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editor/publisher brian riepe publisher steve mabry managing editor caroline spaeth art director chris hanna creative editor james e. rickman roving artist gloria sharp copy editor trina ortega writers steve mabry dave ochs james e. rickman lizzy scully justin schmid

photographers devon balet eddie clark ed ellinger xavier fane morgan lynch james e. rickman brian p. riepe peter wayne andrew wilz

illustration david delano

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what’inside s 10 12 14 16 20 25 26 32 38 44 48 52 54 55 64 67 71 79 94 98

Editor’s Note Letters NUMBER ELEVEN If You Don’t Try – A Profile on Jen Gersbach by Lizzy Scully Flyover – News and Notes A Dog in A Hat – Excerpts From the Book by Joe Parkin Riders Journal – Handpicked Images from Featured Photographers Eddie Clark – Dirt Jumping, Crit Championships and ’Cross Devon Balet – Red Bull Rampage and Gravity James E. Rickman – Red Bull Burner and New Mexico ’Cross Andrew Wilz – Backyard Ballyhoo’s and Fall Colors Xavier Fane – 24 Hours of Moab 2008 Ed Ellinger – Crested Butte Classic 2008 Gamblin’ on a Good Day by Dave Ochs Boulder Cup 2008 – Pros are Only Part of the Story by Brian Riepe Getting Your Daily Allowance of Singletrack by James E. Rickman Mountain States Cup Photo Contest Winners Handmade – A Fresh Coat of Paint by Lizzy Scully Paraphernalia – Gear and Bike Investments for a Bear Market Underground Trail System Comes to Light by Justin Schmid Tailwind – Rider Back by James E. Rickman

fourteen Jen Gersbach

twenty-five Riders Journal

seventy-one handmade

seventy-nine paraphernalia

Mountain Flyer Magazine December 2008 is published quarterly by Secret Agent Publishing, LLC, 309 South Main Street, Gunnison, Colo. Periodicals postage pending in Gunnison CO and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Mountain Flyer, PO Box 272, Gunnison, CO 81230

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[editor’snote] It always amazes me, when we are finishing up an issue of Mountain Flyer, how the words and images transform from simple, individual documents and files into visual renditions laid out on the pages. The words and photographs mingle on the pages. Images complement words and words return the favor. Both serve one purpose: to inspire the audience.

On page 98 of this issue, a story by James E. Rickman tells about a rider’s experience on the trail. He focuses not on what lies ahead—more trail, more climbing and more trees—but instead on what is behind. His aura is not good. He is distressed.

In artist Dave Delano’s accompanying illustration, the rider’s distress manifests itself with an outburst so forceful that all the creatures of the woods shudder in its wake. Even the trees scowl in despair, but the skunk seems to be strangely enjoying it all. Without giving away the whole story, Delano’s art and his vision enhances the words and completes the tale.

In another story on page 54, Dave Ochs writes of his experience when a late fall storm hammered riders during the epic 100-mile Crested Butte Classic. A striking photograph by Ed Ellinger shows the storm rolling in over a distant mountain range and, along with the story, the reader is effortlessly transported into that exact place in time.

Some photographs need no words to tell a story, like the shot by Xavier Fane on page 51 of a tortured Josh Tostado lying on the ground in the agony of racing, full-on for an entire day and night at the 24 Hours of Moab.

These words and images intertwine to become our own mental picture, and this mingling of visions and thoughts enhances our experience and our imagination. Much of this issue is dedicated to the artistic visions of photographers and writers who captured a full season of riding and racing in the Rocky Mountains.

Recently, a photographer pointed out to me that the hardest part of his art is just being there, in the right spot and at the right moment to catch an image. You could say the same thing about the words on the page. You have to experience it to write about it. That’s especially true in cycling.

That’s what I like about great cycling photography and a well-written tale. Each photograph, each story gives the reader a glimpse back in time, into the day and that moment of the experience. We hope you enjoy their visions. They are meant to remind us of why we ride and inspire us to ride even more because, just like Delano’s illustration, the images or words can’t tell the whole story, they are only a hint of the experience.

Reading the words and viewing the images will inspire you to get the whole story. To do that, all you need is to get out and ride.

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[yourletters] Editor: I’m on my fourth issue of your magazine, and I love every bit of it. Reviews are short and to the point, articles are well written and you have decent photography.

Unfortunately, while sitting on the throne, reading Issue 10, I suddenly realized I wasn’t the source of some pretty nasty odor (well, maybe some of it, but not the predominant one). There’s something about the ink in that issue that makes the magazine smell like a chemical waste plant, or at least what I’d assume such a place would smell like. It’s so bad that I can barely make it through a couple articles before I have to close it and get out of the same room.

None of your previous issues had this problem, so what’s been changed, and could you please stop doing whatever it is?

Thanks, Aaron Ferguson Columbia, Mo. Dear Aaron, Since Mountain Flyer (and most other publications these days) is printed using non-toxic, soy-based inks, the only explanation I can find for your olfactory displeasure is described by an emerging field of science known as Harmonic Chemistry. This is a new field, which includes a combination of insights into ancient Chinese physics,

modern conventional chemistry and musical ratios. It is useful to anyone who wants to gain a new framework for engineering technologies that depend on chemical reactions or, in your case, explain an inauspicious mixing of inert chemicals and harmonic sounds that, when combined, create a toxic brew that can instantly turn brain matter into rotten mush. In other words, the combination of off-gassing from the soy ink, out-gassing from your nether regions (Did you, by chance eat bad Chinese food the night before?) and the harmonic sounds created during the latter are creating a volatile gas. In the future, I recommend you read Mountain Flyer in a wellventilated, acoustically inert facility, lest you risk inadvertently creating an even more noxious brew next time that could possibly trigger instantaneous climate change. –Editor Editor: Thanks so much for the mag. Got my first copy when I stayed with a family out in Crested Butte with my former wife and kids. She liked riding in Crested Butte but not Durango; maybe that’s why she left me. Oh well, more time for trips back out to sleep in my van up on Slate River.

Anyhoo, I go to the local store to pick up the magazine every time it comes out, but I was wondering about stickers and T’s. Have ya’ll thought about making and selling them? I’d get some for sure.

Regardless, I often feel like the “from prison letters” that I read in my surfing mags, as I sit in my office looking at my trail

MAPS!

@ 12

[yourletters] maps on the wall and my copies of Mountain Flyer, looking towards that day I too get paroled “from this job and this urban hell in which I exist.” But right now my duty is to be here for my children till they spread their wings and fly, then I will be back to small town living again. Not an Island of 5K people that I hail from, but a land sandwiched between epic trails and endless green peaks (unless covered in white), not to mention bugs.

Thanks again and I look forward to the day you do T’s and stickers, unless you already do and I’m just clueless.

Which is very possible, as last time I went off to Crested Butte for riding, I came home and the wife was leaving with the kids in tow.

Take care and keep the rubber side down, Ed Turner San Diego, Calif.

Editor: The 10th issue rocked, seriously. I love what you all are doing, everything, pictures, content. The style rocks.

But I am always a bit saddened when I finish an issue. Two things: 1) For some reason, I receive two issues. Now don’t fret, I always pass one along but thought you should know; 2) As far as when issues come out, it seems to me the fall and spring issues should come out about a month earlier than they do, more in prime cycling season. I bet advertisers would like that also.

You seem like the chief cook and bottle washer. Thanks for your efforts.

Lastly, get an atlas and find Flathead Lake in Western Montana. I live on the point of land on the lake called Finley Point. We have great empty singletrack. I would be pleased to show you around.

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jen gersbach 14

Eddie Clark

if you don’t try

by Lizzy Scully

you don’t do

When 29-year-old Jen Gersbach plunges down singletrack, deftly skirting rocks and other obstacles, she’s like an early spring river of snowmelt— focused and flying fast and hard. A former skier, who raced from age six through her early 20s, this professional mountain biker turned to the sport of cycling naturally after she burned out on skiing.

“So many elements translate from ski racing,” Gersbach explains.

“When you’re going downhill, it’s like you’re on a singletrack and you have to pick your lines. You’re always looking ahead at something coming at you very fast.”

Trails and ski slopes aren’t the only things Gersbach moves quickly over.

Since 2003, she has steadily moved up the cycling podium, from placing second at the Collegiate National Championships in Cyclocross U23 in 2003 to winning the 2007 overall National Mountain Bike Series Championships in the downhill/cross-country Super D race to recently winning the 2008 Mountain States Cup Endurance Series in the pro women category.

“The one reason Jen has excelled so quickly is she loves to ride her bike and ride her bike hard,” says Chad Melis of Oskar Blues Brewery, Gersbach’s main sponsor. “Take a look at almost any picture you see of Jen on the bike, and she usually has a big smile on her face, even during the painful pace of the races.”

Gersbach agrees: “I can’t believe this is my life right now.” She credits her family and upbringing for her enjoyment of the outdoors and her competitive successes. Growing up in the small ski town of Vail, Colo., kids just

Eddie Clark

Eddie Clark

“naturally fell into athletics.” And her parents supported her 100 percent. “There was a motto that if you don’t try, you don’t do.”

So Gersbach tries and does. She attends 20 to 30 races per year and is supported by a plethora of sponsors. She’s traveled throughout the United States, and last summer placed third in the World Solo 24 Hours Adrenalin race in Canmore, Canada.

“It was absolutely beautiful,” she says of her new favorite race. “On one section, the course opened up and you could see this huge expanse of mountains. Throughout the race, I could see the sun come up and go down at the same point.”

Racing bikes for her started out as a way to reconnect with nature and have time to think after her father passed away. “It became an escape, and I just fell in love with it.” After a few years, she began to wonder what would happen if she just “put a little more into it. I thought, ‘Where can I go?’” Still, she says, she puts little pressure on herself and is easy-going about racing. In fact, her coach is the first to tell her that she’s too nice.

“I’m chatting with everyone on the starting line versus getting aggressive,” she says with a laugh. However, after five or 10 minutes, “when I realize I can go faster than this, that’s when I’m, like, get out of my way.”

And somewhere around the middle of the race, she begins to disconnect. “I can hear my heart rate, and I can feel the sensations,” she says. “Everything is amplified.

There’s nothing else I’m thinking about except racing, following the line and trying to catch the person in front of me.”

With such a full race and training schedule—she trains year-round and races every weekend from March through September—it’s a wonder Gersbach has time to work full-time for Spot Brand Bikes, a job she’s had for the past year and for which she “wears many hats.” She admits that sometimes it isn’t easy. Working for Spot has allowed her to support a sport she loves, but it’s also been difficult.

“There were days when I would get out of work and I didn’t want to train because it’s bikes all day,” she says.

So this past fall she took a sabbatical from Spot to try her hand at her other love: teaching. She taught French to Vail high school students for six weeks. She currently has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado in French and English. Before working at Spot, she had taught special education and now she is considering attending graduate school for an education degree. If she doesn’t go back to school, she may help Spot with its clothing line or start a small business of her one.

“It’s hard to make decision when you have so many unique things to be a part of,” Gersbach says.

One thing that’s not going to change in the short term is her desire to race. She’s even planning on adding a little spice to her athletic training by incorporating more trail running and swimming. Next year she’d like to do some Xterra races, which combine lake swimming, mountain biking and trail running. And she’ll continue to telemark ski and get involved with more backcountry endeavors.

“I don’t want to ever be a normal person,” she adds. From the look of it, that’s not likely for this dynamic athlete.

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[flyover]

Courtesy of the Black Canyon Trail Coalition

A rider enjoys a piece of Southern Arizona’s award winning 62-mile Black Canyon trail system (left). The trail system now features about 30 continuous miles of singletrack made possible by volunteers, who play a key role in trail construction (right).

Arizona’s Black Canyon Trail Earns National Honor PHOENIX, Ariz.—Though Arizona’s Black Canyon Trail isn’t finished yet, the federal government has already recognized it as one of the nation’s best.

In July, members of the Black Canyon Trail Coalition got word that the Department of the Interior named the trail project as a National Recreation Trail. The coalition officially formed in December 2005 to help turn the centuries-old livestock trail into a multi-use singletrack network stretching 62 miles north to south from the Carefree Highway in Phoenix to the town of Mayer, Ariz., at the base of the Bradshaw Mountains.

“Our focus is to build a really nice trail,” said coalition secretary Bob Cothern. “To have it recognized nationally is a great honor.” Cothern organizes volunteers and oversees the group’s website, www.bctaz.org.

