London-based customers of high-end cycling clothing brand Rapha specifiying the Fast Fridays bike courier delivery option on items they order this week may be in for a surprise.
That’s because Rapha Condor pro riders Dean Downing and Matt Cronshaw will be helping speed the North London-based brand's goods from its Belsize Park base to customers in some 44 postcodes across the capital, ranging from Hampstead to Clapham and Holland Park to Bow.
Rapha is asking its customers to help test the riders’ skills through the London traffic by using the delivery option, which costs £20 and applies to orders taken between 2pm on Thursday and 2pm on Friday, although there is a limited number of slots available.
Elite Circuit Series champion Downing promises to enter into the spirit of things, responding to an enquiry on Twitter about whether he would be riding a fixie for the day with the response, “will be needing one yeah, gotta do it right hey.”
That could mean a trip down to Condor’s shop on Gray’s Inn Road to get kitted out with a bike, and the shop is handily placed for Clerkenwell’s Duke of York pub, a long-time magnet for London’s bike courier community, should the pair feel the need to swap some war stories afterwards with those who brave the capital's streets on a daily basis.
Downing and Cronshaw’s stint delivering parcels around the city comes the day after the London Courier Emergency Fund, which takes care of those injured while out working, holds a courier appreciation day.
The organisation will be distributing free food and coffee to working couriers at the junction of Bloomsbury Street and Shaftesbury Avenue, and free bike checks will also be available.
Have you seen my truck? Covered in the bloody things...
Thanks for the tip. I didn't realise the Forest of Dean was inside the M25.
Chances are you live in London or somehwere where you have decent public transport, to make such a dumb comment
Brilliant headline - for a change.
Although it says special patches, it would be worth trying https://www.parktool.com/en-int/product/super-patch-kit-gp-2 first if you have any or 2...
Clickbait! That should say:...
Those calipers arent the prettiest. Makes them look like Post-mount.
I'm all for a much more socialist approach to the sorts of things you mention, where there are clear market failures and a need for decent...
Zorbing balls - if it saves just one life
12 corners in just over 2km is a terrifying prospect if it rains!