July 2012
28 posts
olympic mountain bike course
Here’s a look at the 2012 Olympic mountain bike course. I can’t say it looks all that thrilling or all that technical (bar the couple seemingly man made rock gardens that look like they stole them from the yard of the nerdy gardener dude that lives at the end of my block). It does look like it will be super fast though.
I think my favorite part of this video is hearing the rider...
keep it simple stupid
Now that XXC has this little thing call xxc.cult:ure I am free to talk guilt free about other forms of racing, such as cross, or in this case Rick “Lumberjack 100” Plite’s Kisscross series here in Michigan. Why “kiss” cross? The KISS stands for Keep It Simple Stupid. Simple it is, stupid it’s not, but fun it looks to be.
The Kisscross series is known for its...
gunn-rita's winning ways
The Multivan-Merida team’s 39 year old, Norwegian Viking Goddess of Velo Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa continues to be in some pretty amazing form and took the win in Val d’Isère, France on Saturday by 46 seconds over Julie Bresset (Suntour-Peisey Vallandry).
So far in 2012 Gunn-Rita has taken wins at the European championships, the La Bresse World Cup, placed 5th at Mon Sainte Anne World Cup...
Ritchey, the P-23 to the P-29
I was flipping through a vintage copy of Winning, Bicycling Racing Illustrated (Jan.-Feb. 1990) and came upon a feature on Don Myrah’s 1990 bike; The Ritchey Race P-23 Team.
As you can see in the article Don Myrah was touted as ”one of the hottest new talents on the mountain bike circuit.” 6 years later Myrah would go on to race in the Olympics and if my Google stalking is...
vintage bobke
Roadie turned mountain bike racer turned TV commentator Bob “Bobke” Roll pimping Troxel helmets in this advertisement found in a June 1994 issue of Bike Magazine.
i said nino, not vino
So it seems reformed(?) doper Alexander “Vino” Vinokourov of Kazakhstan won the 2012 Olympic Road Race gold medal today. Blah, blah, blah, hooray for former dopers winning medals… Being dirt worshippers at heart we’re more interested in the fact that Nino Schurter (Scott/Swisspower) won the last round of the UCI 2012 World Cup in Val d’Isere, France.
The win gives...
the same
Not sure on the background to this photo. My father recently discovered stumbleupon.com so every-so-often I get random cycling photos sent to me. I have to say I do dig this pic… Bunch of crazies lining up to race on what looks like dirt track to me. Not to mention there are like four spectators. Sort of like modern day U.S. mountain bike race. Ha!
a foot away from the Olympics
As I mentioned in the previous post, my Eastern European lady lust favorite Women’s UCI MTB racer Maja Włoszczowska will not be at the Olympics due to a reported “foot injury.” Maybe what the press should have said was that she will miss the Olympics due to “A F*CKING FOOT INJURY!!”
For the love of God! Look at that thing!
Photo: Maja Włoszczowska
a world of nationals
I thought it might be neat to take a peep at some of the fast ass men and women that won their respective nation’s XC national titles. Many of these folks will be at the Olympic Games and most have a real good shot at bringing home a medal.
USA Sam Schultz Georgia Gould*
Canada Max Plaxton Catharine Pendrel**
United Kingdom Liam Killeen Nikki Harris
South Africa Burry Stander Yolande...
warm up in yellow
I am only posting this because it’s a bad ass photo with all the yellow. But if you must have more info… the photo is of Sonia Jurková (Bike 2000) warming up before the 2012 Czech Republic National Championships. Sadly Sonia would DNF. But hey, she still makes a great photo subject.
Photo by MTB.cz
just in case
the salsa cycles warbird
The Dirty Kanza 200 Facebook page just produced this photos of the 2013 Salsa Cycles Warbird gravel road (amongst other surfaces) specific race bike (we here at XXC would use it on gravel and dirt roads for sure!). The bike was unveiled at the 2012 Saddle Drive dealer show this weekend. The Warbird will also be available in Ti from Salsa Cycles in 2013.
XXC was given some hints that this was...
wiggo
Even though I longed to see a bit more action at the Tour this year, it was nice to see a guy like Wiggins win it. He ads a bit of humor and some personality to the peloton and it’s great for British cycling (they’ve been waiting a while).
Before I start building any statues to “Wiggo” or buying any T shirts, I will hold my breath over the next week or so to make sure...
tour de bore
I have been less than enthralled with the 2012 Tour de France. Most of it has seemed like a giant, mega televised group road ride. Very little attacking, hardly any lead changes and pretty much just a bore (well, unless you like seeing crashes).
