SCOTT USA announced that MICA SPORT CANADA INC., would become the exclusive distributor of SCOTT bicycle products for Canada. Lutz Brode, President said, “Over the years I have had the opportunity to witness the phenomenal growth of SCOTT bicycle products in the world market. Since last year’s re-introduction of Scott bicycle products into the U.S. marketplace, we have had an overwhelming amount of interest from dealers hoping to be a part of this growth. I am particularly excited with the opportunity of introducing SCOTT’s revolutionary Genius technology to the Canadian Market. SCOTT bicycle products represent innovation and quality, we are proud to represent Canada in the worldwide growth of this company.”

I'd like to introduce you all to Fiona Taylor of Courtenay B.C. Fiona will be racing and product testing for us this season while she travels B.C. doing the BC cup circuit and the Island Cups too. You'll be reading about her travels through out the season, whether it be to a race or just to a new riding local. We wish her the best of luck and a big welcome to the team! Here's some info. on the fresh face:

Go Big, Make a Movie! The Hot Shots High School Film and Ad Festival is accepting entries for its second annual festival and competition. Enter your biking and other action sport films in the Action Sport Short Category (3 minutes or less). Have a chance to walk the red carpet, see your movie on the big screen and win great prizes like Milk Money (cash), WestJet flights, Adobe editing software, Golden Reel Trophies and even a day filming with a professional camera crew from Pyramid Productions.

We had the opportunity to talk with Darren this year again at the Sea Otter Classic. He came by the Bombshell booth on Saturday wanting to buy a 24'' rear wheel. I immediately put the wheels in motion for this and we got him hooked up. We are making a huge push on our Wheel Division. We believe they are the strongest out there at the best price. We also believe that adding him to our program will be good for the both of us. He goes very big, and what better wheel set to have and to trust on your bike then Bombshell.

Dana Point, Calif. — (April 19, 2005) — The Second Annual BIKE Magazine Reader Poll and Video Awards attracted nearly 1,000 mountain bike industry leaders and athletes who came to honor the sport’s best riders and filmmakers. The event was held on Saturday, April 16, in Monterey, California.

Its early season and most of you are finally dusting off your ride and thinking about going for a tour. But for most of you that tour is to the local bike shop for spring tune ups and a little “needed” new parts shopping. See I believe that the local bike shop can be compared to a Lululemon for those of us who like to get dirty and really should stretch a bit more, but the focus is the same. Both your local bike shop and Lululemon are there to promote a healthier state of living, and to provide you with the newest fashion for you and that trusty steed too.

The new gang of riders including Taylor Sage, Kyle Strait, and Cameron Zink are making a video due to be out in October. It will be similar to the "Wildcats" snowboard films.

The Squamish Off Road Cycling Association (SORCA), has recently been informed that there are plans to log one of North America’s premier mountain bike trails – the Power House Plunge.

BlackBox Program Mission: BlackBox race development program is the premier proving ground for new performance products. BlackBox combines SRAM's world class product development with SRAM's World Class Athletes to design and test products that help those athletes perform at a higher level.

See epic photos by Mattias Fredriksson, Sterling Lorence, Ilja Herb, Ian Hylands, Warwick Patterson in Morocco, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Peru, the Chilcotins and the Whistler Bike Park. Also see pics from the 2004 Tour de France. Come out and be inspired to ride.

Calgary
Date: Friday, April 29
Venue: University of Calgary, Murray Fraser Hall Room #160
Time: 7p.m. doors open, show at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $5 at the door

The evening is sponsored by the good folks at THE BIKE SHOP & Calgary Cycle.

That's right I've been throwing a leg over a Brodie Gigolo these past few days and am I ever impressed. We hooked up with the fine gentlemen at Brodie bikes back in March as we knew that they had a new bike in which was getting some much deserved attention at the shows. Since we knew we would have a few long travel trail machines coming through our doors this season, we wanted to make sure one of them was the new Brodie Gigolo. Here are my initial and early impressions on this long travel trail bike from the west coast of B.C.

John Henry’s is pleased to announce that it will be hosting the Shimano Front Yard Fury on Saturday May 7th, 2005. Every year, as a part of the annual John Henry Days 4 day sale, John Henry’s has put on a show for the community as an opportunity for families to be entertained by some of the mountain bike industry’s most creative and most talented riders.

