One of the coolest things about Interbike is all the cycling stars wandering about. Ok, they usually aren’t wandering about. Usually they are sitting at a table signing autographs for the fans who were willing to wait in line for a half hour. This year the celebrity roster was pretty impressive: Alberto Contador, Levi Leipheimer, Phil Liggit, Magnus Backsted, Ryan Leech, Brian Boyko, and Julien Absalon were on hand every day graciously signing autographs. The likes of Bob Roll, John Tomac, Ernesto Colnago, Marla Streb and more could be bumped into at any given momet. For the first time last year Cycling.tv set up a massive all glass media room in the center of the convention hall. This year the use of this room grew and the live interviews conducted within became a highlight of the event. Luckily you didn’t have to sit by the glass house to catch some celebrity words of wisdom. There were flat screen monitors set up all around the venue that would broadcast the live interviews. My favorite one? Well Jay Petervary of course! The Fitzgerald’s team rider was grabbed to reminisce about his historic 2007 Great Divide record breaking ride. Not only did Jay have the best cycling story of 2007 (remember: more vert and distance than the Tour in a shorter time period, self supported) but many witness claim he had the best interview skills. I hope the sponsorship managers take notice!

The main thing we are reminded about every year at Interbike is that it’s hard to find a bad bike these days. Road bikes, mountain bikes, as long as you buy from a specialty independent bike shop you’ll be fine. Of course the more you ride the more you will develop preferences. Me for example, I like 4 bar link bikes. Tried and true, fun to ride, good old Horst Link bikes are what I’m used to and gravitate towards. Don’t ask me why and don’t try to suck me into a discussion about “independent wheel path”, or “brake jack”. Because if you do I’ll talk your ear off about the engineering superiority of the 4 bar link when all I really want to say is, “they just rip”! So, back from the show I once again can honestly say I like the way the Norcos ride the best. The Fluid, Fluid LT, Six, Shore, and Team DH were all given their chance to show me a good time. And a good time was had! So go out and absorb the hype about the latest DW, VPP, Maestro, Free Floater, Instant Center, yada, yada. And if you decide to buy one of those bikes you will have a blast! Me? 2008 Fluid please.

Interbike ‘07 is in the books!! The Fitzgerald’s crew went in like a lion and out like a lamb! We saw so much and attended so many cool events that I decided to spend the week reporting on the events. So check in everyday for another great Interbike tale! Here’s a teaser of an idea we got from the Rock Racing Team for a new Fitzy team car.

If you haven’t heard, we are moving the shop! Don’t worry though, we aren’t moving far. In fact, this will be the easiest move in the history of moves since we are only going next door! We began remodeling the new space yesterday and hope to have the remodel and move complete by the middle of October. Keep your fingers crossed!

Here’s a quick teaser on some awesome new ‘08 bikes that have just been unveiled. The coolest looking bikes so far are the new Norco’s. The crew in Canada has revamped the whole line! Check out some pics at Pink Bike

Take it easy on your bottom bracket!
Inside every frame beats a bicycle’s heart and it is known as the bottom bracket. No centimeter of terrain is traveled without this beating heart turning over time and time again. Relentlessly driving you forward, never questioning its purpose, selflessly taking the full brunt of your pedal forces. A quiet work horse who asks for no recognition, seeks no glory, and never rests. Why then do you insist on blaming every click, clack, clunk, creak, and squeak on this trusty warrior. Of course like every hero your bottom bracket may tire and a replacement must be summoned. But you must resist those who are building a culture of fear based on worn out BB’s! They want you to be listening, always listening for the first signs of this attack. Looking down at every switch back and wondering, “when will my BB fail”? They want you to second guess your next bike ride and instead go to the shop for a new one. They want you to be tortured by the slightest unknown sound your bike generates. They want you to be counting the miles until your bottom bracket explodes right between your feet launching you into the nearest ravine. I am here to tell you, we have searched for the creaks and clicks and our findings are conclusive. The noise you fear is not coming from your bottom bracket!

Submitted by Michelle Byers

Saturday, July 28th: The 4:30 am wake-up call came earlier than I had hoped given that I hadn’t slept much the past several nights; my brain was in overdrive thinking about the race. This was only my second endurance race, and having been pulled from the Park City E50 the previous year after missing a cutoff time, I was amped to see how my training was going to pay off in the 2007 Laramie Enduro.

After downing a plain bagel and chocolate soy milk, I lay on the bed and ran through my race strategy in my head. Go out hard and fast through at least aid station #2 to make time on the course hopefully ensuring that I made all the cutoff times. The good news was that it had been raining in Laramie all week, so the trails were well packed and fast as we learned the day before in our pre-race ride.
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YEEEEE HAAAAA JAY! We are all so proud of you! Thanks for the amazing inspiration. If some of you out there don’t know, Jay P won the Great Divide Bike Race and broke the record! Look at my last GDR post below for all the pertinent links. I can’t say anything that hasn’t already been said all over the internet, so I’ll simply post Jay’s last 3 call in reports… I think that says it all!
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OK, This is the most exciting race in the world… I think! 2500 miles, 200k feet of climbing, +/- 16 days, and self supported! That’s right those are very similar to the stats for the Tour De France except the whole self supported thing! The best part is our man Jay Petervary is leading the race with authority in his first attempt at this epic which started Friday June15th. I can’t possibly describe how great it is to follow his progress so I’ll just give you the tools to experience it yourself.

Race Details
www.greatdividerace.com

Transcribed Phone Messages from the Racers
greatdividerace.blogspot.com

Audio Podcasts of the Racers Phone Calls!!
www.mtbcast.com

MTBR Forum full of chit chat and speculation on the race
www.mtbr.com - forums - endurance racing - GDR Updates

Chart of Daily Results
www.topofusion.com/divide/GDR07.htm

According to the topofusion chart Jay has 535 miles to go!

Here’s the latest and greatest on JP, June 27, 9pm:
Got hit today with some hail-had to use his umbrella and hang out under a tree for 45 minutes. Then made it to Cuba, ate good, showered, shaved, cleaned his clothes and is inside with his bike, last night too, so he’s been getting good sleep. Did a little more then 100 miles today, which included a lot of climbing, had 200 ounces of water but didn’t need to drink it all, it was a little cooler today then it has been. Plans to do 200+ miles tomorrow. Is feeling good and staying focused.

The Orange Train headed to New Mexico last weekend for the 5 day stage race Tour of the Gila. Chellie Terry (Pro 1, 2 womens, pictured above), Kris Lunning (Cat 2 men’s), and Ian Tuttle (Cat 3 men’s) all had great weekends. Highlights include Chellie’s great Crit race on day 4 finishing with the main group, Kris’ amazing 2 man break on day 5 only to be caught inside 5 miles to go, and Ian’s fortitude after a massive pile up in the peloton causing him to go back to town, switch bikes, and chase down the main field. Hopefully we get some more in depth coverage from the riders themselves in the near future. Nice job Ian, Kris, and Chellie!! Check out all the results here.