April 9th, 2009 by

adam

Event News

	On-line Athlete registration closes Sunday April 12th at 12 midnight Pacific Time! On-site athlete registration will open Wednesday April 15th at 12 noon Pacific Time. Click here for race information and sign up for an event. Search event rosters here and check out the 2009 event schedule here.
	Exhibitor registration is now open! Be a part of North America’s largest consumer expo and product demo area. Click here to register.
	Camping registration is open and space is still available! Don’t wait-reserve your campsite, register today. Avoid the traffic driving into Laguna Seca and be minutes from the action. Click here to reserve your spot .
	Be sure to keep an eye on TwoWheelTales.com blog for up-to-date blogging from professional cyclists througout this years event. Click here to find out more.
	Click here for a list of discounted hotels in the Monterey and Salinas area. Be sure to ask for the Sea Otter special rate.
	Sea Otter has a new web community. Visit the official MySpace page to what Skipper is up to. View Pictures on the Sea Otter Flickr page. Chat with friends on the new Sea Otter Forum. Watch exciting Sea Otter video on YouTube. Catch up with friends on our Sea Otter Facebook group.
	Bringing your family? Check out the kids’ activities schedule here.
	Purchase official Sea Otter merchandise here. On-line merchandise sales will close Wednesday April 8 at midnight Pacific time. The official Sea Otter merchandise store will open on-site at Laguna Seca at 12 noon Pacific time Wednesday April 15th.
	Great weather forecast-Click here for updated weather information for Laguna Seca

Special Offers

	Specialized Bike Valet Specialized Bicycle Components, a major sponsor of Sea Otter, will be providing a complimentary Bike Valet for Sea Otter attendees this year. The Bike Valet will be adjacent to the beer garden and expo area. The Specialized Bike Valet will be provided on Friday between 9:00 AM and 4:30 PM, on Saturday between 9:00 AM and 4:30 PM and on Sunday between 9:00 AM and 3:30 PM. To park your bike, complete a simple form with contact information and bike description and your bike will be tagged and held for your return. All bikes need to be picked up on the day they are parked, no overnight accommodations!
	GT Golden Race Series GT Golden Race Series-GT Bicycles is launching its new Golden Race Series at Sea Otter this year. The fastest time on our 19-mile XC course - whether it’s a Cat 1 or Cat 2 amateur racer — wins the GT Golden Bike. The winner will be announced on Sunday after the Cat 1 race… MORE >>
	MotoGP “2 for 1″ Race Day Ticket Special Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca would like to offer Sea Otter participants and fans a special ticket offer to the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix motorcycle races featuring the MotoGP World Championship. For a limited time if you buy a general admission ticket for Sunday, July 5… MORE >>
	Test Ride a Ducati Hypermotard Ducati North America unveiled its new Hyper Truck at Miller Motorsports Park during the World Superbike race weekend in 2008. Built to be nothing less than pure, unadulterated fun, the Hypermotard must be ridden to be fully appreciated. Now you can experience the exhilarating ride as the Hyper Truck tours North America. Loaded with Hypermotards, Ducati’s tractor trailer will be touring all summer offering demo rides and world-class hospitality. Ducati Apparel and Accessories will be available at the Ducati Hypermotard Demo truck located by the main stage, Booth 546…. MORE >>
	Memorial Ride for Mark A. Reynolds of Wicked Racin! This is a personal invitation from Mark’s family to those of you who remember Mark as an exhibitor of his Dualrailleur Guide System at the Sea Otter Classic and from the downhill race last year where he tragically lost ost his life. Mark’s family would like to honor the one year anniversary of his passing by organizing a team of memorial riders to wear t-shirts. We are hoping riders participating in any of the racing events would ride and compete in memory of Mark. If you’d like to participate or would like additional… MORE >>
	Guz D’ Angelo Custom Collectible T-Shirt New for 2009 is a commissioned art piece from Sea Otter regular rider Gus D’Angelo that has been translated into a custom collectible Tshirt design to be sold in the 2009 Festival Merchandise booth Featuring and titled “Rotten Otto” When not racing XC at Sea Otter, Gus “Rocket G” D’Angelo is a San Francisco based illustrator and animator. His artwork has been featured world-wide in magazines and newspapers, on T-shirts and posters, and on the silver screen. His favorite artists… MORE >>

