Waiting for the London train to get in at Glasgow where his friend was joining him to get another train into the highlands for 3 long days in the saddle.
Well you know Rapha – that expensive cycle clothing brand – that is the middle class lycra lout smudge mark on cycling …. well I have a confession.
I have a few items – the team jacket is incredibly warm and i have a brevet long sleeve and vest modeled here by someone prettier than me.
I also have their 3/4 bib which serves me through the scottish winter. and ahem also a cyclocross short sleeve ….
So today I got a 30% off email so I bought some more … I find myself more attracted to their cyclocross jackets and jerseys as i think the colors and patterns are more eye-catching for road use (and being seen by car drivers)
and as i said I got another 30% off ……
Lastly I would say it is top quality gear that is super comfy, well made and is yet to show any sign of wear …..
WHOEVER YOU ARE. WHEREVER YOU RIDE. WHATEVER THE REASON.
Rapha Core offers the essentials in performance and functionality. Consisting of a cycling jersey and shorts for men and women, the collection is nothing more and nothing less than the basics, perfectly crafted to set the new standard in everyday ride wear.
It’s the end of the year, a time for taking stock and making new resolutions. A time, however, when such good intentions are all too easily swept down the back of the sofa with the crumbs of overindulgence. Rapha’s Festive 500 challenge offers an opportunity to avoid a holiday of bloated lethargy by getting out for some on-bike contemplation.The Grand Prize for this year’s Festive 500 is being supplied by a man who knows all about leaving home comforts behind for some time alone, Tom Donhou. The master craftsman behind Donhou Bicycles, Tom is kindly offering his latest Signature Steel bike, the DSS2 (pictured in action here), for whoever puts forward the best submission in ‘the spirit of the Festive 500’ category. The prize is apt because it was while challenging himself on a bicycle that Tom came to a realisation that would change the course of his life.
“I was a product designer, making toys and perfume bottles for the high street – landfill basically – and my conscience got the better of me so I quit and went away,” he says of a nine-month solo cycle tour which took him from Mongolia to Singapore via the Gobi Desert, China and Himalayas. “Riding every day is such a meditative thing that you figure everything out… everything. As I was riding, in my mind I was redesigning the bike I was on into the perfect expedition bike. Then, one day, I was just laying in my tent at the side of the road in China and decided I might as well start building frames myself.”
Tom’s eureka moment is proof that often it takes some time out to realise what has always been in front of you. His love of bikes, skill in product design, background in metalwork and old cars and ability to spend time alone without going mad are the perfect combination of elements for the profession of frame builder – he just hadn’t put it all together. And so, in 2009, Donhou Bicycles was born. Now at the forefront of a young generation of builders bringing this great tradition back up to date, this eloquent man from Norwich in England is brave and forward-thinking, often eschewing the expected for the surprising, and adventurous too, as shown by his Experiments in Speed project from 2013, when he built a bike with a staggering 104-tooth chainring and rode it as fast as he could behind his old Ford Zephyr on a runway.
With the recently-launched DSS2, an adaptable, versatile road bike with a relaxed geometry making it ideal for gravel riding, Tom’s journey with Donhou is beginning to come back to its origins. “After six years of almost non-stop working on the business, I finally had the time to take a bike trip again and test the DSS2 in the process. I wanted to go back to the desert, back to the middle of nowhere.” Tom travelled to Iceland in August with a friend, the photographer George Marshall, and rode the DSS2 across the country’s barren vastness. “As soon as we got off the plane, put the bikes together and got on the road, I thought, ‘This is sweet, I’m away for seven nights, don’t know where I’m staying and have everything I need in my packs.’ I had missed that feeling.”
That feeling, that sense of adventure, which is also at the heart of every Festive 500 attempt, was challenged by truly inclement weather facing the boys as they rode for three days across Sprengisandsleið – an ancient pass whose name means ‘to ride your horse to death, to explode from exhaustion’. Battling 50mph winds and riding along an endless grey plateau of lava rocks broken up by icy river crossings may have been too much for some, but Tom embraced it: “Every time you looked up you would be blown away by what you saw. These big glacial valleys and gorges would suddenly crop up with short sheer sides covered in almost luminescent moss.”
