Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Refuel & Reboot - The Tech and Bikepacking resupply Podcast

It’s autumn in the UK and we are right in the middle of the cyclocross season, as we hear in this episode, reaching the point of the season where the races turn from hard packed gravel adventures to slipping and sliding mud soaked races in the countryside.

In this episode of the Refuel and Reboot podcast, I talk with Gary Rowing-Parker, a retired IT project manager who since retirement has taken on the role of Chair of the West Midlands Cyclo-cross League. We talk about the UK regional leagues, the appeal of cross and whether or not a evolution of the cyclocross format could become cycling’s equivalent of the success of parkrun.

To find out more about cyclocross in your area, visit the British Cycling website https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/getintocyclo-cross/?c=EN

and for the West Midlands Cyclo-cross league visit https://wmccl.co.uk/

As we come to the end of ADHD awareness month in October in this episode of the podcast I talk with Alan Stracey, founder of Where Focus Goes. ADHD coaching and support for high-performance minds.

Alan and I met through the Tullio business community for cyclists. This conversation was interesting to me for the podcast as the intercept between cyclists/high performance athletes, entrepreneurs and hyper focus brought out some interesting discussion points. In particular the observance of higher than average instances of ADHD and neurodivergence in those two focus groups. Alan goes on to explain what ADHD coaching is and what it is not. It is not therapy and not a place to get diagnosis, he explains how what he does is provide executive and life coaching through the lens of neurodivergence.

A very interesting part of the discussion is when we talk about what happens to athletes or high performance individuals when their ability to regulate through exercise or their structure is taken away. Very insightful. Hope you enjoy the episode.

To get in touch with Alan, contact him through his website https://wherefocusgoes.com/ via LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/adhdalan/ or join him on a Tullio CC Business Community event . https://www.tullio.cc/

The podcast is back for a 3rd series after a summer break and in this episode Mark previews some of the topics coming up in future episodes along with initial recap of his experience at the Taurus Mountain Race.

In Series 3 of the podcast Mark speaks to guests covering topics across a wide spectrum, they will be talking about entrepreneurship, branding, ADHD, neurodivergence, living with cancer, overcoming health challenges, organising and directing a charity, retirement, cyclocross, accountancy, and others all through the lens and common thread of cycling.

In addition later in the series there will be interviews with guests who have competed in Ultracycling events this year such as Silk Road Mountain Race and the extraordinary story of the Taurus Mountain race, including an interview with a rider who has been at all four mountain races this year and reached each one of them without travelling by plane.

This episode concludes with Marks recap of his experience on the first couple of days of the Taurus Mountain Race before he scratched just after CP1 with shoulder issues.

In this episode, I recorded some footage from my gravel bike ride this week to scout the area affected by the New Forest Wildfire started by the vehicle fire on the A31 two weeks ago.

Thanks to the amazing work of the combined emergency services response the damage to the Forest is not worse than it could so easily have been.

The fire was started on Sunday 9th August by a vehicle fire on the A31 which quickly spread to the nearby verges and then into the forest. It took over a week for the fire to brought under full control and a further four or five days to continue with the damping down process to make sure no fires were reignited.

The A31 was finally opened again on Saturday 22nd August, the impact of closing a major arterial road for so long was massive on the whole area. I had never seen so many cars on the quieter rural roads of the forest. I avoided the area on my bike during the disruption, venturing only to the south of the forest. Thankfully the area has started to get back to normal again.

The footage from my ride showed the effect in the Forest on both sides of the carriageway. Amazingly, and thanks to the efforts of the emergency services the fire did not spread further north, the footage shows how the clear demarcation of the fire break along the gravel path.

It is also incredible that the damage on the south side of the A31 was not worse.

This video episode contains some comparison footage shot by Mike & Julie Wheeler https://www.youtube.com/@WheelersAtLarge from earlier in the year. Check out their channel for loads of great footage of riding around the New Forest and Dorset.

