The Radavist

This is without a doubt the most interesting magazine cover I saw in 2015 and over at Adweek, there’s a battle going down. Vote for Brian Vernor‘s photo of Benedict at Adweek and let’s show them that bicycles are rad!

… Watching Thereabouts 2 on Cycling Tips!

Photo by Clif Bar

Minneapolis’ women’s track and ‘cross team Koochella has gained a lot of traction over the years, but what drove team captain Anna Schwinn to start it in the first place?

“As I finished up my third long discussion of the day with women who want to start bike teams, I realized that I’ve been handing out essentially the same recipe and advice over and over. Rather than wait for women to approach me, I thought: man, I should just put this stuff out there. Maybe it will get around. Maybe it will get in the hands of the right woman who can start another rad women’s team (though the advice works for any kind of team). I’d be really into that.”

Continue reading about how you can start a race team at Koochella!

As the third largest city in North America, Los Angeles has some history to explore. Whitney did just that during her time in LA, combing over the urban fabric, connecting moments of interestingness, all before planning out a mega-tour that would take her and her 20/20 Cycles Kalakala from DTLA to the Desert Research Station in the Mojave Desert. Her trek was anything but easy as the San Gabriel peaks offer steep and dusty fireroads, combined with still warm temperatures for Autumn and minimal resources.

Whitney has a great and very different read over at Adventure Cycling about her trip. I highly suggest you take the time to check it out.

Ritchey Design: Three Peaks. What is it?

Brian Vernor: It’s called a cyclocross race, but really it’s a long distance adventure through the English countryside. The course carries you up and over three significant peaks, all of which force you off the bike for an unreasonable amount of running, hiking and shouldering. I grew up in Santa Cruz, California and at the time it was (and still is) one of the hubs for cyclocross in the United States. I started racing there in high school and I heard whispers about “Three Peaks” from some of the elder statesmen of the sport who’d gone to Europe to race and explore the less conventional rides and races out there. Three Peaks was always discussed with great reverence. And fear.

If you’re like me, you want to know more about Yorkshire’s Three Peaks “cross race.” Earlier this year, Brian Vernor with the help of Ritchey was able to compete in this infamous event, resulting in a video, photos and a complete story to come. For now, Brian’s got an interview up on the Ritchey Blog, so head over and check it out!

… and we love Walter for his work at Fall Creek Outfitters. Check out the full video below…

… Not that you needed any motivation to do that! Cheers to the weekend, from sunny and still way too warm for December, Southern California.

This is the twelfth and final layout of the Radavist 2015 Calendar, entitled “#LASucksForCycling”. The camera and location are noted on the bottom left of the document.

All those cars, that impenetrable smog and no dirt, anywhere. That’s the perception of Los Angeles, yet explore the #LASucksForCycling hashtag and you’ll see a whole different side of LA. It’s been a fun few months living here and I can only imagine how this website will grow with new roads to ride, people to meet, bikes to document and stories to be told…

For a high-res JPG, suitable for print and desktop wallpaper*, right click and save link as – The Radavist 2015 Calendar – December. Please, this photo is for personal use only!

(*set background to white and center for optimal coverage)

Darkness has fallen across the northern hemisphere a little faster this year. From darkness we come and to darkness we grow. The second volume of Stressoterica explores such darkness, without being overt and aggressive. Rather, it sends somber solace through its melodies as composed by the following neofolk artists:

Of the Wand and the Moon, Sonne Hagal, Cult of Youth, Rome, Der Blutharsch , Swans, Death in June, Solanaceae, Wreathes, Naevus, Strength Through Joy, In Rune, Sol Invictus, King Dude and Chelsea Wolfe, Zola Jesus

Each of these artists use Spotify and LP albums (when available) can be purchased at your local record shop. For now, check out Stressoterica II below, for free. Or if you’d like a direct link, check it out at Spotify.

Photos by Scott Haraldson

Multi-day bikepacking trips through the Montana backcountry should be on everyone’s cycling bucket list. For these women, the Kootenai National Forest would be their home for four days as they covered 170 miles, with three fire lookouts as their destination each day. Travel to each of the lookouts was via Forest Service roads and singletrack, with some intermediary roads sprinkled in throughout. Each of these lookouts, for obvious reasons, were on the very tops of the peaks within the Purcell and Salish mountain ranges: Garver Mountain at 5,784 feet, Big Creek Baldy at 5,768, and McGuire Mountain at 6,970 feet.

Head over to Salsa to check out this awesome story and see more great photos below!

Omar is a dear friend. Someone I trust with a straight razor and sharp scissors. He owns Vinny’s Barber Shop in Los Angeles and apparently has great style both on and off the bike. Which makes for a perfect Merckx Mondays entry. Check out Omar and his All City Mr. Pink below!

An early photo of Radavist contributor Morgan Taylor’s trail dog, Denver, has just been featured over at Bicycling Mag’s Instagram on the last day of their Raddest Dogs photo contest. We submitted our own rad shot of Golden Saddle Cyclery shop dog, Stella – which you can vote for until 11:59 p.m. ET, tonight! For the full story behind this photo, head over to the Bicycling feed, and follow the life and times of Morgan and Denver on Instagram.

By utilizing the Exposure platform, collapsable fender company Ass Savers has started a new platform for sharing photos, beginning with the Red Hook Crit Milano. Head on over to the Ass Savers Journal for the photos and story.

Photos by Marc McShane

A reader sent this along and I am completely floored about how beautiful this Flickr stream is. If you’ve got the itch to hop on a tour this spring, check out Marc McShane’s photography!

Back in 2012, photographer Nick Czerula visited frame builder Richard Sachs and photographed him and his work space. It wasn’t until recently that his work was reformated to fit a long-form narrative. Head over to see all of Nick’s words and photos!

This is the eleventh layout of the Radavist 2015 Calendar, entitled “Tandemonium”. The camera and location are noted on the bottom left of the document.

3…2…1… take-off! Too bad this ship didn’t land as smoothly as it was jettisoned. Tandems are fun, both to ride and to photograph with this photo in particular getting a lot of requests for the calendar. Ask and you shall receive.

Miss this story? Check it out at Tandemonium on Lukens.

For a high-res JPG, suitable for print and desktop wallpaper*, right click and save link as – The Radavist 2015 Calendar – November. Please, this photo is for personal use only!

(*set background to white and center for optimal coverage)

Photo by Bruce Buckley

Do you like Dan Chabanov and Richard Sachs’ Cyclocross Team? I sure do. Right now over at CX Hairs, there’s a great interview up with Dan. I highly suggest you check it out…

Photos by Derek Yarra

Above Category continues to visit the places where their utmost talented suppliers build their frame. First with Pegoretti and now with Mosaic Cycles in Boulder, Colorado. Derek continues to document the space with beautiful simplicity, so if you’ve ever wondered what Mosaic looks like from the inside out, be sure to check out this feature over at the Above Category blog!