summer, he set out to make cycling one of Britain's most popular sports. Until then, "People took the piss out of cyclists because they assumed we were sad nerds who didn't have jobs," Mottram once said, it was at this point, he quit his job as a branding consultant to launch the clothing brand Rapha and trigger a style revolution.
Rapha now boasts a glamorous central London Cycle Club, whilst also having Outposts in locations such as Osaka and San Francisco (the cafe at which I am sat writing this article). All over the world now, new brands and enterprises are trying to close the gap on Simon Mottram - labels that previously wouldn’t have dreamt of venturing into cycling and racing to catch the crest of the wave - both H&M and Fred Perry now produce some degree of cycle garments and fashion designer Paul Smith has designed one of the most recognisable sports jerseys ever created - the Maglia Rosa. >>>
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Since I first sat upon my dads De Rosa, I have completed multiple sportives (these are mass participation rides that are often timed), began racing, securing a few top 10 results in the process and become a complete Strava whore (excuse my use of language!!). Upon returning to football training a couple of weeks ago, I am a strong believer that I’m also the fittest I’ve ever been!
And I blame (or thank) most of this obsession on Simon Mottram. 10 years ago this