Ride and Thrive

Stage 15 Muret-Carcassonne 169.3km (Hilly) Stage 15 of the Tour de France 2025 delivered a masterclass in breakaway brilliance and tactical misfires. On a lumpy 169 km route through southern France, Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) launched a daring solo attack with 40 km to go, holding off all chasers to claim his first Tour stage win—and complete his set of victories across all three Grand To...

Stage 13: Loudenvielle to Peyragudes – Mountain Time Trial (10.9km) Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) delivered a masterclass in pacing and power, conquering the brutal uphill TT in 23 minutes flat to claim his fourth stage win of the Tour. Racing without a team radio and opting for a lightweight road bike, Pogačar extended his GC lead to +4:07 over Jonas Vingegaard, who finished second on the...

Tadej Pogačar stormed to victory atop the legendary Hautacam, reclaiming the yellow jersey in dominant fashion. - He attacked 12 km from the summit, dropping all rivals and finishing 2'10" ahead of Jonas Vingegaard, with Florian Lipowitz rounding out the podium. - This marks Pogačar’s 20th career Tour stage win and his third of this Tour, just one day after crashing in Stage 11. 🔥 GC Shake-Up - B...

From heartbreak to heroics—Stage 11 of the Tour de France delivered a masterclass in grit and glory. Jonas Abrahamsen, fresh off a broken collarbone, stormed to victory in Toulouse, giving Uno-X Mobility their first-ever Tour stage win. Meanwhile, Tadej Pogačar hit the deck but bounced back like a true champion. We’ve got breakaway brilliance, GC drama, and even a protester on the course.  Let’s d...

If you have just started your cycling journey, you can get your Beginner Cyclist Toolkit Here. It's packed full of information and advice to get you started safely on your journey.

Stage 10 of the 2025 Tour de France brought fireworks to the Massif Central on France’s national holiday. Simon Yates launched a daring solo attack to claim victory atop the Puy de Sancy, while Ireland’s Ben Healy powered through the breakaway to snatch the yellow jersey from Tadej Pogačar. With eight categorized climbs and nearly 4,450m of elevation gain, it was a brutal test of grit and strategy...

Two days, two sprint showdowns, and a whole lot of heartbreak and horsepower. Stage 8 saw Jonathan Milan power to his first Tour de France victory in Laval, reclaiming the green jersey with a dominant uphill sprint finish. But the weekend double wasn’t meant to be — Tim Merlier snatched Stage 9 in Châteauroux, outpacing Milan in a chaotic final burst after Mathieu van der Poel’s heroic 173km break...

Relive the most thrilling moments from Stages 6 and 7 of the 2025 Tour de France! In Stage 6, Ben Healy pulled off a stunning long-range solo attack, crossing the line nearly three minutes ahead of the chasers and shaking up the breakaway game. Mathieu van der Poel snatched back the yellow jersey from Tadej Pogacar by just one second—setting up a tense battle for Stage 7.  Stage 7 delivered pure T...

Round up of all the action from Days 3, 4, and 5 of this year's edition of the Tour de France, covering the 7th, 8th, and 9th of July 2025 Big turnaround of fortunes for Alpecine-Deceurnick as their Green Jersey hopeful crashes out on Day 3. Tadej Pogacar was the big winner at the first TT as he took 2nd place behind Remco Evenepoel and takes the Yellow Jersey into Stage 6. If you have just starte...

A chaotic opening weekend provided plenty of drama and excitement with Alpencin-Deceunick coming out on top. Jasper Philipsen took the first stage (his 10th overall) and Mathieu Van der Poel took stage 2. Leading in to Stage 3, Van der Poel holds the Yellow with Philipsen retaining Green.  If you have just started your cycling journey, you can get your Beginner Cyclist Toolkit Here. It's packed fu...

Ride Back in 2014, the Tour de France rolled through Yorkshire—and something clicked. In this beginner-friendly Ride & Thrive episode, David shares how watching the world’s greatest cycling race right on his doorstep ignited a passion that’s shaped his life ever since. You’ll get a down-to-earth preview of this year’s race, learn why it’s more than just Lycra and mountains, and discover how th...

