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Round 4 Report: Deer Valley powered by Subaru Gary Fisher

June 30th, 2008 by adam


nmbs series logo
www.mtbnationals.com


2008 National Mountain Bike Series
Deer Valley National, presented by Subaru Gary Fisher
Round 4, June 27-29, 2008

 

Contact Paul Skilbeck for full results pskilbeck@o2sm.com
or visit bluewolfevents.com/results

PARK CITY , Utah (June 30th, 2008) — The fourth round of the US National Mountain Bike Series, the Deer Valley National, presented by Subaru Gary Fisher, concluded today at Deer Valley, Utah, with the glory shared between those returning from the world championships in Italy last weekend after a weeks-long campaign in Europe, and those that stayed at home. Ryan Trebon, Geoff Kabush and Katerina Nash starred in the Kenda Tires and Tubes cross country race, while Melissa Buhl, Joanna Petterson, Cameron Cole and Justin Leov claimed victory in the Fox Racing Shox gravity races.

Kenda Tires and Tubes Cross Country - Men
Ryan Trebon (Kona), of Bend, Or., outclimbed a determined Jeremiah Bishop (Trek VW), of Harrisonburg, Va., who announced his return to form with a second-place result in Saturday’s Cross Country. Bishop, like Trebon, did not compete at the cross country worlds - he turned down the offer of a place on the national team because he didn’t think his form justified it. “The Cape Epic in South Africa at the start of the season turned out to be a lot harder than expected, then I went straight to Europe, but I got ill and had a bumpy world cup campaign. I was just not finding a rhythm, so I decided to stay home and train and get myself on track for the second half of the season, rather than go to worlds and ride below my best,” said Bishop.

He and Trebon gradually made the four-lap race their own, but until the final three miles it was anybody’s guess which of the two would take it. “There must have been five or more lead changes, it was an exciting race,” said Bishop. Ultimately Trebon had the best legs and his late-race charge took him 43 seconds clear of Bishop.

Trebon rode a 29-inch wheeled bicycle to his win, making it the first time a ‘29er’ has won a national series mountain bike cross country race.

Multiple NMBS champion, Geoff Kabush (Maxxis), of Canada, finished third, 1:28 back. “I’m coming off a month in Europe, and I’m a little sick,” he said. “With the world championships done I’m a little more peaked than Ryan (Trebon) and Jeremiah (Bishop), but I’m happy I rode a fairly solid race. Still, it’s three years in a row that I’ve been off the pace at Deer Valley.”

Fourth was Andy Schultz (Kenda/Titus), of Missoula, Mt., at 3:11, and fith was Carl Decker (Giant), of Bend, Or., at 3:24. Decker was pleased with the way things turned out for him after a difficult start. “It’s a tricky race because it begins with a big climb and then you go straight into singletrack after the top, so everybody’s trying to get a good position on the climb and you go way harder than you want to. I pretty much blew myself up to get 12th position over the top of the climb, but then I had to ride a bit easy for the next hour until I recovered. But I kept my chin up and I hydrated plenty and I came back and started passing people, and had some left for the finish and made it up onto the podium.”

Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru Gary Fisher), apparantly still fatigued from his European exploits and travel, was a few riders off the front when he flatted - ultimately taking eighth at 6:52. Adam Craig (Giant) and Todd Wells (GT), skipped this race in order to recover from their travel and prepare for forthcoming races on the east coast, beginning with NMBS round five at Wyndham, New York, July 10th-13th.

Series Roundup
Kabush looks well on his way to claiming another National Mountain Bike Series title, with 699 points compared to 575 for second-placed Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski. Strong riding by Carl Decker on Saturday elevated him to third overall on 544, but we cannot forget Barry Wicks (Kona), in fifth with 466, who did not compete at Deer Valley and is allowed one throw-out round in the final reckoning.

Kenda Tires and Tubes Cross Country - Women
It was no surprise to see the world’s top women’s cross country team sweep the top three places at Deer Valley, but Katerina Nash (Luna Chix), of the Czech Republic, scored the first National Mountain Bike Series cross country win of her career, which so far has been studded with victories in the Short Track. “We didn’t realize it at first, because she’s won so many short track races and we’re used to her winning, but then we started celebrating,” said the Luna Chix team manger Waldek Stepnowski.

Stepnowski praised the spirt of Nash, who has kept her mind focused on winning races despite the disappointment of missing out on Olympic team selection following an ill-timed injury at the Fontana NMBS race earlier this year. Then at the world championships, while positioned inside the top ten she hit a rock and bent her rear derailleur and finished the race in 12th place (Pendrel finished sixth, and Gould ninth). “Katarina responded to her disappointments with a lot of grace, she has kept a positive attitude, and she keeps on smiling…And then she comes out here and wins, what a pro! She’s a great athlete, such a good role model. It’s great to see she still has the appetite to try for the wins, she’s showing the young riders how it’s done, ” he said.

