Ridley-bikes-official

Noah FAST - The Winner of Expo-Bici Technical Award 2011

2011-09-13T11:22:00.002+02:00

The Ridley Noah FAST has been declared, last Friday thewinner of the prestigious Expo-Bicitech Innovation Award, for the"Road" category.

The members of the jury (journalists, engineers,cyclists, shops) awarded the trophy to the groundbreaking and revolutionaryFAST-concept of Ridley Bikes.

Once again, an important recognition to our company, thathas always made of "innovation" its main goal, becoming the pioneer,almost 10 years ago, with tapered, oversized head-tubes, that, later became amarket standard; applying aerodynamics in cycling, 5-6 years ago and bringing itnow to an extreme level, with the F.A.S.T. (Future Aero Speed Technology) Project, of which the Noah is only the firstmasterpiece.

Winning this award in Italy, a country where road cyclinghas always been so important and famous bicycle brands have made up the historyof the road bicycle, makes everyone even prouder, at Ridley.

Ridley, the first and only brand in the bike industry tofeature a real integrated brake. Do you want to discover more ? Visit : www.fast-concept.com

The Ridley Noah FAST bike will be at display in thewinners booth of the award for the whole duration of the Expo Bici Show(24/09-26/09).

Visit Ridley Bikes, at Expo Bici Padua Show, hall #8,booth #F164. "Noah FAST, winner of the 2012 Expo-Bici InnovationAward".

Visit our booth on location A3-700 at Eurobike and discover the new Ridley range.

2011-08-26T09:22:00.002+02:00

Meet the Tour de France hero, Johnny Hoogerland, and hear his stories on the battle for the mountain jersey. Autograph session at the Ridley booth on Wednesday, August 31st from 11.30 to 12.00 and from 13.30 to 14.00.

American racer, Liz Hatch, will be signing autographs at the Ridley/4ZA components booth on Wednesday, August 31st from 11.00 to 12.00 and from 15.00 to 16.00 and Thursday, September 1st from 12.30 to 14.00.

FAST Noah @ Bike Dealer Camp 2011

2011-08-03T12:07:00.005+02:00

Ridley USA introduced the Noah FAST at dealer camp last month, here's the videocast with Ridley USA sales manager, Todd Schmidt.

Hello from Budapest!

2011-07-01T13:07:00.008+02:00

Today I have received a great picture from my friend and dealer in Hungary - Markus. I like it so much, that I decide to post it on blog. In this great picture you can see his team of triathletes, which, I think looks fantastic on the background of the impressive Parliament building and the longest European river - Danube.

I ask Markus to tell me more about his team, and here's a brief description:

"It’s an amateur triathlon team, but with quite good results. 2 age groupers at the Hawaiian Ironman WCH last year, and a lot of Hungarian Age group championship titles (last one belongs to Markus, who won it last Saturday, on half distance Ironman - Congratulations!).
Our best male athlete is Top 3 overall in Hungarian Longdistance Championship. Of course, he rides a Dean."

If you want to say Hello to Markus when you visit Hungary, most of time you will find him in his shop - ProAtlhon, located in heart of Budapest. Otherwise he's on trainings :)

Now, I'll let you enjoy the picture and the upcoming week-end. Cheers!

FAST-CONCEPT LAUNCHED!

2011-06-26T14:11:00.006+02:00

Thursday afternoon, at 1.30pm, the Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling team presented its selection of riders that will go to the Tour de France 2011. Following riders will conquer 3430 kilometers on their way to the ‘Grand Finale’ at the Champs Elysees: Bjorn Leukemans, Thomas De Gendt, Wout Poels, Lieuwe Westra, Johnny Hoogerland, Borut Bozic,Marco Marcato, Romain Feillu, Rob Ruijgh.

The presentation took place at Ridley Bikes HQ and at Circuit Zolder, and included the launch of Ridley’s new aerodynamic technology, the Fast-concept. This groundbreaking technology will first belaunched on Ridley’s ‘Noah FB’ bike, the first road bike ever that will have a fully integrated carbon brake! A prototype of this revolutionary bike will be ridden by the riders of the Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling team during certain stages of the Tour de France.

What makes this bike so revolutionary? Ridley’s Fast-concept !

Jochim Aerts, CEO Ridley Bikes, elected young entrepreneur of the year

2011-05-12T13:25:00.000+02:00

The network of young and enterprising people, JCI Flanders, voted Jochim Aerts the young entrepreneur of the year. Earlier this year Jochim Aerts won the Limburg entrepreneur of the year and he now repeated his win on the Flanders level.

The prestigious trophy was awarded during the closing gala at Technopolis in Mechelen to the CEO of Ridley Bikes, the renowned bicycle manufacturer from Paal-Beringen. In this final round Ridley Bikes defeated Massive Media, a media group including Netlog.

The innovation, research and development at Ridley Bikes was particularly appreciated by the JCI jury. The international breakthrough of Ridley Bikes over the last years was also a decisive factor for this award winning victory. For Ridley Bikes, manufacturer of high-and aerodynamic racing bikes, the award is a confirmation for the hard work of the past 20 years. Jochim Aerts was obviously very excited and proud with this victory.

Jochim Aerts: "This trophy is obviously a team effort of which I am particularly proud of."

This victory will give Jochim Aerts the opportunity to compete with young entrepreneurs worldwide in the JCI World Congress in November 2011.

Sohrabi leads in UCI race wins

2011-04-28T09:54:00.004+02:00

With the year almost a third of the way through, it may come a surprise to some to hear that the number one ranked UCI race winner of the 2011 season to date is Iranian rider Mehdi Sohrabi of the Tabriz Petrochemical Team. Sohrabi has scored 10 victories so far this season on his Ridley Noah bike: five stages and the overall at the Kerman Tour, two stages and the GC at the Jelajah Malaysia and a stage of the Tour de Taiwan, leaving him three notches ahead of the likes of Philippe Gilbert and young Italian sprinter Andrea Guardini (Farnese Vini). Known as a powerful all-rounder, the bulky Sohrabi is a double Asian Road Race Champion (2006, 2010) and won the overall 2010 UCI Asia Tour title, which he also leads so far in 2011.

Following a busy early season, where the Tabriz Petrochemical Team won the UCI Asia Tour's Tour of Thailand, Tour of Taiwan and Jelajah Malaysia the squad will line up for a May double billing on home turf; The International Tour of Azerbaijan and the International Presidency Tour.

My Ronde story

2011-04-26T22:49:00.005+02:00

Three weeks past already, but I’m still under the great impressions of famous Ronde. Famous because you can hear about it from every cyclist’s mouth, famous because some people can only dream about it, famous because it’s the oldest and most popular Belgium race, famous because for some pro-riders it’s the best challenge and trophy of their career. At least this was my perception about Tour of Flanders, which in real life was something completely unknown for me, yet exciting.

My Ronde story is as simple as memorable; especially that coincidentally it happened exactly on my Birthday date. It started few months before, from a simple question of my boss: “Hey Iulian, why don’t you come over to Belgium and join us on the Tour of Flanders?”

While I was thinking about a response on that question, a stock of special Excalibur edition (painted in the new Team Replica design) has been built in the meantime, designated for pure Flemish races. And I didn’t realize when I arrived in Belgium - after visiting our Polish distributor - the great event was just around the corner. Despite the fact I really didn’t know what to expect from a Classic spring course, full of cobblestoned climbs, I could only sign up for this, especially after Jo told me: “When you’ll finish this course – you’ll become a real Flandrien”. What can be more motivating?!

However I still was not realizing what I signed for until we arrived at the starting point on Saturday morning, 2^nd of April, the morning when I just turned 27. But when I saw the huge crowds of cyclist and spectators I start liking the “party” I was going to have J.

We were a big group of workmates from Ridley and from 4ZA, as well as many journalists and customers - visiting us - from all over the world. We split in two groups, those like me – riding for the first time on Ronde and eager to have more fun rather than sportive performance – we took 75km, and those who were well trained and wanted to go against the time, they took 140km. As an amateur rider, I don’t cycle very often (not as much as I want), and 75km would become the longest distance I ever made. However I was relaxed and confident due to my lightweight Excalibur, equipped with a compact crank (thank goodness!).