Tom came home happy that his own ‘horse’ had survived everything that the Icelandic elements could muster, and he immediately began production on the DSS2. Just three months later and the buzz around the bike is palpable – unsurprising given its beautiful build and the current off-road adventure riding mania taking hold. Indeed, Tom says that off-road modifications had become such a staple of his custom bike builds that commercialising his own gravel road bike was purely logical. Made of Reynolds’ flagship 853 steel tubing, and equipped with disc brakes, space for up to 35c tyres, and the Wound Up Gravel fork for when you hit the rough stuff, the lucky winner of the Festive 500 is in for a new year’s treat.
The question remains, is the DSS2 that ‘perfect’ expedition bike Tom was imagining as he crossed the Gobi Desert? “No, and it wasn’t intended to be – the DSS2 has its own purpose,” he says. “The funny thing is I’ve never built that bike I imagined and maybe never will. Donhou Bicycles is the same journey for me as when I set off from Mongolia, so I’m not sure I want to do it. I might feel like I’m finished with the journey.” Not yet Tom, not yet. In fact, we think you’re just getting started.
For more information on riding the Festive 500, and on how to enter to win the Donhou Signature Steel DSS2, please visit here.
So Rapha have invited me to join their club …. they must have seen my purchases this last year and thought loyal fan.
The blurb says
‘The Rapha Cycling Club is the first cycling club of its kind, an active riding and racing club designed to create a global community of like-minded, passionate road riders.’
Click the link ….
Membership £135 – for that there would have to be a clubhouse with lap dancing (maybe), free organic coffee that has been through the digestive tract of a civet, Chris King Salt and Pepper shakers on every table. Also the ride would involve the pairing up of members like an intellectual tinder for the brain to ensure great chat on the ride.
Ideally the weather would be dialled in too – a bit of wild stuff to feel rugged and elemental but ideally 22 degrees C, perfect tarmac ….. this list could go on and on.
As we say in Cockney Africa – ‘eer Guvnor you having a giraffe’ *
*editorial note – that has never been said in Africa
Team Sky go into battle in Italy this month with Richie Porte a contender for the pink jersey. Chris Froome’s most trusted lieutenant has turned general this year, leading Team Sky from the front to take several stage race wins since the start of the season. Rapha sat down with the Australian to talk leadership, the sweet taste of victory and war stories from the road.
Hi Richie. You’ve had a brilliant start to the season, how does it feel?
It’s been more than I’d hoped for, especially after last season – the disaster that that was. To be honest, it’s quite surreal how well this season has gone so far. It’s always nice to win races like Paris-Nice, Catalunya and the Willunga stage of the Tour Down Under, but to be honest that all counts for nothing. The Giro is my big goal and that’s where I want to be at my best.
You have been in superb form since January. Is there ever a worry that you may have peaked early?
It’s not really difficult for me and that’s because we’ve got guys like Tim Kerrison and the [Team Sky] Performance Team behind us. I think Tim’s been fantastic with Brad [Wiggins] and Chris [Froome] over the years regarding when they’ve peaked and so I take confidence from that. I’m much more motivated this season than I have been in the past, and the Giro is my big opportunity to lead a team. I’m going to take that opportunity with both hands.
Why are you more motivated this year?
After you have a bad season, you look back on that and then think about how good it feels to win a race. It’s just an unbelievable feeling – for me that’s my motivation. To win any race is hard, but to have eight or nine victories like I have so far… it’s contagious.
After winning the Volta a Catalunya in March, you spoke about it giving you greater belief in yourself. Has confidence ever been a problem for you?
Confidence is a massive part of professional cycling. I’m confident in my ability, but to go to a race like Catalunya, which on paper wasn’t that great for me, up against someone in form like [Alejandro] Valverde, isn’t easy. And to win there, where I’ve only really got bad memories, it is a massive bonus for the morale.
How do you find being the team leader at races?
