I was in pretty good shape that year but I was always got sick in the spring, so I went to the 88 Giro just ‘hunting’ – to see if I could win but if not, I’d go for stages. There were a lot of mountain days but the Gavia …
Training on Mount Teide is what made the difference between Brad [Wiggins] winning and losing the 2012 Tour de France. After he broke his collarbone in 2011 I thought he’d missed his chance but standing at the top of that mountain, in the months before the race, I changed my …
Your genes are what determine if you are a good climber and that’s something that you simply can’t change; the natural climbers are lightweight little fellers, the ones who weigh less than 60Kg. And whilst it’s true to say that everyone can improve their climbing ability through training, if you’re …
They chatted as they smoked in a language that was undecipherable. The air in the car was thick with diesel fuel and strong cigarettes. It was a Lada, or Skoda, or something from the East; I didn’t pay attention, or I can’t remember. My memories are spotty, as if the …
There are no mountains in Minneapolis, so it’s odd that I live there because mountains have always been a big part of my life. At the age of eight I moved from Los Angeles to Washoe Valley, near Reno. I remember the car drive up there from LA into the …
There’s a hint of smoke in the distance and it’s a subtle clue to what awaits the unwary. Moments later, a few reflected flashes of sunlight confirm it’s definitively today’s challenge that’s sending out signals, even if they turn out to be via a self-contained barbecue. As we get nearer …
I once knew of a rider who swore he got a job solely because he never raced with sunglasses. His new boss, he speculated, recognised his face amongst the many. That was enough. For the tenth time in as many minutes, I check the time. The round face of the …
Wow, what a topsy turvy year! Twenty-twenty started so promisingly with plans for great adventures and new projects, but like most people, these soon unravelled as COVID-19 took hold and the world battened down the hatches. Despite all the turmoil the global pandemic brought, it was still a very successful …
The fourth instalment of my mountains showcase, and this week we take a look at a giant of the French Alps, the Col du Galibier, a climb inextricably linked to the Tour de France and its founder Henri Desgrande. It’s the most frequented climb in the Tour with 59 visits …
The third instalment of a series showcasing some of my favourite climbs features a triumph of Italian engineering, the Passo dello Stelvio. Books and Prints from the mountains series are available here. At 2758 metres, the Passo dello Stelvio is the highest paved pass in Italy and only 12m shy …
Next in the Mountains series is the mighty Mont Ventoux in the Vaucluse region of France. It’s hard to compile a list of great cycling climbs without including Mont Ventoux, such is its status. It’s one of those mountains that ticks all the boxes – it’s a brute to cycle …
With 2020 close to an end, it’s time to look forward to next year and the real possibility of European travel again. Like many people, all the trips I had planned to the Mountains this year were dashed but the outlook for 2021 is looking more positive so maybe it’s …
One of the great things about being a photographer is that you don’t really know what you will be doing from week to week. There are jobs that pay the bills, jobs that take you to interesting places, jobs where you get to meet famous people and jobs that you …
2019 was another busy year with some great commissions and personal work for the new Mountains book. Here we showcase a few of the highlights before looking forward to 2020. Commissions Zwift – Certainly the work for Zwift this year stands out as one of the highlights for me. The …
