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Apparel Featured Reviews

Halo Cycling Cap

Halo Cycling Cap

Halo Cycling CapThe Halo products – various nifty anti-sweat headbands and bandanas – have been available in the UK for a few years now, but the latest addition of a dedicated Halo Cycling Cap grabbed Cyclo’s attention. Exceptionally lightweight at just 40g the Halo Cycling Cap fits comfortably under any helmet with the stretch fabric mesh upper adding little or no bulk and breathing well on the ride. The lower band, also with good stretch, can be worn either above or over the ears – the latter offering a little added comfort to winter rides no doubt.

 

But, of course, it’s the hotter summer months where the Halo is likely to come into its own. The Dryline fabric quickly absorbs sweat and the cap features a short-peak visor that is flexible enough so that, if not required, it can be flipped upwards. With nice attention to detail the peak’s upper is white to reflect, whilst the underside is black to reduce glare – unless you choose the all-black version…

 

So far, so seen it all before? The unique selling point of the Halo Cycling Cap – indeed all of the Halo products – is the patented SweatBlock Seal inside the front of the band that channels sweat backwards and away from the face and, more crucially, the eyes. The SweatBlock Seal might just look like a thin rubber strip (fundamentally it is) but it serves its function without fail.

 

At £29.95 the Halo Cycling Cap isn’t cheap, but it’s well made, practical and a credible alternative to constantly wiping your forearm across your eyes. Further details and online purchase at haloheadbanduk.com

 

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Apparel Featured Reviews

Fairwear Shirts

Fairwear Shirts

Fairwear ShirtsOh, those eternal bike commuter quandaries: smart, casual or sweaty? A quick change and a blast of deodorant in the lift? How to rock that crumpled look, once you’ve unfurled the shirt from the backpack? A possible solution comes in the form of Fairwear apparel from Philadelphia-based emerging designer Louis Pollack who makes performance dress shirts with moisture wicking fabrics.

 

Commenting on his inspiration, Pollack says: ‘Technically part of downtown Center City, Fairmount is its own self-functioning neighborhood centered around one of the oldest and largest urban parks in America. With Philadelphia’s skyline firmly planted in the background, Fairmount serves as the gateway for all things outdoors. I wanted to capture Fairmount Park’s uniquely balanced environment, and share it with enthusiasts everywhere.’

 

At first glance – actually even with closer inspection – it’s hard to tell that the items in the collection are anything but ‘ordinary’, but made from COOLMAX tech fabric with a 60% cotton mix they go a long way towards providing  fantastic commuter-friendly shirts. Even with a backpack on the shirt we had on test, the Spruce Stripe since you ask, remained cool and fresh even on what passed for a scorching day in the UK.

 

Actually describing the shirts as ‘ordinary’ looking in any way does a disservice to Fairwear and to Pollack. There are some great looking shirts in the COOLMAX range from the dapper Chestnut Chambray to the more traditionally classic Rittenhouse dress shirt or the short-sleeved Girard. Making apparel that works hard on the bike and looks great off of it is no mean feat, but Fairwear look to have managed it with some style. The design, cut and fit are all of the highest quality and with the Fairwear shirts retailing at $85 (around £50) they’re exceptionally well priced.

 

Regrettably there are no UK retailers as yet, but you can contact them direct via the website fairwear.co for order enquiries.

 

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Featured Nutrition Reviews

HPN Ultimate Cyclo-Endurance

HPN Ultimate Cyclo-Endurance

HPN Ultimate Cyclo-EnduranceAnother month, another brand-new nutrition product… Despite the relative crush of the market Ultimate Cyclo-Endurance from HPN (Hyperformance Nutrition), an isotonic mix with blended carbs and amino acids, is looking to edge out some shelf-space for itself. Cyclo grabbed a bidon and put it to the test.

 

Hyperformance Nutrition is a relatively new company, formed back in 2011, and promoting a commendably simple philosophy: ‘Train effectively, incorporate optimum nourishment in your training plan and ensure optimum recovery and rest.’ They also note: ‘We go to great lengths to make sure (our products) taste great too!’

 

In that case let’s start with taste: Only one option, lemon – but it’s a good, clean and crisp tang achieved without artificial flavours or sweeteners (there are no artificial colours or preservatives either) and although there is a slightly bitter aftertaste, probably the result of using stevia as the natural sweetener, it’s more than palatable. The scooped powder also mixed completely without any globs of residue – a true rarity in own-mix formulas in Cyclo’s experience.

