As Mikey and I start preparing for our cycling trip to Majorca, I find myself once again trying to remember what I packed last time. Every trip I start making a ‘packing-list’ from scratch, spend time on it, then forget about it, and end up leaving my packing until last minute and doing it in a rush. We’re lucky enough to be heading off to Majorca again and taking the lazy option of hiring bikes in Puerto Pollensa! Yes, it is more expensive, but makes preparation, packing and airport transfers (both ends) far easier. Below are the packing list(s) that I think will be beneficial to you …. Cycling essentials: 1. Shoes (and your pedals if not having hire ones added to you bike) 2. Helmet 3. Cycling glasses / shades 4. Front and rear lights (and charging cable) 5. 2 x water bottles, big ones 6. Bike lock can be useful 7. Pump and/or canisters 8. Spare tube 9. 1 tyre lever 10. Multi-tool, including chain tool and a quick-link 11. Your bike fit measurements if not already supplied to the hire shop Now for the very important part, your clobber. And remember, if you can’t ‘go-good … look-good’ … 1. Bib shorts 2. Short sleeve jerseys 3. Long sleeve jersey 4. Socks 5. Base layers 6. Gilet 7. Arm warmers 8. Leg warmers 9. Gloves/mits 10. Halo type band and/or cycling cap 11. Rain jacket, yes even for Majorca in May Some of the ‘easy-to-forget’ stuff: 1. Garmin/Wahoo head unit, mount and charge cable 2. Cadence and speed sensor if you can’t ride without it 3. Heart rate monitor 4. Gels, bars, energy drink powders 5. Electrolyte tablets 6. Sun cream & lip balm 7. Chamois Cream 8. GoPro 9. Emergency contact details (especially if riding on your own) 10. Basics first aid kit  And here are a couple of tips that we’ve learnt over the years: 1. Carry a full set of cycling clothes, your shoes, your helmet, glasses in your hand luggage. Basically, have the minimum required to go cycling should your ‘checked-bag’ not make it to your destination when you do. 2. Use your empty water bottles to pack all your gels, hydration tabs, etc. 3. If you’re leaving shaving your legs until you get there, remember moisturiser, lots of it! 4. If in Mallorca, and doing Sa Calobra, do not stop at the café at the 270’ loop for coffee and ice cream, it will screw up your segment time (up and down). 5. When hiring a bike, no matter where you are, make sure the brakes are set up as you have it at home (Continental brake set up is opposite to UK set up). 6. Get some type of ‘mechanical, crash, break-down, recovery’ cover, it will only cost a couple of quid. And I am not going anywhere near what casual clothes, personal items, passport/documentation and gadgets you need. You’re on your own for all that stuff. What would you add to the list ?

UPDATED: 14th September 2020, Yes the British Government and British Cycling guidelines support cycling events. And even though your local club is riding, and you can even book on to Autumn Sportives around the country, we don't feel we are ready yet. From a risk and risk assessment perspective, the ride element has now become the easy bit. It is the pre/post ride, and social networking elements that continue to challenge us the most. So, amid a continuous rise in confirmed COVID cases in the UK, and from today (Monday 14th Sept) now being a maximum number of '6' both indoors and outdoors, we have taken the decision to 'write off' 2020, and get a head-start on our 2021 plans. Thank you to all those that continue to support us. We look forward to seeing you again in 2021. Darren

