BIKE Magazine - February 2021

2021

SPECIAL EDITION

INCLUDES PHOTO ALBUM

TRAINING UK’S LEISURE CYCLING AND TRAVEL MAGAZINE BIKE-MAG.COM

CYCLING STAYCATIONS

EXPLORE ENGLAND’S VINEYARDS

BY BIKE

THAILAND Who remembers adventure?

FEBRUARY 2021

STRIVE FOR FLEXIBILITY TOURING

24 HOURS IN AMSTERDAM

ISLAY An island of idyllic beauty and great coffee

PHOTO CONTEST

WINNERS

FEBRUARY 2021

£5.99/€6.99 MADE IN THE UK

& INTERVIEWS

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CHOOSE TERRA [TERRA Speed] [TERRA Trail] @conti_road conti-tyres.co.uk

FEBRUARY 2021 BIKE MAGAZINE 3

CONTENTS BIKE-MAG.COM

INSIDE FEBRUARY 2021

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54

24 Hours in Amsterdam The city is synonymous with the bike, around every corner and in every crevice it breathes bikes. It’s a cyclist’s spiritual home, a temple to all things two wheeled.

18 Cycling Staycations With the prospect of ‘staycations’ increasingly becoming a reality, we head into 2021 desperately searching for alternative ways to take a break this summer.

2021

30 Islay There are basically two types of bike ride: those that offer little alternative, and those that do. The first category encompasses that of commuting, where it is necessary to ride from point A to point B for purposes of work, education or shopping.

BIKE TIMES: THAILAND

44 Head Out On The Highway

38

Cycling is surging in popularity, with older generations taking the lead. Here we gain some insights from the experts

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UK’s Global Golf and Travel Magazine

Golf and Travel Magazine is the UK’s leading multi-platform golf media brand, and is being read by more UK golfers than ever before, following a significant increase in its distribution channels over the last 12 months.

The magazine has developed from being much more than just a print publication, with a large and popular website, as well as an array of social media channels. Including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram The accessible and user-friendly web-based magazine has proved a hit with club golfers and industry professionals alike, and has helped to reach a wider and more targeted audience than ever.

February 2021

HOME GOLF

PRACTICE Sunningdale Golf Club

PREPARE FOR 2021

David Short Golf JUNE 2021

£8.49/€9.99 MADE IN THE UK

Golf and Travel Magazine will continue to do what it has always done – provide topical news and exclusive features that are relevant and interesting to club golfers.

TOP GOLF COURSES – BEST GOLF CLUBS – LUXURY STAYS - LUXURY TRAVEL

Golf & Travel Magazine

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1

FEBRUARY 2021 BIKE MAGAZINE 5

WELCOME BIKE-MAG.COM

WELCOME

to the February issue

This month’s issue is one of the most exciting one’s of the year so far. Okay, we know it’s only February but, in this issue, we share the results of our wonderful photography competition! What a better way to power us through the last days of winter than checking out these glorious photos?

Of course, we also have our usual contributor stories and even have a Q and A with a professional trainer to answer all those burning bike questions. So, whether you’re here to read about one person’s adventures around Thailand, find out what you should be eating whilst cycling, or you simply want to marvel at some amazing photography, you have found the right magazine for you.

Grace Barnott Palin Editor in Chief grace.barnott@bike-mag.com

> Grace Barnott Palin - Editor in Chief

Follow us facebook.com/thebikemag instagram.com/bikemaguk twitter.com/TheBikeMag

Magazine Team Editor: Grace Barnott Palin T. +44 (0)207 097 5177 E. editor@bike-mag.com Production Manager: Jack Adams T. +44 (0)207 097 5177 E. jack.adams@bike-mag.com Account Manager: Kate Chesterman T. +44 (0)207 097 5177 E. accounts@bike-mag.com

Sales Manager: Ana Santos E. ana.santos@bike-mag.com

2021

Sales Executive: Alexander Jameson E. alexander.jameson@bike-mag.com

INCLUDES PHOTO ALBUM

TRAINING

BIKE-MAG.COM

CYCLING STAYCATIONS

Sales Executive: Moeez Ali E. moeez.ali@bike-mag.com

SPECIAL EDITION

UK’S LEISURE CYCLING AND TRAVEL MAGAZINE

EXPLORE ENGLAND’S VINEYARDS

BY BIKE

THAILAND Who remembers adventure?

Sales Executive: Carlos Adams E. carlos.adams@bike-mag.com FEBRUARY 2021

£5.99/€6.99 MADE IN THE UK

Publisher Webify Media Ltd 59 Jodane Street, London

To advertising please visit https://bike-mag.com/advertise

FEBRUARY 2021

STRIVE FOR FLEXIBILITY TOURING

24 HOURS IN AMSTERDAM

ISLAY An island of idyllic beauty and great coffee

PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS & FINALISTS

6 BIKE MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2021

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STRIVE FOR FLEXIBILITY

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HOW 2020 HAS TAUGHT US TO BE FLEXIBLE IN OUR TRAINING As we start the year, traditionally we begin building plans for the season and races ahead. I used always to make the point that top-level athletes would know almost four years before the Olympic Games the very minute that they need to peak for. Their start time would be etched in stone, and training would aim to enable peak-performance at that moment in time. This demonstrates a beautiful but somewhat brutal reality of high-performance sport.

You only get one chance.

Admittedly, 2020 ruined that example! Olympic athletes suddenly had to delay things by a year and merge the next four-year cycle into a three-year build for Paris. Their known knowns suddenly became unknown. As amateurs, we may well have dreams and ambitions which are some way ahead of us in the future, but we usually have a plan for the races, events and adventures that we will be entering. 2020 demonstrated that we had to have flexibility in programs to adapt to the situation around us.

Let me first raise the point about self-interest: as a coach, of course,

I’m going to say you need an adaptable training programme (coach). However, ignoring that personal gain, why do I believe flexibility is critical to any highperformance athlete? What can amateur athletes learn about flexibility and how to apply it to a training programme?

Although an Olympic athlete knows when they need to be ready to perform down to the minute, they would never depict the exact path they will take to get there. No one can, no coach or training plan will ever plot the precise route. Their journey culminates in successful and unsuccessful training sessions, and it is a story of good and poor decisions: one individual to them.

To be successful training had to be specific to the athlete. This means allowing for their physiology, genetics, psychology, personality and several other factors. It always surprises me when you have systems that work a process to mould an athlete rather than moulding the process for the athlete.

Take, for example, a selection process, military training, crews

Philip Hatzis Founder and Head Coach of Tri Training Harder. https://tritrainingharder.com/coach/ philip-hatzis Social Media: Twitter: @Philip_Hatzis Instagram: @philiphatzis1

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or team-sports, etc. These are all examples of how one method is fixed for several different athletes.

They have set standards and pass or fail points that ensure that only the best get through. In theory. But what happens if an athlete is the best but takes longer to recover?

Sebastian Kienle, an IRONMAN World champion said he sometimes takes two or even three rest days in a row. I’m not sure there are (m)any training plans which support that approach. So if that isn’t in a training plan but the world’s best use that principle, then what is right? How does Kienle choose to take an extra day of rest (or two) knowing that it will work well for him?

This is where flexibility is critical.

Race days are usually fixed, but the path to get there is very different. For the best results, there is one path for every different athlete trying to get there. To enable the best outcome for any particular athlete, they must push at times appropriate for them, and they must rest at the times that are not. Therefore, athletes must begin to build that self-awareness into their performance skills.

There are two parts to this: firstly they must be able to listen to what their body is telling them and secondly, they have to trust themselves to make that informed decision. If we get an injury or a niggle, most of the time, after an honest reflection, we know that that session or rep was a bridge too far. Deep down, after something happens, we know we were running the edge, and our gamble was the wrong one. We also realise that that one ride probably wasn’t worth the risk compared to several days or weeks out of training.

Imagine if you could be so tuned in that you realised this before the incident rather than afterwards.

Things like HRV, mood, reflectionsubjective scores and diaries help athletes objectify or understand when they should push on and maybe back off. When these scores are coupled with athletic

maturity and more of a heads-up approach to training, we can use this information to make good decisions to understand those plans’ consequences. Remember, there is always more than one way to the same goal.

For many athletes, the first step is to pay attention to what the expert is telling them. For everyone, that expert is their body. Coaches have a knack of tapping into an athlete’s signals to make decisions around training and motivation with the athlete, but the athlete has the opportunity of being the expert.

Remember Kienle said he would take an extra couple of days of rest?

That was because he could feel he needed it. Many people may focus on the fact he trained so hard that he required three-days of resting.

I’d sooner point out that he was so in tune with himself that he could train so hard and know how much recovery he needed. Too many athletes are caught up in bragging rights, kudos or “ride on’s” and hate to take a step back in case they lose their leaderboard position, an all green week on Training Peaks or their peers will drag them out for one short “easy spin”. They are distracted.

Goal setting is a topic that is regularly covered by media at around this time of year. I’d like to avoid the term “goal”. Milestones or objectives are better. To achieve high performance down to the minute on race day, a flexible plan and a flexible athlete allows deviations, from a plan to achieve the same effect. This is different from avoiding the sessions you don’t like doing! A milestone still exists: if you want to break 20 mins for a 10 mile TT or win a bunch sprint, you must first break 25 minutes or hit a set target power. These milestones still must be valid for the performance to be realised.

Regularly, I’ll hear athletes say that they “have” to do a ride in the morning. Or they have a session they have “got to do”. The truth is that none of the sessions must

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be done. And certainly not always in that order. The athlete remains fixed and sees ticking off sessions as the milestones, rather than the performance achievements. Perhaps at times, there is a combination of sessions that need to be done. E.g. for a stage race, the athlete needs to get used to sitting on a saddle for multiple days on end! However, if an athlete remains part of the planning process, understands the milestone and knows where they are trying to get to, then with flexibility and self-awareness, they are more likely to achieve success.

It begs the question, that if organisations (governing bodies, the military, or companies) have fixed processes, how many better athletes or people are they missing out on because there is no adaptability to the selection process?

If we have learned anything from 2020,

it’s that things can change: athletes who could adapt fared better than those who did not. Those athletes who had a greater goal, a willingness to change a plan and a decent selfawareness, were able to pivot their training and rebuild for the next goal.

Those who need to tick boxes or turn sessions on training Peaks green suddenly found themselves lost.

With 2021 looming and some event organisers pulling the plug on musical festivals or performances, travel still being questioned, other race organisers are pushing on to ensure there will be a competition (for example the London Marathon in October). Even now, we do not know what will happen this season.

We can only do what we know. Set ourselves goals and milestones to ensure that we can keep building our performance up and plan on how to

pivot into racing main events in 2021 when they are confirmed. We can create a clear structure for what the few weeks leading up to it will be like, we can plan how that may look, but don’t need to worry about when the event is until we are sure it will take place! Then we can focus, not on the event, but the milestones and the objectives along the way and the main event can change as much as it needs to, we still know what the next step of the journey will look like and react to our body’s response to those steps.

In a year where even now nothing is certain, we aren’t sure when races will start and when we need to deliver the best versions of ourselves, we should be working on training our flexibility, adaptability and self-awareness. If we can do that, we will undoubtedly become better, more consistent athletes in 2021 and beyond.

FEBRUARY 2021 BIKE MAGAZINE 11

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24 HOURS IN AMSTERDAM

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Scot Whitlock Twitter: cadencemag Website: cadencemag.co.uk Author, ‘Simple Words from the Saddle, Simply More Words from the Saddle & The Way of St James’ Twitter: @saddlescot

The city is synonymous with the bike, around every corner and in every crevice it breathes bikes. It’s a cyclist’s spiritual home, a temple to all things two wheeled.

I have always loved the idea of Amsterdam; its pragmatism is by far its greatest attraction. The Dutch had the first homosexual marriage, the red light district is regularly visited by families and it’s synonymous with its relaxed approach to drugs, which infuriates most because in reality the liberal drugs policy hasn’t actually seen an increase in drug use. It’s simple to immerse in all that Amsterdam had to offer, stunning museums,

contemporary galleries, an intricate network of canals and vibrant nightlife There are an abundance of these infamous establishments dotted throughout the city, café-clubs, café-pubs and café-bars, a visit is a must.

WHERE TO STAY? NH City Centre (Spuistraat 288-292,

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1012 VX Amsterdam; +31 20 420 4545) set in a 1920s-era redbrick building by the Singel canal, this straightforward hotel is a minute’s walk from the nearest tram stop, a 12-minute walk from the Anne Frank House and a 13-minute walk from the trendy Jordaan neighborhood.

The bright rooms with modern furnishings feature free Wi-Fi and flat-screen TVs, as well as minibars and sitting areas. Most rooms have canal views. Upgraded rooms add extra space and beds.

