Nomads Pierre Bouchard and Janick Lemieux have cycled all over the world, covering an equivalent distance of four loops of the planet. In this second instalment of our three part series*, we asked them about daily life on the road. © nomadesxnomades.comCycling from Quebec to Miami in the summer of '89 was Canadian Pierre Bouchard’s first long distance tour. He calls the 4000 km journey his “L’initiation” into bicycle touring. “I came back hooked and convinced that the bicycle is the ultimate conveyance for overland journeys,” he says. “The reasons are many: the autonomy and freedom it provides, the fact it’s an environmentally sound means of transportation, it keeps one very fit, and provides a very intimate connection with our surroundings, whether landscapes, flora, fauna or humans!” Since his “L’initation”, Pierre and his partner Janick have cycled through more than 60 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Oceania and Africa. They have mastered of the art of continental bicycle touring. We asked them about their daily life on the road. Click for the first part of the series! © nomadesxnomades.com How has bicycle touring changed since ’89? There’s been many changes, especially the improvement of the equipment to travel on bikes. From outdoor and camping innovations to bikes specifically designed and crafted to haul all the necessities to roam continents. Lately, with the advent of fatbikes, a whole realm of wild and remote terrain has become accessible. © nomadesxnomades.comWhat does an average day on the road look like for you? Unless we're in hot deserts, we're slow risers. I usually get up first and ignite the stove to prepare hot drinks and porridge. We then start to pack up, a process that takes a couple of hours before we then hit the road. Depending on conditions and how scenic the landscape is, we cover anywhere between 40 to 120 km a day, averaging about 80 km. On expedition, taking the time to hike-trek-climb, write and immerse ourselves, we cruise about 1,000 km per month. © nomadesxnomades.comHow much do your bikes and gear weigh? Janick carries about 25 to 30 kg and I carry between 40 and 45 kg. It fluctuates with the amount of water and goods we need to carry. We're no minimalists. As this is a form of nomadism, our way of life, we'd rather make ourselves comfortable and ready to face any eventuality. © nomadesxnomades.comHow do you navigate and keep track of your daily efforts? On the road, our Suunto Ambit 3 Peaks play the role of dashboards and control panels. They record our daily pedal strokes and tons of useful data like altitude profiles, ambient temperature. For sketchy passages, like crossing into Ethiopia from Kenya via the Lower Omo River Valley and Turkana Lake over shifting desert tracks, we used our Ambits to navigate, having loaded them with the .gpx route a fellow bike traveller previously recorded and passed along over e-mail. With the impressive battery life, along with our Goal Zero solar power charger, we managed to keep them going for the last 600 days spent on the road, from the onset of our NOMADS² cycling odyssey. © nomadesxnomades.comHave you ever had a problem with your bicycles in the middle nowhere? Of course! We always carry all the tools needed to open and adjust each of the components and carry crucial spare parts: tires, tubes, spokes, cables, drive train parts (chain, cassette and chain rings), brake pads. Breaking a rim is the only mechanical breakdown that can bring our caravan to a halt; we either have to walk or wait for assistance in order to move on! © nomadesxnomades.comIs finding food and water sometimes difficult? Yes indeed! Thinking of our panniers as pantries, we always store and carry extra food. We spend a lot of time and effort getting info about the stretches of road ahead, especially with regards to availability of food and water. If we can collect water along the way we can usually last about seven to eight days without resupplying. If we need to carry our water, up to 30 litres between the two of us, we can last out there some three to four days – unless we’re in Sudan during July and both need to drink 10-12 litres a day! © nomadesxnomades.comAny advice for someone doing his or her first bicycle tour? Make sure your bike is well adjusted to your body (seat, handlebars and seat post). Prioritize simplicity, sturdiness and durability. Don't hesitate to invest in high-quality carrier racks, generally made out of steel (chromoly). And most importantly, planning is great but set a departure date and ready or not, go – it'll all work out! Trust the road! *Stay tuned for our third instalment about the Nomads, and find out which countries in the world are the most cycling-friendly!