I don’t know exactly how many participants were riding, but I saw registration numbers above 22.000 – amazing isn’t? Me personally, I was registered with number 14549. Probably this is also the number of how many times I asked myself while climbing step hills: “What am I doing here on my B-day, while I could stay very relaxed at home and receive nice greetings from all my friends?” And the answer was the same every time: “You are riding on Ronde Iulian – it’s the best gift you could ever make to yourself. Shut up and keep pushing!” And so I did J.

Actually the ride was not only about pushing. It has many sections where you can simply enjoy the surroundings, feel the breeze, get in different groups, and even meet and communicate with new people from different countries while riding. For me it was also exciting the feeling that I’m riding on exactly the same course as the Pros. And when you know on your own skin how tough can be certain climb, or pave section, or difficult turn, it makes the official race being much more interesting to follow.

I must confess though how “surprised” I was when I hit the first pave section – man was it tough.

Big and rare cobblestones: worst combination. I also noticed if I slow down, my wheels can easily get caught between the stones. I totally lost the feeling that I’m controlling the bike, and I start asking myself if I didn’t turn wrong somewhere before this?! J Anyway, a crash on the stones was not an option for me (especially on my B-day), and fortunately, the bike knew very well how to act on pave, and it behaved really strength. When I realized that, I just put the foot on the gas and we managed to pass successfully the pave. I was so happy being back on flat, and honestly a little bit proud after facing the Flemish character of the Ronde. It was a good lesson for the rest of race, and also the chemistry between me and my bike went up to 100%.

The rest of race was in the same style, testing my legs and my endurance. Of course other surprises like brutal side winds ready to take you away, was also part of the course. But no problem for Excalibur, with its classic round tube shapes, which can handle that easily.

After all, the closer I was getting to finish line the happier I was. The fatigue and tough tests were in past, and I could only think about a well-deserved Belgium beer at the finish. And I could see the same expression on everybody’s faces. Finally when I finished with a big smile on my face and with unbelievable impressions, I went to registration booth to give back my badge with starting-number, and to claim my 5euros for that. But those guys offered me another option instead: a T-shirt with Ronde’s pave logo and “Original Flandrien” inscription. Obviously I took the T-shirt (which I proudly wear now). And I know behind that inscription there is something true J

I enjoyed my beer and I felt just fulfilled. Wow, what a great race, what a great bike, what a great sunny day…what a great B-day!

And now, I can tell you for sure, Tour of Flanders is not famous, it’s just a rumor – until you don’t ride it!

ps: next year’s goal: 140km J

Cheers,

Iulian

Writing Ridley's fairytale story in Limburg

2011-04-09T09:02:00.001+02:00

A recent review of Ridley in the Belgian newspaper "De Standaard" http://www.standaard.be/artikel/detail.aspx?artikelid=AB38MNCS&word=ridley

Oak Bay Bicycle's womens team riding Ridley Asterias

2011-03-28T17:39:00.002+02:00

There may still be snow in some parts of Canada but Oak Bay Bicycles are getting ready for the new race season on the Asteria. Good luck to the team, we're looking forward to hear how the season progresses! Here's a link to their website - http://oakbaybikes.com/ridley-asteria-obb-womens-race-team-bike/

Congratulations Jochim - CEO of Ridley Bikes, elected Limburg young entrepreneur of the year!

2011-03-28T17:18:00.002+02:00

The network of young and enterprising people, JCI Limburg, voted Jochim Aerts the young entrepreneur of the year. The prestigious trophy was awarded during the closing gala in Hasselt (Belgium), to our CEO. For Jochim, the award is a confirmation for everyone's hard work over the past 20 years - "I did not expect it, but secretly hoped for it and for me this is a confirmation that we are on the right track. This trophey is obviously a reward for all of our employees."

Proficiat Jochim and the team!

Eibegger wins 2011 Tour de Taiwan

2011-03-28T09:57:00.005+02:00

Having surrendered the Yellow jersey to TPT team mate Sohrabi at the end of stage 6, the 2009 Austrian champion stayed in the race by occupying no 2 spot in the general classification and claimed back the yellow jersey on the final stage of the tour going up Yangmingshan in tough weather conditions that had more in common with his homeland. This marks Markus Eibegger's (& Ridley Damocles) first tour win in Asia.

Eibegger takes over Yellow Jersey in Taiwan

2011-03-23T07:29:00.003+01:00

While Sohrabi and his Noah have taken all the limelight during the past 3 events of the UCI Asia Tour calendar the affable Austrian has put in great performances with podium spots and top ten finishes in the general classification. So it came as no surprise when Markus Eibegger shrugged off the cold, wind and rain to take stage 3 of the Tour de Taiwan on his Ridley Damocles during the coldest winter of Taiwan in 40 years. Along the way Markus managed to pick up both KOMs and so took over the mountain classification Jersey too. Eibegger now leads the race with a 12 second margin followed by team mate Sohrabi.

CX Season Review with Nicole Duke

2011-03-22T16:55:00.002+01:00

Sohrabi puts on Yellow Jersey in Taiwan

2011-03-22T13:56:00.005+01:00

Mehdi Sohrabi of TPT & Ridley continue their domination of the UCI Asia Tour. Sohrabi put on the Yellow Jersey after winning stage 2 of Tour of Taiwan picking up the mountain classification leader's red jersey as well as the blue jersey for the best-ranked Asian rider. He will start stage 3 with a 7 second cushion on last years winner, David McCann of Ireland (Giant Asia) and 1 min 7 seconds on yesterdays leader Adam Phelan of Australia (Drapac).

Sohrabi wins Jelajah Tour of Malaysia

2011-03-13T13:22:00.005+01:00

Back to back tour wins for Mehdi Sohrabi, TPT and Ridley Noah.

Mehdi Sohrabi of TPT went on to win the final stage of Jelajah tour of Malaysia and the yellow jersey with a virtuoso performance. He was trailling the overnight leader, ex Footon-Servetto rider Vidal Celis Zabala of spain by 3 seconds, however by winning both sprint 2 and sprint 3 he picked up 6 bonus seconds placing him as virtual race leader by km 156. He then went on to drop all but the seasoned 9 time Irish road race and ITT champion David McCann who managed to hang on to Sohrabi till the closing kilometer. Mehdi's teammate, Markus Eibegger also put in a strong performance on his Damocles and went on to finish 8th in the overall tour classification helping TPT finish as overall leaders in the team competition.

Double Yellow

2011-03-10T13:39:00.002+01:00

Its not very often that you see double yellow in Europe and Asia on the same brand so today was a special day for Ridley as Thomas De Gendt started stage 5 of Paris-Nice in yellow Jersey aboard his Helium while Mehdi Sohrabi of TPT started stage 3 of Jelajah Tour of Malaysia also in Yellow Jersey on his Noah. But of course this is not the first time for Ridley, it all started back in summer of 2008 when both Cadel evans & Hossein Askari wore the yellow jersey at the same time - Evans at Tour de france and Askari at the 2.HC ranked Tour of Quinqhai lake in China.

UCI Asia Tour 2011

2011-03-09T16:02:00.006+01:00

Racing season in Asia is well on its way and by the look of it the 2010 UCI Asia Tour champion Mehdi Sohrabi of TPT has no intention of parting with the yellow jersey in 2011 either. Having won all 5 stages of Tour of Kerman he was quick to get back in yellow by winning stage 1 of Tour of Jelajah Malaysia on his Noah after driving a 60km breakaway that was timed to perfection.

February Racing and trade showing

2011-03-04T18:51:00.003+01:00

Asian Championships

The Asian Championships wrapped up in Thailand at the end of February with a huge medal haul for Ridley riding athletes.

The Ridley supported Iranian team secured two gold medals with Rajablou on the Arena in the Points Race and Kolahdooz riding the Dean in the Junior Individual Time Trial. Additionally Rajablou placed second in the Madison also aboard the Arena and Asgari received a pair of Bronze medals in the Road Race and the Individual Time Trial.

Tour of Kerman

At the first international tour of 2011 in Iran - Tour of Kerma - Mehdi Sohrabi of the Ridley sponsored TPI team aboard his Noah managed to win all 5 stages of the tour and of course the yellow Jersey - a 1st in the Iranian tour history! The Green Jersey was won by TPI teammate Hossein Nateghi also on his Noah

QBP Frostbike

Our US distributor QBP hosted its annual open house and defacto trade show in Minneapolis, MN. Ridley staked claim to the “Northwest Territory” by far and away the largest booth space in the show and some of the busiest realty throughout the weekend. On show were all the 2012 cyclocross bikes complete with new technology and fancy new paint schemes. The large Vlaamse Leuw backdrop shouted “WE ARE BELGIUM” to the gathered bike fans, shop owners and industry stalwarts while also providing a convenient meeting point (overheard “meet me at the Belgian lion”). Season pre-orders were brisk and plentiful as stocking dealers loaded up for a much-anticipated selling season. The Flandrien collection was a strong seller while the Customizer drew a huge amount of attention. The conversation soon turned to the weather as a true North American blizzard trucked its way into MPLS dumping over a foot of fresh snow and shutting down the airport.

