When I rode Paris - Roubaix a few days ago, it was classic autumn: 12 degrees and windy, so I wore a set of @assosofswitzerland ‘s Equipe RS Spring/Fall clothing: engineered with a ‘race fit’ like a second skin, while also keeping you warm on cooler days. Next time I’ll remember to take gloves too, but really close fitting ones, to avoid them moving around on my hands. If you get these three things right then the cobbles are open, year round, for anyone to ride. #parisroubaix #assosofswitzerland #cobbles #assosldn