“Some medals aren’t to be worn on your shirt but on your soul.” (Gino Bartali)
Gino Bartali is best known as one of the greatest Italian riders of all time. He performed the incredible feat of winning the Tour de France twice with a ten year gap in between the years of 1938 and 1948 while Europe and the wider world was torn apart by the ravages of war. Like many cyclists from that period, he was unable to make the most of his prime years. That didn’t stop him accruing the most impressive palmarés that includes, as well as those two Tour de France victories, three Giro d’Italia, three Lombardia and four Milan – San Remo titles. He is regarded as one of Italy’s greatest sporting heroes as a result.
Read MoreIf you’re looking for a stylish urban bike bag that you’re not ashamed to turn up with at the office, cinema or restaurant then you need look no further. Hill & Ellis have become THE company to go to if you want a smart, beautifully made leather bag that clips onto your bike rack like any other bike pannier. Ask Jon Snow, the Channel 4 newsreader who’s bought four of them but was so excited when he got his first that he tweeted, “I’m thrilled with my bag! Everyone is oggling it…You’ve cracked the bike bag problem!”
Read MoreNot many keen amateur cyclists can lay claim to have knocked off three of their bucket list climbs in the space of a few months. Alfie Earl found time to tick off the Tourmalet in the summer. This October he went back to France to conquer Ventoux, then hopped in a car to cross the border into Italy to have a crack at the Stelvio in the space of 48 hours. All very commendable you may say until you find out that Alfie is only 9 years old!
We caught up with young Alfie to find out what his motivation is, what it was like to climb these three mythical mountains and pick up some tips on how to overcome such challenges.
Read MoreThis is the story of how a middle-aged man traced the length of the old Iron Curtain on a shopping bike through 20 countries and 9,000 miles along the un-sign-posted EV 13 cycle route. To attempt such an undertaking on a bike might appear to be rather rash and ambitious for someone in their fifties. To start in Finland, in March, would definitely be a step too far. But then to choose to do it on a completely unsuitable bike is surely madness.
Tim Moore is not the sort to be put off by a challenge, however. He’d already crossed 500 miles of Spain, dragging a donkey behind him, as documented in “Spanish Steps”, completed the route of the Tour de France on a diet of Pro Plus and Rose wine (“French Revolutions”) and in his book “Gironimo” told of how he rode the 3,200 km route of the infamous 1914 Giro d’Italia on a hundred year old bike.
Read MoreRide Velo decided to visit the hippest bike shop in London, Brick Lane Bikes. We wanted to find out how and why, ten years on from its inception, this is still the go-to establishment for single speed, fixie and vintage aficionados.
When ex-bicycle courier, Jan and his partner Feya, decided to bite the bullet, stop talking about it, and set up a bike shop back in 2006, Brick Lane was a different place to what it is today. Back then no one had heard of gentrification, beards and plaid shirts were still the preserve of the lumberjack and the area was better known for bagels and bandit territory. Since then it’s evolved into the beating heart of the hipster. Shoreditch urban living has become something to aspire to rather than run away from.
Read MoreFor many cyclists the unveiling of 2017’s Tour de France parcours this week, on 18th October, was even more eagerly awaited than the average cycling fan. Because this was also when the organizers, ASO, announced the route of the Etape du Tour, the sportive for amateurs that follows one of the key mountain stages that the pros will undertake. Get 16th July in those diaries and start looking for a hotel in the Briancon area now!
Read MoreThis week I have been mostly wearing dhb ... the latest threads from Wiggle. dhb, for those not in the know, is online cycling retail giant Wiggle's own clothing brand. I was pretty excited to get to choose two items from their autumn/winter range to review because I'd always secretly admired their distinctive but classy designs - and with lower end prices I'd long thought the brand looked hot - but not so hot as to tempt me to buy it.
Read More"When I see a beautiful bike, I know a guy worked really hard to make those welds, to make it not just functional. And I think it's the same with acting. It's the details, the sense of a craftsman at work, getting it right." (Robin Williams)
Robin Williams’ bike collection went up for auction through the online house, Paddle8 yesterday. You can bid on a wonderful collection of 87 bikes which will be on sale until 25th October. His family are making the sale to raise money for two charities, the Challenged Athletes Foundation and the Christopher and Dona Reeve Foundation, both of which are organisations that Williams supported throughout his life.
Read MoreThis weekend sees the elite men and women battle it out for the World Championship road titles in Doha, Qatar. While the Tour de France remains the most famous bike race in the world, the World Championship can be a more intriguing affair as it’s often unpredictable. For a start it’s a one day race, rather like the Olympic road race, and the riders will be competing in their national teams, meaning that there can be untried and untested combinations of team members. It remains the most important one-day race in the calendar, above the one day Classics and Monuments.
The course changes each year and has favoured climbers, sprinters and all rounders equally over the years, depending on where it’s been held. If you hang around long enough, a course that suits your abilities will eventually come round to give you the opportunity to win the coveted Rainbow Jersey.
Read MorePashley Cycles celebrated its 90th anniversary this year with a ride and picnic through the quaint environs of Stratford Upon Avon. As the participants dressed up in vintage clothing on their retro bikes and took tea and cake in an old fashioned English marquee, you could be forgiven for thinking that this is a backward looking company, desperately clinging on to the vestiges of a time gone by.
But as Adrian Williams their MD, told me on my visit to their factory, “Don’t judge the book by its cover. Open it up and you’ll find that there’s a lot more to us than that.” And in the course of my afternoon there I can say that what I found was, yes, a British company with a rich heritage that does indeed play on the romance of the past. But there’s a lot more to Pashley than that: here’s that rare breed indeed, a British manufacturer that’s winning, expanding and building on its reputation as both a bike builder for the leisure cyclist, and a supplier to business. Pashley, after all, have just won the contract to supply a whole new fleet of ‘Boris’ bikes and beaten some much larger players in the process.
