Mountain Flyer Number 7

DEFINING THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN CYCLIST

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disrespect for of theullr wrath The heist was well planned but not without risk. When I left the house, the weather was fair though the forecast was dire and I could see a mass of dark clouds to the southwest. Not rain clouds but ghostly snow makers. I left hastily without a jacket, thumbing my nose at winter, darkness and all things cold. No Norse weather gods would keep me from riding on this fine evening.

The air was a little colder than I had thought (getting fooled by the sheltered warmth of my southfacing deck), but I refused to show any weakness. Making it to the trailhead without the skies opening up gave me confidence and more drive to forge ahead.

Once you’re on dirt, the weather is insignificant. I loathe riding my road bike in nasty weather—it’s nothing but misery— but mountain biking is different. The pleasure of ripping a good piece of singletrack, like a designer drug, can create blissful indifference to discomfort. It’s not numbness but more like anti-numbness. Your body is so jazzed up with endorphins and sensations that only the good stuff gets through.

Gaining the top of the first hill, I could see clouds rolling closer, and felt the icy wind in my face. No doubt, the Norse snow god Ullr was blowin’ in the snow so I opted for a direct route to the singletrack. Twenty minutes of middle-ring climbing took me to the high point, and soon I was screaming down a killer descent, the snow was blowing sideways. Just as I danced through a technical section, the sky lit up with a neon shade of purple and I heard the clap of thunder not a second later. Lightning with snow is rare and scary and very cool.

The driving snow was not flaky snow but rather sleet that bounces off your skin with a stinging prick and crunches under your tires like Styrofoam. It was starting to accumulate on the trail, which only made my tires bite into the soft dirt better. Ha! Ullr, you’ll have to do better than that to send me shivering for cover like a feeble city boy.

I barely held in a sardonic laugh as I carved the final corner and met the main route back to the trailhead. The ride home was cold; the streets were soaked and my toes were numb, but the ecstasy of the ride would easily carry me the last five miles. Ullr’s breath was at my back and the snow chased me all the way home.

We got three inches that night and I slept with a satisfied smirk.

It was as if I had stolen that ride straight out of the clinched, frozen fists of Ullr.

Editor’sNote Ah, but the success was bittersweet as I knew it wouldn’t last. Winter was oming and soon the local trails would be buried deep under frostwhite drifts. Ullr would eventually win here in Gunnison.

But fear not, for reach of the snow god is limited. Despite our mountainous reputation, the Rocky Mountain region is mostly high desert and escaping Ullr’s wrath is as easy as hopping in the car and heading to Grand Junction, Moab or parts of New Mexico and Arizona for winter riding getaways.

Maybe the thin air gives Ullr a soft spot for Sol, the goddess of sun, because sun is something we get plenty of.

Cyclists in the Rocky Mountains do not fear Ullr. We irreverently ride year round. The air is cold but dry, and as long as we get some sunshine, we can ride.

There is no off-season. Cross racing takes us through January, February gives us Tucson’s 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo, March is spring training season and April begins with Gallup’s Dawn ’til Dusk, the Mountain States Cup and La Vuelta de Bisbee. Soon enough it’s May and the Tour of the Gila is upon us.

The year-round cycle of cycling in the Rockies prompts some good news for Mountain Flyer. Starting in 2008, we will publish quarterly. It’s a huge step for us. We’re excited to have increased ability to cover the events and happenings in the Rockies. We’ll now have more of everything: gravity, cyclocross, cross-country and road racing.

Our December issue is full of stunning pictures and tall tales from a season of racing, inspiring industry stuff, cool new products for 2008 and profiles of the characters that make this region such a great place to live. I hope that it entertains you through a few winter nights and even motivates you to get out, stick your tongue out at Ullr and ride your bike.

And if Ullr does come raging in—howling and waving his bow in the sky to call in a blizzard and bury us in snow—well, then we shall ski.

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editor/publisher brian riepe publisher steve mabry managing editor caroline spaeth art director chris hanna creative editor james e. rickman roving artist gloria sharp writers than acuff josh liberles rachel barbara troy mcclure phillip benningfield h.e. sappenfield christina buchanan brad seaman bill harris dave sheldon yuri hauswald jason trimm jill janov brock webster copy editor lisa inkret photographers marty caivano bill donovan liam doran alison gannett anne keller cory kopischke

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what’inside s ISSUE SEVEN

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Editor’s Note What’s New on MountainFlyer.com Racing Journal – A Photo Journal From a Season of Racing The Vapor Trail 125 – What It’s All About by Phillip Benningfield Colorado Trail Race – On Your Own for 500 Miles by Jason Trimm Flyover – News and Notes From Around the Region Hall of Fame Then and Now – Marilyn Price by H. E. Sappenfield Handmade Goods – Precision Frame Building by Rachel Barbara Recipes for a Balanced Diet – Ode to the Southwest by Christina Buchanan Training Tips – Staying Fit Through the Off-Season by Brad Seaman Green Your Ride – Cleaning Up the Sport by Josh Liberles Paraphernalia – Gotta Have it Gear Kickin’ the Tires – The Latest Bikes for 2008 Boulder, Colorado – Off-Center of the Cycling Universe by Damian Steldon Community Pages – Where to Go and What to Do Tailwind – Reader Photo by David Morse

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racing journal Animal instinct instigates a race. Whenever cyclists travel together, the one in front becomes the pursued. Those behind instinctively target what’s ahead as the destination.

The destination may be anyone, friend or foe. Or anywhere, regardless of what’s around the corner or how big the next hill is or how strong the wind is blowing.

Unconsciously, cyclists in the Rockies are drawn to fitness, agility and, ultimately, the love of racing. Whether at an organized event or a weeknight session with friends, cycling in this wild land teases you into pushing yourself harder and harder. And, before you know it, you are racing.

The next 29 pages honor the beauty, fortitude and exhilaration of pursuit in the Rocky Mountains. –B. Riepe

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crankworx colorado

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crankworx colorado

opposite: Winter Park, Colo., July 7, 2007 Throwin’ down a clean superman seat grab, Jamie Goldman (Santa Cruz Syndicate) shows the precision that bought him second in slopestyle and first in the big air competition. Photo by Liam Doran above: Winter Park, Colo., July 7, 2007 A view to‌possibly your own death, the entry ramp drops away to the slopestyle jump in Winter Park, Colo. Photo by Liam Doran.

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pajarito punishment

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Los Alamos, N.M., Aug. 11, 2007 Expert rider Jason Quenzler doesn’t get caught between a rock and a hard place even as a fire ignites in his shoes.

Photo by James E. Rickman 17

tour losde alamos

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firecracker fifty

opposite: Los Alamos, N.M., July 8, 2007 Jim Warsa (Colovita NM) stands and delivers in an attempt to ditch Bill Jacobus (Nob Hill Velo), Sam Johnson (Hagens Berman) and the rest of the pack. Photo by James E. Rickman above: Breckenridge, Colo., July 4, 2007 Heide Gruber (Wilderness Sports) focuses on the task at hand.

Photo by Liam Doran above left: Daniel Mellish (number 379) feels the agony as he leads Paul Clark (number 747) up and over one of the many climbs on the course. Photo by Liam Doran 19

crested butte classic

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wildflower rush

opposite: Crested Butte, Colo., July 14, 2007 Blair Choate floats through an aspen grove on the Deer Creek Trail, keeping on pace for a 9th place finish in the 100-mile classic. Photo By Brian Riepe above: Crested Butte, Colo., June 23, 2007 Top: R. B. Bathje (Brick Oven/CB Builders) cuttin’ fern on Crested Butte singletrack. Photo by Xavier Fane` above left: Using your head as a plow to clear trail is not recommended. Photo by Brian Riepe 21

leadville trail 100

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leadville trail 100

opposite: Leadville, Colo., Aug. 11, 2007 Reaching the 50-mile mark and the infamous Columbine Mine turnaround point, Dave Wiens (Yeti) moves closer to victory and the all-time race record at six hours, 58 minutes. Photo by Brian Riepe above: Leadville, Colo., Aug. 11, 2007 Despite crashing hard, shredding his leg and later flatting, Floyd Landis managed to give Dave Wiens a good chase, but to no avail, holding on for second place. Photo by Brian Riepe 23

frazer mountain madness

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full telluride tilt in

opposite: Taos Ski Valley, N.M., Sept. 22, 2007 Enjoying standard issue New Mexican alpine singletrack (where’s the trail?), Sean Cassily pulls in for third place in the hill climb. Photo by Roger Pattison above: Telluride, Colo., July 28, 2007 Honey Stinger front man Len Zanni, climbing in good form, looks up the trail to see if he can get a glimpse of race leader Jay Henry. Photo by Brian Riepe 25

copper mountain criterium

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copper mountain criterium

opposite: Copper Mountain, Colo., Aug. 19, 2007 At speed, crit riders turn into a flash of color and a whir of rubber on pavement as they scream through the village at Copper Mountain. Photo by Mark Woolcott above: Copper Mountain, Colo., Aug. 19, 2007 The tranquility of flower gardens and winding brick pathways provide a contrast to the voracity and speed of crit racing. Photo by Mark Woolcott 27

niwot criterium

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dead classic dog

opposite: Niwot, Colo., Aug. 26, 2007 George Knaggs (Rocky Mounts) swoops through a corner and happily takes in a little more air. Photo by Mark Woolcott above: Laramie, Wyo., June 24, 2007 Jim Dickerson (Cody Racing) hangs his knee out as if to say, watch your lens, Mark. Photo by Mark Woolcott 29

salida omnium

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keystone climax

opposite: Salida, Colo., July 27, 2007 Hammering through an afternoon rainstorm, Andrew Barker (TIAA Cref/5280) is leaving it all behind him in the time trial. Photo by Mark Woolcott above: Keystone, Colo., Sept. 1, 2007 Pullin’ some G’s, Chris Boice demonstrates the proper way to use a berm. Photo by Liam Doran 31

September 9, 2007

by Phillip Benningfield

A dedicated crowd gathers to cheer racers on for the midnight race start in downtown Salida. Photo by Bill Donovan

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The Vapor Trail 125, Salida, Colo.

this is what it’s all about

The Vapor Trail 125 is an Arkansas Valley classic for the bad-ass endurance rider. The endurance adventure follows a stunning panoramic route, employing many of the old rail lines twisting through the Collegiate Peaks Range west of Salida, Colo.

But alas, splendor and adventure come at a price, and to experience this one you must survive a midnight start, which is an attempt to get most of the riders out of the high country before the afternoon lightning storms begin, and a torturous 125-mile course that takes riders up and over the Continental Divide multiple times.

From the relative safety of Salida, a mountain biker can dreamily imagine the route circumnavigating all the biggest peaks west of town. But imagining it is one thing; enduring it is another. The Vapor Trail 125 is undoubtedly one of the most demanding and wickedly grueling one-day rides in Colorado.

At the ceremonious hour of midnight this September 2007 night, 33 clean and handsome riders including California single-speeders, the toughest ladies anywhere, veteran Vapor Trail riders from Crested Butte, Evergreen, Denver and a solid local contingent congregated on the F Street Bridge in the heart of old town Salida. After a subdued countdown and cheers from supporters, the knobby wheels hummed down the tarmac. Trailed by a police car, the composed and legal procession left Salida heading west toward the looming purple shadow of the mountains. Soon after leaving the city limits, the flood gates opened and the likes of Ethan Passant, Jesse Jakomait and Jeff Irwin put the hammer down and disappeared into the cool night, leaving the mortals behind to pace themselves more cautiously.

During and after the ride, a common musing expressed by many riders went something like this: “When I was grinding and walking up one of the huge climbs I kept thinking, ‘I can’t wait till the downhill so I can recuperate.’ But the reality was that the endless descents off Tomichi Pass, Agate Creek, Lime Creek, Indian Creek and Silver Creek felt like being pummeled by a pugilist. My palms were like bruised and tenderized meat, my wrists were toast and my quads felt like hamburger.” Obviously, someone was hungry.

The 15-mile warm-up to the Colorado Trail went by fast as we engaged in eager conversation. The darkness brought out occasional thoughts of hungry wildlife as our voices echoed in the woods. After hitting the trail, the conditions varied from smooth singletrack to rugged, eroded streambed that danced around in our headlights like a chase scene in a low-budget horror movie. The trail section from Blanks Cabin to Cascade Creek offered a blend of immaculate singletrack and baby-head rocks that appeared from nowhere like bald domes in delivery rooms. Eighteen more miles up to the Alpine Tunnel cruised by for most, except for a couple of tired, demoralized riders.

Then the long hike-a-bikes started.

Dawn was near freezing on the Continental Divide. Each breath was a warm puff of steam, reminding riders of the need to hydrate, and first light felt warmer than it really was as the riders helped one another with food and vitamin I (Ibuprofen). Hunters on ATVs looked shocked at the sight of the haggard bikers topping Tomichi Pass like crazed zombies. More pummeling descents crushed hopes, and the endless old rail beds seemed never-ending, but the relief from the loose descents was numbingly pleasant. The riding on Monarch Crest flowed like wine and lulled us all into a sardonic delirium, which was the sole reason to volunteer our bodies for such punishment. While we traversed the Monarch Crest, a couple of noontime rain showers with crashing thunder and lightning spoiled the otherwise blue bird day.

Fellow bikers cheered everyone on. More baby-head rocks threw themselves into down tubes on the Agate Creek and Indian Creek descents until, finally, we relished one more 10-plus mile spin up Marshall and a traverse on the Continental Divide Trail, which led to the deluxe Silver Creek and Rainbow Trail sections. These are some of the most flowing and inspirational sections of track anywhere, but the constant steep rollers of the Rainbow Trail can drop you to your knees if you’re low on fuel. Countless switchbacks led riders down to Highway 285, and the final 10 miles of smooth pavement were a blessing to those hearty enough to finish.

The important, often overlooked and vitally necessary group of volunteers must be held in the highest regard. Without reserve, they helped in any way possible along the entire route. They filled water bottles, tuned bikes, fed every rider delicious treats from the best breakfast burrito in the whole wide world to energy drinks, tasty oatmeal and raisin cookies. And they gave much needed cheers that pushed riders on for mile after mile.

In the end, Passant arrived back in Salida in a shocking time of 13 hours and 41 minutes, Jesse Jakomait was second in 14 hours 23 minutes and third place went to Jeff Irwin, who finished in 14 hours and 43 minutes.

The 2007 Vapor Trail ended with a bodacious barbeque at Shawn Gillis’ house. Shawn, who owns Absolute Bikes, organized and sponsored the ride.

There, some delicious fuel was added back into haggard bodies while sore butts and tired psyches got a boost from fellow riders who helped one another along the way. The agony experienced during 125 miles of rugged trail is hard to put behind you, but the overall experience, the camaraderie, the sunrise from the top of Tomichi Pass and just being out there with a great group of people is something I’ll never forget. That’s what it’s all about.

For complete results and more info, check out www.vaportrail125.com.

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rocky mountain g3 series finals

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rocky mountain g3 series finals

opposite:

Angel Fire, N.M., Oct. 7, 2007 Alisha Gibson (Fort Lewis College), left, calmly blasts the inside line as Linden Kimmerer (Soulcraft) struggles to maintain her footing in the Super D. Photo by James E. Rickman above:

Angel Fire, N.M., Oct. 7, 2007 Heikki Hall (e.13/Iron Horse) sails over hideous Tendrils of Doom sprouting from the Alpha Downhill course. Photo by James E. Rickman 35

Surviving the First Colorado Trail Race Somewhere between Denver, Durango and this side of sanity, Jason Trimm races on the Colorado Trail.

On Your Own for 500 Miles

by Jason Trimm Photos by Alison Gannett

At 3 p.m. on July 19, 2007, 10 riders met in the dusty, gravel parking lot at the entrance to Waterton Canyon, where the South Platte River calmly drains out of the Rocky Mountains and where the north end of Colorado Trail officially begins.

These riders were a loosely organized bunch; most had never met until that afternoon. To the untrained eye, they probably looked much like the other mountain bikers leaving the parking lot for an evening ride on nearby trails. But their bikes were overpacked, looking suspiciously like kids who had run away from home, with bags and miscellaneous items lashed and adorned to any convenient spot on the bike.

For the next five to 10 days, these riders would indeed be homeless, sleeping wherever they happened to be when they 36

reached exhaustion, for they were getting ready to head off on a wild and onerous venture.

The goal: to complete the first Colorado Trail Race, racing against each other, self-supported and solo, over the entire distance of the Colorado Trail from Denver to Durango, cutting crosswise through the state over the Rocky Mountains and the Continental Divide, a distance of 500 miles with 60,000 feet of elevation gain.

The rules were simple; honor is everything and the riders may only use what they can carry, pick up or purchase under their own means along the route.

The following is a day-by-day race chronicle by fourth-place finisher Jason Trimm.

Ten brave and adventurous riders line up at the Waterton Canyon Trailhead, ready to race for the next 500 miles.

Day 1

At 3 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, I rolled out of Waterton Canyon with nine other mountain bikers determined to race to Durango under our own power. There were familiar faces like Ethan Passant, Matthew Lee and Fred Wilkinson and a few I had never seen before, all sporting enough gear strapped on their bikes and bodies to make the 530-mile adventure. After a seven-mile gentleman’s start, the race was on, and the singletrack climbed up into the mountains and through a very large burned area. A couple of hours into it, I found myself alone on the trail, a place I was to be for most of the next week.

An hour or so after dark I reached the beginning of the first wilderness reroute, a 70-mile circuitous loop of forest roads.

Rain was falling quite steadily by now and I set up my first bivy under a huge Ponderosa pine near Wellington Lake. While making a hot meal, I counted three riders with lights go by and I knew at least four racers planned on riding through the first night. I lay awake for a few minutes after dinner, questioning my decision to sleep.

Day 2

After a fairly decent slumber of five hours, wheels were down at 4:30 a.m., and I was covering ground in the pre-dawn without using my light (mostly). The reroute was actually quite hard and the climbing was relentless. It was a nice dry morning, though, and riding through the Hayman Burn Area was surprisingly beautiful, with the contrasting colors of green grass and black wood. Little mudslides were abundant from the night’s rainfall and often crossed the road. I had heard a rumor of a diner in the small community of Tarryall and spent much of the morning thinking about what I would order and what I could take with me for the night.

Riding through Tarryall, it did not take long to figure out there was no diner. My spirits plummeted as I burned through my remaining food at an alarming rate. It took so much fuel to stoke the fire and my progress was so agonizingly slow, I started to doubt that I could even make it to Durango. I put my head down and prayed for some kind eatery to suddenly appear before me.

Three hours later and about 10 miles shy of the trailhead, I spotted Matthew Lee’s bike at a bar on the side of the road. I pulled in, smiled at Matt and ordered two Philly cheese steaks.

Following Matt’s tracks up to the trailhead, I concentrated

on eating and drinking as much as I could. We cat and moused over Georgia Pass, caught Dan Montgomery right at dusk and we all three bivied on the Swan River near the bottom of the descent, about a hour after dark.

Day 3

Waking up at 4 a.m., I made an almost sickening portion of oatmeal and left camp just as the new day’s light began to show itself. The rain from the night before brought out the earthy smells of the woods and I couldn’t help but smile while climbing up out of the valley. I was belting out some sweet Steve Earle tune when I caught Matt at the top of a climb, and we grinned from ear to ear ripping through that sweet section of trail down to Breckenridge. Riding around the paved bike path to Copper Mountain, we chatted about the day’s weather, the leaders’ positions and food (of course).

Matt detoured into Frisco for breakfast and I continued around to Copper for my first mandatory call in at the Conoco Station pay phone. I hurriedly slammed a quart of chocolate milk while I loaded up a basket with boxes of fig newtons, handfuls of sport bars, batteries and three giant microwave burritos. I somehow spent $32 there. I spent the next 12 hours with a smile on my face as I settled into an all-day pace and managed to miss most of the gnarly afternoon thunderstorms.

I felt great and made a conscious effort to stay on top of food and water. At 3 p.m. the odometer turned 200, marking 200 miles in 48 hours. I took this as a good omen. My spirits were soaring as I kept seeing Fred’s tracks in the damp trail and knew I might see him before the day was up. Towards the top of a long climb, I saw the unmistakable tread of his tires on top of an inch of hailstones in the trail. He was so close I could smell him.

Sure enough, at dusk I caught Fred at the bottom of the descent on Clear Creek Road. It had been quite a long day, and I enjoyed Fred's company as we rode into Buena Vista together in the dark. It was Saturday night and the small river town was packed. Without a chance for indoor accommodations, I set up a rather crude bivy under a tree in a park on Main Street. Fred went back into town to call his wife and that was the last I saw of him.