Cyclocross World Champs

2011-01-31T16:34:00.005+01:00

The great American football coach Vince Lombardi once said "Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all time thing. You don't win once in a while, you don't do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit"

And so another cyclocross season is wrapping up and winning is certainly a habit. Look back at the past ten World Championship events - seven of the past decade's victors rode Ridley bicycles. Can anyone say dominance?

Zdenek Stybar claimed his second elite title yesterday in St Wendel Germany in resounding fashion. The new rising star of Kevin Pauwels added some sparkle as well claiming his first elite category podium placing. Add in strong rides with Vantornout in sixth, Wellens in eighth and Meeusen in tenth position for fully half the top ten riders on Ridley X-Night frames.

Tested on Pavé kaohsiung style

2011-01-16T11:10:00.003+01:00

Hello cyclist around the globe,

For the past 5 days we have been traveling around Asia. During our stop today we passed by a cool bike shop in Kaohsiung city in Taiwan.
Our distributor La Bici has done a great job with the shop owner and really nailed the decoration.
The tested on Pavé neon sign is so cool :)

Thanks to you all you riders supporting Ridley around the globe. It for you that we continuously strive to improve our frames, make nice designs...

Pedal hard, ride fast!

cheers

Yannick

Vacansoleil Team Presentation

2011-01-12T15:08:00.003+01:00

Exciting times around Ridley HQ here in Belgium. Road racing season is nigh upon the horizon with the Tour Down Under beginning next week. We attended the Vacansoleil-DCM team launch this past Monday in Rotterdam along with tons of media, politicians and plenty of bike industry partners.

The team staff provided a wonderful setting, excellent commentary and plenty of access to the athletes - all topped off by an extravagant luncheon and take home goodie bags. The quote of the day was from Matteo Carrara "your bike has to be like your girlfriend you have to love your bike as your girlfriend or even more of course I prefer to share my bed with my girlfriend but immediately after comes my bike" Pretty much says it all right there!

The team has a wonderful international flare with Italians led by Ricco and Carrara, Belgians with Devolder and Leukemans, Dutch dudes with Johnny Hoogerland and Pim Ligthart and of course the Slovenian sprinter Bozic, the French Feillu and the Ukranian Lagutin plus Spain, Russia and other countries. Lots of difficult names to spell and pronounce luckily the official team language is English.

This is a great image of Riccardo Ricco - he's super motivated this year and seems to very comfortable with the his new team surroundings.

A few media outlets are making a big deal about a brewing rivalry between the two Belgian strongmen Devolder and Leukmans. Pretty funny actually since they seem to be very much at ease with each other and will certainly be a formidable force when other teams are on the attack.

Where heroes are born and legends are made

2011-01-02T12:25:00.000+01:00

But First things First, i wish you all a happy new-year.
For some 2010 has been wonderful, for others a year with ups and downs. One thing is for sure 2011 is destined to be good! So let’s put our shoulders under it and blast off.
I’ve made my new year’s resolutions, but better to keep them for myself since they tend not to come true when I pronounce them out loud :p

Last Wednesday me and some friends went out for a MTB ride at Kluisbergen. What’s the big deal you would think? It’s “flat”, it was cold, snow & mud… well when driving over I recalled myself the hours I spent riding these roads.
The small, narrow, crappy concrete roads making my way to the hills nearby. Hills I disliked, hills I had to do several times during that training. At the time I did not feel the myth, only wind and leg cramps…
Coming back to these training grounds made me think of the great races that pass there every year, the thousands of people cheering, yelling. On these hills and pave sections the finale of the tour the Flanders starts, this is where they throw the first card on the table and men are separated from the boys.
During training camp of the Vacansoleil-DCM team I asked Stijn Devolder “aren’t you tires of riding those roads over and over again??” “Nah, are you crazy, there is nothing I love more than riding these races”
When struggling your way up the Oude - Kwaremont/Paterberg/… ,even on a mountainbike, I have to admit having a big grin on the face. Being able to shift that one gear up, quicken the pedal stroke and gently squeeze the force out of your competitors on these cobbles…
This mythical place will once again be the playground for those 2wheeled gladiators in spring.

Till next time!
Yannick

Bozic's best bike ever !

2010-12-20T07:27:00.003+01:00

Vacansoleil sprinting machine, Borut Bozic, commented his new bike for the next season.

This is what he said : "the Ridley bike is perfect, the best bike I have ever ridden in my career !" He is ready to take on the big guns in the sprint. Check out a few pictures from Bozic and his bike.

Vacansoleil training camp - Benidorm

2010-12-13T14:55:00.007+01:00

The Vacansoleil Cycling Team are on training camp in Benidorm, Spain. The riders received their new bikes and they were super excited to start the training sessions on their Noah and Helium. Check out what team manager Daan Luijckx and Riccardo Ricco think of the new Ridley Bikes. Every single rider was happy to hit the road with their brand new machine. Look at the admiration of national champs Devolder (Belgium) and Lagutin (Uzbekistan).

Vacansoleil Team Helium

2010-11-26T11:04:00.003+01:00

Here it is folks - the Vacansleil-DCM Ridley Helium. We literally stole this bike from the mechanic's stand so that we could get a nice studio shot to share with the world.

Extra special thanks go out to our technical partners:

Fast Forward wheels

Rotor cranks and bottom bracket

SRAM drivetrain

Selle San Marco saddle

Jagwire cables and housing

Look pedals

Vredestein tires

Tacx cage and bidon

Deda Elementi bar and stem

Lizardskins bar tape

4ZA forks

BBB helmets and eyewear

KMC chains

Vacansoleil Visit

2010-11-24T16:30:00.003+01:00

Big day at Ridley World Headquarters today - Vacansoleil riders stopped in for bike fittings and technical partner orientation. It's always fun to spend time with the upper crust of the cycling world be it athletes and directors or bike builders and parts manufacturers. Our new partners like Rotor, SRAM, Vredestein, Fast Forward, 4ZA all showed off the latest and greatest products that were outfitting the new Vaca team Heliums frames. It's off to team camp in Spain next month and then to Australia for Tour Down Under.

A new addition to the family

2010-11-21T08:49:00.003+01:00

Introducing...*drum roll*

Ridley the dog!

Ridley is just 8 weeks old and learning to ride with training wheels. It won't be long until he tries his first triathlon as mummy and daddy (Neil, our tri-guy at QBP our US distributor) are keen triathletes.

Ridley Ignite Team wint Crocodile Trophee

2010-11-18T16:01:00.004+01:00

Christof Mariën heeft in de nadagen van zijn fietscarrière de Crocodile Trophee op zijn naam geschreven. Hij finishte met zijn Ridley Ignite Team op de eerste plaats in het algemeen klassement in de category M1, dit resulteerde in een 8ste plaats overall net achter Jan Kirsipuu (ook op een Ridley Ignite Team) . Lees hieronder de commentaar van Christof over onze Ignite Team.

"De Ridley Ignite team waar ik mee reed was echt super! Het parcours is echt wel ruw en veeleisend voor je fiets en ik heb met mijn Ignite team totaal géén probleem gehad! Het was trouwens bijna de enige carbonkader die niet is gescheurd of gebroken! En dat wil toch wel wat zeggen in zo’n race en bovendien ben ik ook niet van de lichtste… Trouwens Jan Kirsipuu, de sprinter van AG2R van weleer reed met identiek dezelfde fiets rond! Ik raad je zo’n fiets echt aan!"

Ridley Japan's take on Cycle Mode

2010-11-17T14:33:00.003+01:00

Hi All,

Just a quick update as I've just landed in Seoul and my room-service pizza has just arrived. Life on the road is glamorous ;)

Check out this link for Ridley Japan's take on Osaka Cycle Mode

A big arigato to Masa-san, Nao-san and Moto-san for all of their help this week and for doing such a stellar job of Ridley in Japan.

