10 Things Mountain Biking Will Teach You
September 6th, 2012
Watch. Relate. Smile.
Found on Filme von Draussen‘s Vimeo.
Active Lifestyle, Adventure, Osprey Life, Pedaling Change, Video
Archive
Archive for the ‘Video’ Category
The 2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge Wrap-Up
August 30th, 2012
The USA Pro Cycling Challenge is the biggest and most challenging bike race ever held on U.S. territory. This year, it’s back with a vengeance. Starting August 20, for seven consecutive days, some of the best cyclists from around the world will take on 683 miles of the Rocky Mountains and ride through some of Colorado’s most beautiful cities. Osprey is proud to be the official pack sponsor of the Challenge and we brought you photos from each day’s events right here on the Osprey Bike Blog.
The USA Pro Cycling Challenge stayed exciting from its start at Stage 1 all the way through the monster climb of Stage 4 and into the final flat and fast moments of Stage 7 when American Christian Vande Velde sped his way through Denver to win the 2012 race. As Vande Velde himself put it, “The opportunity to participate in a race like this, of this caliber is a beautiful thing. As long as there are races like the USA Pro Challenge in America, I want to race as long as I can. The crowds are so positive and so happy.”
From the USA Pro Cycling Challenge site: “We have some of the best cyclists in the world racing in Colorado,” said Shawn Hunter, CEO of the Pro Challenge. “This is one of the biggest stage races in the history of our country. We call this America’s race, and it really is. The crowds were even bigger than they were last year; Golden to Boulder was pretty magical. I can’t wait for 2013 and we are already talking about routes.”
The USA Pro Cycling Challenge Kicks Off Next Week!
August 17th, 2012
Last year marked the first-ever USA Pro Cycling Challenge — the biggest and most challenging bike race ever held on U.S. territory. This year, it’s back with a vengeance. On August 20th, for seven consecutive days, some of the best cyclists from around the world will take on 683 miles of the Rocky Mountains and ride through some of Colorado’s most beautiful cities.
The 2011 inaugural event was captivating, to say the least. “Nearly 1 million spectators viewed this race from the roadsides along the route while 161 countries and territories broadcasted the race on television, including NBC and Versus. The USA Pro Cycling Challenge was one of the largest cycling events in United States history,” says the USA Pro Cycling Challenge website.
This year, of course, will be no different — and will see riders make their way from Durango to Denver.
The race kicks off next week, and because Osprey is the official pack sponsor of the event, we’ll be giving away a few prizes during next week’s exciting festivities (check out the rad socks and jersey below to get stoked on winning)!
Getting ready to head to the event? Expect big name cyclists, big crowds and a big event for Colorado — and the world itself.
The Sound of Music, Made by Bikes
July 3rd, 2012
Thanks to Loving the Bike’s Facebook Page we came across this video, aptly named Bicycle Sounds.
The short film showcases nearly three minutes of musical entertainment made entirely by bikes. That includes chains, wheels, spokes (and their adornments), bells, wheels and the like. The result is mesmerizing, which is precisely why the film itself took first place in the Bike Shorts Film Festival held this spring in New York.
Take three minutes of your day and check out this film. The real gem is in the sounds it produces but we recommend you watch it as well. Its simple yet sleek camerawork reminds us of an updated yet undeniably old school video you might see on the likes of (and this is not meant as an insult, but rather as the utmost of compliments) retro Sesame Street. All old-school kids shows aside, it’s also very cool to see how the sounds you’re hearing were made by way of a bike and just a few props.
Enjoy.
Lane Love: A Pop Up Green Street in Cleveland, Pop Up Rockwell
June 4th, 2012
When most cities consider a change in the infrastructure of their transportation system, the typical modus operandi is for city officials to sit indoors and look at drawings and written proposals. But what if city street improvements could be brought into the real world — into all three dimensions so that people could not only consider, but actually see, the changes that may or may not take place?
The city of Cleveland, Ohio is experimenting with this more “live” concept of proposed downtown street improvements in a project the city is pioneering called Pop Up Rockwell. Here’s the lowdown, via the masterminds behind it all, Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative (CUDC):
POP UP ROCKWELL is a one-week experiment to test “complete & green street” improvements on downtown Cleveland’s Rockwell Avenue (between W. Roadway and E. 6th Street), which took place during April 21 to 27, 2012. The temporary street transformation explores fresh ideas for making the street more pedestrian and bicyclist friendly. Going beyond two-dimensional drawings used in typical public meetings, Pop Up Rockwell allows people to physically experience a future vision of the city in three dimensions, in a real environment, and provide feedback before large financial and political investments are made.