Is that cycle-to-work scheme having the positive impact you hoped? Are your employees still commuting to work, or has the novelty long worn off? Remember why you implemented your cycle-to-scheme: Employees can save on the cost of commutes? You promote a healthy lifestyle, and positive well-being? You deliver on your companies ‘green’ policy? For staff retention and to help attract new employees? Because everyone else did? How many bikes that have been sourced through your cycle-to-work scheme have been fitted correctly? I believe every cycle-to-work scheme needs a professional bike fit service bolted on, and here’s why: Comfort and lower chance of injury - A professional bike fit ensures your joints and muscles are held in the best neutral positions. The right position supports you better and minimizes joint and muscle load. Resulting in better comfort and reduces the likelihood of injury. Growth & engagement - We've seen bike fits accelerate confidence. The advisory side of the fitting engages those interested but not confident to ride to work. Improved technique and safety - The better your technique the easier and more comfortable it is to ride. Our bike fits have a visual element that can help identify bad habits, and give riders a better understanding of how their bike and body interact. Enjoyment and peace of mind - A professional bike fit provides the confidence to know that your position is correct and will help you understand why. A professional bike fit is one of the best starting places to enjoying your cycling as much as possible. Sustainability - A professional bike fit, enables the best position, keeping those interested continuing to ride their bike. Improved performance - When your body is set in a position that encourages a full range of muscle use and balance, you'll produce more power, meaning you're likely to ride faster and have better endurance. I get not everyone wants to spend over a £100 on a professional bike fit. And I appreciate 95% of your employees will not want to take time out of their weekend to go and get a bike fit, and that’s where my team and I come in. We help companies further deliver on their employee well-being by ensuring their staff are riding bikes that fit well. We bring our bike fit studio to your place of work, take over a meeting room for the day, and run individual 30 minute fits for as many staff as possible. Our professional bike fits are for all types cyclists; commuters, road cyclists, mountain bikers and Cyclocross riders. The time is now … Spring is a brilliant time of the year to remind your employees and colleagues to dust off all those bikes they sourced through your cycle-to-work scheme. Help them get ready for British Summer Time with a professional bike fit. Happy cycling. Darren

Every business networking group, no matter how big or small is a platform for you to market yourself and/or your business. But, a business networking event, group, or regular meeting will not work as a standalone business tool. If you’re looking to enhance your referral network to find new prospects, or professional advisers, suppliers, or even bike mates, then YES, networking could be right for you. Always remember, whatever networking event you choose to dedicate your time to, everyone in that room has not been waiting all year for you to walk through the door selling your product/service. If you’re looking to use networking as part of your new business strategy, no problem, but it’s highly likely you’re going to need other sales activity to make it happen. Please don’t think ‘networking’ is a quick and easy sales fix. You need to dedicate time to networking, you need to attend regularly, it needs to become part of your work commitment. Regular attendance helps people trust you. And when they trust you, they’re far more likely to start sharing valuable referrals with you. My Tip: always attend a networking event(s) knowing what you want to get from it. Have goals for the event you’re going to, and have longer term goals. If you stick to your plan, and don’t try selling to everyone I believe networking will work for you as an individual and/or business. Bonus Tip: in the UK we have lots of different networking groups. Some are formal, some aren’t. Some are fun. Some are very business only focused. Just because one group is right for you doesn’t mean every group is right for you. At PedalTalk we take a relaxed approach to networking, some members rock’up in their cycling gear. Yes we follow the standard format where everyone in the room gets 30 seconds to talk about themselves (Talk30) and we make sure every meeting has an educational talk (PEDTalk) to make sure people are getting even more value. Please attend different groups to make sure you’re surrounding yourself with people who you feel you can trust and build business relationships with (ie: like-minded cyclists) … MAKE SURE you find the best fit for you.

