IMBA is looking to hire a full-time, professional two-person team for the highly successful Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew PRogram. This position requires a passion for mountain biking, excellent communication skills, a basic knowledge of trailwork and team compatibility. The crew will travel nearly all year in a 2002 Subaru Outback.

With the weather warming up and the puddles getting bigger, are you ready to head indoors for an action-packed, adrenalin- filled weekend? Prepare yourself for the best bike excitement you’ve had since last summer! The Coors Light Outdoor Adventure Show is coming back to town with the ever-popular Arriba Bike Zone and we want you there!

I'm sure you have noticed that the most skillful or strongest rider
doesn't always win. This is because at the higher levels of competition
most competitors have about the same skill. Winning races is a mental
war and often a more prepared, focus and confident competitor will
beat someone with slightly more "skill".

For those of you jonesing for new video, the kind folks at Red Bull have thoughtfully put some of their unbelievable Rampage footage online. All 5 vids feature crazy lines, crashes, airs and some of that World Famous Red Bull love. I can't say for certain if the videos do the event justice, but either way, this is some nutty stuff. Riders who attended the event, such as Lars Tribus and Darren Butler, said it was the craziest stuff they had ever seen, let alone ridden. Next year's dates have been set, the Red Bull Rampage will be run on October 10-13th, 2002. For those of you without a calendar, that is the weekend after Interbike with a couple days practise in between. Seems worth the 2 hour drive from Vegas, don't you think?

See All Videos Here

Don’t forget! This Saturday, the Hula Mula Meltdown Bikercross will be
running at C.O.P. This is a full day event with the course running from top
to bottom on the east side of the hill. Registration is from 9-11:30 with
the seeding run starting at 12:00. The full race will start at 1:30 in the
afternoon and awards at 4pm in conjunction with the slopestyle skiing and snowboarding comp that same day. This is a cash only event, everyone who places will receive
cash, and a Hula Mula Medal from the Pinkbike Medal maker, Jeff S. There are
also 6 categories to enter in-- Under 14, junior, women, Senior Fast, Senior
slow, Senior old (over 30). This is to make everyone happy and competing
against similar abilities. We also want to set a record with regards to # of
riders at a winter MTB event. Lets see if we can get over 150 riders out and
make this the best bikercross day. Call me if you have any questions at
247-5457 or to register call 247-5452. $20 for men and $10 for women!

Singletrack Cycle is looking for new faces. Full and part-time available. Sales and mechanical people needed. Experience an asset but not required. Drop off or e-mail a resume. Our address is: 1503 - 15 Ave. S.W. Our phone is: 244-2464. Or our web address is http://www.singletrackcycle.com. Ask for Stew or Darcy.

Evil Bikes, makers of the Evil Imperial and SRS™ Security Chainguide are pleased to announce e13 Components. Evil co-founder Dave Weagle said of the new product line, "During the last 2 years, we
have realized that media exposure is very difficult to get with a name using
the word Evil". It seems as though the mainstream cycling media, unlike Pinkbike, is reluctant to promote a company with such "Evil" roots. e13 Components will develop new components and Evil Bikes will license that technology from e13. Fear not evil doers, consumers will have a choice what name adorns their cycling goodies. Speaking of goodies, e13 Components and Evil Bikes are pleased to announce the release of their Dual Ring Security (DRS™) chainguide, a multi-ring chain retention system that has been developed over the last two years.

Some of our friends over at Ridemonkey passed along news of 3 Boxxer models soon to be available from Rockshox. Starting with the high end World Cup version with the TiNi stantions and Black Box internals. Next in the line will be the Team model that is very similar to today's Boxxer offering. At the bottom of the line you'll find the Race which features adjustable travel and no adjustments aside from oil and spring weight. All models are said to feature new castings and the option of an integrated top crown and stem.

Questions/Comments?

BetterRide/ Rocky Mountain Downhill announces April clinic schedule. Dual slalom clinics on April 6th and 13th in Denver, Colorado and downhill clinics on April 19th and 21st in Moab, Utah. The downhill clinics are the day before and after the super fun Tour of Canyonlands downhill race, part of The Mountain States Cup Race Series. So come enjoy the warm sunny days of spring in Colorado and Utah and get your ride on. For more information on the dual slalom and downhill clinics check out http://www.BetterRide.net and for information on the Tour of Canyonlands go to http://mtnstatescup.com.

