One last post from Kory.

Hello Friends,

In life, I love that there are many roads to choose from. Each has
it’s own traits and the variety is what keeps us going. With that in
mind I am excited to announce that I have sold Joyride Bikes. I look
back at the results of the efforts I have put in over the years and
reflect with fondness that my best successes have been helping to make
cycling a real part of people’s lives. I’m fortunate to be able to
consider many riders in the Valley as friends and that that list has
grown during my time at Joyride.

The new owner of Joyride Bikes is a Cache Valley native, Wayne Wheeler
and his wife Cory (that should cause some confusion!). Wayne brings
many years of bike shop experience to the table. He has ridden with
and worked on many Valley residents bikes while at Al’s Sporting Goods
and knows the bicycle industry well. He is a seasoned mountain biker
and will be a familiar face to many. He’s easy going, and super
excited to share the stoke of cycling with new customers and friends.
Go in and say ‘hi’, he is usually smiling which should make him easy
to spot.

Not everything will change for me. I’ll still be involved in the
bicycle world. I’m opening a small custom fit studio in North Logan
called Confluence Fit Studio. One thing that will change (I’m greatly
looking forward to) is that I’ll be out there much more often
alongside many of you pedaling the ribbons of asphalt in our beautiful
Valley.

It has been a pleasure and a privilege helping each of you with your
cycling needs. I look forward to many miles on new roads to come.

Kory

Back to the Future...

Anyone who lucked out and got to grow up in the 80s remembers Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future. Remember the 'Hoverboard'? It was awesome! I allowed our protagonist to successfully keep up with a train, evade hooligans and look good doing it. We all swore we were going to get one as soon as they came out in 20 years or so. I still haven't seen one on Mythbusters yet but Jones Snowboards has taken matters into their own hands.

The Hovercraft is the closest board I've come to that mimics the idea of effortless surfing over and above all on the mountain. At 156 cm it defies what your collective experience tells you. It floats. In the deep and in the steeps it rides high and lets you slash and carve your way. It is short and maneuverable and extremely playful. Still fairly quick edge-to-edge this is an all-mountain shredder. Tons of setback, a short-almost vestigial tail; and a long, pronounced nose combined with directional rocker changes your expectations for the better.

Where I was most impressed was in questionable snow conditions with sun-exposed icy slopes that hadn't seen a storm in a while, chop and crud with lots of tracks; the board still made the conditions fun. The board rose above the crud and powered through the chatter to make a barely-salvageable day enjoyable. The short tail will not land like a board with a longer tail and takes some getting used to. That said this board is amazingly versatile. It may not be the only board but anytime the conditions require a tool that can save the day and make snowboarding more fun - the future is now.

Great Customers

Our customers are great. We love having the best customers in the area. People who are passionate about what they do and want to maximize their enjoyment of cycling and share that enthusiasm with others as well as introduce new comers to the sport. Our customers have many choices and we appreciate them selecting us to help them with their needs.

Retail business is an interesting way to spend the day. It's never boring. We are usually busy and see all types of requests and sometimes see problems that have no solution while being presented by someone wanting an answer 'right now'. Yesterday we were busy in the shop and missed greeting a customer and helping them out. Unfortunately he was in the store for under five minutes and we hadn't greeted him yet. We strive for better and fell short in this instance. This customer very clearly let us know that he didn't appreciate our lack of responsiveness to his presence. As he headed out the door he yelled a couple of things about our lack of service and his disappointment, that we were losing business etc. We were a little stunned at his outburst but at the same time we were trying to finish what we were in the middle of to try and attend to his needs. He was correct, we were slower than we should have been in acknowledging his needs and his expectations were not met. In retail it is truly impossible to be all things to all people.

Today is another day and I just had another experience that makes us appreciate our customers even more. Tanna had some work done on her bike a month ago and was going through her credit card statement and realized we had undercharged her repair by $100.00. That's a good chunk of money for both her and us. She came in today with her repair ticket, explained what she thought we had done wrong and asked to pay the full balance of her repair. I shouldn't be surprised. I am very appreciative. At the same time the contrast in transactions in two days was kind of shocking. Most people are honest and appreciative. Frequently, people set courtesy aside when they are upset.

