We are pleased to present our 25th anniversary edition calendar.  Each month features professional photos of a rare or custom bike ranging from vintage road bikes to cutting edge race machines.  Stop in and pick up your own calendar.

It was January of 1988 when BikeWorks owner, John Drake, signed the lease for a shop in downtown Sylvania, Ohio.  Opening a bike shop was a natural move for John, who grew up working at his family’s sporting goods business.  In the late 80′s, he was managing Great Lakes Cyclery in Ann Arbor, but made the decision to open his own shop in Toledo area.  By February of 1988, BikeWorks had opened its doors at Haymarket Square on Main Street.

John says BikeWorks always works best with customers who ride regularly.  The first bike sold was a high-end carbon road bike.  ”It’s weird,” John says, “we’re still doing the same thing.”  BikeWorks continues to offer a vast selection of road bikes and the best selection of cycling accessories and clothing in the region.  ”The goal was always to justify traveling to the shop.”

After five years in business, BikeWorks relocated to the Promenade Shops on Monroe Street, neighboring Dave’s Running Shop.  BikeWorks moved to its current location in 1999.  Just down the street from the Alexis Road location, BikeWorks has acquired an offsite fit studio.  ”Now more than ever, selling items takes more service.  Our staff, inventory, fit studio and commitment to our service department set us apart.  When I opened, I wanted to prove that if you provide a good product with good service, you can exist.  It’s intimidating in a way though, that we’re still one of the youngest shops in Toledo.”

BikeWorks looks forward to kicking off the season with a celebratory open house.  A variety of other anniversary events are in the works, so stay tuned.

The 35th edition of our all-time favorite cycling publication is on our shelves now.

Herbie Sykes trawled through countless dusty archive boxes in Italy finding the very best images – many previously unpublished – for his book Coppi: Inside the Legend of Il Campionissimo. Rouleur’s Taz Darling and former Gazzetta dello Sport photographer Vito Liverani study the breathtaking results.

A new British pro road team launches in 2013 with an unusual twist: Madison Genesis will ride steel frames. Guy Andrews travels to Reynolds in Birmingham with team manager Roger Hammond and designer Dominic Thomas to ask the big question. Can steel really cut it in the modern peloton?

Graeme Fife and Gerard Brown trailed Team Sky for a large part of its breakthrough 2012 season. Our man Fife sits down with the management team behind the Tour winners and discovers what made them tick.

Ian Cleverly, meanwhile, enjoys a nice cup of tea at the Tour of Britain with Wiggins – Cath Wiggins, that is. Talk turns to the pressures of fame, track racing and living with a winner.

Earlier this year Ian travelled to Louisville, Kentucky, in the company of Privateer magazine deputy editor Andy Waterman to test out the course for the upcoming cyclo-cross World Championships. It starts badly, gets worse, but ends well…

Ángel Arroyo, one of the classiest Spanish riders of the ’80s, is still known as The Wild One in his hometown. In possibly the sweariest interview we have published to date, Arroyo rails against all and sundry, including “that fucker Fignon”.

Cubist artist Jean Metzinger was fascinated by cycling. Colin O’Brien attends the exhibition opening in Venice, a bike-free city, with Francesco Moser. Surreal.

Plus usual columnists Paul Fournel, Matt Seaton, Johnny Green and William Fotheringham.

We are happy to be one of the first 100 dealers in the country to carry Skratch Labs Exercise Hydration Mix.  We were drawn to the products Skratch Labs offers because of their unique take on nutrition.  We know that finding the right mix of food and drink on the bike can be difficult and we have sold and tried many products over the years.   Skratch Labs is dedicated to creating a product that is natural, tasty and gentle on the digestive system.  The best part of it is that it works.  Allen Lim, PhD, founder of Skratch Labs, has been serving his “Secret Drink” to professional athletes for years.  Read more about how he developed the mix.   But don’t trust what everyone else is saying, stop by the shop to pick some up to try for yourself.

It is with great sadness that we bring news of the loss of Mark Schneider.  Mark was a long-time customer of BikeWorks who resided in Pittsburgh, PA.  Many Plus 5 riders may remember Mark’s appearances on Saturday morning rides when he was in town to visit his parents.  Mark tragically lost his life this weekend after he was hospitalized as a result of a biking accident.  The cause of the accident is unknown.  He was participating in an annual charity ride that he enjoyed, the Catoctin Challenge.  Mark will be remembered as a biking enthusiast, but more importantly for his genuine kindness and humor.

Mark’s Obituary can be found here.