 

The rather awkward one and three-quarter scoops (couldn’t HPN have made a smaller scoop and called it a nice round ‘two’?) mixes with 700ml of water for optimum use with a recommendation to consume the full amount every 40-80minutes on the bike. That’s a lot of bottles for a decent-length ride, but arguably about right for a shorter, faster session.

 

The nutritional values of Ultimate Cyclo-Endurance certainly stack up well. A 700ml bottle will deliver a fairly impressive 193.2kcal with all 44.9g of carbohydrates delivered via sugars (a blend of dextrose and maltodextrin.) The BCCAs (Branched Chain Amino Acids, here in the form of soya) are added, in part, to reduce fatigue, whilst the mix also includes vitamin C, B2, B6, B12 and niacin (vitamin B3) – in all this represents a really solid approach to on-bike nutrition, whilst the isotonic balance will help the hydration strategy.  That said, in an ideal world we’d rather see a more all-encompassing approach to replacing ‘body salts’ than the mere inclusion of sodium and potassium chloride…

 

Variety, they say, is the spice of life and having plenty of variety when it comes to nutrition and hydration can be key to mixing and matching for best results on the bike. We would no more recommend the sole use of Ultimate Cyclo-Endurance than any other product, but it’s impressive blend (and generally good flavour) make it a great race-day or training addition. At £14.99 for 1.05kg – making up 20 bottles – the value is good too.

 

Further details and online purchase of Ultimate Cyclo-Endurance at hyperformancenutrition.com

 

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Featured Features

Riding the Dallaglio Cycle Slam

Dallaglio Cycle Slam

Dallaglio Cycle SlamTaking place from June 1 to 25 the Dallaglio Cycle Slam is the Dallaglio Foundation’s largest annual fundraising event; it saw Lawrence Dallaglio and his team of core riders, including world-class athletes and celebrities, alongside 300 supporters, cycle through Italy, France, Switzerland and England – covering 2,300km to raise money for his charity. With slightly disturbing mental images of Lycra and rugby boots rattling around my head, I joined them for a day in the saddle.

 

The darker recesses of my mind had led me to believe that my participation in the Dallaglio Cycle Slamwas going to be a combination of international athleticism and the sort of camping trip my dad would have organised. I certainly felt the need to practice carb-loading to give myself a fighting chance of keeping up with sports stars in cleats, but in all honesty I didn’t have much perpetration time for the event, something of an out-of-blue opportunity that left me with just ten days to train/panic. I was already riding about 50miles a week in readiness for a more planned Alpine cycling adventure in September, so I settled comfortably for the arguably sub-optimal, but always agreeable, ‘eat and rest’ option.

 

Dallaglio Cycle SlamI focused on a seven-day carb-loading regime; on day one I half-read a chapter on nutrition and dutifully increased my carb intake by an extra bowl of cereal and sandwich to achieve the 350g suggested target. On day two, half way through my second bowl of porridge, I finished the chapter and discovered 350g was meant to be a slight reduction in my usual carb intake, followed by four days of 700g of carbs, the reduction apparently spiking the body’s ability to store glycogen. Oh well, I figured I might as well keep eating now…

 

Once in the saddle though I wasn’t quite sure of the etiquette, nor of my ability to last the course. I started steady, cycling alongside the 17 stone Lawrence Dallaglio. It was his tour – was it permissible to overtake? Would I regret it later if I did?  The lactic acid taking over and leaving me cramped-up and useless on the side of some picturesque road. I slid ahead feeling good and risking (almost) all…

 

Despite what I feared was under-perpetration I was probably over-prepared for this ride –both mentally and nutritionally. Having feared that I’d be dropped by super-fast, single-focused sports freaks racing along the tarmac in a blur, I was rather surprised to be supping coffees and eating pork pies just ten miles in and with 83 miles still to go. A few more miles up the road and it was beer and pizza. At 11am, we stopped for lunch. This was provided by professional caterers in a lay-by whilst eager physios got to work on the tightness that cycling from Italy to Yorkshire cause – for the core riders at least, not for the hanger-on day trippers like me. I just ate.

