Chris Akrigg - A Winters Hard Tail

 

Can Too Much Exercise Harm the Heart? - The New York Times

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/12/30/can-too-much-exercise-harm-the-heart/?&hpw&rref=health&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region&region=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well&_r=0

Another Cycling Classic: The Impossible Hour

 

A Sunday in Hell/The Stars and the Water Carriers

Same story here… I believe I posted these links previously, but these films are true classics.

La Course en Tete (1974) Available on YouTube

I think there is a pretty good chance that I posted a link to this outstanding video some time ago, but even if that is the case, it merits a repost. Giving credit where credit is due, I had not thought about this feature length 1974 Merckx biopic for a while until Bikerumor.com posted a link to the full length version today. I purchased La Course en Tete years ago on DVD from World Cycling Productions and enjoyed it a great deal.

Fat Biking Around Salt Lake City: Where the Rubber Meets the Snow. Rootsrated.com

*photo credit rootsrated.com

I talked to Tim today and was pretty excited to hear about extensive fat bike trail grooming in the Salt Lake City area. Follow the link for a guide to the SLC area fat bike trails.

https://rootsrated.com/stories/fat-biking-around-salt-lake-city-bbedit-process

A Rocky Mountain Christmas

Many thanks to Bikerumor.com for posting these videos.

Jamis. I'll Be Home for Christmas

Velocity's Carol of the Spokes

A Fat Bike Christmas Card from Portland Design Works

Svenness 4.2 From In the Crosshairs. Sven vs. Wout vs. Mathieu at the Koksijde World Cup

This is a 22 minute video of Koksijde highlights and commentary. I posted a shorter highlight video of the same event about three weeks ago. Even if you watched the earlier video, consider watching Svenness 4.2

GCN Five Worst Team Kits of all time

 

Hurricane Components Fork Up

 

Scott Hurst was the first to find the Fork Up adaptor. Joe ordered it for me. It allows you to transport a fat bike with a traditional roof rack.

https://www.hurricanecomponents.com/

 

VN Legally Speaking: Rolling Coal is Wrong - and Illegal

Photo: iStock.com

http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/12/news/legally-speaking-rolling-coal-is-wrong-and-illegal_391257

Instant Karma For Road Rage Against Cyclist

 

Brumotti Thrilla in Manilla Plus World's Hardest Climb

Dumpster Diving Across America

Danny MacAskill-Cascadia

Tour of Utah Heads South for 2016 - VeloNews.com

http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/12/news/tour-of-utah-heads-south-for-2016_390802

Candide Thovex. No Snow, No Problem

No bicycles here, just entertainment.

TaggioPro Pump Head

 

Here it is. I think I mentioned this device on the blog a while ago. The TaggioPro is a pump head designed for reliability, secure seal, and ease of use with both Schrader and Presta valves. I purchased a TaggioPro some time ago from the first production run as part of a Kickstarter campaign. It was originally known as the RapidoPro, but the name had to be changed due to a copyright issue.

So how good is it? The proof will come from months and years of use, but my first impressions are very favorable. So far, it seems to do what it has promised to do. You can read more at their website: www.taggiopro.com

Iceland Traverse with Hans Rey and Steve Peat

 

Bike Rumor's Best Videos of the Week. Sagan MTB, True Life Midfat

 

GCN: Best Tech of 2015

GMBN: Are Fat Bikes Fast

This video was featured on VeloNews yesterday as well as the GCN Tech of the Year Video

Kelton at Rocky Mountain Cross Regional Championships

Kelton traveled to Longmont Colorado today to compete in the Rocky Mountain Cyclocross Championships. You can read more about the event here: http://303cycling.com/2015-Rocky-Mountain-Cross-Regional-Championships Kelton raced up an age group in an attempt to gain more points for a potential invitation to Cross Nationals as well as a better starting position.  Based on a very solid finish in an older age group which included national champions, there is an excellent chance he could have won his own age.