Watch this short episode on my YouTube Channel https://youtu.be/gPvSINtxTmQ

Even though the pod is currently on a season break, while I pull together new interviews and discussions ready for season three, which will begin towards the end of September, I thought I would record a brief episode and share a few thoughts on the ongoing Silk Road mountain race, which started last Saturday on the 15th of August in Talas in Kyrgystan and is currently underway. Now, the Silk Road mountain race is widely regarded as... If not the pinnacle, one of the major bikepacking ultra races of the season.

And as part of the organization of that, there is a group of dot watchers that are based all around the world, across multiple time zones, keeping an eye on riders as they make their way through the 2050 kilometre course across the country. The high peaks in Kyrgyzstan ranging up to over 4,000 meters.

I'm one of those dotwatchers who is assigned a group of riders to keep an eye on their security, their safety, and we're tracking those riders as they complete the course.

Official Race Website & tracking Silk Road Mountain Race — The Mountain Races: Silk Road, Atlas, Hellenic

Tracking: https://srmr2026.maprogress.com/#

Official Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/silkroadmountainrace/

Official Podcast with daily updates : The Mountain Races Podcast - Podcast - Apple Podcasts

This episode of the Refuel and Reboot Podcast is an interview with former cycling professional Matt Rowe, founder of Rowe & King, older brother of the Team Sky /Ineos Grenadiers legend Luke Rowe and husband of Olympic champion and former professional cyclist Dani Rowe (nee King)

His story of racing bikes as a junior and pro and having to give it up all because of illness is a fascinating story. Especially when he talks through the massive decision he had to make at just the tender age of 18. Matt is open and brutally honest about that time and what lead to him studying, working in the corporate environment before making the decision to start his own business with his wife and found Rowe & King Cycling coaching.

I really wanted to hear Matt’s story which can be overshadowed by the public successes of his famous younger brother Luke and Olympic Champion wife Dani. His story is relatable to all those who have chased a dream only to have that dream shattered and have to find a new path.

To connect with Matt and Rowe & King coaching, check out their website roweandking.com

Ep. 22 Aren't you the cycling guy. Mark Taggart of Taggart People.

This episode is a discussion with Mark Taggart, founder of Taggart People and follows a theme of business owners who have struck out on their own after a successful career in the corporate environment. In this episode, Mark talks about redundancy, making the decision to start up on his own, the challenges of first starting, the power of personal brand and tapping into what makes us different in what we do.

Mark Taggart is also a member of the Tullio Business Community for Cyclists, a networking group for business leaders who ride bikes and are looking to further their network reach. Mark is ride captain for the Bedfordshire group and its inaugural ride with take place on Thursday 9th July. Details on tullio.cc or through contacting Mark on LinkedIn Mark Taggart FCIPD | LinkedIn

In this episode of the podcast Mark goes for a ride on the Isle of Wight with Joe Staunton, performance coach at Ceyreste Performance and author of the Human Operating System mental performance programme. They talk through mental resilience, training for the brain, combating mental fatigue and even have a short example session whilst riding through the lanes and roads of the eastern Isle of Wight coastline. They top off the conversation at lunch on the beach eating Fish Finger sandwiches. To connect with Joe visit his website https://www.ceyresteperformance.com or find him on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/joecstaunton/

Episode 20 : Still not giving up. Reflections from the SuperMaratona Challenge.

This episode begins at dinner on the evening before the challenge attempt on Thursday 4th June in Alta Badia discussing the plan for the next day, how to organise the car, the nature of the climbs and the descents for the day.

The episode continues with snippets from the day and an interview with Jamie at KM90.

All will be revealed in the episode when safely back in the UK Jamie and Mark reflect on the challenge and lessons learnt.

To give to Cancer Research follow this Link to Jamie's fundraising page. https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/tour-dfk-cancer-stage-4-the-supermaratona

Ep 19: The Tour de F.... Cancer Preview

Its a return to the podcast for Jamie Granados on the eve of the challenge that he and Mark spoke about in a bonus Episode of the Podcast back in February. (That episode can be reached here Never Giving Up - Jamie’s Adventure to honour bravery and Courage. )

(photo Credit Gerard Probst)

Recorded on Wednesday 3rd June just before Jamie attempts his challenge as a preview and a promo for his fundraising which at the time of recording has surpassed £3500. Hopefully next week we will be able to report back how the challenge went and capture a few moments from the ride.

