Ultra-endurance cyclist Sarah Ruggins, and two-time Transcontinental Race rider, gives me some valuable advice before my first attempt (and first bike race!)

We talk consecutive 250-300km days on the bike, managing sleep deprivation, route planning, rough sleeping, nutrition, charging electronics, pacing yourself through the opening week, and the mindset needed when everything inevitably starts going wrong.

We also discuss why the race isn't really against other riders, but against yourself, and how some of Sarah's most memorable moments came not from racing, but from unexpected acts of kindness across Europe.

This interview was recorded before Sarah went on to break the outright European record for cycling the length of Europe last month - an extraordinary achievement that makes her advice here even more remarkable.

As for me, I've now rolled away from the start line.

This year's Transcontinental Race will see me attempt to ride almost 5,000km from Trondheim, Norway, to Kalamata, Greece, crossing Europe entirely self-supported. Riders must plan their own routes between checkpoints, navigate compulsory race sectors, solve every problem themselves, and average around 240km every single day just to finish before the race cutoff.

When I return, I'll be sharing the full story of what happened out on the road. But before all of that unfolded, this was the advice I received from someone who's already been there.

Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarah_ruggins/

Follow My TCR Ride: https://www.lostdot.cc/race/tcrno12

Donate to my Fundraiser for Mind Over Mountains: https://givestar.io/gs/toms-transcontinental-page

Support the podcast:

Get a whopping 65% off your first Gousto box at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.gousto.co.uk/raf/?promo_code=TOM42277653⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Britain's in the middle of another heatwave, but Benny P's got a good store of ice to keep us all cool.

We chat about what these increasingly extreme summers might mean for the future, how the sunshine transforms life behind the Trailside Coffee van, and Ben's recent trip to Norway simply to watch some world-class athletics.

Tom's turning awkward coach journeys into mini-adventures, camping through storms in the Lake District, and why sometimes the best training plan is simply to head outside and see where the road takes you.

It's a conversation about coffee, cycling, travel, endurance, curiosity and finding adventure in the everyday - with plenty of questionable life advice thrown in for good measure.

(Decathlon just give Tom a call... )

Support the podcast:

Get a whopping 65% off your first Gousto box at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.gousto.co.uk/raf/?promo_code=TOM42277653⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Benny P: https://www.instagram.com/mr.bennypalmer/

Follow Tom: https://www.instagram.com/tombryanyeah/

Mentioned in the Podcast:

Trailside Coffee: https://www.instagram.com/trailsidecoffee/

Mason Cycles: https://masoncycles.cc/

Tailfin: https://www.tailfin.cc/

Kostüme: https://kostume.cc/

Le Tap ID: https://letap.id/

Fizik: https://www.fizik.com/en-gb

Join the mailing list:

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Get in contact:

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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/greatbritishadventurespodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@tombryanyeah⁠

Chapters:

00:00 Tips on keeping cool

13:58 Trailside Coffee Merch!

17:02 Diamond League in Oslo

23:53 Tom's overland journey

27:47 Cycling in the Lakes

42:07 Royal Chiltern Way

44:03 Rebellion Way

48:10 Stupidly long bike ride

55:26 Coros Dura

58:14 Ben's new bike

01:07:47 Tom's first KOM!

01:11:34 Mason Cycles

01:20:27 Group Riding

01:42:54 Tailfin

01:49:07 Kostüme

01:55:54 Le Tap ID NFC sticker!

What if joy isn't something you earn after you've fixed your life - but the thing that helps you build it in the first place?

This week I'm joined by life coach, retreat host and founder of The Joy Project, Meg Holloway.

After leaving a corporate career and moving to the Lake District, Meg trained as a coach and built a business around a simple but powerful idea: joy is not the reward at the end of the journey - it's the strategy that helps you navigate it.

In this conversation we explore how Meg transformed herself from someone who describes her younger self as "proper glass half empty" into a coach who helps people get out of their own way and take action on the things that matter most.

We talk about:

Why so many people are waiting for permission before they start the business, launch a project, change careers or pursue the life they really want.

Meg's philosophy of "messy action" and how tiny imperfect steps build self-trust far more effectively than endless planning.

Fear of failure, fear of judgement and the stories we tell ourselves that keep us stuck.

Why community, connection and finding "your people" matters more than ever.

Why learning to "date yourself" can be one of the most powerful things you do.

Finding joy during one of the most difficult periods of her life following a serious health challenge, and why that experience ultimately reinforced everything she teaches.

If you've ever felt stuck, waited for permission, or wondered whether it's too late to make a change, I think you'll get a lot from this one.

Follow Meg: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/megg.holloway/⁠

Support the podcast:

Get a whopping 65% off your first Gousto box at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.gousto.co.uk/raf/?promo_code=TOM42277653⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Mentioned in the Podcast:

The Joy Project: https://www.instagram.com/thejoyprojectcoach/

The Joy Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3guaT24uvN1gky41cYfLe7?si=c1f9d15084674cf4

Join the mailing list:

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Get in contact:

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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/greatbritishadventurespodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@tombryanyeah⁠⁠⁠

Chapters

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:58 Life in the Lakes

16:50 Training to be a Life Coach

23:04 Joy is the strategy, not the reward

33:03 How to chance a mindset

39:08 Overcoming Cringe

47:58 The Joy Project

52:21 You're not stuck, you're just waiting for permission

56:25 Take messy action

01:01:15 Pause, pivot, progress

01:04:00 The Strech Zone

01:11:20 Dating yourself

01:22:30 Bossing life on your own

01:38:24 Meg's recent health scare

01:53:20 Meeting someone

01:57:01 The problem with dating apps