Danny MacAskill gets back to his roots, taking his trials bike to Aviemore Spring, in Scotland for some jaw-dropping trick riding.
https://youtu.be/8FNwzhfPCGw
Daniel “Danny” MacAskill is a Scottish trials cyclist, from Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye. He works professionally as a street trials pro rider for Inspired Bicycles Ltd
Here’s a brief glimpse into Gino Bartali’s secret rides in defiance of the Nazis during World War II.
It follows an Israeli pro cycling team on a very special ride. The riders ignored their specific intense training routine and took on a 200km journey through the heart of Tuscany – starting in Florence and finishing at world heritage city of Assisi – copying the exact same route Bartali use to ride by himself.
The course, that started in Bartali’s house in Florence and ended in Assisi, took the riders along the route that Bartali rode through, while delivering fake documents for Italian Jews.
It was later discovered that Bartali did a lot more than just deliver documents. If this topic interests you I highly recommend the movie My Italian Secret. which goes into detail on Bartali’s secret life helping the Italian Resistance.
Beetroot has been gaining popularity as a super food and with good reason. Recent studies suggest it improves blood flow and lowers blood pressure, leading to improved athletic performance.
I happen to love beetroot, in all its forms. I regularly eat it on salad and have beetroot soup. Now I have another… make that about half a dozen reasons to eat and drink more beetroot.
MedicalNewsToday.com reports:
“Beetroot juice supplementation has been shown to improve muscle oxygenation during exercise, suggesting that increased dietary nitrate intake has the potential to enhance exercise tolerance during long-term endurance exercise.”
Source: Beetroot: Health Benefits and Nutritional Information
What does this mean for us cyclists?
In scientific tests carried out by Cermak, Gibala and van Loon, and reported in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition Exercise Metab., cyclists were able to improve their time trial performance significantly.
Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2012 Feb reports:
The authors tested the hypothesis that 6 d of nitrate ingestion would improve time-trial performance in trained cyclists. Using a double-blind, repeated-measures crossover design, 12 male cyclists (31±3 yr, VO2peak=58±2 ml·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹, maximal power [Wmax]=342±10 W) ingested 140 ml/d of concentrated beetroot (~8 mmol/d nitrate) juice (BEET) or a placebo (nitrate-depleted beetroot juice; PLAC) for 6 d, separated by a 14-d washout. After supplementation on Day 6, subjects performed 60 min of submaximal cycling (2×30 min at 45% and 65% Wmax, respectively), followed by a 10-km time trial.
Time-trial performance (953±18 vs. 965±18 s, p<.005) and power output (294±12 vs. 288±12 W, p<.05) improved after BEET compared with PLAC supplementation. Submaximal VO₂ was lower after BEET (45% Wmax=1.92±0.06 vs. 2.02±0.09 L/min, 65% Wmax 2.94±0.12 vs. 3.11±0.12 L/min) than with PLAC (main effect, p<.05).
Six days of nitrate supplementation reduced VO₂ during submaximal exercise and improved time-trial performance in trained cyclists.
Another study involving beetroot juice showed similar results, finding:
Roughly a 5-6% improvement in power just from drinking a juice, with no expensive aero helmets, skinsuits or trick wheels.
The good news doesn’t stop there.
MedicalNewsToday.com also reports other health benefits, beetroot counteracts inflammation, lowers glucose levels and oxygenates the brain helping fight dementia.
The Velo Logic store now stocks Beet IT Organic Shots . This bottled form provides a convenient way to get a performance and health boost anytime and anywhere.
A cardboard bicycle? Yes. Cardboard Technologies says:
“Recycled cardboard used for packaging is folded origami style to make it strong. It’s then treated to make it both waterproof, and fireproof.”
“We are not a bicycle company, we are a technology company. The bicycle is just our first implementation of the technology.”
Source: Cardboard Technologies
Saturday April 30 was the 9th annual Red Hook Crit in Brooklyn. There was a huge crash caused by a motorcycle stopped in the middle of the course.
https://youtu.be/E4D9e3QLI_Q
“After two failed starts due to early first lap complications and crashes the race was shortened to twenty-two instead of twenty-six laps as originally scheduled. Mario Paz Duque (IRD Carerra) advanced from tenth on the grid to win his seventh Red Hook Crit Breakfast Prime. Aldo Ilesic (Allez-Allez Specialized) soon took control of the race sitting on the front with little objection from his competitors. Zawada started pushing the pace and the field was strung out, but on the third lap Zawada crashed clipping a pedal through a hairpin, and retired from the race. Ilesic still on the front looked to be riding easily though those around were struggling to match the pace…”
Originally the Red Hook Crit was an illegal race on streets of Brooklyn. It was founded as a birthday party for the founder’s friends. His friends were all racers and were always training, so in order to get them to attend his party he turned it into a crit.
https://youtu.be/Te_AEMiNCT8
Here’s some of the most unbelievable records in cycling, courtesy of GCN. From wheelies to bunny hops to some truly bizarre feats…. they’re all here.
