An Italian legend

Northern Italy is known as the country's manufacturing heartland. Places like Turin and Milan have always been famous for their elegant industrial design. So you can imagine our intrigue when we were asked to cover an exclusive story in that part of the world. We felt privileged to be in a region so steeped in cycling's glorious heritage. Although our stay was a short one we were exposed to some amazing history, both of road cycling and of Italy itself. We can't give too much away for the time being as we're sworn to secrecy, but all will be revealed in issue 4. We managed to get a few miles in, savouring some glorious Italian roads and hills on bikes bearing a legendary name. We also found the time to savour some delicious local foods and wines. Even the shortest of breaks can be stimulating and relaxing in the right company, more to follow...

The hottest ticket in town

It's not everyday you get invited to a book launch, let alone one at Paul Smith's Covent Garden store in London, but when it's a book celebrating Sir Bradley Wiggins' historic TdF win in 2012 - you've just got to go! When we arrived the store was abuzz with people, it even had 'minders' at the door. Once in, we were greeted with the news that our colleague/associate (who shall remain nameless) had had a slight accident with a waiter carrying a tray of beer which had resulted in a bottle being partially spilt over Sir Brad's tassled loafers - not the best of starts to an evening!

There were few opportunities to chat to Wiggo, as he himself wanted to be called, in-between doing a photoshoot downstairs and speaking about '101', a book of photographs taken by Sky photographer Scott Mitchell, documenting his three week Tour win, both on and off the bike. He came across as a genuine, down to earth kind of guy, a bit annoyed by the media attention that fame had earned him but still his own man.

For us the evening was about savouring the occasion. We had a few photographs taken with the star of the show but didn't go hunting for autographs, we just respected the man for who he was. One of the highlights was Simpson Magazine being recognised by a couple of our readers and to talk frankly about who we are, our aims, our plans for the future and what they as readers liked about the magazine.

Wiggins: A true champion

One of the plus points of being at home having to recover is the ability to watch events live on TV, to savour the moment as it unfolds, not having to worry about finding out the result before having witnessed it for yourself. I was privileged to watch a man, not only race against the clock but exorcise a demon that had threatened to ruin a season or even a career.

Having just won the Tour of Britain, Bradley Wiggins arrived in Florence, Italy, ready, literally to take on the world. Pitched against the top two giants of individual time trialling, Tony Martin and Fabian Cancellara, Wiggins rode his own race - listening to his body rather than the time gap reports. He rode with his heart, defying conventional logic and produced a ride that typified the fire and underlying passion that makes a true champion.

Former World Time Trial champion Chris Boardman's commentary always kept the Wiggin's dream alive. 'He'll have to do something special now' were his words as Wiggin's time dropped to +25 seconds behind. What happened next was truly astounding; the stuff of legend. The deficit began to drop, and drop, to eventually end up at -0.01. It was enough for second place overall, an amazing result that will be remembered for many years to come.

Ipswich SkyRide weekend

The roads you ride as a kid always stick with you as some of your first cycling memories. When we were invited by both Ipswich Borough Council and British Cycling to participate in their SkyRide weekend, it was an ideal opportunity to introduce ourselves to Suffolk's growing population of cyclists.

Saturday saw us down at the Waterfront, a recently regenerated docklands area, for both the sign on and finish of the UCS Ipswich and Coastal Giro d'Espresso, a 71 mile sportive taking in some of our favourite roads in the area. Although the sun was out, a strong coastal headwind for the final 21 miles saw riders in groups triumph over solo efforts.

At the heart of Ipswich sits Cornhill, a paved area that encompasses the Town Hall, Old Post Office and a street market most days. Based next to the SkyRide start area and the British Cycling café, we had a great day meeting cyclists and the public. As a bonus to an already excellent weekend, we were interviewed by a film crew putting together footage of the event for the Council website.

Dusk till dawn

When you mention to someone that you've just got back from reporting on a stage of this year's Vuelta in Spain, you can almost hear people thinking 'What a great life you lead!'. The reality is far from this vision. It can be very stressful, frustrating and demanding - never helped by the constant language barrier either.

Obviously you'll have to wait to read the full report in the next edition of the magazine but for now let us assure you that the same degree of pain, commitment and sacrifice found in cycling, is called upon when covering any kind of event at home or abroad. For all the toiling and efforts there has to be some redeeming factors as well. We got to see some amazing scenery, meet some great people especially the guys from www.lavereita.es. and the sun shone on us for the entire trip.