Fresh from Santa Cruz is their all-new, full carbon fiber Blur mountain bike. A full pound lighter in the frame, the bike continues to use their patented VPP (Virtual Pivot Point) technology to produce a stable pedaling platform without resorting to lockout mechanisms.  The new Blur also gets upgraded with features already proven on their longer-travel LT and Nomad models, all of which are shown after the break.

Why go carbon? Santa Cruz claims this bike is one of their stiffest, most flex-resistant frames ever. Oh, and the frame weighs about a full pound less than the outgoing model…4.2 lbs (down from 5.3)

Click “more” for lots and lots of glorious pics, tech specs, geometry and more…

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…it’s a win-win.

UNC-TV will be at W Kerr Scott on Friday the 23^rd filming North Carolina Weekend.  The video shoot will focus on the trails that have been built and maintained by the BMCC.  If you’re not doing anything after lunch, come out and show your support.  We’re meeting at the Visitor’s Center at 12:30.  The weather is supposed to be in the low to mid 50’s.  Sounds like a good excuse for a long lunch or just forget work all together!

Ken, owner of Ken’s Bike Shop and the man behind a lot of the Winston Salem, NC, area trails is leading an effort to get mountain bike trails built at Pilot Mountain State Park.

They have begun the process for constructing multi-use mountain bike & hiking trails in Pilot Mountain State Park, but the initiative requires active support from everyone in the region in the form of email messages of support for multi-use trails to the park supervisor, Matt Windsor. Please send him a message today about the desirability of these trails. (Be sure to identify yourself so that they know real people are writing.)

If there is final approval, there will be an additional need for volunteers to help do the actual trail construction. To keep abreast of trail work days and progress, please email Matthew Canter with “trail worker” in the subject to sign up for our mailing list.

Chicago2016.org announced their selection of Madison, WI, to host the Time Trial, Road Race and Mountain Bike cycling events.

Both road events would be in or immediately around downtown Madison, with the road race starting at the University of Wisconsin, racing through the city for about an hour, thenending in Blue Mound State Park 25 miles south of town.  Pro cyclist Robbie Ventura, who is from that area, helped determine the course layout, which he says is going to be one of the toughest road courses in recent Olympic history because of the number and intensity of the uphill sections (as quoted in the Badger Herald).

The Mountain Bike race would be held at Tyrol Basin in Mt. Horeb, a ski mountain about 20 miles west of town.

Other cities in competition for the games include Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and Madrid, which was a finalist for the 2012 games, ultimately awarded to London.  The International Olympic Committee will visit Chicago April 2-8 as a part of the decision making process, Arnot said.  IOC will make its final decision at an Oct. 2 meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark.  Universalsports.com has some good commentary as to how the proximity compares to the cycling venues in competing cities.

If you’re interested in learning how to make your locale a Bicycle Friendly Communities, check out the Quad Cities’ BFC Conference January 29, complete with a “refreshment” hour before the conference.

The Bicycle Friendly Communities designation is a League of American Bicyclists achievement that goes hand-in-hand with the Complete Streets philosophy. This year, the Quad Cities Transportation Advocacy Group (QC-TAG), the Quad Cities Bicycle Club (QCBC) and Genesis Medical Center are pleased to host a free public educational event on the topic of “Bicycle Friendly Communities” and how to achieve BFC status.

Read “more” to see a list of speakers and the who, what, where and when…

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From the The Denver Channel:

“A woman riding a mountain bike on a Boulder Open Space trail was knocked down and stepped on by a rogue cow Monday.

 

The woman, who was not identified, was on the South Boulder Creek Trail when she stopped to let a cow pass. According to the woman, the renegade cow knocked her to the ground and then walked on her legs.

 

The cow continued down the trail and the woman refused medical treatment.”

Doesn’t anyone heed the subliminal warnings from the Far Side cartoons?  Those cows know what’s up.  The best part of this story are the adjectives used to describe the cow…”rogue” and “renegade.”  I guess if you leave the scene of the crime, you’re somewhat of a renegade, right?

 

The North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS), held in Indianapolis Feb. 27 – Mar 1, will host a Winning Campaigns Training program by the Thunderhead Alliance for Bicycling and Walking and sponsored by the Indiana Bicycle Coalition.

The program is designed to give attendees greater knowledge on how to choose appropriate advocacy issues, set goals and strategies, work with community leaders, use public relations, raise money and measure success of their local programs.  The Winning Campaigns Training uses methods designed and tested over the years by Thunderhead, considered one of the most prominent bicycling advocacy training in North America.

Read “more” for links, quotes and additional info…

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Rachel Atherton suffered a disclocated shoulder after colliding with a truck at the beginning of a ride Sunday afternoon with her brothers Dan and George.

Atherton said she was pedaling with her head down around a corner and looked up to see a pickup coming at her.  Both she and the truck swerved in the same direction, and Atherton hit the passenger side windshield.

Her team manager, Dan Brown, said her new Cervelo road bike took the brunt of the damage, which is fortunate, because she was reportedly NOT wearing a helmet…WTF?

According to California Highway Patrol, Atherton was at fault for the accident because she rode into the wrong lane.  Get the full story on The Mercury News.

The Cervélo Test Team, featuring defending Tour de France titlist Carlos Sastre and 2005 Green Jersey winner Thor Hushovd, will be rockin’ new aerodynamic clothing from Castelli.

Castelli claims 2/3rds of aerodynamic drag coming from the rider and only 1/3 from the bike, so they designed team clothing dedicated to improving speed and performance – speed through aerodynamics and reduced weight, but also speed by helping the human body to perform at its maximum potential.

According to Castelli, they are designed to help blood flow to the muscles, to help maintain the body at its optimum operating temperature, and to smooth the air flow around the body in real world situations.

See how much time it shaves off the hour when you read “more”…

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The Stanislaus County Bicycle Club is replacing their regular Saturday ride with a Stage 3 Finish Route from the upcoming Tour of California.  The ride departs at 10am on Saturday, January 24 from Modesto Junior College West Campus.  Address and more info is on the cue sheet.

The ToC kicks off on February 14 – 22 and covers more than 800 miles.

Not in English, but this is a spot for PS3′s motion controllers…what all the jibber jabber is about is how human motion gives control over machines, which comes together at the end.

Loosely related, I do have a PS3, and it’s awesome.  Let this be your friendly Bikerumor.com consumer electronics public service announcement:  If you’re considering a Blu-Ray player, buy a PS3.  Why?  Because in a couple of years, most media will be downloaded anyway, and and at least with the PS3 you’ll be able to use it for gaming and, likely, a download portal for new movies, games, etc.  XBOX Live already has Netflix downloads available through their service, and I wouldn’t doubt it if Sony follows suit…Blockbuster, perhaps?

Winter Bike to Work Day: The Active Transportation Alliance – formerly the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation – hosts its Winter Bike to Work Day Jan. 20. Hardy cyclists are invited for coffee, hot cocoa and Eli’s cheesecake from 6:30 to 9 a.m. at Daley Center that day to mark the coldest day in Chicago history – Jan. 20, 1985, when the official temperature at O’Hare International Airport was 27 degrees below zero.

From The Chicago Tribune.