Video • Creative • Brand Development
I worked with Ryders Eyewear in Vancouver to start a tongue in cheek video series called Ryders Test Lab, which features some of their sponsored athletes putting the product through the paces, or uh, being put through the paces. In the first of the series, Canadian cross-country mountain bike legend and olympian Andreas Hestler, hits the trail to put a pair of Ryders Seekers to the test.
Check out the Ryders Eyewear YouTube channel for more…
For those not so much in the cycling know, the Merckx name is legendary. Axel Merckx, a famed international cyclist in his own right, is son of the greatest cyclist of all time Eddy Merckx. Axel resides in the Okanagan and has put together a Granfondo event (loosely defined as a big bike ride) in my adopted hometown of Penticton, BC which will feature the legendary father-son pair together. To further add to the awesomeness of the whole thing the promo video is narrated by Phil Liggett who has been the voice of professional cycling for over 40 years. Oh, and the road riding in Penticton is nothing short of spectacular. Check out more at Axel Merckx Granfondo Okanagan.
*Update: Many people seem to be looking for pictures from the Granfondo. You can find some good ones at CJ Gordon’s Blog My Penticton .
So I ended up at this bike rave…
I don’t really advocate anything. That’s not meant as a political statement, I’m just not an advocate; however, after listening to people bitch about Vancouver’s new-ish bike lanes in pretty much every social situation over the past while, I thought it was time I became a bicycle advocate. To take immediate action I started this post, created a title, and saved it into my drafts where I leave everything I’m unsure what to do with. Several weeks later came my inciting incident, so to speak.
I was riding my bike along 12th Street in Vancouver just past Main Street when a Vancouver Police officer pulled up alongside me on his motorbike.
“VPD. You ran a red light,” the officer barked.
I nodded, still somewhat confused, and tried to figure out what he was talking about.
“You’re just like a car. You need to obey the law — just like a car.”
“Okay,” I said.
It’s strange to just say okay in answer to a question, but that’s all I could say without being flippant.
“Just like a car. $167 fine,” he barks.
“Okay,” I say again as I try to maintain eye contact with him while trying to maintaining forward momentum without skewering myself on some road borne obstacle.
“Just like a car,” he repeats again.
This is where I started to get annoyed. In some cheeky way I was tempted to pull into the middle of the lane, rather than off to the side, and ride at 20km an hour, which would have brought traffic along this busy road to a tortoise-like crawl. Instead I continued about my business stopping at red lights, just like a car, as the traffic cop followed along behind me. Eventually I got to a red, made a right turn, and left my cop stalker behind hopefully to wonder about my future willingness to comply with his Napoleonic request. Continue reading “Why Vancouver’s Bike Lanes are a Good Thing” »
Johnny T. was one of my heroes growing up mountain bike racing, and for whatever reason tonight I got to wondering “whatever happened to John Tomac?”
Apparently he is now farming in Colorado, still riding bikes recreationally, and aiding in the design of the Tomac brand of bikes and Kenda tires. Basically the guy is a legend having won every kind of mountain bike race from NORBA cross-country and downhill titles to world cup and world championship races in both disciplines.
It’s good to know he’s still around and involved in the mountain bike industry. Check out this video of John Tomac in Wales in 2010 from Mpora.com
Images via BikeMagic.com
In Stage 6 of the this year’s 2010 Tour de France a fight erupted for the second time this tour. This time it was an outbreak between Carlos Barredo of team Quick Step and Rui Costa of team Caisse d’Epargne. It’s not clear what the fight was about, but it definitely added to the action, which begs the question — is fighting in The Tour a good thing?
As much as cycling is a gentleman’s sport it’s also a bit lame to watch on TV. A little fighting could boost the ratings and make things a little more exciting for the average viewer.
While it may not be a good thing for the sport in terms of sportsmanlike conduct, it could boost ratings and bring a little more awareness to cycling.
In addition to that I have to say that so far I’m disappointed with TSN’s coverage of the Tour de France. Last night there were no highlights, and tonight there were only highlights because a fight broke out. I get the sense the network is just taking the piss out of my sport.
So, if a few punches is what it takes to get some cycling coverage on TV, I’m in!
