Numba 1 Stunna!

Massanutten, Virginia is where the Va. State Championships is held. This year the course was nice and ripe. Great weather was the name of the game on Saturdays racing finals. Our own Matt Slater took first in Expert and Marvelous placed a respectable 14th in the Pro-Class. Slater is the proud owner of a 100 dollar bill which will help offset his surging gas prices for the trip. Damian Breach was on hand from the land down under snapping photos. He took these two shots, one of Matt and the other of Fred from Reading Racing. Check out Damian's website and be sure to look out for him on the side of the trail. Damn paparazzi!
"Damian Breach"

Slices of Cake

Those french boys always take things too far. The "Trail People Jam" took place a few days ago in Gréoux, France. They spent months sculpting some of the most exqusite jumps out of dirt that I myself, have ever seen. Alot of time and effort was put in and it paid off. They had great weather, good atmosphere, perfect jumps and free eats. Lets just say that winner, Sergio Layos is quite handy with a bike on dirt. Keep your eyes peeled on the next surge of UK videos. I'm sure a keen eye will spot those pieces of cake!

Mammoths and Cougars, Ninjas in Carhartts

Seems as if Mammoth will live on through a Cougar.
The Infineon Technologies Cougar Mountain Classic has been named to to host the relocated 2006 MTB National Championships. Originally scheduled for Mammoth Mountain, this event has been relocated due to the heavy snow pack in the Sierras.
"Cougar Classic"

The homeless population is forced to come up with increasingly clever ways to seperate you from the loot.
"Damn Ninjas"

CARHARTT...You know what I'm talking about. The thick canvas pants with the old hammer loop. The ones that could stand on their own because they were so stiff when you first got them. Well those cats have been up to no good across the pond. Carhartt Europe has just ignited their new website. A Flash-Kickass kinda site, BMX, Skate, Street Art and progressive clothing. They look to be the new Red Bull with marketing dollars in everything. Money well spent. The clothes are unique, the site is off the chain and they are sinking money into things we like. Play on playa.
"Carhartt Europa"

Smoothass Mickey Fickey Shop #1

“Peoples” a BMX and Clothing store located in Cologne, Germany. No, I do not expect that many of you will be able to peruse the shop in person. You must agree that it is a shop that has its act together. A blending of art and bike give this shop a flavor unique unto itself. Beautiful displays and a well-lit floor space give this shop one of the most inviting feels. If you are a jetsetter and find your private plane touching down on an airstrip near by, well then by all means check this spot out.
"Peoples"

Surfin the wave of the Internet

Late at night you can find yourself in some of the deepest foxholes of the Internet. Don’t get me wrong there is some great stuff out there, maybe when you are in the early stages of exhaustion you are a little more willing to click away. Suddenly you realize that you are about 40 screens away from your original destination. I found this site in the haze.
"Pictures of Walls"
This next link is to a site that contains excerpts from conversations overheard in the streets of NYC.
It is amazing what you say when your words are taken out of context.
"Overheard in NYC"

Check out Microsofts new software package."WORD"

Keepin you cultured

"Candyland"
Artist from Brasil who is making a huge impact in the illustration world of South America.


"Clayton Bros."
Two brothers that have been collaborating for about 7 years now, their work has been featured in "Juxtapoz" as well as "Beautiful Decay". They once said their art is "a constant work in progress".

Bicycle Film Festival

The 6th Annual Bicycle Film Festival is a true celebration of the bike. They feature films that expose all sorts of crazy and bizarre aspects of the bicycle. This year they will be traveling to 10 cities starting in NYC and ending in Milano, Italy. Filmmakers from all over the globe submit films and animated shorts bringing a wide variety of cultures and of course bikes. The action starts on Wednesday the 10th of May and go until the 14th.
Check out the website at "Bicycle Film Festival" for details on all the films and times.
MatchVideoZine 8 from Aaron Lutze will also be making a showing at the festival.

Information worth reading

Whistler Bike Park will be opening this coming weekend for daily service. Lube the chain, pump the tires and go pedal your bike in one of the best places on the planet to ride a bicycle. With snow still covering most of the upper trails of Garbanzo and massive amounts of trailwork takingplace when the park opens full throttle it will be the place to be this summer. Crankworx is going to be a magnet attracting metal bikes and their riders from all over the globe to particpate and spectate the mayhem. Go buy a ticket.





A friend brought to my attention a story the Baltimore Sun ran on our lost fixture.
"Crazy Mike"
photo: Nik Bowie

tid bits

Dan Critchlow of Burgtec has some new pedals to show, the new flats will be thinner than the first generation pedals.
The new Penthouse Flats will feature all the same materials and processes but will shed some weight and profile. They have busy working on the new hubs that you can see pictured on their website. The hubs seem to be the old 20mm front and 135 rear, with options for the 12 thru and even a “one fitty” spaced rear.

