This past weekend the Dirt Rag hot air spy balloon was hovering over the M.A.S.S. Neshaminy race near Philly and spotted EWR’s very own Kenn Rymdeko putting a brand new OWB29er proto through its paces. Kenn ended up in fourth place, his best finish to date.

Before Kenn hit the races, EWR front-man Jay de Jesus had a chance to bag a ride on his very own 29er proto: ” The goal was to mimic the handling and heritage of the 26″ OWB (Original Woods Bike) on a 29″ wheeled platform, and the result is even better that I expected. I cannot believe how good it felt—so much so that I drove half of the way home with my helmet on before I realized it!”

That new bike feeling is intoxicating, so cut Jay a little bit of slack for crowing like an understandably proud papa. More information at ewbikes.com.

In earlier parts of this series we looked at the advantages and challenges of racing a singlespeed bike. While a singlespeed drivetrain is mechanically more efficient then a geared one, we need to make the most out of that efficiency. As some readers have pointed out, the motor is just as important as the drivetrain.

What presents the greatest challenge to the singlespeed rider? The changing terrain of the typical mountain bike course. A geared rider can maintain a fairly even cadence throughout a race, while the singlespeed rider has to change theirs to accommodate the terrain. Singlespeed riders tend to excel on the climbs and in technical sections, with a more efficient drive train and lower weight. As a singlespeed rider, you need to deliver high power at low cadence, moderate power at very high cadence as well as steady power at a moderate cadence. Acceleration out of tight corners or through rock gardens requires explosive strength. Climbing at mid to low rpm’s requires sustained strength and a well-developed core and upper body. And, while you can develop strength naturally through riding, optimal performance requires some specific training. Some athletes go into the gym to build strength, but here are a few on-the-bike techniques I’ve found to be effective. Somewhat ironically, most of these drills are easiest to do on a geared road bike.

Over Gear Efforts are great for building leg strength. These are done on a moderate hill in a very large gear (53×15, for example) at 50-60 rpm. Start conservatively, with 2 sets 5-10 minutes in length. Allow 5 minutes rest between sets and increase sets or duration of effort as your training progresses. These efforts should be done seated. Over Gear Efforts are on-the-bike strength training, ie. resistance training for cycling specific muscles.

Another good strength builder, and it’s not a fun one, are Increasing Rate Hill Intervals. These are done as out of the saddle accelerations done up a fairly steep hill at 80-90rpm. Start the effort at 70% effort for 10-15 seconds then increase to 80%, 90%, finishing the last 15 seconds at 100%. Do 2-4 sets with full recovery in-between (10 minutes), depending on where you are at in your training.

Sprint Efforts are also good training. Sprint Efforts are usually done in sets of 4-6 with full recovery between all-out sprints. You can do these on your singlespeed, but you’ll probably find it easier to do them on a geared road bike. A computer or power meter for feedback never hurts.

Building a solid core and good upper body strength is key for delivering maximum power at lower cadences. Yoga, Pilates, and other dynamic workouts are good for this. Physical labor, or sports like kayaking or rowing, can also help build these muscles.

Yes, these look as dorky as they feel.

The biggest challenge for the singlespeed racer are the near flat sections of a course. You can coast down hills and climbing can be our advantage, but the flats are tough. Singlespeed riders quickly loose their ability to pedal efficiently and are often forced to coast, losing valuable time. Track sprinters face a similar challenge, they need to ride a gear which allows them to accelerate quickly, but also give them top end speed. They do this by developing excellent leg strength, and by training their legs to deliver power at very high rpm’s. There are two main tools used to do this, One Legged Drills and high cadence roller workouts.

One Legged Drills are done at typical cadence, alternating with one foot pedaling for 20-30 seconds, then the other. 4-6 times on each leg. Make sure to focus on driving through the entire pedal stroke. This is best done on a flat road on a road bike, and care needs to be taken to avoid injury.

Learning to ride rollers and doing high cadence workouts will help smooth out your pedal stroke and develop more fluid pedaling. My wife, coincidentally a track sprinter, often does this roller workout: 15 minute warm-up in a light gear, then 3-4 sets of 1 minute at 110rpm, 1 minute at 120rpm, 1 minute at 130rpm, 1 at 120, 1 at 130, then a 15 second max sprint. Do this effort 3 times at 5 minutes, with 5 minutes recovery in between. The entire workout should last 45 minutes.