A breakfast buffet is served in the casual dining room. There’s a low-key bar, plus a rustic restaurant set in a nearby 17thcentury buildin

WHERE TO EAT? Fat Dog (Ruysdaelkade 251 1072 AX Amsterdam; (+31) 20 221 6249) For hot dogs, look no further than the Fat Dog, Amsterdam’s first-ever hot dog joint, opened by acclaimed chef/restaurateur Ron Blaauw in 2014. Order an all-pork frank with sauerkraut, mustard, and onion marmalade (called “Gangs of New York”) or go for the chicken “Gado Gado” hot dog with satay sauce, cabbage, and serundeng (spiced coconut flakes). Innovation doesn’t stop there: The lamb dog comes with baba ganoush, and there’s also a veggie dog. [$]

WHAT TO SEE? Once home to a stinky wax candle factory and marshy meadows, the Museum Quarter has been transformed into the City’s most affluent area. Home to the Riksmuseum, Stedelijk Museum, Van Gogh Museum and a diverse array of boutique outlets and specialist artisan shops, which would adequately fuel any shopping spree.

The Rijksmusuem (Museumstraat 1, 1071 XX Amsterdam) is massive and is believed to house over one million objects. Its stunning ornate façade is best enjoyed from the peaceful serenity of the expertly manicured gardens opposite, the only sound was the sporadic rush of water from the contemporary water feature set in the heart of the greenery. As we approached the entrance I noticed several cyclists emerge from the interior. Amazingly a bicycle path has allowed pedestrians and cyclists a shortcut across the city ever since the museum was built. The path is in a tunnel, separating galleries and proving a nuisance to curators, but offering a unique opportunity for Amsterdam’s cycle-loving citizens. However whilst the

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museum was closed for renovation there were calls for its permanent closure, the Rijksmuseum arguing it was a hazard to its visitors. At one point there was a chance the city might have to hold a referendum before the City Council jumped in and decided it would stay.

Vigilance and compromise is key.

Inside the highlight and main attraction is the Rembrandt floor especially the world famous ‘Night Watch’ depicting the jovial bunch of civic guards, it was great to able to sit looking at this masterpiece with the minimal distraction apart from the occasional interloper (usually American) but my personal favourite is the ‘Militia Company of District VIII under the command of Captain Roelof Bicker’ by Bartholomeus van der Helst. The images so lifelike, the painter capturing every emotion and expression.

THE UNUSUAL? Anne Franks Huis (Prinsengracht 263-267, 1016 GV Amsterdam; +31 20 556 7105) For more than two years Anne and her family lived in the annex of the building at Prinsengracht 263 where Anne’s father, Otto Frank, also had his business. It was strange and emotional to walk through the doorway to the annex that was concealed behind a moveable bookcase constructed especially for this purpose. On August 4, 1944, the hiding place was betrayed.

The people in hiding were deported to various concentration camps. Only Otto Frank survived the war and arranged for Anne’s inspirational words to be published as a book. Nowadays, the rooms within the property, though empty, still breathe the atmosphere of that period of time, slightly eerie.

Quotations from the diary, historical documents, photographs, film images, and original objects that belonged to those in hiding and the helpers illustrate the events that took place here and allow you to contemplate the horrors of war and how it impacts on real people’s lives. During her time in hiding, Anne’s wrote a diary, developing into a talented writer and the original diary and other notebooks are on display in the museum. The whole experience is very moving and tastefully presented and made me so thankful for my life in relative freedom. I would highly recommend a visit especially if you want to see a different more refined and less frenetic side to the city.

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RED LIGHT DISTRICT The majority of people have heard about Amsterdam’s Red Light District well before their visit. Leaving nothing to the imagination, some stereotypes about this area are true…

There are plenty of sex shops, peep shows, brothels, an elaborate condom shop, a sex museum and prostitutes in red-lit windows. But the heart of Amsterdam is much more than that.

New opportunities are setting in place a future for the city centre that will show the many qualities.

Prostitution has enjoyed a long tradition of tolerance in Amsterdam.

Safety is key here. In addition to preventing forced prostitution, the aim is an open and honest approach.

Sex-workers here have their own union, plenty of police protection, an information centre (for visitors as well), frequent monitoring and testing and professional standards.

BIKE HIRE? Mike Bike Tours (Prins Hendrikkade 176 1011 TC Amsterdam; +31(0) 20 622 7970) specialise in undercover rental bikes. Which means no big signs on the front of our bike rentals advertising that you are a tourist. So with their bicycle rentals you can ride around incognito and really enjoy bicycling in and around Amsterdam. They offer a wide variation of sizes and colours to suit everyone. So if you want to rent a bike in Amsterdam, drop by their shop for your cool rental bikes.

When renting bikes, Mike’s Bike Rentals requires you to leave one of the following as a deposit: • a Passport OR • European ID card OR • Driver’s license OR • a credit card imprint (Please note that we are only able to make an imprint in our Rental shop on the Kerkstraat and it’s possible with Visa or Mastercard, no electron cards accepted,) OR • €300 cash.

GETTING THERE? There are several ways of travelling from the UK to Amsterdam. The quickest and easiest way is by air from a selection of UK airports . The Eurostar train is a good alternative from London, connecting via Brussels with one of the high-speed rail links into Amsterdam. A more leisurely alternative is to travel by ferry from Harwich to Hook of Holland with rail

connections either end.

Flights to Amsterdam There are frequent daily flights to Amsterdam from most UK airports.

London Heathrow is serviced by KLM and British Airways. London Gatwick offers flights by EasyJet and British Airways. London Southend also accommodate Easyjet and London City airport is serviced by KLM, British Airways and VLM Airlines. The two outlying airports of Luton and Stanstead are serviced by EasyJet. Train from London to Amsterdam by Eurostar This is the high-speed daytime option taking just 5 hours 36 minutes city centre to city centre (compare this with around 4½ hours by air in total), with a wide choice of departures and no sea crossing involved. Take Eurostar from London to Brussels via the Channel Tunnel, then either the hourly InterCity train or a high-speed Thalys train from Brussels to Amsterdam. A comfortable & relaxed way to travel, especially when compared to flying. Book early for the cheapest prices which start

around £69 one way. For full details go to www.eurostar.com Amsterdam by train + ferry This is the cheapest & most leisurely way to go, with combined train+ferry fares from as little as £29 one-way to central Amsterdam or any station in the Netherlands. You take an early morning train to Harwich, Stena Line’s daytime ferry to Hook of Holland, then Dutch trains to Amsterdam, arriving early evening.

Overnight with cabin: This is the most convenient & time-effective way to go, and one ticket covers the whole journey. From around £55 one-way, this option takes you from central London to central Amsterdam or anywhere else in the Netherlands.

The fare includes the train to Harwich, a private cabin on the ferry with en suite shower/toilet, and onward train travel in the Netherlands. Leave central London in the evening, sleep on the ferry, and arrive in Rotterdam, the Hague or Amsterdam next morning. It runs daily, ideal for a weekend away or an eco-friendly business trip

FEBRUARY 2021 BIKE MAGAZINE 17

Bike Hotel Paradiso

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Livigno

Have you seen all the advantages you get by experiencing Livigno on a mountain bike? Well let yourself be led by the many cycling offers here at Hotel Paradiso!

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Would you like to crank your holiday up a gear?

Well choose Hotel Paradiso, a genuine bike hotel in Livigno, that offers services for cyclists, special agreements with the Mottolino Bike Park, Flow Country Carosella 3000 and with bike shops in the area.

Via Freita, 1709 - I 23030 LIVIGNO (SO) Fax: +39 0342 99 60 37 | Tel: +39 0342 996633 Email: info@hparadiso.info Website: https://www.hparadiso.info/en/ ď‚‚ hotelparadisolivigno ď…­#bikehotelparadisolivigno

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EXPLORE ENGLAND’S VINEYARDS BY BIKE With the prospect of ‘staycations’ increasingly becoming a reality, we head into 2021 desperately searching for alternative ways to take a break this summer. Whilst for some, a day relaxing in the sun, feet up with a glass in hand, is the only way to wind down, others desire action, adventure, and the wind in their hair; so, is achieving both simply impossible? At Cycle The Vineyards, they believe it certainly is not.

Once upon a time, travelling to Champagne, the Loire valley or Italy seemed to be the only way to enjoy a luxury holiday whilst exploring outstanding vineyards.

Now you need look no further than your doorsteps, as you’ll find international, award-winning vineyards right here in the UK.

Warmer British summers not only mean more enjoyable cycling (and maybe a few extra tan lines), but also better harvests; the 2018 harvest reached record production numbers of 15.6 million bottles across England and Wales.

It’s not just the quantity of wine that has increased, the quality just keeps on improving too. At the 2018 International Sommelier Awards, English and Welsh wines won more awards than Champagne for the first time ever. At last year’s Decanter World Wine Awards, English wines were awarded a record number of medals.

Cycle The Vineyards launched in 2018, helping cycling and wine lovers get to know English wines better through cycling tours to

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vineyards for tutored wine tastings and winery tours. Their founder, Will Males, grew up cycling along Kent’s quiet, country lanes. He believes that the southeast is still somewhat of a hidden gem for cyclists, who tend to focus on the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District, or further afield in the Alps and Pyrenees.

There are plenty of challenging climbs and spectacular views, and the rolling hills give you a chance to get your breath back before you take on the next ascent. Their tours pass through several Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and National Parks, so incredible landscapes are guaranteed.

They have tours to suit all abilities and budgets. Their half-day, selfguided trips end at a vineyard for lunch and a wine tasting, while their all-inclusive, five-day, guided tours feature gourmet food and wine extravaganzas with all the trimmings.

“We want to create something really special for each guest, so as well as the wine tastings, luxury dining and accommodation, we like to include unforgettable, handson experiences at the vineyards” said Will. “In previous years guests have ‘disgorged’ their own bottle of sparkling wine at Gusbourne, and we’re now working with vineyards to create ‘dosage’ trials, where guests can experiment with the amount of sugar added to a base sparkling wine to make it dry or sweeter, before putting the cork in their very own bottle. At Chapel Down guests are taught a new party trick, learning how to slice off the top of a bottle in a ‘sabrage’ masterclass, which is always great fun!”

Their popular three-day Wine Garden of England Tour stops at four vineyards that are all part of the Wine Garden of England group, celebrating Kentish wines. The tour also highlights the best of local, seasonal produce, showcasing why

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Kent earned its moniker as the Garden of England. Guests will enjoy wine and food pairings, from platters of local meats and cheeses (and vegetables of course!) for lunch at Gusbourne Estate and Hush Heath Winery, to a five-course meal with paired wines at Squerryes Winery.

wonderful Wine Garden of England partnership is inspiring new and exciting initiatives such as Cycle The Vineyards. What better way to raise a glass to our county’s spectacular wine producers than taking in the sights and tastes of the Wine Garden of England on two wheels?”

Small groups are led by local guides at a leisurely pace through Kent’s beautiful countryside, covering 30 miles on the first and last days, and 50 miles on the middle day. Setting off from Sevenoaks, you’ll be guided along undulating lanes through Kent’s High Weald AONB, before descending onto Romney Marsh on the final day. Romney Marsh has been reclaimed from the sea, so you can enjoy an easy, relaxed morning, spinning along pan-flat, traffic-free roads.

Cycle The Vineyards creates bespoke tours for private and corporate groups, so whether you want to cycle further and faster, would prefer more time at the vineyards, have specific producers you would like to visit, or have a set budget in mind, they’ll curate a unique experience specifically for you.

Not to be outdone by the wine or cycling, the accommodation is also an important part of the experience, with guests on the Wine Garden of England Tour staying at the historic Hever Castle – childhood home of Anne Boleyn – on the first night.

Deidre Wells OBE, CEO of Visit Kent, said: “We are delighted to hear that our

Mountain bikers will be pleased to hear that Cycle The Vineyards are riding the wave of the gravel revolution, and have now launched off-road adventures along the North and South Downs. Each day you’ll enjoy sliding around on chalk and clay singletracks, through woodlands, along ridgelines with breathtaking views, and ending with a wine tasting and dining experience.

“With the rollout of the vaccine, people have started to regain their confidence and are now beginning to plan their summer holidays”, Will said. “Guests’ safety is paramount.

Last summer we implemented a range of new measures to ensure our guests’ safety, whilst delivering the same unforgettable experience.”

“Virtual wine tastings have become very popular during the lockdowns, but nothing beats the experience of visiting in person and sipping wine amongst the vines, so we can’t wait to be able to start supporting our vineyard and hotel partners by taking small groups again.”

For your chance to win a self-guided tour for two to Hush Heath, visit: cyclethevineyards.com/bike-mag

If you’d like to book a tour or to hear more about them, contact Will will@cyclethevineyards.com

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ASK THE COACH…

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ASK THE COACH… BIKE-MAG.COM

I’M DOING VEGANUARY, WHAT MEAT FREE FOOD SHOULD I BE HAVING TO STOP ME GOING HUNGRY Well done for picking a month to try out going Vegan. Hopefully, given the results you will stick with it!! The main reason people go hungry when they “switch diets” is they simply don’t eat enough energy, aka calories. When you switch to this type of diet and you are making a drastic change there is an increased risk of nutrient deficiency.

