Monday, July 27, 2009

ArtBike! at the Rocky Mountain Bicycle Show

Contact: Laura Brennan, artbikeisforeveryone@gmail.com, 415.646.5310

Denver, CO 7-27-2009– ArtBike!, a community art collaboration, is proud to announce its participation at the Rocky Mountain Bicycle Show (RMBS), August 22-23 in Denver.

ArtBike! will display bicycle-themed art from local youth organizations at RMBS, along with handmade bicycles placed in several Denver art galleries and shops.

On Friday, August 21, ArtBike! Denver will kick off with the ArtBike! and RMBS RockOut! party from 7-11pm at TAXI, a sustainable live-work project brought to Denver by the Zeppelin Project.

This building has won multiple design award including the 2008 American Institute of Architects Design Honor Award. The building was designed in a unique collaboration of Will Bruder, David Baker, Harry Teague and Alan Brown.

ArtBike! Mover and Shaker Laura Brennan said, “I’m really excited that ArtBike! will help get kids in Denver on bikes and riding safely, and give them a chance to experience the bicycle and creative communities that they might not have had access to before."

The ArtBike! and RMBS RockOut! will start with a Treasure Cat “scavenger race” from bike shop to bike shop all through Denver, with participants collecting goods that will be donated to the youth program at the Derailer Bicycle Collective, a collectively run community bicycle shop. Broakland Bikes will award a custom frame to the Treasure Cat winner.

Organized by X Rocks The Spot, a blog serving to promote and inform creative bicycle people in the Denver area, the Treasure Cat race will finish at TAXI as the RockOut! gets underway.

All the while the epic Denver Cruisers will be hosting Oakland Scarper Bike themed a ride to the RockOut!.

Other RockOut! Other RockOut! components include bodacious canned craft beers from Oskar Blues, a bicycle fashion show produced by Fashion Denver and a scraper bike ride by Denver Cruisers, plus bands, DJs, art vendors, creativity, community, and – of course – bikes.

ArtBike! will also host a KidsCorner! at RMBS, August 22-23, with fun reused bicycle art projects and different guests to teach short interactive classes about bike maintenance and safe city riding for all ages.

For more information please visit: http://artbikeisforeveryone.wordpress.com/

BEER DINNERS THIS WEEK!

Wednesday 29th of July, Bagalis New Orleans Style Restaurant. 6:30 4 courses 5 beers only $25 a person. Call Bagalis or visit website for reservations. www.bagalis.com (303) 465-9463.

Saturday 1st of August, Empire Lounge and Restaurant 6:30. 4 courses 5 beers $50 a person. Meet the brewers night reservations are going fast call for reservation. 303-665-2521
http://www.theempirerestaurant.com/

Friday, July 24, 2009

Deviant Dale's IPA now on Tap @ The Tasty Weasel & OB Brew & Grill

From the little tanks of OB Lyons comes Dale's deviant cousin-the type that will take your sister home. With an aggressive dry-hopping of Columbus, a respoectable ABV and deep red tones, this one is sure to please those looking for something out of the ordinary. Supplies are limited, so enjoy it will it lasts!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Rocky Grass via KGNU & LIVE Music @ OB This Weekend


Once again KGNU and RockyGrass are teaming up to broadcast portions of the sold-out festival to you! KGNU will be set up backstage under a canopy of leaves with hook ups to what will certainly be some stellar performances.

It's a special extended version of KGNU's Old Grass Gnu Grass show. Special thanks to Oskar Blues Brewery, makers of the award winning Dale's Pale Ale & Mama's Little Yella Pils for their help.

Oskar Blues Brewery is proud to support the live radio broadcast of the sold-out 37th Annual RockyGrass Festival from Planet Bluegrass Ranch. Oskar Blues is the nation's first hand-canning craft brewery and a longtime home for great live music in Lyons, Colorado, and is proud to assist KGNU's independent, non-commercial, community radio & their ongoing support of roots and acoustic music programming.

