Eastern Promise: A cycling adventure in Nepal with ThamBikes.

Some time ago I was contacted by a lady I had met at one of our "Tongba nights" in Kathmandu, Jo Chaffer.

She was  embarking on a project (ThamBikes) to search for, and then package, new mountainbike routes and destinations in Nepal. Jo wondered if I "might be interested in getting involved?"

Let me think about that for a minute - "Would I be interested in exploring uncharted trails on my mountainbike in Nepal with the potential to follow it up with guided trips? Hmm?

Not many Benny!!! Absolutely I would!

And so it came to pass, that in March this year, I, along with my buddy Mitchell Bryan, found ourselves being collected from Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu, by Jo and a couple of guys in a pick-up truck from Thamserku (Nepal's leading adventure travel provider, and partner in the venture).

Yak Attack 2015 - The Prologue.

It's Yak Attack time again!

Namaste!

Here's my view on the potential "movers and shakers" for this edition of the worlds highest mountain bike race in Nepal.

After the disastrous earthquakes that shook Nepal in the spring a lot of racers have deferred their entries until next years 10th anniversary race. It's a real shame but I can hardly blame them for being cautious, the recovery process is painfully slow and will be ongoing for many years to come.

However a magnificent 27 adventurous souls have still committed to racing in what is widely recognised as one of the hardest mountain bike stages-races on earth.

As a three-time contestant I can certainly vouch for its status, every year throws up different challenges and its "extreme" tag is well deserved. This year I will be out there supporting my friend, Race Director, Phil Evans with the organisation; instead of racing. It's actually something of a relief, and a personal challenge that I'm really looking forward to. I don't actually have a title but I think "Assistant Race Director" has a nice ring to it!

Well you've got to dream BIG :D

Once again The North Face (Nepal) have stepped up to the plate as title sponsors for The Showdown in The Annapurna's, and even with the reduced field there are some big guns lined up for the shootout.

Tyler McMahon warming up for the start of Yak Attack 2014.

Another milestone is to be surpassed this year. My friend (and great rival!), Nepal based USA rider, Tyler McMahon will become Yak Attack's most decorated international racer with his fourth tilt at this testing event. I'm not the only one with a passion for this race.

Tyler is always good for a strong finishing position and I'm certain he'll put on a good show. Good luck my friend, I'll be shouting for you (mostly, haha).

Bike-Fitting. The Appliance of Science.

As part of my on-going preparation for The Tour Divide I decided it was time to get correctly fitted to my bike for the ultra-endurance training & riding journey that I'm embarking on.

A quick search on the internet threw up a few local options and I booked in at (be)spoke Derby for one of their Bike-Science Retul precision bike fitting sessions.

It's probably something I should have done a few years ago really. For anyone with racing or endurance aspirations it is an essential element. For most recreational riders it is less so, you can walk in to any decent bike shop these days and get sized and fitted reasonably well to any stock bike; and riding for 3-4 hours is unlikely to throw up any worrying underlying niggles. Back-to-back 80-100+ mile days, however, and you will start to notice little issues fairly quickly. That's where a bike-fit comes in.

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From their website:

"A bike fit is one of the most important things a cyclist can do to help get the best from their bike. Precision bike fitting will help your bike work as hard as you do, allowing you to ride longer and better.

Benefits of a bike fit

- improved comfort and efficiency

- help prevent injury 

- reduce or eliminate existing aches and injuries 

- prevent numbness at contact points 

- reduce fatigue"

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A Peak District Microadventure; Testing Kit for The Tour Divide.

I've been on a little microadventure!

I've been wanting to say that for ages, I feel like I've now joined a special club! Microadventure is the latest buzz-word for, well, doing stuff. You know, like going camping overnight, or going for a long walk and a picnic, or something similar; often with minimal amounts of kit and planning, spur of the moment stuff. It's an adventure that doesn't take too long; it's a way of encouraging people to go out and do stuff, and that is a very good thing.

I hope my adventures encourage people to go out and do stuff, that would be a very good thing also! :)
Actually my adventure was more of a mini-adventure than one of the micro variety.
It was 140 miles of mountainbiking on some, at times, tough trails, with an an uncomfortable overnight camp under a little bridge. It probably doesn't sound like much fun, but it was (mostly!).

Review: First look - Alpkit Kepler Merino Baselayer Range.

Alpkit Kepler Merino Baselayers.

Alpkit have been on a bit of a mission lately with a lot of new products being drip-fed to consumers throughout the course of the year.

One of these - The Kepler Merino Range - has been on my radar for a while.

I'm a huge fan of merino wool products, I have a fair bit of it in my wardrobe, so I was excited to check out their offerings to see how they measure up.

The benefits of merino wool are well documented, great breathability, quick drying, fast wicking, warm when wet, and extremely resistant to odours. In recent years it's become the de-rigueur product of choice for most outdoor users and manufacturers.
With the likes of Rab and Icebreaker retailing some serious high-end performance products the competition is stiff.