This week's style over speed subject may seem ironic for this issue's racing theme but if being at the 1st edition of races is your style as opposed to simply being first at the finish, then it tracks!
Kristy suggested last week that I write about 1st editions of events that I've attended and the title comes from a popular comment I placed on this Ultraromance post about style coming first. About 20 people sent it too me, lol. He's not wrong, by the way.
So, how did I go from brakeless & splitting lanes to packing my loaded bike into airplanes? After my early years of gravel riding in the States, even initially on my (loaded) track bike, by the time I got to the Netherlands in 2013 I was inspired to go further and on less traveled terrain.
By November 2014, I had started Twotone and got even deeper in to European cycling scene. Gravel had been 'the thing' since around then and events started popping up all over. By the next year, I had signed up for the first Torino-Nice Rally.
That would become my first bikepacking adventure and kicked of a tradition of joining events in their initial iteration. Not knowing what to expect continues to be a big part of the draw for me.
A likely not exhaustive not decade long overview of 1st editions:
- Torino Nice Rally | 2016 (My recap)
- Grinduro Scotland | 2017 (Twotone's recap)
- Dirty Boar | 2017 (dunno if I did a recap?)
- The Silk Road Mountain Race | 2018 (My recap)
- Further | 2019 (My recap)
- The Atlas Mountain Race | 2020 (My recap)
- The Bohemian Border Bash Race | 2021 (My recap & video)
- The Hellenic Mountain Race | 2023 (My recap Day 1 & 2 & the rest)
I was also at the first Pathfinder Giro in 2016 and other unpaved annual events like the Border Bash Camp (missing for the first time ever in 7 years this year!), the first Votec Gravel Fondo and Bootshaus Gravel (also missing this year! 😭).
I'd be remiss not to mention my good friend Bas Rotgans, who has joined on most of the events above! All the Nelson ones, Border Bash, Further & Dirty Boar too. Hats off the Bas also for finishing more races than me!
Later this year in October, Bas & I will be at the inaugural Taurus Mountain Race. I'll proudly be riding a SOUR Pasta Party upon some wheels built by Jorrit of Munro Wheels. The finer points of the build are TBD but with the race looming on the horizon, I'm really beginning to get my head back into the game.
Like I always say, "I'm there to take in the views, and not turn the screws". In October, I'll once again be aiming to soak it all in rather than take the win. Because, after all, getting to so many first time start lines is a also victory that, for me, is perfectly fine.
All this to say that style isn't solely from what you're seen in but also where you've been!
Thank you for reading and supporting this newsletter!
wishing you a great week ahead,
Jon
p.s.
🎵 Tunes on deck this past week: lots of Clash, quite a bit of Rush & still Ben Kweller's new album, Cover The Mirrors.
July
- 🇳🇱 14 MAAP Amsterdam PRIME Early Ride (6:45)
- 🇳🇱 15 Wheelrunner Wednesday AM Ride (6:30am)
- 🇳🇱 16 Gregario Gossip Club Thursday AM Ride (7:15am)
August
- 🇳🇱 9 Pedal For Pride – 5 Years & Still Queer
- 🇳🇱 13 The Mechanics of Joy
- 🇳🇱 21 Maap LAB Amsterdam Summer Crit Nº2
Bikes
A match made in Berlin - ALLYGN and Gramm for Schindelhauer's Wilhelm Gravel
The Post Carry Co. back story: What if Bourdain went cycling?
Marc Mendoza
Before Post Carry Co., there were late nights making bags, trips inspired by Anthony Bourdain, and an obsession with solving the frustrations of traveling with a bicycle. Also check out Tim Russon's recent 4.5 ⭐ review on Cycling Weekly. Loomers are shipping in the USA, European delivery is next on the horizon! Sign up to the Post Carry Co. newsletter to stay up to date!
SILCA and Mohawk’s Announce Distribution Partnership for the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland
Ideas
The Decline of Deviance 2 | Adam Mastroianni's Follow-Up Essay
Adam Mastroianni
In The Decline of Deviance, he argued that: 1. Many forms of risk-taking and rule-breaking have declined since the 1990s. 2. This is both good (less crime) and bad (less innovation). 3. Deviance is declining because prosperity has increased—people have more to lose, and they’re acting like it. It's a long read but worth it if you're feeling deviant!
The Commodification of Community
Component maker Campagnolo once ruled the peloton, but it's now struggling to survive.
William Wilkes
A saying we have at the office is "it's tough out there" as we've seen so many companies – including ours – struggle in the cycling industry these past few years. I also tell people that I don't have any Shimano or SRAM tattoos but two Campy tattoos. It's a brand that elicits romance like few others yet William Wilkes points out the missteps that have put Campy in it's current crunch. We're certainly rooting for you, Campagnolo! Forza! (This Bloomberg link is paid but this link gets you the article)
Friends
Did brand loyalty reach its peak? And if so what comes next?
My homie Bene at Poster CA digs into the concept of most interesting points in this whole brand loyalty thing. A loyalty so strong, it will make you discriminate against others. He calls it “Brand-ism”. "Brandism is loyalty to exclusively one brand and even actively disliking its competitors. Created by communities, never officially by the brands themselves. It’s basically discriminating against every brand you don’t rock with." Bene thinks this allegiance could be and should be blowing over. What do you think?
Rio Basel Sporttag '26 | 13.09.2026
Micromobility Atlanta's Netherlands Trip Recap Video
Micromobility Atlanta
Check out this this cool video recap from their recent trip! I was honored to have Twotone as a stop on the tour! Thank you, Walter! : )
Radness
INTVL is a Gamified Fitness App That Turns Running Into a Real-Life Battle For Territory
Thank you for reading!
Here's to not sacrificing style for speed this week!