I just got myself a pair of brand spankin’ new cycling tights.  I’m fussy about bike wear, especially shorts and tights.  I’m one of the few women I know who wears bibs.  I absolutely cannot stand to have a tight waistband.  Bugs the hell out of me.  Seriously.

The downside of bib shorts and tights for women is obvious.  And yes, it is a total pain in the ass when Mother Nature calls.  But the design of my new bib tights overcomes this obstacle in a simple, yet elegant, design.  Why hasn’t anyone thought of this before?

Made by Pearl Izumi, the AmFIB Cycling Drop Tail Bib Tights have no bib connection on the back side — allowing you to, um, drop tail.

It blows my mind that there’s no mention of this feature on Pearl Izumi’s official description of the tight.  Maybe it was written by a guy?  Anyway, if you’ve suffered like I have on long rides, pinned in by bib tights and teeth floating, you’ll rejoice when wearing these tights.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that they also offer great warmth and comfort with Thermal Fleece fabric, zippered legs, highly visible reflective elements, and an excellent chamois. Add all of this together and it makes me giddy.

Here’s the official spiel:

The Women’s AmFIB Cycling Drop Tail Suit is an amazing innovation from Pearl Izumi. This new integrated winter piece provides outstanding warmth, comfort and protection from the elements and includes a chamois for all-in-one convenience.

• Elite Softshell provides superior wind and water protection
• 7 inch lower leg zipper with zipper garage
• Women’s ELITE 3D Chamois®
• Reflective elements for low-light visibility
• Drop tail for convenience
• ELITE Thermal Fleece fabric provides superior moisture transfer and warmth

I found mine at Western Bike Works in NW Portland but there are a number of bike shops in the area that carry Pearl Izumi.

After injuring his back in cyclo cross, and laying around flat on his back while recovering, his entrepreneurial spirit took over. As luck would have it, Brian’s mom, Mary Jane, is an accomplished jewelry designer and he went to her with the idea of selling cycling jewelry at BikeCraft in 2009.  Three years later Velo Gioielli, bicycle themed jewelry from recycled parts, has grown into a full-time gig.

Crafting Cycling Jewelry

The original designs for Velo Gioielli are a team effort melding Brian’s ideas and love of cycling with his mother’s artistic talents.  He has also been inspired by friends in the Hash House Harriers (a drinking club with a running problem) who encouraged him to put bling into his jewelry.

One look at his work and it’s obvious a lot of thought, time, and effort has gone into each piece: polished stainless steel, braided leather, etched charms — all meticulously handcrafted into unique works of art.

It drives me crazy when I see some bike charm from China on a string.  That’s not bike jewelry! ~ Brian Echerer

As with most entrepreneurs, it takes perseverance to make inroads into shops and events. Brian’s next aim is to expand into the mainstream world. In the first three years, he’s learned to take the word “no” as an opportunity to possibly change someone’s mind.

I’m a cycling fanatic! I love everything about bikes. I started making spoke bracelets and it blossomed into so much more: jewelry made from spokes, tubes, broken chain, cable, and other bits of discarded bike components. I’m always open to take requests and make something special for you. ~ Brian Echerer

Where To Find Velo Gioielli

In addition to BikeCraft, you’ll find Velo Gioielli at Portland’s Saturday Market and online at pedalgifts.com or Etsy.

Hard Cycling Workouts (And Entertaining, Too!)

Anyone who has suffered from boring indoor workouts will enjoy The Sufferfests.  There are nine full-length 60 minute videos, one bonus workout (in case an hour isn’t enough), plus one video in Spanish and one in German.   If you’ve ever fried your brain from boredom or gotten frustrated with incorrect interval training instruction ( uh…where’s my recovery after asking me to go at 95% for three minutes?), you’ll appreciate any of the Sufferfest videos.  Not sure which one to get?  Here’s a handy dandy workout comparison chart.  Or, if you’re in for a long indoor workout haul, it may be worth it to buy a package deal.

Our cycling training videos are available by immediate download as .mp4 files (These are not DVDs). Choose, buy, download, watch on any computer, laptop or iPhone, iPad, iPod, Android, PSP, etc., then get on your bike and follow the clear, on-screen instructions while you enter the biggest races in the world. ~ The Sufferfest

Coming soon… Extra Shot: The Long Scream

The crew is currently working on a new video set for release in early 2012 – more pain on the way.

A 30 minute TT workout, featuring footage from the UCI Road World Championships in Copenhagen. Flat out against the best time trial riders in the world….can you suffer enough to stay with, and beat, them? ~ The Sufferfest

Here’s a preview of Extra Shot: The Long Scream.

