SHIMANO SUPPORTS ADVENTURER DANIEL HUGHES PRODUCTION OF EPIC COLS: A PHOTOGRAPHIC COLLECTION OF THE WORLD’S GREATEST CLIMBS

- Daniel Hughes has captured the world’s greatest climbs in a stunning collection of stills and moving images

- Hughes spent seven years in the British Special Forces and delivered the world’s highest video broadcast to BBC News while climbing Everest

- Hughes currently works with the world’s top cycling, outdoor and photographic brands to find and capture the most extraordinary places on Earth

- The collection is available to purchase as prints and for brands to use as part of their storytelling

Adventurer and photographer Daniel Hughes today releases “Epic Cols”, a photographic collection of the world’s greatest climbs. Each climb has been ridden first hand by Hughes in a project that sets out to contest the greats and scour the world for cycling perfection.

Ahead of the start of the world’s biggest bike race, Hughes has captured the raw essence of some of the climbs being tackled by the world’s best cyclists this September.

Epic Cols was created for everyone and is an ever-expanding collection to keep cyclists’ bucket lists full and provide stunning scenery from a unique perspective, even for non-cyclists.

The project has been made possible by industry partners including Shimano and features a hero film, documenting Hughes and his partner Carali McCall tackling Alpe d’Huez, one of the many climbs featured as part of the series.

While Alpe d’Huez is an obvious inclusion into the greats of Epic Cols, Hughes’ collection is designed to raise the profile of lesser-known climbs that he’s experienced.

Hughes said: “For years, like many, I’ve watched the Tour de France and seen the epic climbs which the riders have done battle with. But it was when I got to ride the Valle Nevado climb in Chile that I realised I had to start the Epic Cols collection. I thought ‘How can such a brutal and beautiful climb not be ranked amongst the world’s greats?’ In a game of climbing Top Trumps it beats every climb in Europe.

He added: “It was this climb which made me want to go ride the greats and to scour the world for other climbs like the Valle Nevado. I want to be their spokesperson, to capture them, and to share them.”

The collection currently now stands at 40 climbs. For those wishing to have the collection in their own home or office, Epic Cols offers museum grade archival prints. Hughes is also planning on collaborating with brands to offer the collection to their audiences through marketing and advertising campaigns that feature the collection’s imagery, as well as future Epic Cols excursions.

For more information and to view the collection, please visit www.epiccols.com.