BFDC Tees

Coming Soon!

In January 2011 we'll have these fancy 100% cotton "Bicycle Friendly Durango Colorado" tee shirts for sale to benefit the City of Durango's efforts to improve bike and pedestrian conditions in town. Tee shirt price will be $15 (plus $5 shipping, if needed) and available in both Men's S-XL sizes (top row; charcoal, indigo blue, pistachio, and oceana) and Women's M-L sizes (bottom row; charcoal, chocolate, navy and avocado). Thanks to Amber Blake, Durango's Multi Modal Coordinator, for getting the tee shirt campaign underway and for her continuous efforts to improve the bike-ped environment in Durango. Plus, you'll both look and feel fabulous wearing one! Look for them soon on the Bouré website. And don't worry, we'll remind you when they're here.

Sweet Threads

Now Available!

The Durango Devo Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Sweet Elite U-25 Cycling Team (aka the DDRMCFSEU25CT) is ready for action in 2011 - and you can own one of their Thermo jerseys.

Find out more about this jersey or order one by clicking HERE.

Show your support for the team and wear the same jersey as riders Tad Elliott, Howard Grotts, Sage Wilderman, Teal Stetson-Lee, Alicia Rose Pastore and Colton Andersen. Not to mention local heros, team coaches and supporters Joey Thompson, Ned Overend, Sarah Tescher, Chris Wherry, Chad Cheeney, John Glover and Gaige Sippy. For more info on the Durango Devo Sweet Elite Team, click HERE...

Holiday Bike Lanes

Riverview Wins 2nd CX Title!

Following Ned Overend's lead, who lives 6 doors down from my Durango Riverview neighborhood home, Todd Wells, who lives a further 4 doors away, secured a National Cyclocross title on Sunday in Bend, Oregon. I only wish I was still in good enough shape to ask Mrs. Overend and Mrs. Wells if Todd and Ned could come over to ride with me. Look for the upcoming review of their championship Specialized bikes by Matt Phillips of Bicycling Magazine, who lives next door.

From CyclingNews.com

Wells wipes the field clean

Todd Wells (Specialized-Cal Giant) captured his first cyclo-cross win of the season, the one that counted the most, at the UCI elite men's USA Cycling Cyclo-cross Championships held on Sunday in Bend, Oregon. The newly-crowned national champion outgunned the hometown favourite Ryan Trebon (Kona-FSA) who placed second and recent US Gran Prix of Cyclo-cross (USGP) overall winner Jeremy Powers (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com) in third.

Wells won the mountain bike cross-country and short track national championships earlier this year. He took some time off to recover from a successful summer of racing before diving into the cyclo-cross season this Fall with a goal of winning the national title. He is no stranger cyclo-cross stars and stripes jersey, having won the event on two previous occasions - in 2001 and 2005.

"All my jerseys are pretty special to me but it's always nice to get a title and this one is right up there with the others," Wells said.

Wells dedicated his victory to friend and former team manager, Jerry Hutchinson, who passed away this summer. "He passed away six weeks ago and I wanted to dedicate the race to him and get a victory," Wells said. "I was thinking about him the whole time and I felt like he was with me out there." Click to read the rest of the article ...

Todd leading Jeremy Powers

Ned Puts it Down on the Grass!

From CyclingNews.com:

Ned Overend adds to Stars-and-Stripes jersey collection

The 55-59 master men's contest was a battle of heavy hitters, with the legendary Ned Overend (Specialized) powering to a solo victory.

Finishing second in yesterday's time trial to ‘Cross Vegas organizer Brooke Watts (Cody Racing), Overend started on the front row start with reigning national champion Paul Curley (Midstate Cycling Club-Gear Works) and six other strong men. Norman Kreiss (Morgan Stanley) surged from the second row to take the early lead while Curley and Overend rode patiently behind Kreiss on the first lap.

"The course was changing all the time," said Overend. "It was kind of dicey on that first lap, but then I was able to bridge up to Norm and put it down on the grass areas."

Overend finished nearly one minute up on silver medalist Kreiss, while Randall Root secured the bronze medal 2:51 behind Overend.

Master Men 55-59

1. Edmund (Ned) Overend (Specialized) 0:42:38

2. Norman Kreiss (Morgan Stanley Cycling Team) 0:00:57

3. Randall Root (Evolution Cycling Club p/b Long & Foster) 0:02:51

DWC Wins 2 CX Golds

The Durango Wheel Club garnered two 2010 Cyclocross National Championships on the first day of competition in Bend, Oregon. Walt Axthelm added to his enormous pile of National and World Championships when he won yet another National Cyclocross title in the Men's Masters 75-79 category. And Martha Iverson, with her own enormous pile of National and World Championships, won the Women's Masters 60-64.

Walt Axthelm sporting the power of the mighty "B"

Martha's amphibious assault!

