The behind the scenes look at team ANC Halfords was captured by an journalist Jeff Connor who was with the team for the toughest ride of their life.

Saddle height and bar roll aren’t something you often think about until either one is a little bit off, and the last thing you want to do on your riding vacation is to pull over constantly and faff with minor adjustments. A couple of dots and lines with a paint pen will allow you to replicate your preferred position on the bike first try every time. Should I add extra padding? Another thing you might want to consider while travelling with your bike is an insurance option. Even with one of the best travel bike travel cases things do occasionally happen. We have a list of the best bike insurance options, some of which cover your bike even when travelling, so if the unthinkable happens and your bike doesn't arrive in one piece, you'll want to have insurance in place to help ease the blow. The Thule Roundtrip Pro Bike Case boasts an integrated workstand to help you get you ready to roll on arrival. It is offers protective, semi-rigid and stowable travel protection for your Road or Gravel bike.Before the engineering types slide into the comments, yes we know that the cargo hold is pressurised to ~10,000ft which will only add ~3-4psi to your tyres, and it’s extremely unlikely a tyre will burst in transit. When you have a week’s worth of luggage, your bike bag or box needs to be as portable as possible. Wheels are a must, and having at least two that steer is helpful. Drag handles make life easier too. 5. Size Bottles are a great hardshell for storing potentially damaging things - ie. allen keys, or items that will pop if crushed - gels, suncream, toothpaste. Wrap them in a carrier bag, though, or you might have oddly flavoured water on your first ride. Shoes are equally useful for this.

Solid disc: Racing wheels are safely secured in the wheel recess in the base of the bike box. A separate solid disc wheel anti crush pole can be provided on request. If you've got space in the bike bag, wrap your cycling kit in plastic bags and fill the gaps. Not only does this leave room in your other bag, it will act as padding.E) All deep dish wheels fit, compatible with solid disc wheels, mountain bike wheels, tubeless tyres and can fit 3 wheels and disc brake wheels. The rigid internal fork mounting point accepts both Q/R and Thru-axle wheels and keeps the bike anchored to a removable rail which then becomes part of the deployable workstand. Clever. Specific padded wraps protect the handlebar, rear derailleur, chain and bike frame from damage whilst traveling to keep everything secure and safe while removable rigid side panels are reinforced with 5mm corrugated polypropylene and a moulded HDPE bottom tub provides superior protection. These are made from tough plastic or aluminium. They’re the most robust, offering good protection. The trade-off is that they’re usually heavier and more cumbersome than soft cases. 3. Soft bags

With Europe a train or plane ride away offering famous climbs and electric descents, it’s not surprising so many of us are taking our bikes on holidays these days. Choosing the right case for bike travel is important if you want it to arrive in one piece. There’s always some anguish when you hand over your pride and joy at the airport and see it disappear into the unknown, so having faith in your choice of box or bag can make a difference. A) If the measurement is exceeded after removing handlebar stem / TT bars, try flipping the bike over or remove rear mech (derailleur).Are you just looking to travel with just your road bikes, or will you be taking trips with your mountain bike too? Are you riding an aero road bike with integrated handlebars or TT bars? Are you riding an XL frame? These are all things to take into account when shopping for a bike travel case because some of the more compact options are simply too small for certain bikes and frame sizes. Do I need to disassemble my bike? Doping for money and glory to keep his status, Millar was arrested when it was discovered that he was using performance enhancing drugs. Five years on, Millar wrote this book and opened up about his dark days. Hardshell bike travel cases were the best way to travel with a bike for quite some time; however, engineers at bike brands are pretty clever and softshell bags are nearly on par for protection, weigh less, and often have removable ribbing so they can be neatly rolled up for storage. How much does empty weight matter? Alan Murchinson is a Michelin-starred chef and sports nutritionist, as well as a talented amateur athlete in his own right – winning becoming World Sprint Duathlon Champion in his age group in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Based on extensive research, newspaper reports and official race documents, the story is interwoven with the author's own attempt to compete the route, although be warned, Tom Isitt is by far a better story teller than cyclist.