We’ve all dreamed about riding our mountain bikes in places that we know would get us thrown in jail… through the middle of a crowded mall being one of those places.

At this annual race in Prague, though, a lucky group of riders get to legally do just that in front of hoards of screaming fans:

Your Turn: What other urban settings do you think would be great for mountain biking?

photo via tourdafrique.com

If you’ve ever seen the t-shirt website, Threadless, you know how it works: members upload their designs and the community votes on their favorites. The winning design gets produced and sold on the website. Now that concept is making its debut in the bike touring industry.

Tour d’Afrique Ltd. organizes and supports epic bike tours – some as long as 7,500 miles – across entire continents which sorta brings new meaning to the word “epic.” They even organize a race from Cairo to Cape Town which has to be the longest bike race on the planet.

Anyway, the Dream Tour concept is pretty simple: users propose new tour routes and the trip(s) with the most votes get organized. Right now the highest rated routes include “New Delhi to Singapore” and the “Pan-American” from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. Sound impossible? An unaffiliated group of guys recently completed this very route in only about 3 years.

If you’re interested at all in bikepacking or multi-day mountain bike trips, definitely poke around the Tour d’Afrique website to get some inspiration. What’s your dream mountain bike trip?

via Springwise.

If you’re thinking about competing in a 24 hour mountain bike race this year, you might be surprised to find how limited your options are. With two of the biggest promoters of 24 hour races, Granny Gear and 24 Hours of Adrenaline, scaling back in 2010, many long running races just aren’t happening this year. We were curious to find out why this is happening and based on our research, here are some possible factors.

1. The bad economy has dried up demand for 24 hour mountain bike races. According to the folks at Granny Gear, sponsorships were hard to come by this year despite climbing expenses from last year’s races (read this letter from the race director at Granny Gear). This could be because bike companies are shifting their promotional dollars to online marketing efforts and sponsorships and away from big events – but we just don’t know.

At the other end of the equation, racers are feeling the pinch as well and paying $100-200 for a race is tough to swallow in this economy. Some participants in last year’s 24 Hours of Nine Mile blame steep price increases for low attendance so clearly something has to give. I’m no economist but it would seem the cost of hosting 24 hour races is on the rise – otherwise someone would be getting rich…

2. Environmental concerns are shutting 24 hour races out. We actually have very little to back up this claim but this could play into the cost increases mentioned in #1. Allowing hundreds (if not thousands) of riders to ride a 10-12 mile loop for 24 hours straight is pretty much a trail maintenance nightmare. Many races happen rain or shine and organizers are often on the hook for returning the trail back to its original condition afterward. Trash clean-up is the easy part – get out your McCloud!

3. The logistics are just too difficult for volunteers to handle. Here’s a note from the Montezuma’s Revenge race directors, a race that was held for 21 years before bowing out in 2008:

It is with great regret that we are further postponing this event until further notice. Due to some unfortunate staffing issues along with numerous logistical roadblocks we have decided to hold off on the 22nd annual event.

Since there’s no money in hosting 24 hour mountain bike races, volunteers are forced to take the reigns which can be a BIG job, even for folks with experience. The burnout rate for volunteer race directors isn’t surprising since organizing a single race can quickly become a full time gig.

4. Longer format, individual pursuits are becoming more popular. One bit of irony may be that 24 hour racing just isn’t extreme enough anymore. The film 24 Solo showed the world that riders like Chris Eatough and Tinker Juarez could complete a 24 hour bike race by themselves and weekend warriors started looking for the same kind of personal endurance test.

Of course we aren’t all racing 24 hours solo but more and more individuals are tackling 6 and 12 hour races on their own. Dirty centuries like the Leadville 100 are becoming the sport’s “marathon” where individuals can test their limits. Since 24 hour races are often team affairs they may have lost their allure for some riders which is kinda sad.

We’ve also noted a bit of an uptick in MTB stage racing over the past year or two. Stage races allow riders to experience diverse terrain and are often raced on an individual, rather than team, basis. These races may address some of the environmental concerns yet still include many of the social aspects of 24 hour racing (you know, beer at the campground at night).

Going forward

The good news for now is that 24 hour mountain bike racing isn’t dead! We counted at least six 24 hour races in the US on our MTB race calendar and even a 25 hour (daylight savings baby!). Most of this year’s canceled races promise to be back next year and for that we’re crossing our fingers…

One final note: 24 hour racing seems to remain strong in places outside the US including Canada, Europe, and Australia (where the 24 Solo World Championships are being held this year). This could point to a cultural factor causing the decline here in the states (see #4).

Words by Justin Mann, Photos by Allison Mann and Justyna Wlusek

I think that everyone can agree that the purest form of bicycle racing is the Individual Time Trial.  ITTs are elegant: one person, a bike, a specified course, and of course the clock.  There are different ways to approach an ITT and you don’t have to have a silly helmet or wind tunnel tuned parts. In fact, downhill mountain bike racing is a very pure form of ITT requiring tons of skill, fitness, and even luck, to ever approach greatness.  So if you were to sit down with some typical mountain bikers and invent an appropriate Cross Country Individual Time Trial, what would it look like?