The award is a sign that the Black Canyon Trail is among the nation’s “best of the best,” said Arizona State Parks trail coordinator Annie McVay. The coalition owes its success to dedicated volunteers—mountain bikers, hikers, equestrians and offhighway vehicles users—working toward a common goal, she said. Only eight other trails in the state share the National Recreation Trail distinction.

Mountain bikers play a key role in the trail’s construction, Cothern said. He estimates they comprise 75 percent of the volunteer base. He sends emails to about 130 people when he’s 16

seeking trail workers. Some trail-building sessions attract up to 45 volunteers.

The system will include several loops, such as the Little Pan and Boy Scout loops, bringing the total singletrack mileage to about 80. Eventually, the network will grow to 10 trailheads from the three current trailheads and one undeveloped access point. The network now features about 30 continuous miles of singletrack, Cothern said. The entire 62 miles is rideable, but the remainder is still doubletrack and jeep roads. Cothern estimates that singletrack will run the full length of the trail in five to seven years. He also hopes to link it to the Arizona Trail, a network being built by the Maricopa County government and the Prescott National Forest trails.

Cooperation among user groups and government agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management and the National Forest Service has been exemplary, Cothern explained.

Their help won over many skeptical volunteers who worried that government bureaucracy might hamper the trail’s creation.

BLM official Rich Hanson prepared the application for the National Recreation Trail designation, and BLM supplies a paid crew three to four weeks per trail-building season.

The International Mountain Bicycling Association has also been essential, supplying volunteers and expertise, Cothern said. –J. Schmid

Photo courtesy of City of Albuquerque

Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez checks out a prototype Q-bike like one of hundreds that are scheduled to grace the Duke City’s transportation corridor next spring.

Duke City Bike Fleet will Add Mobility ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—If all goes according to plan, bike use in Albuquerque should begin to bloom this spring like the native yucca flowers.

City officials are preparing to ink a deal with Clear Channel Outdoor for a fleet of 420 to 600 smartbikes—or Q-bikes as they’ll be known in Albuquerque—available in 25 kiosks throughout the city’s public transportation corridor starting in spring 2009.

Cyclists will pay a nominal fee to borrow a bike from a kiosk. Clear Channel intends to fund the service by selling advertising on the kiosks and bikes. Commuters who ride the bus or use New Mexico’s Roadrunner commuter rail service will be able to hop on a Q-bike and connect to a different mode of mass transportation or mosey into work or shopping using Albuquerque’s ever-growing network of bike trails.

Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez said the Q-bike program is a natural addition for the city, which has outfitted its buses with bike racks, installed more than 300 bike lockers throughout the city with 50 more being added each year and begun an education initiative designed to promote greater harmony between cyclists and motorists. These efforts, combined with an enthusiasm by citizens for fitness and riding bikes, has helped earn the Duke City a reputation as one of the top bike-friendly cities in America.

“Last year, Men’s Fitness magazine rated Albuquerque the fittest city in America,” said Chavez, who sets an example for residents by exercising up to five times a week, often riding his bicycle on the city’s picturesque Paseo del Bosque Trail. “We rank in the top 10 among bikeable trail communities in the nation. We set aside one percent of our road monies for bicycle trails.”

Chavez said the Q-bike program is expected to be the largest of its kind in the country.

In addition to promoting general health and wellbeing among residents, reducing wear and tear on city streets and minimizing the city’s carbon footprint, Mayor Chavez said he’s pleased to help promote cycling because it’s just plain fun.

“There are just a whole lot of folks who are bicycle commuters in Albuquerque,” Chavez said. “I think we’re going to take to this Q-bike program very, very quickly.” –J. Rickman 17

[flyover]

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TAOS, N.M.—Taos Charter After receiving the unexpectSchool has added bicycling ed windfall, Van Nevel worked as an activity to its physical with local bike shop Taos Cyclery education classes thanks to a to fix up the existing bikes and donation from Los Alamos purchase two additional ones, as National Bank. well as tools, a work stand, one Teacher Brian Van gallon of slime, a couple dozen inner tubes, chain lube, five pumps Nevel had inherited nearly a and a dozen helmets—the necesdozen bikes for use by the sary ingredients for many happy school, but the school hours on bikes for many happy lacked the resources to get kids. Van Nevel said the eighth them up and running. After graders were stoked to have bikes hearing about the school’s to ride, as evident by a photo taken dilemma through a forum just before some much anticipated post written on the Photo courtesy of Taos Charter School saddle time. mtbr.com website by a parent of a Taos Charter School Taos Charter School students and teacher Brian Van Nevel get excited Taos Charter School is student, Mountain Flyer staff about the day’s lesson. located a short distance away from the trailhead of Taos’ celebrated members decided to help.

South Boundary Trail. If Van They obtained some leftover Nevel has his way and kids get hooked on cycling instead of funding from a former mountain biking event that had been sponsored by Los Alamos National Bank and sent it to the other less wholesome pursuits, expect to see the next generation of mountain bikers on the trails around Taos in school. Since the funding had been intended for use, in part, to the near future. –J. Rickman help encourage kids to ride bikes, it seemed like a natural fit.

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Colorado Trail Record Shattered Despite Really Late Start NEDERLAND, Colo.—Just two weeks after the “official” running of the Colorado Trail Race (CTR) this summer, Owen Murphy of Nederland, Colo., set out on the same 530-mile course, which traverses the Colorado Rockies from Denver to Durango, Colo., for a solo, selfsupported independent time trial of his own.

Astonishingly, Murphy rolled across the finish line at the Junction Creek trailhead near Durango four days, eight hours and 45 minutes later, breaking the existing record by more than 18 hours.

The CTR is an open challenge, organized in accordance with the customary ethics of modern underground ultra-distance events. The CTR website, www.climbingdreams.net/ctr, has information about the course, ethical guidelines for the event and past and present solo, unsupported course records. In addition, the website loosely organizes an annual “recommended start date” for the CTR. “You can start the event with the group if you like but the race itself is ongoing,” said the website’s host, who prefers to remain anonymous. “Racers can make a go at it anytime and report their finish times on the website. It’s based on the honor system, and the integrity of the CTR depends on the participants’ commitment to the ethics and guidelines.”

As reported in Mountain Flyer Issue 10, the 2008 CTR saw a record 23 starters who set out on July 28. The competition drove Ethan Passant and second-place finisher Jay Shelman to push each other throughout the course, and Passant’s final time of five days, two hours and 26 minutes set a new record—seemingly unbeatable. Then came Murphy, who set out on August 11.

“I really wanted to line up with the rest of the CTR racers, but just couldn’t get it together in time,” said Murphy, who is no stranger to the Colorado Trail. “I rode it last summer and absolutely fell in love with it. No other trail in the country offers up quite the same backcountry experience. After hearing about the race, my competitive side took root.”

“I used to race in circles on the NORBA circuit,” said Murphy regarding his competitive side. “I’ve also done a few 100-mile races over the years. After sitting on my thumbs for a while, the CTR just seemed like the next best thing.”

There are few set training programs for a 530-mile, self-supported time trial so Murphy took a utilitarian approach to prepare: he commuted to work on his bike.

“Once the snow melted off in May, I began commuting from my home in Nederland to work in Boulder. It’s a 20plus mile trip each way with 3,000 feet of elevation change,” said Murphy. “A few months of that combined with a week of intense riding around British Columbia in early July was apparently good enough prep for the CTR.” To set the course record, Murphy packed extremely light. “I rode a Niner MCR, steel hardtail. I opted out of carrying a stove, tent and water filter,” he said.

“Instead, I relied on convenience stores and Clif Bloks, a lightweight sleeping bag and chlorine dioxide droplets. I slept four to five hours per night.”

But setting the record is only an afterthought. Completing the CTR self-supported is all about the experience.

“The only real scares were a couple of massive piles of bear crap and a few hidden rocks. Otherwise there were lots of incredible views, clouds, hawks, elk herds and stars,” Murphy said. “I met some great people, too. No matter if they were hikers, bikers, horse riders or motos, it was always a joy to stumble across another smiling face in the middle of nowhere.

Some people were out for weeks, others for months. The Colorado Trail can be a lot of different things to a lot of different people. It really is a beautiful gift.”

The honor system is golden, but for the record Murphy carried a GPS SPOT unit and posted his progress online at http://vimeo.com/1547400 just in case anyone had any doubts. It’s a good thing because riding 530 miles, self-supported, off road with 60,000 feet of elevation gain in four and half days is almost unbelievable. –B. Riepe 19

a

dog in a hat

An excerpt from the book by Joe Parkin After a chance meeting with road racer Bob Roll, who at the time had just returned from racing in Europe with the 7-Eleven pro team in 1987, an aspiring young racer from California named Joe Parkin took Roll’s haphazard advice to take a pass on domestic bike racing.

Instead Parkin packed his bags and moved to Belgium to immerse himself in Europe’s impossibly cruel and hard-wrought racing scene.

According to Roll, time spent suffering the intrepidly cold rains, brutal crosswinds and endlessly difficult races of Belgium was a surefire road to success in the pro ranks. Parkin went on to become one of the first Americans to infiltrate European racing and even be accepted, at least by some, as one of them.

A Dog in a Hat is the true story of Parkin’s adventures in Europe.

Reading it will make any one of us who ever raced bikes wish we had the audacity to do what Parkin did. The following excerpts highlight Parkin’s experiences racing the Paris Roubaix and the Tour de Suisse.

If I could relive one period of the past, it would be my first full season as a pro in 1988. It was by no means the greatest year of my life, or of my career—but it was pivotal, and it was fascinating. I was starting to gain some wisdom as a racer but had absolutely no road-weariness yet. I was still learning what the hell I was doing and consequently made way too many rookie mistakes.

At that point in my career, I believed I could be the next Lucien van Impe. I had already figured out that my chances of ever wearing yellow in Paris were slim, but I was still holding on to my dream of wearing the polka dots there. I also wanted a chance to do the small stage races in Italy, Spain, and France Paris-Roubaix was the first bike race I had ever seen on TV. As I’d watched the mud-soaked riders trying to kill each other while at the same time trying to stay upright on their bikes, I had thought it looked like the hardest race in the world. When I had raced Paris-Roubaix as an amateur, I had entered the Roubaix Velodrome in the second group, sprinting for 7th through 15th places. After 225 km, two flat tires, two crashes, and a broken wheel, I crossed into the velodrome at the front of my group. The problem was that I had never been on a track before and didn’t know how to handle the banking. Going into the first turn, I drifted high and was able to regain my composure only after everyone had passed me. I got one place back. On my ride the 20

next day, I went 10 km out of the way just to avoid a 200-meter stretch of small cobblestones.

As we sat in the hotel restaurant the night before my first Paris-Roubaix with the professionals, Roger de Vlaeminck struck up a conversation with Florent van Vaerenberg [team director].

De Vlaeminck was sort of the Steve McQueen of Belgian bike racers. Although most of his generation had gotten bloated and out of shape, De Vlaeminck had stayed fit and still carried himself with the assurance of the star he was. He was then and always will be “Mr. Paris-Roubaix,” having won the race four times. I had some personal interest in Roger because my position on the bike was often compared to his.

Shortly into their conversation, he looked over at me and asked Florent, “And what with the American here?”

“Zijn eerste keer,” Florent said, sniggering. His first time.

“Hij zal t’ morgen wel weten.” Tomorrow he’ll know. De Vlaeminck smiled at me in such a way that I felt a need to check my pocket to make sure my wallet wasn’t missing.

There are a few things in the world that cannot be adequately described with words or pictures. The hell that is Paris-Roubaix is one of them. Standing next to a top fuel dragster or funny car as it launches down the quarter-mile is another. I have done both, so whenever someone I know has the opportunity to see ParisRoubaix or a professional drag race, I try my best to explain what they will see. No matter how much I gyrate and gesture, no matter how I string together words to describe what they will experience, I always get the same story upon their return: “You wouldn’t believe it!” They then proceed to explain it to me, just as inadequately.

The 1988 Paris-Roubaix was the infamous long-breakaway year that saw two lesser-known pros, Dirk Demol and Thomas Wegmüller, sprinting for the win. I was in a small breakaway that got absorbed right at the moment that the winning breakaway left the peloton. It was so early in the race that the team leaders weren’t concerned with the group that was going up the road.

That was their mistake.