Temecula, Ca- April 19,2005: The Intense Factory Racing effort showed great early season promise with top podium finishes in all three gravity events at the 2005 Sea Otter Classic at the Laguna Seca Raceway. French sensation Sabrina Jonnier claimed a silver medal in the gravity omnium by placing 1st in Dual Slalom, 3rd in Mountain Cross, and 4th in Downhill. Current DH world champion Vanessa Quin claimed an impressive bronze medal in the Gravity Omnium with strong top five finish in all disciplines as well.

BC, Canada (April 22, 2005) - For those cross-country riders who dream about competing in one of the most grueling marathon XC races on the planet, Race Face today announced the Ultimate XC Challenge (UXC) - a new online, peer-judged contest that will send two teams of two riders to compete in the 2005 TransRockies with all expenses paid.

Race Face Performance Products, along with Giant Bicycles and Manitou Suspension is proud to announce that Kurt Sorge has won the
fourth annual Race Face Ultimate Freeride Challenge. The soft spoken, 16 year old rider from Nelson, BC will now be signed to a
sponsorship contract with Race Face, Giant and Manitou worth over US$25,000!

Whistler Blackcomb will open North America’s number one mountain bike park on Saturday, April 30 for weekend riding, taking advantage of an early spring at the base of the mountains.

The 2005 deity line up signifies the evolution of the company as we increase compatibility, introduce 31.8mm Bars and Stems, single bolt Clamps, multiple Sprockets, deeper softgoods offerings and so much more.

Months ago I started to see home made versions of Drop In season 3 posters popping up on the forum submitted by random Drop In fans. I thought it was pretty cool and I admired their creativity as more and more showed up so I made a little contest out of it. Well that morphed into a bigger contest - The prize? The winning poster would be printed and signed by the entire Drop In - International Crew in New Zealand and returned to it's creator. We have a winner. Graydon Stead from Sorrento B.C.

That's right, after much work we have a few new pieces for you to check out in our store. Three new pieces for every one, from a new ladies line Treaded, to a REAL Pinkbike Jersey (finally), and the new Drop In "Team Dirt Bag" short sleeves and long sleeve shirts. It's been a while, but I hope you like what goods we are doing up for you guys/gals out there.

The South Island Mountain Bike Society (SIMBS), maintains a partnership agreement with the Capital Regional District (CRD) to build and maintain the mountain bike trail system in Mt. Work Hartland Regional Park. This agreement has been very successful and, SIMBS was in a position where other agreements were coming together. This would have greatly expanded the amount of legal/sanctioned riding areas on Vancouver Island. Unfortunately, this has all come to a grinding halt.

UK Freerider Elbry Sandland has signed to ride for balfa uk to pilot its .243Racing DH hardtails in 2005 through out europe. "Super stoked to take hardtail freeride to the next level and bring a bit of rockstar status to freeride and get support from the likes of .243 a great thing for me."

GUYS ONLY! You have a bike, know where to ride but your buddies aren’t into it. OR, you’re looking to pick up some downhill or freeride skills to keep up with the gang or really push your limits. Well I hope this is the answer you’re looking for: Freeride Camps and Sessions for guys! in Calgary, Alberta.

GIRLS TOO! The popularity of freeride camps for chicks seems to be soaring right now and with other Alberta camps filling up fast, here is another option: for a fraction of the cost of pro camps, you can join our half-day and evening camps and get personalized attention. Come out and join a free evening weekday session as well!

The Sea Otter Classic is one of the largest cycling festival in North America, which represents the start of the cycling season. 2005 celebrates the event 15th anniversary! People from all over the world come to the Laguna Seca Recreational Area in Monterey - almost 59,000 athletes, spectators and media from 15 countries attended this year’s festival. The vendor participation was also up 15-20%.

Last month I got an email from Eric at Foes Racing, asking me if I would like to test the Foes Inferno. Reading about the Inferno on the Foes website it says that the Inferno is NOT a freeride bike. One look at this sexy rig and claming that this bike is anything less is like saying that the knee high boot wearing girls at the corners of Richards street don't like to party. We'll be the judge of that, and if you are lucky, you will too.

Synopsis gives an inside look into the lifestyles and skills of mountain biking’s finest riders as they battle the 2004 North American race circuit. This is the third installment of The Spectacle, and like any good wine - it simply gets better with time.

Monster Energy Drink will be stepping into the mountain bike scene in a big way this year. Monster plans to make a big push towards the future of our sport, and word on the street is that there will be cash bonuses for Overall titles in the Junior expert categories. It’s time we recognize these young athletes, and Monster Energy is definitely leading the way. In addition, there will be several different levels of sponsorship available for all riders looking to join the “Monster Army!” To get set up go to www.monsterarmy.com or www.sponsorhouse.com.