 

Dallaglio Cycle SlamBack on the bike, of similar speedto me was a chap called Andrew Ridgley. We slipped into a pretty closely synchronised paced and rode together for much of the way, celebrating the summits with scenic selfies. I had entirely failed to make the Wham! connection and couldn’t work out why so many people asked him for autographs each time we stopped, whilst my own signature wasn’t once requested. Go figure…


Aside from the excellent (if unrecognised) company the highlight of Dallaglio Cycle Slamfor me was the route itself; I’d always wanted to climb Holme Moss, having heard so much about it and believing it to be the longest climb in England. I didn’t realise it was pipped by Craggy Vale, which we also ticked off the list during the day. That this was also the exact route of the second stage of the Tour de France added to the significance and excitement; the streets of Harrogate were decked out in knitted jerseys and yellow bikes as anticipation for the tour was building and there’s no denying this helped build my Sagan and Kittel-styled self-delusion.

 

Dallaglio Cycle SlamHalf way to Sheffield, I had mentally adjusted to a slower day in the saddle and taken on role of team domestique, helping a couple of slightly hung-over and war-torn tourists up the climbs. But having given up rugby myself 12 months ago, I was still pretty chuffed to be part of what Lawrence called the’rugby clubhouse on two wheels.’

 

Fair play, this group had already achieved a great deal; I couldn’t really compare myself coming in fresh. In three more days this dedicated group would be in more familiar surroundings, completing their journey at Twickenham, hoping to have raised £1million through the Dallalgio Foundation for children with cancer and for disadvantaged young people. An amazing team, an incredible cause, and an unforgettable experience…

 

The four stages of the Dallaglio Cycle Slam were:

Treviso, Italy to St Moritz, Switzerland – June 2-6, 540.1 km

St Moritz, Switzerland to Chamonix, France – June 8-12, 565.1 km

Chamonix, France to Chambery, France –June 14-17, 529.3 km

Leeds, England to Twickenham, England –June 20-24, 686.4 km

 

Find out more about the Dallaglio Cycle Slam at dallagliocycleslam.com and their official nutrition partner Elivar at elivar.com

 

ElivarRecognising that what athletes need in their twenties is very different to their mid thirties and upwards, Elivar was developed with sports nutritionists and food scientists to ensure endurance sports participants are set up for continued participation into later life. Commenting on Elivar’s support ahead of the challenge Lawrence Dallaglio said, ‘we’re delighted to have Elivar fuelling me and the team right the way through the ride. Decent sports nutrition is essential for the Dallaglio Cycle Slam because it is such a test of endurance, we’ll be riding through a tough environment for 25 days and a group of amateurs like us needs all the help we can get!’

 

You can read the Cyclo review of Elivar here.

 

Feature by Tim Friend

 

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Featured Nutrition Reviews

BLOCKHEAD

BLOCKHEAD

BLOCKHEADThere are times on the longer training sessions or endurance races when a caffeine shot seems like just the thing. But with cans of energy drinks, let alone a nice tall latte or espresso shot, rarely convenient/possible BLOCKHEAD could be a solution.

 

BLOCKHEAD is a new compressed energy gum, the creation of British sport scientist, Danny Lowe, who applied his knowledge of absorption methods to create a product that reportedly works five-times faster than caffeinated energy drinks. Each pack contains ten pieces, with each delivering 32mg of caffeine which, because its absorbed orally via the buccal mucosa membranes in the mouth rather than in the digestive tract and stomach, gets to work within around five to ten minutes of chewing (compared to 25-45minutes with most caffeinated drinks.)

 

The BLOCKHEAD taste starts not unlike a ‘traditional’ chewing gum flavour (sort of generic fruit) but quickly deteriorates into bitterness, not entirely pleasant and, in fact, not worse than some energy shot drinks. On test rides there was a noticeable caffeine buzz within 15minutes and under slightly stricter test control raised the resting heart rate by 20% within 10minutes and a fairly sustained 25% within 15minutes.

 

Caffeine is certainly proven to increase alertness but technically only improves endurance performance in high doses – around 3-6mg per kg of body weight – and as the maximum recommended daily consumption of BLOCKHEAD is three pieces (96mg) there’s probably only marginal gains to be had here. That said, the recommended daily allowance may be erring on the side of caution when you consider that a 250ml can of Red Bull – to take the market leader as a fairly representative example – contains 80mg of caffeine, which the Food Standards Agency suggests is: ‘the same as three cans of cola or a mug of instant coffee.’

