en-us Copyright 2006-2010 Flocasts Inc Tue, 9 Feb 2010 05:30:23 -0500 http://www.cyclingdirt.org/assets/portal/simple30/images/logos/cyclingdirt-logo.gif http://www.cyclingdirt.org/videos/speaker/6081-highlighted-video I dropped over the top of Mt. Falcon and decided to check out a trail I haven't ridden. A bit of a risk since some weather was heading to town and I had never been out here before, really didn't know where I was going or would end up. Paid off though. I didn't see another human for well over an hour. Icy in many spots but it was ridable. I fell on ice once, and had to hiked down an ice flow which was really hard to do with MTB shoes and a bike, and of course when I got to the bottom I decided I could have ridden it probably. CyclingDirt http://www.cyclingdirt.org/videos/speaker/6081-highlighted-video Sun, 07 Feb 2010 22:21:00 -0500 http://www.cyclingdirt.org/videos/play/291939 My ride on Thursday. Have you ever felt like you were being stalked? I was in mountain lion territory and seemed to be the only person in the park (no other cars in the lot). Twice I had this feeling I was being followed. I was banging away on my handle bar bell frantically!!! Another good use of the bell besides warning hikers I'm coming up. I did notice what appeared to be mountain lion tracks in some snow along the trail, but I'm not a tracking expert. Definitely not dog tracks for sure. Looked like a several hundred pound cat for sure, but again, I'm not expert just have read up on it a little. CyclingDirt http://www.cyclingdirt.org/videos/play/291939 Sat, 06 Feb 2010 20:04:32 -0500 http://www.cyclingdirt.org/videos/play/291685 - CyclingDirt http://www.cyclingdirt.org/videos/play/291685 Sat, 06 Feb 2010 13:56:18 -0500 http://www.cyclingdirt.org/articles/view/1709-pua-sawicki-update-win-puas-palace [Posted by Pua at www.teammata.com.] After 4 years of living full-time on the road following the US Pro Tour, I have set my eyes on the 2012 Olympics. Unfortunately, it is not my performance alone that will give me the opportunity to even have a chance of getting there, it is money. The only way to accumulate the needed points is by competing at the World Cup races in Europe, so unless I get there, the Olympics will remain only a dream. Because Ron and I have chosen the independent road and times are a little tough, we are having to really think out of the box and do everything we can that will help us get there and this is why our rolling palace could be yours for $40. How it will work: Starting February 3, 2010 we will begin accepting entries online. You will complete this entry, receive a confirmation email and the address to mail your payment to. When the payment is received and cleared, you will receive another email with your payment options (Paypal or snail mail), official raffle ticket number, your ticket will be put in the ticket bowl and hopefully your name will be pulled. On April 3, 2010 the winning raffle ticket will be pulled, announced and the winner will immediately be contacted.In order for the give away to take place, the reserve of 2,400 tickets must be purchased. If this number is not met, your entry will be fully reimbursed to you by May 1, 2010 (minus $1.46 for PayPal fees, when applicable). We will update the website weekly with an entry counter that will be counting down the number of entries needed to make the raffle happen.To follow the progress of the raffle, follow our preparations and life while we follow this dream, and to see what you could win, you could follow us here, on youtube, facebook and twitter. Prize Info: The 2006 Carriage C-Force Fifth Wheel Toy Hauler was designed for full time RV fanatics/Sports Enthusiasts and comes with everything you need to live on the road plus a garage area where you can store all the toys that you want to take with you. It works great as a touring RV especially for Mountain Bike, ATV, Dirtbike, and Snowmobile competitions. And off course you'll get elegant interiors with all the comforts of home, a kitchen with lots of name brand appliances and plenty of storage space, a comfy bedroom that comes standard with a queen