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I wasn’t blogging Kyle, I was looking at porn…
“Stage 8 of The Amgen Tour of California a rolled right past Golden Saddle Cyclery, so Rapha & Tracko decided to throw a champagne brunch for its customers and visitors from out of town. This video showcases the good times and camaraderie of GSC’s cycling community. Enjoy
Shot & Edited by Ace Carretero
Music by The Triumphs – Lovin’ Cup
Concept by Kyle B. Kelley”
The closer we got to Los Angeles during the AMGEN Tour of California, the more fun the days became. We woke up bright and early in LA and drove out to Azusa. From there, we parked and rode up towards Baldy. Words cannot express how much fun this ride was. We climbed as high as we could before the course started to get closed down, totaling around 35 miles and 4,600′ of elevation.
Hennie, the Rapha Mobile Cycle Club was parked at the first KOM, so our group arrived and the party had already been raging. I can’t describe the afternoon, so I’ll let the photos do the talking!
Click on the above photo to launch the gallery, or here to open in a new tab.
Edit: I’ve added the Previous posts for the #ATOC below…
Come hang out with the Golden Saddle Cyclery crew, the Rapha Mobile Cycle Club and the anyone who can crawl out of bed at 8am!
No, really. I’m back in SF yet again. This time I’ll be covering the Amgen Tour of California. I couldn’t make it to the start today, but coverage will begin tomorrow. My week will end in Los Angeles, so maybe I’ll see you there? More to come…
Without my Rapha Lightweight Jersey, last summer in Austin would have been hellish for me. When it’s over 100 degrees for over three months with 0 rain, you do all you can to stay cool. Last year, the Lightweight jersey was my best friend and this summer, the Super-Lightweight Jersey looks to be a worthy advisary.
This event was a huge success. The 2012 Rapha Women’s Prestige was the first race of its kind and I can’t wait to see where they take it next.
Photo by Andy White
This was the best birthday present I received today, as I scrolled through the Rapha blogs. My lovely lady behind the lens of Andy = smiles all around.
Out of all the UK Rapha Continental Builders, this man, Brian Rourke is the one who’s doing the most original work. That’s probably because he’s been doing it for so long that his eyes are affixed on an idea, rather than a trend or what the US builders are doing. I dig this film, a lot.
Look, I’m going to be honest. Rapha gave me these shoes and sure, doing a write up was part of the “deal”. I’m a journalist in many ways and part of that is promoting products. But I’ll never pump up the hype on something I’m not into. Like nice cycling shoes, a nice bottle of bourbon needs no hype. While, going for a cheap bottle can result in a great night, you’re better off going for the good stuff if you’re into enjoying the evening. That doesn’t mean you can’t buy cheap bourbon and not have fun.
Hell, Fighting Cock is a great $15 bottle and Bookers or Basil Hayden’s is a good mid-range, coming in at $30-$40. Jim Beam is out of the picture, leave that shit to the sports bars. Makers is perfect for a bourbon and ginger, as is Buffalo Trace but Van Winkle Special Reserve, like the Rapha Grand Tour Shoes are just a step up from the rest. Giro‘s line of cycling shoes are like bourbon: there’s something for everyone. It just so happens that the Grand Tour shoes are the Van Winkle of the line. The bourbon’s good to go but how have the shoes been holding up?
Check out more below
KTC Quality has a nice little interview up with Simon Mottram, the founder of Rapha, on their inner workings and design philosophy. Head over to check it out. It’s an interesting read on how to build a brand from the ground up by acknowledging a much-needed niche in a market.
Via Hypebeast
How are you spending your Sunday? If you’re in Australia, check out the FYXO Hub for your Paris-Roubaix viewing needs and Rapha’s got those bases covered for the Paris-Roubaix Sportive:
“Five Rapha riders set out to ride the Paris-Roubaix parcours in early March 2011 as preparation for the inaugural Paris-Roubaix Sportive to be held one day before the pro event.
rapha.cc”
What’s this Easter thing everyone’s talking about? Isn’t that a pagan holiday?
Two names you can’t go wrong with in the style category of cycling is Beloved and Rapha. You’ve most likely heard of the latter but Beloved was a new name to me up until last summer, when I toured the Chris King facilities prior to my tour. Their niche is deeply tied to their slogan “Let Us Chase the Sun” and it’s only fitting that these bikes are born in the Pacific Northwest where chasing the sun is a literal activity. Marketing aside, Beloved makes timeless bicycles with details to match. Most of this bike was made in the USA and that’s a huge plus in my book.
This Rapha Every Day townie bike sits pretty in the Cycle Club SF window, so I took it outside for some lens love and SF sun (i.e. overcast)…
Check out more by clicking the photo above or here to open in a new tab.
Ben Ingham does it once again for Rapha, premiering their Spring / Summer Pro Team Collection. Very creative and thanks for being helmet-savvy Dunn!
One day I would love to do Battenkill:
“Jayson Jacobs and Dylan Nord preview The Tour of the Battenkill. Featuring Focus Bikes, Rapha, Zipp and SRAM.”
Kelli is the most #fixiefamous girl in LA but is she saving the track bike? But she did make it to the Rapha Survey. Check out more below.
It’s Friday. How are you spending your weekend?
I met Erika last summer in Portland at the Rapha Gentle(women’s) Race. Since I don’t have cable, I had no idea who she was. Then, everywhere we went, people recognized her from the TV show “Parenthood”. If you follow her on Twitter and pay attention to Velo, you might have caught onto this photo. If you don’t, then you had to have seen it on Tracko. Either way, you’re seeing it now, via JennLevo’s Blog.
For more on Erika, head over to the post on the Embrocation blog where she was interviewed after the Rapha Gentle(women’s) Race.
When I was in Portland, before my tour, the guys at Rapha North America told me about this collaboration with Giro that they had been working on. Their idea was simple: make a cycling shoe that boasts the performance of a modern race shoe, influenced by the classic models from the 70’s. If anyone has nailed that ideology down, it’s Rapha. The Grand Tour Shoes embody the same stylistic approach as their apparel line and by style, I mean simplicity. These minimally-branded, perforated white leather shoes utilize the same technology as Giro’s professional racing shoes and look damn good.
I’ve broken this review down into a gallery, with the captions describing each photo, so take note. See for yourself by clicking the image above or here to open in a new tab.
