Bonjour!

Ma man Justin Brown (cycles solutions/Iron horse) ruled it this past weekend at the Canada Cup #2 in beautiful Mont Tremblant, Quebec. How does a guy that lives and rides in Ontario ride so well? I'm really not sure… but this is what he had to say:

The SYMPATEX BIKE-Festival in Willingen opens for the tenth consecutive time this Friday. It should be an incredible weekend. Besides 200 exhibitors who are travelling to Willingen on the first weekend in June, the German 4X Championship and the Wheels of Speed Downhill Challenge are both happening.

Need a stem for your Boxxer? Are you looking for something that just holds your bars or would you like to bolt up a stem that will make people look twice?

If you want to add a little splash of color to your ride then read on.....

Looking back on a weekend of board building and riding I can't help but think that this is it; the beginning of organized and sanctioned building and riding on Harper Mountain. A big question mark still looms in the back of my mind though as I wonder how the actions of the organization are being taken by the underground building community that already exists at Harper. My hope is that this weekend will be the start of a pooling of skills and resources that will benifit the entire community and ensure the continued existence of progressive riding on Harper.

It was recently announced that Andreas Hestler, one of Rocky Mountain Bicycles professional riders will defend his Title at Trans Rockies this year. The three time winner (04, 05, 06) of North America’s Toughest Race, the Trans Rockies vowed to make his fifth attempt his final. With the coveted silver buckle on the line, a memento to those strong enough to accomplish five complete Trans Rockies, Hestler felt compelled to make one last attempt.

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is now hiring for the 2007 summer season. All kinds of positions are available. You get a full Season Bike Pass, great deals at our retail shop and access to some of the best bike terrain in North America. Kicking Horse, which is located in Golden B.C. is surrounded by world class downhill and cross country biking. Mount 7 (home to the Psychosis bike race) will be right in your back yard.

Check out
www.kickinghorseresort.com/employment/index.asp

So we just got back from being in Green River, Utah for 2 weeks and it was one hell of a trip. Bourdo and I drove the 16 hours down to the desert and met up with Gully, T-Sage, and Axel. We got there and it started a little rough whem Gully tried driving up a big steep hill on Axel's quad and it flipped. It rolled about 15 times and smashed into a ditch. The same morning Broudo tried driving his mini bike into the back of his truck and the ramp slid out . He ran into the tail gate and the ramp smashed him in the shoulder. Dave Mossop, photographer extraordinaire and Demian, super safety man showed up half way through and the rest of the trip went pretty well.

Issue 64 of Dirt Magazine comes with the exclusive "How to Win" DVD featuring first hand the action and adventures of World Cup DH racers Steve Peat and Nathan Rennie.

The Alberta Downhill Racing Association in co-operation with title sponsor Calgary Cycle, Canada Olympic Park and Rabbit Hill Ski Resort are proud to present the Calgary Cycle DH Championships. This is a three race ABA sanctioned points series that will determine the top DH racers in the province. The goal of this series is to promote DH racing across Alberta and to select three racers to the Alberta provincial team to represent the province at the DH Nationals at Mt Washington later this summer.

NSRide in partnership with Norco and Different Bikes are continuing our weekly rides including our Tuesday “Girls Night Out” rides as well as our co-ed Thursday rides. Check out www.nsride.com for ride details.

(Vernon, NJ)- America’s premier downhill event, the U.S. Open of Mountain Biking, took place this past weekend at Diablo Freeride Park under sunny skies, a full pit of teams and a nearly sold-out race roster. Top racers from seven different countries and 35 different U.S. states competed at Diablo Freeride Park to take part in America’s richest and most prestigious downhill event.

The NPS road show landed in style just across the border into Scotland to the village of Ae in Dumfires.

Maximum press coverage on BBC Radio One’s Edith Bowman show, two prime time evening news slots (2mins each) on local ITV Borders television, local radio and all the associated bike press meant spectators had to park on the roads outside of the venue to gain access on Sunday for the big race!

The Aussie powerhouse Nathan Rennie has signed a deal to see him ride on Burgtec Penthouse Flats.

As a Parent in town, I am very excited about a unique club which has been established for youths 14 and up. A group of expert downhillers wanted to share their passion, knowledge of a compelling, challenging sport, and have designed a program to expertly guide teenage and young adult mountain bikers into the realm of serious racing.