Nash went into the lead early in the race, ahead of her team-mates Catherine Pendrel, of Canada, and Georgia Gould, of Bend,Or. But Gould overexerted herself on the first climb and lost contact with Pendrel and Nash. She regained them on the find descent and they started Lap Two as a trio, but Gould lost contact on the first climb. “I had a better second half than first half. Sometimes it just takes a while to settle into your rhythm,” said Gould, who moved up past Pendrel into second place in the final half of the last lap. “I am really delighted for Katherina, taking her first NMBS win, she totally deserved it!” Said Gould, who finished 25 seconds down on the Czech national. Pendrel finished at 1:31.

Heather Irmiger (Subaru Gary Fisher), of Boulder, Co., placed fourth at 2:48, and Pua Sawicki (Ellsworth), of Miliani, Hi., came in at 4:19 to round out the top five.

Series Roundup
With 663 points after four rounds, Katerina Nash now has a solid lead in the series… but that might not last. Georgia Gould, now fourth with 536 points has the best three results from the four races so far, and with consistent riding she still is favorite to win another series title. Heather Irmiger (Subaru Gary Fisher) moves up into second place with 566 points, but when the low result is thrown out Catherine Pendrel - now third with 542 - and Gould should both leapfrog her. But this is mountain biking and much can happen, so predictions are unwise at this point in the series with two rounds remaining.

Kenda Tires and Tubes Short Track - Men
The Deer Valley Short Track course, which took about two minutes to complete, held much of its technical challenge in a few tight corners. After a slow start, Jeremiah Bishop (Trek VW) made his way from 15th place up to Kabush, Trebon and other front runners. Carl Decker (Giant) was not far behind. Decker had positioned himself at the wrong side of the pack - as far as getting around the first corner was concerned - and ended Lap One around 20th place. “Kabush dabbed really hard on the first corner, and it caused a pileup. I got held up by that,” explained Decker. It took the Bend, Or., rider most of the race to get up to the leaders, and by the time he got there, there were only three laps to go. “I felt great. There was a trio off the front: Kabush, Trebon and Bishop, and I joined them just as the attacks started happening. This was kind of a relief, because I’d been chasing hard and I was content at that point to hang on. I finally made it past Jeremiah (Bishop) for third place,” recalls Decker.

For Kabush it was a very different race. “After Saturday, I knew Trebon would the the strong man again, so he and I traded blows for a few laps early on. Then Jeremiah Bishop came up and joined us. Ryan went off and got a small gap with about three laps to go and I just waited patiently for my time. I closed the gap on the last lap, then got away on a small uphill. I was using a super-light tire and was able to carry more momentum into and accelerate out of the tight turns faster than Ryan, so I was clear coming out of the final turn.”

Kabush finished four seconds ahead of Trebon. Decker came in third at 11 seconds, and Bishop fourth at 13. Ross Schnell (Trek VW), of Grand Junction, Co., was fifth at 41 seconds.

Kenda Tires and Tubes Short Track - Women
Katerina Nash made it a double-one for herself this weekend, adding the Short Track win to Saturday’s Cross Country. Not surprisingly, Pendrel and Gould rounded out the top three for the Luna Chix team.

Gould had a decidedly better start in the Short Track than she did the day before. But by the halfway point she was paying for her early enthusiasm. “Katerina and Catherine went around me, but I was able to hang on and nurse myself into third place,” reports Gould.

After working with Pendrel for a few laps, Nash attacked on the short climb in the closing part of the race and quickly opened up an unassailable lead. Pendrel came in 11 seconds later, with Gould third at 47 seconds. Heather Irmiger placed fourth at 1:03 and Kathy Sherwin (Sobe-Cannondale), of Heber City, Ut., claimed fith place at 1:13.

Fox Racing Shox Downhill - Men
The three world championships competitors who earned podium positions were New Zealander Justin Leov (Yeti/Fox Shox), who placed sixth in Italy, and Australia’s Amiel Cavalier (Giant), who finished 18th, and Leov’s compatriot and trade team-mate Sam Blenkinsop, who was 17th at the worlds. Today Leov was once again comfortably ahead of Cavalier, with a 3:01.41 compared to a 3:07.28. Cavalier was very narrowly ahead of another New Zealander, Sam Blenkinsop (Yeti/Fox Shox), who finished with a 3:07.33. Blenkinsop placed 17th at the world championsips.

Cavalier was happy with his result: “The qualifier was not so good for me. I hit my chainring on a rock or something going around a corner and snapped the chain. I qualified with a slow time and went off very early in the finals. I took it a bit easy at that same corner, but overall I had a good run and I’m pleased with the result,” said Cavalier, who for the past few years has been based in Auburn, Ca.

Gwin Aaron (Yeti), of Morongo Valley, Ca., took fourth place with a time of 3:07.49, while Chris Van Dine (Cannondale), of Park City, Ut., was fifth fastest with 3:11.21.

Series Roundup
With two rounds remaining, the series is perhaps wider open than it looks. Brad Benedict (X-Fusion/Santa Cruz), of Campbell, Ca. holds the series lead with 589 points, well clear of Brad Oien (ODI/Southridge), Fountain Valley, Ca., on 498. But the presence of very strong international riders such as Justin Leov, Amiel Cavalier and even bigger names a possibility at the remaining two races, Benedict’s lead is not assured. He will need to be very consistent to hold on for the win and cannot afford any medium or poor results.

