Great Britain’s Anna Morris leaps from sixth to second after the final sprint for the line to take silver in the women’s points race at the World Track Cycling Championships.
Great Britain’s Josh Tarling produces a blistering display to win his first track world title in the men’s 40km points race at the UCI Track World Championships.
When I wheeled my bike off the ferry at Roscoff, northwest France, in the summer of 2024, the furthest I had ever ridden was the 99-mile Devon Coast to Coast route over two days. And yet here I was, about to embark on an epic journey, unsupported, towing a trailer with two wooden surfboards, a tent and wetsuits strapped to it. My wife, Lizzy, 62, and I had rented out our house and lent our campervan to friends, so there was no turning back.
Lizzy was also towing a trailer with two belly boards and the rest of our camping kit. She, the veteran of many long rides in her 20s – one of which took her across the Andes – was full of quiet confidence. I was excited beyond words to be setting off on a new adventure, but also terrified of what the road might reveal about me. I had no idea whether my 57-year-old body or soul could cope with cycling for days on end, climbing mountains or setting up a tent every night for three months. My first attempt at a mountain pass, in the Pyrenees some years before, hadn’t started well. I threw a hissy fit at the first hairpin, demanding of Lizzy: what’s the point?
As our route out of Roscoff took us down a narrow, overgrown track with brambles brushing our legs and panniers, I started to wonder what we had got ourselves into. Would we have to ride on paths like this all the way? What were we thinking?
The plan was to cycle from home in Cornwall to Cape St Vincent in Portugal, Europe’s most south-westerly point, surfing as we went. The journey, I reckoned, would be at least 1,900 miles (over 3,000km). I had travelled to surf in Europe many times before, but only in a campervan and, in my late teens and 20s, a series of clapped-out cars.
My friends and I went to Europe to surf, drink cheap red wine, smoke Gauloises and live out our Californian Beach Boys fantasies. We were following in the footsteps of those who had made the trip in the 1960s and 1970s, leaving the UK to surf in the sun on world-class waves. In time, the journey became a rite of passage for all surfers: get beaten up in the powerful French shore breaks, find new waves in northern Spain and lose yourself on the wild coasts of Portugal.
The prospect of doing it all again, but this time on two wheels, thrilled me. I had become disillusioned with travelling by van and needed time out. I loved the idea of chasing waves without the faff and environmental impact of van life and wondered if living with less would make me happier. Would stripping back to basics – a surfboard, a wetsuit, a tent, a meths cooker and a change of clothes – make for a bigger, more meaningful adventure?
Martin and Lizzy took the ferry to Roscoff, Brittany. Photograph: Eyewave/Getty Images
Travelling by bike, I argued while planning this trip, would allow us to follow the old roads and forgotten paths our surfing forefathers had travelled and give us the kind of access to beaches that is impossible today.
Eventually the bumpy lanes outside Roscoff gave way to smooth, flowing tarmac, following the course of a muddy river, and we cruised along easily, our trailers rumbling happily behind us. Dare I hope it would all be fine?
The truth was, at that point, I doubted I was up to the adventure. In 2023 I had severed my anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), an injury that left me in a knee brace and on crutches for weeks. In the early days of recovery, I feared I’d never surf again.
The NHS consultant told me “most people your age manage perfectly well without an ACL”. I felt the sharp sting of ageism. But I wasn’t ready to be written off just yet. I had the ligament repaired privately and, when the surgeon recommended cycling for rehab, I took him at his word.
Riding ebikes made the trip possible. The psychological effect of knowing I had a little in the tank if things got difficult worked wonders, even if we rode in the mode that delivered the least power most of the time.
We followed La Vélodyssée, an 800-mile, mostly off-road cycle route down the west coast of France to Hendaye on the border with Spain, joining the Nantes-Brest canal for the first 190 miles. The riding was mostly flat and we bimbled along happily. I loved the attention we got: I guess there weren’t many middle-aged cyclists pulling surfboards along the towpath.
Seignosse in the far south-west of France was the location for the first proper surfing on the trip. Photograph: Dpa Picture Alliance/Alamy
At about 6pm each day – after about five hours in the saddle – we’d stop at a campsite, cook and collapse on to our blow-up beds. We’d prebooked some sites but mostly took our chances that something would turn up. On the one occasion it didn’t, we checked in to a hotel. Clean white sheets – heaven!
Despite daily drenchings from rain showers, I loved being self-sufficient and outside all day. When we finally found some good waves, at Seignosse, a little north of surfing’s spiritual European home, Biarritz, hitting them was all the more satisfying.
Spain, and her terrible hills, gave us a shock after the level paths through France’s maritime pine forest. Just after crossing the border we climbed Jaizkibel mountain in rain and fog. It was a 5-mile slog from sea level to 450 metres, en route to San Sebastián. I resisted the urge to press the ebike’s power button despite it being a “classic climb” that has been featured in the Tour de France and Spain’s equivalent, La Vuelta.
When I reached the top, I was wet, cold and exhausted – but elated. If it hadn’t been so misty, I could have looked back at France behind me and seen how far we had come. We had ridden 870 miles since leaving home and I had loved it. I had surfed some excellent waves too, at Biarritz and Hendaye, as well as Seignosse, and had got my mojo back after months out of the water. I decided it was just like riding a bike: you never forget how to do it. I was definitely ready for the more serious Iberian waves to come.