Shot on location all over New Zealand, ‘How About It?’ features full length sections from Brett Frew, Paul Needham, Cameron Cole, Eddie Masters, Wyn Masters, Ben Finney, Kieran Bennett, Sam Blenkinsop and Matt Scoles.

The two DVD set, also includes over an hour of bonus footage, featuring full coverage of New Zealands 2007 National Downhill series, interviews, outtakes, and much more.

Defy gravity on wheel at Whistler's bike park camps!

The laws of gravity were meant to be broken, and there’s no better way to hone your gravity defying skills than at the Whistler Mountain Bike Park’s Summer Gravity Camps (SGC), which kick off on July 15.

Throughout the years of mountain biking, the progression has seen the unthinkable, over and over again. Ambassadors of the sport have lead packs of riders all over the world, proving time and time again that limits don’t exist on a mountain bike.

In the summer of 2006, Creston, B.C. played host to its first mountain bike competition. It was an event that was supposed to be low key and for fun. However when the official weekend arrived for the event, low key was the last thing on anyone’s mind. Riders were showing up left and right…stoked to session the park that was built. And when it came time to actually compete…compete they did. Tricks were sick, air was huge; the level of intensity was awesome. And, oh, let’s not forget about how history was made when Scott Alleyn threw a 720 in competition (first ever in mountain biking).

Hi there!

I had an opportunity to do a quick interview with Ricky Federau after his return from Poland. Ricky placed 4th,3rd,1st and 4th in the four races he did of the Skoda Mtb Cup. The UCI points he earned puts him in 72nd spot on UCI Points.

Cheers,
Bruce Wenting

The riders woke up in Cologne, Germany to an overcast sky and the finals of the Cologne Qashqai Urban Challenge was held early to avoid any encounters with rain. Thankfully the weather held out and the riders threw down, much to the enjoyment of a packed crowd in Cologne’s Mediapark.

Here in Whistler we know that everyone from the trail builders to the patrollers to lifties are obsessed with the Whistler Mountain Bike Park. These people live and breathe the Park – they not only want to ride as much as they can, they want to make the Park the best in the world.

The Cologne crowd of the Qashqai Urban Challenge saw some crazy park riding today, despite a short rain delay. Lance McDermott has been riding hard at each event so far in the Qashqai series, but this is his first time in the top spot after qualifying.

Fun times in mud land Quebec. If anyone would like to know…it is roughly 4500 km from Nelson BC to Bromont Quebec... holy crap! Lets just say I had a few “me, myself and Irene” moments on my solo drive across the country. But I made it without a single speeding ticket…perfect. This weekend has been awesome. A week and a half ago I was walking through snow at -45 degrees up in the artic dreaming about playing in the mud in Bromont, and after an epic journey, I finally made it. There has been a fantastic turn out for this race. It’s the first Canada cup of the season and there are a lot of hungry athletes hunting for the mandatory UCI points to race at the Mont St. Anne world cup in June.

So we all headed out of Penticton last night in seperate directions but with a main goal of to meet in Whistler today at noon. Well Mike's Turbo in his Diesel starting acting up on their trip back to Kamloops, where Gee and Flatty O Tool were going to pick up Gee's truck and limp it home. The 4Runner was still pulling strong with me and FGT inside, but it was developing one hell of a shimmy when breaking. Just need to get home after today was my main thought. After sleeping on the side of the road, we rolled into Whistler and were greeted by blue skies.

FOX Racing Shox is pleased to announce their sponsorship of the Summer Gravity Camps for 2007. “At FOX we constantly strive to advance our products to meet the demands of the progression of the sport of Mountain Biking, working with Andrew and the Summer Gravity Camps helps us support the progression of young riders who are the future of our sport,” stated Elayna Caldwell, Marketing Manager at FOX.

Vancouver’s North Shore and Whistler-both these locations are known around the world for many things, but in the summer season they are both commonly refer to as the ‘hot spots’ or ‘epicenter’ or ‘birthplaces’ of mountain biking.

The North Shore has produced some of the best technical riders in the world and created some of the best maintained bike specific trails known to man. Whistler Bike Park can boast about being the first ski area to offer lift assisted mountain biking in such a progressive format. They also hold the honor of creating some of the most famous bike trails. All of these trails are engineered to challenge and progress the rider’s confidence and ability.