By midnight it was raining and a set of headlights was shining directly on me. I made a quick decision and threw everything into my bivy sack, zipped it up, threw it over my 37

shoulder and made a beeline for the baseball field in my underwear. I was aiming for under the bleachers but the dugout was like a dream come true: it was dry, had a water fountain, a trash can and hooks to hang up my wet clothes. I slept peacefully for five hours.

occasional searing pain that would shoot through my kneecap at the top of a pedal stroke. I tried to keep it to myself, but eventually admitted to Ethan that I was in all kinds of pain. The dozen or so Motrin that I had brought were gone by 10 a.m. as the trail began to deteriorate. Relentless, brutal, wrong, hateful and punishing are all words that come to mind thinking about Sergeant’s Mesa. That trail slowly dismantled me. Ethan rode Waking up today was difficult! My back was so tight I could away from me somewhere near the bottom. My pace seemed barely touch my knees. The palms of my hands were bruised agonizing. and already discolored. My only pair of shorts, despite hanging I stopped at Highway 114 and thought about my situation. on a hook all night, was soaked and freezing and generally just I was 60 miles from home and a mere 30 miles from Sonic. I disgusting. It was a true test of will to actually slide them on and could be making snow angels on a bed of Sonic burgers in less commit to another day in the saddle. than two hours. I wanted to quit and I had a reasonable By the time I had stocked up on food at the grocery store, excuse…actually, I came up with all kinds of excuses: causing made my call-in and done some mandatopermanent damage to my knee, not ry maintenance on my machine, it was enough food to make it to Lake City, almost 7 a.m. I pushed hard up clouds were building, rain seemed Cottonwood Pass and was happy to be eminent and on and on and on. riding under perfect blue skies for a Pushing on was one of the hardest change. I knew this section of trail and decisions I have ever made, period. All of that helped me to set a quick pace. my snack food was gone and I was down Pushing as hard as I could with long to three chicken breasts (the kind in the strides through the Raspberry Gulch hikepackage like tuna) and three packs of a-bike section of trail, taking only enough oatmeal to get me to Lake City. I stopped break time to filter water, I managed to and ate one of the chicken breasts at the make up quite a bit of time. end of the singletrack on Saguache Park Ethan had his pack off and was Ethan Passant (left) and Jason Trimm reunite Road. It was kind of bland and dry so I filtering water at a creek when I rolled at the finish in Durango after five days of cat opened up an Endurolyte capsule and up. We talked for a brief second before and mouse. sprinkled it on top for the salt. It was so rolling down the trail a few minutes good, that I ate a second one before apart. It was pretty fun riding, and despite all the soreness and mounting up and pushing on down the trail. pain, my spirits were high. Somewhere before Highway 50, we The road reroute was a pleasant change from the mesa, and ran into Alison Gannett trailside and she briefly interviewed us I had a tailwind more or less up and over Los Piños Pass. The before we bombed down to Fooses Creek. clouds were building, as usual, and it seemed staying dry The climb up Fooses to the Crest Trail was one of the tonight was about as likely as coming across a hamburger truck steepest sections of trail on the entire route. Wishing for a lower overturned in the road. An hour after dark, I came across this granny gear, I barely clicked the pedals over for mile after mile outfitter place with a sign that read something like “guided until finally pushing my bike was the only option. An odd hunts, horseback rides and modern accommodations.” There general ache began to consume my right knee and became quite was a light on at the ranch house and five or six mobile homes worrisome throughout the evening. lined up in a row.

Ethan and I remained close as we struggled to gain the As I stood there in the road with my light shining on the Continental Divide. Reaching the Monarch Crest Trail was a sign, lightning flashed and thunder clapped overhead. I rode up milestone for me. I knew of a sweet little spring up high where to the house and met Mr. Martin, who rented me an entire I wanted to camp. I stopped a half hour after dark and threw mobile home for seven hours for just under $60. Man did I down my bivy sack under some large spruce trees. Ethan score! Rain fell outside as I took my first hot shower of the race. stopped there, too, and was going to take a little nap and then I washed my riding clothes, made some hot chocolate that I push on through the night. About 3 a.m. I woke to the loudest found in the cabinet and slept hard knowing I would live to snoring I have ever heard. Ethan can’t weigh much more than fight another day.

120 pounds, but his lungs are huge and the exhaust coming from within that man was deafening!

It must have been about 8:30 a.m. when I finally made it into Lake City. I ordered two breakfasts at a gas station eatery The morning started off with hot oatmeal and bitter coffee and walked across the street to use the pay phone. I was amazed in the dark. Having never seen the next section of trail, I poured to learn that Jefe Branham and Stefan Griebel left Silverton the over maps with a weak headlamp and counted 35 miles to night before at 11 p.m., deciding to ride through the night.

Highway 114. How bad could it be?

Ethan must have been a few hours ahead of me and I still had Ethan and I left camp together at about 5:30 a.m. and began lingering doubts about actually making it to Durango. what would be the hardest day of the race for me. I don’t I left town with a full belly, about 20 single-serving remember much about the trail in the beginning. Most of my ibuprofen packets and more chocolate donuts than I needed. By thoughts were now concentrated on my right knee and the now I was so afraid of running out of food that, when the

Day 4

Day 5 38

Day 6

opportunity presented itself, I would buy more than I could actually carry. The ride up Cinnamon Pass was spectacular despite the gangs of jeepers and four wheelers and the clouds of dust they often create. I laughed out loud thinking about the term Ethan coined: “four-square-mealers.” The ibuprofen was doing its job but I still ended up walking for a few miles over the top of the pass.

A fierce headwind forced me into a tiny gear as I struggled through the flat valley, finally reaching Silverton around 3 p.m.

Looking up at Molas Pass gave me a queasy feeling in my stomach. It was black up there! I wasn't in much of a hurry as I stocked up on food at the little market and sipped my first good cup of coffee in almost a week. The last thing in the world I wanted to do was ride up to 10,000 feet and bivy in the rain. By this time I was a shell of a man and just knew some kind of mental or physical breakdown would occur.

I rode to the edge of town and was stopped in a line of cars waiting for the flag person to wave us on. As I stood there staring up at the pass, I felt small and weak, even scared. The flag person waved us through and the cars began moving but I remained there, frozen, staring up at the huge mountains, imagining what I was in store for. I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t ride up there in the shape that I was in. I turned and rode back into town, checked into the Bent Elbow Hotel and ordered three meals from the kitchen. By 7 p.m. I had eaten enough calories to make it to Santa Fe. I set the alarm for midnight and managed to get a few hours of decent sleep.

Town was deserted and quiet when I rolled out at 1 a.m.

The food and the rest and the clear night sky full of brilliant stars had me feeling like a new person. The highway was completely empty as I pedaled up Molas Pass, using the faint moonlight for guidance and saving my precious batteries for the singletrack. Upon reaching the trail, I could tell that it had been battered by heavy rains just hours before.

An amazing sunrise met me as I descended down the greasy trail to Hotel Draw Road. Filtering water from a creek, I wondered where Ethan had spent the night and how he faired in the violent thunderstorms. The leaders, Jefe and Stefan, were surely finished by now and probably relaxing in cotton sheets somewhere. My nearest competitor, Fred Wilkinson, could be right behind me. This thought helped to quicken my pace as I set out over Black Hawk Pass under a perfect morning sky.

The wildflowers glowed in the early light, and despite the now dull ache in my knee, I was enjoying the trail and the fresh air that comes only after heavy rain. By 10 a.m., clouds were again building, and I concentrated on getting over Indian Trail Ridge and Kennebec Pass before the afternoon storms fired up.

My pace was fairly quick as I began to reflect on the week of racing, the terrain I had covered, the ups and downs, and at times, I had to laugh out loud at myself.

I was in an all-out sprint, running over the pass as flashes of lightning and claps of deep thunder roared in what seemed like every direction. I smiled and yelled out loud on the descent into Durango, only now knowing I was actually going to finish the race. About four miles from the finish, I heard the unmistakable rotating hisssss of a pinch flat. At first I was pissed, but seconds later I was laughing and shaking my head at my only flat tire of the race. To my surprise, Ethan was at the trailhead waiting for me. We shook hands and said, “Job well done,” turned back to the trail and said “See ya next year.”

First Colorado Trail Race Results: 1. Jefe Branham, 5 days, 5 hrs, 30 min 2. Stefan Griebel, 5 days, 5 hrs, 50 min 3. Ethan Passant, 6 days, 17 min 4. Jason Trimm, 6 days, 4 hrs, 51 min 5. Fred Wilkinson, 6 days, 21 hrs, 55 min 6. Matthew Lee, 7 days, 5 hrs, 15 min DNF DNF DNF DNF

Mark Caminiti ~ 475 miles Dan Montgomery ~ 275 miles Dave Nice (fixed gear) ~ 100 miles Jim Ishman (singlespeed) ~ 30 miles

Note: Several sections of the Colorado Trail pass through wilderness areas where bikes are not allowed. For the purpose the CTR, these sections were respectfully circumnavigated via other legal routes.

Ethan Passant wonders if one water bottle is enough for 500 miles.

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keystone climax

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keystone climax

opposite: Keystone, Colo., Sept. 1, 2007 Big ringin’ it as usual, Jay Henry (Tokyo Joes) leads the pro field on his way to winning the Mountain States Cup series title. Again.

Photo by Liam Doran above: Keystone, Colo., Sept. 1, 2007 The venerable Mike West (Maverick) rides through a surprise rainstorm to win the Mountain States Cup overall Super D title for 2007. Photo by Liam Doran above left: 2007 Mountain States Cup Endurance Series champion Katie Compton (Spike Shooter) tears up the trail (on her singlespeed) in her typical commanding style. Photo by Liam Doran 41

FLYOVER free lunch in grand junction left: With terrain like this, freedom is inevitable.

Photo by Anne Keller

Grand Junction, Colo.—Volunteers and public land managers broke ground in more ways than one when they began work on the Black Diamond Trail, located in the Bangs Canyon Area adjoining the Lunch Loop Trails just south of Grand Junction. The new trail will be the first purpose-built freeride/downhill bicycle-specific trail ever to be approved on Bureau of Land Management public lands.

In a major breakthrough for mountain bike advocates, BLM established specific guidelines and procedures for construction of “downhill, mountain bike-specific” trails. The Black Diamond trail is such a high-profile project for the BLM that the BLM Colorado State Director Sally Wisely conducted a trail walk-through along with the BLM Grand Junction Field

Manager Catherine Robertson, shortly before construction began in September.

“This project begins to implement the vision that the public embraced during the planning process for the Bangs Canyon area,” said Robertson. “It's a community-based initiative bringing those who use public lands together to make things happen on the ground.”

BLM is spending more than $16,000 for a professional trail builder to construct technical features on the Black Diamond Trail and for further work on projected trails in the Lunch Loop area.

The International Mountain Bicycle Association (IMBA) and the Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Trail Association (COPMOBA) both contributed to make the project possible.

COPMOBA began its involvement with the new Black Diamond trail in 2004 at the encouragement of Ryan Cranston, product manager of MRP/White Brothers. Cranston worked with Chris Pipkin at the BLM on a new trail alignment as part of BLM’s planning process and COPMOBA took the lead in organizing local riders in support of the trail. In 2006, the group was awarded a Kona/IMBA grant to help design the trail.

In 2007 Greg Mazu, Bicycle Colorado Trail Pro, made considerable progress on the trail system, which was made possible in part because of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the BLM and Bicycle Colorado two years ago.

The Black Diamond Trail is under construction as of press time; watch www.copmoba.org for the official opening. –B. Riepe

second annual ct jamboree Durango, Colo.—Roughly one in every 580 Colorado residents is living with multiple sclerosis. This is one of the highest prevalence rates in the 50 states, yet no one knows why. On July 14, 53 mountain bikers set out on the Colorado Trail to raise money and awareness for this incurable disease.

The 2nd Annual CT Jamboree, hosted by Durango resident Ian Altman and close friend Chris Fickel, was a huge success with epic conditions and sponsorship from a whole slew of Colorado companies. Crocs, Larabar, Honey Stinger, Ska Brewing and Vitamin Cottage were among the many who donated products and services. Durango Cyclery even donated the services of mountain bike pioneer Bob Gregorio to wrench bikes and run trail sweep.

The riders raised $27,000, primarily donated to the Vail-based Heuga Center, which helps individuals diagnosed with MS. 42

The remaining funds went to the Colorado Trail Foundation and Trails 2000 to preserve this Colorado landmark.

The CT Jamboree is a 76-mile partially supported high alpine ride, along the Colorado Trail, from Molas Pass to Durango.

The ride is divided into two days and has an elevation gain of 9,640 feet. Riders were asked to raise a minimum of $300 in pledges. The 2008 CT Jamboree will be held July 12–13 and is limited to 60 riders.

For more information on the 3rd Annual CT Jamboree and to sign up for the ride to help MS, go to www.ctjamboree.com.

–N. Hebenstreit

bottom: Lora Sholes (front) shows Chris Fickel that even MS won’t slow her down.

news around and notes thefrom region tour of america?

Lumberton, NC—Aspiring to create a North American cycling event with as much panache as the Tour De France, Aqu Sports shockingly, but awkwardly, announced at Interbike Las Vegas that it is promoting a 2,600-mile pro bike race across the United States.

Whether the stage race scheduled for less than a year from now will actually happen is anybody’s guess. So far the organizers haven’t announced sponsors, teams or details of each stage.

Slated to start Sept. 6, 2008, in New York City, with a prologue at the 9/11 ground zero and ending in San Francisco, Calif., the race intends to take racers across the country in 21 stages, passing through Colorado and Utah along the way.

Stages nine through 13, scheduled for Sept. 16–20, would force the racers up and over the Rocky Mountains. After making its way through Colorado via Colorado Springs, Georgetown, Vail, Grand Junction and Fruita, the race will cross into Utah and head west, stopping in Emery, Salina, Cedar City and St. George before heading west for a time trial in Sin City.

Pulling off such a grand-scale event, however, will take a host of resources, not to mention money. But how could teams resist signing up with $10 million in proposed total prize money, including $1 million to the man wearing yellow in San Francisco and a minimum prize of $5,000 to any finisher? Could it be too good to be true?

The whole thing might be dubious at best. One can only imagine the sponsorship and organization required to pull off such a marvelous event.

As of press time, with only 10 months to go before wheels roll, the details seem mystifying at best. The race website is vague, and when we reached Aqu Sports for comment all they could tell us was that “It’s coming together.” Most notably, there is no indication as to who’s coughing up those stacks of greenbacks, and no teams have signed up yet.

For more elusive details, check out www.thetourofamerica.com.

Or better yet, check out the spoof, “Ride Around America a lot of Times,” on www.bikeradar.com. –B. Riepe

nationals headed to young idaho resort Tamarack Resort, Idaho—A relatively new ski resort is making a name for itself in the mountain biking world. Tamarack Resort opened just three years ago and has already been selected to host the 2008 U.S. National Mountain Bike Championships on its expanding trail system.

The national championships, scheduled for Aug. 29 to Sept.

1, is the series final for cross-country, downhill, four-cross and marathon races.

“Hosting the finals is a great honor for our young resort,” said Jessica Flynn, communications manager for the resort, located 90 miles north of Boise, Idaho. “It validates the commitment we have made to building a model trail system and gives us an opportunity to show off what we have to offer the mountain biking community.”

Tamarack sits at the base of 7,700-foot Tamarack Mountain, with 2,800 feet of vertical. The resort is working with IMBA to build its trail system. Cross-country trails run for 16 miles of singletrack and four miles of doubletrack. New singletrack added this year winds through the resort’s big grove of tamarack, a deciduous conifer that turns gold in the fall. The ski area lifts serve 16 miles of downhill trails, from advanced double-black runs with rock drops and jumps to less technical beginner tracks. Two to four more trails are planned for next year.

So why mountain biking at a luxury resort that has hosted the President and the First Lady and sports stars Andre Agassi and Stefanie Graf?

Resort planners see mountain biking as key recreation for the resort, with their sights set on a large-scale integrated-style biking park.

Bikers bring in passion and positive energy the resort wants, Flynn said. But perhaps as important, the competitions, the skills park and the big air jumps thrill the guests. “The bikers’ skills and performance make for great entertainment for our other guests and improve their overall resort experience.”

Guests can pick up a little two-wheeled insight, too, during their stay. IMBA recently designed the resort as a “Learn to Ride Center,” one of five such IMBA centers that showcase trail networks and serve as educational centers for learning riding techniques. –C. Spaeth

A young Idaho resort is rolling out the red carpet for mountain biking competitions.

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marilyn price a tireless advocate for kids

by H. E. Sappenfield

In 1986, mountain bike pioneer Marilyn Price pedaled the last strokes up Marin County’s Mount Tamalpais and, as she caught her breath, she looked out across the panoramic view of San Francisco. She thought of the kids she saw on the streets of the city’s Canal District and the ones who came into the soup kitchen where she’d been volunteering for two years.

“Wouldn’t it be neat to bring kids up here on bikes who couldn’t afford to do it on their own?” she thought.

From this glimmer, Price began Trips for Kids out of her garage. Its mission: to provide materials, moral support and inspiration for individuals or groups so they can help disadvantaged kids discover the joy of mountain biking. Its success earned her induction into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 1996.

What began as one trip on the weekends with 11 bikes loaded in three racks on her Volvo station wagon has grown to a nationwide program with 56 chapters in the United States and Canada, 10 of which are in the Rocky Mountain region.

These days, Price, 66, spends most of her time in the office as director of Trips for Kids National and Marin County.

“I still get out on my bike every day though,” Price says.

The Marin County program, which serves as a model for other programs, consists of three components: the Trips, an after-school Earn-a-Bike Program and Re-Cyclery.

Re-Cyclery is a bicycle thrift shop that Price began in 1994 when bikes had taken over her garage, home and backyard so much so that her neighbors started to complain. The bike thrift shop refurbishes donated bikes and sells used equipment, but it is also filled with new inventory donated by shops and companies. This September, Giant Bicycles donated 200 bikes to the shop. Located in San Rafael, Re-Cyclery funds 60 percent of Trips for Kids.

www.markhamjohnson.com

then & now

mountain hallbike of fame

left: Whatever it takes: Marilyn’s Volvo shows how she started the Trips for Kids program 20 years ago. right: Marilyn Price (center) poses with a group of Trips participants.

The program continues to need the donations to get kids on bikes. In September at Interbike, Marilyn darted between booths, finagling donations. The number of kids she gets riding through the program is impressive. In 2006, Trips for Kids Marin served more than 13,140 kids in the The Bay area.

The Earn-a-Bike Program is run out of a warehouse close to the Canal District. This after-school program is geared toward instilling the value of hard work. Kids are trained in bicycle maintenance and repair and are then rewarded with a helmet and bike. Last year, the Earn-a-Bike Program gave out 241 bikes.

The Trips, the flagship of Trips for Kids, get the kids out in the backcountry to focus on the joy of mountain biking and soft reinforcement of social skills and environmental awareness.

“Fifty percent or more of our kids have never been outside a non-city, non-concrete setting, but discovering nature is universal,” Price says. “We found you don’t want to be preachy and teachy. Out there it happens by osmosis, by relating to a volunteer who points out a hawk.”

Trips for Kids has held four national conferences. Price is especially enthusiastic about next year’s gathering, when the Trips for Kids will work with the International Mountain Biking Association to co-host the IMBA Summit, July 18–21, 2008, in Park City, Utah.

Price, a grandmother of four, continues to work 70 to 80 hours a week as Trips for Kids moves toward its 20th year.

“If my mind is working at 95, I hope I can still do this. I can’t imagine doing anything else. It’s my passion.”

For more information or to donate to trips for kids, go to www.tripsforkids.org.

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inhandmade praise of goods

left: Anvil's Journeyman Frame Fixture is used by professional and amateur builders all over the world. right: Don Ferris of Anvil Bikeworks explains how the beauty of a frame starts with the fixtures used to make them.

anvil bikeworks precision frame building with meticulous fixtures

by Rachel Barbara For some people, the word jig conjures images of pubs on St. Patrick's Day and guys drunk on green beer, dancing to Irish folk songs. To bike aficionados, it's an integral frame building tool. But to Don Ferris, self-proclaimed geek and owner of Littleton's Anvil Bikeworks, “a jig sounds like something made out of two-byfours.”

“The way people think about it, jigs and fixtures are the same,” said Ferris. “A fixture, in the machine shop world, is something that's more precise. So we call them fixtures.”

The “we” he speaks of is the Anvil Bikeworks staff, which consists of Don, his father, Don Sr., wife, Jill, and five-year employee, Blaine Rainey. In a small garage next to his Littleton, Colo., home, Ferris makes and assembles fixtures, along with numerous other tools that are shipped around the world. This year, he sold out of 50 frame fixtures in five months. It's easier for Ferris to make a list of builders he hasn’t sold to.

So what exactly is a frame fixture? Very simply, it’s a tool that holds all the tubes in place so that the frame builder can join them 46

together. They vary from pricey models (tens of thousands of dollars) used by major manufacturers to plywood versions made by hobbyists. Ferris’ frame fixtures, the Super Master and the Journeyman, both fall well under ten grand and are used by major manufacturers, as well as small and medium-sized custom builders.

“A frame fixture locates all the components of a bicycle frame and the proper spatial relationships,” said Ferris. “It establishes a geometry for the frame and dictates where all the parts belong in relationship to one another.”

“The importance of a quality fixture is that you want the frame to come out straight and have all the angles that you’ve specified, so that the centerline of each tube matches all the other centerlines. The centerline can only come out as straight as the fixture you're working on,” said Steve Hampsten, co-owner of Hampsten Cycles, a Seattle company that uses Anvil fixtures and tools. “Don has done a really good job of designing these fixtures so that we get very consistent miters each time.”

inhandmade praise of goods When frames aren’t straight after welding, builders often cold set, or bend the frame without using heat to make it straight.

When cold setting, builders dance a very fine line between bending the frame just enough to straighten it and bending it to the point of damage.

“If you build them straight from the get-go, it makes a huge difference,” said Ferris. “Modern tube sets, especially high-performance steel, are super strong and there’s a very narrow window between its ultimate strength and its yield strength. And when you cold set, you have to work in that window. The narrower that window is, the more likely you’ll ruin a frame if you try to align it, or you’ll buckle it and cause irreparable damage. And so the incentive is to never have to cold set.”

While a good fixture can make a builder more efficient, it’s not going to build the bike for him.

“A really good builder can build with a file and a vice,” said Ferris. “Once you understand what a tool can do and you understand your own craft, then the tools let you become a more efficient builder. You let the fixture do its job, you do your job and those two things will make a very precise frame.”

It’s obvious Ferris understands his craft. Anvil Bikeworks is nearing its 10th birthday, and while that could have something to do with Ferris’ charming personality or the fact that he’s said to have shared whiskey at trade shows, it's more likely due to his machinist background, his frame building experience and unmatched tools.

