ED'S LETTER
Haven’t you heard? We live in the era of ‘fake news’. That strange orange man who claims to be President of the United States keeps saying it – fake news, fake news, fake news, folks – so I guess it must be true. Except for the fact that I saw it on the news so I can’t be sure if it’s true or fake. Perhaps all news is fake. Perhaps Trump isn’t really President at all, and when we see him on the television telling us that the news is fake, it never really happened, meaning that the reports of fake news are in themselves fake and that therefore there is no fake news. Perhaps all news is real. It’s all very confusing, but it has occurred to me that the obvious next step from fake news is fake features. It would certainly make my life a lot easier. Instead of, for example, sending a writer and photographer to Spain to ride up the highest road in Europe (as we did this issue), I could simply take pictures of riders in a studio and Photoshop them onto a mountain scene downloaded from Google Images.
Think of the money I’d save! Then I would simply have to come up with a convincing story – difficult early section, steep switchbacks, dark period in the pain zone, incident with a stray cow, ultimate success and valuable lesson learned – and hit the ‘print’ button. Fake news would be even more useful for technological developments. Seen the new 1kg bike? The 15-speed cassette? The aero wheels made entirely from ‘dark matter’? Yep, we’ve got them all here. And as for that exclusive interview with Chris Froome, well, we wouldn’t even have to go and meet him, and I’m sure he wouldn't mind if we just made up a few things about him (who knew he was Kenya’s Latin ballroom dance champion?).
It’s a fun idea, but for the moment we’ll continue to do things the way we always have: by going the extra mile to bring you the real stories behind cycling. I hope you think it’s worth it.
TRACK DAY NORTH ADDED FOR 2017
The Cyclist Track Day is the best place to try out the world’s best road bikes for yourself, and now we have added an extra date for 2017. Track Day South will be held on the outdoor race circuit at London’s Lee Valley Velopark on 23rd April 2017, and Track Day North will be at the York Sport Cycle Circuit in York on 21st May 2017. Places are limited, so go to cyclist.co.uk/trackday to find out more details and buy tickets.
Two wheels, frame, repeat. Cobbles, hands in the air, repeat— year after year after year. What does a heart cling to when it’s filled with despair? Familiarity. The status quo. Anything that flies in the face of progress. But we’ve grown bored with tired ideologies that dictate what can and can’ t be done, the same way that you’re tired of old technologies and racing. It’s time for a fresh face, a new approach. It’s time for new champions. Peter and Roubaix. Welcome to the future of what we love.