Kimmo Ohtonen, a journalist at the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE, took part in a Finnish charity event called “Red Nose Day” and rode his bike from Rovaniemi at the Arctic Circle to Tampere in the south of Finland. During the five days he managed to raise 72.603 euros for the children in the developing countries. Kimmo tracked his entire journey with his Suunto Ambit 3 Peak. He even wore the heart rate belt while sleeping and showering. The entire five-day-ride was tracked as a single file without pausing the recording or recharging the battery. To make this possible Kimmo had optimized his watch settings: he set the GPS accuracy to ‘ok’ and the recording interval to 60 seconds.  See Kimmo's 108-hour cycling move Learn more about optimizing your Ambit’s battery life Click here to see special deals on Suunto Ambit3 watches   Images by: Sebastian Dannberg  

Suunto ambassadors Kilian Jornet and Emelie Forsberg moved to Norway for one reason – the wild places. Kilian and Emelie are living near Romsdal in Norway. © Kilian JornetAfter living at the base of the Mont Blanc massif for many years, mountain athletes and couple Kilian Jornet and Emelie Forsberg have moved to Norway. Chamonix was their training base for five years. From there Kilian prepared for and carried out some his fastest known time projects. For Emelie, Chamonix provided the ideal base to gather experience in training and competition. It had one downside – it’s too busy for the solitude-loving couple. © Kilian Jornet“It really is a paradise up here,” Kilian says about Norway. “It's pretty wild and there aren’t many people around. We can access the mountains and the fjords right from the house. “The mountains are very steep, with very technical terrain. It’s good for skiing, climbing and for running in summer.”Click to see Kilian's favorite training routes! © Kilian JornetComing from Sweden, Emelie always wanted to return to the north. Like Kilian, she enjoys the feeling of being alone in wide-open spaces. “Every now and then while we lived down in Chamonix I really missed the wild nature, and rougher conditions we have here,” she says. “We decided to move up here because we found a really good house to live that’s convenient for travel and close to the mountains. “It can rain for weeks up here and have really harsh conditions, which makes it more challenging finding the motivation to go out and train, but I really like the conditions as well. That’s how I became the athlete that I am. It feels really good to be back in the north.”Click to see Emelie's favorite trail running routes!© Kilian JornetAfter his best ski mountaineering season, Kilian has been enjoying climbing and skiing in the local mountains. He plans to compete in two trail running races over summer, the Zegama marathon in Spain this coming weekend and the Hardrock 100 Mile Endurance Run in the US in July. His main focus, however, is going to the Himalayas to prepare for a fastest known time attempt on Everest. Emelie is recovering from a serious knee injury and hopes to compete again soon. Lead image: © Kilian Jornet

In the second installment of our “Community” series, we travel to Barcelona, Spain, to connect with a unique group of open-water swimmers whose explorations are made in the mystery of the sea. The popularity of open-water swimming has increased considerably over the last decade. The real catalyst for growth in the sport is its close-knit community of swimmers and the connection they share for exploring wild open waters. The sea is an unpredictable, and at times tempestuous environment to navigate, asserts David Campà. He is the technical director of Marnaton, an organization that coordinates open-water swims and races in a number of stunning locations along Spain’s picturesque coastline. Its mission is to build awareness for the sport and encourage water enthusiasts of all ages and abilities to join the burgeoning open-water community. Last year more than 4000 participants joined the four open water races Marnaton organized through the spring and summer seasons. The races range from 2 km to 7 km and always include a challenge for kids. While open-water swimming seems like an individual sport, the reality is quite the opposite. As Campà describes, “unlike any other sport, open-water swims are never the same. The fog, waves, wind, currents and marine life come into play to draw a new route every time.” The sea is an unpredictable domain and swimming buddies are vital. There is an inherent vulnerability to the individual swimmer that necessitates partnership and always will, regardless of experience. It is the manifestations of nature that forge the most immediate bonds amongst swimmers. At any particular moment they are at the whim of the sea, and the elements. The sea doesn’t care if it is a race or the first swim of the year. The open water is the wilderness, a realm that requires consideration and preparation, and depends intrinsically on camaraderie. Rarely are challenges and fears overcome, personal bests achieved or the unprecedented experienced without community. Oftentimes its influence is intangible and emotional, and almost without exception its impact transformational.   Read also RUNNING WITH A COMMON GOAL SIX USEFUL TIPS FOR SWIM-RUNNING 8 TIPS FOR OPEN WATER SWIMMING