Fox Racing Shox Downhill - Women
Joanna Petterson, of South Africa, scored what is thought to be her first National Mountain Bike Series win, with a dominating ride of 3:53.21 that left her rivals a long way back. Petterson reached the 1/4 finals of the 4-Cross in Italy, and placed 12th. Finishing second was Darian Harvey (Sobe/Cannondale), of Durango, Co., in 4:05.84, and Lisa Myklak (Spyder/Fox), of Boulder, Co., was third with a 4:09,23. New Zealand’s Amy Laird, who finished 16th at the world championships, was fourth with a time of 4:13.59, and Leana Gerrard (Mona Vie/Cannondale), of Lake Tapps, Wa., was fifth fastest with a 4:21.39.

Series leader and 2008 champion, Melissa Buhl (KHS), of Chandler, Arizona, elected to miss the downhill, which makes it difficult for her to retain her series title. “I injured my right hand and left shoulder in practice for the 4-Cross worlds, so the rock gardens and steep rough sections on the downhill just hurt the injuries too much. I decided it’s better to wait until I find out exactly what’s wrong before I think about pushing it too much,” explained Buhl, who traveled directly from Italy to Deer Valley.

Series Roundup
Depending on whether or not Melissa Buhl attends the final two rounds of the series, the final two rounds will come down to a contest between Darian Harvey who has 651 points from four rounds, and Lisa Myklak, who has 544 from three rounds.

Fox Racing Shox Dual Slalom - Men
Cameron Cole (Maxxis) of New Zealand took the win ahead of Petr Hanak (Totally Wired), of Winter Park, Co. Chris Boice (Yeti/Fox Shox), of Albuquerque, NM., defeated Aaron Gwin (Yeti), of Morongo Valley, Ca., to claim third place.

Fox Racing Shox Dual Slalom - Women
Melissa Buhl (KHS), of Chandler, Az., returned from her 4-Cross triumph in Italy, where she also placed 10th in the downhill. Buhl left no doubt about her position with a win over Lisa Myklak. Leana Gerrard defeated Petterson for third place. “The course was decent, kind of mellow. I had a couple of jars, but fortunately slalom is not as rough as the downhill.”

Kenda Tires and Tubes Super-D - Men
Sam Blenkinsop (Yeti/Fox Racing Shox), of New Zealand finished with a time of 5:44.81 to edge out Australia’s Amiel Cavalier (Giant), who came in at 5:45.56. Britain’s Waylon Smith was third with a 5:47.35.

Cavalier was enthusiastic about his race “That’s the most fun I’ve had in a while. It was fast, loose and rough. There was a little bit of pedaling, I really enjoy racing these things!”

Cross country pro Carl Decker (Giant) was 13th, with 6:07.93, and Geoff Kabush (Maxxis) finished 19th with a 6:36.60. The course contained some very steep sections and relatively little pedaling.

Kenda Tires and Tubes Super-D - Women
Joanna Petterson scored her second win for the weekend with a time of 7:04.88, just ahead of New Zealand’s Amy Laird, who came in with a time of 7:06.52. Third place went to Connie Misket (Velo Bella), of Sandy, Ut.

Subaru Gary Fisher Team hosts NorCal Schools squad
Seven of the top riders from the NorCal High School Mountain Bike Racing League, who were selected from a special invitational camp, traveled to Park City, Utah, to compete in the Deer Valley stop of National Mountain Bike Racing Series. The team was hosted by the Subaru-Gary Fisher mountain bike team, giving the young riders the first hand experience of preparing to race alongside top American pro’s, such as Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, and Heather Irmiger, and Sam Schultz.

The Subaru-Gary Fisher team mechanics not only tuned the NorCal team’s bikes, but also taught the up and coming racers some of the nuances of pre-race inspection, tires selection and pressure, and tuning suspension for best performance. Sam Schultz, the youngest member of the Subaru-Gary Fisher team and 2006 U23 National Champion took the NorCal riders out to pre-ride the arduous 8.5 mile course.

The NorCal High Schools League teams went home with a collection of fine results from races that drew entrants from as far as Texas:

Junior Expert Men 16 years
1st William Curtis (San Rafael High School)
3rd Ben Sukys (Contra Costa High School)

Junior Expert Women 18 years
2nd Christine Weir (Nevada Union High School)

Junior Sport Men 16 years
1st Nick Newcomb (Drake High School)
3rd Alec Kassin (Drake High School)

Junior Sport Women 18 years
1st Lauren McQuinn (San Marin High School)

“We are very grateful to the Subaru Gary Fisher team for looking after us so well and showing us so much. The pro team concept fits our mission for growing the sport in schools, as well as giving some of our top riders an opportunity to reach for higher levels. The victories here were a bonus to a great experience. The Deer Valley race overall is an exceptional event, the trails, the accommodations, and the scenic town made for luxury racing. We very much hope to expand this program concept in the future,” said Matt Fritzinger, founder and CEO of the NorCal High Schools league.

