This is without a doubt the most interesting magazine cover I saw in 2015 and over at Adweek, there’s a battle going down. Vote for Brian Vernor‘s photo of Benedict at Adweek and let’s show them that bicycles are rad!
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More on Brian Vernor and the Three Peaks Race
Ritchey Design: Three Peaks. What is it?
Brian Vernor: It’s called a cyclocross race, but really it’s a long distance adventure through the English countryside. The course carries you up and over three significant peaks, all of which force you off the bike for an unreasonable amount of running, hiking and shouldering. I grew up in Santa Cruz, California and at the time it was (and still is) one of the hubs for cyclocross in the United States. I started racing there in high school and I heard whispers about “Three Peaks” from some of the elder statesmen of the sport who’d gone to Europe to race and explore the less conventional rides and races out there. Three Peaks was always discussed with great reverence. And fear.
If you’re like me, you want to know more about Yorkshire’s Three Peaks “cross race.” Earlier this year, Brian Vernor with the help of Ritchey was able to compete in this infamous event, resulting in a video, photos and a complete story to come. For now, Brian’s got an interview up on the Ritchey Blog, so head over and check it out!
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Mother Nature Did That Thing Again
NOAA predicts this year’s El Niño will be one for the record books. While Los Angeles is in dire need of rain, it doesn’t mean our trails are happy when the sky does open its glands and weeps onto our mountains. Last week, the 5 got hit with mudslides, cars were washed away, property damaged, etc. If this is a vignette into the future, we’re in for a bloody muddy winter.
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Follow Brian Vernor at Three Peaks
There’s a bigger story to be told here, about one cyclist’s journey into photography and chasing life-long dreams. For now, here’s all I can share…
Our buddy Brian Vernor is taking his first stab at the legendary Three Peaks Cyclocross race over in the UK this Sunday. For more follow @vernor and stay close for something bigger from Brian about his connection to this event.
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What Every Weekend Should Be
Photo by Brian Vernor
Romance and randonneuring go hand in hand atop the mountains ranges outside Santa Cruz.
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Brian Vernor Visited Joe Bell
Photo by Brian Vernor
It’s nice to see one of the US’ most prominent painters getting some much-deserved exposure. Joe Bell is the man. Hands down. His work has been showcased on many builder’s steel handy work. For an inside look at Joe Bell’s shop, head over to Brian Vernor’s Tumblr. Great photos Brian!
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Bicycling Magazine Has Been Paying Attention
First, came a re-brand by House Industries, then came this cover. A photo shot by Brian Vernor of our favorite man-crush Ultra Romance laying down a siqqqq skid on a dusty corner in the Santa Cruz mountains.
Someone at Bicycling has been paying attention… Stoked over suffering, Instagram over grams. The industry needs more of this.
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Brian Vernor: New Bike Day on the Rocky Mountain Thunderbolt
Photos by Morgan Meredith
New bike day is the best. It’s a special occasion that sometimes merits special attire. Like a suit… Wait, what? Morgan and Brian went up into the San Gabriel mountains to shoot some photos of Brian’s new Rocky Mountain Thunderbolt. Loving the #RubberSideUp photo! Check out the rest, including a short video at Vernor Film.
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Brian Vernor and Tom Ritchey… Photos
You remember that Ritchey commercial Brian Vernor made a while back? Well, he just posted up some photos from that shoot on his Making Blog. Head over to check them out. Such great portraits.
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The 2014 Surf City Cyclocross Finals – Brian Vernor
The 2014 Surf City Cyclocross Finals
Words and photos by Brian Vernor
My own history of racing cyclocross with the Surf City Cyclocross Series is too long to recount in a short article. In brief, Surf City Cyclocross is why I made my first film, Pure Sweet Hell (which premiered ten years ago this month), and why I have kept cyclocross near to my heart since my first race as a junior in 1993.
There are many heartlands of cyclocross. I’ve been to Belgium, Spain, Holland, Japan, and all over the United States, searching for the best action, beautiful courses, and the cult-like communities which make up the cross scene in each of those unique cyclocross heartlands. I appreciate all of them, but I appreciate none of them more than my own scene. That’s how it should be. People here in Santa Cruz have doggedly stuck to the core of what is cyclocross in America. Cyclocross is a contradiction; it sucks to do, and it’s glorious to have done it. Cyclocross will never have the audience and participation of football, basketball, or baseball, though we involved are always trying to grow it while keeping it true. Truth comes first and growth comes second.
