The Radavist

Erik and Sofia have ended their North America tour but the Great Escape is far from over. In fact, right now, Erik is out in the Swiss Alps riding and already uploading some gorgeous photos. He’s got these new Great Escape patches keeping him safe as he blasts Darkthrone and takes photos.

Head over now to pick one up and while you’re there, stay for the photos.

Photo by Heather McGrath

As Eric and Sofia end their Great Escape, Brad from Geekhouse begins his. I wish nothing but the best of luck to you dude. Ride safe and have fun! Thanks to Heather for the great photo. Also, if you haven’t checked in on the Great Escape, sift through the archives, there are some gems in there!

Photos by Ramon Jacquez

This time, last year, I was anxiously awaiting my departure to Portland for my Summer tour and over the past few weeks, I’ve been itching to get back on the road. Maybe that’s why I’ve been scouring Flickr for interesting touring photos. Which led me to a reader’s trip from earlier this summer. Ramon Jacquez rode his LOW pursuit (low pro) on the “Golden Tour“. Backpack touring is about as minimal as you can get and his photos show this was no easy task.

I highly suggest you check out the set. It’s quite nice!

Photo by Johnny Manzanita

Touring is all about being the tortoise, not the hare and I don’t think I’ve even seen a more fitting photo before. For some touring vibes, head over to Johnny Manzanita’s Flickr.

Get out and ride.

The northwest offers up some superb riding, best tackled via touring or credit card touring. The long, arduous days clear the mind and purge all weight that found itself on your shoulders. Sandy Carson, Taj Mihelich and Seth Holton have an excellent Photogallery up on Defgrip from their recent tour. You’ve gotta check it out! As a side note: Taj did this on his Weekender, a great 1×10 “light tourer”.

Wow. To think that Fairdale started off last year with really simple singlespeeds and have branched out into everyone’s soon-to-be-favorite commuter bikes… The new Fairdale line is looking great. From the simple chromed Coaster, to the Flyer 26″ cruiser, Step-through 26″ (check out the top tube flip!) and the Weekender Disk, the whole line has something for everyone. Your local Full Factory-distributed shop will have these in stock at the end of the month.

The coolest thing about the Weekender is that Taj is about to embark on one of the best touring routes in the country on Saturday. He’s taking his Weekender from Portland to SF on a two-week tour with Sandy Carson. Jealous!

Expect more from that trip soon, but for now, head to Fairdale and check out the offerings… and on a related note, the 2012 Sunday! collection is up at Defgrip. Check that out too.

In case you haven’t been checking in the Great Escape, here’s what they’ve been up to: Mt Lassen, all to themselves. Not bad! Check out more at the Great Escape.

Raddest flier ever? Maybe. This in from Fairdale:

“SANDY CARSON has organized a near 1000 mile bike ride from Seattle to San Francisco to raise money for the Humane Society.

Check out this LINK if you’d like to help some poor little puppies and kitties. We’ll be heading out for the pedal in June so look for daily updates then.”

Sick! Taj, keep me posted, I’m down!

See larger here / photos from Jon’s, Ross’ and my Instagram feeds

What can I say? I was jamming out to Weedeater during this ride and the title “God Luck and Good Speed” just stuck. We woke up at 6am on Friday and hammered it out to Colorado Bend State Park in Bend, TX. The first day was 118 miles and 4,900′. Initially, I was planning on taking us through 2222 and the hills on the east side of Lake Travis but we found 71 to 281 was actually quite pleasant with the lack of traffic. Doing so shaved off 3,000′ of elevation and after we rolled in on the 8-mile long gravel park-access road on Friday afternoon, I don’t think anyone regretted it.

The gear we packed was light. I brought the Woodville out with two panniers, a tent and my handlebar bag. Jon took a backpack and tarps and Ross was packing the lightest with about 15 lbs. Camping at C.B.S.P. is “primitive” but it’s exactly what we all needed. We cooked and hauled our own food, slept until dawn and consumed far fewer calories than we burned. We woke up Saturday and hiked about 15 miles to Gorman falls before dipping into some lagoons. It was amazing.

Yesterday was a different story. The climb out of the park was made worse by the hour-long torrential downpour. I had a rain jacket, Ross and Jon did not. They were shivering by the time we made it to the first outpost. Shit coffee and loaner wool made it bearable. As well as the local’s commentary: “ya’ll been feeshin’?” “no we’re riding back to Austin” “….” From there, we made great time, save for the flats and stops for food. I pulled hard and I’m feeling it now. There were a few stretches where we pace-lined it for over 10 miles and well over 25mph. We reeled in 116 miles and 4,100′.

My legs hurt for the first time since my “walkabout” in he Aussie bush.

Here’s to the first of many summer-time weekenders. More to come once my film gets developed.

How was your weekend?

Leave it to coincidence that we plan a 120 mile, 8,000′ ride out to Colorado Bend State Park on Friday the 13th. Have a good weekend guys, get out, ride and I’ll see ya Sunday night.

All hail the Necronomicog!

Bicycle touring really is surreal. My group of friends and I have been talking about doing a little Texas tour for a few weeks now and I can’t explain to them what makes touring different than just going out and doing a century on your road bike. Maybe this video by Sindre Ulvik Péladeau tells the tale? Everything looks correct to me.

Note from the road: water bottle squirt stops 90% of dogs in their tracks. For the other 10%, just throw food items.

Well, Erik and Sofia have made it to Marfa, TX, the bastian of radness in a endless sea of cacti and sand.  They’ve crossed paths with millipedes, tire-killing thorns and even Huginn and Muninn in the past few weeks. Hop over to the Great Escape and follow their trip thus far. I have a feeling they’re gonna be hanging in Marfa for a while.

I can get behind this. Sounds like a mix of Habitat for Humanity and any of the numerous fundraiser cross-country tours.

“This summer Alex Bloom will ride his bike across the United States to raise money for affordable housing efforts.
You can donate directly at bikeandbuild.org/rider/5854, or visit alexbloom.us for more information.”

Tracko sent this over to me the other day. If there is one map that should be used when preparing for a cycling tour, it’s this. Wind can make or break your day. A headwind for a week straight is a good sign that you’re riding in the wrong direction. Check out the animated version here.

You really should… shots like this make me so stoked for Erik and Sofia.

For the past week, Erik and Sofia have been staying with me here in Austin. Originally from Göteborg, Sweden, they’re going to be receiving an eye-opening dose of Americana on the road. This morning they departed on what they’ve come to call, The Great Escape: 10 months on the road throughout the western United States.  To help spread the love of touring, Erik designed these patches, which can be picked up on their site. Never one to turn down a nice patch, I picked a few up. They’ll be sending them out while on the road, at various towns. I’m into that.

I’ve got more photos of their touring rigs on the way (including more photos of these panniers Erik designed), but for now, check out their blog, The Great Escape!