With yesterday’s post, we looked at the Ultradynamico Rosé and prototype Cava tires on Benedict’s Crust Lightning Bolt randoneé bike and today, we’re looking at Patrick, the other half of the fledgling tire company’s bike, an OPEN UP.
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Radar
Register Now for the 2019 Surf City CX Race
This just in from the Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz:
“Big things are happening with Surf City CX this year. With MBOSC coming on to manage the race, the 2019 event is shaping up to be one nobody will soon forget. The race will be held at a brand new venue right here on the Westside of Santa Cruz at Antonelli Pond! The best part about this venue is that it’s easy access from anywhere in Santa Cruz, so we expect this to be a great community event. With a FREE Kids Race, Costume Race, food trucks, live music, and a beer garden, there is a lot of fun to be had for the whole family. Whether you’re a seasoned cyclocross pro or racing for the first time, this will be a race to remember. Claim your spot to race at this brand new venue and register NOW!”
Surf City Cyclocross Race
Sunday, October 27
Antonelli Pond, Westside of Santa Cruz
Radar
Common Ground: Win a Megatower and Support Trans-Cascadia
Trans-Cascadia is a backcountry stage MTB race that takes place in some of the most remote places in the Pacific Northwest. This year, they’ve teamed up with Santa Cruz to raffle off a new Megatower with all the fixin’s. Head on over to throw down $10 for your chance to win!
Radar
PEdALED Atlas Mountain Race Teaser
The Atlas Mountain Race in an unsupported bikepacking endurance race that starts in Marrakesh and finishes in Agadir with views to spare! If you’re looking for a challenge, consider this 1145 kilometre event that boasts 20,000m of climbing… See more at Atlas Mountain Race.
Reportage
Rugged Hills and Mingling with Redwoods: the 2019 Old Growth Classic
The redwoods hit me with that kind of awe those quixotic transcendentalists describe as, well, awe. It was like this – the trance state incurred by the tree-lined road was jostled by the excitement of entering an amalgam of friends, acquaintances, and randos held together by the common love for the physical-meets-mental journey of a bike race.
Radar
Race to the Rock Trailer
Race to the Rock touts itself as one of the most difficult ultra-endurance races in the world. This documentary looks to showcase the event’s beautiful landscapes while focusing on the struggles faced by the contestants.
Reportage
You Can’t Win a 1,700km Race in a Day: Lael Wilcox’s Silk Road Mountain Race 2019 – Part I
Through the earbuds plugged into my brain, I hear their vodka-soaked throats call out.
“Hey! Heyyyyy! Hey!”
I turn and look. They wave me over to the yurt. I wave back and smile. They keep calling me in.
It’s not a reason to stop nor a reason to be concerned. I continue on my way. I’m riding in sandals, letting my feet get wet in the twenty or so stream crossings along the way up the valley and keeping my cycling shoes dry. It’ll be near freezing at the 3,800 meters (12,500′) summit and I’ll need those dry feet for the 2,200 meter (7,200′) descent to Lake Issyk-Kul.
Radar
A Fun Grinduro Scotland Video!
Brady Lawrence from Seattle was in attendance for Grinduro Scotland, where he made this recap video that really captures the vibes at these races. Who’s going to Japan and California?
Radar
Tour of Ara
The Tour of Ara was a truly unique race, out of South Africa:
“The Tour of Ara, named for the Southern Hemisphere constellation of Ara, was a prestige race ridden mostly on South African-built steel racing bicycles in the proud tradition of the early Italian multi-day stage races. For it’s five year duration, the Tour followed a tough dirt-road route over six days through the beautiful but harsh semi-desert South African Karoo each year. It was as much a race as it was an exploration and celebration of this unique landscape and the people that live there. This 34 minute documentary follows 40 racers as they experience life-changing situations, meet locals, and face some serious race challenges – soft sand, corrugated roads, loose stones, sharp tyre-shredding rocks, rain and mud.”
Reportage
Silk Road Mountain Race 2019: Race Report 2
A lot can happen in 48 hours. At 4 am on Tuesday morning (local time) James Mark Hayden was the first rider to reach CP2. After suffering from altitude sickness in the first stage of the race, the two-time Transcontinental Race winner has made a remarkable recovery and is currently leading the race. While the main contenders were taking a much-needed rest in the deep hours of the night, James pushed through to be the first to get his brevet card stamped.
Reportage
Gold Amidst the Dust: A Hardtail Gallery from the 2019 Downieville Classic
Hardtails. Antiquated examples of mountain bike technology to some but to others, they’re liberated and simplified machines. Each year, I plan on riding a full suspension in Downieville, yet I always end up bringing my hardtail for one reason or another so this year, I took a look at just some of the bikes that were rolling around this Gold Rush town.
