Team Untamed New England (Angela Schnuerch, Erik Grimm, and Jason Urckfitz) traveled to the Lower Hudson Valley area of NY for The Longest Day, NYARA’s annual 24 hour adventure race on May 19th-20th.  This year’s format was described as “a linear/point-to-point format on a Rogaine/Score-O course” with the race organizers staging our bikes and paddle gear around the course for us during the event.

After a reasonable 7:00am sign-in and map distribution the team poured over the course info and maps to determine the best route/strategy and packed the team gear bin prior to the 9:15am bus ride to the start.   This was no easy task as there was over 8 maps to review containing 17 mandatory and 51 optional points as well as multiple bonuses available for clearing sections to consider.  According to the race organizers the course was considered clearable which factored into our route selection.

The race began on foot at the Schunemunk Mountain trail system for 2 mandatory and 5 optional points.  After a short prologue teams scattered into the woods with expected title contenders Untamed New England, Goals ARA, NYARA and Calleva choosing the north route while Team SOG and Rev3 headed south.   The terrain was very rugged with tricky bushwacking, rock scrambling and some decent trails thrown in for good measure.  One particular highlight for this section besides the outstanding views was the huge Rattlesnake coiled up and rattling on the trail as we ran by, yikes!  The temps began to rise throughout the afternoon taking its toll on many but with sharp navigation and a conservative pace Team UNE cleared the section for the 5 bonus points and making it into transition with the leaders around 3:30pm.

A quick transition to bikes and they headed out to the Goose Pond State Park Bike-O section for 3 mandatory and 5 optional points on great network of trails.  It’s at this point with strict time limits looming they realized there was no way anyone was going to clear the course.  The team made their first strategic move of the race, opting to skip the Sterling Forest Foot-O section and headed straight to the next bike-O section for 2 more mandatory and 5 optional points including a nice 3 mile Hike-a-Bike section up to a fire tower and a screaming, frigid ride back down on the service road.  The team cleared this section as well, earning another 5 bonus points.  We knew we had an advantage of some serious night vision with our Light and Motion Seca’s and Solites!

After 13 hours on the bike in the dark Team UNE arrived at the Greenwood Lake Paddle-O section as the sun was coming up.  Another quick transition and they set out for a very enjoyable paddle with sit-on top kayaks tied together for 5 optional points along the way finishing it up around 7:30am.

Heading into the last trekking section of the race along the Appalachian Trail the team felt they needed to clear the 3 optional points in the section to gain the 5 bonus points available to still be in the running for a podium position.    Despite running the entire section with reckless abandon (and gaining a new perspective on how fast some thru hikers travel) the team arrived at the finish 11 minutes too late and suffered a 5 point penalty moving them down in the overall standings.
Thanks Light and Motion and Untamed New England for your support!

With this race complete the team now looks forward to toeing the line against many of the same competition and others from around the world at next month’s Untamed New England June 19-24th located in The Forks, Maine!

By Mike Schroden

Bike to work week was a great success for the St. Cloud cycling community.

With promotion help from Health Partners Medical Clinic of Sartell, MN  and Revolution Cycle and Ski, we saw more bicycles on the streets than ever before during this year’s National Bike Month.

Promoting  cycling is accelerated by owning and operating a cycling store, maintaining the ranks of a Professional Endurance Racer and in the end it leaves me a positive role model in our cycling community.

This is what I ask myself, “How am I going to achieve everything this week?” Between working roughly a 50 plus hour work week, being a father of a 7-month old baby boy, a husband, and training as a professional racer leaves challenges that would tend to exaust most. This is where making the most of every minute of every day is crucial. Some days I am on the bike by 4 a.m. but most go like this.  In the mornings that I take my son to day care I drive him there. From there I leave my car and mount the bike to get my training while en route to the bike shop. Other days I am on my bike. This way I reduce my impact on the environment by driving less. Some days I get anywhere from 3 to 6 hours of training time in by doing this.  I simply love it!  Looking at the timetable of how the events play out during the day- the end of the day leaves me riding home to the family in the guided light of my Seca 1400. Thank you Light and Motion for lighting my way and keeping me safe.

Mike Schroden is a Professional Endurance Racer with Cannondale Factory Racing

By Ian Dowden

All I can say is ‘wow’ in regards to my first week of using my new Light & Motion lights.  With bike messenger work and riding in the city in general, being seen is crucial and having the brightness of Light & Motion makes me so happy.  I had been using another brand of lights for a long, long time but they were not nearly as bright as L&M.  Plus I’m digging the 180 degree visibility of my new lights.

I rode to Whole Foods last night to get groceries and the city was hopping with Friday night traffic and pedestrians.  With my lights so bright it was like a hot knife through butter cutting through city traffic.  My early morning ride to the gym at
5:45 a.m. is so much nicer as well since most people in the city are half asleep at that point and having lights that perform keeps me in one piece on the streets.

The fact that these lights are rechargeable is icing on the cake!  I’m so stoked I don’t have to worry about buying new batteries because that always hurt my wallet.

So yes, I am stoked on Light & Motion for sure.  Next to my helmet, these lights are my most prized possession without a doubt.

Ian Dowden is a  bicycle messenger in Columbus, OH where he rides his bike in all kinds of weather, day and night, and always with a light.

In the meantime we need to take steps to improve our personal safety. As an avid road cyclist and commuter I ride with all the safety gear I can muster: reflective clothing, helmet, and bright lights - especially when riding at rush hour and at night.

Here’s an entertaining video that demonstrates why we all need to light up!

This evening I took part in a ride of silence in honor of the men and women who have been hit or injured while riding bikes on the road. It was surreal riding single-file in silence for 6 miles around Fort Collins. I reflected on the joys that riding a bike gives me, the world I sink into while I’m on a bike. And I want others to be able to experience this joy safely as they commute and train and enjoy bike rides on roads. It was inspiring to join together with 50 other local cyclists for this particular ride. It spoke volumes to me about the strength of our cycling community and how much biking means to so many of us. It is a family that I belong to.

Liz Sugar Boese participated in the May 16th ride. To find out more and learn how to get involved: Ride of Silence.

The Mexican office of the Institute for Transportation & Development Policy (ITDP) produced this film – in Spanish with English subtitles.

Photo by Devon Balet

by Nate Bird

Steamboaters love snow. Last April….we were neck deep in it.

In April of 2011, you’ve never seen so many people who love the snow so over it and yearning for some respite from the long, snowy winter.  In stark contrast to last year, this year the valley is green and trails are dry.  We’re talking mountain biking, real legit mountain biking. Our amazing singletrack, reh’ tuh’ go.

Though ski season didn’t officially end until the second weekend of April, it pretty much ended way earlier than that here – it was a dismal snow year in Ski Town USA.  But luckily we have bicycles to save us.  The bike season kicked off early for Team Honey Stinger/Bontrager with team camp in MTB mecca Fruita, Colorado the week before the celebrated closing of the ski hill.  The rag tag assembly of some bada$$ Colorado Mt. bikers did not struggle to enjoy the two days together.  We might have also gone for a pretty dope night ride or two with our Light & Motion bike lights – a veritable choo choo of lights rallying under a full moon at Highline State Park. The evidence is in the pics.

Next stop was the Sea Otter Classic.  Mad amounts of fun starting with some picture taking con lights and some of the best and most fun bikers in the industry.  Picture this: Santa Cruz, Light & Motion lights, single track, super good riders and people, ‘nuff said.   This was proceeded by a visit to the factory where Honey Stinger Organic Energy Chews are made – talk about being a kid in a candy factory.  Mr. Wonka was not present, but the Oompa Loompas were very accommodating in his stead.  Oh, and Sea Otter….. the place where there is something to satiate anyone who likes a bike of any sort.  We sampled and sold a lot of Honey Stinger, but we just had the best damn time talking bikes and having fun with our fans.  And Coco (AKA, Buzz the Bee), hit the jump into the airbag with the bee suit on; a valiant attempt at a backflip when you can’t even see the jump you’re hitting – watch the sick footie attached.   The homies at Trek enabled me to race on a super sick Superfly 1oo Elite last minute and off the couch (booth) to complete my trip to the No to the Cal.

