XPEDO WEBSITE For 2010

Now THAT'S a fine looking home page! Are the XPEDO pedals good? Well, I'm 50lbs. over the weight limit on mine, and I have had them now for four years with no issues at all...so yeah, I'd say the rock!

Randy Rush's Fontucky Report

Chris,

Well it was off to Fontucky for race #3 of the winter series this last weekend and with up to three inches of rain in the forecast for Friday and Saturday I really didn’t know what to expect. I HATE MUD but I had to go because I missed round #2 and being as it’s the best 4 out of 5 my throw out race is gone. So Friday night at around 1:30 it starts and just dumps all night and into the morning and I’m thinking oh boy this is going to be fun. Were sitting on the start and it’s just pouring but rain or shine like Donnie says.

They were combining a lot of class’s because of the not so good turn out so I was in the top ten off the start and thinking this isn’t so bad until the first water crossing that was over knee high only a quarter mile into the first lap and then it was fuck it I’m already soaked and muddy so just have fun with it. Now you know Fontucky so sum of the steeper climbs were a little difficult due to very slippery condition but I tell you what the course was still pretty awesome It wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be, plus Donnie cut everyone’s laps down by one because of the conditions. I ended up sixth on the day in x-c. On a side note for you drizzle they are going to start running the elevator shaft climb at the next race for everyone from sport up.

Super-D up next and I guess EC laid this course out and I was not very smart on this one because I was too caught up in getting my Carbide cleaned up with my handy dandy Nomad power washer (man that thing is awesome) that I didn’t pre-ride the S-D course and EC laid out a pretty gnarly course some downhill rock garden and some off camber stuff. It was very fun but the toughest one yet. I didn’t do too bad thought with a third in Super-D.

Sunday was a great day with the sun out and we had lake front camping it was great.(pictures to follow) anyway I didn’t do any practice runs for downhill on Saturday after being wet and cold all day I said screw it and started talking to my friend Mr. Adolf Coors a little earlier than normal. So I did four or so runs in the morning and the course was the bomb I kind of felt like Darter (but not nearly as fast) as I was also practicing different sections over and over to. The dirt was so choice I couldn’t wait for my race run. My run started off good and I was feeling it until I made one small mistake and had to put my foot down to keep from falling but the rest was good. I got sixth in D-H which I was a little bummed about but the one little mistake cost me as I missed the last podium spot by less than a second.

And last thing I want to thank ALL of our tem sponsors for EVERYTHING because without them I wouldn’t be able to go to as many races as I do and wouldn’t be able to races all three disciplines like I do so a big thanks to all of them.

Talk to you in couple weeks.

Randy Rush

Chuck-T's Race Report; More World's Riders!

El Capitan! Another fine weekend at the Southridge races has come and gone in the seemingly infinitely tall mountains of Fontana... oh wait, thats the Rockies. My bad. Anyway, the race this weekend was amazing, or at least the downhill. The XC and Super-D racers got drenched during their race, but fortunately the weather cleared up just in time for us fat and lazy DH riders to hit the trails! The course was tons of fun to ride, and yes, in case anyone is wondering.... I did tighten my rotor bolts BEFORE my race run on Sunday.
My run went well, but a full load of classes and work has taken its toll on my fitness. I finished 30th out of 50 riders in the Pro class, not bad, but could be much better! Aaron Gwin showed up on race day, and finished a close 2nd place to Eric Carter. I heard from some fellow racers that Matti Lehikoinen and Ruaridh Cunningham were out practicing on Saturday in the rain,
but they didn't show up for race day. Now I just have to find some time to get back into the gym and on the bike during the week!

-Taylor

Meet Megan Burkholder

** All photos taken by Chris Casella**


Snow fell early On Tuesday the second of February. After several weeks of scheduling and e-mails, it was on. I drove out and picked up the talented and startlingly resilient Mrs. Megan Burkholder for a frozen and snow-covered single-track ride on Alum Creek's Phase 1 trail for a pending article in (614) Magazine. She was ready to rock despite just having several titanium screws removed from her foot during a previous stunt, and absolutely NO experience on a mountain bike. I guess she doesn't write a column entitled "Adventure Girl" for nothing.


After a brief warm-up period in the parking lot, she and photographer Chris Casella headed out into the woods with me for the March issue's "Adventure Girl" segment. Quickly learning how to shift, brake and look through turns, Mrs. Burkholder was smiling as she tore through the tundra. Smiling would cease after about thirty minutes however, once she began to attempt log skinnies in the terrain park. Bolstered by her new found love of mountain biking, we crossed the street for the real deal.