The melding of two dreams has created a unique and funky ranch where mountain bikers from all over the world come to relax, ride and meet new friends. Owners Paul and Anita started out with their own ideas – Anita moved out west to open a Lebanese restaurant while Paul wanted to start a mountain bike park. The two met and decided to make their dreams a reality together to create the Iguana Ranch, an affordable bed & breakfast style accommodation which happens to include a ton of fun activities for pretty much anyone.

Join Bike’s Dream Team where personality means more than race results

Dana Point, CA (April 1, 2005)— Bike Magazine wants to send a team of five complete strangers, from all walks of life, to compete together at the 24 Hours of Temecula held on April 23 and 24. The Dream Team’s entry fees, food and lodging expenses will all be completely covered by Bike Magazine. Bike will also help provide equipment (bikes, clothing, tools, lights).

Eastside Freeride 2, Live Sessions is the second installment from Eastside Freeride Entertainment and B-Forty Productions. Eastside Freeride 2 is loaded with impressive riding footage from some of the best freeriders in today’s time. Talented riding crew includes Kyle Ebbett, Dave Smutok, Craig Robinson, Ryan Smith, Guillaume Bellefeuille, Sam Hill, Bryn Atkinson, Nathan Rennie, Mario Garyhunter, and friends..

Temecula, Ca- March 24,2005: The Intense Factory Racing effort showed its might down under during the Australian MTB Championships this past weekend in Eildon, Victoria. Despite the looming controversy of winning the famed white, green, and yellow championship jerseys (due to UCI rules, sponsors are not allowed a sizeable presence on the jersey), Intense athletes went out and brought home the gold.

Riders: Join [L=http://www.ridebig.com]Big Mountain Bike Adventures’ [/L]on a visual trip to Costa Rica, Morocco, Peru, Switzerland, the Chilcotins and the Whistler Bike Park. See ripping photos by pro photographers Ilja Herb, Ian Hylands, Sterling Lorence, Mattias Fredriksson and Warwick Patterson and see a short documentary film of Morocco by Andrew Naysmith. Also, see photos from the 2004 Tour de France and Lance’s 6th consecutive win. Road biking you say? Why not…

Over a 100 riders, bike companies from all ends of the country, some Drop-In Crew members and a 10,000 square foot dirt and street track made for a great start to the biking season. Calgary as per usual has been plagued with up and down weather over the past weeks and a weekend to shred and hang out with friends while riding bikes might have been what everyone needed. The Advil Outdoor Show was a showcase this past weekend for extreme sports of all kinds and gave enthusiasts from all spectrums a chance to get out the house and do something different.

This Sunday, April 10, the Mt. Wilson Bicycling Association will be hosting their annual Pancake Breakfast at Millard Campground. The fine folks at Foes Fabrication have also came forward this year with a donation that you'll want to be present for. Rumor has it that Brent will be raffling off a very nice piece of Foes art at the breakfast.

For more info, call Pasadena Cyclery at 626 584 6391 ask for Jordan.

My very good friend Ben Shelton died of Staphylococcus Aureus related symptoms on March 30th, 2005. Some of you may not know Ben directly, but he was a great friend in the biking community, always helping maintain the Pinkbike servers and as a result making sure things ran smoothly for all you viewers. More importantly Ben was a really good friend of mine who I corresponded with on an almost daily basis.

And then there were two….well, three actually.

The votes have been counted and the plane tickets have already been bought. We’re proud to announce that 16 year old Kurt Sorge and the tag team duo of Matt Brooks and Jared Gatzka have advanced to the finals of the fourth annual Race Face Ultimate Freeride Challenge.

(Dana Point, CA - April 6, 2005) - BIKE Magazine, part of PRIMEDIA'S Action Sports Group (ASG), today announced the nominees for the 2005 BIKE Video and Reader Poll Awards. Now in its second year, the awards show will take place April 16, 2005, at The Hyatt in Monterey, CA, coinciding with Sea Otter.

That's right this weekend you and your bike can go out to Golden B.C. and take in a little snow race action. On Saturday April 9, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is holding a dual slalom mountain bike race on snow called the Melt-Freeze Cup.

Entry fee is $25 (includes lunch), $15 for season pass holders. Registration by 10:00 am and race starts at 11:00 am. Lots of great prizes to be had, so grab your bike and get out here!!

