In professional road racing, so much is controlled.
Distance, power, time, to name a few. For Tao Geoghegan Hart, it didn’t start this way. Before Grand Tour podiums and competing in World Tour races with Lidl-Trek, cycling meant riding fixed-gear bikes through tight city streets, learning to move within chaos and the rhythm of everyday life.
That instinct hasn’t left him, and it’s been sharpened through adversity. During a difficult period of injury, a fractured hip and femur early in his career with Lidl-Trek, Tao was forced to slow down. From those challenging moments, he’s come back to the sport with a renewed clarity: cycling at its core should feel real.
“Cycling doesn’t have enough real cycling. Cycling is much more gritty.”
The idea of making city cycling more relatable connects with graphic designer and artist, Ciarán Birch. Based in London, Ciarán draws inspiration from the city around him—its textures, shapes and constant motion. Where Tao experiences London, often as a visitor passing by, Ciarán sees every detail, every day.
"There should be a push to introduce younger inner-city kids to this sport because there is a preconceived idea of it,” Ciarán explains.
“I think that’s the beautiful thing of a big city” Tao notes, “the rat race, the slog of it and the hardship is always intercepted by turning a corner and seeing someone or something unexpected.”
Contrast explores these gaps within cycling and expresses what it’s truly about—a sport typically defined by iconic climbs and perfect roads yet experienced by most in bustling commuter streets. It lives between viewpoints, in movement, in routine and out of necessity.
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