At 10 km out, Werner Wieme, the 28-year-old neopro I was riding in with, and I were told that Demol had just won. It was rough to think that going into the Arenberg forest I had still been with the main group and could have been racing for at least some TV time. Instead, a rookie mistake in leaving the long section of cobblestones there had relegated me to a group that was looking forward to quitting at the second feed zone. The breakaway in front was trying to stay away. The group I had been in at the start of the Wallers section of cobblestones was now racing to catch the leaders, and I, due to my own stupidity, was rolling along with a group of guys who were so happy to be rid of the torture ahead that they were telling jokes. When we rolled up to the last feed zone I expected to climb into the car with the rest of them.

“Come, Joo,” Wieme said, and I felt a hand on my back. “You come with me to the finish? It is maybe my only time.” I had raced with him a few times with the amateurs.

“Ja, okay,” I replied and started pedaling again.

He went on to explain that after all of the years he had spent racing with the amateurs, waiting for his chance in the big classics, he would do his best to at least finish those that he started.

With that, he reached into his pocket, grabbed a sawed-off 3cc syringe, and jabbed the needle through his shorts into his leg.

As an amateur the year before, I had been actually racing at

this point, counting down each section of cobblestones and doing my best to win. Now I was just rolling along, not in contention for anything at all. If anything, the marked sections of cobblestones were even more unbearable in this capacity because we were subjected to the jeers of a crowd that had been there for hours. The European fans didn’t care that we both wanted to check something off our goals list. To them we were the clown show that existed only to be heckled. It was the only race I ever finished partially covered in beer.

But we did finish. We pedaled all the way to the finish line in front of La Redoute’s headquarters in Roubaix. My partner even put his hand on my back before the line to thank me and let me know that he wanted to be the last rider across the line today. For my efforts, I was officially the youngest rider to finish the race (21) and was awarded a 1,000-French-francs prime (about $165 at the time). I am still waiting to receive that check.

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I warmed up for the prologue of the Tour de Suisse in the streets of Basel. I had absolutely no delusions of winning anything; I just wanted to make it through this first test with as little pain as possible. I rolled around, looking at the buildings and watching the time so I would not come to the start line too late. I found Switzerland to be very interesting. I had already seen a bunch of heroin addicts lying on the steps of an old building.

They were a great diversion from the prologue I was about to do.

For the first few days in Switzerland, my severe lack of form was clearly displayed each night in the results. I was losing time every day to the leaders. The Tour de Suisse is not the easiest race in the world to ride, and in fact, many Tour de France hopefuls stay away from it, fearing its climbs are severe enough and stages long enough to hurt their chances in France. I was losing time even before we reached the real climbs, though, and sweating like a pig. Unexpectedly, on stage 2, my teammate Luc Roosen won the stage to take the race lead and put on the yellow jersey. My form was about to change overnight.

A yellow jersey has magical powers. The entire team becomes stronger as soon as that team has to defend it. For the first time all season, I had a defined purpose. My job was to control the race from the front of the peloton. That meant that for the time being, I was to go with any group that tried to break away. I was not trying to actually escape with them; I was trying only to keep the race together. If one or two guys got away, I would immediately start riding on the front of the field, towing it along at a comfortable speed, hoping it would be content with the free ride it was getting. A small group could have 4 or 5 minutes if it was no threat to the race lead. As soon as those riders bumped up against that 4-minute mark, though, I would up the tempo to match theirs so that things did not get out of hand.

There are very few flat roads in Switzerland, but the race did not become brutal until stage 6, which was the hardest stage— the queen’s stage, as the Flemish call it. The start and finish were basically at sea level, but there were three major climbs we had to endure, each topping out at or above 9,000 feet. The little graphic of the course we got in the envelope with our numbers looked like an electrocardiogram chart. The stage was also long, officially close to 241 km.

In fact, it was longer than that. The Union Cycliste International (UCI), cycling’s governing body, had imposed limits

on the length of stage races to get rid of the monster stages of years past; stages could run no longer than 260 km (roughly 160 miles). The Tour de Suisse organizers found a loophole and reached the point-to-point distance they wanted by neutralizing 50 km at the start of the stage. Since we weren’t racing at that point, the distance didn’t count, even though we still had to pedal it at more than 32 kph.

Roosen was not riding at the front and missed a big split that had some serious contenders in it. I was already at the front and was forcing the pace to chase the break as best I could, along with Rudy Patry. The rest of the guys showed up in a hurry, and we began closing down the breakaway. We rode as hard as we were able, sprinting past each other as if we were in the last few kilometers of a race we were trying to win.

It took more than a few kilometers, but we caught the breakaway just as the road started upward onto the first major climb of the day. We weren’t even 100 km into a 250-km stage, and it was clear that everything was going to split up here. The group that formed behind the race, the one that several of my teammates and I found ourselves joining, was at least a hundred riders strong. I was happy with that because with these numbers we would surely stay within the time limit.

The road kept climbing forever. Guys in our group were stopping along the road to fill their bottles with water running off the sides of the hills. I ate what I could and drank whenever possible but was still struggling even with the leisurely uphill pace. As we neared the top of the first climb, I noticed many of the riders starting to move themselves toward the front of the group, almost as if they were preparing for a king-of-the-mountains sprint. I didn’t worry about it and crested the mountain about halfway through the group. Our pace down the long descent was amazing! The roads in Switzerland are smooth and well designed, and they’re banked like a racetrack. It was easy to go fast. Every time the road dropped downhill, our group took time out of the leaders.

I suffered through the next climb with this group and fought for a place near the front for the descent. When the road flattened out at the bottom I started to come apart. With 80-some km still to go before the finish, this was a bad thing. I also discovered that we were in the neighborhood of 20 minutes down on the leaders.

With one big climb still to go, this deficit was surely not going to shrink. I started doing the math in my head, trying to figure out how many minutes I had left to lose. I am no mathematician, but the sum I came up with did not look good.

The road pitched upward again, and I slid toward the back of the group, fighting to stay with it. I started to lose this grip just as we neared the final feed zone of the day. Fons was there, and I was able to get a musette bag from him. In my weakened state, the two water bottles, can of Coke, and various foil-wrapped food items were hard to fight with, but I took on everything anyway, swapping the bottles in the bag for what was already on the bike and shoving the rest in my jersey pockets.

I rode for a while before going at the food, hoping the rest of the guys would slow down a bit and eat. Perhaps they did, but the pace still felt hard. I opened the Coke and drank as much as I could. I reached into another pocket and grabbed some food.

When you’re fighting with the bike and the pace set by others, the only technique that works for unwrapping these things is to squeeze them in the general direction of your face and hope that 21

at least some of the pacesetter, a giant contents make it inside metronome, and hung your mouth. I fought on to his tempo as long with a couple of the as I could. I crossed the wrapped goodies line about a minute before refocusing my behind him and about stare on the back of the 40 minutes behind the group. I fished my stage winner, but within hand into my middle the time cut. pocket, where I kept Climbing the steps the course graphic, to to my hotel room took try to figure out exacta while. I had two ly where we were in roommates that night, relation to the last both of whom had climb of the day. I was already showered and hoping for some sort were ready to get their of reprieve in the form massages. I sat on the Photo originally published in Winning magazine of a descent before the bed and worked at getmountain, but there Joe Parkin (third from right) wears the Stars ’n’ Stripes jersey, representing the USA at the ting my shoes off. My was nothing like that on 1988 World Championships in Renaix, Belgium. gut was distended from the card. the horrific recovery Just as we started the last climb, Fons rolled up in the second drink I had been handed at the finish, but I was still hungry. I team car. He was done with the feed, and, like the rest of the fished through my pockets, pulling out everything in search of soigneurs, he would be using the same roads we did to get to the anything that was still good enough to eat. I removed squished finish line. little sandwiches and pastries from the foil wrap and gobbled “How is it, boy?” he asked. He already knew the answer by what I could like a bulimic on a binge, but with the confused my position on the bike. determination of a junkie right after a shot of heroin. My room“Slecht, Fons,” I answered without turning my head. mates had thrown their food into the trash can, which was what He opened a can of Coke and handed it to me. He then start- we typically did, since the food in our pockets was usually a ed pushing me a little, giving me a chance to drink some of it as mashed smear of glop after a race. I moved over to the trash can well as giving my legs a little reprieve. When I’d finished what I and attacked their castoffs. could, I grabbed the doorpost of Fons’s car. He brought the speed I woke to the sound of Dr. Janssen’s voice and his hand on up a bit, and I slung myself off it as hard as I could. I was back my shoulder, trying to get me to wake up. I was still in my race with the group, but the day was far from over. We were about 5 clothing, lying on the floor amid a pile of foil wrappers from the km into a climb that was 50 km long and would get steeper at food I’d pulled out of the trash. the top.

“This is not so good,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone. “I’ll be By the time we made it to within 10 km of the summit, our right back.” group had detonated into dozens of little pieces. Many of the ridHe had been with us at the Tour de Suisse for a number of ers had still been fresh when we had gotten to the mountain and days and had been carefully monitoring our blood levels, checkwere already several kilometers ahead of the stragglers. I was no ing them with a finger-prick first thing in the morning and then longer in what one could consider a group, but there were still again after the stage. riders in my general vicinity. Within the 5-km-to-go mark, Jos He returned within minutes with a bottle of Intralipid and Haex was able to swipe a bottle of beer from one of the many suggested it would be in my best interest to have an injection. He fans that were still dotting the side of the road. Jos laughed and handed me the bottle so I could see it was exactly what he said it swerved away from the fans, holding the bottle of beer high was and then explained that it would give me a boost of what above his head like some sort of trophy before taking a drink. was essentially fat. He explained that the best thing for my body I went over the top of the mountain not far from Sean Yates. at that point was this easily assimilated form of calories. He asked This was a great place to be because Sean was not only one of the if I had any questions. I didn’t, so he drew about 30 cc into a fastest cyclists in the world on a mountain descent but one of the large needle and shot it into my arm. strongest time trial riders too. At the bottom of the long descent The next morning we prepared for another long stage. The we would still have to pedal some 10 km of flat road, and the use of Intralipid was new in professional cycling, so we had no clock was ticking. Unfortunately, Sean got going a little bit faster idea how my legs would react. I suited up early and, despite my over the top than I did, so I was stuck two bike lengths behind body’s protestations, went for a ride. I was staring down the barhim for the entire drop to the bottom. My guess is that Sean was rel at another 257 km of racing, and I needed to know what I was about 20 pounds heavier than I was. I sprinted to keep up, trying going to feel like at the start. It was a flat stage, and all of the to get inside his slipstream, but could not close the little gap. I guys who were out of contention would be looking to be part of a thought for sure he would take a breather once we hit the botlong breakaway attempt. My legs felt fine, and I was surprised to tom, but with his big diesel engine warmed up, he just kept time be so fully recovered. trialing his way to the finish. I was only able to use him as a José told me to stay off the front for a while because he 22

thought the race would control itself. I disagreed, but didn’t mind hiding, so I did as I was told. The peloton did remain whole at the start, despite some breakaway attempts, but just shy of the 100-km mark a group of about sixteen riders went clear. I was at the back when it happened, talking with José. The group contained several riders who posed a serious threat to the jersey if we did not react.

I went to the front and began to set tempo. The wind was blowing hard, straight into my face, which was favorable for us since the riders in the breakaway would probably not want to kill themselves. I was using a fairly small gear by chase standards, a 53x16. The breakaway held steady, never getting farther away than a minute and 15 seconds or so. I assume they had some dissension in the ranks because I actually started to take a few seconds out of their lead.

Ludo Voeten, our team’s business manager, had just arrived from Holland and was riding in the car. Ludo was no fan of mine, but the excitement of his first day in the leader’s follow car apparently transcended his ill feelings. José came to the front at one point to yell some updates at me, and Ludo was screaming like a soccer hooligan, alternately banging his fist on the side of the car and waving it in the air.

“You’re taking them back!” he screamed.

I didn’t know whether to laugh or hide.

My teammates joined me, and we began to actively chase down the breakaway. I did what I could but was definitely not the strongest of our chase that day. We caught the breakaway and again assumed command of the race, everyone staying at or near

the front. Rudy Patry and I continued the lion’s share of the work, but everyone else was right there to jump in for a turn at the front from time to time.

I rode on the front until just inside 10 km to go, when the race heated up as the sprinters started thinking about stage wins.

At this point I slid all the way to the back and stayed there until the finish at Lake Geneva. I had lost no time for the day and was pleased to be at the finish line with the rest of my teammates.

