TFK partners with IMBA to host a full-day conference for TFK chapter leaders and interested attendees prior to the IMBA World Summit

San Rafael, Calif. - May 14, 2008 - Trips for Kids National (TFK) today announced it is hosting a Pre-Conference for TFK chapters in conjunction with the 2008 International Mountain Bicycling Association’s (IMBA) World Summit taking place in Park City, Utah, this coming June.

The TFK Pre-conference is scheduled for Wednesday, June 18, 2008, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Park City Marriott, and is for current TFK chapters and those interested in starting a new TFK chapter.

“Trips for Kids is honored to partner with IMBA at its upcoming World Summit,” said Marilyn Price, founder and director of TFK. “Many TFK chapters consist of IMBA members, and IMBA clubs are natural vehicles to start TFK chapters, so it made sense to meet together before the conference to share ideas and best practices.”

The TFK Pre-Conference Workshop will address how to start and promote a program, respond to challenges, use the bicycle as an education tool and guarantee the long-term success of an individual chapter. From 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on June 18, there will be a facilitated workshop for TFK and other youth biking groups.

“The goal of adding youth topics to the IMBA Summit agenda and including Trips for Kids in the session is to identify barriers, find solutions and ultimately inspire more youth biking programs around the globe,” said Mike Van Abel, director of IMBA.

To that end, Quality Bicycle Product’s Advocacy Director Gary Sjoquist requested that QBP’s sponsorship of the IMBA World Summit be directed toward making Summit scholarships available to Trips for Kids chapters.

“With more than 60 chapters nationwide, it made sense to use our sponsorship funds to help get these folks to the Summit,” said Sjoquist. “Kids are the future of mountain biking, and both IMBA and Trips for Kids are helping get kids on mountain bikes and out on the trails.”

The 2008 IMBA World Summit begins immediately following the TFK Pre-Conference on Wednesday, June 18, and ends Saturday, June 21. Price and TFK Chapter members are also participating in panel discussions concerning mountain bicycling and trail stewardship among youth during the Summit.

To RSVP for the TFK Pre-Conference, call 415-458-2986 or send an email to national@tripsforkids.org.

About Trips for Kids
Founded in 1988, Trips For Kids is a national 501(c)3 non-profit program that provides the materials, moral support, and inspiration that an individual or group needs to help disadvantaged kids discover the joy of mountain biking. Operating in the United States and Canada, Trips For Kids opens the world of cycling to at risk youth through mountain bike rides and Earn-A-Bike programs. www.tripforkids.org

About International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA)
The International Mountain Bicycling Association is a non-profit educational association whose mission is to create, enhance and preserve great trail experiences for mountain bikers worldwide. IMBA’s worldwide network includes 32,000 individual members, more than 450 bicycle clubs, more than 130 corporate partners and about 200 bicycle retailers. IMBA’s members live in all 50 U.S. states, most Canadian provinces and in 30 other countries. www.imba.com

source: Chip Smith

Chile Pepper Bike Shop

Angel Fire Resort

Angel Fire, New Mexico

Spring/Summer 2008

Exciting news from Chile Pepper Bike Shop in Moab, Utah!!! Chile Pepper is opening a second location at Angel Fire Resort in Angel Fire, New Mexico. The new shop will be open May 21st, just in time for the Chile Challenge Race Series May 23-26, 2008. The shop’s operating period will be mid-May through mid-September each year. The new shop will be a full-service shop offering bike rentals, expert repair service and biking apparel.

Angel Fire Resort offers gnarly DH terrain accessible by chair lift as well as cross-country trails for all riding styles and abilities. With their world class trails, everyone is sure to have a great ride! Angel Fire is host to Mountain States Cup races, NORBA Nationals and UCI World Cup races. They have also been host to one of the G3 Gravity series races, a new race series organized by Big Foot Productions. Angel Fire is located about 30 minutes southeast of Taos, New Mexico.

