By the time I write this, in late 2020, the brief respite we had from COVID-19 in the summer months seems a distant memory. Sometime in July, I hopped on my bike to tackle a bikepacking route that I’ve had on my ‘to ride’ list for a couple of years. I’m not sure where I … More The Smoke Ring: A Bikepacking Circle around London (03/07/20-05/07/20)
It’s been quite a while since I last posted here! It seems I managed to have an entirely blog-free 2020. Since I wrapped up my experience at last year’s Transcontinental Race, my life has been more-or-less the same throughout the year. The same probably can’t be said for the rest of the world… I didn’t … More South England Mega-Grav: London to The Coast and Back (05/06/20-07/06/20)
Ended the last blog at the end of my 8th day on the TCR. Camping out high up in the Swiss Alps, about 2,000m above sea level. I was awake by 4am, too cold to sleep any longer. I’d tested my bivvy arrangement and was confident I’d sleep comfortably to about 10C. When, after a … More The Transcontinental Race: Part 2 (02/09/19-09/09/19)
Right, let’s get straight into it. The 7th Transcontinental Race kicked off at 6am on the 27th July in Burgas, on the Black Sea coast in Bulgaria. I was nervous, but mostly just excited to get started. I’d accepted my place at the very start of the year, so I’d had half a year to … More The Transcontinental Race: Part 1 (27/08/19-02/09/19)
I first heard about the Transcontinental Race in March, 2015. I was a couple of months into my first ever long bike ride and was staying in the Czech Republic while crossing Europe. That ride would end up being a three year cycle around the world, but I had no idea things would escalate to … More The Transcontinental: A Beginners’ Guide to Ultra-Distance Racing (25/08/2019)
Oman has been on my radar for some time – ever since I was cycling in the Middle East, back in 2015. As I rode across Iran that summer, it started to seem more and more likely that I wouldn’t be able to get a visa for Turkmenistan. It’s a country that has always had … More Oman: The Jebel Shams Circle (22/02/19-27-02/19)
Scotland inspired me to try and explore some more of the UK off-road, so I collected a list of mountain bike routes that had enough mileage for a long-weekend this summer. Although I did a couple of weekenders along both the South Downs Way and the North Downs Way, I never found the time to … More Lake District: An Off-Road Lakeland Loop (16/11/18-19/11/18)
On the second half of the trail I passed a few places I visited on my last ride down through Scotland. The first of these places was Kylesku Bridge, which crosses Loch Cainbawn. I’d been coming down the coastal rode last time but then changed my mind and followed the main road to Lochinver, rather … More Highland Trail 550: Part 2 (23/08/18-29/08/18)
I first heard about the Highland Trail 550 in Utah, of all places. Last summer I was cycling along a lonely dead-end road in the American desert when a car pulled over. The driver hopped out and asked me if I fancied a cold bottle of water. When it is 40C and there is no … More Highland Trail 550: Part 1 (18/08/18-23/08/18)
Today, 16th January 2018, is exactly three years since I left London on my bicycle and it is also precisely one month since I arrived home. Feels like an appropriate date for the last blog on my cycle around the world… After one year cycling I wrote a blog summarising my time on the road … More Around The World By Bicycle: Afterthoughts (16/01/15-17/12/17)
JKB's Bike Ride 