Martin celebrates conquering a 600-metre mountain in Galicia. Photograph: Martin Dorey
After Jaizkibel, my legs were tuned up and I was starting to relish this life-affirming trip that would see us follow the coasts of Spain and Portugal for another 1,200 miles over the next two months. We surfed some hallowed spots at Mundaka, Peniche and the World Surfing Reserve at Ericeira; mended multiple punctures; pitched our tent 67 times; climbed another 20,000 metres; and completed two legs of the Camino de Santiago. Arriving in Praza do Obradoiro, the main square in Santiago de Compostela old town, was a highlight. But we still had another 500 miles to go to our final destination of Sagres in the Algarve.
I may not be as fit as I was in my 20s – but the thrill of adventure remains the same.
Martin Dorey’s book about the adventure, The Way of the Waves, is published by Bloomsbury Sport (£20) on 11 September. To support the Guardian order your copy at guardianbookshop.com.Delivery charges may apply
Israel-Premier Tech cycling team will drop Israeli ties after multiple protests at the Vuelta a Espana race.
Published On 6 Oct 20256 Oct 2025
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The Israel–Premier Tech cycling team will drop its ties to Israel from the 2026 season, following repeated pro-Palestinian protests against it at the recent Vuelta a Espana bike race.
The move was announced in a statement on Monday, just weeks after pressure from its sponsors to change its name.
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The team, which is based in Israel and which is owned by the Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams, has been subjected to widespread criticism over Israel’s war on Gaza, in which more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel, and leading experts have called a genocide.
Adams has previously said that Israel has done “miracles” in its fighting in Gaza and elsewhere, despite the devastation of the Palestinian enclave, where famine has spread.
Last month, protesters disrupted several stages of Spain’s Vuelta because of its participation in the prestigious three-week cycling event.
Amid the public pressure, the team removed its full name from its jerseys midway though the race. Later on, the final stage of the Vuelta had to be abandoned when pro-Palestinian demonstrators entered part of the course in Madrid.
Following the protests against it in Spain, Israel-Premier Tech was then excluded from the Giro dell’Emilia race on Saturday because of concerns about public safety.
Explaining its decision to rebrand, the team said on Monday that it was moving away from its Israeli identity out of a “steadfast commitment to our riders, staff and valued partners”.
“In sport, progress often requires sacrifice, and this step is essential to securing the future of the team,” it added.
The statement also confirmed that Adams, its owner, would no longer speak on behalf of the team. Instead, he will focus on his position as President of the World Jewish Congress, Israel, it said.
Premier Tech, the Canada-based multinational company that co-sponsors the team, had voiced its desire for change last month.
“We are sensitive and attentive to the situation on the international scene which has evolved considerably since our arrival on the World Tour in 2017,” it said.
“Our expectation is that the team will evolve to a new name excluding the term Israel, and that it will adopt a new identity and a new brand image.”
Factor, the company that provides the team with equipment, also warned that its involvement would end unless there was “a change of flag”.
Israel has grown increasingly isolated internationally as the war on Gaza continues, with an effort on the part of many countries to exclude Israel from sporting and cultural events, in a similar manner to Russia’s exclusion following its war on Ukraine.
Italian race organiser says there is high possibility of race disruption due to participation of Israeli team.
Published On 28 Sep 202528 Sep 2025
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The Israel-Premier Tech cycling team has been excluded from Italy’s upcoming Giro dell’Emilia competition due to concerns over public safety, race organisers said.
The decision announced on Saturday comes after the recent Vuelta a Espana cycling race suffered several disruptions by pro-Palestinian protesters who took to the streets of the Spanish capital, Madrid, to block the participation of Israel-Premier Tech, forcing the cancellation of the race’s final stage.
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Calls for Israel to be excluded from global sporting events, festivals and music competitions have been growing since the country’s invasion of Gaza, which has killed almost 66,000 Palestinians, in an operation the United Nations has described as a “genocide”.
“It is with regret that, following recent events and given the characteristics of the final circuit, for the safety of all athletes, technical staff, and spectators, I have had to forgo the participation of the Team this year,” said Adriano Amici, organiser of the one-day Giro dell’Emilia, which will take place on October 4, finishing in Bologna.
“We had to make this decision for reasons of public security,” Amici told the Reuters news agency.
“There’s too much danger for both the Israel Tech riders and others. The race’s final circuit is run five times so the possibility of the race being disrupted is very high,” he said.
Police in the Italian city of Milan clashed with pro-Palestinian protesters on Monday, during a nationwide strike in Italy called by trade unions to protest against Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
The Giro dell’Emilia race concludes with a climb to the Madonna di San Luca sanctuary, not far from the historic centre of Bologna, which has a large student population and a long history of left-wing politics.
Bologna’s local government, which is controlled by the centre-left Democratic Party, called for Israel-Premier Tech’s exclusion from the race, noting the Israeli government’s guilt in carrying out “serious crimes against the civilian population in the Gaza Strip”.
Roberta Li Calzi, the city’s sport councillor, welcomed the decision to exclude the Israeli team, which is owned by Israeli-Canadian property developer Sylvan Adams.
Adams, the president of the Israel region of the World Jewish Congress, is referred to by that organisation as “committed to promoting Israel’s global image”.
“Given what is happening in Gaza it would have been hypocritical to consider the presence of a team linked to this [Israeli] government as insignificant,” Calzi said in a statement.
Pressure is mounting on Israel on all fronts over its brutal war and continued ignoring of international calls to end the slaughter of Palestinians.
European football’s governing body, UEFA, is expected to soon vote on whether to suspend Israel’s football team, whose men’s side is in the middle of attempting to qualify for next year’s World Cup, from all competitions under its jurisdiction. The 20-member UEFA ruling committee is expected to secure a majority to exclude Israel from games if that vote is called.
