So I have no idea what this is. The poster does not provide a lot of details.But, I was at Harriman yesterday and conditions look great for fat bikes.
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
From Mountain Bike the Tetons: Dirt to Dunes
Like many adventures, this bikepacking expedition started with enthusiastic inspiration and an idea — circumnavigate the great Eastern Idaho Sagebrush Steppe and Lava Flows, connecting mountain ranges to sand dunes — dubbed Dirt to Dunes.
Story by Aaron Couch
Photos by Gary Chrisman
Sunday, December 16, 2018
Friday, December 14, 2018
Monday, December 3, 2018
Rebecca's Private Idaho 2019 Registration is Open
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Sunday, December 2, 2018
Muddy Kringle Kross-Shae Second in State Championship
Kringle Kross, is the final weekend of Boise’s Waffle Cross Series. Yesterday’s race was designated as the Idaho State Cyclocross Championship. The weekend forecast was for generally stormy and unsettled weather, but we were still surprised by a heavy dump of slushy snow in the early morning hours Saturday. The Waffle Cross Series takes place at an outstanding venue, Eagle Bike Park, located in the foothills northwest of Boise. The soil there is fairly sandy, but the heavy overnight precipitation produced challenging muddy conditions.
Shae finished third overall, second Idaho resident, in the women’s race to finish as runner-up in the Women’s 1-2 State Championship. She also secured enough points to wrap up the Women’s Waffle Cross Series Championship.
Kelton started well in a fast Men’s 1-2 field, but his hopes for a good finish were derailed by an inopportune flat tire.
It would be generous to call the graceless flailing that I did racing, but I feel like the running sections treated me pretty well. The camera flattens out the long steep run-up on the east side of the course. Here and elsewhere, even the top competitors spend a significant amount of time off the bike.
Saturday, December 1, 2018
Friday, November 23, 2018
Thursday, November 22, 2018
Thanksgiving Ride is Cancelled
The hourly forecast let us down. Storm arrived earlier than expected. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Sorry about the ride.
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Sun Valley Snowball Special Fat Bike Race, Saturday February 23rd
Winter doesn't mean it's time to stop riding. It just means it's time to put on the fat tires! Join Rusch Ventures for the classic Snowball Special Fat Bike Race presented by ENVE. Saturday, February 23 at the Sun Valley Nordic Center. All are welcome to participate in one of our 3 course options: 20K, 40K & 40K Duo Relay. Yes, it really is as fun as it looks!
Thanksgiving Road Ride 8 a.m. Sled Shed
The Thanksgiving Ride is a semi-regular tradition of long standing, contingent mostly on weather and road conditions. I have been watching the hourly forecast closely. If we start at 8 a.m. I think we have a good chance of riding before the forecast storm blows in. If the storm comes in ahead of schedule, we may have to reconsider this plan.
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
From Rachel Hurst: More Bengal Cross Pictures
Congratulations to James Turcotte on his 3rd place finish in the Men's A Race. Emma Hurst had only one other challenger in the Women's A Race but would have beaten others had there been more.
Monday, November 12, 2018
Lots of Fun at Bengal Cross
This post is originating from my phone so it may be a little rough. Saturday was the final cross race of the season in Southeastern Idaho. And it was a good one. Bartz Field is located in a large bowl. Steeper on the South and West sides. Flatter on the south and east. The course relied a lot on the elevated west side with a longish climb, a tough run up, a couple of shorter climbs, and a couple of death drops. it was a hilly physically demanding course.
We had a good group of participants from the Upper Valley. I spent the entire race glued to Jeff's wheel. Unable to pass him but undoubtedly going faster so that I would have on my own. Jeff in turn may have been chasing Brian who was some distance ahead of both of us.
Colin Joyce, one of the top road professionals in the nation, was there. None of us were in any danger of beating Colin but he and Kelton have tangled in previous Bengal Crosses.
The race starts with an uphill sprint. Tom Baird's chain exploded two seconds into the race under power output that probably approaches 2000 watts. A spectator tossed him a bike. Too large and over-inflated tires. Tom finished the race on that.
Peter Joyce reaffirmed his long-term commitment to Bengal Cross and Tom told me the Bill's guys will be organizing a race in Idaho Falls next year, probably the week after the Cube. I am looking forward to three quality cross races in Southeastern Idaho in 2019.
Friday, November 9, 2018
First Tracks - Harriman Snow Bike Ride
Joel had a great idea to hit the trails at Harriman today in hopes of leaving some first tracks. No one else had been out on the single track with the exception of some snowshoe hares, foxes, and squirrels. We ended up pedaling up the river trail to the Ranch and along Silver Lake on our way back to the Park HQ. With luck the snow will stay and serve as a great base for days to come. We could have gotten away with kicking our own trail on touring skis, but you'd want the rock skis until it snows again.
