Tour de France Official Guide

It's here!...the 2012 VeloNews Tour de France guide. With a detailed rundown of every stage and all of the likely main protagonists this is the definitive guide to the Tour.

They're $10.99 and they always go quickly so grab one as soon as you can.

Travel Ban

We're getting some questions in the shop on the current travel restriction in Eastern Manitoba (actually from the east end of Lake Winnipeg thru to the Manitoba/Ontario border), which obviously affects back country mountain biking among other things, so we figured we'd provide our readers with a link to the latest government updates here.

The line of the update that concerns us the most reads as follows:  
"Backcountry travel is prohibited. Travel Permits may be issued for remote cottages, some commercial operations, and other exceptional circumstances."

That doesn't sound very promising, but of course check the link and your local news reports often because the restrictions could change quickly.  And hey, if riding in the backcountry doesn't work out in the next week or two we'll see you on the monkey trails.

Bike to Work Day, June 22

A message from Andraea Sartison, Event Coordinator, Bike to Work Day:

We invite you to take to the streets and join thousands of commuters in cycling to work. 

The fifth annual Bike to Work Day Winnipeg will be held on Friday, June 22nd. 

Stop by a pit stop from 6:30-9:00 am on your way to work and get a boost with free snacks, bike tune-ups and refreshments. Over thirty community and corporate groups will welcome cyclists in the morning, and each stop will host its own prize giveaways and an opportunity to meet a diversity of active transportation supporters. 

You can wind up your week with a BBQ at The Forks beginning at 3:30 and featuring local musical talent, free dinner and your chance to win a brand new Schwinn bicycle or bike trailer from Chariot Trailers.

Start today by registering online to show your support for the smart commute, and to take advantage of the day's festivities. Please visit www.biketoworkdaywinnipeg.org. 

Pembina Highway Underpass Improvement Options

Complaining about using Winnipeg roadways for bicycle transportation is something of an unofficial sport, and it's not unwarranted, but things are actually being done to improve the situation, and sometimes you (yes, YOU) can actually have a direct say in the process. 

OCC member Ian Hall forwarded this to us - take a look and consider attending: 

Subject: Notice of Public Open House - Pembina Highway Underpass Improvement Options 

On behalf of the City of Winnipeg, we invite you to attend an Open House to review and provide feedback on three options being proposed for improvements to the Pembina Highway Underpass. A PDF describing the three options can be found here. 

The Open House will be a drop-in format so feel free to come any time between 4:00 PM and 8:00 PM and speak with the project team. The three options being proposed for the Pembina Highway Underpass improvements will be displayed. 

Date: Wednesday, May 9, 2012 Time: 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM (Drop-in Format) 

Location: Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists (APEGM) 870 Pembina Highway 

If you are unable to attend the Open House but would like information on the project please visit www.Winnipeg.ca/PembinaHighwayUnderpass or contact Jacqueline East at Dillon Consulting Limited 453-2301 or jeast@dillon.ca. 

Thank you.

Ultimate Ride Guide

Just in from the good folks at VeloNews we have the Ultimate Ride Guide. This well laid out guide to top riding destinations around the world provides the reader with information beyond the ride itself, including lodging tips, restaurant info, local nightlife, favourite bike shops, and so on. 

Start dreaming and planning now for your next big trip for just $8.99.

Bur Oak Wed. Night Race Series

We're less than a month away from the beginning of another Wednesday Night Bur Oak Mountain Bike Race Series!  To keep things fresh the format is a bit different this year, featuring mass start cross country races, an individual and a team time trial, a relay, and a pursuit race.  Cool.

After the jump you can check out the whole series schedule, or take a look at the complete MCA 2012 race calendar here (Wed. Night Series details are not yet listed on the MCA calendar).

Draw prizes at each Series race, and onsite registration only.  Thanks to our friend at OCC, AlterEgo, and Element B for putting on the Series.

MB Randonneurs 2012 Brevet Schedule

Every year the Manitoba Randonneurs put together a number of rides with progressively longer distances to challenge the long-distance roadie in you.  The rides are self supported but with a well laid out route map.  They start in early May and bring you through to the end of July.