pillow top mattress, queen loft located above the garage for guests, a cargo door with heavy duty steel coil hinges, track style tie downs that line the cargo floor and much more. Carriage Highlight Home Features: * C-Force "Best Built" Package:Triple Nev-r-lube axlesTriple MOR/ryde Re Rubber equalizer systemGreasable ShacklesExterior Shower40# LP Bottles w/auto change over * C -Force "Luxury" Package:24" Sony Wega Flat Screen TelevisionSony AM/FM/CD/DVD Home Theatre System 5.1 w/subwooferPillow top mattressWater purifierThree zone xelogen lighting w/dimmer switchesCarpet runner @ showerdecorative mirror & coat hooksLarge capacity (72 gallon gray/53 gallon holding) holding tanksLarge capacity (100 gallon) fresh water tank, Enclosed heated & insulated heatingGen-onan Marquis Gold 5500 Watt generatorFurnace Suburban15,000 BTU ducted air conditioner low profile-Carrier30 gallon Fuel tank w/pump station & fuel gaugeCarefree patio awningCable TV hookupPhone jacks (2)Satellite prepSofa Bed (sleeps 2)Loft area above garage (sleeps 2)Booth dinette area (sleeps 1 small)rriage Highlight Garage Features (12' Enclosed Garage with inside door entry to house): * Extreme Garage Package:Includes mor/stor aluminum storage drawerMor/stor aluminum flip up work benchSony AM/FM/CD with 2 interior speakersTwo exterior marine speakers and exterior mounted antennaPull down rear bug screenRemovable ladder with holderRoof Mounted & wireless controlled 100,000 candle watt halogen search lightHeavy duty storage nettingOil resisting FloorSecond Entrance door into Garage Ford F-250 HighlightsWhite 2008 F250 4X4 Crewcab6.4L V-8 DieselTorqshift (TM) 5-SPD Auto TRBlack Leather InteriorBlack Carpet w/rubber mats60/40 Flex Fold Rear BenchNavigation SystemAudiophile System for navLeather Steering w/audio controlsPowerscope Trailer Tow MirrorAdjustable gas/brake pedalReverse Vehicle Aid SensorStowable Bed ExtenderTailgate StepHeated Seats6-way power seat-driver/passengerTow Command SystemTrailer Brake Controller For Rules & Regulations and to Enter, visit here: http://www.teammata.com/raffle/ Colt From Cyclingdirt http://www.cyclingdirt.org/articles/view/1709-pua-sawicki-update-win-puas-palace Sat, 06 Feb 2010 01:06:00 -0500 http://www.cyclingdirt.org/videos/speaker/6128-marc-gullickson Mark & Kelli From USA Cycling talk about (or don;t talk about) the possibility of the US participating in a North American Pro XCT? CyclingDirt http://www.cyclingdirt.org/videos/speaker/6128-marc-gullickson Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:26:00 -0500 http://www.cyclingdirt.org/articles/view/1708-h2o-overdrive-triple-crown-opener-drawing-top-talent   The 2010 H2O Overdrive Triple Crown presented by Specialized is on the radar of some of the World’s top Mountain Bike talent, according to US Cup management.    “We are very excited with the feedback we have been receiving from the industry and riders attending the opening round of the H2O Overdrive Triple Crown All Mountain Series stated US Cup marketing director Ty Kady.  “To date, I have confirmation from some of North America’s top riders, plus 2009 women’s World Championship Bronze medalist Lene Byberg of the Factory Specialized team is set to race, along with her teammate Todd Wells.”   “I can also confirm that a lot of top talent will be attending, including newly signed Cannondale Factory riders Jeremiah Bishop and Tinker Juarez.  Team Sho-Air/Specialized will be sending five time Australian champion Sid Taberlay, along with Max Plaxton and Tad Elliot.  We also expect some of the Kenda/Felt team, some of the Subaru/Gary Fisher crew, as well as a possible Geoff Kabush sighting with his Rocky Mountain/Maxxis team.  All in all, we expect the field to be loaded in both the men and women’s races as they go after potentially huge prize money and media coverage!” continued Kady   “But let’s not forget about all the privateers, both regionally and nationally that can come stake their claim” reiterated Kady. “We could be paying as deep as 30 spots, and we have a Top U23 and Top Senior (oldest) rider bonus too.”   “Industry feedback has been really positive on the new concept and the H2O Overdrive Triple Crown seems to be gaining momentum with the sponsors, teams and riders commented Kady.   Jon Rourke, the Subaru/Gary Fisher team manager had this to say “We look forward to having the team/riders participate in the H2O Overdrive TC events.  The overall concept of the TC should prove to be interesting both from racing dynamics and strategy perspective." Pua Sawicki, a six time national endurance champion, had this perspective as an attending rider, "I am really excited about the first race in the H2O Overdrive Triple Crown at Bonelli Park and I am excited about the new format. Not only will it be fun to race all three disciplines, but it will also highlight the best all around racer.”    North America’s top cross country male pro Geoff Kabush, chimed in via e-mail with his support, “I think you will get a lot of appreciation from the riders for the payouts. That is about how it was back in the day when I started… $3500 for the win….. It is nice when you can finish 5-6th and still get $500-600 bucks to break even for the weekend.”     Colt From Cyclingdirt http://www.cyclingdirt.org/articles/view/1708-h2o-overdrive-triple-crown-opener-drawing-top-talent Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:35:00 -0500 http://www.cyclingdirt.org/videos/speaker/6385-kelli-lusk Mark & Kelli From USA Cycling discuss the 2010 US Pro XCT. CyclingDirt http://www.cyclingdirt.org/videos/speaker/6385-kelli-lusk Thu, 04 Feb 2010 10:53:00 -0500 http://www.cyclingdirt.org/videos/play/289518 . CyclingDirt http://www.cyclingdirt.org/videos/play/289518 Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:17:13 -0500 http://www.cyclingdirt.org/videos/speaker/3802-katerina-nash . CyclingDirt http://www.cyclingdirt.org/videos/speaker/3802-katerina-nash Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:27:00 -0500 http://www.cyclingdirt.org/articles/view/1699-team-giant-update-rays-xctt-invitational Although I’m often a strong proponent of a pure, simple off-season there are exceptions to every rule. This particular exception was conceived over dinner with Fi:zi;k’s Nat Ross at Cross Nationals a while back. We were talking about the upcoming ski season with great excitement and he mentioned that there was an extra set of rockered fat skis in his garage in nneed of a good home for the winter. Now, I have plenty of rad skis these days but you can never be too sure… He agreed to send them over sometime and I agreed to shred. Later on that night the conversation turned to an event Nat was helping promote at Ray’s Indoor MTB Park in Cleveland. Nat was lamenting the difficulty of getting us skinny types to attend a Time Trial style race in January regardless of the radness of setting. I agreed to consider it while privately thinking to myself that there was no way I’d go anywhere to do any type of bike contest in January. A week later the skis showed up and I’d recovered from Nationals enough to give the Ray’s XCTT a serious thought. Recent Northstar/Giant team addition Lizzy English was fired up to go check out the park and learn tricks into the foam pit. This angle was enough to make me realize that it’d be a fun weekend checking out a city and scene that I was normally far removed from. We are all bike riders though… An easy flight to Middle America and we were shredding the 108,000 square foot park on a cold, foggy Friday morning. Ray took us around the “lap” and showed us through the skills sections that would test each rider’s, um, skills, between each lap. With this information sorted we set out to shred the rest of the day in the park’s variety of areas. Each zone caters to a different skill set or riding style. There is the Pump Track, Flow Room, Skate Park, Beginner Room, XC Loop, Vert Room and a bunch of random stuff connecting it all together ingeniously. A typical ten minutes could involve an XC loop which then funnels you into the Vert Room which you exit to the Red Bull bowl and end up on the pump track, sweating. Yup, it’s warm in there, warm enough at least… Before we knew it the clock had struck 7pm and we’d missed