Brian reports that the Longmont Race was a top quality event, highly competitive and well organized. The rider in the background of this photo is Gage Hecht, one of the world’s top junior cyclocross racers. He finished fourth at the 2015 Junior World Championships. http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/01/news/fourth-good-gold-gage-hecht-2015-cyclocross-worlds_359780

 

Jay P's Fat Pursuit: December 19th/January 8th-11th

December 19th event is 60 K

January 8th to 11th event offers 200 K and 200 mile options

http://www.fatpursuit.com/

Fat Bike Events at Grand Targhee

Global Fat Bike Day Saturday December 5th

http://www.grandtarghee.com/event/global-fat-bike-day/

Fat Bike Race #1 Sunday December 13th

http://www.grandtarghee.com/event/fat-bike-race-1-fat-bike-demos/

Fat Bike Race #2 Night Race Saturday January 16th

http://www.grandtarghee.com/event/grand-targhee-fat-bike-race-2/

Global Fat Bike Day at Harriman

From Harriman State Park: Global Fat Bike Day 2015 is being celebrated here this Saturday, December 5 from 9-3 pm. The day begins at 10 am with various rides for all abilities starting from the Jones House, which will serve as a warming hut for riders to warm by the fire. Fitzgerald's Bicycles will also have their rental fleet of 7 bikes available for short demo rides. Hopefully you're able to join us; it's going to be an awesome day at Harriman State Park of Idaho!

Shredding With Jeff Kendall-Weed and Kali Helmets

$300 Will Buy You a 58 lb Star Wars Fat Bike at Target

http://www.bikerumor.com/2015/12/02/youll-need-the-power-of-the-dark-side-to-pedal-new-star-wars-bikes-at-target/#more-116624

Thanksgiving Fat Bike Ride

Due to the cold and just enough snow to make a road ride questionable we hit the farm roads for a little pre-Turkey dinner exercise.

Ryan lays down a nice single track

Dave surveys the Idaho Tundra

MAXimFLOW #2 - Ireland and Scotland

 

Nodes from the Hautes-Alpes département of France.

 

From Rebecca Rusch: Snowball Special Registration Open, Date Announced for RPI 2016

Snowball Special Registration Now Open!                           I love me some fat biking!  Skiing’s fun too, but who doesn’t love options? That’s why I’m hosting the 2nd Annual Snowball Special Fat Bike Race in Sun Valley! This event is  a fundraiser for our local Fat Bike Advocacy Group and our goal is to introduce more people to fat biking and have a great time doing it.  Join us on the Sun Valley Nordic Trails.    January 30th, 2016.  20k, 40k, and 40k relay distances. For more information and to register, visit  http://www.snowballfatbike.com

 

Phil Gaimon: We are not robots | Cyclingnews.com

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/phil-gaimon-we-are-not-robots/

Elite Men's Race Highlights 2015-16 Cyclo-cross World Cup Koksijde, Belgium

 

Cross Crusade '15 . Portland International Raceway

Rideable*

 

*Barely. Tony and I just finished riding a variation of the singletrack that I rode on Thursday, not because it was a good idea but because we are knuckleheads.

GCN: Ride Mud Like a Pro

 

Fat Singletrack

 

If you are riding a fat bike in midwinter, it is probably on a snowmobile trail or similar surface. Singletrack has long since ceased to be rideable. I started the day today with the plan of going out for a road ride. By the time I got organized to do that, snow was falling. Plan B, a fat bike ride from Lyon Creek to the Kelly Canyon area seemed like a better option. I was lucky enough to encounter those very rare goldilocks conditions: enough snow to make the singletrack fun and challenging, not enough to make it unrideable. If it continues to snow overnight the window of opportunity to ride singletrack may be gone by morning.

From Tony: Fat Bike Tubeless

I am relatively new to tire sealants and my fat bike was the first in my fleet to switch over to the tubeless world. I chose Orange Seal based mainly on their claims that their sealant preformed best at sub zero temperatures. The product worked. No flats all last winter. I know it is not a big endorsement because who gets flats riding around on snow. Curiosity got the better of me about what was going on inside the tire and because all sealant companies recommend adding fresh sealant every 4 to 6 months, I decided to take it apart. Breaking the seal along the bead was very difficult and I had to resort to levers and body builder noises. The latex material is amazingly tough. The photo shows the coagulated sealant after hanging in my garage over the summer. No doubt all sealants dry up eventually. At I thought I would cause a sizable weight imbalance, but when I pulled it out, it only weighed an estimated 15 or 20 grams. Considering the overall mass of the tire material, I don't believe it will even be noticed while riding. I don't plan to mess around with the front tire except to add the recommended refill of sealant.

