On the 7th of March the men's peloton takes on one of its most unique and prestigious classics: Strade Bianche. In the gravel roads of Tuscany the riders find every year a brutal route that goes through steep hills, extensive off-road sectors and scenic landscapes that quickly turned the race into o...

UPDATED February 20, 2026 BY Guest Author IN Tour d'Afrique no comments African RoadsMasoud Riyazati is the Content Creator on the 2026 Tour dAfrique Cycling Expedition.The African roads do not care about your resume. You have two options: either soften your ego before coming to the tour, or let nature do it for you the hard way.Why does someone decide to spend almost three months cycling across remote lands, fully aware of the discomfort, the fatigue, the exhaustion, and the uncertainty that to come? The answer does not arrive at the start line. It unfolds slowly, kilometre by kilometre.Every rider comes with a different life story. Different reasons. Different expectations. Once the tour begins, however, those stories merge into a shared purpose: crossing Africa by bicycle, living by the rhythm of the road, confronting fears and limits together, and most importantly on this continent, surrendering to nature. It becomes a collective ritual, even if each rider experiences it privately.Now lets look at it from a different perspective. If leaving your house for a half-day ride with friends can be a bonding experience, what do we call months of riding together, eating three meals a day (plus all the snacks), and discussing everything from route strategy to the nuances of digestion and the condition of your bum after a long day? Each day holds moments of you at your best and at your worst. Fatigue exposes character and the heat tests your patience.These trips push the group to communicate, to adapt, to engage. The relationships formed here often resemble siblings more than friends brimming with intimacy, honesty, and the kind of unguardedness that daily life rarely permits. The bicycles are not the story. They are accelerators. They are tools of discovery, not just of landscapes and cultures, but of the inner self. Of the person who lives inside you.Until we reach the finish line, we will face physical challenges and unpredictable conditions. Survival on a journey like this is not merely physical. It is mental. It is the ability to find meaning in repetition and joy in small victories. This is not a story about triumph in the conventional sense, nor about a neatly wrapped conclusion. It is an ongoing inquiry.At the heart of every tour are the riders themselves. The ones who leave their comfortable homes, their families, and their routines to join an expedition of a lifetime. To cross a continent on two wheels. The demographic has its own story. Different professions, different pasts, different cultures, different personalities. Yet once on the road, categories disappear. The road does not care about your rsum. It does not care how much money you have or your level of education. You have two options: either soften your ego before coming to the tour, or let nature do it for you the hard way.With every TDA tour comes a team steady and alert. On this one, Josiah carries the responsibility for more than forty lives. Carolina and Will keep the structure intact. Volker ensures the bikes remain reliable under harsh and uneven roads. Lotte monitors the physical wellbeing of each rider. Our local team members, James and John, feed us as if we were in a five-star restaurant, in a way that sometimes makes you forget youre in the middle of nowhere. Edwin and Often its hard to describe exactly what their role is. They are everywhere, doing everything.Just as in Pasolinis journeys through post-war Italy or in Walter Salles The Motorcycle Diaries, the journey does not simply take you across a place; it reshapes the traveler. Not until we are lost not until we have, in some sense, lost the familiar world do we begin to know where we stand and how deeply we are connected to everything around us.The Tour dAfrique has started and we are cycling across one of the most complex and extraordinary continents on the planet: Africa. And that is a story of a lifetime.RELATEDTOURTour d'Afrique The trans-African crossing from Cairo to Cape Town has long been one of the worlds epic journeys and an iconic goal for global adventurers. Over... Related Posts:Leave a Comment for "African Roads" Cancel reply