The temporary installations included “Cleveland’s first cycle track, stormwater bio-filtration benches, enhanced transit waiting areas and wind animated public art” for city residents to experience — and potentially put into real-life practice in the future. According to CUDC, Pop Up Rockwell was pioneered as a response to the community’s desire to see real life action in between the formal and often slow-moving stages of planning and actual implementation. As CUDC puts it, “Lessons learned from the short-term project may influence permanent changes, which support the City of Cleveland’s Complete & Green Streets Ordinance and Group Plan Commission recommendations.”
With all of this we feel compelled to ask: Should more cities implement temporary pop up street improvements so citizens can experience them and potentially choose to have a voice in regard to the real-life changes that may or may not take place? Would you be excited to see a pop up street in your city?
Every Monday on Lane Love, we’ll be featuring bicycling news, stories and photos from around the world. Have a lane that you love? Send us a photo! You can post it to our Facebook page or upload to our Flickr group and we might just feature it here on Lane Love.
Lane Love: Mountain Biking in Style via Chris Akrigg
May 29th, 2012
The story of stunt biker Chris Akrigg‘s crash (and subsequent 40-foot fall) that resulted in a shattered femur is all too well known in the biking community all around the world. But now — a year later — Chris is well again, and back at doing what he loves to do: mountain biking with some serious class and finesse.
His first video back is proof that Chris has been hard at work recovering from his injury. It’s also a visual work of art. So today, after a fine long holiday weekend, we encourage you to sit back, relax and enjoy.
Every Monday on Lane Love, we’ll be featuring bicycling news, stories and photos from around the world. Have a lane that you love? Send us a photo! You can post it to our Facebook page or upload to our Flickr group and we might just feature it here on Lane Love.
Ditch Your Car: Cycling in Europe’s Most Congested City
May 16th, 2012
When people think of Europe, many of them think of this. And it’s true that in certain cities, such as Utrecht in the Netherlands, more than a quarter of all trips are made by bike. But this film — Brussels Express — shows the other side of European bicycle commuting, and it’s not all that pretty.
Advocacy, Bike Europe, Ditch Your Car, Pedaling Change, Video
Ditch Your Car: Become a “Convert”
May 10th, 2012
There are many creative ways that Bike Month has been promoted this May, from the newly instituted Bike to School Day to 30 Days of Biking and more, but this crafty video, “The Convert” is one of our favorites so far.
Created for Jacksonville’s Bike Month, “The Convert” takes a film noir approach to cycling — and keeps you watching and wondering the whole way through. Take six minutes out of your day to check it out see where it takes you!
Every Wednesday on Ditch Your Car we’ll be bringing you just another reason to spend more time on two wheels. Be it a photo, a statistic or an inspirational video, we want to keep reminding you about why riding is great!
Lane Love: The Canine Bike Lock
April 30th, 2012
Who needs to carry around a heavy lock when you can simply employ your canine companion to watch your ride for you?
Apparently, that’s exactly how the owner of the dog in this video feels. Turns out man’s best friend can also be man’s best bike lock.
Every Monday on Lane Love, we’ll be featuring bicycling news, stories and photos from around the world. Have a lane that you love? Send us a photo! You can post it to our
Ditch Your Car: Enjoy CicLAvia
April 25th, 2012
A good time-lapse video may be just what you need to get over the mid-week hump. Or maybe it’s the collective 12,000 images of people riding their bikes compressed into just 1 minute and 50 seconds that will get your blood pumping. To us, this video is worth watching for the simple fact that it represents one simple act: people joyously cycling on a warm, beautiful day.
For a little more background on why we see people riding through the seemingly car-less streets of L.A. in this video, here’s the scoop. The above images were taken during a CicLAvia day on April 15th, 2012. CicLAvia is a temporary closure of streets in L.A. to cars, during which pedestrians and cyclists alike can take to the streets of their own accord. Inspired by a weekly street closure event that began in Botoga, Colombia (ciclovía), CicLAvia prides itself on being able to do the following (via the CicLAvia site):
Connecting communities and giving people a break from the stress of car traffic. The health benefits are immense. Ciclovías bring families outside of their homes to enjoy the streets, our largest public space. In Los Angeles we need CicLAvia more than ever. Our streets are congested with traffic, our air is polluted with toxic fumes, our children suffer from obesity and other health conditions caused by the scarcity of public space and safe, healthy transportation options. CicLAvia creates a temporary park for free, simply by removing cars from city streets. It creates a network of connections between our neighborhoods and businesses and parks with corridors filled with fun. We can’t wait to see you at CicLAvia!
What’s more, we hope to see more CicLAvia-like events pop up in more cities across the U.S. The more we encourage communities to leave their cars parked and hop on their bikes, the better.
Every Wednesday on Ditch Your Car we’ll be bringing you just another reason to spend more time on two wheels. Be it a photo, a statistic or an inspirational video, we want to keep reminding you about why riding is great!
