Keller, TX, is hosting their first annual KIDSfest this Saturday, drawing kids in with BMX exhibitions, then showing them how they can have fun outdoors while exploring science, arts and crafts, sports, games and entertainment. Activities include a carnival, fun run, karaoke, rock climbing, rocket launches by Mad Science, demonstrations by young chefs, exhibitions by a BMX group, and performances by young dancers and musicians.

On Saturday night, Olympic gold medalist Carly Patterson, who is releasing an album in August, is the headline singer.

“It is all for kids,” said Deanna Beseda, the city’s special-events coordinator. “During the day on Saturday, it is mainly for younger kids. At night, it is for the tweens and teenagers.”

The festival is FREE and will be held at Bear Creek Park, 400 Bear Creek Parkway, is from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday. Information: www.kellerparksandrec.com

OMBA, the Ocala Mountain Bike Association, which is largely responsible for the world class trail network in central Florida known as Santos Trails, has issued an alert to help save the trails.  I’ve ridden these trails numerous times and there’s a reason why they’re an IMBA Epic…they rock.  Here’s the Call to Action:

“A proposed budget cut in Tallahassee will essentially eliminate the Office of Greenways and Trails as we know it, and give the land to the state parks department. It will give the parks more land, while eliminating over 100 of their positions at the same time.

Why do we need to act?

OGT has been the land manager of Santos since the beginning of our bike trails and OMBA. We have spent years establishing a relationship with the office in Ocala and Tallahassee to ensure the best trails possible could be a reality. Ironically, Florida was just awarded “Best Trails State” at the biannual National Trails Symposium this fall.

Here are a few things worth fighting for (even if you don’t love them all, think of your two wheeled friends too):

1. Recreational opportunities with nature conservation- bike trails!
2. Free access. (even though I think most of us wouldn’t mind paying for parking!)
3. The proposed trail expansion westward that has already been written up as a huge grant proposal, soil samples taken, and professional preliminary flagging. Phase 1 is 484 to 200, Phase 2 is 200 to Pruitt. 20 miles of amazing terrain (through the canal diggings) trails, a loop configuration to extend Nayls and provide connectivity across the state!
4. Freeriding in the Vortex. Period.
5. Racing permits.
6. The Fat Tire Festival.

Hit “more” for contact info for the right people to call or email…

(more…)

Got this promotional link via email, so if it doesn’t work right, go to their home page or call them and tell them you want the 50% off deal.

Lance hawks it (he’s on their Board of Directors) and supposedly 10¢ from every case of FRS sold goes to the LiveStrong Foundation.  The important thing here is that you can get it half off.  Of course, you can also try it FREE.

Found this link in Jeremiah Bishop’s Twitter stream, and then saw this video of the event that I really, really, really want to do one year…the TransAlp Challenge.  The site is Epic-Mountain-Bike.com, and it looks to be a forum type list of epic mountain bike events.  Check it out if you’re looking for a stage race or longer event to participate in or you just want to have a little mental escape…it is Friday, after all.

Video from the man himself showing the 12 or 13 screws and the plate put into his collarbone.  No word on the Giro, but as he said, he’ll just have to wait and see how he recovers from this since it’s a new experience.  Check the pre-surgery pic here.

We got our R.E.Load Midpack in just before Christmas and have been using it for various errands and trips to put it through its paces and see just how much stuff it can carry.  Suffice to say…a LOT.  Our trip to the grocery story (pics after the break) prove that you can easily haul everything you’d need for work in this and still be able to pick up the essentials on the way home.  Seriously…my load from the grocery store was over 36 lbs and the bag handled it with aplomb.

If you’re a real messenger, the type this bag was actually designed for, you can fit a lot of boxes in it.  We have pics of that too.  It’s built well, with sturdy construction, ample stitching and a waterproof liner.  If you’re in the market for a solid messenger type bag with the extra load handling of a backpack (or if you just have a bag fetish like me), read on…

(more…)

If you’re in the Triad, NC, area and want to get your wiggles out during the week, theAce Speedway series is back on! Starting Tuesday nights on April 7 and running through September every other Tuesday at Ace Speedway in Elon, NC.

Click the flyer to enlarge and print, or download PDF here.  They have a new “start on time” promise with the new management, so no more getting home after 11pm if you’re in the Pro/1/2/3 group.

David Stanley, a local artist, had some great caricatures on display at a recent social event here in Greensboro, including some of Lance Armstrong.  Besides the exaggerated facial drawings, he’s quite the illustrator, and we wanted to share some of his drawings with you. Click on the thumbs below to enlarge.

 

 

Got this very nice looking photo (click to enlarge) in from Gruppo Bici N.A., a new Colorado based importer of all things bicycle and Italian, including a recent deal to import the Italian cycling magazines for U.S. distribution. Rather than paraphrase their lovely press release, here it is in full with a nice (if grammatically incorrect in parts) history and culture briefing:

PRESS RELEASE: Gruppo Bici N.A. announces today the introduction of a new, vintage-styled bicycle from Atala S.p.A.: Atala Primavera.

“The Atala Primavera marks two important dates on the bicycle calendar: the first day of Spring and the 100th anniversary of the Milan-San Remo, the official start of the Italian and European bicycle racing season” states company spokeswoman D’Abria Versace. “Primavera is spring in Italian, and what better way to celebrate this majestic, vintage-styled bicycle on this beautiful, historic day”.

“The Atala Primavera is an Italian bicycle celebration,” D’Abria Versace proclaims. “The bicycle is painted in a period blue, azzurro, which is also the name of Italy’s national teams, the Squadra Azzurra, More important, however, the Atala factory team won the 1909 edition of the Milano-San Remo with Luigi Ganno, so the bicycle has a steeped history which is seen clearly in her lines.” Atala also won the first edition of the Giro d’Italia the same year (1909), which is also celebrating its 100-year anniversary: Giro d’Italia Centoanni.

The lesson continues (with a photo of the women’s model, too!)…
(more…)

Scott has signed on as the official sponsor of the Dresdner Kleinwort triathlon team and will be providing them with the Scott Plasma bicycle shown above.  Bike = sexy.  Bunch of dudes in tights looking serious = not so much (for this editor, anyway…and no, we don’t want to touch your monkey).  The team will compete internationally with German, Swiss, Belgian and Scottish athletes on the roster.

They’re also providing the team with their Makani RC running shoe, shown below (click to enlarge).

 

You  may not be able to sprint like Mark Cavendish, but you’ll soon be able to wear his helmet.  The Uvex FP-1 bicycle helmet, as worn by Team Columbia-Highroad, is available now in UK stores via Raleigh.  No word on US availability at the moment.  Oddly, the FP-1 is not even shown on Uvex’s website.

The cycling velodrome for the 2012 Olympics in London has broken ground and will be available for cyclists to practice on.  Beijing Olympic Gold Medalist Sir Chris Hoy helped design the 6,000 seat venue, which is estimated to cost £105 million (about $153 million US!!!) and will be located in Stratford, east London.

In a BBC news story, Lord Coe, London 2012 chairman, said: “Britain leads the way in world cycling and deserves a world-class stage in 2012 so the start of work on time on a landmark new cycling venue for London is a significant milestone.”

The venue will also house the BMX circuit and after the Games, a road cycle circuit and mountain bike course will be added to create a legacy VeloPark that will combine cycling facilities across all disciplines in one cycling ‘hub’. The VeloPark will be linked into cycle routes across London, connecting the whole of the capital with the new world-class cycling facilities.

Sounds a little like what they’re trying to do in South Carolina.