the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame’s business hours. Dang it, another attempt to absorb local culture thwarted in the name of playing on bikes…  Speaking of playing on bikes, we tried to avoid it in the name of professional preparation before Saturday’s race but just couldn’t resist. I reckon I did 25 laps around the rhythm room in addition to time in the foam pit and RBB before race time rolled around at 5pm. Tyler Morland and I agreed that we could “stay warm” by ripping laps on the pump track adjacent to the start/finish area while the others did their TT loops. This just resulted in more arm pump… Fortunately, Tyler has arms for days and was able to wow the crowd by manualling the rollers every lap in true DH racer style. He set the bar high but I could tell that there wasn’t much “pedaling” going on in his run. Local shredder Dave informed me before I hit the track that the course record was 6:57, held by him. Seemed fast to me… Tyler had done a 7:40 with a crash on the last skinny log ride. I was going waaaay faster that that when I crashed on the same logride… Oh well, 6:54+15 second penalty was still enough for the victory. Lizzy led out the women’s field and had a solid time going before falling off the same log that got TM and I… Must’ve been overwhelmed by all the other rad stuff going on… She ended up third in the ladies which set us up to look really suspicious walking through the airport on Sunday afternoon, 1400 one dollar bills between the two of us and two women’s mannequin legs with 1st and 3rd in the Tri-Flow XC Invitational hand painted on them. Not to worry though, Airport Security was more concerned with my container of pulled pork… So, this was the January 13 weekend, sorry for the delay in reportage, but it is January after all, we got home and headed straight down to Squaw Valley, buying food and gas with $1’s for three days of hucking through a classic Sierra storm cycle. Now I’m riding shotgun with Carl in a borrowed Dodge Ram pulling an overloaded trailer somewhere in Nebraska on the way to Michigan for the Rally America series opener, Sno*Drift, this weekend. Off-season? Shout out to Ray and his crew for putting on a damn fine event in an unlikely location. Appreciation to the hundreds of people who, instead of rioting when the park was paused for us to race, rang the bejesus out of some Subaru branded cowbells while we did our best impression of people who race against the clock. I’d recommend the next time you’re bored in the winter plan a trip to this shred-mecca and learn a (complicated) trick or two from some 12-year-old BMXers or a retired chap working on his teeter-totter skills. It’s a rad place with great energy. Workin' on the three... Colt From Cyclingdirt http://www.cyclingdirt.org/articles/view/1699-team-giant-update-rays-xctt-invitational Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:57:00 -0500 http://www.cyclingdirt.org/articles/view/1694-elite-men-and-women-2010-cyclocross-world-championships-report Tabor, Czech Republic (January 31, 2010) – The 2010 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships wrapped up Sunday in Tabor, Czech Republic with the elite men and women going at it despite frigid temperatures and a snow laden course.  In the women’s race Meredith Miller (Fort Collins, Colo./Cal Giant) was the first American to cross the line 12th-place, while USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Champion Tim Johnson (Middleton, Mass.Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) was the first American across for the U23 squad in 14th. Twenty-three year-old Amy Dombowski (Boulder, Colo./Luna) also finished inside the top 20 at 14th in the women’s contest as did Jamey Driscol (Jericho, Vt./Cannondale-cyclocrossworld.com) at 19th in the men’s event.   