The ideal course would be just long enough to really test the person’s ability to pedal as hard as they can and go really fast.  It would be just technical enough to create a chance for errors.  If an error was made then of course there would need to be a time penalty.  Ideally one would be able to eliminate external factors like course conditions and wind.  Add in a bunch of screaming fans, some jumps, berms, drops, maybe a bunch more screaming fans, and a whole lot of cowbell…  Sound pretty awesome?  It is!

The event

On January 16, 2010 a few top cyclists were invited to participate in the 2nd Annual Tri-Flow XC Indoor Invitational in Cleveland, OH.  For those who have not been, Ray’s Indoor Mountain Bike Park is the perfect venue for such an event with literally hundreds of lines and features to ride including jumps, bridges, whoops, skinnies, berms, and even climbs!  With equal payout, $5k in prize money, and killer unique “Leg” trophies this event is quite a show!

The course

The riders are allowed a rolling start and trip a beam to start the clock.  Once the clock starts the riders drop off the GT platform and onto the “Prologue” line with a tricky turn, some 10-inch high speed skinnies, through the “whoops,” 2 fast corners then out onto the “XC Loop”.  The “XC Loop” starts with a quick up, a tricky left, then a drop into a big left-hand berm.  Option lines abound on course as one can choose to ride a “plateau” with speed bumps or drop into a “Rock Garden,” then all lines go over a tabletop jump and up a ramp into the rafters.  Dropping out of the rafters the racers fly through left, then right-hand berms, over another tabletop, and into the “Beginner Room”.

At the entrance to this room a high speed left hander leads to a ramp back up toward the rafters, then a treacherous downward sharp right hander.  A short sprint through a hallway leads to a sharp 90 degree right and a steep up onto a platform.  Dropping off the other side of the platform throws the rider into a right-hand berm and an option to jump the table top to the right or roll it to the left. Carrying speed, the riders fly through a hard right, then a left and sprint to a 180-degree uphill turn through a doorway.  After negotiating this speed robbing turn, the riders sprint off a 3′ drop into a right/left option.  The left-hand line is higher and takes more energy, but sets up the next corner with more speed.  The proper technique and a bit of risk taking can make the right-hand line very fast as well!  Another right-hand berm and then the racers face the horrible leg burning climb into the rafters.

The climb is tortuously steep and riders are forced through a momentum-destroying tight 180 switchback midway.  A narrow catwalk provides the racer with a moment to reflect on their new found max heart rate and the pain in their legs and lungs before dropping from the sky into a series of left-hand berms and high speed rollers and finally back to where they started.

At this point you might think the course was done, but indeed you have to make three complete circuits of the “XC Loop” and in between each one the riders are forced to ride 2 of the 6 “Technical Lines.”  These “Technical Lines” consist of bridges and skinnies and other obstacles that can be tricky when fresh, but when your eyes are blurred from sweat, and your heart is trying to jackhammer its way out of your chest (not to mention lack of mental function due to oxygen debt) it gets really interesting!  To make these lines even more treacherous, 15 precious seconds are robbed from your elapsed time for an “Incomplete Line”.  So a slip of a tire or a dab of the foot, or worse yet a full on yardsale crash, can spell disaster for a race run.  Now this is mountain bike racing!

The male contestants came in all forms including: Scott’s Aaron Snyder on a full suspension Scott Scale with an integrated seatpost (this alone was a feat of courage on this course); local neo-Pro and fast man Kyle Spisak on a Cannondale Scapel; and Trek’s Tyler Morland (Canadian National Downhill MTB Champion) and Giant’s Adam Craig (Olympian, and holder of both National and World titles!) rocking hardtail dirt jump bikes. A last minute addition allowed Rock N’ Road Cyclery’s own and yours truly, Justin Mann, to race with the big boys on a rental 26″ dirt jump bike courtesy of Ray.

Adam Craig

Kyle Spisak

Aaron Snyder

Tyler Morland

Justin Mann

Competing for the women, the only returning contestant was Lindsey Bishop, representing Mafia Racing and rocking a SRAM XX equipped Felt full suspension race rig.  She was up against some stiff competition though.  Also on a full suspension bike was Rock N’ Road Cyclery’s Allison Mann on a full carbon Specialized S-Works Epic and a fierce duo racing on hardtail dirt jumpers consisting of Lizzy English (Giant STP) and 15-year-old local ripper Lyndsey Prososki on a Gary Fisher.

