Cycling Media of the Year
Company: Velorution
Website: velorution.com
Supporting Statement:
Velorution was a fixture of London’s cycling scene for over two decades, with stores that introduced thousands of Londoners to cycling as everyday transport rather than sport. Sadly, in 2023, the company went into administration, the stores closed and it looked like the end.
However, a long-time follower of the brand, Pete Reynolds, founder of urban cycling blog Discerning Cyclist, felt Velorution was too good to let die. And so, he took over the digital remnants of the brand.
Pete reached out to the brand’s existing followers and told them of his barely formed plan: to keep Velorution alive and figure out the details later.
It started with a weekly newsletter. Sharing and celebrating urban cycling culture that Velorution stood for: stories of cities transforming with bicycle infrastructure, beautiful bikes, from the modern to classics and the unusual, stories from inventors and founders in the space.
At the same time, Pete shares the journey of rebuilding Velorution, working out the next steps and the business model that can sustain and grow it. Readers play a key role in the rebuild, sharing their own experiences and ideas, which help shape the brand.
One of those ideas became The Velorution Post, a monthly snail mail subscription. In a moment where we all feel digitally overwhelmed, the idea was to create something made carefully that readers could actually hold: a hand-packed envelope with a personal letter, a business report, original artwork, puzzles and collectibles, built around the simple idea that a bit of paper through the letterbox can still feel real in a way a screen doesn’t.
The long-term aim is to bring Velorution back out into the world properly, through events and, eventually, physical spaces. You can follow the journey alongside over 30,000 other subscribers at velorution.com/journal.
Entry ID: 17623
