Over 100 readers applied. Only a handful made the cut. The mission was clear: to experience the Road World Championships together, GRAN FONDO style. For us, that meant a fast group ride through the Black Forest, endless bike talk and the Worlds on a shared screen, with no medals, rainbow jerseys or UCI points at stake.Gruppo compatto. It rolled like clockwork!Our GRAN FONDO national team: how we picked the squadWere always up for making things happen together with you, and legendary events like the Rari Racing Club have already given us plenty of practice. So, with the World Championships approaching, there was only one thing for it: we had to select our very own national squad. Every member earned their place with their own particular set of qualities.Sren, the stylistRapha Amani jersey, matching bucket hat and a pair of dazzling Gobik shorts: Sren is living proof that style and speed absolutely belong together. Looking this good practically guarantees you a place in the squad.Stefan, the exotic dudeStefan turns up with a Quickpro ER that could easily blend into our current race bike test field on looks alone, while sitting in a completely different price league. The Chinese custom bike even does without paint entirely to save the last few grams. In the pro peloton, youll often see unpainted frames underneath team leaders. Is Stefan trying to tell us something?Joshua, the diesel engineJoshua is actually a triathlete. Translated into cycling speak, that means a big engine, a massive gear and absolutely no pulling off the front after 20 seconds. On the fast sections, he keeps the pace high and makes sure nobody simply rides away on the flat.Doro and Dieter, heroes from DonaueschingenAs the only woman in the group, Doro repeatedly shows the rest of us how its done. She has also brought backup: Dieter from Donaueschingen, a town that could almost pass for the new capital of German cycling.Johannes, the musicianProfessional musician, climber and owner of a 2015 Cervlo S5. So Johannes doesnt just blow the race apart on the climbs, he also takes the opportunity to show our current Soloist test bike who its daddy is.Martin, the rookie who doesnt want to be oneMartin rides in the group with such relaxed confidence that nobody gives it a second thought. Until, at some point, he casually mentions that this is his first ever proper group ride. Sorry, what?Arthur, the French mountain goatA trail runner by trade, but just as difficult to rein in on a bike. Arthur is always happy to set the pace and, as our resident Frenchman, brings the necessary dose of national pride to the public viewing too. When Paul Seixas starts cramping, pretty much the entire room suffers with him.Christoph, the tacticianIf Jens Voigt and Fabian Wegmann were commentating, theyd probably point out Christophs experience on the track straight away. Smooth pedalling, a steady line and eyes everywhere: hes in charge of tactics. Between the Cycle Punk jersey and the Antifa sticker on his frame, Dieter leaves little doubt about where he stands on the notion that sport is apolitical. Needless to say, hes our go-to man for team statements.Simon, the motivatorWhen the legs start getting heavy and the mood threatens to turn into Remcos about to start thumping his handlebars, Simon steps in. Permanent grin, relentlessly good mood and always another joke up his sleeve. Hes our mobile team morale department.Tobi, the guideTogether with author Bene, Tobi takes on the role of capitaine de route. Not because either of them particularly needs to parade around with a captains armband, but because somebody has to keep this lot together. Everyone makes it back together. Job done.Robin, the team managerRobin bankrolls the team with passion and is already working on making his reports more successful than Patrick Lefeveres columns. Theres just one key difference: hes trying to do it without constantly laying into his own riders.Henry, our team mascotAnd whats a good team without a mascot? Probably just as successful from a sporting perspective, but only half as cool. Which makes Henry completely indispensable.Fast bikes, Ferrari, the World Championships? Sorry, but nobody comes close to Henry as the star attraction.Fast bikes, Ferrari, the World Championships? Nothing comes close to Henry as the star attraction!Sren won us over with his unique style. We love it!The all-round race bike world championWhile the World Championships are taking place in Canada, were running our own search for the best all-round race bike in the world. That gave our guests a little peek behind the scenes. Before the group test was even published, they