Andy Tomkins

Andy Tomkins is the director of Sportive Cycle Coaching, specialising in helping ordinary folks improve their overall comfort, efficiency, fitness and delivery of power for riding their bikes.

As well as being a Level 3 Cycle Coach under the Association of British Cycle Coaches, he is also trained as a bike fitter, using the BikeFit systems and approach.

Andy's palmares includes ascents of over 65 Alpine & Pyrenean Cols, Lands-End to John O’Groats (1000 miles), Pyrenean Crossing West to East (400 miles), L'Etape du Tour, Paris-Roubaix, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Tour of Flanders, Vatternrundan and Pikes Peak in Colorado, USA.

www.sportivecyclecoaching.co.uk

Andy Tomkins's Articles

Articles by Andy Tomkins

Tapas training: Andy serves up a menu of Covid-19 cycling sessions

Review Report News Training

2020-04-10 12:18:42 - It has been a couple of weeks since we went into semi-lockdown, and most of society now seems to 'get it' that we need to socially isolate to prevent further spread of...

I'm just going inside, I may be some time... Andy considers the upside of self-isolation

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2020-03-23 17:05:05 - Unless you've been living in a cave for the last three months, you're going to know about the pandemic known as the COVID-19 coronavirus and wondering how it is going to...

Are you committed to improving your cycling, or just motivated?

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2020-01-08 12:48:36 - "Will you commit yourself to this program?" If, like me, you're a big fan of the Jason Bourne series, you may recognise this question. It was posed by Dr Albert Hirsch...

Avoiding the ‘Dot-com’ fate: where do sportives go from here?

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2019-12-16 01:44:56 - I think that all readers of Sportive.com would probably agree with me that the sportive market is massive in terms of the number of folks that currently take part in...

Cycling power meters: 7 questions every newbie should ask

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2019-11-08 13:45:16 - Once the preserve of pro cyclists, power meters are increasingly used by keen amateur cyclists looking to harness power data in their training programmes. With so many...

Gran Fondo Marco Pantani: Chasing shadows in Cesenatico

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2019-10-04 13:01:30 - Ever since being on holiday in southern Tuscany in 2017 and writing about my tribute ride to Marco Pantani, I've had an itch that needs to be scratched. As I said in...

Haute Route Norway: Tunnels and troll-dodging in the fjords

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2019-08-30 12:55:08 - "How on earth can this route be quicker?" I fume, angrily, as I stop at yet another set of traffic lights. It's 6pm on Wednesday evening. The M25 is in chaos and my Sat...

Cycling in the Vosges: Andy climbs La Planche des Belles Filles

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2019-08-13 10:13:23 - There's a poster on my office wall that gets changed once per year, usually towards the beginning of June, when the 'Official 20xx Tour de France Race Guide' hits the...

Review: SCICON Aerotech Evolution X TSA Bike Travel Case

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2019-08-12 12:15:25 - The delivery driver let out a huge sigh of relief as I opened my front door a couple of weeks ago and took delivery of a large cardboard box from him. "Didn't want to...

Tuscan treat: Andy discovers a majestic medieval base for exploring Tuscany by bike

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2019-07-17 09:41:20 - Coffee, cake, ice-cream and sunshine - it can only be a return to Italy! But first, let's rewind: it's 9.00am on the third day of the 2019 London Bike Show at the Excel...

Ride report: Andy takes on Ireland's Wicklow 200 sportive

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2019-07-12 11:35:57 - I've got relatives in Killashandra and it rained a lot when I last visited them. I know that a popular name for Ireland is the Emerald Isle, largely because of the lush,...

Quiz: Are you a Strava segment junkie?

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2019-06-17 10:37:18 - As Lance Armstrong said a long time back, 'It's not about the bike'. I suspect that most Sportive.com readers will know the story of Lance's fall from grace, so we won't...

Tour de Yorkshire Ride: If Geoffrey Boycott did Sportives...

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2019-05-14 10:49:45 - Cast your mind back to May 6th 2018, if you can. Are you able to recall the weather conditions, or where you were, or what you were doing on that day? The answer, for...

Chopsticks player or Mozart: what sort of cyclist do you want to be?

Review Report News Training

2019-04-30 20:20:54 - Since starting my cycling training business a few months ago, I've been trying to understand why coaching (i.e. expert advice) is widely adopted in some sports but not...