Cicloeleganza in Milano

Our intrepid - and frightfully fashionable fashionista - friend Raquel from Madrid was on the Cycle Chic beat in Milano recently, recording a series of cicloeleganza shots for us here at the blog.

A splendid series of shots of citizens enjoying a cycling life in the Italian city. Cyclists who are clearly feel safe and secure and who know that taking it easy is the safest way to ride.

Encroaching Darkness

The days are getter shorter and cooler. Today the day is 7 hours and 5 minutes shorter than on the summer solstice - 21 June. No wonder Danes buy more candles than any other nation. Keeping the winter evenings and nights cosy.

Despite the fading light, the bicycles continue to roll. Like the Copenhagener above. She just commenced off the light. Hasn't rolled more than 5 cm. but she is in motion.

The short winter days make the appearance of brilliant sunshine all the more spectacular, especially when riding to work in the morning. You cherish it.


Been a while since The Sartorialist has posted a bicycle shot but here's a fresh one from Milano.

Cicloeleganza

Sometimes you just have to coin a phrase to make sense of things, to give them a description that works. 'Cycle chic' regarding cycling style made sense when we invented it last year. The cycling women of Italy, however, deserve their own phrase.
Cicloeleganza.
Above, in Milano, by Amenove.

Another example from Milano, also by Amenove.


Ravenna.


And in Pisa, by John.


Roma.


Cremona.

Signals, Philosophy and Italian Style

She'll be turning shortly.

In Praise of the Bicycle - A little cyclophilosophy in a book by Marc Augé. Available in French.

"This ode to the bicycle passes three moments: the myth, the epic poem and utopia. The bicycle has a mythical dimension which is at the same time individual and collective. The bicycle, after taking some blows, has returned due to city policy and its image is the object of a renewal of enthusiasm

One can begin to dream and trace the large features of the utopian city of tomorrow when public transport and the bicycle would be the only means of transport and where peace, equality and clean air would reign after the collapse of the oil tycoons. One can dream of a world where the requirements of cyclists dictate political action.

The bicycle teaches us to compose with time and space. It makes us rediscover the principle of reality in a world invaded by fiction and images. Cycling is humanism and it again opens the door to the dream of the future."

Classic Italian Cyclostyle
We can't resist a little plug for L'Eroica, a classic and classy old school Italian affair that celebrates the days gone by when bicycle racers were stylish gentlemen who rode grueling routes and stopped for an espresso and a cognac en route. A far cry from today's lycra louts.

Racing on classic bikes and in classic cycling clothes, L'Eroica is a cyclotouristic rally that has been around since 1997. In short, it's "For bicycle fanatics. For red wine fanatics. For breathtaking panoramas fanatics." l'Eroica. 05 ottobre 2008 in Chianti. Andiamo.

Guest Photos Early August 2008

Another batch of fantastic guest photos and thanks very much for thinking of us. At the bottom in the middle is Alexandra in Washington, D.C. and she is the focal point of this article in the Washington Post. As they say in that neck of the global woods, "You GO, girl!" Great article.

All in all, looking back over the past year of Copenhagen Cycle Chic, it is quite amazing to see how things have snowballed. It was as lonely as a Finnish winter until other sites started cropping up, followed by Flickr groups and then, late in 2007, we started seeing coverage in newspapers in the UK and the US. It's increased in intensity here over the summer in the US as the media has realised the people are taking back the bike culture. Here's an article from Canada, another from Australia, and this one from Washington, DC.

It's an amazing development to behold. Funny, too, considering the fact that this cycling chic thang is hardly a newfangled thang here in Europe, but it's great to watch it develop. All I did was coin a phrase - Cycle Chic - and start photographing a theme - it's all of you who make it grow and spread the Style Over Speed word - especially with wonderful guest photos like all of them we've published on the blog.

Let's keep it snowballing, shall we? A good, stylish tailwind to you all.

Sunday Guest Photos - Geneva, Roma, Vancouver, Barcelona

Cool shot from Geneva by Zara.


Cycloromantica from Roma by Fotorita.


Waxy from Vancouver captured a little street corner slice of life.


Rodolfoto from Barcelona with a great shot of happy cyclists.

Cycle Chic in Sydney, France, Rome and the USA

Here's a great shot of cycle chic down under from Lucy. Thanks for sending it along to us. Lucy restores vintage bikes and sells them on Australian e-Bay, if anyone is interested.


A wonderful shot from France from La vie en rose on flickr.


And here's a spot of cycle chic in Rome from Cappanelle.

CYCLE CHIC FOR KIDS

Here's a shot from Carl in Colorado. Thanks for thinking of us!
"This is my daughter just after she learned to “do it myself daddy!” Of course, if you are going to ride around the neighborhood, you MUST wear pink and more pink and knee high fuzzy boots. I guess I’ll have to get her a new bike now. (I bet it will be pink.)
I really enjoy your site. Keep up the great work. Carl."


And here's my boy, trying out Daddy's bike.

Guest Photos: Italy and Portland

Nouvelle Vague Bike, originally uploaded by Federico Erra.

A stunning find on Flickr, taken by the excellent photographer Federico Erra.

Brilliant mood and cycle chic to boot.

Below is another fine shot by Patrick Finntastic in Portland. He's titled it The Fastest Girl in the World:

Guest Photo: Ferrara, Italia

P1420260.JPG, originally uploaded by urben.

Ferrara, Italy enjoys one of the highest rates of bike usage in Europe.

31% of the population ride their bikes each day, bucking the trend in the Mediterranen countries where cycling is usually something you watch on the telly during the Giro or the Tour.

Go, Ferrara, go. 'Urben' a Flickr user has a fine set dedicated to Ferrara - Ciudad de las Bicicletas

Guest Photo: Torino, Italy

Here we go... a little flurry of international cycle chic from our good friends and readers.
First up this lovely traffic shot by Paolo in Torino, Italy.
"My girlfriend - the prettiest biker in Torino - waiting at the traffic lights
between Corso Vittorio and Corso Re Umberto this morning."
Great shot, Paolo! Grazie mille. Molto cycle chic.

Vintage Bike Poster Screensaver

By popular demand we thought we'd whip up another screensaver. We do like the graphic arts, and we thought it fitting to include historic bike posters featuring the ancestral cyclists that inspired Copenhagen Cycle Chic.

Back in the day it was the impeccably stylish French and Italians who had the last word on chic posters advocating bike brands and usage. What a splendid array of vintage girls on bikes.

The screensaver is 1024x768.