STORIES

The UK may not have countless twenty or thirty kilometer-long climbs like our French, Italian or Spanish neighbours. But it does have many short, super tough climbs with gradients far steeper than anything you'll find in the Alps, Pyrenees or across most parts of Europe. 

By now we're sure COVID-19 needs no introduction. As a UK based Cycling Brand, based in North East England, we were curious as to how Coronavirus was affecting other cyclists like us, all over Europe.

In a cold, dark corner of the cycling web, there exists a small group of UK cyclists intent on completing a challenge that frankly, seems almost incomprehensible. A challenge that at first glimpse, seems achievable, until you do the maths. It’s a challenge that doesn’t quite push the body to ride an extreme distance in a short period, but rather, tests the body and legs across an entire 365 day period. 

For the past 3 years, Band of Climbers has spent September in the French Alps. It's a magical time to ride. The weather has been perfect on each occasion, with temperatures ranging from 22c - 32c in the valley, to 10 - 25c as high as 2500m. Climbing the highest Cols in Europe in summer kit is a really magical experience. 

To celebrate the launch of the new Band of Climbers ThermoAscent Jerseys, we took the day off with friends to ride some of the most scenic, and some of the steeper climbs in North Yorkshire. With a max temperature of 4c, we put the new ThermoAscent jerseys to work...

Band of Climbers is pleased to announce our partnership with one of the world's toughest one day Sportives, the Tour de Stations in 2020. The highlight of the event is the UltraFondo, a 240km ride with over 8200m of climbing. 

 

Five friends, a beach, some beers, marshmallows and bikes, and our new favourite thing, the Band of Climbers Fire Pit. An end of season gathering between 5 friends. 

In September 2019 we headed to Susa in the Italian Alps. We had 3 days to to ride the best climbs in the area, the Colle delle Nivolet, Sestriere, Col d'Izoard, Col d'Agnel, and the big one, the Colle del Nivolet

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This weekend Band of Climbers supported Wahoo Fitness on their ROAM Ride through the beautiful Peak District. We had perfect weather and a great group of riders join us for a stunning 110km ride which took in climbs including Monsal Head, Sheldon Hill, Longnor, The Rake and Froggatt.

The Grand Tours have popularized Europe's highest roads, making them the bucket list of many riders, but there is another iconic climb that is quickly topping riders bucket lists – the Taiwan KOM Challenge. A race which invites amateurs and World Tour riders to the start line.

In mid-May we optimistically packed our bags and headed to the French Alps to recon the routes ahead of our first Climbers Escape Cycling Holiday later that month.