“If you wish to be the king of the jungle, it’s not enough to act like a king. You must be the king. And there can be no doubt. Because doubt causes chaos and one’s own demise.”

August is melancholy. Because even though, in our imagination, it is the heart of summer, it is really all about slightly longer shadows, days that slowly grow shorter, and that feeling that another year has gone by, as Righeira sang. I don’t know whether we are too romantic to be a cycling magazine, but we decided to nip these thoughts in the bud by riding, choosing places capable of surprising us, even if – for us, writing from Italy – they are not actually all that far away. And as our Stefano Zago recently wrote, “despite the setting sun and the Tour coming to an end”, now is the time to make the most of this magical time of year on two wheels.

Some contents:

• Barcelona amo el Tour. The Grand Départ of the Tour de France, told and photographed by Paolo Penni Martelli in his adopted city.
• The Triple Crown Club. With Jonas Vingegaard’s victory at the Giro d’Italia, there are now eight riders in this exclusive circle.
• “It’s my job” Interview with Mads Pedersen.
• Everything you need. The exotic just a few hours from home.
• Without ever reaching the summit. Some choose to climb Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps. Others decide to ride around it. We did it by bike in two days.
• What you don’t see. We visited Canyon’s facilities.
• Just around the corner. Switzerland feels made for cycling. We rode through the cantons of Bern, Ticino, and Valais to bring you three very different takes on it: gravel, road, and MTB.

… and much more!

[alvento is a state of mind]