Ignore for one moment that this is some of the most amazing mountain bike riding ever captured on film. What really makes this video over-the-top is the sheer energy in this production. The excitement contained within these announcers is an energy that we couldn’t muster at Gadling Labs with the might of 100 bloggers, with the drip of 10,000 espressos.
Oh, and Danny Hart? The best mountain biker on the planet. The above video shows the talented rider winning last weekend’s UCI MTB World Championships. Enjoy the show.
I’ve suddenly found myself stuck in New York City after my 3-day Rome trip canceled. Watching the news last night, it looked like Manhattan would be without power and struggling even to survive the ‘storm of a lifetime’ on Saturday.
Instead, after Hurricane Irene passed through the city earlier this morning there was an erie calm. As I woke up, I wondered if we were in the eye of the storm.
It turns out, Irene may have some strong winds on the back side, but for now, a little fun could be had by biking through the empty streets of the city.
Here’s what I found at 5th Avenue, Central Park, Times Square, Grand Central Terminal, the U.N. Building the Queensboro (59th Street) Bridge and the East River. Wide open streets and unencumbered riding! A video is the best way for me to describe the morning:
There was a atmosphere in the city today. One biker told me he saw people playing Wiffle Ball in Times Square. Tourists, with nothing else to do, gathered on Broadway, umbrellas in hand, just to look at the streets.
New York is an amazing city, but after a snow storm or situation like we had today, the break in monotonous city life offers a chance look around them and see just how great this place is.
I thought I’d had enough of Irene after experiencing it from the air, but today Irene brought many of us a pleasant surprise, and some time to reflect on how thankful we are that it wasn’t worse.
Far be it from the People to not abide by the Constitution. On July 31st, Granby is holding its second “Bikes & Beers” tour along the Connecticut Beer Trail (it’s the Constitution State, FYI. Yeah, I didn’t know, either).
Connecticut seems obsessed with food and drink-themed pathways: there’s the new Hot Dog Trail, the Ice cream and Sundae Drive (cute), and the Wine Trail. Why the fixation? Who cares? It’s a cool idea, especially when partnered with pedaling.
Bikes & Beers is a collaboration with Connecticut’s Pedal Power bike shops. Riders will get to enjoy beautiful views along the 17.2-mile loop, as well as some cold ones at the Cambridge House Brew Pub, an award-winning producer of craft beer. It’s just one of 10 craft breweries featured on the Beer Trail, a social media organization dedicated to promoting local breweries, the craft beer community, and related tourism (how cool is that?) statewide.
Better look out, West Coast and Colorado–Connecticut’s craft brewers are gaining on you.
The Connecticut Beer Trail and Pedal Power are planning future rides; click here or go to Pedal Power’s site for updates.
Earlier this week, the National Parks Foundation, in conjunction with Coca-Cola, launched the second annual “America Is Your Park” campaign, during which American’s are encouraged to vote for their favorite local, state, or national park. The campaign will run through September 6th, with the park receiving the most votes winning a $100,00 grant to help restore and enhance recreation areas for visitors.
There are four different ways to cast your vote for your favorite park, most centered around the website LivePositively.com. Visitors to the site can sign on and cast a vote directly for the park of their choice, or alternatively they can upload a photo of themselves in that park. Beginning August 10th, they’ll also have the opportunity to upload video as well. Photos and videos also count as votes. Alternatively, starting July 11, you’ll be able to vote by checking into a park by using Facebook Places on your mobile phone too.
Last year, more than 1.6 million votes were cast, earning Bear Head Lake State Park in Minnesota the distinction of being “America’s Favorite Park.” A similar number of votes are expected this year with the top three parks all earning a slice of the money to help with enhancement projects. First place gets the $100,000 mentioned above, while second place earns $50,000 and third gets $25,000.
This is your chance America. Vote for your favorite park and you just might have the chance to make it even better.
Traveling with your two-wheeled best friend just got a whole lot easier. Since 2007, VIA Rail Canada has provided seasonal bike racks on select VIA Rail departures, as part of its mandate to provide more environmentally sustainable, affordable passenger transit. Now, the racks will be available yearound, and increased baggage cars mean that cyclists can connect to even more cycling destinations.
By taking VIA (Canada’s national rail service), you can access thousands of miles of cycling paths running from Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal, Quebec City, London, Windsor, Jonquière, and Senneterre. Popular cycling trips include Quebec’s La Route Verte (2,671 miles), the Greater Niagara Circle Route (86 miles), Ottawa’s Capital Parkway Network (136 miles) and Ontario’s Waterfront Trails (559 miles).
Using the bike trains is easy. Check your buddy at the counter for a small fee; VIA staff do the rest, reuniting you on the platform at your destination. For a full listing of VIA’s Bike Train schedules click here.