It’s that time of year again: Our gift guides for every athlete in your life! This year, we’ve created one master list for cyclists, runners, and really, any athletic person in your life. Personally, we’re a travel-heavy runner/cyclist duo who do a very light version of #vanlife part of the year, so we’ve had to dial in our gear, and this list is our favorite stuff to be gifted and to gift!
OK, here’s what we’re buying for the athletes we know this holiday season!
Runners/Cyclists: Coros Pace 3 or 4 Watch and Coros Dura
We’ve talked up the Coros Pace watches and the Dura bike computer a lot in the last few months for a good reason: Compared to the competition, they perform as well (if not better in some aspects like battery life) at just about half the price. Hard to argue that one, especially when you’re gifting these devices. They’re great for anyone, but we really like both for younger athletes because of the batter life: The Pace watches can go for weeks of run usage without needing a recharge, and the Dura even has solar charging integrated, plus an insanely good battery life. Shop them here.
Around Town Riders: Timberbike Bell
We like this inexpensive but shockingly loud bell for anyone who rides on public bike paths or who’s on singletrack, especially in bear country. We love that it has dual modes of ‘bear bell’ and ‘bike bell’ so you’re covered whether you’re trying to warn two-legged or four-legged mammals (or MAMILs) that you’re coming through.
Young Readers: Books 1-4 of theShred Girls Series
We mention this every year, but there is a new Shred Girls book in the lineup, with Lindsay and the Curse of Gemini Lakes out this last May! If you have a young girl (14 and under) in your life that you’re hoping will get into cycling or who’s already a Shred Girl IRL, make sure you’ve gotten her all three books in the Shred Girls series: Lindsay’s Joyride, Ali’s Rocky Ride and Jen’s Bumpy Ride. You can also visit the Strong Girl Publishing web shop for Shred Girls themed tshirts, hoodies, beanies and more!
Gravel Grinders: Maxxis Rambler Gravel Tires
This gravel tire has been around for a long time and still ends up on a lot of fast bikes, so simplify the ‘tire talk’ and get a set (or two!) for the cyclists you ride with, especially the ones who constantly are flatting or stressing over tire choice. Comes in 38,40 or 45 c versions.
Motivation Seekers: Keep Going Art Print
Molly has also been working with cycling advocate Marley Blonsky on her upcoming children’s book, The Ragtag Best Friends Bicycle Club, and while the book isn’t out until April, you can snag this limited edition (only 200 available) art print of a page from the book from our favorite illustrator, Pip Claffey.
Biking Bookworms: Read Books, Ride Bikes Tote
If your athlete is also a bit of a bookworm and is always looking for a new tote bag for stashing some bike gear for the group ride or picking up new library books, look no further than Strong Girl Publishing’s Read Books Ride Bikes tote bag. You’ll also be supporting getting more girls in sport, since a percentage of profits go directly to orgs like Fast and Female.
The Go Hards: Rest Day Sweatshirt
Our favorite reminder for the cyclist you know who just will not take a damn day off. Enough said.
This is My Rest Day Sweatshirt
For the friend who needs the reminder.
Rock a classic sweatshirt silhouette with ribbed crew neck, long sleeve cuffs, and a flat hem. Layer it up or wear it on its own for a contemporary streetwear look. With the soft fleece inside and comfortable fit, it’s sure to become your favorite everyday sweater right away!
• 100% cotton face
• 65% cotton, 35% polyester<br…
Always Chilly Athletes: Glerup Clogs
Another ‘for any athlete’ favorite of mine: Glerup clogs or boots. I LOVE being comfortable post-run, and the clogs are so nice to slip on after you’ve been on a freezing cold run, hike or snowshoe. They’re cozy with or without socks, and the best way I can say it is it feels like you’re giving your feet a hug. Again, these are post-run brunch favorites of mine. I recommend the rubber sole rather than the leather so that they’re more durable as an outdoor shoe.
