Articles

Over the years our site has played host to some great writing by some terrific writers. On this page we have gathered links to all our online articles in one place, sorted by author, for you to explore. Just click on the pictures, or on the links in the text below each title.

Suze Clemitson
Fandom & Football
Is pro cycling a sport for teams or individuals? And how do you explain it to your football-loving friends? Suze Clemitson digs deep into the dilemma in Fandom & Football

Holly Blades
Conquistadores of the Giro
Holly runs the ruler over some of the great names of cycling's history and asks: just who are the Conquistadores of the Giro d'Italia?

The Critérium du Dauphiné
Think you know the history of the Critérium du Dauphiné? Read Holly's definitive account and think again.

Il Lombardia
Did you know that Il Lombardia started as a rematch of the long-forgotten Italian King's Cup? Then go and read Holly's history of the event and educate yourself further . . .

Tirreno-Adriatico
There's a lot more to Tirreno-Adriatico than a bloody big trident (though it's a pretty good start). To find out just how much more, check out Holly's history.

Tom Owen
South American Hustle
Thanks to Eddy Mercxk's legendary assault on the Hour everyone knows there's a velodrome in Mexico City. Not everyone is aware that there is a similarly altitudinous facility in Lima. Tom Owen stumbled across it on his travels, and tells the story in South American Hustle.

Bradley O'Grady
Girl's Keirin
In Japan keirin racing is big business, with the equivalent of $7.5bn bet on races in a single year. But attendances are falling and audiences are ageing. In an attempt to attract a younger crowd in 2012 the keirin authorities resurrected women's racing (which had ceased in 1964) under the new brand Girl's Keirin. Bradley O'Grady attended a race meeting in Yokkaichi which featured the women prominently. Read all about it here.

Kokusai Keirin
Every year a select group of the finest international track sprinters is invited into the exclusive world of Japanese keirin to compete in a special calendar of racing known as Kokusai Keirin (kokusai means "international"). In 2016 these included Shane "Perko" Perkins and Theo Bos. Bradley went along to report for Conquista: read more here.

Gordon Daniels
Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be
We live in a world of power meters, heart rate monitors, energy gels and Garmins. Gordon Daniels grew up as a cyclist without any of this - and asks himself whether he really missed out in Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be.

David Robert
A Family Affair: Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne Jr.
17-year-old Kent-based Ollie Robinson takes on the junior version of Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne - accompanied by Mum, Dad, two younger brothers and around a ton of sandwiches and chocolate. Cycling doesn't get any grass-rootsier than this. Don't miss It's A Family Affair - Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne Jr.

Trevor Gornall
Tour of Flanders - VIP Style
After shaking all his fillings out riding the Paris-Roubaix Challenge the year before (see next article) Trevor was extremely pleased to be invited to follow the Ronde in rather more comfort, courtesy of the MEDIAHUIS CONNECT VIP bus. See how the other half live in Tour of Flanders - VIP Style.

Paris-Roubaix Challenge
At the very last possible moment Conquista Editor Trevor Gornall was persuaded to ride the course of Paris-Roubaix - on closed roads, the day before the big race. 2013's course covered 170km, 52.3km of which were cobbled. Please excuse the shaky handwriting as you suffer along with this near-legendary assault on the Paris-Roubaix Challenge.

Profile: Heiko Salzwedel
Heiko Salzwedel is perhaps best known for the extraordinary work he did with British Cycling, helping create the "medal factory". But there is much more to his story than this. Check out Conquista's Profile of Heiko Salzwedel.

James Golding
In 2009 James Golding underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumour that had grown between his spine, kidney and bowel. Suffering from peritonitis, the surgeon gave him a 5% chance of survival. The surgeon had no idea how tough James was. Not only did he recover, he went on to become one of the world's greatest long-distance cyclists - despite being knocked off his bike and almost killed during an attempt to ride across America and then suffering a second bout of cancer.

Read Trevor's detailed profile of perhaps the greatest Conquistador of them all: Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back - Profile of James Golding.

You can also read about James's heroic attempt on the Guinness Seven Day World Record in Conquista 16.

Matthew Bailey
Prudential Ride London
Prudential Ride London styles itself “the world’s greatest festival of cycling”. And with 100,000 participants in a huge range of bicycle-related events over three days in the heart of one of the world's great cities, it's hard to disagree. We were at the 2016 event with photographer Chris Auld.

Evolver Bikes Japan
Ryu Yukawa is a creator of bespoke road and track bikes and owner of Evolver Bikes Japan, based in Nagoya. Evolver is best known for its track machines, supplying frames to some of the biggest stars in Japanese keirin racing, but Ryu also builds bikes for a wide range of serious road riders from all over Japan. Together they form a tight-knit community with a passion for Ryu's cutting edge technology and radical paint jobs.

Ryu is also a big supporter of Conquista. His extensive contacts in keirin were invaluable in the preparation of our major feature on keirin racing, which appeared in Conquista 10.

Dream Seeker
In 2016 Yudai Nitta, Keirin GP 2015 finalist, 2012 London Olympian and star interviewee of Conquista issue 10 announced the launch of Dream Seeker, a completely new concept in team track cycling. Read more in our feature Yudai Nitta Announces Launch Of Dream Seeker.

Tour de France - The Royal Race of La Republique
"In a way, the Tour plays a similar role in republican France as the Royal Family does in monarchist Britain. The arrival of a royal is enough to elevate any occasion: their job is to bring a dash of glamour to even the most ordinary of places or events, simply by being there. Likewise the Tour: when its arrival is imminent, out come the dusters and pennants, out come the schoolchildren waving flags, out comes the tractor polish, just as in British towns preparing for a royal visit."

Read more in Tour de France - The Royal Race of La Republique.

Tour de France Grand Depart 2016
Back in 2016 Conquista attended the first few days of the Tour, as it started in Mont-St-Michel and made its way down the spine of Normandy's Manche department. We wrote about the Team Presentation Ceremony and kept a brief Diary of the first few days.