CLASSICS CHALLENGE: A PARISIAN PROMENADE
Café du Cycliste recently became an official partner of Parisian-based ride community, the Classics Challenge. Organising monthly journeys with amateur riders from both the eastern and western sides of Paris; and riding out into the countryside of Île-de-France, the Classics Challenge have different paces for different levels. Every month, 300 Parisian cyclists meet at the KM0 bike shop, a few meters from the Arc de Triomphe. The idea is simple: ride as a group for 100–200km in the Paris region of Île-de-France. To participate, all you have to do is be part of the #CC community and sign up for their free monthly newsletter.
All riders participating meet at KM0 on the given morning, then departures are staggered every 15 minutes according to the pace of the group, between 20–35km/h. The beauty is if you’re feeling slow or fast there are people to catch, or people to pick you up. Just don’t forget to fill your bidons.
So, on Saturday May 13th we embarked on our inaugural ride together – to officially consecrate the partnership – with the Classics Challenge in Paris. Lucie and Hugo from Nice met with François Paoletti, founder of Classics Challenge. He was accompanied by Lilian, a cycling guide who draws up the routes each month.
A word or two on the partnership from François: ‘We already loved the brand born in 2009 on the Côte d'Azur, with its aesthetic inspiration from beyond the traditional codes of cycling; the technicality of its products, the fact that they have an equal share for men and women. When we went to Nice, we never missed an opportunity to visit them at the port – at the same time a shop, café and workshop. And we were delighted to see the brand land in Paris last February, with its first pop-up installed at Galeries Lafayette Haussmann. We are very proud to see Café du Cycliste choose to become our official partner.’