Marcel Wurst

Marcel Wüst checks out a bold new LOOK

Marcel Wüst waxes ecstatic about the best bike he's ever ridden

Marcel Wüst finds lots to love in the latest in a Tour-winning dynasty

It’s not black and it’s not carbon, Marcel Wüst feels the difference

Marcel Wüst takes the Ridley X-Fire for a blast round the woods

Head-turning looks combine with no compromise componentry for a race-bred ride

Usually, I'm not one to let a bit of inclement weather stand in the way of a good blast on a bike. But then, usually, when I leave my hometown of Cologne, in Germany, and head abroad to do a bike test, it involves bright sunshine.

An invitation to test the Cervélo Soloist while joining a luxury two-day training camp with Vélo Classic Tours, taking in the famed climbs of Alpe d'Huez and Mont Ventoux, sounded like an opportunity too good to miss.

Before leaving the falling temperatures of Europe for my annual stay in Australia, the Procycling team decided that I should test at least two bikes in Queensland, Australia - where it feels like summer year round.

Most bike tests I am involved with require some sort of travel. This time I was heading south to France with a huge box that Ridley had sent me a few days prior to departure, and I really should have looked in the box before taking it to Uriage les Bains.