The Col Collective break down this classic ride in Tenerife, a monster climb from sea level to 2250 m ride up the active volcano, Mount Teide. The volcano’s summit is at 3,718 m (12,198 ft). The summit is only accessible on foot or by cable car.
Mike Cotty (The Col Collective) leads you through this epic climb, from the coast through rugged lava fields and up to the plateau at the foot of Mount Teide. He rides a short route from El Médano on the south side, but it’s still 51 km, so you need to pace yourself.
The first half of the climb is around 4-6%, nothing too brutal. At the half way mark of Vilaflor things pick up to 11%, you’ll thank yourself if you kept your pacing in check on the first half.
The ride ends at the Parador de las Cañadas hotel, where you can reward yourself with food and drink while you soak up the stunning view.
The PodRide is the brainchild of industrial designer Mikael Kjellman of Sweden. He calls it a “bicycle car,” otherwise known as a velomobile.
His version is a four-wheeled bicycle (with an electric motor for optional assist) within a hard shell protective pod to keep out the weather. He was inspired to develop it due to commute in Sweden which is too cold for riding in winter.
He’s been working on it for years, and tried many models that fell short, before arriving at this version. This model now meets his requirements, which make for a flexible vehicle that can take you most places in relative comfort:
Support the PodRide on Indiego
Off the Front - beautiful cycling poster on wooden panel. This is a unique work of art, with an original graphic design, printed on superior quality birch wood. Choose from 10 sizes and create a statement piece that’s perfect for your office or your home. Ready to stand, or hang.
The PodRide includes a 250 watt motor so you don’t have to pedal if you don’t want to. Or, you can use it to assist you so you don’t arrive at your destination all sweaty.
Under the power of the modest motor, the PodRide cruises at 25 km/h and has a range of 60 km.
Other car-like features include:
Mikael says this is still a prototype, so there are still a lot of improvements that he could make to the PodRide, the foremost being the chassis, which could be a lot lighter.
Mikael would like to bring his creation to the market, but thinks it will be expensive (around $6000 or more) unless it can be mass produced, in which case the price could drop to around a much more affordable $2250 to $3900.
Support the PodRide on Indiego
Mikael is now looking for a partner to take the PodRide production. So if you’re the entrepreneurial kind, or if you can help in anyway, he’d love to hear from you:
Mikael Kjellman
www.jmk-innovat ion.se/velomobil-project
Email: [first name]_k@telia.com
Phone +4670 532 22 01
Whether you want to learn more about your bike, feel confident on the road, save money, or you're considering becoming a pro bike mechanic, this bicycle repair course has got you covered.
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This bicycle camper doesn’t look like much from the outside, but it’s small and light, weighing in at under 45 lbs. And on the inside, it’s pretty impressive!
Inside the camper is fairly spacious. It’s insulated to help moderate the temperature inside. There’s a micro kitchen and plenty of storage space for food, water and cooking utensils. The “day fridge” consists of a ziploc bag with ice in it.
There’s quite a few nifty details, including a skylight on top of the front dome, which can be replaced with an open air bug screened porthole to aid the airflow.
The cabinetry is arranged so that the heavy items are stored low down, while lighter items are stored higher up. This helps stabilize the camper.
The tow bar is made from 1/2″ electrical conduit and a swiveling ball joint, which allows the bike to be laid down on the ground.
The whole camper cost about $150 to make, because Elkin built most of it, such as the shell, base and cabinets, from old campaign signs.
Here’s how he did it…
You can find out more about the Micro Airstream at ElkinsDIY.com and download the plans.
The self-driving bicycle enables safe navigation through the city for Amsterdam residents, and furthers Google’s ambition to improve urban mobility with technology.
According to the Aspen Daily News, Lance Armstrong received a lifetime ban from “Tuesday Cruiseday” in Aspen CO.