One of my biggest challenges as a technology new business sales guy was overcoming the high drop-out rate of 1st appointments with new prospects. It took me a while to learn why, but when I did, I found a simple nurturing phase helped reduce drop outs significantly. Does the following scenario sound familiar to you? You’ve emailed, called, spoken, agreed diary dates and your new prospect has finally agreed to meet you. The first time they’re free is four weeks away. You’ve probably agreed an hour slot at 2:30pm on a Thursday. You sent an electronic diary invite and the prospect accepted, 'get-in'. Guess what? You’re now at a 70% chance this appointment will be cancelled at short notice, irrespective of an agenda being agreed or not. So, here's a simple easy to follow nurturing phase that will see a reduction in cancellations. Please use this method and let me know how you get on .... Firstly, remember the rapport building and relationship started the minute you clicked into the prospects LinkedIn profile. 1/ The minute your meeting time and date is agreed with the prospect, you must send an electronic diary invite. And only schedule 30 minutes, not an hour. 2/ Your electronic meeting invite must already detail the agenda. An agenda that's all about the prospect, not you. Expect your meeting invite to be accepted the same day. 3/ 4-5 Days after agreeing to and accepting your appointment, reach out to your prospect and her/his company on Twitter. Follow them both and retweet something relevant if possible. 4/ 2 weeks after agreeing the meeting, find your prospect on LinkedIn. Send a highly personalised invite to connect, check out their recent LinkedIn activity, see if you have any connections in common. 5/ 3 weeks after the meeting was agreed. Send your prospect a whitepaper or case study that's relevant to their current situation. At the same time, ask the prospect if they’d like to add anything to the agenda. 6/ 3 days prior to the meeting call or send an email confirming: That you’ve finished your planning and looking forward to meeting. Ask if anything has changed since you last spoke, and if so, confirm how the agenda should be tweaked accordingly. Reconfirm the objective of the meeting from your and their perspective. AND ALWAYS confirm to them your travel plans, e.g. "I’m booked on the 7:10 ‘rattler’ into Paddington and scheduled to be local to your office with 20 minutes spare to our start time" .... e.g. "I’m leaving home at 6:45, and taking the M40 via oxford and will be with you in good time for our 10am start". The above process and cadence is super-simple to implement. It’s effective. And it’s amazing how many new business sales people still try and shortcut this phase of the process as they're 'too busy'. Follow these steps and you’ll gain trust and confidence with your prospect. You’re also building rapport with your prospect. If your piece of nurturing content is good and well targeted, you’re already giving them value. And most importantly; you’re doing all the right things to reduce the amount of 1st meetings that drop-out. Any questions please shout. Good Luck Darren PS: Please subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay up to date with events, recent PEDTalks, news and offers. www.pedaltalk.co.uk/newsletter-subscribe Thank you

Remember those times when we would dream of heading down in to Europe to ride in the beautiful warm weather. And then the Summer of 2018 surprises us with some epic warm weather. I know it’s all pretty obvious common-sense stuff, but please remember these crucial things when cycling in these beaut conditions: #1 .... Drink lots, a nd do you know what, it’s OK to carry 2 bottles. In this heat you’re going to dehydrate quickly. So drink lots. And one cheeky tip … take one bottle from the tap, and the other from the freezer, when you get to your second bottle it will still be nice and cold. Thank me later. #2 .... Sun lotion, every cyclist needs crisp tan lines right? But no cyclist wants tan lines showing off red sore sunburn. Always all day sun lotion, and high factor people. #3 .... Food, still super-mega-important, eat regularly, you don’t want to bonk in the sun! #4 .... Plan, know your route so you know your drink and food stops. Always important to know where and when you are going to replenish your water and food stocks, have somewhere in mind, and don’t short cut it. #5 .... Melting tarmac is slippy as hell. Some of the UK roads are slowly falling apart in this heat. Only a couple of weeks ago when cycling over some melting tarmac in the Lake District, I initially thought I had a mechanical due to the bizarre noise it made. And although I didn’t fall off, I wasn’t prepared for how slippy melting tarmac is in the corners. Take care hitting those apex’s. #6 .... Know your limits, hot weather riding is not the time to see how far or how fast you can go. Reign it in, and remember, Strava KOMs are easier to grab when it’s windy. Most importantly - get out there and enjoy this fabulous weather. Before we know it, it will be Autumn, and we’ll all be moaning about the wind, the wet, the cold and having to clean our bikes after every outing. Happy Summer Cycling. Please subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay up to date with events, recent PEDTalks, news and offers. www.pedaltalk.co.uk/newsletter-subscribe Thank you Darren