Members of the Eurovision Song Contest are also due to vote on excluding Israel from the 2026 competition due to its military onslaught in Gaza.
Paris is home to some of the world’s most famous landmarks, and trying to see them all can be tricky if you are pushed for time, so Mirror writer Niamh Kirk toured the iconic city by bike to see as many spots as possible
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I decided to tour Paris on a bike
The French capital has become one of the best cities for cycling, and with so many sights to see, travelling on a bike around may be your best bet.
There’s no denying the roads are pretty busy, and the Metro gives the London Underground a run for it’s money when it comes to trying to work out, so I decided to hop on a bike and tour the city myself. Packing the itinerary with some of the world’s most famous landmarks, I knew I had a lot to cover in one day.
One good thing about Paris is how many cycle lanes they have put in, making it much safer than hopping on a Lime bike in London and hoping you don’t get run over.
It’s also an ideal way to burn off your croissants from breakfast, and work up an appetite for a Parisian lunch. I tracked my cycle on my new Huawei GT 6 watch (£229), a fitness watch that specialises in cycling, so I could map out my route with the GPS, track my distance, heart rate and time on the road.
Paris is expanding it’s network of protected bike lanes and these lanes are physically separated from cars which makes it a great feature for safety, especially for children. Paris now has protected cycling routes stretching across nearly half (48%) of its road network, however I quickly learnt there are a few rules to follow on the road.
For starters, there are two lanes, and for me, naively, I thought they were both going in the same direction, but I quickly found out I was wrong. They are lanes for both directions rather than a ‘fast’ lane for pro bikers, and ‘slow’ lane for more casual riders like myself.
After being shouted at by an angry Parisian man dressed to the nines in his lycra cycling gear, and not a clue what he was saying, I figured out I needed to stay in my lane.
I managed to squeeze in many landmarks during my cycle, including the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, the Church of Saint-Sulpice, Dome des Invalides, and even stopped off for a much needed rest and picnic in the The Luxembourg Gardens.
In total I cycled 12.85km, and I feel like this was the most efficient way of packing in lots of sights if you are only in the city for a few days, making it easier than walking and much easier than grabbing a cab.
And after a long day of cycling and sightseeing, I treated myself to a large glass of wine and a sit down in the sun.
‘Wake naturally. Ride bikes. Wild camp.” I’m in Perthshire on a three-day bikepacking trip – cycling with all my gear – and this is my itinerary for the day. For an endlessly calendar-checking parent of three, the simplicity of this schedule is almost dizzying. I feel like a child with my summer holiday stretching out ahead of me.
Comrie Croft Journeys is a new initiative from eco-camping and mountain-biking destination Comrie Croft, started by experienced mountain bike instructor Emily Greaves. The off-grid cycling adventures aim to immerse visitors in Scotland’s wild landscapes while providing everything they need, from food to equipment. Guests can choose to be self-guided or led – and I’m heading out with Emily to explore on a mountain bike for the first time in my adult life.
The croft is set across quiet woodland and bucolic meadows and I arrive early to explore the onsite organic market garden Tomnah’a and enjoy a hearty mixed grain bowl with roast root vegetables and local Wee Comrie cheese at Gorse cafe. I’ve driven here, but for the ultimate emission-avoiding trip, it’s possible to get the train to Gleneagles from Edinburgh or London, then be picked up in the Croft’s electric car.
Before we hit the trails, Emily puts me through my paces with a mountain-biking lesson on the gravel pump track. We’re cycling for three days and everything we need – clothes, food, camping stove, tent, sleeping bags and mat – has to be strapped to our bikes. Beside me a French family is getting set up for a self-guided adventure. Emily has planned their route, pre-loaded on a GPX device with detailed trip notes, and prepped their bikes and equipment. I thought I’d packed light, but most of my clothes are soon in a discard pile. “You need clothes to cycle in, warm layers to sleep in, and waterproofs – that’s it,” Emily says.
Ailsa, right, with her guide Emily. Photograph: Ailsa Sheldon
Fully laden we head off, uphill through ancient woodland and the pretty village of Comrie, then on to rough farm tracks heading into the hills. Tonight’s destination is a youth hostel, a last-minute change due to thundery weather. Bikepacking doesn’t always have to mean camping – many long-distance cyclists combine camping with stays at hostels and even hotels. It’s about enjoyment, not endurance, or “smiles not miles”, as Emily puts it.
Today’s ride is 20 miles (32km), taking in 520 metres of ascent. It’s an intentionally gentle start, but for me still pretty challenging, as I get to grips with my cycling position, descending on loose gravel, and learning to trust the bike. We pass through fields of sheep, splash through little streams, slowly gaining height over the lower slopes of Carn Labhruinn and Meall Odhar. By the time we descend towards Callander, the clouds darken, obscuring the mountain tops, and heavy rain soaks in the seams of my jacket: I’m delighted not to be putting up a tent. At Callander Hostel, run by a local social enterprise, we stay in a cosy pod in the garden (from £81), dry our soggy clothes, and sleep deeply.
Day two is our longest in the saddle, with 44 miles to cover. Emily, sensibly, doesn’t tell me the ascent until later (it’s 1,020 metres). We set out in high spirits, fuelled by egg and haggis rolls from Mhor Bread in Callander.