Fore more info click here or email or call Brain Leier at beleier@hotmail.ca or 204.294.2342.

Canadian Cycling Buyers Guide

The Canadian Cycling Magazine Bike Buyer's Guide is in! Pick one up today and read all about your next bike. Or just skip the magazine rack and buy the bike. Either way it's all good.

Iditarod Invitational 2012 - Lindsay's Account

To read Lindsay's official account of the Iditarod Invitational 2012 click here or if you can't access Googledocs you can read the account by clicking 'read more' further below. 

Lindsay graciously forwarded this account to us with many pictures included, but due to formatting issues the pics had to be removed from the post.  Hopefully we'll put the pictures back up as we resolve the issues.  For now, enjoy the story!

Many of our customers have been following the recent adventure of our shop founder Lindsay Gauld. To read our live updates (now archived) click here to filter our posts according to Events (a few of the recent events posts aren't related to Lindsay, but most are so just click and scroll down to find what you're looking for).

UCI Cross Country Racing Live on Red Bull TV!

For those who don't know, Red Bull TV is streaming live all UCI World Cup Cross County Mountain bike events in 2012 on www.redbull.tv, starting today, March 17th!  Just though you should know.

Spring Tune-Ups

Well believe it or not it's already that time of year...the time for spring tune-ups.  We're suddenly booking up fast so if you'd like us to slot you in for a bike tune-up call us at 888-4586 today and we'll get you on the schedule.

Our excellent mechanics can usually turn your bike around in a day, and no matter the issue with your bike trust us, they've seen worse before.  Maybe you just need a regular full tune up for $60, or maybe you need a complete overall, or maybe you just need some new brake pads, some cable adjustments, a replaced bottom bracket, or any number of things we can do for you a la carte.

For a full rates list and a service description check out our rates page here.

Whatever your needs give us a should and we'll take care of it, but don't wait...it's only going to get busier.

Lindsay Gauld Free Press Article

There's a good article in the Winnipeg Free Press on Lindsay's recent adventure and his current physical state here (but for the record we had the accompanying picture posted here first).

For more on what we're talking about click on the "Events" link on the left column of this page to sort our posts and read our most recent accounts of Lindsay's adventure.

Lindsay's last words, before his next words...(update)

Lindsay should be riding Iditabike by now (in fact he started pedalling yesterday). but below is the last email he forwarded from the start venue before his departure - we'll post additional emails as they come to us (or maybe we should say "if" they come to us, seeing as he likely has more important things to focus on).  

What the heck are we talking about?...click on the "events" link here to sort posts by events, which recently are mostly about Lindsay's latest challenge.

Also, check out the Iditabike Facebook page here, or Lindsay's own Facebook page here.

From Lindsay, February 25, 2012 3:04:10 PM CST (CA)

On Friday evening, Greg Matyas hosted a prerace party at his store Speedway Cycle.Greg came 3rd in the race last year but had some surgery on his hip this year and will be an interested spectator this year. He is the designer and founder of the Fatback line of Ti and aluminum bikes. Great guy.

Picture of the Condemned

The pic above is a bit blurry, but that may be appropriate - it was just taken by Lindsay as he and his fellow Iditarod adventure racers are shuttled to the start line.  For more info on just what he's up to visit our earlier related posts, like this one.

Here's the brief caption from Lindsay that accompanied the pic:

Picture of the condemned on the bus to the start at Knik. 12 inches of fresh snow so far and they're predicting almost another foot. Lots of pushing ahead. I wanted a challenge but can't help being a little scared and hoping I'm up to it. I try to just live in the moment and not think about what's ahead. I'll try to keep in touch.

Lindsay's Free Press Coverage

As we've mentioned here recently Lindsay is at it again, this time to conquer possibly the biggest cycling adventure of his illustrious career.  The Winnipeg Free Press deservedly gave him some ink this morning, so if you missed it check it out here.

10 Speed Grip Shift here soon?

Grip Shift has been a favourite of many of our staff and customers for years, especially but certainly not limited to winter riding applications where big mitts can make trigger shifting more cumbersome.  Grip Shift has also long been the lightest way to build up a cross country racing bike (or any bike for that matter).