Big in Japan

2010-11-13T13:27:00.003+01:00

It's truly a great thing being part of a global program like Ridley. We have amazing distributors and dealers all around the globe all doing an amazing job of representing BELGIUM. The Cycle Mode show is this weekend in Osaka Japan where our distributors JP Sports are showing the latest range to the Japanese cycling public.

You know you're experiencing something unique when you see people sprinting across the trade show floor in order to be the first in line to try out the latest and greatest. Ridley had a tidy demo fleet of five bikes on hand for the folks to ride - these five bikes were tested in excess of five hundred times on the Saturday opening day of the show. 500 test rides in less than 7 hours! There was a constant line-up at the booth with no fewer than ten people patiently awaiting their turn.

Needless to say, the non-Japanese amongst the Ridley crew were amazed and excited about the response to the brand as well as the overall orderliness of the lines, rides, testing and vibe of the show.

Cyclocross Season - Hurray!

2010-10-26T00:55:00.005+02:00

No question about it - we love cyclocross season. We're up to our ears in mud here at Ridley HQ with victories pouring in from all over the world. Of course the top of the heap would be World Champ Z. Stybar maintaining a so-far undefeated season with a pair of World Cup victories and the leaders jersey in his closet. I'm thinking there is a good battle brewing between the two top Ridley sponsored Cross teams - Telenet-Fidea and Sunweb-Revor. Both teams are stacking up the World Cup podium appearances. On the ladies side of things Sanne Van Paasen (Team BrainWash) has been crushing it all year as well taking the Czech World Cup victory as well as the leaders jersey.

Across the Atlantic pond the Hudz-Subaru pb Ridley team has been absolutely throttling the competition across the continent. Tons of victories and podium appearances are in the history books spanning from California to Massachusetts with stops in BC and Toronto Canada for good measure.

The Embrocations guys (and girls) are rocking it out across the country - really representing the magazine, Ridley bikes and all of their partners. This shot pretty much says it all...

And of course no cross season is complete without the antics of the single speed crew. Newly signed Canuckian Wendy Simms produced two victories in two races on two brands newly built X-Fires. Literally the inaugural ride on each bike turned into a flying "V" across the finish line. Of course the golden bikini, wrestling belt and soon to be inked tattoo were well earned while dodging Sasquatch, mexican wrestlers, a kangaroo and numerous French maids...

And on the serious side Wendy retains the NACT National series leaders jersey and has her sights firmly set on adding a fifth (!!!) Canadian National Champ shirt to her wardrobe.

We're all off to KoppenbergCross in Belgium next weekend stop by and say howdy, enjoy a beverage and help us cheer for our favorite Ridley riding athletes no matter where in the world they're from.

A Ridley Ignite MTB for Andrea Dovizioso !

2010-10-14T19:00:00.002+02:00

Thanks to Ridley dealer Cicli Zavarise of Cornuda (TV), a rapresentative of the Belgian bike company, had the pleasure, last month, to give a Ridley Ignite MTB, to the famous Moto GP rider Andrea Dovizioso, of the offcial Honda Repsol team, who has immediately started using it, for training and checking the circuits, before the races.

It might be a simple coincidence, but we like to believe that his new Ridley brought good luck to the strong rider from Romagna, as, in the two following races of his not too lucky season, he obtained two amazing second places, to Casey Stoner in Japan and to Valentino Rossi in Malaysia, probably gaining the opportunity to remain in the official Honda Repsol team also for next year, which was very difficult to think, only until few weeks before. As soon as this is confirmed, Ridley will make a new Ignite for Dovizioso in the 2011 team colours.

In the photo Andrea Dovizioso with his Ridley Ignite in the garden of his beautiful villa

Somekind of nature, some kind of soul.... simple rules to cycling

2010-10-13T23:57:00.002+02:00

Hey everybody,

Felt like it was time to share some late evening/early morning ideas/thoughts with you. Short but powerful since i got to get in bed (starting early again tomorrow).

1) cycling is a bug, it definitely get's under your skin. You're in pain on the bike sometimes, working in the industry can be dam hard. But in the end you couldn't imagine yourself doing anything else.
I like cycling for quite some time know and it's been my job for 1,5 years; hard to imagine something else.

2) cycling must be fun!
Some simple rules though:

A) Wear a helmet!
If not for yourself, do it for your loved ones. Helmets are so cool and lightweight now,
no reason not to wear one.

B) there are no rules to cycling. I can go out with my dad and ride nice & calm for hours
chatting or i can train hard to reach a certain goal.
Last evening we went out with collegues making a pitstop to fuel up with a good Belgian
beer...
Maybe one rule after all... have fun

Sleep tight

Yannick

Catching up

2010-10-09T01:49:00.009+02:00

It's been quite the long strange trip - Jo and I have been out traveling the world sharing everything there is to know about the 2011 range of Ridley bikes. After the hugely successful grand opening to our new facility in Belgium we hoofed it across the pond to Las Vegas and Interbike. I think we were all amazed at the reception we were given - no doubt about it Ridley was the buzz of the show. We were slam packed busy the entire show with dealers, media and competitors fighting for space in our booth. How good were we you might ask? Well how about a couple of quote from prominent media types:

"Hurry up and build the new bikes! Now everything else is going to seem a little plain..."

"...my product of the show that proved there is some true technological evolution going on at Ridley."

"Wanted to say thanks for taking the time to chat with us at Interbike and showing us Ridley's secret project... game changer for sure."

Of course Vegas just isn't Vegas without a little party program to kick off the festivities. Our Belgian brothers at Lazer debuted their new Oasis lid at the Hard Rock beach club - pretty nice and fitting location with Ridley Cross bikes at the beach. Wouldn't you guess it - the barriers ended up being fruity drinks with colored umbrellas!

Pack up the suitcase and hop a flight down under for Road Worlds and our dealer launch for Australia. We had a great launch with about 35 prominent dealers flying into Geelong to see the 2011 lineup and then watch a little bike race on the weekend. We were all a bit amazed at the number of Flemish flags and traveling Belgians amongst the crowd. Look at any finishing photo and the background is all yellow with Flandrien Lions. Big thanks to Mark, Nick, Matt, Brian and all the folks at Pacific Brands and the Bike Hub shops for making Worlds week such a Cracker of a good time!

Oh yea - there was actually racing down in OZ last week as well. Our Swedish national champ Emma Johanson opened up a killer sprint in the final 100 meters of the race to secure a beautiful bronze medal. I like to think her Asteria ISP was responsible although I'm guessing Emma's legs had something to do with it...

And our Katusha boys had a great weekend riding for their respective countries. Mr. Pozatto finished just off the rostrum in a solid fourth place on the day. I can pretty much guarantee he would have taken the bronze if the course would have been another 10 meters longer - he just ran out of real estate.

So summer is done and dusted. Time to pull out the Wellies and an umbrella - see you all out in the mud at the cross races.

To be or not to be...

2010-09-29T22:58:00.002+02:00

A hipster? No,Yes, i finished my fixie. Finally i must say, i bought the hubs over one year ago an had other bits and pieces lying around for some while now.

The fact that one of my buddies finished his earlier then mine (even though he started later) and that i need to have something to do in the evening made me finally finisht he bike :)

other great news is that Arne Van Snick ,our promising young rider on the Arena, put down a strong performance on the European championships. We will continue to support him in his further development!

Bye

Yannick

commute to work

2010-09-23T20:37:00.003+02:00

Hey everybody,

The opening is over, cross season is approaching and we are squeezing out the last bits out of the summer.

These last few sunny days felt damn good, it got my spirits up to commute to work.
I admit i am not climbing any infamous hills but the 18k (22k in total) long stretch of road next to the canal tends to get me down.
But i found out that the right soundtrack takes your mind off the road ahead and makes your legs spin :)
So let's try to keep this up and at least commutes a few times a week to work :)

One of our reps will be hitting the track next week on his Oval track bike. What's the big deal you might ask? Well, he has got a sweet pair of new 4ZA track wheels in his bike.
Stay tuned for some nice pics.

See you al next time,

Cheers,

Yannick

Telenet-Fidea Team launch at Ridley HQ

2010-09-18T20:18:00.002+02:00

Telenet-Fidea team presentation at Ridley HQ on Thursday morning. Pretty cool having the reigning world champ riding our bikes, testing our bikes and winning on our bikes. Lots and lots of rainbow stripes on that dude to start the season on the right track.

bring it on...