We’re riding through Loch Lomond and the Trossachs national park, an area I’ve often driven through but never stopped to fully appreciate – I’ve been missing out. With mountains aplenty, peaceful lochs and glens, and a well-connected network of paths and trails, there’s so much to explore. Emily’s well-designed route takes us along some quiet single-track roads, but is mostly off-road, on gravel tracks through heathery glens, forestry plantations and native woodland, and on winding lochside paths through the bracken.
The routes take in glorious open countryside
We pedal along the quiet side of Loch Venachar before joining the Three Lochs Forest Drive, a rough track that links Loch Drunkie, Lochan Reòidhte, and Loch Achray. It’s hilly, but I’m getting to love the calf-burning push of a long uphill, and the thrill of the downhill too. At Aberfoyle, we stop at Liz MacGregors coffee shop for lemon drizzle cake. “You have to keep your energy up,” Emily says. She has completed many long-distance cycles, including the epic Highland Trail 550, often named one of Scotland’s toughest off-road cycling races. If she says it’s time to eat cake, I’m only too happy to agree.
After a rugged stretch along forestry tracks past pretty Loch Chon, we reach the head of Loch Katrine, where we have the option to catch the Steamship Sir Walter Scott, which takes daytrippers the length of the loch (from £19 one way, £27 return). It’s tempting, but given steamships have been running on Loch Katrine for over 180 years, it seems safe to leave it for another day. Today is all about the bikes, and I don’t want to miss a moment. Later we pitch tents by the shores of Loch Achray, with just a slight dance with the midges until the breeze returns. We collect water, heat up instant meals on our camp stoves, and drink in the views of Ben A’an and Ben Venue.
Luxury accommodation and the Nowhere Sauna await at the end of the ride. Photograph: Seth Tinsley
In the morning, the loch shimmers silver in the pale sunlight and Emily and I wade in for a beautifully refreshing swim, then warm up with bowls of porridge. The last day of cycling has come round all too soon, and it’s 37 miles back to Comrie, with a lunch stop at Mhor 84 in Balquhidder. The last stretch takes in Glen Finglas estate singletrack, a popular local cycling route along an undulating ridge. I’m loving feeling the power in my legs.
Back at Comrie Croft we’ve reserved seats at Nowhere Sauna (from £16), one of the 12 micro-businesses that operate at the croft. Tucked into a quiet corner of woodland, it’s the perfect place to stretch and relax, interspersed with refreshing dunks in the icy tin bath. From here, it’s a short walk uphill for a decidedly more luxurious evening, at the croft’s newly opened cabin. Joining the site’s camping pitches, Nordic katas (conical, tipi-like tents) and its eco-lodge hostel, the handbuilt wooden cabin is a beautiful hideaway for two adults (plus a child or two on a convertible sofa, if you must). With a wood-burning stove, full kitchen, mezzanine bedroom and big private deck, it’s likely to be popular with onsite weddings and honeymooners. Tonight it’s all mine, and even better, local deli Hansen’s Kitchen has dropped me off supper, including local beers and a lasagne made with vegetables from the market garden. I sit out on the deck until the first stars appear, resting my tired legs and soaking in the scenery, reflecting on an incredible few days.
The cycling trip and accommodation were provided byComrie Croftand Comrie Croft Journeys. Bikepacking trips are bespoke; a three-day, two-night trip, including route planning and all gear costs from £295pp, excluding bike rental . Rooms at the eco-lodgefrom £5opp pn; the cabin sleeps two from £250 a night (two-night minimum)
History in the making as Rwanda hosts the 2025 UCI Road World Championships – the first time cycling’s crown jewel comes to Africa. Al Jazeera’s Samantha Johnson asks if this moment can change the sport and the continent forever?
Pro-Palestine demonstrators have repeatedly targeted the Israel-Premier Tech cycling team during the race in Spain.
Published On 14 Sep 202514 Sep 2025
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Pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Madrid have forced the abandonment of the Vuelta a Espana cycling race’s final stage, with Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard declared the overall winner as police fought with protesters.
Demonstrators blocked sections of the race route in the Spanish capital on Sunday, moving past metal barriers and stepping out onto the road. Police deployed in large numbers, but the race was abandoned.
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Organisers confirmed the suspension of the event. “The race is over,” a spokesperson told Reuters.
Spanish authorities said that 100,000 pro-Palestinian protesters took to the streets of Madrid on Sunday.
The protests have repeatedly targeted the Israel-Premier Tech cycling team, owned by Israeli-Canadian property developer Sylvan Adams, over Israel’s war on Palestinians in Gaza.
Adams, the president of the Israel region of the World Jewish Congress, is referred to by that organisation as “committed to promoting Israel’s global image”.
Demonstrations disrupted multiple stages in recent weeks, with some riders threatening to quit after blockades caused falls on the course.
In Bilbao, stage 11 of the race was neutralised with no winner declared after protesters blocked the approach to the finish last week, while on Tuesday, hundreds of demonstrators forced stage 16 in Galicia to be shortened after confronting police near the route.
More than 1,000 police officers were deployed on Sunday in Madrid to secure the finale of the 21-day race in Madrid, which had been scheduled to finish at 7pm (17:00 GMT).
While race organisers denied they were considering cancelling earlier stages, they had suggested Israel-Premier Tech withdraw to protect the safety of other teams.
The participation of Israel-Premier Tech has drawn widespread criticism in Spain, where support for the Palestinian cause is strong.
Lily Mayers, a freelance journalist, told Al Jazeera: “This afternoon, thousands of protesters gathered … with flags and banners in support of Palestine. At around 6.30pm [16:30 GMT], crowds flooded onto the street, pushing down the barriers and clashing with police quite dramatically.