New MTBers: Skills Session (Collingwood area)
We love the idea of gifting experiences. So… If you’re in Collingwood or the Greater Toronto Area, why not gift a bike skills session (or a group bike skills session) with Peter? Learn more here
The Cyclist Who Has Everything: Bivo Bottles
These plastic bottle alternatives make great stocking stuffers—the stainless steel bottle comes in a ton of colors now (though obviously, I love the black) and they last FOREVER, which is really nice. I like them for travel in particular, since they’re nice to drink out of as regular water glasses if you take the top off, and they’re great for riding as well!
Pack Rats + Van Lifers: Gregory Collapsible Bin
This is one of the most weirdly useful things I’ve gotten in a long time: This bin is about the size of a laundry basket, made of canvas, and collapses down on itself when not in use. It is AWESOME for organizing cycling gear, especially if you need to be organized for a weekend, but then won’t need it again for a while. (And if you’re like us and live in a spot with minimal room for storage, having a big bin like that that doesn’t take up space when not in use is SO nice. Great for a messy cyclist who always ends up with their shit spread out all over the back of your car when you ride to races together.
Cyclists: Velocio SOMETHING
We unabashedly love Velocio for the quality and cut of their clothing. While we do say that getting an athlete anything sized is a big no-no, if your cyclist already owns some Velocio, steal the sizing out of their stuff and order them some more. Or stick to some of their non-sized but still awesome staples, like a waterproof cycling cap (personal favorite). Velocio also has a crazy-good Black Friday sale on right now, with EXTRA20 saving you 20% off of final sale items—there are a few of my faves in there and their exchange policy is solid if you get the wrong size.
Women: Any course from Feisty Media
The two that I recommend to EVERYONE are definitely Brain Power and Strong, but there are also so many amazing courses for women going through menopause/heading into menopause, plus some great content about fueling and an incredible winter cycling training program that’s super comprehensive. And yes, you can gift a course! See all the courses here
Young Women Athletes: Power Up by Stevie Lyn Smith
Molly’s latest book, written with registered dietitian Stevie Lyn Smith, is perfect for any young woman (or parent or coach of young women athletes) who needs to learn to fuel smarter.
- Ebook on Amazon
- USA: Amazon.com | Bookshop.org | BarnesAndNoble.com
- CANADA: Indigo | Amazon
- UK: Waterstones
- Everywhere else
Bougie Van Lifers: Stainless Steel Wineglasses
We were chatting with our wine-loving friend in Italy last year and the discussion turned to wine glasses, specifically what he uses for outdoor entertaining. And we were surprised when he told us that he actually prefers stainless steel stemless glasses to the fancier faux glass plastic, from a taste and feeling perspective. We’re always on the hunt for something that elevates our al fresco dining experience (and minimizes the amount of plastic we use) so these are definitely on our list!
Runners: Run All the Miles Eat All the Snacks Sweatshirt
This has been a favorite since I made the design a couple years ago, and a great post-run sweatshirt / reminder to keep eating! (My run crew and I really love wearing ours to brunch post-long run.)
Run All the Miles, Eat All the Snacks Unisex Sweatshirt
Rock a classic sweatshirt silhouette with ribbed crew neck, long sleeve cuffs, and a flat hem. Layer it up or wear it on its own for a contemporary streetwear look. With the soft fleece inside and comfortable fit, it’s sure to become your favorite everyday sweater right away!
• 100% cotton face
• 65% cotton, 35% polyester
• Charcoal Heather is 55% cotton, 45% polyester<…
Cyclist/Runner Combos: Pearl Izumi Summit Wind Jacket
I’ve been really impressed with this relatively inexpensive windbreaker, especially as someone who prefers their gear be ride/run comfy. There’s not much to say about this pretty utilitarian windbreaker other than it has been put through the paces and it holds up. I also am coming around on hoods as a runner, and this one fits close enough to stay on when the weather gets bad, but can tuck into the back of the jacket neatly when I don’t need it.