2010-09-16T11:30:00.003+02:00

Live coverage from the Official Ridley opening :)
Telenet - Fidea's team presentation just started, first factory tour at 13h

A few pic's from my temporary Prodev setup

(hmmm; what's under the curtain?)

Cheers

Yannick

Show time!

2010-09-15T23:34:00.004+02:00

Howdie Ridley folks!

We're now full swing in the midst of international bike show season. We've just finished the Montreal BTAC show with our Canadian distributor - Norco. I'd like to send out a big thank you to Brandon, Marty and all the team for the support in building up the booth and supplying me with endless cups of coffee!

The timing of the show couldn't have worked out any better as it coincided with the Tour of Montreal. With the help from Skip @ Norco and Peter @ Lazer Helmets, we organised a Belgian evening for our Ridley/Lazer dealers which of course included Belgian beer and friets with mayonnaise, mmmm. Team Katusha sent along some riders to sign posters and talk about the race. The following day we had more of the team at the show. All in all a fantastic few days.

I'm now in Vancouver visiting local bike shops for a few days then heading down to Vegas for Interbike. Life isn't bad ;)

ridley bikes proudly presents...

2010-09-14T20:49:00.002+02:00

haha, no scoop this time.

But we did get on tv :)

http://www.tvl.be/nl/2010-09-13/fietsenproducent-ridley-breidt-uit/

Oh yeah, official opening of the new company on Thursday and Friday, sweeeet
Include the press-presentation of the Telenet - Fidea team with world champion Zdenek Stybar and the final straight line towards the cross season is in sight :)

Adios

Yannick

Back home... Eurobike was a blast!

2010-09-05T11:34:00.002+02:00

Hey there,

How have you all been? I'm fine thank you, a bit tired yes but happy. Yesterday evening we loaded up the show bikes in the van and set off to belgium. 9h's later we rolled in Hasselt.

But let's start the story on Monday. We set off to F'Hafen at 4h30 in the morning. A big white van packed with over 23 show bikes, 18demo bikes, 2 Belgians and 1 American. After a long ride we arrived in Ratzenried. Pouring rain, 9°c... no need to say we were a bit depressed.

But when we woke up on Thuesday the weather was clouded but no rain and during the day it even cleared out and the demo day was a big success! People loved the Noah RS, Blast 29er and we also got a good response to the Noah.

After the demo day we set off for 4 days of trade fair. 3 days of meetings with part suppliers, manufacturers and distributors. The perfect moment for me to go more in to detail about our 2012 range and push were needed for the 2011 range.
For what i can tell, exiting things will happen in the next few years...

There's a time for work and a time for play. We relaxed by riding our Noah RS to the trade show and back, listening to some music and have dinner together.

A good vibe, a great show and a dedicated team.
Ridley will continue to spread his vision on cycling and leave a mark in the industry!

Cheers!

Yannick

Tough, but fun Sunday on the mountains

2010-08-30T10:57:00.014+02:00

I figured yesterday would be one of the last Sundays, with reasonably good weather in the mountains, before I put definitively my Ignite Team FS away, being September the hardest month of the year, with all international shows, so I accepted the invitation of a friend of mine to bring my family over to his place up in the mountains of Val di Scalve, about 1 hr and 15 minutes from where we live.

Actually the weather was not as good as Saturday and as today, but fair enough.

So, we got to Colere around 10:30 and we took the lift to the top of the ski-slopes (impossible to get there in such short time by bike and with our very little training) and Giovanni, Carlo and myself did some short tours on the paths, around the Refuge Albani. To name them "path" does not make really understand what they are like, it is sufficient to say that most of the time we were carrying our bikes on our shoulders, not only because they were very narrow, but also (and this was most disturbing), because they were covered with a thick layer of gravel and rocks and it was so easy for the wheels to slide toward the scarry gorge...

Anyway we got to a almost dried lake, just under a big mountain used as gym, for climbers, where we took some shots, on everlasting snow

and we went back to the refuge, where our families where waiting, for a big lunch. Pizzoccheri, polenta, brasato, porcini mushroom.....good red wine....and some grappa, in the end. Nothing missing there, but you can imagine that the return to the top of the mountain to follow the ski slopes, downhill, back to Colere, was not the easiest part of the day, either, also because, in the meanwhile, the temperature had dropped quite a bit !

At least, we lost some of the kilos, we had just gained, with the lunch.

As a matter of facts, downhill was quite hard, as well. All on gravel and rocks, which made very difficult the control of the bikes (especially when braking).

The set-up of my front fork and rear shock, was definitively too hard, but, after 2 flat tires (Gio' and Carlo)

and a couple of quite scarry falls (Giovanni), we made it to Colere, where we had some more grappa (to recover) and a nice dinner, all together, after which we hit the road back home.

Prototype testing - World Champ Style!

2010-08-28T11:31:00.005+02:00

Our reigning CX World Champ stopped by yesterday to have a look at some fancy new hoops and a specially designed new frame we've prepared for him. Sub-950 grams for a pair of cross wheels should be good for Styby's winter campaign and adding a second Arc-en-Ciel to his wardrobe. You can't quite make it out but that top tube says X-Fire Prototype...

Ohjoyohjoyohjoy

2010-08-28T10:26:00.004+02:00

Ohjoyohjoyohjoy,

I got the frame!!! My customized Damocles ISP left the paintshop this week and is now ready for assembly.
Believe me, the picture doesn't do it justice.

I was hoping to ride this bike next week during the Eurobike show, but it won't get assembled in time :( But have no fear, the Ridley gang is still planning on riding from the hotel to the fair and back every day. We will use the Noah RS frames we took to the Demo Day. If least if the weather is not so crappy as it is here in Belgium...

This week we got a whole bunch of Britisch, Scotisch, Irisch... dealers over, i took the opportunity to join one of the group rides. Good weather, nice roads, good companionship... As a little extra pro- rider Geert Omloop joined us.
It is fun to get to know the people who buy and sell our bikes.
The highlights of the ride were the passage at the Grasbos in Diest and the sprint at the Ridley factory.

Before i forget i want to congratulate Arne van Snick with his performance at the track world championships in Montichiari (Italy).
We are glad that our new Arena frame helped Arne to achieve his goals. An overview of the races in which he competed with the Arena

9th place overal scratch
10th place overal omnium

2nd place sprint 200m TT in a new national record 13.6sec
20th place points race
9th place sracth
11th place elimination race

This is looking good for the European championships in St-Petersburg! A big thumbs up from the Ridley team!!!

Stay tuned for live coverage from the Eurobike show next week.

I'm off

Cheers

Yannick

Now Bikes CX Ride

2010-08-21T18:46:00.013+02:00

Now Bikes in St. Paul, Minnesota hosted a CX clinic as part of their regular Thursday evening group ride this week. Todd and I brought our demo X-Bows, X-Rides, and X-Fires for the first timers and Lazer's Mike Pederson brought practice barriers and provided instruction for the group.

Ridley's Todd Schmidt and Lazer's Mike Pederson provided expert instruction.

The group listened intently to instruction on how to successfully negotiate the barriers.

Bob from Now Bikes demonstrating his alternate side dismount.

Putting instruction into action and showing good form on their first CX outing.

Skills improved with practice throughout the evening. I look forward to seeing many of our new CX riders at the local events this Fall.

countdown to Eurobike

2010-08-13T18:29:00.004+02:00

Yesyes girls and boys,

Eurobike is approaching,stress is building up. Not that i have doubts about the new range, the team has done a good job, product tests were good and i expect positive feedback from the consumers.

Dealers have been over the past weeks, but in the end it's all about you people... how will you all like the bikes? We will be ready to inform, explain what's not clear or simply talk about cycling in general.

Be sure to stop by at the demo day. A new version of the Noah & Orion, the Dean Rs, a new MTB... we have got some stuff to show off and test:)

I also have some personal reasons to look forward to this years Eurobike. I am trading in my faithful companion, a custom painted Compact, for a new beauty on 2 wheels. A Damocles ISP with colors chosen on the 2011 customizer. Yes i am a lucky b@*$sterd :)
Second of all its fun to see the familiar faces of the industry again.

Some stress to get the showbikes ready on time but even more to get the 2012 range up and and running. Better to be one step ahead :)

Oh yeah, good new Apple has posted a patent regarding bicycle accessories and companys like bosh are really entering the E-bike business..

