The Bloggers
Sydney Fox Blog: Video Preview - RME#3 Indian Creek
Night-time crit, pot luck, and fierce racing make a weekend
Macky Franklin Blog: Whiskey Off-Road
It has been a bit over a week since the Whiskey Off-Road and I've had some time to recover and process my experience as a Whiskey second-timer. And here's my conclusion: this is a world-class event.
Course Preview: Battle at the Bear - Rocky Mountain Endurance Series #2
Race #2 for the RME series moves north to Denver
The second race of the Rocky Mountain Endurance series takes place at Bear Creek Lake State Park for Battle the Bear. With a 60-, 30-, 20, and 10-mile race to choose from, competitors of every style will have their chance to prove themselves.
Opinion: The Next Eight-and-a-Half Months Could Change Mountain Biking
We have eight-and-a-half months to demand that the UCI drop Rule 1.2.019
On the morning of Thursday April 11, the cycling community woke up to good news. The UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) had announced that it would postpone enforcement of Rule 1.2.019 until 2014. This is a victory for the cycling community, but a small one.
Blog: Kilimanjaro by Bike
Alchemist Threadworks Jeff Wu Takes on Kilimanjaro, as a Rider and a Doctor
When Jeff Wu trained to be an ER doc, he didn’t expect his profession to blend so conveniently with his passion. He figured mountain biking, his passion, would be put on the backburner, a past time to be visited when his rigorous work schedule allowed. As luck would have it, down time during late nights in the ER lent well to new hobbies taken up to soften the edge.
Macky Franklin Blog: Learning Trials - week 3
It took over a month, but I finally figured out the standing manual.
Macky Franklin Blog: Learning Trials - week 2
Pedal kick week is done and (standing) manual week has begun!
Macky Franklin Blog: Learning Trials - week 1
This winter I have decided to learn the basic skills of observed trials riding on my mountain bike. I may never be famous for these skills, but learning has already improved my handling skills and made me more comfortable on my bike. And it is making me happier.
Melt Swanepoel Blog: Crater Cruise and bridge Cape Pioneer Trek
Cruising the Crater is always one of the hardest race days of the year. The substantial prize money, strong field and relentless course add up to an extremely challenging day in the saddle. In addition, rain leading up to the event had washed away sand on the district roads making the corrugated sections even tougher than usual.
Macky Franklin Blog: SSWC Course Preview
For those unlucky people who didn't get to race Single Speed World Championships 2012 in Winterton, South Africa, here is what the course was like.
Trina Ortega Blog
A Little Bitta Fear and A Whole Lotta Bling
By Trina Ortega
Rebecca Rusch thinks we’ve got it too easy.
The pro athlete has learned much about patience, made good friends, and pushed her physical and emotional limits through mountain bike racing. To jazz up others’ lives with a little more thrill, Rusch aims to introduce the sport to more women on her 2011 SRAM Gold Rusch Tour.
Fish Tales from Sedona
Four Days in Sedona with Magura Direct, Crank Brothers, and SKS
It’s not every day that an Olympic gold medalist and Tour de France racer pulls you and your bike out of a rock gully on a cross-country ride in the Arizona desert.
The Coolest Thing I Saw At NAHBS Guest Blog 2
Two guys saunter down a row at NAHBS, chatting about all of the great things they’ve seen so far, when one questions the other: “What would it take to come up with all this stuff, man?”
Blake Harlan Blog
XCM World Championships and European Recap
My time in Europe has been quite memorable both from a personal perspective as well as from a race perspective. This trip I had the pleasure of always staying with people and experiencing various cultures from the comforts of home away from home and not from a hotel room. A Short recap of the places and I visited and my experiences there...
Blake Harlan's Dutch Adventure
"I'm making a new doghouse so that you can sleep in the old one when you get here" --Best Dutch joke thus far.
Shawn Lortie Blog
Gila Day 5- Riding along with the Trek-LIVESTRONG U 23 Team
(May1,2011)-Silver City,NM-After Joe Lewis’s win in the Stage 4 Downtown Criterium on Saturday, the team was pretty pumped up. It was a kind of Déjà vu, as last year in the 2011Tour of the Gila, Jesse Saergent had won the TT the day before the crit, with Taylor Phinney winning the crit the next day. Could this be happening for a second year in a row, this young team stamping its mark on the pro peleton once again?
