We love where we ride but we appreciate that cycling isn't about one col, one climb or even one country. Over the coming months we will be adding our support to rides organised by some of our excellent retail partners across the globe. If any of them are where you ride, we - and they - would love to see you.
THE RDV : SCHICKE MÜTZE
There is a very common theme to be found in the best bricks and mortar cycling emporiums around the world. They are a place of enthusiasm for the bicycle. Authentic and passionate.
Schicke Mütze joined the growing trend but from a different doorway - from a love of vintage bikes and classic events like L’Eroica. That approach allowed them to come to modern cycling with fresh eyes, that were looking for timeless design.
And so it is that you find a bike shop, workshop and café offering curated selection of products, services and coffee under one roof, built by cyclists who are keen to find their own road.
THE PELOTON : WINTER WARRIORS
If you enter “Winterschlampenparade” into Google translate the result might be slightly surprising. It’s not a reference to the riders, but to their machines.
“Winterschlampe” is the pet name for the trusty winter bike, equipped with slightly wider tires and mudguards. The name is a tribute to the workhorses – from the trusty steel road bike, cross bike, singlespeed, and nowadays the modern version - the gravel bike. The only rule is that it must have drop bars – no MTB, touring or pretzel handlebars allowed.
Numbers vary from a peloton of 50 people when the winter sun pokes its nose out to a core of ten hardy riders when there’s a constant drizzle and the temperature doesn’t get above three degrees.
The overall demographic? Weather-resistant girls and guys of all ages who want to take on the 'Rheinischer Winter' and have two-wheeled fun on Sunday. Like any successful bunch ride it is about people on the same wavelength, in this case those who believe fun does not begin in April and end in September.
THE PARCOURS : NOT THE MAIN ROAD
Often the Schicke Mütze Winter Parade concentrates on the area between Duisburg, Willich and Rommerskirchen. The route changes every week, but it is always around 75 km long, making a three hour social ride with a strict non-drop policy.
The small roads and tracks between the fields are ideal for group rides. Contacts with motorists are rare, encounters with farmers and tractors are more likely. It’s mostly friendly waves and/or bewildered looks from any other hardy souls braving the weather.
But that remoteness and slightly rougher surface also means being prepared. When a group of twenty-three people wait for half an hour in continuous rain at five degrees, because someone with a fourteen-year-old cheap tyre has three flats in a row, then looks can kill. So far, there have only been fisticuffs once.
THE PRIZES:
A Belgian tan, a hot shower, the rest of the day spent on the couch. Enjoying the civilised comforts after experiencing the elements in a different way. Because outside is free and afterwards inside is comfy.
LA PROCHAINE
Upcoming rides are happening at Cyclingworld, a stylish German Consumer Fair for cyclists.
Otherwise there is a road ride on Saturdays and a gravel ride on Sundays almost every weekend from the Schicke Mütze 'clubhouse'.
RIDERS' NOTES:
Strava File for the Winterschlampenparade - HERE
More info on Schicke Mütze HERE, and details of the rides can be found via their Strava Club HERE