Jasmijn Muller at Be The Egg Cycle Coaching

Coaching a rider to reach their full potential as an ultra cyclist is a multi-year project. And within that time both rider and coach change and grow.

Shaping, seeing, celebrating and learning from that growth together over the years is what makes my job so rewarding. Thank you 🙏❤️🤩

Wow - so much going on for my coaching clients in Q3. Here is part 1 of celebrating some of the races and events they stepped up to this summer. A post to celebrate all of you, finishers AND those with unfinished business. You all worked bloody hard for it. I am proud of you all 🙌🏼

put a satisfying big tick behind her big audacious goal of completing tourdivide2026 for her 40th. She finished within her target time: managed her ultra-racing processes like a boss; kept her head; and gained both that quiet confidence that comes from doing hard things and the healthy perspective that after a big race like that, lots of Type 1 fun is the best way to go about a well-earned sabbatical !

Cindy 玄温 Hertach used the extreme climbing experience from completing 2VolcanoSprint earlier this year, and the resilience gained from an unfortunate DNF due to illness in The Transcontinental last year, to ace her and treat herself to fully enjoying the Finishers’ Party !

Jason King set himself the challenge of not just one but two LRMs this year. LRMs are long brevets of at least 1200km validated by Les Randonneurs Mondiaux. First up was the X-***ed (bare bones) 1300km West Coast, Highlands, Glens & Inner Isles. A non-competitive unsupported ultra distance event, and no easy feat with a 108h cut-off for 1300km in wet, hilly, midgey Scotland !

Alex Grahame had so much proper type 1 ultra cycling fun during PanCelticRace in beuatifully sunny weather in Ireland after racing hard during The Perfidious Albion earlier this year. 📸 Ariel Wojciechowski

Nicole Ostrand pushed herself mentally and physically to greater heights completing the Wachau Radmarathon, a 202km televised (!) event with 3130m of elevation in beautiful Austria, as per power, pacing, speed and nutrition targets she impressively diligently built towards in training 👏🏼

After encountering deep hardship earlier this year that puts any temporary mental, physical or emotional pain during ultra cycling events in bleak perspective, absolutely thrived during the flaty888 which in contrast to its name is far from flat ! When you do

The perfect spot for our first-ever mini-break with a dog that is reactive both to other dogs and people.

A place so remote, a hyper-alert dog and his stressed owners can properly relax.

A place to be in nature, with loved ones, eating endless blackberries and the first-ever pancake (for Cosmo) and enjoying small luxuries such as just spending a few hours swinging in a hammock reading a book.

An experience to cherish and repeat ❤️

What a view ❤️ Just the weekend I needed after too many evenings and weekends spent at my desk this year.

You can’t beat that feeling of looking back at Pen y Fan - which is guaranteed to be covered in tourists on a sunny summer’s day - from the quiet solitude of Fan Frynych.

The fun, fast and colourful descent through the heather-flanked trails makes the steep Twyn Dylluan Ddu slog all worth it and the prospect of the rocky Sarn Helen still to come a positive hike-a-bike opportunity rather than an annoying pile of rocks.

The drought of the last few weeks has transformed the colours of the landscape. But amidst the brown, there is still plenty of green, a second wave of yellow gorse and glorious purple heather on full bloom too.

Ironically the masses we see parked up in waterfall country near Ystradfellte won’t see the dramatic falls the brochures promise.

But I am grateful to those same tourists justifying the icecream vendor to be there just where it is most needed on this remote route.

Once past Penderyn the tourists hordes quickly become a distant memory as we make our way across Cwm Cadlan, onto the princess gravel trails in the forest, and - after loading up on salndwhiches and salty fries - pick our way through a more remote part of the Taff Trail.

Amazing how after all this dry hot weather there still are so many boggy patches on the section above Cantref Reservoir. But such bliss to be there and not on the busy A470.

The off-road descent by the Storey Arms is just the ticket for a full grin finish to an awesome day out 😎

Yeah ! What a feeling !

A big reason for living in the beautiful Brecon Beacons is because I love hiking.

But since grade 4 chondromalacia patellafemoral discovery in June 2024 I have not been able to do much.

An arthroscopy in January 2025 was the best the orthopaedic surgeon could do for me. He shaved off the fraying and cleaned out some of the loose cartilage. This stopped the locking but not the pain. The cartilage does not have blood supply so can’t be healed. The damage is too extensive for stem cell therapy or other repair procedures. The rest of my knees is too good to consider knee replacement.

Most days now I still have pain.

I can still ride a bike, but I am a lot slower and my power is gone. Getting restarted on a hill has gone from difficult to impossible. I had to sell my full suspension MTB. But, aside from accepting those limitations, I can still have fun on a bike.

