Come and hear intrepid (and much more experienced) cyclist and adventurer Vedangi Kulkarni debrief the Torino Nice Rally with professional amateur Nic.

Over the 2 hours, the debrief will include 👇

💥Why James designed the route

💥Riders Kit lists

💥Excellent places to stay

💥Tips for riding TNR

💥Interviews with 2021 WTNR rally riders

Nic and Vee will be joined by James Olsen, Cycle designer, all road rider and Turin Nice rally, route maker. James will talk about the origins of the route as well as sharing his top tips for bivvy spots. We will discuss how the route was originally conceived to be a test of a true 'go-anywhere bike' and how each year, funds are raised to support Smart Shelter Foundation.

James has designed many industry renowned bikes such as The genesis Equilibrium, the Genesis Croix De Fer 2010 model and the groundbreaking Arkrose Limited Edition with electronic shifting 1x drivetrain for drop bars with hydraulic brakes, all before it was available from SRAM and Shimano.

In James's own words.... "Outside the day job I currently run the Torino-Nice Rally, a not-for-profit route and event company which promotes an under-represented and inclusive version of cycling and raises money for Smart Shelter Foundation. With preparation and planning these events and routes in the cycling world have given me incredible experiences and the Torino-Nice Rally lets me give something back."

Excitingly, first up in our rally rider interviews we have Tamara who Nic hasn't seen since the rally. Tamara believes in 'Real bike life and everything that comes with it : Sweat, smiles and endless miles of happiness👌'. Tamara founded Femme et Cycliste, a France based women cycling team that believes that it's the taking part that matters. You can find out more about this radical group here. The WTNR was Tamara's first time away from home in 6 years as she is a primary caregiver to her disabled husband, Laurent.

Also joining, we have Gabrielle Booth, a research and development engineer currently 'Developing a commercial ready Pivot helmet prototype to prevent spinal cord injuries and supervising undergraduate students on the development and testing of an omnidirectional surrogate neck'. Gabrielle brought serious stoke on the ride despite having to overcome the serious challenge of losing access to her phone from day 3. You can connect with Gabrielle on linkedin here and on insta here.

Finally, we will be chatting to Gaëlle Bojko, potentially the coolest person on the TNR (although she would be mortified to know I've said that). Gaelle is a renowned film maker. In February 2020, Gaelle spent a month cycling across lake Baikal which she captured in a stunning film supported by Bombtrack. She also made all her own bags for the ride as well the best sleeping bag you ever did see.

We're thrilled that these excellent women are joining us, prepare to be inspired.

Lastly, just in case you've never heard of the Turin Nice Rally, (Nic hadn't) Check it out here.

Wanna see the route Nic rode? The komoot route is here.

Katherine Moore wrote an excellent article about whether a MTB or gravel bike would be best

Lael wrote a great report which you can read here

Vee and Nic are excited to see you there!

All money raised will go towards getting 10 people in the NFORC community MTB leadership level 2 qualified. (It costs £540 pp and includes 2 day, outdoor first aid training course)