Abbotsford's "Super T" Tyler Klassen took home the $10000US prize in the Race Face Ultimate Freeride Challenge. Look for the Ellsworth Flow Rider to be decked out head to tail in Race Face's latest, greatest goods. Klassen's entry, filmed by none other than "Digger" Todd Fiander beat Cory Leclerc's to win the one year freeride contract with Race Face.

A month ago it looked as if we could start completing the trail work we started last year any day. All the snow means that it will likely have to wait until late April ….. but there is an important event next week that all Bow Valley mountain bikers should plan to attend. The Town of Canmore, MD of Bighorn and Alberta Community Development are jointly hosting a series of open houses to discuss trail closures and seek public input into the future of trail use in the Bow Valley. There have already been a series of meetings but it has been arranged to have a dedicated session just for mountain bikers this coming Monday, March 25 from 7 to 9 PM at the Provincial Building in Canmore (800 Railway Ave). A large turnout by mountain bikers will speak volumes to the people who manage the lands so we our encouraging everyone to attend. Impassioned and reasoned input is welcome. My only caution is that the group hosting these sessions labels mountain bikers as irresponsible trail users who don’t care about wildlife, sustainability of trails or user conflicts so we should do everything possible to show that we do have a responsible trail user perspective.

Document in Microsoft Word format containing answers to questions regarding the access and trail closures in the Bow Valley and Canmore areas.

Very informative.

[GO HERE FOR REST OF DOCUMENT - microsoft word format]

East Coast ripper and star of Chain Reaction, Aaron Chase took first place in the Speed Trials beating Jeff Lenosky by mere inches in both races of the final round. Riding for Sobe/Headshock, Chase was said to enter on a whim after seeing the course and takes home a good portion of the $2000 purse for his effort. The Speed Trials course consists entirely of man-made obstacles that includes teeter-totters, spools, drops and ledges.

Volvo/Cannondale riders Anne-Caroline Chausson and Cedric Gracia swept the Dual Slalom events at this year's Sea Otter. Chauson bested Katrin Miller in the finals while Sabrina Jonier crossed the line just ahead of Marla Streb in the semis. On the men's side, it was "semi-retired" Haro team manager Mike King crashing wildly at the finish line just behind Gracia. Conspicuously missing from the finals was Brian Lopes who was beaten by Gracia in the semi final round.

Brian Lopes and Anne-Caroline Chausson were the top male and female qualifiers in the 4X Mountain Cross at Sea Otter Friday. Rounding out the top five on the women's side, Katrina Miller, Jamie Lilly, Tai Lee Muxlow, and Tara Llanes. The top men were Wade Bootes, Chris Kovaric, cedric Gracia and Mike King. The Mountain Cross Finals get under way on Sunday afternoon.

Just in time for the Bike Show 2002 in Birmingham, UK and the Sea Otter Classic, www.stevepeat.com verII is online. Steve has promised to update the site regularly keeping fans in the loop. Check out his classic XC pics in the photo section. Who'd have thought Steve was such an XC whore?

The last Fat Tire of the year goes down this Sunday, March 24th at Canada Olympic Park, Calgary. Registration is from 5:30 - 6:30pm. The race is 10 bucks for the guys and 5 for the ladies, always free for spectators! The madness will commence at 7pm. Awards, beer, and prizes will follow the race! Make sure you come out and support everyone who participates!

The Giant DH Appreciation Shindig will Kick off on Friday at 11am, before the Amateur DH practice.
We will meet at the DH Start line, where either Myles himself, or Dustin Adams and Cassandra Boon, or all 3, will walk the course with everyone, showing off their skills, and helping everyone pick their lines.
After practice, we'll adjourn to the Giant trailer, where everyone will collect their Bag 'o' Swag, and have a snack.

Again, sorry, but this is open to Giant DH bike riders only, sorry, I wish I could feed you all!
Also, sorry if the time isn't the best for you, but it's the best compromise we could make, and who wouldn't want a former World Champ, and the 2 Canadian Champs helping them before a race?

Cycles Simtra the exclusive Canadian distributor for Planet X and Gravity Check is looking for full time independent sales agents. All Canadian territories are open.

To add Planet X and Gravity Check to your product line, you must have the following requirements.

