From Usk to Wye with Dr Ian Walker

Jack goes for a ride with Dr Ian Walker, an environmental psychologist from the University of Bath and long-distance bike racer. Ian found global fame about fifteen years ago with an experiment he did to measure how close he was passed by overtaking cars, depending on what he was wearing.


Ian is also an accomplished bike rider, specialising in ultra long distance racing. He was a high placed finisher in the Transcontinental Race, he won the North Cape 4000 and last year set a new world record for riding across Europe in a north south direction.


The ride takes Ian and Jack from Abergavenny up the Usk valley and after a a climb via Pengenffordd into the Wye valley, returning via Cockitt Hill.

Transcontinental Race Wrap-Up

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Wrapping up The Bike Show’s coverage of this year’s Transcontinental Race, Jack Thurston talks to race organiser Mike Hall and women’s race winner Emily Chappell. Mike also tells the story of his record-breaking ride in the Tour Divide race earlier in the year and reflects on the growth of bikepacking, as a sport and a pastime.

Photo credit: David Price / Instagram

Transcontinental Race Update Special

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Three days and three nights since setting out from Belgium, riders in the Transcontinental Race are deep in the Swiss Alps, en route for the finish in Turkey. The Transcontinental is one of the world’s most extraordinary and compelling bicycle races. Jack Thurston is joined by two time Transcontinental finisher Gareth Baines for an update on this year’s race and a discussion of the demands of a 4000 km non-stop bicycle race across Europe.

To follow the race check out:

1. The Tracker pages at Trackleaders and/or Free Route.

2. A Twitter List of all riders who are tweeting.

3. The Facebook Group of riders and their families and friends.

4. Behind the scenes daily video blogs by Francis Cade.

5. The race’s excellent daily blog.

Also search Twitter and Instagram for the race hashtag #tcrNo4

Pushing the Limits

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The Transcontinental Race is a test of body, mind and spirit. The format is simple. It’s a single stage race that begins on one side of the European continent (in Belgium) and ends on the other (in Turkey). Riders must plan their own routes and navigate themselves without any support. Jack hears from four riders readying themselves for the 2016 race. But not everyone is ready to race 4000km across Europe, and that’s why Transcontinental organisers Mike Hall and Anna Haslock dreamed up a shorter, more accessible format, called the Valleycat. Jack spends a weekend in deepest mid-Wales to find out more.