It’s freezing cold on the Cat and Fiddle, the famous ascent in the UK’s Peak District. The rain is coming down in stair rods, and while some have taken refuge in the broomwagon, a hardy bunch of survivors is making its way over the top.
The end is in sight though, and as the riders reach their final destination at Wilmslow, they’ve acquired a few things. As you might expect, these include cold feet, grimy bikes and a tale to tell; but on top of that, they’re also going home with a few handy business contacts.
After all, the ride in question has not only been a memorable and rather epic day out awheel – it has also been a networking event for high-level business leaders.
‘Cycling is the new golf’ was a tagline created so long ago now – dating back to the Lance Armstrong era when the pastime took off in the USA – that the ‘new’ part no longer applies. ‘Cycling is golf’ might be more appropriate, but of course that would make no sense.
(Image credit: John Lambert)
Tullio – full marks if you spotted the Campagnolo connection – is the brainchild of Dominic Rowing-Parker, an IT professional and entrepreneur who set the company up during lockdown. Initially it offered just one regular networking event, but it has now expanded to include regular rides up and down the country, rides on Zwift and abroad, and also a WhatsApp community.
“We named it after Tullio Campagnolo, who was an entrepreneur and investor; he invented the quick-release skewer and the modern derailleur,” says Rowing-Parker. “He was the epitome of what a member might look like. So it was kind of perfect. And Tullio basically means ‘the one who leads’. So it was like, ‘this name is perfect.’
“The great thing about it is there’s no ice to break,” Rowing-Parker says on-bike networking. “There’s no awkwardness. I found myself going to too many networking events before, where you turn up and…