From the charts and graphs of Strava to Castelli's data-inspired Team Sky jerseys, cyclists have never had so much information at their fingertips - nor so many innovative ways of using it. But one brand elevates that data to an art form: they are Massif Central, whose small team pull together ride stats and route data to create unique infographics good enough to hang on your wall.
Whether you've ridden Lands End to John o'Groats, or crowned a glorious season by conquering La Marmotte, Massif Central can transform your adventure into a piece of bespoke art that commemorates your achievement. The results speak for themselves:
I must admit, when I first saw their work I assumed it was all computer generated. It's not - each piece is currently a labour-intensive work of artistry done largely by hand - but the company are looking to change that by automating some of the processes. The aim is to make the final result more affordable and accessible to the everyday cyclist, and to that end they've launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for developing what they pleasingly call 'The Massifier' - an online portal to help people create bespoke artworks of their achievements.
With three weeks remaining the campaign is 20% funded, so they're still some way off their £55,000 target - but there are plenty of rewards on offer to tempt backers. £10 gets you a set of Grand Tour or Spring Classics postcards, a digital artwork and a woven patch. At the other end of the scale, pledge £1,500 and you can accompany the team to France for a 'Massif Attack' weekend, riding three times up Mont Ventoux in a day.
Hmm, sounds like just the kind of epic ride that would look great as a piece of wall art. If only there was an affordable way of doing that...
For more details and to back the campaign, visit www.kickstarter.com.
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