You are either consuming less of one food group or perhaps not at all. If you add in age, gender and how active you are then of course it can make matters even worse. So, to stop feeling hungry then factor in two things, eat a variety of plant-based foods to ensure that you are getting your amino acids throughout the day and second choose foods that are high in protein. A good place to start would be soy products like soybeans, tofu or tempeh and of course the good old chickpea plus beans and pulses. The Plant Based Cyclist by Nigel Mitchell Head of Nutrition EF Education First Pro Cycling and Ex Team Sky is a great book to give you menu ideas if you are active.

Likewise, Isa Chandra Moskowitz is one of the top plant based chefs who is very active on social media and her

cook book “Vegan with a Vengance” has great tasty and cheap recipe ideas too!!

DURING ALL THE LOCKDOWNS, I HAVE BEEN FINDING IT REALLY HARD TO TRAIN. DO YOU RECOMMEND ANYTHING I CAN DO AT HOME TO KEEP THE TRAINING UP? We ride our bikes why, well we like being out in the fresh air and the freedom that two wheels gives us. Take that away and yes we have the good old turbo and things like Zwift, RGT, BKOOL that we can do virtually but there is generally only so such much that we can continually do with that too. If you are faced with a long lockdown like the ten weeks we had here in Italy and endless time on the turbo, mix up your training and try other things like Yoga, Pilates, Bodyweight Workouts, Zumba, heck you can even do dry swimming with the use of bands. When one door shuts another opens l always say and lots of gyms and fitness experts moved to online sessions most of which were either free or greatly reduced.

Good to do core work also to help with your cycling which will help with your climbing and prevent back and shoulder injuries. Try GCN they have some great core and strength videos that you can follow also.

Ian Jenner My cycling journey has brought me to be fortunate enough to live, work and train in Italy, at Italy’s largest lake, Garda. However my 40+ years of riding bikes started when I taught myself to ride at a young age. Having a bike gave me freedom and that freedom soon culminated in me wondering how I compared to others.

TT’s and Road Races soon followed then of course Club Events and in later life Sportives and Granfondos, some of Italy’s toughest as well as a few MTB events too.

Whilst my early training was all about RPE and “feel” the later has seen me Qualify as a British Cycling and Training Peaks Coach with a thirst for understanding the scientific and data approach of how to get the best out of an Athlete. Although of course my work is now as a Coach, I spent 30 years working in Hotels and Restaurants around the globe. People are still very important to me and the interaction with an athlete working together forms a huge focus in how i work with clients. Coaching is about releasing an athletes potential not just through data but through communication, teamwork and understanding. Whilst my personal cycling goals may have become less important, I now have the opportunity to use my experience and passion to help others achieve theirs!!

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ASK THE COACH… BIKE-MAG.COM

DOES IT REALLY MATTER WHAT CLOTHES I WEAR FOR CYCLING? Absolutely not, no need to squeeze yourself into figure hugging lycra if you don’t want to, wear what you like to ride on your bike…. Although I would say it also depends on how long/far you are riding as there is a reason we have bike shorts with a padded insert and of course many jerseys are designed to keep you cool in the summer and jackets to keep you warm in winter. If it’s a short ride to the office or the shops or even say a picnic in the park with friends then not an issue. Companies like “The Discerning Cyclist” or “Always Riding” have some incredible street cred clothing lines at great prices check them out

I CYCLE A LOT ON COUNTRY ROADS BUT I WANT TO DO MORE HILL CYCLING. DO I NEED TO DO DIFFERENT TRAINING OR CAN I GO STRAIGHT INTO IT? Firstly, well done for not shying away from hills. Want to get stronger on the bike do hills, end of. However, don’t start straight away with the steepest and hardest thing you can find. Start small and get the technique right and from there move onto longer, bigger, harder climbs. First up, it’s about the approach to the climb. As the road starts to go upwards then change the gears accordingly so that you keep on top of the gear not the other way around (aka you spinning and bouncing on the saddle).

Maintain the cadence so that you keep a nice steady pedal stroke and can then cruise over the top. Don’t forget to change gears as you go down the other side !! For a shorter hill you can keep the gear bigger so it forces you to stand up and this way you can power over the top…Likewise you can do hill repeats, lots of times going up and back down a hill you enjoy so building strength. Another good way to increase climbing and get stronger is for EVERY climb you go up, you turn around go back down and do it again….The downside is you don’t tend to get very far over a given time but boy can you get some climbing in your legs !!! And finally ride at threshold or in a bigger gear than you are used to

also. This is a great way to get stronger on a bike for hills if you live somewhere there isn’t very many but also a good way to build strength for climbing.

I LOVE CYCLING AROUND THE COUNTRYSIDE, BUT MY SPORTS BIKE SEEMS A BIT MUCH FOR GOING TO WORK ON. WHICH IS THE BEST BIKE FOR COMMUTING? This is a “depends” sort of answer…

Depends on…length of commute and how many hills, if wearing normal clothes to arrive in the office, do you have somewhere safe to lock the bike plus bike park, showers…budget…what bike you like to ride…the list can go on…. BUT….

Firstly, you can use your ride to work to do your training so you might want to rethink whether that’s not the right bike

for you here. Then if the commute is a longer one back and forth you might want to look at more comfortable wear too so again its going to force your decision on what to buy. Generally, most people are commuting from just outside the city into town and back again say 5 miles, tops. In this instance a fixed gear bike with straight bars and maybe a rack is the best bet. For general city riding you don’t need gears, its flat virtually zero hills and even if you do have a bike with gears you will find that you ride in the same one all the time anyway. Next thing to think about is bike registration and a really good lock if you don’t have a safe place to lock it up. A bike is stolen every six minutes in London so security is paramount to keep hold of your prized possession.

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?

V R H S I T A H W

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) provides an insight into your readiness to ride hard, harder or easy each day. If you are a cyclist who loves to ride yourself into shape, how do you know when you might need a break? HRV may be your best guide to taking easy or completely off days.Â

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What is HRV? If your resting heart rate is 50bpm, that means you’ve got 50 heart beats in a minute. But how evenly spaced are those beats within that minute? Your heart doesn’t tick like a metronome.

The beat-to-beat time will vary. HRV summarizes how much, or how little, that timing varies.

HRV provides evidence-based insight into the balance of your autonomic nervous system (ANS). Okay, more background needed here …

What is the ANS? The ANS is the entire nervous system that’s running without direct control by the attention of your mind. Your Somatic Nervous System (SNS) is all the nerves you can control with your intentional thinking.

Your legs pedal because you think it so using your SNS. But your heart beats without you asking it to do anything.

The ANS controls it.

Your breath stands with one foot in both nervous systems. Usually it’s on auto-pilot guided by your ANS. But of course you can also tell yourself to breathe faster or slower, letting you override your ANS with your SNS. Getting a little deeper into understanding the ANS, it has two branches: parasympathetic and

sympathetic. These are important to understand, because HRV gives us insight into the balance between the two.

The parasympathetic branch controls the “rest and digest” operations.

The sympathetic branch controls the “fight or flight” operations. The parasympathetic system is your brake, the sympathetic system is your gas pedal. Both are needed for survival.

Dominance (even micro-dominance) of either one can mean problems, especially for an athlete in training.

Measuring HRV provides the most direct insight to the state of your parasympathetic branch. By extension it gives clues to your state of recovery.

Interpreting Your HRV In general terms, you want to see a high time variability (high HRV) between heart beats to be in a well-recovered state. When HRV drops low, there’s too much “gas pedal” still coming from your sympathetic branch, even at rest.

Usually a higher HRV means you’re primed to handle a big training stress, like a super hard interval workout.

Too high or too low means something is out-of-whack. You need a steady and easy ride, or a complete day off training.

There is no particular HRV to target. We have our individual HRV ranges. These

Kevin Rokosh Kevin Rokosh coaches riders and racers to discover their epic cycling seasons. For 30+ years he’s been a road and track racer, ridden his bicycle hundreds of thousands of kilometres in North America and Europe, and loves his cycling lifestyle.

Though he’s had many fantastic ideas while riding, he forgets most of them by the time he gets back home.

Kevin can help you with your own cycling journey at EpicSeasonCoaching.com

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finger placed over the camera lens.

Best practices for measuring HRV are:

emerge from our genetics and training histories.

It’s important to track your HRV over time.

Then start looking for deviations from your own average. Use a daily training journal.

Track not only your workouts, but how you feel, how much sleep you’ve been getting, and how much non-training stress you’re under. These will give context to your daily HRV. When a coach can’t look you in the eyes, seeing dark circles under them, you might not fully understand you need a day off.

HRV can make the observation for you, at a deeper level than even your coach.

The ideal HRV state is a stable day-to-day morning HRV reading. Large swings show you aren’t recovering well. It might mean more than just a day off training, because HRV is also affected by: •

•

•

The length and quality of your sleep - you cannot sacrifice sleep and optimize recovery High fasting blood sugar levels usually caused by snacking on too many sugary treats throughout your day, and particularly in the evening before sleep Mood state disturbances - feeling down or depressed, especially when being active is normally associated

•

Consistency – take a reading at the same time of day (upon awakening is best) every day to build and maintain your baseline

•

Use the same method every time – always use the camera or an approved Heart Rate Monitor (HRM) strap. Not all HRM straps provide the correct granularity of data to calculate HRV. The HRV4training app can also use an Apple Watch. All the apps above tell you which devices they’re compatible with

•

Sit up or stand up, wait one minute, then take your reading – research suggests the small challenge of moving from lying to standing creates just enough stress to make HRV changes stand out better in long-term athletes with extremely low resting heart rates

•

Do not swallow when taking the reading – the swallow reflex will throw off your HRV enough to make a measurable difference

•

Breathe naturally – in your own selfpaced fashion without fidgeting while taking the reading. A specific pacedbreathing rate does not help your reading and can actually get in the way if the pacing is nothing like what you’re used to.

with an increase in feelings of wellbeing and satisfaction with life •

Dehydration - plasma is the liquid part of your blood that blood cells float around in. With plasma below normal because of dehydration, your heart beats faster to maintain blood pressure

When your HRV falls below your normal range, take the day off. Also assess your sleep, snack, stress and hydration statuses. Take advantage of the “missed” workout to make plans and take action around improving your overall recovery status.

Keep in mind it’s normal to have a low HRV on event day. Jitters are a regular part of everyone’s race experience. Butterflies will likely show in your HRV as the “fight or flight” response lowers your normal values. If you’ve had solid training in the weeks and months before, it won’t impact your performance.

Common advice is to ignore your HRV on event day, so it won’t undermine your confidence. Go ride the best you can.

Apps to Measure and Track HRV The straightforward method to track your HRV is with an app on your smartphone or tablet. HRV4training, ithlete and Elite HRV are all easy to use examples. HRV4training can even grab an HRV reading using your

Create Your Feedback Loop HRV shows a deeper insight into the overall stress on your body than resting heart rate alone. But you will need to build and maintain a baseline of readings to make it useful. Take morning measurements at least four days a week.

Everyday if you can. Keep it up and build a rolling seven day average inside whichever app you choose.

Then use the feedback from your HRV to avoid burning out. You’ll discover days to step back and self-evaluate the decisions you’ve been making. It will help you take the time to think about balancing all the stressors on and off your bike.

BB-APR20-JUNGLE PRODCUTS :Layout 1 26/03/2020 13:28 Page 1

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THE NETHERLANDS BIKE-MAG.COM

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ISLAY BIKE-MAG.COM

ISLAY

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Brian Palmer Brian Palmer has lived on the Hebridean island of Islay for over 30 years, from which he rarely finds any reason to leave. A designer and writer to trade, he also publishes the world’s oldest cycling blog, thewashingmachinepost. His regular bike is a Campagnolo-equipped Ritchey Logic road bike, and he’s highly suspicious of gravel bikes.

An island of idyllic beauty and great coffee There are basically two types of bike ride: those that offer little alternative, and those that do. The first category encompasses that of commuting, where it is necessary to ride from point A to point B for purposes of work, education or shopping. That’s not to say they can’t be enjoyable, but when the calling comes, the pedals must answer.

sedate art of simply going nowhere in particular. Between those two points, exist endless possibilities and opportunities, though it’s always likely that a certain degree of planning and timekeeping might be demanded, placing a fixed limit on the ride, but by no means lessening the enjoyment. After all, ‘outside is free.’

The second category offers greater variance, stretching from the hardship of competition, to the more

At this point, it seems pertinent to offer some background for the bike ride that is about to follow. I live in

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Bowmore on the Isle of Islay, an island of some 3,000 residents and nine malt whisky distilleries, situated on roughly the same latitude as Glasgow, but considerably further west. To aid the mental picture of just where we are, it’s around 24 miles north of Northern Ireland.

