A new UAR HERO!!!!

I'd like to welcome Coreen Puetz to the small, elite group of Urban Assault Ride heroes! UAR heroes know what life is all about. Maybe they can pull a big wheel back flip, maybe they spread the gospel of bike love, or in Coreen's case - experienced a scary bike on car rumble (and lived to tell).
Here's how it went down in her words:
Hello Sharon my name is Coreen and this is my UAR story.

I rode the UAR with my soon to be roommate in 2008 in Madison, WI and had a blast! Ty (my roommate) and I decided if we could get through the ride we would be good roommates and we did and we were.

Prior to the ride a was a fair weather biker. If it was a nice day and within 7 miles I would bike it. Otherwise I had a car. What the UAR taught me was I don't need a car in Madison. That day we went from east to far west and back again. It was no problem. After the ride I bought myself some pretty hard core panniers and some adverse weather gear, and from that point on I was cyclist. And I loved my new identity.

I don't need to tell you there was no UAR in Madison last year, and I seriously contemplated riding in Minneapolis, but my less than stellar sense of direction stopped me.

Then on September 17, 2009 at about 7pm I was biking home from work. I had a green walk signal and the SUV that inevitably ran me over had a "no turn on red" red light. The truck ran over my left calf. I was in between the front a rear tires when he (thankfully) stopped. My pedal impaled my calf in 3 different places. My MCL, ACL, PCL, patella and meniscus were all torn or damaged. My ankle was sprained, my hips were in the wrong place, my left leg was now shorter than my right one. And worst of all my bike .... it was ruined. (I still get a little weepy over my bike).

I did not break a bone. I did not require any surgery. I am already more functional then the doctors originally thought I would ever be again and I am still healing. This has been attributed to the shape I was in prior to the accident. Because I was literally biking everywhere (thanks in part to the 2008 UAR) I was part super human.

This years ride in Madison is exactly 1 year and 9 days after my accident, and I cannot wait to ride it! Just the fact that I will be physically able to is a huge victory for me.


Thanks,
Coreen Puetz

Coreen - in our eyes, you truly are a hero! Unfortunately, most riders have a rendezvous with a motorized vehicle at some point in their riding career. Luckily, you escaped and are ready to ride in the UAR again! We're also really happy that the UAR showed you how great bikes are for transportation - in Madison or in any other city. And most of all, we're so happy that you're able to pedal again at all!

Coreen will receive a UAR Care Package with some great things to help her get back on the road. With the support from our friends at New Belgium Brewing, Specialized, and Timbuk 2, your next rides will be way better than your encounter with that nasty SUV.

IF YOU HAVE A STORY THAT YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE (and it doesn't have to be about surviving a bike-on-car encounter;) LET SHARON KNOW. If you're selected to be our next UAR hero, you'll be profiled in our eNewsletter and you'll win lots of great cycling gear!

BE SAFE OUT THERE!!!!

Pretty bikes, BlakRoc, and The Beer Book!

For those of you readers who happen to like bicycles (all of you), we've checked lots of photo galleries for our favorite bikes from the North American Handmade Bike Show. Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to go this year, but after seeing all these photos...we know we'll be back.
This is a Black Cat. You can tell by the awesome design for the rear dropout/chain tensioner. I also like the hole in the seat tube for a ulock to pass though. Very clever.
Here's a cool Independent Fabrications. I like it when bikes are versatile. This is a Ti 29er single speed frame. In the summer, you can run standard 29er wheels (this has a multispeed Rohloff hub which works to make the bike geared). In the winter, the bike is designed to accommodate fatty 3" large marge rims and tires. Quite handy for those that don't want a dedicated 'snow bike' to ride only a few times a year.
This Groovy Cycles MTB is just that - groovy.
How about a carbon fiber/walnut veneer waterbottle cage?
Speaking of bottle cages, how about some Blacksheep welded on titanium cages?

Here's an interesting design. This is an electric folding design. REAL bikes are simpler and cooler in my opinion..but this is a pretty killer design!

In music news, we just heard that the Black Keys are coming out with a new album. We also just found out about BlakRoc. A collaboration with 11 hip hop artists and the Black Keys. RZA, ODB, Qtip, MosDef, Lenny Kravitz...all putting down rhymes to Black Keys drums and guitar. It's awesome.

And last but not least...BEER. We recently got a copy of THE BEER BOOK. It's got 1200 breweries from around the world with info about their beers, the production, the ABV%, and cool stories. It makes me want to take a 'beer-tasting' vacation by bike around Europe. Sounds like a plan to me...who's in?

Best of rides, brews, and tunes!

Oh...the memories

I sure do miss these guys.

"I do shine my pants." Classic

New Twitter contest!

Check it out on our Twitter page
Win a FREE New Belgium Urban Assault Ride sticker pack!

The 2010 Urban Assault Ride is open!

Check it out!!!

Pancakes, the North Face, and a good ol' style russian hoe down.

Valentine's Day - a day to love and celebrate what is lovely. For us this mean food, bikes, and music.

Heart-shaped coconut pancakes kicked off the day and filled the belly.
Then Lawyer Eric and I took to the cold wintery trails of Boulder County. Since it wasn't going to be above freezing all day, there was no worry about mud or wet trails. There was also a brief snow shower the night before which gave us fresh tracks.
We rode Hall ranch, up Antelope, did the loop, then back down the rock garden. This photo is what the trail looked like for the majority of the ride. It's north-facing and quite snowy. This is where the brand the North Face gets its namesake. The north face of a mountain always has the coldest, harshest conditions. A true place for adventure. Eric and I pedaled along, concentrating on our lines. You had a roll on top of old foot prints. If your wheel slid off, your tire would sink hub deep. It was fun and a very different Hall Ranch experience.
Then we rolled over the top and hit the south side. What a difference a little sunshine makes, huh? This was a good thing since we didn't really want to ice skate down the rock garden. A great ride - so nice to be back on the mountain bike.
Then Jackie and I headed to the Fox theater to see Devotchka. It was our 1st time seeing them perform. If you've got a hankering for eclectic rock with a russian ho-down influence then check out Devotchka. We're talking tuba, accordian, trumpets, and one of those eerie electric resonating instruments. Oh..and did I mention trapeze/ribbon performers?
A good valentine's day to say the least. I hope all you urban assaulters had a good one too!

Hoppy Valentine's Day

As if I needed another reason to love New Belgium, the UAR Crew received our annual NBB Valentine's care package. You see instead of Winter Holiday presents, the kind loving folks at New Belgium prefer to spread the love and celebrate Valentines day.

Look what St Valentine's delivered...
My 1st taste of Ranger IPA. A delicious crisp hoppy brew - which I'm pretty sure is going to be a staple in the Urban Assault beer quiver.