Even so, I could hardly get off my bike or walk. I had survived another massive stage and dictated its tempo for more than half of it. Luc Roosen thanked me for my efforts and took my bike to give to the mechanic. We still had three stages left to go, but we had successfully put our mark on the race.

On the final stage, the race opened with a flurry of activity, with attacks coming at us like crazy. Patry and I held a fast tempo, chasing down all of the attacks. It was as though we had earned the right to be the first two riders on the road that day— as if we were the ones in charge. At one point we had raised the tempo so high that José came up and told us to calm it down. We grudgingly let some guys go, which probably hurt more than the physical pain we were inflicting upon ourselves.

The rest was anticlimactic. My teammate Luc Roosen won the Tour de Suisse after some fifty hours in the saddle. I was in the showers when he took the top step on the podium. The Tour de Suisse is no Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, or Vuelta a España, but it’s at the very top of the list in the next tier of races. Helping a teammate win it stands as one of the proudest moments in my cycling career.

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photographs by eddie clark

Photographer: Eddie Clark Rider: Adam Hevenor Location: Boulder, Colo.

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Photographer: Eddie Clark Event: Pro Men, 2008 USA Criterium finals Location: Las Vegas, Nev. 29

Photographer: Eddie Clark Rider: Lance Armstrong Event: ’Cross Vegas 2008 30

Photographer: Eddie Clark Rider: Judy Freeman Location: Boulder, Colo.

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photographs by devon balet

Photographer: Devon Balet Rider: Graham Agassi Location: Virgin, Utah 33

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Photographer: Devon Balet Rider: Unknown Event: Mountain States Cup G3, Sol Vista, Colo.

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Photographer: Devon Balet Rider: Eli Krahenbuhl Event: Mountain States Cup No. 5, Snowmass, Colo.

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Photographer: Devon Balet Rider: Curt Clementson Event: Mountain States Cup No. 6, Sol Vista, Colo.

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photographs by james rickman

Photographer: James E. Rickman Rider: Jamas Stiber Event: Red Bull Burner, Angel Fire Resort, N.M. 39

Photographer: James E. Rickman Rider: Billy Mantle Event: Red Bull Burner, Angel Fire Resort, N.M. 40

James Rickman

Photographer: James E. Rickman Riders: Mike Pease, left, and Hawke Morgan Event: New Mexico Cyclocross Series No. 4, Santa Fe, N.M. 41

Photographer: James E. Rickman Riders: Mario Martinez, front, and Dave Kerr Event: New Mexico Cyclocross Series No. 3, Albuquerque, N.M. 42

Photographer: James E. Rickman Rider: Mike Raney Event: New Mexico Cyclocross Series No. 4, Santa Fe, N.M. 43

photographs by andrew wilz

Photographer: Andrew Wilz Rider: Sean Shuman Location: Evergreen, Colo.

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Photographer: Andrew Wilz Rider: Randy Spangler Location: Jim and Tammy’s yard, Boulder, Colo.

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Photographer: Andrew Wilz Rider: Nick Simcik Location: Grand Junction, Colo.

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Photographer: Andrew Wilz Rider: Nick Simcik Location: Carbondale, Colo.

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photographs by xavier fane

Photographer: Xavier Fane Event: 24 Hours of Moab Location: Moab, Utah 49

Photographer: Xavier Fane Rider: Jari Kirkland Event: 2008 24 Hours of Moab 50

Photographer: Xavier Fane Rider: Josh Tostado Event: 2008 24 Hours of Moab 51

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photographs by ed ellinger

Photographer: Ed Ellinger Event: 2008 Crested Butte Classic Location: Deer Creek Trail, Crested Butte, Colo.

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the fifth annual crested butte classic Photographer: Ed Ellinger Event: 2008 Crested Butte Classic Location: Deer Creek Trail, Crested Butte, Colo.

By Dave Ochs With epic snowfall early in the year, the 2008 CB Classic didn’t seem likely to take place during the usual second week in July, which seemed more like a spring thaw at the time. So the threeloop 100-mile race moved to Sept. 27. September can be a gamble with white fluffy skiable stuff, but it could also have a day with Aspen trees and quaking yellow goodness, the crisp smell of fall in the air and soft tracks waiting to be tread on.

It started just as you’d hope, a beautiful fall day and a record 108 people laying down the good vibes. The neutral roll out had people introducing themselves, telling stories, and chatting along, until we hit dirt and then…game on.

In the end for the men, it was Ethan Passant, three-time winner of the Classic, and R.B. Bathje, who came out of double secret training and in top form, chasing him down, with eventual winner Ben Preston riding smart and keeping tabs, but not wasting the energy, close behind.

Before it was over, deep sky noises in the distance spelled out 54

a certain gloom to come. By the time rain hit, near hypothermia was running rampant. Despite folks at the Brick Oven, the staging point and final destination, helping out, only 27 of the 90 solo starters finished. Damn hearty folk.

Two of the 13 women starters rallied through it and really made for the most exciting women's race yet. Dawn Passant gave Jari Kirkland, the favorite, a run for her money, and came in from the second loop in first place. They both suffered through the worst of the weather, and Kirkland got to the Brick Oven first, with Passant close behind.

The fact that most starters didn't finish the last loop didn’t hinder spirits at the Brick Oven deck, where Big Ted was throwing in his usual Avery Brewing support with three tasty malt beverages for the riders and the weather retreating for some good September, down-coat-wearin’, wool-hat-toppin’, heat-lamp-providin’ Brick Oven deck fun. In the end, the weather made it all the more memorable. Nothing penetrates the soul like extreme suffering.

images from the boulder cup 2008

UCI racing brings top pros to boulder BUT THAT’S ONLY PART OF THE STORY

By Brian Riepe The burgeoning cyclocross scene in Boulder is reaping benefits for not only pro racers but for everyday cyclists, the city, its businesses and beyond.

Rounds five and six of the North American Cyclocross Trophy brought UCI-sanctioned racing to Boulder, Colo., on Nov. 1 and 2, 2008. The event packed in a reported 3,300 fans.

“The growth of ’cross in Boulder and nationally is tough to explain because it’s really such a bizarre activity in that it exists almost entirely for racing,” said Pete Webber, who works as special projects manager for the International Mountain Bike Association.

“It’s had steady growth over the last 15 years, and our local events are drawing around 600 participants. People like ’cross because it’s exciting and convenient for both participants and spectators.”

Boulder’s enthusiasm for ’cross is notable on several fronts. For one, the popularity of the races has spiked just in time to help justify the need for the proposed Valmont Bike Park, a progressive urban bike park that Webber is helping make a reality. (For more information, see Fly Over in Mountain Flyer’s Issue Number 10 or visit www.valmontbikepark.com.)

The City of Boulder recognized the need for the Valmont Bike Park, contributing the 45 acres of land for the bike park and entering into a public-private partnership to raise the funds and develop the park’s planned ’cross track, mountain bike trails and jump areas.

“City officials were able to attend the local ’cross races and see the large numbers of participants and it helped them understand why The following seven pages offer inspiring images from the Boulder Cup cyclocross races, held in November in Boulder, Colo. The pro and amateur races displayed the growing regional passion for the fall and winter sport, attracting more than 3,000 fans and racers.

Cyclocross offers a perfect recipe for a positive amateur racing experience.

“Cross is like a race in a suitcase,” said Brandon Dwight, owner of Boulder Cycle Sport bike shop. “Races are easy to get to, relatively easy to organize and offer healthy growth for regional bicycle businesses.”

With beer gardens and barbecue grills lining the racecourses, ’cross is fun for spectators as well. If Boulder’s passion for ’cross continues to spread throughout the Rocky Mountain Region, it will be good for all of us.

we would need a purpose-built facility for cycling events,” said Webber. “Passion for ’cross drove public support and involvement for the Valmont Bike Park.”

Boulder’s ’cross scene is hyper-competitive and even the amaEddieraces Clark teur categories are tough matches. The fast and furious gave fans all the action they’ve come to expect. The amateur categories allowed everyday cyclists to try out a racing experience. Many of the fans joined the fray, racing as amateurs earlier in the day and cheering for the pros or friends and family in races later on.

The local cyclocross scene and its growing popularity is also a boon for bike stores in the region.

“The growing popularity of ’cross has extended our retail season late into the fall,” said Brandon Dwight of Boulder Cycle Sport.

Cross bikes require customers to learn new riding skills and mechanical skills, like gluing on a tubular tire or modifying their bikes for the specific courses. “We offer clinics and sell a lot of ’cross-specific equipment. It helps our customers get involved and helps sustain our business.”

The impact cyclocross has for retail sales also spreads back to local and regional manufacturers.

“The growth in ’cross has definitely helped grow our sales in that category,” said John Cariveau of Moots Cycles in Steamboat Springs. Colo.

“Similarly to what we saw with 29er bikes a few years ago, at first people bought low-end 29er bikes to see if they really liked them, then they got hooked and started ordering custom 29ers,” said Cariveau, who also races ’cross. “Now people who purchased lowend ’cross bikes a few years ago are upgrading to nicer bikes, and we’re seeing more sales.”

Dwight and others passionate about the scene would like to see an organized statewide series similar to one in Oregon where some ’cross races get nearly 1,500 competitors.

“Currently we have a lot of individual ’cross series in Boulder, Denver, Colorado Springs and Golden,” said Dwight. “If we had an official state or regional series, it would help the promoters get even more people to the races.”

With the City of Boulder’s contributions and the growing enthusiasm in the ’cross scene, these fall and winter events may continue to spread throughout the Rocky Mountain region.

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Photographer: Brian Riepe Rider: Kelli Emmett Event: 2008 Boulder Cup

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Photographer: Brian Riepe Rider: Travis Brown Event: 2008 Boulder Cup 57

Photographer: Devon Balet Rider: Nat Ross Event: 2008 Boulder Cup

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Photographer: Brian Riepe Rider: Bobby Noyes Event: 2008 Boulder Cup

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Photographer: Peter Wayne Riders: Heather Irmiger (left) and Kelly Barnholt Event: 2008 Boulder Cup

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Photographer: Brian Riepe Rider: Tim Johnson Event: 2008 Boulder Cup

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Photographer: Brian Riepe Riders: Conor Mullervy (left) and Logan Garey Event: 2008 Boulder Cup

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photos: Bob Brazell

CUSTOM HOMES & RENOVATIONS JOHNNY BIGGERS 970-349-5990 / CELL 970-209-3261 cbbuilders@crestedbutte.net / crestedbuttebuilders.com 63

getting your

James Rickman

tour of the white mountains

RECOMMENDED DAILY allowance of SINGLETRACK

By James Rickman Some 20 miles into the 13th annual Tour of the White Mountains, just as I was feeling really good about the flow I had captured through an extremely challenging three-mile technical section, I felt my pedals seize up. A rock had torn my derailleur clean off the bike. The crippled contraption was now well woven into the back wheel, which was skidding dumbly through the dangerous terrain.

On the bright side, as I sat in the dirt fixing my bike, the sun came out. It was the first break in the slate-gray clouds since the start of the race. I might have let the warmth lull me into a false sense of security had I not trusted my own gut instinct that the rains would come at exactly 3 p.m. So I continued repairing the bike with the same urgency I had shown on the rocky climbs and descents that led to my current predicament while continuing to deliver friendly how do you do’s to the steady stream of passing cyclists, several of whom flew over the bars before my very eyes.

Back on my bike 45 minutes later, I was again enjoying the fantastic trails. The White Mountains offer some of the best singletrack in the West. Here at 7,000 feet in the mountains of east-central Arizona, I found myself threading in and out of the trees, enjoying myself immensely despite the dull ache that had settled into my 64

butt and hamstrings. The rocky section had been an anomaly. My riding partner and I chirped out cheeriness to one another as we rode, trying to forget that we had now entered unknown territory— surpassing any previous distance or time spent on a bike in one sitting.

The winds began blowing with three miles left in our 37-mile ride, but we heard music off in the distance, perhaps the start the post-ride festivities. The promise of barbecue and beer instead of the god-awful gels and energy bars we had been eating all day gave us the strength to press on.

We struggled into a fierce headwind the last mile to the finish.

Fifteen minutes later, in line with my prediction, the rains came.

Soon after that the trails became unrideable, forcing some people to abandon their bikes and slog back on foot.

The band got off a few songs before the rain started, so we balanced our beers with plates of barbecue beef and beans back to our vehicle. The car’s heater took away the deep chill that had settled into our bones and we drove out just before the road became impassable.