Experience in the biking industry is needed
you must be a full time agent
A good knowledge of the hardcore mountain bike scene is a must
References needed

All résumé’s must be sent by e-mail to agents@cycles-simtra.com

Brought to you by the makers of Hidden Pleasures and Second Coming, Mike Kinrade and his band of merry riders have begun preparing for the 2002 season with a warmup road trip. Vancouver Island, March 1st - 8th,
"We were all pretty rusty but still had a good time riding new stuff and getting
used to our bikes once again." Check out the vid clip MPF has put together. Go here, click on the Road Trip icon and you're good to go.

Questions/Comments

On Friday April 5, 2002 from 11:30pm to 4:30pm the Recreation Leadership
Program at Camosun College in Victoria BC will host Camosun's first ever
"Mountain Bike Freeride Expression Session". Located on the South Lawns in
front of the Yonge Building, riders can sign up in two categories, novice and
advanced. The course consists of ladder bridges, teeter totters and the like. There won't be anything too technical to discourage riders, but it
will test their skill. First prize for advanced is $100.00 and for novice $50.00. Local professional rider, Mike Bentham and his crew will be there to strut their stuff with crazy stunts and tricks. It is $10.00 to register and all proceeds go to the BC Children's
Hospital Foundation. There will be beer gardens and local DJ's to to start
the weekend out with a bang. Don't miss this event. It's not often a course
like this is brought to you. Take advantage of it. Riders can register at
Fairfield Bike Shop, Chain,Chain,Chain, and Sports Traders anytime and
Camosun College (Fisher Building) Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 12:30 to
2:30 up until April 3/2002.
For more information, please contact jonnyandkari@aol.com.

The Coors Light Outdoor Adventure Sports Show is just around the corner. Two exciting events will go down this year in the Arriba Bike Zone. The Advil Big Air event will be a dirt jumping competition on a set of huge doubles. The Rockies challenge is a dual-format north shore type race. Time trials will decide the finalists, then they will go two at a time over stunts and through obstacles, fastest rider wins!
Be sure to register before April 1st, as there is a 5 dollar late fee. The registration form can be found here. Its in Microsoft Word format. If some of you don’t know what to expect, check out some photos from the Edmonton Bike ExpoMake sure to come check out the Pinkbike booth while you're there!

Intense was kind enough to send us some "top secret" photos of their VPP XC prototype. I'm sure you'll see the bike in the pits at Sea Otter, but don't count on seeing the bike on the course just yet. From the sounds of things, this is the only one available and Intense may tweak the design somewhat before you'll be able to have one for yourself!

See Photos

Imagine…
Racing for 28 days…
By bike, foot, kayak, and your wits
From one end of New Zealand to the other


One of Canada's top female Adventure Racersand Elite Mountain Bike racer
Marg FedynaPresents vivid stories and slides
of her recent adventures competing solo
in the gruelling 28 day Mizone Endurazone Adventure Race across New Zealand


She also shares her experience gained from competing in many diverse races, from
Eco-Challenge in Patagonia to our own challenging Rockies.


Where: Mount Royal College, Room Y224
When: 7 pm, Monday March 25
Tickets: $5 at the door

Looks like Manitou is putting their money where their mouth is with the one point five standard. Mr Shockwave was kind enough to post some photos of the new Manitou Sherman six inch travel single crown fork. We're still awaiting a call back from Scott Boyer of Manitou to confirm or deny the forks existence, but there's no denying the pics look real. True 20mm axle, 1.5" steerer tube and reverse arch technology, the fork looks like it could be freeride winner. We'll be sure to keep you posted as details become available!

The sun shone on competitors in Sundays CastleRock BSX Round 4. Intermittent showers didn't dampen the spirits of riders from around the country battling it out four at a time down the spectacular supercross track. There was a strong showing of Taranaki riders with Bevan Adlam taking out the hotly contested open men's Hardtail class with Paul Needham in second. Sarah Cook from Waitomo won the open women's class and Jared McCormick from Hamilton won the 16 and under Hardtail class. Saturday's Cross Country Mountain Bike time-trial race was held on the challenging CastleRock Freeride trail and was won by Chris Cole from Scotland in an amazing time of 15mins 30seconds. The handicap start race (handicap was based on the cross country times) was won by Belinda Ogle from Rotorua.