Oklahoma City 1, Durango 0

It's with regret we announce the move of local cycling advocate Jeanine Justice, Executive Director of Healthy Lifestyles LaPlata (HLLP) - a coalition of health & wellness professionals who work to create a healthy, active and sustainable community. She is moving soon to Oklahoma City, and she'll be much missed by the Durango cycling community.

Jeanine contributed tirelessly to the cycling advocacy cause (asking for little credit) and often working in helpful collaboration with Wade Moore and Drew Bourey of the Safe Roads Coalition. Her organizational skill, support and financial backing helped make possible such notable, policy-changing events as:

• The Durango Bicycle Summit which resulted in Durango being named a Silver Level Bicycle Friendly Community and began the process of hiring Durango's first Multimodal Director, Amber Blake.

• The world-famous Dan Burden's "Creating Healthy Communities" workshop.

• A Safe Routes to School grant in collaboration with the City of Durango for Park Elementary School in the amount of $208,000.

• ... and so much more!

Good luck Jeanine, and thanks!

Alexi Tells All

We recently received an email from the one-and-only Alexi Grewal, who is in training for a late life comeback. He directed us to a post on his Blog, "Back In Among The Wheels", that elaborated on his historic 1984 Olympic Road Race win. As a friend of ours who knew Alexi back then says, "Alexi was one smart bike racer. Not altogether a noble character, but honest." All we can say is, "Read & Enjoy!"

From: Alexi

As stories go, my friends and enemies might like to know this one.
I titled it "The Skin Suit", but "The Traitor", or "Free Ride" would work too.

THE SKINSUIT: A.K.A. THE OLYMPICS IN L.A.

Before we get too far down the road, there is a story I must tell. It is a story I have already shared with Davis Phinney, my main rival then and always. But now I will tell it for all.

The story of the Los Angeles Olympics, from my perspective. First off, I did not stay with the team before the event, because of my positive test for ephedrine at the Coor’s Classic I ended up flying out to L.A. on Len Pettyjohn’s dime with my own support crew. So what ever did or did not happen with the blood doping scandal of those days I had no part of it.

I rode my bike to the start. With Len Pettyjohn carrying my spare wheels and bottles. When I got there it was tense. My instructions were simple, ride for Davis, I said fine, except that I told Eddy I would be going solo late in the race. He said ok. That was the race meeting for me, the first time Eddy and I had spoken in months.

In the race however and in my mind and prep I never gave one thought to really giving away my chance. I was there to win, it was all I knew at that point in life.

Once the race started, of course there are duties you must do, play your part in the race be present to observe and watch the front. On the very first lap I had worked myself up to the transition zone at the front, the place where you have to choose to follow moves or stay put. At the top of the first long climb both Ron Kiefel and I were present when a string of riders worked itself free as the climb crested and the road turned fast. We both looked at each other. For a second, I am sure neither of us really wanted to be exposed that early in the race. No matter his demeanor Ron Keifel wanted to win just as much as anyone else. I have always considered him a hard man to beat.

He hesitated, we were in equally good positions to respond. Intuition told me to go, so I wound it up, saving my legs as best I could and made the effort to bridge and join. The second I got there I knew it was good. A free ride with the likes of the Austrian Helmet Weshelberger in the move and willing to drive it.

From that point forward a certain rhythm was established. I was up the road ahead of the other favorites with the exception of Helmut. I did not have to work and I only had to follow one man. The latitude was there to let him go also. It was more or less the perfect place to be in. I knew it. I was not thinking what I could do to help Davis, I was thinking how I could use the situation to work all my rivals against each other, and conserve my legs which were marginal.

I am an observant bike racer, the tension on the U.S. team was visible. Thurlow was ashen, Kiefel was quiet, Phinney was wearing a skin suit. There was no doubt in my mind Keifel and Phinney were gonna be good. The skinsuit was information I filed away. Only one pocket was sewn into it and we faced a hot, hilly two hundred kilometer race. One feed zone per lap on a downhill, right near the start finish, wearing a skin suit with one pocket was to rely on the unreliable.

Click HERE to read more...

Iron Horse Turns 40!

Registration is now open for the 2011 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic in Durango, CO - May 28-30, 2011. This ride and race sells out annually and was recently listed in Outside Magazine's "Life List."

2011 marks 40 years of riding and racing the "Iron Horse" train to Silverton over Coal Bank and Molas passes. Other events include the 25 mile Quarter Horse to Purgatory, Downtown Criterium, Time Trial, Cruiser Crit and Kids Race. This year's weekend will also feature the return of an Iron Horse MTB race. Mountain biking has a decorated past in Durango as the home of legendary riders Ned Overend, John Tomac and the 1990 World Championships. The unique course for 2011 will challenge both pros and beginners - all within sight of downtown Durango.

Bikes on the Burma Road

Our friend Margy Dudley, owner of the Open Shutter Gallery, recently travelled to Myanmar and sent back this photo - apparently showing how to keep sand off your rims. Go figure?