Atomlab: General Issue components for the freeride soldier.
403media: The soul of freeride through the lense of a camera.
Feature Hardtail: Iron Horse Bikes - Yakuza Waka Gashira Tech
feature: BMX style cranksets.

3-Time National Champ Marla Streb to be guest coach of BetterRide MTB skills camp during the 10th annual Fruita Fat Tire Fest.

BetterRide with Gene Hamilton ups the ante again by joining forces with Marla Streb to put on the best mountain skills coaching in the US.

Just a quick note to let you know we’ve got a new episode of the Crap on My Desk, posted online for your viewing pleasure. Click here to check it out and enter to win some Race Face shwag.

Most people respond ‘The Canary Islands!! Cool. Ummmm… where are the Canary Islands?”

Like most North Americans I did not know where we were going to shoot the first episode of the 2005 Ride Guide season, and I certainly expected to see a lot of Canaries. After a quick Google search I found, to my excitement that we were headed about 200km off the North West Coast of Africa to the Spanish Canary Island of Gran Canaria. I also learned that the islands are named after the Spanish root ‘canaris’ which means dog, as the islands used to be home to wild dogs similar to Rottweilers, so no bird watching on this trip.

SRAM Corporation has announced the addition of a new member to the marketing team in the form of Canadian racer Tyler Morland. Morland, 24, is a highly talented all-around rider, and current B.C. Champion, who will serve as a Technical Marketing Representative. Duties will include marketing, product development, and dealer initiatives.

Thule has reportedly signed a letter of intent to acquire the Quick-load Bike Racks division of Sportworks Northwest, Inc. In accordance to the LOI, Thule will acquire the Quick-load Bike Racks' assets from Sportworks and will make the line available to Thule dealers on May 9, 2005.

Here we are -- The final DROP IN Episode of season 3. Hope everyone enjoyed the last episode in Vegas at Interbike. Planning the season I would have never guessed that we would actually make it the entire way! Every season we enter into we plan not to return home with the bus. Who would have known that she would make it as far as she did and deliver us all home safely? Amazing. Another thing that's amazing is the "Best-of Season 3" episode! You do not want to miss this! Steal a TV, quit your job, if you always sleep in and miss Drop In - STAY UP ALL NIGHT! You won't regret it.

Darren Murphy at Push Industries just dropped me an e-mail later last week to inform me that he had gotten new toys from Race Tech and that they will be in the new Colorado facility by the end of the month. The new Colorado facility should help them with R&D and suspension tune-up turnaround times - not that turnaround time was an issue, but Darren plans on hiring a few more tech guys/gals.

I had the opportunity to be introduced to Jordie Lunn by a mutual friend(thanks Dawn). Never being one to pass up an opportunity to ask a few questions I hit him up with a few for our readers:

For Jordies' replies ....read on.

No other videos has seen more play time in my VCR than Alex Rankin’s movies. Heck, Sprung video magazine (Movie by Alex Rankin and Milan Spasic) was the first MTB movie I’ve ever owned and was very influential in me transitioning from XC racing to DH/DS. In my opinion, Alex is the “Steven Spielberg” of MTB filmmakers – every single one of his movies are blockbusters! From his Sprung series to his latest Earthed movies, Alex always come up with some of the sickest racing footage ever to hit your television screen.

VERNON, NEW JERSEY (April 1, 2005) – Diablo Freeride Park, host of the 2005 U.S. Open of Mountain Biking, announced today that online athlete and team registration is now available by visiting www.diablofreeridepark.com. Athletes and teams are encouraged to pre-register in order to secure their spot in this prestigious event.

Well this is the case for a lot of you out there who haven't had the joy of getting out and shredding it up yet. Or perhaps the rain is in full effect and you don't like getting wet? Either way I have some good news for all you riders out there! I have just received a new shipment of DVDs and they rock!!!

The fourth round of the Race Face Ultimate Freeride Challenge has been completed and congratulations go out to Joe Perrizo, who advanced to the semi-finals with a convincing win over Steve Tuchiwksky, Jonas Green and Derek Alexander. With an 830 vote margin of victory, Joe takes the fourth and final spot in the semi finals where he’ll face the dynamic duo of Matt Brooks and Jared Gatzka for a spot in the finals.

North Shore – Cove Bikes is kicking-off a new Cove Club and rentals season with its ride and BBQ event at the Deep Cove shop today.

Swing by the shop, register for the club and go for a ride. Riding starts today at 4 p.m.