I wouldn’t say it is something that comes naturally to me but I’d say that over the years I’ve worked with some fantastic leaders, from Alberto [Contador] and the Schleck brothers when I was with Saxo, to Bradley in 2012 and Chris in 2013. I’m more used to riding for somebody, but with the steps I’ve taken this year I’ve embraced having those seven or eight guys commit to me.
How would you describe yourself as a leader?
Probably a little bit more stressed than Chris! Obviously he is very laid back, and so was Brad. I’m not sure what the other guys would say but I don’t think I’m that hard to work for! I like to hit the front and race from there. At the end of the day, in any team it’s easier to work for a guy who is finishing it off and winning. My big goal going into the Giro is obviously to go for as high a GC as I can get.
The 2010 edition of the race, when you wore the pink jersey for three days, must hold fond memories for you?
To grow up watching the Giro and then to be in that massive break where for 200km I realised that I was going to be in the pink jersey as long as I kept it upright and not get dropped – it still gives me goose bumps to think about it. Other than the yellow jersey I think the pink jersey is probably the most beautiful one to wear in professional cycling.
Do you enjoy riding in Italy?
Italy is where I did my amateur days – I moved there from Australia in 2007. I like the way the Italians do it. When we stay in Italy for races, at the hotels they take such pride in their food and their coffee and that mixes so well with cycling. Even though I live in Monaco I find I often ride into Italy for the coffee, the piadini and the focaccias. I just love it – it’s so simple, but it works.
Are there any Italian riders, past or present, that you particularly enjoy watching?
You’d probably look back to Basso in the CSC days, with the class he used to ride with. Either that or Paolo Savoldelli – I used to love watching him, the way he used to go down the descents like a lead balloon. Someone who I also loved watching, although he’s not Italian, is Michael Wilson. He was the first Aussie winner of a stage of the Giro – a real trailblazer – and he had a massive influence on me. I saw Rapha did a film about him in my hometown of Launceston and it was almost emotional to watch because from where I’m from, almost nobody knows who Michael is and what he’s done. He’s such a humble champ.
Who do you think will be your main rivals this year?
I think it’s Contador’s race to lose. He’s the guy that has won the race before and I think he’s motivated. There are other guys like [Fabio] Aru or Rigoberto [Uran], my old team mate. He’s been second two years in a row so he knows what he’s doing. He’s such a cool champion too – I respect him and look forward to racing against him.
How will you unwind post-stage to take your mind off the racing?
I love it on the bus afterwards. That’s your mental break: you get on the bus, have your shower, eat and talk to your teammates. Somebody has always got a story, a near miss, or an argument they had with another rider – I love it. Then obviously at the dinner table it’s good to hear some of the war stories. I love listening to Bernie (Eisel), Brad (Wiggins) and Mick Rogers when he was on our team, talking about the days of suffering they’ve had at the grand tours.
If you win, how much celebrating will you do before thoughts turn to July?
I’ve got a good mate and his wife coming to stay with me and my fiancée for a few days so I’m sure there would be some pretty big celebrations. After the Giro I’m off to Manchester for ten days because that’s where my fiancée is from and I’m really looking forward to using that as my recovery period. Then it’s all eyes on the Tour!
The popular Rapha Festive 500 will be returning soon, the now annual challenge to ride 500km over the Christmas period, and this year there are prizes to be won including a Ricky Feather frame with a unique Rapha Continental paint scheme. That’s enough motivation right there to get you out the front door and battle the elements and tick off the mileage, if it were needed.
The popular Rapha Festive 500 will be returning soon, the now annual challenge to ride 500km over the Christmas period, and this year there are prizes to be won including a Ricky Feather frame with a unique Rapha Continental paint scheme. That’s enough motivation right there to get you out the front door and battle the elements and tick off the mileage, if it were needed.
So miles mean prizes, and there are more, including a load of Rapha clothing, a very fine Race Notes leather-bound book, and the Great Road Climbs book by Graeme Fife. What do you have to do to stand a chance to win one of these prizes we hear you ask? Rapha simply wants to hear your stories as you embark on the challenge, and the best-told stories will stand a chance of winning a prize. There are three categories – Most Inclement, Best Story, Prix de la Combativité, Best Photography, and a Grand Prize for Creativity.
