My New Riding Partner
Posted by Craig DeMartino
November 4th, 2009

It’s not easy to get motivated some days to do anything. Even living where I live, in beautiful Colorado, it can be tough. With all the heavy trauma I went through after a climbing accident seven years ago, some days my body is just not psyched to climb or mountain bike. That’s when I lean on my partners. Most of my climbing partners are younger than me and ready to get out whenever they can. I usually can round up one or two fellas to go boulder when I need to. But biking can be a bit of a chore. I ride because it’s a great way to cross-train my body for climbing. I like to ride, don’t get me wrong; it’s a blast to rip down a single track in the mountains, cross a stream. I even like climbing. It has a really nice quality of repeated movement that is soothing to me. Watching the chain rings turn with my head down, watching the hill slowly glide past, is some days sublime.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Andy B
outsideallday.com

Andy B
outsideallday.com

I found a very cool trailer from a movie that will be premiering at the Festival.

Film: Samsara

In the heart of the lofty, knife-sharp Vindhya Mountains in India sits a 6,500-foot rock and ice route that resembles a massive shark fin and rises from the ocean of crags. This fin, that is twice as long as anything on El Capitan and just as steep, has denied many notable climbers from reaching its summit. In Samsara, Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk set out to attempt a first ascent. The film is woven together with art, journal excerpts and still photography. Produced by the athletes, Samara is an unfiltered perspective into a powerful Himalayan climbing experience. The team spends twenty days of life on the cliff face with ten days of food through major storm cycles on a hanging platform smaller than the size of a single bed. They push to the very edge of what they thought possible and rediscover why they are drawn to suffer in such sacred and beautiful places.

“Samsara” trailer from renan ozturk on Vimeo.

HT The North Face blog, Never Stop Exploring for the trailer.

The festival looks like something I will definitely check out in years to come.

Andy B
outsideallday.com

Bahati names 15 rider roster
By: Cycling News
Published: November 4, 2009

The Bahati Foundation Pro Cycling Team has announced a 15-rider roster for their debut season in 2010. As part of the announcement, Team principal Rahsaan Bahati has confirmed that he will race as part of his newly formed team. Yesterday he had confirmed that he was still looking for a rider contract. “I’m blessed to have a talented group of individuals who can deliver the message for the Bahati Foundation while winning races at a professional level,” said Bahati.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

The full 2010 Bahati Foundation Pro Cycling Team roster is:

Rahsaan Bahati
Nathan O’Neill
Hilton Clarke
Jason Donald
Matt Rice
Cesar Grajales
Ryan Baumann
Corey Collier
Bobby Lea
Alex Hagman
Peter Carey
Phillip Mann
Evan Hyde
Ian Burnett
Lanell Rockmore

More info on the Bahati Foundation Pro Cycling Team: www.bahatiracing.com

According to YourGroupRide.com, 2 of the 15 riders are from Fort Collins, CO. That should mean that the team has a fun presence in my commnity.

I love seeing the domestic pro peloton making strong moves like this.

Andy B
outsideallday.com

Could the Giro d’Italia start in the United States in 2011? That’s what La Gazzetta dello Sport is reporting. Giro director Angelo Zomegnan was quoted in the Italian sports daily that the race has caught the attention of Washington, D.C., New York City and Philadelphia. Giro officials are currently in New York to inaugurate a photographic retrospective of 100 years of Giro history. The exhibit is called “From Past to Future,” and features than 100 photographs on exhibit at the Eden Fine Art Gallery, at 437 Madison Avenue.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Get me a flight booked today!

Andy B
outsideallday.com

Sleep Inn will be happy to accommodate your group at the flat rate of $69 plus tax for any room.

I have set up a group reservation under the CYCLOCROSS GROUP for the 8th of December through the 15th. Your group is not obligated to stay the entire length of the stay, I added days at the beginning of the stay and the end in case guests want to arrive early and perhaps stay a day later.

All racers need to do is call us at 1-541-330-0050 and tell us they are with “CYCLOROSS” when making their reservations.

I look forward to seeing this group in December and if I can do anything further please do not hesitate to call.

Janet Nason
GM

Sleep Inn Location:
4 Miles from the Cyclocross venue/Old Mill District – Bend
Directions (google maps):
From Sleep Inn to Venue/Old Mill District
Hotel Website:
Sleep Inn Bend, OR

The 2009-10 Southern California Prestige Series of Cyclocross presented by Shimano is now officially half way through the season with stop number eight at Celo Pacific’s Storm the Beach Cyclocross in Oceanside, CA. Over two hundred racers came out to play in the sun, sand, and surf – and it seems that everybody had a great time. The course was a dichotomous balance of high speed and slow motion racing. Hard packed fire roads and a long, firm beach section saw speeds approaching those of your local criterium. These were punctuated by steep bluff-side climbs, a barely rideable sand-pit, and two deep sand runs. The bluff-top expo area which overlooked all the technical portions of the course gave the spectators a dilemma of whether to watch the riveting race action or gaze out at a stunning ocean view. After their races, appreciative riders took advantage of the bike washing station provided by Nomad Portable Power Cleaners to get that grinding noise out of their drivetrains. Other highlights of the day included SoCal’s youngest ‘crossers competing in the Clif Bar kids race; the “Please Pre-register” raffle for a pair of Revolution Wheelworks Rev-25x wheels won by Kermit McGovern; and an historic moment in SoCal cyclocross racing with Brent Prenzlow taking his 100th career Elite win. Now on to the racing action…

