- Just an easy Afternoon Ride at the Tour with Michael Valgren et al. – Some of our friends over at Strava sent us over a whole slew of pro rider links from this year’s Tour de France. A lot of pro riders are on Strava for some of the same reasons as you or I. But looking at some of their efforts can put racing into perspective for those who might appreciate the numbers. They singled out Danish Tinkoff rider Michael Valgren as he was working hard to protect his team’s Green Jersey holder Sagan. Over the fast-moving day Valgren averaged 243W out put and was joined by many riders like: Adrien Petit, Andreas Schillinger, Cyril Lemoine, Damiano Caruso, Eduardo Sepulveda, Fabrice Jeandesboz, Geoffrey Soupe, Greg Van Avermaet, Gregy Rast, Iljo Keisse, Jasper Stuyven, Jerome Cousin, Kristijan Koren, Laurens ten Dam, Luis Ángel Maté Mardones, Maarten Wynants, Marco Haller, Oliver Naesen, Patrick Konrad, Paul Martens, Paul Voss, Peter Stetina, Petr Vakoc, Robert Wagner, Romain Bardet, Roy Jérémy, Simon Geschke, Steve Morabito, Sébastien Reichenbach, Thibaut Pinot, Timo Roosen, and Winner Anacona. Follow along with them or try to beat some of their KOMs over at Strava.com
Where to Ride
- JAM Fund Grand Fundo tomorrow! – Saturday, July 16, five hundred cyclists are expected to turn out for the one-day bike ride through the scenic Pioneer Valley in Western Massachusetts. The event is a fundraiser for the JAM Fund cycling development program. Four-time and current U.S. National Cyclocross Champion Jeremy Powers will lead the ride, which starts at 9:30 a.m. from Black Birch Vineyard in Southampton. Participants will have the option to ride one of three distances: 39, 65 or 85-miles. The long loop should take about four hours, and after the ride, participants will be treated to a delicious barbecue where all the food is locally harvested and cooked on site. JamCycling.org
Advocacy
- Legislative updates from MassBike & Outside of the Box Festival this weekend – The bike advocacy group for Massachusetts has been working hard over the year on laws in the works to protect vulnerable road users, and specifically to protect bicyclists in bike lanes. They are also working to improve distracted driving laws and to protect riders throughout their region. Fin out more about their work and progress, plus their Outside the Box Festival going on now over at: Massbike.org
Gear & Deals
- Free K-edge mount with Wahoo ELEMNT purchase – It’s as simple as that. Buy a Wahoo Elemnt this weekend and get a free K-Edge mount, a $50 value. Used code: TDFELEMNT at checkout through Monday at WahooFitness.com
- Bonk Breaker goes Non-GMO – The maker of sports nutrition with a focus on freshly baked products and real food ingredients has announced a pledge to make the entire Bonk Breaker line up free of ingredients with any genetically modified elements. The No-GMO policy will cover their energy and protein bars, gluten-free energy chews, and organic real fruit drink mixes. They’ll phase in Non-GMO labeling over the next several months as they go through the verification and certification for each of their products. BonkBreaker.com
- New South Carolina Performance Bike offers Grand Opening deals this weekend – If you’re in Greenville, head over to the new Performance this weekend for a bunch of sweet deals. Get an extra 20% off the lowest marked prices and earn double Buyer’s Club member points on all bikes. Each day they’ll give away free t-shirts to the first 50 customers, and one a day will win a $100 gift card. They’ll even have a prize wheel to spin with shop service coupons, gift cards, and other prizes to win. PerformanceBike.com