I'm a sponsor!

I've mentioned this before, but I think that it needs reiterated. I'm proud to be sponsoring the Grumpy's/LGR (Little Guy Racing) Cycling team this year. I am just one of several sponsors that helps this team stay rolling. I am also happy to be a rider on the team. We have a good bunch of guys and girls that really just want to have fun on a bicycle. A few of us are having the most fun when we are in front!

We've gotten a lot of podium wins this year and several of our riders are clawing through to higher categories this season. And as if that were not enough, we are (perhaps) the only Minneapolis based amateur team that has a newsletter! We like to think of ourselves as a "professional looking" team.

Above is a shot of our racing kit that I took. The kit was designed by the talented Spencer Haugh. Haven't heard of him?! You will.

If you find yourself craving some bike racing, come to the Velodrome in Blaine, MN on Thursday evenings to watch the Thursday Night Lights races. We have one of about 23 tracks in the nation. If you haven't seen track racing, you owe it to yourself to come watch. I personally invite you. If you come, cheer for the guys/girls in the Grumpy's kits. It makes us go a little faster!

Devil's Tower - revisited

The story I shot on Devil's Tower is running in today's NY Times Travel section. There is an audio slideshow (images linked to sound bytes) for the article that you should go listen to. Our guide, Frank Sanders, is passionate about what he does. His personality comes out in the audio. Images are great and all, but I really love when we get to do interviews to go with them. Go have a listen/look

The Story

Slap your hands, say yeah.

You are looking at a sneak peak of the latest bicycle brand on the market. I cannot say much about it (prototype), but it is cool and will become cooler throughout this next year. Look for more info here in the near future.

In the meantime look for this bike screaming around Minneapolis with a friendly guy on board. High Fives!

Little Dirt Jumpers

I'm proud of my boys for a lot of reasons. They are good hearted kids, and they have a lot of friends- of all ages. But today I am proud of them for being awesome bike riders. Jack learned to ride at 4yrs and Boone at 3 1/2yrs. They are now 7 and 4 respectively. They seriously ride really, really well for their ages. We have a lot of fun on two wheels at this house.

We ride started riding last year at a local mountain bike trail near us (Theodore Wirth). They do really well and are not scared of the obstacles. They squeal and cackle their way through the woods, having a great time for the entire 3 mile (approx) trail.

Yesterday we went to our favorite dirt jump. It is a modest little hump of earth that they call their "jump". Some other kids made it a long time ago, but we reformed it to be a little better. Here are some images of them jumping it.





If you are a competitive cyclist and would like your kids to enjoy cycling, I suggest looking into races that host the Shimano Kid's Series. The "races" are actually just rides. There are no winners or losers, exactly. They all get a medal and generally a t-shirt and sticker too. My boys really go for the swag! If I allow them to share a goo packet they're absolutely loving it! So whether they're ready to hit the jumps or not, take them out for a ride. There's no better time than right now to get in some two-wheeled fun with the wee ones.



Above images courtesy of: Margaret Mongomery