Cycling Paradise?

This is a first. I may have never linked the word "Paradise" to a conversation about Wisconsin. And to be truthful, it really is not paradise - because there is no such thing. But, the Trempealeau County area of Wisconsin is a mighty fine place to be a road biker. This Spring, Stephen Regenold, my dynamic adventure journalist partner and I rode in the area for two days. I had heard the hype and was expecting it to be overstated, but what I found was truly special. The area combines a seemingly endless web of backcountry farm roads with the (almost complete) lack of motorist traffic. To some cyclists that might just equate to cycling paradise - especially if that cyclist lives and rides in the Minneapolis area like I do. Potholes, trucks, glass, traffic lights, people in a rush - all these things are absent in paradise, er, I mean Trempealeau.

Go read the full article and maybe try to squeeze in a fall weekend in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin. You'll thank me.

NY Times Story

Be on the lookout!

These two are wanted for rabble-rousing and chocolate stealing. They have many alias's ("Jelly face Jones", and "Action Jackson" to name a few) and disguises (see photos). They may be hanging around wherever ice cream trucks can be found and are generally keeping a low profile by staying mobile. Their primary means of transportation is bicycle. If you see them, keep them busy with knock-knock jokes and call their parents immediately.

Guns, Knives, Fur hats, etc...

I'm going to skip the explanations and just insist that you follow the link and read the article for yourself. It was quite an event. My favorite part was watching 9-10 yr olds throw knives like back-alley brawlers. Don't mess with the Rendezvous kids!

Check it out here: NY Times Rendezvous article

Tough motorcycles: part three

Another exciting installment of tough, garage built motorcycles. This one comes courtesy of Dave Polgreen, aka - "Tha' Nuts". Dave is no stranger to nice machinery. Since I've known him, he's built at least 3 show stopping bikes, owned several nice cars (one, a 60's Cadillac), and hoarded enough antique motorcycle parts to start a small museum. He's one of the most talented builders I've had the pleasure to personally know.

This bike is his Shovelhead Harley that he built at home, in his own garage. The tank and fenders are genuine antiques, well preserved from the heyday of choppers. He found them and decided to build a bike to go with them.

These images were taken for a great little magazine out of Australia called "Greasy Kulture". Last fall we met in Northeast Minneapolis and shot this beauty. Since then he's built another stunning bike that I hope to shoot later this year as well. The bar was raised even further - well done, sir. Stay tuned for that.

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

Big Bog: recap

Here's the actual NY Times article about the Big Bog Recreation Area in Northern Minnesota. Read what Stephen Regenold has to say about it. There are more images as well. Stay tuned for more of these travel stories coming up - I've been busy this spring!