 

Arguably there are other benefits to caffeine – and by association BLOCKHEAD – some (relatively small-scale) studies suggest that caffeine at doses around those found in a single espresso (70-80mg) have a positive effect on both lactic acid build-up and VO2 levels – basically the rate at which the body can absorb oxygen.

 

BLOCKHEAD, which is sugar-free, also packs in vitamins B3 (as niacin), B6 and B12 (all at 15% RDA per piece), along with taurine, an amino acid that, amongst other things, helps regulate the level of water and mineral salts in the blood.

 

Some confusion creeps in with BLOCKHEAD with the mint flavour – which does a better initial job of disguising the bitter taste – as each piece contains an increased 50mg of caffeine and the recommended daily consumption is listed as four pieces. At 200mg total that’s double the recommendation of the standard flavour…

 

Whatever the evidence – or exact levels required – the fact is that many rely on the occasional caffeine shot to get through training or racing (or simply the day) and BLOCKHEAD, with its fast absorption rate, offers an incredibly convenient way of doing it.

 

Single packs of BLOCKHEAD retail at £1.95, with cartons of 18 packs available at £28.08

 

Further details and online purchase of BLOCKHEAD at block-head.com

 

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Featured Features

Preventing Common Cycling Injuries

Common Cycling Injuries

RocktapeAs one of the team sponsors of Team Garmin Sharp, ROCKTAPE, have had their fair share of experience working with cycling injuries, whether on the Tour de France, at local triathlons or at the UK National Mountain Bike Championship. Cyclo asked Daniel Lawrence, ROCKTAPE’s Education Director, to talk us through some of the most common cycling injuries, how they come about, and what you can do to treat and avoid them…

 

Cycling injuries are usually not too severe and can be easily treated; however they can become commonplace if you do not take the correct precautions. Many of the injuries that I see amongst cyclists tend to be overuse injuries through regular repetitive movements, or postural injuries, the result of an improper riding position or posture on the bike.

 

Points of contact cycling injuries are one of the most common things that I see with cyclists. Take, for example, where the cleats make contact with the pedal, usually via a clipless pedal system. If your cleats are not properly positioned at the correct angle, your will end up with shooting pains in your knees that will simply continue to grow until corrected. One of the simplest ways to remedy this is to correctly set up your clipless pedal system. It might take a bit of fiddling about and adjusting to get your shoe position correct but it will help ensure your feet are always in the correct position and also help you to generate more power easily too.

 

If you haven’t invested in a clipless pedal system, than it is definitely something that I would recommend.

 

Another incredibly common point of contact injury is with the handlebar. Either holding it in the same position for a long period of time, gripping it too tightly, or leaning too far over the handlebar can result in compression of the ulnar nerve.  Whilst I could tell you about more technical ways to resolve this, honestly the simplest way is to make sure that you simply move your hands around the handlebar a bit. Try not to get stuck in one position at a time. Road bikes are specifically designed to allow riders to grip the handlebars, on the sides, above or below, so just make sure to alter your position as you ride. Otherwise you’ll suffer pins and needles and discomfort in your hands and fingers.

 

Moving on, if you look at professional cyclists like Robert Forestmann, one of the first things you notice is the size of their quads. They call Forestmann Quadzilla for good reason.

 

Quads certainly get a pretty intense workout during cycling and when they are in regular use, like during the Tour de France, they can easily suffer from fatigue. So, after a day’s racing, cyclists receive a massage to dissolve the lactic acid that has been built up in the quads and help ensure that the team is cycling fit for the next day on the tour.

 

If you do ever find yourself cycling without a support truck and a team of masseuses than I’ve found that kinesiology tape (applied before starting) can promote muscle endurance and aid recovery.

 

Whilst he is not competing in the Tour de France this year, if you have ever watched Sir Bradley Wiggins in the time trials you will have seen him hunched right forwards over the bike to make him more aerodynamic. This can cause muscle fatigue in your lower back and neck. The easy answer is of course to simply sit up, or stand on your bicycle. However, this would obviously slow Sir Bradley down… Again, I’d recommend using kinesiology tape – such as ROCKTAPE – on that lower back area. It will help stimulate the skin in the area, promoting muscle function and decreasing pain.

 

If you’re not up there with Wiggins quite yet and, like me, simply cycle to keep fit and for fun you might find that you have quite tight hamstrings and calves. This can be an issue when running, as you can struggle with non-cycling movement patterns; the simple answer here is to make sure that you warm up and cool down before any exercise. However, if you do find yourself still struggling then you could use a foam roller to help reduce muscle tone and help reduce any tightness.

