The Just Bikes Podcast

What does it actually look like behind the camera at some of the toughest cycling adventures in the world? In this episode of The Just Bikes Podcast, photographer James Busby joins me to talk about the endurance behind documenting endurance, the sleep deprivation, logistics, long drives, questionable meals, and constant problem-solving required to capture ultra cycling as it unfolds. If you follow...

Hello everyone, Dawn here Today’s episode is all about the Titan World Series and more specifically, their plans to get more women on the starline, and over the finish line of the original Titan Series Race, The Skoda Titan Desert Race in Morocco.  Mariona Faixat Codinach tells me all about the SheTitan program, what it aims to achieve and why it's important.  Helpful Links: 🚵🏻‍♀️ She...

Today’s episode is all about the Neom Titan Desert Race Saudi Arabia, which is my next mountain bike race. The race takes place 18-22 November in Neom, KSA.  In today’s episode, I chat with Manuel Tajada Vitales, the manager of the Titan World Series to chat the origins of the race, this year’s edition, the camp and some of his favorite memories of the race  This is part 1 of 2 parts so...

Hi All  In April, I finished Sani2C, a three day, point to point stage mountain bike race in KZN, South Africa.  The race was 272 km with 4000m of elevation gain on some of the most beautiful mountain bike trails in the world with various terrains including single track through farmlands, nature reserves, sugar cane fields, forests, down the infamous Umko drop and along the stunning uMkh...

Hi all,  In April, I finished Sani2C, a three day, point to point stage mountain bike race in KZN, South Africa.  The race was 272 km with 4000m of elevation gain on some of the most beautiful mountain bike trails in the world with various terrains including single track through farmlands, nature reserves, sugar cane fields, forests, down the infamous Umko drop and along the stunning uMk...

Today’s episode is a little Bonus update from me on what’s been happening in my world and what’s coming up.  Maybe you can relate, maybe you can’t, but I hope some people will find it helpful.  And my next race - as noted - is:  🇸🇦 The NEOM Titan Desert Race KSA  🚲  380 KM ⛰️ 2800m  🗓️ Nov 17-23 - 5 days of racing including the Prologue  📍 NEOM, Saudi Arabia&nb...

Happy World Bicycle Day!  Earlier this year, I spent a week chasing - and sharing the stories of the cyclists competing in the Race Around Rwanda, a 1000km self-supported bikepacking race with 18,000m of elevation and 40% offroad. I detailed the stories from the road of beautiful and brutal race this year in episodes 6 through 10 as well as episode 14 so go back and check those episodes out.&...

If you’ve been following The Just BIkes Podcast for a while, you’d know that earlier this year, I spent a week chasing the cyclists competing in the Race Around Rwanda, a 1000km self-supported bikepacking race that took place in February. With about 18,000m of climbing and 40% offroad with some VERY wild weather patterns, this race is tough.  It’s one I did myself in 2023 but that is a story...

Moroj Adil is Saudi Arabia’s first pro cyclist and you’d be forgiven for not knowing her name yet as she only started cycling two years ago. Yes, that is right, from not knowing how to ride a bike, to being on the Liv Alula Jayco Continental team, her story is one that needs to be heard and what’s most exciting is that it's just getting started.  In this episode, we chat through:  🚲 How...

Today’s episode features a member of a very elite club with member numbers totalling around 50 worldwide at the time of recording. This club is the Triple Everest Hall of Fame. Not just any old member of this club, Dubai-based Nick Glover is a unique one as he is also believed to be the first type one diabetic to ever Triple Everest, and the first in the UAE to do so.  Nick is exceptional in...

This is part two of our two part episode on VIA Race, a new 4000 km self-supported bikepacking race set to kick- off this July from Southern Spain. If you haven’t listened to part one yet, I do suggest you do that as this is a continuation of our chat with Ingeborg and Ian, the organizers of VIA Race. Check it out HERE .  In part two we discuss the evolution of ultra-cycling, t...

We know that bikepacking and ultra-cycling is about testing your limits - physical and mental, it's about adventure, camaraderie. It is about eating. It’s also about storytelling and this is the story of one of the newest self-supported ultra-cycling races on the calendar, VIA Race. Ingeborg Oie and Ian To, the team behind this upcoming race, agreed to speak with me and Niel Copeland about the fir...

