Great British Adventures

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
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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
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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
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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

Danny Bent has spent years chasing adventure.
From ultra-endurance survival challenges to being marooned on a deserted island in the Maldives, he's built a life around pushing boundaries and stepping into the unknown.
But recently, his focus has shifted.
The next challenge isn't about going further, faster, or enduring more. It's about becoming more human.
In this deeply personal conversation, Danny reflects on a journey that began with an ayahuasca retreat and led him towards what he calls his "primal age" - a growing desire to reconnect with the experiences that shaped us long before modern life arrived.
We talk about swimming in near-freezing water, spending a week alone in a remote Norwegian cabin, learning to hunt deer, disconnecting from technology, the importance of play, self-love, masculinity, and why shared adversity brings people together like nothing else.
At its heart, this is a conversation about stripping life back to its essentials. Less noise. Less distraction. More presence, connection and adventure.
Because perhaps the wildest thing we can do in the modern world is return to what made us human in the first place.
Listen to Danny's previous recording, here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2jn6zsMXRw2WO61McbEz5y?si=a0b45bc6bb4c40a1
Support the podcast:
Get a whopping 65% off your first Gousto box at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.gousto.co.uk/raf/?promo_code=TOM42277653⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Follow Danny: https://www.instagram.com/danny_bent/https://www.dannybent.com/
Join the mailing list:
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Get in contact:
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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@tombryanyeah⁠⁠
Chapters
00:00 Intro
02:21: Ayahuasca Retreat
17:03 Other ways to go within yourself
21:18 Finding ways to soothe
27:08 One day a week unplugged
37:59 Marooned on an island
49:24 The group dynamics on the island
01:04:58 Hunting for deer for the first time
01:24:42 Cold Water Swimming Championships
01:33:54 Tom's magical sea adventure
01:42:41 What the sitcom Scrubs taught Tom about Masculinity
01:55:02 Self Love

Esther Lloyd didn’t grow up as a cyclist, and she didn’t ease her way into the sport either.
What started as a complete beginner journey just a few years ago, has turned into racing across continents in some of the toughest ultra-endurance events in the world, including the Transcontinental Race (TCR).
Along the way she’s taken on brutal challenges like finishing third in the Trans Pyrenees Race and completing epic audaxes such as All Points North, building a reputation as someone who goes long and deep when many others would stop.
In this conversation, recorded as I prepare for my own first attempt at the Transcontinental Race, Esther generously opens up everything she’s learned from her rapid rise in the world of endurance cycling.
We get into the practical realities like where to sleep, what to eat, how to actually prepare, and what training really looks like when the distances start stretching beyond logic.
But beyond the logistics, this is really about how someone who only recently discovered cycling can become the kind of rider who lines up for one of the hardest bike races on the planet.
If you’re new to cycling and curious about how far it can take you, or if you’re already drawn to ultra-endurance racing and want a grounded, honest look at what it takes, this conversation is for you.
Follow Esther:
https://www.instagram.com/vistadelmotrone/
If you’ve been affected by anything discussed in this conversation, or are struggling with an eating disorder yourself, these organisations may be able to help:
https://red-s.com
https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/
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:
Lost Dot Races: https://www.lostdot.cc/
Audax UK: https://www.audax.uk/

Bivy Nation: https://www.instagram.com/bivy_nation/
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 Intro
02:28 Britain through the eyes of a Kiwi
11:35 Tom's first bike race
18:50 Esther's journey into cycling
37:44 Group Riding
48:28 Audaxing
53:15 All Points North
57:18 Sleeping in the wild
01:02:56 Safety Sleeping Alone
01:09:07: Eating Disorder + Role Models
01:22:43 Trans Pyrenees
01:30:50 Transcontinental Race