 

But do you know what causes most cycling injuries? Crashing (the 2014 Tour de France is fairly conclusive proof of this.) There’s one useful bit of advice that I can give you for that: Make sure you always wear a helmet!

 

For further details on ROCKTAPE – including instructional videos and guides for use – see rocktape.net

 

Read the Cyclo review of ROCKTAPE here.

 

More on Team Garmin Sharp slipstreamsports.com

 

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Featured Features

Brits of the Tour de France 2014

Brits of the Tour de France

With David Millar now dropped from Garmin-Sharp and Alex Dowsett a substitute rider for Movistar, this year’s British contingent of riders for the Tour de France is a mere four…

 

Chris FroomeChris Froome - Reigning Tour de France champion and Team Sky’s not-at-all-secret weapon, Froome continues to demonstrate why he is arguably the best stage race rider in the world. Turning professional in 2007 when he joined Team Konica Minolta, Froome really came into the spotlight at the 2011 Vuelta a Espana just a year after moving to Team Sky. The historic one-two with Bradley Wiggins at the 2012 Tour de France and subsequent bronze for the Time Trial the London Olympics consolidated his reputation as one of the best riders of his generation.

Follow Chris Froome on Twitter @chrisfroome

 

 

Geraint ThomasGeraint Thomas - With Team Sky also boasting Geraint Thomas they account for 50% of the Brits at this year’s Tour de France. A member of British Cycling’s Olympic Academy, Thomas won the Junior Paris–Roubaix in 2004 continuing to make headway through to his victory at the British National Road Race Championships in 2010. After gold medal success at London 2012, Thomas was an integral part of Team Sky’s second Tour de France victory and will act as Froome’s wingman for this year’s Tour de France. Our money’s on him as a future Grand Tour winner too.

Follow Geraint Thomas on Twitter @GeraintThomas86

 

 

Mark CavendishMark Cavendish - The Manx Missile, Mark Cavendish is the sprinter’s sprinter and Omega Pharma-Quick Step’s one to watch. Cavendish already has 25 Tour de France stage wins to his name, putting him in third position; although he might claim enough wins in the 2014 TdF to nudge France’s Bernard Hinault off of the second spot (28 wins) he still has a way to go to reach the dizzying heights of Eddy Merckx with 34 victories. Before a pedal has even been cranked in anger at the Tour de France Cavendish has already clocked up over 7,000km of competitive cycling this year.

Follow Mark Cavendish on Twitter @markcavendish

 

 

Simon YatesSimon Yates - Twin brother of Adam Yates, also of ORICA-GreenEDGE, Simon’s inclusion in the 2014 Tour de France line-up was something of a surprise; not yet his time to shine we think, but this will give him some invaluable Grand Tour experience miles. Not yet 22 years old Yates took gold in the Points Race at the 2013 Track World Championships and has more than proven his worth on the road with solid work at the Tour de l’Avenir and a win over both Wiggins and Nairo Quintana on stage six of the Tour of Britain. Plenty of good years ahead of him…

Follow Simon Yates on Twitter @SimonYatess

 

 

 

 

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Featured Features

The Virgin STRIVE Challenge

The Virgin STRIVE Challenge

The Virgin STRIVE ChallengeTaking place from August 7 to September 6 The Virgin STRIVE Challenge is a mass participatory, ultra-endurance fundraising event organised by Sam Branson and Big Change, which will see a core team including Innocent Co-Founder Richard Reed, adventurer Justin Packshaw and Wimbledon Champion Marion Bartoli run, row, cycle, hike and climb from London to the summit of the Matterhorn.  Virgin STRIVE Challenge aims to raise £750,000, which will go directly to the Big Change Life Skills projects; Big Change is a charity focused on giving young people in the UK an opportunity to learn and develop the soft skills they need to become healthy, happy and productive adults. Cyclo spoke to Sam Branson to find out how it all began and how everyone can take part…

 

Cyclo: An incredible challenge for everyone; who did it all begin?