Reportage
Leave it All on the Trail and Go Baroque: the 2019 Downieville Classic
[WARNING – please read with enunciations of the Queen’s English spoken with a harsh American accent leached with dry monotone and finished with a slight southern drawl.]
[NOTE – All persons are mixed and mashed conglomerations of friends masked by pseudonyms as to respect their identities.]
[FICTION –It actually may be close enough to nonfiction. Every tale is drenched with truth, maybe not all the truths belong to me, I might not even be the eyes telling this tale.]
With another eight to nine-hour drive ahead of me, this time solo because the polluting toots of my automobile fill me with joy—just kidding, hell, felt like an asshole—I had to figure out a way to fuck with my perception of time in order to maintain some level of sanity. Although being a fellow cyclist, y’all get that the bar is set real low when it comes to sanity. So, to risk sounding like a surface-wannabe-cultured-erudite, I tried hooking myself onto classical music with this grandiose nisus of increasing my attention span. Hear me out: not only would being able to melt into a forty-five-minute score enable me to complete long intervals with ease but enduring an entire classical score would help me get through the long drives to get to the long and arduous races those said and absolutely supposed intervals would prepare one for. Leave it all on the trail and go baroque.
Radar
Are You Going to Be at the Downieville Classic?… with a Hardtail?
That’s right. It can be done and it’s a lot of fun. We’re heading to the Downieville Classic this weekend and while I’ll be out on the course shooting photos of the race, I’d love to feature a gallery of all the hardtails that are being ridden at the Classic. Each year, it’s the bike I bring with me and I am always amazed at how many people are there racing on their steel hardtails as well. So, if you’re at the Classic, make sure you flag me down with your bike because this should be a great gallery!
Reportage
The Night Always Wins: Jason Black and the Storms – BikingMan Laos
May 22nd Phounkhoun outskirts 01435 am
The jungle can be the darkest place on Earth,
at night with just a moonbeam through thick clouds,
vaguely dislocating from the smoke of the melting tarmac,
the broken road,
it doesnʼt break this man,
the sounds came up a little more,
screams and songs from the sleepless jungle,
the law of Laos…
Reportage
T-Town: The First Stop on the Last Chance Train to Tokyo
Words and photos by Dan Chabanov
Before I get into this I just wanted to point out that I am not a journalist. Everything I’m writing here is just my observations from hanging out at the track this summer. I didn’t have conversations with anyone “on the record” hence why I don’t name or quote any riders. I was just having casual conversations with folks about life, racing, and the Olympics. I wasn’t conducting interviews. So take this for what it is, just my glimpse behind the curtain of world-class athletes racing, doing their thing, and trying to make the Olympic dream happen.
Reportage
Grav. Grav. And Double Grav! the Bicycle Academy at Grinduro Scotland
Words by Jack Watney, photos by Adam Gasson
And now here they are! The most daredevil group of daffy frame builders to ever whirl their wheels in the WACKY RACES. Competing for the title of Grinduro’s wackiest frame builder. The bikes are approaching the starting line.
First, is the TBA GXC driven by Tom Sturdy. Next is paratrooper Will Barcode on the TBA Splat Grav. Flying through the air is the Rad Roamer piloted by Ted James. Maneuvering for position is Andy Carr on the Spoon Customs Fat Tracker and right on his tail is Pi Manson on his Caledonian Carrier.
Sneaking along last is the unmistakable Petor of Dear Susan Bicycles riding his award-winning ‘Mike Rotch’…
“Grav, Grav. And double Grav!”
Radar
GBDURO: EF Gone (Alternative) Racing
EF Education First Pro Cycling takes on the GBduro in their second installment of EF Gone Alternative Racing.
Radar
the Old Growth Classic Reg Opens Today, July 10th at 7pm
The Old Growth Classic is coming back to Big Basin Redwoods State Park once again on September 14, 2019! Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz (MBOSC) is proud to partner with Ibis Cycles to present the second annual Old Growth Classic. This event is a full weekend experience featuring a 55-mile mixed terrain race, two nights of camping, live music, delicious catered meals, and more summer camp fun. A significant portion of the proceeds will go directly to State Parks.
This year there are two event packages available: Full Weekend Package and Race Day Only Package. The total participation has also increased to 500 racers. Registration opens on Wednesday, July 10, at 7:00pm Pacific, so mark your calendars because this event will sell out quick. Click here to register!
Learn more about Old Growth Classic here: http://oldgrowthclassic.
Register here: https://timeyourrace.