When lockdown was imposed at the end of March last year, the CalMac ferry service was curtailed to a ‘lifeline service’; one return sailing per day, Monday to Saturday and no sailings on Sundays. This was partly due to the government restrictions on non-essential travel, effectively preventing the spread of the Coronavirus to an island with a fragile care infrastructure.

It seems a tad obvious to state that pretty much all supplies to the island arrive by ferry, including such

suddenly superficial items as the daily newspapers.

And with no Sunday sailings came a concomitant lack of Sunday papers, the latter having a decisive bearing on the bike ride that I’m taking an inordinate length of time to get to.

Lockdown restrictions offered the opportunity for ‘local’ exercise, which we of the Velo club interpreted to mean, ‘not off the island’. However, the advice on exercise also advised that this should not be undertaken in groups, which, initially, meant no more than one at a time. Thus, appeared the odd situation of sometimes several cyclists, all perambulating the same route, but some fifteen minutes apart. However, there was also a time factor to be observed, one that existed as a direct result of the lack of Sunday papers.

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You see, the Sunday Ride has always included a stop at ‘Debbie’s Café in Bruichladdich, a mere stone’sthrow from the nearby distillery. But Debbie’s Café exists within the village mini-market, a retail outlet that also functions as a newsagent, and due to the absence of the Sunday newspapers, one that no longer had any need to open prior to mid-day on Sundays. Therefore, to avoid unnecessary pain and suffering, by having to stand in the wind and the rain if arriving early, we designed a parcourse that would deliver us to Bruichladdich as close to the clock striking twelve as was possible.

Hence the realisation of a route that has remained more or less unchanged since March 2020, even with Sunday newspaper delivery having resumed quite some months ago.

Because it’s where I live, the ride commences from Bowmore with a swift freewheel down Main Street, past Bowmore Distillery, turning right onto Shore Street, heading in the direction of Bridgend, a matter of three miles distant. Though islanders often harbour a keen sophistication, when it comes to naming roads, simplicity works best. Thus, the island has a Low Road and a High Road, both ultimately reaching the same points, but by slightly differing means. The two effectively amalgamate at Springbank, roughly a mile from Bridgend village and at which point we again turn right, this time onto the aforementioned High Road.

These ten miles stretch of single-track road leads to Port Ellen in the south of the island, but we only ride a mere four of those miles to reach the left hand turn that brings us onto the Glen Road (more

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simplicity). This is also a single-track road, used predominantly by farm traffic, and passing by the island’s rarely used abattoir, nestled amongst a forest of fir trees. At one point, the road featured trees on both sides of the road, replete with a surface that bore an uncanny resemblance to that of ParisRoubaix; we often humorously referred to it as the ‘Abattoirenberg Forest’.

Past the cattle grid, the road becomes seriously unkempt, the result of localised flooding during inclement weather and the alarmingly large tractors employed by Dunlossit Estate. The road is smoother on a ‘cross or mountain bike, but we regularly ride the route on road bikes with no apparent illeffects other than numb fingers. A junction is reached after three miles; turn right and you’re heading to Ballygrant village via Storakaig, but with the pull of a coffee being stronger, we turn left and head back in the direction of Bridgend. This too, is a stretch of three miles, as are a great many passages on the island.

At the point of our turn, and well hidden in plain sight, is the large presence of ‘Dun Nosebridge’, an unexcavated Iron-Age fort, still featuring substantial ramparts and the vague remains of adjacent homesteads.

This is, however, a bike ride and not an archaeological dig, so we keep heading in the direction of Bridgend village.

The latter sits pretty much at the centre of the island where roads to the north, to the southwest and from the south east all merges. The bridge to which its name refers is not that across the River Sorn, which has to be traversed before turning left, but the now demolished ‘dry-bridge’, originally built to allow the ladies of nearby Islay House, to take walks in Bridgend Woods, without coming into contact with the proletariat. Islay House once belonged to the Margadales, owners of Islay Estates, but straightened times last century meant its sale. It is now a hotel.

Our route south-west, once more on two lane roads, takes us past the island’s agricultural auction mart, and heading in the direction of Uiskentuie strand, a stretch of exposed grassed sand dunes and beach at the top of Loch Indaal. However, on descending the short hill at Blackrock, and before reaching Uiskentuie Farm (currently empty), we turn right, again onto singletrack roads, towards Gruinart Flats, home to an RSPB reserve, consisting of flat open fields designed to encourage the roosting of some 60,000 overwintering geese from Greenland, who live here from October until early May.

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Reputedly, the short stretch of land (yes, three miles once again) in between Lochs Gruinart and Indaal was once under water, separating Islay into two distinct islands. At the end of the flats, the road rises sharply past Aoradh Farm (pronounced oo-rig) heading up and over towards Loch Gorm, round which our continuing, yet circuitous route heads inexorably to Debbie’s Café. The view from the top of the hill overlooking the loch also affords views to the North Atlantic Ocean. It’s all there is between Islay and the eastern seaboard of Canada.

In winter months, the weather here can verge on dangerous. I have been blown off my bike into a ditch while riding round the loch, and I’m not the only one.

This is the rugged side of Islay, with little by way of shelter from

the elements, and the site of several prehistoric and more recent settlements, including the remains of an Iron-Age fort on the far side of a Sydney Opera House shaped rock known as Dun Bheolain. The road passes Ballinaby Farm with a standing stone all of its own, and leading onto Saligo Bay, Coull Point and Machir Bay. The remains of Kilchoman Church overlook as we turn left heading back towards the main Bruichladdich Road, some six miles distant, passing the farm distillery of Kilchoman along the way. If the weather is clear enough, look up to the left and it’s sometimes possible to see the three Paps of Jura on the neighbouring isle to the north.

The road continues to twist and turn along the way, one frequently busy with visitor traffic to the distillery during the summer season. COVID-19

restrictions have mitigated their numbers in recent months, but not so much to stop the weekly guessing game of how many cars we’re likely to meet before reaching the main road.

The latter part of this section takes us into Foreland Estate and a short but steep descent referred to locally as ‘Foreland Hill’, offering a welcome and fast freewheel downwards towards the ever-increasing aroma of coffee.

From the right turn to Bruichladdich, once again on two lanes, all of which feature large white direction arrows on the road surface, an effort to prevent foreign visitors driving on the wrong side of the road, it’s but a mile or so to the Mini-Market, arriving on the cusp of noon on a Sunday.

Believe me, the coffee is more than worth it.

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THAILAND BIKE-MAG.COM

ASIAN ADVENTURE

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Robert James When Robert James isn’t cycling around the parks and countryside of North London, or chilling out with his cats, he’s exploring the world on two wheels with his wife

Who remembers adventure? No, I don’t mean walking to the supermarket that isn’t the closest one to your house. Think pre-2020 times, where hopping on a plane and stepping out into wavy air of a hot and distant airport was something that, looking back, I took completely for granted.

Recently, I’ve been reflecting on what I miss most due to the COVID-19 pandemic; pub gardens, cinemas, friends and family, and, most importantly, cycling abroad.

And it’s the latter that has got me pining at my window watching the rain, like an emotional scene from a romantic TV drama.

I’m sure all you bike-lovers feel the same! This is why I want to share my most recent adventure with you in a hope that it evokes happy memories

of your own and gets you salivating for your first post-corona adventure.

How about a twist? It was done solely through hire bikes, a precarious feat given the hit-andmiss nature of international cycle rentals. Nevertheless, for me, there’s excitement in not knowing what you’re going to get. Whether it’s a squeaky wheel or a handlebar that only seems to be able to turn left, there always seems to be a charming imperfection that

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represents the place that you are - signs of over-use on a bicycle enjoyed by hundreds of travellers before you.

Nonetheless, precarious it was at times. And it all started in Thailand.

The 30+-degree heat that engulfed me as I left Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport is something I will never forget. Call it jet lag, or perhaps it was my body taking a while to react to the heat, but I decided not to cycle there. Either way, it was an amazing few days of cocktail buckets and 60p noodles.

Which, on reflection, could be another reason why I didn’t fancy hopping on a bike just quite yet.

My first real cycling stop was in the city of Ayutthaya, Thailand’s ancient capital.

Choosing a cycle tour company near my hotel, I waited outside their establishment at 10 am, limbered up and ready to ride. The first part included passing through some idyllic old Thai villages surrounded by vast and impressive countryside and primary schools accompanied by smiling and waving children.

After stopping for lunch, we headed on to cycle past many old temple ruins, my favourite being Wat Phra Si Sanphet, which at one time was the country’s holiest temple, with spires lined up pointing at the sky, providing a stunning contrast of brownishred against endless blue. I could have stayed there for hours but I had a tour to re-join.

The last leg included markets and a reclining Buddha statue before the final stretch was a cycle along the banks of the Chao Phraya River. The sun was intense at this stage and I was certainly sweating more than I was drinking, but as my legs instinctively peddled whilst my mind drifted, I knew that nothing could quash my happiness and serenity at this moment.

A couple of days after leaving Ayutthaya, I was en route to Chiang Mai. This city was a different vibe altogether, somewhere between humbly traditional and modern student living with plenty of hippy travellers here and there for good measure.

I spent a good few days hiring a bike on my own accord and just exploring the city on two wheels. On a bike that was cumbersome with an unnecessarily large basket, I rattled along the roads and side streets, stopping for strong coffees and spicy dishes, both of which made my head spin. Cloudier than my previous destination and certainly a few decibels lower than Bangkok, Chiang Mai was a peaceful cycling destination.

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On my last day there, however, I decided to take an official cycling tour so I could see beyond the city’s walls. After a bit of research, I found one close-by.

The following morning, the usual excitement that hits me at the start of a tour was fluttering in my chest. Arriving at the tour company’s headquarters, the usual marvellous mixed bag of cycling sightseers began to congregate in the already wideawake city. Safety briefed, helmeted up and wrapped in kneepads, we were ready to go!

I passed more markets, temples and teak houses on a TREK 7.2 X hybrid with Bontrager AT-750 alloy rims that rode like a dream. This particular tour was notable for its sightseeing, but they also took their choice of bike very seriously. Bike hire companies can sometimes leave you feeling like you’ve spent the last 6 hours rattling around in a shopping trolley, but these guys had a flawless and well-thought-out fleet.

They even had e-bikes for certain tours as well as specialist mountain and road bikes.

Leaving Thailand on a high note, buzzing with glee and with a rucksack full of Chiang beer t-shirts and mantle-piece-bound souvenirs, I was 38,000 feet in the air, on my merry way to Vietnam.

Hanoi was everything I expected and more!

My first impression and lasting memory of the place is the throngs of cars and motorbikes that meandered down the road like a steady-flowing river. I could finally put all those years of playing Frogger to the test, yet even the highest level was simple compared to crossing the road to my hotel.

For my first few days, I went to various bike hire places, of which there were plenty.

I dawdled through the parks of the city, observing glorious sunsets and markets on railway tracks whose owners had to strategically take their stalls in whenever a train passed. It wasn’t until almost a week in that I decided to go for a full-blown city and countryside cycle tour.

And boy did the tour company deliver! On a state-of-the-art 2014 Giant Roam 1 hybrid mountain bike with an ALUXX aluminium frame, I felt like a champion as I lined up with my small group ready to explore the city and countryside of Hanoi. It was a full 8 hours, which left my legs feeling heavy but my heart feeling satisfied as I experienced rural Vietnamese villages, ate and talked amongst the locals, and crossed the amazing Long Bien bridge – which was breath-taking!

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Instead of cycling back to the city, our tiring assemblage was taken back to Hanoi city via a boat along the Red River. This brought with it a welcome breeze and a chance to sit and watch the landscape along the bank change from rural to urban.

Exhausted, I was back in the splendid urban sprawl and treated myself to a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show. Despite the lack of legroom, I was enthralled by the choreography and coordination of it all. A perfect end to my time in Hanoi before heading to my final destination in South-East Asia, Hoi An. On arrival in Da Nang, the nearest airport to Hoi An, I could see straight away that this part of Vietnam was a completely different story - much quieter for starters! On the relatively short taxi journey to Hoi An city, face pressed against the window like a starry-eyed tourist seeing the Big Apple for the first time, I was already dreaming of my first cycle.

Immediately I could see that cycling was a huge part of Hoi An’s tourism and so I opted for a small hire place near my hotel with a modest but durable range of bikes. Compared to my previous glide through Hanoi, this required a bit of extra legwork, but it mattered not as before I knew it I was free amongst the rice paddies and fields just a short distance from the paper lamps and bustling bars of the city. I took some time to visit a beach and have a cautious one-eye-on-mybike paddle. Staying at the beach for a while, I sat at a bar taking in the gentle sounds of the sea intertwining with the clattering of pans and plates behind me. I soon realised I should probably head back to my rental company before they sent out a missing person report, and so, carefully, I trailed back to civilisation. A couple more days of this with some days for rest and exploration by foot sandwiched in between the curtain closed on my Vietnamese adventure.

Next on my itinerary was North and Central America, but that’s a different story for a different time…

Today, as I sit in my Enfield home, I can’t help but reflect on this time.