Gila Day 4- Riding along with the Trek-LIVESTRONG U23 Team
(April 30, 2011)-Silver City, NM-It just keeps getting better for these kids! The fourth stage of the tour is the Downtown Silver City Criterium, 40 laps of pure speed. George Bennett and Dale Parker get call-ups, and the team sits in first for the GC of the tour. It’s a super fast circuit through town, with a couple of high-speed corners and a bit of a climb on the backside of the course.
Gila Day 3- Riding along with the Trek-LIVESTRONG U23 Team
(April 29, 2011) Tyrone, NM-The 16.15 mile Dan Potts Memorial Tyrone Time Trial course starts just south of Silver City and heads down the highway for just over 8 miles before it turns around and heads straight back to the finish line. There are two small climbs, and today the wind is back.
Gila Day 2- Riding along with the Trek-LIVESTRONG U23 Team
(April 28, 2011) FORT BAYARD, N.M.-Day two of racing brings another road race to the table for the Trek-LIVESTRONG U23 Team. Known as The Inner Loop Road Race, the course involves 80 miles of hilly riding with two KOM climbs and a couple of bonus sprints thrown in for good measure. The wind is once again calm at the start/finish line, which is just outside Silver City at Fort Bayard, on old military base.
Riding Along with Trek-LIVESTRONG at the Gila
(April 27, 2011) Silver City, NM-The day before the race is crazy windy. One of the roads into town is closed due to dust and blowing debris.The airport is closed, forcing Team Bissel, amongst others, to fly into Albuqurque and make the 5 hour drive down to Silver City. By the time the sun is setting, the wind is still blowing as hard as ever and the horizon is nothing but a glowing orange cloud of dust.
Trek/Livestrong U23 Media Ride
(April 13, 2011) BOULDER, Colo.-The Trek/Livestrong U23 team hosted a media ride last Wednesday to introduce it’s Boulder based squad, and give some insight into what makes the team tick. While some of the team members are living elsewhere for the season, at least six riders are calling Boulder Colorado home for the 2011 season. The Trek/Livestrong team was created by Lance Armstrong as a project to help develop the next generation of great young cyclists. It is a hand picked squad chosen from over 1000 top U23 cycling resumes from around the world. Needless to say, this is a serious group of young riders who are being groomed to become top riders in the Pro Tour.
Jordan Carr Blog
MF Blog: US Pro Challenge - Craziness on Cottonwood Pass
Quickly Becoming an Annual Tradition
The party that follows the USPCC through the mountains of Colorado is quickly becoming an annual affair for many hardcore race fans. "We just love traveling around the state and enjoying the outdoors. The race gives us a great excuse to do that" explained a couple who is following the race in their 4x4 RV.
Cool Stuff from Interbike 2010
What we expected to be the last year of Interbike in Las Vegas. Lots of cool new products along with some expected trends.
LAS VEGAS, Nev.—Sin City, Glitter Gulch, Lost Wages: all historical and well-appropriated nicknames for Las Vegas. It’s an amusing town with great food (if you know how to get yourself off the strip and into the right places) and, well, just about anything else large sums of money can buy. Vegas is all that. But it’s not a place most cyclists have on their list of top vacation spots. Despite the obvious disconnect, for the past 12 years the Gambling Capitol of the World has played host to the United States’ premier cycling trade show: Interbike
On the Road to Outerbike: First trip in the new Van
With the Eurovan all loaded and the Let's Go Aero trailer attached we headed off to Moab, but not without a couple of stops on the way.
Trip number one in the new mobile Mountain Flyer rig is in the books. Outerbike turned out to be a great first year event drawing people from all over the country and many from Canada. I was also fortunate enough to go on a little ride called the “Whole Enchilada” in a fast “group ride” type format (kind of like a race).
J. Carr Blog: Endurance Bike racing is like a 1000 piece puzzle.
Things don't always go as planned.
Many racers say that everything must click together for things to go well in a bike race, especially a really long one. Your bike must work well, your light system, your fueling, and most of all your body all need to be working in sync with one another. But sometimes all these aspects just don't come together.
jordon Carr Blog: Patiently waiting... Final Countdown to 2010 Vapor Trail 125
Its almost time. Just a few more hours of chilling and filling the body with needed fuel.
