The Rapha Festive 500. Since 2010, when the challenge to ride 500km between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve was first setup after a lightbulb moment from Rapha designer Graeme Raeburn, it’s become an annual rallying call to cyclists around the world to stay on the bike throughout the festive period.
Raeburn himself rode 1,000km – twice that of the challenge – during the magic period in 2009, using the bike as a way of getting around to see his friends and family during the holidays, while logging the miles as part of his base training for the following year.
– Rapha Festive 500 returns for 2017 –
“Curiosity got the better of me,” says Raeburn of the inspiration behind the Festive 500. “Working at Rapha as a designer means the best thing I can do is be out on the bike, testing kit. At the time, we were designing pro-level kit, so I decided to live a week in the winter of a pro rider.”
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