New Grant Funding to Boost Ely, Nevada Mountain Biking – White Pine County in Ely, Nevada has received nearly $60 million in government grants, some of which have been awarded to the Ward Mountain Trail Expansion Plan to make improvements on Ely’s mountain bike trail system, yay! Ely is already a hot spot for outdoor adventure, and the new expansion of mountain bike trails is set to boost Ely to another level as a killer trail riding destination.
New projects range from 50+ miles of new singletrack, more mixed-use trail expansion & trailhead upgrades to new campgrounds, plus an extension of the Nevada Northern Railway into McGill for historic steam locomotives and a mixed-use trail beside it. There’s even a grant to set up a professional recreation trail building school in Ely.
Located about 240 miles from Las Vegas and Salt Lake City, Ely is apparently one of Nevada’s best-kept MTB secrets and perfect for people who want to create their own adventures off the beaten path. Looks like it’s set to step it up a notch. ElyNevada.net
Where to Ride & Race
- Virtual L’Etape Czech Republic by Tour de France with the Czech pros – Winter months in Central Europe aren’t overly well-suited for long road rides outside, especially in the mountains. But modern tech changes that as more of us ride together virtually from inside our homes, or… Next Friday, Jan 14, the Galerie Harfa shopping center in Prague will host a virtual cycling race on a real segment of L’Etape Czech Republic 2022 via ROUVY’s online platform. Those interested can pre-ride one of the route segments of the L’Etape Czech Republic by Tour de France, back for its 2nd edition visiting Prague and Central Bohemia this coming June. Registration is free at: Rouvy.com
- US Open of Mountain Biking comes back to Vermont – The Fox US OPEN of Mountain Biking has announced the 2022 race festival will be returning to Killington Resort this September 15-18th. The Fox US OPEN originated on the East Coast in 2003 and was last hosted at Killington Resort in 2018 (check out that video recap from six years back.) Top pro racers from around the world are anticipated to compete for the $80,000 prize purse, with this year’s top male and female of the Open Class Downhill taking home $15,000 each. In addition to Pro/Open Class events, the Fox US OPEN offers amateur racing classes in downhill, enduro and dual slalom. More info at: USOpen.bike
- Czech Gravel Blinduro opens up registration for next September – This is one of our fav friendly weekends of gravel riding each year, and it often sells out ahead of time. Gravel Blinduro 2022 will take place next Sep 3-4 in Stare Mesto pod Landstejnem, Czech Republic, with two takes of blind enduro-style racing with several timed sections interspersed with casual cruising through fields & forests near the Austrian border. Info via their Facebook, and registration at: SportSoft.cz
Gear & Deals
- Elevation Wheel Co. offers NFT of your wheel build – It’s not exactly a warranty card or proof of ownership like Colnago is offering, but these trading card-style NFTs from Elevation Wheel Company are being made for any customer who wants one as a fun way to show off your particular build. They’ll even make one for past customers, just ask, and then they’ll send it over to your crypto wallet. They admit it’s just for fun for now, check out the details at: ElevationWheelCompany.com.
- Brooks C17 Whatever the Road Collection – Brooks adds three new Cambium colors inspired by last year’s Whatever the Road project. Weatherproof, colorful, comfortable. To celebrate the adventures cycling presents, Brooks adds three new colors to trick out your adventure bike: the C17 Devon with a Sand top & Octane rivets; the C17 Yorkshire with a Navy top & Electric-blue rivets; and the C17 Arizona with a Mud-green top & Bronze-orange rivets. Get them everywhere Brooks saddles are sold.