Rock and roller, Matt Slater has picked up a deal with Bern Helmets he will be sporting the new lids for dirt jumpin. Bern comes from the winter sports arena and are trying to take a stab at the summer activities of todays youth. The new “Baker” helmet is similar in design to the lids we have all come accustomed to but with a new brim.

Come out pedalling!

Congrats to our girl Marla and hubby Mark, they are great people.
See you on the East soon.

"Early this morning Pro Luna Chix Mt. Biker Marla Streb gave birth to
a baby girl. Nicoya entered the world after about 30 hours of labor.
Nicoya weighed in at 8 lbs. 11 oz. and is 22.5" in length.

Both Marla and husband Mark Fitzgerald are thrilled with their new
addition.

The baby was right on time, just a day or two after the due date.
Nicoya is healthy and is currently resting with mom."

Van Diesel

We just heard that East Coaster Chris Van Dine broke his wrist during Mountain X practice at the Vigo, Spain World Cup. The doctors say he will make a full recovery in about 6-8 weeks. Old limp wrist should be back in play just in time for the 3rd World Cup Event.

World Cups and Customer Service.

Vigo, Spain, site of the first World Cup race of the season. Mick Hannah pulls his first World Cup win! Syndicate team members Nathan Rennie and Steve Peat fill the 2 and 3 spot. Dashing Brits Marc Beaumont and Gee Atherton take the 4 and 5. A lot of crashes to report on sadly as Vanessa Quinn of the Dirt Team has possibly broken both bones in her lower arm. Eric Carter was off to the hospital; Lopes crashed out and had to go as well, karma maybe? Greg Minnaar crashed out of the race run! Yeah that was the same thing I said, is this the end of days?



I was there. I saw the bike but I did not look at it that closely. The red Intense "Uzzi" was really not an Uzzi; it was a 6.6 with the travel of the Uzzi and the geometry of the M3. Franken-Bike? I'm down! You here that Steber! Make me one, I ain't too picky, I'll rock the red one. Will it be production or just another carrot dangling in front of the stubborn donkey that is the consumer. It looks good, with the exception of ye olde forke of sketch, mounted to the front of it. They make some kick ass bikes but they have dwindled in the customer service aspect. With Nick Sunseri moving on to Chumba Wumba Racing, his replacement is not nearly as capable, a little chip on the shoulder with the “I am better than you, you just don’t know it yet” attitude. He is what we call in this industry a “Dick”, and yes that is capitalized. Not his fault. It is just bikes.

Rescue 911?

One of the YousGuys Team riders happens to be a fireman. One night at work, they recieved a call and set out in hot pursuit. Upon entering a turn a little too fast, or a lot too fast, depending on where you were seated at the time of the incident. Gravity reared his ugly little head and toppled the 80,000 pound firetruck. Breaking glass, twisted metal and the screams of grown men filled the evening air. When the smoke had cleared every man was accounted for and no one was seriously injured. Their trusty steed was carted off to be inspected and they had another story to tell. The moral of this story, don't let your house catch on fire and slow the fuck down.

P.S. The Dalmation was not hurt.

"King Kong and Goya seasoning"

These are Vinnie Arnone's two favorite things and is the inspiration for a lot of his artwork. Vinnie has produced work for Juxtapoz and the Black Eyed Peas. His eye for color and shape have always impressed and with a killer web portfolio he is able to represent the past 10 years of work for us jokers at a keyboard. Enjoy.

Vinnie Arnone

Mammoth is extinct.

This news just came off the wire form USA Cycling.

Colorado Springs, Colo. (May 2, 2006) - Due to massive snowfall on Mammoth Mountain this winter, USA Cycling will be relocating its 2006 Mountain Bike National Championships scheduled for July 20-23.
After a record 664 inches of snow fell this season, Mammoth Mountain has reported a base depth of nearly 20 feet as of May 1 - a figure that ultimately put the resort's ability to host a national championship-caliber event in jeopardy.
"Looking at our snowpack today, I can confidently say we are unable to host a mountain bike event to the quality we are all accustomed to,"commented Bill Cockroft, senior vice president of operations at Mammoth Mountain. "It was a difficult decision, but ultimately we believe we owe it to the mountain bike community to make sure the event continues at the level and standards expected by USA Cycling."
USA Cycling is currently negotiating with several venues to replace Mammoth Mountain and a decision is expected to be announced shortly. We will send out an announcement email when a venue is finalized.
The dates of the 2006 USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships will remain unchanged.

We will bring you a venue change when it becomes available.