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Its sponsor was a potato snack maker and it was run by a former Special Forces soldier who knew little about cycling. How the 17-day Ore Ida race in the USA became a beacon of hope during a downturn for women’s cycling in the 1990s. Author Isabel Best joins us to discuss her feature in issue 102, out now. Michelin-starred chef and Canyon-SRAM dietician Alan Murchison has a new book out, The Cycling Chef: Recipes for Getting Lean and Fuelling the Machine. Much like riding a bike, it’s all a question of balance, says Alan. Input equals output; look after yourself, but treat yourself too. The man talks a lot of sense, so listen up.

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The Spring Classics are here, and not a moment too soon, to lift away the winter gloom and welcome in some unusually mild weather for February in Belgium.

Our editor Andy McGrath spent the weekend glued to the TV for Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, as did host Ian Parkinson.

Excellent racing all round, Tom Pidcock and Jake Stewart on the podium and Anna van der Breggen winning as per usual were the highlights. What else caught Andy’s beady eye?

There’s a fair few famous 1980s musicians partial to a pedal – see Lloyd Cole on Zwift for example. Echo and the Bunnymen guitarist Will Sergeant rode a cool old 531 steel framed machine round Paris between recordings back in the day. What’s he up to now though? Massive fan and gawpy groupie, executive editor Ian Cleverly, tries not act starstruck while talking six strings and six gears.

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"Yes, I still get the odd looks if I cycle in shorts, or if I'm red faced and sweating, but instead of lowering my eyes, I smile. I've reached my own version of happiness." Being a plus-sized woman should be no barrier to enjoying the ride. Emmie Harrison-West gets back in the saddle to discover big is beautiful on a bike too.

Read by Emma Wright. From issue 101 of Rouleur.

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With issue 101, our special entirely female content edition, about to leave the printers to subscribers, guest editor Orla Chennaoui joins us to chat through the revolutionary cover and content. Very proud she is too, and rightly so. 

Also joining Ian Parkinson in the virtual studio is Rebecca Charlton, a lockdown Zwift convert making her Rouleur debut with a feature on eRacing. As inaugural world champion Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio found, it's racing with sexual equality in its DNA – and that includes handsome prize money. Does it have a future post-pandemic? 

A brutally honest and open interview with Shanaze Reade, the sublime photo essay of a year in the racing life of Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, and the first mention of the word 'vagina' on the Rouleur podcast. All are up for discussion this week. Are you sitting comfortably?

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Staying in Europe this winter means Amanda Spratt will be unable to defend her green and gold Australian national champion's stripes, but she's got plenty of other targets in her sights. 

As former world champion Annemiek van Vleuten moves on to pastures new at Movistar, Spratt steps up to more of a leader's role at the newly-named Team Bike Exchange. What next for the born winner? And will it include a karaoke version of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun?

And talking of Bike Exchange, our very own tech-head Peter Stuart keeps tabs on the merry-go-round of manufacturers swapping teams during transfer season, with the Aussie's now switching to Bianchi. It's a veritable minefield. Pay attention. Pete talks like he rides – fast

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