In any case, thanks to our customers of all types. There are those we haven't been able to help but we appreciate them letting us have the opportunity. There are those who view our transactions as part of a relationship and wish to make sure both parties are happy with our interactions. This post is just kind of a feel-good note to say thanks to those who give us the chance to do what we love to do. The Discount Tire photo is from an ad than ran in 1975 showing a little old lady who wasn't satisfied with her purchase throwing a tire through the front window of the store. Thanks for not taking things that far.

Tour de France Sale is Back!

Here's how the sale will work. Follow the Tour de France with us and pursue the Maillot Jaune with some of the same equipment being used by the Worlds' best racers. For each day check with us to see who won and on what equipment. The days certain wheels, tires, clothing, bikes and equipment win; we'll have that equipment on sale. Expect 25-50% off some of the hottest equipment going. It's kind of a Bike Race Fantasy for Equipment. If Zipp wheels win today they'll be on sale today and tomorrow for 25% off! Allez!

Borrowed a good article on endurance nutrition...

Since many cyclists struggle with what the nutrition needs are and how to address them on longer rides..

http://blogs.cybersym.com/ultrarunning-biochem.html

Written addressing ultra runners but much applies well to cyclists and other endurance athletes.

Good post by Dayton Crites on Trails we get to Enjoy.

Here's a great little post Dayton wrote on some issues that mountain bikers will have to begin taking consideration of as outdoor recreation from all user groups becomes more popular.

http://bikethebeav.wordpress.com/

Preserving Access
June 6, 2011
by Lonesome Hank

Think of all the miles of singletrack you’ve ridden in your life. Think of the hundreds of thousands of feet of manicured earth you’ve enjoyed, the meters of berm and roller you’ve utilized to defy gravity for just a moment. Adds up, don’t it?

Think of all the times you’ve come across a downed tree, a rockfall, washed out section, or other obstacle blocking the trail. Maybe, if it was in your power, you moved it. Maybe it was too big, you vowed to come back with friends and tools to take care of it. Maybe you didn’t.

Point being, is that for all we enjoy riding the trails, too few of us get involved in the effort of maintaining them.

I’m one of the guilty party too. National Trail Day came and went, and I only found out after the fact that a dedicated crew of trail workers was there, working on improvements all day long. And from what I hear, there were not many mountain bikers.

In Green Canyon, that’s a problem.

That trail is one of the best resources of any Logan or Cache County mountain biker, and we need to show we care about the trails we love to ride. The more we do that, the more opportunities we’re going to get, from eventual access at Beaver Mountain to more mountain bike and freeride specific opportunities in Providence canyon and elsewhere.

But please, don’t be one of those people building imitation north shore features on public land. That does nothing but piss the forest service off, and make it harder than ever to establish more mountain bike opportunities.

If you want to help us create more goodwill with the forest service, and establish mountain bike specific trails that will last several lifetimes – come out and help us build again in Green Canyon. I’ll See you there.

June 11th 8:30am, Green Canyon Parking Lot

Thanks Dayton and see you there!

Thanks for participating in the BeWell/Joyride Sprint Tri!

Thanks to all the participants who came out and helped make the triathlon a success! We had our biggest turnout in the history of the event. We continue to draw a large field of first-time racers as this event is geared toward being fun and welcoming.

The volunteers from the Joyride Bikes Team, BeWell, Old Navy, Nathan and Mike with the music and other organizations along with cooperation from EMT services and local law enforcement allow this event to get better each year. Thanks to Missy and the Sports Academy and Racket Club for being gracious hosts again.

Look for pics taken by Charcie Rebalkin found here:

http://milestonephotography.smugmug.com/Other/Joyride-triathlon-2011/17187190_Fp2jKk#1303846857_bcbsbKW-A-LB

See everyone next year!

High School Mountain Biking?

I've been hearing for some time about the potential other areas of the country have developed regarding cycling as a high school sport. It looks like those efforts are coming to Utah. Hopefully this endeavor finds success and support. One of the best things about cycling is that participants are usually life-long athletes rather than 4-5years through high school and then the activity stops. Here is the info below:

My name is Lori Harward. I am the director of Utah High School Mountain Biking. I am contacting Utah’s cycling clubs to let them know about us and what we are doing.

