In this episode I get to talk to Chris Hinds who was the first finisher of this year's Great British Divide, which was the first time the event has taken place.

The Great British Divide  is mostly off-road and has a distance of around 2200km with more than 35000m of climbing. This year's ride was cut slightly shorter but was still an epic 1800km.

We talk about Chris' preparations, what it was like to ride the route, how he feels finishing first and how his recovery is going.

I'd like to thank him for coming on as it's only been a week since he finished so I know he's probably still reflecting on what he's achieved.

I kept using the word 'winner' when talking to Chris in this episode but as Kevin who organises the event says 'it's not a race, it's an adventure to be completed in a couple of weeks.' That said, to complete such an epic route in the time Chris did, he's a proper 'winner' in my eyes. It's such a huge accomplishment. You'll also notice I shorten the name of the Great British Divide to 'GB Divide' (habit) when talking, that's actually a different route. This episode is 100% about the @greatbritishdivide route.

If you'd like to hear more about the route I spoke with Kevin who organises the event in a previous episode in series 1.

There's a bit of background noise in this episode.  Hopefully it's not too distracting and you can hear Chris nice and clearly.

If you want to check out some of Chris's posts from the Great British Divide you can find them on his Instagram.  If you want to check out the Great British Divide route head on over to the website or Instagram.

Thanks for listening.

Dan

In this episode I talk with Ross Burrage about the Masaka Cycling Club Foundation.

Ross is the host of the Hidden Athlete podcast (listen here) and is a keen ultra cyclist. He's also a humanitarian and over the past couple of years has been supporting cyclists in Uganda.

Southern Uganda is one of the poorest regions on earth and is home to the first known case of HIV, a disease that destroyed generations. It boasts some extraordinary cycling talent, yet they have no equipment to showcase their abilities, and are suppressed by poverty and corruption.

The Masaka Cycling Club Foundation has been created to enable cycling fans and humanitarians from all over the world to support cyclists in this region. In doing so you have the ability to free them from the barrier of poverty and help them chase their cycling dreams.

Some of the riders recently took part in the Migration Gravel Race in Kenya and finished in the top 10, which is an amazing result. I spoke with Ross before the race so you can find out about how they prepared and what the project is aiming to achieve.

If you'd like to follow the club or donate you can find out more on their website , Instagram or Facebook.

Thanks all
Dan

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In this episode I talk with local road racer Red Walters.

Red's on a journey to becoming a pro rider. He's raced for Vitus Pro Cycling in 2019 and has now made a big move over to France to join his new team CC Plancoet for 2021. I spoke to him earlier in the year before the move.

We talk about how he got into cycling, the reasons he loves racing so much and what it was like to get a contract with a Pro Team. We also have a good chat about training, the importance of data, how training throughout the pandemic has changed for Red and what his plans and goals are for 2021.

If you'd like to follow Red's journey head on over to his Instagram.

Thanks everyone, I hope you enjoy the episode.

Dan

In this episode I talk with Andy Carr founder of Spoon Customs and now CEO of WyndyMilla and Gun Control Paint.

Andy started spoon customs after changing careers, going through a divorce and escaping to the mountains on the border of France and Italy.

I've always been fascinated with custom bikes and have followed the brands for several years so I was really happy Andy decided to come and talk with me. I wanted to get to know some of the people behind the brands and would like to thank Andy for sharing his story.

We talk about why he decided to start a custom bike brand, how he did it, why he loves building bikes, how things have been throughout lockdown, the importance of bike fit and the vision for the companies going forward.

Andy's passion for the bikes and the brands really shines through, he clearly knows his materials as we have a chat about steel and carbon too.

If you'd like to find out more about the brands head on over to their websites, Spoon Customs, WyndyMilla & Gun Control Paint.

Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode.

Dan

In this episode I talk with Imogen Cotter. 

Imogen cycles for a living, having raced for the Irish national team she's moved over to Belgium to ride at an elite level. She started the Tour of Flanders in 2020 and she also coaches cycling with Panache Coaching. She's recently joined the Movistar esports team too. 

We have a chat about how she changed her sport from running to cycling, her move to Belgium, what it's like riding bikes for a living and how she stays motivated, particularly throughout the past year. 

You'll also hear from her dog Blue throughout the episode as a cat or something got into the garden. 

I'd like to thank Imogen for coming on and talking with me. Thanks for listening everyone, I hope you enjoy the episode.

You can follow what Imogen is up to via her Instagram or blog too.

Dan

Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/cyclestation)

In this episode I talk with Sean Hardy. Sean not only has an awesome surname (it might be the same as mine haha) but Sean's also an amazing photographer and has taken pictures of pro cyclists, photographed at the world tours, the classics and for multiple cycling brands and magazines.

I've always enjoyed Sean's cycling pictures so thought I'd contact him to see whether he'd come on to talk about what it's like being a photographer on the pro cycling scene.