Oskar Blues also has LIVE MUSIC happening at our funky Lyons brew pub all weekend, don't miss it!
Thursday 07/23/2009 Pete Kartsounes hike for kids with cancer show
Friday 07/24/2009 K.C. Groves with The Blue Maddies
Saturday 07/25/2009 Packway Handle band -Colin O'Brien opening
Sunday 07/26/2009 Packway handle band with Shannon Whitworth opening

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

National Mountain Bike Championships Pics from Photo-Cycle.com

The Sol Vista flowers looked a bit prettier in the early morning light than the venue, which looked like most others but with a little more importance.

Holy smokes what a MONTH of bike racing in coloRADo! It started off with the Marathon National Championships on July 4th with the Firecracker 50 and continued inot the Breck Epic that ran from the 5th through the 10th & has finally finished by crowning National Championships at Sol Vista resort the 17th through the 19th. WHEW! Congrats to everyone who turned themselves inside out trying keep pace with the month of July. Our man Photo Eddie didn't take a break either...here is what he saw during the final strech of championship July. Cheers!

The top of the xc course had some pretty views, but Jen Tilley wasn't doing much sight seeing in her race.

Chelsea and Melanie pose for me during a post race chat, good job ladies!
Mike Vigers flexing for the camera would climb onto the second step at the end of the day.
Chad Melis makes his way down the steep techy drop on Wentz's Way.


Local homeboy Sam Powers bounced right back after a nasty crash in the previous days practice to finish 5th in the 4x.
Death from above, Napalm-Shawn Palmer was using the dh race as cross training, and also did some spectating for the 4x racing.
Perhaps the marquee event, the pro 4x was again held under the lights for the biggest group of spectators at any mtn bike race in the US.
The big surprise was the 17 year old darkhorse Mitch Ropelato. Mitch would beat the best 4x racers in the country to win the National Champs jersey.
JHK digs hard to capitalize on Tod Well's mechanical, and win the mens xc race.
Jen G, still recovering from the effort it took to win the Breck Epic, made the best of a very tired body finishing 13th in the SO PRO womens field.

Heather Irmiger passed a cramping Katie Compton late in the race to win her first national championship xc race.

Gavin Hayes also showed up to claim a 2nd place in the(40-49) Super D race.

Ever perenial old schooler, and multi-time national dh, 4x, and ds champion, Eric Carter showed up to have some fun in the Super D race, and even broke the top 5

Some racers didn't exactly make it down this pitch on Wentz's Way.

Adam Craig put in a vicious late race attack to win another short track national championship
Our EC finds some sweet singletrack on top of the course.
Cristina thrashed her Breck Epic weary legs to a 3rd place in the womens singlespeed race.

Christina Begy lead out the singlespeed women.
The DH course was short and full of jumps. Racers had to contend with three back to back moto inspired 40+ feet jumps. It wasn't much of a surprise that Aaron Gwin took the win.
Was also good to see Kyle Strait putting down some solid runs. His moto whips on the big jumps were complete sickness.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

a few lost & tired pic's from the inaugeral Breck Epic












2009 Seismic US Nationals of Slalom Skateboard Racing


We had 40 skaters in 4 divisions and pulled off 4 events in 2 days. It was a huge task but we were able to get it all in and everyone had a fun time! Killer racing, good times and no one got seriously injured. We got tons of local publicity and the crowds were pretty big for being such an isolated location. All-in-all it was nice time.

The cash prize purse was big, the swag table even bigger and those of you who came out and set up tents just added to the festivities. All the riders left stoked and a bunch of new kids got introduced to the sport!

Below is a up we posted on www.ncdsa.com and www.sliverfishlongboarding.com with the results of the top finishers in each event and some links to some of the publicity that we got for the event.

Thanks again to all of our AWESOME sponsors and to everyone who helped out to make this weekend go off. • SEISMIC • Allboards Sports • Sk8Kings • TimeShip • Tactics Racing • Abec 11 • Dan Dengler Longboards • Curve, INC • Folliage Printing • Voltage Advertising • Colorado Sk8 School • Splitfire • City of Lafayette • Skate Colorado • Banshee Bungee • Monster Energy Drink • PPS • Khiro • Woodword Copper • Mary/Acupuncture Clinic • Sk8Sister • Radikal • Nitro • GOG • Pavel • Venom Bushings • Black Ops • MOB Skateboards • Greg Fadell • Oskar Blue’s Brewery • Empire Lounge, they hosted our after party and let us do the awards ceremony there as well since there was a lightning storm on the hill, we took over the entire place (those poor people trying to eat sunday dinner with the family) If you ever come out this way, stop in a check out the official race poster signed by all the racers the owner requested. It will be framed and hung appropriatly over the bar.

