Modern Solothurn is a small yet lively regional center featuring a bustling Marktplatz, trendy shopping, several chocolatiers, a Museum of Fine Arts, and numerous cafes with outdoor seating on the city’s labyrinthine cobble-stoned and traffic-free streets. Due to its proximity to both France and Italy, the town has no shortage of fine food, if you’re craving a wonderful Italian dining experience (and not pizza!) with traditional Swiss gemütlichkeit don’t miss La Cantinetta Bindella. If you’re looking for something a little more eclectic, the Salzhaus is a locals’ favorite as is Baseltor.

From the 16th through the 18th centuries, Solothurn was home to the French Kings’ ambassadors to Switzerland, and the Baroque architecture of the period reflects this. Despite its rather diminutive stature, Solothurn is considered Switzerland’s finest Baroque city, while { Worthy of Note: the buildings outside the medieval wall give the town the atmosphere of a mini-Paris. }the buildings outside the medieval wall give the town the atmosphere of a mini-Paris. True to its heritage, Solothurn boasts an incredible assortment of Catholic churches, including St. Ursus cathedral, regarded as one of the most important Baroque / neo-classical buildings in all of Switzerland.

As the 11th canton of the Swiss Confederation, the number 11 features prominently in Solothurn’s identity. “Öufi,” Swiss German for “eleven” (“elf” in high German), gives its name to the city’s homegrown beer, the number of historical fountains, churches and chapels, and towers. St. Ursus features eleven altars, eleven bells, and 3 groups of eleven steps leading up to its giant façade, which was donated by King Louis the XIV. There’s even a well-known clock in town whose face bears figures only up to 11. Spinal Tap would be at home here.

For cyclists visiting the region, there are over 600 km of paved riding trails emanating from the city center to keep you safe from regional traffic. But once you’re into the Jura Mountains, you’ll find glass-smooth roads with barely any traffic. Located on the alluvial plains of the Aar, and being so close to the Jura means riding in the region offers everything from endlessly flat roads to mountainous climbs. If mountain biking is more your thing, there’s an abundant off-road trail network with something for everyone, from beginners to hardcore adrenaline junkies.

Just what you’d expect being so near to the home of BMC—who knows—you may even catch sight of some test riders.

That’s not to say you’re not able to get a workout too—the bike is assisted by an electric motor—but is still operated by human power, so If you’re not a fan of big hills and steep climbs the electric motor is there to help you out, and can require less effort than walking. These also make incredible commuter bikes and with a top speed of 48kph (30mph) even longer commutes can end up taking less time than with a car, especially if you live in an area with bike lanes.

The Stromer ST1 has a fully-integrated battery that can be charged with a regular wall socket “on board,” or the battery can be removed with the push of a button. { Worthy of Note: The motor is quiet, maintenance free, and is fully contained within the rear hub offering incredible torque for fast acceleration. }The motor is quiet, maintenance free, and is fully contained within the rear hub offering incredible torque for fast acceleration. The motor can generate up to 749 Watts of peak power and can be charged on-the-fly with Stromer’s regenerative braking: the energy used in braking the bike is actually returned to the motor.

And this is no Segway or Sinclair C5—these bikes actually look cool—pretty much like a regular urban bike, so you don’t need to worry about looking like a total geek testing out his latest science project.

The last 20 years have seen a huge shift in mentality regarding the environment, personal health, and urban planning. People are keener than ever to live a healthy lifestyle, and they want to do so in ways that don’t negatively impact the environment, and more than that, they want to do their bit to help. These bikes are a great way to do just that, and we’re hoping to see a few less cars on the roads and a few more people out enjoying a weekend ride or a better way of getting to work.

This March, Stromer opened its new ‘campus’ in Oberwangen near Switzerland’s capital city of Bern, complimenting the region’s dedication to high-tech, innovative transportation and clean technology. In fact, the region is now being dubbed “Stromer Valley.” The new Stromer Campus Calling it a campus is no hollow statement—this facility genuinely conveys the sense of community, knowledge, education, and development that will take place here. The end result is simply stunning. Clean lines, wide-open spaces and stark minimalism pay homage to Switzerland’s rich design legacy.

The ground floor houses an inviting retail space, the main assembly area and a repair shop. Upstairs, in an equally modern and loft-like environment you’ll find Stromer’s customer service, apparel design, engineering, management, and marketing teams busy at work alongside a stunning kitchen and café area. But visitor beware—you may have to dodge any number of Stromers being ridden around the open floor plan!  All in the name of diligent research of course.