The final event in the series is scheduled to run on the weekend of April 13/14. Saturday will feature a beer festival starting at 1pm. Ten beers from ten countries, with more available for-sale if you're not tanked after 10. There will be some fun activities such as; Bike Toss, Tricycle race, Gymkana, Bike Limbo etc. Sunday sees BSX racing from 10am run in a similar format to previous events. $35 for the weekend including beer, camping and BSX entry. If you could only make it to one event in the series, this is the one to be at. Rumours are circulating that there will be a match up between current US national champ John Kirkcaldie and longtime rival New Zealander Glenn Sisarich.

Pre-registration for the Beerfest is required, , call CastleRock 0800 225462.

Once again Pinkbike brings you FREE gear. Last time it was a brand new Kamikaze Bombshell fork and now a new shiny IDUN full face is up for grabs.

With riders like Jesse Roberts, Dustin Adams, JJ Desmoreaux, Brandon Barker, and Dylan Tramblay falling on their heads ALL the time, but just walking away cause of the IDUN gear (especially that Dustin guy JK) you know this sweet prize will keep ya safe and lookin' good.

We'll draw a random name in a short while, so get you name in the pot.
ENTER CONTEST

In the closest match up to date,Cory Leclerc narrowly beat out Thomas
Vanderham to advance to the final round. There he will be going head to
head with Tyler "Super T" Klassen, who scored a convincing semi final
victory over Salt Lake City's Tydon Oler.

"We're really excited at the possibility of sponsoring either Cory or
Tyler." says Race Face Marketing Department's Marshall Rutman "They're both
super talented riders who'd make a great addition to our pro-freeride team.
I think our online community has done a great job making their voices heard
by voting for who they want to see advance. I can't wait to see who they
ultimately choose."

While the online voting continues, we will fly Cory and Tyler down to the
Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California. On Saturday, March 23rd at 5:30
PST, we'll tally the votes and announce the winner of the first annual
Ultimate Freeride Challenge and present them with a cheque for US$10,000. Good luck boys!

Vote Here

Starting on March 24, the good folks at COP will be bringing you 3 weekend's worth of mountainbike action. The final Biker-X of the Winter Fat Tire series takes place on Sunday, March 24. Like always, registration starts at 5, race action at 7. Come out and help us put Jacobs in his place! The following weekend, $1500 and some sweet Jeff Savoie Artworks swag is on the line in the Hula Mula Meltdown. All day, top to bottom biker-X and the chairlift will be open for business. I can't think of any better way to finish the snow biking season. Finally, marking the beginning of our summer riding season, the Coor's Light Outdoor Adventure Show goes the following weekend at the Round Up Center. This again features the Advil Big Air comp, Rockies Challenge, and demo track as well as the 2002 eye candy in various booths. We'll be there riding and representing! Stay tuned for details of a blow-out party hosted by Team Pinkbike on April 6. I don't know about you, but this should help me get over the fact I can't make it to Sea Otter next weekend!

Fat Tire Poster
Hula Mula Meltdown
Outdoor Show Event Info

Mountain Bikers have the right to be pissed!

The government agencies implementing the trail closures around Canmore in the summer of 2001 demonstrated a complete lack of respect for Mountain Bikers and recreationalists. The BCEAG communication strategy was completely disregarded, trails were destroyed and Mountain Bikers were told to "go somewhere else".

When Mountain Bikers and other recreationalists publically challenged the trail closures, the politicians hid behind the bureaucrats and the bureaucrats attempted to justify the closures by using such contortious arguments as "emergency closures" and "extensive public participation". At the end of the day, it was clear what had happened: Mountain Bikers and other recreationalists were the politically weakest group and in the eyes of a Provincial Government - desperate to look good following the inevitable (and foreseeable) environmental out cry that followed the Canmore sprawl - recreationalists and Mountain Bikers would be sacrificed. Damn right Mountain Bikers are pissed!

The tragedy is that the "Chain Saw Massacre" could have been avoided.

Mountain Bikers, if given half a chance, could become partners with BCEAG. We know the only solution is a win-win solution for both recreationalists and wildlife. The BVMBA believes such a solution is attainable, and, notwithstanding the "bad will" created by the 2001 trail closures, the BVMBA wants Mountain Bikers to stop looking backwards and look forwards to the only solution, namely a properly planned trail system, built with wildlife in mind.

