Mt. Washington bike race suits the masochist in us

If you revel in cycling challenges and you keep a bucket list, then the Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hill Climb is a perfect candidate for it.

The 7.6-mile scramble to the summit of the New Hampshire peak has an average gradient of 12% with sections of 18%. The last 50 yards, where it really counts, maxes out at 22%.

Viewing the unnatural upward tilt of some bicycles in this video makes my thighs burn, but I can understand some cyclists' desire to return here year after year. ...

Source: http://www.bikingbis.com/blog/_archives/2011/12/20/4952885.html

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Summer In My Mind

No, that's not a typo in the title. I really am in summer in my mind. I just can't quite give it up. Maybe it's because I love summer so much that I just can't quite let it go. Or maybe it's because our summer seemed unusually short here in Montana this year. Whatever the reason, I'm okay with it. I'm just going to stay in the summer mindset. I've accepted it. It's good.

I'm not crazy. I like winter, too, and am dressing warm, riding my winter commuter bike, adjusting to winter boots instead of sandals -- I am even ready to enjoy my favorite winter activity, cross-country skiing.

But for some reason, my brain isn't registering winter. I haven't decorated the house for the holidays (and I may not), I haven't relished in the first snowfall, I haven't agonized over the roads (yeah! being car-free has its advantages), I haven't thought about the season. At all.

Instead, when I walk or ride my bike to work in the mornings, I think about summer. I look at the mountains and the trees and the snow-covered ground and I see the beautiful colors of summer.

I really don't know why I'm stuck. It could be that I am surrounded by fabulous summer images all the time via bicycle travel blogs, videos, magazine articles (PDF), and photographs. It could be that I had such a great time riding my bike this summer and hiking the Montana mountains that it's just stuck in there.

But I like it, so I'm going to go with it. And when the icy chill in the air threatens to make icicles of my fingers as they grip the handlebars on my commute home, I will imagine that the cold is only a temporary inconvenience to a pending summer day.

Photos by Ginny Sullivan

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CONNECTIONS is posted by Ginny Sullivan, Adventure Cycling's special projects director and features the cultural, historical, geographical, and human connections created through bike travel. Find out about our award-winning Underground Railroad Bicycle Route.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2011/12/summer-in-my-mind.html

nalini cycling

The Tour de France Opens Dramatically

The Tour de France Opens Dramatically (But the Shack Make a Great Showing) For Team RadioShack supporters the expectation of our favourite team must be immense; the year to date has been a good one for the Team. Latterly Levi Leipheimer took the Tour de Suisse by riding an exceptional final stage time trial, Chris Horner [...]

Source: http://www.teamradioshack.us/the-tour-de-france-opens-dramatically/

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The Obree Way ? Review

The Obree way is Graeme Obree’s unique and distinctive approach to training. It is an approach to training Obree developed himself over many years of his own successful cycling career. The book is worth reading just from the perspective of gaining an insight into the training and mentality of a World Champion, you also gain [...]

Source: http://cyclinginfo.co.uk/blog/4147/cycling/the-obree-way-review/

giordana cycling

Giro d?Italia Recap Stages 13-18

This great monument of Europe?s three Grand Tours continues to produce exciting racing, a little drama, and a real display of dominance by its current leader as we now complete 6/7ths of the race today (knew those math classes would come in handy some day!). This 94th edition of the Giro, which will ultimately [...]

Source: http://www.teamradioshack.us/giro-d%e2%80%99italia-recap-stages-13-18/

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Robbie McEwen Profile

Robbie McEwen (born June 24, 1972 in Brisbane) is an Australian road-racing champion in his final ? 15th ? season as a professional with Team RadioShack, having started his career with Rabobank in 1996. Nicknamed the Pocket Rocket, he has amassed an almost unsurpassed record of well over 200 victories throughout his long and [...]

Source: http://www.teamradioshack.us/robbie-mcewen-profile/

winter cycling jacket

Levi Comments: Radioshack?s Leader in Tour de France

There has been plenty of speculation in the media and among fans regarding which Team Radioshack rider will lead the team in it’s efforts in the upcoming Tour de France. Even though Lance Armstrong is no longer riding professionally, the team still have several profiles who would fit the bill. In an recent poll on this [...]

Source: http://www.teamradioshack.us/levi-comments-radioshacks-leader-in-tour-de-france/

cycling

Tour de France 2011, Stage 1 Report

And so it begins, the 98th edition of the greatest show in cycling, a 3,436-km (2135+ mile), 21-stage professional cycling race consuming almost the entire month of July as well as most of the geography of France. That distance is the span from New York to California. The claim is that it is [...]

Source: http://www.teamradioshack.us/tour-de-france-2011-stage-1-report/

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