“Among frame builders, Don is considered one of the smartest guys in the business. He can make whatever he needs to make,” said Hampsten.

Ferris learned to weld as a kid, and after a long stint of metal working, military service and later, office work, he abruptly quit his job in Antarctica and made his way to Moab, where he decided he’d build bicycles as a hobby.

"When I started building frames, I just didn’t see the tools I felt that I needed, and so I started with a sheet of paper and built my first one,” he said.

Interbike 2000 rolled around and Ferris showed up with his frames and tools.

“My frames might as well have been made of Plexiglas because they were invisible. Everyone wanted to know where I got my tools,” he said.

The demand for tools eventually exceeded frame demands, and around 2004, Ferris stopped building frames altogether. Recently, Anvil Bikeworks gave a home to a sparkling new, 14,000-pound automated machining center. And as always, Ferris makes all but the tiniest parts that comprise Anvil tools. He also incorporates builder feedback into new versions of his products.

“One thing I like about Don’s tools is that they’re aluminum and anodized. It's a nice finish, it's real quality and there's no afterthought,” said Hampsten. “I don't think there's a better jig out there. It’s the only tooling we would use.”

For all sorts of bike geek and frame fixture info, as well as a few of Don's musical choices for a winter on rollers, visit the Anvil website, www.AnvilBikes.com.

top: Tools of the trade. Some of the precision measuring tools used by Anvil Bikes to proof its fixtures. bottom: Don Ferris doing what he does best.

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recipes for a balanced diet

by Christina Buchanan

ode to the southwest

Colie’s Homemade Green Chile

Each year a good friend of mine buys and freezes fresh roasted chiles from a fruit stand here in town.

As the temperatures drop outside and our activities turn from biking to skiing, and trying desperately to stay warm, she surprises us with homemade green chile on a cold winter’s night.

Since at this time of year our only chance to ride a bike, other than our townies, is to head to the Southwest, I’ve dedicated this issue’s recipes to Southwestern food.

Wintertime definitely gives us great appreciation for the warm days of biking. All these recipes are camping friendly, so mix them up and bring them out to the desert and make the season last.

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There are a lot of ways to make and enjoy green chile. This recipe is geared towards eating it like a soup. You can reduce the stock and chop the chiles finer to make it more like a salsa and have it on eggs, meats or tacos. This recipe is best when cooked over several hours, even up to 24 hours. I’ve made it in a pinch over just one hour, and it worked fine.

Directions In a large pot on medium heat, heat up the oil and sauté the onion until soft, 5–8 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté three more minutes, careful not to burn it. Add green chiles, sauté for two minutes.

Add flour (before adding any liquid); stir it in so it mixes with the oil and coats the chiles. Add broth and spices. Bring to a boil, turn heat down to low and simmer for up to 24 hours. The longer it cooks, the more the flavor from the chiles will come out.

If you want it thinner, add more broth. If you want it thick, add more flour from the start, the only way to thicken it after all the ingredients have been added is to evaporate some of the liquid off.

Serves many.

Ingredients 1 cup olive oil 1 white or yellow onion, finely chopped 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped 3 cups chopped medium or mild green chiles (canned will work) 2 tablespoons flour 48 ounces low sodium chicken stock/broth 1 tablespoon thyme 3 bay leaves Salt to taste To Eat If you eat this like a soup, it’s great with shredded cheese, avocado, a bit of meat (shrimp, shredded chicken or shredded pork are great choices) and warmed-up, soft corn tortillas or cornbread (see below). One warning: if you tend to have a sensitive stomach, err on the side of caution and choose mild chiles for this recipe.

Southwestern Cornbread Kick-Ass Guacamole

This cornbread is a great accompaniment to green chile. I’ve added corn kernels to this recipe.

You could also add chives, chiles, bacon, cheese or any combination of these to make it to your liking. This bread is best eaten on the day it’s made (it tends to dry out) so invite your friends over to share.

Directions Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Add the first five ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the eggs, milk and buttermilk together in a small bowl.

Add the wet ingredients to the cornmeal mixture and mix thoroughly. Fold in the melted butter. Pour batter into a greased 10-inch cast iron pan (glass or ceramic will work as well). Evenly cover batter with corn kernels. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes and enjoy.

Lucky for us around here avocados are cheap and plentiful, and loading up on good fat helps keep us warm and energized for the long winter. Enjoy this as an appetizer with chips or on top of tacos, burritos or green chile.

Directions Add the first four ingredients in a bowl, mash until ingredients are well mixed and avocado is a smooth consistency. Add tomato, cilantro and lime juice, blend well. Add salt to taste.

Ingredients 1 1/4 cups cornmeal 1 cup all-purpose flour (3/4 cups for elevations below 5,000 feet) 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs, slightly beaten 2 tablespoons honey 2/3 cups milk 2/3 cups buttermilk 2 tablespoons melted, unsalted butter 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels (thawed)

Ingredients 1/4 cup white onion, finely chopped 2 Serrano chiles, seeded and finely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 3–4 ripe avocados, halved, pitted and peeled 1/4 cup tomato, finely chopped 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice Salt to taste

Christina Buchanan is a lecturer in the Department of Sport Science, Western State College Gunnison, Colorado 55

staying fit through the off-season

by Brad Seaman

At this point, your 2007 racing season is behind you and the start of the 2008 season might seem far enough away that you’re not sure what the best training methods are to tackle this time of year.

Some racers take a few weeks’ break from the bike. Others take up complementary cross-training of running, cross-country skiing, or other activities and/or weight training, while others who live in colder climates where outdoor riding is difficult and infrequent spend time on the indoor trainer to keep their high-end cycling fitness sharp.

Let’s take a look at these different strategies and their potential effects on your fitness heading into next racing season.

Time Off Giving yourself an annual break away from the bike has its advantages. You can reduce the long-term risk of developing cycling-related overuse injuries. It gives you time to sort out any nagging injuries from the previous season. And you can avoid overtraining or chronic fatigue syndrome if you’re feeling stale from last season and rebuild the energy, motivation and drive necessary to cope with the upcoming season’s hard training.

There is a downside though. If the rest period is too long, your cycling fitness drops fast. You’ve worked all last season to get as fit and fast as you can, and you would be amazed how quickly you can lose all those gains you made. You want to build on your fitness year to year and not have to work hard all spring to get back to the same level of performance next season.

Research does indicate that overtrained athletes benefit by taking a complete rest of several weeks. However, if you have trained intelligently the previous season and avoided any symptoms of chronic fatigue or overtraining, you can maintain your physical condition with even as much as a 50 percent reduc56

tion in riding time for a month.

But all your summer fitness gains will be rapidly lost if you completely abandon any form of physical activity for longer than four weeks.

In summary, complete rest and/or time off the bike can benefit overtrained or injured athletes. But more than a couple of weeks is not optimal for healthy and injury-free cyclists.

Aerobic Cross-Training Aerobic cross-training for cyclists is the practice of a non-cycling activity that provokes a response from the cardiovascular system. Examples include cross-country and skate skiing, strenuous snowshoeing, running, etc. While there are examples of elite cyclists who turn up at the early season races in terrific form because they have swapped their bikes for cross-country skis, current research suggests that it is mostly people in poor physical condition who profit the most from the effects of cross-training.

Of course, it is better to do some type of cross-training than no training at all. But the higher your level of performance on the bike, the less you will gain from cross-training compared with continuing to concentrate on cycling during the off-season. At the very least, strike a balance between your cross-training while still spending some time on the bike year-round.

Strength Training I am a big advocate of having my athletes strength train throughout the winter and in some cases year-round.

A few research papers reveal that strength training can improve on-the-bike performance, but a good many professional cyclists are resistant to gym work.

You can gain several benefits, however, by adding in a few weeks of strength training. Weights can increase your muscular

force production, reduce the risk of overuse injuries by strengthening ligaments and tendons, improve your bone density to prevent osteoporosis and improve your posture and balance, among other benefits.

Just remember that any strength program should emphasize that you are an endurance athlete; you don’t need to do the same strength program as a body builder.

And remember: the last thing you want to do is be stupid and get hurt in the gym, so never attempt to lift your one-rep maximum. Just as with bike training, a good strength program should comprise phases of three to four weeks each, including endurance, strength and speed.

Spinning Classes Consistent gym Spinning classes once or twice a week can help you maintain your form and even how you acclimate to heat and humidity.

To maximize the benefits from Spin classes, avoid pedaling at very high cadences (above 120 rpm), concentrate more on significantly raising the resistance, which you can adjust, and adding intensity and variable pacing.

Pay careful attention to the saddle height and fore-aft position when setting up the Spin bike to keep that consistent from workout to workout. A minimum workout time of one hour will give you the greatest benefit.

Indoor Trainer If you can’t ride outside very often, the most effective of all the methods for maintaining form throughout the winter and also the most demanding is riding indoors on the trainer.

Trainer workouts should always consist of properly structured intervals two to three times per week. Riding indoors in zone 2, a fairly easy endurance zone, for one hour isn’t going to increase your fitness.

It is okay to keep the indoor riding sessions short, one to 1.5 hours. But the workout quality—that is, hard intervals—is the key to gaining the maximum training effect. You can do an infinite number of interval permutations, but I offer two that give excellent results (see sidebar).

Last Thoughts To keep your fitness gains from the previous season and further build on those gains for the coming season, the latest research indicates that it’s best to keep your time off from any physical activity to two weeks or less.

Also continue to ride your bike during the off season, even if you do add in some cross-training and reduce your on-the-bike duration to only two to three times per week.

The addition of strength training to your program two to three days a week is also beneficial.

However, when training with the coming season in mind, the greatest gains you can make during the off season come if you perform structured intervals two to three times a week. These efforts will keep your cycling fitness high and prepare you for more race-specific workouts starting a couple of months before your first race.

Brad Seaman is a USA Cycling Certified Level 2 Coach with Boulder Performance Network, www.boulderperformance.net.

Brad can be contacted at brads@boulderperformance.net.

When You Can’t Ride Outside Workouts for the Indoor Trainer These workouts are best done with a power meter or at least a heart rate monitor. To make use of these tools correctly, you should have previously tested to determine your power and/or heart rate at lactate threshold and calculated your training zones (threshold and VO2 max for these specified workouts).

If you have not tested previously, pay attention to your power and/or heart rate numbers for these intervals the first time you do them so you can get an idea of the intensity for future workouts.

If you don’t have a power meter or heart rate monitor, then you will have to ride these on perceived exertion, which would be about a 6.5 to 7 on a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being the hardest you can ride) for threshold workouts and about an 8 to 8.5 for VO2 max workouts.

Do not do more than two of these trainer workouts a week to start with and, after a few weeks of progression, you can work up to a maximum of three interval workouts a week.

Always allow for an easy recovery day between these interval workouts and give yourself an easier week every third to fourth week where you only complete one of these interval workouts. And, of course, if the weather is nice, you can always do these workouts outdoors.

Threshold Intervals This workout should initially be around one hour of riding and over the next several weeks increase to about 1.5 hours.

Warm up for 10 to 15 minutes, then for your first workout start with 2 x 15 minutes riding at threshold, with 5 minutes of very easy spinning to allow for some recovery between the two intervals.

In subsequent weeks with these workouts, progressively overload with longer interval time spent at threshold. So for your second week of threshold intervals, you might increase to 2 x 20 minutes, then your third week increase to 3 x 12 minutes and so forth until you work up to 1 hour total (2 x 30 minutes) of threshold intervals per session.

During the other parts of the workout, when you are not doing the intervals, try to ride at a moderate endurance pace.

VO2 Max Intervals This workout should start at about 45 minutes of riding and over the next several weeks increase to a bit over one hour.

Warm up for 10 to 15 minutes, then for your first workout start with 3 x 3 minutes at VO2 max, with 5 minutes of very easy spinning to allow for some recovery between the three intervals.

In subsequent weeks with these workouts, progressively overload with longer interval time spent at VO2 max. For your second week of VO2 max intervals, you would increase to 4 x 3 minutes, then your third week increase again to 4 x 4 minutes and so forth until you work up to around 25 minutes total (5 x 5 minutes) of VO2 max intervals per session.

During the other parts of the workout when you are not doing the intervals, try to ride at a moderate endurance pace.

57

cleaning up the sport

your

green

ride cleaning up the sport

by Joshua Liberles

Ben Turner was frustrated. Although his Clif Bar cyclocross team was winning, he was disturbed that cycling as a sport uses so many resources driving to and from races and doesn’t look at the environmental effects of a race. Turner changed that and now when he takes his team on the road, it’s a “sustainable tour.”

Tony Ellsworth of Ellsworth Handcrafted Bicycles doesn’t want other bike manufacturers to copy his frame designs, but he does hope they will copy his efficient, solar-powered, green-built manufacturing facility.

Chris Zigmont of Pedro’s thinks in terms of “industri-

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al nutrients” and plans for the next life of every bike product Pedro’s produces.

Throughout the bike industry, individuals, teams and companies are taking steps to become a deeper shade of green, trying to break the cycle of over-consumption, pollution and waste. And now companies are proving that these decisions make good long-term business sense.

Mountain Flyer here honors the teams and companies that are making a difference and the individuals behind them. These pioneers are making the sport greener and they offer innovative ideas.

All crossed up for going green, the Clif Bar Cyclocross Development Team heads out for a training ride in North Boulder. The team not only races but spreads an environmental message down the road as it works to recycle and compost its waste such as cups, food and other items generated at races throughout the season.

MODEL TEAMS “I’ve become frustrated by the lack of awareness for the impact the sport has on the environment,” said Turner. “Doing The concept of minimizing a cycling team’s footprint is all of these long distance drives in a gas-guzzling van or towing catching on. The Saunier-Duval European Pro-Tour team is a trailer, it’s like consume-consume-consume, use up resources, combating the desertification of Mali by planting a tree there for throw shit away and give no regard to the environmental impact every mile its riders race. of being at a race.”

On the domestic front, Kodak Gallery/Sierra Nevada touts “We’ve had a great partnership with Clif Bar,” said Turner. themselves as “America’s first 100 percent carbon neutral sports This past summer John Verheul, team coach and assistant team.” Team members purchase wind credits to counterbalance manager, Dylan Seguin, sponsorship coordinator from Clif Bar, their race-related carbon pollution and offset each team and Turner “had mad brainstorming sessions,” said Turner. “We member’s home energy use. Even the Discovery Channel team tried to figure out how to make a difference and provide a model recently committed to buying carbon credits for the team’s for others.” travel retroactive to January 1 of this year.

“Rather than just focusing on helping them become the best Two amateur teams have pioneered this transition: the Clif bike racers, we’re oriented towards creating well-rounded Bar development cyclocross team and the OrganicAthlete team. individuals who can be highly involved within their Although the teams’ approaches are different, the desire to communities,” said Turner. reduce their impact is the same.

For the 2006 season, the team calculated and offset all of its travel emissions through Native Energy. “It was Clif Bar Development Cyclocross Team surprisingly cheap,” said Turner. “It cost a little over $500 for Ben Turner, founder and manager of the Clif Bar the entire season. development cyclocross team (formerly TIAA-CREF/Clif Bar), We worked to decrease our waste stream throughout the started working as the manager for the TIAA-CREF season,” said Turner. “Every event we did in Boulder, we ran as development road team in 2003. Under Jonathan Vaughters’ zero-waste.

The team was recycling and composting all of the leadership over the past four years, the road program has grown food waste, our tableware and cups.” into the Team Slipstream powerhouse. Turner was inspired by “We spearheaded the zero-waste program for the Boulder Vaughters’ enthusiasm to develop the next generation of top and the Longmont U.S. Gran Prix events,” said Turner. “We road pros from America and sought to do the same with cross. were all monitoring the stations, helping educate the people. We The cyclocross program began as a small-budgeted side achieved a 74 percent diversion rate and saved a lot of stuff from project, with Turner cobbling together a junior and under-23 the landfill.” development squad. The team’s impressive results included Troy The Clif Bar cyclocross team is getting greener for the fall Wells’ U-23 2005 national championship and Danny 2007 season. Dubbed the “Sustainable Cycling Tour,” Stonyfield Summerhill’s 2006 junior national championship and silver Farm is funding a waste vegetable oil-powered school bus to medal at the world championship. transport all of the team’s gear, get the team to events and set an However, Turner wanted to create more than a successful environmental example. Between races, members of the team race program. He sought to show by example how a bike racing and staff will visit schools, bike shops and other businesses. The team could operate sustainably.

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cleaning up the sport

Ellsworth’s solar-powered, green-built facility was constructed in an abandoned avocado grove in southern California. Recent wildfires destroyed the avocado grove but the factory was saved, due in part to its polysteel cement structure. team will offer cyclocross clinics and work to spread their environmental message.

OrganicAthlete The OrganicAthlete cycling team takes a unique approach to environmentalism. Saul Bradley, the organization’s founder and president, is an elite cyclist who taught himself how a vegan diet could support his athletic pursuits.

In fact, Bradley changed his diet largely because he’s an athlete. “I was reluctant to switch to a vegetarian diet because so much information tells you it's not possible or that it’s difficult,” said Bradley. “Fortunately for our health, the environment and the animals, a whole food, plant-based diet is neither difficult nor deficient.”

Eating less meat is gaining traction as an environmental solution. According to a 2006 United Nations report, “Livestock’s Long Shadow,” livestock has become “one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global.”

Bradley established OrganicAthlete to spread the word about vegetarianism and veganism to other athletes. Its website, organicathlete.org, features nutritional information, meal plans, recipes and science behind nutrition and performance.

OrganicAthlete spends much of its energies dispelling 60

misconceptions about vegan diets. The most common question is “Where do you get your protein?”

“The quick answer is that every whole food contains protein,” said Bradley. “Fruit, for example, is 4 to 14 percent protein per calorie, while the body’s actual need is 2 to 10 percent protein per calorie. People talk about athletes’ need for more protein, but this is only in direct relation to the amount of fuel they need.”

MODEL COMPANIES Calfee Design Craig Calfee was among the first to build carbon fiber bike frames. Greg Lemond and his Team Z called attention to Calfee’s Carbonframes when they rode the bikes to victory in the 1991 Tour de France. As carbon’s popularity exploded, Calfee remained on the leading edge, catering to the high-end and custom markets.

Calfee began playing with the idea of bamboo bikes in 1996, and has had a production model on the market since 2005.

Although it started as a whim, “the feedback on the smooth ride quality was too good to ignore, so we decided to go into production,” said Calfee.

“I became interested in bamboo after my pit bull mix dog demonstrated how tough bamboo can be. We built a few for fun and quickly realized the excellent vibration-damping qualities.”

cleaning up the sport Bamboo is a renewable resource, growing quickly without fertilizers and needing no repainting. While growing, it converts more carbon dioxide to oxygen than trees do. Already used in construction to replace timber, make fibers for clothing and floors in homes, bamboo has found its niche in the cycling world.

When asked about traditional frame materials, Calfee said, “I don't know which is most environmentally friendly. They all take a lot of energy to produce with a certain amount of toxic residuals. Bamboo is about as good as it gets in that regard.

It actually absorbs greenhouse gases and there are no toxics involved.”

Other manufacturers have experimented with bamboo frames, but they’ve all been expensive one-offs. Calfee’s models are race-worthy production bikes available in road, mountain and cyclocross models. The frame tubes are literally grown.

The stalks are cut to size, smoked and heat-treated. Customers can choose between carbon or hemp fiber lugs for the ultra-green machine.

Calfee is also turning his bicycle and bamboo savvy in a humanitarian direction. The Bamboo Bike Project, a collaboration with the Columbia Earth Institute, brings inexpensive, quality bikes to poor, rural people in Africa. Rather than shipping inadequate complete bicycles from India and Asia, locals make frames from native bamboo. Entire frames can be put together with a Swiss Army knife.

Pedro’s There’s always been an environmental slant to Pedro’s business. In the early days, the company made tire levers and bottle cages from recycled milk containers and Blowout saddle bags from worn-out bike tubes.

“It was originally thought of as good business, not a movement or a statement,” said Chris Zigmont, general manager of Pedro’s. “We feel the same today. A lot of folks say that what is good for the planet isn’t good for business. That just isn’t so. We’ll continue to be part of the proof.”

Pedro’s trailblazing attitude is exemplified at Interbike, North America’s biggest bike industry trade show, where Pedro’s builds a sustainable booth and makes its participation carbon neutral. The booth itself is built from recycled and renewable materials, and any transportation is offset with carbon credits.

Following Pedro’s lead, Interbike instituted the “Green Steps” program for 2007 featuring recycled plastic carpets, wind power, organic food for sale by vendors at the show, encouragement for exhibitors to offer electronic media kits and recognition for businesses reducing their carbon footprint for the event.

“We are in a constant state of discovery regarding our materials, our processes, transportation, packaging and even our marketing activities,” said Zigmont. “We are thinking along the lines of industrial nutrients, planning the eventual next life of each piece, be it a bottle for the lube we sell or a tire lever that may come back as a multi-tool or a car part.”

All Pedro’s hand tools feature a lifetime warranty, which rewards customers for returning items to Pedro’s to be recycled.

Ellsworth Handcrafted Bicycles “I was a skinny little kid not good at anything except running cross-country and long-distance in track,” said Tony Ellsworth, president and chief executive officer of Ellsworth Handcrafted Bicycles. “Biomechanically, I made a good motor for any bike I got on. So, it’s always been a passion of mine.”

Ellsworth has turned this passion into crafting some of the most sought-after, technically advanced bikes in the world.