We are an organization bringing mountain biking into Utah’s high schools in 2012. We are in the bid process with the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) to become a Project League. NICA is the governing body for high school cycling. We have a strong bid and feel confident this will happen. Upon winning this bid, NICA invests in Utah to get our League up and running. They provide coaching education and certification. Partnered with THE POSITIVE COACHING ALLIANCE, they will train coaches, assistants, rider leaders, etc. They will bring to Utah a Coaching Clinic which will teach coaches everything from how to teach mountain biking skills to running the school program, all with a focus on how to treat kids with respect and how to build their self esteem through positive coaching. NICA will aid in skills clinics for kids, aid in getting our races up and running and they will help provide means and sponsorship to get us off the ground.


Race Venues following NICA specifications, follow a 4-6 mile lap format, making them very spectator friendly so parents, families, and friends can watch their athlete race and cheer them on. Our proposed race season will be in the fall.


We already have 40 volunteer coaches in over 25 schools. We have over 80 volunteers total. And, we are still growing.


Our League Development Committee, being highly passionate bikers ourselves, is fully committed in bringing to kids this wonderful sport which has brought so much joy in our own lives! It is fun, and the kids will have fun! We wanted to meet the needs of those kids not in mainstream sports. And, we want to do so in a positive way that builds the self esteem of kids. The great thing about cycling is that is is life-long, you can be 30, 40, or 60 years old and still out riding for fun and/or racing, providing health and fitness for life! Unlike many high school sports that realistically end for most kids when they graduate.


We need your help. As part of our bid process, we need to have 1000 likes on our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/UtahHSMTBike. Could you please let your club members know about us. Also, please have them contact me if they have children who would be interested in participating or if they would like to volunteer themselves. I have attached a flyer you can view and/or use.


Lastly, could you please tell me the number of people in your organization? Feel free to contact me.


Thank you for your help!



Lori Harward

More potential good news from UDPS.

I am trying to contact bicycle advocates in Cache County to invite them to participate/provide feedback in UDOT's Peace on the Pavement Campaign.
If you or others you know may be interested in this effort, please contact me ASAP. Thank you.
Please see info below:

As you may have heard, the Utah Department of Transportation and the Utah Department of Public Safety are launching a campaign to raise awareness of traffic laws related to bicycles on the road, and to improve the relationship between bicyclists and motor vehicle
drivers. As a part of the campaign (which has been branded "Peace on the Pavement"), a bicycle ride across Utah is being planned. The ride will bring cyclists into cities and towns for events that will inform families about bicycle safety and the need for cooperation in
sharing the road.

We are now in the secondary planning phase of the campaign. The campaign team has determined that the most efficient way to move this phase forward is to assemble a planning group made up of people from the locations where the ride and events will take place to generate ideas and help to coordinate logistics. If you are interested in participating in this effort and/or know of a bicycle advocate(s) in your County that is, please let me know.

We have selected 9 counties to hold awareness rides/media events including: Cache, Davis, Grand, Salt Lake, Utah, Wayne, Weber, Washington and Summit. I am still looking for contacts who would like to be involved in Cache, and Summit Counties. Please let me know if you or someone you know can participate in this effort. We want your county to be represented.

A planning meeting will be held next Tuesday at UDOT's headquarters. If you can't attend the meeting in person, you can call-in. Let me know if you will be calling in and I will email you the call in number.
Again the meeting will be held on:
Tuesday, March 29 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., at the UDOT Complex (4501 South
2700 West, Salt Lake City)
We appreciate your willingness to be a part of this important effort to build awareness and improve safety for bicyclists and motorists on Utah's roads. Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions or concerns.
RSVP to Keri Gibson at kgibson@utah.gov or by calling the number below.

Keri Gibson
Bicycle & Pedestrian Safety
Utah Department of Public Safety/ Highway Safety Office
801-243-7571
kgibson@utah.gov

A bit of information from the Joyride Club President regarding some new access for recreation in the Cache Valley area...

Fellow Bikers (especially those MTB ers....),

I have recently caught wind of a meeting in SLC on March 31 of the Cache-Wasatch Recreational Advisory Committee (RAC). This committee will be discussing and voting on, among other issues, a proposed plan to do some work in Smithfield Canyon. Though I have not seen exact details, I have spoken with a member of the RAC that lives in Smithfield and helped draft the proposal. Of main interest to myself, is the inclusion of a singletrack multi-use trail that runs the length of Smithfield Canyon (from the campground to the wilderness boundary. Other points of the proposal include cleaning up the canyon by designating camping areas and improving the road, as well as restoring the road to the original boundaries drawn up by the congressional committee that first instituted the wilderness area.

