[Editors note: For the last 10 days, Cyclingdirt has been off the grid, exploring in New Zealand. We've been working on some Mountain Bike projects down here, but also taking a little time to see the other side of the world. Here's a look into the South Island, as told by Debbie Merzbach.] An important notification-- this post is going to be obnoxiously long. You might say to yourself "why are there so many landscape pictures?" Perhaps you should consider the hoards I had to omit. We beat the sunrise to the Auckland Airport Tuesday morning. Ai...
Happy New Year Everybody! I hope you all enjoyed a great holiday break with family, friends, and lots of riding! I'm in the airport now on the way back from a great week of rock walls, mountain roads, and desert single track out west. With the start of the new year, Cyclingdirt will begin the next chapter of our off-road coverage. We'll be looking at training, tech reviews, behind the scenes tours, riding spots, and of course the Cyclocross season is still rolling over in Europe! So enjoy the start to the new year and get ready for some excitem...
I hope you're all having a great Christmas and holiday season! The weather reports look good for a Christmas day MTB ride for most of you. Take advantage of this break to get some fun rides in before those brain numbing base miles take over. If Santa was good to you, there should be some upgrades to make to your ride before heading out. Ten months ago today we went on the air with our first video. Now, a few thousand videos, 40-some weekends of coverage, and countless hours later we've come a long way. To help celebrate the new year, we'll take...
This week's Cyclocross National Championships are shaping up to be something special. The snow is falling in Bend and a few thousand of the nations best 'cross riders are on their way to Oregon. Cyclingdirt is going to be on-site all week bringing you what we hope will be the best coverage you've ever seen. To help us reach that goal, and in turn help the sport you love, we're going to need a little help. One of the best things about Cyclingirt is the ability it gives you, the user, to contribute content. As one person, I'm still confident I ca...
I've been dreading this day for a long time. Mountain Bike season on Cyclingdirt is inching closer and closer to an end. This weekend's coverage of the Schladming World Cup in Austria will mark the 40th and final race coverage of the season. Is it just me, or did that go by way too fast? So many things left to do; just one more trip, one more race, one more interview... That's all I keep thinking. Ten months ago I was at a Cyclocross race on Long Island. Saturday's race had gone well enough but the recovery left a lot to be desired. Stomach pai...
What a day! Great races for both Men and Women. Catherine Pendrel took her second WC win and by a huge margin. Looks like that Canada Champs win was no fluke. (Marie Helen was 10th today...) After Catherine, North American women cleaned up the top 20. Katerina Nash (ok, not technically from North America) Had a career day to finish 3rd. Willow Koerber was top from USA in 5th. Gould was 7th. Lea Davison 13th. Finally some technical/muddy trails for Lea to show that VT bike handling. Emily Batty had an ok day to end up 15th and second U23. A soli...
I've used a lot of porta potties this year. I've seen a lot of snowless ski hills, stolon a lot of WiFi, and eaten a lot of Chef Boyardee to cover mountain bike racing in North America. By the time I wake up on the floor of Logan International Airport tomorrow morning, I will have spent more nights on floors, couches, and in the back of cars then I have in my bed at "home." Sometimes, it starts to drag on you. Usually, the races are so exciting that nothing else matters. This weekend was the most exciting yet.The 2009 USA Mountain Bike National...
Can't say where I came across this "VelEau installation," but I thought it was worth sharing. The hydration system is being tested by a few riders in training and you may catch a few of them in action at the upcoming BC Bike race. I'd look in Sue's direction... The seat pack supposedly can hold up to 40 oz. The mouthpiece is on a retractable cord that will pull it back into place when finished drinking. The rest is up to you to try and decipher...
My last race in Canada was a Junior World Cup stage race in Val-d'Or. Teams from across the globe gathered in literally the middle of nowhere to race road bikes on long, boring roads 4,000 miles North of the equator. Yet, the town shut down, spectators flocked to the road sides, and TV helicopters hovered above for nearly two weeks. In Canada, they see something in cycling that Americans don't. This weekend was my first hands-on encounter with the Canadian MTB scene, and it was (to quote an American expression) "totally rad!" For starters, the ...
No video tonight, sorry guys. Long travel day. I'm up in Baie Saint Paul, Quebec, Canada right now for round number one of the Canada Cup series. For those who are not familiar with the Canada Cup, it is their national mountain bike series. So, (US Cup - US) + Canada = Canada Cup. Got it? Last year, Geoff Kabush won the NMBS series overall for the third year in a row. Before him, names like Roland, Ryder, Seamus, and Shep occupied the number one spot in the rankings. Canada's mountain bike elite have been making the trip South for years to comp...