2010 Vapor Trail Prepartaion Continues
As the week winds down and the weekend begins to call, preparation for the 2010 Vapor Trail 125 has continued to consume much of my evening hours.
5 days and Counting to 2010 Vapor Trail 125
Epic, fall high country riding is exactly what the Vapor Trail 125 offers. Amazing views, flowy singletrack and 20k feet of climbing... What could be better? Starting at 10pm on a Saturday night!!
On the Road with Smartwool. Update 2
Riding from Steamboat Springs to Meeker, Colorado and Meeker to Vernal, UT.
On the Road with Smartwool. Riding to Outdoor retailer
360 miles in 4 days. From Steamboat, Colorado to Park City, UT. A company ride promoting an active lifestyle and alternative transportation.
Brian Riepe Blog
Sydney Fox Blog: Video Preview - RME#3 Indian Creek
Night-time crit, pot luck, and fierce racing make a weekend
Course Preview: Battle at the Bear - Rocky Mountain Endurance Series #2
Race #2 for the RME series moves north to Denver
The second race of the Rocky Mountain Endurance series takes place at Bear Creek Lake State Park for Battle the Bear. With a 60-, 30-, 20, and 10-mile race to choose from, competitors of every style will have their chance to prove themselves.
Blog: Kilimanjaro by Bike
Alchemist Threadworks Jeff Wu Takes on Kilimanjaro, as a Rider and a Doctor
When Jeff Wu trained to be an ER doc, he didn’t expect his profession to blend so conveniently with his passion. He figured mountain biking, his passion, would be put on the backburner, a past time to be visited when his rigorous work schedule allowed. As luck would have it, down time during late nights in the ER lent well to new hobbies taken up to soften the edge.
Jefe Branham Blog: Sleepless Nights on the CTR
Pushing the Limits
By Jefe Branham
The 2012 Colorado Trail Race was to be my fifth time to the starting line of this event. With three decent finishes under my belt along with plenty of soul scorching lows and silly giddy highs, why do it again? For one, the CTR offers a massive adventure in a relative short period of time, taking time away from work, life, etc., is minimal, yet the experience puts life’s troubles in perspective.
Honey Stinger Team Blog: 24 Hours in the Sage
By Nate Bird
The 24 Hours in the Sage, “best mountain bike race at a party” as race and venue owner KOA Dave puts it just went down this past weekend on August 18 and 19 in Gunnison, CO. The race has always been at Dave’s KOA campground, however, this is the first year he has also taken ownership of the race. What I have always called the best 24 hour mountain bike race anywhere, certainly lived up to my billing again – bigger and badder than ever.
Ben Swanepoel Blog: Pierres Hole 100
And I Thought the Breck 100 Was Hard.
(August 4, 2012) Alta, Wyoming - After the Breckenridge 100 everyone told me the hardest 100 mile race I could do was behind me. Well, they were wrong! Good thing I didn’t race last weekend as the extra recovery time was a prerequisite for this weekend’s racing.
TransAlp: Spazzing, Tearing, Hacking
By Jason Sumner
Two stages down here at the eight-day TransAlp mountain bike stage race. Good news: The scenery is off the charts, course marking is spot on, food is tasty, and legs have been decent.
Ben Swanepoel Blog: Firecracker 50
The 4th of July is a pretty big deal here in the States, being Independence Day and all. As a rule the American Stars and Stripes flag adorns everything and anything, but on the 4th of July, the country literally turns to shades of red, white and blue.
Ben Swanepoel Blog: Wildflower Rush
My second week in the US had me feeling a bit like a tourist...
We started off by driving across most of the country, leaving Michigan behind and heading to Colorado. The 2000km journey took us away from the big lakes, past Chicago, through the farmlands of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Nebraska. As the miles passed, so we gained altitude eventually reaching our first stop in Boulder, Colorado after 2 days in the car and several stops at Subway (fast food).
Andrew Wilz Overland Blog Post 7: Interstate Blues
Overland and interstate travel is awesome right? Well... not always. Over the course of our adventure, travel's served a purpose of connecting ride-destinations.
Andrew Wilz Overland Blog Post 6: Prospecting in Utah
The prospect of riding fresh, highly-thought of singletrack seemingly propelled everyone out of their sleeping bags simultaneously in the morning as the sun broke-free of the clouds at the Phil's Trailhead in Bend, OR. The now-familiar routine of packing tents, stowing sleeping bags, preparing breakfast etc, was run through with a new aire of excitement.