Bengal Cross

I was not able to make it to Bengal Cross today but I spoke to Brian, Dan, and Shae who were there. Apparently it was a great event with a good course and conditions. A number of the Rexburg cyclists were there as well as the Jackson Hole crew plus some very fast guys from Sun Valley. It was déjà vu all over again with Shae winning the women’s race. If anyone wants to send additional commentary or photos, I would be happy to post them.

On balance, I feel like this has been the best cross season ever in Southeastern Idaho with a total of seven local races (three in Victor, two in Idaho Falls, one in Rexburg, and one in Pocatello). The races have generally been well organized and well supported by local cyclists. I hope that this momentum and growth will continue next year.

Lok Sak

This is exactly what it looks like: a better quality Zip Lock bag (softer stronger plastic, double zipper, convenient size and shape). Everyone who participated in Jay P's Gravel Pursuit received one of these in our swag bag. Until someone comes up with a better plan to protect a cell phone in your jersey product or until the phones become more indestructible, this may be the best protection option. 

Don't Forget Bengal Cross this Saturday

As most of you are aware, this will be the final cross race of the season in our immediate area. Peter puts on a great race and I hope as many people as possible can support it. Follow this link for registration and more information: https://bengalcross.athlete360.com/

VeloNews: What Makes Cycling Tires Fast?

photo copyright VeloNews/VeloNews.com

http://velonews.competitor.com/where-the-rubber-meets-the-road-what-makes-cycling-tires-fast

The short answer: It's complicated. I had skimmed this article a few days ago in the print version of VeloNews. Jeff sent me the link to the online version today and drew my attention back to it. For the technologically inclined among our readers, I would highly recommend reading the full article. Speaking very broadly, wider, more supple tires roll faster. But as it turns out, the most important variable may be the exact rubber compound of each individual tire. The most remarkable finding from VN strict laboratory testing of 34 popular tire models is that the rolling resistance of the worst tires was almost double that of the best (roughly 60 vs 30 watts per tire). Times two tires, that is a difference of 60 watts which multiplied over distance is enormous. 

Are electric bikes the wheels of the future or just the new Segways? - The Washington Post

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/are-electric-bikes-the-wheels-of-the-future-or-just-the-new-segways/2015/11/11/bb9271da-8328-11e5-8ba6-cec48b74b2a7_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-cards_hp-card-lifestyle%3Ahomepage%2Fcard

Viva la revolución: Mexico City cyclists fight for the right to ride in safety |The Guardian

http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/nov/11/viva-la-revolucion-mexico-city-cyclists-fight-right-safet

Kaleidoscope: See Things Differently

Anderson Mill Canyon Rd. First Snow Ride of the Season.

Blue Goose 2015

 

Yesterday was another perfect fall day which saw the running of the Third Annual Blue Goose Cyclocross at Freeman Park in Idaho Falls. Scheduling conflicts prevented me from participating the first two years,so yesterday was my first Blue Goose and first ever cross race at Freeman Park. I absolutely loved the venue. The laps were long and featured a number of substantial climbs over the hilly topography of the park.

The race played out in a fairly familiar pattern. Gabe won the men’s A Race. Shae won the Women’s A Race. Kelton finished on the podium.

 

Lots More Great Cube Photos on the Rexburg Races Facebook Page

I think Jordan took most of these…all professional quality.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1022148274503141.1073741837.373923655992276&type=3

 

From Scott Hurst: BYU-I Gear Sale Tomorrow

The ORC is hosting a gear swap and sale this Saturday November 7^th from 9:00AM-5:00 PM. We have bikes, skis, snowboards, Stand Up Paddle boards, canoes, river tubes, and much more.  All sales are on a first come first serve basis. All sales will be final and all items are sold as is no warranty implied or otherwise.