Until next post, have fun, ride your bike

Over and out

Yannick

2010-08-10T15:09:00.001+02:00

As is said in my previous blog: The market for aero is going in a direction to hide and integrate the brake.
Since then we have performed our first official test on the road with ex Belgian champion Geert Omloop. Although I asked him to use the integrated brake system only during test rides he was so enthusiastic about the new fork that he used it in the race in Westrozebeke and guess what, he immediately won.

Leysen the next generation !

2010-08-06T15:20:00.004+02:00

hello all,

This week-end Bart Leysens' son will dispute the Belgian championship U14 on a................Ridley of course. Bart, sportdirector at Katushateam and former pro rider, was a great inspiration for his son. Ridley Bikes painted his Ridley Excalibur. Senne Leysen customized his Excalibur himself and look at the great result. Bart's son only started last year to race and already picked up 6 wins this season. It seems that the next generation Leysen is ready to rock the peloton; Watch out for the boy on his very nice and fast Ridley bike. We wish you lot of success this week-end for the Belgian nationals in Herenthout ! Watch out for the result and I will keep you posted.

back to work

2010-08-01T21:47:00.001+02:00

Hey everybody,

Holiday is over, 2 weeks out of office were good for body, mind and soul.
Even when you like your job and do it with passion it's good to take some time off. Spend some time with family, friends... good times.

None the less i haven't been without my bike the past two weeks. I was lucky enough to test the fork Jochim mentioned in a previous post. Some testing was done in West-Flanders (did some hills from the tour the Flanders) the second week of testing took place in the south of France.
Facing the strong Mistral winds during my daily ride is like riding in an open wind tunnel.

My personal experiences and those of the pro rider currently testing the fork already learned us the fork functions perfect but we still need some tweaking. The final phase in this project is approaching (fine tuning, testing, fine tuning until it's perfect)... what a way to get back to work after 2 weeks of holiday.

This was it for today's post.

Stay tuned!

Yannick

Another sneak preview befor the holiday: The Fandrien

2010-07-16T11:17:00.003+02:00

It’s the last week before our annual Holiday.
During the end of July we close the company for 2 weeks. It’s very strange but those 2 weeks I make more mileage on my bike then normally in half a year.
Every year I go to the south of France and ride my bike in the mountains. I love to ride in the sun, I love to climb, for me it’s the perfect bicycle environment. For a lot of Belgians it’s a bit crazy that people love to come to Belgium and ride their bikes on our cobble roads, in cold weather with some (or a lot of) rain. I think it’s mainly because we are used to cobble roads and we have rain and bad weather all the time. But I can imagine somebody who only saw the Tour of Flanders on tv, with those “warriors” on their bikes flying over the cobbles all dirty, soaked, … as a cyclist you need to experience that feeling at least once. For us it’s all day life, it’s like we say in our catalogue etc the center where we developed our bikes.
Anyway I am happy I can go to the sun and the mountains to ride my bike. It the perfect preparation for the Spa 24 hours an important car race I am participating in at the end of the month and where I have to defend my last year’s victory.
For those who have holiday enjoy the sun, rain, … whatever, … but far more important enjoy your bike rides ;)
….

Obviously as in September we launch our new catalogue and I gave a sneak preview last time, here one of my personal favorites in the 2011 range: The Ridley Helium FLANDRIEN: designed to withstand the most brutal races on earth, the Classics ;) Every detail has been chosen with the traditional classic’s rider in mind (high mileage comfort and durability).

Italian dealer days

2010-07-16T08:02:00.004+02:00

Hello,

This week, 12-13 and 14 of July, we had our Italian dealer days at our new HQ in Paal-Beringen. We invited our main Iitalian dealers to our new Ridley premises. The evening before the visit we went out for diner and of course we showed our Italian dealers Belgium's finest...........Beer ! All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.......but the next day, the Italian dealers were very excited to visit our new company. Ridley showed them that Belgium is more than beer and fries........we have the fastest bike in the world. After a quick coffee and a warm welcome at the company, Jan showed the dealers around in the new building. The new wharehouse impressed all of the dealers. They were explained the complete process of painting a frame at Ridley Bikes. After the guided tour of the company, Luca presented the new Ridley range. The dealers spent hours in our Ridley showroom and they were amazed about the new range. In the evening they went back to the airport to catch their flight back to Italy. Full of Ridley joy, they went back to Italy. Best regards Jan

2010-07-13T17:57:00.004+02:00

He Bloggers Just back from a visit to the TOUR and I have some inside Tour news for you ,….. our Moldovan Champion is planning a long attack to show his new national jersey.

I hope Robbie will be one more time the GREEN MAN for Ridley …? Robbie sais: I have still many problems with the arm so my maximum power is still far away and even with that big handicap I’m in a good position for green ……I see things from Day to Day and with a good form later on in the Tour who knows ….

Bike park

2010-07-06T00:40:00.006+02:00

I've just landed in Minneapolis to visit our friends at QBP and it would appear that I've brought Belgian weather with me :(

In the meantime, here's a pic of the bike provisions at one of the biggest rock festivals in Belgium at the weekend. Being from the other side of the North Sea it always amazes me when I see how well cyclists are catered for in Belgium. There must have been thousands of bikes in the park below. It just goes to show that if investment is made in safe bicycle networks and other cycling facilities that people will use the bike instead of the car.

National Championship wins

2010-07-02T19:43:00.007+02:00

A big congratulations to the following Ridley riders who claimed victory in their national championships:

Swedish road champion Emma Johansson (Team Redsun)

Swedish road champion Michael Stevenson (Sparebanken Vest - Ridley)

Russian road champion Alexander Kolobnev (Katusha)

Russian TT champion Vladimir Gusev (Katusha)

Moldavian road champion Alex Pliuschin (Katusha)

The toolbox…

2010-07-01T10:29:00.003+02:00

Hey,

Summer in the city… you would better not be reading this blog during the day. These perfect times require you to cruise, sprint … wander the streets by bike, preferably one of ours :p

As I briefed you in my last post, these are exiting times. While working on the catalogue we are already getting feedback in on the new MY11 range. Feedback that is much appreciated and pushes the team to do an even better job for futures models.

So the toolbox, yes, I finally got my own little toolbox. I no longer have to hassle the guys in the workshop for tools. Now I can work, tweak and experiment with samples while using my own tools :) life is good!!!!!

Talking about samples, I was on the track in Gent last Thursday. Together with Arne Van Snick we built up and tested the latest version of our new carbon track bike. He is the reigning junior Belgian track champion. He will be competing with the Arena on the European and World championships.

It’s great to support such a young rider in what hopefully be a successful track season.
I try to work with various types of riders. Fresh young riders with loads of enthusiasm and a burning desire to make it to the top of cycling. The more established, professional riders, share their experience and allows us analyze how the feeling of the bike has evolved over time or compare with other brands.

To conclude some live shots from the afternoon on the track. So keep your eyes peeled and let’s hope Arne rips the track to shreds :)

Cheers

2010-06-21T18:53:00.004+02:00

Ciao everybody !

I was supposed to post this a couple of weeks ago, but.....better late than never, right ?

Yesterday the Giro d'Italia had its last stage in Verona (reminds you of Shakespeare's drama Romeo & Juliet ?), with the riders making their "passerella" in the magnificent roman Arena, after their TT performance on the 15 km city-course, with the 5 km ascent of Mt. Torricelle.

I think it was one of the best Giros' of the last decade, because every stage was raced as a one-day race. We had a lot of surprises every day and, in the end, the best rider, of the strongest team won, so......

As far as Katusha, I visited the team 10 days ago in Cesenatico and last Thursday morning, before the start of the stage in Brescia.

They are quite satisfied, thanks to the 2 stage wins in L' Aquila, with Eugeni Petrov and the day after in Porto Recanati, with the Italian Champion Pippo Pozzato.

Too bad Vladimir Karpets could not get into top 10, but he can still be pleased with his Giro, considering that he was included in the Katusha rooster for the Giro, few days before the start of the race.

We had some consistent performances by Pozzato, Petrov, Ignatiev and Karpets. Mazzanti showed himself being in some escapes, as well as Horrach and Kolovnev.

I was actually expecting a bit more from recent team entry Caruso, but he explained to me that he had some health problem, after the stage in Campania, in South of Italy, during which he got some kind of virus, that weakened him.

It would also have been great to win a sprint with Robbie McEwen, but we have seen the difficulties great Robbie has now to face competition from emerging young sprinters.

