Features

• By Rob Jones, Canadiancyclist.com

  Ryder Hesjedal Post-Tour Interview

  Rob Jones spoke with Ryder Hesjedal from Biarritz, on the French Riviera, where Hesjedal was taking a few days break before heading to San Sebastian for the next Pro Tour race. On Sunday, July 18, 2010, Hesjedal finished his third Tour de France with an incredible seventh place overall and two fourth place stage results on some of the hardest days of the race.

• By Rob Jones, Canadiancyclist.com

  Tuft Talks of the Giro and Wins Nationals

  Langley, BC, resident Svein Tuft, who now races for the Garmin-Transitions team, finished his first Grand Tour in May — the Giro d’Italia (note: he did ride 15 stages of the Vuelta Espana last season also). After he returned to his home in Girona, Spain, we caught up with him to find out how his season is going, and what it’s like riding on the Pro Tour.

• By Dave Campbell

  Records Set at Alpenrose Velodrome Challenge

  The twelfth edition of the Alpenrose Velodrome Challenge (AVC), one of the nation’s premier track cycling competitions, was presented from July 16 to 18. Riders from all over the country as well as Canada and New Zealand make the annual pilgrimage to race on the 43-degree banks of the cigar-shaped oval. What follows is an account of the most hotly contested events at this year’s AVC.

• By Clarissa Ersoz

  Mike Schechter: Biking to Lose

  Mike Schechter is not a spokesman for dieting fads and get thin quick schemes; instead he promotes all the benefits of the cycling life. Resident of the Northwest since 1997 and cycling enthusiast since 2009, he accomplished a goal that many people find difficult, even impossible, to achieve: he lost weight, and not just a few fluctuating vanity pounds.

• By Erik Moen, PT

  Midfoot Cleat Position?

  There has been quite a bit of discussion with regards to midfoot cleat placement, i.e. positioning the cleat at the middle point of the shoe’s sole. The idea has been popularized by a well-known coach who has hypothesized that decreasing the load on the calf will significantly affect economy.

• By Rebecca Kotch

  Gran Fondo — It Just Sounds Good

  Sometimes things just sound better in a foreign language, specifically, the “romance language” that comes from across the Atlantic Ocean. We may not know the meaning but we certainly like the sound; the Italian sound that is. But what about the latest Italian imported term, Gran Fondo? If you have steered clear of any and all cycling publications, then you likely have not seen or heard these lovely words that have come into our home.

• By Clarissa Ersoz

  Summer Track Events in the Northwest

  Although it has been a soggy spring and rain continued through June, forcing the cancellation of multiple events, the summer racing calendar is still packed — with even more to come. Track events provide a spectator-friendly environment with an enclosed venue, so the action is always in plain view no matter where you sit.

• By Clarissa Ersoz

  A Car’s Perfect Cycling Accessory

  In the Northwest and around the country, Share the Road and other cycling specialty license plates have allowed motorists to show their support for bicycling while helping finance safety, education and advocacy initiatives. Beginning with Washington’s implementation, followed by Oregon, and hopefully Idaho’s inauguration in the near future, soon every Northwest state could offer plates that champion cycling.

• By Darren Dencklau

  Rudy Project’s Sterling Road Helmet

  Helmets are a personal choice for most any cyclist. From racers and wannabe racers to fixed gear fashionistas, they are a statement of who you are both on and off the bike. Rudy Project is perhaps best known for their sunglasses and goggles, but they also make high-quality helmets.

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Opinion

• By Joe Kurmaskie

  How Cyclists Helped Rethink A Bridge

  In the spring of 2009, the Oregon and the Washington State Department of Transportation and other business interest groups were pushing the Columbia River Crossing project, a 4 billion dollar, 12-lane bridge planned to replace the existing I-5 structure between Oregon and Washington. Jamming a 12-lane freeway through the center of Portland looked like 20th century thinking.

• By Maynard Hershon

  On the Club Ride, Part Two

  Part two of a two-part conversation between Maynard and his friend Corey. Last month they were talking about club rides and the advantages and disadvantages of participating in them.

• By Joe Kurmaskie

  Tour De Lance: The Extraordinary Story Of Lance Armstrong’s Fight to Reclaim The Tour de France

  Saddle back up and reclaim the Tour de France? Dream on. Sports comebacks are unwieldy animals that rarely go according to plan, or end well. More than baseball, boxing or basketball, bicycle racing offers absolutely no margin for error, no wiggle room, no accommodations for age or motivation.

• By Maynard Hershon

  On the Club Ride

  Club life was different 30-odd years ago. Rides were structured and instruction or discipline was often harsh. We were young, malleable and hungry for knowledge. We felt lucky to learn about the sport from seasoned riders. Recently I’ve begun riding with a local club.

• By Joe Kurmaskie

  How To Out Pedal An African Elephant

  It was the second day in country and the first full one in the saddle. We numbered 300 riders on a South African fundraising bike adventure with Children In The Wilderness. Divided into groups of about twenty, with two guides, the plan called for 100 plus kilometers per day through remote bush on full suspension bikes; the ride of a lifetime. By the end we’d pedal through six private game preserves and four national parks in five countries.

• By Maynard Hershon

  Your Favorite Uncles

  As I read this year’s springtime bike safety articles, I am struck by how much is left unsaid. If you’re a longtime cyclist, you know what I mean. Riding in traffic is like playing chess with your life — except the pieces don’t follow the rules.

• By Joe Kurmaskie

  You Can’t Make Me Cry

  In an effort to pedal my talk, I decided to use my bicycle to deliver more than 500 copies of my new book to the post office. I imagined my arrival at the main post office parking lot looked something like the final scene in “Animal House,” when Belushi’s rogue float emerges out of the smoke to cause mayhem.

• By Maynard Hershon

  Try Walking — You Might Like It

  I don’t mind riding in the cold, but ice scares me. I see fearless cyclists riding on snowy and slick surfaces. I’m not nearly that brave. There was always traction in Tucson and in northern California. I realized I had to do something different for exercise; I had to get out there. I decided I’d try running. After a few times I found I enjoyed the walking and was pretty sure I wasn’t going to injure myself doing it, so I gave up on running.

• By Garrett Simmons

  Book Review - Major Taylor: “The Fastest Bicycle Rider in the World”

  One of eight children brought up during the late 1800’s, Marshall Walter Taylor was born just north of the Kentucky state line, into a family of “free” African American farmers. Early on, beginning with an unlikely friendship at age eight, he was privy to a host of good luck that was not normal for the time.

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