Resources for Cycling Inspiration
There are tons of resources about cycling in the mountain and route planning
Great Cycling Climbs favourites
Route Plannig
There are a number of route planning tools and sites that I have used extensively
I have used Climbinder extensively in planning routes and for general information. They have over 72,000 climbs listed with profiles and other information as well as a community section for each climb. A truly amazing resource.
Invaluable resource to plan routes which I have used extensively for this website and for my own rides. They have wonderful maps and detailed info on distance, gradient, surface and elevation. There is a great community too which publishes their favourite rides. Plus an increasing amount of pictures.
America focussed all encompassing resource website with detailed pass information, photos, videos and regional summaries amongst other things. I am not sure about their non American coverage but for America, they are pretty comprehensive.
Riding Inspiration
Sites, apps and videos that inspire to ride more. These sources are great to bing a route to life before you have ridden it.
Col Collective
Mike Cotty has put together this superb site with info and videos about the most amazing climbs. He is also doing a lot of work with Wahoo where his insights and storytelling can be found on the On-Location rides. I really enjoy his stuff and I hope you will too.
Bike the world
YouTube channel with seemingly endless riding videos. These are full length videos of passes and other notable rides and designed as a background for indoor training. I use them a lot for getting a better handle on a ride ahead of time or to make a choice about where to go, plus for indoor training.
Oscar Boyd's Substack
Beautifully crafted films about his riding adventures cycling the length of the UK and the length of Japan south to north. These are truly inspiring travel diaries and makes you want to get on your bike and ride.
01
Mountains - Epic Cycle Climbs
Micheal Blann's beautiful book about cycling and mountains is a real treasure. There are beautiful photographs and engaging stories. It is beautiful to read and to dip in when you need a fix of the good stuff.
02
The Midlife Cyclist
Extract from the webpage: "Phil Cavell co-founder of Cyclefit the bike fitting and custom bike company explores the growing trend of middle-aged and older cyclists seeking to achieve high-level performance. Using contributions from leading coaches, ex-professionals and pro-team doctors, he produces the ultimate manifesto for mature riders who want to stay healthy, avoid injury – and maximise their achievement levels."
03
Mountain High - Europe's 50 greatest cycling climb
Great book for all who love cycling uphill and who want to read about climbs and other rider's experiences. This is almost like a little reference book. There is also very nice photography.
04
Top 100 Climbs
Series of books and blogs, apps about 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs. There are currently 15 books, mostly about the UK but also Italy, France and Spain. I bought a couple of them and they are a good read as they tell a personal story beyond the data of the climb.
Great Cycling Websites
Most websites have a commercial angle but some are also incredibly informative. These are some:
Girl Outdoors: A girl called Becky cycling in the most extraordinary places and makes beautiful film.
Epic Road Rides - Cycle tourism site which has nice location descriptions
My Cols - Inventory of mountain passes with info and graphics
Cycling French Alps - The Maurienne - All things cycling in the Maurienne Valley
Dynamic Cyclist - Free YouTube channel for stretching, strength and mobility workouts, payable service for full access and personalised content.
Sportpursuit - Great website for discount sports gear and clothing. They sell last season's lines for around half price.
Managing Fitness with Age
I came across The Midlife Cyclist from Phil Cavell which is a must read book for everyone that wants to stay fit with age and still wants to rise to new challenges. Age can be cruel and as we get older, we invariably make mistakes in achieving and managing fitness.
With the changes in our body, building fitness and returning from injury takes a a very different path. And you don't want to get injured in the run up to a holiday or any other cycling event as recovery can be long which can be frustrating and knock your confidence.
