Rapha Cycle Club

By pfog Last edited 166 months ago
Rapha Cycle Club

RaphaCycleClub.JPG The pop-ups just keep on popping up. This summer, British cycle-wear brand Rapha take over Jameson House on Clerkenwell Road and turn it into a shrine to road cycling, complete with a classic Tour de France sweeper van. With indoor bike parking, screens showing live coverage of the summer tours, and tabletops covered in maps of their key stages, this will be the place to follow the pros and argue with fellow riders about when and where to attack. Kiwi-run café nude espresso will be serving food and brewing up a custom Rapha blend (thick and rich with a good kick, just the thing for a post-ride pick-me-up), and naturally, you can pick up some Rapha gear while you're there too.

Apart from the café and store, the club is also organising film screenings and evening rides, as well as hosting special exhibitions. To coincide with the Giro d'Italia, RCC will host an exhibition on il Campionissimo, Fausto Coppi from May 12-30. Coppi was an Italian cycling great in the 40's and 50's, winning the Giro 5 times, and the Tour de France twice. He was open about his use of amphetamines when racing and even defied a pope when he separated from his wife and took up with another woman (only one of these deeds was considered scandalous at the time... guess which one). The exhibition, curated by cycling columnist and Coppi-biographer William Fotheringham will display a rare collection of Coppi's bikes and jerseys alongside photos and original documents.

Rapha Cycle Club at 146-148 Clerkenwell Rd opens on Saturday 8th May to coincide with the start of the Giro and continues through to July and the finale of the Tour. The Fausto Coppi exhibition runs from 12th-30th May, with plenty of other events on their calendar.

Last Updated 07 May 2010