The start of a new year can often come with pressure to set new challenges: get on a diet, go back to the gym, enter a marathon – the list goes on. This issue of Rouleur is full of people who relish that: 

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot - Life at the top:

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot wrote history last summer when she won the yellow jersey at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. Getting there took focus, dedication and sacrifice – but there is much more to the Frenchwoman than what she does on two wheels. Rouleur gets an insight into the life of one of the greatest bike riders ever.

Scared of nothing, scared of everything:

Vedangi Kulkarni is an adventurer, endurance athlete and storyteller who finished her second round-the-world ride a few months ago. Kulkarni’s upbringing in the western state of Maharashtra in India has given her a unique outlook on what it takes to not only get into bikepacking and ultra-cycling, but also the cultural aspects of dealing with fear, expectations and failure.

Simon Yates: The Miracle of Finestre:

Five attempts at the Giro d’Italia and Simon Yates was still no closer to winning the maglia rosa than back in 2018 when he blew in spectacular fashion on the Finestre. Then the 2025 route was announced and something stirred in the Brit from Bury. We tell the story of Yates’ audacious race-winning move on the memorable mountain to take victory in La Corsa Rosa.

Metal fortitude:

All the signs are there that titanium is coming back. Combining dazzling beauty and cutting-edge technology, the latest bikes from titanium specialists such as No. 22, J. Laverack, Mosaic, Passoni and Sturdy Cycles are spearheading an alternative type of progress. Is this Titanium 2.0? Rouleur Tech Editor, Simon Smythe, investigates…

The wild mountains:

The Silk Road Mountain Race is an unsupported, single-stage cycling race through the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. Covering 1,900-kilometres with 30,000m of climbing, it follows old Soviet roads that have long been forgotten and fallen into disrepair. Photographer Stephen Shelesky tells the story of how he showcased some of the most beautiful and wild areas of Kyrgyzstan while shooting the event last year.