Athlete’s Corner

Athlete’s Corner: Win Gear From Garmin, Clif Bar and Camelback

The countdown to Sea Otter Classic is on, and Garmin has some great reasons to visit us at the show. We’re teaming up with Clif Bar and Camelbak — additional sponsors of the Team Garmin professional cycling team — to bring you a chance to win some great gear. Stop by any of our booths and pick up a punch card. Visit all three booths, get a stamp, then head back to the Camelbak booth to turn in your card. The first 50 entrants each day will receive a free Team Garmin podium bottle. If you’re not in the top 50, you’re still entered to win daily prizes and the grand prize drawing to be held on Saturday. Prizes include Camelbak products, Clif Bar products and the top prize—a Garmin Edge 705.

www.garmin.com

Press

Sea Otter Classic Adds A New Program To Preserve the Environment That It CelebratesMonterey, Calif. (April 8, 2009) – In an ongoing effort to reduce its environmental footprint, the Sea Otter Classic, a four-day celebration of sport, will introduce a new program this year that will involve everyone in its recycling efforts. People who throw recyclables in the correct bin (with or without help from volunteers posted near bins) will be offered a “ticket” to redeem for prizes at a “Zero Waste Store.”

“People might think they are doing all they can by having a recycling bin at home, but at events, they just don’t make the extra effort,” said Frank Yohannan, president and CEO of the Sea Otter Classic. “This program will make recycling fun–competitive even–and educate our attendees about how easy it is to utilize the special recycling bins that we set up all over the venue.”

Sierra Nevada is sponsoring this program with 30,000 recyclable bottle caps, which will act as “tickets” redeemable for more than 2000 donated goods from exhibitors and local businesses. Mandi McKay, sustainability assistant at Sierra Nevada, says they want to make sure attendees know that the Sea Otter Classic is very environmentally responsible, and does as much as it can, not only to protect and respect the land, but to teach others to do the same. Bottle caps can be redeemed at the “Zero Waste Store” for a variety of items, including bike clothes, socks, hats, energy drinks, stickers, water bottles, books, videos, bike parts, sunglasses, reusable grocery bags, and more. Attendees will also have an option to throw their lot into a raffle, held Friday, Saturday and Sunday, for a Thule rack system… MORE>>

Long Weekend of Festivities Planned for 2009 Sea Otter ClassicMonterey, Calif. (March 26, 2009) – Cyclists and outdoor enthusiasts can look forward to excitement and high energy fun this April. The Sea Otter Classic, a four-day celebration of sport, has a multitude of events, activities and action planned for a long weekend of fun, family and community, April 16-19, 2009.

Action All Around and Up Above

At any one time, spectators in the Sea Otter Village can enjoy 360-degree views of races and activities going on around the venue, including games, parties, contests, costumes, team autographs, personal conversations with the pros, product demos, beer and BBQ, live music and bargain bins and samples in the Expo.

The action will even be overhead, as teams of specialists do flips and stunts in various shows and events around the venue. And on Saturday and Sunday, as part of the midday ceremonies kicking off the Pro racing on each day, the action will also be in the sky, as the U.S. Navy will conduct an F-5 fighter jet flyover! Following the flyover, spectators will enjoy the Presidio of Monterey Air Force Honor Guard followed by the sights and sounds of the Monterey High School marching band and international flags representing all our athletes as they parade and play music around the Sea Otter Village… MORE>>