Cameron Chambers Blog: Taunted by the Whiskey
Prescott, Arizona, is not normal. I had never been there before but I knew this to be true-blue fact.
Honey Stinger-Trek Off Road Team Camp Buzzes into Fruita
FRUITA, COLO. - Members of the Honey Stinger-Trek Off Road team recently gathered in Fruita, Colorado for their annual training camp.
The Coolest Thing I Saw At NAHBS Guest Blog
In the tech business they call it open source. In music it’s a jam session. Bill Gates wants to call it The Cloud, but simply put, it’s collective thought and shared ideas: the symbiotic melding of minds, resources, techniques or technologies. And it’s powerful.
Claro Brasil Ride Stage 5-6: Brian and Jenny Smith Blog
We Woke To Rain, Again
There has been a distinct theme of wet during this race.
Claro Brazil Ride Stage 4: Brian and Jenny Smith Blog
Cleared to continue with ibuprofen, massage and rest
By Brian Smith
We have been racing in rain for 3 days straight now. It hasn’t rained for a whole year here in Rio de Contas and it seems the rain gods are making up for lost time.
Claro Brazil Ride – Brian and Jenny Smith Blog
Stage 2: Mucuge to Rio de Costa: Roosters, flattened toads, and grinning from ear To ear
By: Brian Smith
Each year I invite about 20 keen riders to join me on my birthday ride, one day on the White Rim. On Monday, I spent the day on my bike in Brazil with 300 international riders. The route consisted of almost 100 miles and 10,000 feet of climbing.
Claro Brazil Ride Blog Post 2: Brian and Jenny Smith
Messages, Music and racing the Prologue
Last night in the Claro Brazil ride village I had one of the best miscommunications. In the center of the village is an open air tent, bar and music area with bean bags, couches and flax mats. I was using a grid rolle and stretching when one of the race doctors came over introduced himself, asked my name, where I was from.
Claro Brazil Ride Brazil Blog Post 1: Brian and Jenny Smith
What a Trip
By: Brian Smith
MUCUGE, Brazil—What a trip it’s been so far. We’ve spent about 25 hours traveling from Gunnison Colorado to Mucuge Brazil. Strangely enough we haven’t experienced any conflicts along the way and we managed to receive our entire luggage undamaged.
SSWC 2010, New Zealand: The Schnell Diaries, Defending the Title
Mom wouldn’t have been impressed with another tattoo anyway…
The fine people of Rotorua, New Zealand brought us the 2010 edition of the Single Speed World Championships and it was everything you’d expect from the Kiwi’s.
Road Trip: Mountain Flyer's Jordan Carr on the Highway in the New Rig
First Stop: Outerbike, Moab Utah.
With a credit card in hand and a pile of boxes full of Mountain Flyer schwag, Mountain Flyer's Jordan Carr has hit the road in our new - well 18-year old but new to us - VDub Eurovan. The first stop for the new ride will be Outerbike in Moab, Utah. Sept. 29 - Oct. 3.
B. Riepe Blog: Back on the Program with a new SRM Power Meter Crank
Training at the mercy of a mindless computer
The new SRM crank showed up at my house in mid July and sat on my dining room table for some time; the shiny black FSA carbon crank arms with their red and white racing stripes glistening under the lights like a sports car possessed.
Breck Epic Blog Post Stages 4 and 5: Montana is Getting Tired
Stage 4 began wonderfully when I missed the start of the race.
When 8:10 rolled around, I was at my jeep trying to fit my chain onto an oddly shaped 23 tooth cog that Dicky had lent to me.
Breck Epic Blog Post Stage 3 - Montana Miller: Hypothermia at 12,000 feet
I thought I was going to get hypothermia at 12,200’ on the continental divide. Then I found a beach towel.
When we started up the first climb of stage three, I immediately felt better with my lower gear. I was able to sit down and spin right up the hill.
Breck Epic Blog Post Stage 2 - Montana Miller: Hugging trees at 30mph
I ran into a pine tree today at 30mph. Aside from that bit of misfortune, stage two was better than stage one.
This morning’s start was a pleasant 50 degrees. We crowded into some little side street in downtown Breck, stood around making fun of each other, and then pedaled up a paved road.