got to inspect the bikes, get their hands on them and, of course, deliver their verdicts. The application process had already produced a clear favourite: the Specialized Tarmac drew the most interest. Once everyone saw the bikes in person, however, the balance shifted, and the Parapera stole the show.Talking bikes with our editor!And its hardly surprising: Campagnolo, Lightweight and luxury everywhere you look, all for the lowest price in the test field. Our readers quickly proved themselves to be genuine experts too. Doro is even planning to buy a Parapera in the future, so shes soaking up every scrap of information. Shes probably waiting even more impatiently for our finished test than we are.Stefan, meanwhile, remains relaxed. Hes already made up his mind about his own ER: Chinese-made luxury with performance to match, at a fraction of the price. Plenty to debate? Absolutely.Luxury made in China: Stefan is convinced his ER can match our bikes at a fraction of the price!The ride: World Championship pace and gruppo compattoThe original plan was fairly harmless. A little over 120 kilometres through the valleys of the Black Forest, at an average pace of just under 28 km/h relaxed and conversational, with coffee and cake along the way. A classic social ride, basically. Our national team had other ideas.Apparently, everyone had taken their selection a little too seriously. Joshua started chewing through the kilometres like a proper rouleur, Arthur and Johannes turned up the pressure on the climbs, and suddenly our easy spin had become a remarkably consistent 35 km/h paceline.The surprising bit? It worked. No frantic attacks, nobody getting dropped, no incidents. Instead, there were smooth turns on the front, good communication and a group that stayed compact even at high speed. Gruppo compatto, just as it should be. Stefan seemed particularly taken with the whole thing. Once he reached the front, he showed absolutely no interest in giving up his turn.But we wouldnt be GRAN FONDO if even our fastest rides went without coffee and cake. So, obviously, we stopped. We dont have scientifically robust evidence to back this up, but the carbs and caffeine might just have had something to do with the pace staying high afterwards.The only thing better than the harmony in the group was the weather: sunshine, 28 degrees and late-September conditions that felt more like the height of summer.Good thing Simon had packed enough sun cream for the entire team. Because at the end of September, thats definitely something absolutely everyone remembers to bring.After the cake, Stefan had no intention of leaving the front!Carb loading and public viewing. Recovery doesnt get much better than this!Tension, pizza and pure ciclismo!Back at HQ, there was no time to waste. Bikes down, TV on. With around 130 kilometres still to go, the World Championship race was already in full swing. The debate had started before wed even set off: Whos the favourite? Whos the outsider? When will the decisive attack come? And, most importantly, how many times will Remco Evenepoel thump his handlebars if the race doesnt go to plan?An original UAE Team bike and the winners actual weapon of choice! We wanted to deliver the full World Championships experienceAs it happens, wed picked Brandon McNulty as a dark horse in our pre-race discussion. But with German, Swiss and French guests in the room, every attack immediately became a diplomatic issue anyway.So when Mauro Schmid makes his move, almost everyone suddenly gets behind him. Swiss, German-speaking: the perfect compromise.Add pizza, tired legs and twelve people who had been hammering through the Black Forest together just a few hours earlier, now commentating on every attack on screen as though they were sitting in the team car, and youve got about as much ciclismo as anyone could ask for.To top it all off, we even had a genuine UAE team bike on site, just like the one McNulty rode to victory. The World Championships up close, even if we werent in Canada.By the time the event wound down, the glorious sunshine had long since disappeared!In the end, our World Championships weekend was never about who was strongest, whose bike cost the most or who cheered loudest at the public viewing. It was about what makes any great group ride: different people, different bikes and different strengths, all arriving at the finish together. And if thats our national team, well happily make the selections all over again next year.Thanks to everyone!Der Beitrag Fast Bikes, Good Company and Pizza: The World Championships, Gran Fondo Style erschien zuerst auf GRAN FONDO Cycling Magazine.