Expanded recreational opportunities in these Congressionally appointed corridors through wilderness area are hugely beneficial to the population at large. A shining example of that is in Green Canyon with the recent singletrack improvements/additions as well as designating campsites. Along with these improvements have come conflicts though. As Green Canyon is by far the best piece of singletrack close to town, it is becoming more crowded and there will be increased conflicts between those of different as well as within the same user groups. The trail up Smithfield Canyon would definitely help the growing congestion problem in Green Canyon, by offering another viable recreational option.

There is a public comment period immediately prior to the vote. So far, there are two of us that are willing to carpool/caravan down to SLC to help in this effort. I wanted to throw this out to the cycling community at large to see if we could drum up some more support. We would love to have as many people as possible attend this meeting. I'm a little short on details, but hopefully will be able to provide more in the near future. Please let me know if you are interested in more details or if you would be interested in joining us.

Thanks,

-Neil-

Triathlon Club Meeting

Trainer sessions are up and going strong. For those who haven't joined us yet they are Wednesday nights from 6:00-7:30 PM.

This Thurday we are very excited to announce the addition of a new member to the Joyride Bikes Cycling Club. Emily Monroe-Jones has decided to partner with Joyride bikes this year. She is a USAT certified triathlon coach and has been running successful training programs in Cache Valley for the last two years and will be offering custom training programs through Joyride Bikes. Emily has big plans for the multi-sport scene in Cache Valley and we are very excited to be partnering with her in this endeavor.

We are going to be doing a meet and greet with Emily at the Sports Academy on February 10, at 8:00 p.m. at the Sports Academy. We encourage all club members to attend as we will be discussing general club issues for 2011 as well as triathlon specific plans. Let me know if you have any questions.

A little history of Logan bike shops.

People that have been around cycling in Logan for some time often comment that there has been a shop at the Joyride Bikes location forever. That's only partly correct, so I thought I'd type up some of the history of bike shops in Logan. I'm sure I'll miss some things but one thing that has been consistent is that there has always been a strong passion for cycling among the shop owners.

The location of most of the shops people are referring to is actually just a bit north of Joyride Bikes current location at what is now Mackley Designer Portraiture. The first shop I remember being there when I young was Aardvark Cycles. I remember seeing a mountain bike in there that was the typical for the time: bullhorn bars, rigid fork and thumb shifters except that it had a 26" front wheel and a 20" back wheel. We get lucky and get Janet out on rides with us sometimes.

The next shop to move into that location was Pursuit Cycles. Weston Allen was the owner and also made his own frames. They were all painted black and neon green, 80s style-which is cool again. For a small price he would strip your bike and paint it to match the team colors. I recall going in there and hanging out. Weston and Dave were about the coolest guys ever because they knew about bikes. They would give me old team tires so I could get use out of them to finish them off. Cameron worked there and now is back in Logan after being in St. George for many years. Paul Witteker worked there and now runs a CrossFit gym in Smithfield. I eventually bought my first bike from Weston, a Miyata 714, I wanted a 912 but they were sold out. A friend bought that from me and now I hear it is styling under a hipster in Sugarhouse. I also remember meeting a very tall John Hernandez on a group ride who went up the hill out of Richmond really fast and is still doing that today.

I'm pretty sure that Pursuit Cycles then became Adventure Sports. A different Dave owned that and Ron Stagg turned a wrench there for some time. Ron also spent time at Sunrise prior and later at Al's. Adventure also expanded into climbing and the location became a climbing gym for several years. Here the time line gets a little shifted as we move further north. I recall Psycle Path being around for a short period. There also used to be a shop up on 400 North that was not long lived. Further north on Main was the Bike and Lock Shop. Lots of Fuji road bikes in there. Rod managed The Sportsman for a long time. Remember when Panasonic made bicycles?

Moving back Downtown was Sunrise which has been in the same location for 35+ years. Al's used to be over on 100 West before they built their building out north.

Ed at EK Ekcessories owned the building at 565 North Main where he has come full circle from starting EK Ekcessories to buying the building back to open a factory EK store at the same location. In the mean time that location was Guido's Cycle and Sport which I managed for about a year. Marilyn, who is now at Al's, ran Guido's where Brian Jeppson was her service manager. Marilyn left Guido's for Al's and I took over as manager and Brian Jeppson moved to Cedar City where he has been doing a great job with Cedar Cycles for, what, 13+ years now?