The Race Around Rwanda is a 1000km self-supported cycling race that takes place annually every February in Rwanda. This year, The Just Bikes Podcast was on the ground and aimed to give you a daily update of what was happening, the highs, lows, weather and emotions and all the people questioning, ‘can that really be considered gravel?’ Due to tech problems and a lack of wifi for the remainder of th...

The Race Around Rwanda is a 1000km self-supported cycling race that takes place annually every February in Rwanda. This year, The Just Bikes Podcast was on the ground and aimed to give you a daily update of what was happening, the highs, lows, weather and emotions and all the people questioning, ‘can that really be considered gravel?’ Due to tech problems and a lack of wifi for the remainder of th...

The Race Around Rwanda is a 1000km self-supported cycling race that takes place annually every February in Rwanda. This year, The Just Bikes Podcast was on the ground and aimed to give you a daily update of what was happening, the highs, lows, weather and emotions and all the people questioning, ‘can that really be considered gravel?’ Due to tech problems and a lack of wifi for the remainder...

The Race Around Rwanda is a 1000km self-supported cycling race that takes place annually every February in Rwanda.  This year, The Just Bikes Podcast is on the ground and  aiming to give you a daily update of what’s happening, the highs, lows, weather and emotions and all the people questioning, ‘can that really be considered gravel?’ February 6th is Day 3 of the race and Dawn is on the...

The Race Around Rwanda is a 1000km self-supported cycling race that takes place annually every February in Rwanda. This year, The Just Bikes Podcast is on the ground and  aiming to give you a daily update of what’s happening, the highs, lows, weather and emotions and all the people questioning, ‘can that really be considered gravel?’.   February 5th is Day 2 of the race and Daw...

The Race Around Rwanda is a 1000km self-supported cycling race that takes place annually every February in Rwanda. This year, The Just Bikes Podcast is on the ground and  aiming to give you a daily update of what’s happening, the highs, lows, weather and emotions and all the people questioning, ‘can that really be considered gravel?’ February 4th is Day 1 of the race and friend of the po...

This is Episode 4! Today’s episode gives a glimpse into the history of cycling in Dubai as I speak to the Race Director of the oldest mass participation cycling race in the United Arab Emirates, The Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge . I owe a lot to Dubai when it comes to cycling and this race was actually my very first ever. A race I did a week after buying my first bike, without a bike computer,...

This is Part 2 of a 2 Part series and If you missed the first part, you may want to go check it out. I chatted with my coach Niel Copeland about all things ultra-cycling - Ultra Cycling 101 - but we saved perhaps the best, for this episode and that is ultra-eating or how to eat and fuel when riding your bike for a very very long time.  As I mentioned in the intro to Part 1, this episode was r...

EP 3.1 is actually a rewind from The Mettleset , and if you haven’t checked that out, you really should. Released a year ago, this EP is still very relevant for anyone who has ultra-cycling on the 🧠. Maybe you want to be an ultra-cyclist? Maybe you are one already, or maybe you’re just curious to know how one can race distances 700 km to 7000 km +, all self supported. Well, today’s epis...

This is Part 2 of my chat with Cycling Storyteller, Juliet Elliott. Juliet Elliott is a friend of mine and also a widely followed cycling storyteller who shares adventures and advice on two wheels in a series of fun, accessible videos on her YouTube and Instagram account, with a combined audience of over 225,000 followers. She’s gained such a following through sharing adventures and advice that is...

Today’s guest is Juliet Elliott, the queen of storytelling on two wheels. Between her YouTube and Instagram, Juliet has a combined audience of over 225,000 followers, gained through sharing adventures and advice that is fun, accessible and with a dose of good humor.  Juliet and I love a chat so I’ve actually divided this episode into two parts - both of which can be listened to as standa...

The Transcontinental (TCR) is an annual, self-supported ultra-cycling race that, as the name suggests, spans almost across the entire European continent. It is widely considered one of the toughest on the planet, testing rider’s fitness, mental strength, planning, problem solving and ability to endure as they ride 4000km with approx 40,000m of climbing. So what type of person decides that they’re...

The Just Bikes Podcast is a new podcast from The Mettleset, hosted by me, (slow) ultra-cyclist Dawn Barnable and friends. As the name suggests, the podcast is all about bikes! From ultra to adventure, the pain cave to the peloton and lots of type-two fun, I'm going to be speaking to. feature a host of guests - new and old friends - from all over the world to talk about all things cycling and cycli...