A true DH race was held this Sunday on a course that offers all aspects of what DH riding is. Almost 80 riders showed up in Port Alberni this long weekend for a great event. The lower numbers were a little surprizing since the guys from Ozzies (and all the wonderful volunteers) always run a tight ship, shuttles all weekend, a fine tuned course, a well organized race and tons of shwag!!

So just a few from the Cycle Mob crew (Stephen,Mikey,Mango,Brad and Myself) decided to take advantage of the long weekend and head out to 'loops. So late on friday afternoon we hooked up all three ipods with a solid playlist of only Kelly clarkson, Avril, Christina A - Dirty, Run DMC- its like that, and of course Bonnie Tyler - total eclipse of the heart. We loaded up the the Bikes and headed west, with a quick stop in Revelstoke to clean out McDonalds of their Cheeseburgers. We were in 'Loops before we knew it.

It's the fourth day and only the second time that the whole crew has been together on this trip-haha so much for good planning. This morning the talk was once again about getting up really early for trail shredding, but last night Gee and Ross discovered that they liked DUDEs-heck I think Steve Mitchel even had his first DUDE. Needless to say the straight crew was ready, but waiting on our friends that earned their new aliases - Flatty O' Tool and Stunt Cock to get their DUDE loving asses out of bed.

After three incredible events in Newcastle, Milan and Madrid, the Qashqai Urban Challenge is moving to Cologne (GER) for the fourth stop of the tour. Riders will be challenged on the Park course to an array of ramps, wedges, box jumps and drops. The course construction is underway and in two days the riders will show up in Cologne’s Mediapark to practice on the course that has been designed specifically to test the riders in a park environment.

36 of the world’s best BMX dirt-jumpers and Canadian band Metric will kick up the dirt and make this a Canada Day weekend not to be missed!

Red Bull Elevation descends on Whistler July 1, once again revolutionizing the BMX scene with a new, more challenging course, the world’s best riders and high energy entertainment with Metric performing live, making Whistler the place to be this Canada Day.

Recently I had the honour to meet 4X star Anneke Beerten. In 2006 this tough 24-year old Dutch ranked second overall in the elite women World Cup 4X. This year she is really eager to become World Champion! With her first win in Vigo, she sure is off to a good start!

Back on the bike track where it all started for her when she was a little kid, Anneke gave an impressive demonstration on how to ride fast and aggressive, and told me all about her motivation, her past and future in 4X!

Brothers from the same mother, the Iron Horse Yakuza Kumicho and 7point5 are as individual as their names. The Yakuza is a very affordable complete downhill bike with a race emphasis (the frugal, wise brother).

So this morning we decide to split up our 5 rider crew that had finally all found each other as Mike had to be in Penticton for 8:30am and Gee’s truck well it needed to find some love today. FGT joined Mike in the early (5:20am departure) trip to Penticton and I stayed behind with the rif raf to help sort out the truck. Plus if the truck is down for a few days, the 3 of us can load up the 4 runner and hit the road and be in Penticton this afternoon, right?

If you are like me, your bike has come stock with a front derailleur, although you can’t remember the last time you shifted into the small ring on your crank set. However that darn front derailleur causes nothing but inconvenience and worry that it may put you in the wrong gear at the worst time. This is where I was last week my chain skipped on the front chain ring while I was preparing to do a wheelie drop at a local bike park, needless to say I ended up face first on the ground, at that point I knew that my front derailleur and myself were not compatible. So it was time for me to get a chain guide.

Well folks after breaking the all time DH race attendance record at Kelso Conservation area May 5/6 there have been some big changes to the series!

After a year of collecting rider feedback and testing prototypes, Gamut
USA has released its latest chainguide, the P30.

This morning was set to be an early ride day, but with Mr. Lova Lova Kinrade getting back at 9 am and tired from the “rain”, it was looking like a later start was in order. So today the “plan” was the Kamloops Bike Ranch and then trails in the afternoon. Let’s see how that “plan” holds up.

Thousands lined the course Saturday for the annual Red Bull Downtown race in Lisbon, Portugal. They gathered to watch Steve Peat defend his 5 consecutive titles of this challenging and unique race. Every year the best downhill racers in the world converge here to test themselves and their equipment on terrain quite different than the typical World Cup. Paved drops, staircases, flat corners, high-speed cobbles, and big crowds make this urban downhill difficult in many ways.

