The 2008 Red Bull Trick or Treat went down with some of the biggest BMX action up in Rochester, NY, last weekend.  Here’s the video recap showing some of the top names in BMX ripping up the ramps and jumping over Halloween themed obstacles.
Here’s the video from Kona’s booth.  Pics and more info will follow on a subsequent post…I’m going riding!
The 2009 Tour de France will pass through eight new towns, including Brignoles, Gérone (Espagne), Issoudun, Martigny (Suisse), Saint-Fargeau, Tonnerre, vatan, Verbier (Suisse), while passing over 20 hors, 1 and 2 category climbs.  Interestingly, the last race day before the Paris finish will be a mountain stage with a summit finish!  So, the race won’t be whittled down to a Time Trial showdown, but a full-blown mountain climb attack.  Sweeeeet.
As if Lance wasn’t enough of a draw, the route this year should make for a very interesting race.  Read “more” for the full stage list and links to more…
The “Joyrider” is a LED-based crystal wheel attachment that uses built in sensors to determine wheel speed and blink rate to produce the image of a smiley face that stays upright and stationary in the wheels as you roll.
Read “more” to see static pics of the piece and get the link to the designer’s site…
USA Cycling has announced the 34 races comprising the 2009 USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Calendar. Each event will categorized by the number of overall points that can be earned at that event, from Category 1 (most points) to Category 4 (least points).ÂÂ
Consisting of 19 events across 13 states, the cross country calendar will kick off with the Fontana United States Cup in Fontana, California on March 20 and will once again stretch seven months to the last weekend in October when the Piney Hills Classic in Ruston, La. concludes the calendar. In between, several notable events including seven United States Cup series races are included.
The eight-event gravity calendar, which features downhill, 4-cross, super D and dual slalom events, will span five states. With similar category designations, there is one category-1 event and three category-2 events on the 2009 calendar.ÂÂ
The ultra endurance calendar consists of 62-mile races, marathons, eight, 12- and 24-hour races. The seven-race calendar will once again kick off with the Mas O Menos 100K in Terlingua, Texas on February 4th and wrap up at the National Mountain Bike Oktoberfest in Davison, N.C. on October 24-25.
For the complete USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Calendars, click on the links below:
Cross Country: https://www.usacycling.org/forms/mtb/09_MBNCschedule_XC2.pdf
Gravity: https://www.usacycling.org/forms/mtb/09_MBNCschedule_Gravity2.pdf
Ultra Endurance: https://www.usacycling.org/forms/mtb/09_MBNC_Schedule_UE2.pdf
The full press release is here.
Mark your calendars and start pulling all your old bits out of the garage.  The Inaugural Northern California Bicycle Expo & Swap is coming to Cow Palace, San Francisco on November 29-30, 2008.  It’s $75 (minimum) for a booth (which is a far cry from the $15 for our local Greensboro, NC, Bike Swap!) and you can get more info here.
These are usually pretty good places to get great deals on dealer overstock, rep samples and things that people just don’t want to keep in their garages any more.
From TheExaminer.com about how a Tampa, FL resident got the ball rolling to encourage local officials and transportation planners to recognize the need for safe places to ride, as well as getting citizen cyclists active in promoting these interests:
– use your local homeowner and civic association web sites and newsletters to get the word out about whether there is an interest in cycling in your neighborhood.
– have an organizing meeting within a month after the responses come in so you tap into the excitement and interest.
– form a core committee of doers, those people willing to take action and not just talk about forming a local bicycle club.
In this case, they formed the Seminole Heights Bicycle Club. The post from Alan didn’t have much of a followup to see what happened after the initial rides, so I contacted him to see what happened next.  Read “more” if you’re interested…
Bicycle Design, a blog about just that, is hosting a competition to design a commuter bike that will get non-cyclists to switch to pedaling instead of driving.  The winning design gets a Bad Boy city bike (like the one pictured), courtesy of Cannondale.  Get all the details here.
I’m a long-time fan of CarbBOOM…from their early days in the “applesauce” cups to their awesome new flavors, Watermelon and Raspberry.  Here’s why:  They use real fruit!
If you’ve never tried a CarbBOOM gel, you owe it to yourself to break from routine next time you order or buy your normal gels and at least try a couple of flavors.  My very favorite is the Apple because it’s literally like squeezing applesauce into your mouth.  Delicious, and it has complex carbs, electrolytes, etc., to keep you going.  It tastes so good because they use Apple puree and concentrate.  Likewise for their other flavors.
I had a pre-production Watermelon gel they gave me at Interbike and used it this past weekend.  Actually, I couldn’t remember what the new flavor was because the packet was unprinted and only had an expiry date on it.  It only took about a second to figure it out…it tastes like a real Watermelon, albeit leaning toward Jolly Rancher watermelon, but that’s hardly a complaint.
They have some other new products coming out this year and early next, click the “more” link to see the energy chews, women’s sports drink and more…
NiteRider had their new 2009 MiNewt USB commuter light on display at the MTB Oktoberfest.  They weren’t demoing them for the racers, it’s only intended for commuter and city use.  It charges in 4.5 hours via any USB Port on your computer or via the included wall charger, runs for 3 hours and puts out 110 Lumens.
It weighs only 175g, so it’s light enough to use for a back-up handlebar light during races (your helmet light should be your primary light source…IMO).  Click the “more” link to see additional pics that better illustrate the features and show how little this thing is…
Brent Foes was in the booth to give us a run down of his new 2009 Foes Racing bikes.  Watch the vid to see the new ProLite XC hardtail, the 2:1 ProLite XC FS race bike and the 7″ travel RS7 DH Race Bike, then click “more” to see pics and get more info…
…verbally and intellectually, of course.  I’m not advocating real violence.
Check out this moron’s argument about keeping mountain bikers out of the National Parks.  Apparently, in his eyes, mountain bikers are just as much a nuisance as snowmobiles (we are a noisy, polluting lot, aren’t we?) and horses (and man do we poop a lot…and right on the trail!).  Give me a break.  Fortunately, the comments on that post are well written defenses of mountain biking and cycling in the NPS.
The last time I checked, mountain biking wasn’t an option when the NPS (National Park System) was formed, so to argue that we were never an intended use is completely off base.  This is why it’s important to join IMBA.
After you read Moron’s post, read this one to help calm you down a little.
