News, Views And Insights

By Jon Hornbeck

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

It’s rare to have close to 1,000 cyclists come together on a Friday for a ride. This is the Mike Nosco Memorial ride though and everyone seems to somehow get the day off of work to come join the ride for a good cause. Brian Hodes of Velo Images captures the beauty of the moment as the cyclists ride down PCH.

FIZIK: YOUR OWN CUSTOM SADDLE 

I can personally attest to this as I currently have a custom color Fizik saddle which I designed myself. Nowadays more people are doing custom paint job’s on their bikes (Trek’s Project One for example) but that can be a bit pricey. With this custom saddle program though at a good price point you can have a one-off saddle that is special to you.

More on the custom saddle program from Fizik: With fi’zi:k CUSTOM:MADE you can personalize your bike with a unique new saddle. Choose your favorite one and customize it with your own colorways. Select fresh color panel and logo designs to match your bike, your kit, your club or your heroes and we’ll apply them to your new fi’zi:k road or MTB saddle.

TREK UNVEILS DOMANE GRAVEL

With the growing popularity of gravel riding Trek has shown their support to the category by unveiling an entire line of Domane Gravel bikes. These new gravel models build off key features found on all models of Domane—including road-smoothing IsoSpeed, stable endurance geometry, and wide tire clearance—and they feature gravel-specific, tubeless-compatible 700x35c Schwalbe G-One Allround tires for excellent traction and control. Each model features an all-new unique paint scheme, disc brakes, and Bontrager tubeless ready wheels for a smooth and confidence-inspiring ride. Read the full press release on what Trek is offering with their new line up here.

OATH BACKS OUT OF SPONSORSHIP WITH SLIPSTREAM SPORTS

Just when everything was looking good for the Slipstream Organization with their new sponsor EF Education, one of their other new sponsors; Oath Media Company, has now backed out of their sponsorship with the team. The announcement was made during this past year’s Tour de France where Oath which is a subsidiary of Verizon Communications was planning on giving the public an inside look into professional cycling through the team. Personally, when I first heard of the sponsorship I thought it was a great idea as professional cycling needs more avenues such as this for creating content for the fans.

There has been no comment made yet on either side onto why the deal has fallen through but the new jersey which was just recently releases shows no Oath branding on it. / PC: Slipstream Sports

THE ROAD BIKE ACTION SHOW TALKS WITH MICHAEL MARCKX OF THE BELGIAN WAFFLE RIDE

In our recent installment of The Road Bike Action Show Podcast I sat down with Michael Marckx who is the man behind the growing Belgian Waffle Ride. The BWR has it’s own flair to it with how it’s marketed and branded which has shown by the growth it has had each year. It’s no surprise then while sitting down with Marckx he speaks of his extensive background in marketing and branding which he has brought over to his cycling event. It was a very good conversation indeed and interesting to hear more of a backstory to this growing event. / PC: Jake Orness

BIKE BOX OR BIKE BAG?

Here’s an interesting comparison which every cyclist that has traveled has surely gone through. Do you choose a cardboard box, bike bag or bike box for your travels? I have heard of horror stories regarding all different types of bags or boxes but here Scion Bags put the research into what is the best way to travel.

You could be an elite athlete or a weekend warrior, maybe you prefer riding on the roads, maybe on the mountain bike trails. You may travel internationally for racing commitments, or casually for the occasional training camp or holiday abroad. What is certain though is that when you do travel with your bike, you want to make sure it comes out the other side exactly how you packed it. So, we’ve done the hard work for you and compared your options when traveling with your bike. Continue here…

RIDE FOR ROUTE 91

Last weekend 230 cyclists came together in Murrieta, CA to help raise funds for victims of the tragic Las Vegas incident. Sarah Sleeter who was present at the concert with her friends during the attack came home safely but wanted to do something to help the situation. Sarah and her friends with husband Mike Sleeter came up with the idea to put on a grassroots style charity ride to help raise funds. At the end of the day they were able to raise an incredible $36,000. Check back tomorrow as we have an interview with Sarah and recap of the event.

RYNO POWER PRODUCT: SINGLE SERVING PRE-RACE

If you’re heading out to a race or quick ride and just need to grab something quick and easy to get you going. Take a look at the Ryno Power Pre-Race formula. Especially if you’re looking to do a short intense ride such as a crit or something of that nature this product can help you get up and going.