Stromer are also stepping up their presence in the USA, and are offering US residents a way of getting in on the celebrations with the chance to win an ST1 Elite. With a retail value of $3,499, this is not one to miss!

To register to win, just sign-up here: www.stromer.ch/giveaway

“{ Worthy of Note: It is great that we have BMC Switzerland AG as the new title sponsor allowing us to secure the future of one of the most traditional races in the European series. }It is great that we have BMC Switzerland AG as the new title sponsor allowing us to secure the future of one of the most traditional races in the European series. My special thanks also go to Rapperswil-Jona as a premium host city to our athletes from all around the world.” said Kai Walter, Managing Director for International Operations of the World Triathlon Corporation’s (WTC). BMC has committed to the role of title sponsor for an initial 2-year deal.

London 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist, Nicola Spirig, said “It’s great news that IRONMAN 70.3 Switzerland is going to be held also in 2013. For me the race was part of my preparations to the Olympics, and I think it’s important for Switzerland to be able to offer two very popular races on longer courses.”

BMC-sponsored athletes will be competing on our home turf, including the Uplace Pro Triathlon Team riders. Representing the men will be current title holder Michael Raelert, Bart Aernouts (2nd, 2012), Bruno Clerbout (3rd, 2012), and five-time IM Rapperswil winner, Ronnie Schildknecht. In the women’s corner will be Sofie Goos, former Time Trial World Champion Emma Pooley makes her debut at a middle-distance IRONMAN and Mackenzie Madison will be flying in from from Oregon, USA.

2012 IRONMAN Rapperswil 70.3 The city is reconstructing areas directly around the start and finish lines, which will force changes to major parts of the race. “The new support from BMC and our other sponsors will allow us to make major changes to the event infrastructure during construction work without losing the quality that the event has provided in the past,” said Nico Aeschimann of the WTC’s Swiss subsidiary BK Sportpromotion AG.

With this new sponsorship deal and further support from established event partners, Burgerstein Vitamins, Tempo-Sport and McDonald’s restaurants, the event has been saved and the BMC IRONMAN 70.3 Switzerland in Rapperswil-Jona will take place as scheduled on June 2nd, 2013. IronKIDS and the relay teams can also look forward to BMC IRONMAN 70.3 Switzerland—these categories will be offered just as in previous years.

Fancy going? Win an all-expense-paid trip to Switzerland to watch the event. For two days you’ll get behind the scenes, meet pro triathletes, and be BMC’s VIP guest. How about we throw in a 2013 BMC timemachine TM02 to the package? Two lucky winners will be chosen at random to attend this year’s IRONMAN 70.3 Rapperswil on the shores of beautiful Lake Zurich. Click here to register.

So, without further ado, here are our winners!

Tour of Flanders

• Ann D.  – Back Bay Bikes, USA
• Anton B. – Bouticycle Nice, France
• Carsten G. – Radsport Wittwer, Germany
• Christof G. – Rennshop Wüthrich, Switzerland
• Dave R. – BMC Concept Store, Belgium

Paris-Roubaix

• Andre K. – Speedzone, Germany
• Carlo A. – Nuova Corti, Italy
• Michel V. – Cycles Menet, France
• Caroline C. – Belgium
• Ross B. – Echelon, USA

BMC’s shining exemplar for this passion is the BMC impec, a carbon frame designed, manufactured and assembled at BMC Switzerland. The impec is the zenith of high-technology production and design for bicycles: it is assembled to unprecedented exacting standards by sophisticated industrial robots programmed to exceed human capacity for precision. From raw materials to finished frameset, the impec sets the industry bar to a never-before-seen height, and is without equal. The impec embodies all the passion and brilliance that goes into handmade bicycle frames, but shares none of the possible human error: it is the culmination of tradition, history, and advanced 21st century technology. It is, simply, “Handmade by machines.”

Both Lamborghini and BMC The authentic Lamborghini paint adds a feel and a look that are exclusive to this exceptional celebration of Lamborghini and BMC. continually search for perfection in their respective industries. In the 1960s, Ferruccio Lamborghini strove to build the ultimate sports car. Fifty years later, Swiss entrepreneur, Andy Rihs, turned his vision of the impeccable race bike into reality. And, for both companies, 21st century developments in carbon composite manufacturing have been at the center of their projects, and their successes. In fact, to make their cars lighter, stronger, and more efficient, Lamborghini produces carbon bodywork just next to its headquarters in Sant’Agata, Bologna, Italy, while BMC replaced traditional out-sourcing of carbon frame laminates with its ground-breaking, fully-automatized production process at its headquarters in Grenchen, Switzerland. Both companies simultaneously unveiled their newest facilities and technologies in 2010.