Young Runners: Sprinting Through Setbacks by Micha Powell
This is great for any teen AND any runner! Commonwealth Games gold medalist Micha Powell’s memoir-slash-workbook showcases stories from Micha’s decade of professional racing experience, including vulnerable stories of growing up in the shadow of two Olympian parents, navigating injury, and finding the courage to embrace an Olympic mindset. Micha is a world-class Canadian Olympic sprinter specializing in the 400m, currently running for New Balance. She is also a 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medalist. Born in Montreal to three-time Olympian Rosey Edeh and Long Jump World Record Holder Mike Powell, athletics is a part of her DNA. The collection of essays covers 10 pivotal races and the lessons learned and will include workbook-style sections so that young readers can apply Micha’s learnings to their own lives. Topics include things like finding balance, personal style, a sense of belonging, imposter syndrome, finding your spotlight, and more.
Zwifties: Clip-On Fan
If your person travels often to races, this little USB-chargeable clip on fan is our favorite. We have two of them that we use for sleeping in the van, sleeping in hotel rooms or at either of our parent’s houses, which tend to be overly warm, and of course, for trainer riding. The rechargeable aspect is key: This thing runs for 12+ hours at high speed without dying, so it is super convenient to set up anywhere.
Bikepackers: Katadyn BeFree 1.0L Water Filter
We bring this everywhere with us whether it’s a long trail run or hike or just a long van trip where we’re not 110% sure what kind of water situations we’ll run into. It’s a soft flask so it takes up almost no space and the filter works super well to make water EPA-level okay to drink.
The Sort of Lost Athlete: Coaching Phone Consult
Life on the road, whether it’s full time van life or just a ton of work travel, can make training difficult. That’s why we have gift certificates for your friend to book a phone consult with Peter to talk through how to best handle training on a weird schedule or with limited options for workouts depending on time and where you are in the world. It’s a great way to kickstart training motivation or to simply tweak your current training to be even more effective.
Racers/Campers: Kuma Camp Couch
Peter was super annoyed when I bought this collapsible camp couch for the van, but after one weekend trip with it, he grudgingly agreed that it was a great buy. This this is SO comfortable—I’ve napped for hours with DW in it—and it makes the whole ‘life lived outdoors’ thing just that much more cozy. We love it for outside the van on nice days, and for us, it even fits in the van so on cold nights, we can sit in it together and watch a movie with our tiny heater running. It’s the car camping upgrade you didn’t know you needed.
Any Athlete/In Stock Emergency Gift: Snack pack
This is what my sister does for Peter every year since he can be incredibly hard to shop for, but as people who spend a lot of the winter in our van, it’s actually awesome. She tends to get things like fancier jerkies or Epic Bars, mixed nuts, fancy instant cappuccino packets, and even a hot sauce advent calendar. This may sound a little silly, but these snacks were actually super helpful to have on hand as we then drove across the country, so if you have traveling friends swinging by for the holidays, a gift bag of this kind of stuff is very appreciated! Just think non-perishable, because for anyone doing the van thing, cold storage is limited!
A few of our favorites here, here and here.
Cyclists with Big Goals: 3-Month Custom Plan Gift Certificate
If your cyclist is training for something big but doesn’t have a coach, consider gifting them a three-month custom plan created by us!
Gift Certificate for 3-Month Made-for-You Training Plan
Give the gift of a fully custom 3-month Made-for-You Training Plan
Purchase a Gift Certificate and kickstart their training!
You will be provided a digital gift card that will allow them to use a QR Code to apply for their plan after you gift it to them!
Cyclists who have it all: inGamba Bike Tour
Easily the highest ticket item on our list but if you’re looking for THE present for a cyclist in your life, an inGamba trip is the nicest thing you could possibly do for them. We recently went on their Chianti Classico trip and it did not disappoint. Anniversary, retirement, holiday—honestly, the trip is so worth it. You’ll ride the best roads with the best guides, eat the best food, drink the best wine… and the daily massage doesn’t hurt either (nor does the gorgeous B&B you’re staying in if you do any of their Tuscany rides).
Check out their trips here—and gift certificates are available
