Muddy Buddy Season Gearing Up!

by Willy Volk on

Muddy Buddy‘s slogan is “Two buddies + One mud bike + One mondo mud pit = The best time of your life!” While it may be cheesy, it’s accurate. I participated in a Muddy Buddy Event in 2004, and it was awesome.

The Muddy Buddy is a trail running/mountain biking adventure race. Each race features a 6-7 mile course and 5 obstacles. At the start of the race, one team member runs and the other bikes. At the obstacle, both team members compete — and then switch tasks. Teams continue leapfrogging through the entire course until they crawl through the Mud Pit and cross the finish line. Kicking off in Austin on May 20, other cities hosting the Muddy Buddy include San Jose, Atlanta, Richmond, Chicago, and Boulder.

I’m proud to say that my teammate and I placed in the Top 10 in the Event in which we competed, mainly because so many of the teams were penalized for violating Rule #11, “Team must finish the race together!” Other tips for you:

  • When you compete at the obstacle, put your bike upside down. Most teams just dump their bikes and waste time finding them later. Setting your bike upside down saves you lots of time!
  • Wear a costume. It’s fun, and it makes your teammate easier to spot.

[Photo: Michael Osborne]

Two Men. Two Bikes. 19,500 Miles From Alaska to Argentina.

by Willy Volk on

As a Peace Corps Volunteer, my primary method of transportation was a bicycle. I cycled among villages for work; to the district capital to collect my mail; and to nearby villages to drink beer made from millet. One time, to prove to myself that I was tough, I cycled 110 miles in a single day to the provincial capital. Truthfully, I was exhausted upon arriving — and I don’t know if I’m tough enough to cycle 100 miles in a day again. I think that’s why the story of Brooks Allen and Gregg Bleakney is so inspiring.

On July 26, 2005, Brooks and Gregg began their 19,500 mile adventure. Rolling out of Prudhoe Bay (the most northern accessible point in Alaska), they’re headed to Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost tip of Argentina. Following a continuous road network that traverses Arctic tundra, urban megalopolises, tropical rain forests, mountain passes, and seemingly endless stretches of arid desert, the pair is cycling to raise $50,001 to help fight Diabetes.

Riding on 27-pound bikes that weigh 100 pounds when fully loaded, the pair is currently between La Paz, Bolivia and Salta, Argentina. Take a minute to check out their irregularly updated trip journal, and be sure to visit their absolutely stunning gallery of images. Maybe it’ll inspire you to donate a little something to their cause — or to undertake an adventure like this.

For Fitness, Albuquerque, New Mexico is Number One.

by Jamie Rhein on

Albuquerque, New Mexico has hit number one in Men’s Fitness magazine’s top 10 list for the city where the people are the fittest. I’m not surprised. I used to live there and it seemed every weekend there was some charity race, bicycle ride, swimming event or another enticement to get one’s body in motion. This Sunday is the Sweetheart Run to benefit Big Brothers/Big Sisters, for example.If you go to the Albuquerque Roadrunners website you’ll find a calendar that lists each month’s local, area and national runs.

One organized cycling race I found is the Lobo Classic, March 3-4. For other cycling events, check out New Mexico Cycling. There are also mountain-biking trails a-plenty.

With the Sandia Mountains to the east and the mesa to the west, in the winter it is often possible to go cross-country or downhill skiing and golfing on the same day. The east side of the mountains stays snowy at the top often well into March while down in the city, the temperatures are generally warm enough to comfortably run and bike ride year-round.

Hiking in the Sandias is as easy as grabbing a water bottle and a snack and driving to the edge of Albuquerque where some of the trail heads are. Try the Pino Trail. In minutes, after a couple of switchbacks, the rush of life is left behind. I seem to remember that this trail will link with another one that heads to the top, and once there—what a view! For a list of Sandias hikes try this link from the Great Outdoors.

One of my friends suggested one summer that we hike up the mountain before dark and hike down by the full moon. Neat idea but we didn’t take into account that the moon has to crest the mountain before it lights up the trail. We had to wait at the top until well after midnight before it was light enough to see to hike down. Luckily, the guy who managed the gift shop let us hang out there after we bought T-shirts since the ones we had on were soaked with perspiration. After dark the temperature does a nosedive-another small factor we forgot.

If you are in Albuquerque and want to get fit, be warned, the city is a mile high and the top of the Sandias is a mile more. Drink plenty of water and take time to get acclimated to the altitude.

Here’s a guide to more outdoor activities that Albuquerque has to offer.

The New Way to See Paris: On A Bicycle

by Willy Volk on

Recently, Paris announced plans to make bicycles available to the city’s commuters, strollers, and tourists for free. Working with French outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux SA — which received access to more than 1600 publicity sites in exchange for providing the bikes — the City plans to have in excess of 14,000 bikes by this summer, and more than 20,000 by the end of 2007. To borrow a bike, users visit one of the 1400+ stations around the city, hand over a swipe-card, get a bike, and roll away. Bikes may be returned at any station.

This sounds like a great idea to lower pollution. However, I wonder if thousands of cycling tourists, confused by unfamiliar signage, disoriented by winding cobbled roads, and dazzled by the beautiful buildings surrounding them, will cause more headaches for Paris than it resolves.

My prediction? By the end of the year, every intersection currently manned by art vendors will have boys with tire tools and pumps showcasing their wares. I wonder if JCDecaux SA secured the rights to advertise for all the bike repairmen.

What do you think? Is this idea a magnifique way to pump up the city’s image, or is it stupide, certain to deflate?

Tour De France in London

by Neil Woodburn on

Planning on catching the Tour de France this year?

Then you better get yourself to England.

England?

Yes indeed, England.

The legendary race will kick off in London this summer and tool around the city’s famous sites before heading out to the British countryside and then eventually over to France.

Unbeknownst to most (including myself), the Tour de France actually begins outside of its namesake every three to four years. This will be the third time it has started in England but the first for London itself.

The race will start July 6 and continue for three days in England. Unlike the 1994 race when the riders peddled through the Chunnel to reach France, this year’s event will see the contestants travel by other means across the Channel and over to Dunkirk where the race will resume.

London, as you might imagine, will be a crowded mess during this time. If you love biking, make your arrangements to visit NOW. Otherwise, avoid the city at all costs until the last colorful jersey is sprinting its way through Dunkirk.