The saving grace for me was Thomas Voeckler (Europecar). His willingness to attack, to sprint for K.O.M. points and to breakaway (and win) sans radio...
why it's on the list
And this is just ONE of the reasons why the TransAlp is on the bucket list.
About: 7th stage of the 2012 TransAlp; 72.25 km and 3,234 meters in elevation from Ponte di Legno, Italy, to Madonna di Campiglio, Italy. For complete coverage of the day’s racing visit xxcmag.com’s blog.
Photo: © Sportograf
in need of a nut kicking
Yeah, yeah, the dog ran out in the middle of the road during the biggest bike race in the world and caused a crash, blah, blah, blah. Don’t get me wrong, that sucks, but it’s no need to act like a total douche bag in front of a little girl and her family. Shit happens, that’s like the first fucking rule of bike racing.
That little girl should have kicked Gilbert right in the...
beat the heat
The xxcmag.com blog has been filled with coverage from Europe the past month or so… First with Trans Germany and Now with daily coverage of the TransAlp and the recent Salzkammergut Trophy.
One thing I have noticed during my work each day is that the weather in Europe has been quite different this summer than here in my part of the U.S. It seems that almost every stage has been wet and...
Five-O Ford & Singletrack
I guess you know you’re riding Michigan singletrack when you see trail markers like this.
Every time I enter this trail I think of the song 5.0 Ford by The Reverend Horton Heat. I guess there are worse things to think about.
“So I pushed it up to 110, That flathead motor was about to give in, I crossed my fingers and prayed to the lord, Don’t let me down you fucked up...
trans alp: a series unfortunate of events
“Bad crash today to the “Trans’Alp” (on the head)… A trip to the Hospital in helicopter… All (+/-) well! What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!”
Get well Thomas from XXC Magazine and xxc.cult:rue.
Quote & Photo via Facebook/Thomas Dietsch, Team Bulls
damn it feels good to be a gangsta
Coppi.
euro cobbles, gravel style
Friend and XXC Magazine contributor Paul Errington is “on holiday” in Europe and visited the infamous Koppenberg climb in Belgium with his Salsa Vaya. My jealously runnith over… At post time it is not clear if the locals had the same enthusiasm for a random Brit riding up the climb in the middle of July as they had for the Pros in this video from the 2010 Ronde van Vlaanderen....
gravel lust
I have been posting a lot about gravel racing and riding lately, my apologies if that’s not your cycling bag, it’s just that I have been doing quite a bit of it this season, but I digress…
Because of all the dirt road riding I’ve been doing I have found myself in deep lust with a few gravelish steeds that I have my eye on for 2013 or beyond (most likely beyond). One is the...
burns
in dust we trust
Like so many other cyclists around the world, who in recent years swore off ever watching Pro cycling again due to the continued dope scandals, I have given into the barrage of Tour coverage and started watching (yes, even with the continued doping and ridiculousness that comes with it).
I guess you could say the Tour has also motivated to road ride more, especially since I am trying to claw...
See Below
See, I told you that shit would stop happening to Georgia Gould. See article below.
Congratulation to her on her 2012 XC National Championship win.
Women’s Pro XC Podium
1. Georgia Gould (Luna Pro Team) 1:45:21 2. Lea Davison (Specialized Factory Racing) 1:47:03 3. Heather Irmiger (Subaru-Trek) 1:48:07 4. Pua Mata (Sho-Air) 1:49:34 5. Mary McConneloug (Kenda-Seven-NoTubes) 1:49:35
By...
when sh*t happens
I finally got to see all of the recent Women’s World Cup race at Windham over on freecaster.com. Seeing Georgia Gould flatting and running towards the finish line after having lead the race for so long, and eventually being passed by teammates Catharine Pendrel and Katerina Nash in the final meters, was every bit as heart breaking on video as it was in photos like the one above.
Seeing...
Amber Waves and All That
One of the great things about riding the gravel roads around XXC Magazine HQ is that I get an almost daily dose of America’s “spacious skies” and “amber waves of grain.” If I could just get those “purple mountain’s majesties” I would be set. Happy Fourth of July to all the American readers of XXC Magazine…. and to to the rest of the world....
beer: sierra nevada summerfest
When it comes to beer I am pretty much a hophead and gravitate to beers like Bell’s Two Hearted Ale, Founders Centennial IPA, etc., But occasionally I like something a bit more drinkable and lighter.
Recently on a trip to my beer store I experimented with some Czech Pilsners/Lagers like Czechvar and Golden Pheasant. Both were refreshing and drinkable without getting slammed in the face...