“Police in response used tear gas on protesters to push them back.”
The Spanish government this week recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv and barred two far-right Israeli ministers from entering the country, while it officially recognised a Palestinian state last year.
Sports Minister Pilar Alegria has previously argued that Israeli teams should be banned from international competitions, similar to restrictions imposed on Russian teams following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. She said allowing them to compete showed a “double standard”.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly praised Israel-Premier Tech for continuing in the race despite the protests.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also voiced support for the pro-Palestine protesters. Speaking at a Socialist Party rally in Malaga on Sunday, he said: “Today marks the end of the Vuelta.”
“Our respect and recognition [is] for the athletes and our admiration for the Spanish people who are mobilising for just causes like Palestine,” he said. “Spain today shines as an example and as a source of pride, an example to an international community where it sees Spain taking a step forward in the defence of human rights.”
Spain’s Vuelta cycling event has added extra security following pro-Palestine protests against Israel-Premier Tech.
Published On 11 Sep 202511 Sep 2025
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Spanish Sports Minister Pilar Alegria has said Israeli teams should be banned from sport in the same way that Russian sides broadly were in 2022 after the country invaded Ukraine, highlighting a “double standard”.
The presence of a team named Israel-Premier Tech at the Vuelta a Espana cycling grand tour has led to huge protests in Spain. The Spanish government has described Israel’s offensive in Gaza as “a genocide”.
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Israel-Premier Tech is a private outfit owned by billionaire Israeli-Canadian property developer Sylvan Adams, not a state team, but has been hailed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for refusing to quit the Vuelta despite vehement protests.
“It is difficult to explain and understand that there is a double standard,” Alegria told Spanish radio station Cadena SER.
“Given that there has been such a massacre, a genocide, such an absolutely terrible situation we are living through day-by-day, I would agree that the international federations and committees should take the same decision as in 2022,” she added.
“No team, no club from Russia participated in an international competition, and when the individuals participated, they did it under a neutral flag and without a national anthem.”
Alegria said she would like Vuelta organisers to block Israel-Premier Tech from competing, but accepted that such a decision could only be taken by the cycling world governing body, UCI.
Various stages of the Vuelta have been affected by protests, with stages 11 and 16 shortened during racing, while Thursday’s stage 18 time trial has also been cut short in advance for security reasons.
Alegria said she hopes the race can be completed, with Sunday’s final stage heading into Madrid expected to be targeted by various protests.
“It would not be good news if the race cannot finish,” said Alegria.
“However, what we’re seeing these days with the protests is, in my opinion, logical,” she added.
“[The protests] are a clear representation of what the people feel, sport cannot be distanced from the world that surrounds it.”
Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s left-wing coalition government has taken one of Europe’s strongest pro-Palestinian stances, straining ties with Israel.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive in October 2023 in retaliation for an unprecedented cross-border attack led by the Palestinian group Hamas, which resulted in the deaths of 1,139 people, most of whom were civilians.
Israel’s bombardment has killed at least 64,600 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to figures from the Ministry of Health in Hamas-run Gaza.
“[Israeli forces] have killed more than 60,000 people; children, babies [are] starving to death, hospitals destroyed,” added Alegria.
“So it is important that sport, given this situation, takes a position at least similar to what it did against Russia.”
It’s farm-to-fork dining at its freshest. I’m sitting at a vast outdoor table in Herefordshire looking out over rows of vines. On the horizon, the Malvern Hills ripple towards the Black Mountains; in front of me is a selection of local produce: cheeses from Monkland Dairy, 6 miles away, salad leaves from Lane Cottage (8 miles), charcuterie from Trealy Farm (39 miles), cherries from Moorcourt Farm (3 miles), broccoli quiche (2 miles) and glasses of sparkling wine, cassis and apple juice made just footsteps away. This off-grid feast is the final stop on White Heron Estate’s ebike farm tour – and I’m getting the lie of the land with every bite.
Before eating, our small group pedalled along a two-hour route so pastorally pretty it would make Old MacDonald sigh. Skirting purple-hued borage fields, we’ve zipped in and out of woodland, down rows of apple trees and over patches of camomile, and learned how poo from White Heron’s chickens is burnt in biomass boilers to generate heat. “Providing habitats for wildlife is important, but we need to produce food as well,” says our guide Jo Hilditch, who swapped a career in PR for farming when she inherited the family estate 30 years ago.
She’s electric: the writer gets on her ebike. Photograph: Rhiannon Batten
The tours offer an immersive way of seeing British agriculture in action. Pausing in the estate’s blackcurrant fields, Jo pulls bottles of chilled Ribena from a basket for us to drink (White Heron produces 5% of Ribena’s blackcurrant supply) and encourages us to taste the fruit: fat and sweet, the berries are a whole different entity to the wincingly sharp little beads growing in my own garden.
So lyrical do I wax about the blackcurrants that, after I arrive at my accommodation for the night, the estate’s homely Field Cottage, there’s a knock at the door: the delivery of a punnet to take home. I add it to the cottage’s guest hamper, which is brimming with tangy Worcester Hop cheese, local raspberries, some of the estate’s own apple juice and a miniature of its treacly, sharp-sweet cassis.
I don’t have to worry about working it off. The following day I’m back on the ebike on a new self-guided ride around north Herefordshire. One of a handful of routes the estate has curated around the region’s farm shops, cider-makers, cheese producers and farm-to-fork restaurants, the trails link up some delectable pit stops in different corners of the county, some of which feature on Visit Herefordshire’s new food safaris.