-30-

Contact Paul Skilbeck for results: pskilbeck@o2sm.com

About The National Mountain Bike Series
The 2008 National Mountain Bike Series (NMBS) comprises six rounds and is the premier mountain bike racing series in the United States. It is sanctioned by the national governing body of cycling sports, USA Cycling. The series determines the most consistent performers over an entire summer’s gruelling competition. For more information and to see the complete 2008 NMBS calendar, visit www.mtbnationals.com. For all non-media inquiries, please send email to: info@mtbnationals.com.

 

2008 NATIONAL MOUNTAIN BIKE SERIES - SCHEDULE

KEY:
XC=Cross Country, ST=Short Track,
DS= Dual Slalom, 4X=Mountain Cross, DH=Downhill, Super D=Super D

Round 1
March 29 – March 30, 2008
UCI C1
Fontana National
Southridge Park
Fontana, California
XC/DH/ST/4X/Super D

Round 2
April 5 – April 6, 2008
UCI C1
NOVA National
McDowell Mountain Regional Park
Fountain Hills, Arizona
XC/ST/Super D

Round 3
May 17 – May 18, 2008
UCI C2
Santa Ynez National presented by Platinum Performance
Ted Chamberlin Ranch
Los Olivos, California
XC/DH/DS/ST/Super D

Round 4
June 28 – June 29, 2008
UCI C1
Deer Valley National
Deer Valley Resort
Park City, Utah
XC/DH/DS/ST/Super D

Round 5
July 12 – July 13, 2008
UCI C1
East Coast National
Windham Resort
Windham, New York
XC/DH/DS/ST/Super D

Round 6, Series Final
August 30 – September 1, 2008
UCI C2

NMBS Finals Presented by Trek VW
Brian Head Mountain Bike Park
Brian Head, Utah
XC/DH/4Xor DS/ST/Super D

source: MBS Press Office

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The BMC Mountains To Beach Stage Race

June 30th, 2008 by adam

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The BMC Mountains To Beach - 6 days of awesome mountain bike stage racing from the roof of Australia to the surf

Imagine a week of mountain biking, a week of racing, that will take you from the highest mountains in Australia, across snowgum lined plains, down along rainforest lined creeks and out to finish with your wheels in the sand and surf. Snaking singletrack, ‘wind through the helmet’ downhills, challenging uphills and some of the most varied scenery you could want.

Event promoter, Wild Horizons, are very excited to announce that the inaugural BMC Mountains To Beach will take place from 1-7 March 2009 and would like to welcome Swiss bike brand BMC aboard as Headline Sponsor of the event.

The BMC Mountains To Beach is a ‘tour’ style event. Entrants, solo or pairs, will ride some 400km on a journey from the mountains to the beach, from Thredbo in the Snowy Mountains to Narooma on the South Coast of NSW. The majority of the riding will be in race stages that will test the full range of mountain biking skills - uphill, downhill, cross country, marathon, riding under lights. Geez there will even be a short navigation stage and the potential of a task or two along the way to test riders mental faciltities! Whilst timed race stages will range in length from 5km to over 100km, there will also be a number of non timed, non race cruising stages along the way.

In announcing the event, Huw Kingston of Wild Horizons said:

‘When we announced the retiring of our 11 year old Polaris Challenge event in 2007, the reason was to allow us to run a stage race on mainland Australia in the month of March. Our Course Director Wayne Byard and myself have been working on Mountains to Beach for well over a year now. We’re really excited by the route and the riding we’ve pulled together and the partnerships we’re forming with host communities along the way. As with all our events, we’re putting on a professionally organized, challenging and fun race with the usual Wild Horizons slight offbeat elements included.’

Huw added:

‘It’s great to have BMC on board as the headline sponsor of the event and we will be announcing other major sponsors and host partners in the coming weeks. Our hope is that the event will establish itself as a ‘must do’ event on the Australian and international MTB calendar.’

Further details on The BMC Mountains To Beach will be available on www.wildhorizons.com.au in July

For additional information please contact Huw Kingston on 0418 977609 or huw@wildhorizons.com.au

source: Huw Kingston 

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2008 Deer Valley National

June 28th, 2008 by Photo-John

2008 Deer Valley National
June 26-29, 2008

Deer Valley Dual Slalom Qualifying

The US National Mountain Bike Series (NMBS) makes its fourth stop this season at the Deer Valley ski resort in Park City Utah. Events include Dual Slalom, Downhill, Cross Country, and Super D. Pro Cross Country finals and pro Dual Slalom finals take place on Saturday and pro Downhill and Super D finals are on Sunday. There’s even the Shimano Kids Race at noon Sunday!

There were concerns about the huge amount of snow this past winter disrupting this year’s Deer Valley National. But it melted off just in time to clear the trails. The weather is great, the aspens are green, and the mountains are covered in wildflowers. It’s a great weekend for some mountain bike racing in Park City!

Deer Valley Dual Slalom Qualifying

For more information, please visit http://mtbnationals.com/ or http://www.usacycling.org/nmbs/
For more information on events and mountain biking at Deer Valley, please visit: http://www.deervalley.com/

Photo-John also runs PhotographyREVIEW.com. To learn more about digital cameras and taking great mountain bike photos, please visit http://www.photographyreview.com/

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DROP IN SEASON 5 DVDS NOW SHIPPING, DIGITAL DOWNLOADS AVAILABLE!

