Bikes lined up outside Northwood House. Riders coming in off the island roads, legs done, kit soaked through. Steam rising from the showers. And waiting inside, on the shelf next to the soap dish: BAZ.
That's where this story starts, because it's where we think skincare actually belongs; right there in the moment it's needed.
Three days on the Isle of Wight
LeBlanq's first Joyride Festival ran from 12–14 June 2026, and it sold out. Close to 500 guests stayed on-site in a purpose-built glamping village at Northwood House in Cowes, moving between guided rides, athlete conversations, wellness sessions, communal dining and music that ran long into the night.
It wasn't structured like a typical cycling event. There was no finish line to obsess over, no leaderboard to chase. It felt more like a celebration of everything that surrounds the ride; the people, the food, the recovery, the conversations that happen once the kit comes off.
The riding started before anyone reached the island. One route covered roughly 110 kms from Cobham, led by Greg Van Avermaet, Dani Rowe and Matt Stephens. Another covered around 80 kms from Goodwood with Alison Jackson and Johan Museeuw, alongside a women-only ride with LUCA. On the island itself, groups split by pace, from easy 50-60 km social rides, through to 100km+ routes for the ones who wanted more.
Off the bike, there was just as much going on. Yoga, running, HIIT, meditation and breath work sat alongside saunas, hot tubs, ice baths and massage. Michelin-starred chef Steve Drake of Sorrel was among the culinary line-up, and the music; David Morales, Rob da Bank, Annabel Stop It and Taylor Phinney among others, carried the days into proper nights.
Riding alongside genuine cycling royalty
Part of what made the weekend feel different was the access. Guests weren't watching famous names from a distance, they were riding, eating and recovering in the same spaces as them.
The line-up included Greg Van Avermaet, Alison Jackson, Johan Museeuw, Sean Yates, Dani Rowe, Adam Blythe, Matt Stephens and Taylor Phinney, with Annie Emmerson and Orla Chennaoui helping lead the wider programme. Denise Lewis and Jonny Brownlee brought an Olympic perspective that went beyond road cycling entirely.
The number of medals in the room wasn't really the point. It was how naturally everyone mixed, over breakfast, in the recovery tents, queuing for the same shower block as everyone else.
Where BAZ fitted in
We didn't want to be a logo bolted onto the edge of the festival. So we went for the moment the product actually matters most: post-ride, post-adventure, in the shower.
Every guest had BAZ Restore & Awaken Body Wash waiting in the shower cubicles, with the wider range, the Brightening Exfoliator & Cleanser, Skin Food Moisturiser and natural deodorant, laid out for anyone who wanted to try it. VIP riders found BAZ in their goodie bags, and the full range sat in the retail village across the weekend.
Founder James Dashwood Chase, reflecting on the event, put it simply: this was exactly where BAZ should be. Not in a formal demo, but in the natural rhythm of a rider's day; dusty and spent, into the shower, out the other side ready for dinner and dancing. No one had to be persuaded to stop and think about skincare. It was just there when they needed it.
James also noticed something else: how openly the male guests were talking about skin, recovery and everyday routine. Not in a self-conscious way, just as one more part of looking after themselves properly, alongside sleep, food and stretching.
The question we couldn't stop thinking about
Here's the thing about cyclists: they will spend thousands on a bike and think nothing of it. They'll service every component, agonise over the right kit, plan nutrition down to the gram and debate marginal gains for hours. The machine gets extraordinary care.
Does the rider get the same?
We're not suggesting anyone needs to match their bike budget with a bathroom one! A proper skincare routine doesn't cost anywhere near that much, and it was never meant to. But the same instinct that makes you check your tyre pressure before a ride could just as easily extend to the skin doing the actual work.
LeBlanq made that connection feel obvious. Recovery there wasn't just contrast therapy and good food, it included the small, unglamorous step of washing the ride off properly. Skincare didn't need to be elaborate or cosmetic to belong in that picture. It just needed to be simple enough to actually use.
You clean the bike. You service the drivetrain. You plan the next ride before you've finished the last one.
Maybe it's time the rider got the same basic attention as the ride.
BAZ & CO was built around exactly this kind of simplicity — cleanse, exfoliate, hydrate, protect, built on vertically farmed basil and nothing you don't need. If LeBlanq left you thinking about what happens after the ride, Restore & Awaken Body Wash is a good place to start.
FEED YOUR SKIN.
