By Joe Hall • 14th June 2013 • Posted in Rides
To celebrate the 100th edition of the Tour, and the mountains that have made it legendary, Rapha and Strava are proud to announce Rapha Rising: La Centième.
In the week which starts on Bastille Day (14th-21st July), Rapha is challenging participating riders to climb the combined height, from sea level, of the Peyresourde, Ventoux and Col de Sarenne, all of which feature in this year’s race. The Peyresourde is one of the giants of the Pyrenees, which featured in the Tour's first excursion into the bear-infested mountains in 1910, while Mont Ventoux, the Giant of Provence, first appeared in the Tour in 1951, a year before Alpe d'Huez. Together, they've been the sites of some of the Tour's most famous battles. The Col de Sarenne, however, has never been scaled in the Tour. It’s a little known col, 1,999m high, that the pros will climb this year, having first climbed the Alpe. Descending on a road resurfaced especially for them, they will loop back round to the foot of the Alpe to make that climb again.
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By Jeremy Dunn • 13th June 2013 • Posted in Rides
Come Monday morning, people will be having their coffee. Some will be planning out the week ahead, perhaps thinking of the time they spent on the bike the previous days. This Monday morning, June 17th, Michael Tabtabai and Andrew Hudon will be undertaking a bit more with their week and the weeks that follow. In their attempt to traverse the United States in 24 days, they will Leave it on the Road in more ways than one. Tabtabai and Hudon are making the trip to raise money and awareness for the treatment of colon cancer. The planning alone is a Herculean project and Michael stopped by the other day to show off one of the final — and most important — pieces of the puzzle.
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By Dirk Kaufmann • 3rd June 2013 • Posted in Rides
On Wednesday 12th June 2013, Rapha will be in cycling capital Copenhagen to host an evening ride together with our good friends at Soigneur. All are welcome to join us on a relaxed tour through the northern parts of Seeland, traversing forests dotted with quiet lakes, tackling some nice pavé sections and cruising alongside the breezy coast.
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By Gary Bradnick • 30th May 2013 • Posted in Rides
From 7th June 9th June, the German capital celebrates a weekend of riding as part of the Berlin Velothon. And Rapha will be there, too. On Friday evening, we will be hosting a relaxed ride and all are welcome. We will recce parts of the race route, pedal along historical roads to Potsdam and enjoy a warm summer evening in good company. On Saturday and Sunday, Rapha will be present at the Expo area, where the Rapha H-Van will be serving fine coffee and where you can also see a selection of the latest Spring/Summer range.
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By Christophe Pointreau • 29th May 2013 • Posted in Rides
Photos by Brad Sauber
Rapha Travel launched earlier this year and recently returned from a few days in the South of France where we had a dozen or so guests attend our very first Rapha Retreat of 2013. Here are some images from this trip in the Luberon, Provence.
We also have a programme of week-long cycling holidays coming up where we will be tackling some legendary mountain passes. Our Rapha Randonnées run from next month, and there are still a few remaining places on each of those Randonnées. If you are still to book yourself on a riding trip this year, why not make it an unforgettable experience in some of Europe's most majestic riding terrain choosing from the Alps, the Dolomites or the Pyrenees.
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By Gary Bradnick • 28th May 2013 • Posted in Rides
On Friday, 31st May, Rapha is travelling to Rapperswil-Jona on the shores of Lake Zurich in Switzerland. We will be hosting a relaxed group ride on Friday evening at 17.30 hrs. Everyone is welcome to join us on our tour through the spectacular hinterland of the ‘City of Roses’, enjoying lake views, Alpine panoramas and good company. Afterwards, we look forward to rewarding you with cool drinks and snacks.
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By Gem Atkinson • 24th April 2013 • Posted in Rides
Words & photos by Gem Atkinson
This past weekend saw the final act of the 2013 Spring Classics. Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the oldest of cycling's Monuments, pitches riders against a brutal 260km parcours with some stinging climbs making for one of the hardest dates in the sport's calendar. And this would be my Belgian baptism, taking to the start line of the amateur 165km route on the Saturday, before observing the masterclass from the professionals on the Sunday. We were blessed with good weather and upon arrival at the HQ, a chilled and relaxed atmosphere served to calm the nerves.
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