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Argonaut for Above Category
This came out so nice! As I announced earlier, Above Category in Sausalito has picked up Argonaut Cycles, to give customers better access to the brand. The shop will assist in ordering one of these unique custom frames, by walking the consumer through the step by step process.
To celebrate this partnership, Argonaut and Above Category brought Brian Vernor out to make a short video showcasing the brands and their dedication to the custom market.
Learn more at Above Category and check out some photos below.
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The Athletic: Brian Vernor and Chris McNally Cyclocross Shirts
Man, I feel like this collaboration has been in the works for ages. Two of my favorite artists, working together for one rad brand, the Athletic.
“Brian Vernor and Chris McNally teamed up to make these fantastic t-shirts. This isn’t the first time that these two have teamed up together, but it is something that they have been talking about for a while.
Aaron Bradford and Vernor set out to make this one at Wilder Ranch in Santa Cruz. Just as Brian and McNally did with their other shirt at Townsley Tunnel.
These are the spaces we ride all year round on cross bikes. In the North Cal. it is always cyclocross season, the terrain dictates it.”
See more at the Athletic’s web shop.
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Brian Vernor and Tom Ritchey
… got together to do a video, showcasing this living legend riding his home trails and talking about Ritchey!
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Brian Vernor: On Rivalries
Photo by Brian Vernor
Rivalries, they exist everywhere, especially in professional cycling. So when Sven Nys, lost his main rival yesterday, it called for some reflection. Niels Albert had to pull out of professional cyclocross racing due to a rare heart condition.
Head over to Brian’s blog to read his piece…
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Argonaut Deep South Odyssey Video
This is the video Brian Vernor made, documenting both the Argonaut disc gravel racer and the Rouge Roubaix. We were in St. Francisville for three days, where Brian and I did our best to document the bikes in action, before and during the race. His interviews offer insight into what makes the Rouge Roubaix tick, while opening up the personalities of the race officials and local vernacular.
Let’s just say he captured it all perfectly and it was an honor to work next to him that weekend!
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Brian Vernor: Behind the Redwood Curtain
Photos by Brian Vernor
This morning, Brian Vernor left for a week long bike tour with these three companions. Where they are going, what they will be doing and why they’re doing this is still a mystery. A mystery that you can follow along with the Blackburn Designs Instagram.
That Santa Cruz is hot!!!! But not as hot as Brian’s Team Dream Hat!
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The 2014 Rouge Roubaix
Back in 1999, a rider named Jon Anderson got the idea to start a group ride in his old stomping grounds around St. Francisville, Louisiana, West Feliciana Parish and Wilkinson County, Mississippi. Jon had been riding these roads since the early 80’s, as a form of escapism and reflection. Like most cyclists I know and ride with, Jon enjoyed a bit of pain at the hands of the dirt gods.
It wasn’t until the early 2000’s that the Rouge Roubaix shifted from being a group ride to a sanctioned event. Racers from all over the Southeast came out for promises of punchy, steep climbs, lots of gravel, scenic roads and yes, pain. It boasts 100 ish miles, with 30-40 miles of undulating gravel and dirt roads. This year, the Rouge is being run by Will Jones, the current organizer and I gotta say, he really delivered a hell of an event!
As part of an ongoing story detailing the design of a new disc road bike, Ben from Argonaut Cycles flew out two members from the Rapha / River City Bicycles Team to race with as well as Brian Vernor and myself to document the event, the culture surrounding it, the performance of the bicycles and let’s be honest, to experience one of the oldest and most intriguing gravel races in the United States.
See more narrated photos in the Gallery and don’t miss those last two photos!
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Brian Vernor and Cooper Ray in NYC
Photo by Brian Vernor
Speaking of night riding, last year, Brian Vernor linked up with Cooper Ray to shoot some photos for BELL and this was a left-over photo. Check out more at Brian Vernor’s Making Blog!