The 13th annual Tour of the White Mountains was incredibly fun and we’ll be back next year to do it all over again.

Gloria M. Beim, M.D.

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Mountain States [photocontest] From the 1,000-yard stare etched on a racer’s face to the rooster tail of dirt kicked out the back as a rider exits a turn, photographs record the essence of the movement, grace, vitality and even suffering of our sport. We asked you to let us see the Mountain States Cup through your eyes, and the visions we saw through your lens has ignited our passion for trail, bike and rider.

Next year, we’ll make the contest even bigger so keep your finger on the shutter.

Left: Photographer: Jeanne Pastor Title: Contemplation About the Image: I shot this just after Kaila Hart (Durango DEVO) finished third in the Junior Women category in the Snowmass super-D race. She had won the Junior Sport/Beginner Women cross-country category the day before, so I think she was just contemplating it all.

Below: Photographer: Yosei Ikeda Title: Race Day About the Image: I shot this image of Zach Griffith at Blast the Mass in Snowmass, Colo.

I only made a few minor adjustments to the image along with some high pass filters.

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[photocontest]

Photographer: Mike Kane Title: An Epic Battle About the Image: I shot Junior Expert category racers Jill Behlen (left) and Alicia-Rose Pastore battling high above Rim Trail at the Rabbit Valley Rampage.

Photographer: Kathy Brooks Title: The Origins of Mountain Bike Racing About the Image: I remember taking this photo while exploring the town of Crested Butte just before watching the local crazies finish the chainless bike race with booze, abrasions and much laughter.

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Headset Spacer Bottle Opener

Available Online

www.ahrensbicycles.com

ONE AT A TIME

TITANIUM AND STEEL ROAD, MTB AND CROSS FRAMES

FROM START TO FINISH

w w w. st r ongf r am es. c o m 701 E Mendenhall | Bozeman MT 59715 P 406-586-6264 | 800-586-1105 | F 406-587-1134 70

[handmade] [handmade] [handmade] [handmade] [handmade] [handmade] [handmade] [handmade] [handmade]

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handmade

A Fresh Coat of

Paint

by Lizzy Scully

HOW PAINTERS JAZZ UP A BIKE FRAME

Photo Courtesy of Keith Anderson

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Keith Anderson preps a custom Orbea for photos.

When

Mark Brandt and his employees at Spectrum Powderworks watched the finals of Olympic BMX bike races on TV this year, they could almost still feel the glassysmooth finish they put on the frame of Australian Jared Graves’ Yeti bike. Using specialized powder coating techniques and pigments, the folks at this Colorado Springs company created a custom, Australian-themed paint job, airbrushing the bike with the country’s flag on a yellow and white base coat.

Spectrum Powderworks is just one of an ever-increasing number of companies offering custom paint jobs for bikes, a trend that followed the custom painting of motorcycles and cars.

According to Keith Anderson of Keith Anderson Cycles, a company that does custom paint jobs with liquid paint, people appreciate having their bikes custom painted, whether they want to restore a favorite old bicycle to its original, classic state or because they want to personalize their existing bike.

“People have been customizing things for a long time; they like to show their originality,” he explains. They want a paint job that is as unique as their frames, he adds, citing Oregonbased Wolfhound Cycles as an example. Owner Fred Cuthbert likes “eye-popping” paint schemes that won’t detract from the many curves and transitions of his bikes.

In the cycling industry, powder coating and liquid painting are the two standard custom paint practices. High-end powder coating for custom bikes is becoming increasingly well known

Photo Courtesy of Keith Anderson

as the process becomes more refined. The liquid coating method, using wet paint products, is already tried and true, and most companies offer both services. Both types of paint jobs have benefits and limitations.

POWDER COATING A leader in the industry, Spectrum Powderworks has highly refined its powder coating and liquid painting processes over the past 13 years. Brandt, who has a science background, developed a process that allows him to use a dry pigment process to airbrush logos, graphics and other detail work onto a base coat of a bike frame. A clear powder coat overlies the detail work, sealing it for perpetuity.

“Many of our powders are made specifically for us,” Brandt says. Standard powder coats have a large and inconsistent particle grind that, adds Brandt, allows for cheaper manufacturing and easier application. Thus, people who apply it cannot control the thickness of the coating they apply. Subsequently, a frame painted in this manner may be too thick and heavy, not very smooth and glossy.

“We expect so much more out of the materials because we have a higher expectation for the result,” Brandt explains.

Brandt has a higher expectation for all his employees as well. Applying the specialized powder requires a significant amount of skill, he says. “We have to train our guys to do things 73

handmade

Frame finishes at Spectrum Powderworks require tireless, hands-on work from start to finish. Clockwise from upper left, paint specialists remove masks on a Strong titanium frame, apply clear coat to a Bishop track frame, carefully remove delicate masks from the DeSalvo frame and apply dry pigment to faded flame details.

very, very carefully. If the powder is applied improperly, the result will be less than desirable. It is a very specific process.” In fact, because of the challenging nature of the job, employees don’t get to do the high-end work until they’ve been at Powderworks for several years. The process is involved for either a custom finish or restoration of an older bike.

To powder coat a frame, Brandt and his employees first take detailed photos of the frame, logos and colors. Then, they remove the existing finish using a process similar to sand blasting. But instead of using sand, they use a hard plastic media called polyurea. The plastic is harder than the paint, but not as hard as the tubing.

Sand blasting is not an option because it is too aggressive for finish removal, Brandt says. “The frame can become structurally compromised.”

After stripping off the bike’s old finish, they use an aluminum oxide blasting media to take off the surface rust, scratches or other blemishes that form under the finish.

“It removes trace amounts of steel on the tubing, so we can remove rust and imperfections,” Brandt explains. “It’s done in a very controlled, low-pressure fashion.” This step in the process also preps the surface to hold the powder by “etching” it.

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“When you hit a shiny tube with aluminum oxide material, it’s going to frost, or etch, it, which means it’s going to increase the surface area,” says Brandt. “You are creating a ton of little nooks and crannies, roughing up the surface. If you look at it with the naked eye, it’s still the same shape; it’s just not shiny anymore. But look at it under a microscope, and you will see the difference. You’re not only increasing the surface area by more than three percent, but you’re also creating a tooth for the finish to grab onto.”

During the prep process, a static charge is created, much like the charge created when packing peanuts rub against each other. That charge interferes with powder coats because they are applied electrostatically. So the frame is pre-heated to get rid of the static charge. After the frame is cooled, it’s put into a powder coating booth, where it is grounded electrically to minimize additional build-up of static electricity. In the booth, the powder particles will have a slight negative charge to them, causing them to stick. The powder is then typically applied as a freeflowing dry powder using a Corona gun that applies a charge to the powder right at the barrel at the tip of the gun.

This is one step where using powder coating is advantageous. “Powder coating transfer efficiency is three times that of

handmade the liquid efficiency,” Brandt says.

Basically, you get three times as much powder to go on the frame, which is much more environmentally friendly and cost-effective for the company buying the paint. Powder also emits zero volatile organic compounds.

After the base powder coat is applied, the metal is then cured in an oven. For a single coat, the frame will stay in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

When heated, the pores of the metal open up, and the resins of the powder root in. When the frame is cooled, the pores close up, “literally locking the finish onto whatever is being coated, creating a far superior finish in regards to durability,” says Brandt. As soon as the frame cools to ambient temperature, no more time is needed for curing, and it’s ready to be packed and shipped off.

However, if detail work is to be applied, the first powder is not cured completely. “If we put a frame in for less than 15 minutes and pull it out of the oven, it looks shiny and smooth, but it actually hasn’t had enough time to cure,” explains Brandt.

Before the powder clear coat is put on, Brandt and his employees will airbrush on the detail work. They don’t actually use powder, says Brandt, but rather they employ a unique (and secret) technique for applying a dry pigment.

“We have a special thinner that actually makes it possible to shoot the pigment,” Brandt explains. The powder is put into the thinner (a solvent) that allows it to be shot through a specialized airbrush over a stencil onto the frame. The solvent evaporates within 10 seconds, leaving a hardened powder on the frame. This can be done in several overlapping layers and colors, creating just about any desired effect. The frame then gets its powder clear coat and goes back into the oven for its final cure.

When the frame is returned to the oven and the final clear coat put on, the base coat will actually turn back to liquid and chemically bond to the final clear coat finish, locking in the detail work.

“The base coat and clear coat don’t actually mix together, but the two layers chemically cross link to one another, making it a seamless layer,” Brandt says.

“When it’s perfect, you can run your fingertips over the top of the logos or

Made in Colorado, Specializing in 29” wheel bikes with 4 suspension models to choose from, building suspension MTB frames now for 10 years. -Devin Lenz

LENZsport, 3302 WCR 27, Ft. Lupton, CO 80621 • (303) 857-9151

handmade race frames

ahrensbicycles.com 75

handmade other detail, and you can’t feel any edge at all.”

Plus, the powder coat finish is incredibly durable. “We have actually folded coated steel tubing in half, and the finish didn’t chip or flake off.”

The powder coating process has limitations, including a dearth of highend powder coaters. Thin layers are difficult to apply with low-end powders, and powder cannot be used on carbon fiber frames or forks because the material cannot stand high temperatures.

Carbon fiber frames and forks can only be restored or pimped out with liquid paints.

LIQUID PAINT Although powder coats are more durable in the long run, liquid paints have many benefits, says Anderson.

They tend to have a higher gloss, a less wavy surface and don’t succumb to ultraviolet light degradation as easily, he says. Plus, if allowed to cure properly for three to four weeks in indirect sunlight, “a wet finish can rival the durability of a powder coat finish.”

“At the 2006 North American Handmade Bicycle Show in San Jose, I had a customer come up and tell me that I had painted a bike for him 20 years earlier,” recalls Anderson. “When I invited him to send it back to me for a repaint, he said, ‘Why? It doesn’t need it.’ ” Though applying wet liquid paint is significantly different from applying dry powder coat, the process of preparing the bicycle for its new look is similar.

First, Anderson documents the scheme of the original bike. Then he strips the paint off the frame, using a commercial stripper, rather than a sand blaster, which he finds takes longer.

Occasionally, with restorations, he removes rust pitting with a sand blaster.

The frame then gets washed with an etching solution, which provides a clean and fresh surface onto which the epoxy primer can adhere. The etching solution also roughens up the surface, creating the same effect as the aluminum oxide blasting media used by Spectrum. Anderson then applies a “super-tough” epoxy primer layer that seals the frame, protects it from corrosion and provides adhesion for the paint. After priming, Anderson applies 76

handmade putty to any small pits and pinholes, sands the entire frame and sprays on a sealer to seal any sand scratches or putty. The primer sealer is thinner and has less viscosity than the epoxy primer, so, Anderson adds, “it doesn’t build as high but gives it a really nice surface.”

He does another round of sanding before spraying the paint on.

Once the color is on, he applies the decals or uses a spray mask to stencil a logo in paint. After the graphics are applied, the frame gets two to three clear coats, with the decal and graphic areas getting five to eight “build” coats of clear. When the clear coats have dried, the decal areas get sanded smooth with 400 grit sandpaper, the entire frame gets sanded with 600 grit sandpaper and finally with 800 grit. After a thorough wiping, two to three coats of final clear are applied.

The final step is curing. Care must be taken to allow the paint to set for three to four weeks. Anderson keeps a bike at his shop for a week and then packages it up with a note telling people to let it sit for a few weeks before they build it up with the other parts.

The amount of cure time is one of the downfalls of liquid paint jobs. There are a few others. Liquid paint jobs need special primers, activators and reducers.

The entire process, says Anderson, is very meditative for him, especially when he’s doing the graphics work or masking.

“You really have to focus to make sure everything comes out straight,” he says. “I get lost in it.” Anderson also enjoys doing restorations. “I try to embrace the soul of what the bicycle was.”

Properly done, a custom finish on a bike frame using either powder coat or a liquid coat will ensure your bike lasts much longer. In fact, says Anderson, if properly protected, your old steel bicycle will “last long enough to be handed down to your great-grandchildren.”

Plus, says Brandt, it’s less expensive to give your bike a needed facelift than to buy a brand new bike.

“There are a lot of frames out there, especially titanium frames, that will last a lifetime,” he says. “Get yourself something that looks entirely different and new,” he adds. “This way you can get whatever you want.”

