This past week we’ve been enjoying the reporting surrounding the British National Hill Climb Championships. We love the idea of super light-weight bikes pushed to the limits of their structural integrity by legs, lungs, and hearts equally stretched to their limits—all fighting against gravity and time. Modern-day drillium, glued on saddles, chopped handle bars, carbon everything. Some of the bikes boarder on the absurd. But we love it all and are excited to share some of it with you.

wheels we’re following

kit we’re eyeing

where we’re riding

café-stop reading

Our local hill climb hill leaves me in pain. But, I still love climbing it. I find the exhaustion at the end of the climb as appealing as the view. I particularly appreciate the fact that there is a little gazebo with a bench that I can sit down upon and then stare out upon the woods of a state park while my mind starts to make sense of my surroundings and bodily sensations. It would be a perfect place and moment to read an article such as “Yes, It Hurts” by Ian Cleverly. Unfortunately, I don’t believe I’d be capable of reading in the moment. It’ll need to wait for the café.

off the back of the newsletter

Andrew Feather won the British National Hill Climb Championships on a disc-brake bike. Watch this tour of his Cannondale SuperSix Evo LAB71. There were other crazy light-weight bikes competing in the Hill Climb. An 85-year-old became the oldest ever participant of the Monsal Hill Climb. Also, Mathieu Van Der Poel won’t be doing any cross races until December. Wout Van Aert is expected to lead the Visma-Lease a Bike GC for the Giro. If we were racing in the Giro, we’d pack some stuff in this bag.

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