We have a chat about how he changed jobs from working in an office to 'blagging' (his words not mine) his way through his first cycling photography opportunity. The reasons he loves photography, what he looks for in an image and how life behind the lens is at the races.

Id like to thank Sean for coming on and and being so open and honest about what he does. He's clearly found his passion in life and it shines through. He's got some cool opportunities in the women's pro scene for 2021 which we have a brief chat about toward the end of the episode.

If you'd like to see more of his photography head over to his website or Instagram.

Thanks for listening everyone, I hope you enjoy it.

Dan

In this episode I talk with Steven le Hyaric, an adventurer and former pro-cyclist from France.

Steven has cycled since a young age & raced as a pro rider for many years. He then decided to end his career and become a monk in Nepal.

After this period as a monk he decided to live a life of adventure, and wow has he completed some adventures. He's cycled the Himalayan trail, rode Paris to Dakar, cycled up Kilimanjaro, aims to cycle the world's 7 summits and is continuing his 666 challenge, cycling across 6 deserts within 6 months. He also rides multiple ultra-distance races each year too.

We talk about his life, why he seeks out adventures, anxieties of big challenges, meditation and what he's got coming up this year. He also shares some of the things that have gone wrong on his most recent ride up Kilimanjaro, it's quite the story.

I loved speaking with Steven and found a lot of what he said really wise and relatable.

If you'd like to find out more about what Steven's up to you can find info over on his website or his Instagram.

Thanks for listening all, I hope you enjoy it.

Dan

In this episode I talk with Zahir Nayani, the creator of the Fasted 500.

The Fasted 500 is a pioneering independent Ramadan cycling challenge. In Zahir's own words:

"I love cycling and also happen to be Muslim.  

Many of us substantially (and, in some instances, completely) reduce exercise during Ramadan to conserve energy.  That goes for us cyclists too.  I think that's a shame as, for most of us, a sensible level of exercise should pose no harm in a fasted state.  In fact, light exercise during the month can help give lethargy and sloth the heave-ho.

So, here we have an independent spin-off of Rapha's now iconic Festive 500 with the aim of encouraging more Muslims to keep active during Ramadan (and hopefully continue the habit afterwards!).  

Amidst the backdrop of the pandemic, we believe this initiative to be all the more important.  A daily dose of fresh air can do wonders for headspace and, from a personal perspective, we've found cycling to have an uncanny habit of decluttering our minds. "

We have a chat about Zahir's experiences of riding whilst fasting, what Ramadan is and when it takes place and about the support he's been getting from the cycling community. We also have a chat about bikepacking, the trips Zahir has planned this year and about local riding route in Swindon, we live very close!

If you'd like to find out more about the challenge feel free to checkout the website or instagram.

Thanks all. I hope you enjoy the episode.

Dan

Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/cyclestation)

In this first episode of Season 3 I talk with Boru McCullagh who back in December cycled the Rapha festive 500. He did it a bit different though. He cycled it in one go and around a velodrome, 1,112 laps to be exact. To make it even more challenging the velodrome, Herne Hill in London, is an outdoor one. 

As it's Easter I thought what better time to release an inspiring story about riding 500kms at Christmas time, haha!

It's such a cool story that created quite a buzz on social media at the time, a proper awesome film was also made about Boru (& Tim's) challenge. You can find Calvin's film over on his YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/channel/UCG1QONPoEMhtM-TbojI5usQ). 

I talk with Boru about his cycling background, that important question ' why he rides' and how he prepared both physically and mentally for the challenge. 

If you want to find out more about Herne Hill Velodrome where Boru coaches go checkout the website www.hernehillvelodrome.com.

Thanks so much for all your support everybody! I hope you enjoy this episode and season 3.

Dan

In the final episode of season 2 I talk with Ulrich (Uba) Bartholmoes, ultra-distance champion and current winner of many ultra races in Europe.

Ulrich has a fascinating story of how he got into ultra distance cycling, purely through the love of riding his bike, and whilst in Spain on holiday in 2019 he decided to enter the Trans Pyrenees Race......and won!

He won it with no prior experience of ultra racing. He's gone on to win many ultra distance races including the Trans Iberica (a 9+ day race), Three Peaks Bike Race and the Two Volcano Sprint. 

In this episode we talk about how he got into ultra racing and more specifically about his attempt of the Two Volcano Sprint in Italy, a 1,100km ride with 24,000m of climbing. He had won the race in 2019 and had decided to ride it again as he loved the route so much. 

In this race he decided to try some new tactics and to see if he could do it on no (or very little) sleep, this is a +50hour race! 

We talk about the route, his training, his tactics, why he rides big miles and how he fits it all in around a full time job.

You can find out more about Uba and what he's up to at www.uba-cycling.de.

You can find info on the Two Volcano Sprint race at www.twovolcanosprint.com. 

Thanks for listening all. I'll be back in April for season 3.

Enjoy!

Dan

Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/cyclestation)