The Radavist

When I say Cervelo, chances are your mind doesn’t jump right to off-road bikes. It’s probably something aero like a time trial bike or an aero road bike. Big graphics, thiccccc downtube, lots of spandex, and other images pop into my mind. I’m sure I’m not alone. While it wasn’t exactly a surprise when the brand launched the Áspero – heck, everyone is putting out gravel bikes – I was taken back by how good the bike looked. The Áspero has a lot going on visually but delivers one hell of a ride. I’ve been putting in miles on one for a few weeks now and am finally ready to discuss what I like and what I don’t like about it so if you’re curious about the dirtiest bike in Cervelo’s catalog, read on…

Dearest Readers,

If you’ve followed the reporting for the last three years on this Cyclocross Pilgrimage to the Motherland, you will have read plenty of tales of struggling, suffering, and the general beat downs of European race life. I’m not here to make excuses or polish turds. I’m here to tell it to you like it is. To keep it real. Thus I’ve written more than 30 articles bringing you along for my weekly whoopings in all their self-deprecating glory because that’s the truth. That’s the reality. That’s the story. 

And now, dearest readers, I finally have a happy tale to tell. Though it feels an odd one to write, and I cringe at potentially walking the fine line of self-aggrandizing douche. But I try to consider the context. This is the first time in over 30 deadlines that I’ve managed a meaningful achievement. This too is just part of the ride. The reality. The story. And it’s the kind I might not get to write again for another three years, or for that matter, ever again…

As it goes in the pleasant winter months in Los Angeles, we get a lot of cycling tourists, rolling through town like a tumblin’ tumbleweed. Last week, my friends Brad and Rhys were in town, soaking up the sun and riding all the dirt roads LA county has to offer. Rhys was riding on this Pioneer Valley ‘cross bike and I had to document this noble steed.

I was hardly surprised when he turned us away. After three seasons battling these neon-vested, parking fascists at Belgian cyclocross races, I’d come to expect rejection.

Max and I were racing today, and we’d just tried to enter the Renner’s Parking, the exact place for people like us. Yet the gatekeeper grunted in Flemish that there was no room for our little Peugeot Partner in the lot stuffed with hundreds of camper vans and buses from the larger Belgian teams.

Squid World Tour: China V2.0, Way Outside of Beijing
Photos by Angel Perez and words by Emily Kachorek

We kicked off the cyclocross portion of Squid World Tour early again this year in August. After a successful weekend of UCI racing Down Under in Melbourne’s winter cyclocross conditions, we made our way up (way up) to Beijing, China for the 6th Edition of the always hot and muggy Qiansen Trophy Cup. In the past the majority of the races have been held in the outer rings of the capital city. This edition, however, the events would be held at all new venues outside (way outside) Beijing. The Squad was excited for all new courses, new roads, and a whole new Chinese adventure.

Behind the Scenes at the UCI Track Cycling World Cup Los Angeles
Photos by Eugene Kim, words by John Watson

Track cycling’s draw is massive in Europe, so you never know what you’re going to get when a UCI event rolls into the US, much less, Los Angeles. This year’s UCI Track Cycling World Cup took place at the on the campus of California State University Dominguez Hills in their VELO Sports Center at the StubHub Center, drawing crowds that surprised. Eugene was there, in the pits so to speak, covering the events of the two-day World Cup. The most notable conquests that weekend were the United States’ own Chloe Dygert Individual Pursuit, the New Zealand team took home the event trophy, and French took home the 2016-2017 Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Cup title.

While track cycling in the United States has yet to reach “Six Days” status, seeing an event like this land in Los Angeles is a win / win.

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Cyclocross World Championships – Tábor 2015
Photos and words by Hollis Duncan

The first hint I was approaching Eastern Europe, was receiving a bath-size wet nap prior to takeoff on Air Dolomiti flight 1692 from Munich to Prague. Anyone who has ever whiffed a Bulgarian armpit or endured 34 rows of heavy built men who disavow deodorant can deduce how these would come in handy on a small airplane. As the pilot squeezed the throttle, our Embraer 195 headed east through light snow…

The 2014 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup
Words and photos by Chris Lee

I’m not gonna lie, I’m not very well versed or informed about the mountain bike racing circuit. But I do know about the MTB World Cup and when the announcement that it was going to be making a stop in Windham again, I knew I had to make the trip up…