The 40+ rider elite women’s field, including the ailing Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo./Planet Bike) tackled the 3.32-kilometer circuit in sub-zero temperatures. Dutchwomen Marianne Vos and Daphny Van Den Brand took control from the start with Germany’s Hanka Kupfernagel closely chasing. While America’s best medal hope, Compton, was forced to exit the race due to re-occuring cramps, Vos charged away from her competitors in the second lap to grab her second successive cyclo-cross world title. Laura Van Gilder (Cresco, Pa./C3-Sollay)Maureen Bruno-Roy (Arlington, Mass./MM Racing p/b Seven Cycles) rounded out the U.S. finishers in 25th and 31st respectively.  In front of a hometown crowd, Czech rider Zdenek Stybar defeated the powerful Belgian contingent to earn the elite men’s rainbow jersey after spending more than half of the nine-lap race out front alone. Johnson led the U.S. contingent with his 14th-place finish which was two minutes and 28 seconds off the winning pace. Next up for the red, white, and blue was Driscoll in 19th, Jonathan Page (Northfield, N.H./Planet Bike) in 30th, Jeremy Powers (Hadley, Mass./Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) in 41st and Ryan Trebon (Bend, Ore./KONA) 50th. UCI Cyclo-cross World ChampionshipsTabor, Czech RepublicJan. 30-31, 2010 Elite Men1. Zdenek Stybar (Czech Republic) 1:08:58   2. Klaas Vantornout (Belgium) +0:21   3. Sven Nys (Belgium) +0:3814. Tim Johnson (Middleton, Mass.Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) +2:2819. Jamey Driscol (Jericho, Vt./Cannondale-cyclocrossworld.com) +3:0730. Jonathan Page (Northfield, N.H./Planet Bike) +4:0541. Jeremy Powers (Hadley, Mass./Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) +5:1350. Ryan Trebon (Bend, Ore./KONA) +7:37  Elite Women1. Marianne Vos (Netherlands) 0:42:59   2. Hanka Kupfernagel (Germany) +0:45   3. Daphny Van Den Brand (Netherlands) +01:0212. Meredith Miller (Fort Collins, Colo./Cal Giant) +2:5514. Amy Dombrowski (Boulder, Colo./Luna) +3:1625. Maureen Bruno-Roy (Arlington, Mass./MM Racing p/b Seven Cycles) +4:28 31. Laura Van Gilder (Cresco, Pa./C3-Sollay) +5:53DNF Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo./Planet Bike) Colt From Cyclingdirt http://www.cyclingdirt.org/articles/view/1694-elite-men-and-women-2010-cyclocross-world-championships-report Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:42:00 -0500 http://www.cyclingdirt.org/videos/speaker/5059-jonathan-page . CyclingDirt http://www.cyclingdirt.org/videos/speaker/5059-jonathan-page Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:16:00 -0500 http://www.cyclingdirt.org/photos/album_assoc/242053 Photos from...The 2010 Cyclocross season hits it's peak this weekend in Tabor, Czech Republic with the elite World Championships. Dave From Trailwatch will be on-site… CyclingDirt http://www.cyclingdirt.org/photos/album_assoc/242053 Sun, 31 Jan 2010 09:42:54 -0500 http://www.cyclingdirt.org/videos/play/285091 Katerina had to settle for fourth place in front of her countrymen who cheered wildly all through the race CyclingDirt http://www.cyclingdirt.org/videos/play/285091 Sun, 31 Jan 2010 06:20:23 -0500 http://www.cyclingdirt.org/videos/play/284800 Danny talks about his solid race in Tabor. While getting off to a poor start, he moved up dramatically in the field. Without a last lap crash he would have been top 20 for the day. CyclingDirt http://www.cyclingdirt.org/videos/play/284800 Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:59:17 -0500 http://www.cyclingdirt.org/articles/view/1693-junior-u23-2010-cyclocross-world-championships-report Tabor, Czech Republic (January 30, 2010) – The 2010 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships kicked off on Saturday in Tabor, Czech Republic with the U23 and Junior men duking it out on a course that was frozen  from the region’s heavy snowfall in recent weeks.  In the junior race, Cody Kaiser (El Dorado Hills, Calif./Cal Giant) was the first to cross the line for the U.S. National Team, in 33rd-place, while Zach McDonald (Bainbridge Island, Wash./Stevens Classic Cycle) was the first across for the U23 squad in 28th.   The junior men’s field toed the line first for five technical, slippery laps of the 3.32-kilometer circuit. The field remained intact for the first half of the contest with the leaders really beginning to emerge in the third lap.   