Complete schedule is here. First airing is tonight at 7PM MST!

I am HONORED! I made it into Mark Woolcott's on-going series of athlete profiles in the Denver metro area! As you all know I am pretty geeked up on photography and to have Mark, whose work I ogle over and can only aspire to shoot like some day, take the time to interview me...well I am totally honored.

And clearly, Mark 'gets' me:

When I first met Greg Keller, it was much of a “one-sided” meeting.  Two years ago, I was shooting from the weeds (as I normally do) and from across the course I hear the most beautiful, most beatific line of connected profanity I have ever heard.  I fancy myself somewhat of a connoisseur of the profane. This was music to my ears.

Click here to continue reading Mark's interview...

Thank you Mark! Again, I am honored you'd focus on my old ass for an interview!

Hup hup!

For a year or more now I have been enamored with the PDX crowd and their ability to capture cyclocross in a way that is not just focused on the racer. It’s everything AROUND the race…namely the people and the sites we see every weekend that burn indelible images into our brain. These are the images I hope to remember above any single race when I am old and gray.

Alas, Colorado too has a ‘Visual Historian’, Joshua Duplechian. An artist of there ever was one who uses his glass to capture what we all see, taste, smell and hear every weekend.

Click here to see his 2009 Colorado States photographic essay, but I highly encourage you to go and scope out his many visual projects. Absolute genius.

Promoting cycling recreation and fitness for youth

FALL BIKE FEST

RIDE + FOOD + PRIZES + FUN

Wed, Nov 11^th

11 am – 2 pm

Manhattan Middle School 290 Manhattan Dr., Boulder, CO

  --Middle School Cycling Program Concludes With Festival --

The Middle Cross FALL BIKE FEST is scheduled Wednesday November 11 at Manhattan Middle School in Boulder.  The mid-day festival takes advantage of the Veteran’s Day Holiday when Boulder Valley schools are not in session and is the final event of the fall Middle Cross program.

Activities scheduled for the 3 hour event include rides, clinics, food, prizes and a Middle Cross race that caps a season of training and prep races. All activities are free and open to the public.

Several high level competitive cyclists are slated to conduct clinics and activities for the students including Rebecca Much of the Subaru-HUDZ Cyclocross Team, Mike Friedberg of Mafia Racing and members of the Clif Bar Development team.  

Middle Cross (MCX) is a program for middle school aged youth and is currently open to all BVSD middle school students, boys and girls of all riding levels who want to ride a bike with friends in a fun and supportive setting.  Students join a Bike Club at their BVSD school to practice cycling skills as well as participate in various cycling clinics and race events.  There is no charge to participate and most events offer bikes and helmets for students to use if they don't have one. The program’s goal is to promote cycling for recreation and fitness. 

Middle Cross organizers have been offering clinics and scrimmages throughout September and October leading to this final event.  The FALL BIKE FEST is open to all BVSD middle school students interested in all levels of recreational cycling, from beginner to advanced. Middle Cross riders must attend with their bike club or have a signed waiver to ride the course.

Information for participants, participant waivers and anyone interested in volunteering can contact:   mikeeubank@me.com  or  landon.hilliard@bvsd.org

I'll have a race report coming up shortly but this is from Boulder's local paper, the Daily Camera. Have a look see. Some of my favorite people interviewed including Brooke Watts of Cross Partners (e.g. Cross Vegas) and Bobby Noyes...who has pushed this Park selflessly over the last decade and then some.

‘Mr. Strobes’ Mark Woolcott braved the early AM cold and snow to shoot the Interlocken race, including a focus on the Juniors in the wee hours of the AM to give them some due air cover for all their hard efforts!

Moms and dads: Buy some of these keepsakes of your grom railing the snowy off cambers!

Click here to see Mark’s gallery of Colorado Cross Races this season (including Interlocken) or go to his home page here to see some of his other work, including ‘interviews’ with local racers.

Boulder. It’s not just a rock. Nor is it just the town where Mork and Mindy hung out and bought suspenders and relished in their rad 80’s styles.  It’s a town of hyper-motivated folks who always have a gaggle of irons in the fire. Never resting; always moving. Probably the highest concentration of Type-A’s anywhere on earth. Amazing place, this Boulder.

Speaking of style, Boulder and its outlying area is and has been known to some of the leading sports-clothing companies on earth: Pearl Izumi and Decente? Yup, both here among a slew of others. There’s a TON of design, fabric and materials intelligencia here due to this outdoor sports and lifestyle concentration. So when an upstart like Panache Cyclewear opens its doors amongst this level of competition, they’ve got to be serious.

