An event in Bolzano just before Christmas, December 20th, to tell Just Ride. So Daniel Oss made an appointment with his fans inthe SPORTLER Bike, winking at Sportful of which he is an ambassador, to tell about his journey this yearIt was 2016 when, after the Giro d'Italia, the Trentino rider picked up his bike and set off on his journey, which caused quite a stir. How eager is a professional to get back on his bike for a week after racing the Giro?
«It's no secret – Daniel replies laughing – that Just Ride was born from a philosophy of lightness, compared to the competitive activity carried out at very high levelsI wanted to dispel the myth that a rider who goes for a ride with bags is someone who wants to give up. It's exactly the opposite. Someone who goes for a bike ride wants to… return with less stress to the world in which he works and which usually requires maximum concentrationGoing on vacation isn't just about flying to a beach in the Seychelles. You can do that too; in fact, I've always done it in Zanzibar. Just Ride is the way to stay active thoughOver the years, you realize that it's nice to do other things too, like riding a bike like this. Getting to know other sides of the activity I've been doing for years."
So now we're going to spoil the event of December 20th for you a little bit, on this evening of Spanish chatter while it's freezing cold in Trentino and here we go out in a t-shirt and shorts.
This year Just Ride left Italy…
We went In California, we did the Coast Ride, the classic from San Francisco to San Diego. And we made it happen a video to show it around, maybe outside the usual social channelsWe wanted to get to a place where Sportful might also be interested. So in Bolzano we will show the video and then we will have a chatIt's an open evening; there's no entrance fee. It'll just be a chance to get to know each other and talk. I'd love to answer any questions you may have, whatever comes up...
A bit like the opposite of Just Ride, which was born as a solo ride, right?
The idea that has always been behind Just Ride it has never been about involving so many people from a physical point of viewIt was something I wanted to do alone and I never wanted to have so many people or a big group around me. The group was there on social media, thanks also to my friends who have always documented Just Ride.We've always talked about it on social media. Do you know how powerful the Internet is in this sense?
Why California?
During my first few trips, I traveled around Italy a lot. Then, after talking about it with Sportful, we thought we'd do something a little more American, a little different but still compatible with my work. This year I had the opportunity to simultaneously going to high altitude with Peter (Sagan, ed.) in Utah and so I left a week early to do this thing.
What did you take from there?
I've always had a taste for those streets beautiful memories, because I always participated in the Tour of California. Even in the early days of Peter and it was just crazy cool. I also passed through places like Morro Bay, which I remembered very well.We even won a stage there, and I even took the polka-dot jersey. The heaviest climber in California! The whole coast, the Ocean Road from San Francisco and even the bridge we had done in the raceCalifornia is giant, America is giant.
Have you had any memorable encounters?
I also met a lot of nice people. We did some featuring with Chris Cosentino, a chef who collaborates with Sportful and is quite famous in San Francisco. I also found my friend Virgilio, who moved from Rome to California thirty years ago and made a career as a digital entrepreneur. Or Steve Caballero in San Diego, the famous skateboarderHe didn't know who I was, for me he was a myth...
We've seen photos of a Specialized with a new color scheme.
We hadn't done it for Just Ride, but I used it because it made senseA year and a half ago, Specialized launched a new model called the Aethos. It's very light in color, very pastel, very light. We wanted to brand it, and so... we took it to a painter in Padua. Lumar Colors who makes them for everyone.
What did you ask him?
To represent us the mountain, the water with a lake, the sea, the grassIt's all stylized. There's a bunny, because I like polenta with a bunny. I used this bike, which is a road bike. I just put some slightly wider wheels on it to make sure I didn't get a puncture.I didn't need the speed and In Los Angeles we switched from asphalt to dirt road background.. Some really cool hills to ride on gravel.
How long were you out?
The whole thing lasted 5 days. It was almost a stage race, but we also managed to do a few extra laps in Los Angeles.I went to the Hollywood Tower, and we even played tourist a bit. It was vacation, after all, right? But enough spoilers, see you on December 20th in Bolzano!
