Read about it HERE.
August 23, 2007
Help build new mountain-bike park
Have you wanted to go mountain biking but can’t find the time to drive out to the mountains?
Let the mountain come to you, sort of.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, you can join the Colonnade Mountain Bike Park work party and help build a new mountain-bike park under Interstate 5 between the Eastlake and Capitol Hill neighborhoods.
Volunteers should bring boots or sturdy shoes, work gloves, eye protection, water and a sack lunch.
The park is beneath I-5 with boundaries of Lakeview Avenue East, Franklin Avenue East, East Howe Street and East Blaine Street. Parking is available near the east entrance at 1850 Lakeview Blvd. E. and near the west entrance at 1800 Franklin Ave. E.
To volunteer call 206-524-2900, or for more information visit http://bbtc.org/home/index.php or e-mail Colonnade Project Manager Mike Westra at mwestra1@gmail.com.
August 20, 2007
Fun in them thar’ hills
Club brings riders together for exciting evening rides
BY JEFF NACHTIGAL, Californian staff writer
e-mail: jnachtigal@bakersfield.com | Monday, Aug 20 2007 11:30 AM
Last Updated: Friday, Aug 17 2007 10:36 AM
Trace the inside curve of a wide-brimmed coffee cup. Your finger loops down one lip, across the flat bottom, back up the other side.
Expand that cup to a 300-foot wide bowl, with a single dirt track connecting both edges.
Now pedal your mountain bike over the edge, and slingshot down, then up, the whoop-de-doo. Momentum and gravity will fuel the adrenaline rush.
Monday nights with the Southern Sierra Fat Tire Association are geared for fun, riding together and encouraging newbie mountain bikers to take the plunge — or climb — on the club’s weekly bluff ride.
If you’re not quite up for every steep adrenaline burst, expert mountain biker Tim Strem, is happy to point out the alternate paths.
Some group rides never slow down, but the mountain bike club regroups every 10 or 15 minutes so everyone rides together.
“We don’t ever leave anyone behind,” said Jerry Moseley, who said he started riding with the club a few months ago. The bluffs stretch across an undeveloped area northeast of Bakersfield. Paths criss-cross the bluffs, giving the club numerous routes to explore.
After a few miles, the road rises for the steepest climb of the evening. But the long grind to the top of Hangglider Hill offers a pleasant surprise: a welcome breeze blows over the top.
The group pauses to catch a collective breath, and take in the 360-degree view overlooking Hart Park and CALM. The terrain, and views, change constantly.
For mountain bikers, the gullies criss-crossing the bluffs are a giant playground. Here and there the odd pump jack or abandoned vehicle hulk serve as mile markers.
“We always take different routes in the foothills out there, there are so many trails,” said longtime club member Jim McWhorter, who first rode the bluffs by motorcycle in the 1970s, and later took up mountain biking to stay in shape.
It’s private property, but General Holding Inc., which owns more than 800 acres on the bluffs, has eased up on its no trespassing rules for mountain bikes, according to McWhorter.
And it’s quiet, save for the birds, bees and bikes.
“We have a great asset out here on which to play,” Strem said as he changed a flat tire — the only mechanical issue, as luck would have it, the group faced on the two-hour ride.
Many riders do both weekly rides. Wednesday rides are faster: “You’re there for camaraderie and fitness, so when you go into the mountains you’re ready,” said Tommy Bryant, who often leads rides.
On this Monday the group rolls at a steady pace. Make no mistake, mountain biking on the bluffs is not for the faint of heart. Or faint of legs.
Regardless of your fitness or equipment level, enthusiasm is far and away the key ingredient to having a good time, Strem said.
The second half of the ride loops Hart Park. Packed sand along the Kern River provides a fast track to the final climb. Up and over Pistol Range Hill, and into the setting sun.
Repeat next Monday.
August 17, 2007
Gettysburg girl wins national biking title
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Gettysburg girl wins national biking title
By PATRICK ABDALLA
Evening Sun Sports Writer
Article Launched: 08/17/2007 09:51:18 AM EDT
Alicia Styer said the best thing about racing competitively is that she gets to meet new people.
Then again, maybe she said “beat new people” because, if she’s meeting them, the 10-year-old isn’t sticking around for long.
The Gettysburg resident has been mountain biking competitively for three years and last month became the Junior 10-and-under XC national champion.
She won the title by winning her age group’s 5-mile race at the National Mountain Bike Championship at Mount Snow in Vermont.
So she’s definitely been beating the competition.
But, to be sure you got the quote right, you ask her again, “What’s the best thing about riding?”
“It’s fun,” Styer said, “You get to meet new people.”
So, basically, Styer meets someone, then hops on her bike. then, when the race starts, she sees if they can catch up.
