The Radavist

No trip to Los Angeles is complete without at least one night ride with the Golden Saddle Cyclery guys. During my last visit, Dave, Kyle, Ty, Ace, Jeff from All City and I went out on a Griffith ride, through the hills and up to the Hollywood sign for some beverages. At that point in the trip, we were all toast, especially Jeff, who had just come off a 24 hour flu. At least he got some more photos to use for the #partybrand that is All-City…

As “hoody hooooo” echoed through the night, we rolled home along the bike path.

Last weekend was the Texas Cyclocross State Championships in Fredericksburg, Texas. Unlike the last cross races I’ve shot, it was bright and sunny outside, so I decided to shoot with my new Leica M7 and Hasselblad, rather than the 5D. I’m digging a lot of these, check them out yourself!

A few months back, some friends decided to start up a cycling club called Beat the Clock Cycling. It was started by Jon, the owner of Beat the Clock Messengers. The idea was to create a club that would throw local events, with one thing in mind: fun. Group rides, parties, goof-off races and everything in between.

So far, it’s pretty low-key but on New Years Day, a couple dozen people got together for a little impromptu Alley Cross race on the East Side of Austin. I slept in and missed the actual race, but took my Hasselblad out for a quick roll of film at the finish. Check it out in the Gallery!

There are two people I will always claim as an early inspiration for PiNP: Andy from FYXO and Kyle from Tracko. These two have become some of my best friends and while their blogs both tote track bike-inspired names, it’s clear that they have embraced all forms of cycling over the years.

Kyle in particular has some very stringent requirements when it comes to products he’ll use and bikes he’ll own. He’s a big advocate of made in the USA bicycles, so I was surprised when I saw him riding the All-City Nature Boy Zona, especially when he has a perfectly fine Kelly SS CX. The reasoning? He loves the way it rides and supports All-City’s #partybrand ideals. Or something…

If you grew up adoring the Ritchey P20 bikes and later found yourself running your own bicycle company, there’s a good chance you’d wanna adopt their livery. Jeff’s Nature Boy Zona prototype is an homage to the MTBs of the 1980’s and with a paint job like that, who can deny the randess?

I was way stoked on Jeff’s second place finish at the SoCalCross C race during the SSCXWC in LA, so I gave his bike a little bit of attention the next morning. He’s got all the GSC guys racing singlespeed on these bikes, so they’ve gotta be good! Word on the street is that this will be the paint job on the limited Zona this year, so stay tuned.

I returned to Austin after a week-long trip in Los Angeles to find two back-to-back days of cross racing on the local schedule. Having just raced my first sanction cross event in LA, I was eager to give the local circuit a try, so Saturday I headed out for some fast, dusty and humid fun. Since I didn’t have any season points, I started in the back of the 4’s, in a field of about 40 racers. Over 3, ten minute laps, I held onto my position, coming in 4th, which was good enough for me. I learned a lot (watch out for sandbaggers on MTBs) and had a blast (most importantly). I even managed to get a bit of air on a nice bump on the course.

Sunday, I decided to rest up and take photos. It was Chris‘ birthday, so I wanted to get some good shots of him racing and of course, we had to douse him with beer… Thanks to Andrew Franciosa for shooting photos on Saturday. It’s not every day I have photos of myself up on the blog, so be kind!

Single speed cross in SoCal is big, with 30-40 racers in the A field each weekend. A lot of the elite-class racers have found a new love for the single speed A’s, which is where Gareth races his US-built Ritte Blue Ribbon Steel CX belt drive. Belt drive cross bikes are still in their infancy, but this one looked great getting in the SoCal mud (yes, mud exists in SoCal). Before the race, I gave this beauty some lens love…

Beginning any race with a LeMans start is sure to cause a ruckus, but add in a real life “cycling salmon” and things get interesting. This year’s SSCXWC began with a bang. Both the men’s and women’s field showed that you can truly have fun and still be somewhat competitive. From the snot rocket cannons, to the cesspool pit and even the crowd-induced bottle necked course, the racers had to endure a lot more than they bargained for. Oh and mud in SoCal? The cross gods smiled upon LA last Sunday. See for yourself in the gallery.