Reports by Sue Darlow

Cycling photographer Sue Darlow has lived for many years in the city of Modena, where you don't have to be a cyclist to cycle.

The first time I visited Modena, a small city near Bologna in the plain sandwiched between the Apennines and the Alps, and famous for its balsamic vinegar, I cycled there from the airport. What a pleasant surprise. In addition to a lovely porticoed city centre painted in warm yellows and earthy browns and the magnificent marble Romanesque cathedral, the place was alive with cyclists. [...]

Now that I have lived here for so many years and observed the Modenese awheel, something has dawned on me: a 'bike culture' is not necessarily something that is self-consciously created by people who love and promote cycling, who know all about gear ratios, aerodynamics and frame angles and who dress the part.