The estate’s ebikes come into their own on some of the rougher tracks
Setting out while the early morning mist is still loitering over the estate’s orchards, I swing over an old grass-covered railway line on to a quiet lane running between fields of hay, then wheel along to pretty Pembridge, with its rows of tipsy-angled black-and-white buildings. As if by arrangement, the bells start ringing from the church’s stand-alone belfry as I pass, giving the impression of a medieval rocket about to launch. I stop in the village stores to pick up a loaf from Peter Cooks Bread and a coffee at Bloom & Grind before pedalling on to Eardisland.
The mist lifts as I arrive, revealing a picturesque swirl of half-timbered buildings, a dainty 17th-century dovecote and an elegant bridge over the River Arrow. There’s no time to dawdle, though. I’m only partway into my 29-mile route and it’s mid-morning already.
I cycle down blissfully empty lanes to Monkland Dairy, set up three decades ago by ex-teacher Kaz Hindle and her husband, Mark. Having “bought a cheese shop because of a drunken dinner”, Kaz tells me the dairy came about when one of the shop’s employees mentioned her grandmother’s 1917 recipe for cheese. The grandmother turned out to be Ellen Yeld, one-time “chief dairy instructress” for Herefordshire, so the recipe was a good one. The Hindles refined it further to produce Little Hereford, a cheddar-like cheese that’s now the dairy’s flagship product.
The tour offers pit stops to refuel on local produce. Photograph: Rhiannon Batten
With Kaz semi-retired, the cheesemaking side of things has been taken over by ex-chef and former customer Dean Storey. Showing me the cheese cave and the dairy’s vintage cast-iron presses, Storey tells that me he makes 30 to 40 Little Herefords a week and up to 300 of the dairy’s deliciously creamy blue monks, plus some “more controversial” cheeses such as ones featuring garlic and chive; “My kids love it in pasta,” he says.
Resisting the urge to order the cafe’s signature ploughman’s, I hop back on my bike. Lunch beckons a few fields further on. The Riverside at Aymestrey is a pretty black-and-white inn beside the River Lugg. The hillside above it operates as a semi-wild kitchen garden. Among a bounty of damsons, cobnuts, jerusalem artichokes, fennel, lovage, kale, gooseberries and apples are pigs and chickens. “The garden started as a lockdown project and now we have 2.5 acres (1 hectare),” says chef-patron Andy Link, as he shows me around. “It means we can work in food metres rather than food miles.”
Soup at the Riverside at Aymestrey, which is supplied by its own semi-wild kitchen garden
I’m transported back to the garden when I bite into an appetiser of summer veg croustade – a mouthful of crunchy peas, beans and mint enveloped with crushed seeds. It’s followed by trout cured in gin and lemon verbena, with gooseberries and tendrils of sea purslane, then fall-apart local beef fillet and cheek from a farm 11 miles away. But it’s the dainty, cloud-like savarin I have for dessert that keeps this hyper-Herefordshire meal on my mind as I wobble back on to my bike for the ride back to White Heron; it’s soaked in a delicate syrup flavoured with pine tips.
The following morning, I do some foraging of my own, driving south to Longtown to meet wild food expert Liz Knight, of Forage Fine Foods,on her local patch. As we walk out along an old drovers’ road to the fields past her converted barn, Liz teaches me to look at the landscape not just as a view but as a foodscape. There may be an extraordinary panorama of the Cat’s Back hill across the valley, but we try to keep our eyes down: beneath our feet is pineapple weed, whose fruity flowers can be used to top salads or spice up cordials, broadleaf plantain, which can be fried like kale chips, and docks, whose ground seeds can be baked in bread and crackers.
Going wild: Liz Knight of Forage Fine Foods. Photograph: Rhiannon Batten
At one point, we come across an ancient linden tree, whose colossal gnarled trunk makes it a contender for the real-life Magic Faraway Tree, though Liz says that its real sorcery lies in its cucumber-scented flowers; delicious on salads, they are also said to help calm the nervous system. Nearby is a patch of yarrow. A forager’s cure-all, yarrow’s many medicinal properties include calming bites and stings, balancing hormones and soothing sore throats. Picking a few heads, we stroll back to Liz’s kitchen to steep the flowers with honeysuckle in vodka to use as a tincture.
Back home that evening, I make a salad using radishes, runner beans and soft dorstone cheese from the Oakchurch Farm Shop, another pin on Herefordshire’s food safari map. As I slice the veg, I think of everyone I’ve met over the last few days. Seeing such careful tending of food first-hand has left me not just with the lie of the land, I realise, but with the experience of truly savouring it too.
The trip was provided by White Heron; its two- to three-hour ebike farm tour and tasting is £50pp; full-day slow cycle rides £80pp; self-catering accommodation sleeps four, from £509 for three nights.Half-day foraging courses with Liz Knight from £55pp. For more information see visitherefordshire.co.uk
As early as I can remember, I’ve always got a thrill out of poring over a map, tracing wavy river lines with my fingers, roads that connect and borders that divide – all the routes I could take. The freedom of heading out on my bike and not knowing where I’m going to pitch my tent that night. Now that my children are aged seven and nine, I wanted to introduce them to the liberation of this kind of adventure. They adore a day out on their bikes, but this was to be our first multiday bike trip as a family of four, so it was crucial to find a route easy and fun enough to captivate them.
Illustration: Guardian Graphics
The Maasroute follows the course of the Maas River as it meanders for 300 miles (484km) through the Netherlands, from the inland city of Maastricht to the Hook of Holland, then loops back to Rotterdam. It forms part of the much longer Meuse cycle route (EuroVelo 19) that stretches from the source of the Maas (or Meuse as it’s known in France) on the Langres plateau, travelling through the French and Belgian Ardennes before crossing into the Netherlands.