The Devinci Log Jam was originally me & Kinrade’s idea, basically if you rode a Devinci, you are in. So we had Ross the potty mouthed Irish dude, Fiona, who I called to say good luck in Port Alberni and then all of a sudden she was coming, (that is where the log jam got broken up), me and Mike. The idea is to ride our bikes in Kamloops, Kelowna and Penticton over the next 4-5 days, pretty standard road trip stuff. Here is how the first day unfolded:

The final runs of the top twelve riders at the Madrid stop of the Qashqai Urban Challenge were absolutely off the charts. Riders were tricking lines that had previously not been attempted, and at the end of the day, Paul Basagoitia came out on top.

At the end of a hot day in Spain, Darren Berrecloth qualified as the number one rider for the first day of the Qashqai Urban Challenge. Adam Hauck wins the Qashqai best trick. This week’s event is the Street course, challenging riders to throw down on concrete ledges, gaps, and technical lines.

I had the chance to try out a 2006 Norco 4xxxx for a few months during the winter, getting a feel for it and riding it as hard as I could. There are not a lot of bikes out there that can do it all-DJ, Street, Slopestyle and trails. I wanted a Bike that I could do everything on, I thought it would be a fun challenge seeing as it's a race/trail bike so I wanted to see how it could handle on the trails, but I also wanted to see how it could handle against jump and slopestyle elements.

Laurie Harrigan from Portsmouth, NH, wins a set of Hayes brakes with Dangerboy levers and a weekend’s lift passes at one of the Bike parks BC resorts.

Entrants from Canada, USA and the UK are pumped to win the 8-day and 7-night road trip around the world’s best mountain bike resorts.

FOX Racing Shox equipped riders won 3 of 4 events at the opening round World Cup of the Season in Vigo, Spain May 5 and 6th.

This is a great way to start the season.

“Are you going to the Rat Race? It’s super fun!” I must have heard this from twenty different people this spring. I heard it from top pros, both cross country and downhill. I heard it from the casual types who don’t normally race and I even heard these same words from the parents of racers, young and old… and they were all right!

The Rat Race is the Vancouver regions mountain bike season opener. It is the first race of the year where everyone gets to catch up with old racing buddies and get fired up on good old fashioned competition. With all of the good things I was hearing I figured I couldn’t miss it. After spending the past three years in Victoria and freshly replanting myself back in my one time home of North Van I thought it would be a great way to get back into the swing of things.

Finally the much awaited debut in the World Cup Circuit for team Playbiker – Iron Horse arrived in Vigo, on may 12th and 13th. The whole team, with the exception of the injured Lorenzo Suding, got togheter for this new and exciting adventure.

Its on again...Port Alberni Island Cup this weekend! Me and a couple racer buddies decided to hit up Port last Saturday to check it out for the race this weekend and thanks to Mike Parcher we were even shuttled for the whole day! There wasn't a speck of dirt out of place on the whole course and with the addition of a drop in the top section which takes out a sketchy corner and a new line with a high speed gap jump just below the tracks, this course is even faster than before.

Only 15 days until the Bike Festival in Willingen opens its doors to all bike fans for the tenth consecutive time. With the German 4X Championship and the Wheels of Speed Downhill Challenge, the first weekend of June promises to be a great experience: 200 exhibitors from all over the world and the entire Downhill elite will be there!

The Hellride is back! Are you man or woman enough to get out there and suffer with Mr. Weir through the death march? And imagine if you finish, you get to keep that shiny new Santa Cruz Nomad that they have you on!

Well they've got their site up accepting entrants for this year's hellride- The boys seem to think they have what it takes but I want to see some of you ladies step up and take on the challenge too! Think about the shiny bike you may take back home with you-heck ya! Now go sign up already!

www.santacruzbicycles.com/hr4/

From June 7th-10th, the Out of Bounds weekend will take place at the Bikepark Leogang for the fourth time since 2004, which can only mean one thing: tons of bike action!

Apart from the 26 TRIX which was already happening last year, the Kona Top 2 Bottom Terminator will take place this year for the first time, a dual freeride slalom for which the builders of the Bikepark Leogang have already switched on their excavators and started digging.