June 27th, 2008 by adam

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June 26 – Vancouver, BC - The bus is back, by popular demand! Now you can watch season five of the world’s most popular mountain bike tv series, Drop In, before it’s even shown on television – the biggest and best season yet, Drop In 5, is now available for purchase on DVD.

Watch seven of the world’s top pro mountain bikers, plus a handful of surprise guests, as they visit North America’s best trails, parks and dirt jumps in thirteen full-length episodes – plus over half an hour of bonus footage! Follow the legendary Drop In bus as it carries its cargo of Dirtbags over 6000 miles and 75 days of blood, sweat, tears and some of the world’s best mountain biking.

Season five features riders Dylan Tremblay, Steve Romaniuk, Alex Reveles, Mitch Chubey, Ross McMaster, Andrew Taylor, Cam McCaul (and more!) and was filmed on location throughout British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada and Utah.

Also, this year, for the first time ever, all the full-length episodes from Drop In Seasons 1-5 are available as high-definition digital downloads! DVDs, HD downloads and other Drop In merchandise is available now through the Drop In TV online store. (url= http://www.dropintv.com/DropIn_Season_5_DVD_p/di_dvd_5.htm?click=1106)

For more on Drop In, including rider bios, video blogs, forums and more, check out the Drop In channel on Rip TV: www.rip.tv/channels/DropIn.

Drop In is the world’s premiere freeride mountain biking television series. Television and Web audiences around the globe have been attracted to the series’ unique lifestyle perspective, having the ability to follow the real-life “cast” of professional athletes as they travel and live together in one stinky bus in search of the next rush. The last four seasons of Drop In were filmed in some of the most epic and beautiful environments throughout the US, Canada and New Zealand. With these stunning natural environments as a backdrop, Drop In Season 5 renews its focus on the west, United States, and follows someof the worlds most experienced riders through the trials and tribulations of riding at the limits of sanity, and the drama of close quarters, living on the infamous Drop In bus.

source: Leah Poulton

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Could You Trade Your Car for a Bike? Volunteers Wanted

June 27th, 2008 by adam

New Belgium’s Tour de Fat Celebrates Pedal Power
in San Francisco July 19

Volunteers can Apply for Tour de Fat’s Car-for-Bike Trade Program,
an Opportunity to Trade in Four Wheels for Two

Ft. Collins, CO, June 27, 2008 –Tour de Fat, New Belgium Brewing’s traveling celebration of all things bicycle, is cycling into the bay area once again. The festival spreads the good word about the myriad benefits of cycling and celebrates mankind’s greatest invention…the bike. Over the last eight years, Tour de Fat has captured the imagination of thousands with record-setting parades, eye-popping entertainment, death-defying contests of bicycle skill and precision, and, of course, New Belgium beer. Nine more cities across the west are slated through October.

Opening each show with a costumed bike parade, Tour de Fat celebrates the power of the bike. Born in Ft. Collins, Colorado to increase awareness and participation in cycling as a sustainable form of transportation, Tour de Fat has grown into a national rite of passage for cycling advocates and bon vivants alike.

This year San Francisco will to take part in Tour de Fat’s Car-for-Bike Trade program, where a volunteer will commit to live car-free for one year. The dedicated individual will sign over their car title and receive a custom-fitted Black Sheep commuter bike in exchange. The selected candidate will chronicle the trials and triumphs along their car-free journey. The volunteer is chosen after submitting a video or essay describing their desire to live car-free. For more information, log onto http://www.followyourfolly.com/pdf/biketrade.pdf. To see the car-for-bike trade in Chicago on July 21 log onto http://www.tour-de-fat.com/tour-de-fat-chicago-2008/.

“Last year some rules and regulations kept us from doing the trade in California, but this year the hurdles are cleared and we’re looking for a taker,” said Chris Winn, Tour de Fat’s coordinator and event evangelist. “So if you’re willing to get rid of the gas guzzler and not-so-green machine in your life we’d love to hear from you.”

Tour de Fat is free to participants, but beer and merchandise proceeds from the San Francisco stop will go to the San Francisco Bike Coalition, which encourages people to use their bicycle for everyday transportation and Bay Area Trail Council, a non-profit organization forming a trail around the San Francisco Bay for people to enjoy the outdoors with activities such as biking, hiking and jogging. New Belgium’s philanthropic cycling circus helped 26 non-profit organizations in 2007 and raised more than $245,000.

“Tour de Fat is all things ridiculous, but the most important thing is that people think a little more about cycling, recycling and adding some folly to the day. So grab your bike, put on a costume and come hang out with us,” continued Winn.

Tour de Fat seeks to leave as small an environmental imprint as possible and composts and recycles waste from each tour stop. The waste diversion rate goal for this year is 95%. All musical acts will perform on a solar-powered stage, trucks and transport utilize B100 biodiesel fuel, and all vendors operate off the grid.