To support the challenge and donate to Cancer Research follow this link Tour de F$%k Cancer - Stage 4: The SuperMaratona

Thanks for listening and subscribe to the podcast to find out how Jamie and his support team got on.

In a first for the Refuel and Reboot Podcast, this latest episode with Lee Curtis CEO of Seguro Technology was recorded in person. So you can watch the interview also on Mark's YouTube Channel.

In this episode Mark and Lee talk about Lee's early cycling, racing on BMX bikes and then on the road whilst also building a career in sales before moving into the IT space.

He tackles the question what are SME CIOs and IT Directors concerned about right now and introduces the term of AI fatigue.

Look out for the bonus episode where the conversation turns back to racing and the general state of cycling in the UK.

To contact with Lee reach out via LinkedIn: Lee Curtis | LinkedIn

After a weeks break the podcast is back with a new interview and a minor exclusive in this interview with Chris McKnight, founder of the Altus Collective an experience led travel business with a big focus (but not exclusively) on cycling and endurance events.

Chris and Mark met through the Tullio Business Networking Community for Cyclists at the Derby Velodrome and on subsequent Tullio events. After listening to the episodes with Dom Rowing Parker from Tullio (Ep 15.) Alex Tebbs from Kalas (Ep16), Chris got in touch to share a little of his story to his current business. It also tracks along the line of a major life event being a catalyst for change in career and giving a new business a go. So I thought this would make an interesting episode to listen too.

In this episode they talk about Chris' journey to this business startup which is not at all linear, and also Chris shares some exciting news about a new partnership with the Everesting team as they take the brand forward.

To get in touch with Chris,

Website: altuscollective.cc

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-mcknight-altus-collective/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrismcknight___/ / https://www.instagram.com/altuscollective___/

*** Apologies to those who got the early feed update with only the 53 second intro, the correct audio is now on the feed*****

In this episode of the Refuel and Reboot Podcast I once again combine cycling and business and technology as I speak to a fellow telecoms cyclist and entrepreneur Alex Tebbs, who has founded two telecoms companies in the fields of UCAAS and voice platforms and now runs the UK division of the sports clothing brand Kalas.

Kalas is the clothing partner for professional sports teams such as Alpecin Premier Tech and national federations such as the Dutch Federation and was previously the kit supplier for British Cycling for 8 years.

In this conversation we talk through Alex’s career to date and go full circle as we talk about his telco roots, starting Via, a Unified Comms platform, his route into cycling and Kalas and some of his investment ventures such as Intake talent and Calobra Recruitment before coming back to Telco and discussing his latest venture Whoot, a voice AI collaboration platform with applications across remote teams, incident management and project delivery.

This is an insightful conversation about starting and exiting businesses, the cycling industry especially retail and clothing and navigating the start up world.

Useful links

www.kalas.co.uk

Www.intaketalent.co.uk

Www.calobra.digital

Www.whoot.me

This episode of the podcast is one of rare occasion episodes that combines both cycling and business, that forms the dual identity of the refuel and reboot podcast. In this episode Mark speaks to Dominic Rowing-Parker founder and owner of Tullio CC, the business Community for Cyclists. It's a insight into the world of business networking events and how bringing the bike is changing the dynamic.

More information on Tullio CC

Website: https://www.tullio.cc/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tullio-cc/

Find a local ride : https://www.tullio.cc/rides

This episode of the podcast is part 3 of the 3 part series recorded a couple of weeks after the 2025 edition of the El Piri Gravel Ultracycling event and is a conversation between Mark, Adam Masters and Sean Donevan, answering questions submitted by cycling club members and members of the Tullio Cycling Business Networking group.

In this part of the conversation we cover what we learned from the event, what we would do next time and talked about the culture of bikepacking ultra events.

All 3 parts of the Q&A are now available on the feed, so if you haven't heard the first two sections go back and listen now.

