The Radavist

Photo by Stephen Lam

Laura King, an accomplished cyclist, and Ted King’s partner wrote a great piece at her Exposure blog that delves into gender parity in the gravel scene. You can check it out at her Inner Voice blog.

Traveling with your bike can be a real pain sometimes, yet with the right tips and pointers, even the most potentially stressful endeavors can be as easy as a tailwind. Silca recently reached out to a handful of cyclists, ranging from pros to adventure-seekers to hand over their coveted travel tips. Head to the Silca Blog to read more!

“The Explore Las Animas campaign will be curated around the Native American, Spanish/Mexican, and Anglo influences that make the Canyons & Plains region a distinct Colorado bicycle destination. Lightly traveled roads connect riders to a sublime landscape dotted with old mines, ghost towns, diverse wildlife, and public access to the San Isabel National Forest, Comanche National Grasslands, and Trinidad Lake State Park. Also, signature quality events emerging, like the SW Chief Bicycle+Comedy Fest, Pony Xpress 160, and Branson Hi Lo Gravel Country can help draw cycling tourists. All of these experiences will show why southeastern Colorado is a great place for a two to three day bicycle vacation”

Head over to SNEWS to check out what Backshop Bikes has been working on in Trinidad, Colorado at Explore Las Animas.

Tomorrow we’ve got our Reportage dropping from this 200km race through the San Rafael Valley but here’s a spoiler, as Sarah‘s huge smile implies, it was a huge success! Check out a few teasers on our Instagram.

Max from 333 Fab is fighting Stage 3 rectal cancer right now and since our country’s healthcare system is inherently flawed, many people look to their community for support in their time of medical need. Head to Max’s GoFundMe to help him out with a small donation.

“When RTC was founded in 1986, just a handful of rail-trails dotted the landscape. Today, there are more than 23,000 miles of rail-trails crisscrossing the countryside and another 8,000 miles of rail-trails ready to be built—making the Great American Rail-Trail viable for the first time. Analyses implemented in the past few years of open rail-trails and out-of-service rail corridors show the potential to build a rail-trail that spans from Washington to Washington. Hundreds of conversations with state agencies and local trail managers confirm that this is a realistic pursuit.

The potential of a rail-trail spanning the country has been known for decades. The time to build the Great American Rail-Trail is now.”

Read more about this project at the Great American Rail-Trail! Thanks for sending this over, Sam!

“Almost ten years ago, David Phillips started a little bicycle repair shop in the heart of Munich called Guten Biken. What kicked off with fixing bent derailleurs, snapped chains and broken spokes in a cramped basement workshop, hidden away in a back alley, turned surprisingly quickly into a proper bike store. As Guten Biken went on growing as a business, we became more and more engaged in our passion for building custom bikes. But through that growth we always stuck to a simple conviction – that every bicycle that gets pushed over our doorstep, no matter how old and rusty, deserves a second chance (or at least parts of it). ”

Head to Go Fund Me to read more about this fundraiser for Munich’s Guten Biken.

The best way to learn is to fall. Both metaphorically and literally. Especially on a bike. If you never lean over and push the boundaries how can you understand traction, physics, and speed? That’s part of the reasoning behind the Rubber Side Up mantra. Push yourself, get air, and yeah, crash. When you fall, you inevitably learn in the process. We all do it, it’s what we do afterwards that makes the difference. Take the inevitable collapse of the tradeshow, specifically Interbike. What could the organizers have done to solidify their holding within the industry? Will they learn from the demise of the tradeshow, or will it be more of the same?

One of the points I made during the Chris King Open House and Industry Summit – other than it being full of white dudes with no women in attendance – was why hasn’t Interbike joined forces with Outdoor Retailer?

Are we not an outdoor industry? Do we not care about the outdoors? The tagline for this very website is “A Group of Individuals who Share a Love for Cycling and the Outdoors.” We ride outdoors, we live outdoors as much as possible. We are not complete, as humans, without the outdoors. So why is the cycling industry so myopic?

A large group of cyclists partook in the first race of the LA Tourist Race series. This 70 mile self-guided race took participants up Mount Lowe into the snow, down the Gabrielino Trail in the rain, across to the Verdugo Mountains before ending in Griffith Park. Totaling over 9,000′ in elevation, it was a long day for many. You can follow along at @LA_Tourist_Race, and follow the #TouristRace for rider’s perspectives. Stay tuned, as two more races follow!

This year, Quality Bicycle Products has announced their winners of the Women’s Bike Mechanic Scholarship. There are 32 scholarship recipients who will attend a two-week Professional Repair and Shop Operations in Ashland, Oregon’s United Bicycle Institute. This is made possible by SRAM, Park Tool, UBI, DT Swiss, Problem Solvers, SPANK, MAXXIS, DERO Bike Racks, and WTB. Check out the press-release below!

We’re in Tucson, riding bikes and soaking in the Sonoran, while avoiding jumping cholla. Yesterday a big group met up to ride bikes at the 50 Year trail network and things got nutty!

This holiday season, we set our sights on the Land of Enchantment and the beautiful town of Santa Fe. Cari, my partner, and her family have roots in New Mexico, with a sort of tradition of spending time over the holidays in Santa Fe with family friends. This year, I really looked forward to the high desert, Christmas Chili, piñon wood, and luminarias. I’ve wanted to check out the riding in the area, since I’ve only driven through en route to other cycling destinations and although a few massive winter storms hit during our stay, I managed to get out on a pedal with my friend Bailey early one morning.

We mostly spent our time visiting museums, shops, eating at local digs, and I was able to swing through to say hey to the Mellow Velo team. All in all, it left me anxious to return once the snow melts at the higher elevations…

Check out a few more below!