7 Christmas stocking fillers for cyclists (or runners, or swimmers, or triathletes)

Female triathlete Christmas decoration

OK, so I’ve been a little slow off the mark with this, but that matches my life… I’ve not quite finished my Christmas shopping yet either (and my wonderful OH’s birthday is on Christmas Eve, so there’s extra pressure here!) Here are seven different Christmas gift ideas for the athlete in your life.

  1. A tube of nuun (£6.00 from nuun.co.uk)

Nuun
Nuun

A tube of nuun is a perfect stocking filler. If you’ve not heard of nuun before, it’s an electrolyte hydration tablet that comes in a range of delicious flavours. (If you’re buying some for me, Kona cola is my favourite flavour). Just drop a tab into a 500ml bottle of water and you’ve got a sugar-free drink with all the electrolytes you need to keep you going. A single nuun tube has enough tabs to make twelve 500ml drinks.

  1. A work of art relating to your friend’s interests

You could consider a Spilsbury print: (£30.00 from – link no longer working in 2019) or a print from Sisu (£40.00 from – link no longer working in 2019)

Spilsbury print

A bit more than your average stocking-filler, but for £30 you get a signed and dated poster from one of the UK’s leading cycling artists.

Alternatively, you could get something a little more personal (assuming you can lay your hands on your friend’s Strava or Runkeeper data). You can choose between 4 different colours for the route (orange, yellow, blue or pink); you also choose the time-scale and the title of the poster. (Glancing at mine, I’m surprised by just how much time I’ve spent at the track this year, and it’s also pretty easy for me to recognise Southampton parkrun).

A poster created using my Strava data

  1. Some innovative sports nutrition from Mule Bar (£7.99 for a pack of 5 from mulebar.com )

Mule bar savory

Dorset-based Mule Bar were already known for producing organic, fair trade energy bars with creative flavours like Licorice Allsports and Summer Pudding – now they’ve  launched a savoury bar, Eastern Express, to put a tang in your ride – I’ve not tried this flavour yet, so I’m hoping that someone will put some in my stocking!

(Alternatively, a healthy eating cookery book is a great gift if your beloved athlete has enough time to spend in the kitchen. If anyone can recommend a smoothie book with lots of suggestions for using spirulina, please let me know!)

  1. BodyGlide (£6.46 from wiggle.com )

glide

Despite sounding like something you might find in Ann Summers, body glide is loved by triathletes to eliminate chafing from their wetsuits. (It can also be used on your feet to avoid blisters if you’re prone to them when running… and on your thighs, if your legs are slightly larger and you like short shorts!)

Nothing says ‘I love you’ more than a good anti-chafe balm, so this one should be a firm favourite over the festive period. (If I’m going to complete the Scilly Swim Challenge, I think I’m going to need to take out shares in this company!!!)

6.  For female cyclists, I recommend some new SOAS kit (from http://shop.soasracing.com/cycling/) – for chaps, I’d recommend anything from Castelli.

houndstooth arm warmers

7. Finally, as it’s the festive season, how about a bit of indulgence?

I’m not talking about a chocolate orange, I’m thinking of some whey protein in a special seasonal flavour  (£15.79, but you can get 20% off using the discount code: CHRISTMAS).

  • Cherry brandy
  • Irish cream
  • Marzipan Christmas cake

whey protein

What’s on your Christmas wish list?

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