Image © Ben Ingham
BIKE GUIDELINES
1. Drop bars*
2. Tyre width no wider than 28c
3. Mudguards acceptable
4. Singlespeed/fixed gear acceptable but not advised
5. Tandems are a bad idea
KIT CHECKLIST
1. Overshoes/Oversocks
2. Embrocation
3. Winter Hat
4. Sunglasses/goggles
5. Sideburns and/or moustache**
The first Yonretto ride is now live on the site. It is great to see what happens in another part of the world. How cyclists go about their routines in another part of the world. Seeing the Rapha Continental evolve to encapsulate another country, another continent is exciting to say the least. With the likes of photographer Brian Vernor behind the lens we can assume that there is much more in store for the Yonretto program.
photos by Ira Ryan
An early morning ride on a Sunday is a great way to start the day, or end the weekend depending on how you look at it. This past weekend, with the help of Joel and Donna from Carytown Bicycle Company, we got to do just that. The twenty-ish mile looping route took us through the back streets of Richmond, Virginia, down next to the James River and then popped us out to the top of the cobbled climb that was near the finish of the U.S. Open Cycling Championships a couple of years ago. Remember the one that Svein Tuft won? Reports of the number of people on this ride ranged from 50-80, depending on who you ask.
The third installment of recipes from Matt Card comes in the form of pastas. As Cyclists we are all familiar with this staple carb replacement, most likely eaten after but also before the start of a big ride or race. Matt outlines a few ways to enhance your pasta selections in the sauce arena. This could be a big advantage, especially if you find yourself dining with Rapha Continental rider Ben Leiberson. You may recognize Mr. Leiberson from the most recent photo shoot in Siracusa, Italy. I have ridden with Ben many times, but I have never seen him sample his pasta with any sort of sauce and I am wondering if this could permeate through that rough exterior? Or, possibly, if the trip to Italy had changed his ways?
The tough thing about coming back from the NAHBS show is picking the things to start talking about. One could wander through the alley ways of that show for hours and not see everything. In fact there was a whole isle that I think was completely missed. Tony Pereira was on hand to help out in the Mini Mart but he developed the best technique I heard, it went like this "At some point I realized that I just had to put my head down and jump from space to space focusing only on the bikes." You do whatever you have to at these events.
Timm Kölln’s The Peloton, a collection of portraits of the pros shot seconds after the finish line, captures the extreme physicality of the professional race experience. There’s Mark Cavendish looking suitably grimy in his former T-Mobile jersey moments after a Tour stage, and there’s Fabian Cancellara possessed of a bitterly acrid look in the embers of The Ronde (which, as the expression suggests, Spartacus didn't win). So too we see Backstedt, McEwen, Ballan and many others, transfixed in states ranging from total exhaustion to beatified stoicism.
Sunday is the last day of the National Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) in Richmond, Virginia and it is a bit sad to see it come to an end. The US office has been planning, working and looking forward to this date for much of the winter, and to know that it all comes down in 24-hours is bittersweet. So far the people of Virginia (and North Carolina, Georgia, D.C., NY, Mass, Toronto, and people from all over the U.S. in attendance) have been terrific, stopping into our Rapha Continental inspired Mini Mart to say hello.
Myself, Simon Mottram and Guy Andrews made another venture into Hertfordshire on Wednesday to recce more of the Hell of the North route. We assumed it couldn't get any soggier than last week but the delightful English weather surprised us yet again. Damp drizzle didn't stop us, however. In fact, we discovered some interesting tracks and lanes to include for April 11th. Pot holes, puddles and quagmires were encountered but we all stayed upright.
Winning the Hell of the North an unprecedented four times (1972, ’74, ’75, ’77), the Belgian is regarded by many as the best classics rider in the history of the sport. De Vlaeminck’s cyclocross skills and experience riding his native Flandrian cobbles made him an expert on the pavé of northern France and, being Belgian, he was hard as nails. Coined by the French (somewhat derogatorily) as 'The Gypsy', he rode Paris-Roubaix 14 times in his career and also finished second four times.
Rapha has the fortune of partnering with a handful of the better cycling retailers around the world. Housed in a newly built, state-of-the-art office in Little Rock, Competitive Cyclist continues to be at the forefront as an online cycling retailer. Beyond their innovative saddle demo program, they are some of the first that we've known to really use video reviews well to bring products to life.
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