embracing all wheel sizes and all terrain we wanted articles from all across the globe. So starting from a standpoint that if it interests us it may interest others, we’ve actively sought out tales from far off lands. Sometimes these are in the form of travel pieces, where a visitor’s eye can spot beauty where a local may not see it. And other times from the local riders themselves. The first article in our first issue was a perfect example of this; a balaclava clad Alaskan rider commutes from work in thick snow noticing moose and other wildlife around him. It takes a journey that so
The Ride so far…
In just a few short years, The Ride Journal has become a trade favourite. Compiling stories from all corners of the globe, from professional cyclists, celebrity rappers with industry investments, right down to the little guy taking his first few wobbly pedal strokes. Philip Diprose recounts the moment of realisation when he knew he was onto something good…
THE FIRST time I realised we had hit the international market was while toiling up a rain- battered Strade Bianche climb in 2010’s L’Eroica. An Italian rider recognised my Ride Journal woolen jersey, gesticulated excitedly, and said that he loved the magazine. The magazine which was the product of a couple of friends wondering if we could make something new and exciting had made its way to Italy, one of the historical heartlands of cycling. International appeal and content was always one of the aims for the journal. It went along with the all-encompassing cycling ethos we wanted to promote. In a world of pigeonholing and niches we wanted to be different. Instead of highlighting the small differences between cycling tribes we wanted to show how much they had in common. The buzz from a day of alpine road is not too dissimilar to the end of the day at a jump spot (or so I’ve been told, my last “proper” jump resulted in A&E and bone sticking out of my face). So along with
many of us know, our daily commute, and places it in an environment alien to most of us. We have had local riders in most continents now, and I think the only thing that holds us back from having more pieces is the language barrier. Obviously there are drawbacks to spreading our little net across the world. Most of them involve postage costs. As delivery prices spiral to eye watering levels I almost feel the need to apologise to international shops for the cost to send them boxes (although we may be to blame for continually making the magazine thicker). It’s not only the shops that are hit, posting to the States or Australia costs nearly as much as the cover price of the magazine. A couple of issues ago we even found ourselves making a loss with each copy that was sent overseas. In an attempt to keep the postage costs low we were hit with a rise in Royal Mail prices. And like Factory Records supposedly losing money on each copy of Blue Monday they sold, we lost a little on each copy we sent. But these are very small gripes set against the
The Ride Journal encompasses MTB, road, BMX and more
excitement that comes from receiving an email from someone who has read the magazine and wanted to get in touch. Aided by the internet a print-based magazine can now reach like- minded cyclists regardless of country or even continent. Typing up the addresses of individual orders I occasionally look on Google to see their location on the map, and wonder what their local riding would be like. The same thought crosses my mind when I look at the modest but growing list of international shops as far afield as Japan, Australia and the US. In my mind one day we could go on a trip to ride the roads and trails near the shops that stock the magazine. All I need to do is get that next issue finished first.