We tend to associate goodbyes and separations with sadness, stress and other negative emotions. Of course, it’s hard to say goodbye to something you truly care for, which has given you amazing memories and that’s taught you a whole lot. But at the same time, a goodbye also represents an amazing opportunity, a moment of major happiness and relief. That’s how it feels for me right now.
It has been two and half years since we founded GRAN FONDO, a magazine that has taken us around the world on several occasions, given us encounters with the whole spectrum of society, and insight into all parts of the biking industry and beyond. A magazine that prompted more conversations and excitement in the bike industry and between readers in such a short period of time than probably any other bike magazine to date. And that’s the point: GRAN FONDO is more than just a bike magazine.
I am the teacher of athletes; He that by me spreads a wider breast than my own, proves the width of my own; He most honors my style who learns under it to destroy the teacher
Walt Whitman
We see ourselves as a magazine that stands for an attitude and a lifestyle, with an overarching theme and uniting passion that happens to be road bikes. We’re not a magazine that is afraid of the future, nor are we at the mercy of society’s and the community’s whims. GRAN FONDO expresses the deepest thoughts of the editorial team. There’s so much more to life than the past, which is why we’re so drawn to travel, to having new experiences, and undertaking some fairly mad adventures. It not only pushes the magazine further, but also ourselves.
We’ll always take the unconventional route, whether it’s high-octane or meditative, on the bike or simply next to it. Think back to our group tests, the memorable fashion shoot in Barcelona, the inaugural GRAN FONDO Prestige in Gstaad or our recent gravel adventure with just € 100 in our pocket. The strands of our DNA run wild: interviewing entrepreneurs and high-flying business execs on golf courses, hosting discussions about luxury with designers and visionaries, or even revelling in the school trip vibes at the ACROS Gravel Ride inside this issue. Some articles are met by unadulterated enthusiasm, while others ruffle feathers and are met with indignation. Either way, we’re okay with that. We don’t do things to please, but to encourage interaction and prompt you to think again. Our aim is to unpack issues and tackle contentious topics in the hunt for solutions and inspiration for everyone. For you and us. We might not always succeed, but there’s always a good story.
GRAN FONDO is a big part of our life and the best school I know. In fact, stagnation is no regression, but it does stop you from moving forwards. That’s why the time has come for me to pass on the mantle to Benjamin Topf, GRAN FONDO’s new editor-in-chief. As Walt Whitman once said: As a teacher you need to know your limits and celebrate it when a pupil can outperform you. That’s exactly what is happening here!
Benjamin brings masses of experience in the industry, wide-ranging skills on the bike, wields flourishing prose on a computer keyboard, and takes some stellar photos. Then, of course, there’s his highly tuned cool-stuff radar that works overtime for GRAN FONDO – in short, he’s the perfect choice to help the magazine thrive. I can look back on two and a half years of excitement and hard work, forging a new creative scene in cycling to make it more diverse and more stoke-inducing. I’m not stepping down; far from it, I’ll be Ben’s sparring partner, helping him to co-pilot the magazine. So really, it’s more of a see-you-later, than goodbye.
Robin Schmitt
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