Inkalinka_on_the_bike

I must admit I was intrigued by Yellow Cycling the moment I came across their page on Instagram. Polish, ecology conscious , very stylish. You can therefore imagine my excitement when I received an email from them asking me if I’d like to try their kit! Hell yeah! As I was travelling to Poland in the summer we decided to deliver the kit to my Polish address and so I had to wait to try it till I actually got there. Time dragged. I wanted to see it and of course wear it out riding. When I arrived in Kraków, I decided to try the kit on my second outing. I can tell you now, I was not disappointed. The jersey is light and I LOVE the long, race fit sleeves. The back pockets and beautifully stretchable and really convenient for taking things out mid ride. I also appreciate the zipped pocket at the back, I’m a worrier and always panic about the possibility of losing money or keys. Zipped is safe! Also the bibs are very comfortable and the perfect length. I like the headband...

  My books and travel journal I love hiking. C onquering the land on foot gives me an immense sense of achievement and pleasure. When I walk across flatlands, mountain ridges, river banks or lake shores, forests or clearings, I get a true sense of being close to Mother Nature. I also feel excitement because, every so often I experience what the Romantics referred to as The Sublime, a sense of awe and amazement at just how stunning and incredible the natural world really is… St Bees Head, Cumbria Back in the summer of 2013 I took my passion for the great outdoors to the extreme and decided to walk the path that owes its existence to one man: Alfred Wainwright. It was in 1972 that he completed the trek across the width of England along the path he devised all by himself. Since then it has become the most popular long distance path in England and I decided to conquer it, too.   The Coast to Coast route in St Bees So, how difficult is the trek? Well, in the 200-odd miles St Be...

  Rivington is Lusso’s range of performance range, inspired by cycling in the North West. Sheep House Lane, a famous climb in the Rivington area has featured in the Tour of Britain, was the crunch point in the Chorley GP and is part of the gruelling Ironman Bolton route. The Rivington jacket is designed to bring race performance to training rides. It’s slightly heavier than a long sleeve jersey and features highly breathable and waterproof fabric from eVent, plus two front zipped vents to aid breathability. It’s clever stuff, that eVent fabric. The critical difference between eVent technology and traditional waterproof/breathable fabrics is the billions of microscopic pores built in to the proprietary membrane that work instantly to vent water vapour (sweat) that builds up inside your jacket when you ride. They call this Direct Venting™ technology, and unlike other technologies, it doesn't need to get wet to work. It’s a 'dry system' that allows eVent fabrics to be full...

 As tomorrow is the first day of a new month, which is February, I have started feeling nostalgic about the warmer days to come. 'Already?’ you ask. Technically it is still deep winter and we have just had a wonderfully snowy twist in the British weather, too. But we are still under lockdown rules and, without being able to go out or travel anywhere, days blend together into long, indistinct chunks and time, though seemingly passing very slowly, one, two, three click and it really does fly! I find it quite interesting about the 'One swallow doesn't make summer' proverb, too (which is my blog title today). In Polish, we have exactly the same one, but it translates to ‘One swallow doesn't make spring'. Are Polish people a little more logical, thinking about spring first after winter, or are British people more impatient, hop skipping forward all the way to the summer? I am wondering what other languages do about the first hints of warm weather. Let me know in th...

I ventured out for a 40 mile ride today, out-out, as the weather was TOASTY, at a TROPICAL 7 degrees Celsius. I picked a route which wasn't too hilly, as this was my first real ride out in weeks (Zwift had dominated my training schedule). I also had to make sure not to be on the smallest of the country lanes, due to flooding and tonnes of mud. 👍 Mud, however, was unavoidable. I came back with a bike, and everything else absolutely caked in it! And so, even though I didn't beat any records in distance, speed or elevation, I was so glad for actually getting out and enjoying the great outdoors. As much as I love Zwift and I think it's a great training tool, as soon as the weather gets better and the days get longer, I am totally ditching it for real life riding. 🌞 What are your views on Zwift or other interactive turbo training platforms? Or do you just ride in whatever the weather conditions? Let me know your thoughts on comments below or on my Instagram page. 😚😚😚

I grew up in Poland and my first PROPER bike was Wigry 3. It was blue and I bought it with my Holy Communion money. I guess this is where is all started… I don’t have a photo of my blue Wigry 3 but I remember it vividly. If you have ever watched Stranger Things, you know what I’m taking about. And if you haven’t watched Stranger Things, watch it! It’s amazing. Well…if you vaguely remember the kids’ bikes in the series, my bike was kind of like that. It had one gear and a Dynamo front light which only shone when you pedalled…It went like the wind! Nostalgia.  Then there is a big gap without cycling in my life. The most cycling I did in my 20s was to and from the pub to save on taxis. I had to study, party and work in a cafe on the Main Square in Krakow. I had no time for sport. I had to get other things out of my system first. After my children were born, I started running. It began with a local Race for Life, a 5K for cancer charities, grew to 10K, half marathon, marathon, ultra…al...