A VC in South Africa

by Erik Olsen on

Man, I have ALWAYS wanted to go to South Africa. Cape Town, I’ve been told, is one of the
most glorious places on the planet. Killer surfing, great hiking and mountain biking…it’s an outdoorsman’s
paradise.

So I am simmering with envy that venture capitalist Fred Wilson has been
cruising around the country and posting on his travels. He’s been hitting the
wineries (South African reds are said to be some
of the best in the world) and historical spots like
Robbens Island where Nelson Mandela was held. Great
stuff…especially since it is snowing hard outside my window right now, rain is pelting the West Coast, and I’ll be the
weather in Cape Town is amazing.

And The 2004 Award for Best Mountain Biking State Goes To…

by Nino Marchetti on

West Virginia? That’s right – West Virginia. The little state has some of the best
backcountry singletrack trails and a very hard core group of mountain bike riders/advocates,
according to an annual report issued by the
International Mountain Bicycling Association. Another thing which sets the West Virginia mountain biking scene
apart from the rest is the support of those in the state government like the tourism department and the governor.

Also announced as part of the report was British Columbia as the best place globally to mountain bike.

Ride Through Costa Rica

by Erik Olsen on

Bike Magazine runs a
piece on riding through Costa Rica along La Ruta de Los Conquistadores (ah, what a great name!). The arduous route
is relatively new as a biking haven, but is itself centuries old. The route follows the path of the 16th century
Spanish conqueror, Juan de Caballon, who it is said, took 20 years to complete from beginning to end…perhaps a bit of
an exaggeration. No matter racers now do the route in three days. Riders must deal with all manner of obstacles and
terrain including river crossings, dense jungles, jarring rocky roads, torrential rains, hiking sections, dangerous
suspension bridges, miles of rough train tracks, and high altitudes.

All for the fat tire fun of riding in a strange exotic place. But hey, sounds worth it.

Adventure Cycle’s 2005 Schedule

by Erik Olsen on

The Adventure Cycle Association has released it
2005 schedule, with trips all over the country.
Cycle Utah in the spring or the Columbia Gorge at the start of summer. The East Coast trip is a 15-day loop that begins
and ends in Burlington, Vermont, taking you north along Lake Champlain and along the Canadian-U.S. border before
dropping down to Ticonderoga, New York, and eventually back up. There are a ton of great cycling rides here.

SF2LA 1 Pair of Bike Shorts

by Erik Olsen on

Ride to Los Angeles from San Francisco with one pair of bike
shorts (per person, presumably)? Steve Rubinstein and his son
did it,
finding the scenery along Highway 1, the fabled Pacific Coast Highway, most delightful. What a great way to
experience first hand the transition between Northern and Southern California. Because transition it it, with
those two place being just a few hundred miles, but light years apart in terms of culture. Trust me, I’ve lived in
both places. Sounds like a great ride, but I probably would have done it the other way.