In front of a hometown crowd, Czech rider Tomas Paprstka outsprinted Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe for the rainbow jersey while Dutchman Emiel Dolfsma grabbed the bronze medal. Kaiser led the U.S. contingent with his 33rd-place finish which was three minutes and five seconds off the winning pace. Next up for the red, white, and blue was Chris Wallace (Shawnee, Kan./KCCX-Verge) in 39th,Jeff Bahnson (Newark, Del./Thule-Vandessel) in 44th, Skyler Trujillo (Fort Collins, Colo./Black Sheep) in 53rd, and Matt Spinks(Layton, N.J./Young Medalists – Team Dual Temp) in 57th.   The course was softened up a bit by the time the U23 men’s field of 59 riders took to the start line. The five U.S. riders found themselves in the second half of the field early on in the contest, meaning it was an uphill battle for all seven laps. The Polish riders took control of the competition right from the get-go, and in the end, a pair of brothers climbed onto the podium’s top two spots. Poland’s Pawel Szcepaniak and Kacper Szczepaniak grabbed first and second while Frenchman Arnaud Jouffroy worked his way up to third over the race’s second half. Zach McDonald and Danny Summerhill (Englewood, Colo./Garmin-Felt-Holowesko) were the first non-Europeans to cross the line, finishing in 28th an 29th respectively, about three minutes and 40 seconds off the winning time. Dave Hackworthy (Hudson, Wis./Plan C), Jerome Townsend (Princeton, Mass./Bikereg.com-Joe’s Garage), and Luke Keough (Sandwich, Mass.) followed their compatriots into the finish area in 34th, 38th, and 44th places.     UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships Tabor, Czech Republic Jan. 30-31, 2010   U23 Men 1. Pawel Szczepaniak (Poland) 2. Kacper Szczepaniak (Poland) 3.Arnaud Jouffroy (France) 28. Zach McDonald (Bainbridge Island, Wash./Stevens Classic Cycle) 29. Danny Summerhill (Englewood, Colo./Garmin-Felt-Holowesko) 34. Dave Hackworthy (Hudson, Wis./Plan C) 38. Jerome Townsend (Princeton, Mass./Bikereg.com-Joe’s Garage) 44. Luke Keough (Sandwich, Mass.)   Junior Men 1. Tomas Paprstka (Czech Republic) 2. Julian Alaphilippe (France) 3. Emiel Dolfsma (Netherlands) 33. Cody Kaiser (El Dorado Hills, Calif./Cal Giant) 39. Chris Wallace (Shawnee, Kan./KCCX-Verge) 44. Jeff Bahnson (Newark, Del./Thule-Vandessel) 53. Skyler Truijillo (Fort Collins, Colo./Black Sheep) 57. Matt Spinks (Layton, N.J./Young Medalists – Team Dual Temp) Colt From Cyclingdirt http://www.cyclingdirt.org/articles/view/1693-junior-u23-2010-cyclocross-world-championships-report Sat, 30 Jan 2010 20:27:00 -0500 http://www.cyclingdirt.org/videos/coverage/view/236391-2010-cyclocross-world-championships 2009 Cyclocross Worlds Course Preview Photos Junior/U23 Race Report CyclingDirt http://www.cyclingdirt.org/videos/coverage/view/236391-2010-cyclocross-world-championships Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:13:42 -0500 http://www.cyclingdirt.org/photos/album_assoc/240962 Photos from...The 2009-10 UCI Cyclocross World Cup series comes to a close this weekend in Hoogerhiede, the Netherlands. It is also the last chance for the world's… CyclingDirt http://www.cyclingdirt.org/photos/album_assoc/240962 Sun, 24 Jan 2010 15:03:34 -0500 http://www.cyclingdirt.org/videos/coverage/view/236326-uci-world-cup-9-hoogerhiede CyclingDirt http://www.cyclingdirt.org/videos/coverage/view/236326-uci-world-cup-9-hoogerhiede Sat, 23 Jan 2010 01:48:47 -0500 http://www.cyclingdirt.org/photos/album_assoc/240344 Photos from...On the rare occasion that the world's top Mountain Bikers are not on the road, living out of a suitcase and traveling from race to race, they have… CyclingDirt http://www.cyclingdirt.org/photos/album_assoc/240344 Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:23:53 -0500 http://www.cyclingdirt.org/videos/coverage/view/236291-mtb-cribs-season-one Other Cyclingdirt Series  Day In The Life Shop Tours Better Know A Pro Pro Bike Season One Best Of 2009 CyclingDirt http://www.cyclingdirt.org/videos/coverage/view/236291-mtb-cribs-season-one Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:11:01 -0500 http://www.cyclingdirt.org/photos/album_assoc/239058 Photos from...Last Spring, as part