There is also a video version with footage from the race and a full race recap available on my YouTube Channel

https://youtu.be/wlYZlfPmDJo

This episode of the podcast is part 2 of the 3 part series recorded a couple of weeks after the 2025 edition of the El Piri Gravel Ultracycling event and is a conversation between Mark, Adam Masters and Sean Donevan, answering questions submitted by cycling club members and members of the Tullio Cycling Business Networking group.

In this part of the conversation we cover kit choice, nutrition & hydration strategy and getting through the challenging parts of the event.

Part 3 of the series will be available on the feed in coming days.

El Piri Question & Answer Episode 1.

This episode of the podcast was recorded a couple of weeks after the 2025 edition of the El Piri Gravel Ultracycling event and is a conversation between Mark, Adam Masters and Sean Donevan, answering questions submitted by cycling club members and mebers of the Tullio Cycling Business Networking group.

This is the first of a 3 part series covering the following questions:

What is El Piri & what makes it different from other events?How much experience does someone need to have to attempt El Piri?What was the toughest part of the parcour?What was the most scenic part?How did it compare to your expectations beforehand?Any mechanicals or disasters?

Parts 2 & 3 cover topics such as bike and kit choice, nutrition and the challenges faced on the route and how to prepare.

So check back in a few days for the next episode.

For More details on El Piri check out the race recap video on my YouTube Channel. https://youtu.be/3pAgcsgqyVQ

In this episode of the Refuel & Reboot Podcast, Mark talks with Monika Sattler, Author, Endurance Athlete, TEDx & Keynote Speaker about her latest endurance challenges to hike 30 Swiss Peaks in 30 Days as part of her Climb series of challenges. Monika is the first woman to ride the complete Vuelta a Espana (Tour of Spain) men's route back in 2018 where she completed every stage on the morning of the men's race. She also rode 124 Swiss Passes in 26 days and from these epic challenges has devised the CLIMB strategy that she teaches and trains executive and leadership teams on.

In the episode Mark and Monika talk about the challenges and the CLIMB framework and application in a business and corporate setting. To connect with Monika, find out more about the upcoming challenge or get involved visit her website https://www.monikasattler.com or follow her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rad_monika/

In this bonus episode, of the Refuel and Reboot Podcast, I chat to Andrew Harding, owner of Cycling Strength PT and fellow member of the business networking group Tullio. Andrew reached out to me after hearing the mind over mountains episode of the pod. He had some aspects to add to the preparation aspect of ultra or any distance cycling.

His website is https://cyclestrengthpt.com/ and you can follow him on Instagram or LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/cycle-strength/

In the last of this series that focuses on mental preparation for endurance cycling events, Mark speaks to Jake Dugdale, Jake_is_outside , who rides for the Experimental Bikepacking Team. Jake and Mark are from the same town and met for the first timethe finish line of the Hellenic Mountain Race.

In this episode, they cover how Jake got into bikepacking in the first place, some great insights into building up a reservoir of experiences to call upon, and some tips for getting through challenging moments. They talk about what it feels like to scratch in a race, the decision process and then how it feels afterwards with a very honest take on it.

You can listen back to the other episodes in this series with all the full interviews now available on the podcast feed and video versions available on the YouTube Channel

Thank you to all the contributors to this series.

You can find Jake on instagram as Jake_is_outside

In this bonus episode of the Reboot & Refuel Podcast, Mark speaks with Andrew O'Connor known as Andrewon2Wheels on social media, who is in the process of cycling all of the UK 100 Climbs and more.

The reason for this conversation is because Andrew has added some extra spice to his ongoing challenge by cycling what is probably one of the most notorious, Hardknott Pass continuously for 24 hours.

In this episode Andrew talks about some of the considerations he has in preparing for the challenge, such as riding at night, nutrition strategy and strength training ahead of the challenge and also a little bit about how he got into cycling by cycling to all the national league football stadiums.

The date for the challenge is not fixed yet but will take place in late April, early May, so follow him on any of his social media channels (@ Andrewon2Wheels) to keep up to date.

Episode 7: Preparing for El Piri & the AlpsDivide

The podcast returns to the Series topic of mental preparation for Ultracycling events after a brief technical interlude from Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona and the last episode covering first hand reports from the Atlas Mountain Race .

