This article is a follow-up to Cinthia‘s piece she penned for us last year entitled Bike Racing, White Privilege and the Coronavirus. Read on for a somber reflection on the time that’s passed from Cinthia below…
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File Till You Die: Frame Builder Eli “De Bicla” Acosta From Básica Studio in Mexico City
My partner Karla and I find ourselves in México City after what feels like going in and out of a pipe from Mario’s world. The truth is we took a plane, but after so much time of having this trip in mind, it takes a while to assimilate that it’s actually happening. We spend an afternoon putting our bikes together and some bolts later they’re ready to take us around this city; we feel quite intimidated by its size and the never-not-honking cars but the bike paths that have emerged over the recent years make riding much more manageable. Coming from a place that’s pretty much at sea level, the 2200 meters of elevation squeeze our lungs on the slightest uphill and when we arrive at the address on our map our hearts are beating fast. There’s no sign outside the place but a rack full of bikes indicates we’ve made it to Básica Studio, home of frame builder Eli Acosta.
Radar
36 Hours in Kitsbow: The Mysteries of Saint Anthony
Just minutes north of Harrisburg, Stony Valley is part of the second-largest roadless wilderness tract of land in Pennsylvania. Originally called Saint Anthony’s Wilderness, the land is marked with remnants of an industrial haven from coal and lumbering industries, where more than 2,000+ people lived along the mountains of this beautiful valley in its heyday. After recently moving to the area, a mom and daughter venture out to explore their new backyard, and uncover some of the valley’s hidden gems along the way.
See more at Kitsbow!
Reportage
The Summer of Cheech: Casa Verde, Crust Bikes, and a Limited Run of 24″ Romanceurs
You may not know me but maybe you’ve heard of my company? Well, I’m using this article as the official announcement of my debutante summer, The Summer of Cheech. I’m Cheech, Co-Owner of Crust Bikes and Creator/ Designer of Casa Verde.
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Honzo ESD: After Hours
Check out Leah Lind-White shredding the 2022 Kona ESD after work one afternoon…
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Tour Divide: Why Not? – Arya’s Account of Her TDR Attempt
On June 11th, 2021, I became the first Tibetan person to race the Tour Divide (if that kind of thing matters, really). Though I didn’t reach my goal of finishing this year, I did bite off a good 1,300-mile chunk of it, offering pieces of myself to the land along the way. Here’s what I experienced.
Radar
How a Female Athlete Views Her Body
If you follow Marley Blonsky on Instagram, you’ve seen the teasers she’s posted about this new video profile with Cut. In this video, she paints a nude self-portrait while discussing her relationship with her body.
Radar
My Kona: Gretchen Leggitt
Kona Ambassador Gretchen Leggitt is paving the way to greatness with an endless bounty of creativity. Gretchen is an artist, muralist, entrepreneur, and bikepacking enthusiast. She’s pedaled thousands of miles across some tricky terrain all in the name of adventure and inspiration. What she derives from her rides she infuses into her artwork that is taking the world by storm. Whether painting murals the size of football fields or creating new artwork for her Hydrascape Sticker company, Gretchen uses her Sutra LTD to get her to the places that bring her dreams to reality.
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Bombtrack and Columbia Sportswear: Rover and Wanderlust Travelshirts
Bombtrack, makers of bicycles for travel, teamed up with Columbia Sportswear, makers of outdoor apparel on these new Rover and Wanderlust Travelshirts for men and women. You can watch the Wanderlust video here and see all the information on these new shirts at Bombtrack.
Radar
The Center for Metal Arts: Steel Brazed Frame Building by Megan Dean of Moth Attack
Johnstown, Pennsylvania’s Center for Metal Arts is holding a framebuilding class, lead by Moth Attack‘s Megan Dean in October:
This course is designed to walk someone without metalworking experience through the process of fitting and brazing a bicycle frame together with an emphasis on hand tools. We will start at design and work our way through to a completed frame ready for paint. You will have the option to build a Track, Road, Gravel, Cyclocross, or a Mountain bike frame (you will want parts and tires in person for this option) and decide prior to the start of class. Lugged or fillet brazed construction is an option and will be design-dependent. This course will be a great start to picking up a torch and learning the basics of what it takes to build your own frame with something to ride when you’re done!