We are needless to say SUPER STOKED to be opening a shop at Angel Fire Resort. With the resort’s plans to make Angel Fire a premier gravity fed mountain bike destination, we are looking forward to offering our continued quality of bikes and service to visitors to Angel Fire. With the riding background of Ryon Reed, shop owner, the style of riding offered at Angel Fire is right up his alley. Ryon also hopes to be involved in new trail building at the resort and plans on spending his days off shoveling dirt on the hill, running his chainsaw and taking DH runs.

So, if you’re looking for a new place to ride, come to Angel Fire and stop in the shop and say hello. The shop will be open from 8am to 6pm Friday through Monday in May and June, and Thursday through Monday the remainder of the summer. The shop is located near the Chile Express chair lift and ticket offices at the base of the mountain. For more info you can contact the shop at 505-377-4291 (Angel Fire) or 435-259-4688 (Moab). www.chilebikes.com www.angelfireresort.com

source: Tracy Reed

Freeride Foundation is the first and only online retail store dedicated to female gravity addicts. In addition to carrying women’s riding clothes from Sombrio, Loeka, Harlot, and Twin Six, Freeride Foundation offers an online community for ladies who would rather huck and haul ass than kit up in Lycra for a five-hour climb.

Jackie Baker, a pro downhill racer, envisioned Freeride Foundation after she became frustrated with trying to find and buy women’s-specific riding clothes online and in local bike shops. “Although several retailers stock women’s clothing and gear, none have much of a selection,” Jackie says. “Freeride Foundation’s selection of brands, sizes, and colors make shopping for comfortable and unique riding kits easy and fun.” Jackie enlisted fellow pro downhiller Allie Burch to set up the shopping cart platform and site design elements. After six months of staring at their computers, Jackie and Allie launched FreerideFoundation.com on March 1, 2008.

Freeride Foundation’s goal is to provide women with a comprehensive catalog of downhill and freeride clothing and gear in an inviting and entertaining environment. Plans to bring in brands such as Spyder, Dakine, and Fox are in the works, and Freeride Foundation will soon stock riding gear such as shoes, helmets, and body armor. The community aspects of Freeride Foundation include a Freerider’s Forum, a comprehensive North American Racing Calendar, and a Blog that’s updated with women’s race results, news, and industry information.

If you like looking sharp while shredding sweet singletrack, Freeride Foundation invites you to join their new online community. Visit www.freeridefoundation.com to see what all the gravity girls are talking about.

source: Jackie Baker

Knolly Bikes is pleased to announce our newly formed partnership with Ryan Berrecloth. Ryan will be utilizing Knolly Frames for his various riding endeavours and we look forward to mutually benefiting from this professional partnership.

Q&A with RYAN BERRECLOTH

Hey, my name is Ryan Berrecloth. I’m 29 years old living in North Vancouver BC. I’ve been in Roam, CKD and Kranked 7

**What’s new and exciting?

Just signed with Knolly Bikes!!!

**Which projects are you working on this season?

Just finished my Kranked segment and I’m beginning work on CKD 2. I have a trip in May with Harookz, Baxter Redfern, Ambrose from CKD and Knolly teammate Ross Measures. Our plan is to drive into the heart of BC to scout some lines and camp for a few days. Should be an epic trip! I’ve also been hired on to build the Seymour portion of the Red Bull Round Up going down in June. If you haven’t heard about it you will soon.

**How long have you been riding?

7 years. I got into riding late after playing 5 years of college baseball.

**Goals? Riding Philosophy?

First and foremost is to have fun. I’m super fortunate to have the sponsors that support me. They make the best gear in the industry so my goal is to promote them as much as possible through various media outlets. If everyone had the same set up of which I’m lucky enough to run, everyone would be pretty stoked. My goals are simple, promote my sponsors, do my part to grow the business and have fun.

**What got you into riding?

My bro. After I was finished my college baseball career I wanted to try something different. Darren told me riding bikes was fun so I tried it out. Turned out he was right.

**What has played the biggest part in getting you to this point in your riding career?

Determination and having a general understanding of the business and how it works.