So we won a stage with our Helium (ridden by Petrov) and Damocles ISP (by Pozzato). If Robbie had won a stage, riding his Noah, it would have been a unique record, difficult to repeat, to win 3 different stages with 3 different road bicycle models. Still like this, I think we showed how technical and specific our models are.

So, for now, congratulations to all riders and the organisation of the Giro 2010. Some weeks of relax for the teams and then new excitement coming along with the Tour 2010 !

Thanks for reading.

Luca Brischetto

Ridley R-flow project

2010-06-21T11:12:00.001+02:00

Hi boys and girls ,

The last months I'm super exited about a new development in our R-flow project. The Idea for this project started a few years ago, with the development of our aero range.
A few months ago we finalized new patents and now development is going 100% ahead. I feel it's about time that I start to explain you during the coming weeks step by step the goal and realization of this fantastic project.

The market for aero is going in a direction to hide and integrate the brake, so my question is to you where is our brake in our new R-flow fork...?

Gr,
Jochim

Sneak preview 2011

2010-06-16T10:44:00.003+02:00

This time of the year our marketing department is working very hard on the new 2011 catalogue.
The catalogue will be launched on September 1st. We’ll be adding quite a few new models to our range. The catalogue and the range will be presented at Eurobike from 1-4 September.
The main new models will mainly be in our aero road range as well as triathlon, incorporating our R-flow patented technologies (more explanation on www.TheFastestBikeInTheWorld.com )

One of the new models will be our Dean RS triathlon bike, which features more comfortable tri specific geometry. Here you can see a sneak preview of the Dean RS
With Rutger Beke winning the Iron Man in Mexico on his Ridley Dean earlier this year, we are working very hard to help him win Hawaii.

Besides the new aero models there will be a new Ridley cross bike (the world champion Stybar bike), some very interesting fitness bikes, … and many more … but I guess I have to stop revealing stuff now ;)

Customized kaders

2010-06-15T09:53:00.006+02:00

Here are some pictures of customized frames currently in production. Is this order for you? Let us know.

If you already own a customized Ridley frame, we'd like to see your photos on our official Facebook page

Noah: base design 902D

once upon a time in rainy belgium

2010-05-30T21:19:00.002+02:00

Nature can be cruel... last weekend was sunny, hot, great cycling weather.
The perfect time to shred the trails in Landgraaf with the Ignite full suspension.
Spending 3h in the woods, close to nature, enjoying myself as if i was a little kid.

set my mind to another full filled weekend on the bike... but the rain and the birthday party from our respected colleague "Den Dorser" :p decided otherwise.
A one hour ride on Saturday and a quick run today will hopefully make up for it.

So it's almost June, the MY11 bike spec's have been finished for some time now and we’re prepping everything for the photo shoot.
It's quite exiting... our new frames build to bikes in the correct color, groupset

I get to open a new package every day, Christmas in June... who cares about the rain :)

Customized kaders

2010-05-28T11:19:00.009+02:00

Every week we'll show some snap shots of customizer frames we have in production to share the different designs we produce for Ridley riders all around the world.

Dean: base design 913A

Excalibur: base design MCEGIR09

Funday-Monday

2010-05-26T08:06:00.006+02:00

We had a public holiday in Belgium on Monday and the sun was shining so it was the perfect day to get some extra kilometres on the bike. Armed with factor 75 sun block (being Scottish I don't take to the sun too well) and the X-Fire, we set out on a route I've been wanting to do for a long time, the Trappist beer route to Westmalle Abbey. Westmalle is one of only 7 Trappist breweries in existence, luckily the others are not far away, 6 are in Belgium and the other is in the Netherlands.

Heading out from our town, the ride worked out to be 100km round trip on the Belgian fiets route. Belgium has thousands of kilometres of cycle networks with a mix of cycle only lanes and quiet roads, it truly is a biker's paradise. The route was full of cyclists of all types, lots of club runs, families and friends out together enjoying the sunshine. As a cyclist, it's amazing to see so many people out using their bike.

What more could you ask for a holiday Monday, a nice long ride, sunshine and Belgian beer, life doesn't get much better than that :)

The creative process

2010-05-17T10:02:00.003+02:00

For me, as a designer, music is necessary in a creative process. The mood of the day will decide which tunes, basslines or guitar riffs will fill the room. It's a kind of mental guide.

After some first graphical forms and shapes I started to feel in which direction this embryonic drawing supported by addicting sounds is heading for. It's like pedaling the first metres on a hard climb finding the right cadence and heartbeat. At this moment the rhythm can push me into a higher gear, a "flow" and in this flow things are evolving fast. No distraction. 100% concentration. And a good feeling like if you've having superlegs in an escape on your way to the finish.

The climax, the finish, the result is a design which gives me possitive and addictive sensations. Sensations over a beautifull product which hopefully will convince more people sharing the same bicycle passion!!!

Good rides to everyone !

2010-05-12T16:28:00.003+02:00

May 6, 2010.

Even if I am not so old, I have now worked in the bicycle industry for the last 21 year, mainly on mid-term projects, so, normally, after 3-4 years, I used to move to another company. It's now almost 7 years that I have been working at Ridley and the goals and consequently my motivation to keep working hard here is always there.

It's true that the company changed completely, from 7 years ago, when our boss decided to "go international". Those who could see the company 7-8 years ago and now, they would think it is a different company (and, in fact, we also just moved to our new building, which is 3 times bigger the previous one), but there's more. What I could see in these 7 years, is the will to understand the markets worldwide, the attempt to approach them in a different way, than usual and the consequent huge efforts to try to satisfy the needs of cyclists worldwide.

It's is not rethorical, to say that we immediately understood that the success of Ridley could only come, in years, through the satisfaction of our customers and partners. Anybody, with some investments, can make himself known fast : you fill magazines with tons of publicities, telling most of the time bull-shit stories about this and that and you can get an immediate feed-back, but how long will it last ?

We have immediately understood that the best publicity is the publicity made by users of our bikes, possibly cyclists that have already used other famous bikes and they get to try a Ridley. It definitively takes longer to come out, but it also lasts longer. Much longer.

We started all this, when the bicicyle market was not in need of any new brand. It was already full of famous, established brands and, as a demonstration of what I wrote before, we have seen several brands appear and disappear, in short periods of time. There have always been many good bikes in the market, why should anyone choose a Ridley, especially 7 years ago, when nobody outside Belgium and Holland knew it ? I remember the first years, visiting bike dealers around the world and receiving always the same questions : "Ridley ? What is it ? Is it American ?"

It seems like centuries ago, now, but it was only 5-6 years ago and this is the big result we have achieved, not the figures of turnovers and pieces sold every year. We have been able to establish the brand and make it well known as a brand that stands out, for the hi-tech of its exclusive models and the unicity of its designs and paint-jobs. Ridley is now compared only to the most famous bicycle brands worldwide. We are trusted.

This is a new starting point. We are fully aware that we still have a lot to do, but the base is solid and we can build on and around it. This is basically why I am here, after 7 years and, if I am not kicked out before........, I hope to keep working with this bunch of friends, until I keep seeing this satisfaction from the people I see and I talk to.

You can be confident that we will always be the same. Our philosophy will not change. It will be good to share with you our successes and inevitable mistakes (we hope few) and this new section of our web site is to get even more in contact with the world outside.

Good rides to everyone !

Me, Myself and……..my Ridley Bike.

2010-05-12T16:25:00.000+02:00

Me, Myself and……..my Ridley Bike,

Monday morning, get up at 6 to go to work. Don’t dress to impress, but get ready to ride to work. Jump on my Ridley bike and the adrenaline is pumping in my veins. The city is still asleep and it is just me, myself and my Ridley Bike. Once crossed the city centre, only big cycling roads in the middle of the corn fields are my companion. The only noise you can hear are the whistling birds, the wind blowing in my face, the sound of my wheels rolling over the smooth surface of the tarmac and my pounding heartbeat.Sun sets in the East, a lovely orange glow colors the sky. And it is still me, myself and my Ridley bike. No traffic jams, no pollution, the only thing I feel are the drops of sweat on the front of my head, my respiration and my legs that spin the crank to reach the speed of a pro rider. The closer I get to the office, more sweat,heavier respiration and the faster I go.

But still me, myself and my Ridley bike. Mission completed, I reached Ridley Bikes HQ.

25 K of pure joy and entertainment. And ready for another day in the Ridley office. What more can you ask for on a morning ? Ring ring, there goes my telephone.

- “Hello ?”

