Dealing with peanut butter mud, learning to spin smaller gears and how not to move up through the field at the start of a race. We invited pro gravel racer Heather Jackson on the Gravel Union Talks podcast this month and chatted with her about gravel racing from an insider's perspective.

It sounded almost too good to be true – the chance to go and ride in an undiscovered gravel paradise and play a small role in how its future is shaped. Obviously, Olly didn’t need too much arm twisting and packed his SPF50 sunscreen before heading off to the far side of the world. It’s a tough life, isn’t it…..

"Isn't your life just one big holiday?" is the kind of question you would expect a professional gravel guide to be asked on a pretty regular basis. Luckily Francis King, our guest in this month's podcast is able to reply "Welcome to my office" every time he safely brings his groups to an amazing viewpoint, so it probably balances out the karma a little! In our latest episode, we chat with Francis about everything from dealing with emergencies to his favourite destinations to work in. If you ever fancied being paid to ride your gravel bike, we recommend you give this a listen.