Highlights of Tour De Fat:

  • As part of the Car-for-Bike Trade Program, each Tour de Fat stop will have a funeral for the departed car complete with a Mardi Gras-esque funeral procession. This funeral will be followed, later in the day, by a celebration of the arrival of the Car-for-Bike volunteer’s custom commuter bike.
  • At the Team Wonderlounge, participants can join Team Wonderbike, New Belgium’s bicycling commuter advocacy program. Team Wonderbikers pledge to commute by bike, not car, as often as possible. Currently, 11,000 people have pledged not to drive 9 million miles in the next twelve months.
  • Tour de Fat 2008 has a new revival stage for performers with 100% solar-powered sound and decorations made from recycled materials. The stage will be transported in solar-powered trailers and the Tour de Fat crew will travel on B100 biodiesel fuel.
  • Festival-goers can participate in the pre-event bicycle parade and try out new rideable art bikes
  • This is a pro-bike celebration, not an anti-car rally…non-cyclists are more than welcome to join the festivities.

What:
Tour de Fat

When:
Saturday, July 19

Where:
Golden Gate Park - Speedway Meadow

Schedule:
9:00 a.m. - Bike Parade Registration
10:00 a.m. - Bike Parade
11:00 a.m. - “Slow-Down or Throw-Down” Slow-Ride Competition
12:00 p.m. - Performances Begin
1:30 p.m. - “Carpocalypse Now” – Funeral procession for the car belonging to the Car-for-Bike Trade volunteer
3:30 p.m. – Car-for-Bike Trade Celebration
4:00 p.m. - Curtain Closes

Bands:
Paper Bird, Mucca Pazza, Nanda and The Sprockettes
Check ‘em out at http://sonicbids.com/epk/epk.aspx?epk_id=123837, http://www.mucca-pazza.org/, http://www.nandatown.com/ and http://sprockettes.org/.

Tour de Fat 2008 will cycle through each of the following cities:

June 21: Chicago, IL
July 19: San Francisco, CA
July 26 : Truckee, CA
Aug. 2: Seattle, WA
Aug. 16: Portland, OR
Aug. 23: Boise, ID
Sept. 6: New Belgium Brewing (Ft. Collins, CO)
Sept. 13: Denver, CO
Sept. 20: Durango, CO
Oct. 11: Tempe, AZ
Oct. 18: Austin, TX

Don’t know what to expect?
To see videos and to learn more about the Car-for-Bike Trade Program log onto http://www.tour-de-fat.com/. For more information on New Belgium, visit www.newbelgium.com.

About New Belgium Brewing Company
New Belgium Brewing Company, makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale and a host of Belgian-inspired beers, began operations in a tiny Fort Collins basement in 1991. Today, the third largest craft brewer in the U.S., New Belgium produces seven year-round beers; Fat Tire Amber Ale, Sunshine Wheat, Blue Paddle Pilsner, 1554 Black Ale, Abbey, Mothership Wit and Trippel, as well as a host of seasonal releases. In addition to producing world-class beers, New Belgium takes pride in being a responsible corporate role model with progressive programs such as employee ownership, open book management and a commitment to environmental stewardship. For more information, visit www.newbelgium.com.

###

source: Jenny Foust

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Hoss Introduces Kiva Women’s Jersey

June 27th, 2008 by adam

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Anaheim, Calif. (June 26th, 2008) – Hoss Technical Gear announces the introduction of the Kiva bicycling jersey for women. This latest addition to the Hoss line of functional, affordable cycling wear gives the ladies the same value and comfort that the guys have come to expect from Hoss.

With its slightly relaxed fit and CoolPlus wicking fabric, the Kiva will keep you cool and comfortable. The understated earth tones and subtle styling assure that you’re looking great—on or off the bike. The Kiva is cool and comfortable cyclewear. Available now!

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• Women’s specific fit is slightly relaxed for improved ventilation and comfort
• CoolPlus wicking fabric keeps you dry
• Relaxed cut in sleeves for ventilation and comfort
• Two rear pockets
• 10-inch front zipper
• Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL
• Colors: Sienna w/ Black, Slate w/ Black (shown), Black w Olive Logo Print
• MSRP: $29.95
• Website: www.hossmtb.com

source: Karl Rosengarth

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Ergon asks, “Where are Fuzzy & Dejay?”

June 26th, 2008 by adam

 

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Ergon took 2 singlespeed super freaks. Helped set them up in a RV for the summer. Then told them to ride and race their bikes at exotic locations across North America to see what random shenanigans result as of these travels. Oh, and we can’t forget, we told them to take pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. You have been warned!

This is where you, the consumer, now comes in. Every month, a photo will be posted on the Ergon USA website from Fuzzy & Dejay’s travels. It will be your challenge to figure out where the photo was taken. Could it be Moab, UT? Whistler, BC? Or even Fruita, CO? The reward for the first correct emailed answer will be a select Ergon product announced for that months contest.

To enter and see the contest rules simply visit the “News” section of the Ergon website. Each month a new photo and prize will be listed. Good luck!

July ‘08 Contest
http://www.ergon-bike.com/us/about_ergon/news_template.html?id=410

source: Jeff Kerkove

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Marin Mount Vision Receives 2008 Bike of the Year Award in UK

June 26th, 2008 by adam

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2007 US Bike of the Year Winner Repeats Success Across the Pond NOVATO, Calif.–May 27, 2008. Marin Bikes, manufacturer of performance bicycles, announced today that Marin 2008 Quad XC series Mount Vision full suspension bike has won the coveted Bike of the Year award from “What Mountain Bike” magazine. After winning “Mountain Biking” magazine’s 2007 BoTY title, the new award cements Marin’s Quad Link suspension as a global leader in suspension design.