I am SO finicky when it comes to my cycling clothing…I’m always fidgeting: un-sticking chamois from my crack, pulling bib straps back into position as they slide off my shoulder and my least favorite: trying to organize my ‘junk’ to ensure comfort. I’ve been on a quest to find the right solution…and after trying Panache’s ‘Eleven’ jersey and bib, I may have found clothing Mecca.

Intrigued, I had to reach out to Panache’s owner and proprietor, Don Powell, and get the G-2 on Panache…and yup, a perfect segue for yet another chapter of ‘5 Questions With’!

1) GK: Whatup, Don! OK, let’s get down to some history first. Tell me about the genesis of Panache. What inspired you to build out the company?

DP: To make cool shit!  To up the style quotient in cycling apparel – and to create cool technical clothing that  I…and likely any other racer…could wear while training other than our team kits.  Cycling is the only sport in the world that trains and races in the same exact kit. Look at any soccer field and they’re decked out in training kits. We need other options like that – and we weren’t happy with the cartoon / bumper sticker options available in the stores.  At the same time, I felt that the level of quality was slipping in the cycling clothing and we wanted to create fast, comfortable clothing without compromise.  Thus was born Panache.

2) Got it. I am a TOTALLY finicky freak about the fit of my clothes as after 4, 5 or 6 hours, the littlest things drive me insane and totally distract me from having a good time on the ride. Tell me a little about advantages you have in your products as well as for teams looking for good quality kits.

DP: Time to delivery, quality and price are all variables as is fit and materials in this game.  For teams we make customizable clothing (e.g. we can put individual rider names/nicknames on their kits) on a chassis that is made for performance cyclists.  We use the latest in digital printing technology which allows us to hit any pantone (color) in vibrant color.  It also allows us to cross seams with design (so that the design matches up).  Our fabrics are top notch and most noticeably the jersey fabric is extremely pliable and wicking.  Our all-way stretch Pro-Stock chamois is what separates Panache from everyone else.  We don’t compromise and give racers a cheap ride, we give them the best.  Best means comfort AND it means performance.  The high density foam provides a bridge for blood flow and allows the rider to concentrate on going fast AND on going fast because blood doesn’t get hung up down there.

 
3) Bless you. My ‘nads are smiling already in anticipation of the next long ride in my Panache kit! So, let’s get down to the ‘real’ sport: What are you working on that can help outfitting cyclo-crossers for our needs? 

DP: Again the chamois is part of the equation.  Riding hard, bouncing, jumping on and off the bike… Panache smooths out the ride.  Another way we help out CX riders is in our vests and jackets.  We use a membrane technology that blocks the wind completely keeping the rider warm and dry.  We will be working closely with some of the local (Boulder) racers to improve and address some of the challenges specific to cyclo cross – and I plan on riding cross this Fall after my first immersion last season. I like the mud; I like “taking” corners; and you can’t beat the vibe at the races.  Although I haven’t raced much cross, I was actually teammates with two CX World Champions back in 1994: Radomir Simunek and Paul Herijgers, two hard working riders that taught me a bunch about training hard and paying attention to detail.

4) Classic! Herijgers is a legend! Speaking of legends, we have a boat load of them here in town as Boulder and Colorado in general seems to be the epi-center for cycling training, media and general ecosystem. Why Boulder for you and Panache? 

DP: I’m in Boulder because I love the riding, love the people, and love the weather.  Boulder is a great place for cyclists and has a heritage in cycling: the Coors Classic, the home of Davis Phinney, Andy Hampsten, and one of the epi-centers for cross.  Boulder is also a place that is evolving and growing.  There is a strong design scene here – folks like Joy Engine and Cypher13.  At the same time, the tech industry (techstars / me.dium / lijit) is growing, bringing in a more urbanite crowd.  For Panache, this is important because we are a cycling clothing company rooted in style and design that makes cool stuff - not just fast, technical clothing.  We like the convergence of sport and lifestyle.

5) My thoughts exactly about Boulder. That and my family THRIVES here. OK, the single most important question. Ready Don? Wellens or Nijs?

DP: The duels they have are insane, but if I had to pick, I’d go with Nijs – fluid style with a LOT of power.

Extra Points Tell us a little interesting tid-bit about your cycling past and if you can, weave in something about BEER:

DP: Good one! OK, heregoes: I rode professionally for Saxon in Belgium and we were sponsored by Brigand, a beer with a slight cidery taste; a big golden ale beer; a beer perfect for cold weather, mud, SCREAMING fans, and Cross.  How’s that for extra credit?

