Big Wheel Pile

We got the big wheels packed for their winter hibernation....

MPLS results are up

Check out the results here.

Minneapolis UAR 2009...in the books!

Here we have our overall winners and their shiny new bikes!

The winning male team with their Podium Girls"Gum is Fun" took home the Timbuk2 Messenger bags
Our top men
The smartest, fastest coed teams in MPLS...

Last but not least....the LADIES podium

Last but not least...things got a little crazy out there. The camera could barely keep up, but the dance party was a crazy one indeed.


Thank you Minneapolis!
We'll have photos and results posted soon!

MPLS Mystery Clue

And here you have the 1st Mystery Checkpoint Clue for the 2009 Minneapolis New Belgium Brewing Urban Assault Ride.....


See you this weekend!

some of my favorite things

As a self-proclaimed bike junkie, it always makes my spokes tingle when Interbike comes around. For those of you unacquainted with Interbike, it's the country's biggest bike industry trade show. I've gone for many years, but for lately I've been UARing it on Interbike week. That's ok though b/c the industry does such a great job of covering most anything worth seeing that all one has to do is sit back and clickity click.

So here are some things that I think are cool so far:
The Ibis Mojo is one of the coolest looking Carbon MTBs and now they're making a 6" model that Brian Lopes has been racing on the World Cup Downhill circuit. Who says carbon can't hold up to serious off-road abuse? Not Brian Lopes!
This was a Cannondale concept bike and now it's in limited production. The disc and drivetrain are both on one side and it's all in super clean looking design.
Here's a view from the back.
The receiver hitch is by far the best place for a bike rack (aerodynamic, no risk of running into overhangs, and out of the way of road debris). This one's made by Kuat and it holds any two bikes without taking off wheels, it has an attached workstand, and a built-in cable lock system. Fancy!
Winter is almost here and when you can't stay off the bike, Surly has the ride for you - the Pugsley. And now more tires are available for the super-wide rims. A snow bike is one bike I have yet to ride - but I'd love to!

That's about all for now. I'll have more tidbits soon.

Scenes from Chicago

Last minute strategery
With Wrigley Field in the background, could there be a better place to start the UAR than Murphy's Bleachers?
We call this one 'bowl head'. Maybe the chin straps have shrunk over the season.
I'm calling shenanigans on these teams
Pretty in pink
The mini bike 'circle of death'. These are our two top finishers.
The mustache contest was rightfully won and respect was lavished where it was due.
The smartest and fastest men in all of Chicago
It's always hard to give away two beautiful New Belgium cruisers, but Team Clif Hanger deserved them. Their time was 1:10 - the fastest UAR finish so far!
It's amazing what people will do for free stuff. These folks are big fans of Dirt Rag Magazine

THANK YOU CHICAGO! We had a blast and can't wait to be back next year. Full photos will be up in a couple days.

Chicago Mystery Clue

Here you go folks...this is all you get:
Good luck!!!

If I wasn't already in love with bikes and beer...

...I'd probably have to give this a shot.

Man of the turtles....part two

For some reason they always cross my path during my rides. I can't count on my fingers and toes the amount of turtles I've saved from certain death by Michelin. Here's one. Here's another.
Today, I met my first of the year. He obviously didn't realize that I was trying to help him, as he was lunging and snapping at me. He even turned around and squared up with me when I got behind him. My solution (albeit perhaps not P.C. in the turtle world) was to flip him upside down (or downside up if you're a pessimist) and carry him to safer places. I took him to a near by pond where I hope he found what he was looking for.

So if you see a friendly turtle crossing the road, be like the "I like tuttles kid" and pick it up, and put it in the closest pond or lake. Their shells may be pretty hard, but cars are pretty heavy.

And if you don't know how to pick up a turtle, this young lady is happy to show you:

All set!

All the checkpoints are lined up for the last two events and we're looking forward to Chicago and Minneapolis. These were our two biggest 1st year events in 2008, so we're expecting to see everybody plus their brothers and sisters out for the rest of our midwest tour.

Last weekend was New Belgium's Tour de Fat in hometown, Ft Collins.
15,000 people, 148 kegs, $65,000 raised for the non-profit. Damn amazing. Alter egos and creativity at it's finest. Nice job NBB, indeed.
This is what Linden St looks like when it's covered with just as many people as bikes and costumes.

That's all for now - time to ride!!!!!

Check the wheelie at 1:12

nevermind the commentary. The 1st part is from Bruce Brown's On Any Sunday - a classic - almost as good as Endless Summer.

This is handy....

Here's a new application that maps out safe bike routes (like google does for cars), but it also includes bike paths and bike lanes. So far it's available for Austin, Chicago, NYC, and Louisville.

Pretty cool since google's output is primarily focused on cars or walking. Now cyclists have an good option.
Here's their recommendation of how to go from Bicycle Sport Shop to Crown and Anchor (one of my favorite ATX watering holes). It did a pretty good job too. Half of it is on bike paths. So - give it a shot the next time you're looking for a quick and safe route!