BUILDING CUSTOM B I K E S FOR OVER 25 YEARS

Andy Hampsten’s 69er 29er

kenteriksen.com 970/879.8484 call for prices and more information

the first and last name in titanium bikes | made in steamboat springs colorado 77

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[retrotec] CLASSIC

Size tested: Medium Price (frame only): $1,350 Weight (frame only): 4.5 lbs. www.ingliscycles.com

James Rickman

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James Rickman

A Curvaceous Beauty

The Retrotec Classic’s curves harken back to the original beach cruisers of years past, but the frame is built with all the riding advantages of present-day bike technology.

The beauty of the Retrotec Classic is that it whisks you back to your past when freedom really was free and riding was pure wind in your hair. Riding the classic beach-cruiser-style bike, you almost expect to see girls with flower-power T-shirts and boys with long hair around the next corner.

But this bike will also wheel you into the present with all the comforts and technical advantages of a quality modern mountain bike.

The Retrotec Classic first came to be in 1992 simply as a vehicle for a bike tool. Curtis Inglis learned to build the curved frames under Bob Seals, then company owner who wanted to build a bike to promote his Cool Tool, a multi-functional bike repair gizmo.

By 2001, Seals was eager to move away from framebuilding and continue to promote his Cool Tool (which eventually was bought up by a bigger company). Inglis decided he liked building the frames enough to take over the Retrotec business.

One out of six Retrotec frames Inglis makes these days is the Classic. To give the bike its beach cruiser look, Inglis uses a machine that cold-rolls the tubes (a mix of True Temper and 4130 chromoly steel tubes) and, with numerous passes, manipulates them into an arc. The top tube to seat tube curve is made

of separate pieces, each with a different radius that, once joined, must run as one smooth, continuous arc in a single plane.

There’s no question the bike design is exceptionally stylish.

Add to it the sharp paint job—in this case a powdercoat from Spectrum Powderworks—with matching painted rims, and you have a bike that’s as close to high fashion as can be imagined for metal tubes. (Inglis also uses Air Art for wet paint of his frames.) The question then is how a rounded frame bike rides, particularly on singletrack.

I tested the singlespeed Classic, built up with cream-of-thecrop components: White Industries cranks, freewheel, bottom bracket and hubs, Formula disc brakes and levers, Thomson stem and post, Easton bars, Mavic wheels, WTB Weirwolf tires and a Brooks leather saddle. For the resurgent rigid crowd, Inglis makes his own forks in three styles: unicrown, segmented and lugged. The test bike had a segmented fork with a nice gentle curve to the blades.

On the trails, the bike had a confident, stable feel. That may have come from the lower bottom bracket at 11.75 inches, but after numerous rides I got the feeling the twin top tubes contributed some measure of secure handling in seriously technical sections, translating to a self-assured ride at top speeds.

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Inglis chose a Breezer-style dropout to use on his Classic singlespeed rear triangle.

Curtis Inglis decided a few years ago to build his own rigid forks for the Retrotecs.

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James Rickman

Even with a rigid fork, the bike rolled over bumps with a certain give that must have come from the curved tubes softening up the ride. The bike burst up hills quickly and picked up speed surprisingly fast on the downhills—both good traits in a singlespeed.

And while it rides exceedingly well, what exactly the curved tubes contribute, you’ll have to discover for yourself.

Even Inglis can’t say precisely except that “It’s not easy to pinpoint but there’s a nice feel to a bike with curves.”

Over the years, Inglis added his own line, Inglis Cycles, dedicated to more traditional straight tube bicycles. He didn’t give up on the Retrotec and after a time started to add more curved tube frame styles. He made the Retrotec Half with a single curved top tube. He added the Double frame with a second top tube and then the Triple with a third top tube.

Today he makes Retrotec 29ers, singlespeed, cross, road and even curved tube tandem bikes. All frames can be made in custom sizes and builds or you can choose from standard sizes he offers.

One thing is for sure: The beauty of this bike intensifies when you find out how well it rides as a mountain bike. So take it to the coffee shop to show off in front of the old fogies who remember the first-ever cruisers or take it to some singletrack and let ’er rip. Either way, you’ll be riding in style. –C. Spaeth

[moots] MOOTO XZ

Size tested: 20�

Weight: 28 lbs.

Price (frame only): $3,425 www.moots.com

C. Spaeth

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Moots adds an aluminum rear triangle to its titanium frame to increase lateral stiffness to the modified single-pivot rear suspension design on the Mooto XZ.

James E. Rickman

The Only Bike You Might Ever Need The worst thing about testing the Moots Mooto XZ 29er was having to return it.

I’m not the type who gets all doe-eyed about materials like titanium, and I still harbor a healthy skepticism about the whole 29er movement. Thanks to the Mooto XZ, I am a little more in awe of the 22nd element on the periodic table and 29 inch wheels.

The Mooto XZ relies on a modified single-pivot design and a more traditional-type frame that doesn’t include fancy curved top tubes or other aesthetic trademarks born of the latest hydroforming processes. The frame is merely a couple of triangles.

Simple.

Human beings, not robots, make the bulk of the titanium frame by hand in Moots’ small factory in Steamboat Springs, Colo. The Mooto XZ’s aluminum rear triangle was designed by Moots but is manufactured in Portland, Ore., by Sapa, the same folks who manufacture Turner and Titus frames. The aluminum rear triangle adds a nice amount of lateral stiffness to the bike and significantly reduces the cost, according to the people at Moots.

The first thing I noticed about the Mooto XZ’s ride was just how natural and intuitive it felt. Unlike some 29ers, the Mooto XZ didn’t seem to suffer from that strange awkwardness through tight corners that results from the steering geometry of biggerwheeled bikes. There may be a couple reasons behind this.

On the 20 inch frame I rode, the bike had a relatively steep 84

72.25 degree head-tube angle and a slightly steep 73.75 degree seat-tube angle. Coupled with a squat 4.33 inch head-tube length, those steep angles kept more of my weight over the front end of the bike, giving me greater control. The geometry also gave the illusion that the bike’s cockpit was nice and compact, though it never felt cramped. Hours in the saddle were never laborious.

What I loved most about the Mooto XZ was its climbing ability. Because the bike was so well balanced, it was laughably easy to keep the front wheel down while ascending extremely steep pitches, yet a quick flick of the wrists could deftly raise the front wheel over stair steps without hesitation or imbalance during a climb. The result was that I could reach that “magic speed”—the RPM at which a 29er gains the legendary “self-sustaining” rotational inertia necessary to roll effortlessly over obstacles—much easier going uphill than on other 29ers I have ridden. Sometimes the big-wheel benefits of a 29er can only be enjoyed going downhill; not so with the Mooto XZ. While it descended like lightning, the only limit to its climbing ability was my heart rate.

The bike has four inches of travel front and back, which seems sparse in these days of longer and longer travel. Strangely enough, I never felt in over my head on the Moots, despite some of the demands that our local trails dish out. The smaller cockpit and connection with what’s going on in the rear of the bike that comes with the simplicity of a single-pivot suspension gave

James E. Rickman

Moots head badge conveys the Mooto XZ’s uncanny climbing ability.

me confidence in the most demanding of conditions. Plus, the much-celebrated forgiveness of titanium meant less fatigue overall during the epics.

Moots chose the Rock Shox Reba fork for my test model.

The steady ride it delivered made the fork a good choice, although there was a wee bit less mud clearance between the fork brace and the 2.35 inch tires than I might have liked. On the rear end, the Fox RP23 seemed a perfect match for the bike.

Adjustment was a breeze and the ProPedal feature on the shock meant bob could be virtually eliminated on fire roads and pavement (also true with the lockout feature on the Reba).

The Shimano brakes, shifters and drive train provided a reliability that meant I needed only to focus on where I was going.

My final ride on the Mooto XZ was on a long, local trail loop that throws out nearly every condition a rider might encounter anywhere: rocky climbs, smooth descents, whoop-de-doos, tight switchbacks, butt-punishing rumbles up rocky doubletrack and dreadful exposed descents. The bike made the ride seem routine, meaning I was free to concentrate more on the pure joy of riding rather than on basic survival.

Because the Mooto XZ behaved so well on all of these types of terrain, I figure it might well be the only bike I’ll ever need.

Its price tag, however, means I might have to wait until I have a more stable income and more leisure time to enjoy my investment. –James E. Rickman

The Moots rear end provides a generous amount of mud clearance even when running a fat 2.35 inch tire.

James E. Rickman

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[spot brand] TI CARBON DRIVE

Size Tested: Large Price (frame only): $2,800 Weight: 23.4 lbs. www.spotbikes.com

Brian Riepe

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Making titanium frames an option for its Carbon Drive singlespeeds in 2009 takes Spot Brand back to its custom pedigree.

Brian Riepe

Spot Smorgasbord Gets Tastier with Ti Frame and Carbon Drive Belt It’s late fall and the sun is low. The trail I’m riding is a newly rebuilt masterpiece called Freefall, and the name says it all. It’s a short but demanding mix of technical narrow singletrack that winds up and over an intricate rocky outcropping with a dozen or so secret local’s-only lines that strike up a touch of fear even though I’ve ridden them several times now.

Nothing here requires a big-hit bike; it’s more tricky technical ups and committing downs.

Freefall is not only a new favorite ride but also a perfect test track, and this Spot 29er is not only passing the test but brown-nosing the teacher a bit, too.

The handling is extraordinarily tight for a 29er and it hugs the trail, even through the multiple 180-degree switchbacks.

The front end feels so stable over the loose and ragged drop-offs that I feel like I’m riding a 4-inch travel bike, not a hardtail.

With the Carbon Drive, the rear end is quick and responsive out of the turns. The bike is light, fast and has predictable cornering.

Spot Brand originated in British Columbia. As one of the first brands with the foresight to view the singlespeed mountain bike from a production and market-positioning standpoint, while somehow retaining the revolutionary image necessary to magnetize the rebellious singlespeed cult, Spot quickly became an iconic brand name recognized far and wide for its cool factor.

Sometime after the recent turn of the century, Spot was purchased by a small group of friends and bike industry veterans who moved the production to Golden, Colo. I’ve been pestering Spot’s honcho Frank Scurlock for a bike ever since.

Several years after the move, things at Spot took an intriguing turn when Spot became intimately involved in the R&D for Carbon Drive Systems, a belt drive system for bicycles. Carbon Drive Systems is separate business entity spawn from Gates Rubber, which manufactures automotive and motorcycle belts.

With Spot’s allegiance to singlespeeds, the belt drive was a natural fit but not necessarily an easy one because the Carbon Drive System was not yet perfected. It took some time to get it dialed for production.

Spot offers two basic bike options: steel frames made in Taiwan and shipped back here to Colorado at somehow lower prices than we can produce in the good ‘ol US of A (a topic I’ll save for a different stump) and beautiful handcrafted frames formed by the skilled hands and mind of fabricator John Hargadon at Spot’s headquarters.

This titanium 29er is born from the latter. In 2008, Spot only offered custom steel frames from its Golden factory, but for 2009, titanium is on the menu and will be available in stock or purely custom sizing. It is a beautiful steed with pleasing details like skillfully curved chainstays and seatstays, a stout oversized 87

Slider-style dropouts make belt set-up and tension adjustments easy on Spot’s titanium singlespeed.

Brian Riepe

Right: Spot addresses the need to open the rear triangle to replace a belt with one simple bolted joint where the seatstay meets the dropout.

1.75 inch down tube and what on the trail seems like perfect geometry. Our test bike was fitted with Lynskey slider dropouts, a key feature allowing for very easy belt or chain tension adjustment, even on the trail.

The Carbon Drive System is new technology and, in my opinion, is still being polished. Several other manufacturers including Trek, Lynskey and Carver Bikes have been successfully experimenting with the system. It’s apparent that because of the belt’s requisite high tension and need for perfect alignment, the Carbon Drive System requires precise engineering and manufacturing, high quality components—hub and bottom bracket especially—and a good mechanic with a bit of training to set it up. There is not much room for error and an imperfectly aligned belt will want to walk right off the drive rings.

It’s important to note that while this bike is built to be Carbon Drive-compatible, if it turns out the belt is not for you, you are not stuck with it. The bike can just as easily be set up using a standard chain without any compromises. The only major modification necessary to make a bike belt-drive-compatible is making it possible to open up the drive-side rear triangle to insert the belt, since the belt cannot be split like a chain.

