Where are you from and what is your background? My name’s Luke. I grew up by the beaches of Australia in the coastal town of Port Macquarie, midway between Sydney & Brisbane. I loved playing all sports when I was younger, but I never dabbled in any form of competitive cycling. After I turned 18, I moved to Sydney to study Architecture at university. I was playing club football/soccer in Sydney when I developed chronic back problems at the age of 21. It stopped me playing sports and thought I would never return to the same fitness ever again. At the time, I was devastated! It wasn’t until I moved to the French Pyrenees many years later that things would turn around for me.
When did you start cycling and what is your cycling profile lately? As a kid, I rode everywhere around ‘Port Mac’ on my mountain bike. When I moved to Sydney, I stopped cycling because it seemed so dangerous in the heavy traffic. However, as an architect with a passion for urban design, I studied the many benefits that cycling can have for cities and on society in general. I was particularly fascinated by e-bikes as a mode of transport, which were quite new at that stage. My wife organised a dutch Gazelle e-bike for my 30th birthday and I started commuting 14km to work every day. Even with an e-bike, I quickly lost 7kg! And best of all, I discovered that cycling was a sport that didn’t hurt my back. It felt like a miracle!
My passion for roadbikes started well before I’d even ridden one. In 2007, I watched my first Tour de France roadside on Col de Marie Blanque. We spent the whole day next to El Diablo himself, Didi Senft, as he screamed at the riders all day long. It was the best sporting event I’d ever been to and a day I’ll never forget. Back in Australia, every July from then on, I’d battle through the work days after staying up all night watching the Tour stages.
I bought my first roadbike soon after moving to the Pyrenees in 2016 with my wife. Living in the historic family village near Col du Soulor, I quickly realised I’d been transported to a cycling paradise. Big cols with TDF history and countless quiet roads with plenty of switchbacks… the beaches of Australia became a distant memory. I lost another 7kgs in spite of all the amazing French wine and cheese I’d been consuming.
Nowadays, I’m a fit 41 year old “MAMIL” living at the base of Hautacam and I feel so lucky to have found a sport I will do into my old age.
What is the cycling like in Australia and compared to where you are based now in the Hautes-Pyrenees? Looking out my window here in the Pyrenees, I can see half a dozen peaks that are taller than the entire continent of Australia. The landscape, roads and bike culture are completely different and hard to compare the quiet Pyreneen roads to those that I had experienced in Sydney or even Port Macquarie. In the early 2000’s, there was almost no cycling infrastructure and a terrifying anti-bike culture in Australia, particularly in the rural areas. That mentality still exists today but it’s slowly improving.
How did you start Switchback Saturdays? The #switchbacksaturday hashtag was the brainchild of my mates at Band of Climbers. They approached me to take over the hashtag when they realised that they couldn’t repost riders wearing competing brands. It started out as a repost account on Instagram, exploring the craziest roads in the world with the help of fellow roadporn addicts who’d use the hashtag #switchbacksaturday. I later bought myself a drone and mixed in more of my own content.
In 2024, it was time for a change so I launched switchbacksaturdays.com. Each Saturday, we’ll be featuring an amazing switchback route somewhere in the world. We’re working with 52 different local experts to promote their respective regions to the cycling world, and spread the word about our new project cyclingspots.com
Please present the Cycling Spots project in a few words. The cycling world is becoming more diverse as people are really interested lately in new locations. Name a few of those that are/will be presented by cycling spots. Cycling Spots is a bit like “TripAdvisor for cyclists”. It’s a web app that showcases the cycling’s best destinations, putting all the spots cyclists need to know about on one map. The best part is that it’s presented only by local experts who truly know their region inside out.
Familiar destinations in France, Italy and Spain are on the map but it is really exciting to explore other destinations with heaps of potential such as Greece and the Balkans countries in particular. It’s great working with guys in destinations all around the world too.
Travelling is tricky as a cyclist. It’s a big investment of time and money and, with so many places to ride in the world, you may only get the chance to ride a destination once in your lifetime. In my humble opinion, you’d be crazy not to invest in the help of a local expert to create the best possible cycling hoildays. You never know when/if you’ll be back!
My personal mission is to, not only showcase cycling’s best spots but, to educate people about the value of locals. We also want to help out local businesses who are passionate about developing cycling tourism in their region.
What is your favorite route in your region? My favourite climb in our valley is called Cirque du Troumouse. It has never featured in the Tour de France, and never will. It’s a dead-end climb next to the UNESCO-listed area of Gavarnie. The surface is atrocious, but the road is packed with switchbacks and taking you deep into the gigantic wilderness of the Pyrenees. Every time I ride it, I have the Jurassic Park music playing in my head.
What is the best cycling experience you had? I’m currently living at the base of Hautacam.. which I ride way too often. We sometimes get a sea of clouds in the valley and I’ll never forget one evening, climbing the summit all alone, watching the sun set into a sea of clouds… it was truly ethereal.
I’ve had so many amazing experiences on the bike, particularly riding with friends in beautiful places but the biggest surprises tend to happen when I’m solo with no one else to share the moment with.
Lastly but also very important: French or Aussie beer? Croissant or brioche?
French Beer for sure – Better quality and literally half the price compared to Australia. And fun fact… it’s almost impossible to find the Fosters beer in Australia!
Chocolate croissant – Our local bakery in Argeles-Gazost was world champion a few years ago. FYI, when you visit the southerwest of France, just remember that it’s called a chocolatine, not a Pain au Chocolat.
Dusseldorf is where we are at. The ocasion is a cycle trade fair. At the beautiful Areal Bohler, an old restored industrial complex – similar to Gazi Athens – small to medium independent labels have...
Hello, my name is Kostas, born and bred in Giannitsa, North Greece. Im one of those many Greeks that live in Berlin. This is my memoir of racing at Last Man Standing, March 2023. But...
May 22 2022 was showdown date for the 5th edition of 1896CMRR, the first after the Covid-19 pandemic. In this years edition the event moved its race course to the Athens Riviera, the infamous Paraliaki...