Decent enough commuting/adventure light but starting to feel a bit dated

UPDATED February 18, 2026 BY Olha Kurochkina IN Company, Cycle Touring Advice no comments You Are Only A Few Fears Away From The Cycling Trip Of A LifetimeRecently, one of our Tour Leaders, Sam, posted a reel about the most common concerns he hears from riders. The response was immediate. People wrote back saying, Thats exactly what Ive been thinking!As a result, we decided to expand on that conversation and reassure you that your dream trip is not as far away as it may feel. These concerns are incredibly common and almost every rider who joins their first big TDA cycling expedition has them in one form or another.If we were to say just one thing, it would be this Youre probably closer to joining us than you think. Sometimes the difference between one day and this year (or maybe in a decade) may be a few unanswered questions. Not fitness. Not gear. Not even time. Just those what ifs that pop up the moment you start taking the idea seriously: What if Im too slow? What if I get sick? What if the roads feel unsafe?If youve had thoughts like that, youre in very good company. Almost everyone does before their first big tour. So, lets treat this like a little virtual therapy session. Imagine youre in a cozy armchair, take a breath in and out and lets talk through it.What if Im too slow? This is the big one. A lot of people imagine a TDA tour is full of cyclists hammering all day, racing into camp, treating the ride like a competition. Thats not the culture. We care much more about determination than raw performance. Yes, it helps to train beforehand. Youll enjoy yourself more if you arrive with some base fitness but once youre out there, nobodys handing out medals for the fastest rider. Some people roll into camp (or the hotel) early. Others take their time, stop for photos, enjoy the surroundings, and soak up the experience. Both are having exactly the trip they came for.What if I get sick?Its a fair question. Youre travelling for weeks or months, your body is working hard, and youre in unfamiliar places. Things happen. Thats why our tours are built with support, not just logistics. Every Expedition and Adventure tour includes a medic as part of the staff. If you need to rest, you can always ride in the support vehicle until youre ready to get back on the bike. No one is expected to suffer through something alone just to stay tough. Taking care of yourself and doing it proactively is part of doing this well.Will I get hit by a car? Lets be honest: cycling on any road comes with risk. Pretending otherwise doesnt help anyone but there are also things we can control. We choose routes carefully. We scout them in advance and aim for the safest roads available. We talk a lot about visibility and awareness: flashing rear lights, bright clothing, riding predictably. And were realistic about the fact that in many countries, cyclists dont automatically have priority. Sometimes the safest choice is simply to give space, slow down, and let traffic pass. And if a stretch of road ever feels overwhelming, you always have the option of riding in the support vehicle and skipping that segment.There are also a few fears people dont always say out loud. Some worries come up quietly, usually in emails or private conversations.What if I get lost?You wont be navigating alone. Theres structure, daily briefings, staff support, and a group moving through each day together. We also use proven tools like Ride with GPS, and our sweep rider stays at the back of the group to make sure everyone is safe and accounted for. Our staff are always in communication, keeping track of where riders are throughout the day.What if I dont fit in?Most riders show up not knowing anyone. It doesnt stay that way for long. Shared effort builds community fast, and were proud of how many friendships begin on tour and last long after the ride ends. That said, every participant plays a role in making the group dynamic work being respectful, supportive, and a good travel companion is part of expedition life.What if I cant do it?Almost everyone has that moment early on. And almost everyone ends up surprising themselves. Thats part of why people come. You dont always know what youre capable of until youre out there doing it and by the end of the tour, you may look back amazed at how far youve come.The point isnt to be fearless. The point is simply not to let fear make the decision for you. These concerns are normal. Theyre common. And theyre exactly why TDA tours are designed the way they are: experienced staff, comprehensive preparation bulletins, pre-tour info sessions, vehicle backup, and decades of learning how to do this safely and well.Your dream trip isnt reserved for the toughest or the fastest riders. Sometimes its just waiting on the other side of a few honest questions and were always happy to talk them through with you.If you have questions or concerns about joining one of our exciting tours, reach out anytime we love helping riders take the first step.Related Posts:Leave a Comment for "You Are Only A Few Fears Away From The Cycling Trip Of A Lifetime" Cancel reply

Noah Hobbs received help from a fan after getting lost in the Belgian race

Dan Alexander is still recovering from finding out it's now March, but will be enjoying the rare sunshine on the Monday live blog

