As we posted last week, the 2010 installment of the 24 Hours of Big Bear has been canceled. A lot of people were looking forward to that race. If you’re one of them, and already have your calendar clear that weekend for racing and/or riding your bicycle in West Virginia, we have a few possible options for you.

I must say now that none of these events are completely confirmed yet. While Dirt Rag will do its best to keep you informed here, we encourage you to use the links associated with each event to confirm before you make your drive to Wild and Wonderful West Virginia that weekend.

Big Bear “Pow Wow”
As mentioned in our original posting, Granny Gear Productions (promoters of the 24 Hours of Big Bear) are working on revamping the event for next year. Part of that planning/healing process is inviting everyone down to Big Bear the same weekend the race was supposed to happen, and have everyone ride the trails, hang out and participate in an optional, informal “pow-wow” about the future of the event. They also plan on having a potluck dinner, camping and the famous 24 Minutes kids race. The event will be free, but there might be a small fee for camping. Keep an eye on the Granny Gear web site for more info as it comes available.

The same sort of event is planned for the 24 Hours of 9-Mile (also a Granny Gear event) as an alternative to that race, which was also canceled. Again, check the Granny Gear web site.

Big Bear 4×24
Big Bear’s general manager, Mark Schooley is planning a unique kind of race at Big Bear Lake Family Camplands on Saturday, June 12th. The format of this particular race is that all racers will compete on a 24-mile loop of lovely technical singletrack. Solo racers are required to do four laps, while duos and teams won’t have to do all four laps. Schooley elaborates: “All other classes will compete in a relay style race for a total of 4 laps. Expert classes would be duo teams in age brackets and would ride 2 laps each.  Sport classes would be 4 person teams in age brackets and would ride 1 lap each. Essentially solos ride 100 miles, experts ride 50 miles and sports ride 25 miles.” More information is on its way, and readers are urged to visit the Big Bear Lake Family Camplands web site often for more info.

24 Hours of Creek to Peak
We only have a couple details on this event as of right now. We know it’ll be held in Eleanor West Virginia and it’s on the same weekend. We’re told to watch the iPlayOutside web site for more info, or to contact Larry Perkins.

There you have it. Plan on attending any of these events? Or do you have more info on them? If so, leave a comment below to let us know.

Dirt Rag has teamed up with Dohm to bring you a soft and stylish wool cap. Dohm caps are made in Colorado on antique knitting and sewing machines that are powered by hand, which takes more time and produces the best in quality craftsmanship. The fibers that run through the machines are world class yarns which are produced under the strictest environmental standards.

Dohm’s Super Soft visor cap is made of 50% fine Merino wool, 30% wool, and 20% polyamide. Our noggin topper has a soft fleece headband liner, shapeable visor, contoured cap flap and features our Dirt Rag logo above the left temple. This cap will surely keep you warm, whether you’re waiting at the 24-Hour race transition tent, camping, or finishing a cold ride.

Available for $32, one size fits most, and offered in either Coal or Magma color. Click here…

It’s that time of year again! The Dirt Rag and Bicycle Times World Tour is gearing up for the season—with some exciting new stops planned for 2010. Our travels will take us far and wide, so stop by our booth and subscribe to the magazines, chat, or share a beer and a laugh. Where will we be, you ask? Here’s the list, as of this post:

• Ray’s Women’s Weekend, February 19-21 in Cleveland, OH.
• North American Handmade Bike Show, February 26-28 in Richmond, VA.
• Seattle Bike Show, March 13-14 in Seattle, WA.
• Sea Otter Classic, April 15-19 in Monterey, CA.
• Dirt Rag’s own Dirt Fest, May 21-23 at Raystown Lake, PA
• 24 Hours of Big Bear, June 12-13 at Big Bear Lake, WV.
• New Belgium Brewing Urban Assault, June 27 in Austin, TX.
• Interbike, September 20-24 in Las Vegas, NV.

Online registration is now open for Dirt Rag’s own Dirt Fest. For more information on Dirt Fest click here.

The 2010 World Tour is made possible by our proud sponsors and we’d like to thank them. So thank you: WTB, Panaracer, Kleen Kanteen, Continental, Princeton Tec and Kenda for kicking down some fine products, which we will pass along to you, dear reader, when you sign up for a subscription or renewal at our booth. See ya there.

The Literature Contest is a celebration of the written word. It’s our annual effort to recognize and reward writers who possess the ability to deliver fine prose with a cycling bent and a unique narrative style.

The only requirements: your entry must be 1) cycling themed and 2) no more than 3,000 words, though that limit is not a quota. If you’re in need of guidance or are seeking the tastes of our judging panel, check out the winning stories from 2009 in issues #145 and #146.

Two winners will be chosen, first place and runner-up. Winners will get awesome prizes and have their stories published in Dirt Rag.

Rules

• Entries must include a reference to cycling, preferably mountain biking.
• Entries must be original and previously unpublished.
• Judges’ decisions are final.
• Plagiarism is a crime. Do not plagiarize.
• One entry per person. No more.
• Word count limit is 3,000 words.
• Mail-in entries only.

Entry Guidelines
Include one cover page with title, name and contact information. Do not place personal information, such as name or address, anywhere on the article itself. Entries will not be returned. Send to Dirt Rag Literature Contest, 3483 Saxonburg Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15238. All entries must be postmarked by June 1st, 2010.

Here’s the Fine Print: All entrants grant Dirt Rag the rights to reproduce submitted material in the magazine and on dirtragmag.com. Payment for non-winning entries to be made 30 days after print publication. We assume that all entries are original works and are the property of the entrant, with all rights granted therein. We aren’t liable for copyright infringement on the part of the entrant.

We’ve marked down the price on our complete selection of Dirt Rag logo synthetic cycling jerseys from 28% to 35% off. The following styles are on sale for $45 each: Perpetrator, Elements, and women’s Elements. Our 20th Anniversary jerseys (men’s and women’s) are on sale for $50 each. Sale prices valid through February, or while supplies last. Get ‘em while they’re hot!

Our jerseys are made by Voler of their extremely breathable, UV-reflecting SQ Pro fabric and they feature a front zipper, raglan sleeves, and three rear pockets. Available in men’s club cut, and women’s cut (depending on style). Click here to shop….

Each year the Dirt Rag/Bicycle Times staff has a friendly intra-office competition and we (try to) keep track of when we ride to work. A simple grid representing the days of the week listed vertically, and our names written horizontally, is as high-tech as we get. As usual, the staff tallied some strong commuting numbers in 2009.

The staff accumulated a combined 470.5 days commuted by bicycle, covering a grand total of 8848.5 miles. That’s a strong number, considering we live between 6 and 42 hilly round trip miles from HQ. I was curious to know what that total mileage represented, and a quick search of the Internet revealed that our mileage is equal to a round trip flight from Pittsburgh to Poland.

We are proud of our accomplishment, but we were off pace from the two previous years and hope to regain the lost days in 2010. Simply forgetting to mark an “X” on the grid to tally a “commuted day” is a big portion of our lower number.

Karen cleanly took home the gold with 140.5 commuting days covering 3512.5 miles. Hooray for Karen!

Matt had the second most mileage, 1560, with 78 days on the saddle.

Shannon had the second most days at 92 with 1288 miles.

And Justin finished with an even 60 days and 960 miles.

The remaining staff stats:
Eric 56 days 784 miles
Maurice 18 days 252 miles
Amanda 12 days 72 miles
Andy 10.5 days 273 miles
Andrew 3.5 days 147 miles