I managed Guido's-I know weird name-people always wanted a large pepperoni special, and worked with Joel Peterson who worked with me at Sunrise Cyclery for a few years prior and with Steve Johnson. Joel later went to Al's where he finished up his time in the industry prior to opening his own small shop for a stint. Steve went on to work at Al's for a time and rejoin me when I went back to Sunrise Cyclery. While at Guido's I hired a great guy named Justin who is now the Midwest sales rep for Raleigh Bicycles. I still see other people from the Guido's crew at races. I left Guido's and shortly thereafter Adventure Sports bought out Guido's making that the second bike shop in that location.

I got my start in the industry at Sunrise Cyclery and worked there off and on for many years. I started as a mechanic and then sales, eventually managing it with my friend Jared. At Sunrise I worked with Brandon who now runs a shop in Park City. I met Josh Felt who is one of the best wrenches I've ever met. He would later go to Al's and then help me for a time after I bought Joyride Bikes. Kyle Isaacs started there as the bottom man on the pole and has since gone on to own a very successful shop, SBR Sports in Orem, UT. Many other faces came and went over the years at Sunrise. Scott went from Sunrise to Al's. Todd became an industry rep for Specialized then to Fuji Bicycles and now with a company that distributes LED lights. Paul Vaslet now writes mortgage loans here in town and has a company that makes some cool changing tents. One noteworthy co-worker was Jim Clonts. Jim was a very exacting and skilled mechanic who quickly grew his own following which would form the basis of Joyride Bikes which opened in the back of Great Harvest a long time ago.

After Guido's I was out of the industry for a time. I came back with the intention of buying Sunrise Cyclery. After that not working out I was back to finish my formal education. I sold drugs, legally for Johnson & Johnson, took 90 days to realize it wasn't for me and I planned to go back to school to get even smarter. That's when Jim and Michelle Clonts called me. After seven hard years of building Joyride Bikes into a successful business they were ready to move on and I became owner of Joyride Bikes.

It's been a fast-moving, merry-go-round. Sunrise Cyclery ended up with three employees owning bike shops throughout Utah. Several people became semi-lifers with 10+ years in shops and some working at 2-3 shops in Logan. Many other great guys and gals made their ways through college while spreading the love of two wheels.

So there is a multi-directional and convoluted wander through the history of Logan bike shops according to myself. Please feel free to comment any details the reader may remember. It's been great meeting these friends, sharing their love of life and the experience on two wheels. Sometimes we lead sometimes we follow, but it's always better to have great friends to share the journey with.

Some cyclocross results...

CX season is well under way with only four race days left in the season. In my opinion this is one of the most demanding forms of racing a person can choose to participate in. Ups and plenty of downs. Crashes, bad starts, bad sprints, and plenty of tough competition. It's been said and I'll repeat, this is not a sport for the weak.

The Utah State Championships were just held and many on the Joyride Bikes Team had a great showing. The season has seen us with lots of top-tens and some tough showings. Beth has been fighting in the women's A's, Dan had ridden tough in the men's A's with a really hard crash, Brad B. has been a machine in the B's with a full schedule-that's why Brad has always been fast. Robert Hamlin has been awesome in the 45 masters... fair warning to anyone who plans to keep up with him. Brian has come on very strong in the single speed after several-year absence from racing 'cross. Brian H. is the Energizer Bunny. He'll ride five hours, climb 6000' and do it again the next day. He consistently doubles up on race day and always pushes himself. Local powerhouse Johnny B. has been where he usually is-at the front. Myself has had one good showing in Idaho and one in the 35+ masters in Utah, the rest-not so good. Graysen has been on the podium of every junior race he's entered this season.

John Burton is our 2010/11 2nd place in single speed (these guys are fast!). Congrats out to all the team for a strong showing so far. For the rest of you enjoy this photo montage that should convince anyone that bike racing is not easy.

http://www.pdxcross.com/galleries/barton-park-last-cross-crusade-race-of-the-season/

Why do we sell what we sell?

Trek, Specialized, Cannondale, Giant, Scott, Felt, Bianchi, Intense, Santa Cruz, Kona, Yeti, Serotta, Pinarello... the list goes on. And on.