Get the Videos

To get your hands on these workouts, coast on over to www.thesufferfest.com

About The Lumberyard

The Lumberyard has positioned itself to be the premier indoor bike park company in the Pacific Northwest. With the initial location underway in Portland, Oregon, the Lumberyard will deliver year-round riding opportunities to fulfill a latent need for recreational cyclists of all types, ages and abilities. The Lumberyard delivers more than simply a place to ride; its venues also serve as a community cycling hub and a world-class training facility.

2700 NE 82nd
Portland, OR

Bikes for Humanity PDX (B4HPDX) is offering free public bicycle tune-ups Sunday, January 22 and Sunday, February 5, from 10am – 4pm at the Hawthorne Branch of Rivermark Credit Union, 2537 SE Hawthorne Blvd. in Portland.

Get Your Bike Pedaling Smoothly

Trained B4HPDX volunteer mechanics will offer their skills in fixing flat tires, adjusting brakes & gears, and doing other minor adjustments and repairs.

Even though it is winter, many people in Portland depend on bikes as their primary mode of transportation skills and act on the group’s mission of enabling self-sufficiency in bicycle maintenance and commute.  B4HPDX wants to help people make sure they have a safe, reliable bike to ride.

Bikes for Humanity PDX is an all volunteer organization fiscally sponsored by ImpactNW, a 501(c)3 non-profit.  Throughout the year, Bikes for Humanity PDX also offers bike repair classes, workshop space, and community service opportunities.  B4HPDX welcomes donations to offset the cost of supplies and events.

These are Bikes for Humanity PDX’s first Public Bike Tune-Up Clinics for 2012.  In 2011, the group provided free bike tune-ups at seven different venues including the Waterfront Blues Festival and Portland Sunday Parkways in Southeast and Northeast Portland.  B4HPDX also held four Donation & Adoption drives in 2011 where they accepted bike donations and made refurbished bikes available to new riders of all ages and economic levels.  The next scheduled Donation & Adoption Drive will be at the Hawthorne Branch of Rivermark Credit Union on Sunday, February 12.

MORE INFO: For more info on B4HPDX including volunteer opportunities, visit www.b4hpdx.org or contact b4hpdx@gmail.com.

We’re getting stoked for the PDX Bicycle Show which will be held at the Portland Expo Center March 24-25, 2012. With a goal of promoting all things related to bicycling, you’ll find a cornucopia of bicycle candy.

See, Learn & Ride

Presented by Drive Less/Save More, this a perfect opportunity to drool over Portland’s largest display of bicycles, gear, and apparel under one roof.

The event includes a ton of fun activities for everyone including seminars and workshop from bike experts, a demo ride area, and a Little Nutty Rider Zone for the wee ones. Get your ride dialed in this year by visiting the bike fitting demo, sip a tasty brew for HopWorks at the Bike Beer Bar, and cheer on the Gold Sprints Roller Racers.

PDX Bicycle Show Photo Gallery

For an idea of what you’ll find, check out some excellent photos from the 2010 edition taken by Jonathan Maus of BikePortland.org.

Dates

• Saturday, March 24: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
• Sunday, March 25: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Admission

Find out more about advanced registration at PedalNationEvents.com

• Adults – Advanced registration (Online Only until March 21)
• Kids – 12 & under are Free with paid Adult

Entertainment

The PDX Bicycle Show offers a variety of family friendly entertainment for all types & levels of bicyclists. Come and enjoy all of these activities scheduled for the 2011 event!

• Great deals on Gear, Apparel, Accessories, & Equipment
• Little Nutty Rider Zone by Nutcase Helmets
• Pro Trials Rider – Ryan Leech
• Try the Ride Demo Area
• Pro Freeriders
• Hopworks Beer Bike Bar
• Nutcase Pedal Park
• BMX Flatlanders
• Urban Riders Fashion Show
• Gold Sprints Roller Races
• Oregon Handmade Bicycles
• Pimp’d Bike Showcase
• Bike Fitting Demo
• Seminars & Workshops by Local Bike Experts

Getting There By Bike

Portland Expo Center2060 North Marine Drive.
Portland, OR 97217
Directions: Google Maps

We’ve been on a couple of organized bike tours in France but decided we wanted to be more freestyle this time around and made all of our own arrangements. We knew the general areas we wanted to explore and then used Home Away to find vacation rentals.  It worked like a charm.

We flew into Nice and stayed a couple of days in Vence, which is just north of Nice and offers a good base for riding.  We stayed at the Hotel Le Floreal which has a pool and an area where you can safely store your bike. They’re used to cyclists staying there — which is nice.

We then headed to the Gorge du Verdon and stayed a week in St. Laurent du Verdon at the Chateau Saint Laurent.  It was kind of a stab in the dark but it worked out perfectly and we had a very enjoyable week of cycling around the St. Croix  and the Gorge du Verdon — stunning.  The chateau has its own pool (cold!) and the town of St. Laurent, although tiny, has an excellent restaurant where we happily loaded up on pasta, pizza, and frites.