High cadence workouts are used to train the body to deliver power efficiently at high rpm’s. By improving your ability to pedal smoothly and at high cadence your efficiency on flat sections will improve, though it’s still the singlespeed riders biggest challenge.

Does this look like singlespeed training?

These drills and techniques can help a singlespeed rider become stronger, more efficient, and faster. As with all training exercises, these are best done as part of an organized training program and under a coach’s supervision.

For earlier posts in this series click here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

The IMBA Summit is the biannual international gathering of mountain bike advocates, this year held in lovely Park City, Utah. With around 350 advocates in attendance, it’s a virtual who’s who of advocacy.

Wednesday Night’s opening ceremonies took place at Olympic park, where a team of top-level freestyle skiers put on a show for us while we ate, drank and schmoozed, bombing down giant training jumps and getting huge air into a pool of water while we watch.

But the first jumper was none other than Mike Van Abel, Executive director of IMBA. This may have seemed like a silly stunt, but for me it typified the bold audacity that has gotten us mountain bikers so much success in the advocacy arena.

Thursday morning, and I grab breakfast and sit down next to Philip Keyes, head on NEMBA and Dirt Rag’s access editor. Little did I know that I’d also be sitting with Kozo Shimano, president of Shimano and Mary Bomar, the director of our National Park Service. Big company.

Thursday morning’s keynote was by John Burke, the head of Trek Bicycles. John pointed out several big picture problems and adverse conditions: Obesity, traffic congestion, the move of humans into the urban areas, and the environment.

Problems? No, Opportunities! Burke’s positive thinking really got the crowd going, and really energized us to go out and do our good deeds.

Trek has stepped up in a big way. They are taxing themselves $10 for each full suspension bike sold. That amounted to $350,000 last year, which was given directly to IMBA to build more trails. Burke then challenged all the other bike companies to step up as well. This would generate ten times as much dough, 3.5 million to build trails! John was not shy regarding his ulterior motives for such funding. More trails equals more sales! Any bike industry types out there listening? Up for the challenge? (Yes! Cannondale would be the next summit attendee to step up, with commitments announced the following day. Others companies are sure to follow, many other companies have been setting the pace with IMBA since the beginning).

After the morning Kumbaya, we all headed off to the various sessions, all designed to make us better advocates. Sessions on everything from urban bike park building to national wilderness issues are covered, but since I was here representing my local group, PTAG, I attended a seminar on successful grassroots organizing.

There would be lunch, then two more rounds of afternoon sessions. Sustainable trails, club leadership, effective communication, risk management are some of the other topics to be covered. So many opportunities, it was difficult to decide which to attend.

After filling one’s brain to the top with all the great ideas flowing through the halls, there’s only one way to top off the day, a ride on Park City trails. Out to Bob’s Basin, stay tuned…

[Click here for photo gallery].

On September 20th, a group of 100 cyclist will set out from New York City on a 5-day, 320 mile journey to Washington, DC to raise money and increase awareness for global warming solutions. Geraldine Carter and Caeli Quinn, who have spent the past ten years leading bicycling tours around the world, will lead the Brita Climate Ride 2008 along scenic backroads in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

The “Climate Riders” will pedal 45 to 80 miles each day. In the evening, after a hot shower and and a catered meal, they will gather for a presentation by an expert speaker, on topics ranging from the expected impacts of global warming to the possibilities of renewable energy. Members of the local communities will be invited to attend the lectures.

Each Climate Rider will be responsible for raising $2,250, to benefit Clean Air–Cool Planet and Focus the Nation, two non-profit organizations that are working to educate Americans about the impacts of climate change, to engage Americans in the possibility of a renewable energy based economy, and to mobilize politicians to legislate meaningful climate change and energy policies.

“I’m riding because we can solve the problem of global warming if we jump start a clean energy revolution,” said rider and organizer David Kroodsma, who previously completed the 5,000 mile Ride for Climate USA with riding partner Bill Bradlee.