This weekend was the second-of-five stops on the The Qashqai Urban Challenge series. The Nissan Qashqai events challenges fifteen of the world’s top urban freeriders to take on five European cities over five weekends to win the biggest-ever prize money in this sport. This is the first ever multi-freeride tour of its kind.

Vernon NJ, May 15, 2007 – This past weekend, over 750 eager mountain bikers flocked to Diablo Freeride Park to celebrate the much anticipated launch of the 2007 bike season. Riders from as far north as Montreal, as far west as Wisconsin and as far south as Florida made the trek to picturesque Mountain Creek Resort to session the trails of Diablo and celebrate the season opener.

Don't miss out on the fun at this years BBQ ride. Tuesday May 22nd at 6pm. We've got Edmonton born Freeride legend Thomas Vanderham joining us this year so there is sure to be some killer riding with plenty of style & all ability's are welcome. We'll do a mill creek XC ride to our favorite jumps & drops, where the gravity gang will throw down some style for the rest of us single track riders. After the ride we'll be serving burgers, dogs, pop & other tasty beverages to raise money for the Edmonton Mountain Bike Trail Alliance (EMBA) who are working hard to open Edmonton's first dirt jump & stunt park. We'll also have an information session on the new changes at Rabbit Hill.

Make It Work, ANTI's newest mountainbike video, Make It Work, is finally here! After working over a year with this project, ANTI Productions has now finished their second mountainbike video. ANTI is proud to deliver a product of high international quality that can compete with any high-budget feature out there! The video is shot in HD with the biggest names in freeriding!

From the dusty trails of Fontana to the gritty streets of Newcastle, England, e.thirteen riders are beginning another year of dominance with a grip of podium appearances over the weekend.

To coincide with the launch of an all new line of 2008 mountain bikes, Tomac announces today the creation of its “Ride Before You Buy” bike demo program.

“We are aiming for 100% satisfaction at Tomac, and one of the ways to do this is to allow potential buyers the opportunity to test ride a bike on their own trails,” says Tomac’s Joel Smith.

28th July – 4th August 2007

Riders Retreat have teamed up with World Cup rider and master trail builder Rowan Sorrell to offer a more complete holiday. It includes half board accommodation in Riders Retreat’s luxury accommodation, with daily skills coaching from Rowan so you can get the most from your time in the Alps and improve your riding.

Marc Beaumont, MBUK Santa Cruz rider, wins his first UCI World Cup Downhill in Vigo, Spain today. Santa Cruz Syndicate’s Steve Peat squeaks onto the podium with the rapidly changing conditions coming in 4th position. David Vazquez from Spain thrilled the home crowd with his outstanding 2nd place performance, followed by Greg Minnaar, Peat, and Sam Hill. Weather ruled this race, and the rain that was forecast during the week actually arrived, with bits of sun one moment, to hail, to sun to rain, to more rain, then sun.

**Received as a text message**

Monster Energy/Iron Horse/Mad Catz Racing’s Sabrina Jonnier take womens win by 7.27 seconds. And despite having to race in deteriorating weather (wind, rain and hail) Sam Hill battles his way into a 5th place position!! Next stop Lisbon, Portugal.

So in part 1 of my All Mountain build up I talked about my parts selection criteria and what I was looking for in the parts that I'd be selecting to mount on my new ride. Here are the results from my research and the build up that I put together. So far the ride is great and I am so stoked on the bike that has formed from all the parts that I was collecting in my Dakine bike box.

Check out my All Mountain ride:

WILMINGTON, N.Y. – High Peaks Cyclery is hosting two women-only downhill mountain bike clinics featuring 2006 National Downhill Champion Tara Llanes at the Whiteface Downhill Park in July.

Santa Cruz Syndicate’s Steve Peat wins the qualification race at the UCI World Cup Series downhill event held in the seaside city of Vigo, Spain. Steve tested himself and the field, as he was the first rider to roll down the hill kicking off the first race of the series.

Andreu Lacondeguy was the top qualifier for the Qashqai dirt jumping event in Milan and he held onto his top spot all the way through the finals. The other eleven finalists made every attempt to unseat Lacondeguy, starting with Trond Hansen, who front flipped the middle jump in his first run and followed it with a 720 attempt.

BPVideo is proud to announce the release of “Vicious Circle“ during the summer of 2007.

A bike movie that's been shot on film and digital in North-America, from the wildest area of the rain forest, passing by the cooking sun of California and through the fastest trails from the east and west sides of Canada.