Styer and her mother, Hillary Styer, are a part of a racing community, Vello Bella Kona, that’s based out of Watsonville, Calif.
The group will meet at races throughout the country.
The Styers have traveled to places like North Carolina and Vermont to participate.
And they’ve made friends with the people they compete with and against.
“The whole team gets excited if she
Evening Sun Blog
wins,” Hillary Styer said.
The elder Styer said she admires the way her daughter rides.
“She does better than me,” she said.
And racing has become a family activity.
Alicia’s father, Morgan, and brother Ethan, 2, attend the events.
“He’s our mascot,” Hillary Styer said of the 2-year old’s responsibilities. “He cheers us on.”
Alicia Styer said she plans on continuing to race because she enjoys it and the people she meets.
And beats.
Contact Patrick Abdalla at pabdalla@eveningsun.com.
August 14, 2007
Landis crashes but finishes 2nd in Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race
LEADVILLE, Colorado: Floyd Landis finished second in a mountain bike race Saturday despite a crash that left last year’s disgraced Tour de France champion with a bloody right leg.
Landis, unable to defend his 2006 Tour title because of a positive doping test, was runner-up to five-time winner Dave Wiens in the Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race in this old mining town.
Landis, riding on a surgically repaired hip, had scrapes on his elbows and forearms and bandages on three fingers. His leg was wrapped in blood-soaked gauze from just above his knee to his hip.
He said he went down about an hour into the 160-kilometer (100-mile) race while going downhill. Landis’ career began in mountain biking.
“I’m never going to do this again,” he joked, then added: “I’m glad I came and did this. I really enjoyed it.”
August 7, 2007
Learn how to climb
Check out this great article from MtnBikeRiders.com
1) Get that saddle up!
I think with a lot of the all mountain bikes and freeride style bikes that are out there today a lot of people tend to leave those saddles a smidge to far from where they should be for climbing if for no other reason than to avoid putting it back down for the descent. Try putting your seat up higher to get maximum forcer out of your pedal stroke. This also helps to put your body weight higher so that front end will stop trying kick up on the steeps.
2)Keep the butt on the saddle.
Weather you have a full suspension or a hardtail rig, staying in the saddle can do wonders for your ascending ability. Remaining seated keeps a steady weight on the bike that helps those tires dig in. Standing while climbing should really be reserved for those extra technical sections and should be a rarity. If you’re on a sandy climb don’t even think about getting out of that seat! You know what I’m talking about, the rear tire starts slipping, you lose your momentum then it’s off to the side and you’re walking your bike up(or worse, falling backward). So keep that butt in the seat and keep those pedals spinning…you’ll get there!
Read the rest HERE
July 27, 2007
Value Proposition?
That term bugs me. I’ll tell you why. I once had a boss back in the day that thought his company and its product/services was the best thing on earth. He kept asking me everyday what is our value proposition is just to make sure I had it drilled in to my head.
Basically value proposition means that what value does the product/service provide its customer. Why would someone buy product A versus product B. Well Go Clipless is going to try and find that out about the Woodstock 707.
I’m a man with caviar dreams on a blue collar budget…actually, not totally true, but I thought it sounded Robin Leach-esque. What I mean to say is that I’ve been doing some moonlighting over at Blue Collar Mountain Biking, helping out with a bike review. I’ve been knocking around on a Woodstock 707 full-suspension bike and recording my thoughts for the audience over there. It’s a multi-part review and I just posted part two the other day.
Keep Reading
July 18, 2007
Take to the ski lifts
TRUCKEE – Mountain biking is a lot easier when you don’t have to pedal uphill.
It’s also much more fun that way.
Northstar at Tahoe chairlifts aren’t only for plopping skiers and snowboarders atop snowy mountains. During the summer months they provide a lift for mountain bikers determined to maximize their downhill time during a day of riding.
“We just don’t want to ride uphill,” said Nick Victor, 16.
The Walnut Creek teen and his brother Stavro Victor, 14, were just two among many taking advantage of Northstar’s summer mountain bike park.
“It’s brilliant,” Stavro said of accessing trails by way of chairlift.
Kyle Crezee, mountain bike park director, said Northstar offers more than 100 miles of terrain offering both natural and manmade features accessible by three chairlifts. All-day lift tickets are $39. Bring your own bike, or rent wheels and gear on site.
“We’re trying to position ourselves as a great biking destination,” Crezee said. “This is also great place to do cross-country rides. You might not have the legs to do a 30-mile cross-country ride unless you throw a lift ride in there.”
July 16, 2007
Tag Wheels on the Woodstock 707
Those guys at MtnBikeRiders.com know what they’re doing. Check out the recent upgrade they made to the 707.
