A celebration of cycling in the heart of London.

Via Criterium

VIA Criterium is a two-day cycling event held in King’s Cross, conceived by VIA – a multi-brand cycling concept store and event space – and hosted in conjunction with British Cycling and Argent King’s Cross.

VIA Criterium is a celebration of cycling in the capital, and sees the return of criterium racing to the streets of central London, alongside an extended community programme of activations and community events tailored for people of all ages – from toddlers to the over-60’s – to experience the excitement of cycling in a safe and secure environment.

The main event is full programme of bicycle racing, with competitors spanning levels from some of the world’s fastest elite riders to regional racers, juniors and even a Brompton race. We were invited by Michael Sodeau, founder of VIA and a multi-disciplinary designer himself, to develop the naming for the event, as well as its visual identity.

The words ‘VIA Criterium’ have a satisfying phonetic quality, as well as being rooted in a Latin etymology that complements VIA’s own name. The visual identity is designed to appear in constant motion – the two words surging past each other and jostling for position, lunging for the line. The omission of the middle stroke in the ‘A’ is in reference to VIA’s logo. A blur of bright colours decorate the course, echoing the festival of team strips that make up the racing bunch.

A film, directed and edited by George Marshall, captured the spirit of a brilliant (but wet) day’s racing by regional teams from all over the country.

An event like this requires a scalable, robust and instantly recognisable identity, one that works across a wide range of instances at all sizes in and around the 1km course and beyond – from the podium and barriers, to riders’ numbers and the Race Officials’ bibs.

VIA Criterium featured a series of off-bike participation events alongside the racing. Amongst them were apparel repair workshops held by one of the event sponsors, Albion Cycling, and a clothing customisation space provided by new neighbours, Imprint Works, that gave visitors the opportunity to make their own event merchandise, using elements taken from the visual identity.

Thanks yous & Credits

Event Organisers: VIA & British Cycling
Film: George Marshall
Drone Footage: Mark Turbo Heinrich
Event Photography: Andy Donohue, Calum Brookes and Andy Keene
Special thanks: Michael Sodeau