We will be closed on Saturday, January 30.  We apologize for any inconvenience this causes.  We'll resume normal hours on Tuesday, February 2.  Thanks for understanding!

The holidays are over and Christmas morning is a distant memory.  It's a new year, and time for goals and resolutions.  If you're looking for a little inspiration, how about racing the Rio Bravo Rumble on Saturday, January 16?  The mountain bike duathlon is just east of Bakersfield and features several distances and run- or bike-only options.  You can even form a relay team and participate with a partner!  John raced it last year and had so much fun that he's making the drive again this year.  (Vanessa was supposed to, too, but the whole sprained ankle thing is really riffing her chill.)  Click here for more information on the race!   

We encourage everyone to get out there and try the Rio Bravo because new for 2010 will be a mountain bike duathlon at Hensley Lake!  That's right, we get our very own mountain bike ruin-bike-run right here in our backyard.  How awesome is that?  For more information on this exciting race, check out the Tri This! website here. 

Don't miss out on the fun!  Sign up today and start training now!  See you out there! 

We're thinning out our BMX inventory, so a ton of stuff has been marked down to clear it out.  Animal pedals, Odyssey cranks, Fit stems, sprockets, wheels...all substantially marked down to move!  The markdowns apply only to what's in stock, so come in early for the best selection.  John just started marking things down today and a lot of it is already gone.  Don't miss out on the great deals!

I can't believe I let the whole summer pass without posting about my first triathlon!  It was such a big deal!  Ok, so remember back in elementary school?  Remember the chubby girl with her nose in a book?  The one who got picked last for kickball and the one who couldn't run all the way to the fence in P.E.?  Yeah, that was me.  I've always been on the sidelines, too shy and unfit to join the fun.  So last year, I made a decision to stop putting off "someday" and finally signed up for the triathlon I've talked about doing since 2005.  Great idea at the time, until I remembered that I was so out of shape that I'd lose my breath just talking with customers!   Luckily, I had 8 months to prepare.  So, I lost 40 pounds, dramatically improved my fitness, and learned how to swim (important in a triathlon, I've heard).  As the big day approached, I was ready physically, but starting to panic mentally.  The chubby girl on the sidelines kept yammering in my ear about not belonging there and kept trying to convince me to chicken out.  I had no idea that actually getting myself to the starting line would be the most challenging part of the whole event.  I just kept telling her to shut up and kept reminding myself that I was physically capable of doing this, and the chubby girl did finally relent.  And as nervous as I was in the weeks leading up to it, I was oddly serene about the whole thing the night before and morning of.  No butterflies, no nerves, nothing...just pure excitement and joy at the prospect of accomplishing something that the little girl waiting to get picked for kickball would have never dreamt possible.  I loved every second of it.  Actually, that's a lie, I am not a huge fan of the swim yet (who likes getting kicked?).  I loved every second of it, after the swim.  I was grinning from ear to ear the whole time I was out there (not swimming).  It was truly one of the greatest experiences of my life, and definitely one of the most fun things I've ever done.  I am so glad that I stopped talking about doing it and just finally did it.  And I am so, so glad that I got to do one before John.  (That is probably the best part of the whole experience, actually!)  So the big question now is, what's next?

This is me before the start thinking, "I think they measured wrong, that looks way farther than 400m!" and really wishing they had extra-large swim caps. 

This is transition one.  I am so happy here, because the swim is OVER!!!  And also because I get to go ride my bike now, and I love, love, LOVE my bike!

I had the most fun on the bike, despite all the crazy turns and close brushes with traffic!  Have I mentioned how much I love my bike?

First of all, the great thing about the Mermaid Triathlon is that it is an all-women event and the energy and camaraderie is amazing.  Second of all, who puts the finish on a hill after a stretch of sand?  Like, seriously, after all that, I have to run up a stupid hill now?  But I made it, and I had a blast!  I can't wait until next year!

Over 75 people showed up to honor Erick and finish his last ride.  

The officers who were riding with Erick put up a memorial so that we can all remember Erick as we ride down 007.  Be sure to give him a yell! 

Erick's co-workers at UPS had this memorial marker made, which bears the signatures of so many who loved him. 

Ride On...Rock On!  Everyone got stickers for their bikes so they could remember Erick with each ride. 

To see more pictures from Erick's Memorial Ride, click here and here.

Everybody knows I'm not that technologically gifted, but I think I may have pulled off mapping out the prison ride for anyone interested in trying the ride out themselves.  This is my first time doing anything like this, so it may not be perfect, but at least it will get you there!  I can't figure out how to fix the end yet, but obviously it ends back at the start and not at some random spot on Granada!  (Okay, so it gets you there, just not back!)  I'm going to see how many more of these I can do and get them posted on here for everyone.  Ride safe!