Last weekend three of us heading out for a social ride. With no exact route planned, the only thing we all agreed on was that we had to pass one of our favourite coffee stops in Lechlade. So, if you can make it to Chiseldon, just south of Swindon, below is a perfect 40 miler that includes a fabulous coffee house half way round, and a brilliant farm shop at the end. Park up by the Farm Shop in Chiseldon (in the car park for the 45 cycleway). Take the country road east (The Ridgeway) heading towards the Burj At Cross roads go straight over signposted Baydon and Bishopstone. Stay on the road passing the Burj on your left and continue up and down hill. At T junction at bottom, turn right and continue through Bishopstone village and then on to Ashbury. At the Ashbury crossroads turn left down the hill, and continue for several miles to Shrivenham. At the T junction turn right and then quickly left signposted Sevenhampton and Highworth. Continue for several miles to Highworth, turn right at roundabout sign posted Farringdon Turn right at next double roundabout signposted Farringdon. Drop down the hill and along to Coleshill Go up the hill at Coleshill and immediately after the Radnor Arms Pub turn left. Continue along the road for several miles and turn left at the T junction sign posted Lechlade. Shortly after turning left, you’ll cross the Thames and arrive in Lechlade within another mile. COFFEE & CAKE (or home made sausage roll, or a sourdough bacon sandwich, or an epic breakfast) Bang in the centre of Lechlade is an awesome coffee house called ‘ Lynwood & Co ' When fed and watered … onwards From the coffee shop head through the lights, and continue straight (A417) on towards Fairford. After a few miles, just after the petrol station, turn left sign posted Whelford and Kempsford. Continue for several miles, passing RAF fairford on your right, and turn left a T junction. At next T junction in Kempsford turn left again and continue out of the village. In several miles you’ll climb up a hill in to Hannington, at T junction in Hannington turn left. Continue for a couple of miles and turn right at T junction by the Freke Arms pub. You’re now on the B4019 heading towards Blunsden, but after 300 metres you’re turning left heading to Stanton Fitzwarren Continue through the village, and at T junction turn left and then take second exit at roundabout signposted Roves Farm and Sports Club. Turn right at T junction and continue through South Marston village and all the way to the A420. At main intersection with A420 and A419 you can use the cycle paths and foot/cycle bridge to cross to the other side of the A419. At far side you’ll exit the bridge by the White Hart pub, turn left and continue along the road and pick up the cycle path to your right running parallel with the road heading towards Wanborough. At the end of the cycle path, re’join the road and continue along the road passing Lotmead. Just before entering Wanborough turn right signposted Cross Keys pub. Follow this road for approx. 2 miles and turn right at T junction. At roundabout take first left signposted Liddington. Just as you start to climb up through Liddington, take the first right turn signposted Badbury. Continue up through Badbury and at T junction go straight over on to Butts Road and drop down in to the centre of Chiseldon Village. At centre, turn left and the 45 cycle way markers will take you back to your car at the edge of the village. If by this time you are ready for more coffee, cake or food, I can highly recommend the three trees farm shop cafe. Excellent locally sourced grub. Enjoy. And For any Strava gods hoping to bag KOMs, be warned; in the neighbouring village (Liddington) lives an International Ultra Cyclist who’s incredibly quick. As you can imagine he owns a lot of segments in these parts. If anyone wants the gpx route for this, I can pull it off my garmin and send to you, just send me a quick message: darren@pedaltalk.co.uk Please subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay up to date with events, recent PEDTalks, news and offers. www.pedaltalk.co.uk/newsletter-subscribe Thank you

Business networking simply refers to building and cultivating relationships with people of similar interests in ways that can benefit all parties. And this is exactly where #CycleNetworking fits in to the space. For some, networking and the confidence to talk comes naturally. But for many it doesn’t, and the thought of having to stand up in-front of 35 people to tell them what they do brings many successful business owners out in a cold sweat. So why PedalTalk and #CycleNetworking? You mix with people who genuinely have a shared interest, bikes. The relaxed environment takes away the pressures some people feel in a room with a group of strangers. And what else: Cycling strengthens relationships through a true sense of shared achievement and belonging. Networking rides provide the opportunity to get to know people in the right environment, with no distractions of email, social and phone calls. Businesses can actually deliver on their wellness promise and in-directly promote an active lifestyle to their customers, staff and business partners. Cycling is a brilliant leveller, everyone is equal. Many business people don’t network just to try and sell stuff. Networking helps professionals build wider and stronger referral networks. Our PEDTalk series educates people so members use the content to improve their business practices. Talking about your business to people you may not know massively increases confidence. Networking is also a fantastic way to stay on top of what trends and technology are helping businesses save money and/or improvement effeciencies. We also see clients bring specific problems they’re facing in their business to the network to seek advice. I believe the business networking world is changing. The way we were expected to network, eg: forced attendance, enforced referral programs, etc was perfectly suited for a business world that no longer exists. And what we realised was; that all business people really want is conversations in a less pressured, relaxed and social environment. Networking doesn’t only have to take place in a hotel conference room whilst wearing a suit, that’s just boring. Who want's to give PedalTalk a try? Please subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay up to date with events, recent PEDTalks, news and offers. www.pedaltalk.co.uk/newsletter-subscribe