Not only are Ellsworth’s frames turning heads within the industry; his environmental offices and warehouse space in Ramona, Calif., have garnered a lot of attention. The facility was built in an abandoned avocado grove. The grove has since been restored and is producing organic avocados. The buildings themselves are composed of American PolySteel insulated concrete forms. The high quality of this material’s insulation means there’s no need for centralized heating or cooling, which saves energy and eliminates the need for chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) used in air conditioning.

Most of the facility’s power comes from solar cells operating on a “net metering” system. Excess power is fed back into the local electricity grid to offset future power consumption. “At the right time of year, we can get 100 percent” of our energy from solar, said Ellsworth. “We’re still a net consumer but we consume a fraction of what we would.

“The 40,000 bucks I spent on the solar was exactly what I spent to put the roof on,” said Ellsworth. “You think about it, $40,000 amortized over 15 or 30 years, why shouldn’t everybody be doing that? It’s less than a freakin’ car payment. It’s like 1.6 gallon flush toilets. They make us put those in; they should make us put solar panels on when we build a new building.”

Ellsworth operates on a smaller scale, making it easier to experiment and to quickly change course. This approach allows the company to set trends in its bike designs. It also means that once ideas are successful they are often copied. However, when it comes to “going green,” nothing would make him happier than to have the bigger fish follow his lead.

“I want to empower others who have a bigger footprint than me to do it right and to be rewarded for being good corporate citizens,” said Ellsworth. “You want to copy something on my bikes? Well, copy this. If I’m an industry leader and people are watching me to see what I’m doing: watch this.”

Ellsworth plans to build a green factory in Washington, expand the Ride line of commuter bikes and work on other alternative transportation projects. “We’re staying focused on making the best technical bikes in the world, too,” he said.

Schwalbe Tires Schwalbe, a German tire manufacturer, is famous for its trekking model tires designed for long-haul durability. These designs influence much of Schwalbe’s line-up. Products that stay in use and out of landfills inherently offer a green component.

The Ultremo, Schwalbe’s newest road race model, was designed in partnership with high-tech fabric manufacturer Warwick Mills, makers of SpinSkins puncture protection inserts. The tires weigh an ultra-svelte 195 grams per clincher 61

cleaning up the sport

(the tubular is 260 grams). While typically this equates to a fragile, race-only product, these have a thin layer of Vectran fiber integrated into the rubber carcass. This Vectran fabric has been shown to be virtually puncture-proof, saving the racer tubes and future hassles.

Schwalbe has other bulletproof training options. “At Schwalbe, we do our very best to create high quality products that last. The Marathon tires, up to 9,000 miles, and Stelvio Plus tires, up to 3,000 miles, are great examples of long-wearing tires,” said Celeste Renee Steindl-Moser, director of Schwalbe North America.

The Marathon lineup comes in both 26 inch and 700c varieties with several puncture protection options and the Stelvio Plus is another durable road training option.

Schwalbe North America, the regional distributor based in British Columbia, Canada, recycles spent and defective products.

“We all have the obligation to become less of a disposable society,” said Steindl-Moser. “We receive used tubes and tires and defective tires, and we take them to a local recycling plant. The recycled rubber becomes playground mats and stadium mats and is sold commercially as flooring for trade show booths.”

New Belgium Brewery Although the wine aficionado may disagree, among the best rewards for a tough race is a nice cold beer.

Enter New Belgium Brewery with selections you can feel good about imbibing. New Belgium is employee-owned and über-green. Captured methane created in its on-site waste water treatment provides about 10 percent of the brewery’s power; the company purchases wind power for the rest. The brewery is enclosed in green buildings, consumes less water than typical breweries, supplies spent grains for cattle feed and turns keg caps into table tops.

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top left: Made to last, Schwalbe tires are built for a less disposable society. above: Bubblistic, New Belgium’s ultra modern brewery uses methane, captured from this on-site waste water treatment plant, to provide 10 percent of its power needs.

cleaning up the sport Bicycle Colorado named New Belgium the Bicycle Friendly Employer of the Year for 2007. Workers receive a free cruiser bicycle after one year of employment, and they have plenty of racks for bike parking and showers for commuters.

New Belgium’s Team Wonderbike encourages employees and consumers to commute by bike at least twice per month. The Wonderbike slogan is “bike to work, work to live, live to bike.”

New Belgium’s own Tour de Fat (www.followyourfolly.com), “A Ballyhoo of Bikes and Beer,” stops in 12 cities across the West. The event cultivates a carnival atmosphere while supporting local charities, sustainability, bike culture and keeping trash out of landfills. New Belgium sponsors one person in each destination with a custom commuter bicycle and a BOB trailer. In exchange, that person commits to one year without a car.

After a year of employment, every New Belgium worker gets a cool town bike, like these beauties parked in front of their Fort Collins brewery. Employees are encouraged to ride to work, especially on days when beer tasting is required.

Bio-diesel powered trucks, seen here, are used to deliver New Belgium’s beer to happy drinkers.

Chris King Precision Components When Chris King transitioned from making medical equipment to bike headsets, he initially used materials that other machine operators had discarded. As company spokesperson Chris DiStefano said, “Chris was doing it before [environmentalism] had a name.”

Thirty-one years later, Chris King Precision Components has built a reputation for manufacturing some of the world’s best headsets and hubs, utilizing processes that are revolutionary for their sustainability.

“In designing something, you should have deliberate intentions for its creation, its use and its disposal,” writes King in an article, entitled Sustainable Practices in Design. “We must design the product to last as long as possible and design it so it can be repaired easily in the event of a problem, not just thrown into the trash.”

King has made the “puck” a symbol of this attitude. Leftover scraps of metal are pressed into tight discs. Through this and other recovery and purifying methods, 98 percent of the oil used in the manufacturing process and left over on the metal scraps is recovered and reused. The super-dense, oil-free metal from the pucks is then recycled.

Other resources are treated in the same way: the air circulating inside and emitted from the factory is extensively filtered; the water used is distilled and recycled; and the factory is built to minimize energy use for heating, cooling and lighting.

“What is the true cost of making something with the economic, social and environmental costs included?” asks King.

“We think it is the responsibility of every thinking person to know exactly what it is that they are buying, where it came from and what is the real cost of the product and its production.”

Clif Bar Clif Bar’s entire product line boasts organic ingredients. The company has decreased the amount of packaging for its products, incorporates non-toxic inks and recycled paperboard for product boxes and uses a patented “litter leash” that keeps the tops of their gel packs attached to keep trash off of trails and roads.

Clif Bar is a leader in the fight against global warming. Its “Start Global Cooling” initiative has garnered national attention 63

for the Native Energy wind farm and the concept of being “carbon neutral.” Clif Bar leads by example here, too, offsetting the 3.6 million pounds of carbon dioxide generated by its manufacturing, office operations and business traveling.

The company’s $2 Cool Tags, sold through Clif Bar’s website and at sponsored events, are renewable wind energy credits that fund Native Energy’s WindBuilders program in South Dakota.

Each Cool Tag compensates for 300 pounds of greenhouse gases, which equals about 300 miles of driving.

Patagonia Patagonia’s not a “cycling company” per se, but it does offer several products perfect for cyclists: Houdini hydration packs and bags; merino wool socks; both synthetic and merino wool base layers; windbreakers; and travel gear.

Recycling has remained a staple in Patagonia’s business. Since 64

1993, the company has recycled plastics into fleece. The Common Thread Garment Recycling Program will take Capilene and Polartec fleece and Patagonia organic cotton T-shirts, break them down and turn them into new clothing.

Patagonia was one of the first companies to exclusively use organic cotton in 1996. The clothing lineup now includes hemp, organic wool and recycled polyester. The company’s lifetime “Ironclad Guarantee” offers repairs, replacements, or refunds. Even damage due to wear and tear is eligible for repair for a nominal charge, which keeps Patagonia’s goods in use and out of the trash.

Patagonia founder, Yvon Chouinard helped to create “1% For the Planet,” a program through which companies commit to giving 1 percent of sales to grassroots environmental groups.

Patagonia alone has contributed over $24 million to these groups.

cleaning up the sport Tips to Live and Ride By Here are some tips on how to become a more responsible person, cyclist and competitor.

Buy durable goods. The greenest option is to buy bike gear that lasts. Support businesses that are making positive steps.

Buy in bulk. Combine orders with friends, teammates, neighbors. Plan ahead and ship ground rather than air to reduce cost, packaging and delivery impacts.

Fly less. Flying is the biggest dumper of emissions per mile of travel (about three times worse per passenger than driving a big SUV the same distance solo).

Carpool. Keep your car well-tuned and running efficiently. If your car’s not full of racers, carry your bikes inside to reduce wind drag and increase gas mileage.

Buy carbon offsets. A carbon offset compensates for a person’s greenhouse gas production by sponsoring an activity that removes an equivalent amount of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, for example, buying wind power to neutralize a car trip. Purchase these offsets from an independently verified company.

Look for an offset that supports a specific green project that wouldn’t occur otherwise.

Ditch AAA and consider Better World Club (www.betterworld.org). Better World supports environmental initiatives, encourages fuel efficiency and offers roadside assistance to bikes as well as cars.

Can this magic bio-diesel bus change the world?

Not exactly, but Ben Turner, founder of the Clif Bar Development Cyclocross Team, hopes that his team traveling in it and spreading the green gospel might inspire you to go green.

Patagonia’s buildings also indicate their commitment.

The Reno Service Center, used for warehouse and office space, incorporates energy-efficient lighting, recycled materials throughout (including the building’s glass, carpeting, countertops, wallboard and paint) and uses only reclaimed or sustainably harvested wood.

The Firehouse at Patagonia’s Ventura headquarters offers similar eco-friendly considerations, including wood reclaimed from forest fire downfall and older, defunct structures; low-flow showerheads and toilets; and a framework made from 98.5 percent recycled steel.

The 360 solar panels over the headquarters’ parking lot supply 12 percent of the company’s energy needs. Wind power, purchased through renewable energy plants, contributes another 50 percent.

Eat locally, organically grown foods before, during and after rides. Minimize meat consumption. Look for energy bars and foods that come in recycled or recyclable packaging.

Buy less stuff. Reuse what you have. Patch your inner tubes. Take or give hand-me-downs, buy and sell used gear, or repurpose used-up materials.

Toughen up, Buttercup. Ditch the chairlifts and shuttle-vehicles. Ride bikes that can go up and down the hills. Check out the Yeti Seven, Scott Ransom, Specialized Enduro, Ellsworth Rogue, etc. With the latest technologies, these long travel all-mountain bikes are excellent, versatile machines. Riding these bikes to the top will make you fitter and faster on the descent.

Pedal wherever you can. Ride your bike to the trailhead, to the store and to work. Driving less and using your bike for transportation is the single biggest thing a cyclist can do to save energy.

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paraphernalia gotta have it!

product reviews

hayes stroker trail brakes:

Calibrated Control

There’s nothing like Christmas in August—or Hanukkah or Festivus or whatever it is you choose to celebrate. I got a knock on the door—the chimneys in Crested Butte are EPAapproved but Santa-resistant—and a slimmed-down, shavedup Santa shows up in his big brown truck with some serious souvenirs. I have been good you know.

Right out of box, the Hayes Strokers made dreams of descending dance in my head. They have clean stylish lines and the calipers, master cylinder and bar clamp are crisp white with graphite-colored levers. The brakes came ready to go, pre-bled and miraculously had the right amount of hydraulic line. Getting the calipers installed was surprisingly quick and easy; they were set to jet in 45 minutes.

Being a larger rider with a ti 29er hardtail as my bike of choice, I chose to install a set with a 203 mm rotor (V8) up front and a 160 mm rotor (V6) in back. The 203 mm rotor required minimal lever effort to generate astonishing brake power. The mono-digit braking was easily modulated. On steep, dry descents, heat build-up in the caliper and the ensuing lever fluctuation was never an issue because the Strokers have insulated caliper pistons that noticeably control the fluid temperature.

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www.hayesdiscbrake.com

Several days after mounting the Strokers, I had the pleasure of getting stuck in an all-out deluge while exposed on a high ridge. To escape the lightning, I had to point it down a steep pitch for about 10 minutes in what was instantly a free-flowing creek. The Stroker’s performance was awesome with no discernable difference from when they were dry, and the rotors stayed quiet, too.

I have zero beef with these brakes. The burnish period was right around what Hayes spec’d, and all initial adjustments have held. The reach-adjust works great, simply roll the blue micro-adjust one click at a time to increase or decrease the reach. The Strokers are compact, the mechanism is smooth and they perform predictably in all conditions, even with six and a half feet of manwich barreling downhill on 29-inch wheels. –C. Hanna V6 MSRP: $172 382grams V8 MSRP: $182 440grams

rudy project rydon:

High-Tech Specs

Sticking to its longtime mantra of “Technically Cool Eyewear,” Rudy Project designed the Rydon eye shields using a list of high-tech materials that would make NASA engineers—who haven’t updated the shuttle since 1983— jealous and evidently kept the lawyers in the trademark office entertained for several months.

The QuickChange™ interchangeable lenses are RP-DCentered™ RP Optical quality polycarbonate UV 400 Impact X™ (flexible) and photochromic (senses UV light and instantly adjusts the tint for changing light conditions).

Rudy didn’t stop with technophile lenses either.

The frame is a lightweight composite plastic mixed with advanced carbon and temples made of flexible but adjustable Kynetium™, a special alloy that contains magnesium, silicium and titanium. To make the fit completely adjustable, the Ergonose II™ adjustable nosepiece uses a padded copper beryllium nose bridge.

With a basic shield style and subdued metallic colors, the Rydon design is modest compared with some of Rudy’s other more fashion-conscious designs with the same high-tech features. That’s okay. Not everyone wants to look like J-Lo when they’re out pedaling. The shape of the lens is sized perfectly with good eye coverage, airflow and visibility in mind. The optics are fantastic, and there wasn’t a ride I went on

smith trace interlock:

www.rudyproject.com without benefiting from the photochromic technology. The polarized grey lenses were refreshingly neutral. Rudy also makes a photochromic red lens, which might be nice on cloudy days.

With an optional RX-Able™ adapter, the Rydons are pretty much guaranteed to go beyond being functional eyewear and will fit everyone from Sponge Bob to Mr. Potato head. –B. Riepe MSRP: $125

The Vision of Design

If creativity is the vision of the mind’s eye then the designers at Smith were blinded by ingenuity when they dreamt up this one. Smith Optics was the first eyewear maker, as far as I know, to bring style and function into the world of interchangeable lenses when they introduced the Sliders back in the mid 1990s. And they’ve set another new standard with the Interlock series.

The Interlock design uses an entirely unique mechanism to release the lens. Twist the temple 90 degrees to spread the frame apart just enough and gently lift out the lens. At first glance, I thought the design looked a little fragile but then I remembered that you’re not supposed to sit on them. In practice, the structure is solid, the mechanism works smoothly and the padded temples hold them in place comfortably.

Of the three available interlock models, the Trace leans to the more fashionably large and square side of things. Even if you’re not trying to compete on the fashion stage, the large square frames can be a great choice for riding, offering a nice, wide field of vision and liberal protection from dangerous objects that might be flying through the air and lodging

www.smithoptics.com

themselves into your cornea.

The Trace comes with three Polarized Carbonic lenses (grey, ignitor and clear mirror) with an eight-base lens curve (for optimum peripheral coverage) and, of course, 100 percent UV A, B and C protection. Fourteen other lenses are available. –B. Riepe MSRP: $139

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baby buggy bump-off chariot carrier cx1:

The Sports Car

The scene begins with a fit-looking, 30-something parent gliding down a trail pulling a child in a sporty trailer. The narrator kicks in and says, “Mountain bike, $2,400; Italian cycling shorts, $95, Chariot Carrier, $694; Going for a three-hour training ride with your 12-monthold, priceless. For everything else, there’s a high-interest credit card.”

That scene really says it all. When you have a bambino, mobility and safety are key, and the Chariot CX1 baby carrier will get you and your baby almost anywhere you want to go. The carrier is built on a high-tech aluminum frame and has a fully enclosed compartment with removable panels on the front and sides. The padded seat is designed to safely hold baby in place while adjustable suspension and alloy wheels give it a smooth ride. It’s light, streamlined and durable.

High performance and versatility are what separate the CX1 from all the other child carriers out there. With optional (and pricey) accessories, it can go from a compact

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www.chariotcarriers.com stroller to a bike trailer; it can be fitted with high-quality Nordic skis and a harness or become a three-wheel jogger, all in less that 60 seconds.

Using the cycling kit, my wife and I were able to pull off three-hour road rides without a peep from baby. Towing it was much easier than I expected (but great power training), and it hooked up easily to my cross bike. Disconnecting the CX1 from the bike was easy and with the stroller wheels back in place, the CX1 was stealth enough to roll through the grocery store without knocking down the displays.

Just like that Porsche you wish you had, the CX1 baby carrier has a very small trunk but it is definitely the ultimate in sport baby-carrying. Although the price may seem high (think baby shower gift), it really is priceless. –B. Riepe Price: $694 Price as tested: $802

baby buggy bump-off baby jogger switchback:

The SUV

Baby Jogger’s Switchback is a hulking mass compared to the Chariot CX1 but many times, especially with multiple kids, utility is a necessity. The Switchback has some noteworthy attributes that start with its rock solid quality.

The differentiating feature of the Switchback is it converts from a bike trailer to a jogger without any additional accessories, and everything you need is incorporated into the rig. The bike trailer hitch folds away and the forks fold out. Just slide in the quick release wheel and your have a jogger. The Switchback’s patented design lets you fold it up into a surprisingly small lump of metal and nylon.

Just like Jane Soccer-Mom’s Suburban, the Switchback is built for comfort, not speed. The child compartment is roomy and the seats incorporate “helmet pockets” so baby’s head isn’t crammed forward when wearing a helmet. The carrying capacity of the switchback is ample; with two seats

www.babyjogger.com and loads of storage space it’s great for riding around town and can carry anything you purchase along the way—as long as it’s smaller than a refrigerator.

All this convenience and space comes at a price; in this case it’s a 39 pound, 34 inch wide land yacht. But just like that SUV, it may not be the sports car you want, but it may be the utilitarian workhorse you need. –B. Riepe Price: $579

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GEAX

saguaro:

Italian Rubber for Your Two Niner

I have to admit, I tend to run the hell out of my tires. In fact, I can almost directly attribute my two hardest crashes of the last five years to “cashed” rubber. The GEAX Saguaro tires were a nice breath of fresh air and an added notch to the headboard of my confidence.

Geax tires are made of a proprietary ARAMID 3D rubber compound: a material with three-dimensional dispersion of aramid particles (aromatic polyamide polymers). These rubber polymers are high-tech manmade fibers that add strength and stability to rubber. What that means to us cyclists is the rubber will last a long time, resist cuts and flats but is still soft enough to stick to the trail like cactus to your thigh.

In use, these tires impressed me. Aside from the ease of installation, the first thing I noticed was the low rolling resistance. Nine out of 10 of my rides are ridden from home, so I set them up at 40 psi for a happy medium between speed and traction. The consistent center tread line made the ride to the trailhead especially nice, and I liked the 2.2-inch width. They felt really stout but fast and quiet.

The Saguaros have a positive feel when climbing out of the saddle. The rubber is surprisingly tacky on damp trail sections while the sizable air volume helped me keep control in the rock gardens. They tracked pretty well when pressing into the corners but the side knobs lack bite in adverse

eriksen cycles sweetpost:

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conditions. The price is right, and the Saguaros are ideal for hard-pack, relatively buff trail riding.

If your riding conditions are consistently wet or even muddy at times, consider something with a more aggressive tread pattern.

But if you have access to tacky or dry, hard-packed trails, give the Saguaros a try. –C. Hanna Weight: 610 grams MSRP: $42.99 Foldable 29x2.2

Sweet, Strong & Easy

If you’ve ever tried to adjust your saddle angle mid-ride or even before your ride, you know the pose. Hunched over, head upside down just to find the bolts, neck bent unnaturally, blood rushing to your temples as you work out the complicated tightening system.

Enter the Sweetpost, Kent Eriksen’s latest titanium creation: a seatpost with newly designed hardware. The simple tightening hardware is just the sort of system that makes you exclaim, “Well, that was easy.”

And you’re back on your ride, butt in the right place.

The tightening harware comprises two bolts, accessed from the side. Simply loosen the bolts and rotate the circular head of the post to level your saddle, and retighten. No craning. No straining. The entire hardware system to hold and tighten the saddle has just four interlocking pieces, including the two side bolts.

www.bikemine.com

www.kenteriksen.com

And don’t forget the titanium. An elegant metal for a seatpost, titanium is well known for high strength and light weight. The beauty weighs in at less than 160 g for a 225 mm post.

The Sweetpost is available in one diameter, 27.2, but various lengths (225, 250, 275, 300, 260, 400 mm) and either straight (5 mm) or laid back design (20 mm).

The colors on the hardware are a nice touch, too.

They match the Chris King component line of colors, not to mention the Eriksen Cycles decals. Choose from red, orange, blue, green, pewter, pink and black. –C. Spaeth MSRP: $180 to $200

pedros critical mass multi tool There’s no doubt that packing a miniature tool kit along on those epic rides is more than just a karma bonus; it’s a necessity. A miniature tool can be the difference between tightening down that loose crank arm bolt and stripping off the whole arm 32 miles east of Shitkickville.

For the weight conscious but diligent karma fighters out there, Pedro’s has introduced the Critical Mass OR Carbon Fiber Folding Multi-Tool. With 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 mm hex wrenches, a No. 2 Phillips and a flat head screw driver, Torx T25 (for your disc rotor) and a Mavic M7 spoke wrench, the Critical Mass OR is a step above being ultraminimalist but not quite the ultimate TV repair kit either.

The only key ingredient that the OR is missing is a chain tool but those admittedly tend to add considerable mass.

