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The final of our riders interviews from Andorra; Gerard talks about his Pinarello… 

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Gerard

Sports Event Organiser  

Age: 45.

Height: 178cm.

Weight: 70kg.

 

The bike?

“This is a 2014 Pinarello Dogma 60.1. I’ve had this bike for three years and still love it. It’s the best bike I’ve ever had.

“Normally, about every four years I change bikes, so this one’s almost due for a replacement but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy it every time I ride.

“To be honest, I’m a huge fan of the new Dogma F8… But it is very expensive! We’ll see.”

 

The Groupset?

“I’m running the older version of SRAM Red on this bike and it’s been good to me.

“I’d previously had Shimano on every bike I’d owned but I went with SRAM in this case and once the tuning was dialled in, I haven’t had any issues.

“The changes are very different from Shimano and I had a few issues with the shifting in the beginning but once it was tuned properly, I haven’t had a problem with it. I’m happy.” 

 

Kilometre count?

“I consistently get about 12,000-13,000km under my belt each year, due largely to the fact that I run a cycle tour company and I’m out on the road with clients a lot of the time. It also means this bike has done quite a few kilometres! 

“During the cycling season here, which normally runs from April through to October, I get out on the road six or even seven days a week. I love it.”

 

Good points?

“It’s great for the descents, the control you enjoy with it comes from the beautifully balanced frameset. There’s enough flex in the right places to ensure that you get compliance when it’s required but without compromising the quality of the ride. 

“The geometry isn’t too aggressive but not too relaxed. For me, it’s the perfectly balanced frame.

“The wheels are also superb – I haven’t had a single issue. They’re from Lightweight… And while many people said to me that I couldn’t use them for riding all the time and that I’d have problems, that hasn’t been the case. Yes, they’re expensive but I’ve had fabulous service from them and they’ve handled everything I’ve thrown at them!”

 

Bad Points?

“I had some problems with the paintwork and it’s more of a cream colour than a white – which I would prefer – but that’s a bit of a minor complaint, really.

“Oh, and the price… It wasn’t cheap. But it’s been worth it.”

 

Miscellaneous

“Two years ago I gave up my job working for the government here and started my own cycle tour company (which has coincidentally spawned other business interests in the sports field). It was hard in the beginning but now we’re established I absolutely love this work – if your work is your passion, it doesn’t feel like a job, does it?”

(Gerard is the president of the national cycling federation and he organises the country’s biggest granfondo.)

 

– Interviews by Les Clarke

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The interview was originally published in print in #RIDE74 (November 2016).

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‘Bikes from the Bunch’ was a regular feature of RIDE Cycling Review magazine for almost 20 years. For more interviews with riders talking about their bikes, search ‘ridemedia’ and ‘bikes from the bunch’.

 

Interviews with riders from Andorra talking about the bikes they ride:

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