The idea of Velo Culture was born from a passion for road cycling and in particular the road less travelled. Many trips over the years, cycling in the mountains of Europe, have opened our eyes to the value of experiencing life on two wheels.
The sense of freedom and discovery when you travel the backroads by bike. You can experience more on a bike, sight, sounds, smells and the human interaction which is lost when you speed by in a car. Bonjour to the French man carrying 2 baguettes on his way home from the Boulanger, Gratzie to the hurried Italian driver who patiently waits behind us until we crest a climb before speeding by when safe, he shouts out the window Bravo, Bravo. Bonjour to the elderly lady making a small batch of cheese in a stone hut on the edge of a small mountain village in the Pyrenees. All of these great human interactions are available to you when on a bike. One of the greatest interactions are between other bike riders. The bike riding community is incredibly welcoming, always willing to stop and help with a flat tyre, encourage you to make it to the top of that climb and show you around their best riding locations.
These great European trips have given me personally, a new appreciation of my home in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia encouraging me to explore more and more the back roads of my region. Paved Roads, Gravel Roads – there are no boundaries only discoveries. Cycling amongst vineyards, orchards, grazing sheep & cattle and the abundant wildlife. Stopping to encourage a koala off of the road into a tree, screeching of birdlife overhead and kangaroos bounding alongside as if they are trying to race you to a finish line. All of these experiences are open to me when I live my own Velo Culture.
Discover your own Velo Culture, get out on a bike and “Live It”.