The guilty burden of a sporty gift is that I might have to actually use it. That said, this collection is so pleasingly well engineered that I’ll have no excuse for following-up on new year resolutions.
1. Rapha Cycling Jersey
£140, rapha.cc
The South Downs can take quite a blast from south westerlies during the winter, so this Rapha jersey - with a design inspired by trailblazing US rider Connie Carpenter - would be just the ticket. It’s almost too beautiful for cycling.
2.Canyon Ultimate CF SL 9.0
£1,999, canyon.com
Canyon’s bikes are so good they have been winning stages of the Tour de France. More importantly, the company sells straight to consumers, bypassing the usual retail mark-up. This carbon number weighs a shade under 7kg – less than half the weight of my seven year old son - so would be perfect for tackling the Downs near me. That said, I wouldn’t mind a more accommodating saddle.
3. K-Swiss Ultra-Express Tennis Shoes
£67, directtennis.co.uk
A springy split-step would improve my game and these tennis shoes should give me some bounce.
4. Head Graphene Instinct
£79, sweatband.com
Maria Sharaprova uses one of these and it includes some super-light and ultra-strong graphene in it’s construction – against that ball machine (see 7) I’ll need all the help I can get.
5. Nike Printed Reflective Tights
£90, store.nike.com
These reflective leggings should keep me safe and warm on dark winter’s evenings.
6. Nike Free 5.0 Flash
£100, store.nike.com
Tennis shoes are very supportive for awkward moves across court, but way too stiff for longer runs. These however have just the right amount of support and natural movement for my next ultramarathon across the Gobi desert. Or, more realistically, a 5K around the village.
7. Spinfire Pro 2
£1,700, discountballmachines.co.uk
A child-free hour on the tennis court would be completed by a state-of-the- art ball machine. This one takes 200 balls and can fire them at you at 70mph every two seconds at different trajectories and directions.
8. Tomtom Runner Cardio GPS Watch
£220, wiggle.co.uk
I’m not keen on taking my phone out running (prefer to be off radar) but this watch has built-in training plans and a heart rate sensor. I wonder what the GPS signal is like in Mongolia?
9. Blaze Bike Light
£125, blaze.cc
For night-time riding this light designed by London start-up Blaze cleverly projects an image of bike on to the road six metres in front – which gives drivers crucial nanoseconds warning of your arrival.
10. Rio Supercast Riser with Mybo Synergy Air Recurve Limbs
Riser £129, limbs £99, arrows £4 each, merlinarchery.co.uk
I’ve recently taken up archery, so am in the market for a beginner’s bow. This riser (the orange bit) is made from magnesium alloy, which is 33% lighter than aluminium; the limbs are fibreglass laminated foam, which lessens vibration and the arrows have carb shafts – so I have no excuses, my editor says, for not making it to Rio 2016.
