Welcome to a new episode of Cycling Conversations with inGamba, our new podcast where we celebrate the art and the culture of the sport – the rhythm, the ritual, and the refinement that surrounds it. inGamba means in the know, and as with our luxury guided European cycling tours, these conversations are meant to bring you behind the scenes in our world.
Our creative director and award-winning cycling photographer James Startt and inGamba The Magazine guest editor Ed Pickering joined cycling journalist Molly Hurford to discuss the a very relevant feature in the new edition of The Magazine: A celebration of cubism and futurism that begins, surprisingly, at Paris-Roubaix. James was also on the ground at the race and shares his experience watching Franzi Koch, a rider we featured in The Magazine, ride to the first major victory of her career.
Episode three: Paris Roubaix, Cubism, Futurism and Franzi Koch: Behind the Scenes of The Magazine
What do Cubism, Futurism, and the cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix have in common? More than you’d think.
Hot off one of the most dramatic editions of Paris-Roubaix in recent memory—Wout van Aert’s emotional men’s victory and Franzi Koch’s stunning women’s win—host Molly Hurford sits down with two of cycling’s most seasoned journalists: James Startt, award-winning cycling photographer and creative director at inGamba, and Ed Pickering, editor-at-large for inGamba: The Magazine.
Get a sneak peek of our conversation with Franzi Koch here.
The trio digs into the newly released issue, which explores the deep and surprising connections between cycling and modern art, from Jean Metzinger’s 1912 painting Au Vélodrome (depicting an actual Paris-Roubaix winner) to the Futurist dynamism of Umberto Boccioni and the Cubo-Futurism of Natalia Goncharova.
James reflects on his 32nd year shooting Paris-Roubaix, while Ed traces his twin passions for art history and cycling back to the 1985 Tour de France.
Finally, we make the case that cycling and art have been in conversation for well over a century… and that this year’s race might have been the most Cubist of all.
In this episode:
- Wout van Aert, Franzi Koch, and the drama of Paris-Roubaix 2026
- Why the bicycle was a symbol of modernity for early 20th-century artists
- Metzinger’s Au Vélodrome and the layers of a Cubist painting
- Futurism and capturing movement in a still image
- The one-word answer that explains the link between cycling and art
Join us in 2027 at Paris Roubaix – spots are open now!
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