**Who are you representing this season? Who or what has helped?

Like my *EDIT-I THINK YOU CAN FIGURE THIS OUT* the list is long and distinguished. Ha. For real though I’m supported by the following:

• Knolly Bikes – Noel Buckley, Chris Glew
• Race Face – Julian Coffey, Craig Pollick
• Sombrio – Dave Watson, Andrea Kraft
• Giro – Sean Estes, Jim Henney and Kevin Franks
• Spank – Sven Mack
• Syncros – Pete Roggeman
• Adidas Eyewear – Ron Muehlboeck, Christian Jany, David Weisenshofer
• Marzocchi – Naz, Bryson Martin and JP
• Dakine – Chico Bukovansky

I also receive great support from Decline, Bike Magazine, Freeride Germany, NSMB and Pinkbike.

**With so many young riders bursting onto the scene would you say you are under a lot of pressure?

Not at all! There is a huge talent pool of athletes coming into the sport which is awesome. The only pressure I feel is what I put on myself to accomplish my goals.

**What would you say is your biggest goal this season?

To elevate my riding level and to represent my sponsors the best way possible.
What is the future of mountain biking in your own words?

The future of mountain biking is on the shoulders of the young talent tearing up the scene right now. The young talent combined with our sports icons will continue to push the sport in new directions and make the current formats more exciting. I think for competitions we are going to see big mountain and traditional slopestyle continue to merge. I think this is already happening with comps like Crankworkz and the Bearclaw Invitational, but it still has some room to grow.

**Young rider that’s going to make it this year?

Tough to say…I’m not sure about a younger am but for younger guys already tearing it up I would say watch out for Semenuk this year.

**Favorite trail or trails and why?

Whistler…enough said.

**Shout outs?

Family, friends, my sponsors mentioned above and anyone who I have missed.

Look out for Ryan representing Knolly Bikes and all his other fantastic sponsors.

KNOLLY BIKES

www.knollybikes.com

info@knollybikes.com

source: Chris Glew

Maribor, Slovenia was host to the first World Cup event of 2008, where e.thirteen athletes shined once again on Eastern Europe soil. Maribor was the location of the last World Cup event in 2007, and riders were looking to better their times from the previous event so they could start their seasons off on the right foot. e.thirteen athletes won both the men’s and women’s elite downhill, and captured an amazing eight out of ten of the top positions in the elite men’s downhill.

The 4X race was an extremely difficult course, with a flat and loose first corner, followed by a tight second corner. In most cases, the winners of each heat would be decided in the first two turns of the extremely technical 4X track. The Maribor track also featured roots and grass, convincing riders like Cedric Gracia and the eventual winner of the women’s 4X, Anneke Beerten, to switch over to their full suspension bikes.

e.thirteen athlete Dan Atherton qualified first in the 4X, followed by many other top racers. The course became even more technical and difficult when four riders were fighting for lines (as opposed to the single-rider qualification runs), and many top names didn’t make the final due to crashes, or riders crashing into them. This left a lot of space open in the final for some unknown riders to shine.

Cedric Gracia was a rider who suffered from a wild crash during one of the last heats leading up to the finals. He came back in full force during the small final, though, winning fifth place.

The downhill race in Slovenia was packed with riders – over 300 men were signed up for the race on Sunday, making practice quite hectic and also wearing the course down over the weekend’s practice sessions. Spectators of the event were able to spot every color of e.thirteen product, as the White, Seafoam and RPM Orange Limited Colorways chain retention devices were in heavy use during the event. Sam Hill was also running a custom Monster green–colored direct mount bashguard on his bike.

The women’s downhill race was really between two women at the end of the day. Rachel Atherton qualified five seconds ahead of the entire field in Slovenia, and defending world champion Sabrina Jonnier knew that she would have to throw down in order to compete with Rachel. The two girls pushed each other super hard, but in the end, Sabrina was able to put an edge of .18 seconds on Rachel for the win at the first World Cup event of 2008.

