Archive for March, 2010

Escape Velocity Spring Series #4 & #5 – Langley, BC – March 20, 21

Race winner Rich Macchein

With riders racing MTB on the island, one racer as far away as China and another sick, only a small contingent showed for the third week of Spring Series racing. However, the two lone racers in the B group, Rich and Zach proved that size doesn’t matter by taking 4 top ten finishes including a victory on day one and a 3rd on Sunday. The weather was beautiful on Saturday, and so was the uphill finish in Aldergrove, at least for Local Ride Racing. After Zach help Rich maintain position down the last stretch on Zero ave, Rich was able to use his high cadence uphill sprint to earn the win. Amazingly he pulled this off after having to slow down to avoid a line violation. The tireless worker Zach held on to finish 6th. The weather and the results were not as stellar on Sunday as Rich had to settle for 3rd with Zach in the top ten.

Escape Velocity Spring Series #2 & #3 – Langley, BC – March 13, 14

The weather stayed dry both Saturday and Sunday, which was great for racers, support crew, and spectators alike. Steve, Mike, and Rich gained some experience in the ‘A’ Group on Saturday amongst a very strong field of riders, including pros Andrew Pinfold and Cody Campbell, while Rachel and Andrew duked it out in the ‘B’ Category and Ryan J. finished top 10 in the ‘C’ Group sprint.

The daunting Armstrong Hill course scared away many a rider on Sunday, resulting in smaller, but tougher fields. Local Ride Racing’s top result came from Rich, who placed 5th in the ‘B’ Category after 11 laps, but Mike threw down the most courageous ride, finishing strong in the ‘A’ pack’s chase group. Ryan N. worked hard in the ‘B’ race to finish in the pack, along with Jean Ann and Sandra, while Ryan J. and Jeanine conquered Armstrong in the ‘C’ group.

Escape Velocity Spring Series #1 – River Road, Langley, BC – March 9

Local Ride Racing kicked off the 2010 racing season on Sunday with the first Escape Velocity Spring Series event of the season. In traditional Spring Series fashion, the clouds rolled in just after the start and rain chilled the competitors and made the roads of Langley slick, resulting in sketchy maneuvers and crashes. The sky was red that morning and Mike took the old sailors’ adage to heart: “riders take warning.” Mike was pleased with his first foray into the “A” category, after podiuming at two races in the “B” category last year. He was active in the group and involved in attacks before running out of steam.

Steve was also content with his first “A” race. “At about 8 laps to go out of a 17-lap race, I started to get pretty cold and found myself at the back of the pack. Then with about 6 laps to go, I said: ‘Okay, I’m cold, I’m done talking to this guy at the back.’ So I moved up.” He jumped into the rotation at the front, taking pulls at 48kph, trying to get warm. Suddenly, with 4 laps to go, Steve was disappointed when his tire went flat.

Jean Ann logged a personal best, placing 4th in the “B” category in her first race of the season. She had to dodge crashes and use race savvy in order to make it safely through the race and the final sprint. Zach and Rachel got caught in a crash and were, unfortunately, unable to finish.

Ryan J. put down the power in the “C” category, in his first road race ever, making it into the final sprint with a good chance of making the podium, but he was boxed in and unable to move up. With a little more racing experience, Ryan J. will be making trips to the podium for sure. Pete and Maggie raced in the Youth competition and did very well with Pete placing 2nd. “Maggie raced great,” said Team Manager, Barry. “She suffered through the 4 laps in the freezing wet weather. She rocked!” Congrats to everyone and thanks to our race support crew Marie, Dave, Paul, and Barry.

Now that Daylight Savings has kicked in, it’s easier than ever to do your thing for the planet by riding your bike to run errands or go to work. At Local Ride Bike Shop, we have lots of different ways to help you reduce your carbon footprint, while you get fitter, healthier, and happier. Here are some interesting stats about cycling and the environment:

• On a bicycle you take up little space, burn no gasoline and produce no waste, and A bike can travel 1,600 km on the equivalent energy of a gallon of gas.
• Between 70 and 100 bicycles can be built with the resources required to build one car.
• In a North American urban environment, people living up to 12 km from their workplace can commute by bike in Giant Simple Single W less than one hour (some, a lot less!) Also, a roadway can carry about three times as many cyclists as people in cars.

Something Sweet for the Ladies

Giant Avail Advanced 1

Something shiny and carbon and hot for all you women cyclists came through the doors the other day – 2010 Giant Avail Advanced 1 carbon and the 2010 Giant Avail Alliance 0 carbon/alloy composite road bikes.

Giant Avail Alliance 0

From the world leader in composite bicycling manufacturing comes this highly engineered, women’s specific, comfortable road bike. Constructed from Advanced-grade composite, it’s light, it’s stiff and it’s still compliant enough for weekend races or all-day epics. These beautiful rides have to be seen up-close to be fully appreciated and maybe even taken for a test ride….

Specials!

Stock up for Next Winter – Snowshoe Sale!

Just because it didn’t snow this season, doesn’t mean it won’t ever snow again! We’re offering 40% off all of our 2009/10 season Louis Garneau snowshoe rental fleet. And since there wasn’t any snow this winter, they’re all brand new!

For Every Weather – GORE Bike Wear

Get the best in quality cycling clothing and accessories for a great deal. We’re taking 20% off the regular price of all in-stock 2009 winter GORE Bike Wear.

Cool Aluminum Bottles

We’re also offering 25% off Laken aluminum bottles. These unique bottles are perfect for holding your favourite beverage without the risk of taking on an offensive plastic taste. They’re BPA-free and lined with a safe, non-reactive coating.

Specialized Blow-Out

• We’re blowing out a tonne of Specialized products with savings of up to 60%!
• All in-stock Specialized clothing is 50-60% off.
• In-stock Specialized computers, saddles, shoes, gloves, tools, bags, helmets, and grips are 30% off.