“I bought a bikepark, 2 houses & a garage of dreams, for less than 3 new e-bikes… ridiculous! That’s what Paul Aston is looking at right now in Italy. Calling it his ”
childhood dream come true”, the ex-World Cup DH & EWS racer, ex-bike journalist bought a farm in Itay and is building it into a private test track & test lab to give test riding mountain bikes a more down-to-earth approach.
In a time when we’ve shifted much of what we do remotely, it actually sounds less crazy than it sounds. Off-grid, decentralized with private bike tracks, pump track, dirt jumps, and more. It probably competes with us a bit, but the idea sounds cool. And he’s definitely had some interesting adventure already…
So good luck Paul. AstonMTB.com
Advocacy
- The Badass Women of Ride Concepts: A Culture of InclusivityQ – Throughout the last month, Ride Concepts devoted their social media presence to sharing the challenges and accomplishments of various women athletes in our sport. Now that May is wrapped, they figured the best way to cap off a month of #SheRidesEveryDay features was to give an inside look at the women at RC who keep their company ticking. “It’s a feeling. It’s support. It’s comradery. It’s rallying. It’s getting after it. And it’s the snacks.” Read all about the Badass Women of Ride Concepts at: RideConcepts.com
- Bike Commuting in the US was booming even before COVID-19 – Since 2000, the number of regular bike commuters has grown 1.6x, even when the figures stop at the end of 2019. In the year and a half since, it feels like it has continued to climb, although The Bike Adviser study is waiting for more long-term data to analyze the pandemic shift effects. Somewhat interestingly the states with the biggest share of bike commuters weren’t warm-weather states, but rather those with supportive infrastructure, with OR, MT, CO, WY & WA as the top 5. While nationwide men made up 71% of those who commute by bike, in AL, NM & ME the majority of bike commuters were women. What does all of it mean for you? Read the full report and analysis at: TheBikeAdviser.com
Contest
- Win a custom carbon Rascal frame from Revel & Skida – Revel bikes has partnered with Skida again to offer up another one-of-a-kind, custom-wrapped Rascal 29er trail bike frame. This unique Rascal will go to one lucky winner. It’s free to enter, and the winner will get to pick their size. Enter throughout June, with a winner picked July 6. “Corinne is not only a Revel team rider, she is the owner of Skida and a great friend. We wanted to get creative and team up to make something fun that celebrates both of our brands, and then give it away to one lucky winner,” says Revel founder Adam Miller. Enter at: Skida.com
- Win a Swift Catalyst Pack handlebar bag – Swift Industries teamed up with bike bag comparison site The Cyclelist to offer a single lucky cyclist a free Catalyst Pack. The 6L bar pack will come in Dark Green X-Pac (unfortunately not Summer Campout purple), but you’ll still get the big $170 US-made bag for free, so quit your bellyaching. Entry is simple, follow both @swiftindustries & @thecyclelist.co on Instagram, then like the The Cyclelist’s contest post and tag some friends in the comments. Each tag counts as one entry, and you need to do it all by Mon, June 7 at 11:59pm CST to be valid. BuiltBySwift.com
Where to ride
- Ride 100 Solstice miles with Restrap in a few weeks – Restrap are prepping for their bi-annual Solstice Century challenge, which will be on the weekend of June 19-20. The concept is simple, and always seems like a good idea to us: ride 100 miles (160km) in one ride during the Solstice weekend. As with their Winter Solstice ride, there will be prizes like bags & glasses on offer for the best photo during the ride and a free patch sent to everyone who joins in. Restrap.com
- Or ride the Gravel(wo)Man – Want to ride more, as part of their long-term partnership with Steven LeHyaric, Restrap is also be supporting his Gravelman events series, mostly in France. It’s a series of gravel events that take riders across scenic off-road trails across Europe, and worth looking into if you are in the area. GravelManSeries.com
Industry News
- Watch Unbound Gravel live this weekend – FloSports recently joined in as the exclusive broadcast partner of Garmin UNBOUND Gravel (née Dirty Kanza), which means you’ll actually be able to follow along with the gravel racing action even if you aren’t in Emporia. Live race coverage is all-new this year for the first time ever, live streaming Saturday, June 5, including startline previews, on-course footage, interviews, updates from the commentators, and the racers battling it out at the finish. Full live coverage is subscription only, but some will also be up on Unbound’s social media too. Full details at: UnboundGravel.com/live-streaming
- EWS goes big in 2022 with huge enduro racing calendar – More race events than ever, the Enduro World Series will get 11 races next year, plus five EWS-E eMTB race rounds and the return of the iconic Trophy of Nations team event. This year is still coming off of the pandemic, but EWS promises more racing, more venues & more action than ever before in 2022. EnduroWorldSeries.com
- Get a job at Swift Industries, too! – Not only is their Summer Campout in full swing, and they’re giving away bags, Swift needs you too. Swift Industries is searching for an experienced Customer Service & Sales Support Associate. If you like the idea of helping customers get set up with the perfect US-made packs, you’re a good listener, and want to be part of a fast-paced independent cycling brand, then does Swift have the spot for you. There’s both entry-level and more advanced positions available in Seattle. Hit Swift up this weekend only at: BuiltBySwift.com/Jobs-Internships/