BCEAG has made a good will gesture to recreationalists – they have held out the olive branch of ROWG (the Recreational Opportunities Working Group). The BVMBA, although initially skeptical, now strongly endorses the ROWG process, and encourages all Mountain Bikers, big and small, armored and unsuspended, to participate in the ROWG process.

The BVMBA wants all Bow Valley Mountain Bikers to stand, united, and speak to ROWG about solutions that will result in the creation of a trail system that both creates great riding opportunities and allows functional wildlife corridors. For more information, contact Ken Davies at 678-9418 or at kaos@cb.monarch.net

STAND UP, STAND TOGTHER, AND WE ALL RIDE FOREVER!!!!

Round 4 of the Castlerock BSX series gets underway this weekend in Te Awamutu, New Zealand.

FREE CAMPING SATURDAY NIGHT WITH EVERY RACE ENTRY. ($20/weekend - includes XC & BSX)There are still a few beds available in the Lodge, to make a booking call 0800 225 462

Saturday: Cross Country race - 1 lap time trial of the Freeride track. For those of you that have ridden this trail, you'll know it's not your typical cross country track, there are plenty of berms and small jumps, a couple of chutes (with nana lines). The race will be run as a time trial, with 30 second gaps between riders. Registration until 10:30, racing from 11am. A lap should take you about an hour.

Sunday: BSX . More elbow to elbow exciting four-up racing. We'll run this similar to the last event with 4 heats before lunch determining a final four in each class. Lane choice drawn out of a hat. After lunch we'll go out and either do another set of heats and a final or some eight up eliminator racing. There are classes for all ages, bike types and abilities, so don't be afraid to enter.
There will be cold drinks and chocolate bars for sale, otherwise bring a few sandwiches and maybe a couple of cold beers.

Balfa Cycles will be attending the Sea Otter Classic for the first time in its existence. We are very excited to be travelling to California for this great event and to have the opportunity to show our fine products to you and the American cyclists. Every year, more and more Americans purchase our bicycles and we see this event as a unique way of meeting the customers and take their feedback about what we do. It is, in our opinion, even more important than any trade show, and we want to make the best out of it. We also want to meet the parts manufacturers and media people we missed at Interbike, and explore what could be done in the near future.
A couple of our racers will also attend the competition, to finalize
their preparation, fine tune the race bikes, and rub elbows with some of the
best. We wish to invite everyone and anyone interested in our products to stop by our booth and meet our staff. Be one of the first to see our new trail bike
called "Belair", along with our now famous DH rig, the bb7. On display will
also be the 2Step, a free ride bike that is getting some serious attention
north of the border, and the strongest chromoly hardtail available, the
MinuteMan, a pure wonder of crafstmanship. Balfa's 2002 website is up, be sure to check it out!

Toronto’s 2002 Bike Show was a sweet piece of work. Ryan Leech and Wade Simmons, two of the biggest names in MTB’dom were in attendance and that alone was enough to draw huge crowds. This show had plenty to offer, including screenings of the best of the best MTB videos. One standout was the new Ontario Thrasher film FRONT. I got a look at this film and appreciated seeing some wild stuff done in places where I ride. Unfortunately the music just sucked. Still, music isn’t what counts at the end of the day, and the film did deliver the goods.

[Read More]

With the elimination round of the UFC Challenge over, the Semi-Finals are now underway. Tydon Oler narrowly advanced, beating out Keith White in last week's voting.
Things work a little different in the semis so here’s the story: the advancing riders from the four previous rounds have been placed in two head to head matchups. You need to vote for which TWO riders you think should advance to the finals. The two riders you choose will then go head to head in the finals which begin next Friday, March 15th. We’ll fly the two finalists down to the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey and on March 23rd, amidst a flurry of media attention, we’ll announce the winner of the first annual UFC and present them with a cheque for $10,000.

Vote in the Semi-Final Matchups:

Cory Leclerc vs Thomas Vanderham

"Super T" Tyler Klassen vs Tydon Oler

Unless you are a roadie or exclusively ride indoor parks, you'll be riding on a trail. It could range from a line of crumpled grass cutting across a field or it might be structures suspended in the air. Someone creates a trail so that he or she, and others, can enjoy a good ride. Experiencing a good trail is an almost spiritual experience, and the outcome is that many of us begin to build trails of our own. However, there is a dark side to this outcome: often times there is lack of respect for Mother Nature, and poor construction technique.

[Read More]

Questions/Comments?