My official U.S. Postal Service gravity-calibrated digital scale gave the OR a thumbs up at 127 gm. The carbon fiber handles keep it nice ’n’ light, but with titanium bolts and through-hardened S-2 steel blades, it’s built to last, too. I carried the OR around with me for about 45 days before press time, and I even got to use it once when I punctured my rear tire. I was thankful to have that 8 mm hex for the

mavic C29SSmax:

www.pedros.com axle bolts on my Chris King SS hub. I also noted that it didn’t fall apart (like certain other multi-tools I’ve experienced) for lack of thread lock on the ti bolts. –B. Riepe MSRP: $89.99

Low Rolling Mass

Big wheels keep on turning, but now with Mavic introducing the C29SSMax you can keep those big wheels turning with less effort and more style. The C29SSMax is Mavic’s first wheel designed specifically to fill the 29er niche. Not only does it do so with the performance you would expect from Mavic, but the company also claims that the C29SSMax produces the lowest inertia of any 29-inch wheel on the market. Sweet!

I need to preface all of this by saying I have not spent an entire season on these wheels. My true opinion of durability would come from riding ’em for a long time. They do, however, seem to have a great blend of strength and weight, all the makings of a great cross-country wheel set.

I am a Mavic fan and was not let down by these wheels.

They are a joy to look at and offer an unmatched racy feel to any 29er rig. They felt butter smooth on fast downhill sections and the lateral stiffness was noticeable when pressing hard into corners, especially where the trail deviated into technical rocky sections. The C29SSMax design gets its strength from oversize aluminum straight-pull hubs laced with 24 round Zicral Alloy spokes. Mavic’s standard SUP process, where the rim is joined and buffed out for a seamless looking construction, gives it all a tight clean look.

Interestingly, the C29SSMAX rim is made to be tubeless compatible. Currently, there is no such thing as a 29-inch UST tire, but Mavic has teamed with Hutchinson to work on just that. What they have so far is a “tubeless ready” tire but for now Mavic recommends that you use a tube. In other

www.mavic.com

words, if you set them up tubeless, Mavic is not liable for when you roll the tire off the rim and eat dirt.

Mavic has set the bar for a strong, lightweight, prebuilt 29er wheel set.

Time will tell how durable these wheels truly are.

After giving these wheels hell on numerous rides, I think that us big wheel patriots have something to be excited about.

–C. Hanna MSRP: $775 Weight:1,745 grams/pair

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endura air defense jacket:

Winter Survival Gear

Having ridden in non-cycling specific windproof jackets before, my usual concern is that they end up being too warm, they don’t breathe and the cut is made to accommodate a beer belly. The people at Endura, based in Scotland, are cyclists who spend their winters getting assaulted by damp North Atlantic winds and marauding Scottish rains. So when they created the venerable Air Defense battle garment from Windtex fabric, they made it tough and they made it for cyclists. They get it.

Windtex is a high performance fabric composed of three layers: a smooth and durable wind resistant outer layer over a semi-permeable membrane that keeps the rain out but allows vaporized perspiration to escape and a brushed-pile inner lining to add warmth and a soft feel.

The Air Defense jacket is pure to cycling. Scotchlight reflective strips and an LED light loop on the back make you visible on the road while fitted cuffs and collar, flat locked seams and a close cut keep the wind from sneaking in and making the jacket flap around like mad. A deep waterproof zipped rear pocket, concealed waterproof mobile phone pocket and a zipped front pocket give the Air

Defense plenty of storage.

The Air Defense jacket was much better than other windproof jackets I’ve pedaled in: the breathability of the soft shell fabric made all the difference as I began to heat up during hard rides. The fabric also has a subtle stretchiness to it so it follows your body motion nicely without feeling too tight. The close, cycling specific fit, high-tech fabric and unique safety features make this jacket an excellent cold weather layer for cyclists.

Endura’s quality is solid and backed by a lifetime warranty against defects. –B. Riepe MSRP: $159

bontrager rhythm elite tlr disc wheels Bontrager’s new 28 mm wide Rhythm Elites match up with today’s high volume tires and longer travel trail bikes.

But at 1,835 grams per pair, they’re light enough for cross-country riding and make a good option for anyone looking for more stability in the corners.

The generous rim width adds volume by giving the tire a wider stance on the rim. I rode the Rhythm Elites with Bontrager’s Big Earl 2.35 tires. The wide platform and large air volume add up to killer performance and noticeably more predictable handling in the corners. The direct alignment of the tire/rim interface reduces sidewall roll, adds better lateral rigidity and gives the tire solid contact with the ground.

I set up the wheels using Bontrager’s Super Juice sealant and tubeless rim strips. The wheels and tires come “tubeless ready,” designed to work with the sealant. Bontrager’s sealant is glycol-based (vs. latexbased). The downside to glycol is that it’s not quite as good at sealing holes in the tires but the set-up went super smooth. The only glitch was

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www.endurasport.com

www.bontrager.com

that the valve stems didn’t line up straight with the rim hole and left a gap, but never leaked. I’d definitely recommend going tubeless, even for all-mountain riding because being able to run lower tire pressures without pinch flatting, as low as 20 psi, makes ’em stick like Velcro.

The disc-specific Rhythm Elites are laced to high quality 28-hole DT Swiss hubs. The rims are molded with an offset spoke bed to equalize spoke tension. The tubeless rim strips and valve core are included at no additional charge.

The Rhythm Elites make a great upgrade for a trail bike and with a lighter weight tire could justifiably be used as a cross-country training wheelset or a heavier duty set for your singlespeed or hardtail. The rims are also available in 29 inch.

–B. Riepe

MSRP: $499 SuperJuice Sealant: $14.99 (8 oz)

2008 fox talas 32RLC:

Predictable Control

I’ve had several generations of TALAS forks dating back when 120 mm was considered long travel. I still have that 90 to 120mm fork on my singlespeed and, even though I didn’t follow the recommended maintenance schedule, it’s held up for nearly five seasons now and I don’t have many complaints.

The TALAS (Travel Adjust Linear Air Spring) is an air-sprung, open oil bath fork and has been a standard setting middleweight since its inception. In 2007, Fox increased the maximum travel, taking it to 140 mm, and greatly improved the travel adjust feature by making it a three-position adjustment (100, 120 or 140 mm).

Fox’s performance and quality is certainly fantastic, their lateral and crown stiffness is better than most, and they’re ultra plush for the big hits. A general consensus, though, has been that the TALAS is a little unforgiving, even unpredictable, in the smaller chatter bumps and in corners.

For a high performance fork, it’s an annoying hitch.

To address this critical issue, according to Fox, the company made unspecified (very secretive) internal improvements that increase the low-speed damping and create smoother transitions to the mid and high-speed portions of the damping curve rate. In addition, Fox has made other changes that reduce “noise;” smoothing the transition between compression and rebound.

The damping improvements for 2008 should all add up to more predictable control, better braking through turns and better overall response.

Incorrect compression damping negatively impacts the handling; it can cause the fork to feel rigid over smaller bumps or dive into corners.

Increasing the low-speed damping to gain more control can seem counterintuitive but the 2008 fork certainly feels better, especially when riding more aggressively. I noticed that if I really pushed assertively into the corners, the fork became more reactive and made the handling more predictable and even quicker in tight, technical singletrack.

www.foxracingshox.com

Additional changes for 2008 are a new cable guide, an ergonomic lockout lever (nice) and post mount disc tabs.

The cable guide is a great touch as it’s nice to scrap the ol’ zip ties. The post mount disc tabs as opposed to the common IS mounts allow you to mount the caliper directly to the fork without using extraneous adapters. They are stronger, lower profile and certainly better.

Dialing in the TALAS requires some thought and experimentation, but when you find the balance between air spring pressure, rebound damping and low-speed compression damping (all easily adjustable) it’s a brilliant all mountain fork that absorbs abuse (especially if you follow that maintenance schedule) as well as big hits.

–B. Riepe MSRP: $725 Travel: 100, 120 or 140 mm

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Comfort in a tube!

TM

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877.554.8975 HONEYSTINGER.COM 74

kickin’ the tires T

he Mountain Flyer crew takes its bike testing seriously. We take the bikes out into the cruel world and kick the tires a bit. Actually, it’s more like punch the tires through a few nasty rock gardens, hammer them up countless loose climbs and skate them through slimy, tangled, rooty singletrack.

You know, we ride those bikes.

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designing something just for her

by Caroline Spaeth

Go into some bike shops these days, and you’ll find a new corner of the store devoted just to women’s bikes. These bikes aren’t your slap on a pink paint job and sell it to Barbie and we’re good bikes.

Nope, bike companies are serious about differentiating the bikes they make for women, putting more attention into the higher end bikes and designs.

It’s not an easy proposition, making “women-specific” bikes.

Fuji, Giant, Orbea, Specialized, Scott, the list goes on of companies forming women’s advisory panels, employing female engineers, having female design teams delve into the growing trend and setting up websites for women’s riding “communities.”

Not surprisingly, the market is flooded with opinions on the finer points of what constitutes a woman’s bike. The ideas are as varied as the lipstick choices at the Dillard’s cosmetics counter.

Some companies claim it’s the frame, some claim it’s the components, others say there’s no such thing.

“We know women and men are different. We have body strength differences, body length differences, so why not create bikes for those differences,” said Eron Chorney, women’s product manager for Specialized Bicycles.

Specialized bases its women’s designs on research showing the average woman has longer legs and a shorter torso and typically weighs less than the average man.

This idea encourages bikes designed with shorter top tubes and smaller diameter and thinner walled tubing. Specialized is using these design ideas for its new 2008 women’s line of mountain bikes.

Some companies sit riders up a tad higher by adjusting the geometry for a women’s shorter reach, with less of a drop from the saddle to the bars. Women are also asking for this less aggressive position in a high-end bike.

For this reason, Fuji added for 2008 a less race-orientated carbon road bike to its current women’s race bikes.

“This comfort bike helps meet the needs of a different group of women who want to ride bikes but don't necessarily need to be all bent over to get the most out of their ride,” said Karen Bliss, Fuji Bicycles’ marketing manager. “Plus, carbon is so cool to ride.”

In another opinion, designs need to account for lighter riders who don’t dish out abuse on a frame that a heavier rider would.

“Women tend to be lighter so they don’t need a carbon fiber lay-up in the same thickness as men’s bikes,” said Justin Slarks of 76

Orbea, a company that has found women still want race geometries for their bikes.

Yet another theory argues that bike fit is better fine-tuned with components.

“We view the frames as gender-neutral and focus on the contact points,” said Adrian Montgomery of Scott Bicycles.

For this approach, handlebars are smaller for women’s narrow shoulders, brakes have adjustable reach levers for small hands and the saddle is designed for women.

For mountain bikes, front and rear suspension can be tuned for lighter cyclists.

Not everyone agrees with these approaches, however.

“A bike is seven tubes. It doesn’t have a gender,” said Sky Yaeger, an established bike designer for more than 20 years.

Years ago, she fit a shorter man to Xavier Fane` a woman’s bike. “It fit him perfectly, but when I told him it was a woman’s bike, he wouldn’t buy it.” Changes in geometry and sizing are equally appropriate for smaller men or junior riders, she said.

Still, bikes “designed” for women has meant additional sizing options. More companies are now making bikes under 50 cm or over 56 cm, or in extra-extra-small, once a rare commodity.

Smaller frames do have their problems. The smaller a frame, the stiffer it gets. This is where smaller diameter tubes and varied carbon fiber tube designs help.

In addition, for shorter top tubes, seat tubes tilt to a steep 74 or 75 degrees, head tube angles slacken to less than 71 degrees and the wheelbase shortens, contributing to a potentially twitchy ride.

Terry Bicycles resolved some of this by adjusting the rake or angle of the fork and using smaller 24-inch or 650c wheels on smaller road bikes, a choice once thought undesirable. Other companies are starting to follow suit. For example, for 2008, Orbea has a new 46 cm road bike with 650c wheels. And many companies are now offering road frame sizes as small as 44 cm.

“A lot of women mind having smaller wheels because they’ve been told they’re no good,” said Margo Conover, custom women’s frame builder and owner of Luna Cycles. “For bigger bikes, yes, it’s silly. But a smaller leg turning over smaller wheels, it makes sense.”

Of course, everyone agrees that bike fit is most important goal in all this, but the demand for a women’s section in bike stores has obviously caught on as women are buying bikes designed for them in droves.

“Women like to be catered to,” said Bliss of Fuji.

“Who wouldn’t?”

Weight: 29.5 lbs Price : $2,200 Size tested: Medium www.bikes.com

[ROCKY MOUNTAIN] ELEMENT LADIES

A Little Speed To Put You in Your Element For its first foray into the women’s bike market in 2007, Rocky Mountain Bicycles offered its Element Ladies bike. Based on that bike’s success, Rocky Mountain returns in 2008 with a second model, spec’d with higher end components.

The bike is built on the company’s mainstay Element frame, with 3D link suspension, Easton 7005 aluminum tubing and carbon rear triangle. For 2008, Rocky Mountain promises to retain the same geometry in its Element Ladies bikes and adjust it instead for its standard line of Element bikes.

For four months, I tested the 2007 model, which is offered again this model year. To make this bike lady-friendly, Rocky Mountain adjusted the bike’s contact points: the handlebars, seat and pedals. The Easton EA30 handlebars have a smaller diameter grip. The women’s seat is a WTB Diva. And the pedals are easily releasable Crank Brothers Eggbeater Smarty pedals. The Ladies Element has what some companies call “women’s geometry,” that is, a shortish top tube (575 mm or 22.6 in. for the 18 inch), fitting the oft-referenced short torsos of most women.

Rocky Mountain uses its 3D link suspension platform, which is essentially a single pivot design, and the company wisely chose the smooth Fox RP2. Up front, they chose the Marzocchi MX Pro, which allows you to change out the spring for lighter riders like me.

All added together—the frame, the suspension and the geometry—the bike rolled with ease, took off when I put power to the pedals and held nice, controlled lines on the trail. In fact, the more I put the hammer down, the more the bike seemed to want to go fast. A second tester, in fact, commented, “You have to really reign in this bike. It really wants to go fast.”

Over time, I grew to enjoy the intuitive feel of the ride. The rear end stiffness allowed the bike to track well on fast, swoopy trails and tight corners, like we found on Kessel Run in Fruita. It

came alive on narrow and open single track, like the new Gallup, NM, trails, and the suspension design kept the wheels stuck on the ground over rough terrain like most trails in the northern New Mexico Rockies. I rarely found myself standing even over long sections of technical trail. The bike demanded fast and even faster speeds.

For climbing, I would have liked a slightly lighter component package. At 29.5 pounds, the Element Ladies bike is a little weighty, noticeable on some of the long, steep climbs on my local mountain trails. And I’d prefer a higher end spec on the component list.

But overall, I grew quite attached to this bike and its ride qualities. Rocky Mountain told us it’s pleased with the reaction to

the company’s first women’s bike, and I think they’re wise to add a higher end model for 2008. That would be worth riding, but this bike definitely won’t disappoint anyone who enjoys the pure fun of riding. –C. Spaeth

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Weight: 24.6 lbs Price : $4,199 Size tested: Medium www.scottusa.com

[SCOTT]

SPARK CONTESSA

Racer Fast and Comfortable for Epic Rides

In the world of women’s bikes, talk often centers on making lighter bikes for women who on average weigh less than men. It makes perfect sense when you start thinking about ratios of body weight to bike weight.

While women’s bikes options are getting plentiful, wading through light frames with low-end components or heavier frames with choice spec is frustrating. Face it, guys, plenty of women are not lightweights when it comes wanting top end bikes all around. Scott has an offering just for that crowd. The Spark Contessa is the company’s all-carbon, full-suspension cross-country bike for women.

Scott actually makes the Spark frame for either gender, figuring a super lightweight frame suits all riders. For Contessa bikes, Scott adds components designed for women.

The carbon frame weighs in at flyweight 1,550 g or 3.42 lbs.

Scott uses its proprietary integrated molding process (IMP). The process is all very hush-hush, but we do know it molds the top tube, head tube and down tube in one step, removes 11 percent of the material from the head tube intersection, increases frame strength with more carbon fibers in other precise places and 78

finally incorporates a carbon dropout with replacement hangar, carbon swingarm and even carbon cable stops.

For its rear shock, Scott teamed with DT Swiss to develop the odd-named but great-performing Nude TC shock. It is denuded of weight for sure, coming in at 240 g (about half a pound), to put the frame and shock weight combo at 1,790 g or just under 4 lbs— which the company claims is the lightest frame and shock combo in the world. The shock has a remote lever to select from three travel modes of 110 mm, 80 mm and locked out.

For the women’s components, Scott focuses on the typical shorter torso and/or reach of many women and adds shorter stems to the frames. The medium I tested had a tiny 80 mm stem, a little short for me but an easy change. The women’s bikes also get shorter width handlebars (620 mm) and a women’s Fizik Vitesse saddle, which I found instantly comfortable.

The Contessa comes in the Spark 10, 20 and 30 level component packages, which range from Shimano XT to XTR disc brakes, derailleurs, shifters and cranks, with DT Swiss wheels, Schwalbe tires, the Rock Shox Reba fork plus Ritchey carbon handlebars and seatpost.

If I had to pick one word for this bike’s ride, I’d call it effortless.

After I got used to the feathery frame under me, the bike floated over the harshest terrain. My first hour on the bike felt like minutes, and I told myself this bike is built for comfort over the long haul. Only later did I find out Scott designed this bike for marathon world champ racer Thomas Frischknecht, and the bike is indeed racer fast. Climbing was smooth, switchbacks felt automatic and the maneuvering in the tight stuff was remarkably stable and balanced. The bike just asks to keep going farther and longer.

The 110 mm rear shock was plenty for drop-offs and turned rocky trails to butter, especially at speed. I was hesitant at first about the Tracloc handlebar-mount lever, which crowded up the handlebar a bit. Only later did I appreciate the set-up when a riding friend leaned down to adjust the rear shock lever on his bike, located on the downtube, and weaved dangerously, destroying a traffic cone in the process. The 80 mm setting is great for powering up steep climbs and down washboard roads, and the lockout works well on occasional asphalt.

For a seriously light bike combined with superior handling and top components, consider taking a good long look at Scott’s Contessa line. –C. Spaeth

[CARVER]

TI KILLER 650B PROTOTYPE

Frame weight : 3.2 lbs Price : $1,199 (frame only with slider dropouts) Size tested: 17” www.carverbikes.com

That’s a 27.5er to us cowpokes Prelude While the 650B wheel is not an entirely new concept—they’ve been used on Euro randonnée bikes for ages—their accepted use on mountain bikes is only recent. Ask around a year ago, and not many would have said they knew about the wheel size. But because of the efforts of Kirk Pacenti of Pacenti Cycle Design, more than 17 builders were displaying 650B products at Interbike 2007.

Pacenti, a long-time frame builder and advocate of 29ers, sees the 650B as a solution to certain problems he’s had with designing 29ers. At 27.5 inches, 650B wheels sit neatly between 26ers and 29ers.

“What I believe 650B wheeled mountain bikes will allow builders to do is to utilize proven 26 inch wheeled geometries, coupled with the largest wheel possible,” says Pacenti. “650B wheel bikes will better accommodate riders 5-foot-3 to 6-foot-4. And full-suspension designs with 4 to 6 inches of travel can be made in a wide range of frame sizes without compromise.”

Introducing a new wheel size is not easy, but the 650B platform has a tactical advantage over the first 29ers; 650B wheels will work with many 26 in. forks, including the Fox F100, Maverick, and Rock Shox Reba. White Brothers has plans to produce a 650B specific fork.

Similar to the first 29ers, the biggest challenge for 650B bike fans will be getting tires. Pacenti has already produced one tire, the Pacenti Neo Moto 2.3, made by Panaracer. And he has two more models in the works. Velocity and American Classic are both producing rims as well.

Carver Ti Killer B Being quick to react to the 650B trend, Carver Bikes produced a titanium Killer B prototype in time for Interbike.

Carver will build you a custom frame at no additional charge so the geometry is up for grabs. True to Pacenti’s vision, our Killer B prototype bike had straightforward geometry with a 71 degree head tube and 73 degree seat tube, 23.7 inch top tube and an 11.625 inch bottom bracket. With the optional slider dropouts, singlespeed or not, the chainstay length can be adjusted from 17.25 to 18 in.

For a cool one thousand dollars (frame only), the custom Ti Killer B is a great bargain for a detail-loaded, high-quality frame.

Built from 3/2.5 seamless aerospace titanium with X-rayed welds, the Killer B has details you’d expect from pricier frames: S-bend chainstays and seatstays for mega tire clearance up to 2.6 in., threaded or EBB bottom bracket, 6 mm water cut slider (add $200), horizontal or regular dropouts and a machined, box section head tube gusset. Our 17 in. frame weighed in at 3.2 pounds.

So How’d She Ride?

It could have been coincidence and I just happened to be having one of those days where everything flows, but one of my rides on the Killer B was on my favorite technical trail, one that I never clean entirely. It’s a good two miles of slow ultra technical singletrack with at least 10 moves that can knock you off the bike.

Well, on the Killer B, I cleaned it all for the first time ever.

It’s subtle but the 650B wheels did not have that go-straight steamroller feeling of 29ers. The bike seemed to handle more like my 26er in the tight corners and it was quick to accelerate. Many of the moves on that technical trail that I cleaned are step-ups through big rocks and that’s where I noticed the 650B wheels wanted to roll up over things that took a lot more effort on my 26er. As with a 29er, I did feel like I needed to exaggerate my lean into sweeping fast corners.

Some of the handling characteristics and technical prowess of the Killer B could be attributed to the aggressive 2.3 tires, but I certainly enjoyed the ride. It’s an essential custom ti hardtail and that’s how it rode. If I were to make any change to the geometry of the prototype, I’d raise the bottom bracket a bit.