Chain Reaction/Intense rider Julien Camellini qualified first on the Slovenian World Cup downhill track, making his presence known in Maribor. Camellini landed in third place at last year’s event, and he was on pace to stand on the podium again. Peat followed Camellini, then Sam Hill qualified third. By comparing the qualifying times to last year’s final times, everyone in attendance knew that all of the top riders had plenty of room to cut time on their race runs and waited in anticipation for two p.m. to roll around, when the racing action would begin.

Andrew Neethling came through the finish line at 2:56, setting the pace for the top 20 men, but was unseated shortly thereafter by Justin Leov (2:52), who was then unseated by Gee Atherton. Gee sat in the hot seat for quite a while, until Fabien Barel came down with a lightning fast time on his new Mondraker/Subaru ride.

Barel sat calmly on the hot seat while all eyes turned to the television monitor for Sam Hill’s race run. A brief silence rushed over the crowd while Sam pinned it out of the start gate. Sam set a blistering pace through the top half of the course, smashing Barel’s split by over two seconds! By the time he arrived at the bottom of the course, Sam had cut nearly another two seconds off of Barel’s time, leaving Sam at 2:47, handily taking over the top spot for Maribor.

The first place qualifier and last rider to run was the prodigy of e.thirteen athlete Nico Voillouz, Julien Camellini. Camellini has a good history of results on the Maribor course, and felt confident all weekend during his practice runs. He put together a great run, but no one was able to catch Sam Hill and his Monster/Iron Horse Sunday. Camellini came down just ahead of Peaty, bettering his third place podium spot from 2007 to a silver medal in 2008.

The Freecaster crew interviewed Sam after yet another amazing victory. Freecaster asked Hill how he was able to go so fast on the Maribor course, and a relaxed Sam Hill replied, “Actually I didn’t feel that fast. I was hoping to go faster.”

The e.thirteen sponsored Animal/Commencal team of The Athertons snapped up the lead for overall team points in Maribor.

e.thirteen is proud to support the world’s best racers through the World Cup series, putting our products to the test on the most grueling downhill and 4X tracks that the world has to offer. Congratulations to all three of our riders who stood on top of the podium, and also a hearty congratulations to all of our other athletes that slayed it in Slovenia this weekend!

e.thirteen components is a small, rider-owned and operated company that strongly supports dozens of grassroots races, series, contests and other riding events all over the world every year. Founded in 2001, e.thirteen’s innovative, functional, simple and lightweight chain retention systems have made them a world leader in this category, and the choice of top pro and amateur riders and mechanics alike. They support a worldwide distribution network and take great pride in offering devoted customer service.

source: Aaron Lutze

The weekend of 8-9 November 2008 sees the 4th running of the Highland Fling Mountain Bike Marathon. The race, which again doubles as the Australian MTB Marathon Championships, takes place in the beautiful Southern Highlands of NSW with the event centre in the town of Bundanoon, 2 hours south of Sydney.

The event has sold out each year and in 2008 entries will again be limited to 1300 riders. Entries for this year’s event will open on 23 June 2008 on www.wildhorizons.com.au. The event will include the Full Fling (approx 110km), Half Fling (approx 55km) and 100Mile Fling (approx 160km). New this year will be The Casual Fling, a 16km outing for those people keen to ride but not so sure of their ability to go the longer distances. Entries in the Casual Fling are additional to the 1300 rider cap.

Following on from the successful initiative last year as Australia’s first Carbon Neutral cycling event Wild Horizons, the event organizers, will again make the event Carbon Neutral, including allowing entrants to offset their travel to the event. The event will also expand upon the programmes introduced in 2007 to reduce the waste produced by the event and increase the rate of recycling at the event.

As well as the existing Major Sponsors VAUDE, Virgin Blue, Ground Effect, Specialized, GU and Forests NSW; a number of new Major and Support sponsors will be announced in the coming weeks.

The website www.wildhorizons.com.au will have fully updated details in the coming weeks.