Allison Mann

Lindsey Bishop

Lizzy English

Lindsey Prososki

Out of this mayhem the winners were awarded their $1,000 prize purse in $1 bills and a full mannequin human leg trophy custom painted for the occasion.  Adam Craig showed in dominating fashion how to rip up a course with skill and power and won despite a 15 second penalty (yes even the best make mistakes!).  His time without the mistake would have blown away the course record previously set by nearly 15 seconds!  Allison Mann showed off not only the power to speed to a winning time, but the skills to make a flawless run to the top of the women’s podium.

Race Results

Men
1 Adam Craig (Giant)
2 Kyle Spisak (Canondale)
3 Aaron Snyder (Scott)
4 Tyler Morland (Trek)
5 Justin Mann (Specialized)

Women
1 Allison Mann (Specialized)
2 Lindsey Bishop (Felt)
3 Lizzy English (Giant)
4 Lindsey Prososki (Gary Fisher)

Even though the weather may not be ideal for riding at the moment, we’re busy preparing singletracks for the 2010 season and we’re super stoked! In case you missed it, here’s what’s been happening @ singletracks over the last few weeks:

MTB Gear Reviews

In December we added more than two hundred 2010 mountain bikes to the site so you can find the best ride this year. We also just linked more than 100 new product videos to the gear pages and launched “Sweet Bike,” an online app that allows you to spec custom rigs. Both can be found via the tabs on product pages.

Another change you may not have noticed is that we’ve started compiling the “Best of” list for 2010. The list will be constantly updated based on member reviews through September so rate your gear to help us find this season’s best stuff!

2010 MTB Race and Festival Calendar

The mountain bike race calendar is filling up fast and at last count we showed nearly 100 events listed for 2010. If you’re racing or organizing a local event, pop over to the calendar and tell us about it.

iPhone and Facebook Stuff

This week we announced our new mobile site with a special iPhone feature that helps you find the closest bike trails and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. This year we’ll be beefing up our mobile offerings so you can find and navigate mountain bike trails all over the world.

Our Facebook Fan Page has also been taking off this year and we recently passed the 3,000 fan mark (which pales in comparison to the 110,000 members on singletracks but it’s a start). If you aren’t a fan yet, add us and join the conversation.

SingletracksT-shirts and Jerseys

In December we received yet another batch of singletracks t-shirts, enough to (hopefully) last through the spring. If you don’t have one already, they’re just $10 and all the proceeds go to IMBA. We also created our first official jersey and if you didn’t get a chance to pre-order, there are just a few left for purchase. Just like the tees, all proceeds from the jerseys will go to IMBA in 2010.

We hope you’re as stoked as we are for mountain biking this year. See you on the trail!

You may have noticed we’ve been talking a lot about mountain bike training and racing these days. For motivation to get ready for riding season we’ve provided training tips and some words of inspiration from sponsored rider Matt Adams. Now that you’ve spent all winter riding your indoor trainer, doing push ups and squats, you’re probably ready to commit to one or more mountain bike races this year.

But first, we need your help identifying mountain bike races across the country. We have a decent number of races already on the race calendar but we always need more! If you know of a local MTB race, are putting on a race yourself, or have a favorite fat tire festival you attend every year, add it now!

Add any NEW mountain bike race or event (festival, group ride, etc.) between now midnight, February 9, 2009 and get FREE Singletracks stickers, plus you’ll be automatically entered to win other great schwag. We’ll give prizes to the top 3 users that submit the most approved races/events:

First place prize: 1-year Singletracks PRO membership and set of Kenda MTB tires

Second place prize: 1-year Singletracks Training membership and Blackburn Mammoth 2-Stage pump

Third place prize: Singletracks T-shirt and NiteRider CherryBomb tail light

How to add a race or event: Login or create a free Singletracks account and visit the Mountain Bike Races and Events page. Check the calendar to see if the race already is listed. If not, click the Add an Event link and fill out the details of the race or event. Your entry will be submitted for review and approved within 24 hours. At that time we’ll contact you directly via email to get your mailing address for your stickers.

We at Singletracks wish you a great racing season and hope you’ll come back and tell us about the events. Feel free to post photos or a review of your races/events.

Last, be on the look out for Singletracks goodies at the following races in 2009:

Questions or comments? Contact us here.

Dirty Spokes Productions is hosting a mountain bike endurance race series this year in Georgia with four 6 and/or 12 hour events to choose from. To be eligible for the points series you need to race in 2 out of 3 events PLUS the finale at Unicoi State Park in the north Georgia mountains just outside Helen.

The first 6-hour race will be held at Heritage Park near Athens on March 14. On May 2 there will be 6- and 12-hour races at Fort Yargo State Park (one of my favorites) and on July 11 there will be 6- and 12-hour races at Tribble Mill near Lawrenceville. The series finale at Unicoi State Park will be a double points race Family-Feud style making this the race to watch!

You can register individually or as a team for the Dirty Spokes mountain bike races using Active.com and there’s a ton of info at DirtySpokes.com to get you stoked (plus they host trail runs as well – super hot). Start your training now to be ready for Heritage Park in less than 2 months!