The Radavist

California really does have some of the most beautiful riding in the US. Here’s Strava‘s new commercial, “Shower”, featuring Tim Johnson, tackling Coleman Valley Rd up from HWY 1. Damn, I miss the Cali coast.

Photos by Emiliano Granado

A new chapter of Manual For Speed means a new photoset of inspiration. You don’t have to race to appreciate photos like this. The MFS crew was at the USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Golden, Colorado. See the rest of the set here!

This is a track bike, not a fixed gear

I saw an article on Velo News (no, I won’t link to it) about the Red Hook Crit and it angered me to read such incompetent journalism.

“And gone this year were tight jeans, sneakers and the other garb synonymous with “alley cat” style races. Skinsuits and matching lycra were the styles of choice for participants.”

First of all, it’s not an “alley cat” and people never wore jeans to race the RHC, at least not the serious racers (Nick doesn’t count). It’s always been a serious race and quotes like this undermine the event. It’s as back-handed as you can get. Second of all, these TRACK BIKES were all USAC-legal for a mass-start race and everyone was pushing heavy track gearing. Don’t mistaken a bike that’s ridden on the street for fun with a bike that is built to race. And if you’re going to write an article on a widely-read news source, don’t get an idiot to source quotes, only to have him misquote people. Frederick Dreier, stick to what you know and that’s not track bikes.

/end rant

Stefan Ruiz, Brian Vernor and Patrick Trefz are working on building funding for a new project called The Commentator. Here’s a background on the project:

“In 1976 Danish Filmmaker Jorgen Leth made the legendary sports and cycling film, A Sunday in Hell, about the Paris Roubaix cycling race. It defined a genre and helped put the Paris-Roubaix on the global sporting map. Leth now comments on the race for television.

We plan to follow Leth as he prepares for and comments on the race. We’ll be with him from his hotel in Paris until the end of the race at the Roubaix Velodrome. Along the way our team of photographers and filmmakers will shoot footage of the race, crowds and Leth himself caught up in the excitement of sport. We’ll capture the intense effort of contemporary pro racers, and will be sure to include stars from cycling’s past.

The Commentator will screen all over the world as part of the Bicycle Film Festival programming.”

They’re trying to raise $27,000 over on Kickstarter, so if you’d like to back it, head over.

This is Manual for Speed’s best photo set yet. Sure, the race photos are incredible but the crowd shots take the cake. This looks like a party! Check the rest out at Manual for Speed.