The Spanish rider Andreu Lacondeguy put together two great runs today in the first qualifying round of the Qashqai Urban Challenge in the Piazza Duca D’Aosta.

What a weekend! Hammerfest action doesn't disappoint and this year was crazy with over 150 riders including some interesting names in the pack including Bjorn Aunet, producer of mountain bike films including Elemental, Kyle Hansen the Brodie B Team freerider and Robin Dutton, owner of Arrowsmith Bikes in Nanaimo.

Team Monster Energy/Iron Horse/Mad Catz just recently launched their new site, which includes a team blog section where you can find regular team updates while they're on the road. Also a reminder that this weekend is 2007 UCI World Cup round #1 in Vigo. I'm stoked that the new racing season is finally starting! Let the racing begin!!

We've got tons of stock to clear out so stop by Calgary Cycle between May 10-12 for some wicked deals.

We'll be having daily door crasher items that are generously discounted; come early so you don't miss out. **quantities are limited on door crasher sales**. Merv will have the BarB fired up on Friday and Saturday afternoon and he'll be serving up hot dogs and cold bevy's.

Red Bull Empire of Dirt, the world’s first BMX DIRT SLOPESTYLE contest, is the brainchild of UK rider Kye Forte, and combines influences from each of the BMX styles, to create one unholy new discipline guaranteed to challenge the very best on the planet.

The film is about the history of the mountain bike. The film profiles the Marin pioneers (Fisher, Breeze, Kelly, Cuningham, Potts, etc.), and the more obscure characters that influenced them. There are great interviews and a pile of archival footage of the early days of klunking down the slopes of Mt. Tamalpais. The film won 'Best Documentary' at the Durango Independent Film Festival, and was nominated for 'Best Documentary' and 'Emerging Filmmaker' awards at the 2007 X-dance Action Sports Awards.

Well we had the perfect weather for what was anticipated to be the biggest Ontario Cup DH race ever and we didn’t disappoint. Canada’s largest DH and 4X race series smashed its own attendance record for the most racers ever, 257 racers attended the season opener with the largest numbers coming in the 14-18yr old categories. I want to thank all the participants and parents for making this happen.

Milan, Italy will be the home of the dirt venue for the second stop of the Qashqai Urban Challenge, where riders will bring out their biggest and best tricks on three huge dirt jumps in the Piazza Duca d'Aosta.

If you are ready to take your riding to the next level MMR Camps is your answer. Do you want to ride faster, smoother and with more confidence? Do you want to ride some of the best trails with World class riders teaching you?

Also new is the all inclusive 8 day BC Road Trip Camp. There is nothing else like this anywhere! Quality accommodations, breakfast, lunch and snacks taken care of, road trips between resorts, Marin demo bikes proved for free if needed… all this plus you get World class instruction each day and you get to visit some of the best bike parks in the World.

The submissions for the Trans Germany portion of the UXC are officially in and are online for your viewing pleasure. You can watch the videos, read team profiles and vote for your favourite all at www.raceface.com/uxc. For the next two weeks voting will be open for the Trans Germany with the winning team will be announced on Friday, May 18th. At the same time, voting for the Trans Alp will commence and we’ll announce those winners on June 1st.

This weekend long event is a celebration of the work that has been done bothy on the ground and behind the scenes to make Harper one of the best "legit" riding areas in Kamloops. The Kamloops Bike Riders Association is inviting our community and regional friends to come out for the weekend of good ol' fashioned work, riding and play, Kamloops style.

Whistler Mountain Bike Park opens May 19, while record snowfall keeps Blackcomb Mountain open for skiing to June 3

Get ready for Angry Pirate, Crack Addict, Karate Monkey and Heart of Darkness. The adrenaline-fueled Whistler Mountain Bike Park opens May 19. Thanks to 46 feet (1409cm) of snow this season and a current base of 310cm (122 inches) of snow, besides biking, mountain warriors can still board and ski the snow-covered runs of Blackcomb Mountain until June 3.

Littermag.com has teamed up with Iron Horse Bicycles to bring you LitterOTB for the 2007 UCI World Cup Season. The first OTB game for the Vigo World Cup is now under way.

Once again Speedgoat Bicycles has produced an amazing, one-of-a-kind bicycle to raffle off in the fight against breast cancer.