All of us here at Joyride Bikes are riders first. Some of us race, some commute, some just cruise. We sell what we, as riders, want to ride. In Kory's 15+ years as in industry person and Brian's 12+ along with everyone else in the store we have seen, ridden and sold it all. There is a difference. A Pinarello does things in a unique way that other brands do not. While a Bianchi may have some similarities, neither is a Trek. Roast beef ==> prime rib ==> filet mignon==>?? For those that are omnivores, can you tell the difference? Both will satiate the palate but they do it in a different way. (For those of other dietary preferences I'll leave you to your own analogy.)

I'll elaborate some, my personal experience sums to 70+ nice bikes I have personally owned. Titanium, carbon fiber, steel, aluminum, mixed construction and all have been Ultegra or Dura Ace, SRAM Red, Rival or Force and Campagnolo Chorus to Record. That doesn't even begin to count the bikes I've demoed and otherwise learned about. The includes the big brands and many that most have never heard of. I've ridden about every wheelset out there. I'm certainly not stating this to indicate that I am the end-all when it comes to bicycle expertise. Just that I can take my expertise and adapt it to help you find the very best bike for your needs. That is really what Joyride Bikes is about.

Value is another thing we take seriously here at Joyride Bikes. We pay for our stuff too and appreciate getting the best bike for our dollar. We look at the variety of components and weigh the overall package of fit, ride quality and performance to help guide people to the best bike they can find. Not all carbon fiber is the same. Fit does vary tremendously among brands. We'll help you sort and figure it out.

The next time we are asked by a customer is a Pinarello is really as nice as brand 'X', we'll have an answer for that customer. The answer will be 'yes' and if desired there is an accompanying explanation to go along with it. How much time have you got?

Yes, we 29.

We get it. We have for a long time. We don't wax evangelical about the virtues of 29er wheels and consider anything else a kids bike but we have owned, ridden and compared 29er bikes for the better part of 10 years.

There is a movement to push 29er bikes into the establishment with most every manufacturer offering a bike. Even some than openly criticized the notion of wagon wheels only a few years ago have now jumped in and their marketing departments try to convince us they were on board all along. No longer the domain of single speeders and pariahs with Unabomber-like beards. There is a 29er for all.

We offer Felt Racing with some of the most solid values in twenty-nine inch bikes starting at $599.99. Others have sold $599.99 bikes before but they were fairly junky. The Felt beats everything we've seen close to that price-from anybody. Rocky Mountain offers 29ers in every variety, those that have tried have liked. GT has some monster-truck chrome-moly, rigid fork monsters that are just fun. Ride it to school. Ride it to work. Ride the trails and take it to Cape Horn if you want to. Scott takes the light and fast approach to their 29er as usual. Intense has a sweet VPP Spider 29. Serotta, Salsa and Niner have made their way out our doors with 29ers.

So the next time someone asks your opinion as their bike expert, suggest they come down and check out some of our offerings in the big-wheel category and find out what all the fuss is about.

Ventures are here!

So what do we do in the Wintertime? Funny when we get that question. One of the things that makes living in Cache Valley is the variety of outdoor activities we have to pick from. The cold and dark takes away from cycling but opens up new sports that make us better athletes and improves our fitness in ways that a single sport simply cannot.

We've quitely offered Venture Snowboards for a couple of seasons now. Venture was a brand that was easy to believe in: local manufacturing-they do everything in house in Silverton, Colorado; a green ethos that germinated way before the recent fad of companies being environmentally conscientious; they are a small company, Klem and Lisa own the brand. Everything is done by them and their crew in house. A tight knit crew and they ride and manufacture the stuff they want to ride. A good outcome is a foregone conclusion when the you want to ride the best and own your own company.

We're proud to shout out and bring to Cache Valley the best splitboards, and solids, on the market. I've owned, ridden and demoed about everything. The Venture boards stand apart and just like the way a truly dialed mountain bike does, makes every ride more enjoyable and opens up new terrain. Snowboarders can now split and tour almost as fast as skiers and enjoy the flow of riding sideways down our local inbound and outbound terrain. So for those that see the madness in why we choose the brands we do, come in and check out the craftsmanship and design that stokes our fires the other five months out of the year. If anyone is so inclined talk to Kory about a demo and start to discover where your own two legs can take you this Winter.