Whether 650B wheels make it or not depends on acceptance by the industry as much as consumer demand. In my opinion, it’s a great option if you’re in the market for a larger wheeled bike.

There is good logic behind Pacenti’s theories and 650B opens the door for a variety of options. For now, some of the bike industry is in a wait-and-see holding pattern but Carver’s Killer B is a testament to the viability of the 650B platform. For an extended review, please go to www.mountainflyer.com. –B. Riepe 79

[TREK] FUEL EX 9

More fun than chasing a chicken In the movie Rocky II, Mickey, the gruff old trainer with no-nonsense wisdom, sets Rocky Balboa chasing after chickens in a dingy alleyway to attain “greasy fast speed”—a necessary ingredient for victory over all adversaries.

While mountain biking isn’t prize fighting, it can sometimes feel like it. There are rides that end with you bruised, battered and bleeding and nonetheless the last one at the trailhead, limping in after all the good beers have been taken. The Trek Fuel EX 9 will give you a fighting chance to change all that.

Thanks to some key improvements over the 2007 Fuel EX line, Trek has created a cross-country platform that promises to be greasy fast, even at the hands of the most oafish pedaler, while delivering a ride plush enough that you won’t rue spending an entire day on the trails.

The 2008 Fuel EX bikes come with Trek’s Active Braking Pivot (ABP), a patent-pending technology that places the rear-suspension pivot in line with the rear axle, as opposed to a pivot that lies above or below the axle (i.e., on the seatstay or the chainstay). The ABP design is intended to keep the brake caliper in a near-constant relationship with the brake rotor, reducing the potential for “brake jack,” the unfortunate chattering and loss of control that results from stiffening of the rear suspension when the brakes are applied.

Also new this year, Trek cradles a Fox Float RP23 between a super-stiff upper rocker arm, called the EVO link, and an additional lower pivot—floating the shock between two suspended attachment points—to create what it calls “Full Floater” technology. This one-two punch of innovation comprises Trek’s R1i 80

Weight: 27 lbs (without pedals) Price : $3,400 Size tested: 21.5” www.trekbikes.com

suspension technology.

On the trails, the EX 9’s lateral stiffness and ABP meant faster cornering and greater control through the rough stuff.

On fire roads and the smooth stuff, the bike was extremely stable while pedaling. In fact, with this bike I found little difference in pedaling efficiency whether the Float RP23 was switched to the Propedal position or not. Locking out the Fox TALAS RL 90-130 mm fork made the bike more rock solid than Apollo Creed’s jaw.

The overall ride of the aluminum EX 9 was stiff, yet extremely comfortable and satisfying. To accomodate the ABP, the Fuel EX gains a slightly wider stance at the rear axle, which, when coupled with the lateral stiffness of the Evo link, seems to add more stability to the rear triangle. With the ABP setup, the bike does require a longer skewer that must be removed completely to detach the rear wheel from the frame. However, I found that changing out a tube after flatting required no extra effort, other than finding a suitable place to put the removed axle so I wouldn’t lose it or cover it in trail dust. Despite the need for a wider skewer, the bike still uses a standard-width hub.

The Fuel EX design with generous standover height allowed me to choose a size larger frame than I normally ride in a Trek hardtail. I ended up immensely enjoying the extra-large (21.5-inch) frame’s fit underneath my six-foot-two-inch body, but what I enjoyed more was the bike’s welterweight 27-pound weigh-in, which meant more speed on climbs and more stamina on the epics.

The EX 9’s weight, stability and responsiveness also meant more grace in the clinches.

The result is a bike that won’t make you look like a bum when you’re fighting it out with your riding buddies for dominance on the trails and for first pick of the brews at trail’s end. –J. Rickman

[YETI]

575 RACE 20

Weight: 29 lbs Price : $4,099 Size tested: Medium www.yeticycles.com process, and under as much as 100 psi, the tube is forced into the shape of the die. Advantages of hydroformed tubes include weight reduction, greater stiffness and better dimensional performance.

Wider Pivots Looking to stiffen the pivot points, Yeti widened the pivot where the shock and linkage join the frame by moving the sealed bearings to the outside of a new hydroformed cross brace (replacing the two alloy plates). In addition, the “dogbone” (the alloy piece that links the shock to the frame) has also been redesigned to be stiffer, and the main bolt is no longer pressed in so the shock can be more easily removed for service.

Carbon Stays Making the 575 stiffer and lighter was obviously a major goal for 2008 so, naturally, Yeti examined the rear triangle and made carbon fiber seatstays with a sturdy cross bridge standard. For an extra $150, you can cut a half-pound off the frame by adding carbon chainstays (not a bad deal).

Fear not, Yeti tribesmen When photos of the 2008 Yeti 575 first appeared on the blogosphere in September 2007, they drew paranoid ire from hardcore Yeti fans. For several years now, the 575 has been a main staple at Yeti, consistently claiming the top-seller spot in the company’s line-up. To Yeti fans, the idea of change was terrifying.

The 575 has become a standard for all-mountain/long-travel race bikes and its success stems from its versatility. Built around a basic suspension design with no rear pivot, the 575 relies on solid-state craftsmanship and a stable platform shock instead of multi-point linkage designs. It’s an extremely versatile bike that, depending on the build kit, can be a full-on, all-mountain crusher, or it can be made light enough to rally at the races. Couple the functional design with Yeti’s mythic status and the 575’s success isn’t too surprising.

Fear not, Yeti Tribesmen, the changes made to the 2008 rig are more than just aesthetic and they all contribute to a better ride. Yeti has invested the fruits of the 575’s success back into refining the bike and improving the company’s production techniques.

Hydroformed Tubes Most notably, the new 575’s front triangle is built with hydroformed tubes. Just like it sounds, hydroforming uses water in the metal-forming process. The tube is set into a die and the ends are sealed. Water is injected into the tube, expelling any air in the

Adjusted Geometry The 575 Race 20 comes with a Fox 36 Float 160-mm fork. To adjust for the longer travel fork, Yeti dropped the bottom bracket by 3/8 inch, keeping the bike from getting too tall while maintaining a relaxed and stable 68.5 degree head tube angle. You can also choose a 140 mm fork for a 69 degree head angle. Finally, to improve the handling at high speeds, Yeti added a little length to the top tube.

The Race 20 Kit we tested builds the 575 into an aggressive all-mountain/Super D style ride. With the Fox DHX Air 5.0 Pro Pedal shock, the bike climbs really well for such a heavy-duty hitter, but, of course, it really shines brightest on rough and rooty descents.

It’s an exceptionally fun bike built up with the 160 mm fork but carefully consider how much suspension you really need before diving in. For a lot of people, the 140 mm fork and a lighter Fox RP23 shock will shave a few pounds, allow for better climbing and is generally a more versatile option.

All the new refinements added up to a noticeably stiffer frame.

On the 2007 575, when I stood up to crank up a steep pitch in the middle ring, I could get the rear end to flex enough to make the chain pop up one cog. On the 2008 bike, I couldn’t get the same effect.

The longer top tube is also nice; I needed a slightly shorter stem on the 2008 versus my 2007 bike, but it handled beautifully at speed. In general, I’m happy to say that the 2008 model is truly just an improved version of the trusted Yeti 575 platform. –B. Riepe

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[TOMAC] SNYPER 140

Weight: 29.6 lbs Price : $1,699 (frame only ) $3,699 (complete XT kit) Size tested: Medium www.tomacbikes.com

This allows for a full triangulated swingarm and a short link, which keeps the rear end nice n’ stiff.

I’d say that the Snyper felt efficient but not particularly fast on climbs. That’s not the fault of the suspension design. With Shimano XT components and a Maverick Speedball seatpost, the complete size medium bike weighed in at 29.6 lbs. The 2.3 inch Kenda Tomac tires are heavy duty with no attempt to reduce rolling resistance. With the right build kit, the Snyper could drop 4 lbs, and faster tires would help its climbing speed, if that’s your priority.

‘We got really lucky’ The Tomac brand is back. Again. Question is, will three be the lucky number? The first two attempts at implementing the brand stumbled and fell, yet the Tomac name does carry its own weight and it should fly.

The reformed company, led by industry veteran Joel Smith, may finally have found the right combination of branding, design and execution, introducing three models this time around. The Snyper fills the core 140 mm all-mountain spot.

At first glance the Snyper looks clean and straightforward. The compact aluminum frame is stout with solid reinforcements. A size large frame with shock weighs in at 6.8 lbs, light for a 140 mm slugger.

Generally, it looks like an all-mountain bike but not quite so gangly, and it holds a subtle, aggressive stance. Not sure what to think of the pivot placement, I emailed Smith to get the premise and what I got back wasn’t a polished schpeel but more of an impromptu dissertation. That’s good style and more importantly, he had a lot to say.

Tomac set out with the lofty goal of creating a bike that would pedal like a short travel cross-country bike, take hits like a long travel all-mountain bike and float through the rough stuff like Muhammad Ali. It goes without saying that it should be stiff and light as well. We kept this all in mind when we put it to task.

Climbing In or out of the saddle, the Snyper climbs with virtually no bob.

I can honestly say that I was impressed with the function and positioning. A major element of the design is the lack of a rear axle pivot. Instead, the bike relies on minor flex in the carbon seatstays.

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Ripping Through the Rough Pivot placement and the rear shock properties are the major factors affecting a bike’s success pedaling through the rough stuff. The company’s goal was to maximize pedaling ability and minimize feedback, and I’d say they nailed the pivot placement. Pushing it forward, in front of the bottom bracket, means you’ll feel the benefits of the suspension in the cranks without getting kickback.

This wouldn’t work without stable platform shock technology. Tomac chose the Fox RP23 with a very flat shock rate, and the Snyper tends to sit with minimal sag so you get full travel. It pedals well but feels unexpectedly bottomless.

Handling The Snyper has an aggressive stance that feels almost like a cross-country race rig. Tomac describes it as flickable and that’s pretty accurate. The solid pedaling platform helps transfer power and it accelerates out of corners better than you think it should. In slow technical sections, the steering is accurate without feeling twitchy, which is good when you pick up the speed and point it down some larger obstacles. It’s tough to get quick handling without compromising stability on the steeps, and the Snyper lacks some ability here compared to other long travel bikes that aren’t as racy.

When it comes to the design, “we got really lucky,” says Smith.

“At one point, all of the pieces fell together. We suddenly had a bike that combined all of the right factors: it pedaled well, absorbed bumps great, didn’t hook, didn’t suffer from brake jack and dive, didn’t kick back into the pedals and was very stiff.” Three test riders worked the Snyper for Mountain Flyer and, well, we all agree with him.

For $200, Tomac will give you one week to demo it for yourself. For an extended review and more images, please go to www.mountainflyer.com. –B. Riepe

[DEAN]

TORREY’S TI CROSS BIKE

Weight: 3.5 lbs (frame only) Price : $1,750 Size tested: Medium www.deanbikes.com

Comfortably Bling A cross bike is a mud season special. This is the bike you take out when you can find the motivation to get your ass off the couch and go play in the rain, snow and cold. And if you live somewhere like Boulder, you can also ride it on 90 percent of the trails accessible from town.

The Dean Torrey’s Ti cross bike is all that and a whole lot more. The suppleness of the handmade, seamless 3/2.5 aerospace grade ti frame is superb. The 3/2.5 titanium is an alloy consisting of 3 percent aluminum, 2.5 percent vanadium and 94.5 percent pure titanium. The ti alloy has become a standard in fine quality ti bikes because of its exceptional fatigue resistance, consistency, form-ability and corrosion resistance.

Saying the Torrey is made of aerospace grade ti isn’t just BS. The 3/2.5 titanium is certified to either an ASTM B-338 or a sports grade specification. ASTM B-338 meets all aerospace material specifications for hydraulic tubing, yet is typically less expensive titanium.

In transitioning from a steel frame to ti, I was amazed at how soft and smooth the ride is. I noticed it especially on descents where the suppleness translated to faster speeds and less fatigue.

The 73-degree head tube angle made the handling nimble without

being overly twitchy. When combined with the Wound Up Team X fork with carbon legs and a fat crown, the Torrey became highly responsive and a lightweight ride.

For the bike to fit my personal frame better, I would have liked a longer head tube, which would translate into a larger front triangle and allow me to more easily shoulder the bike on those painful run ups. Of course, with Dean’s fully custom option, you can decide what geometry is best for you.

The Avid Shorty 6 brakes on the test bike were a bit mushy and squealed like Ned Beatty when wet. But hey, this makes for good practice in carrying speed through the corners whether you want it or not and will definitely clear the trails faster than any bell.

The super clean welds and the Dean name made it a pleasure—and an ego booster—rolling through Boulder for a session up the Sourdough Trail or dicing with the mountain bikers at Batasso. Cross season is rolling full tilt and just sitting on this bike gets me all jiggy about racing with the old guys at the Boulder Cross Series. At least I look sweet.

You won’t go wrong with a Dean Torrey’s cross bike on your shoulder or under your chamois. –T. McClure

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Boulder, Colorado Cyclists gather outside north Boulder’s Amante Coffee, the chic hangout where many weekend group rides meet. The café is so cyclist friendly that it provides extra bike racks, sells energy bars and broadcasts the Tour de France on its wide-screen television.

Off-Center of the Cycling Universe

words by Damian Steldon / photos by Marty Caivano

With the allure of an unclimbed mountain summit, Boulder, Colo., attracts the country’s young, rich and beautiful with its endless blue sky days and excellent outdoor activities. Mix this fun potential in with a culture that places a high value on personal free time and physical performance, and the result is a population of rich, tan, extremely fit, super-model types with way too much time on their hands.

Is there a problem with this? No. But it can be a little over the top when taken out of context. Like when meeting a Boulderite at a trailhead in Idaho, and after saying hello, you become victim to an endless diatribe on how great a place Boulder is and how disgusted they are to not find organic, grass-fed, French goat cheese in the local Idaho grocery store. It won’t be long before all you’ll want to do is make tracks away from the shiny-new Audi sedan the Boulderite drove up in.

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Love it or hate it, Boulder has established permanent residence in America’s cycling culture as an ultimate place to ride and be seen as a cyclist. After all, what’s not to like? Boulder has endless miles of scenic roads covered in fresh blacktop with huge, well-painted bike lanes, is only a few minutes drive from high quality dirt trails, has a strong race scene and supports fringe two-wheeled pursuits like short-track racing and dirt jumping.

But be warned, every utopia has a dark seedy underbelly that can only be seen when the rose-colored glasses come off.

What follows is the story of Boulder’s privileged (and cursed) cycling community.

It all started 35 years ago when world-class athletes learned that Boulder was perched at 5,000 feet above sea level and blessed with sleepy and scenic roads and trails over which to

cycling community

Upon first driving into this land-o-plenty, one can’t help but notice the alarming number of luxury SUVs swarming the roads and oozing out of parking spaces. To get a peak at who sits behind the tinted glass, simply visit the Whole Foods grocery store, where decked out soccer moms and the trendy, underdressed elite dish out big bucks for exotic grub.

“Excuse me, on which aisle may I find the organic, grass-fed, French goat cheese?”

An even more impressive cultural scan can be obtained by visiting a bike-friendly espresso bar in the fashionably late early morning for a feast of bling-bikes. Exotic one-off custom Italian gems, the latest carbon wonder rides and titanium super-lights fill the racks.

Stroll inside and you’ll find more skinny asses posing down in team kits than you will see at the start of a Pro Tour race. And can they ride? Of course they can! Just ask, and you’ll get an earful about watts at lactate threshold, VAM scores and anaerobic thresholds.

One colorful Lycra monkey Riders at the back of the pack are often forced to run up the steep hill in the 5.5-mile Koppenberg Circuit Race, held near Boulder. “Don’t be deceived by distances,” the race flyer says. “The race is gave us this insight: “Yeah, today I’ve got a sub-threshold hard, you will suffer.” ride on tap. I’ll keep it between ride and run. When these über-specimens ventured out to see 250 and 275 watts for 45 minutes. I’ll also throw in a few for themselves, they quickly learned what the locals always sprints, just to keep it interesting. Hey, can you tell me if I’ve got knew: Boulder rocks! my tan lines matched up? It can be hard to see the back of my From the 70s onward, the town slowly grew as skinny types legs….” Okay, you get the point. with dreams of sporting-glory were sucked in. Now, like all For those caffeine-numbed bodies clickity-clacking out the towns beautiful, Boulder is girdled with exorbitant real estate door to log the day’s scheduled workout, the ride choices are prices, high rent and a cash rich culture. But the world-class plentiful. Head west into the postcard perfect mountains for cycling remains. steady climbing efforts and wicked descents. A bit of local Boulder is not really in the mountains but as far west as you know-how will link these paved masterpieces via short dirt road can get before bumping into them, about 50 miles northwest of sections to form interesting loop rides.

Denver on Colorado’s Front Range. Throw in a population of For flat outings, point east and explore the utilitarian farm 84,000 with the pampered University of Colorado students and road’s grid layout. Once again, venturing onto the dirt can be then cut the stew loose and watch as it strives to absorb a surprisingly fun and a great way to connect together prime smashing night life and consume everything alternative, and pavement. Blasting down forgotten dirt roads has become so Boulder is guaranteed to entertain. popular that it’s not surprising to see groups of 30 riders 85

cycling community

cranking away in the gravel on 15 lb wonder bikes.

The gravel road fetish has extended into the racing scene so that almost every spring an ACA-sanctioned road race does its best to recreate the French Classic, Paris-Roubaix. Ironically, this dirty deed is one of the area’s most heavily attended races.

Having a crisis and can’t decide between flats or steeps?

That’s okay. Crises are common in Boulder, but instead of reaching for the pill bottle, hug the Foothills for its rolling terrain or head south to the Morgul-Bismarck race course made famous during the Coor’s Classic Bicycle Race.

For a taste of the real dirt, the kind you can’t ride on sissy 86

skinny tires, a little commuting is required since all the worthy in-town trails were closed to fat tires years ago, thanks to the vocal hiking population.

Offend a user group in Boulder and its members will make it their mission to beat you down. Don’t people have better things to do with their time?

(Note to Boulder City Council: Free the trails!)

What survived the ban is a somewhat lame series of bike path routes covered in gravel and used by runners, dog walkers and parents pushing baby strollers. Proceed with caution.

The absence of decent nearby knobby tire terrain raises an interesting dilemma. Can riders living within the city limits really consider themselves fat tire aficionados if they must pack up and drive 30 minutes to the trailhead?

As such, it’s not surprising that these fat-wheeled want-to-be’s have earned the nickname “Boulder mountain bikers” among the trail loaded populations of Gunnison, Nederland and Salida, Colo.

“So, we were out rallying the backside of the Drop Down and I almost hit this geeked-out dude in Lycra on some zero travel race bike as I passed him on the inside of a hairpin. He yelled, ‘Excuse me!’ And I was like, what? Excuse this!

(Obscene gesture.) The lame-ass had to be from Boulder.”

Thankfully, the commute to the trailheads is short and scenic. Besides, everyone in Boulder has time. To find miles of hilly, wooded singletrack, take the westbound bus to the sleepy mountain town of Nederland, and once your fix has been satisfied, ride back down to Boulder on Magnolia Road. Or drive north to Lyons for a few respected loops. The way south to Golden offers considerable terrain at White Ranch, and the Golden-Morrison area has even more fine riding.

Along with the excellent and varied riding terrain, another important factor fueling the Boulder hype is the strong outdoor industry presence. Dean, Descente, IMBA, Maverick, Paketa, Rocky Mounts and VeloNews, to name a few, all call Boulder home. The synergy created within this industry helps build community awareness for all things two-wheeled. Add cycling into the local running, skiing and climbing industry, and you’ve got a measurable segment of the economy supporting people heading outside to live it up.

It’s no surprise that Boulder supports a strong local race scene—all these outdoor fiends need an arena on which to test their mettle. You know the ones, the red-eyed devils who gain endless pleasure tearing legs and arms off anyone they can find all in the name of fun.

“So Damian, I was thinking of doing a spirited climbing ride today. Would you like to join me? It will be…fun.”

cycling community

opposite top left: A crash victim in the Koppenberg Circuit Race. opposite bottom left: Scott Fliegelman, center, greets Zach White at the Wednesday morning cyclocross training ride in Boulder. above: Nick Martin, left, and Nick Ranno, right, of the Trek VW Rocky Mountain Regional mountain bike racing team, duke it out with Maverick rider Mike West, center, at a recent Boulder Racing short track event at the University of Colorado Research Park. right: Rob Love attacks a hill during Boulder's Wednesday night short track race series.

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cycling community

Boulder cyclists gather at an impromptu start line for the Wednesday morning cyclocross training ride where they run hot laps around the local Elks Lodge for an hour or so.

The summer is pocked with criteriums and the occasional road race or hill climb. These events usually have attendance in the hundreds, but as is the case with all strong cycling communities, it’s the weekly group ride where the fastest riding happens.

Boulder’s Tuesday night throw-down leaves North Boulder from the parking lot of the town’s strip club, the Bus Stop. This vigorous outing may contain local U.S.-based pros, Olympians, national champions and the up-and-coming. But whoever shows, the event turns into a duel to the death and produces some very high power meter readings.

Cyclocross racing mayhem soon follows the end of summer, with many riders peaking just for this fall season. And although riding around in fields, blasting through mud pits and jumping over small wooden barricades on knobby-tired, road-style bikes may seem a bit odd, the Boulder riders are eating it up. A packed race schedule includes multiple area events. Last year saw Boulder’s first national calendar cyclocross race. The local support was phenomenal with a few thousand cheering fans urging the racers to go faster, always faster.

