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This blog was originally posted in April 2016, after Dirty Wknd founders David & Emma returned from a trip to Japan.

Cycling in a new and interesting country is a special kind of riding. The possibility of experiencing something completely new really fuels the desire to get out on the road. With adventure travel and active weekends growing in popularity, getting a ride in whilst you’re away is becoming easier, and the chance to ride in an exotic and unfamiliar location should never be missed!

How you go about researching, planning and executing that ride, however, is just as important as where you go. If you’re on holiday and are planning just one or two days riding, then it’s even more important to get it right. Recently I travelled to Japan for a two week tour of the country, and never has the importance of good planning been more apparent.

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Another national lockdown sucks for many many reasons, a small one of those being not being able to meet up with mates for a group ride. However we can still ride in twos, and lockdown means that many busy London streets are now more car free than normal. We have to look for silver linings wherever we can folks!

Cycling in London can be a real treat, especially when the traffic is low. With the government mandated 1 exercise session per day being suggested as 'local' (what that exactly means is pretty vague), we've put together a new lockdown collection to help you explore some great London cycling routes. Just click on the image below to access the routes:

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Bikepacking has been on the rise for many years, as an adventurous form of cycling, but also as a fun (and green) way to travel. However, for many, it's seen as something that only 'proper cyclists' do. Huge on Instagram, it always seems to be men with beards and/or tattoos sitting around an open fire. It looks great, but surely not something that a beginner cyclist can get into?

Well I am here to tell you that bikepacking, like cycling, is for anyone who has a bike and sense of adventure. Whatever your level and experience, it's absolutely something you can do. There are different levels of bikepacking, some of which are more extreme than others, but you don't have to take on the TCR right off the bat. A weekend cycling and camping in the South Downs is still bikepacking, and probably a lot more fun too!

Read on for my beginners guide to bikepacking, as well as a few handy tips to inspire you to get out and adventure by bike.

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Cycling Scotland is a beautiful, challenging and most importantly accessible option for anyone looking to get away for a cycling holiday right now. And let's be honest, who amongst us is not desperate to get away!

Easily accessible by train with your bike and kit from pretty much anywhere in the UK (especially London), the logistics of this Scotland cycling tour are pretty easy, and we've also created the routes for you.

I first undertook this tour with my good friend Bruce in 2015. We were wide eyed and adventure hungry, and fresh from our London to Nice tour the year before, we thought we had this whole adventure cycling lark nailed. 

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For me, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of racing your bike, and in London the large range of races and competitors offers an atmosphere quite unlike any other. However, for new racers it can also be a pretty intimidating and daunting, especially if you don’t have much of an idea of how it works. 

I started racing in March this year and was immediately struck with how supportive and encouraging the community is. Having now raced for 6 months I am able to call some of my competitors my closest friends. But... getting started was a bit challenging! Hopefully this blog will give some insight and answer a few of the questions that might be stopping you taking the leap. If you are interested in racing I would say go for it. It's not as scary as it seems from the outside - I know because I was there just a few months ago!

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