As much as I love to get on my bike and explore my local area as often as lockdowns allow – Forty Hall, Whitewebbs and Lea Valley – I’d rather take sunburnt shoulders over muddy legs any day.

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44 BIKE MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2021

TRAINING BIKE-MAG.COM

HEAD OUT ON THE HIGHWAY

FEBRUARY 2021 BIKE MAGAZINE 45

TRAINING BIKE-MAG.COM

Barnaby Dracup Barnaby Dracup is a PT Level 4, twins dad, writer & editor barnabydracup.com

Cycling is surging in popularity, with older generations taking the lead.

Here we gain some insights from the experts

Cycling is not just for the young and, to be fair, it has not been for some time. The ‘Wiggins Effect’ has been hailed as being partly responsible for a general upswing in the number of cyclists hitting the roads, tracks and velodromes over the last few years (cyclist Sir Bradley Wiggins is Britain’s most decorated Olympian with five gold medals among his total of eight, and numerous other world titles and

speed records). However, despite the numbers, ‘Wiggo’ has announced his retirement from cycling at the young age of 36, which will be a far cry from the UK’s 50+ men who, on average, are putting in 130 miles cycling per year, with their cycle use currently increasing year-on-year.

Cycle traffic in general has risen every year since 2008, with 3.2 billion vehicle miles having been cycled in 2016, which was around

46 BIKE MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2021

TRAINING BIKE-MAG.COM

10% higher than previous yearly averages. This is all good news, but there is a very long way to go until cycling reaches the levels last seen in 1949 – of 14.7 billion vehicle miles!

Whether for health reasons or for fun, or for savings of time and money, if you are feeling inspired to take up cycling, here are some things to consider.

THE POSTURE SPECIALIST As with golf, cricket or any other sporty endeavor, it is important you have the right equipment and your form and posture are correct.

Andy Sexton of Bike Science Ltd (bike-science.com) has been a professional bike fitter for the past eleven years. His area of expertise is ensuring that riders have the correct bike set-up, cycling posture and know the correct stretches and exercises to help prevent, or recover from, injury. “All cyclists need a bike that fits; a bike fitting can help cycling become easier and more efficient and you will be more comfortable and reduce the risk of injury,” says Mr Sexton. “For cyclists over 40 the aim of any bike fitting is to make sure the rider has good posture on the bike, has safe joint movement and good joint stability.

This process involves a combination of simple questioning, observation and also a 3D motion capture sensor system to help us make fine-tuned adjustments to the riders.”

THE CROSS DISCIPLINE PROFESSIONAL Peter Dumbreck is one of the UK’s most successful professional racing drivers, racing for Team Falken (falkentire.com) and competing in the Nürburgring 24-hour race.

His career has seen him win championships and races for Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota, GM and Spyker. Off the track he is a Category Three British Cycling race licence holder.

“Road biking is the ideal hobby and fitness training for me, particularly as I live in the countryside,” says Mr Dumbreck. “I’m now fitter than ever and, depending on what races I enter, I can get the chance to ride against higher category cyclists.

I think my competitiveness helps draw out similarities between motorsport and cycling so I tend to choose races where I know that I will have tough competition. My attitude towards the two sports are very similar – I always want to go out and do my best !”

THE BURGEONING BUSINESS It is not just the individuals who are seeing success, but the cycling industry as a whole. Stephen Loftus is chief marketing officer of British brand, Brompton Cycles (brompton. com), and has seen a positive increase across the cycle industry over the last twelve months, which he believes can be attributed to a couple of factors: “London has seen an upswing in cycling, in that firstly the city’s cycle highways are now up and active, and secondly because of the transport infrastructure, namely the state of the train networks!

All this has served to push people towards cycling.

“However, we wouldn’t necessarily want a train network that doesn’t work because Bromptons are designed to work with this form of travel. They allow commuters to go from car, to train, to road very easily and effectively. With cycling you can cut your commute times and improve your fitness level, all in one go.”

“I’m now fitter than ever and, depending on what races I enter, I can get the chance to ride against higher category cyclists”

CHRIS COLE IS a physiotherapist, at Spire Parkway Hospital in Solihull (spireparkway.com), and a keen amateur cyclist who regularly competes in cycling events.

What are the benefits for older riders in taking up cycling?

Cycling is a low-impact, partial weightbearing sport with most of your body weight actually going through the saddle. This means the lower joints will not be taking the battering they would receive from roadrunning or even squash.

Why is low-impact exercise important?

As we age our joints become more prone to injury so the low impact aspect of cycling really is a benefit into later life. It is also a good sport for protecting soft tissue in the lower joints, which is also important for long-term good health.

Are there any warning signs in the joints or body older riders should be aware of?

Common warning signs include pain in the lower back pain, the neck or at the front of the knee. If you are suffering from any of these conditions it would be a good idea to seek advice from a physiotherapist or medical professional.

What’s the best physio advice you could give older riders?

Get a bike that ‘fits’ your body. If you aren’t comfortable on your cycle then you will be put off using it! And always go for a test ride so that you will be able to tell if it is the one for you.

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48 BIKE MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2021

SPAIN BIKE-MAG.COM

CYCLING HOLIDAYS IN MURCIA SOUTH EASTERN SPAIN

FEBRUARY 2021 BIKE MAGAZINE 49

SPAIN BIKE-MAG.COM

Stuart J Mitchell Owner of Murcia Bike Hire; providing Cycling Holidays, Carbon Road Bike Hire, Guided Rides and Bike Sales in the Costa Calida and Costa Blanca regions of Spain.

Your cycling adventure starts with Murcia Bike Hire Website: https://murciabikehire.com/ Facebook: @murciabikehire.co.uk Instagram: murciabikehire.co.uk Twitter: @murciabikehire

THINKING ABOUT GETTING AWAY FOR A MEMORABLE CYCLING ADVENTURE? When it comes to the planning of your next cycling adventure, you could choose to DIY it, and research locations, airlines, airport transfers, quality bike hire, accommodation, and routes, etc. But to ensure the best cycling for your hard-earned cash, you’re better off looking for a recognised cycling tour company

that has insider knowledge and experience of your chosen region to help you with your cycling holiday needs.

LET US START BY TELLING YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE MURCIA REGION The Murcia region probably isn’t the first place that comes to mind when you put cycling and Spain together.

More likely, people think cycling in Spain = Mallorca.

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So, let’s put a few things out there!

Murcia has featured in the Vuelta a España (with the most recent being 2018). It holds an annual UCI Vuelta de Murcia event that boasts local cycling legends such as Alejandro Valverde. And with the likes of the Collado Bermejo, Sierra Espuña climb into the mix, the region has serious cycling credentials.

In our view the region of Murcia is a hidden cycling gem, and fantastic area for road cycling holidays or training camps with its excellent all year-round climate, quiet roads, and great variety of routes for all abilities. Having a wide range of terrain gives the opportunity for great rides along the shores of the Mar Menor Lagoon or Mediterranean Sea. Allowing visitors to take in the fishing villages like Portman or La Azohia and historic cities such as Cartagena along the way.

Maybe you want to hit the heights on the Cresta Del Gallo (435m) with views across Murcia city and the Santuario de La Fuensanta? Or take on the challenging slopes in the Sierra Espuña Regional Park with the Vuelta de Murcia famed Collado Bermejo (1500m)?

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If climbing’s not for you, then try heading inland on one of our many quiet roads that wind past rivers and reservoirs, through the fields, fruit orchards and vineyards.

This cyclist friendly region is here to be explored and enjoyed, and you never know you might even catch a glimpse of local Movistar legend Alejandro Valverde on a training ride, especially in the Sierra Espuña area.

A PLACE FOR FOOD AND CULTURE TOO The Murcia region was awarded “Spanish Gastronomy Capital 2020”, not only for culinary variety, but also for being an incredibly attractive area in all aspects. Often termed as the “Vegetable Garden of Europe” its high-quality fruits, vegetables and spices are exported all over Europe and beyond. In addition to the produce exported, the region also has a rich cultural past and wine domains that are gaining prestige around the world.

All of the above and more make the Murcia region a great place for a cycling holiday, whilst taking the opportunity to sample the culture, gastronomy and most importantly the sunny climate. There’s really no better way to connect with the sights, sounds, and culture of Murcia than on two wheels.

So, who better to organise your cycling holiday than Murcia Bike Hire, recognised by the TripAdvisor Travellers Choice Award, and try one of our “Cycling Holiday Packages”?

MURCIA BIKE HIRE - CYCLING HOLIDAYS If you are looking for inspiration for your next cycling holiday then we offer the following services, “Tailored Cycling Holidays” and “Package Cycling Holidays”. What’s more Murcia Bike Hire are offering cycling clubs and groups the opportunity to take advantage of our 1 in 8 offer on our “Cycling Holiday Packages” (For every 8 cyclists, 1 goes absolutely FREE) For all tours you will be arriving at Alicante or Murcia International airports, where you will be greeted and taken by private transfer to your hotel. You will be staying in hotels with cyclist friendly facilities, wellbeing centre and solariums, providing the perfect environment to unwind after

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a long day in the saddle.

Typically, on arrival at the hotel, you will check-in and take delivery of your Cervélo or Focus carbon road bike which our mechanic will help you setup in preparation for the days ahead. Once the bike setup is complete, you will have the option to relax and explore your new surroundings on foot or maybe take the opportunity to jump on your bike and head out. This optional ride is one of our recommended routes to La Manga, Portman, and La Union with a distance of 56km and 440m of climbing, taking your first look at the Mar Menor and Mediterranean coastline. This is a great way to start your cycling holiday, acclimatise to the area and check your bike setup.

OPTIONAL RIDE TO LA MANGA CLUB, PORTMAN & LA UNION Starting from the Hotel 525 in Los Alcázares, we ride out on the N332 and then take a left turn onto the RM-F54 and ride though the villages of El Carmoli, Los Urrutias, Punta Brava, Estrella De Mar, and Los Nietos. This is a great stretch of road along the shores of the Mar Menor lagoon with some awesome views that will stay in the cycling memory bank for years to come. Any of the aforementioned villages offer the opportunity to stop and make your way to the water’s edge or find a bar for a coffee or other refreshment, after all it’s not a race.

After los Nietos the road leads to a roundabout with the option to head towards Los Belones and La Manga Club or again venture towards the coast to the beautiful bay of Mar De Cristal. Here you will find a scenic promenade and several bars, restaurants and chiringuito where you can refuel and sample some local tapas or sushi.

The next part of our journey takes us onto the RM 314 through the stunning La Manga Club Golf resort. We have many clients staying here in the Los Lomas Village, El Rancho, La Quinta, and Hotel Principe Felipe. Once you reach the La Manga Club entrance you are around 24 km into your ride, this will now start to change in elevation as you climb towards the summit with view across the Mediterranean coastline and down into Portman Bay. At the summit whilst catching your breath and enjoying the

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views, this is a great opportunity to maybe take a few scenic pictures and selfies. After a few moments it is back to the ride and checking “how you are feeling?” and discussing the route ahead to gauge how you would like to proceed, to ensure this is an enjoyable experience. Many people enjoy the short climb, but some prefer to return down the hill through La Manga to the flatter Mar Menor coastline. Maybe the idea of a visit to the Sushi bar or chiringuito is more appealing than aching legs!

Portman village and beach are a short descent down the hill, known locally as the “Green Mile”. The route again offers the gift of choice to stop and enjoy fresh fish and local tapas by the beach

or to ride through the village and climb to La Union.

If you decide that Portman beach and lighthouse would be a great place to stop on your ride, then this is a great choice too. This offers the added benefit of light refreshments and then maybe a return to La Manga via the “Green Mile”, you will not be disappointed!

The full route offers more great views of the coast and glimpses of the La Union mines, but as we start to ascend, I find many cyclists do not like to stop.

It is completely up to you, especially if you are chasing a Strava segment or personal best, but my advice is to forget that and enjoy the views of this beautiful Mediterranean coastline.

Having completed one of the most popular routes in the Mar Menor area, regularly used by both locals and visiting cyclists, we make our way back into Los Alcázares and offer the opportunity to unwind and enjoy your evening at leisure, maybe pre-dinner drinks and then dine at one of our local restaurant recommendations, before turning in for a good night’s sleep.

If you like what you see and would like to see more then visit https:// murciabikehire.com/cycling-holidaysmurcia-spain/ or maybe you would like to plan a tailored cycling holiday in Murcia, we’d love to hear from you and help with the planning of your next cycling holiday experience.

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WELCOME BIKE-MAG.COM

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Welcome to BIKE Magazine Photography Contest 2021

B

IKE Magazine is the UK’s worldwide publication for getting out and enjoying your cycling. With specialist features on leisure, touring, commuting and family cycling we aim to inspire regular riding. BIKE Magazine covers the whole world of cycling, including enjoying yourself off the bike too. So we do feature cycling book and film reviews, and regularly cover cycling in the arts.

It is my pleasure to announce the winners.