Of course you need to actually ride 500km as well – the idea is that you ride 500km (311 miles) between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, and post evidence of your efforts. That’s eight riding days, so you’ll need to average 62.5km (about 39 miles) per day.
This is your chance to get creative. Document your 500km with photos, share them on the internet, print them out and post them to Rapha, scribble illustrations after every ride. Write a poem. Film it, send postcards, anything you want to do to record the Festive 500 is encouraged and welcomed. Remember, it’s meant to be a bit of fun.
In Copenhagen –
From TRAVEL GADGET: Rapha’s City Cycling Guide to Europe
I’ve just returned from a rather ambitious Europe circuit on road.
Well, it’s definitely on motorized wheels for me, but I found these resonating with me – not of prospects of me hopping on a human powered bike soon, but rather of friends who are circumventing the earth on them, and of the various European cyclists – some as old as 60 years and some solo – covering the lengths of Addis Ababa to Nairobi (reversed as well) in February this year.
By now, you’ll know I am drawn to serious gadgets and cutesy travel type books. This is the latter: Rapha’s City Cycling Europe.
It covers eight volumes – Amsterdam, Antwerp/Ghent, Barcelona, Berlin, Copenhagen, London, Milan, and Paris – and offers bike practicalities, highlights to hit by bike, and the differences in bike culture (and how to ride safely) in each city which is very useful. But rest assured, unlike Asia or the big continent (US), Europe respects someone on two wheels every bit as much as four.
At 64 pages or so, the guides are small enough to fit in a wide jersey pocket and light enough that you’d take them with you.
But Rapha’s City Cycling Europe true value lies in their inspiration: The writing by Max Leonard and Andrew Edwards is lively. The design by local artist in each location is lovely and authentic, with the retro-Euro look throughout. The maps are extensive and fun to immerse yourself in. The viewpoint is urbane, and the overall sense is that bicycle travel is every bit as noble as any other kind.
Any passionate cyclist would love you for getting it for them …
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Key Features:
Exclusive slipcase
115 × 175mm (Rapha jersey pocket sized)
See the City Guides training and racing routes addendum – complete with ridewithgps. Apps
Still reliving the race sorry sportive. I think 130km is a good indictor if clothes are working and I must say I am so impressed with the Rapha gear. That is 3 months of riding and not one niggle – everything well made and works. The bib shorts in particular are up there with assos and the better Castelli stuff – the pad is really comfy. Whilst I am a MED rapha top – the MED bib shorts are on the small side of medium – think the bibs are more Italian sizing (like Castelli in which I have a large – as I am a 31inch waist) but still comfy and almost has a compression quality for the legs.
My whole setup is good now – the only niggle is in the shoe dept. think I need to invest in better shoes – the entry level shimano shoes I start to feel every part of the sole after 60+km. But still alright at the moment.
PORTLAND, OREGON — May 14, 2013 — Simon Mottram, founder of Rapha Racing Ltd., an upscale bicycle apparel brand, has seen his creation rocket from T-shirt obscurity to trend setting success. Motoya Nakamura/The Oregonian
My first really cold ride, at -6C, was in January last year doing the the Strathpuffer 24. but preparation made it easy with ice spike tyres …. and enough layers to make an onion scared.
This year i have been hitting the turbo which is not a great thing as there are only so many cardio fat burn whilst watching Breaking Bad sessions I can do
I couldn’t stand the thought of riding indoors again, especially for a two-hour ride. Some will call it justification, but I prefer to call it logic. Cycling outdoors in the fresh air and sun would be much better for my mental and physical well-being than riding an indoor trainer for two hours.
icy roads
No, I didn’t have to ride outdoors; it was a well-thought-out choice, a preference. After doing that first really cold ride, I now know that I can do it and I much prefer being outside than inside.
IS IT SAFE?
I don’t think riding outside in sub-freezing temperatures is necessarily dangerous, but I do believe certain precautions are wise:
If the roads are snow-packed or icy, try to choose a route that has low traffic volume.
Relearn how to brake – a fistful of brake can see you hit the deck pretty hard
Minimize long downhill sections to avoid getting cold from wind chill.