 

Sam Branson: I climbed Mont Blanc two years ago to launch our foundation Big Change which we are doing this challenge for. So I was up on the mountain and thinking that whenever I push myself in life with the challenges I have undertaken, I have always thrived and learned so much about wider life skills. I looked across and saw the Matterhorn and though, ‘Wow! What an iconic mountain how awesome to climb that…’

 

It started me thinking how can I come up with a challenge to be a vehicle for talking about the feelings and skills one gains when you set a challenge and push yourself to achieve it. I began to put together a plan to get from the Matterhorn to London and then I got an email from my cousin Noah saying, ‘I have an idea, why don’t we go from London to the Matterhorn?

 

We met up for a beer not believing we had basically both come up with the same thing. We knocked heads together and STRIVE was born. It all grew from there, it’s been a long process but I think we’re just about starting to reap the benefits…

 

Cyclo: How did the route and combination of challenges come about?

 

Sam Branson: We had settled on London to the Matterhorn and if you’re basically going from A to B things quite naturally fall into place; it was kind of obvious to run to the coast, row the channel, cycle, hike and climb.

 

Cyclo: Any change of plans or options you discounted?

 

Sam Branson: We were going cycle straight to the Matterhorn but decided to add in The Haute Route just to throw in another element to the mix and try and get more people involved. Yes we have a core team, but the real aim of this is to try and make it accessible to as many other people as possible, to get them to be a part of it too.

 

One other option we had in terms of sporting challenge was to swim the channel, but I have to say that had we gone with that decision I don’t think many of us would have made it all the way…

 

Cyclo: How did you go about gathering your core team for this?

 

Sam Branson: We set out to find people that really reflected what STRIVE were about. Those who strive in life, work hard and with dedication. We wanted people from different walks of life and who have excelled in their own way, those who have stuck their neck out and have reaped the benefits.

 

We needed people who had the time and passion of course, but also who were capable of doing it. The thing with these kinds of events is that you do ultimately attract the kind of people who are right. I think the fact that it’s massive, iconic and for a great cause helped, so the people who said yes said yes pretty quickly.

 

Cyclo: You needed people capable of tremendous teamwork too…

 

Sam Branson: Well all those life skills, like teamwork and emotional communication, are fundament to help us get along the way. Of course we wanted to create a vehicle that raised funds but also one that really highlighted these life skills. We’re going to be creating content along the way and talking about what we are using to get through it. Teamwork will be, without a doubt, chief amongst those – everyone has high moments and low moments and that’s when you need to drawn on the strength of others.

 

Cyclo: Both cycle stages look incredibly challenging but the second one in particular with over 8,000m of ascent…

 

Sam Branson: With the cycling we wanted to try and work out a way of getting as many people as possible doing this. I think for people who cycle a lot the second legs is challenging enough to make them feel like they are really pushing themselves and having a great experience. For those who might not have ever cycled or have cycled less the first leg is a great way of getting people involved a multi-day cycling. Both cycle legs will, I’m sure, be spectacular…

 

Cyclo: Are the big hills something you are dreading?

 

Sam Branson: The fact is I find the flats with headwinds ten times harder than any hill I have ever cycled up. You have that sense of achievement on the hills; you have a visual goal, you get up to the top, feel amazing, and then have all the fun of cycling down the other side.

 

Cyclo: Apart from donating – which we hope plenty of our readers will – how else can people get involved?

 

Sam Branson: Donating’s great, that’s via uk.virginmoneygiving.com but we want as many as possible along on the run and ride, all the details are at strivechallenge.com – it’s going to be great fun…

 

 

The full Virgin STRIVE Challenge will comprise three marathons in three days, 36km cross-Channel row, 1047km of cycling, 180km, 7-day hike of the Haute Route Trek and the ascent of the Matterhorn. The core team consists of Sam Branson, Richard Reed (Innocent Co-Founder), Marion Bartoli (current Wimbledon Champion), Karl Lokko (poet and social activist), Ade Adepitan (broadcaster and paralympian), Justin Packshaw (adventurer), Fiona Waller (trans-Atlantic and Indian ocean rower), Arnaud Haines and Noah Devereux (event co-founder and director).

 

The cycle stages (and marathons) are open for mass participation:

Cycle 1: Boulogne-sur-Mer to Troyes, 449km, 4099m of climb, August 12-17

Cycle 2: Troyes to Verbier, 598km, 8643m of climb, August 17-22

 

Further details and online entry at strivechallenge.com

 

More information on Big Change at bigchangecharitabletrust.org

 

Donate now to the Virgin STRIVE Challenge at  uk.virginmoneygiving.com

 

Big Change