Explore usually takes riders a little further afield than just a few kilometres from their home but in this episode Lionel Birnie sets out on his familiar festive route in the eastern edge of the Chilterns. On the route are 12 hills and so this is the 12 hills of Christmas, a 90-kilometre route peppered with short climbs. While Christmas is a time for celebrations, lightheartedness and joy it's also a time for reflection on the year almost passed. Regular listeners will know Lionel missed a big chunk of the season and cancelled his Tour d'Écosse series for Explore at very short notice. While the roads may be reassuringly familiar, he also takes the time to explore less comfortable territory as he talks about his mental health and what happened this year. GPX file: If you want to ride The 12 hills of Christmas route, you can download the GPX file from Dropbox here. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. See supersapiens.com

For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava