Just completed my Train to Train Dryland Coahing cert this weekend and have realized that while a decent skier around these parts actually such huge butt in the remainder of the world. So....as result I will be training like an idiot all spring so I can teach at a Level 3 level. Ah well. At least I stayed on my feet.
Next up is the LTAD (Long Term Athlete Development) course in Kamloops this weekend followed by a FIS Training Seminar in Whistler later in the spring. Oh, and maybe the On Snow T2T component in Vernon in three weeks.
Who ever said that spring was a nice relaxing season is full of crap!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Ladies hit the bikes!
Interesting use of multiple optics...safety first.
Meems shows her two wheeled skillz after a long winter of slidingHere are a couple shots of the ladies in my life diggin the spring 10 degree weather. Not quite sure the look Dana is going for here but it is obviously trend setting. Look out Milan.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Spring is in the air...
It is so great to finally get out and ride bikes today. Julian, Meems and I went for a big bike ride today and had a stop for a bagel and a juice at Bacchus. I had to stop by to figure out a rear fender to order for Dailia's beautiful Raleigh. It felt like I was sitiing on a deck in Mexico. I felt lucky to be on the deck with so much sun!!!
Spring is on its way and that deck will be open in no time. Bikes are coming out of the woodwork. I hope to start updating regularly now with Golden commuters.
Ah.....what the world has been missing! A fart amplifying chair. Julian wants one!
Designer Alice Wang will exhibit a range of furniture called Chairs for the Dysfunctional - including a stool that amplifies the sound of farts (above) - in Milan next month.
Brought to us by Dezeen Magazine Online
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Mr. Carter's Fuzzy Bike Emporium
Oh man, Sean is king of the fuzzy bike. I am very envious and hopefully some day will get to have one of my own. His last one met an untimely death during an indoor cyclocross race. This one, version2.0 is still unnamed. Hott.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
BC Bike To Work page
It looks like this would be a great opportunity for Golden to show the rest of the province that we do in fact ride our bikes to work. Lets make the third week of May the biggest week of cycling in Golden for the year.
http://www.biketowork.ca/
http://www.biketowork.ca/
Saturday, March 14, 2009
It's Official
The GTBF is putting on its first event of the season. Check the poster. More info on the FB group.
WOOHOO!! It's bike polo time.
Ben thinks it's a good idea to ride down the snowbank. Yes....he did eat it!
Going for the reach. Yup, I can still ride a bike. It felt soooo good to be out there again. I need some new polo moves for this year. And a new bike tire.
Ben going in for the kill. We managed to make it through the game without pissing each other off or breaking anything......A good game.
Julian making a dramatic save while Ben reflects on the thought of mowing down Julian.
Tony and Ben at the short gameFirst polo session of the year was without Luke. Strangely enough he is gone getting a paint job on his new polo bike. Ironic. We missed ya Luke!
Skate Clinic a bust, ski a huge success!!!!!!
I was supposed to be teaching a skate course today and it ended up being a flop. Quite, strange as they are usually full. It ended up being a blessing in surprise as I actually got to go for a ski of my own, which rarely happens. I went and skied the new loppet course today which will be a 16km loop. I ended up Zone 1'ing the majority of it and so decided to do two loops. It is by FAR the most I have skied this year. I feel surprisingly well for skiing 32km off the couch. Bring on spring training!!!! I hope we get some people out for the masters ski program starting in June.
Check the Veloplzen Calgary website
Oh what a fancy shmansy website they have. A fun lovin' bunch of cyclists uniting through their love of cycling, beer and hotdogs. That's my kinda' club. Their team jerseys are soooo sweet. I see one in my future. Check them out and go visit their sponsors when in Calgary.
If you want a change of scenery on your bike, Clagary offers incredible community cycling on their vast trail system. A slow ride along the river on a sunny summer day is hard to beat.
Friday, March 13, 2009
The 29'er Singlespeed bandwagon..I'm in!
There is so much fuss regarding teh ss 29'ers these days that I am feeling obligated to give one a try. I don't need to be convinced on the merits of the 29'er. I'm sold. And when I am going to purchasing my next MTB it is definately going to be one. Riding my cross bike as a XC bike for the past two years has taught me one very important thing.
1. I don't really need much suspension for XC riding in and around Golden
2. I love the way 700c wheels feel on trails for rolling over obstacles
3. I use one gear ONLY when I am in the Moonrakers on my cross bike.
It really makes me wonder if the SS 29'er is it. It would like to have the option to run a 1x9 setup in case the singlespeed thing doesn't work out. I have tried a couple variations and have yet to find that perfect combo on a MTB.
I really don't think that a custom 29 er frame is in the cards for me this summer, I'm saving for a custom cross frame regardless, but I might have found the bike that will do everything I'm looking for....and....it's sexy!
I have ALWAYS loved Fisher bikes. I owned one about 14 years ago and really enjoyed it. It was steel. This one is an aluminum.......hmmmmmm. Maybe it is not the perfect bike (I am a huge steel fan) but here it is regardless. Presenting the Gary Fisher Rig.........tudum.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Top 5 reasons to claim the Lane
March 18th, 2008 by Tim Grahl
There is a lot of debate as to where a bicycle commuter should position themselves in relation to the road. New bike commuters, especially, are often intimidated by riding in the road and often choose something that isn’t necessarily the safest place. Here are the top two:
Sidewalk - While the odds of you getting hit from behind diminish greatly, there are other dangers that come into play.
Drivers are not looking for fast moving objects on the sidewalks so when you come to a cross street there is a good chance you’ll get hit by a turning car.
Sidewalks are available for pedestrians and, in many states, it’s illegal for bicycles to ride on them.
You are forced to (and should) go extremely slow. Besides dealing with turning cars and pedestrians, you are riding are surfaces that are not maintained for traffic and often have other obstacles to deal with.
The extreme right side of the road - In my opinion this is the most dangerous place you can ride. You are risking two dangers:
Cars will repeatedly try to squeeze by you in the same lane and will almost always come very close to you which, obviously, increases your chance of getting hit.
The Peek-a-boo bike. Picture two cars approaching. The second car is following closely to the first. As the first car moves to miss you, it is seen by the second car as merely drifting in the lane since the car isn’t moving that much out of the way. The second car doesn’t realize you are in the road until it is to late.
Because of the above dangers and contrary to many people’s “common sense”, the best thing for a bike commuter to do is claim the lane. I ride at least a third of the way into the lane and, around curves, I roll right down the middle.
Here’s the top five reasons why I started claiming the lane (and why you should to):
Drivers give you more room - The day I started claiming the lane is the day I stopped getting regularly buzzed to close by cars. As mentioned above, when you are all the way to the right then cars will almost always try to squeeze by. When you claim the lane, they are forced to slow down and wait for an opportunity to pass you which means they take plenty of room to do it.
You are more visible - Drivers are used to looking for other large, metal boxes. And they’re used to looking in the middle of the lane ahead of them. When you hug the side of the road you are often outside their field of vision. By claiming the lane you are much more likely to be seen by oncoming traffic.
You avoid dangerous debris and obstacles - the sides of roads are usually covered in debris. Stuff that can slash your tires and/or fly up and hurt you. There are also things like sewer grates and uneven shoulders to worry about. By claiming the lane you avoid all of this.
It’s an easier, more enjoyable ride - When stuck squeezing the side of the road or riding on the sidewalk, feelings of stress abound. Constantly watching the terrain ahead of you, swerving out of the way of obstacles, slowing down for pedestrians and many other things that you are forced to pay attention to are reduced when you claim the lane.
You are making a statement - While not as important as the previous safety related reasons, this has long term effect. On many roads bicycles are seen as an annoyance that shouldn’t be allowed in the road with other “real” vehicles. By claiming the lane you are making a statement that we belong on the road and have all the same rights as cars.
I came to these views after a lot of time spent bike commuting in my city of Lynchburg, VA. We don’t have bike lanes and I’ve come to believe that the people that built our roads had never heard of the bicycle. Not to mention most drivers are oblivious to the “share the road” mentality (and laws).
I firmly believe my place on a bike is in the road and claiming the lane and, in a large portion of our country, that is where you belong to. It’s safer and more convenient.
There is a lot of debate as to where a bicycle commuter should position themselves in relation to the road. New bike commuters, especially, are often intimidated by riding in the road and often choose something that isn’t necessarily the safest place. Here are the top two:
Sidewalk - While the odds of you getting hit from behind diminish greatly, there are other dangers that come into play.
Drivers are not looking for fast moving objects on the sidewalks so when you come to a cross street there is a good chance you’ll get hit by a turning car.
Sidewalks are available for pedestrians and, in many states, it’s illegal for bicycles to ride on them.
You are forced to (and should) go extremely slow. Besides dealing with turning cars and pedestrians, you are riding are surfaces that are not maintained for traffic and often have other obstacles to deal with.
The extreme right side of the road - In my opinion this is the most dangerous place you can ride. You are risking two dangers:
Cars will repeatedly try to squeeze by you in the same lane and will almost always come very close to you which, obviously, increases your chance of getting hit.
The Peek-a-boo bike. Picture two cars approaching. The second car is following closely to the first. As the first car moves to miss you, it is seen by the second car as merely drifting in the lane since the car isn’t moving that much out of the way. The second car doesn’t realize you are in the road until it is to late.
Because of the above dangers and contrary to many people’s “common sense”, the best thing for a bike commuter to do is claim the lane. I ride at least a third of the way into the lane and, around curves, I roll right down the middle.
Here’s the top five reasons why I started claiming the lane (and why you should to):
Drivers give you more room - The day I started claiming the lane is the day I stopped getting regularly buzzed to close by cars. As mentioned above, when you are all the way to the right then cars will almost always try to squeeze by. When you claim the lane, they are forced to slow down and wait for an opportunity to pass you which means they take plenty of room to do it.
You are more visible - Drivers are used to looking for other large, metal boxes. And they’re used to looking in the middle of the lane ahead of them. When you hug the side of the road you are often outside their field of vision. By claiming the lane you are much more likely to be seen by oncoming traffic.
You avoid dangerous debris and obstacles - the sides of roads are usually covered in debris. Stuff that can slash your tires and/or fly up and hurt you. There are also things like sewer grates and uneven shoulders to worry about. By claiming the lane you avoid all of this.
It’s an easier, more enjoyable ride - When stuck squeezing the side of the road or riding on the sidewalk, feelings of stress abound. Constantly watching the terrain ahead of you, swerving out of the way of obstacles, slowing down for pedestrians and many other things that you are forced to pay attention to are reduced when you claim the lane.
You are making a statement - While not as important as the previous safety related reasons, this has long term effect. On many roads bicycles are seen as an annoyance that shouldn’t be allowed in the road with other “real” vehicles. By claiming the lane you are making a statement that we belong on the road and have all the same rights as cars.
I came to these views after a lot of time spent bike commuting in my city of Lynchburg, VA. We don’t have bike lanes and I’ve come to believe that the people that built our roads had never heard of the bicycle. Not to mention most drivers are oblivious to the “share the road” mentality (and laws).
I firmly believe my place on a bike is in the road and claiming the lane and, in a large portion of our country, that is where you belong to. It’s safer and more convenient.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Corporate Takeover Means Less Skiing and More Environmental Damage at SilverStar
Please read the update on the nordic trails at SilverStar Mountain Resort and their expansion plans to encompass over 40% of their nordic ski trails with more underutilized condos. This is a very harsh reminder as to the goings on within these corporate giants. It sure is making me wake up to the fact that our trail network is such a precious resource. Really....who do they expect are going to be buying all of these damn homes when they have to put their second Hummer up for sale because their stocks are down.
Environmental Impact is huge, urban sprawl continues, the non-profit gets mowed!
Sign the petition at:
Monday, March 9, 2009
Bizarre Cyclists (part 1)
Yes that is a monkey with a parrot riding on a bike.
Read the comment at the bottom. I'd be having a scary ass time!! He can't even touch the pedals. Sketch....... I will never double with a monkey and a parrot again. That's all there is to say about that.
Classic Polo.
What a beautiful shot. I adore b/w photos. They provide real expression and depth to the pictures. And what better way to express yourself than through polo. Am I going a bit overboard with the whole polo thing. Sorry.
The lust continues......
Just when I thought my Geekhouse love affair could go no further this thing shows up on Urban Velo and blows my mind. The perfect blend of singlespeed (not fixie...I hope) body position, green-ness, beefy (look at those wheels) and techy. This would make the ultimate commuter bike with fenders, but on the weekends look out you could polo the crap out of this thing. Not to mention ride a century on it.
Mmmmmmm geeks.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Steelwool Bicycle Co.
Custom Polo wheel package with 48 hole ano green hubs laced to Deep V brown rims. $400 Cdn .for the set. Mmmmmmm. yummy.
The classicly styled 2009 Tweed. Only comes as a frameset only but for $699
frame and fork that is a steal (steel) of a deal. Looks oh so beaut with the Brooks saddle
and leather grip tape.
Steelwool Bicycle Co.
Check out the new 2009 website for this Ottawa wonder brand. They aren'y making the sweet wool cycling caps anylonger. Really too bad. The new Tweed looks incredible. For $699 frame and fork for a steel rig it is hard to beat. These are all manufactured in Taiwan frames but are still offering custom rigs. I notice that they have a couple images of polo in the site. Its taking over the world! They only have three stock bikes now, all single speed setups. The cross bike from last year was quite sweet.
Have a look.
The classicly styled 2009 Tweed. Only comes as a frameset only but for $699frame and fork that is a steal (steel) of a deal. Looks oh so beaut with the Brooks saddle
and leather grip tape.
Steelwool Bicycle Co.
Check out the new 2009 website for this Ottawa wonder brand. They aren'y making the sweet wool cycling caps anylonger. Really too bad. The new Tweed looks incredible. For $699 frame and fork for a steel rig it is hard to beat. These are all manufactured in Taiwan frames but are still offering custom rigs. I notice that they have a couple images of polo in the site. Its taking over the world! They only have three stock bikes now, all single speed setups. The cross bike from last year was quite sweet.
Have a look.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
One more beautiful voice from Norway
Silje (pronounced Sil-Yeah) Nes hails from Bergen on the west coast, seemingly the epicenter of music in Norway. Her ethereal voice is something expected from that part of the world. Electronic back beats make it a pleasure to listen to. Anyone who has read some earlier posts will realize my near, more like, huge obsession with Norway and its culture. I want in. If only a pint of beer didn't cost $14. Have a listen to her at the myspace link below.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Single Speed Conversion for the XC bike
I have a great old ORYX XC race bike that has seen better days and am pondering converting to a SS. It is on long term loan to me and am thinking that if this bike already weighs around 22 pounds it will likely hit the scales under 20 if I pull the drivetrain. Light and sexy. I might ask Luke if he can repaint her for me when he gets his done. Maybe a nice chocolate brown or cream with acouple coats of clearcoat. I'll post a pic ASAP of the bike and plans for the overhaul. It's a sweet old rig that could do with a makeover.
Life of a snowcat operator
Gosh darnit I sure do love those early morning grooming sessions laying down corduroy for all of the nordic crowd to admire. We got about 10 cm of new snow throughout the day and am heading up at 4am to groom for the weekend. Chance of snow is dropping so it might be a one shot deal.
It is a pretty cush gig with a nice warm cab, CBC Overnight on the radio and bright stars all to myself. Pretty Lucky Fella.
It is a pretty cush gig with a nice warm cab, CBC Overnight on the radio and bright stars all to myself. Pretty Lucky Fella.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
More from the NAHBB show
Not sure why this made it but the colour is great and fenders are out of this world HOT! I like the handlebars, they remind me of Dekerf seatstays.
Serotta are the poo when it comes to custom builds and here is a classy and fast cross rig. Hot wheelset, hot groupo and good angles. Oh....it makes me want a new frameset.
Dean....titanium sweetness that they have been known for through two generations of cyclists. I would trade a kidney for this bike. No questions asked. The belt drive is way sassy and the frame angles reak cool. Rigid.......mmmmmmmm. Suspension is for old men with hemeroids.2009 North American Handmade Bicycle Show Favs
Geekhouse is my fav fixie company and also has the best name. I would love to build a nice commuter out of one.
First probably ever produced specific polo bike by Waterford. Really....it lookslike circa 93 Trek 1000 frame. Don't really see the point. Sorry
I always forget this guys name but he has been spinning out these stunning swoopy builds for years. Specialized, Santa Cruz, Norco and all of the other bike companies that think they are innovating......sorry your bikes SUCK beside this gem.
Oh I could see myself riding along the canals in Amsterdam or the waterfront in Oslo on this beautiful single speed. Elegance at its finest. Chrome and powder blue make for a splendid marriage. 
This winter commuter has all the class of a townie coupled with the durability and ride of a monster truck. Do I want one....not really but it is the best use of those rediculously stupid tires.This is the bike show of bike shows. All of the best handbuilders from around the world make the trek to the US and show their wares. It is a droolathon for cycling geeks and this year was no let down. Have a look.
Recommended Signage for Golden
I saw these signs in Canmore a couple years ago but have always forgotten to take a pic. When I was over at the Western Championships a few weeks ago I snapped these slightly out of focus shots. Perfect for our sketchy cycling bridge crossing.
I know that the Active Transport group in Golden is on a bit of a hiatus. Maybe this will spark their docile fires.
More Pics Later...Time to play polo!!!!!!
But first.....the world is a happy happy place for Luke and I today when a snowplow fairy came and shovelled out the basket ball court for us. I feel a polo match this Sunday coming on. Bring on spring!!!!!!!
Toby Creek Skate Loppet
Coleophysis, PsychoBan and Charrrrrrrrlie
1st skate race EVER! He owned it.
Team Profile Shot
Mimi and her twin from CanmoreKimberley (Kootenay Cup)
Siobhan and Steph display their winning loot
Julian in the classic interval start
Siobhan bringin home the bacon
Best race pic of the year. Mitch and Cole off the start line
BC Championships
Juvenile Boys Start
Juvenile Girls Start
Dr. J rippin it on his new skate skis (4th Place!)
OK...so I'm a slack ass on this blog...theres only so much time
So if you have hada glance over at the yonder blog of the golden nordic variety you would notice that i have been a busy beaver with tonnes of great pics and commentray while my GandG blog sits still, empty....somewhat..........repressed.
Just so you know blog i still love you. Spring is coming quick you will be full of bright summer pictures. Lets start it today with a few of my fav winter race pics. That'll get the ball rollin'
Just so you know blog i still love you. Spring is coming quick you will be full of bright summer pictures. Lets start it today with a few of my fav winter race pics. That'll get the ball rollin'
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