COLD HARD CASH PRO Prize Purse per event
(HS,TS,GS) $500 (1st) $300 (2nd) $200 (3rd) $100 (4th)

SK8RCROSS CASH Prize Purse $300,$200,$100,$50

PRO:
HS: 1. mitchell 2. reaves 3. mc laren
TS: 1. pappas 2.mc laren 3. mitchell
GS: 1. pappas 2. maytam 3. reaves

OPEN
HS: 1 k.delaney 2 m.duquette 3 j.collins
TS: 1 j.collins 2 m.duquette 3 j.putrah
GS: 1 k.delaney 2 r.harrison 3 m.duquette

MASTERS
HS: 1 hollien 2 bara 3 pirnack
TS: 1 pirnack 2 fluitt 3 hollien
GS: 1 lehm 2 hollien 3 fluitt

JUNIORS
HS: 1 g.duquet 2. z.miller 3. d.duquet
TS: 1 d.duquet 2 g.duquet 3 z.miller
GS: 1 g.duquet 2 z.miller 3 d.duquet

2009 SEISMIC US NATIONALS ALL-AROUND CHAMPIONS
PRO: MARTIN REAVES and GEORGE PAPPAS (C0-Champions)
OPEN: KEVIN DELANEY
MASTERS: KEITH HOLLIEN
JUNIORS: GABE DUQUET

Nightly News Coverage: Fox News/Denver. Sunday night after the event ended http://www.kdvr.com/videobeta/watch/?watch=50978f92-b10c-4a04-9b5b-73c8efe7ee41&cat=0dca874f-ff1a-4881-ab67-63e6a750e8ca&src=front

Daily Camera Another Story and Online Video
http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/jul/12/lafayette-hosts-national-skateboard-competition/

Photo Gallery in the Daily Camera A bunch of shots from this years nationals, longmont nationals from years past and random other skate shots from the boulder area, Geo, Fadell, Dan Duquet, Joel Putrah, Pappas, Barker, to name a few:
http://www.dailycamera.com/search/?q=skateboarding&sortby=date&sources=site&prod_photos=on

http://www.westword.com/2009-07-09/calendar/speed-thrills

http://www.coloradodaily.com/news/2009/jul/09/lafayette-colorado-national-slalom-skateboarding/

http://www.coloradohometownnews.com/index-lafayette.asp

Have a great rest of the summer and thanks again for all you do for the love of skateboarding!

Jason and Terri Mitchell
2009 Race Directors
US Nationals

National Championship Course Updates via Litter Mag


XC Track - 2009 U.S. National Championships from Litter Mag on Vimeo.



4x Trail Tour - U.S. National Championships from Litter Mag on Vimeo.



US National Champs Pro DH Track Jumps from Litter Mag on Vimeo.



Check out Litter Mag for more video pimping the National Championships coloRADo style!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

L'epic avec JG, musings de la musette-Stage 6

Ok so by this time you know that the race is over and you very well know the outcome. And so do I! But for the sake of blogging each day’s race I am going to tell you a tale. A tale about the last stage, the 6th stage, the finale, the grand horrah…

Get ready for a real nail biter folks, this stage was quite a doozy, I mean talk about an edge of your seat thriller…oh who am I kidding? Ha! I imagine you’ve all been more intrigued by the nightly news reports on Michael Jackson! I admit to getting sucked into them too! Weird. So the thing about stage racing is that it’s usually not that different from day to day. If you are not there and in it, really in it then it is hard to convey what the sensations feel like, the sounds sound like and the scenery looks like. I appreciate you indulgence☺