Breck Epic Blog Post Stage 1 - Montana Miller: Covered in Hammer Gel
I’m covered in hammer gel. I threw my wool shirt, knee warmers, and gel flask into my drop bag at the first aid station today.
Aggregating like drops of oil
The romantic notion of ‘making a difference’ a rant by James E. Rickman LOS ALAMOS, N.M.— As the fifth week of environmental catastrophe continues to unfold in the Gulf of Mexico, I’ve decided that remaining powerless is no longer an option.
Sonya Looney Blog
Sonya Looney Blog: Giddy Up
Team SRAM at 24 Hour National Championships
What do you say when the 6 time 24 Hour World Champion asks you to race on a team with her for 24 Hr National Championships? How do you feel when you know you’re racing on a 4 woman team consisting of Rebecca Rusch, Jenny Smith, and Kelly Boniface? You say GIDDY UP!!!! Our team name for the event was “SRAM.”
Sonya Looney Blog: Singletrack Never-Never Land
Park City Point to Point 2011
(September 8, 2011) PARK CITY, Utah. - Singletrack Never-Never Land. I'll bet you didn't know that nestled in the mountains in and around Park City are 300 miles of the sweetest singletrack your tire will ever grace.
Eszter Horanyi Blog
Eszter Horanyi's Tour Divide: Done and done.
19 days, 3 hours, 35 minutes. Two countries, five states, four bears, and countless decisions on where to sleep, what to eat, and what to do. In the end, it was simple: Eat, pedal, sleep. Was I prepared? Mostly.
Eszter Horanyi's Tour Divide: The Final Countdown
14 months in the planning. 14 days till the start. It's the final countdown.
Eszter Horanyi's Tour Divide: The Power of Research
With a month until go time, it's time to actually take a look at the route, and more importantly, where and what I can eat and drink on the route, because in the end, it's a matter of keepin' on eatin', keepin' on drinkin', and keepin' on peddlin'.
Eszter Horanyi's Tour Divide: Gear Packing
With the final countdown to the Tour Divide commencing, it's time to finalize the gear. And figure out how to keep it from falling off my bike.
Eszter Horanyi's Tour Divide: Mental and Physical Thresholds
Is there a silver lining to every cloud? Can miserable situations be beneficial? I'd like to think so.
When the snow starts coming down at 12 Hours of Dawn to Dusk, there's little else to do but laugh at the situation. All in the name of training.
Eszter Horanyi's Tour Divide: Head Games
With the official start of spring, musing on the physical preparation, the mental game, and ski racing for Tour Divide preparation.
As someone who’s never ridden the Divide, I can only speculate on what it’s going to take to finish it from a physical and emotional standpoint.
Eszter Horanyi's Tour Divide: Letter of Intent
The snow is melting. It's time to start thinking about summer.
Every year, riders who plan on tackling the Tour Divide send in a Letter of Intent to the race website declaring their intention to race. This is mine.
Eszter Horanyi Arrowhead 135 Blog: When Preparation Pays Off
Three months of preparation. One race day. 135 miles.
After a quarter year of thinking about, reading about, and obsessing over the Arrowhead 135, it was finally time to toe the line and see if it was all worth it.
Eszter Horanyi's Arrowhead 135 Blog: Lessons Learned
The final countdown to race day.
Yesterday was my last day of cold weather riding before heading off to the land of International Falls for the start of the Arrowhead 135. I’d like to share the top five lessons I’ve learned in this adventure because regardless of how this race goes on Monday, I’ve been able to commute to work, in Crested Butte in the winter, on my bike everyday this winter, and that in itself is enough to consider this adventure a success.
Eszter Horanyi Arrowhead 135 Blog: Puzzle Pieces
Two weeks out from the Arrowhead 135 and the puzzle pieces are coming together.
As of right now, I am 16 days out from the start of the Arrowhead 135. The thought is slightly terrifying because until I bought my plane ticket to Minnesota two days ago, the race seemed like somewhat of an abstract event in my future. With less than two weeks until I board a plane in Denver and head north, the reality of the situation is becoming very real.
Eszter Horanyi Arrowhead 135 Blog: No bad weather, just bad clothing
Winter has arrived and with it, the opportunity to fine-tune cold weather clothing. Or so I hope.
