Say Velo to a New Day!

Our 2022 cycling calendar is fresh off the press and available in our shops and here online.

This year's theme celebrates some of the great races in the cycling calendar, from the Tour Down Under which welcomes in a new year, right up to the great Autumn classic Il Lombardia.

As with all our work we try to find an 'angle' something visually that we feel inherits some the characteristics of each race. With the Italian 'classic' of Strade Bianche it's the setting of the rolling hills of Tuscany and the hazy mist and dusty roads. The Vuelta is an array of scorched path roads and the baking sun unveiled especially for those sadistic climbs!

There's something very special about The Monuments - the royalty of the Classics races and with both the Tour of Flanders and Milano-Sanremo we explain how each race came into effect. For Flanders, it was a modest start in 1913 across roads in Western Flanders that were demanding if anything, because of their state of disrepair and to this day, the cobbles and uneven surfaces place high demands on riders.

In 1907 when Italian modern art was gaining attention, the Milano-Sanremo got under way. It was systematic of a changing world when machinery and speed was the growing fascination and something, for the Italians that became a national obsession.

The Giro d'Italia wasn't far behind Milano-Sanremo, being launched in 1909 and on the heels of the Tour de France. These days, the Giro is synonymous with Pink, not just for the iconic leader's jersey but for its nickname of the Corsa Rosa. The 'Endless Trophy' for the winner is perhaps one of the most creative and individual of all sporting trophies.

Liege Bastogne Liege is 'The Old Lady' - the oldest of all classic races. Held in the Ardennes region of Belgium it's a course of rolling farmland, forests and brutal climbs. 

All in all we have 13 great races as the calendar includes a December 2021 page. The full list of races is:- Tour of Britain, Tour Down Under, Milano-Sanremo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Lieg-Bastogne-Liege, Giro d'Italia, Tour de France, Tour de Suisse, Vuelta a Espana, Il Lombardia, Amstel Gold and Strade Bianche.

It would have been nice if each race had conveniently slotted into the month of its racing but there's too many great rides running in the same month to be forgotten, so some artistic time-travelling was done for the sake of art and cycling!