The First Place and the Grand Winner of the BIKE Magazine Photography Contest 2021 and will be the Photographer of the year 2021 is: Edward Xue The Second Place of the BIKE Magazine Photography Contest 2021 is: Ismael Ruiz The Third Place of the BIKE Magazine Photography Contest 2021 is:

This photography contest is a new way to show to the readers more divers artworks through the pictures. We would like to give this opportunity to photographers to publish their works, show the pictures to the readers and cycling community.

Alex Huefner

I am very glad to join you and represent our international jury panel.

Nature: Vincent Croce and Robert Apjok

Words can not describe how grateful I am for the artists because of their amazing artworks, the devotion of the BIKE Magazine team and the hard work of our international jury panel, Harrison Dean Caldwell and Esteban Benavidez.

Photographers could enter in eight categories. We got artworks from professional and amateur photographers, so we needed to make fair decisions. The review process was not easy. All projects were amazing, special and impressive. They all deserve prizes but we had to make a decision.

When it comes to your work, and the reasons why we chose these pictures, I would like to emphasise the importance of three concepts: story, style and expression.

The Special Award of the BIKE Magazine Photography Contest 2021 goes to: Salva Fonolla, Eric Tkindt and Valerio Ferraro Category Winners: Sport: Juan Aizpuru

Cycling during pandemic: Stefania Molinari Pro cycling: Javier Martínez de la Puente Azcárate Cycling holiday: Anthony Reed Touring - exploring a city: Giovanni Stalloni Touring - exploring the wild: Martin Siering and Cristian Zuelli Open theme: Dario Lo Presti and Chieko Tanemura Congratulations to all winners entries of the BIKE Magazine Photography Contest 2021 and thank you to everyone who participated in the competition.

Károly Nagy Lead Judge

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Exclusive interview with Edward Xue Dear Edward, Congratulations, you are the Photographer of the year 2021 and the owner of the £1500 cash prize. Your winner photo is the cover of this month edition.

We were very impressed about your picture and the story what is behind. Harrison said your picture is like “made for cover” and Esteban described your photo like a “soul capturer”. We would like to know more about your story.

Firstly, can you tell me couple of things about you?

I’m originally from China, moved to Dubai (UAE) six years ago because of a job opportunity. Photography is always my passion and hobby, and now it becomes more like my part-time job. I have been a photographer more than six years.

I’m more into portrait photography, to capture the beauty of the human body and emotions. I am a person who love fashion, design, travelling hanging out with friends and cooking.

Please describe the winner picture.

I went on cycling one day with two friends and during the trip I

captured this picture. The title of the picture is “Road of the life”. I tried to do some fresh and clean concept. This picture has two sides. Past – Future, Death – Life, Sadness – Happiness, Misery – New hope. The drawn bicycle on the road means the past, death, sadness, misery, loneliness, sickness(virus). The rider in the distance means the future, life, happiness, health, hope. This is kind of the road of life. We all struggle sometimes in our life. It is part of the life. We have to accept it, but there is a new day, new opportunity, new hope for a better, happier life. The rider is us, who try to reach the goal, the happiness, the better future.

What does photography mean to you?

Witness of existence, memory of life. The best part is, you can save all the memories you like and to cherish them when you want.

Photography is an art, it is how you interpret your thoughts, your passion and your ideas.

How would you describe your style?

I do not think I have a fixed style, but I do male fashion editorial photograph more, sometimes I do landscapes also. Well, to be honest, I never think about what kind of style my photography belongs to, as I can tell, it is more about the

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Talent or practice?

Half, half. Talent makes you different and attractive, practice makes the improvements.

Do you have a project what would like to share?

Yes, I do. I would like to share two pictures. The first one is a scene in an Italian city called Naples. It was a great sunny day and I went for a walk. I liked the clock tower on the square. It is very symmetrical.

It is a very interesting scene. I can describe this like the duality, so lonely and busy at the same time.

When I see this picture always heavy thoughts come in my mind.

feeling.

What was your first ever picture that you took?

I think it was about my parents, after I got my first camera as a gift from my father. It was a very meaningful moment in my life.

Can you tell us about your achievements?

My artworks got appreciate and affirmation by few online magazines, got published. I have been working with international professional models and have couple of successful projects under my name.

Why did you choose this contest?

I saw it by chances, then I thought I should give a try, plus I ride bicycle every week, so it is somehow related.

What or who inspires you?

Lots of different creative person and photographers could bring you new ideas. I always come up with different ideas when I see people on social media.

Many photographers and fashion designers inspire me and seeing all those shared opinions and good feedbacks through social media keep me inspired all the time. Photography is my passion and wholeheartedly embracing it. I love what I am doing and I keep on discovering new things.

What is the hardest thing about photography?

For most of the people, I guess it is the same, cannot afford the ideal camera or lens. I started photography using a digital camera. I begged my Dad for my first DSLR as my birthday gift. In earlier part, I could not afford the ideal camera or lens (I think that is the biggest challenges for most of the people who love photography) However, that is not the real issue! Finding your own way of expressing your works with your present camera is what matters.

The second picture is very similar to the previous one. This picture was taken in Italy, the island called Procida. It was a cloudy day, very chill. I made this picture when I was passing by. I had a couple of words with this old man after the picture.

He was very kind and wise. When I see this picture, I feel the cruelty of the time. He used to be a child, but now he is an old man sitting there alone.

What is the best advice you received?

Keep doing what you like.

I would like to congratulate again and hopefully you will capture more success and pictures in the future.

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EDWARD XUE

Road of the life After lockdown, when everything trying to get back, me and my friends went on for a cycling, it was very quiet, we barely see people, and during the trip I wanted to take few pictures to capture this wildness and loneliness feelings.

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EDWARD XUE

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Exclusive interview with Ismael Ruiz Dear Ismael, Congratulations, your picture has won the second place in the BIKE Magazine Photography Contest 2021. Your winner picture is breathtaking. We would like to hear your story.

Firstly, can you tell me a couple of things about you?

I’m a Spaniard from Burgos. My passion for photography and BMX are linked. One time I had an injury when I was riding, so after the accident I decided to buy a camera to document the local scenes and develop my photographic ideas about this sport.

Please describe the winning photo.

After a long session with David Cachon in Mallo de Rilos (Spain), at sunset, I was able to snap this epic picture when he was already resting.

Can you tell me about your achievements?

Thanks to practising BMX I’ve developed a unique photography style that has allowed me to work with important firms in the field like BMX and MTB over the past years.

I’ve been awarded by prestigious photography contests like: Redbull y Illume 2013, Top five Redbull y Illume 2016, Top 20

IPA 2020 3rd position at extreme games.

How would you describe your style?

I like experimenting not only with the moment itself, but with snapping the rider in unique settings, always looking after unusual spots where action can take place.

Why did you choose this contest?

All the action photography contests are a challenge to me, an extra motivation to continue making great photos.

Do you have a project what would

like to share?

Yes, I’m working on a BMX project for which we are looking for funds to carry it out. It’s about a rider’s story... That’s all I can tell.

What is the best advice you received?

I’d say it’s more of an acknowledgment than some advice: there’s no picture without a rider!

Thank you so much. I would like to congratulate again and hopefully you will earn more success in the future.

You can check out Ismael’s breathtaking artworks on Instagram: @ismaelibanezphoto

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ISMAEL RUIZ

Lifestyle

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Lifestyle. David Cachon sitting down after a good session

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Exclusive interview with Alex Huefner Dear Alex, Congratulations, your picture has won the third place in the BIKE Magazine Photography Contest 2021.

Firstly, can you tell me couple of things about yourself?

My name is Alex Hüfner and I live in Berlin. I work as a freelance photographer. I grew up in divided Berlin and the wall made me want to go out into the world. Bicycle trips are my passion. I explore the world on two wheels alone and with my wife. I have now been traveling the world by bike for over 20 years. Cycling gives me a feeling of freedom and I love to experience it without a filter. Smell everything, feel everything and experience it up close. I always have my camera with me on my bike tours. That always means plus two kilos weight, but I like it.

Please describe the winner photo.

The picture was taken on a solo tour of mine, on the Transandalus in southern Spain. I did the tour for the German cycling magazine “RADtouren”. The city in the background is Almeria. Since I was traveling alone, I took the picture with a tripod and self-timer. It took a few tries to get the timing right. I always had 30 seconds to get off the camera, get my bike and to the bend where I can be seen.

This part of the stage is impressive, at some point you see the sea appear, then the city and then it is all downhill to the destination. You reach Almeria through the “back door” as the gravel road is not an official road. Suddenly you’re in town and no one has noticed, fantastic.

Can you tell us about your achievements?

Photography has become my

job and a large part of it is about cycling. I work for all the major German bicycle magazines and regularly publish stories on the subject of cycling.

Why did you choose this contest?

In Germany my pictures are wellknown, so I wanted to present my work somewhere else. That is why I submitted pictures in different categories. How do you like the other pictures?

We enjoyed all of your pictures.

One of my favourite is the rider with the horse, but we enjoyed the personalised bikes too. Do you have a project what would like to share?

There is actually a heart project that came about through my travels. For years I have also been photographing street art and walls on my travels. Under the name “echt-berlin” I create digital photo collages in combination with architecture photos from my hometown Berlin.

Thank you so much. I would like to congratulate again and hopefully you will conquer more walls and earn more success in the future.

You can follow Alex’s bike trips on Instagram: @alex_huefner You can see his work on: www.alexhuefner.de and www.echt-berlin.com.

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THIRD PLACE

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ALEX HUEFNER

Transandalus - absolute deceleration

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The Transandalus extends over 2000 km and completely circles Andalusia once. The route is largely based on the GR7 long-distance hiking trail.

My experience on mountain bike terrain was still very limited at the time of my planning and had I known what to expect soon and that I would feel more pushing my bike than riding it, then I would probably have made a different decision. Looking back, my little mountain hikes were also a positive challenge and the absolute deceleration‌

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ALEX HUEFNER

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JUAN AIZPURU

From Switzerland with love

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Summer in Zermatt, expending every day riding

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JUAN AIZPURU

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MICHAEL KLEBER

The passion for cycling

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Over the last 10 years I met a lot of cyclist, which show me their definition of cycling.

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MICHAEL KLEBER

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LÉA DUVAL

Bike acrobatics

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These photos show the sporty and acrobatic side of the bike

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LÉA DUVAL

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STEFANIA GRASSO

Giro Valle

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The bike competition in Valle D’aosta arriving in Breuil Cervinia

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ALMUDENA LOPEZ

Cycling in the nature, medicine for the soul.

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Exceed the limits of your body, pedaling every day a little beyond your imagination, while you get lost among the trees and discover the trails that ancient civilizations traveled.

That is medicine for the soul.

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ALMUDENA LOPEZ

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KATERINA SARANTI

2019 Para-Cycling Road World Championship

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“The above pictures were taken at the last para-cycling road world championship at Emmen in Netherlands. , before covid 19 pandemic . It was a very crucial race to participate in the 2020 Paralympics. The competition was high and the misfortunes and injuries were many.

The most of the pictures are from the races .Between , there is a photo of the finish of an athlete, Telmo Pinao who had broken his clavicle during the race, endured until the finish where he collapsed due the pain�

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CLAUDIA VANACORE

Street bmx

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I followed Alessandro Catalano, a Sicilian 24 street biker who has just arrived in Milan to pursue his dream related to his BMX. He would like to become a professional stunk biker. Watching Alessandro train is like seeing a dancer. He has passionate, he is light and everyone stops to admire him. He said to me that training with the bike leads him to have peace and it is a challenge with the limits of one’s body

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CLAUDIA VANACORE

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VINCENT CROCE

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VINCENT CROCE

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ROBERT APJOK

Gloomy Sunday

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Riding through the scenic forest in the Taunus region, Germany on an extraordinary Sunday.

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PEDRO CARVALHO

Fog Race

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A cycling race in the middle of an intense fog in the valleys and clear skies in the hills on the island of Terceira, Azores.

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NATURE

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NITA KANOCZ

Cycling in the nature

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I wanted to show the beauty of the nature with cycling. I love cycling. I use it everyday.

Its my life and the photography.

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DAVID MARTINEZ

Go big or go home

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Downhill competition in Southern Utah, United States. Each rider is free to choose the route they wish and the judges evaluate the time and difficulty of the chosen line.

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DAVID MARTINEZ

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ÉVA MAGYAR

Elysian

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During a hike in nature we need to notice the beauty and grace of our surroundings.

Moments like sunsets are perfect occasions to see the nature in a different clothing.

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ERIKA SZIKLAVARI

Nature cycling

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Fun Day With friends; Semmering, Austria

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ERIKA SZIKLAVARI

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MICHELE MUGGIRI

Over the sea

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Sea View Bike Saddle

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SALVA FONOLLA

ELEMENTS

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Earth, air, fire, water. Mountain bike connects all these elements. Feeling your tires on the dirt while rolling on a single track by the sea, taking some air in the jumps with an outstanding sunset. That’s one way to be in contact with the 4 elements, and it’s because of MTB.