A mountain bike, with its wide tires, is more stable than a road bike.
Run lower tire pressure to increase traction and handling.
Ride with a buddy so that if one of you has trouble, there is another person to lend a hand.
Carry disposable chemical hand or toe warmers. They can be put in your shoes if your toes get cold, or can be used to warm your hands if you have to do a mechanical repair.
Carry a cell phone.
Have someone available to pick you up if you call for help.
HOW DO YOU DRESS FOR SUB-FREEZING CYCLING?
I’m sure you already know that some people show up in a jersey and knee warmers for the same ride that someone else will be wearing leg warmers, arm warmers, a vest and a base layer shirt. I’ll give you my personal preferences for cold-weather riding gear, but know that I get cold easily.
Recently, I did a ride where the temperature ranged from 10.9 degrees to about -2C degrees, not counting wind chill. I’ll take you through my outfit from head to toe.
Helmet
and ear muff thing
Merino inner layer
Rapha long sleeve Jersey
Rapha Gilet
Rain Jersey – more as emergency extra windproof layer
rapha 3/4 bibs
old arm warmers as lower leg warmers (leg warmers may be better)
Shimano shoes and neoprene covers
Gloves long fingered but not very thick
If the weather gets colder i sometimes wear my Nike running tights over the cycling bib and a thicker jersey over the long sleeve on instead of the Gilet. A neck warmer is handy too for the chin.
Bought some new cycling gear – after a year of using and loving their shorts leave jersey and arm warmers the option was to get more rapha stuff. Long sleeve top and a gilet
top
top with gilet
And also not show a pair of 3/4 rapha bibs. My pal Brian said his were more comfortable than his Castelli and Lusso pairs so high praise from a man doing 400miles/week. Will try them quickly to see if they are the right size. (ie not Italian sizing where I am a Large) and them do a quick turbo session as roads are still icy outside.
It seemed that for the third year in a row I wouldn’t finish the race. The previous two years’ editions had been brutal, not for the distance, elevation or even the gravel – but rather, the heat.
Words: Simon Robins
The starting point for this year’s NW Rapha Gentlemen’s Race was the small ski town of Government Camp, near the base of Mt. Hood in Oregon. The snow capped mountain has watched over every Rapha Gentlemen’s Race since 2008. It would also serve as a magnificent landmark to gauge where we were on our journey that included 122 miles and over 12,000 feet of climbing. 26 teams from all over the western States had signed up for the adventure and, as is to be expected with such events, every rider was in for a day to remember.
Our team’s 08.24 scheduled roll out was a blur of chamois cream, stuffing pockets, tire inflation and hi-fives. Scheduled because it turns out a member of our team needed a few adjustments to her bike and so, around 15 minutes and one team photo later, we were finally on the road and all systems were go. No problem.
With the free miles ticking over as we dropped down the mountain, I took a second to absorb this long-awaited moment. There’s nothing better than actually getting on the bike and riding after a few weeks of lead-up – no more prep, no more thinking, no more counting down the days. We were on, and everything was as it should be.
During the week there had been talk that this course was going to be “tough,” with “more gravel and elevation than other years,” which can lead your thoughts in one of two directions: You can begin to question why you’d want to suffer for nine-plus hours or alternately, you can crave the abyss of possibility knowing that it is days like these that are the core of why we ride.
This was the first time the six of us had ridden together, yet it felt like a natural fit. Named after the acclaimed online cycling journal Tenspeed Hero, our team included: the Texan of Wooly Mammoth fame Patrick Newell; photographer Dan Sharp; Joe “no brakes!” Staples; French import and Rapha-FOCUS cross pro Julie Krasniak; the nicest-guy on-two-wheels Clint Culpepper and yours truly. Not a bad half-dozen.
Aside from Julie, we all had a few of these rides in our collective saddle packs and knew that the key to a successful Gentlemen’s Race is simple – cohesion.
It takes six in to win.
This was a mantra we’d agreed to subscribe to before we set off and, given the unpredictable nature of a Gentlemen’s Race, would serve us well throughout the day. However we rode: two-up, fast rolling turns, attacking the climbs or off the gas, we were in this together – one unit, with six moving parts.
