Rouleur Issue 125 - Cycling Will Change the World!

Cycling is about the closest thing to a silver bullet that policymakers around the world have to improve life in cities especially, but everywhere. People choosing to cycle saves space on roads that are otherwise congested with motor vehicles. Cycling causes no pollution, save for the initial manufacturing impact. When people cycle, they become fitter and less vulnerable to the diseases and problems of sedentary lifestyles, which has the knock-on effect of reducing the financial burden on health services. There’s a good argument that cycling to work instead of driving or using public transport is good for mental health (it also gets you there bang on time, and more alert). Cycling is way cheaper than driving. Cars kill and injure thousands of people every year, while in the United Kingdom, for example, cyclists are responsible for hardly any serious accidents. Cities and towns that promote active travel are quieter, more pleasant places.

These are only the most obvious positive effects of cycling. Politicians in forward-thinking countries like the Netherlands, France and Denmark have realised this and have been promoting active travel, building infrastructure and making their towns and cities work better as a result. We’re celebrating cycling’s ability to make the world a much better place in this edition of Rouleur.

What’s in the magazine?

Elisa Longo Borghini

Zoom calls and chats in hotel lobbies will never compare to interviewing riders in real life, getting to know them, their quirks, loves and hates... Better still is taking them out of their comfort zone, away from races and Lycra. Going up the London Eye with Lidl-Trek’s Elisa Longo Borghini (plus special guests) was not on Rachel Jary’s 2023 bingo card, but she dutifully obliged the Italian rider’s request at Rouleur Live last year. While admiring the view, she found out about Longo Borghini’s quintessentially Italian upbringing and the humble start she had to her racing career, while also getting an insight into how she achieved her Roubaix, Flanders and Strade Bianche wins.

Guillaume Martin

It’s obvious that nothing was going to go as planned for this expedition in Portugal, which Ryan Le Garrec started by waking up in a fishing village with a huge hangover. The intention of the trip was never a story anyways. The purpose was just to hang out with friends. On the road and despite 50 miles of a banging headache, Ryan collected glimpses of memories, jokes, anecdotes and feelings dovetailing together and slotting into one another with the random logic and poetry that only big rides can inspire. It’s a story of friendship above all but also the need to ride, a bit, then maybe a bit more, and very often too much and definitely forever.

Rod Weiller and other heroes

It’s obvious that nothing was going to go as planned for this expedition in Portugal, which Ryan Le Garrec started by waking up in a fishing village with a huge hangover. The intention of the trip was never a story anyways. The purpose was just to hang out with friends. On the road and despite 50 miles of a banging headache, Ryan collected glimpses of memories, jokes, anecdotes and feelings dovetailing together and slotting into one another with the random logic and poetry that only big rides can inspire. It’s a story of friendship above all but also the need to ride, a bit, then maybe a bit more, and very often too much and definitely forever.

And more...

The magazine also features an exclusive interview with Vuelta a España and Giro d’Italia winner Primož Roglic; Herbie Sykes also spends some time with the Italian Continental outfit Mg.K Vis to see how things really work in the lower divisions; Edward Pickering spends the day with Sarah Storey, Great Britain's most successful Paralympian who is also the Active Travel Commissioner for Greater Manchester; James Startt speaks to cyclists in Paris; Gaia Realini faces Rouleur’s question time; Laura Laker speaks about how cycling can change the world from increased lifespans, safer neighbourhoods to reduction in pollution levels; plus Discocyclo, Verona with Rolling Dreamers, art cycle, Kenya’s Maasai Mara, Wilier, Ribble, Pinarello, Orla, Ned and much, much more.