Hargadon addressed this with a bolted joint where the seatstay and chainstay meet at the dropout that is particularly clean, with a single bolt hidden behind the juncture of the seatstay and the slider dropout.

I’ve logged more than 50 hours on this bike so far and even passed it around to a few other local riders. All of the feedback on the overall handling and ride qualities was emphatically positive. I have yet to experience any problem with the belt other 88

than on this particular lap on Freefall, it slipped on me once when I was straining over a very short, steep climb. Upon inspection, I noticed the belt tension was a bit loose. A quick on-the-trail adjustment of the slider dropouts using a standard multi-tool, with no brake adjustment necessary, solved the problem in less than two minutes, after which I backed up and hit the climb again with no slippage.

The advantages of the belt are few but prominent and need to be measured with your priorities in mind. It’s very light and requires no lubes or treatments. You can toss dirt and mud at it all day and it still remains perceptively silky smooth when pedaling and spits out debris without incident. It is arguably more efficient than a chain, especially after the chain gets dirty and loses its lubrication.

Disadvantages are that the belt cannot be repaired on the trail like a chain could. If you feel naked without the ultimate repair kit in your pack, you’ll need to carry a spare belt. But it can be finicky to set up. The Carbon Drive belt is bomber when installed correctly but incorrect preliminary set-up can compromise the belt, and although I never experienced it myself, I heard reports of rapid failures in those cases. I witnessed Chad Melis of the Dales Pale Ale/Spot team race his Carbon Driveequipped bike all season with no apparent troubles.

Nearing the end of Freefall, I skim over the last technical rocky section like it’s a pile of beanbags and head out onto smooth, open trail, another place where the 29er excels. The ride was so good and the bike so damn fun, I’m tempted to pull around to the south and do another lap on Freefall before the sun sets. –B. Riepe

boneshaker:a bicycling almanac wipperman:connex 9sX chain Subscription: $12 | www.WolverineFarmPublishing.org

$99.95 | www.Velimpex.com

The cover of this pocket-sized publication states, “Boneshaker is a practical bicyclist’s handbook and a basic field and street manual for utilitarian cycling.” But it’s not a handbook in the classical sense. Some of the information it offers is provided in lists and tables while other insights are woven into clever and philosophical personal accounts of life as a cyclist, which offer a genuine source of realization and knowledge and in many ways a call to arms for cyclists far and wide.

Boneshaker’s witty and intelligent prose empower individual cyclists who may feel isolated by enforcing the idea that they are part of a great and powerful tribe that harnesses the collective fortitude of cyclists worldwide. It is a survival guide and a source of inspiration for those who understand the need to get from point A to point B but recognize the beauty in getting there with harmony and efficiency.

I read Boneshaker with great interest and recharged enthusiasm to reject big oil (foreign or domestic), coal-fired power plants and all things non-renewable. I realized that my bicycle is always there, ready to transport me to places near and far. No wars have been fought over the bicycle, yet at times we must fight for the simple act of riding the streets.

Selections from this quality, 96-page guide to being a cyclist include Yeoman on the front lines: A commuter’s Daily Diary; PDX Bike Militia on Spinning in Solitude and Saving the Unicorn: A three-month electronic dialogue with Portland’s Wildebeest Collective; and An Organic Bicycle Farm: hermit Mr. Jason Shelman’s bike shed shenanigans. One section of miscellany at the end simply declares, “There used to be a lot of riders, but they all got hit by cars…people can’t drive for shit.” –B. Riepe

Wippermann makes all kinds of chains for all types of industrial applications. For more than 100 years, the company has been making some of the very best chains and sprockets in its Hagen, Germany, factory. The Connex line of bicycle chains showcases the company’s expertise.

The Connex 9sX is a 9-speed chain, compatible with all 9-speed systems. The chain has high-grade, nickel-coated outer plates and stainless steel inner plates and comes with the Connex link, one of the most easily managed quick links I have ever used. The breaking load on the Connex link is a minimum 2,248 pounds. Wippermann ran testing that shows its chain outlasted the nearest competitor’s chain by 34 percent. To see the complete test results, visit www.velimpex.com.

Not only do the chains outlast competing chains, but they outshift them as well. The edges of the outer plates are nearly straight, rather than curved like a figure eight on a standard chain. The company claims this plate shape allows the chain to engage a cog tooth micro-seconds sooner than a standard chain. Once the chain starts to engage, the deep chamfer on the inside edge accelerates engagement.

Most of us don’t often contemplate the attributes of our bike chains. If we do think about them, it’s either because they are dry, dirty, broken or skipping. If you’re the type who needs to have the best of the best, I’d consider junking whatever chain is now on your bike and replacing it with a Wippermann. If you’re more practical, wait for your current chain to break or wear out, then replace it with a Wippermann. In addition to this 9-speed model, Wippermann offers stainless steel, nickel plated and even Teflon coated 10-speed, 8-speed and singlespeed chains. These are really great chains. –B. Riepe

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avid:elixir cr

magura:2009 marta sl

$204/wheel | Weight: 375 grams | www.Sram.com

$299/wheel | Weight: 335 grams | www.Magura.com

For me, part of the secret to a great ride is not noticing any of my components because they’re working properly. With the Elixir CR, Avid took a crack at creating a set of brakes I wouldn’t notice: a brake with more control, more power, better heat dissipation (no noise) and more comfort. I think they found the right potion.

The Elixer’s extra control comes from a new Taperbore technology and improved pivot location that enables “deep” lever modulation so the pads won’t grab too early in the stroke, which allows riders to better manage and use the increased overall power. The increased power is created from a new, super stiff, two-piece caliper containing larger pistons. These larger pistons produce power that’s rated halfway between Avid’s Juicy cross-country brakes and Code freeride/downhill brakes.

With more power comes more heat. The Elixirs dissipate this heat over increased surface area by using a two-piece caliper design and DOT 5.1 brake fluid, which has the highest tolerance to heat.

Better performance to me also means the adjustability during the ride and the ease of maintenance after the ride. Avid’s Elixir CR features a tool-free reach adjustment so you can adjust the brake pads with a quick roll forward or back. For adjustment from the lever, a small dial in front of the lever lets you adjust both levers right from the cockpit and on the fly, if you so choose.

In another change, the Elixir’s brake pads are loaded from the top, so it only takes seconds to replace them. And in a sleek design element, Avid eliminated the need for an independent brake fluid reservoir, which reduces the weight by 20 grams over Avid’s popular Juicy 7 brakes.

One thing you will notice is the Elixir CR’s refined look. The brakes are compatible with a variety of SRAM shift triggers and the RockShox Pushloc remote lockout lever, keeping your cockpit neat and tidy.

From ease of adjustment to updated features, including reduced weight, adjustable brake pads and the two-piece larger caliper design, these brakes provide great overall performance for anyone who wants to notice the finer details. –S. Mabry

I’ve heard it said that the saddle and grips are the most elemental components on the bike because they are the only connections the rider has to the bike. To that theory I would add the brakes.

The brake lever is not just a connector between body and bike but it connects your fingers to the motion of the bike and the trail.

The acute sensitivity of fingers makes them intensely receptive to the brake power control.

Magura’s Marta SLs have set a longtime benchmark for other brakes and it’s because they simply have a great feel in your hand with smooth lever modulation, which makes it easy to control the power just to the point of locking up the wheel and anywhere in between. Magura’s quality is second to none.

For 2009, Magura made the first major changes to the Martas since they were released seven years ago. The changes are subtle on paper, but let your fingers do the testing. The biggest change is an upgrade to larger 6.1 series brake pads, which give you more control than ever.

Magura also increased the size of the oil reservoir by 25 percent; more oil aids in heat dissipation and guarantees predictable braking even under heavy use. Other notable features are a new wavy rotor, which not only looks cool but also dissipates heat better than standard rotors, and improved lever reach adjustment, which was a past grievance.

With the extra power, the Martas are an exceptional crosscountry race brake and also have enough muscle for all-mountain riding. Your fingers will be connected to the bike more than ever. –B. Riepe

soulcraft:singlespeed converter

strider bike:running bike

$94 or $175 (kit) | www.SoulcraftBikes.com

$98 | www.StriderSports.com

My wife has two bikes: one singlespeed with pedestrian components that she rides a ton and one custom Dean titanium hardtail that has been gathering dust.

It finally occurred to me that she liked having just one speed and if that beautiful Dean were ever to be ridden, it needed to have one gear. Okay, it’s an easy conversion. There are a multitude of singlespeed conversion kits out there, but I like this Soulcraft Convert the best.

Instead of using a derailleur pulley wheel, Soulcraft has a urethane wheel with sealed bearings. It stays cleaner, guides the chain better and will never make noise.

The Convert doesn’t rely on a spring for chain tension; springloaded tensioners let your chain bounce. Instead the Convert holds the chain firmly in place by pushing up on it. The mechanism looks neat and clean and creates less bend in the chain. A straight chain is a fast chain.

The Convert has a handy little release switch, making it easy to remove the rear wheel and it snaps right back to its original position when you’re ready.

The conversion took all of 10 minutes, and I’m very pleased with it. If you’ve got a nice old hardtail that never gets ridden, this little Convert can give it new life as a singlespeed. It is available separately or as a complete kit with chainrings, bolts, spacers and a chain. –B. Riepe

Running bikes, also known as kick bikes, are a new trend in youth bikes. The small bikes have no cranks, pedals or chains and are quickly becoming the most popular way to learn how to ride a bike—popular at least amongst the children of parents who have discovered this simple but ingenious invention.

Without the worry of pedaling circles or putting their feet in an awkward position, kids ages one to five on a running bike can learn to balance and steer a two-wheeler. The design offers them easy control, with their feet on the ground in a natural walking or running position and helps build their confidence. The best part is they will never need a tricycle and never need training wheels when they start out on one of these running bikes.

I watched several toddlers in my neighborhood learn how to ride on a running bike and the results were mind-blowing. My neighbor’s two-year-old picked it up virtually instantly, starting out by “walking” around while straddling the bike. Within a few days she was sitting in the saddle, lifting her feet and coasting down hills and after a week she was ripping around like a pro, all without those burdensome, sometimes dangerous, training wheels.

A quick Google search for “running bike” will harvest a number of options, some bikes even made out of wood, but the Strider bike has several advantages over others I checked out. Made of aluminum, it weighs less than seven pounds and is reasonably priced.

Also, Strider offers one of the lowest possible saddle heights, only 11 inches from the top of the saddle to the ground as well as integrated foot rests and EVA-molded foam tires.

Before you subject your child to the dangers and humiliation of training wheels, try one of these Strider running bikes. It will have your tot ripping laps around the house, chasing the neighborhood cat and jumping off everything curb in site. Guaranteed they will still have some wrecks but at least they’ll look like a pro in the process. –B. Riepe

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endura:gloves

sugoi:firewall jacket

castelli:free bibknicker

$44.95 | www.Endura.co.uk

$200 | www.Sugoi.com

$239.99 | www.Castelli-us.com

There I was, floating through the air in a regrettable position. I’d ridden this section of trail so many times that I’d made the ruinous mistake of getting too confident. It’s a basic rocky step-off into a transition that can be ridden quite safely at slow speeds, but I’d discovered it was possible to simply launch over the whole thing if you used the rock lip as a launching point.

The tricky part is that you enter it at the apex of a corner so it’s important to get the correct trajectory. This time I went too wide and ended up heading off into space in the wrong direction; wrong being straight towards a large granite boulder the size of a VW Beetle.

All I could do was lean back and grab a handful of rear brake so that when I landed the brake was already on. I pushed out hard with my hip to swing the bike around, skidding and falling to my left so I’d hit the boulder with my wheels first. It basically worked, only my left hand met the ground, dragging my poor little pinky finger through decomposed granite marbles until I stopped.

This is why we wear gloves and these Endura Singletracks came through big time.

My pinky finger lived to see another day.

The 4-way stretch mesh fabric didn’t even rip. I wiped my nose with the handy terry cloth section on the gloves forefinger and continued to ride. –B. Riepe

Fall weather in the Mountain States can mean starting out your ride when it’s 30 degrees and finishing when it’s hovering around 40. And it’s almost always windy. I appreciate having the Sugoi Firewall jacket on these days. With only a short-sleeved bike jersey underneath, I stayed very comfortable while climbing because the fabric breathes very well, but I was never cold on descents.

The Firewall Jacket is part of Sugoi’s racing line. It features great wind protection in the front and a full stretch thermal back, which allows it to breath. The snug fit keeps the warmth in and cool air out. This jacket is made for cycling but can easily cross over to running or even Nordic skiing.

