Somewhere, possibly in a lost shipping container, possibly in a corner of a factory in the Far East, sit boxes of finishers’ medals for the 2020 Etape du Dales. They are forgotten relics of a sportive season that never was, their purpose unfulfilled. Trinkets of goals never achieved, and smiles never cracked.
“We all got caught out,” says Etape du Dales organiser Nigel Bishop, recalling the effect the pandemic had not just on his 2020 event but the summer months, when cyclists of all types take to their bikes to pit themselves not against others as much as the clock and the terrain just for the hell of it.
For Bishop the pandemic caused a raft of logistical headaches, postponements and cancellations – he never saw those finishers’ medals he ordered, the ones we presume are missing – before his event’s delayed return in August 2021. “I’ve organised it for the Rayner Foundation now for eight years, and it’s probably the most stressful one that we’ve had to deal with, and all the fallout from it did make it a very stressful time,” he recalls.
Having been “caught out” by the onset of the pandemic, a booming domestic holiday market nearly saw him, and his riders, well… caught short.
Esta historia es de la edición March 03, 2022 de CYCLING WEEKLY.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición March 03, 2022 de CYCLING WEEKLY.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
CLASSIC BIKE - JOHNNY BERRY
Johnny be good at making beautiful lightweight bikes
UK SCENE - WUNDERKIND HUDSON WINS YORKSHIRE CX
Newly crowned junior hill-climb champ shows his versatility by winning round seven on the mud
WATT WORKS FOR ME TADEJ POGAČAR
The man himself - subject of this special issue - explains the key performance changes behind his record-breaking year
11 WAYS TO POG-UP YOUR PLAN
Tadej Pocačar's performance is out of reach but you can adapt his training to raise your game. Chris Marshall-Bell consults the experts to find out how
Why do modern aero bikes look less aero?
Are today's aero bikes really faster, or is marketing just getting better? Joe Baker investigates...
REVIEW OF THE YEAR
An Olympic year is always special and the cycling season once again delivered a year of highs and lows, from Pogi's triple to Katie Archibald's pre-Olympic trip
MEET THE PARENTS
What made Tadej Pogačar the phenomenon he is today? Chris Marshall-Bell went to Slovenia to meet his mum and dad, Mirko and Marjeta
HALF MAN HALF GOAT
Tadej Pogačar may have had a phenomenal season, but has he done enough to cement his status as the greatest of all time? Chris Marshall-Bell weighs the arguments for and against
Lefevere cashes in his chips and leaves cycling management
The news that Patrick Lefevere will step down as Quick Step boss marks the end of an era, after 22 years in charge
Mathieu van der Poel weighs up skipping Tour de France
Dutchman hints at missing Tour in favour of mtb Worlds bid, reports Tom Thewlis from Dénia, Spain