CyclistClassic UK climb: Honister PassFor any cyclist, the name Fred Whitton sends a shiver down the spine. The annual Fred Whitton Challenge is among the most notorious sportives in Britain, serving its 2,000 participants with 180km of distance and 3,500m of vertical ascent that takes in the steepest and cruellest climbs the Lake District has to offer. One of those climbs, arriving 50km into The Fred, is the Honister Pass.Like many British climbs, Honisters altitude gain is far from linear. The gradient fluctuates throughout its 2.4km ascent, flicking between shallow single-digit stretches and slopes in the upper teens. The average gradient comes out to a mean 10%, although the maximum gradient is twice that. For entrants of the Fred Whitton that means negotiating the steepest sections while weaving through dense sportive traffic and avoiding the numerous people who have got off to walk. Alternatively, if youre a pro rider that might mean tackling the slope alongside a 150-man peloton at the Tour of Britain, which paid a visit to this climb back in 2013.Bite at the head, sting in the tailLocated in the western half of the Lake District between Keswick and Buttermere, Honister Pass begins in Seatoller. If you prompted ChatGPT to create an image of a typical Cumbrian village, this is what it would come up with: drystone walls, fields of sheep, cosy pub, a scattering of whitewashed houses, signpost denoting National Trust status. For cyclists, more importantly, its where the road starts to rise, beginning at 6% as you grind past the villages few cottages.After a couple of hundred metres, past a kissing gate, you reach the first stinger. The road tilts up to 13% and sticks there for the next half kilometre. These cruel early slopes head through a thick woodland with bracken caking one side of the road and a mossy ravine on the other, and once past the 13% section things only get tougher.At the 700m mark the road reaches its maximum 20% gradient and only relents by a couple of percentage points over the next 300m. Its here that the sound of the adjacent river starts getting drowned out by the sound of panting and creaking handlebars.Article continues belowJames VincentThe climbs toughest slopes run parallel to the Hause Gill stream.James VincentThe steepest stretches of the Honister Pass often see riders getting off to push, but not Cyclist (on this occasion).James VincentYoure never far from a drystone wall in the north of England.James VincentJames VincentThe pass cuts through Little Gatesgarthdale, a stopping point for Lake District visitors and hikers.James VincentJames VincentJames VincentA brief respiteHaving slogged through this tough section, at the 1.1km mark you cross a cattle grid something that requires extra concentration at 15% and the climb mercifully takes on a tamer profile as the landscape opens out into Little Gatesgarthdale, a serene Cumbrian valley carved out by the stream.Beyond the halfway marker the gradient teeters at around 5% as the road curves gently around a handful of dome-shaped mounds. Throw a glance left between these humps and youll catch the summits of Great Gable or, on a good day, Scafell Pike, Englands highest mountain. Look ahead, though, and youll catch your first view of the Honister Slate Mine, which has torn off a fair chunk of this hillside, leaving a significant grey scar on the upcoming slopes.Make the most of this half-kilometre of respite because with 600m to go the climb picks up again, returning to more Alpine gradients between 7% and 11%. A slight wiggle in the course rises well into double digits, hitting a maximum of 13% in the stinging final 400m.In this top section the landscape becomes more rugged, with brown-tinged scrub and patches of scree. However, with the roads angle sticking above 10%, even without any trees to obscure the view, the passs crest remains hidden until the final 50m or so a true testament to the term blind summit.Instead of your typical sticker-coated road sign, the summits peak is defined by the vast Honister Slate Mine. Beyond the collection of slate sculptures and signs scattered around the summit, the mines footprint stretches far up the southern slopes, with winding gravel tracks spurring further upwards into the hillside.While archaeologists claim mining has taken place here since the Roman era, the first industrial slate mining in Honister dates back to the 17th century when, rumour has it, Sir Christopher Wren sourced Honister slate for Kensington Palace and the Royal Hospital Chelsea. Today it survives as Englands last working slate mine, albeit the kind of mine that also has a zipwire, bus tour and cafe.In recognition of the considerable pain the Honister Pass has doled out over the years, a slate silhouette of a cyclist now sits by a clifftop, where you can take a breather to look down into the valley that carves between Great Gable and Dale Head. Or, if youre doing the Fred Whitton, you dive into the descent to Buttermere, where the sportives first feed stop awaits. Related Posts Classic UK climb: Gold Hill Classic UK climb: Rosedale Chimney Bank Classic UK climb: Bealach Fith nan Laogh Classic UK climb: Nick O Pendle The statsLocation Seatoller, CumbriaLength 2.4kmSummit height 361mAscent 248mAverage gradient 10.4%Maximum gradient 20.4%Current best Strava timeKoM Andrew Feather, UK, 7min 34secQoM Grace Brown, Australia, 9min 37secThe post Classic UK climb: Honister Pass appeared first on Cyclist.

Alpecin-Premier Tech's Juri Hollmann had his career come to an end during stage 6 of the Giro d'Italia last year, after he was part of a mass crash that affected the stage. The German rider has talked about the extensive injuries he's suffered and how he was lucky to make it out alive. The sixth da...

On the 4th of March the peloton in Italy will take on the Trofeo Laigueglia. After France and Spain have had incredibly extensive domestic racing; the competition in their historical neighbour begins in the Ligurian one-day race. We take a look at its startlist. The Italian one-day race was first h...

A handful of riders set for lengthy absences after crash-marred races in Belgium