Charlie Stewart, Rupert Hartley, and Jack Howker started the British apparel brand Albion nearly a decade ago. It began not in a boardroom, but in the wild weather of Wales.

I first met founders Charlie and Rupert by chance on the roads of Mallorca, before they’d launched a single product. Years later, Albion has grown into a respected name in the ultra-distance and adventure cycling scene. This episode traces their journey from pre-dawn London rides to post-work email threads, through the hurdles of product development and the pivotal hires, like legendary designer Graeme Raeburn, that helped transform them from three friends with an idea into a serious brand.

It’s a story about staying small when everything tells you to scale fast. About designing for three seasons in a day. And about why authenticity, patience, and humility still matter in building a business—especially one worth believing in.

Over the weekend The Service Course announced its closure. This is a re-play of the episode we previously did that talks about its origin story. We will aim to do a follow-up when the time is right.

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If you follow professional cycling and are attracted to specialty coffee, beautiful custom bikes, and boutique travel, then you’ve surely come across Christian and Amber Meier’s businesses. The couple from Canada, of all places, embarked on a professional cycling career for Christian and settled in the once sleepy Catalan town of Girona. The two of them are the founders of La Fabrica, Espresso Mafia, and The Service Course which have now become Girona institutions that people actively seek out.

Now, The Service Course boasts four European locations and includes some of cycling’s biggest stars as both investors and employees. Michael Woods, Kasia Niewiadoma and Edvald Boasson Hagen are all investors, and Simon Gerrans is CEO. It’s a remarkable story that isn’t even close to being finished yet, so grab a coffee, strap in, and hear where Christian and Amber’s story started so you can follow where it’s going.

In this episode of Overnight Success we hear the story of cycling commentator Matthew Keenan.