 

In addition to the sale we will have door prizes, food vendors and other entertainment happening from 10:00AM to 2:00PM Check out our Facebook for more details.  https://www.facebook.com/OutdoorResourceCenter/

 

Cycling News.com: Pros Select the Top Five Climbs in North American Racing

Joe Dombrowski (Cannondale-Garmin) wins at Snowbird during the 2015 Tour of Utah. (Jonathan Devich)/cyclingnews.com

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/top-5-climbs-in-north-american-racing/

GCN: Ride Sand Like a Pro

From Gray Augustus: Blue Goose Details

As many of you know, the Blue Goose Cyclocross Race will take place at Freeman Park in Idaho Falls on Saturday. Gray has supplied the following additional information (corrected 5 p.m. 11-4)

• 12 noon: Kids race, 1 lap
• 12:40: Beginner race, 30 minutes
• 1:30:  Experienced and Masters race 45 minutes
• $15 entry fee, all participants receive a Blue Goose mug
• prizes = Bill's Bike and Run gift cards for top 3 beginners, $75/$50/$25 for top three masters/experienced.

                   

Pedal power in Pablo Escobar's former stronghold – in pictures | The Guardian

photo credit: Raul Arboleda/AFP/Getty/The Guardian

http://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2015/nov/04/pedal-power-pablo-escobar-colombia-in-pictures

Send Kelton to CX Nationals

Kelton is a great kid and a rising cyclocross talent. You can help finance his trip to the USA Cycling Cyclocross Nationals in Asheville, North Carolina.

https://www.gofundme.com/jj6jfggs

Brad Barlow's Great Pumpkin Photos

http://orders.photographersidahofalls.com/2015-1023-great-pumpkin-cyclocross/

 

Registration Link for Blue Goose Cyclocross Saturday November 7th

The cross season is winding down in the Snake River Valley with only two races remaining: Blue Goose Nov.7^th, Bengal Cross Nov 14^th. Here is a registration link for Blue Goose: http://www.activityreg.com/selectactivity.wcs  Like Great Pumpkin, the information here regarding start times is pretty confusing with the time listed at 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. I checked the Bill’s Bike Shop Facebook page for specifics but did not find any. As soon as someone has information on the start times, I would be happy to post it.

If you still can’t get enough cross, the UTCX series continues weekly until December 5^th. http://utahbikeracing.com/

 

 

 

From Jordan: Couple of Cube Pictures

 

Halloween Ride

Thanks to Daniel for hanging back for the photo.  Things looked a little nasty for the Halloween ride with a 20 mph SW wind until our pace car showed up....

From Jeff: Final Call for TCI Kits

Cycling Friends,
We're nearing the critical numbers needed to submit our TCI kit order.
If you'd like to join in please submit your order online at
http://www.dnacycling.biz/tci/team-gear.html
We plan to close the order next week. Hopefully we'll have the orders back in time for the holidays.

From Thomas: Happy Halloween from SLC

Road Ride Tomorrow

Unless the weather takes a real turn for the worse, we are planning a road ride tomorrow afternoon departing from Sticks and Stones at 2:00 p.m.with an anticipated duration of two and a half hours or so.

Spooky Cross

 

Classic cyclocross conditions for Victor Velo’s final race of the season.

FB Link to Heather's Cube Photos

I have not see the pictures yet since I do not have a Facebook account, but I am confident that they are great.

www.facebook.com/heather.b.williams.7

Gear Patrol Honors Brian Williams On Its List of Top 11 Steel Bike Builders

If you are wondering about how big a deal this is, look at the other builders on the list. Brian is not really big into self promotion, so I hope he will forgive me. The first thing I said when I heard about this was: “I’ve got to tell some people!” A big congratulations to Brian and Kelson Bikes. Most of our readers know that Brian is equally proficient in working with carbon and titanium. If Gear Patrol decides to compile a list of the best handmade carbon and Ti bikes, add Brian to that one too.

http://gearpatrol.com/2015/10/27/best-handmade-steel-bike-makers/?read_single=1

 

From Chris: Fitzgerald's Fat Tuesday Fat Bike Ride at St. Anthony Dunes Tonight

Starts at 6 p.m. They will have Trek Farley demo bikes available. Bring your own pedals. Details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/438613776331291/

DNA Fixes My Jersey

 

A lot of local cyclists have experience with DNA team kits (Kelson, Sticks and Stones, TCI, others) and know what a great product they provide. Plus their customer service is unrivaled. At the Kross Kickoff, I cut in too close to a tree and tore a gruesome abraded hole in the back of my Kelson jersey. I sent it back to DNA and this is what it looks like after a zero-cost repair.