One field racer had this to say as he was pulling grass out from between his teeth: “Cyclocross is the ultimate technician’s game. If you can’t float over barriers or run, you’re screwed. And if you can’t suffer like you’ve died a thousand deaths, you’re super screwed. Shoot, it’s the best of all worlds.”

Speaking of contrived, Boulder is even home to a short-track race series. What’s short-track? Imagine a three to 88

five-minute singletrack loop with a mass start. That’s right, 50 people sprinting for the essential hole-shot, as passing is virtually impossible. Is it fun? Heck, yeah! There are riders and bikes flying all over and off the course. You’ll see blood, and if you’re lucky, guts too. And nothing beats hearing the howls of the unlucky fallen as they are run over by the charging competitors positioned close behind. As you can imagine, this chaos keeps the spectators immensely entertained.

And one can’t talk about piles of dirt without mentioning the area’s slightly clandestine dirt jump park. All it took was a mini-earthmover and a forgotten field, and Boulder’s two-wheeled acrobats were in business. They jump, spin, crash and visit the hospital, only to recover and do it all over again.

Now that’s pure entertainment.

If you aspire to escape to this bubble for a decade or two, don’t hold back, it’s all good. As they say, “Boulder is 10 square miles surrounded by reality.” It’s also a remarkable place to call home.

Editor’s Note: A final word goes out to those now forming a user group to ban the author from Boulder’s sacred soils. However, please know that he is one of you and owns multiple exotic carbon steeds, sports a hairless body and checks his resting heart rate every morning. If you must take retribution, look for him at Whole Foods shopping for organic, grass-fed, French goat cheese. I hear he can’t get enough of the stuff.

cycling community

Boulder Lowdown Boulder Racing: The organizer extraordinaire of Boulder’s virtually underground dirt racing scene throws down the infamous Wednesday night MTB Short Track Series June through August and kicks right into a similar cyclocross series starting in October. www.boulderracing.com DBC Events: Delivers super-colossal cross events to Boulder including the Boulder Cup and Redline Cup. DBC is also responsible for the Cross Vegas 2007. www.dbcevents.com Spruce Confections: Purveyor of delectable baked treats, this comfy bakery always seems to employ at least one local bike racer, has the best scones this side of NYC and has skilled baristas. Three locations in Boulder: 767 Pearl St #B, 303.449.6773; 4684 Broadway St., 303.449.5819; 2550 Kittridge Loop Dr., 303.449.2393 Amante: Trendiest place to stop for a double shot of espresso before a ride. Be prepared to trip over $6K road bikes filling the racks out front. 4580 Broadway Suite A.; 877.534.8252 The Mediterranean: Hit the Med for cuisine from France, Spain and Italy. This Boulder mainstay has a huge menu. Try the tapas, wood-fired pizza, grilled lamb brochettes and Spanish paellas. 1002 Walnut St.; 303.444.5335 Sushi Zanmai: Traditional Japanese cuisine made from organic ingredients. Sushi and Sake Bar. Just off Pearl Street Mall at 1221 Spruce St.; 303.440.0733 Sherpa’s Adventurers Restaurant and Bar: Named Boulder’s “Best Nepali/Tibetan/Indian restaurant” by Boulder’s top two newspapers. Sherpa’s has a private patio with views of the Flatirons and a famous atmosphere with climbing memorabilia and a library of adventure travel books. 825 Walnut St.; 303.440.7151 Protos Pizza: Fashionably located in North Boulder, Protos offers true Neapolitan pizza, fine wines and martinis. 4760 Broadway; 720.565.1050 Oskar Blues Brewery: Located 30 minutes north of Boulder in sleepy Lyons, Colo., Oskar Blues is worth the trip. Music and pub fare complement the brewery famous for canning their microbrews. Owner Dale Katechis has been immortalized in the Maverick Bikes’ What Makes a Maverick ad campaign. 303 Main Street, Lyons; 303.823.6685 Bike Shops: So many good ones it’s hard to narrow it down. Standouts are Sports Garage (stocks hard-to-find bikes), Veccios (a taste for classic and handmade bikes), Full Cycle (full service, large-scale shop) and Boulder Cyclesport (home of Dopers Suck).

Places to Ride: Boulder has excellent road rides in all directions. You can hit the flats to the north, east and south or point it west into the hills for extensive alpine riding. Mountain biking is more limited but can be sought out at Hall Ranch, Walker Ranch or head west 30 minutes to Nederland, Colo., for the good stuff. Great resources for riding info at www.boa-mtb.org or www.getboulder.com 89

cycling community gunnison valley colorado

Gunnison/Crested Butte, Colorado Local Information Center Lodging, Camping, Events, Festivals, etc., go to www.ColoradoMountainBiking.info or 800.814.7988 Regional Cycling Calendar www.gcbCALENDAR.com Fat Tire Bike Week, June 2007, www.ftbw.com 4th Annual Crested Butte Classic, no entry fee, no prizes, July 2008, crorussell@yahoo.com 5th Annual 24 Hours in the Sage, Aug. 2008, www.24hoursinthesage.com Pinnacle Series, Thursday Evening Mountain Bike Series July to Aug. 2008, www.ridecb.com Gunnison Spring Series, Thursday Evening Mtb Series April to June 2008, riepe@mountainflyer.com Guidebooks and Trail Maps Mountain Bike Crested Butte Singletrack

by Holly Annala Hartman Rocks Trail Map, pocket-sized and laminated, designed by David Kozlowski Local Cycling Clubs and Club Rides Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association (CBMBA), redridgedesign@msn.com Gunnison Valley Bicycle Club, riepe@mountainflyer.com Weekly Rides, Crested Butte Club Road Ride, Tuesday evenings (summer), 5:30 p.m.

Weekly Rides, Gunnison Club Road Ride, Wednesday evenings (summer), 5:30 p.m. at the TuneUp Bike Shop, 222 N. Main Street Weekly Women’s MTB ride, Tuesdays 5:30 p.m., leaving from Hartman Rocks main parking lot Local Attractions Mountain Bike Hall of Fame and Museum, 331 Elk Ave. Crested Butte, 970.349.1880, www.mtnbikehalloffame.com 90

davekozlowski - localcharacter Dave Kozlowski came from Buffalo, New York, to the Gunnison Valley in 1990 to attend Western State College. A “ski patrol brat” from Holiday Valley, Kozlowski has been skiing since he was four years old.

It was his time on skis that spurned his interest in mountain biking, especially downhill riding.

“My downhill riding stems from skiing,” sais Kozlowski.

“Liking to go fast.”

While that’s nothing new to a valley rife with skiers who spend summers on their bikes, Kozlowski is somewhat unique in that he has dedicated himself not to just riding but also to improving the overall riding experience for everyone.

In 1999, Kozlowski Dave Kozlowski rips a quick lap on the pump track he decided it was time to create an helped build in Gunnison. Photo by Brian Riepe official trail map for the Hartman Rocks area. For years, the trails spring of 2000.

His map is updated every three years; were known in a variety of ways. Some riders knew them by numbers; others knew the third edition was printed in the summer them by names handed down from rider to of 2006 and has grown from 22 to 40 trails, rider the old-fashioned way, word of mouth. complete with names. In addition, thanks “There were just numbers and so there to the Kozlowski’s idea and the efforts of was a total disconnect between people,” many others, signs have been added to the says Kozlowski. “I wanted to get rid of that trails at Hartman Rocks.

“The sign project I was all fired up disconnect.”

Using Bureau of Land Management about,” says Kozlowski.

After spending several years on and off maps accessible to the public and a GPS, Kozlowski produced the first official trail involved in the Hartman Rocks user group map for the Hartman Rocks area in the working on trails, Kozlowski was ultimate-

ly spurred into playing a more active role in Gunnison’s local trail system during a specific trail workday in 2004.

“The straw that broke the camel’s back was when I showed up at Hartman’s for a trail work day, and they were closing two of my favorite trails,” says Kozlowski.

That week Kozlowski and fellow rider Kain Leonard started the Gunnison Valley Freeriders Association (GVFA) in an effort to make sure the ideas of riders were heard.

“If I don’t do it, I don’t know if anyone else would,” says Kozlowski. “I knew that there was a bunch of people out there who don’t voice their opinions.”

The association took off immediately when they spearheaded the creation of a dirt jump park at Hartman Rocks and were awarded a $1,000 grant from Kona Bicycle Company to help out.

“We saw things happen right away and the momentum was going,” says Kozlowski.

Kozlowski continues to remain involved. He and fellow GVFA board member Joel Scott partnered with the Gunnison Public Schools to build a pump track behind the middle school. The pump track has become a flagship idea that other schools are picking up on.

“It’s the first pump track at a school,” explains Kozlowski.

Kozlowski is quick to point out that he has received a tremendous amount of support from several individuals throughout the valley.

If his momentum starts to wane, someone always steps in to help out and refresh Kozlowski’s motivation.

He touts the efforts of Woody Lindenmyer as essential to the creation of a new trail on Crested Butte Mountain for use this summer.

In addition, he lauds Matt Russell and Scott for recent improvements to the dirt jump park in Gunnison and also the work of Dave Weins in the Gunnison area.

“There are a lot of instrumental people keeping me motivated,” says Kozlowski. “Where my frustration ends, somebody else picks it up. Their effort is more than what I do in the administrative part. I feel like I don’t do enough sometimes.”

His early efforts have paid off though as his ideas are more readily accepted now than when he first got involved.

“There’s more and more enthusiasm it seems this year,” says Kozlowski. “There’s a lot more momentum right now.”

Future plans include more signs at Hartman Rocks, more technical options on the Freefall trail, a pump track in Crested Butte South and a new downhill trail in the spring of 2008 on Crested Butte Mountain.

“We’re slowly building things up to get more going on,” says Kozlowski. “I just try to make something happen, do my part. I’m not in it for the glory. I don’t have a girlfriend, I’m not married, and so what else am I going to do.”

In addition, Kozlowski and the GVFA are working to maintain the integrity of local trails, preserving them as an opportunity for riders to improve rather than improvise on trail maintenance.

“Land managers and bike clubs are creating routes around technical sections and I feel this only creates more impact,” says Kozlowski. “This alternate route agenda seems to be the latest trend for the area. I have always felt that mountain biking as a sport you need to progress not only in physical ability but also technical ability. GVFA is all about preserving these trails for the future of mountain biking and improving people’s skills. It’s not all about heart rate and speed, it’s about what the trail throws at you and if you can handle it.” –Than Acuff

W WW .

M CO .

S TIE MIE PER R-MOU O R P NTAIN

PR E

MINDY STURM 970.209.0911 OWNER/BROKER/REALTOR By fostering knowledge, experience, and integrity to her brokerage associates; Mindy is a leader in promoting a positive and comprehensive service to all Premier Mountain Properties’ clients and customers.

MINDY@PREMIER-MOUNTAIN-PROPERTIES.COM

COREY DWAN 970.596.3219 BROKER ASSOCIATE/REALTOR Corey is a world traveler and adventure sports enthusiast. An investor and businessman himself; Corey has solid experience and specializes in developments and condominium sales.

COREY@PREMIER-MOUNTAIN-PROPERTIES.COM

SALLY HALL 970.209.6913 BROKER ASSOCIATE/REALTOR A 25 year resident of Crested Butte and a horse enthusiast; Sally has an extensive knowledge of the area from Blue Mesa to Lost Lake. Know Sally, Know Crested Butte.

SALLY@PREMIER-MOUNTAIN-PROPERTIES.COM

BUCK STURM 303.249.2606 BROKER ASSOCIATE/REALTOR Buck is a Western Slope Native and an avid Gunnison County Sportsman. He attained a B.A. in Economics from CU Boulder and keeps a sharp eye on local markets and national trends.

BUCK@PREMIER-MOUNTAIN-PROPERTIES.COM

WWW.PREMIER-MOUNTAIN-PROPERTIES.COM

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A 24-hour racer rides off into the sunrise during an early morning lap at Gunnison’s 24 Hours in the Sage bike race. Photo by Brian Riepe

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cycling community

durangocolorado Durango, Colorado General Information www.durango.org Lodging (central reservations): 800.409.7295 Camping: www.reserveusa.com Calendar of Events Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, May 2008, www.ironhorsebicycleclassic.com Durango 100 Century Ride, July 2008, www.durango100.com Durango MTB 100, Aug. 2008, www.gravityplay.com Road Apple Rally, Farmington, N.M., Oct. 2008, www.roadapplerally.com Guidebooks and Maps Mountain Biking Colorado’s La Platas,

by Derek Ryter Mountain Biking Durango, by John Peel Mountain Biking Colorado’s San Juan Mountains, by Robert Hurst Local Club Durango Wheel Club, www.durangowheelclub.com Club Rides, April 5 through Oct. 25; see website for schedule Local Attractions Mesa Verde National Park, www.visitmesaverde.com Durango Silverton Railroad, www.durangotrain.com

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chainsawchadcheeney - localcharacter If Fred Sanford collected bikes instead of broken down cars and other junk, his yard might have resembled the tangled basement lair of Chad Cheeney, Durango’s unofficial “mayor-prankster” of cycling. Chad also happens to run Durango Devo, currently one of the most successful junior racing development programs in the United States. Tad Elliot, a product of Chad’s cycling passion, was recently selected to represent the United States at the Under-23 World Championships in Scotland.

It’s fitting that Greg Herbold, one of the pioneers of mountain bike racing, product development and style, coined Chad’s moniker. Chad’s nickname, Chainsaw, stems from the 2001 World Cup race where H-Ball asked Chad to clear some brush on a chaparalled, steep piece of dirt so the downhill course could roll through. Rumor has it that Chad, much like a beaver in a stand of aspens, cleared a 100-yard swath of precipitous land by hand so quickly that H-Ball thought he’d used a chainsaw, hence the genesis of his nickname.

Chad began racing mountain bikes while attending middle school in Bend, Ore. In 1998 he gravitated to Durango to,

as he says, “ride mountain bikes, but there also happened to be a college there.” Chad joined the Fort Lewis Cycling Team, riding both downhill and cross-country, and was a member of the 2001 squad that won the omnium collegiate national championship.

Working at cycling development camps helped Chad hone and channel his passion for bikes and teaching kids, eventually leading him to establish, with the help of Sarah Tescher and Russell Zimmermann of Durango Cyclery, Durango DEVO in 2006.

In its second year, Durango DEVO has more than 70 kids and three different program levels: coed U-19, coed U-14 and a coed elementary group that is separated by wheel size, 20 inch and 24 inch. During the summer, Chad runs double day practice sessions with the different age categories three days a week and coordinates trail days, singlespeed rides and other activities that help make his young chargers well-rounded cyclists, not just racers. He also takes his riders to many of the Mountain States Cup races where he does bottle feeds and bike repair and finds time to race in the semi-pro DH, XC or Super D.

Original illustration of Chainsaw Chad Cheeney by John Baily “The beauty of what Chad is doing is that he is creating passionate cyclists who love to ride together,” says Durango Cyclery’s Zimmermann.

Like Dr. Frankenstein’s lab, Chainsaw’s bike room is an eclectic collection of two-wheeled tools of the trade, some shinier than others, but all have a part in a cycling history. From his stash of skid lids to Giros, his collection of derailleurs that range from Simplex to SRAM, to a wall of videos that includes everything from the classic BMX movie “RAD” to “Breaking Away,” every nook is filled with some piece of twowheeled history.

When asked what he is most proud of, Chad says it is “seeing the kids

improve their skills as cyclists, not just racers, and the cultivation of a passion for all things bike-related, whether it be working in a bike shop, mending trails, welding frames or commuting to work.”

Chad wants to “cultivate ways to live around a bike if you don’t make it as a pro racer”. Turns out Chainsaw is as dedicated to promoting a healthy cycling community as he is to trail stewardship.

So go to Durango and look up Chainsaw, see if he will let you look in his basement or borrow a VHS cycling video or, better yet, join him for some trail work, bike polo or Thursday’s singlespeed ride. I promise, you won’t be disappointed. –Yuri Hauswald

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cycling community

taos new mexico

Taos, New Mexico Local Info Center Lodging, Camping, Events, Festivals, etc., go to Taos Vacation Guide, www.taosvacationguide.com, www.taosguide.com Camping info: Carson National Forest, 505.758.6200 Campsites and RV parks: www.taoslink.com/html/activities/camping Regional Cycling Calendar Taos Alpine Classic, Taos Ski Valley, Aug. 2008, www.alpineclassic.org Enchanted Circle Century, Red River, N.M., Sept. 2008, 800.348.6444 Frazer Mountain Madness, Taos Ski Valley, Sept. 2008, www.frazermountainmadness.com Cerro Vista Mtn Bike Challenge, 50K and 100K races, Angel Fire Resort, Fall 2008, www.angelfireresort.com, 505.377.4316 Double Boundary Trail ultra endurance race, New Mexico Endurance Series, Sept. 2008, www.nmes.wordpress.com Guidebooks and Trail Maps Available at local bike shops or online booksellers: Falcon Guide: Mountain Biking Northern New Mexico Local Attractions Taos Pueblo Historic Site, www.taospueblo.com Taos Art Museum, www.taosartmuseum.org 98

emilelevy - localcharacter France native and longtime Taos resident Emile Levy’s path to bike racing was anything but traditional.

Although Levy first began cycling at the age of 14, the Paris of Levy’s early youth was ravaged in World War II and not amenable to pleasure cruises by bike.

During high school, Levy upgraded his ride, loaded up with camping gear and toured the French countryside with a group of friends. He also turned to bicycling as a means of income and worked as a Paris courier.

Levy remained smitten with cycling until he, his wife, Eliane, and their four sons left France for the United States in 1969.

They landed in Dallas, moved on to New York City and finally settled in Taos, N.M. It wasn’t until four years ago that Levy, then in his late 60s, got back into cycling. He purchased a cheap, heavy, Wal-Mart style mountain bike.

“In Taos, the more I biked the more I liked it,” says Levy. “I felt so much better, even though I was riding a tank of a mountain bike.”

What began as a quest to trim down and improve his health became a passion. It wasn’t long before Levy upgraded to a hand-me-down road bike and started upping his ride distances and pace. A competitor by nature, he was frequently at the front of group rides or storming up the steep hills surrounding Taos.

Levy bought his first new racing bike and converted its predecessor into a fixed gear winter training bike. At 69 years old, Levy would ride almost every day of the tough Taos winter. He lost weight, gained confidence, his mood improved and he began to glow with a joy for life. By the time spring rolled around, he was ready for his first races.

“I was never very much attracted to group racing,” says Levy. “It seemed to be too dependent on external factors. The solitary efforts of time trialing seemed more demanding and safer, so I went for it.”

Several state championship medals later, Levy was again looking for new challenges.

While visiting one of his sons in Dallas in

2004, he stopped by the track in nearby Frisco, Texas. The velodrome brought back the excitement of watching bike races in Paris. He couldn’t resist the attraction and bought a Bare Knuckles track bike on the spot.

What began as a quest to trim down and improve his health became a passion.

He began making the trek to regional tracks either in Colorado Springs or Frisco.

By 2006 Levy was competing in the Masters 70+ category of the national track championships. He’d been racing only a few years and had two years of track experience. Many of his competitors had been racing their entire lives.

Undaunted, Levy rode away with two national championship medals in Colorado Springs in 2006 (third and fourth place) and two more in Trexlertown, Penn., in 2007 (third and fifth place).

As a relative newcomer to the sport, Levy brings the boundless enthusiasm of a kid. This year, he’s started working with a coach, doing interval training and weightlifting in the hopes of snagging a silver medal in 2008. –Josh Liberles

cycling community

santa fe

new mexico

Santa Fe, New Mexico Local Information Center www.santafe.org 800.984.9984 Camping info: Hyde Memorial State Park, 505.758.6200 www.gosantafe.com Regional Cycling Calendar Santa Fe Big Friggin’ Loop 70-mi MTB race, July 2008, New Mexico Endurance Series, www.nmes.wordpress.com Prison Loop Road Race, July 2008, www.nmcycling.org Santa Fe Hill Climb, Aug. 2008, www.nmcycling.org Bike-A-Go-Go women’s bike expo, Oct. 2008, www.pedalqueens.com Guidebooks and Trail Maps Available at local bike shops or online booksellers: Falcon Guide: Mountain Biking Northern New Mexico The Pathfinder: A Complete Guide to Mountain Biking, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos and Northern New Mexico Local Cycling Clubs and Club Rides Pedal Queens Women’s Cycling Club: full calendar of rides at www.pedalqueens.com Other state bike clubs and scheduled group rides, www.nmcycling.org Tuesday evening rides, Mellow Velo, www.mellowbike.com Weekly group rides, New Mexico Bike N Sport, www.nmbikensport.com Local Attractions Santa Fe Opera, www.santafeopera.org Shidoni Foundry and Gallery, www.shidoni.com

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cycling community

santa fe new mexico lilyo’leary - localcharacter Since 1999, massage therapist Lily O’Leary has been living a private life in Santa Fe with her husband, Charlie, her dog, Iris, and her cat, Tiger.

She spent time with friends, rode her bicycle and poured most of her energy into her business, Be Well Therapeutic Massage.

So in March when she learned that the local bike club was looking for someone to chair its bicycle advocacy committee and promote cyclists’ rights in Santa Fe, O’Leary decided it was time to get involved in her community.

“I felt it was time to get back into community involvement,” she said. “I had been kind of hibernating for past eight years.”

‘What I really want is for people to get out of their cars, get outdoors and go have fun’ O’Leary got involved on behalf of the Pedal Queens Club, a Santa Fe-based women’s cycling club with some 180 members, started attending city meetings and introduced herself to other local bicycle advocates.

“I recognized there was already a lot of work being done on behalf of cyclists and the Pedal Queens did not have to duplicate efforts,” she said. “Instead I chose to support these efforts and back up what the Bicycle Coalition of New Mexico was already doing.”