In addition to cohesion it also helps to be able to follow a cue sheet. This was proven not once, but twice by a very eager team: After they pace-lined past us down Hwy 30, we jokingly reminded them of this fact after they came by again, having missed the first turn.
Ascending the first climb of the day on Lolo Pass Rd, both of our teams exchanged laughs until they decided to attack the mountain. A few minutes later we noticed they’d once again taken a wrong road (the second turn), which meant their big-ringing effort was all for naught. We were together again. Cheers (mainly from our team) ensued and this time (unsurprisingly) they didn’t hang around to heed our navigational ‘advice.’
A few miles on we reached the crest of Lolo and began our descent along a narrow road bordered by lush green Doug Fir pines. Patrick rolled up to Clint and thanked him for preparing his new tires earlier in the week, then, not more than a minute later – ‘pssssssh’ – he punctured. During the repair the Wooly Mammoth team flew past, hurling the mandatory jokes as Rapha Racing and last year’s winners, River City, took up the chase. We pushed off and continued bombing down Lolo’s backside, eager to make up some time.
The short, punchy climb of Ten Eyck Rd stood between us and the first designated pit stop in Sandy. Conversation disappeared as we linked up with Team Beer and tackled the high-grades at our own rhythm. ‘Pssssssh’ – Patrick chalked up number two. While he took care of business, a gang of Mods out on a joyride strangled their scooters up the steep incline and for a second it felt as though we’d been transported to the English countryside.
Moments later we rolled into the first designated checkpoint and stocked up on food and water. One team had even arranged a truck (yes, it was an actual truck) of supplies, and in the spirit of the race they were only too keen to share.
Recharged, we settled into mile after mile of super fun rollers, swapping turns at the front and enjoying the wind at our tails. We were flying, so much so that I felt like I’d ridden my chain dry. I saw the photographer’s car so I slid up and asked if they had any chain lube. “Nope, sorry,” came the reply. “No problem,” I said. As I pulled in front of the car and began the next climb, my rear derailleur exploded all over the road. After quick inspection from Jared, the mechanic in the car, the verdict was — “You’re done.”
It seemed that for the third year in a row I wouldn’t finish the race. The previous two years’ editions had been brutal, not for the distance, elevation or even the gravel – but rather, the heat. No one had trained for nine-plus hours in 110F and all but a handful of riders were forced to cut out the final climb.
This year was different: cloud cover and 70F meant that conditions were ideal. While I rapidly processed my options (single speed the final 65 miles?) Dan and Joe wheeled over the hill. “Is this what you need?” Amazingly, they’d found the culprit: a ¼” screw that had ejected itself 100 yards earlier. We were back in the game.
Seeing as I was riding on borrowed time, I figured I owed the team for keeping our quest alive and decided to get on the front and pull us to the foot of the final climb. This 14-mile gravel section was designed to test each team’s doggedness, and in true Gentlemen’s Race fashion, would begin at the 104-mile mark. We hit Still Creek Rd, buoyed by a bonus section of paved road and a sunlit forest draped in Spanish moss.
But the wonderment was short lived as the road deteriorated to a narrow, potholed 4WD track. It was time to let the dog off the leash. As we strived to float over loose rocks the path’s invisible hand pushed us back down to a grinding, seated climb. Then about halfway up, deep in the middle of nowhere, we heard yelling and clapping. And as we rounded a corner we discovered a gang of friends from Portland. Beer hand-ups, shouts of encouragement and maybe a push or two were just what we needed to motivate us towards home.
Crossing the line in formation I wondered what it must feel like to actually win this race. Sure, there’s pride on the line, the good fortune of being invited, a year of having it over the other teams and the sense of accomplishment knowing you took on the parcoursand won. For now though, we were more than happy that we’d finished. In fact all 26 teams did – a fitting testament to the stunning course design. And once again, River City Bicycles took home the biscuits.
If you’re fortunate enough to be a part of a Gentlemen’s Race, heed the advice best summed up in two words Joe had written on his hand – ‘chill out’.
The black and white theme continues
Kite*Surf*Bike*Rambling 