I’ll back up a bit here, with all the time I spend in the office with our resident roadie, Chip, it was hard not to get infected with the cycling bug, so when the opportunity to get a new bike, at a terrific price, came along, I jumped at the opportunity. So, after we figured out what kind of a deal we could get and I perused the different bike manufacturers — and tried not to faint at some of the prices. Some of these bikes are priced at $1,000,000, okay, not quite that much, but take a look at the price on some of the cyclocross bikes, and be sure you’re sitting down.

My new ride

It was a great day when my bike arrived, little did I know it would evoke the same kind of excitement in Chip as a young boy on Christmas morning about to get his first Red Flyer wagon. Chip explained to me that, as part of cyclist culture, I needed to become “one” with my bike by putting it together. With tools in hand, Chip and I set out to get my bike together and begin the process of symbiosis.

Well I think I will never buy a bike from a big box retailer again. There is something to be said for dealers, bike pros, etc.; there are just so many things that can go into tweaking and tuning a bike so it runs like a top notch, two-wheel machine. I could tell Chip was stoked to help me out when his pupils turned into little bicycle wheels. We got the bike set up in about an hour and then Chip gave me and the bike his master cyclist’s blessing.

Here’s the list of new terms I learned:

• Cassette (I thought we’d moved on to CDs by now)
• Sprocket (not new to me, but a cool word all the same)
• B spring
• Fred (what I am ’til I ride down a mountain)
• Crank
• Pedal (okay, I knew this one too)
• Lawyer Tab (it seems the legal system is everywhere)
• Headset (not the white earbuds coming out the sides of my head)

I’m excited to get riding, as odd as that sounds during the Winter, but I’ve got enough insulation, I should be fine. Chip informs me that now that I’ve got my bike, it’s time to accessorize, I’m game — after I learn all these new words! (Seriously though, thanks for your help Chip.)

[If you want to learn some of the popular cycling slang, check out these sites MTB slang and roadie slang.]

Samson Riders Bicycle Club

Considering the plethora of well-established mountain biking cultures that exist worldwide, it is telling that Trips for Kids (TFK) would establish its first international chapter in Israel. In addition to the typical complexities that challenge childhood, Israel’s youth faces the challenge of developing tolerance for the variety of ethnic, educational, socio-economic and immigrant groups in their communities.

I imagine this is true even in Beit Shemesh, Israel, where Trips for Kids Israel- Samson Riders Bicycle Club (TFK Israel-SRBC) has been established. This community in the heart of the Judean Plains merits a group like TFK Israel-SRBC that encourages young people to understand and unite with their peers of all backgrounds. Before Samson Riders Bicycle Club became the foundational group for TFK Israel, it had already been successful in bringing Jewish and Arab youth together to ride, learn about each other, break down barriers, discover new interests and respect the land. The club’s new relationship with TFK will make it possible to expand this program, Riding for Co-Existence, to give more underprivileged youth in Israel a chance to experience mountain biking and involve youth from other local ethnic communities in the bike ride planning and implementation.

Come late November, riders with TFK Israel-SRBC will take their first tour of the monasteries, water springs and olive groves as an official chapter of the Marin County, Calif.-based non-profit organization. For many of them, it will be their first time exploring their historic surroundings. For some, it may be their first time riding side by side with a peer who claims a different culture than their own.

You can learn more about Trips for Kids at www.tripsforkids.org.

Close to 30 people representing 12 Trips for Kids chapters attended, and two attendees even came from as far away as Israel and New Zealand. Both of them want to open Trips for Kids chapters in their respective countries, which would be the first international chapters in the organizations 20 year history. Trips for Kids provides mountain bike rides for at-risk youth.

During the Trips for Kids conference topics such as how to start a chapter, how to find and work with volunteers, and how to effectively fundraise were discussed. Along with Jen Nibley, director of Trips for Kids Utah Valley, and Rick McFerrin of Two Wheel View/Trips for Kids Calgary, Canada, I spoke to the group about how to approach and work with a public relations agency on a pro-bono basis.

IMBA, which stands for the International Mountain Bicycling Association, is a non-profit association whose mission is to “create, enhance and preserve great trail experiences for mountain bikers worldwide.” Every two years, IMBA holds a world-wide conference bringing mountain biking advocates, land managers, ski resort professionals, trailbuilders, park and urban planners, tourism officials and the bike industry together for collaboration, planning, and celebration. This year’s Summit runs from Wednesday, June 18 through Saturday, June 21 at the Marriott-Park City.

During the opening ceremonies held at the Utah Olympic Park, Utah Governor and avid mountain biker, Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. welcomed the crowd. He joked that he was “whizzed” that he had to show up in a suit, instead of casual clothes like everyone else. He’s a big supporter of mountain biking and shared use trails in Utah.

Another highlight of the opening ceremonies was a freestyle arials show at the Utah Olympic Park aerials splash pool performed by “The Flying Aces.” The Flying Aces consists of some of the world’s top freestyle skiers and they flew off the parks artificial turf ski jumps into a huge pool.

IMBA’s Executive Director Mike Van Abel was an honorary Flying Aces team member and started off the show with the first jump. His form wasn’t so hot, but I think he made us all jealous by being the one chosen to get some big air. That’s Mike in the photo above, upside down and wearing a dry suit for the 60 degree water.

As I’m writing this post, it’s Thursday night. I attended some of the seminars during the day, got caught up with some emails in the afternoon, and tonight attended the Mountain Bike Film Festival at the Park City Library. The event was produced by FeedTheHabit.com as a fundraiser for Park City’s Mountain Trails Foundation. The film festival featured a great freeride/downhill movie by The Collective called “Seasons.” You have to see it.

On a side note, at the film festival they raffled off a bunch of prizes (i.e. sunglasses, forks, cranksets, gloves, etc.). The grand prize was a GT Marathon mountain bike. My wife and I were dreaming of winning the bike (Since we hadn’t won anything during the raffle up to that point). But, no such luck. Guess who won it, Melanie Muranaka, Lester Muranaka of Delta 7 Sports’ wife. It’s a small world in the mountain bike community/Utah/PR world (Delta 7 is also one of our clients).

I’ll be up at the IMBA Summit again tomorrow (Friday) for more seminars.

We met with Delta 7’s executive team to check in on them. They are pretty happy about getting some bikes out the door!