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
Friday, November 2, 2018
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
From Kellen. Riding the Dunes with the Fitzgerald's Crew
Kellen reports that it was a lot of fun but the sand looser and the riding more difficult than expected.
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Friday, October 26, 2018
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Muc-Off presents GNARNIVAL
I have used a number of sealants over the years. At a minimum they include Stan's, Orange Seal, Slime, and Finish Line. My biggest disappointment is that Finish Line did not turn out to be a lifetime sealant. I have had generally good luck with Finish Line but was unable to hold air in my front tire after Rebecca's. I replaced the tire, but in retrospect probably should have added a second application of sealant. I am a big believer in tubeless for road, mountain, and cross, but like everyone else still looking for a perfect sealant. I would like to see a review of the new pink Muc-Off sealant. The only thing I can unequivocally say is that it has the best advertising.
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
I Just Registered for Bengal Cross. You Can Too.
It is important to support our local races. Saturday November 10th.
Sunday, October 21, 2018
Kelton and Shae Top the A-Race Podium at the 2018 Cube
Results:
Check http://www.rexburgcube.com soon for more pictures.
I am very grateful for the help and support of friends, local cyclists, mountain bike families, and volunteers who worked so hard to put on another successful Cube. It goes without saying that we are also very grateful to the race participants, some of whom have traveled substantial distances to support the race year after year.
Conditions will never be better in late October than they were yesterday with abundant sunshine and mild temperatures. The course was generally well received. Going forward, we will work to preserve the best aspects (Jeff’s corkscrew now known as the “Event Horizon”, Heckle Hill, Flemish Island, and the single track on the west side of the ponds) while eliminating problem features like the close brush with the picnic pavilion in the center of the course.
Kelton Williams and Shae Griffin won their respective races against a fairly deep and talented field. We have partial *now full and official* results posted on Webscorer with full results pending (see the links above). Over the next few days we will be updating the RexburgCube webpage as well as linking more photos.
A very heartfelt thanks to all for your support of the Cube yesterday.
P.S. A comment on Bob's endo picture-Photo credit for this spectacularly timed photo goes to Troy Gardner. I was unaware of this incident until last night, but I have been assured that Bob is indestructible and escaped without serious injury.
P.S. A comment on Bob's endo picture-Photo credit for this spectacularly timed photo goes to Troy Gardner. I was unaware of this incident until last night, but I have been assured that Bob is indestructible and escaped without serious injury.
Friday, October 19, 2018
From Jay Petervary: It's Fat Pursuit Time
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Thursday, October 18, 2018
Bozeman Grand Prix Saturday and Sunday
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Hi Dave Anderson,
The price of Bozeman Grand Prix is about to go up, don't miss out on this opportunity to sign up before the price increase!
Hope to see you at the race! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Monday, October 15, 2018
Does Anyone Want 20 Years of Back Issues VeloNews, Cycle Sport, etc?
There is some major house cleaning going on in the bike room. Anyone is welcome to this stuff, otherwise it is going to recycling.
From Brian: Kelton and KO Battle Brutal Conditions at Boulder Cup
We had a bit of bad luck for Kelton's first UCI race. Bad stomach from food day 1. We where in it and doing well in the mud on day 2 but three dropped chains took him out of contention despite three pits with fully washed bikes. All his top competition was there from the U.S. plus competitors from GBR and Canada.
KO Roach came and raced with us. He raced CAT 4 men. His races where first thing in the morning between 8-9. First day was really warm second day started with 5" of fresh snow and 20 degrees. Ground wasn't frozen so it became a slush that froze to the bike, cleats, and pedals. Competitors drive trains froze completely solid
KO also suffered some sort of stomach problems on day 1.....Think we ate something wrong. Nonetheless they where competitive from the gun and hung tough. Day two we adjusted for the snow. KO's first experience racing in it, got the hole shot then took some time figuring out how to race in those conditions by the end of the race he was getting it figured out. Not sure exactly where he placed. Really looking forward to Kelton's race in the afternoon in the mud and snow, he tends to excel in those conditions. He felt good and was off to a good start with the hole shot leading the field for the first lap, then had a crash on the off camber and dropped a chain. Fought back but had another two chain drops on his B bike (pretty common occurrence throughout the day in all the races) Regardless we learned a few things.....Windshield automotive aerosol deicer is your friend in those conditions, spray it everywhere. Even UCI C2 events are taken very seriously and bring out the very best competitors. Can't imagine what a World Cup pit is like. At that level and in those conditions you need a lot of resources at your disposal to be competitive with the large programs like Donnelly, Alpha, Trek Collective, Boulder Jr. Cycling, etc.. They've got it dialed giving their athletes the best possible opportunity. Regardless, I was proud of our "privateer" efforts.