Our next stop took us to the base of Mt. Ventoux, just on the outskirts of Maulecene.  We stayed in an awesome little apartment which is part of a converted farm house.  It has a beautiful view of vineyards and its own private pool – perfect for a post-ride cooldown.

We wrapped things up by returning to Vence for a couple of final days of riding and and crepe eating before headed back to Portland.  If you’re thinking of planning your own cycling vacation in Provence and want a few tips, drop me a line.  I’m happy to pass along helpful things we learned on our adventure.

Here’s a blurb about the ride from the official website:

We offer you the good things in life. Like challenging climbs. Breathtaking views. Lightly trafficked, rural roads. And 16,500 vertical feet of climbing over the course of 139 miles (rides of 100, 60 and 30 miles are also available). Wrap all that in a cloverleaf route that encourages you to test yourself (you’re never more than a downhill away from home), populate the ride with the friendliest volunteers on the planet (one rest stop offered valet bike parking the last three years), and you’ve got something special. Something like the Mount Shasta Summit Century.

Video Highlights

Watching this video really makes me want to sign up for this year’s event!

Summit Century Ride Review

Wondering if you need to train like the dickens to successfully complete this challenging cycling event?  May I suggest you read my ride review from several years ago.

Higher Ride Fees For 2012

Ride fees haven’t gone up for several years (they charged $60 for the Super Century), but skyrocketing food prices have forced organizers to hike their fees this year:

Our food costs doubled from 2010 to 2011, and though the ride grew 30 riders in 2011 (exactly the growth rate we wanted), we ended up with $5000 less to grant to local youth sports. Ouch. We hope you understand.

Given the amount of organization that goes into putting on a ride like this, the higher fees seem reasonable.  It’s a great event with excellent support and one of the most challenging bicycle rides in the West.

Official Website: shastasummitcentury.com

Southern Oregon is one of my favorite places for cycling. It’s been more than a decade (yikes) since I’ve ridden in the Crater Lake area and I’ve got my eye on the Crater Lake Century Ride this year.

The exact date for the 2012 edition hasn’t been locked in yet but August 18th is being thrown out as a possibility, pending approval from the National Parks Service. Confirmation is expected in late February or early March.

Century Option

The 100 mile ride will start at the Fort Klamath Museum on Crater Lake Highway (Rte 62) at 4,000 ft elevation, and will enjoy the first 35 miles along the valley floor of the Wood River Valley with breathtaking views of the surrounding Cascade mountains with old growth forests.

This will be a nice warm up for the 3,000 ft climb to the Crater Lake Rim. Once reaching the rim and getting your first view of the brilliantly blue, awe inspiring Crater Lake, Century Riders will continue another 30 miles of peaks and valleys for an additional 3,000 ft of climbing around the lake on Rim Drive.

Then participants will enjoy the ride back down to the Wood River Valley and will end the ride with 8 miles of flat roads back to the Fort Klamath Museum.

Metric Century Option

The 62 mile route will start at the Fort Klamath Museum on Crater Lake Highway (Rte 62) at 4,000 ft elevation, and within 8 miles of the start will begin the 3,000 ft climb to the rim. Metric Century riders will turn around on the at the Phantom Ship Overlook. After a well deserved break, riders will return back down to the Wood River Valley and the Fort Klamath Museum.

Highlights from last year’s edition

Ride Reviews

The scenery, the road marks, the sag stops, they where so great, they were only topped by the homemade ice cream!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH see you next year. John H.

Here are some more  reviews from past participants.

Gracie’s Wrench Groupon Offer

$100 for a Four-Hour Bike-Repair Workshop at Gracie’s Wrench ($200 Value)

All classes, tutoring and clinics are based on the philosophy that the best way to learn is to physically do it yourself, with your own hands on your own bike. Students work on their own bicycles, which gives more active time for them to absorb the information and really feel how things work. The lessons go beyond the basics into the tricks and tips that mechanics use every day.

Tools, space and work stands are provided for the courses. Class and tutoring location is in a small, private studio space in NE Portland at the Gracie’s Wrench Workshop unless otherwise noted. Students bring their bicycles, parts, rags and eagerness to learn.

Learn where to put your hands, how to push, pull or manhandle your bike (as you’ll find it sometimes needs a little extra coaxing) to get the job done. At Gracie’s Wrench, mistakes are welcome as they provide an opportunity to see what can go wrong and how to fix it, as well as extra experience in a supportive environment.

Much like robots, children, and robotic children, bikes need to be regularly recalibrated to keep them from developing human emotions. Keep your bike performing at its functional, unfeeling best with today’s Groupon: for $100, you get a four-hour bike-repair workshop. From bicycle repair classes to corporate workshops and clinics, Gracie’s Wrench offers you the opportunity to expand your knowledge, confidence and independence with your bicycle.