Ever so patiently, Pain was waiting. It would manifest it's self in the shape of a frozen, wooden bridge. Deftly traversing it's slick and bumpy lengths, Megan ever-so-slightly tapped that front brake with about three feet to go. Disaster struck, and I watched Mrs. Burkholder's left rib cage slam helplessly into the rough-hewn handrail of the bridge. Without a single tear or whimper, she would pick herself up, grab her bike, and ride out the remaining two miles of trail to the parking lot. Tougher than hell? I'd say so. Honorary Backboner? Without a doubt. Mad props to Megan, and thanks to (614) Magazine for the excuse to go ride on a twenty degree day! Megan truly is "Adventure Girl," and ya'll best recollyze....

SNOW DAY

As the great blizzard of 2010 arrived here in Columbus this morning (about 9a.m.), my thoughts turned to the Southrige WinterSeries race that is going down this weekend. It's likely in the '70's, cool wind blowing down from the Cajon Pass pushing all the smog FROM L.A. BACK to L.A. Trails are probably about perfect, and with all the recent rains the grass and sunflowers are certainly exploding from the earth like a fiery Phoenix. Here? It's not super cold..about 32 degrees..but that's actually worse. The snow is half rain half snow, like the consistency of a Slurpee. Set to get about 6 to 8" of the white stuff between now and Saturday, riding will certainly be a chore.

Making me O.K. with it all is the news today that our budget $ is intact, the new canopy w/full artwork is coming for the Cali team, and the jerseys are being cut as we speak. Thanks to all who keep this Bad News Bears team of knuckle-heads going, from the sponsors to the riders...and especially ROGER,who has been the sticky, gooey glue holding it all together for the past three years.

I am looking forward to this year more than you could know, and would like to say THANKS to everyone...even if it is from a home entirely submerged in snow.

Lydia Brownfield On NBC!

NBC 4's Monica Day was cool enough to mention Lydia's Tratt show on the NBC 4 list of super-fun things to do this weekend! THANKS MONICA!

White Out In Big Bear, CA

My mom e-mailed these pix from Big Bear Lake, California tonight. They have been DUMPED on by recent storms..and we have only until May before races start up there again! If Big Bear looks like this, the SAGEBRUSH SAFARI will be CRAZY down in San Diego next month! Bring your Backbone Team Issue Fuzzy Thongs (made from 100% Glendale Armenian back hair!) for that race, because I'm sure it isn't any better in the Big Laguna Mountains.



**Val and Karl are always down for a good snow ride...they are even featured doing so in the 2006 KENDA catalog!

Fontana Pro DH #2; The Athertons and Rotor Bolts.

Yo Chris,
Just got back from a day out at Fontana. It was stop 2 of the annual winter series. The course was a lot of fun, not very challenging, but fun to ride. The recent rain storms made the dirt extremely tacky, conditions could not have been better! The pro downhill class had some pretty stacked competition today- former world champ Gee Atherton showed up to race the downhill, and took the win over Eric Carter by about a second. Also present was his brother Dan, and sister Rachel, who did not race. The course, for as easy as it was, really took its toll this weekend. Several pro riders suffered crashes, mechanicals and flats during their race runs.
My run was far from perfect, and I'm going to blame the 5yr old Hayes brakes I am still running (does that sound like a decent excuse?) I was third in line in the start gate when I noticed I was missing a rotor bolt, and two more were half way backed out! I couldn't find a torx wrench within the 2 minutes I had to spare, so I raced on it as it was. My front brake was almost useless during my run, every corner the bolts backed out further and further. My rotor now has some white Marzocchi paint on it from rubbing my fork legs for most of my run. By the time I finished, I only had 2 bolts left! Needless to say, I took my run very cautiously. I was in no hurry to find out what its like to sheer off a rotor at full speed... with the mechanical issue, I wound up 26th out of about 40 riders. I guess not too bad considering the circumstances, but hey, something to improve on next time out.
And a big congrats to Darter, who won his class today and posted a top 10 pro time!

-Taylor

Lydia Brownfield's "Prentiss' Song"

Lydia Brownfield "Prentiss Song" from Jeff Tobin on Vimeo.

Love this video shot live while playing on stage at Ruby Tuesday's. Lyd's friend Prentiss was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer a while back, and while driving to a show in Atlanta, she wrote this for her...

Ara Kickin' It Backbone Style

Ara was out on a training ride in Colorado with Jim Roff recently, and he was rocking his TOMAC SNYPER. This pic should about sum up why anyone ever ides a mountain bike. I can't wait to see the results from the Fuzziests' 2010 racing season! great pic from the Fuzz...