Regular Pilates with Angela Green Classical Pilates has been fundamental, and I will be back at it once the weather turns. Because in summer my limited free time is for outdoor fun!

Uphill hiking is still possible. But downhill hiking is a big challenge because of the significant load and pressure.

And that is what I have been working on a lot, especially this summer.

I wanted to get back here again. To sit or stand on the Fan y Big diveboard, to hike the whole Brecon Beacons Horseshoe Ridge to or from home.

The drought of the last few weeks is what enabled this adventure. To do it with less fear of slipping, even feeling brave enough to do it without walking sticks.

Thank you Razzle Marsden for coming along for the adventure. For bearing with me going at snails pace on the descents. For sharing that amazing feeling of standing on the ridge looking back at how far you have come. For all the wonderful chat. And for coming along when you don’t even hike ! 🥰

So many good views on today’s hike - without walking sticks again ! Another important step in building my knee back up again for braving the steep descents (ascents no problem) of the full Brecon Beacons Horseshoe Ridgewalk. Soon ….

Up the Bryn from Talybont Forest. Along Bwlch y Ddwyallt to Craig Cwareli. Chance chat with a fellow Llanfrynach resident during water stop by Fan y Big dive board. Down via the Gap and Three Rivers Ride route.

There is no cure or treatment for my knees. But I am not giving up on my outdoor activities. Careful planning with the steep technical stuff on the way up and shallower gradients with better surfaces on the way down, meant that I was able to do my first solo summer hike without walking sticks today 🙌🏼

Weather was a bit of a mixed bag. After climbing up Twyn Du and Waun Rydd in the clouds, I was eventually treated to a clear view of lots of Brecon Beacons jewels from the top of the Bryn 🥰

Thank you Yo Yo for a very special visit

For the nice memories made together exploring and chatting at cool beauty spots here in Wales. Such quality times are precious.

Thank you for spoiling us with transforming our garden into a colourful, tidy and now nearly cleavers-free paradise

But above all, thank you for tolerating nearly 2 weeks of living ‘in jail’, to somehow enable a visit despite Cosmo’s reactivity to dogs and people.

Not many people would feel comfortable dining behind a tall baby gate with a dog (initially) staring and barking at you on the other side.

Not many people would have the discipline to always check with us before making any noise, opening any door, or venturing outside.

Not many people would know how to quietly observe Cosmo from a distance on walks, appreciate joining us for our spicy dogs training, or enjoy sitting chatting with us several times a day at sufficient distance with a reactive dog only a dog lead away and trust in the owner’s control.

Not many people would do all that, never complain, and independently get on the bus to entertain themselves during our working days.

Not many dog lovers would have peace in that such a cute looking dog that can be so kind and cuddly with its owners just can’t be approached, can’t be stroked and at best will accept you by ignoring you.

But you did.

You gave us hope. Hope that gradually we may be able to help Cosmo with his reactivity, to see some people again, to live a little again.

❤️

Praise to you !!!

Q2 is always a busy quarter for my coaching clients with ultra races and events coming in thick and fast.

So many new experiences, strong performances and awesome achievements to celebrate 🤩

Elise Sauvinet🐙 em_de.la_creme Razzle Marsden and Rachel Boddice lined up for Lost Dot 101 a unique experience to be part of the first-ever flinta-only ultra race.

Anna Carlqvist had a ball at Race Through Poland , with her first ultra win and a top 10 overall to boot

enjoyed some of the best off-road cycling in Wales during the by All Mountain Adventures , while coming away with 5th overall and 1st woman

During the same hot weekend Richard Lam and himork opted for the trails of the North and South Downs by

thrived in the Southern European heat with a top 20 ranking at both by P E D A L M A and

returned to the Trans Balkan Race to finish the journey she started last year and this time fully enjoy the beauty of Montenegro

Nikki Sommers continued her transition from ultra runner to ultra cyclist with confidence, experience and endurance-boosting performances at Tor Divide and

flew along the smooth quiet roads of the ULTRA Duch Puszczy which is held in a very beautiful part of Poland with a good chance of bison sightings

Blair Blackwell enjoyed a late sign up for , finishing with a smile (and glitter of course) !

Matt Fenby Taylor and his Islington Cycling Club mates had a super fast blast at the Vätternrundan

Bring on more races and events during Q3 🙌🏼

📸 Liz Seabrook (1), Samantha Saskia Dugon (2), Razzle Marsden (3), Rachel Boddice (4), bite of me | sport photography (5), Michelle Lindley (7), Niel Copeland (8), himork (9), MORSCH PHOTO v/ Morten Schrøder (12) Nikki Sommers (13)