Sponsor Spotlight

	SRAM was born in 1987 in downtown Chicago, IL, with one component (the Grip Shift), one warehouse, and six employees. SRAM has since expanded through growth and acquisition into the world’s second largest cycling component manufacturer whose brands include SRAM, RockShox, Avid, and Truvativ. SRAM currently produces over 2,000… MORE >>
	In order to prevent injury, the Leatt-Brace™ restricts extreme ranges of movement that cause injury, but allows the driver or rider enough movement to get on with driving or riding. Users often report a feeling of being naked and vulnerable after taking the brace off. One Lap or five minutes is usually all it takes to get used to the brace… MORE>>
	The official bike resort of the Sea Otter Classic and one of the finest year-round mountain resorts in North America, Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort is host to a new base area village featuring 35 unique shops and restaurants, a conference center, 9,000 square foot skating rink, on-site lodging, special events and more. The Northstar Resort mountain bike park… MORE >>
	Native Eyewear is proud to be a sponsor of the XYZ Event. For over 10 years, Native sunglasses and goggles have graced the faces of adventure seekers as they navigate both mountain terrain and urban jungles in search of the next great challenge. With interchangeable polarized lenses, amazing grip and comfort, and ultralight frame technology… MORE>>
	FUEL is the new, natural energy beverage which will keep that flame burning within your body. Despite the smooth taste, FUEL delivers maximum potency and peak performance to your mind and body without adding preservatives that can often suck the life out of you. FUEL’s gripping, fresh taste will take you as fast, as far, and as high as you need to go… MORE>>
	Our corporate mission is to be the leading provider of local news, information and services in our strategically located markets by continually expanding and leveraging our news gathering resources. We will proactively identify and develop strategic partnerships and relationships to enhance our content and services while integrating our content for dissemination… MORE>>
	College Cyclery is the oldest bike shop in Sacramento CA. Founded in 1935 it is one of those shops that you have to visit even if you don’t own a bike. Just walking in is good for your soul. College has a great selection of vintage bikes, parts and ephemera but they are also experts in the most modern and high tech road and dirt bikes. Owners / current… MORE>>

Advocacy

IMBA Protects Bike Access, Scores Funds for California Trails

After much hard work, 2008 turned out to be an incredibly successful year for IMBA California, including securing the Governor’s veto of a bill aimed to expand Wilderness in state parks, thus closing trails to mountain bikes. Another significant victory came in the form of a $600K appropriation from Congress to expand the purpose-built mountain bike trails in the King Range of northern California.

Yet threats continue to loom, with severe access issues cropping up in Santa Cruz, and a newly introduced bill that once again calls for increases in state Wilderness, without serious consideration for lost mountain bike opportunities. Concerned riders should register with IMBA http://go.imba.com/register and help us speak with a strong, collective voice.

Join IMBA at the Sea Otter Classic at booth #235. Sign up for the “Teaming For Trails” Scavenger Hunt, with incredible gear being offered by our partners at Subaru, Gary Fisher and Yakima. All registered participants will earn a crack at a carload of sweet prizes — including a Subaru/Gary Fisher Team bike.

On Saturday April 18, join your mountain bike brethren at the Embassy Suites in Seaside for a post-race party that you wont want to miss. RSVP http://go.imba.com/site/R?i=4IGm-WMNhGvql-f8iI749w… today for the IMBA California Benefit Bash, featuring beer from New Belgium… MORE>>

Bicycle Leadership Conference

The annual industry-wide Bicycle Leadership Conference is back again, this time in conjunction with the nation’s biggest and best consumer bicycle festival, the 2009 Sea Otter Classic. Come join us for informative discussions, hands-on group interaction and unparalleled networking opportunities. Industry leaders from all sides of the business will come together again to address the tough issues and challenges that will shape the future of the bicycle industry across the USA and around the world.

The Bicycle Leadership Conference host hotel is the Embassy Suites. The Embassy Suites is offering a special rate for all conference attendees! Click here for more information

The agenda for this year’s conference can be found on the official Bicycle Leadership Conference website. The key note speakers for this year are: Tim Blumenthal, Executive Director of Bikes Belong, and Congressman Sam Farr.

Please take a moment to cruise the site and see what’s in store for the upcoming conference. Lastly, remember to check back frequently, as the 2009 BLC agenda and activities will be evolving over the months ahead!