BIKE Magazine

There is a particular magic to June on two wheels. It is the point in the year when cycling stops feeling like a promise and starts delivering in earnest-longer days, warmer roads, and a calendar that seems to expand in every direction. Whether you pin on a number, roll to the café with friends, or load up for something more ambitious, this is the month when the sport feels fully alive.
That sense of momentum runs right through this issue.
We open with a celebration of British cycling in all its forms. From the hard miles of the National Series at the Tour of the Reservoir to the theatre and charm of the Brompton World Championship, the UK calendar reminds us that cycling here is wonderfully diverse. It is competitive and inclusive, serious and playful-sometimes all in the same weekend. Events like the London to Brighton Ride and Bike Oxford show just how powerful that mix can be, turning participation into community and, for many, a lifelong habit.
Beyond home roads, the sport continues to evolve at pace. The Gralloch in Galloway stands as proof that gravel has come of age in Britain-not just as a discipline, but as a culture. Elite racing, grassroots participation and genuine adventure now share the same stage, and the result is something bigger than any single event. It is a glimpse of cycling’s future: open, demanding, and deeply connected to the landscape.
Travel, as ever, remains at the heart of what we do. In this issue we venture from the raw, technical trails of Albarracín to the mythic climbs of Bormio, where the Stelvio, Gavia and Mortirolo still loom as large in the imagination as they do on the horizon. Closer to home, the gravel routes around Edinburgh remind us that adventure does not always require a passport-sometimes it begins just beyond the edge of the city.
What ties all of this together is something simple but powerful: cycling’s ability to mean different things to different people at exactly the right time. For some, it is competition and