Having previously worked as a recycling coordinator and environmental educator on the East Coast, O’Leary knew the red tape and political impediments of advocacy work could be frustrating.

“The bicycle coalition has laid the groundwork. But these kind of movements always need new blood to keep the momentum going,” she said. She knew that simply being present and engaged is half the battle.

“You have to be involved with city government and policy-making procedures because if you aren’t, things will get done without you. If you want input, you have to participate.”

Nearly every week, O’Leary attends a city or county meeting.

Through email and an Internet forum, she informs club members of what’s happening and how it can affect cyclists.

Local bicycle advocates are thrilled.

“I believe Pedal Queens could make a tremendous impact in getting funding for doing the next few segments of our Santa Fe Trails Plan, including the Rail Trail,” said Gail Ryba, president of Bicycle Coalition of New Mexico, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving biking in New Mexico. “The time is right to actually get a new chunk of funds.”

As the state legislative session approaches, O’Leary will be 100

spearheading efforts to get club members to support efforts asking for a portion or all of the $20 million that New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson recently promised for Santa Fe bikeways.

A letter-writing campaign will follow with continued efforts on the city and county levels.

O’Leary is aware of the obstacles. Some cyclists don’t feel safe commuting by bike to work. Others want to enjoy the trails but fear they will get lost on routes that are not well marked.

“What I really want is for people to get out of their cars, get outdoors and go have fun,” she said, adding that “we are so much more friendly to one another when we are walking or riding than we are when we are riding in our steel shells.

“And for me in my life right now, it’s an appropriate time for me to step up and amp up the advocacy in town.” –Jill Janov

jayhenry - localcharacter

cycling community

vail

colorado

Vail, Colorado Local Information and Lodging Vail Valley Chamber and Tourism Bureau, www.visitvailvalley.com or 800.653.4523 Vail Vacations for the Economically Challenged, www.econovail.com Calendar of Events 2007 Vail and Beaver Creek Mountain Challenge Bike Race Series, MTB Little League and adult races, May through August, www.vailrec.com Eagle River Ride, 50, 100 mile and 100-km road races, July 2007, www.vailvelo.com Ultra 100, Beaver Creek, July 2008, www.gohighline.com/ultra100 Clubs and Club Rides Vail Velo, www.vailvelo.com Moontime Bike Shop, group rides, Tuesday and Thursday road rides at 5:30 p.m.; For more info, call Frank at 970.926.4516 or visit www.moontimecyclery.com Mountain Pedaler of Eagle: Every Wednesday night, fast rides starting at 6 p.m., typically lasting a couple hours; Tuesday night women’s mountain bike rides at 5:30 p.m.; for more info, call Charlie Brown at 970.328.3478 or visit www.mountainpedaler.com.

Mild-mannered Jay Henry should be wearing a crown.

In 2007, Henry, 32, reigned supreme in the mountain region’s off-road racing.

He started the season by winning Vail’s TEVA Mountain Games Nature Valley Cross-Country, then went on to clinch every Mountain States Cup cross-country event and the title overall. He also captured the U.S. Marathon Mountain Bike National Champion title with a victory at Breckenridge’s grueling Firecracker 50. This was Henry’s best season to date, and he attributes his success to experience and past sacrifices.

“I feel really lucky to be doing what I’m doing,” Henry says. “Five to seven years ago, when I’d just turned pro,

sponsorship was hard to come by. I had a full-time job and was training. Now, I’m older and wiser in how to train, and I’m more savvy as a racer. I’m having more fun, training less and reaping the benefits of years of hard work.”

Part of the reason Henry has had such a good season is his sponsor, Tokyo Joe’s.

“They wanted a Colorado focus. That was fine,” he says. “I’d been traveling to the national series for 10 years, and I was ready to stick close to home—do local and national races nearby. It was a good fit.”

Or maybe it’s a good woman that’s made him unbeatable. Three days before the Firecracker 50, Henry and Cynthia, his girlfriend of six years, were married.

Colorado Bike Services: Every Thursday night advanced road training rides typically from shop in Eagle-Vail to top of Wolcott Pass, 50 mi.; call Jeff at 970.949.4641 for start times.

Kind Cyclist Bike Shop: Group rides Thursday at 5:30 p.m. For more info, call 970.926.1260.

Local Guidebooks and Maps Latitude 40 Map: Vail and Eagle Valley Local Attractions Minturn Cellars Winery, www.minturncellars.com Spas, clubs and golf resorts abound (if you have the budget), www.vail.net

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One tough podium to land on top of: After winning the Stars ‘n’ Stripes at the 2007 National Marathon Championships in Breckenridge, Colo., Jay Henry (center) shares the podium with (L-R) Mike Janelle, Andy Schultz, Ryan Trebon and Dave Wiens. Courtesy Photo Henry, who grew up and still resides in the Vail Valley, bought his first mountain bike in 1989 for an eighth-grade trip to Moab. He liked it. When his older brother started racing the local series that summer, Henry tried it too.

“Right away I fell in love with it,” Henry recalls. “That first summer they didn’t have a junior division, so I raced beginner, and I won a race toward the end of the season.”

At 20, Henry earned his first sponsor, Jamis.

“That was a big team of 20 riders, and it was a good way to meet some pros, to learn what it takes. I still run into people from that team, people who became successful.”

In August, Henry traveled to China with Mike Kloser, Michael Tobin and Josiah Middaugh to compete in the Wulong Mountain Quest, a four-day adventure stage race. They won, 102

and Henry received his largest prize purse to date.

“It’s not every day I get invited to race on such a strong team. Mountain biking is still my bread and butter.”

Yet Henry is open to doing more adventure racing.

“I’ve done a handful of races over the last three years.

They’re interesting, challenging, something new. I love training for them. It’s a chance to get out on your feet and call it training.”

When Henry isn’t on his bike or working part-time in property management, he can be found teaching kids at Vail Mountain Bike Camps. Lucky kids—they probably don’t even realize their coach is 2007’s King of Colorado racing.

–H. E. Sappenfield

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cycling community steamboat springs colorado Steamboat Springs, Colorado Local Information and Lodging Steamboat Chamber of Commerce, www.steamboat-chamber.com 970.638.4239 General Information: www.steamboatsprings.net Calendar of Events Town Challenge Mountain Bike Series, open to kids and adults and held every other week in May through August; each race followed by a post-race party, www.steamboat-chamber.com Moots Criterium Series, May through August, www.routtcountryriders.org The Rio 24 Hours of Steamboat, June 2008, www.rockypeakproductions.com Kent Eriksen Cycles Tour de Steamboat, Aug. 2008, www.rockypeakproductions.com Local Clubs and Club Rides Routt County Riders Bicycle Club: www.routtcountyriders.org Tuesday night rides meet weekly 5:30 p.m. at Orange Peel Bike Shop, downtown at the corner of 12th Street and Yampa Ave. Contact Barkley Robinson at bark@lseng.net Guidebooks Mountain Biking In the High Country of Steamboat Springs, Colo.,

by Tom Litteral Steamboat Singletracks: The Mountain Bike Guide to Steamboat Springs, Colo.

by Tom Barnhart Local Attractions Old Town Hotsprings, www.sshra.org Yampa Valley Botanic Park, www.yampavalley.info

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georgekrawzoff - localcharacter The cycling community in Steamboat Springs has a most unlikely yet powerful ally in George Krawzoff.

As director of transportation services for the City of Steamboat Springs, George has his finger on the pulse of all things moving in our northwest Colorado town. Our local airport, parking, bus services and alternative transportation all lie under his jurisdiction.

As a lifelong avid cyclist, George has a soft spot in his heart for the bicycle, not only as a fabulous recreational tool but also as a convenient and viable form of transportation. His most recent accomplishment, albeit in an oversight role guiding a group of vocal bike advocates, when the city was awarded a silver medal by the League of American Wheelmen as a bicycle friendly community.

The bicycle is like a long string running through George's life, from a Schwinn Stingray, to a generic 10-speed, a lugged Raleigh touring bike, an early 80s Eddy Merckx and now a Calfee Carbon.

“Cycling has been a source of good health, good friendships, joy and a key part of my life,” he recently told me. Defining his cycling as 70 percent road, 30 percent mountain, George is an avid commuter, racking up 220+ days a year on the bike. A highlight of his riding season is either Ride the Rockies or Bicycle Tour of Colorado, which George sees as a great way to catch up with old riding buddies from around the state.

But I don't want to pigeonhole George as just another bike nut. His story is truly a classic American tale that is incredible diverse and interesting.

Born in New York City to Russian immigrant parents, George learned to speak Russian before English. George grew up in Illinois, working at Lickton’s Cycle City and taking yearly trips to the mountains with his father to ski and bike.

The mountain lust was strong, so George headed west for college, graduating from the University of Colorado Boulder with a degree in pure mathematics in 1972.

He then moved to Aspen after college, ski bumming, racing with the Aspen Velo Club and volunteering on the old Coors Classic.

George remained in the Roaring Fork Valley for almost 25 years, minus a brief stint at the San Francisco Art Institute to get his master’s of fine art. (When in Steamboat, stop by Mahogany Ridge Brewery to see some of George's excellent paintings).

During his time in Aspen and Snowmass, George progressed from ski bum bus driver up into the ranks of the public transportation department, eventually becoming an independent transportation consultant. Anyone who has used the excellent RFTA system can experience some of George’s influence.

With his wife Patty and three children, George moved to Steamboat Springs in 1997 to take on his current role with the city. The city is growing insanely fast and with that growth comes some very tangible negatives: traffic jams, housing sprawl, parking issues, pollution. I feel fortunate to have a city leader who is in tune with the easy and obvious solution to these problems by way of public and alternative transportation.

When I recently asked George to reflect on his life's accomplishments, he said, “I've been able to promote bicycling both for my work and out of love.”

I think that sums it up rather well. Keep on riding George, and keep up the good work. –Brock Webster

Ghost in the night, a racer’s lights leave neon traces down switchbacks on Steamboat Mountain during the annual 24 Hours of Steamboat bike race.

Photo by Cory Kopischke

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cycling community salida colorado Arkansas Valley, Colorado Local Information Centers Colorado’s Headwaters of Adventure, Lodging, Camping and Recreation Info: www.coloradoheadwaters.com Salida Chamber of Commerce: www.salidachamber.org, 877.772.5432 Buena Vista Chamber of Commerce: www.buenavistacolorado.org, 719.395.6612 Absolute Bikes: www.absolutebikes.com Guidebooks Salida Singletrack, by Nathan Ward, available online or at local bike shops, www.nathanward.com Colorado Headwaters Mountain Bike Guide: free guide available at local shops, www.ColoradoHeadwaters.com Regional Cycling Calendar Chalk Creek Stampede, www.racemsc.com or www.rpmcycling.org Salida Omnium Road Race, State Championships, July 2008, www.southcentralracing.com Leadville Trail 100, Aug. 2008, www.leadvilletrail100.com Fourth Annual Vapor Trail 125 Ultra Marathon, Sept. 2008, www.vaportrail125.com Local Cycling Clubs and Club Rides SRC/Amicas Cycling Club: www.southcentralracing.com Group rides leave almost every day from Amicas Brewery and Pizzeria in downtown Salida Local Attractions Hot Springs in Salida and Buena Vista, Arkansas River (kayaking, rafting, fishing) Monarch Ski Area, www.coloradoheadwaters.com

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tompurvis - localcharacter

‘I’ve always enjoyed a good trail over a bad trail, and biking feeds my soul,’ As the quintessential advocate for anything mountain bike, Tom Purvis is an unstoppable proponent for protecting and building bike trails.

Tom’s latest advocacy efforts focus on the nonprofit group Salida Mountain Trails, of which he is president. He has a strong belief that trails should be, “Well built, well maintained, well mapped.

People will use quality trails instead of going off trail,” thus alleviating resource damage.

When asked what his most significant advocacy effort has been, Tom said, “Getting Salida Mountain Trails ideas implemented and recognized by the BLM.” He finds personal meaning in being active in mountain bikers’ rights.

“I’ve always enjoyed a good trail over a bad trail, and biking feeds my soul,” he said.

Tom also is highly involved with the possible closure of the Monarch Crest Trail, a trail held in the highest regard by bikers throughout Colorado, not to mention the country. Within the last few months he has written a letter in Salida’s local newspaper, drumming up grassroots advocacy, spearheaded feedback to the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail and the Gunnison National Forest, contacted Chaffee County commissioners, created action alerts and used the Salida

Mountain Trails 501c3 title to hopefully sway government opinion.

In the past, Tom helped set up local races like Salida’s Vapor Trail 125, and blogged for the ultra-long distance riders who take part in the Great Divide Race.

This year, in addition to his advocacy work, Tom has found the time to ride in Tucson’s 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo, The Rim Ride in Moab, 12 Hours of Mesa Verde as well as numerous 100-mile rides around Central Colorado (Crested Butte Classic, Leadville 100, Vapor Trail 125) and reaching the solo 200-mile mark in Gunnison’s 24-Hour Rage in the Sage.

As far as long distance rides goes, he is quick to express his mental experience.

“You get to know your brain better. You learn something new every time. You come away from each ride stronger,” he said. Which begs the question, what happens within you to push you on?

“Your paradigm of what is possible changes,” he said, adding he is intrigued by his ability to “exert myself that hard without damage.”

With his tireless energy for all things bike, we have an excellent proponent for the trails, bikes and mountains that feed our souls. –P. Benningfield

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cycling community grand valley colorado

joerusk - localcharacter

Grand Valley, Colorado Local Information Centers Fruita Cycling Information: www.fruitamountainbike.com, www.fruita.org or www.gofruita.com Fruita Chamber of Commerce: www.fruitachamber.org or 800.858.3894 Grand Junction: www.visitgrandjunction.com or 800.962.2547 Camping Colorado River State Park, 970.858.9188 Highline State Park 970.858.7208 Colorado National Monument, 970.858.3617 Regional Cycling Calendar Fruita Fat Tire Festival: April 2008, www.emgcolorado.com Subaru Monument Divide Race, Oct. 2008, www.gjcycling.com 13th Annual Tour of the Vineyards, Sept. 2008, www.emgcolorado.com 18th Annual Tour of the Valley, 30, 50, 75 or 100-mile rides, Aug. 2008, 800.621.0926 Guidebooks and Maps Fruita Fat Tire Guide by Troy Rarick, www.otesports.com Local Clubs and Club Rides COPMOBA, Very Proactive Advocacy Group: www.copmoba.com Red Rock Riders: Weekly road rides starting in April; Meet Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m. at Canyon View Park (G and 24 Roads), www.redrockriders.com Local Attractions Colorado Wine Country, more info at www.coloradowine.org Colorado National Monument, www.coloradonma.org

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For many riders, the thrill of cruising on a responsive, rugged mountain bike came relatively late in life. The late timing had nothing to do procrastination and everything to do with age. Since the modern mountain bike wasn’t a common item in bike shops until the 1980s, a lot of interested individuals were in their 40s, 50s and older when the first modern mountain bikes hit the dirt. Grand Valley resident, Joe Rusk, now at 66, was one of those “older” riders who climbed on a mountain bike 20 years ago.

Joe started riding the backcountry trails and roads around Grand Junction and Fruita, Colo., long before the trails systems we now ride existed. Joe’s first

mountain bike was a Univega, but he now rides a Lenz 29er and still can put a quality bike through its paces. Since he started cranking off the miles, Joe has ridden just about everything within a 100-mile radius of the Grand Valley.

Joe’s well-traveled, classic 1970’s love-van (the kind with the little round window in back and a scene painting on the side) can be seen almost every weekend at one of the many trailheads in western Colorado. He’s ridden with dozens of riders from near and far. Local attorney and native western sloper Yeulin Willett is a regular riding partner.

When asked to choose his most interesting bike ride, Joe has a hard time

narrowing down his choices. Joe responds “Actually all rides are really cool cycling experiences. Yeulin and I had the most interesting rides from our early days, the Moab trips, 24 Hours of Moab in 2000, competing in the Leadville 100 in 2004 and adventures on the Uncompahgre Plateau.” (See Mountain Flyer, Issue 3, Old School Terra Incognito). He added, “One unforgettable experience was a tandem ride on Porcupine Rim with my wife, Esther. She probably has never forgiven me for that!”

Joe and Esther have five children, work as court reporters in Grand Junction and lead a pretty ordinary life.

Joe’s endurance and bike handling skills are anything but ordinary. His favorite trail is Holy Cross, and again this year he cleaned the “widow maker” section of the nearby Tabeguache Trail; both are technical challenges at the expert level.

Joe’s quiet, unassuming demeanor belies his passion for technical trails.

...he ended up in the emergency room.

Diagnosis: neck fracture at C2.

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Earlier this year in May, Joe had a mountain bike experience of the scary kind. On the third day of a tour of Kokopelli’s Trail, he took a header on Rose Hill, a very technical downhill section in Cottonwood Canyon. He rode out to the lunch break, but neck pain convinced him to sag into camp. The next day the neck pain was no better, so he decided not to ride. The night he got home he ended up in the emergency room. Diagnosis: neck fracture at C2. He was in a neck brace for six weeks and is now doing fine.

Joe had signed up for the Leadville 100, but when he injured his neck the doctor said, “No way.” To everyone’s surprise by late July, he was medically cleared to ride, so he started training. It was too little, too late, and he called it a day after 58 miles.

Joe doesn’t let his advanced chronological age get in the way of taking on the challenges of technical singletrack. He’s an excellent example for younger cyclists who want to continue to ride as they grow older. Anyway, age is just a number. –B. Harris 109

cycling community los alamos new mexico Los Alamos, New Mexico Local Information Center Lodging, Events, Festivals, etc., Los Alamos Meetings and Visitor Bureau, visit.losalamos.com, 800.444.0707 or 505.662.8105 Camping info, call 505.672.3861 or visit www.nps.gov/band for info on camping in Bandelier National Monument Local Cycling Calendar Pajarito Ski Area lift operates for cyclists, www.skipajarito.com 35th Annual Tour de Los Alamos, July 2008, tourdela.home.mindspring.com Los Alamos Fat Tire Festival, Aug. 2008, losalamos.com/fattirefestival Guidebooks and Trail Maps Los Alamos Trails by Craig Martin, available at local bookstores Local trail maps available at Otowi Station Bookstore, 1350 Central Ave. and online at www.losalamos.com Local Cycling Club Tuff Riders Bike Club, www.tuffriders.losalamos.com Club members eager to show visitors extensive local trail system Weekly summer rides, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:30 p.m., meet at Sullivan Field Local Attractions Bradbury Science Museum, 15th St. and Central Ave., Los Alamos Los Alamos Historic Museum, Fuller Lodge: atomic history Pajarito Ski Area, www.skipajarito.com Bandelier National Monument: ancestral Pueblo cliff dwellings Valles Caldera National Preserve, www.vallescaldera.gov

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nealepickett - localcharacter It usually takes people years of residency before they start taking an active role in their community. Not Neale Pickett.

This mild-mannered 33-year-old has done as much to make cycling safe and appealing for Los Alamos residents during the short three years he’s lived here as most residents have done in their lifetimes.

Pickett began serving on the Los Alamos County Transportation Board as an advocate for cyclists almost immediately after moving his family to the Atomic City from Seattle three years ago.

Now he serves as board chairman.

He commutes nearly daily to his job as a computer security specialist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, maneuvering through snow drifts in the ice-box of January or fording puddles during the summer monsoon season. And between commuting times, Neale and his bike are usually pretty easy to spot: He’s the guy pulling his two-year-old daughter around in a trailer. Ironically, he never thought of himself as a cycling enthusiast until recently.

“To me, I’m really more of a utility cyclist,” Neale says. “With me a bicycle is more of a tool to get me from Point A to Point B, optimally with groceries.

Although I was always on bikes through college, I didn’t realize I was ‘into’ biking.

I rode my bike a lot because it was cheap and fun, but I never thought of myself as a bicyclist.”

These days in Los Alamos, lots of people think of Neale as a teacher, perhaps even a sage of cycling. Certified by the League of American Cyclists, he periodically teaches people the basics of riding safely in a Road I class, which covers everything from basic maintenance to the art of fitting in with four-wheelers. The nine hours of instruction are evenly split between class-

room time and riding time.

Neale also organizes weekly social rides for young parents and their children, starting from a neighborhood park near his home each Saturday.

‘With me a bicycle is more of a tool to get me from Point A to Point B, optimally with groceries.’

“I always have a kid in tow, which kind of limits my speed, so that’s why these have to be social rides,” he says.

Los Alamos has a single road to the city’s largest employer, making commuting by bike ideal, Neale says.

“One day I decided to count the number of cyclists (going to work at the laboratory), and I counted 400”—a respectable fraction of the town’s nearly 5,000 laboratory employees. As such, motorists in Los Alamos are generally used to coexisting with cyclists.

“I can’t imagine a nicer community to bike around,” he says. -J. Rickman

A rider takes a high-speed plunge into the start of the 2007 Pajarito Punishment mountain bike race in Los Alamos, N.M. Photo by James E. Rickman

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Rich Walters of Albuquerque, N.M., muscles his way up the Perimeter Trail, with a mere 2,000 more feet left to climb in the Pajarito Punishment race. Photo by James E. Rickman

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tailwind

Out on the trail or on a winding back road, during every lighted hour (and sometimes in the dark), untold adventures unfold for cyclists. It’s those personal moments of glory, adventure and bliss that draw us all into the sport. Rarely are those moments captured on film. This month’s Tailwind catches Donald W. Ferris, III, a.k.a. Dee-Dub launching a big drop and showing us that a hardtail is meant to be ridden, well, hard. Photo by David Morse Please send photos of your moments of glory to editor@mountainflyer.com.

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photo by: Forrest Arakawa

PERFORMANCE SUSPENSION

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