Sign Up Link for Cube Volunteers
Please sign up for The Cube 2018!
Here's how it works in 3 easy steps:
1. Click this link to go to our invitation page on SignUp.com: http://signup.com/login/entry/1253619394040
2. Enter your email address: (You will NOT need to register an account on SignUp.com)
3. Sign up! Choose your spots - SignUp.com will send you an automated confirmation and reminders. Easy!
Friday, October 12, 2018
Here's the 2018 Cube Shirt
This is the latest in a long line of collectible Cube shirts. Thanks to Jeff for the excellent design. The Cube is just over a week away. We are grateful to everyone who has pre-registered, helped with logistics and advertizing, and offered to be a race-day volunteer. If you are interested in volunteering, please reach out to me, Jeff, or Rachel Hurst.
Thursday, October 11, 2018
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
TNR Cancelled for Tonight
It is especially painful for me to cancel a Tuesday Ride with only four remaining in the season, but if you have been outside it is probably not a big mystery why we are making that decision. Brian and Kelton are planning on some bad weather cyclocross practice. That is the kind of attitude that separates the men from the boys. If there is too little cold and mud in you life, this is a chance to get more of both.
Next week will be the final TNR before the Cube. I think we will plan on something like we did about three weeks ago--start together for Steve's Loop or similar with an option for some extra road miles or a Cube preview a the end.
Monday, October 8, 2018
Sunday, October 7, 2018
Friday, October 5, 2018
Sunday, September 30, 2018
Chris Babb Report: Gravel Pursuit 120
This is how my day went:
First off I will say that Jay P, the volunteers, Salsa Cycles and many others came together to put on an awesome and very well done event. The course was extremely well marked, the aid stations were well stocked and it was always reassuring to see the Moto rider periodically patrolling the course.
I decided to do the 120 for basically the same reason I did the Crusher. It had been far too long since I had entered any events I wasnt sure I could finish plus it sounded like a great adventure.
The day started out quite cold and dark. I had on leg and arm warmers, shoe covers, a vest, a long sleeve Sled Shed Jersey, a waterproof shell and cold weather gloves.. And it was just enough. The shell came off at mile ten and the vest and gloves ten miles later but the rest stuck around until mile 45.
Salsa was out with their Chase the Chaise campaign. Which consists of you the rider stopping for sit on their Chaise lounge so they can take a portrait of you striking whatever pose you see fit. I had thought of what I would do before hand but when I actually got there I just did whatever came to mind. (We'll see how those come out). One thing to note is that the Chaise came super early at Jay P's, about 30 miles in. Normally they have it in the last 15% of the long course of the other events they've done so originally the 60 milers weren't going to pass it. But then the guys at Salsa saw a view they just had to have haha.
The first aid station had bacon... I partook.
At some point the 120 course departs the 60 milers course and that's when my day started to get interesting. From here we took a two track up to about 8000' where I put my long sleeve Sled Shed jersey back on and we stayed up there for quite awhile. It's rocky, grassy and remote but the views are awesome. I kept randomly meeting up with the same 4 or 5 riders mostly when we had go through a gate. One of them offered me a smoke during one of these encounters, I declined of course but I have to say that's a first for me in bike racing haha!
Once descended back down I made it to the second aid station (in Montana) where I lubed my chain, drank coke and refilled my bottles. This was at mile 75 and while I was fine, I was also getting pretty tired. My only comfort was that although there were plenty of miles left, most of the vert was over.
From here we made our way up a rocky dirt road to a two track road to the top of Two Top Mountain. I was really proud to not have to put a foot down on this climb. It was rocky rooty and very steep in sections. The descent wasnt any easier. Steep, loose, and still rocky.
The most interesting part of the course came next. A 1 mile jaunt through a thick forest with plenty of log rolls and some I just had to climb over. This led us into a marshy grassy land. I rode some, walked some and my feet did get wet.. All while following flags haha.
From here the worst was over though I did curse the rocks and wash boards the rest of the way down the mountain.
The foothills at the base of the climb had the best gravel Ive ever seen, this was also where my winter gloves and vest went back on. This race was cold!
Getting to the finish from here was just a matter of eating, turning the pedals and following the signs. The race ended up being about 117 miles which I finished in a total time of 11hrs 17min. I finished somewhere near the back of the field but faster than I really expected and I was fit enough to still drive home afterwards.Win!
I rode the Trek Checkpoint with a 50/34 crankset and an 11-36 cassette and 43mm tires. I had no mechanicals. This set up was amazing and I will never under estimate its ability to tackle any course. I could praise this bike for days. That said, the 120 version of gravel pursuit is far more technical than the Angry Horse, Crusher, the cube or the 60 mile Gravel Pursuit. If I did this course again I would probably ride my 29 plus.
- Chris Babb
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