LANDRACE & Le Tour de France

I have had my Landrace Tupelo since October 2024  and have ridden many miles through the Gloucestershire lanes. Kitted up as a proper winter bike: full mudguards, wide tires and more often than not a handlebar bag for extra clothing and food. It has served me well.

Fast forward to end of June and I am about to start the Tour21 as a Ride Captain. Tour21 is a special event, a fundraising ride for the charity, Cure Leukaemia, where a group of amateurs ride the whole route of the Tour de France, one week ahead of the pros - not a small undertaking. It is the highlight of my cycling year and why I do so many miles in the winter rain.

This year, instead of getting onto my summer bike, a rim brake, carbon TCR I decided to ride my Tupelo. I am so glad I did. I have loved riding the bike through the winter, as to be honest, that is what this bike is designed for. For the summer though and Tour21 the mudguards are gone, and I have swapped to the Landrace road wheels with Victoria Corsa Pros and TPU inner tubes. It feels super smooth and surprisingly fast.

Riding the Tour (route…) First of all the bike is rock solid. It is reliable, and can deal with any road type: we had cobbles, gravel and all manner of road surfaces. It feel light on the hills with the tight back end, and it descended with confidence. What struck me most was the comfort. Some of the days we were cycling for over 11 hours, and the bike was never jarring. Having ridden over 15000km on the bike now I still find it a joy to ride every time I get on it. It also seems impervious to rain.

Would I ride the event again on the Tupelo? 100%, I love this bike. This is my fourth time as a Ride Captain on Tour21 and this is the most secure I have felt on my bike. Descending off the high mountains is sometimes sketchy and one mistake would be bad. I never felt stressed descending as the bike always went where I wanted. The lower bottom bracket makes it very stable and that, for me made all the difference.

I also found my bike was a star. People would always ask me about it, being intrigued by the titanium and wanting to know what it was like. Stephen Roche joined our fundraising ride for a few days and he too wanted to know about my bike. I liked that! 

Finally, I had a great sense of pride thinking that my little Tupelo was the first of its kind getting up some of the Tour de France’s amazing climbs. If my experience is anything to go by, I know it won’t be the last.

Peter Georgi