Dreaming of better days got me thinking that it was high time to finally put together the full story of our Over the Alps trip. Enjoy our little adventure from back when you could freely travel all over Europe by bike.
Vans invited me to a BMX Pro Cup event in Stuttgart, Germany. With a free trip on my hands I decided to try and make the travel interesting by turning it into a little adventure. I convinced Chris Cotsonas from Fairdale Bikes to come with me. I know he likes riding bikes in the Alps since he took me there for the first time a few years ago (Bicycling Magazine Fairdale France trip). Our plan was to ride “Over the Alps” and then pick up the Rhine River Cycleway. This is a popular cycling route that follows the Rhine River from its start high in the mountains, across Europe, and all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. We wouldn’t be able to ride the entire route, but our goal of making it to Stuttgart was not too far off the trail, and it seemed achievable.
At Fairdale we know that the essence of what’s great about bike riding is that exhilarating sense of freedom you feel from balancing on two wheels for miles at a time. Whether you’re sprinting to a city limit sign, or just leisurely coasting on a long, winding downhill, it’s a magical sensation that is somehow natural, intuitive and thoroughly enjoyable.
We keep the pursuit of that simple feeling in mind whenever we sit down to talk about making a new bike. For 2020 we’re introducing the Macaroni, our first bike for kids, and a freshly redesigned Weekender that allows for bigger tires and different wheel size options. You’ll also find some carefully selected upgrades on some of our most popular models. New 2020 bikes will be available early June.
We hope you’ll enjoy riding our bikes as much as we loved making them for you. Have a great ride!