Which is precisely why the Tour de France has been pretty dang fun to watch lately. The early flat days usually result in a bunch gallop at the end of a rather mundane ride over numbered kilometers, but lately there have been daily shake-ups that are cool. I’m a bit behind on the last few days since I’m no longer in paradise and sadly in existence without Versus, but the stages that I saw while recovering on the couch during my own stage race were really great. The race for GC changed minimally in theses days but the pursuit to the “Arrivé” was always gripping. I’d like to think this as similar to my own Epic experiences. Despite having what appeared to be a comfortable lead over second place, each day, in my mind, was nerve racking and stressful. My heart BPM’s revved like REM at the “Départ” every day. Sure the neutral roll out was cool and mellow, steady as she goes, but as soon as the flashing red and blue pulled awayI knew it was going to hurt. Christina shot away from me like a cannon everytime. I’ve always known my weakness in racing to be my ability to kick the tires and light the fires at the start line. This is very likely due to a lackluster approach to any pre-race warm-up. I usually get caught up chatting. But anyways, the end of the race was both a joy ride and also a chess game despite my crazy butterfly belly at the start.

The last stage was a relatively smaller day at 32 miles and about 5000 ft of climbing. I knew going into today that all I had to do was ride smoothly and get to the finish line without any major mishaps. Sounds easy enough but the first real downhill section following a good hearty dose of uphill action had me sweating. I slowed way down on the fun singletrack in fear of getting a flat tire. This is where I began carefully making my moves, like a game of chess. Any wrong or hasty decision would halt my steel horse, as it were, in the grave. I was terrified that I might flat and then all of the work I’d put in over the past 5 days would be for not. So I rode very gingerly over the next 20 miles. My one advantage today was that there was quite a lot of dirt road climbing and then of course what goes up must come down, there was an equally large amount of dirt road flats sections and descents. This was where I would make sure to keep my lead. After I buried myself to the top of the last climb of the race I was greeted by a full on party at the last feed zone. My friend Liz got me going again with some Hammer gel and to my surprise my favorite Mafia gagsta, David Janowic, gave me a good little push from behind as they all cheered me on. I felt like a hero in the Tour. I’m just sad there was no naked band of Jacques or el Diablo running along side, Colorado flag in hand! So needless to say I was relieved to hit the last bit of singletrack and head to the finish line. Again, I rode very conservatively and made it safely across the finish line to seal the deal. I was so relieved.

Safely at the “Arriveé”, everyone was so excited to be done. It was clear that not a single person there was bummed in any way. Regardless of your finish position there was a general feeling of accomplishment that took over. Once the Oskar Blues Brews hit the bellies of all the bike enthusiasts the mood was elevated even higher. Coolers were full of tasty brews thanks to all the efforts of one Mr. Chad Melis, the secret “Chad-ative” at the local Lyons Brewery. It was so fun. Everyone worked so hard to pull this event off and it was clearly a success. We’d all become a family during the event and the pride was beaming brightly.

Stay tuned for my final report on the event. I have many people to shout at and more to say.

You stay classy San Diego…and thanks for stopping by☺

JG

Ps. Scroll down through the blog to see all the latest pics. Chad already posted ‘em earlier. Thanks Eddie.
photo-cycle.com

4th Annual "Beer with Balls" Golf Tournament - August 28th


Join Oskar Blues for the 4th annual "Beer with Balls" golf tournament August 28th at Twin Peaks golf course. Help us reach our goal of raising $10,000 for the Love, Hope, Strength Foundation. Join us for giveaways, prizes, fun & more.

For Registration call Chris Katechis at 303-746-0020 or email him at chris@oskarblues.com Registration deadline is August 1st, get some!

Monday, July 13, 2009

August 1st Beer Dinner at The Empire Lounge


Join us August 1st for a unique evening of Beer & Food pairing at The Empire Lounge in Louisville, CO. There are still a few seats available, make a reservation at 303-665-2521

The Tasty Weasel July Events

National Mountain Bike Championships: Colorado Style


Check out all the info HERE!

Mountain Flyer Magazine Number 13


It's not too late: Subscribe before Monday July 20th and get in on the latest issue. Subscribe Here

They also had great coverage of the Breck Epic so follow the link above to see more about Colorado's biggest Mtn Bike stage race. See you next year, August 22-28th!

Breck Epic Stage 6 Pictures from www.photo-cycle.com