We love Portland

We had such a blast in Portland...and pictures speak louder than words.

Photos courtesy of Oregon Velo















We can't wait to come back next year. Portland Rocks!

Portland snapshots

Tomorrow is the PDX UAR and we are so darn organized, we had the change to get out and play with Jaime, New Belgium's Wizard of the NW. We asked him to show us a good time and of course he delivered. Here are some photos from yesterday. We'll be kicking it today at the Plan B Bar.Check out this cool window display at Bike Gallery downtown. Fancy Schmacy
What ever happened to all the monkey headed street poles?

It's true you know...armadillos are so darn rude. Always getting infront of cars and such

I fancy blue bikes. Purty.
Pug Life.
two-colored stencil. very nice
No trip to Portland would be complete without a trip to voodoo donuts. It's a crazy place with all sorts of flavors..Cap'n Crunch, Oreo....Hans got one with bacon on top. for real. Jason Sager - who's racing on Sunday, recently got married in this joint. It's a Portland institution.
If any city could do it, Portland is the one. So many bike commuters and progressive alternative transportation policies.
You know, there are just not enough cellos in rock banks these days. This is "Strangers Die Everyday". Cool sound.

And then...I got a to ride REAL big wheel. Something I've always wanted to do. And I added a little protection just in case.

PDX...coming right up

We just released the clue for the 1st mystery checkpoint: "18 5 9"
I think it's a good clue, but we'll see how many people freak out before the start w/o knowing where to go.

So here are some more shots from last weekend in Seattle....


We'll have the photos availble for participants soon. We'll keep you posted.

Seattle

Seattle, WA 5/18 - the place to be.....



Our Bike Fairy had a thing for Mini Bikes
The race is on.

The Keg Walk made it's debut
The record has been set. May I present Steve Wood, the new Washington State Runt Bike Limbo champ....2'3"
Paper Boy - just a bit harder than the video game.

Up next, Portland OR....at Pioneer Courthouse Square.
Photos courtesy of A-Scribe Images

Seattle

Hans made it to Seattle a day before you and apparently did a little tagging.
We had our staff meeting - which was a blast...thanks to these two. Dara from Bike Works and Davey from The Bikery hooked us up with more staff than we've ever had for the UAR. The Red Door provided lots of tasty beer to make things even more fun. We're just about set for Seattle's 1st UAR - and we can't wait!

Today is a beautiful day in Seattle. Record highs actually. All I want to ride is my bike - like everybody else is doing today. But instead, we did some wig modeling....

Let's see this happen in the US

This is a prison program to peacefully rehabilitate the criminals. Apparently, they do lots of performances, but I particularly liked this one. Check out the 'girl' in the video. Oh my goodness.


Oh yeah - we head out tomorrow AM for the Seattle UAR. Can't wait!!!

Tishy has left the building

Hans "Tishy" Tishmack took off for Seattle this AM. It's the 1st big journey for the biodiesel truck and solar trailer. Yesterday we loaded it up, dotted our i's and crossed our t's. I felt like a parent watching their kid take off for college this morning. I have to hold back the urge to call Hans to see how things are going...like every 10 minutes.
So while checking email, I came across this video this morning...



I was always a big fan of the Muppets but I somehow managed to forget about their music. They've played with Alice Cooper, Johnny Cash, Paul Simon, REM. In this video check out Miss Piggy humping on Johnny Cash. Inter-species sex is all the rage these days.

The Fat Tire Canyon

I tell you what - blogging is quite the responsibility. I can't believe it was last weekend that I did the last post. Let's just say that things are getting pretty darn busy as our 1st UAR is in just over a week.
Hans and I made a trip to New Belgium to get rockin and rollin with all the gear we need to make a true bike carnival. I can't express how much I love this company. The folks at New Belgium always find a way to do things creatively, with style, and with sustainability in mind. It's nice to be partnered with such genius.
So here are some highlights from the NBB adventure....
This photo makes me happy. It's a wall of Fat Tire cases in the warehouse. Mmmmmm.
My man Hans in the cavern of the beer. He was just about in heaven.
Jackie's been working on a 'sit and spin' obstacle. NBB already has one made up. Pretty sweet. Also check out the battery powered bike speaker trailers in the background. What a line of work we're in...sit and spins, bike speakers, beer, bike fairy costumes...
Two people in a grain sack. We're trying to think of a way to reuse these huge plastic bags for an obstacle. You have any ideas?
New Belgium has a dedicated staff person for making art bikes, displays, and event gear. In this workshop theres supplies for runt bikes, pedal-powered obstacles, chain-driven displays, and wheels o plenty. New Belgium Welding.
The next post will be about the 1st trailer packing experience of the season. Seattle and Portland, we're coming - you ready for us!?

Jump Jam

Saturday was a beautiful day to be on 2 wheels in CO. Road 34 was putting on a sweet dirt jump contest in Ft Collins so we decided to head up.
I decided to ride there and meet up with the crew at the event. Longmont to Devil's Backbone, up and over Horsetooth resevoir, dropping down into Ft Collins. A great ride. It was cool to map it all out online, then hit the road.It was the 1st ride on my new Black Sheep and I can honestly say it's the best MTB I've ever ridden. A custom build was necessary for my freakishly long torso and it's so worth it. If I had to have only one bike, this is it. I did a 45 mile ride on this MTB and was completely comfortable. That's saying a lot for the 1st ride on a new bike.
Devil's backbone was a nice break from the road ride. It connects Loveland CO to Ft Collins CO via the Blue Sky Trail.
Some people say that bikes with curved top tubes look like a dog taking a poop
There are a lot of bikes like this these days. Check out the Santa Cruz Nomad...
The design of the Black Sheep is supposed to be reminiscent of a vintage cruiser - but with a modern update. I think I'm going with the vintage cruiser theory.
So anyway...I made it to Ft Collins and checked out the Jam.
This was the course - in between the practice and the competition. It was a roll in off of Road 34's HUGE trailer, into a medium size double, then into the big jump with a wood kicker and dirt landing. There was not much runway after the landing so riders were skidding after each jump so they didn't hit the fence.
This guy got 2nd and pulled a couple double tailwhips. He had some style for sure.
That's what I call a look down.
There were some sweet flips too. The winner pulled a back flip, then a front flip - back to back.
The beer was flowing and Hans bought a pitcher. No New Belgium today - but at least Scott was there representing. Scott by the way stars as the angry driver in this little movie....