– Herman Hesse, Siddharta (1922)

We were used to putting our bicycles away when the cold weather set in. Then things slowly changed and winter is becoming a reality in this sport. After all, freedom is also about not caring about what has always been done and going to see what can happen, how it feels, what it’s like. It’s better if the pace is more relaxed, with a closer eye on what’s around us and, if possible, without too much fuss. Perhaps leaning your bicycle (carefully) against the wall of a village bakery and stopping for a sandwich under the warm rays of the sun.

“Cycling at this time of the year is not some achievement. It is a possibility you did not have before, a simple gesture that makes sense, precisely because winter asks nothing of us. No pace to keep up, no challenges, nothing to prove. Just you and the road. Everything else can wait.”

Some contents:

• Boredom (is in the eye of the beholder).Reflections on Tadej Pogačar’s dominance.
• Look around. Elisa Longo Borghini writes about her experience in Rwanda.
• Alessandro Autieri tells us about emerging French talent Paul Seixas.
• The great river, from the mouth of the Po to its source, crossing the landscape of the Po Valley at the beginning of winter.
• The Eroica cycle race is described by Paolo Penni Martelli, who has been its official photographer for many years.
• We went cycling on Mottarone, as an excuse to have a coffee at Bar Centrale in Nebbiuno (VB), run by Italy’s oldest barista, who is 101 years old.
• The Tube: for one day, we felt like real pros in the MET wind tunnel.

… and much more!

[alvento is a state of mind]