However, Grip Shift has been left behind on many new builds for the last couple of years because the maximum number of rear shifts it offers is 9, and newer high end cross country mountain bike set ups are moving to 2x10.  A 10 speed Grip Shift has long been rumoured, and frankly it either had to happen or Sram may as well have abandoned the product completely, and we can't imagine that was ever a consideration.

Well finally some concrete rumours, with pics no less, have surfaced, and things are looking very promising.  Surf over to bikerumor.com to check out what they have to say on the matter, including news on a near bearing design and a lock ring that doesn't apply pressure to the grip itself, both of which are bound to contribute to a smoother feel.  We're looking forward to getting our hands on this product later this year!

Lindsay's 2012 Iditarod Adventure - cont'd (now w. pics)

Linsday Gauld, founder of Olympia Cycle & Ski, is off on another adventure: The 2012 Iditarod is in some sense the most extreme biking competition on the planet.  You can read more about it on the Iditarod Invitational blog here (where you can find lots of post-race reports from previous competitors, and information about this year's event, plus much more).

Immediately below are some more of Lindsay's thoughts as he comes close to final preparation time. Tomorrow we'll add a couple of picks Lindsay has sent us to this post. (Edit: Pic's are now posted to the bottom of this write-up).  To check out his first shared thoughts on the event you can visit an earlier posting by clicking here.

I’m writing this on Sunday the 19^th. At this time in a week I’ll be 4 ½ hours into my adventure at the Iditarod Trail Invitational. I am leaving for Anchorage this coming Thursday so I’m really in the final stages of preparation.

Fat and Heavy

Lindsay Gauld stopped by the shop yesterday while we were taking pictures of other stuff for our regular posts to this site and we had to chuckle a bit when we caught a glimpse of his bike, and we really had to snap a pic and post it here.

If you frequent this site you'll already know that Lindsay is making final preperations for the Iditirod bike race coming up in less than two weeks. The race can take more than a week to complete and is self-supported in the barren Alaskan arctic wilderness.

Needless to say that means you need to carry a lot of stuff on your bike, including your food, shelter, clothes, and survival gear. Lindsay doesn't want to know how much the bike weighs but it's not unusual for this setup to weigh in at as much as 80 lbs or more. Yikes.

What's more, Lindsay spent some time shortly before this picture was taken repeatedly pushing this bike up Spring Hill as practice for the upcoming race, where he's bound to encounter similar conditions. Hardcore.

Stay tuned for updates on his prep and hopefully some reports from the event itself.

Lindsay's 2012 Iditarod Adventure

Linsday Gauld, founder of Olympia Cycle & Ski, is off on another adventure: The 2012 Iditarod is in some sense the most extreme biking competition on the planet.  You can read more about it on the Iditarod Invitational blog here (where you can find lots of post-race reports from previous competitors, and information about this year's event, plus much more) and you can scroll past Lindsay's post below to check out a competitor's POV video.

Immediately below are some of Lindsay's thoughts as he comes close to final preparation time.  We'll share more with you as he forwards his continued prep reports...

In 1962, President Kennedy said that America was choosing to go to the moon, not because it was easy but because it was hard. (Yes, I was around then and remember it well) I am treating this year’s Iditarod Trail Invitational with much the same approach. Doing long events is something that is exciting and challenging and much like other addicts, we adrenaline junkies find we need to continuously push the envelope. The ITI is the longest and hardest  winter bike race in the world and will surely be all the challenge I can handle.

Arrowhead 135 (2011) - Andy's Reflection Part 3

Just in case you hadn't yet had your fill of Arrowhead posts, we inexplicable just received the final part in a 3 part update on last year's event, from support crew member and long time Olympia part-timer Andy Lockery.  We can only assume this means he's now at work on this year's edition, so in all likelihood this isn't the last you're heard of Arrowhead for a while.

What the heck are we talking about?  Scroll further down and you'll be able to piece together some other posts from this year's event.

Read the conclusion to last year's race below (click on 'read more' to expose the additional text), and if you'd like to refresh your memory with parts 1 & 2 of last year's tale click here and here.