The course takes place October 18th-29th ( 9 AM – 5 PM ) and costs $3,275.00. You can apply now at Center for Metal Arts. Want to see more of this bike pictured here? Check out our Related archives below…
Radar
Ride With GPS: Ride Buddies – Episode 2: Sarah Sturm and Sarah Swallow
Ride with GPS‘ new “Ride Buddies” video series pairs cyclists together for a video podcast. This episode features Sarah Sturm and Sarah Swallow.
Radar
The Bike That Flew: Sarah Swallow on the Tour Divide
Over at Rapha, Sarah Swallow shares her story about how her Tour Divide almost ended before it even began:
The journey began with a three-day drive from my home in Colorado to the start line in Montana. My partner Adam and I were wrapping up a long day of driving and looking for a place to camp south of Seeley Lake, Montana when we drove over a large bump in the tarmac at 60 mph. The entire truck bounced like a sea-saw, causing us both to cringe when we heard a snap and saw something in the rearview mirror.
“What was that!?” I yelled.”It was a bike…” Adam answered.”Was it your bike?” I asked desperately.”I think it was your bike…” he responded.We stopped the car, and I got out to confirm that my Tour Divide bike lay one hundred yards down the road. I ran toward it hysterically like it was a loved pet that had just been run over.
Head on over to the Rapha blog to read more!
Reportage
Alexandera Houchin’s New Custom Chumba Sendero Titanium and Terlingua Titanium Bikes
Chumba Cycles has been supporting ultra-endurance and all-around badass athlete Alexandera Houchin for some time now, outfitting her with a variety of bikes for her endeavors. Yet with the announcement of Chumba’s in-house titanium manufacturing earlier this year, Mark and Vince, the owners of Chumba, wanted to get Alexandera on some new frames. You might recall our coverage of the Sendero Titanium from this year’s ENVE Builder Round Up. After the show, I reached out to Chumba to see if they’d share some photos of Alexandera’s new bikes, so let’s check them out below…
Radar
The Comeback Girls
For Malawi teen mothers Maggie and Febby, a bicycle can mean the difference between staying in school or not. Knowing that education equals a brighter future, for them and their daughters, these young mothers strive to finish their schooling despite an almost two-hour walk to school. The gift of two wheels might be the perfect answer…
Reportage
Tour Divide Bikes: Arya’s Tour Divide 2021 Crust Bikes Romanceür Tourer
This bicycle named Lil Romeo was chosen for my first attempt at the Tour Divide based on trust built over the years of adventuring together. A Reynolds 853 steel Crust Romanceür that I’ve ridden for 4 years in 4 different United Nations recognized countries. The custom frame bag that held food, 3 liters of water, and often a can of nitro coffee has the Tibetan national flag that is not recognized by the United Nations. I love this flag almost as much as I love this bike. Not for the sake of Nationalism, but for the sake of Beauty. Lots of parts on this bike were selected for beauty, practicality, and nostalgia.
Radar
Rapha Gone Racing: Lael Wilcox at the Unbound Gravel XL
Rapha just posted its Unbound Gravel XL video, showcasing Lael Wilcox’s efforts along the 350-mile course. Check back here on Monday for Lael’s Unbound report!
Radar
Sarah Sturm for Rapha: No Finish Line Pro Team Aero Kit
Our friend Sarah Sturm has such a vibrant personality, captured beautifully here in this Pro Team Aero Kit design for Rapha. Sarah worked on the design alongside Rapha and the whole kit is now available including a jersey, bibs, cap, and socks.
See the full drop at Rapha and find out more about who Sarah is at this blog post.
Reportage
Expectations on the Black Canyon Trail
Expectations are an interesting thing. In a way, dreaming about something is often what motivates us to do it. We dream of what we can achieve, or of a potential adventure, and the belief that it could happen excites us enough to go out and prepare in the hope of making it a reality.
I’m a professional cyclocross racer, and those dreams and expectations I have for myself guide my everyday decisions and allow me to push myself above what I think is possible. Just thinking about what I want to achieve gets me excited, but also a little bit nervous. I want to live up to my own expectations, and I so badly want to make those dreams a reality. Yet, those expectations allow me to set a standard for myself; a standard of excellence that I need to bring to each training session, making me inherently better than if I did not have those high expectations.
But there can also be a darker side to expectations: when an unrealistic picture you paint in your mind ends up being shattered by a much more difficult reality than the one you had planned.