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SALVA FONOLLA

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STEFANIA MOLINARI

Atleta rinchiuso in terrazza (Athlete locked up on the terrace)

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Allenamento bike di un’atleta rinchiuso sulla terrazza di casa durante il lockdown della pandemia Covid-19 a Marzo 2020 - Brescia .Italia.

Bike training of an athlete locked up on the terrace of his house during the lockdown of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020 - Brescia. Italy.

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ISMAEL IBAÑEZ RUIZ

Dirtjum in the living room

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In quarantine I recreated a dirtjum in the living room with my playmobil.

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CYCLING DURING THE PANDEMIC BIKE-MAG.COM

CLAUDIA PERRICA

Enjoyng by bike

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 127

2021

CYCLING DURING THE PANDEMIC BIKE-MAG.COM

There are 5 different photos each one describes different moment. The photos have been taken in Sicily exactly in Palermo, during the Pandemic period.

The first photo is taken inside one of the park of Palermo which name is Favorita The second photo is up on the hill of “Monte Pellegrino” where you can admire all the city and particularly the harbor of Palermo from this point of view .

The third photo describes, during a bike ride through the woods, a cow which was interested to take a picture with the bike.

While the last two photos have been taken in the circuit of Pergusa situated in the heart of Sicily. On the bike there is my son he is 7 years old, ( he rides with the mountain bike while on these photos he is testing his new bike), he’s simulating a pole position starting and in the last one photo is testing the racing bike on the circuit.

128 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

CYCLING DURING THE PANDEMIC BIKE-MAG.COM

MIKE MAGIONCALDA

“Corner Office”

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 129

2021

CYCLING DURING THE PANDEMIC BIKE-MAG.COM

“Just cruising, taking a break in my “”New Normal”” corner office.

This is my custom build with both surf and turf characteristics”

130 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

PRO CYCLING

2021

BIKE-MAG.COM

JAVIER MARTÍNEZ DE LA PUENTE AZCÁRATE

ALONE IN YOUR MIND

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 131

2021

PRO CYCLING BIKE-MAG.COM

Those moments when loneliness is only in your mind. And yet all eyes are on you

132 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

PRO CYCLING

2021

BIKE-MAG.COM

JAVIER MARTÍNEZ DE LA PUENTE AZCÁRATE

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 133

2021

PRO CYCLING BIKE-MAG.COM

134 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

PRO CYCLING

2021

BIKE-MAG.COM

ERIC TKINDT

Chronorace Belgian Championship

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 135

2021

PRO CYCLING BIKE-MAG.COM

Profs at the belgian championship 2020

136 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

PRO CYCLING

2021

BIKE-MAG.COM

ANGEL ROS DIE

Ciclismo en la tercera dimension (Cycling in the third dimension)

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 137

2021

PRO CYCLING BIKE-MAG.COM

Disparando a baja velocidad y en blanco y negro el ciclismo adquiere una dimension magica. Velocidad, ritmo............saliendo de la tercera dimension Shooting at low speed and in black and white, cycling takes on a magical dimension.

Speed, rhythm ............ leaving the third dimension

138 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

PRO CYCLING

2021

BIKE-MAG.COM

STEFANO DI MARIA

Cycling into the Heaven’s Valley

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 139

2021

PRO CYCLING BIKE-MAG.COM

I shot this group of images during the UCI Road World Championships in Imola, my birthplace. I knew very well the race track. I wanted to emphasize the landscape, the sky in Italy at the end of the summer, but also the effort and the speed and the movement of a live competition.

140 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

PRO CYCLING BIKE-MAG.COM

STEFANO DI MARIA

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 141

2021

PRO CYCLING BIKE-MAG.COM

142 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

PRO CYCLING

2021

BIKE-MAG.COM

ALEX HUEFNER

Derny riders - The men for one night

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 143

2021

PRO CYCLING BIKE-MAG.COM

There aren’t many people in the world who are crazy enough to ride a motorcycle at over 60 km / h in a circle on a 250 m long wooden oval. In addition, with a cyclist just a few centimeters behind you in the slipstream. Too little feeling at the gas or a wrong decision can lead to life-threatening falls. What sounds completely crazy to most is a daily routine for Peter Bäuerlein and his pacemaker colleagues…

144 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

PRO CYCLING BIKE-MAG.COM

ALEX HUEFNER

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 145

2021

PRO CYCLING BIKE-MAG.COM

146 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

PRO CYCLING

2021

BIKE-MAG.COM

AXEL KARNUTH

Synchronous procedure Liege Bastogne Liege 2018 at km 252. While Bob Jungles is heading to the finish line in Ans/ Liege Rafal Majka (BOH) and Jose Herrada (COF) struggling synchrnously at the last summit Cotê de Saint Nicolas with approx. 10%.

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 147

2021

PRO CYCLING BIKE-MAG.COM

AXEL KARNUTH

Ardennes roller coaster Riding more than 250 km and 10 times up and down these riders climbing up the last slope Cotê de Saint Nicolas in Liege. Down in the valley you see the river Maas.

148 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

PRO CYCLING

2021

BIKE-MAG.COM

GERGŐ PÁLMAI

Ride through my lens

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 149

2021

PRO CYCLING BIKE-MAG.COM

I am a mountain bike rider. I am a photographer. Not just love both... That’s my life.

150 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

PRO CYCLING BIKE-MAG.COM

GERGŐ PÁLMAI

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 151

2021

PRO CYCLING BIKE-MAG.COM

152 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

PRO CYCLING BIKE-MAG.COM

ERIKA SZIKLAVARI

Pro cycling

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 153

2021

PRO CYCLING BIKE-MAG.COM

2019 Hungarian Downhill CUP; Epleny

154 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

PRO CYCLING BIKE-MAG.COM

ERIKA SZIKLAVARI

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 155

2021

PRO CYCLING BIKE-MAG.COM

156 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

PRO CYCLING

2021

BIKE-MAG.COM

FRANCESCO BONINO

James Knox at Giro d’Italia

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 157

2021

PRO CYCLING BIKE-MAG.COM

James Knox wears the mask as required by the anti covid rules before the start of the 15th stage of the 2020 Giro d’Italia.

158 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

PRO CYCLING BIKE-MAG.COM

MATTEO POLETTI

Fast and glorious

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 159

2021

PRO CYCLING BIKE-MAG.COM

Imola, UCI Road World Championships 2020: what a pleasure!

160 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

CYCLING HOLIDAY

2021

BIKE-MAG.COM

ANTHONY REED

Wharfedale Wheelers on tour

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 161

2021

CYCLING HOLIDAY BIKE-MAG.COM

This is but a very small selection of thousands of photos amassed following the annual ‘training camp’ to Europe by the Wharfedale Wheelers. WE are a small group (15 or so) of good mates who live on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, near Ilkley. We are blessed with fantastic local rides but love our trips and events abroad. We joke we are the most photographed cycle club in the world.. we love taking photos when we travel and all are captured with camera phones. The best make it into our annual photo albums. A great stocking filler for our partners (not). This is a sample of locations including Griona, Tour of Flanders, Starda Bianche and the Dolomites.

162 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

CYCLING HOLIDAY BIKE-MAG.COM

ANTHONY REED

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 163

2021

CYCLING HOLIDAY BIKE-MAG.COM

164 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

CYCLING HOLIDAY

2021

BIKE-MAG.COM

DIMITRI WEBER

French Cycling Roads

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 165

2021

CYCLING HOLIDAY BIKE-MAG.COM

“A series of French Cycling Roads, taken from an aerial point of view with a drone.

Full of corners, coloful landscapes or even famous spots, they are the perfect roads to ride on!

By order : - Gorges de Daluis - Col de la Pierre Saint-Martin - Col du Tourmalet - Route des Crêtes, Verdon - Col du Tourmalet”

166 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

CYCLING HOLIDAY BIKE-MAG.COM

DIMITRI WEBER

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 167

2021

CYCLING HOLIDAY BIKE-MAG.COM

168 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

CYCLING HOLIDAY

2021

BIKE-MAG.COM

ROBERT APJOK

Hungarian Divide 2020

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 169

2021

CYCLING HOLIDAY BIKE-MAG.COM

The Hungarian Divide is a mostly off-road, self-supported bikepacking adventure event through Hungary. The event is based around three core values of Bikepacking Hungary: joy of performance, adventure, and community.

170 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

CYCLING HOLIDAY BIKE-MAG.COM

ERIKA SZIKLAVARI

Cycling Holiday

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 171

2021

CYCLING HOLIDAY BIKE-MAG.COM

Just a fun Day With friends at Sopron, Hungary

172 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

EXPLORING A CITY BIKE-MAG.COM

GIOVANNI STALLONI

Just riding

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 173

2021

EXPLORING A CITY BIKE-MAG.COM

1 - A chinese delivery biker riding on a bridge. Gare de l’Est, Paris.

2 - Two bikers relaxing by the Seine, Paris.

3 - A kid cycling fast by the Tevere river, Rome.

4 - Bike sharing waiting for costumers, Paris.

5 - A bike blocked by the snow, Rome.

The focus of my work for the past 5 years has been the exploration of the relationship between people and the territory they inhabit, concentrating especially on the urban areas. I mostly explore the environment simply looking through the viewfinder of one of my tiny film cameras, engaging not the people itself but their actions into a specific space. One of my case of observation are bikes and bikers in the city, analyzing how they relate and interact with the enviroment.

174 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

EXPLORING A CITY BIKE-MAG.COM

GIOVANNI STALLONI

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 175

2021

EXPLORING A CITY BIKE-MAG.COM

176 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

EXPLORING A CITY

2021

BIKE-MAG.COM

ALEX HUEFNER

Rideout NYC - leave everyday life behind

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 177

2021

EXPLORING A CITY BIKE-MAG.COM

About fifty predominantly black youngsters hang out on the traffic island near Central Park and wait to leave everyday life behind. Suddenly it gets restless and the wheelie gang plunges into the running traffic direction downtown Manhattan. Car drivers remain surprisingly relaxed, they have no choice facing the bike maniacs going wild. Again and again someone goes into the wheelie, puts down a small Dance on the saddle and joins the others again. Pedestrians about to cross the street, freeze in the middle of the Movement and let the horde on rear wheels passing by‌

178 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

EXPLORING A CITY BIKE-MAG.COM

ALEX HUEFNER

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 179

2021

EXPLORING A CITY BIKE-MAG.COM

180 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

EXPLORING A CITY

2021

BIKE-MAG.COM

ANDREAS FUCHS

Hamburg by bike

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 181

2021

EXPLORING A CITY BIKE-MAG.COM

The speed of the bike allows you to discover a city with its most beautiful sides, its secret corners, its problem areas and its curiosities during a tour.

182 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

EXPLORING A CITY BIKE-MAG.COM

ANDREAS FUCHS

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 183

2021

EXPLORING A CITY BIKE-MAG.COM

184 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

EXPLORING A CITY BIKE-MAG.COM

DANIELE MARZEDDU

La Serenissima

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 185

2021

EXPLORING A CITY BIKE-MAG.COM

Exploring Venice and its lagoon is liberating and leaves one speechless . The island of Sant’Erasmo is the largest one in the Venetian lagoon, second in size after Venice, considered the historic “vegetable garden of Serenissima”. Riding a bicycle following its small perimetral trails is a proper romantic experience. The island itself is solitary and almost abandoned by humans and one is able to sense the feeling of La Serenissima (the most serene).

On the Southern lagoon lies Pellestrina a thin stretch of land that divides two bodies of water. Cycling along this thin strip gives one the sense of floating between and sky.

186 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

EXPLORING A CITY BIKE-MAG.COM

DANIELE MARZEDDU

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 187

2021

EXPLORING A CITY BIKE-MAG.COM

188 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

EXPLORING THE WILD

2021

BIKE-MAG.COM

MARTIN SIERING

Learn to love the country and its people by bike

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 189

2021 EXPLORING THE WILD BIKE-MAG.COM

With the bike I can combine several of my passions: traveling to distant countries, getting to know culture and people, enjoying nature and taking photos! That makes me happy and that is what the pictures should reflect.

190 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

EXPLORING THE WILD BIKE-MAG.COM

MARTIN SIERING

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 191

2021 EXPLORING THE WILD BIKE-MAG.COM

192 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

EXPLORING THE WILD

2021

BIKE-MAG.COM

CRISTIAN ZUELLI

ADVENTURE 365

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 193

2021 EXPLORING THE WILD BIKE-MAG.COM

Dall’estate all’inverno, dall’alba al tramonto, le migliori avventure sulle Alpi lombarde in sella alla nostra fidata compagna di viaggi.