The 50th Anniversary Lamborghini Edition impec combines Italian flair and tradition with all this modern technology, and celebrates the two companies’ affinities and similarities. An exclusive set of Italian made components equips the impec frame, which is then painstakingly painted to highlight its precise carbon assembly while at the same time linking the complete work to Lamborghini’s Aventador dream car.

Additional details have been incorporated from the Aventador, including Fizik saddle made from the same leather used by Lamborghini for their interior surfaces. the same leather used by Lamborghini for their interior surfaces. This hide makes its way to the impec’s cockpit for bar tape and saddle. The authentic Lamborghini paint adds a feel and a look that are exclusive to this exceptional celebration of Lamborghini and BMC.

The Lamborghini 50th Anniversary Edition impec is limited to 50 pieces worldwide, and will be produced on a made-to-order basis. Retail price is set at 25,000 Euros (ca. $32,000 USD). The impec Lamborghini can be ordered exclusively through either the international BMC or Lamborghini dealer network. The bikes will be delivered by the dealer. Please address product specific questions to lamborghini@bmc-switzerland.com

About the impec

To be impeccable and immaculate: this was BMC’s one and only goal driving a team of experts from multiple leading companies in reinventing the manufacturing processes and materials of high-end race bikes. After years of development and engineering, the result was a one-of-a-kind automated production process using robotics and other computer-aided machinery. The end-result is exceptionally precise tube manufacturing processes that are consistently reproducible without error. This is the foundation of building a bike frame that meets BMC’s impeccable and immaculate standards.

Shell Node Concept – SNC

{ Worthy of Note: The nodal connections and the frame’s tube junctions give the impec its outstanding profile and attest to the “handmade by machines” exclusivity.  }The nodal connections and the frame’s tube junctions give the impec its outstanding profile and attest to the “handmade by machines” exclusivity. The tubes are connected by half-shells made of high-strength, injected-carbon composite. These nodes maximize stiffness and reliability, while at the same time guaranteeing an accurate, computer controlled assembly process for each and every frame.

Load Specific Weave – LSW

Load Specific Weave is BMC’s core innovation and the technological foundation of the impec manufacturing process. First, dry fibers are braided around a mandrel by an oversized weaving wheel called “Stargate.” The mandrel is then inserted into a mold that is pressurized and injected with resin, giving the composite its strength and shape. As a final step, each tube is machine-cut to exact and size-specific dimensions.

BMC’s automated braiding process allows controlled fiber orientations and wall thickness in any area of the tube. This means that each frame’s performance can be optimized by fine-tuning the weaving process. Important road bike characteristics such as vertical compliance and bottom bracket stiffness can be infinitely refined to enhance the impec’s riding experience.

Please address product specific questions: lamborghini@bmc-switzerland.com

Muddy course, BMC dominates the race

With temperatures around 0 degrees and a muddy course, it was immediately clear that without technical problems the strongest rider would take the title. After less than half a round, Julien Taramarcaz took the race lead, shortly followed by Simon Zahner, Marcel Wildhaber and team mate Flückiger. In the third round, Taramarcaz made a gap of around 10 second on the hardest part of the course, once clear, the gap between him and the rest grow with every round. At the finish, dominator Taramarcaz had a one minute advantage on second Simon Zahner. The fight for the last medal between Ralph Näf and Lukas Flückiger was decided in the last round after a crash from Flückiger. Arnaud Grand came in as number 6. With 4 riders in the top 6, this was a great first collective performance by the BMC cyclocross riders.

Ready for the Worlds in Louisville, USA

A very happy Taramarcaz said after the race: “This was in a way my most important race of the season. I made a huge step forward this year in cyclocross, where I proved with my 4th place at the Worldcup in Roubaix that the top is within touching distance. Now I am national champion again, a great reward and motivation to continue working and improving. I can free my mind now and just give everything I have for the next races, including the World Championships in Louisville.” Lukas Flückiger will join Taramarcaz to the World Championships. Ralph Näf will continue his preparation for the 2013 MTB season with a 3 weeks training camp in South Africa.