The juniors were first up and carving lines in the fresh sand. Tori Baldewin, Team Velocity’s up-and-coming racing star led the 10-14 Junior women’s race smiling as always along the way! In a hotly contested Junior 10-14 Men’s race…newcomer Quinten KIrby took the win! The warm SoCal sunshine brought in racers from as far away as Sacramento and New Mexico including National Masters Champion Tove Shere, (Nat’ls Project) in town visiting friend Renee Milton, made a powerful showing to win the Masters Women’s 35+ race (3 of the top 4 ladies were over 50! Go fast ladies!) with Milton finishing in a respectable 6th place in her first ever ‘cross race! Both had so much fun, they duked it out again in the Women’s Elite race! Jon Miller (Rock N Road) “aka Wave Dogg” surfed his way through sand to a smooth victory as the donimant series leader in the 55+ men’s race. Johnny O’Mara continues his winning ways in the 45+ Men’s race… winning two in a row with hid debut at Spooky Cross this season. Host club and Best Team Competition Leaders Celo Pacific took victories in starting with the Yourth-Jameson Campaigne, Ben Jones (SS 1/2/3), James Walsh (Men 3/4) and Brent Prenzlow (1/2/3) races. Mike McMahon (Velocity) returns to form with a close but powerful victory in the 35+ 1/2/3 race between 6 riders and coming down to the final lap uphill sprint finish.

Just as with every field on the day, a wicked fast start initiated the Women’s Elite race across the course’s long, hardpack dirt sections. The pack was led out by Tonya Bray (YOR Health/MTBChick.com) and followed closely by Megan Elliott (Black Mountain), Dorothy Wong (SoCalCross-CICLE) Lana Atchley (unattached) and Emily Katchorik (Beer). Once the race hit the sand, Megan Elliott (Black Mountain) and Dorothy Wong (SoCalCross-CICLE) attacked. Then taking advantage of their strong road backgrounds, the pair worked together and increased their lead on the hard packed fire roads. Megan proved to be the stronger rider and surged on the finish hill with two laps to go, opening a gap on Wong. Elliot kept the tempo high and maintained her lead to the finish. In the end it was Elliott, Wong and Lana Atchley (also a strong road and track rider) on the blocks with Tonya Bray and Emily Katchorik rounding out the top five.

In the Elite Men’s race, presented by Hoover and Nebrig, the action started out fast and furious through the dirt fire roads and resembled a (dirt) road race as the pack stuck together taking advantage of the draft. The early pace was driven by Brent Prenzlow (Celo Pacific/B&L), Brandon Gritters (Rock n Road), Sid Taberlay (Sho-Air), John Bailey and John Behrens (Bailey Bikes). It was the deep sand sections, however, that would prove to be decisive. On the third lap, as the eight-strong lead pack wended its way through the sand, Prenzlow and Taberlay threw down the wattage and opened a gap. The two collaborated on the fast fire roads, but once on the beach Prenzlow made an acceleration into the B&L Bikes sand run and forged into the lead, leaving Taberlay in his wake. Prenzlow threw everything into this move and, upon re-emerging onto the beach from the fire roads on the next lap, Taberlay was nowhere in sight and would eventually slip back to the chase group. The last three laps saw Prenzlow increase his lead while the battle for second place remained close despite several riders being taken out of contention by flats including Kyle Gritters (Rock n Road) and John Bailey. Finally on the last lap, Prenzlow used the massive lead he had built up to savor taking his 100th career Elite win on his home course and in front of a home crowd: beaming a huge smile, high fiving the crowd, and dismounting to finish in classic cyclcocross style. The sprint for second resembled a tractor pull with rooster tails of sand being thrown up by the lead group of riders as they careened through the sand pit under full power. Taberlay held off a hard charging John Behrens with Gary Douville (Platinum Performance) and Fritz Bottger (PAA/Sixtumed) just behind.

Photo: David Lawson

Photo: Eric Colton

For more info go to: www.SoCalCross.com

The guys at the Two Johns Podcast did an interview with cyclocross super star Jeremy Powers. The interview was held with Jeremy just before day three of the UCI3 Cincinnati Cyclocross Festival. He won all three days. FYI, I have not listened to the interview so I don’t know if its any good. I just know that Jeremy is the man.

Click here to listen to the interview.

More info on Jeremy Powers: http://www.jeremypowers.missingsaddle.com
More info on the Two Johns Podcast: http://www.twojohnspodcast.missingsaddle.com

Andy B
outsideallday.com

If my eyes are seeing correctly, this is big dog CEO Greg Sellers of our favorite electrolyte beverage Motor Tabs shredding up the cyclocross course at Spooky Cross last weekend. According to the results he placed 34th in the men’s Cat 4 race. Not too bad for a jet setting CEO…

Andy B
outsideallday.com

We recently made it down to Waterloo, Wisconsin to Trek Bicycles to begin our bike collaboration and while there, we got a firsthand look at Trek’s inner workings. Everything from the design studio to Project One to the manufacturing floor was at the mercy of our camera. While we couldn’t show you everything, here’s a look at what went down and what we saw on day one. There will be more developments on our collaboration in the coming weeks.

Click here to read the full story and to see the pictures.

HT Tyler Schick for the story.

Andy B
outsideallday.com