Vernon, New Jersey, May 7, 2007 – Home of the U.S. Open of Mountain Biking, Diablo Freeride Park returns in 2007 with a revamped trail network, new terrain features and a stocked event calendar featuring competitive events with huge cash and prize offerings.

Together with Dirt Rag, Shimano, Fox Racing Shox, Rock Shox and WTB, Diamondback is proud to (help) present the Dirt Rag What’s Your Mission? Contest. To enter, simply go to www.diamondback.com and let them know what turns your cranks (with words and photos) and Dirt Rag will let you know if the way you did it turned theirs by awarding you with an all new Shimano Deore XT equipped 2008 Diamondback Mission 3 and a trip to sunny Las Vegas and the 2007 Interbike International Bike Expo!

This weekend kicked off the first-of-five of the The Qashqai Urban Challenge. The Nissan Qashqai events challenges fifteen of the world’s top urban freeriders to take on five European cities over five weekends to win the biggest-ever prize money in this sport.

Rocky Mountain Freeride Pro Wade Simmons just got back from an epic photo and video adventure trip in Nepal. Here's the trip story and some pics from Wade.

Three days after returning from Costa Rica with 16 days straight of riding under my belt, I was about to trump that epic with with two weeks of riding in Nepal! No better place to go mountain biking than to the home of the sickest mountains on earth! I joined a couple of legends on this trip: Hans Rey and long time friend and former team mate Richie Schley. In fact, being 33 years old myself, I was the junior bro on the trip. We were joined by photographer Blake Jorgenson and a U.K. contingent film crew consisting of Seb Rogers and Rob Summers. That also meant that the consummate pro Hans would be taking care of all the logistics and I was just along for the ride!

25 Riders and 10,000 spectators alike were absolutely blown away by the elevated level of riding in the finals of Newcastle’s Qashqai Urban Challenge. The morning began with the second round of qualifying, where top riders like Darren Berrecloth and Cameron McCaul had their chance to make the finals. Bearclaw was able to sneak into the finals, although he was one spot away from missing it entirely.

Thought you guys might want to check out this cool special feature over on LitterMag with Steve Wentz's Factory 2007 Turner DHR. It's got images and audio - thing is tight and looks fast as hell...

Check it out!

The Brodie b Team rolled through the Firestone Santa Ynez Classic outside of Santa Barbara with three pro podium spots this past weekend. The event which was a NORBA National for XC riders was somehow limited to a USAC points stop for downhill. The race still attracted a deep International field being only a week and a hundred miles before the first NORBA gravity event in Fontana, CA. Brodie women’s pro’s Joanna Petterson and Jackie Harmony pushed each other for 1st and 2nd place, while newcomer Ian Odom raced a talented men’s pro field to a 3rd place podium.

The first qualifying round of the Newcastle Qashqai Urban Challenge went down today, despite the overcast skies threatening the riders from riding their first runs.

Endless Biking would like to introduce their 2007 Women's team, the EB Chickas!

Amber Zirnhelt, Meghan Illingworth, Kat Duffels, Colleen Keyland, Danielle Baker, Monika Marx, and Kelli Sherbinin.

This team was created to help inspire and encourage more women to get involved in mountain biking and mountain bike racing.

Day 8 of my tour has just come to an end, and it ends in Regina. So far I have presented to 8 schools, and performed at 2 bike shops. I know my journal message is being reposted in various places, so for those that don’t know what my school presentation is all about, check out the new web site, www.trialsoflife.com

WILMINGTON, N.Y. – High Peaks Cyclery is hosting two ‘Club Shred’ mountain bike clinics, featuring experienced pro racers at Whiteface Downhill Park in July.

The Blindside is Transition Bikes new 8” rear travel DH frame that is replacing the Gran Mal. The new Blindside frame is lighter, lower and has shorter stays to give it better handling characteristics as well as making it a more versatile frame for DH and freeride disciplines.

Born in 1982, Shimano celebrates the 25th birthday of Deore XT by introducing a completely revamped group. A lot has happened in these years but Deore XT is still being regarded as the benchmark of mountain bike technology, excelling in innovation, quality and performance and with an extensive product range. The new Deore XT fits well in this tradition and has been developed for the future; the legend continues…

14th Annual Hammerfest action this weekend in Parksville, the forecast is for sunny skies and I already know the course is gonna be FAST! A popular track among racers, Hammerfest starts out with snaking single track in the forest and then BAM you are ripping through a clear cut full of berms and jumps. Due to recent logging action in the area the shuttles can now access the top of the course which makes for no hike a bike whatsoever.

