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 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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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

“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>>

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>>

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>>

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!

We’re just two months out from some of the best racing in the states at Sea Otter Classic. Time to start honing your training to prepare for your specific race or races. Are you going for the road race featuring the classic Ford Ord loop and mountain top finish or a circuit race on the Leguna Seca Raceway? Whatever your race, one of the best ways to gauge your training is with power. Power meters don’t come cheap, but if you truly want to train like a pro, it could pay off down the road.

The Garmin Edge® 705 is the only GPS-enabled bike computer that can display power along with a ton of other data about your ride. The 705 is compatible with ANT+™ enabled power meters from manufacturers like PowerTap, Quarq and SRM. Unless you’re a gearhead who wants an excuse to break out the tools now and then, you’ll probably have the power meter installed at a bike shop. The rest of the setup is simple since the power meter sends the data wirelessly to the 705 via ANT+ technology. Soon, we’ll post a couple of videos to the…MORE >>

Photo: Nicholas C. Weaver

Monterey, Calif. (Feb. 4, 2009) – The Sea Otter Classic has added a fourth day of road racing to its schedule. A new criterium race, one of the most spectacular kinds of bike races to watch, will be held on Thursday, April 16, 2009, for nearly all amateur and professional categories.

“The additional race makes the Sea Otter Classic an even better value for road cyclists, who now have the opportunity to compete in three different events – road racing, circuit racing, and crit racing,” said Jeff Frost, Director of Athlete Services. “We expect this event to be very popular.”

Criterium races showcase the athletes in a short, high-adrenalin format requiring cornering skills, team strategy and high speeds as the racers lap the course up to 30 times. Fans have a front seat to all the action, as stronger players move up to the front and weaker ones are spit out the back of the pack.

According to U.S. national criterium champion Brooke Miller (TIBCO Women’s Pro Cycling), spectators can learn a lot about road racing by…” MORE >>

Clif Bar’s 2 Mile Challenge will be back on the road to Sea Otter, literally. Upholding the company’s commitment to urge people to leave their cars at home and use bikes for trips of 2 miles or less, Clif Bar’s staff at Sea Otter will again be commuting daily by bicycle to and from Sea Otter from their hotel in Monterey.

“Commuting by bicycle is one of the most practical ways for people to fight climate change,” says Clif Bar Field Marketing Manager, Peter Berridge. “Bicycles are relatively affordable and accessible and what is good for the planet is also good for your body. It’s a no-brainer, especially for those short trips.”

In the U.S., 40% of all travel is 2 miles or less, yet 90% of those trips are made by automobile. Every mile traveled by bike instead of car prevents one pound of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere, according to the Climate Leadership Initiative at the University of Oregon. Car-generated carbon dioxide is the leading cause of global climate change.

In another show of support for bicycling as transportation and for the 2009 Bicycle Leadership Conference (BLC) taking place at Sea Otter this year, Clif Bar will be the presenting sponsor for the BLC’s post-conference bike ride to Sea Otter, from the conference center in Monterey…MORE>>

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!

• Athlete registration is open now! 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 now! Don’t wait-reserve your campsite today.  Avoid the traffic driving into Laguna Seca and be minutes from the action. Click here to reserve your spot.

• 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.

• Bringing your family? Check out the kids’ activities schedule here.

• Purchase official Sea Otter merchandise here.

Garmin Edge 705

It’s time to gear up for a great racing experience at Sea Otter. Winter training can give you the edge on your competition and the right equipment makes all the difference. Train like a pro with the Garmin Edge® 705 — the official bike computer used by Team Garmin pro cyclists. Edge 705 is the only bike computer that puts GPS positioning, maps, wireless speed/cadence, heart rate, elevation and optional power on one display.

In April, we’ll provide course maps for all Sea Otter venues, including the Fort Ord and XC courses. These courses will be tracked using a Garmin GPS device and uploaded to Garmin Connect. From there, you can check out detailed metrics for each course, including time, distance, speed and elevation… MORE >>

The race is a part of the U.S. Cup, a new mountain bike competition comprised of an eastern and western series, giving its podium spots even more cachet. Expected to draw the best professional mountain bikers to races around the nation, the U.S. Cup will crown a champion at a series showdown in Las Vegas, the weekend after Interbike. “Sea Otter is the shining star of the U.S. Cup,” said Tom Spiegel, director of west coast operations for the U.S. Cup. “Its high-caliber racing has been making it one of the most important events on the calendar for years. We are thrilled that we can include it in this new…” MORE >>

Long-standing IMBA Corporate Member Specialized recently renewed its commitment to provide direct support for IMBA California’s successful statewide advocacy program. IMBA and more than 50 IMBA-affiliated California clubs are planning for their biggest presence ever at the 2009 Sea Otter Classic. Join us in celebrating recent victories in the Golden State, and to rally in support of new and existing trails. IMBA will host its annual advocacy summit on Friday April 17 at Laguna Seca, to address trail access issues and provide orientation for those new to bike advocacy.

In a recent action alert, IMBA asks all riders and mountain bikers to make urgent comments to the U.S. National Park Service regarding a proposed rule change which will make it easier for parks to open trails for mountain biking. IMBA urges cyclists and mountain bikers to register comments in support of the rule change. IMBA has been asking for this change since the 1990s. We’re now in a 60-day commentary period to make the change official.

Look for the IMBA booth at Sea Otter—with information about how you can connect with other riders and IMBA clubs in your area. Riders or racers interested in receiving training plans and race day mechanical support, plus a great prize incentive program, in exchange for raising a little dough for California trails are encouraged to check out Team IMBA for events at Sea Otter. IMBA is also planning an epic bash on Saturday April 18th of Sea Otter. Stay tuned to IMBA for details. Or register to receive free IMBA California E-newsletters. Mark your calendars for the Sea Otter Classic today, and plan on making a difference by connecting with IMBA while you’re there!

Please take a moment to cruise the site and see what’s in store for the upcoming conference. Register now to save $100 per registrant and please note this offer expires at the end of the year.

Lastly, remember to check back frequently, as the 2009 BLC agenda and activities will be evolving over the months ahead!