Show me a blurry image of a bike, and within seconds I’m fully zoomed in, thinking, 'Ooooh! That’s lovely!'
Dr Hutch knows that bike leaks are fully staged, but they still get him dreaming of how much faster he could go
The Tour of Auvergne-Rhône Alps remains one of the reporter's favorite races. It has changed its name from the more popular Critérium du Dauphiné, but the essence of it has remained the same. This race serves as the stage for the unveiling of new bicycles before the Tour de France. However, the manner in which these bikes are revealed is not formal or organized, but rather leaked.
For instance, the new S-Works SL9 was not shown to the press but was captured by a photographer at a remote location. This strategic placement was aimed at keeping the bike's existence under wraps, but it was still spotted by a keen-eyed journalist. The same applies to other new bicycles such as those from Cube, Orbea, and Van Rysel.
The presentation of these bikes varies widely. Sometimes, they are simply presented with no additional information, while at other times, they are shown with vague details and deceptive camouflage. Other times, they are accidentally revealed on social media platforms by riders sharing casual posts. The marketing strategies used to unveil these bikes often fail to spark genuine excitement in the reporter.
A detailed press release with comprehensive information and testing results would be more appealing. However, the reporter finds the blurry, seemingly candid images of the bikes more enticing. The reporter's excitement is triggered by spotting subtle differences from the previous models. The act of zooming in on a blurry image to find these details is almost as satisfying as the actual reveal of a new bike.
Written by urgent.news from Cycling Weekly's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
