Naked Carbon Cycling Shoes £299
A light, breathable, durable, water-resistant, seamfree, sock-like build designed using Natex and hemp aims to keep feet comfortable in our ever-hotter climate. The nylon sole contains carbon powder for a good stiffness-to-comfort balance. The outer uses recycled materials.
The minibus pulls up outside the futuristic façade of UYN HQ in Asola, Italy, while robot mowers tend to the immaculate lawns outside under an azure sky. I'm clutching what feels like a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory golden ticket inviting me on 'a tour of discovery of the most advanced research academy in the textile industry'.
I received my hot ticket as part of the worldwide launch of this sustainable apparel and footwear brand. UYN, by the way, is pronounced 'win' and stands for 'unleash your nature'. We're ushered into the imposing entrance hall of the large showroom building and assigned to groups, each with different-coloured wristbands. Then we're swept off in different directions by our guides for the day: ours is sales and marketing executive Stella Varchi, who, though she has buckets of enthusiasm for her task, thankfully isn't as eccentric as Willy Wonka.
Denne historien er fra March 2024-utgaven av Cycling Plus UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra March 2024-utgaven av Cycling Plus UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Air Apparent - Pollution hasn't gone away. It's still there in every lungful, even if we can't see it in the air or on the news. But there are reasons to breathe easier, thanks to pioneering projects using cycling 'citizen scientists'. Rob Ainsley took part in one...
The toxic effects of pollution have been known about for years. 'Just two things of which you must beware: Don't drink the water and don't breathe the air!' sang 1960s satirist Tom Lehrer.Over recent decades, though, pollution has dropped down our list of things to worry about, thanks to ominously capitalised concerns such as Climate Change, AI, Global Conflict, Species Collapse, etc. That doesn't, unfortunately, mean the problem has expired. Air quality often exceeds safe limits, with far-reaching and crippling effects on our health.
No limits
Not every adventure needs to be that epic, says bikepacking Scotland founder Markus Stitz
UNBOUND UNLEASHED
Josh Patterson was one of 34 starters for the inaugural edition of Unbound in 2006. Now, with more than 5,000 riders taking part in today's event, he charts the rise of the most important race in gravel
FOREST COMMISSION
Looking for a goal race in 2025 that'll stimulate the synapses and live long in the memory? You'd struggle to do better than ENID CRV in Finland
15 OF THE BEST ADVENTURES
Featuring Yorkshire, the USA, Sri Lanka and more, here are our picks of the world's greatest gravel races and routes
The stuff of dreams
Ned sings the praises of the Paris Olympics road-race course
"I rode 3,000 miles around Britain on a bamboo bike to highlight our climate crisis"
Recordbreaking cyclist and triathlete Kate Strong, 45, took to the road to raise awareness of environmental issues
FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE
We venture into the hidden gem of the glorious Creuse, one of France's least populated regions
STAR TREK
New tube shapes and carbon lay-up makes the eighth generation of Trek's legendary Madone an aero and climbing bike all rolled into one
GOLD RUSH
With conflict around the world, Paris 2024 was a ray of light. Here are our highs of a mighty Olympics