European Unions

An overwhelmingly Euro edition of Rouleur begins with Herbie Sykes’ travels in Germany and a fascinating insight into racing behind the Iron Curtain in the pre-unification years. Peace race legend Täve Schur, a hugely popular sportsman in the GDR, remains the figure binding the testimonies of former racers in a communist state. Timm Kölln is the photographer.

Herbie’s travels unearthed a remarkable collection of poster art advertising the Peace Race, including the beautiful cover image. We reproduce 13 of the best inside.

Brian Holm is widely recognised as a snappy dresser and a good talker. Fellow Danes Morten Okbo and Jakob Sørensen get more than they bargained for in a Belgian road trip through Holm’s old haunts. Crazy tales, tigers, police chiefs and fast cars all feature in The Quick and the Dead.

Graeme Fife and Gerard Brown seek out Sean Yates, Jean-René Bernaudeau and Bernard Thévenet at the Critérium du Dauphiné and catch Bradley Wiggins on the way to victory.

Guy Andrews and Taz Darling travel to Northern Italy and the home of Elite. “We get excited when we talk about bottles. People say a little too excited sometimes but that’s our world!” They also get quite excited about rollers…

Krásná Lípa is a five-day women’s stage race in the Czech Republic near both German and Polish borders. Ian Cleverly is team soigneur for the duration in between talking to the For Viored-Brookvex team. Food poisoning knocks photographer Gerard Brown and most of the squad for six.

Far away from the Czech Republic, Tom Southam and Ben Ingham bring us the final instalment from the Tour of Rwanda. Tom takes a closer look at the future of African cycling.

Plus columnists William Fotheringham, Matt Seaton, Paul Fournel and Johnny Green.

We have carried both Trek and Cannondale for many years and are proud to offer their high production bikes as excellent options in all categories. Last year, we added Parlee to our lineup as a high end, hand produced option. In the midst of these choices, was a gap. Many riders are looking for a high-end bike, but want something special on the downtube than the branding of a high production company. This customer wants something unique that is not like everything else on the road and we completely understand this perspective. We wanted to offer customers a variety of high end choices so that we can boast not only Trek’s Tour De France proven Madone and Cannondale’s Super Six EVO ridden by Liquigas, but also a lineup from both BMC and Look Cycles.

When looking to fill this gap in our product offering, BMC was a natural choice. Just one look at a BMC frame and you will understand how unique is the perfect word to describe these bikes. Even with the decals removed, one could easily pick out a BMC due to their one of a kind tube shapes. BMC offers a very strong line of TT bikes and is widely recognized as the choice of George Hincapie and his tour winning teammate Cadel Evans. Distribution has been refocused in the United States, resulting in a value-driven offering that is competitively priced.

Look Cycles carries a long history in the European market. Look blazed trails in carbon technology, providing Greg LeMond’s Lookcarbon bike during one of his Tour de France wins in the mid 80’s. Look Cycles offers a very small product line, with a proprietary one piece crank that is stiffer and lighter than most systems. Unlike many carbon frames, Look frames are not produced in Asia. Their flagship bike, the 695 Team is alone in frame/crankset technology.

With these choices, our world-class carbon bike selection coves every need and meets any expectations.

“I thought I was going to win.”

Remember the 2004 Paris-Roubaix, when Magnus Backstedt won? Roger Hammond still has that final lap of the velodrome playing in his head. Ned Boulting spends a fascinating afternoon with The Third Man. Taz Darling captures the day before Hell.

A professional cyclist who goes a year without crashing is truly blessed. Team Sky’s Michael Barry shares the pain of road rash while photographer Olaf Unverzart watches the Tour on TV in Chute!

Two former pro riders contribute words to this issue. Pedro Horrillo recalls a time when Spanish component manufacturer Zeus challenged the almighty Campagnolo. Shimano entered the market. Someone was bound to lose… Pedro takes Timm Kölln and his camera to the old factory in Matiena. And Tom Southam accompanies Ben Ingham to Rwanda for the second installment from the African tour.

Cicli Casati has been making bikes in Monza since 1920. Guy Andrews hankers after a land where steel frames, sunshine and midnight ice creams are a way of life. Herbie Sykes depicts an altogether grimmer reality of Italian amateur cycling.

We all dream of running into our cycling heroes on the road and hooking up for a training ride. Illustrator Marc Locatelli recalls a boyhood chance meeting with Swiss legend Ferdy Kübler in his gorgeously drawn cartoon strip.

Harold “H” Nelson coached the likes of Paul Sherwen, Graham Jones and John Herety. Graeme Fife talks to an unconventional, no-nonsense man with an uncanny knack of knowing his rider’s condition. And whereabouts…

Plus columns by William Fotheringham, Johnny Green and Matt Seaton.