The name Firewall comes from the fabric technologies used to create this jacket. A breathable, four-way stretch material protects from wind, rain and cold. A microporous laminate membrane is then sandwiched in the durable water-resistant outer layer and features a lofted inner surface texture for increased moisture dispersement and warmth.

Every time I rode in this jacket I would pass other people on the trail pulling over to shed layers, yet I hadn’t reached a point where I felt I had underdressed or overdressed. This meant to me the moisturewicking part of the jacket was working. The most impressive part to me was when I pulled the jacket off at the end of my rides, I found no layer of sweat underneath. And so, like a firewall, when the bad stuff is all around, this jacket keeps the good stuff in.

–S. Mabry

I don’t like bibs. Or at least I didn’t think I liked bibs.

With that in mind, believe me when I say I especially like these Castelli Free Bibknickers. What Castelli did was cut out the extra fabric associated with bibs so the front of the garment is cut more like normal chamois shorts and allows for free movement. Sort of like bibs that aren’t really bibs.

High-tech fabrics have become commonplace in the world of performance sports clothing, but from the seat up these appear to have more than their fair share. It starts with the chamois pad, which is Castelli’s own anatomically molded Active Cushioning Temperature Control pad using NASA technology called ComfortTemp® that somehow maintains a constant 98 degree temperature and stymies bacteria growth.

Next, Gore Windstopper X-Lite fabric lines the knees and keeps the wind from biting through. That’s a key spot to keep warm, and this alone makes these knickers a pleasure to wear. The rest of the short is made with Energia fabric, a high-tech LycraPower® product that supports muscles without constricting them and has a ribbed surface that aids in aerodynamics. The fabric is also coated with Prosecco, a topical treatment that gives the fabric a better evaporation rate by spreading moisture out over a larger surface area, keeping them dry.

Essentially, this all adds up to one high-performance, comfortable garment that you will look forward to wearing, especially when there is a slight chill in the air.

The fit is superb and they’ve become my favorite pair of riding shorts, er, I mean bibknickers.

–B. Riepe

mavic:crossmax sx $899 | www.Mavic.com

Back in 2001, I had a Crossmax UST wheelset. At the time, it was considered to be a lightweight race wheel. I dug up the specs for that wheelset. The front wheel was 710 grams and the rear was 870 grams.

Now in 2009, all-mountain/enduro bikes are the best-selling category and their components need to strike a difficult balance between being light enough to ride uphill and being able to take some serious beatings on the trail.

The Crossmax SX wheelset is designed to do just that. Here’s what’s impressive. For 2009, the front wheel weighs 825 grams and the rear weighs 930 grams. Compared to the ultra-light, race-ready Crossmax of 2001, these weights are really good for such a stout wheelset.

And stout it is. Mavic’s burley, oversized hubs are matched to straight-pull, fat and round aluminum alloy (Zicral) spokes and 21 mm (inside diameter) UST tubeless rims. The front hub uses a 20 x 110 mm thru axle, and the rear hub can run a thru axle or quick release skewer.

Mavic saved weigh on these wheels primarily because of its inter-spoke milling process. The rim wall between each spoke is subjected to very little stress so the rim is CNC-machined, removing unnecessary material and shaving weight where it really counts. In addition, the Zicral spokes are 10 percent stronger but lighter than traditional stainless steel spokes.

The final trick on these wheels is in the rear hub, specifically the free-wheel engagement system. The free wheel uses four offset pawls, working two by two so that two pawls are always engaged. The four-pawl system reduces engagement time by 60 percent over standard systems, so the power transmission from cog to wheel is extremely quick.

The Crossmax SX could possibly be the ultimate enduro/freeride wheelset. –B. Riepe 93

UNDERGROUND TRAIL SYSTEM

COMES TO LIGHT

DISCOVERY BY DEVELOPER MAY NOT MEAN THE END

By Justin Schmid

Riders at Fantasy Island North have a steep and loose climb ahead of them to make their underground trail system official.

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Morgan Lynch

TRAIL SYSTEM

UNDERGROUND

Morgan Lynch

Temporarily avoiding some prickly access issues, a cyclist enjoys the narrow, flowing singletrack at Fantasy Island North.

FANTASY

Island North Singletrack system really isn’t supposed to exist. Every ride on its 12 miles of groomed singletrack near Phoenix, Ariz., is technically trespassing since it was built on a developer’s land without permission.

The trail flew under the radar of Newland Communities for nearly three years before it was discovered this summer.

But that discovery gives the trails a shot at going from renegade to recognized. The trail’s builders are now opening talks with Newland to explore how the trails could be folded into the master plan for Estrella Mountain Ranch, a 20,000-acre development in the town of Goodyear.

Jenn Allen, a Newland marketing director, said the FINS trails came to the company’s attention when a surveying crew noticed a group of mountain bikers and backtracked their route.

There, they found a marked trail network that wasn’t part of the development’s master plan. A Newland employee rode the trail system to evaluate it. Allen was not able to provide more details since that employee no longer works for Newland.

Allen admits that FINS is a legal liability for Newland and that using the trail is technically trespassing. Though the developer isn’t throwing the welcome mat out for riders, it also has not blocked access.

“I think, in defense of the residents, they thought it was on state land,” Allen said, adding that company officials will welcome input from the Estrella Trails Club, a recently formed organization whose members participated in designing and building the trails.

Portions of the trail are on land plotted to become a gated community. The company has made no decisions but wants to explore making it part of the community’s plan. It’s still too early in the process for Newland to predict the outcome. Allen said the company believes in outdoor lifestyles, so the trail has potential benefits as an amenity to the community, which now includes 3,500 homes. When it’s built out, Estrella is expected

to have 50,000 homes.

“The trail system needs to coexist nicely within the master plan,” Allen said.

Kim Doud and Murel Stephens laid out much of FINS before the master plan had taken shape starting in the summer of 2005. Both are veteran riders, having explored every local trail in the ubiquitous Fat Tire Tales & Trails book that is a bible to many Arizona riders. Doud, an Estrella resident, and Stephens aimed for a trail that would require skills but still be accessible to a wide variety of skill levels.

“We made it to swoop,” said Stephens, who lives in the nearby town of Buckeye.

Stephens said other local trails aren’t known for fast, flowing riding. The Estrella Mountain Regional Park, five miles from FINS, features the Pedersen Trail and a competitive track that hosts Mountain Bike Association of Arizona races. Neither trail, however, gets much love from local riders. About 25 miles away, the White Tanks also has a competitive track that gets mixed reviews. So Stephens and Doud decided to create a trail system that fit their own vision of what mountain biking should be.

They named FINS after Fantasy Island, a rolling, winding collection of singletrack trails more than 100 miles away in Tucson.

They labeled each section with hand-painted signs telling riders the trail name and level of difficulty.

They also made it to blend into the desert. FINS is difficult to see without being right on a trail, a lesson Doud borrowed from architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

In laying out the trails, Stephens, Doud and nearly 30 volunteers would stand on opposite hills, scanning the topography for routes that would allow a flowing trail with turns and switchbacks. Some days, they could create 600 feet of new trail. Other times, they could only advance about 50 back-breaking feet.

But the challenge of working into the community’s master 95

TRAIL SYSTEM

UNDERGROUND

Morgan Lynch

Despite a proposed 50,000 new homes in the area near Phoenix, developers and mountain bikers are now working together to help keep trails like this one open for all to enjoy.

plan could prove slower than carving a trail into a hillside. To smooth it along, Doud formed the Estrella Trails Club. The club is offering to work with Estella Mountain Ranch officials not

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only on FINS, but any future trail systems for any user. Club members have also attended International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) trail-building classes. Doud said Estrella already has a few trails, but they’re not suited for serious trail users.

The Estrella Trails Club announced its existence in the summer of 2008 at a homeowners association meeting; one of the association’s board members is a Newland vice president, according to Doud.

“Newland has a history of being favorable to mountain bikers,” Doud said. The developer worked with riders in South Carolina to cut a trail in a development there, Doud explained.

The developer even footed a $25,000 bill for construction equipment. “I think Newland is being very supportive. They have to be careful and do things the right way.”

According to Sonia Overholser, the Arizona IMBA representative, the trails are skillfully designed and built; in many sections, they conform to the IMBA trail design philosophies. The trails follow the land’s contours and loop back to a central point, allowing riders to ride as much or as little as they want. The overall impression is fast, flowing and exciting, she said.

Overholser is unfamiliar with Doud and his volunteers but thinks FINS could be a great amenity for Estrella Mountain Ranch.

“The value of trails has proven itself over and over and over again,” she said. “It depends, ultimately, on the land owner or manager. Ultimately, it’s their asset.”

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back

tailwind

Rider

by James E. Rickman

There it was behind me again, the oh-so-subtle jangle of a bike perched inches off my back wheel, coasting along in silent mockery of my feeble pace. I didn’t have to turn around to see who it was. Who else could it be other than my good-hearted girlfriend, the one who had gotten me into mountain biking in the first place? She undoubtedly was checking up on my welfare on this, my first epic, just as my body had begun to disintegrate.

I was still new to the sport and had spent the summer painfully attempting to up my mileage and stamina to pass muster as a bike patroller for a once-in-alifetime backcountry tour of a place that had never been opened to cyclists. One of the perquisites of a bike patroller was unfettered access to the amazing landscape for a pre-ride the weekend before the public event.

But as the event drew closer, I had begun to doubt my ability.

Every ride, it seemed, put me at a lower threshold of fitness. I often found myself minutes behind my girlfriend on easy rides, panting uncontrollably over a lolling, foam-covered tongue as I arrived at her waiting spot.

Patiently she would instruct me to lead, assuring me that we were in no hurry, that I would set the pace. And there she would sit, on my back wheel, yawning and pedaling at half my cadence, barely breaking a sweat or elevating her heartbeat. Mocking me, I self-consciously imagined.

It drove me nuts the way her bike hung just off my wheel, matching me move for move. If I sped up, she sped up. If I crept through a technical section, I’d hear her bike a half second later making the same thuds and rattles as mine.

“Why don’t you come around?” I’d demand. “I get sick of you being right on my ass all the time.” Seconds later I’d find myself flying over the bars or feeling the hot pain of a pedal smacking me on the shins after a panic dismount in the middle of Technical Hell.

“See what you made me do? Now would you please lead?”

But she wouldn’t. Because she knew if she went ahead, I would chase her like a loyal bloodhound and either keel over dead from overexertion or become a bloody casualty lying next to a busted bike at the edge of a rock garden.

Of the dozen or so other patrollers on the pre-ride, I was certain my pace was the slowest, so I was puzzled about how my girlfriend had gotten behind me again. I must have missed her during a pee stop. The big ride apparently had made me feebleminded.

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I had maintained composure through the first half, but now, at the three-quarter mark, I was starting to unravel. The energy bars and water weren’t sitting well, and aches and pains seared my body. I wanted to be alone to die out here, not in front of Wonder Woman, my bionic girlfriend. As we began to climb, my grim mood finally boiled to the surface.

“Why don’t you just come around?” I barked. “I’m sick of you sitting back there!”

But the bike behind budged not. It had become like a deerfly hovering just out of swatting range. A mean-spirited, pre-bonk aggravation settled deep into my guts, roiling with a watery sea of spent carbohydrates, indigestible cellulose fiber from one-toomany energy bars and abject fatigue. Suddenly I had an idea—a plot so vile that it could have only been hatched during the depravity of extreme duress.

During the next pedal stroke, I unleashed a foghorn of gas so angry and wretched that it must have inflated my Spandex. Had this bugling come during rutting season, every bull elk in the county would have issued me a challenge. The unholy bark caused birds to cease twittering in the trees and a cloud to move in front of the sun. Time halted momentarily. I had unleashed something Biblical.

I heard the click of a derailleur, the zing of a fast moving chain, and I saw a pair of pumping knees moving into my periphery. My plan had worked! I looked smugly over at the passing rider. Mysteriously, somewhere along the route, my girlfriend had changed her outfit and dyed her hair.

Then it hit me: The angry grimace that flashed into view was not my girlfriend, but rather the justifiably disgusted countenance of an unfamiliar female patroller.

Shortly afterwards a more familiar bike crept up to my wheel.

I was thankful my girlfriend didn’t say anything to me as I slackened my pace slow enough to ensure that no cars would still be at the trailhead when we finished.