BMC Roadmachine 01 THREE

“With the Roadmachine’s compliance, I have the luxury of taking that same sensation everywhere I go.” Conrad Glassey can recognise a good surface from a mile away. When not excelling on choppy white water or whizzing along XC ski tracks, BMC’s Head of Product Management can reel off the differences between Swiss and French tarmac surface. He grins: “Where should I start?” “Sometimes I think we’re a bit spoilt in Switzerland. Even the smallest farm road in Emmental is as smooth as an airport runway. But with the Roadmachine’s compliance, I have the luxury of taking that same sensation everywhere I go.” Swiss tarmac and the Roadmachine go hand in hand if you ask Glassey. Created to maximise compliance, it’s a natural fit for the athletic 49-year-old who splits his time between France’s less-manicured roads and BMC’s HQ in Grenchen. Travel, friends and family are three key pillars in his life–and all of them involve sport. Once an international kayaker, Glassey now uses sport – from cross-country skiing to road and mountain biking – to keep grasp not only on his fitness, but also on the people and places that surround him. “Whatever activity I do helps bring balance to my life. It might be cycling a few hours with friends on the weekend or a quick 90-minute spin or XC ski after work on my own to keep fit,” he says. These days, he recognises that his multisport background has influenced his choice of a versatile bike. “The sorts of rides I go on today are social, often with a coffee stop, but almost certainly with a bit of exertion towards the top of the climbs.” He looks bashful: “You know, the typical male thing of being first.”