Yet another reason why I live in Boulder. I got together with a phenomenal group of volunteers at Boulder Cycle Sport Monday night to assemble a fleet of Redline cyclocross bikes for the Boulder Valley School District. I was able to communicate with Mike Eubank, one of the principal organizers of this fantastic efforts. I asked him to describe the program in the hope that others may be able to spur similar events in your ‘hoods.

Mike Eubank:

These bikes were purchased using mostly BVSD Safe Routes to School Funds and a few other donations.  This new bike fleet will be used for two critical junior cycling programs…

The first is the “BLAST” program for elementary aged youth. “Bike Lesson And Safety Training” (BLAST)
This program is a basic walk-bike safety class for students to gain an understanding of how to safely operate a bicycle in a variety of situations.  It covers topics such as learning how to perform a bicycle safety check, fixing a flat, rules of the road, and on-bike skills practice.   Riding predictably and being visible are the mains themes towards gaining knowledge of riding safely and legally.

The second is “Middle Cross” Program for 6^th - 8^th graders

Our goal is to expand junior cycling as a sport for fun and fitness with new and existing Bike Club Development at area Middle Schools with the option to participate in Cyclocross races at schools as well as local series.

About 5-7 BVSD middle schools (and possibly a couple private schools) with bike clubs will offer club rides once a week after school.  These programs are casual and encourage all to participate at any skill level.

We will also offer free Cyclocross clinics for each school through Ben Turner and his highly accredited Boulder Based TIAA-Cref/Clif Bar cross team.  After each clinic, we will work on matching up an actual Cyclocross mentor for each club so that they can continue developing skills.  Clubs will also add teacher and parent volunteers to help with weekly rides.

We will also offer a few open scrimmages at some schools, including full race courses set up at on school grounds for fun and skill development.  This ‘Fun’ competition will be open to all skill levels. The new Bike Fleet will be available at the clinics as well as the scrimmages so that anyone can participate, ,regardless if the have a bike or not.   Each of the schools will have a bike shop sponsor and we are trying to provide tee shirts to the club riders to help promote the program at school.  Riders will also wear the tee at the events to show support for their school club.

For young riders interested in trying local racing, we will direct them to a number of local races that are free for Junior categories while also offering onsite support and coaching.

    - Boulder Racing Series

    - Boulder Cup

    - Junior State Championships

Thanks Mike!!!!

Conceptual Plans as Envisioned by Tarras Landscape Innoventions I just wanted to share with you a little sampling of what’s coming with Valmont Bike Park. What people need to understand is that this project is literally at the tip of the spear in many aspects…from the way we organized to push the concept in 2007 with the City of Boulder to the aggregation of the most professional resources possible to ensure this park is world class.

One such example is Tarras Landscape Innovation. This is the team which was selected by the Valmont Park Committee after they submitted their designs  held during an open competition and clearly blew the team away. Their contributions will be to look conceptually at the space we have allotted to us (45 acres) and look specifically at the ‘details’ of the Park itself to balance aesthetics with usability/sustainability all the while keeping the theme of cycling and cyclists at the core of their usable designs.

It’s worth a look at this brief snapshot they’ve provided.

Get excited!

Board OKs first phase of Valmont park construction

45-acre parcel to include bike park and disc-golf course

By Zak Brown (Contact)
Thursday, June 4, 2009

BOULDER, Colo. — After more than a decade, a plot of land Boulder voters envisioned as a park with community-wide appeal took a major step toward reality Thursday night.

The site review for the first, $4.5 million phase of the Valmont City Park was approved unanimously by the Boulder Planning Board, clearing the way for a 45-acre section of the park that will include a bike park, trails, a dog park, a “tot lot” and a disc-golf course.

“When the idea for this park first started, it was meant to be an active park that coul

Photo by Marty Caivano Jasmine Wong plays with her dog, Bella, on the south side of Valmont City Park on Thursday.

d be a place for several different activities,” said Alice Guthrie, a superintendent with Boulder Parks and Recreation. “And we really think we’ve accomplished that with this plan.”

Voters approved a tax to pay for the park in 1998.

Construction is expected to start this summer or fall on the first of three phases of Valmont City Park, which in all covers a 132-acre parcel in northeast Boulder. The first phase is expected to be finished in about a year.

The bike park — which includes several different levels and types of terrain, such as dirt tracks and a cyclocross course — is already being designed with help from the Boulder Mountainbike Alliance, which has donated $70,000 to the project.

The bike park is “the first built anywhere, that we know of,” Guthrie said.

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