Our plan was to cycle the 100-mile stretch from Maastricht to Dordrecht over four days, traversing expansive floodplains dotted with castles, windmills and villages of thatched houses, crisscrossing the Maas on charming little ferries and pitching our tent at family-friendly campsites. This being the Netherlands, the terrain is predominantly pancake-flat with protected bike paths and low-traffic roads, making it an ideal first bike trip location for budding cyclists.
The medieval Sint Servaasbrug bridge in Maastricht. Photograph: Marc Venema/Alamy
For route planning, we used a foldout Dutch cycling map for perspective and nostalgia, in combination with the essential and free LF-routes long-distance cycling app. As we were living in Leiden, we took the train to Maastricht and stayed in a hostel overnight. We carried all our camping gear on rented Dutch city bikes in small everyday panniers, with the overflow in a backpack so the children had nothing to haul. The Hook of Holland is on the Maasroute, so it’s possible to bring your own gear and bikes on an overnight voyage across the North Sea from Harwich.
We set off from Maastricht in the morning sunshine full of first-day energy and cycled five blocks to Sint Servaasbrug, which is an unmissable seven-arched limestone pedestrian and cycle bridge, built in the 1280s to replace a Roman river crossing. This detour, and a not-so-quick stop at the supermarket for picnic ingredients, made getting out of town hairy. However, we soon found ourselves leaving the city and following reassuringly wide cycle paths out into the idyllic water meadows of Limburg, with the Maas as our constant companion.
The pancake-flat terrain and low-traffic roads make the Netherlands ideal for young cyclists
As the day wore on the heat escalated, so to keep the children on side, we stopped for mango ice lollies followed directly by gelato at Terras Maasoever at Urmond, a breezy bankside restaurant serving broodjes and biertjes (sandwiches and beers) on a terrace overlooking a small river ferry crossing to Belgium.
By the time we arrived at our first campsite at the Jachthaven de Maasterp, in the picturesque village of Ohé en Laak, we were wilting. Luckily, the marina’s Brasserie Knaag & Co didn’t disappoint, with lakeside views, swimming beaches and playgrounds, so we could cool off and toast the success of the girls’ first 30-mile ride.
Waiting for a ferry at Ohé en Laak. Photograph: Ralf Liebhold/Alamy
The next morning we set off early, slathered in sun cream and with spirits high, to cross the Maasplassen, a vast network of human-made lakes that has become a popular destination for water sports. It felt as if we were cycling through a Van Gogh painting as an endless parade of sailing boats and sloops cruised by. After a coffee at the Grand Café Aemilius in Maasbracht – served with a side shot of amaretto and topped with whipped cream – we powered along the straight road to Roermond in the midday sun (I credit the amaretto). Our goal was the aqua park at the Landal de Lommerbergen holiday park where we enjoyed a carefree afternoon racing down slides and plunging into swimming pools.
With bedtimes out of the window, we rode the final stretch of that day’s route at 10pm, enjoying the cool evening air. With another 30-mile ride under our belts, we waited in happy silence with two lone night cyclists for the ferry to Kessel, with the backdrop of Kasteel de Keverberg, a hilltop castle that dates back to AD950, on the bank across the river. Giddy from the day’s adventures, we set up our tent among the trees at Natuurcamping en Camperplaats Boezeven in the last of the light.
Tent with a view, at the Kurenpolder campsite in Hank
The next day, a combination of heat and tired legs persuaded us that we would have to adjust our itinerary if we were going to make it to Dordrecht. Remembering the objective of fun with the children rather than mileage, we decided to catch a train from Venlo to Breda. (Fortunately, taking bikes on trains in the Netherlands is straightforward, with dedicated carriages that can take up to four bikes outside weekday rush hours for €7.50 each). Disembarking at Breda, we navigated our way to the Biesbosch national park, Europe’s largest freshwater tidal zone, where our pitch at the Kurenpolder campsite in Hank came with a sunset view of the lake.
The key to a successful family cycling adventure is to strike the right balance between the hard work of pedalling and relaxation. The next morning we visited the Biesbosch climbing park, where our girls enjoyed a couple of laps around the high ropes course. A win, but it meant delaying our start time. We thought the afternoon would hold an easy cycle ride across the national park, but only a few miles in, my partner Andrew had a total tyre and tube blowout, which required expert help to repair. We had to make Dordrecht that evening, so I pressed ahead with the girls, cycling along the tops of dykes and past an endless stream of vibrant blue and green creeks and willow flood forests. Eventually, Andrew caught up with us at the Biesbosch Museum terrace for a cold drink and the early evening ferry across the river to Dordrecht, the oldest and one of the most picturesque Dutch cities, with a blend of gothic, Renaissance and Dutch golden age architecture.
Final destiantion … Dordrecht. Photograph: fokkebok/Getty Images
Standing on the deck in the breeze, balancing our bikes on that final river crossing, we were low on energy but full of joy and satisfaction. The girls loved the wide bike paths that cut across pristine meadows and the freedom of camping somewhere different each night, but mostly they were exhausted – from days in the sun, pedalling, climbing, swimming and late nights snuggled together as a family in our tent. I liked doing the trip as a family team, and that the girls were learning to take pleasure in doing the gritty, challenging things in life. It will serve them well.