Last winter, my first winter here in the Gunnison valley, I was blown away by the cold in late December and early January. I was hoping to use a similar start to winter to figure out exactly how much clothing I'd need to stay warm for 20+ hours of riding through the Minnesota winter. My systems are slowly developing.
Eszter Horanyi Arrowhead 135 Blog: What was I thinking?
Follow Eszter's adventure of getting ready for the Arrowhead 135, through the good and the bad.
Bad ideas are born in strange places. Signing up for the Arrowhead 135, a 135-mile snow bike race in International Falls, MN., at the end of January seemed like a good idea at the time. Forget the fact that I've never raced a snow bike before, I've never actually ridden a snow bike before, and I generally strongly dislike riding in the cold. What could possibly go wrong?
Eszter Horanyi CTR Blog 2: An Ounce of Comfort
by Eszter Horanyi
Historically I have not been a gear head. I’m not a gram counter and generally choose bike parts based on durability over weight.
Eszter Horanyi CTR Blog Post 1: Preparation
Looking back in order to look forward
The Colorado Trail: How does one describe it? We could go by pure numbers: 470 miles, 65,000+ ft of elevation gain with the majority of the route above 9,000 ft.
Andrew Wilz Blog
Andrew Wilz Overland Blog Post 8: Spanish Fork
Spanish Fork may perhaps not be best-known for its trail-riding in the mountain bike community, with iconic destinations such as Moab and the Wasatch Crest network stealing pretty much all the Utah thunder.
Andrew Wilz Blog Post 5: Miracle Morsels
Today marks the ½ way point of our trip in a manner of speaking. The mission for the trip was to arrive in Port Angeles with Team Geronimo to report on the race and for the guys to compete in the DH. With the race-weekend over, we had a decision to make concerning return-route, the completion of our Ride Guide for Mountain Flyer was our priority on the way out, and as we were looking at a possible overlap-situation related to stops we'd discussed for our return-route, some further planning was required.
Andrew Wilz Blog: The Race, Port Angeles. Post 4
In life, most often it's not the result, but the process that defines us... molding us into positive examples of humanity, driving us ever forward to explore, learn and grow as individuals functioning as a whole.
Andrew Wilz Blog: Overlanding to Port Angeles with the Buell's - Post 3, Portland
(April 27, 2012) - PORTLAND, OREG. - so where were we…? Middle of the desert.. check… Riding bikes… check. Eating delicious meals prepared in the middle of nowhere with friends… check. No wait, we were putting down miles and getting to somewhere ELSE to ride bikes, right?
Andrew Wilz Blog: Overlanding to Port Angeles with the Buell's - Post 2 - Elko, Nev.
(April 26, 2012) Elko, Nev. - This next segment was set up to be a ‘gimme’ and would be a bit of a stretch. We’d departed Vernal Utah late due to a wiper-motor issue with Michael’s truck, and decided somehow that it was worth it to make the sprint across Utah and deep into Nevada to try to rid ourselves of one of the peskier-sections of tarmac that obstructed us from our crossover into the loamy-goodness of the Pacific NorthWest singletrack that awaited.
Andrew Wilz Blog: Overlanding to Port Angeles Post 1
(April 23, 2012) VERNAL, Utah. - Whew… finally on the road as of later in the day yesterday, after the Buell-rig needed some careful trailer-sorting/loading, and then a departure around 1800hrs from Carbondale. The first leg of the trip took us due west on i-70 to Rifle where we promptly decided we’d had our fill of Interstate and headed north on 13 to catch 64 to rte40 through Dinosaur to Vernal…
Macky Franklin Blog
Macky Franklin Blog: Whiskey Off-Road
It has been a bit over a week since the Whiskey Off-Road and I've had some time to recover and process my experience as a Whiskey second-timer. And here's my conclusion: this is a world-class event.
Opinion: The Next Eight-and-a-Half Months Could Change Mountain Biking
We have eight-and-a-half months to demand that the UCI drop Rule 1.2.019
On the morning of Thursday April 11, the cycling community woke up to good news. The UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) had announced that it would postpone enforcement of Rule 1.2.019 until 2014. This is a victory for the cycling community, but a small one.
Macky Franklin Blog: Learning Trials - week 3
It took over a month, but I finally figured out the standing manual.