In this episode Mark talks with Oscar Mager, a relative newcomer to the sport of Ultracycling racing but no stranger to long distance riding over an extended period of time. Oscar and Mark met on the 2025 edition of El Piri, which was Oscar's first ultra race.

The discussion covers some of the preparation Oscar did to tackle that first ultra and how that is influencing his 2026 races at Gravelbirds XL & GOAT in Portugal and AlpsDivide later in the year.

To hear the other episodes in the series including the Mind Over Mountains interview video that spawned this podcast series, subscribe/follow the podcast on your preferred podcast platform or head over to substack or YouTube to see the whole series.

This is a special episode of the Refuel and Reboot Podcast, recorded at MWC 2026 (aka Mobile World Congress) where I focus on the tech side of my interests. In this episode I capture a few voice notes on the hot topics and discussions I have been in during the conference week.

It should be no surprise to anyone in the telecoms industry that AI featured not just heavily but everywhere at the event. With every talk, pitch or promotional piece of media including AI somewhere in there, whether it was needed or not. It seemed to be that if AI wasn't mentioned then the topic wasn't worth mentioning or would get no attention.

Listeners will also get a sense of the buzz of the show especially in the 4YFN section of the conference which showcases startups and early investment projects.

Thanks for listening to this tech interlude in the podcast, the next episode will return to cycling topics and a tech and cycling episode is in the pipeline for later in the series.

To hear other episodes in this series or catch up on my posts subscribe to my substack or follow the podcast on your preferred podcast platform.

Episode 6: Chasing the Snail - A report from the 2026 Atlas Mountain Race

In this episode Mark breaks from the Mental Preparation for Ultra events that has been the theme of this series to have a chat with Richard Hunt and Matthew Franklin who have both come back from the 2026 Atlas Mountain Race. This years edition was an epic edition due to the weather influencing the route and conditions.

Even though they were never more than 20km apart on the tracker neither spoke to each other on the race so this conversation starts with them working out where they met on the race.

They give a first hand report of the race especially the changes and impact.

To hear more conversations from the Ultracycling scene please subscribe to the feed on your preferred podcast platform.

Episode 5: Riding into the Dark: Lynne Diamond Davies.

This is the 5th Episode in the series on Mentally Preparing for UltraCycling events and races and in this episode Mark speaks with Lynne Diamond Davies i_am_diamond_davies on Instagram . Lynne is a mother of three and rides part time for Pipedream Cycles in Scotland.

In the episode Lynne and Mark talk about how different experiences in Ultra events and how they prepared, they also talk about how they met on the Col Du Sommelier on the AlpsDivide, Lynne was coming down from the summit having gone up at night whereas Mark was riding up, highlighting their different approaches to riding at night.

Other Episodes in this series include interviews with contributors to the Mind Over Mountains Video and can be found on your favourite podcast application. Please Subscribe to be notified of when the next episodes are released.

Never Giving Up - Jamies Adventure to honour Bravery and Courage. Another Bonus Episode; Jamie and I are members of the Tullio Cycling Business Community and lead local rides as Ride Captains in the Chilterns and New Forest respectively. After listening to the Mind Over Mountains episode and the discussion on Mental preparation, he reached out to talk about his current cycling challenge and the preparation it entails. We talk about the death of his mother and father to cancer, his father very recently and how that has driven the nature of this challenge.

We touch on the topics of grief and loss, and so if this effects you, the cancer research website has some great resources to assist. Coping with cancer | Cancer Research UK

A link to Jamie's fundraising page is here : Tour d'F$%k Cancer - Stage 4: The SuperMaratona

And details of the Supermaratona route What is the Supermaratona?

Episode 4: Cat Magill - Learning along the way, one Ultra race at a time.

Cat Magill https://www.instagram.com/catrmag/ and I had a shared experience in scratching at CP2 on the 2024 edition of the Atlas Mountain Race. As she lay recovering from sickness that caused her to scratch she was already planning on how to return to ultra riding and what she needed to do next. She then rode the Highlands Trail again and Silk Road Mountain Race twice.