Spooky Cross Thursday, Final TNR, Road Ride Saturday (?)

I just received a message from Gabe Klamer that Spooky Cross in Victor is indeed on for this week, but it will be on Thursday instead of Friday with the schedule as follows: kids’ race 5:30 pm,  costume race 6:00 pm, main event 6:30 pm. I realize several there are several difficult things about the date and time. It is fairly short notice and not the easiest time to get to Victor on a weeknight. However, I am a sucker for a cross race and willing to rearrange my schedule to go. If anyone else is interested in going to Spooky Cross, please text me to coordinate logistics and transportation.

As a reminder, Tuesday night will be the final TNR of the season 5:30 at Sticks and Stones. We will have to cut it a little short due to the early sunset. Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to an outstanding season of the TNR.

I have received some requests for a Saturday road ride and I think this is a great idea, particularly since most of our recent Saturdays have been dedicated to cross. I am going to toss a tentative plan out there for a midday ride of two and a half hours or so. The details will be contingent upon the degree of interest in the ride as well as the weather. The forecast right now for Saturday is rain, but a lot can change in a week. Like the message above on Spooky Cross, the best way to give me some feedback on the Saturday ride is probably text. If we can agree on a plan for Saturday, I will post it on the blog.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Dave

 

Great Pumpkin, The Cube, Some Random Comments on the Weekend Cross Races

It has been a pretty eventful weekend for local cyclists. We had another great day at the Cube yesterday with so much support from the City Rec Department, sponsors, volunteers, and participants. I am very grateful to Lana for her Cube video and post. Any meaningful thing I have ever posted on the blog can be traced directly to Lana and Jeff who have mentored me in this project from the beginning. I hope when people watch the video, they can get a sense of what a fun day this was for everyone. The Cube may never become a huge event, but I am very proud of our efforts and gratified by the positive feedback we receive year after year.  A number of people with broad cyclocross experience tell me the Cube is one of their favorite races anywhere. It continues to draw high quality regional talent as well as locals and first-timers. Kellen’s course got rave reviews from riders ranging from the newest to the most experienced.

Gabe Klamer was the winner of the men’s “A” Race yesterday, but Kelton made him work a little finishing second. Shae was the only woman to ride the “A” race and held her own among some of the faster men. In addition the content Lana posted earlier, we will be following up with a link to Heather’s Cube photos and perhaps some other odds and ends. If anyone has content or comments they want to add, let us know.

The night prior to the Cube, Jeff, Kelton, Kellen, and I went down to Idaho Falls for the Great Pumpkin Race. It was the first time I had ridden at the Community Park.  The venue has some fun features including a number of little hills, but the course was a little rough around the edges. It included a sand pit in the parking lot at the bottom of a little hill which was constructed by filling a 2 x 4 frame with wet heavy sand. If the sand did not crash you, one of the buried 2 x 4’s was likely to. Many people, myself included, crashed heavily there. Kelton and Kellen finished second and third respectively.

Many of you are aware of the tremendous popularity of fat bikes among the Idaho Falls cyclists and several of them rode fat bikes at the Great Pumpkin. I mentioned this to Scott Hurst last night and he proposed an interesting idea for next year’s Cube. How about adding one additional race: a fat bike only cross? Please let me know how you feel about that Idea. No promises, but anything is on the table for next year.

Gabe told me yesterday that there is a good chance that Victor Velo will be putting on Spooky Cross on Thursday night. That is a change from the original Friday night schedule. We will confirm that information as soon as we are able.

CUBE CYCLOCROSS • Race Highlights

October 24th was a beautiful day in southeastern Idaho, albeit uncharacteristically warm for cyclocross racing. Many thanks to all of the out-of-towners who travelled to Rexburg to participate in the CUBE cyclocross event. We appreciate all of your support. 

Video: A Race

A & B Races

From Stephen and Thomas: Big Cottonwood Canyon MTB