Read MoreLast week, discount supermarket Aldi, launched it's latest range of fab cycling gear and accessories. It's first come, first served for savvy cyclists with an eye for a bargain. Already selling like hotcakes, this autumn Aldi is stocking a wide selection of new and improved clothing and accessories for casual and commuter riders, as well as high performance pro-cycling gear for the more serious cyclist.
As well as the clothing range, there are some serious accessories available such as the Garmin Edge 810 (£179.99) which has an advanced touchscreen cycling GPS, suitable for use both on and off the road. Aldi is selling the Garmin more than £200 cheaper than the RRP!
Read MoreEmily Chappell, the former cycling courier, started making a name for herself last year when she published her first book, What Goes Around. Not content with cycling round the world and crossing Alaska on a fat bike (in winter), she then entered and was the first woman finisher of the Transcontinental bike race this summer.
Now she’s out and about promoting ultra endurance cycling events to women with snappily named The Adventure Syndicate. It’s an organisation she founded which aims to challenge perceptions of what women are capable of and to promote inclusive role models for them. She was a big draw at Velo Vixen’s Hub at this year’s Cycle Show at the NEC. And last week she could be seen hosting an event at Rapha’s central London store in Brewer Street where she invited five women to talk about their achievements on the bike.
Read MoreThe Urban Hill Climb on Swain’s Lane in Highgate, made a welcome return this Saturday with over 200 riders taking part. There were a number of categories with men, women, youth, veterans and even cargo bikes represented.
Swain’s Lane is a well-known climb in this part of town that locals like to test themselves on and is arguably the most famous in London. At 900m it’s not the longest, but with sections as steep as 18% it’s not to be sniffed at. In 2014 Stanislav Cmakal ‘everested’ Swain’s Lane by ascending it 142 times in one day!
Read MoreWhen Colombian Lucho Herrera exploded onto the European cycling scene in 1985 by winning the Alpe d’Huez stage of the Tour de France, he forged a path for his fellow countrymen to follow. We all know about Rigoberto Uran, Esteban Chaves and this year, of course, Nairo Quintana won his second Grand Tour when he stormed to victory at the Vuelta.
But, as 43 year old David Guthrie, a keen amateur cyclist and runner, found out, Herrera's success was partly down to a little known Colombian secret. When Guthrie logged onto an obscure website about Colombian cycling, he was intrigued to stumble across an article, “The Food That Fuels Colombian Cycling.” Apparently Lucho Herrera would stuff his back pocket with ‘bocadillos’...
Read MoreThis Saturday sees one of the most important races in the calendar as the Giro di Lombardia sets off from Como to Bergamo in Northern Italy. It is, of course, one of the five ‘Monuments’, the most important one-day races of the year, along with Milan - San Remo, The Tour of Flanders, Paris -Roubaix and Liege - Baston - Liege. It may not be the oldest of the Monuments, but it’s certainly the most romantic, nicknamed “la classica delle foglie morte” or translated to the slightly more prosaic, “ride of the falling leaves.”
Read MoreCarlton Kirby, Eurosport’s go-to man for cycling commentary, has legions of fans who tune in for his witty repartee with cycling great, Sean Kelly. Known by some as the ‘language mangler’ and for his ‘Kirbyisms’ (occasional strange musings about, not just cycling, but the very fabric of life) loyal listeners have set up a Twitter account of his humorous comments: Things Carlton Says @saidcarlton. Ride Velo went to the Eurosport headquarters in West London or as Carlton refers to it, “The Feltham Institute for Young Offenders,” to meet the man, learn what it takes to call a bunch sprint on a stage of the Tour de France and find out how to make Sean Kelly corpse on live TV.
Read MoreMarkus Stitz has just returned from a year long trip cycling around the world. In this age of bike tourers you might think that’s very commendable but not unusual, until you find out that Markus completed the whole adventure on a single speed bike. What was it that made this 37 year old German who resettled in Edinburgh want to cycle 34,000 miles in nearly 12 months without any gears?
“I just love the simplicity of it…it’s just a chain and some brakes. I last rode a bike with gears in 2010. When I spoke to the guys at Ison (bike distributors) about what bike to take they said, ‘Well, you’ve been riding single speed for so long you obviously have the legs for it.’ It was a five minute decision and I just bought this single speed bike online and that was it.”
Read MoreWe preview the Cycle Show 2016 at Birmingham's NEC. Find out about the best road bikes being exhibited this year along with what else you must see. What are the best titanium, bamboo and e-bikes? Read about the 100% natural energy bar from Colombia, the best apparel, which speakers to catch and what books to buy...
Read MoreBe seen in the dark this autumn with Ride Velo's selection of the most innovative reflective and light-up products. Find out about Bike Balls, Proviz, Giro shoes and some ultra cool urban wear for the discerning and style conscious cyclist who likes to be seen.
Read MoreWe’ve been hearing great things about a place called the The Velo House in Tunbridge Wells for a while now. It’s a cycling café, bike shop and workshop that’s been getting some rave reviews so we had to check it out. I got there not a little bit dishevelled, extremely hot and in need of some sustenance having tackled some hilly Kentish lanes that can sure be tough when they want to be. Note to self: check out the elevation profile before attempting a new route.
Velo House was a welcome sight indeed as was the enticing menu. It’s a lovely airy, open space, housed in a former Nat West bank building. These guys have clearly thought hard about how to cater for the passing cyclist. You can park your bike in an outside area with a complementary bike lock, the tables are all covered with maps of the local area marked with popular cycling routes. Then there’s a bookshelf with essential cycling reading - back issues of Rouleur, books on cycling climbs and biographies of riders. Yep, I felt at home here!
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