Fred Wright: Don’t worry, be happy

“If I had to choose between winning Paris Roubaix and eternal happiness, I don’t know what I’d choose.” This isn’t a question I asked Fred Wright, a man who looks like he’s on the brink of both those things, but it is the question he ended up asking himself, as we sat and pondered one…

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Ariane Lüthi: phoenix from the flames

Ariane Lüthi is as hard as fucking nails. The two-time Swiss mountain bike marathon champion and five-time winner of Cape Epic is a mountain biking legend. And in my mind, one tough cookie in every way, from her head to her toes. So why is she so insistent on telling me she’s “mentally terribly weak”?…

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Alison Jackson: TikTok, handstands and Jesus

     Alison Jackson is everything I’m not: comfortable in her own skin, willing to embarrass herself in the name of entertaining others, and a really coordinated dancer. I have been quietly watching her from afar, trying to figure out her secret and the gateway to such unbridled joy on the internet, and then finally I thought,…

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Svein Tuft: breaking away from the machine

     Back in December, as the Christmas lights went up, and the year like no other wound down, I started to reflect on my journey through this pandemic, realising that there was one person I needed to speak to before the year was out. Svein Tuft. The person that funnily enough, I associate with the start of…

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Roos Hoogeboom: from breakdown to bike pro

     Roos Hoogeboom is a wonderful woman to talk to. She’s confident, passionate, interesting; someone who you would presume has always sailed through life with a smile on her face. After chatting to her recently about her retirement from professional cycling, I was motivated to do whatever I could to support the journey she was…

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Zen and the art of pro-team management

Matt White: The fortnight between grand Tours      As we transitioned from the Tour to the Giro, Summer to Autumn, first wave of COVID to second, I sat down with Mitchelton Scott DS Matt White to chat about what has gone before, and what is coming next.       I wanted to know what Matt’s reflections on the…

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Iris Slappendel: Super Future Females

     You can’t help but feel inspired and empowered as a female when you talk to Iris Slappendel. Her new project, Super Future Females, which explores the grey area between activism and fashion, firmly cements her place as a super current female.        Just in case you don’t know, ex-pro cyclist Iris is a…

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Matt White: hope for the best

Planning around a pandemic      “I’m over it.” The first words Matt White uttered in response to, “How’s lockdown life treating you?” when I spoke to him over a month ago. I wasn’t sure how to respond, neither tears nor laughter at his reaction seemed entirely appropriate, yet somehow, I want to do both. I was…

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Andorra: Svein Tuft, gravel roads, and spectacular views

A weekend of pre-isolation bliss I have always struggled with the external side of writing. I write for myself, continuously feeling compelled to put my thoughts on a page. It is a cathartic process for me, without which I don’t know how I’d survive. However, I do not feel compelled to share it. Therefore, this…

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Adam Tranter and the all-conquering, humble bicycle

Coventry. Birthplace of The Specials, the military tank, a really confusing ring road, and me. But more importantly, Adam Tranter; proud father of twin boys, hard-working founder of Fusion Media, and all-round obsessive of getting people active. Adam has just been appointed as Britain’s first-ever Cycling Mayor, and I was keen to hear how he…

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