Rip.tv is loaded with a bunch of new flicks this week. Fresh off the cutting room floor-Bear Claw stops in to talk about the Bear Claw Invitational at Mt. Washington this year. The ROAM boys show some more behind the scenes shots, this time in Prague. While Pist N Broke plays Back in the Saddle and more Drop In Season 3 antics roll out.

Have a look at this week's flicks:

Looking for something to hold your bars where your bars are supposed to be held? Something light? Something that looks trick? Well check out the e.13 Ali direct mount stem from e.thirteen.

This past weekend was the 12th Annual Fruita Fat Tire Festival. The weekend long event attracted mountain bikers to the relaxing Colorado venue. With events like the ‘Clunker Crit’, this has become a ‘must attend’ on the mountain bike social calendar.

- New Design Raises the Bar for Downhill, Freeride and Dirt Jump Pedals –

Using input from our star riders including John Cowan, Dave Watson and Paul Basagoitia, Kona has improved upon the classic JackShit pedal and is introducing the brand new Wah Wah pedal for 2007. Featuring an ultra low-profile, lightweight design and an MSRP of $79.95, the Wah Wah is sure to become the new standard for downhill, freeride and dirt jump riders everywhere.

Once you set your eyes on the new Buzz Rack, you'll understand why Hollywood Racks is taking a whole new approach on how a bike rack system can look and perform. The new Buzz Rack has a uniquely aerodynamic design with storage bag functionality. The ruggedly built 2-bike roof rack comes with a sleek, removable, storage pod. Quick release mounting clamps allow the Buzz to easily attach to all shapes of OEM and aftermarket load bars.

Only 24 hours until the inaugural event of the Qashqai Urban Challenge, the first mountain bike urban freeride series of its kind. On Friday morning, the top 25 riders in the world will unpack their bikes and begin to practice on a new, never-before-seen course that combines urban style with wooden Northshore elements.

Who needs Sea Otter when you have the Island Cup in the tropics of Canada? The first DH of the Florago Island Series went off on Sunday April 15, the rain held off but the course still proved to be a challenge for most riders. The Arrowsmith Nanaimo guys chose some fun single track for the course but since parts of the trail were new the roots were popping up everywhere. Most of the times were around the 2.5 - 3 minute mark which makes this one of the shorter courses in the series.

Joe Perrizo, Guy Marsh and Andrew Taylor showed up at my place late Friday night to start the trek north to the Black Box Labs Invitational Jordtron Jumpathon in Parksville, BC. Joe’s car was already pretty packed, but we managed to get all of my gear loaded, and with a sleeping bag wedged between my legs and my camera pack on my lap we were off.

Many have been waiting all winter for the start of the Cycle Solutions www.cycle-solutions.com O-Cup DH Race Series Presented by Ventana and Foes www.fhrtrading.com . This coming weekend at Kelso Conservation area you will see the best racers in Ontario compete in Canada’s largest DH and 4X race series for $15000 in prizes. Kelso’s race course will feature a new lower section sure to bring back memories of Canada Cup style high speed adventures!

This summer Norco will provide '07 Park Edition A-Lines for riders who can't get enough gravity-fed action. The A-Line has been a mainstay at the Whistler Bike Park for the last three years, so you know they're tough! The Park Edition is like a regular A-Line on steroids so you can slay the bike parks most famous trail, A-Line. Not only do these bikes rip, but they'll help turn you into a ripper as well!

From July 19th to the 22nd, Canada’s best downhill and cross-country mountain bike racers will be visiting beautiful Vancouver Island. Mount Washington Alpine Resort, home of the Island’s premiere mountain bike park, plays host to the 2007 Tim Hortons National Mountain Bike Championships.

Iron Horse bikes is proud to announce its support of a new DH junior racing development team in Canada. Iron Horse Bikes has been a supporter of Quebec based racing programs since 2004 and is looking forward to continuing its support for this new junior based program in 2007.

This year, e.thirteen will begin releasing special limited edition colors of their chain retention systems under the banner of the e.thirteen Limited Colorways program.