Christmas Gifts for Cyclists: posters by The Handmade Cyclist

The Handmade Cyclist is really Neil Wyatt who lives in Winchester. His ingenious and stylish designs have been doing the rounds on the internet, all driven by his passion for cycling and an eye for typography. Now they're available to buy as posters on the arts and crafts website Etsy.

We'd been following the work of The Handmade Cyclist for some months, seeing such luminaries as Chris Boardman picking up on his designs with usually a comment like, "Wow, look at this." Something about the subjects such as 'The Bergs of Flanders' and 'A Classification of Cyclists of Note & Notoriety' speaking at a level that needs no explanation for fanatics and maybe just a wry smile at the grouping of Jan Ulrich, Raymond Poulidor, Andy Schleck and The Handmade Cyclist himself under "Nearly Men."

Anyway, you could have knocked us down with a feather when the trail eventually led to the American handmade crafts e-commerce site Etsy with The Handmade Cyclist's hand printed wares thereon: "Beautiful and unique graphic art for anyone who loves bikes and bike racing" shipping from one Neil Wyatt in Hampshire in the UK but all priced up in US dollars.

Cost for each A3 - 420 x 297mm - poster, mailed in a secure tube is US$25 + $2.50 within the UK which we make just over £17. The postage is a little more to the USA and other worldwide destinations. Each print is hand giclee printed with archival ink on professional-grade 240gsm archival paper with each image numbered and signed in a limited edition of 100.

After careful consideration and not a few biscuits over cups of tea, we've decided our favourite is "The 21 Champions of L'Alpe d'Huez" which we'll leave Neil to describe in his own words:

"L'Alpe d'Huez, the most legendary of all Tour De France climbs, with twenty-one hairpin bends snaking their agonising way to the summit. The stage that all riders want to win above all others.

Only twenty-one riders have conquered the climb as champions, among them the greatest climbers in the history of the sport. Armstrong. Coppi. Hinault...

Known as 'the Dutch mountain' due to the hordes of orange-clad Dutch fans who descend on the mountain every summer, I've created a subtly-textured graphic image in orange in tribute. The image features an accurate, stylised portrayal of the climb, with a champion for every bend."

Details: etsy.com/shop/TheHandmadeCyclist

Legendary British Climbs by The Handmade Cyclist

Nicknames of the Peloton by The Handmade Cyclist