1. Golden hour 2. Endless tunnel 3. Lights and shadows 4. White walls 5. Earth’s white dress

194 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

EXPLORING THE WILD BIKE-MAG.COM

CRISTIAN ZUELLI

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 195

2021 EXPLORING THE WILD BIKE-MAG.COM

196 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

EXPLORING THE WILD BIKE-MAG.COM

VALERIO FERRARO

The salmon war

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 197

2021 EXPLORING THE WILD BIKE-MAG.COM

Russian, Kamchatka, Kurile lake. During the summer, many lone bears meet on the shores of Kurile Lake to catch salmon before hibernation. The proximity of too many bears to the lake causes constant fights. Even the little bears learn to fight by playing

198 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

EXPLORING THE WILD BIKE-MAG.COM

VALERIO FERRARO

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 199

2021 EXPLORING THE WILD BIKE-MAG.COM

200 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

EXPLORING THE WILD

2021

BIKE-MAG.COM

MATTEO MAZZEI

Bike on mountain

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 201

2021 EXPLORING THE WILD BIKE-MAG.COM

Ebike on mountain

202 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

EXPLORING THE WILD

2021

BIKE-MAG.COM

EMANUELE BARACCO

A Historical Cycle event, where Langhe hills meet vintage bikes

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 203

2021 EXPLORING THE WILD BIKE-MAG.COM

La Langarola, an historical cycle event, that It was born with the aim of recalling the cycling of yesteryear, through the use of bicycles and vintage clothing. Two different routes, through the hills of the Langhe, Unesco heritage, with the enhancement of the excellence of this territory, such as Barolo wine and good food.

204 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

EXPLORING THE WILD BIKE-MAG.COM

EMANUELE BARACCO

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 205

2021 EXPLORING THE WILD BIKE-MAG.COM

206 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

EXPLORING THE WILD

2021

BIKE-MAG.COM

MARCO PEDICINI

More wheels, more tyres, more garlic

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 207

2021 EXPLORING THE WILD BIKE-MAG.COM

“More shoes, more boots, more garlic” it’s the conclusion drawn by Werner Herzog after a lost bet that saw him eating his own shoe, flavored with a plenty of garlic. It’s an invitation to the challenge, in the belief that in any case there is something to gain. In my small way, I reinterpretated it from a cycling perspective, traveling through Southern Italy carrying my old analog Hasselblad 500 c/m 6x6 camera. The result is an apology of slowness, a luxury that everyone should allow himself from time to time, in order to detoxify from the chaotic society.

208 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

EXPLORING THE WILD BIKE-MAG.COM

MARCO PEDICINI

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 209

2021 EXPLORING THE WILD BIKE-MAG.COM

210 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

OPEN THEME

2021

BIKE-MAG.COM

DARIO LO PRESTI

La vida es como un tango

(Life is like a tango) The picture shows a couple of tango dancers while they are dancing a piece during a performance.

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 211

2021

OPEN THEME BIKE-MAG.COM

LARA CAMPOSTRINI

Andavo a cento all’ora Vedere questo ragazzo “”d’altri tempi”” sfrecciare a cento all’ora mi ha fatto riflettere sul fatto che la bici è proprio un mezzo senza tempo!

C’era una volta, c’è adesso e sempre ci sarà! Puoi salirci elegante, puoi salirci sportivo, puoi pedalare piano e goderti il paesaggio, puoi pedalare veloce e goderti la velocità. La puoi usare nel traffico della città o per avventure in mezzo alla natura...ma la cosa più bella di questo mezzo di trasporto è che la benzina sei tu!

Seeing this boy “from the past” speeding at a hundred per hour made me reflect on the fact that the bike is really a timeless vehicle!

Once upon a time, there is now and always will be! You can get on it elegantly, you can get on it sporty, you can pedal slowly and enjoy the landscape, you can pedal fast and enjoy the speed. You can use it in city traffic or for adventures in the middle of nature ... but the best thing about this means of transport is that you are the petrol!

212 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

OPEN THEME BIKE-MAG.COM

CHIEKO TANEMURA

Bike in Daily Life

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 213

2021

OPEN THEME BIKE-MAG.COM

Bike in daily life , for school, shopping, health, creed and so forth.

214 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

OPEN THEME BIKE-MAG.COM

CHIEKO TANEMURA

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 215

2021

OPEN THEME BIKE-MAG.COM

216 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

OPEN THEME

2021

BIKE-MAG.COM

ERIC TKINDT

Belgian championship balance bike

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 217

2021

OPEN THEME BIKE-MAG.COM

Balance bike race for kids between 3 and 5 years at Deinze

218 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

OPEN THEME BIKE-MAG.COM

ERIC TKINDT

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 219

2021

OPEN THEME BIKE-MAG.COM

220 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

OPEN THEME BIKE-MAG.COM

ROMINA FELICIONI

Après midi (Afternoon)

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 221

2021

OPEN THEME BIKE-MAG.COM

This exceptional year that has yet to come to an end seems to have awakened us in unison from that numbness of emotions to which we were exposed. Suddenly we were exposed to a spectacle of pain that revealed all our fragility as human beings. In all this pain, amplified by the media for the sole purpose of generating unprecedented peaks in audiences, there are those who, in silence, find themselves face to face with that pain every day. A lonely man, who looks at this pandemic with different eyes, already imbued with that pain that a few years ago took away the travel companion of a lifetime.

222 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

OPEN THEME BIKE-MAG.COM

MARIATERESA CRESPAN

Le mie emozioni

(My emotions)

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 223

2021

OPEN THEME BIKE-MAG.COM

Le mie fotografie esprimono le mie emozioni My photographs express my emotions

224 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

OPEN THEME BIKE-MAG.COM

MARIATERESA CRESPAN

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 225

2021

OPEN THEME BIKE-MAG.COM

226 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

OPEN THEME

2021

BIKE-MAG.COM

FRANCISCO JOSE CALDERON LOZANO

The Temptation I, The Temptation II, The Temptation III, The Temptation IV

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 227

2021

OPEN THEME BIKE-MAG.COM

Una vision personal de la belleza femenina como un instrumento de tentación. Inspirada en la obra “El Pecado Original” de miguel angel.

A personal vision of female beauty as an instrument of temptation. Inspired by the work “The Original Sin” of miguel angel.

228 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

OPEN THEME BIKE-MAG.COM

FABIO PELLEGRINI

Children

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 229

2021

OPEN THEME BIKE-MAG.COM

I tried to catch the childhood troughs this picture in black and white

230 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

OPEN THEME

2021

BIKE-MAG.COM

DANIELE PALLADINO

Street photography

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 231

2021

OPEN THEME BIKE-MAG.COM

”Le relazioni temporali fra eventi sono più complesse di quanto pensassimo prima, ma non per questo non ci sono. Le relazioni di filiazione non stabiliscono un ordine globale, ma non per questo sono illusorie. se non siamo tutti in fila indiana non per questo non c’è nessuno relazione tra noi. Il cambiamento, l’accadere, non è un illusione.” ”Temporal relationships between events are more complex than we previously thought, but that is not to say they are not there. Relationships of filiation do not establish an overall order, but that is not why they are illusory. If we are not all in a single file, that is not why there is no relationship between us. Change, the happening, is not an illusion.”

232 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

OPEN THEME

2021

BIKE-MAG.COM

ALEX HUEFNER

Cruising biker - It’s a family affair

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 233

2021

OPEN THEME BIKE-MAG.COM

It’s a family affair and a way of life. They spend all their free time screwing on their bikes, and on weekends they meet all over Germany to cruise together. The cruisers come from the same bike category as the California beach cruisers. The men looking like cowboys or motorcycle riders are not like ordinary cyclists and Cruising is a very different kind of cycling. It’s not about doing kilometers, it´s about relaxing and riding with like-minded people - see and be seen, show off your bike with pride and have fun…

234 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

OPEN THEME BIKE-MAG.COM

ALEX HUEFNER

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 235

2021

OPEN THEME BIKE-MAG.COM

236 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

OPEN THEME

2021

BIKE-MAG.COM

MAURO VARRATTA

DE FINIBUS TERRAE (Ends of the earth)

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 237

2021 BIKE-MAG.COM

Percorrere in inverno la litoranea che collega santa maria di leuca ad otranto puo’ offrire una vista mozzafiato delle montagne albanesi innevate, lungo il canale d’otranto.

Distanza compresa tra 70 km - 110 km Traveling along the coast road that connects Santa Maria di Leuca to Otranto in winter can offer a breathtaking view of the snow-capped Albanian mountains, along the Otranto Canal. Distance between 70 km - 110 km

238 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2021

OPEN THEME BIKE-MAG.COM

ANDREAS FUCHS

Generation Bike

2021

2021 BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTES 239

2021

OPEN THEME BIKE-MAG.COM

From the child up, cycling is part of everyday life - as a means of transport, as a sport, as a leisure activity.

240 BIKE MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2021

SHOWCASE BIKE-MAG.COM A5LftEn&Frn9.12_Layout 1 25/09/2012 15:26 Page 1

Train and stay on the worlds toughest triathalon course

The Cardinals Hatt is an established family run hotel set within the Cornish countryside with outstanding views and a picturesque landscape and ideally located to use as a base to discover all that Cornwall and South Devon has to offer

We have a range of rooms from doubles, twins, triples and family units, available on a bed and breakfast basis. Ample free parking and free wifi too

Ride the

Ouka Monster!

The Cardinals Hatt Saltash PL12 6PJ

Tel: 01752 845 888 Email: info@thecardinals-hatt.co.uk Web: www.thecardinals-hatt.co.uk

ANNUALLY LAST SUNDAY IN APRIL

This is an inclusive event suitable for the serious amateur or professional as well as the passionate and determined rider.

2 courses 140km and 60km.

Marrakech to Oukaimeden 2129 metres of altitude gain in a single ascent.

Bigger than Galibier, Mont Ventoux, Tourmalet. Ride the Ouka Monster for a good cause. Benefits of this event to www.educationforallmorocco.org World change starts with educated children.

Cycling accommodation in Pembrokeshire, West Wales

Please join us, enjoy yourself with a personal challenge and help make a difference.

See www.marrakech-atlas-etape.com for full details or email info@marrakech-atlas-etape.com

01834 844565 | fbmholidays.co.uk

Lake District Bikes Bike Hire, Cycling Tours, Cycling Holidays

THe UlTiMaTe HoMe

We have a great bike ready for you

John Sutcliffe Beck View Lowick Nr Ulverston Cumbria LA12 8DX

The Original Student Bikes.

Web: lakedistrictbikes.com Tel: 0788 773 1552 Email: jrsutcliffe7@icloud.com

From £225

Road Bike Hire

All Terrain Bike Hire

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We cover you for leisure riding, touring and sportive riding at home and abroad.

bike insUrance all in one

Home insurance covering your bikes, kit and accessories We don’t charge per bike so whether you’ve got one bike or 16 bikes our policies are great value for money!

as recommended by magnus backstedt tour De France Stage Winner

Travel insurance covering accidents and liability Medical insurance so that you’re back on your bike in no time after injury

E-Bike Hire

For more information and a quote visit

www.pedalcover.co.uk or Call 0800 121 4424

Self catering cottages for Cyclists overlooking the Lake District National park www.coalyeatcottages.co.uk Tel: Emma 07887731553 Come and join me for the ”Enigma Titanium Experience” Hire, demo or buy new Enigma titanium road bikes and Hunt wheels.

mangobikes.com/students

Home + bike

travel

HealtHCare

Pedalcover Limited is an appointed representative of Kingswood Insurance, which is Authorised and Regulated by The Financial Conduct Authority. FCA Number 550254

Simply Cycling Slovenia Amazing Cycling Tours & Holidays in and around Slovenia!

The Routes:

 The Wine & Water Route  The Rivers, Lakes & Canyons Route  The Four Countries Route  The Bled, Bohinj & Beyond Route  Mountains, Rivers and Ocean Route  Specializing in Groups guided or self guided tours

OPEN TO ALL

RIDE THE YORK SPORT

VELODROME YORKSHIRE’S MOST THRILLING CYCING EXPERIENCE WWW.YORK-SPORT.COM

 www.simplycyclingslovenia.com  +386 51 497 735

FEBRUARY 2021 BIKE MAGAZINE 241

BIKE-MAG.COM

2022

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242 BIKE MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2021

BIKE-MAG.COM

Performance by Nature

™

Biomaxa Bicycle Biolubricant is a next generation lube.

Inspired and sourced from nature yet developed with cutting edge science and precision for the benefit of all cyclists. This has delivered our unique Biomaxa Biofilm™ coating the chain to give you exceptional performance.

Road cyclists, track racers and triathletes love the smooth and fast feel and the high efficiency. Urban commuters love the all weather protection, and the fact it is made with a natural product – lanolin. Mountain bikers, downhillers and enduro riders love the one lube for all conditions, the natural products on the chain whilst in the wilderness, and of course the longevity.

It really is a lube that performs for all riders.

Made with Lanolin from New Zealand

Chain guide cap for easy application

One lube.

Exceptional in all weather conditions

Available in 500ml and 80ml bottles

bicycle biolubricants biomaxa

www.biomaxa.co.uk

@biomaxauk