Chasing the Ape

At the end of any shoot there is a mixture of fatigue, jubilation and the need to relax and recharge. The final stage of our recent shoot was no different… Enter Gavin Bevan aka Gav ‘The Coffee Mod’ who supplied us with an impromptu pop-up coffee stop; just the tonic for tired legs and a great way to mark the end of what had been an epic day.

Once the caffeine started to kick in so to did the banter, you’d expect nothing less when the dry wit of ‘Northern Paul’, Simpson shoot newbie Stuey and Clive, ‘the Punster’ turned up the gas. The colour of Clive’s jersey was easily topic number one on the verbal hit list, swiftly followed by the length of Simpson’s own Creative Director Terry’s ‘still in need of a haircut’ - hair length.

It was at this point Barista supremo Gav stepped in and offered to pace us some of the way back via his Piaggo Ape. Had the caffeine charge kicked in - were we wired enough to take on one of Italy’s finest three-wheeled coffee vending vehicles, (the Italian’s refer to them as trucks), all 200cc of it! Hell yes; ‘let’s go for it’ was the consensus.

While on the road following the Ape any semblance of a formation plan instantly fell apart. Riding close to the back of the screaming two-stroke was deafening. Between us the gaps were too wide, (a bit like social distancing on acid,) no amount of shouting could reform the ‘Simpson train’. As beautiful a thing as it was - it’s lifespan was momentary.

The motto of this adventure could read ‘Listen to the Ape’ - the reality is you have no choice but to do so!
It was definitely still the best way to end an amazing day’s ride out. Full feature story coming soon.

Special thanks go to:
Coffee pop-up main man Gav https://thecoffeemod.com
Photographer Matt Grayson http://www.mattgrayson.co.uk
Camera car driver Russell Ashwell

It was a total blast, let’s go Ape pacing again soon.

A new frame of mind - wider horizons to explore

Lockdown has taught us many things, how to view our ‘reality’ in a different way, seek new targets, new horizons with an alternative, fresh, exciting compliment of people and products.

In the forthcoming months we hope to be doing more riding but more importantly meeting up again with the people we’ve missed sharing the road with. For us the pandemic is still a threat that’s why we’re still being cautious about venturing outside of the bubble just yet.

Photoshoots are and will always be an intrinsic part of the Simpson DNA but at present we’re playing it safe by limiting our interaction with others. Sure we miss buzz of planning, organising and the actual shoot itself but we’re going to do it on our own terms and it a way that feels right for us.

When you don’t hear much from us it’s because we’re at our most creative - what goes on in the backroom at Simpson HQ always defines an energy and scope of vision that gives us our unique vantage point.

This is your opportunity to make contact and tell us about how you're coping with this pandemic and what role cycling is playing in your survival plan. Where is your riding taking you to, be it spiritually or mentally? Be it indoor or outdoor, whatever route you’re taking it has to be one that works for you.

In the words of TS Eliot’s East Coker ‘Old men ought to be explorers’ - we must always push forward and never be complacent.

Inspiration For Perspiration: Simpson Motivational poster series

To inspire you during this unprecedented time where we’re being told to stay indoors and remain at home in order to save the spread of COVID-19, Simpson magazine has created four inspiring poster downloads to help you stay focused and keep motivated.

This series of four images are free to upload, simply send us an email at www.info@simpsonmagazine.cc and we’ll email you the files.

• Use as a screen saver or desktop background

• Print out and place around your home for inspiration or in front of you when training indoors

• Share with your buddies or direct them to our website

Remember that the road is still out there and needs you back when things return to normal!
Ride strong, stay sharp and be safe.

Time Trial: a film reviewed

Cycling has long held a symbiotic relationship with art. The poetry and pain of the sport inspires artists working with almost any media. From the early days of flighty prose to sell newspapers, through books endeavouring to describe its suffering and salvation, to the cinematic art of Jørgan Leth, cycling has few rivals, in the sporting world at least, as a source of inspiration; even musicians are inspired by the humble bike race - none more so than Kraftwerk.

Finlay Pretsell joins this long tradition with Time Trial, his exploration of David Millar’s life in cycling, and his final season in particular.

As the trailers finally finish, the first thing that confronts the viewer is the BBFC certificate... 18. What? For a film about cycling... why? Seconds later, it becomes obvious why this is an adult film. Millar, and those around him, don’t censor themselves. Why would they? This is a brutal sport, and the film contains many brutal moments. Races and riders are fucks, shits, and, on one memorable occasion, glove-stealing cunts.

That’s not to say that there is no beauty in this brutal world. Pretsell obviously has a wonderful eye for the tiny moments of wonder, and shot after shot, whether capturing suffering or glory, is beautifully produced and edited. Although the influence of other artistically-minded sports documentaries is at times apparent - films like Zidane and Senna, not to mention Leth’s oeuvre - Time Trial is a unique, modern film that feels as though it could only have been made now, with a rider like Millar in total cooperation.

Time Trial is more than just a pretty face, however. Nothing this beautiful has any right to be so informative... I have consumed cycling media in all its forms for many years. I’ve watched, read, listened, and streamed, not to mention raced, but I’ve rarely felt this immersed in the world of professional cycling. From tiny vignettes within the peloton, to bare-all hotel room footage, and warts and all interviews with the man himself, Pretsell gets deep under the skin of his fellow Scot, at times even to Millar’s evident discomfort.

Parts of the film make genuinely uncomfortable watching. A lot of this is down to the sound design and score, which use atonality and dissonance to unsettle the viewer and underscore Millar going deeper and deeper within himself. In particular, a wickedly tough climb at Tirreno Adriatico, and the frozen and washed out 2015 Milan-San Remo are stark antidotes to any Sunday rider who fancies the life of a pro.

The darkness is both literal and metaphorical - at his lowest ebb, Millar the cyclist is entombed within tunnels as Millar the man, shot against a black backdrop, bares his soul.

There is no easy redemption here and Pretsell won’t allow us the simple ending of Millar punching the air. His is a cleverer and deeper film than that, and is all the better for it. Having been so deeply immersed in the peloton, finally we are allowed to come up for air… and given the narrowest of hints that perhaps there is life, and maybe even happiness, beyond cycling. 

Time Trial is in cinemas now, and is also available on iTunes, Sky Store, Amazon Video, or Google Play.

Why not organise your own club screening at https://www.timetrialfilm.com/clubs

What others say really counts

Sometimes it's good to be questioned about what you do and why you do it. The voicing of an opinion gives one the opportunity to revisit/reassess the worth, the merits and ultimately the initial motivating force behind what you had set out to achieve.

Back in March 2013 when we launched Simpson it was based on the desire to communicate and share our love of cycling with other cyclists. Honesty and a sense of community inspired us to create a no bull***t publication about the sport we dearly love.

When Derby based creative content agency Crocstar got in touch wanting to interview us for their blog post we were, in all honesty, a tad hesitant. Things like this happened to more mainstream publications and not to us - but having discussed its merits we agreed it instinctively felt right. Crocstar's previous blog posts demonstrated a degree of both sensitivity and intregity that sat comfortably with us.

We would like to personally thank Crocstar's writer and content creator Shannon Watson for her crafted words they beautifully capture the essence of Simpson and all that it stands for - chapeau to you!

http://crocstar.com/blog/2017/satisfying-your-craving-for-headspace-could-change-your-life