IMBA Unveils 2010 'Epic' Rides

?IMBA

The wait is over.

IMBA has revealed the 2010 class of "Epic" rides--and the six new trails might just be the most diverse yet, the association proclaims.

Decide for yourself:

Black Rock/Falls City, Oregon "The Black Rock Epic offers gravity-oriented mountain bikers a dream area, set in a classic Northwest forest."

Fresno-Sauceda Loop/Big Bend Ranch State Park, Texas "This burly loop offers a blend of singletrack, creek beds and 4x4 roads, with frequent, often steep, climbs and descents."

Hurricane Cliffs/Hurricane, Utah "Grand mesas, vertical rock formations, and deep canyons combine with extinct volcanoes and vast rolling arroyos, bringing together a taste of all that southwest Utah's Color Country has to offer."

MoCo Loop/Montgomery County, Maryland "The 40-mile MoCo Epic reveals the possibilities for great riding in suburban landscapes."

Oak Mountain/Oak Mountain State Park, Alabama "This mountainous trail winds around a large lake, offering stunning vistas."

Rock Lake/Cable, Wisconsin "The deep-forest North Woods riding creates a memorable experience that any mountain biker will savor."

IMBA Epics are nominated by IMBA clubs, chapters and individual members and selected by IMBA staff.

Have you ever ridden an IMBA-designated Epic ride? Was it everything you hoped for and more?

New Study Highlights Mountain Biking Injuries

A study recently published in The American Journal for Sports Medicine revealed some interesting information related to mountain biking.
Researchers found that an estimated 217, 433 patients were treated for mountain bike-related injuries in US emergency departments between 1994 and 2007.
The good news: The annual number of injuries decreased 56% within this timeframe. A high of?23, 177 injuries was reported in 1995, but in?2007 that number was just 10, 267.
The bad news (for me and other females):?Women were more likely to sustain serious mountain biking injuries requiring hospitalization?than men.
Ouch!

You can also visit http://www.downhilldownunder.com/ for great tips, tricks and stuff for the MTB enthusiast!

Here's One Way to Ride Year-Round

Check this out. A story in AOL's UK news section spotlights cycling year-round--with the help of a specially-converted "snow bike."
One ski blade replaces the front wheel and a caterpillar track takes over the rear wheel, providing supreme traction in the snow.
Sick of the same old winter sports? Master the snow bike this season!
"If people want an alternative to a snowboard, it's the kind of thing you can take with you on the ski slope," Yannick Read, a spokesman for the Environmental Transport Association, was quoted as saying. "The message is that you can cycle year-round."
And I thought I didn't want anything for Christmas this year...

Mountain Bikes & Mallets

?Sara Peters

On Sunday, The Los Angeles Times ran an article on bike polo "gaining ground" in the City of Angels.

How appropriate.

The day before the article was published, I happened to gather with a group of friends at a local park to play just that.

Because the niche sport hasn't yet reached the masses, I'm going to assume many of you haven't played and will take the liberty of briefly explaining the basics. (Check out the U.S. Bicycle Polo Association for a more in-depth explanation.)

Scope out a grassy field (or a hard court in urban areas).Gather your bike, helmet, bike polo mallet (what, you don't have one?) and ball.Set up goals, create teams and score as many goals as you can.The team with the most scars goals wins.

The LA Times describes the game as alternating "between grace and mayhem," an accurate description I'd say. Riders--who sport mallets made out of ski poles and plastic piping--zigzag and dodge across the field, while frequently (in our case) crashing into one another.

Last Saturday, intimidating grunts, squealing brakes, clanging mallets and howling laughter could be heard clear across the grassy field. We played to 10 goals. Then 15. Then 20.?Clearly, none?of us?wanted the game to end a goal sooner than it did.

(Quick shout-out to a very talented friend who handmade polo mallets for our game!)

Motivation

I suffer from a lack of it this time of year.

I make big plans to ride my bike during the week, but then 5 o'clock rolls around and it's dark. It's cold. And curling up in front of the woodstove is just as (OK, more) appealing than suiting up and riding my local trails after nightfall.

Even tonight--a night warm enough our woodstove wasn't even lit--I had to force myself to drive away from the cozy house for a group ride in town. (Which, by the way, I thoroughly enjoyed.)

Clearly, I can't be the only one who lacks inspiration this time of year. I want to know what you do to stay motivated to ride during winter. Do you pile your gear by the front door? Leave your bike on your roof rack? Padlock your woodstove so exercise is the only way to stay warm??

Please tell me your secret--I predict lots of cold, dark days ahead and I'm not about to hibernate my bike.

What Are You Doing Next December, Punk?

Prepare to get muddy!
? Beth Puliti

This past weekend I traveled very far for a very good reason: Punk Bike.

Put on by Dirt Rag magazine, Punk Bike Enduro typically takes place the first Sunday in December in Pittsburgh. It's where folks gather to ride their mountain bikes, compete in a few races, drink beer and hang out with like-minded people.

A description from the punks, themselves: "A multi-stage race for fun and points, no fees, no norba, no rules!"

This past Sunday, the snow fell and mud prevented many wheels from working as they should. But we still managed to have a good time. After the ride, we took our frozen, filthy selves to the local rugby club for a pot luck dinner and some prizes.

Sound like a good time to you? Let me verify: It was.

If you enjoy riding in deplorable conditions, like to dress up in costume and happen to live near the Pittsburgh area (or are looking for a fun road trip), I highly recommend you attend this event next year.

IKEA: Happy Holidays, Here's Your Bike!

It's been a good year for IKEA. So good, the Swedish furniture retailer is giving all 12,400 U.S. employees mountain bikes.

It seems the holiday giveaway has divided cyclists, at least in the bicycle blogging world. Some feel the bike's shoddy components and design is a "slap in the face" to workers. (See a photo of the bike here.)

Others think the giveaway "plants the seed" and is a good move coming from such a large employer.

Regardless of whether or not the bike is up to par, I am of the opinion that 12,400 more people own a bike. And that is a good thing.

What do you think? 'Slap in the face' or step in the right direction?