Macky Franklin Blog: Learning Trials - week 2
Pedal kick week is done and (standing) manual week has begun!
Macky Franklin Blog: Learning Trials - week 1
This winter I have decided to learn the basic skills of observed trials riding on my mountain bike. I may never be famous for these skills, but learning has already improved my handling skills and made me more comfortable on my bike. And it is making me happier.
Macky Franklin Blog: SSWC Course Preview
For those unlucky people who didn't get to race Single Speed World Championships 2012 in Winterton, South Africa, here is what the course was like.
Macky Franklin Blog: Single Speed World Championships 2012 - South Africa
The 2012 Single Speed World Championships in Winterton, South Africa were awesome. I may not have brought home the tattoo, but I had a great time and can't wait for SSWC 2013 in Italy!
Macky Franklin Blog: Breck Epic Final Stage
The 2012 Breck Epic is over and I have a new title to add to my resume: Single Speed Stage Race World Champion!
Macky Franklin Blog: Breck Epic Stage 4
Took the SSSRWC leader's jersey back and got some dirt rash!
Macky Franklin Blog: Breck Epic Stage 3
Turns out riding a bike (especially a single speed) is quite a bit more fun when BOTH cleats stay attached to your shoes.
Macky Franklin Blog: Breck Epic Stage 2
I've had a week to ponder and I'm finally ready to post about Stage 2 (more commonly called the "wet and cold and miserable stage").
Macky Franklin Blog: Breck Epic Stage 1
First single speed race. First single speed win. Lots of work to come though!
Macky Franklin Blog: Winter Park Enduro
Enduro racing is fun. Really fun. And for the second year in a row, Winter Park has hosted a great weekend of Enduro racing.
Macky Franklin Blog: Road Trip Part I
Two weeks ago I crammed four months worth of bikes and equipment into the back of my Subaru Legacy and headed out on a bike racing road trip. Now, two race weekends later, I can't wait for more!
Macky Franklin Blog: Missoula Pro XCT Course Preview
Missoula is serving up some real mountain bike racing. The course has steep, punchy climbs and a fun descent with a solid A-line drop. Check it out!
Macky Franklin Blog: Nationals Pro XC Course Preview
In case you wonder what the top Pro men and women in the USA will be racing today.
Macky Franklin Blog: Centering disc brakes
I love disc brakes. And I hate when they rub. Luckily, it's pretty easy to center your disc brakes and make them stop rubbing.
Macky Franklin Blog: Where the bike goes
One of the most effective ways to stay to get your bike to go where you want it to is to look where you want to go, not where you're afraid of going.
Macky Franklin Blog: Fix a bent chain link
Nobody likes a bent chain link, but ride long enough and you'll probably experience one. Here's what to do so you can finish your ride.
Macky Franklin Blog: Shift Early, Shift Often
Macky Franklin explains the importance of proper shifting habits out on the trail
Most mountain bikers know how to shift. Those that don't, ride singlespeeds. The problem though isn't how to shift, but when. Wanna know the secret?
Tammy Sadle Blog
Tammy Sadle Blog: Training with Power on a Mountain Bike
Part 1: The Questions
From the first day we met, cycling and racing have made my life better. The sport has allowed me to meet wonderful people and push myself harder - physically and mentally - than I ever imagined was possible.
Jason Sumner Blog
Breck Epic Blog : That’s a Wrap
Keeping this short and sweet as we’ve got a party to go to. Or as Breck Epic race director Mike McCormack, calls it, the Gold Pan stage. (if you’ve ever corrodes around Breck, you understand. If not, do a Google search for, “Breckenridge’s best dive bar.”
Breck Epic Blog: The Bell Has Tolled
Full disclosure, I’m smashed.
And no, not in a “deep in the cups” kind of way. That’s tomorrow after the last stage. Right now it’s all bike induced thanks to five hard days of racing at the Breck Epic. The legs hurt, the arms ache, the hands throb, and my brain’s hard drive is skipping like a scratched record.
Breck Epic: Stage 4 Glossary of Key Terms
Like any cool, hip happening, the Breck Epic has its own unique verbiage and vernacular. Words that those who know, know. Now you can, too, thanks to this primer of Breck Epic Stage 4 Glossary of Key Terms
Breck Epic Blog: Screw The Journey, It’s The Destination
Whoever said, “It’s the journey not the destination” has never climbed to the saddle of French Pass or rolled up and over neighboring Georgia Pass. I write this because frankly the journey was a pain in the ass, or more specifically the legs and lungs.
