Raising the bar

Ribble has just marked its 125-year anniversary. And with it their most futuristic and fastest bike yet. We venture to the roads of the Ribble Valley to ride the ground-breaking Ultra, and see just where the revamped brand is heading next

- Matt Baird

Ribble's CEO Andy Smallwood with Matt at their flagship store

These are the roads where, in the winter of 2011, Bradley Wiggins built the base that propelled him to his Tour de France win the following summer. And I imagine Sir Brad, a man who once raced on a Ribble, would approve of the brand's new aero-focused Ultra SLR that's propelling me back to the brand's flagship store in Clitheroe. A bike complete with sculpted and proprietary handlebars, an elimination of bar tape and a 1,050g frame that's actually more aerodynamic with my 500ml bottle of Vimto attached.

It's my first experience riding on the blacktop of the Ribble Valley, but both brand and the surrounding titular valley have plenty of history with the team at Cycling Plus. Deputy editor and Burnley boy John Whitney's formative cycling years were honed on this very tarmac (and remain his favourite place to ride), while most of my own cycling milestones - debut century ride, hill climb, Fred Whitton and more have been aboard a Ribble in the form of their sub-£1k carbon R872 ride from 2016 and my current steed, the Endurance SL Disc (2019 vintage, something of an upgrade with its Ultegra Di2 shifting).

"These are tough roads," admits Smallwood, who was born in Lancashire but now lives in the Midlands. "The weather is generally always bad, always wet. The wind and rain comes off the Irish sea, hits the hills, and seems to stay there. It can be grim, but the local scenery is spectacular. Having this landscape as our key testing ground definitely influences the design and durability of our bikes."

Rite of passage