Top triathlete Åsa Lundström shares 7 tips to help you get the most from your spring training camp. © OrcaSuunto athlete Åsa Lundström has been putting in 35-hour training weeks at a spring training camp at the Playitas Resort on the Canary Islands. She came fourth at the recent South Africa Ironman, qualifying herself for the World Championship in Kona, Hawaii this October – her main goal this year. Åsa says going to a spring training camp somewhere warm allows people from colder climes to boost their training volume to prepare for the coming season. “Most long distance triathletes have the Kona Ironman as their main goal and in order to elevate our base level we need to have a big training block and a spring camp is a really good way to achieve that,” Åsa says. “Most triathletes want to boost their cycling at spring camps because that's the hardest discipline to train at home during the winter months.”© Orca Don’t overdo it When you’re at a camp there are so many motivated people and groups it’s easy to get carried away. If you plan to start out with a three-hour ride and you go with someone who wants to do a four or five hour ride, it's very easy to get pulled along with them. Unsurprisingly, it’s not uncommon for people to train too hard and crash their immune system and then go home, catch a cold and not be able to train for two weeks. Being patient and not getting carried away is probably the hardest part of being on a camp.© Orca Stick to your plan Create a training plan for the camp with your coach before you leave so you have a clear idea of what you’re going to do. This helps you to avoid overdoing it. Of course if you feel fresh and you feel strong it’s important to push a bit harder. You need that to stay motivated and to get the endorphins. But still don't get carried away and overdo it. The risk is you will hit the wall. Rest and eat well Most people train a lot more at a camp than they do at home. They go to boost their training. It's important to remember then that you need more sleep and to take good care of your nutritional intake by eating good quality food. At the beginning of a camp you are so filled with endorphins and energy and you’re in the warm sunshine, it’s easy to feel like you don’t need so much sleep. Even if you’re only on a one-week training camp it’s important to get eight or nine hours of sleep every night even when you feel you don’t need it.© Åsa Lundström Take your nutrition If you’re going to a training camp where you haven’t been before it can be difficult finding the sports nutrition you use for your training. So if you don't know what you can get there, make sure to bring enough of your own. Find a buddy Training with a buddy, or even just around other triathletes, means you can push yourself to a higher level. If you train for many hours it’s always good to have a partner. If you have someone who is at your level, it’s a constant source of motivation because you will be racing against these people. © Åsa Lundström Foam roll and stretch I go to the gym to workout, stretch properly and do foam rolling. I do it as prevention. A light massage half way through a camp is a good thing. Avoid deep massage because that can make your muscles sorer and they might need a rest afterwards. Focus on volume Most people go on a spring training camp because they can’t get the volume in at home because it’s too cold. So the natural thing is to do the volume training, which is cycling and running. Take the opportunity to do longer sessions. It’s also a good time to practice open water swimming if you’re somewhere where the water temperature is nice. Don’t focus on technique, but build strength and practice navigating. Lead image: © Orca/Gines Diaz

“Scuba diving saved my life,” says cancer survivor Leo Morales. He’s living proof that diving is for everyone.Flying underwater – Leo's happy place. On the shore of Mexico’s Playa del Carmen, 43-year-old Leo Morales does what he lives for: sharing the joy of scuba diving. But his scuba school has a particular focus.“We’re making diving accessible for everyone,” he says. “We focus on teaching people with disabilities, people who use wheelchairs, and also the visually impaired. We want to break the old concept that you have to be tough for scuba, that it’s better for men. “The most incredible reward is the look in their eyes when they discover they’re free from the wheelchair, from the crutches, from having to drag their weight. You show people they are able to fly. They’re always so grateful.”Leo aims to show people with disabilities can do amazing things. Leo’s passion for diving began after a close call with cancer. He was 28 years old, enjoying a successful career as a bank manager. At the office one day he felt a strange pain in his back and went to the doctor. The diagnosis rocked him: he had a cancerous tumor growing on the inside of his right leg and buttock – it weighed 3kg and was two years old. Having the leg amputated was his only chance of survival. And even then, doctors said he would only live for another five years. After 12 hours of surgery, Leo woke up and looked down and saw flat bed sheets where his right leg had once been. Out of hospital he had to learn to walk again, how to use the toilet, get in and out of bed – everything was hard work. After losing his job for simply having a disability, Leo fell into depression. He felt like his life was over. But then a friend invited Leo to join him on a scuba dive. The first dive was “a nightmare”. Leo sunk to the bottom and fought with the water. On the second dive, his friend grabbed him underwater and swam along with Leo until he worked out how to propel himself. “That moment changed my life,” Leo says. “After that experience I became addicted to the ocean.”Now Leo is a dive master, scuba instructor and technical diver. And he also holds two world records: for the deepest dive (125 m) by a person with a disability and the longest dive (16km in 8h16m) for a person with a disability. His next goal is to set a world record for the deepest cave dive by a person with a disability. “The main point is to send a powerful message that people with disabilities are no different than people who are physically normal,” Leo says. “We can achieve amazing things with the proper training and equipment.”