For any further information on the event please contact the Event Director Huw Kingston on huw@wildhorizons.com.au , Tel 02 4883 6509, Mobile 0418 977609

Thanks for your interest!

Wild Horizons
www.wildhorizons.com.au

source: Huw Kingston

KONAWORLD (May 12, 2008) - Hitting jumps and impressing the crowd of 25,000 at the biggest course of the year at the Nissan Qashqai Challenge event in Munich, Germany over the weekend, 12 riders battled it out in the finals for top honors.

Competing in Munich’s Olympiapark, the site of the 1972 Olympics, Kona CLUMP riders Paul “Bas” Basagoitia and Andreu Lacondeguy faced some stout competition at the third event of the four-gig Qashqai Challenge series. Riding a course that featured two doubles in the upper section which transitioned into a big drop into the lower section that concluded with two huge jumps, “Bas” held on to fifth place overall, while Lacondeguy, who was coming off a first-place finish at the Madrid event last week, took 12^th. With his top-five placing, “Bas” remained in contention for the overall series title which will be determined at the final event May 24 at London’s famous Tate Modern Gallery.

source: Keith Cozzens | Base Camp Communications

San Luis Obispo, CA; Levis, Quebec; May 12, 2008:

Lambert is now Lezyne’s exclusive Canadian distributor. Lambert covers all parts of Canada, and with its well-established and extensive network, brings Lezyne products quickly and easily to Canadian shops.

“Lambert is a very professional company,” said Lezyne CEO Micki Kozuschek. “It’s one of the best organized distributors in Canada.”

Lambert has been in operation since 1945, and is among the largest cycling distributors in North America. “They’re a great logistical partner with a long history of business,” said Kozuschek. “They’ve made a substantial commitment to our brand.”

Patrick Giguère, Lambert Product Manager, explained that “Lambert was extremely impressed by Lezyne’s product functionality and design, and attention to detail. There is a huge potential for Lezyne in Canada for cyclists looking for innovative and distinctive accessories. With this partnership, IBDs nationwide now have access to a very competitive product lineup and consumer-driven brand.”

Lezyne and Lambert recently joined forces in March 2008 to sponsor the North Shore Ripper Series. The four-event mountain bike series focuses on fun, and sends teams of riders into several adventurous races that blur the distinctions between racing and exploring. More events with Lezyne and Lambert will be forthcoming.

Lezyne USA has been distributing products world wide since fall 2007. Standing for exquisitely designed, intelligently engineered, and functionally complete cycling accessories, Lezyne brings a clean, professional approach to the sport. Stay tuned to Lezyne’s website for upcoming new products, as well as revisions to current offerings.

For more information about Lezyne, visit www.lezyne.com.
For more information about Cycles Lambert, visit www.cycleslambert.com.

source: Jeff Kendall-Weed

SANTA FE, NM - Back in May of 1993 two bike industry guys got together and decided to start a parts and service company in Ashland, OR. Unlike most distributors at the time, BTI chose to focus on one aspect of the market and to do it well - bike suspension components. A lot has changed since then, here’s a re-cap of BTI’s first decade and a half in business.

• BTI’s first catalog was a twenty-four page newsprint flyer with illustrated schematic drawings of every major fork design. That same year, BTI introduced the first “Shock Treatment” program – a factory-trained service center that bike shops could send shocks to for tuning and repair. This hands-on approach gave BTI its reputation as the experts in bicycle suspension.
• By 1996 the company was looking for a more central location from where they could serve dealers on both coasts. With the help of friends the young company packed up its inventory and relocated to Santa Fe, NM. It didn’t hurt that the new location boasted 300 days of sunshine and abundant riding opportunities.
• Within a few years BTI had established itself as a top distributor in the Southwest. Spurred by both vendor and dealer demand, BTI would gradually expand its selection of shop essentials and services to cover every aspect of the modern bicycle. Staffing BTI with trained enthusiasts became central to the company’s recipe for growth; to this day BTI recruits only the most knowledgeable employees - mechanics, riders and industry veterans with experience and a passion for cycling. Whether it’s XC, Downhill, Road or urban fixie bikes - there’s someone who rides it at BTI.
• BTI has rs. BTI now stocks over 18,000 unique products from 300 brands. Those two guys who founded the company are still hard at work every day of the year; even organizing rides and company events in their spare time. As a team, BTI staff is dedicated to making the company #1 in accuracy, speed, integrity, innovation and to bringing its customers the best products and services - made fresh daily.