Breck Epic Blog: Sometimes the Cliche Really does Apply
By Jason Sumner
There is perhaps no more overused word in the cycling world than “epic.” The often trite descriptor can be used in front of just about anything having to do with two-wheeled pursuits. Rides, climbs, crashes, attacks, descents, mechanicals, you name. They can all be epic, yet rarely really are. Perhaps we need a moratorium. Or just some new words.
Breck Epic: Up, up, up, and doooooown
By Jason Sumner
The raw numbers were ugly: 5,700 feet of climbing parceled out in four separate trips above 11,000 feet stretched out over 39 miles in the saddle. Sounds painful (and it was). But there was also plenty of sweet singletrack payoff during the first stage of the 2012 Breck Epic — and that made it all worthwhile.
TransJuly: Done
By Jason Sumner
Greetings once more, this final time from the Sheraton Hotel at the Malpensa airport outside Milan, Italy. In a few hours it’s fly time, as I head home to Colorado after 16 days of racing that included bruising MTB stage race traverses of the Pyrenees and Alps.
TransAlp: Back on (Single)Track
By Jason Sumner
Greetings from Scuol, Switzerland, country No. 3 of this 8-day fat tire tour through the main chain of the Alps. We’ll add a fourth tomorrow when we pedal into Italy to the stage 5 finish in Livigno.
Jason Sumner's TransJuly Part 2: TransAlp Mountain Bike Stage Race
By Jason Sumner
Saturday at 10 a.m. Nuno and I are at it again. Two weeks ago it was the TransPyr MTB stage race in Spain. This time it’s the 2012 TransAlp mountain bike stage race, which kicks off in Germany with a 61-mile trip from Oberammergau to Imst.
TransPyr Stage 8: Elizondo to San Sebastian
I’m not going to sugarcoat things
By Jason Sumner
I personally think it’s silly to play the ranking game with endurance cycling events.
TransPyr Stage 7: Isaba to Elizondo
Affectionately known as The Wall
By Jason Sumner
Brain function is at an all time low right now, so we are going to do this notes column style. Coherently connecting thoughts after 60-plus hours of racing/touring is just not in the cards.
TransPyr Stage 6: Jaca to Isaba
She’s a good lady
By Jason Sumner
There’s a strange realization that often comes over me in the middle of mountain bike stage races such as the TransPyr.
TransPyr Stage 5: Ainsa to Jaca
New Pedals and New Confidence
By Jason Sumner
It’s amazing how a few long days in the saddle can alter perspective. After back-to-back-to-back-to-back 9-plus-hour days, Wednesday’s mere 7-hour and 19-minute jaunt seemed almost easy.
TransPyr Stage 4: El Pont de Suert to Ainsa
It’s official, this is now a tour, not a race for Team Mountain Flyer/Correio da Manhã.
Bad legs and bunk pedals are primarily to blame. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
TransPyr Stage 3: La Seu d'Urgell to El Pont de Suert
SINGLETRACK!!
Finally, after a couple of days that had me questioning my personal sanity, and wondering if like queen size mattresses, showers made for people taller than 5-foot-2, and reliable WiFi, the concept of mountain as in mountain biking had not made across the Pond here to Spain.
TransPyr Stage 2: Camprodon to La Seu d'Urgell
Getting Ahead, Falling Behind
By Jason Sumner
You havenít lived until youíve carried (yes, carried) your bike across a lumpy, high alpine Pyrenean field occupied by dozens cows and sheep. I can now say, Iíve lived.
Melt Swanepoel Blog
Melt Swanepoel Blog: Crater Cruise and bridge Cape Pioneer Trek
Cruising the Crater is always one of the hardest race days of the year. The substantial prize money, strong field and relentless course add up to an extremely challenging day in the saddle. In addition, rain leading up to the event had washed away sand on the district roads making the corrugated sections even tougher than usual.
Fool's Gold 100 - Dahlonega, Georgia
The concluding event of the NUE series was held this past weekend in Dahlonega, Georgia. This state is nestled in the South-eastern corner of the United States where the people are friendly and speak with that deep southern drawl.