- Ridley Bikes, Jan speaking”

- “Hey, this is Stybar speaking. How are you today ?”

- “I am fine thanks, how can I help you ?”

- “Can I pick up my cyclo cross bikes today ?”

- “Of course you can, they are ready to be picked up”

There is no finish line at Ridley Bikes, only challenges, new technology, the fastest bike in the world and the fantastic atmosphere and colleagues that make my ride worthwhile.

We are Belgium

2010-05-12T16:19:00.004+02:00

We are Belgium

What springs to mind when you think of Belgium? When we ask this question to people outside of Belgium the answers always include the best beer in the world, fine chocolate and frites with mayonnaise. Luckily for us Belgians, we also love to cycle which is why we can afford such indulgences.

Cycling courses through the veins of us as though it’s part of our biological make up. The major components of any Belgian village, in no particular order are – bakery, café, church and of course a bike shop. Every Belgian owns at least one bike from children to grandparents. We use our bikes to commute to school, work, to run errands and of course we also race. During the race season there are many club and national races taking place all throughout the week. On weekends, you will see hundreds of riders out on their club runs, in all levels of ability and in all weather.

Belgium is the home of the Spring Classics with the Ronde Van Vlaanderen being the most prestigious and dating back to 1913. Infamous for the harshest riding conditions, bone rattling pave and ever changing weather, the Ronde epitomizes the Belgian obsession for cycling. For a Belgian rider, it’s more important to win the Ronde than the yellow jersey.

Every year regular cyclists have the chance to ride the Ronde course. This year we took our Japanese distributor, JP Sports to ride with us along with 19,000 other participants. We had the perfect Ronde weather, rain, more rain, heavy side-ways rain, sleet, wind, just a little bit of sun shine and big painful hailstones. As if the cobbles and climbs weren’t enough to contend with. But this is what makes the Ronde, this and the spectators lining the course on the most difficult –read entertaining- climbs such as het Muur, cheering on the participants.

We were happy when we reached the finish line, soaking wet and cold, but with another Ronde in our legs. Naturally we toasted the day with a local beer and frites with mayonnaise J

This is our culture, we are Belgium.

The day that changed my life.

2010-05-12T16:16:00.005+02:00

22 April 2003.

That’s the day that my life changed.

That day I started working @ Ridley-Bikes!

If at previous jobs people on Mondays asked me what I did in the past weekend and I told them stories about climbing Le Mur de Huy on 39x25, they looked at me as if I came from Mars and said that I was a complete fool. Ok maybe I am a fool….but since that April day in 2003 I discovered that there are other fools who share the same passion for bike racing as I have. And furthermore, they are my colleagues!

These guys have the same crazy passion as I have and some of them are chasing identically the same bike objectives as me and they do know that ‘Galibier’ is not a kind of beer but one of the most beautiful climbs there are.

Now I can tell you, if you have a shared the feeling ; on a Saturday, imagine; climbing side to side a big ‘col’ with the burning sun in your face, suffering rain showers in the descent of the col, cramps from your toes to your ears,... This creates a special connection between people. One look at each other is enough to understand the experience you both are feeling ! And then on Monday when the same colleague has some ‘issues’ in their job, you are the first one to help them and vice versa.

Viva La Bicicletta!

Gregory

Designing a Ridley bicycle

2010-05-12T16:04:00.003+02:00

Let me introduce myself, my name is Yannick Christiaens and i am junior product manager / product developer at Ridley bikes.

During my first posts I will explain you what bicycle design is all about.

First off all you need to be passionate about cycling off course, me myself I started racing quite late at the age of 16. Unlike soccer, cycling did consume me and it was on my mind all the time. I wasn’t good at it but I got a hell of good time. Not only did I enjoy the physical side of the sport but also the mechanical, technical side.

At the age of 18 I decided to go and study for product designer. Although active cycling got a bit on the background, I stayed interested. During my last year of school I contacted Ridley to do my final thesis. And here I am working at Ridley. How one thing lead to the other…

The content of my job? Designing bicycles is quite a natural process.

· You start by defining your goals: Ridley’s goal is to offer the fastest bikes in the world.

· We brainstorm and explore different way’s in how we can make our bikes faster, lighter… Inspiration can come from automobile, nature…

· We translate these ideas into actual products or features we can apply onto a frame.

· The backbone of a frame is it’s geometry. The most lightweight and aerodynamic frame is useless if you mess up the geometry. That’s why we spend a lot of time and effort to get it right

· We simulate, ask feedback from riders…

· Around this geometry we start shaping the tubes. Goal is to encapsulate the Ridley technology but keep in mind the build specifications given by part suppliers, UCI, legal instances.

· This leads up to the first detailed 2D sketch of the frame. Once approved we build up the 3D model.

· Next step is to cut a frame mold, first usable sample follow.

This is roughly how a new frame is developed, stay tuned for more info next time. I might just give away some teasers for our model year 2011 bikes J

Welcome on our blog!

2010-05-12T16:02:00.000+02:00

Dear Ridley friends, first of all I would like to welcome you all on our blog.

A short introduction on myself so you can understand how Ridley Bikes has started.

Every week, as a 3-year-old boy, my parents took me to the cycling races of my eldest brother Stefan. It only took a few moments and I was his biggest fan and cycling became my biggest inspiration. As soon as I could ride a bike, I started racing. Later, on the age of 14, my first race was a fact. I started road cycling and cyclocross on a competitive level. I was an all-rounder and I could pull my string on any kind of track. Except for the sprint. Nevertheless I managed to win 30 races in the youth categories (U15 and U18). The dream of becoming a pro rider was soon there and cycling was all that mattered. But a knee injury ended my cycling career before it even started. When I graduated from my school I started racing again. My parents encouraged me to get a part-time job to earn a few euro’s. That’s when my older brother, who was working with the Bioracer company, proposed me to paint their frames. It only took me a few months of preparation and together with my dad I accepted my brother’s offer. We went beyond the painting and started the construction of custom fitted frames for Bioracer. Instead of a part-time job and racing, I found myself with a more than fulltime job to do and no more racing. That’s when my cycling career really ended.

My dad and my brothers have always been my greatest support and this from the very beginning. Even today, my 72-year-old dad, is still working in my company on a daily basis. The first 2 years I spent my days learning and constructing custom fitted frames for Bioracer (now bikefitting.com). And when the day was over, the evening was spent painting frames. Working minimum 12 hours a day. The days were long but very inspiring. After a couple of years, the hard work paid off and we became the biggest OEM supplier for custom painted frames in the Benelux and Bioracer was the biggest supplier of steel custom fitted frames in the Benelux.

When aluminum frames replaced the steel frames, Bioracer stopped selling frames. That was the perfect moment to start my own brand – Ridley. With my experience of building and painting custom fitted frames we prepared a very attractive range of frames in no time. The collaboration with Bioracer led to the development of our much demanded race ready geometry. It’s gone very fast from the beginning. The riders and mechanics which I worked with in my racing years, helped me with their feedback to develop our range faster than any of our competitors. This continued search for innovation and development resulted that Ridley has the biggest and most balanced range of competition bikes in the world. And…….we have much more to come. I will keep you informed through my blog of the latest developments at Ridley Bikes.

My dream to become a pro rider did not come true, but I enjoy working with the pro’s on a daily basis. My passion for racing has been projected on my bikes and it gives me a lot of satisfaction to see the pro riders racing on my bikes.

Welcome to our new Ridley Bikes blog section.

2010-05-12T15:52:00.006+02:00

As an introduction blog I would like to talk a bit about the way we try to market Ridley as a brand.

If you have such a great product, with so many positive aspects it’s very difficult to translate all these assets into advertisements and other promotional tools. Marketing a product with one competitive advantage is more easy as a product which has many.Ridley stands for: Belgian heritage, developed in collaboration with some of the best teams in the world, technically advanced with a focus on aerodynamic development, superb graphical designs that are hand painted, … .

Therefore when we market our product, we try to give a message which makes people wonder. There are too many things to say and we want people to take time and discover our product.

As a marketer it’s a huge challenge to work for such a fantastic brand. The best way to describe the feeling of working here is like racing a pro tour stage every day and getting huge satisfaction when you win or if one of your bikes do.

I know many dream of the Belgian classics, with our bad weather and cobble roads, but personally I am very happy we had some great weather over the last week, so I could ride my Ridley with my sunglasses on and feel like a pro on a fantastic bike, a feeling I can never describe in an advertisement.