of the "Better Know A Pro" series, we sat down with a coupe dozen of the world's top riders to talk about how they got their start… CyclingDirt http://www.cyclingdirt.org/photos/album_assoc/239058 Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:19:05 -0500 http://www.cyclingdirt.org/videos/coverage/view/236238-day-in-the-life-season-one Other Cyclingdirt Series  Shop Tours Better Know A Pro Pro Bike Season One Best Of 2009 CyclingDirt http://www.cyclingdirt.org/videos/coverage/view/236238-day-in-the-life-season-one Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:40:32 -0500 http://www.cyclingdirt.org/blogs/blogger/Colt From Cyclingdirt/10060-happy-2010 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 excitement! -Colt From Cyclingdirt Colt From Cyclingdirt http://www.cyclingdirt.org/blogs/blogger/Colt From Cyclingdirt/10060-happy-2010 Sat, 02 Jan 2010 09:10:00 -0500 http://www.cyclingdirt.org/blogs/blogger/Colt From Cyclingdirt/9962-merry-christmas 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 a look back over the next six days at some of our favorite moments of 2009. Enjoy the nostalgia, because with the start of 2010 comes the best coverage we've ever had! Thanks for all your support this season, from all of us here at Cyclingdirt! Colt From Cyclingdirt http://www.cyclingdirt.org/blogs/blogger/Colt From Cyclingdirt/9962-merry-christmas Thu, 24 Dec 2009 19:08:00 -0500 http://www.cyclingdirt.org/blogs/blogger/Tim Darwick/9810-you-wish-you-were-here There was a lot of build up to my trip to Oregon this week. Everyone I had talked to had only incredible things to say about Bend. From their outdoor athletics to their beer, everything was highly regarded from those who visited. One individual even went as far as to say Bend was nothing short of "Heaven." With all of this build up, Bend had quite a reputation to uphold, and so far it has lived up to every word. The town of Bend is home to about 81,000 people (according to a sign, but this number may vary), and everyone I talk to seems to be physically involved in something. Their high school jocks are not football players, but rather alpine skiers. Overweight individuals are a rarity, and in my adventures so far I have only come across a single McDonalds. The lifestyle in the area is that of full-year ski-town, but with so much more going on. The only downside in this area seems to be a lack of jobs. It is almost impossible to find a viable career in your field of study, no matter what it be, and its extremely common to find common workers with expansive educations. My host family tells numerous stories to this fact, including one about a window fitter who received his PhD from Oxford (he rightfully claims to be the most educated window fitter in America). As for the 'Cross racing, the course originally seemed pretty tame as far as technical aspects go, but did prove a respectable distance (3.2 km). Not much elevation gain, but one stair run-up and one set of barriers. However, the weather in Bend produced a very difficult, and dynamic course. The temperature when I arrived in Bend was -16, or -25 with wind chill factored in (and yes, both of those numbers have negatives on them). I have never been that cold in my life! But the cold resulted in frozen ground (and rivers), making the course have the potential for lots of speed. The snow mixed in on top assured the riders that it wouldn't just be a straight powerfest, as you really had to have good handling to navigate the corners. As the first day of racing progressed, temperatures rose throughout the day and began melting a little bit of the ice. But as soon as the sun tucked itself behind the mountains, the portions of the course that had originally thawed out began to freeze over again. So instead of hard ground, riders were blasting through sheets of ice. More snow is expected to fall over the next few days, so it is tough to predict just what the course will be like by the time the Elites race. I'm off to explore more of the town this evening, and partake in cycling related activities, but I'll be sure to update more after tomorrow, and especially