April’s last stop was vacation, if you refer to vacation as racing that is – the Whiskey 50 in Prescott, AZ.  What an event – rarely do you see a town rally around an event (let alone a bike race) like the folks in Prescott did.  The promoters and the town truly put on an event that all of the locals embrace – it felt like being at home in Steamboat, CO.   Despite the awesome atmosphere, I had been having  some problems with my drivetrain and didn’t know what was up.  Much to my chagrin, but probably a blessing in disguise, I discovered my shifting issues were due to a very cracked chainstay five minutes before the fat tire crit, I don’t really need or desire a carbon puncture wound.  It also may have been a gift because I didn’t have to race a fat tire  crit against the likes of Kabush and JHK.  It was super disappointing nonetheless, but luckily I was allowed to start the race and then pull out immediately so I could race in the big show on Sunday.

And then, without a doubt, the nicest, most generous example of a stranger’s kindness ever in my life happened.  Basically, a bystander (who turned out to be one of the mostest cool peeps in the AZ bike community) overheard me bitching about my busted rig and approached me.  His name is Kaolin, and I later found out he is bros with many of my bros.  He, completely and selflessly, found and personally installed (at his insistence) the part I needed  after a fairly exhaustive search on his part.  I had mentally already checked out of the race, but he hooked me up, and completely changed my mental complexion at the midnight hour (actually 1 AM – 7 hours before the race start). He made Falcor race ready, fixed the broken wing.  I raced, had a fun time, gave it all I had, and that’s that – it was awesome.

And another bonus, my boy, another Nate (Miller), won the single speed category the day before.  Not only did he win the single speed, he beat all of the other geared racers whilst setting a course record for the category.  He’s won his last five races, including Sea Otter, and being on the winning Light & Motion team at The 24 Hours of Old Pueblo.  We call that “baller” in the parlance of our times.

Up next – the first night ride of the season – tonight.  I’ll have my stash of Light & Motion lights to illuminate Emerald Mountain and get lights on other bikers to show them just how awesome night rides and Light & Motion are.  Boom.

Nate Bird

Nate Bird works when he’s not riding for Honey Stinger.

We were on the local bike path this Thursday with our local transportation agency TAMC to serve up breakfast, talk bikes, and share commute stories.  We discovered that people are passionate about their bikes and we saw all kinds including a mom riding her daughter’s purple 20-inch wheeled stingray to work!  We also heard a world of good reasons to ride your bike. Here’s an excerpt from our interview with Light & Motion employee Jarod Armer who rode by our booth en route to work:

“I started riding my bike to work because I have a 30-minute commute in my pick up with 20 miles per gallon so I decided I’d drive part way and ride my bike in 10 miles each way – that’s 20 miles (on the bike) a day which is one gallon of gas. I end up saving about $4 dollars per day, $20 per week, and $80 a month. It really adds up and it means less wear and tear on my car and it is better for the environment.”

Bike to Work Day is tomorrow –  count the smiles on the bikes you see!

By Ian Dowden

As a bike messenger its easy to become jaded and take things for granted since every day is ‘bike to work day’ -  I ride  my bike all day, every day, all year-round.  But Bike Month and Bike to Work week is pretty cool because you get to see ordinary people do extraordinary things when they take the challenge to Bike to Work.  It’s motivating for me to see them taking a risk to leave their cars behind.

Bike Month and Bike to Work week is cool because you see adults rediscovering the simplicity and joy of riding a bike again.  It sounds cheesy saying that and I roll my eyes a lot when I read things like that but it is true.  In fact, as I was writing this a friend of mine came in to where I volunteer and gave me a high-five and said she had just done a practice ride! She and her friend rode from her house to where she works to test out her new commuting route she’ll start this month.  She had a huge smile.

Here are a couple of links to help you find a route for your ride to work this week:

http://www.ecovelo.info/2012/01/01/bike-commuting-101-route-planning/

http://www.commutebybike.com/2007/11/14/commuting-101-how-to-find-the-perfect-route-using-google-maps/