A hatful of victories in recent weeks for Team Ineos’ Ethan Hayter in Italy, Spain and Portugal, with jerseys to go alongside his four stage wins. Our very own south London legend, Ian Parkinson, talks to his fellow Herne Hill velodrome habitue and level-headed young man on early riding, avoiding crashes, making the grade, and aiming for Tokyo. Will he share the team pursuit squad's latest practice time? Maybe…

A van load of men armed with brushes and pots of paint hit the Tour de France climbs hours ahead of the peloton. Their mission: disguising and covering offensive graffiti on the tarmac before the cameras broadcast it to the watching millions. Political slogans, syringes and – most of all – penises of every size and colour are adapted or obliterated. An hilarious backstory from Le Tour from our new issue 104, out now. 

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Tubeless tyres for road bikes – do we need them? Are they really better, or is it just an industry-led marketing push? A messy fiddle and faff to mount, or a fit-and-forget cyclist’s friend?

Samuele Bressan, global marketing at Pirelli tyres, joins Dan Cavallari to persuade us to ditch inner tubes and embrace the rapidly-improving tubeless technology. Our own Peter Stuart piles in too. Is he under pressure to conform, or hooked by the hookless rim argument? Listen up.

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The Giro d’Italia is the most beautiful race in the world. But don’t take our word for it. Rouleur Italia editor Emilio Previtali joins us to describe what his home race means to the Italian nation. “Cycling in Italy is a kind of glue, bringing the people together.” Hard to argue with that. And as for the scenery… Bellissimo!

Dan Bigham and his KGF team gatecrashed the team pursuit World Cup so successfully the UCI changed the rules to outlaw club teams. Now working with the Danish federation to bring his scientific and engineering knowledge to their talented squad, Bigham’s new book Start at the End applies the principles of reverse engineering to all aspects of life, not just sporting performance. It’s a fascinating read from a talented racer and intelligent innovator. He’s a fine talker too, unsurprisingly.

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For our special issue 103 on the theme of speed, we gathered four of the fastest people in the world in their respective sports.

Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes F1), Jamie Chadwick (W Series and Williams development driver), Cal Crutchlow (2009 Supersport world champion) and Mark Cavendish (a very good cyclist) to discuss what makes them tick. What is this need for speed? Do they get a buzz out of the danger? What is the fastest they have ever travelled? Orla Chennaoui hosts the conversation and hangs on for dear life.

On the flip side, Fredrika Ek upped sticks from her native Sweden and decided to cycle round the world - 51,000km and 45 countries. The resulting book Around the World in 1,000 Days is a beautifully-presented travelogue of her amazing journey. The friendliest country she visited? Iran. Bet you weren't expecting that. 

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Hailing from Alaska, holding Harvard rowing records and with an on-hold career in investment banking, Kristen Faulkner can now add top-notch cyclist to her glittering CV. The Team Tibco-SVP racer took to the Spring Classics like a Belgian to cobbles, with 7th at Gent-Wevelgem and 10th in the Tour of Flanders. We catch up with the new American on the block.

Ever considered building your own bike, rather than buying off the peg? Podcast host Ian Parkinson does it all the time, Rouleur Digital Editor Peter Stuart needs a bit of persuading, while Alan Anderson has just released a book on the subject. How to Build a Bike - In a Weekend makes the case for choosing wisely and saving money, plus the satisfying feeling of making and maintaining a unique and personal machine.

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