after I race on Sunday. I'll even post some pictures when I have the chance. Tomorrow I also head over to Mt. Bachelor for some Nordic skiing! Hopefully I won't bust myself up too bad... Tim Darwick http://www.cyclingdirt.org/blogs/blogger/Tim Darwick/9810-you-wish-you-were-here Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:21:00 -0500 http://www.cyclingdirt.org/blogs/blogger/Colt From Cyclingdirt/9759-best-coverage-on-earth 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 can bring you the best coverage in the world of Cycling, but as a community, we can give Cyclocross the best coverage of any sport on the planet! Bring your video camera, your still camera, your cell phone camera... they all work. When you're done, don't just share it on your blog or your facebook; share it here with the hundreds of thousands of Cyclocross fans who are craving good race footage, interviews, photos, etc. If you'll be too busy racing to hang out and watch the action, share a blog entry or race report... hell, where a helmet cam! If you want the full Cyclingdirt experience, shoot me an Email at Colt@Cyclingdirt.org and I'd be happy to put you to work! Below are a couple tips to get you started. Colt From Cyclingdirt http://www.cyclingdirt.org/blogs/blogger/Colt From Cyclingdirt/9759-best-coverage-on-earth Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:12:00 -0500 http://www.cyclingdirt.org/blogs/blogger/Kathryn LaPointe/9495-one-love-one-gear Fontana, part two. My March race in Riverside County was so traumatic, I never wrote it up. A wild success for the promoters, and mountain bike racing in general, the teeming hordes on that course made for a long day. You can get a feel for it in this video: http://tinyurl.com/fontanahighlights Those are the pros, bless 'em. My Cat 1, formerly known as "expert", race wasn't quite as crowded, but the traffic still stalled and trail rage reared its ugly tread. I would pull over to let people pass, and after fifteen bikes went by, I still couldn't merge back in. And when I did, I got yelled at. There is nothing less pleasant than a former semi-pro racer, forced to race down because USA Cycling reshuffled the categories, bumping your back tire and worrying about his fading sponsorhip chances. I managed to get past someone, politely I hope, and he caught up with me when I stopped to replace my dropped chain. "Not going so fast now, are you?" But I digress. Saturday's XC race was the finale of the Southridge series, i.e. not part of the UCI or State points chase. And most people are racing cyclocross at this time of year, anyway. Still, six singlespeeders lined up, me representing all the women out there who secretly want to race one-y. Recently, while trying to convince someone of the joys of racing, someone commented on the bruises on my legs as evidence for a more sedate sport. Ooooh, yeah, those aren't bruises. Try varicose veins, gifts bestowed by mutliple pregnancies and a genetic collagen defect. Suitably embarrassed, for this race, I donned knee high socks, with a pink stripe. Which generated yet more commentary. Someday, I want to be famous for actual ability. Sigh. Ready, set go, up the pavement, down the dirt, repeat twice. Short, hard, fun laps. Most of the guys wisely installed a 22 tooth rear gear but, not having preridden, I still had my 19. So I hiked. A lot. But I refuse to pay money to feel sorry for myself, so enjoyed fishtailing down the powdery descents on my 29 inch tires, and celebrating any sections I could actually pedal. I didn't pass anyone, this time, but at least didn't get yelled at. I think this race report could really be condensed to eight and half words: Beautiful day. Great course. Wrong gear. Had a blast. No tragedies, crashes, blood or tears. How boring is that? After five years, I am about due to ditch the drama. So, if you ever run across (or even over) someone on a blue singlespeed wearing funny socks, you know she's having a good time. Kathryn LaPointe http://www.cyclingdirt.org/blogs/blogger/Kathryn LaPointe/9495-one-love-one-gear Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:13:00 -0500