If I were planning the trip again, I would allow at least a week and I might concede a detour to Efteling theme park near Tilburg. The Maasroute was uniformly high quality, beautiful and easy to use. The signposting was so impressive at every turn that it was hardly necessary to refer to the map, freeing you up to be completely present on the ride. The route is well served by campsites, hotels and public transport, so it’s straightforward to adapt your adventure along the way to suit your family’s cycling capacity. However, this does require constant planning and puzzle-solving. Set expectations for a fun, challenging adventure rather than a relaxed holiday. And build in lots of ice-cream stops.
The writer and family stayed at the Green Elephant hostel in Maastricht (family room €78). The sauna and morning coffee were included. Be prepared for numerous small ferry crossings on the Maasroute. None require booking, but a few require cash. Find detailed information on the Maasroute and app at nederlandfietsland.nl
Dennis received a 17-month suspended sentence over a car incident in Australia which killed his wife, fellow Olympian Melissa Hoskins.
Former Olympic cyclist and world champion Rohan Dennis received a suspended sentence over what was termed a “tragic accident” that led to the death of his wife, fellow Olympian Melissa Hoskins.
The 34-year-old appeared in South Australia District Court on Wednesday after an earlier charge of committing an aggravated act likely to cause harm.
Dennis was arrested after Hoskins, 32, was struck by his vehicle in front of their home at Medindie in Adelaide’s north on December 30, 2023. Hoskins suffered serious injuries in the crash and died at Royal Adelaide Hospital.
The court was told that the couple had argued over kitchen renovations before Dennis left their home and drove away. The court also heard that Hoskins had jumped onto the hood of the car during the incident.
Dennis on Wednesday was sentenced to one year, four months and 28 days in jail, to be suspended for two years. The sentence was reduced from two years and two months because of his guilty plea and he’s been placed on a two-year good behaviour bond.
His driver’s licence was also suspended for five years.
“I accept you have a sense of responsibility for all that occurred, I accept you have anguished over what could have been different if you had acted in some other way,” Judge Ian Press said Wednesday.
Dennis showed little emotion when Press sentenced him.
“Given your plea of guilty, your remorse, that you are the sole carer for your young children, and given all your other personal circumstances and the circumstances of the offending, I am satisfied that good reason exists to suspend that sentence,” the judge said.
Jumbo-Visma’s Australian rider Rohan Dennis competes during the ninth stage of the Giro d’Italia 2023 cycling race on May 14, 2023 [Luca Bettini/ AFP]
The offence carried a maximum sentence of seven years in jail but lawyer Jane Abbey asked that her client receive a suspended sentence, which was not opposed by the prosecution.
During sentencing submissions in April, Amanda Hoskins said her daughter had loved Dennis “and I know that you would never intentionally hurt her”.
“I believe this is a tragic accident. Your temper is your downfall and needs to be addressed,” she said.
Hoskins’ funeral was held in her home city of Perth, Western Australia, and a public memorial service was held in Adelaide in February 2024. Dennis attended the service with their two children.
Hoskins competed at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics on the track in the team pursuit and was in the squad that won the 2015 world title. Dennis won two world titles in the road time trial, as well as silver in the team pursuit at the 2012 Olympics and bronze in the road time trial at the Tokyo Olympics.
In an interview with the Observer, Wiggins said of his post-career cocaine addiction: “There were times my son thought I was going to be found dead in the morning.
“I was a functioning addict. People wouldn’t realise – I was high most of the time for many years.”
Wiggins – a gangly north Londoner, from a broken home, brought up in poverty – made it to the very top of a sport that requires clinical preparation and a calm head under pressure.
In interviews during his career, Wiggins exuded calm and charm. He seemed to have everything under control.
And perhaps it was, with the hyper-organised, big-budget Team Sky around him between 2010 and 2015, run by Dave Brailsford and Rod Ellingworth – with whom he would win the 2012 Tour, the 2014 world time trial championship and much more.
Wiggins’ talent and presence inspired the team to a period of domination in road cycling never before seen.
But post-career, his troubles spiralled.
In 2020, his marriage to Cath came to an end. They have two children: Ben – now a rider himself with Hamens Berman Jayco – and Isabella.
Then came the collapse of Team Wiggins, which he had founded in 2015. The team lacked enough blue chip sponsors, despite having so many talented British riders. There was an awful more of Wiggins’ own money invested in the team than most realised.
That, and a cocaine addiction, would spell trouble for anybody’s wallet – even a sporting icon. And Wiggins was declared bankrupt.
“I already had a lot of self-hatred,” said Wiggins of his post-career addiction. “But I was amplifying it. It was a form of self-harm and self-sabotage. It was not the person I wanted to be. I realised I was hurting a lot of people around me.
“There’s no middle ground for me. I can’t just have a glass of wine – if I have a glass of wine, then I’m buying drugs. My proclivity to addiction was easing the pain that I lived with.”
Wiggins’ former team boss Jonathan Vaughters – who now heads the EF Education-EasyPost World Tour team – understands why Wiggins has come across the problems he has. But that it’s not through a lack of self-awareness.
“I mean, ultimately pro cyclists are always going to search for that dopamine hit they got while racing,” Vaughters said. “[It] makes them an easy target for addiction.
“I mean… I’d say Wiggo is far more gifted, from an IQ standpoint, than most people. He’s very sensitive to social interactions too. So, you have a guy that’s hyper intelligent, hyper aware of social interactions, and has led an extremely disciplined, but dopamine-soaked lifestyle as a professional racer… It’s a perfect storm.
“He’s very clever. No formal education at all. But he reads people like a book.”
