Conquista 16 - Print Edition

We ask what the future holds for the flawed genius of Thibaut Pinot. We dig deep into the history of the Vuelta a España. We ride the dirt tracks of Liberia, take on Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way and follow the Red Hook Crit to the urban wastelands of South East London. We applaud an attempt on the Guinness Seven Day World Record. And our editor throws his bike into a hedge. Available now.

Conquista 16 is here. And it’s more Conquista than ever.

Once, Thibaut Pinot was the future of French cycling. A career of spectacular successes and calamitous failures has revealed a substantial but essentially flawed talent. Will a new generation of bright young things leave him in its shade – or set the real, gloriously imperfect Thibaut free? Tom Owen provides the analysis in Pinot Noir.

What is the true character of the Vuelta a España, now that it has shaken off its image as the public relations tool of a corrupt dictatorship and, latterly, a target of terrorism? Perhaps a noisy neighbour that should know its place? Is it the annoying little sister, or a punk rock rebel sent to save us from the staid, conservative racing of the other Grand Tours? Suze Clemitson digs deep, deep into the history of the Grand Tour más grande in The Propaganda Peloton. 

The RAF is pounding the industrial cities of the Ruhr. Hitler is preparing Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, in a Spain ravaged by civil war and isolated from the rest of Europe, the 1941 edition of the Vuelta is getting underway. Marcos Pereda tells its strange story in A Forgotten Race.

On the same theme, Holly Blades looks back at the great performances and great characters of this Grandest of Tours and asks: who are the conquistadores of the Vuelta? Check out her conclusions in Vamos, La Vuelta.

John Houlding, master brewer, was the creator of Liverpool Football Club. He was also president of the Anfield Bicycle Club, which has been holding the Anfield 100 time trial since 1889. Conquista Editor and lifetime supporter of The Mighty Reds Trevor Gornall took on the challenge of this historic race earlier this year. Things did not go entirely according to plan. Read all about it in Unfinished Business.

James Golding may be the ultimate conquistador. Twice a cancer survivor, he attempted to raise £100,000 for Macmillan by riding across America – only to be knocked off his bike and almost killed by a speeding truck. Nothing daunted, in 2015 he launched an attempt to break the Guinness Seven Day World Record – only to be foiled by an injured knee. This year he made another attempt. Trevor Gornall went along for the ride: find out what happened in Seven Daze.

The Multitalented Mr. Gornall was also at the Grand Départ of the Tour de France in Düsseldorf, equipped with the very latest in cameraphone technology: the amazing Huawei P10. The result? The remarkable set of shots that make up #ShowWhatYouLove.

He turned down a ride in the Tour de France and has been fitting boilers (almost) ever since. In the latest of a series of interviews with members of the legendary ANC-Halfords team, Russell Jones meets Chris Lillywhite, who tells him all about Plying A Trade.

The TransAtlantic Way Race covers 2,500km, taking participants from Dublin to Derry along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way, and finishing outside Cork. Photographer Rich Marshall gives us a unique insight into this unique bikepacking adventure in Where The Wild Things Are.

Regulars know how we feel about the Red Hook Crit. This year it came back to Greenwich for RHC London No. 3. It rained. It didn’t matter. Photographer Paul Davy was there for Conquista to capture all the atmosphere and action.

Elsewhere, British Cycling Club Coach Geraint Parry dissects the descending technique of Lucky Louis Meintjes – and doesn’t much like what he sees. We get exclusive Briefings from The Peloton Brief about the Girona Gala, Nathan Haas’s new contract with Katusha Alpecin and the very latest in cool cycling shoes from Caitlin Fielder. And Tom Owen rounds things off with a Postcard from Liberia.

Conquista issue 16. And why not?