Yes, it is cyclocross season..

The season has already begun for many and a couple of local racers already have a couple of races under their belts. The Utah series officially starts next Saturday, Oct. 2nd. Many from the Joyride crew are planning a pilgrimage to Victor, ID for Moosecross on the 2nd as well. I heard it was a great time last year and a great way to go gently into the CX pool. Join us for that if you can.

Practices are in full swing and happening on Tuesdays at 6:00 at the Cache County Fairgrounds. About an hour long and a great way to have a fun workout.

We have our largest CX team roster ever at 23 racers and growing! Finally, the new skinsuits are here and looking sharp, just begging to get dirty.

It's better to be lucky than good.

I did it. I won a major award. We had the chance to attend Dealer Camp at Deer Valley last month and ride some of the future goodness we'll be offering in the store this next season. We also got to check out some of the other brands we don't carry-always on the lookout for the best for us to ride.

As part of the Dealer Camp there was a drawing for a pretty nice and serious prize. I managed to win somehow, no skill required, and scored a sweet new 2011 Fox Talas 180. This is a waay nice fork and should find a happy home on my new Slayer with a grin attached to me while riding it. It's about an $1100.00 fork! I was pretty stoked about that obviously.

I also checked out some cool new bike goods. I rode a couple of Ibis bikes, the cyclocross Hakkalugi as well as a Mojo SL. I'm a fan of DW and SDL (short dual link) bikes such as Intense that we offer. The Mojo was fast with a fairly firm feel and lot's of anti-squat. Made me think that someone unaccustomed to full suspension or just wanting a firm feel to the back of the bike would be really happy on one of those bikes. Checked out some road and CX offerings from Blue. Jonathan Page's influence is doing good things for those bikes. One of the pure speed machines I rode was the new Scott Scale carbon 29er. Think a full carbon 29er ready to rip at under #21. The frame is under 949 grams. That's more than likely lighter than the road frame you are on. Crazy. Demoed the new SRAM 2 X 10 in a couple of variations and one was on a Transition Covert. That bike descended great. Climbing you had to stay seated and smooth to make it work but the SRAM and Rockshox goodies are taking performance up in a serious way.

All in all a great day and a fun way to call what I did work. Like I said, it's better to be lucky than good.

Be careful out there!

As I write this I'm thinking of two cyclists I have known for a long time. Both of these individuals are experienced riders with thousands of miles and hundreds on hours on the saddle. Both of them were recently hit by cars and made trips to the hospital. I wish both of them a full and speedy recovery.

This thought along with the passing of Laurent Fignon has me in a somber mood. Each year there are thousands of bicycle/automobile accidents. The exact number is unknown because these accidents are very under reported. Some of the accidents result in serious injury and death.

We all know the rules and the risks. We all ride and eventually settle into a comfort zone and feeling of security. As motorists we feel rushed and don't fully comprehend the constant changing landscape of risks. Lack of attention on either end result in accidents. As riders, let's be hyper vigilant. Help those in your pack. That might include not running a light or shooting a gap that may tempt others to do the same. For those driving, get off the phone. Pay attention to the task and responsibility at hand.

With schools back in and the University at full swing, the chance for conflict is greater than ever. In the end we are all people who ultimately want to go home safely after our ride at the end of the day.

Here's a link that has some common ideas to help safety: http://bicyclesafe.com/

Be careful out there riding and driving. The person riding the bike will lose in a collision with a car and is probably a friend of mine.

He will be missed..

On a sad note today one of the giants of cycling has passed away. The article on Cycling News tells:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/laurent-fignon-remembered

He was one of the first I remember growing up watching. His distinct style and flair did nothing to cover how fiercely competitive he was. Even recently in the 2010 Tour he criticized Contador and Schleck for being too friendly with one another. Fignon's nature demanded that in the greatest sporting event in the world, the one who would be champion must be aggressive and take the victory from all challengers.

Fignon was the last French winner of the Tour de France and one of the true champions of his generation. My own jingoism wants to trump the spirit of American athletes but Fignon resides at the level of Jalabert, Hinault and other great French cyclists who demonstrate the true character of champions and gives us something to admire.

In his battle with cancer and his desire to live he truly showed us that he was not the man that lost the Tour de France by 8 seconds. He was the Champion that won the Tour de France twice.