Her interview as part of the series of interviews I did for the Mind Over Mountains video and episode was the catalyst for starting this podcast series. She made a concerted effort to seek out techniques to help her mentally prepare for bikepacking and ultra races. I wanted to put out the full interview so here it is in full.

Enjoy.

Episode 3 : Ultra Runner to Ultra Cyclist.

In this episode of the Refuel and Reboot podcast , I interviewed Steve Hayes as part of the Mind Over Mountains series of videos on my YouTube channel. During that interview Steve spoke about the transition from being an Ultra Distance Runner to starting out in Ultracycling and long distance bikepacking.

Steve shares why he made the move, the crossover in skills and the new skills he has had to learn and what motivates him to continue the ultra endurance world. Follow Steve on Instagram www.instagram.com/stevehayesendurance or view his blog stevedavidhayes.wordpress.comAre you a former ultra runner that has made the move over to ultracycling and bike packing, if so please add your thoughts and comments that will help others.

Bonus Episode : A Wild Weekend at the Atlas Mountain Race

A short bonus episode of the Refuel and Reboot podcast in-between regular episodes to give a quick glimpse into the opening weekend which has been governed by the weather and conditions. I am a volunteer dotwatcher on the race and it has been an eventful weekend. So here in this episode I give a quick update on events.

The next regular episode of the Podcast will be out on Tuesday and features interview with Steve Hayes who I met at the beginning of the 2024 Atlas Mountain Race. Also an edition influenced by the weather.

Follow the Atlas Mountain Race on their tracking page on Atlas Mountain Race — The Mountain Races: Silk Road, Atlas, Hellenic including their excellent daily coverage podcast.

Episode 2 - Interview with Erin Poland and Jono Freeman ahead of the Atlas Mountain Race. This is the full interview from our discussion for the Mind Over Mountains YouTube video about Mentally Preparing for an Ultracycling race like Atlas Mountain Race, Alpsdivide or Silk Road.

Track their progress at AMR when tracking goes live on Friday 6th February and follow them on instagram

Erin Poland https://www.instagram.com/erin_polandJono Freeman https://www.instagram.com/worstknowntime

Episode 1: Mind Over Mountains: Conquering the Mental Barriers of Ultracycling events such as Alps Divide, Atlas Mountain Race, Dales Divide, Highland Trail 550, Hellenic Mountain Race or the infamous Silk Road Mountain Race.In preparing, the core challenge isn't just physical endurance but the mental fortitude required to navigate relentless ascents and unpredictable weather. In this video I explore how ultra-endurance athletes cultivate resilience, manage self-doubt, and push through the psychological walls that truly define success on such epic routes.This episode offers a deeper dive into the less-explored mental aspect of these events, providing valuable insights beyond just the physical grind.With special thanks to those who participated and gave their insights and tips.

Lynne Diamond Davies https://www.instagram.com/i_am_diamond_davies

Cat Magill https://www.instagram.com/catrmag

Oscar Mager https://www.instagram.com/oscarmager

Jake Thomas https://www.instagram.com/jake_is_outside

Steve Hayes https://www.instagram.com/stevehayesendurance

Erin Poland https://www.instagram.com/erin_poland

Jono Freeman https://www.instagram.com/worstknowntime

YouTube Video : https://youtu.be/ngT4zsVu64k

Join in the conversation and leave your tips and insights in the comments below.

I’m Mark Gilmour, the new host of this new podcast, Refuel and Reboot, a podcast that tries to cover subjects across technology and bikepacking, two aspects of my life.

I’ve spent my working career in technology, principally in telecoms and I am also an avid cyclist, riding road, gravel and mountain bikes.

In the last few years I have got involved in long distance bikepacking and ultra cycling events. So this podcast will be a mix of bike related and technology related topics and every so often an episode might include both.

So this is a quick introduction to the podcast, the first full episode will be released Thursday 29th January and features a series of interviews on mental preparation for ultracycling events.

Please subscribe and join me and my guests for these upcoming episodes.

Speak soon.

Mark