In a group of five bikes the Mount Vision won over both novice and expert testers alike with its quality suspension, agile geometry and smart component selection. “It’s the most requested bike on our fleet by far, whether we are heading off across moors all day or for a Thursday night thrash. We’ve had letters from readers who’ve spent a lot of time making their final buying decisions but are now totally in love with their Marins.” –What Mountain Bike magazine. The design, featuring Marin’s patented Instantaneous Pivot Center(IPC) provides 120mm of travel through two “Quick Link” linkages that allows the rear axle path to be tuned to provide superior bump compliance without compromising pedaling efficiency. The advanced system also enables the suspension to change the leverage ratio on the rear shock throughout its stroke. This allows the suspension to be plush through the initial portion of wheel travel before decreasing the wheel to shock ratio in the latter portion of travel to prevent the suspension from bottoming out on hard impacts.

“Riding the MV just gets better and better. In fact, we’d definitely boost our tentative initial climbing and value scores from 8 to 9 and give a totally deserved overall 10. It’s not just our experienced suspension testers telling us this.”

Marin currently offers the Quad Link suspension on three different series of bikes: the 120mm travel Quad XC, 140mm travel Quad Trail and the 172mm travel Quad XLT. The award-winning platform will be expanded on for 2009 with the introduction of a new full suspension series.

More about the Mount Vision review can be seen on Marin’s website http://www.marinbikes.com/cms/?p=296

Marin Bikes, a designer and manufacturer of performance bicycles and bicycle accessories, is located in Marin County, the birthplace of mountain biking. Marin, founded in 1986 by Robert Buckley, who remains it principal owner, and the company’s employee/owners are as committed to high quality service and customer support as they are to the lifestyle of cycling. Distributed in approximately 40 countries with international offices in Canada, Taiwan and Switzerland, Marin continues to pursue its original mission of providing quality performance and product innovation.

source: Mark Vanek

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Interbike International Bicycle Expo and OutDoor Demo to Remain in Las Vegas

June 26th, 2008 by adam

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Host city research and industry feedback confirms Las Vegas is the best return on investment for exhibitors and attendees of North America’s
largest cycling trade show

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. - June 26, 2008 - After two years of collecting potential host city data and retailer, manufacturer and industry partner feedback, Interbike management today announced the trade show will remain in Las Vegas, and that they are currently finalizing an agreement with the Sands Expo and Convention Center to host the industry’s show for a minimum of three more years, beginning with the 2010 show.

“The decision to keep the Interbike show in Vegas comes after years of research and communication with our retailer attendees, exhibiting manufacturers and important industry partners,” said Lance Camisasca, Interbike’s industry consultant. “The data and communication we have collected, along with industry recommendations from organizations like the National Bicycle Dealers Association (NBDA) and Bikes Belong, confirm our decision to keep the show in Las Vegas.”

Keeping Las Vegas as the host city for the Interbike trade show came into question two years ago in preparation to renew the show’s contract with the Sands Convention Center, which expires with the 2009 show. Among other things, members of the industry were interested in seeing the show support a more cycling-friendly city, while maintaining the best return on investment for exhibitors and retail buyers.

The Decision Process
In identifying possible locations for the show, Interbike selected key market criteria it considered mandatory for a host venue. Interbike’s top venue requirements include:

  • Contiguous exhibit space of at least 700,000 gross square-feet and ample meeting room space,
  • An event location where retailer and manufacturer attendance can be maximized,
  • A large and diverse selection of hotels, restaurants and entertainment options conveniently located to the events,
  • An international airport located within close proximity to the event with many flight options, numerous carriers and low airfare rates,
  • Relaxed labor union regulations and high quality services,
  • An OutDoor Demo site with great weather, extensive cross country/downhill trails and a closed road loop, and
  • An event market that is recognized as a cycling culture destination.

After determining the requirements for a potential host city, Interbike gathered research and data concerning hotel room availability, transportation costs, labor rates and convention centers in cities such as Anaheim, Calif., Denver, and Salt Lake City.

At the 2007 and 2008 Bicycle Leadership Conferences (BLC), Interbike presented to the industry host city suggestions and led roundtable discussions to assess the needs of exhibiting manufacturers. Manufacturer feedback included keeping exhibitor costs down, continuing to attract a strong audience of quality buyers and attending media, and strengthening the OutDoor Demo events, regardless of the show’s location.

As part of its annual post-show retailer survey, Interbike asked specific questions about retailer satisfaction with the show, its locations and potential host cities. Retailer responses included:

  • 96 percent of retailers surveyed were very satisfied or satisfied with their overall show experience,
  • The number one and two reasons retailers attended the show were to see new products and take in a variety of product segments,
  • As of the April 2008, 88 percent of retailers are planning on attending Interbike this year.

When asked which city would best suite their business needs…

  • 45 percent said Las Vegas,
  • 36 percent said Denver, and
  • 19 percent said Anaheim.