Co-founders Andrew Wright, President and Preston Martin, Vice-President would like to thank BTI’s customers and vendors for their support in reaching this milestone - join BTI as we celebrate 15 years in business this month.

———————————————————–

About BTI
Bicycle Technologies International is a global wholesale distributor located in Santa Fe, New Mexico USA. BTI stocks 300 unique brands of bicycle components, parts, accessories and clothing - in all over 18,000 items to choose from for 2008.. Please visit us at www.bti-usa.com

source: Bill Lane

May 11^th, 2008: Martin Soederstrom wins a captivating final in Munich’s Olympiapark as the biggest crowd of the year was treated to a nail-biting final on the biggest Qashqai course of the year! It was an amazing event across the board, and the final round at London’s famous Tate Modern Gallery is sure to provide a culminating final to the 2008 Nissan Qashqai Challenge.

The wind subsided enough for an absolutely stunning final today at the 1972 Olympic site. Massive jumps, a live hip hop show and good local DJ crew a huge crowd, and it didn’t hurt that KISS played a sold out show that night in the park. The course was great, two doubles in the upper section fed into a right-hand berm that sent the riders down a grassy slope, popping out of the trees and off a big drop into the lower section where during the whole day in total about 25,000 spectators awaited the two huge final jumps.

In the finals, Martin Soederstrom’s unequivocal consistency took the show, he didn’t bobble once on over a dozen 360 tailwhips throughout the weekend. In his final run he pulled a clean truckdriver into a 360 tailwhip to pedals, tabletop off the drop, and was the only rider to tailwhip over the big 9 meter double, capping the run with a clean nose dive 360.

Top qualifier Trond Hanson was close with a 360 x-up into a tailwhip, moto whip off the drop, clean 360 over the big double, into an opposite 360 to finish. Brandon Semenuk solidified his third place performance with a tailwhip into a 360 truckdriver, followed by a no-foot can can off the drop, to a seat grab indian air, riding out of a double tailwhip over the last jump. Lance McDermott and Paul Basagotia rounded out the top five and stayed in contention for the overall title. All twelve finalists rode incredibly well, and at one point in the second round the top four riders were separated by only four points. In the end, the riders all agreed with the final results.

On the podium, when asked if this was the biggest success in his young career, an elated Soderstrom replied, “This is the best day of my life!” The level of riding was extremely high in Munich, and with many riders in contention for the overall title and biggest prize purse of the season, the final round at London’s famous Tate Modern Gallery on Saturday May 24^th is sure to provide a culminating final to the 2008 Nissan Qashqai Challenge.

Final Results:

1 Martin Soederstroem SWE PEAK PERFORMANCE
2 Trond Hansen NOR SPECIALIZED
3 Brandon Semenuk CAN TREK
4 Lance McDermott GBR SCOTT
5 Paul Basagoitia USA KONA
6 Benny Korthaus GER SPECIALIZED
7 Phil Sundbaum USA HARO
8 Jamie Goldman USA SANTA CRUZ
9 Amir Kabbani GER CANNONDALE
10 Kurtis Sorge CAN GIANT
11 Sam Pilgrim GBR DIAMONDBACK
12 Andreu Lacondeguy SPA KONA

General admission to all the Nissan Qashqai Challenge events is free. If you were not able to make it to the event, you can watch the competition LIVE on Freecaster at: www.freecaster.tv/mtb

source: Tarek Rasouli, rasoulution