In this delightfully stretchy episode, we squeeze into the world of Lycra — that shiny, form-fitting fabric beloved by cyclists and feared by café-goers everywhere. I chat about what it means to wrap yourself in something that leaves very little to the imagination, and why people do it anyway (hint: it's not always about speed).  I share the awkward glory of public spandex moments, the psychology...

I made lots of mistakes, some worse than others in my first 6 months of road bike ownership. Here I list 5 of the most common mistakes and how to avoid them.  Stay tuned to the end for a bonus tip! Contact me: david@rideandthrive.co.uk  How to perform a pre-ride check HERE   If you you are wanting to get fit and fancy using kettlebells but don't know where to start, try my 30 days to kettlebell ma...

If your just starting out on your cycling journey, buying a bike can be daunting...so many choices! I sift through the mud and try to offer a clear path for you to make an informed choice. If you have just started your cycling journey, you can get your Beginner Cyclist Toolkit Here. It's packed full of information and advice to get you started safely on your journey.

I've been riding bikes my whole life, well, as long as I can remember. In this episode I share my history of bike ownership from the very early days (1970'S) Raleigh Chopper through to present day. Contact me: david@rideandthrive.co.uk If you you are wanting to get fit and fancy using kettlebells but don't know where to start, try my 30 days to kettlebell mastery Email course...Its FREE! Click the...

How fit/strong should you be? A general guide for some strength goals to aim for. If you have just started your cycling journey, you can get your Beginner Cyclist Toolkit Here. It's packed full of information and advice to get you started safely on your journey.

I wanted to share some things that I wish I had known about weight loss 20-30 years ago! It would have had a massive impact on my health and fitness journey. You can't lose weight by simply joining a gym The Importance of Strength Training Importance of sleep Understanding the part nutrition and food macros plays in weight loss Adherence and Consistency, the glue that holds everything together If...

It can be frustrating trying to find time to work out. It seems like we all lead busy lives. Jim Rohn Quote Success is defined as a few simple disciplines repeated every day Stephen Covey; Seven Habits of Highly Effective People Dave Shields Fitness on Facebook If you have just started your cycling journey, you can get your Beginner Cyclist Toolkit Here. It's packed full of information and advice...

Intro to Kettlebells What size to get;  As with a lot of things it does depend on your training age, your goals and your current state of physical fitness but a good starting point is;  Men - 12 Kg                                   (Amazon Affiliate Links) Women - 6-8Kg A YouTube link here to a more in-depth discussion on what size to get Link to  Demos of basic Kettlebell exercises Swing Deadlift...

Often neglected in favour of more shall we say vanity metrics, heart health should be your number one priority. In 1990 1 in 4 people suffered from Coronary vascular-related diseases, today that figure is 1 in 3.  Globally, heart disease is hands down the biggest  Affiliate links to products mentioned; Blood Pressure monitor Outlive - Peter Attia Great book on longevity with a large section on hea...

Beginners guide to rucking; YouTube If you have just started your cycling journey, you can get your Beginner Cyclist Toolkit Here. It's packed full of information and advice to get you started safely on your journey.

All about getting stronger Strength building principles discussed; SAID Principle, Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands Progressive Overload References; Milo and the bull story The Simpsons; Homers arm wrestling escapades! If you have just started your cycling journey, you can get your Beginner Cyclist Toolkit Here. It's packed full of information and advice to get you started safely on your jou...

You could get a coach to write your workouts for you or you could have a go at doing it yourself! Questions to ask; How much time do you have available to train? What equipment do you have? What are your goals? Covered in this episode What exercises should you do? How often should you train? Should you do cardio? How many sets and reps should you be doing? Links to other resources Resistance bands...

The supplement industry is huge, reportedly growing to 170 Billion Dollars by 2030. The advice is clear...Do your own research, and get professional medical advice. Eat a varied healthy diet including lean meat, fish, fruit, and plenty of vegetables. Studies alluded to in the episode; British Medical Journal; Health effects of vitamins and supplements Protein and Creatine Supplements and the misdi...

This week is all about getting unstuck. Remember the obstacle is the way. Tackle the obstacles and you will find the gold! You don't have to be a perfect 10 every day, a satisfactory Seven every day will move the needle consistently in the right direction. If you have just started your cycling journey, you can get your Beginner Cyclist Toolkit Here. It's packed full of information and advice to ge...