Retailers’ top reasons for choosing Las Vegas include the lodging, restaurant and entertainment options, fun destination and ease of getting to the event.

“While no one city is a completely perfect fit for the show, we are confident that Las Vegas continues to be the city of choice for the majority of our members,” said Fred Clements, executive director of the National Bicycle Dealers Association. “After numerous communications with our members and board and reviewing the annual survey results, the proof is in the numbers. In addition to what shop owners and managers say to us and what they put in a survey, retailers’ loudest vote has been with their feet by attending the show.”

As a final step, armed with the numbers and data from the retailer survey, attendance history, host city research and manufacturer responses to panel discussions at the annual BLC, Interbike met with NBDA and Bikes Belong board members and presented the recommendation to keep Interbike in Las Vegas.

“Interbike did a great job of sharing their survey results and other research,” said Tim Blumenthal, executive director of Bikes Belong. “After so many years in Las Vegas, the simple idea of a new host city is appealing, but the data shows that retailers and suppliers still prefer this city for a variety of good reasons. Thus, we support the decision to stay for the next few years.”

“I will sleep well at night knowing that no stone was left unturned in our efforts to make the best decision for our industry’s manufactures, suppliers and retail buyers,” Camisasca said. “All of the data and research shows that by and large, retailers like Las Vegas and will continue to attend Interbike in this market. Exhibitors want strong attendance, the lowest cost of doing business and a dynamite location for the OutDoor Demo. Las Vegas delivers exceptionally well in all of these critical areas, but we will continue to evaluate potential host cities as they develop.”

For more information about the 2008 International Bicycle Expo, OutDoor Demo and/or OutDoor Demo East, please visit www.interbike.com.

About Interbike
Interbike (a business unit of Nielsen Business Media, the parent company of the Outdoor Retailer (OR), Action Sports Retailer (ASR), Health+Fitness Business, and Fly Fishing Retailer trade shows) is a full-service trade show company that creates, markets and produces high-quality expos and educational conferences. Producers of the OutDoor Demo and Interbike International Bicycle Expo, Interbike is the leading bicycle industry business-to-business event management company, bringing together top manufacturers, retailers, industry advocates and media to conduct the business of cycling. Now celebrating more than 25 years of successful events, Interbike (www.interbike.com) gathers more than 1,000 cycling-related brands and close to 23,000 total attendees annually.

The 2008 Interbike trade-only events begin with OutDoor Demo (September 22-23, 2008 in Boulder City), followed by the Interbike Expo, September 24-26 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, and OutDoor Demo East, October 21-22 at Roger Williams Park in Providence, Rhode Island.

source: Maura Lansford

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Team Chain Reaction Cycles World Championships!

June 26th, 2008 by adam

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Well this past weekend was the World Championships in Val di Sole Italy. It was Earlier in the year than normal as the Olympic games are later on in the year and some of the disciplines are in the Olympics.

The track was super hard and technical all the way down and very hard on the bikes and the riders.Chris Kovarik and Julien Camellini both competed for their respective countries and they both placed pretty well 12th for Chris and 8th for Julien.

Chris struggled a bit on his race run not able to get into a good flow and said he was on his brakes too much. He was still suffering a bit from his big crash the week before in Willingen but never moans too much and just gets on with what he has to do.

Julien had a pretty solid run and gave it everything and had a good first split time but made a mistake further down but still 8th in the World for the day is pretty good on a track that didn’t suit the pair of them as much as some others. All the bikes were getting a huge beating every run but the Intense M6s held up great with a lot of work from Dave Garland our top mechanic and even Cord came to help out on his week end off.

Big congratulations to Gee Atherton who rode so fast all week to take Great Britains first ever DH senior Gold medal and hard luck to the amazing Steve Peat who took the silver again at 34 years old. Steve is an amazing athlete to still be at the top of the sport after so many years. So close to winning the Gold at last but the worlds just don’t seem to be kind to him. I think everyone there was so pleased for Gee but gutted that Steve didn’t get that elusive gold medal he should of won on many occasions throughout his career. Rachael Atherton also won the womans race by a massive margin to 2 World Championship gold medals in one family. Pretty amazing.

Also it was so good to see Josh Bryceland take gold in the Junior mens race with a big margin also. He rode so smooth and fast on the very hard track. He made it look easy on the big screen hitting all his lines perfectly and making no mistakes. Josh’s time would have put him 10th in the senior mens race!

Then there was Sam Hill. As we watched him on the big screen he was going so fast on that track it didn’t seem real! He was hitting sections so fast and riding on the limit it was amazing to see how fast it is possible to ride. It looked like he was going to have a huge crash at any point on the track as he seemed to be just riding too fast but he held it all together until the high speed section at the end and just lost the front wheel on the inside line he took and had a big crash but got up had to start on the flat section with no speed and still managed to finish in the Bronze position. It was great to see what is possible on such a difficult course and gives everyone some motivation for the upcoming World Cups.

This week we are back at the chalet in St. Jean D’aulps doing some riding and filming on some of the great tracks in the woods next to the Pleney. Look out for some footage on our site www.crcintense.com.

Check out a few pics from the last couple of weeks and you can have a look on our website for more pic.

Cheers: Nigel Page

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