In addition to raising funds, the Brita Climate Ride 2008 aims to advance the movement toward a green energy economy and encourage citizens to call on politicians to legislate meaningful climate change and energy policies. The event seeks to inspire individuals to take their share of responsibility for reducing fossil fuel energy consumption. Of course, the ride will showcase the bicycle as a viable, healthy and fun method of transportation. For more information on Brita Climate Ride 2008 or to register online, visit www.climateride.org.

–Karl Rosengarth

It now takes over $80 to fill the gas tank of my 2001 VW Eurovan. Between taking my daughters to school and other various trips I wind up making, I use about one tank of gas per week. To put that in perspective, for the equivalent of two weeks worth of gas, I could buy a 4GB iPod Nano. For roughly three weeks worth of gas, I could buy the 80GB iPod Classic. Or in a more realistic, non-elitist comparison…I can buy a week’s worth of groceries for the whole family for the amount it’d take to fill a tank. What about the people that are choosing between food and gas? Times are tough right now, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Ironically, I drove less when gas was cheaper. I would ride my bike to work at least three times per week, and my oldest daughter was in daycare on the campus where my wife works, so there was no need to drive her to camp or school.

But times have changed.

As much as I dread having to drive so much, it’s very difficult for me to get around it. Yes I often wear my Cars-R-Coffins tee, have a few One Less Car stickers placed in strategic locations and generally pontificate on the evil of combustion engines. Am I a hypocrite? Perhaps. But the harsh reality is that like most people in this country, I rely on my combustion-driven vehicle way too much. Riding my bicycle everywhere is just not practical for our family right now.

But you know what? I’m still glad that gas is getting so expensive in this country. And I hope it even gets a little more costly. I realize that statement isn’t going to make me a lot of friends, but allow me to explain.

While my wife and I do drive fairly often, we make a lot of decisions to reduce the actual amount we drive, and we’ve been doing that for years. Regardless of the cost of gasoline, people should make decisions that allow them to be more efficient. Those decisions range from the car company executives in Detroit committing to make more fuel-efficient cars, and to you and I combining trips to cut down how much we have to drive.

When I was in college, there was a dude who lived in my house one summer that would drive two blocks to go to the bar. Two blocks! The cost of gas is an absolute hardship on a lot of people that can’t get around driving a lot, and for people who’s very livelihood depends on driving. And that absolutely sucks! But I’m very happy that the high cost of gas is finally snapping people out of the idiocy of choosing to drive two blocks to go to the goddamn bar!

The high cost of gas is finally…and quickly…forcing people to question what they do, making folks have conversations about conserving and generally nudging people into making decisions that will make major parts of their lives more efficient. And, of course, people are riding their bicycles and taking mass-transit a lot more.

And that’s good stuff.

Just yesterday, in another cruel twist of irony in my life, as I drove the eight miles back to my house after dropping off my daughter at camp, I counted twelve people riding bicycles! Old ladies on old women’s three speeds, a bunch people wearing backpacks spinning quickly on their Target-bought bikes, a few people in roadie kits and one or two people on their weekend-only high end mountain bikes. This was all on a Thursday morning in suburban Philadelphia. Last summer, I wouldn’t have seen anyone on a bike on that road.

As much as I dream about it, we’re never going to reach a car-free utopia in this country. But if the high-cost of gas forces us to be more efficient, ride more bicycles, create tighter communities and breath easier…then I’m stoked.

The Tour Divide, touted as the world’s longest mountain bike race, started on June 13th in Banff, Alberta, Canada—with 16 racers setting off to test their endurance on a 2,711-mile journey that follows Adventure Cycling’s Great Divide Mountain Bike Route all the way to the USA/Mexico border.

This year SPOT Inc. has partnered with the Tour Divide to equip each racer with a SPOT Satellite Messenger, which provides online GPS tracking of each racer on Google Maps™. New SPOT shared pages functionality, currently in beta format, will post the last updated location of the racers on a Google map, viewable online throughout the race. Fans can also follow the action on the Tour Divide blog.

On June 20th, at the Montana/Canada border, another group of riders will set off on the route’s original race—the fifth annual Great Divide Race, which covers the 2,490-mile American portion of the route.

For daily podcasts from both the Tour Divide and the Great Divide Race, visit www.mtbcast.com for the duration of the respective events.

–Karl Rosengarth