Candy Cranks

Mick from ifeellikealittlekid has been riding through South America and it looks like he’s been having an amazing time.

A small selection of some of the great pics Mick has taken so far.

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Iguazu Falls, Argentina

Argentina

Chile

Salar De Uyuni, Bolivia

Death Rd, Bolivia

Ecuador

Looks incredible Mick! So jealous See more of his travels here.

Mick already has his next trip planned, he’s heading over to do the Paris Roubaix in France along with 15 other riders from around the globe. The riders will all be on fixed bikes and the route covers 260km, 53km of that being on cobblestones.

Good luck Mick! More info on the Roubaix ride.

On the weekend I travelled down to Thredbo, NSW to watch my partner race at the Red Ass 4X and Dual Slalom State Series. After watching a u-tube video of a dual slalom race in the States, I borrowed some pads and a full face helmet and decided to join in the race. I chickened out at the 4X, but by the time  the dual slalom came around I had found enough psyche and lost enough insecurities to enter. I had such a blast.  Anyways, here is a little rhyme about my experience…

Donning a suit of borrowed armour

I try to breathe, but don’t get any calmer

Remember folks, I’m not exactly Shaun Palmer

He’s as fast a cheater – I’m more like a llama.

But who said Dual Slalom was just about winning

Collecting trophies until your pool room is blinging

Lapping up applause until it leaves your ears ringing

Nah, fuck that, there’s another tune I’d rather be singing:

“Girls just want to have fun

Oh, girls just want to have fun”

I am doing well for the first two heats,

Even though I’m not racing the other elites.

“What’s that? I’m first over the line? Sweeet”

Pity it’s not something I’m able to repeat.

Still, it’s cause for me to rise to my feet,

And sing,

“Girls just want to have fun

Oh, girls just want to have fun”

Next up on the gate is a young wipper-snapper

The fact that he’s 13 years old doesn’t matter

He races out of that gate like some sort of mad-hatter

I slip off the pedals, which doesn’t make matters better

Loosing to a young punk is hardly a source of pleasure,

But when the chips get you down, you’ve just got to remember

“Girls just want to have fun

Oh, girls just want to have fun”

Sharing the gate with Vanessa, I’ll admit I was scared

There’s no point sizing us up – I don’t even compare

There is one hell of a rider under that mane of blond hair

Any victory she scores, is hers fair and square.

I was kind of close behind her for the first bit of the track,

But for the rest of the way I just admired her back,

You’ve got to get good at defence, when you fail at attack.

Although, I did lay down some corners, and avert some stacks

And I don’t come off too bad when you play the race back.

It’s just a bit of speed and coordination I lack.

But to anyone who says dual slalom has no room for the hacks,

I’ll clear my throat, and sing back

“Girls just want to have fun

Oh, oh, girls just want to have fun”

That’s me on the right…

I will be recapping this past weekend at NAHBS in Richmond, VA in a few parts. The entire weekend was insane! There was constantly so much going on. Friday night Keith, Andy, Candice, and I got some sushi and headed over to the Carytown Bike Co Party. It was a really relaxed party and a lot of fun. And I finally got to meet up with Ben from Cinelli! Ben also introduced me to the frame builders. Every one was SO nice and Ben especially was way too good to my friends and I. If you guys didn’t already know, I love Cinelli! After the Carytown party cleared out a lot of us rode over to a house party that soon after got broken up by multiple cop cars and vans. From there we rode over to Mojo’s before finally riding back to the hotel where we ordered some pizza, rode around with some of the Philli and Milwaukee kids and some roman candles, and finally called it a night.

Photos via Andy’s cell phone - @ Carytown Bike Company

Looks of exhaustion at the end of the night

I’ve been lazy and just finished sorting out my great memories of bike trip to Australia. I miss the weather back thereee, it is snowing here in Nagoya today, awwwww! so I would like to share some pics of my holidays to keep warm here like the sumer time…

Riding in Melbourne is great. It’s really flat and everything is close together so it is easy to ride around.

I went to see my friends there. I met these lovely messengers at CMWC Tokyo.

The funniest guys in Melbourne! Gotta see Brian & Lane if you are ever around there. They know how to throw a party. It is really great to have cool friends all over the world.

Melbourne was over 37℃, I was just about sit down in the shade of a tree… then 2 guys on bikes came up and said “Are you Brian’s friend?” I was like “Yeees…” Mmmm, I recognized him by his dread locks hair from CMWC tokyo. We didn’t know each other, he is from Dublin and Im from Nagoya but we start getting some drinks and became friends. It was just an accident that we met in Melbourne but it happens when you ride a bicycle!

For New Years Party…

Swimming in the living room!?

OMG these guys were so hilarious! They have a swimming pool in the living room, RAD!!!

Ausie BBQ

Exploring the city...

Lots of good coffee shops in Fitzroy

NUTS! tee & Love Wheels Nagoya Calendar. *Thank you*

Thanks a lot  to everyone who made my trip so much fun, to all the great people I met who helped me out, put me up and showed me an awesome time. All the things made me want to move into Australia more. Im definitely coming back soon. See ya!

Don't stop! GO TRAVEL THE WORLD!

My Bike Journey to Sydney → HERE!

More pics of Melburn → HERE!

Yarr! The lovely lass Jamie hosted a Birthday Bike Treasure Hunt around Honolulu.. Pirate themed of course me mateys!!

Yo ho ho! There were so many pirates looting the feast! Rum and oranges for all!

Pints of Guzzle Grog were consumed on the Captain’s orders before sailing to our favourite bike fancy, the Kickstand!

Land Ho! Its Christmas-tree Park!

And voyage to the final stop of the rainy flats of Daimond Head to plunder the rum, the finest treasure of all!

[Photos by the lad James Unabia]

Happy Birthday Jamie!

The local fixed gear collective, Aloha Fixed, held their Island Unstoppable ride, over 100 miles around most of Hawaii’s main island, Oahu.

30 showed up for the ride, with 16 finishers, and a few ladies are in there!

Completing the epic ball breaking, Pinapple Hill

Congrats friends!!!

hello!

my name is olivia, i live in nyc, and i’m new to candy cranks. i’m super stoked on joining this kick-ass team of international female cyclists. candy cranks is the absolute embodiment of the trinity of important/awesome things in my life - writing, feminism and cycling!

this writing opportunity came at the perfect time amidst a mid-january riding slump. it’s been crazy cold in new york recently, and i’ve been seriously lacking motivation to ride. getting the good news last night inspired me to get back on the bike, and it couldn’t have come on a better day. today was the warmest day we’ve had recently, with highs at a sweltering 44 degrees. knowing it was going to be beautiful outside, i decided to ride down to the brooklyn bridge - the only borough to borough bridge i never got around to riding.

semi-unfortunately, everyone else ever had the same idea. the bridge was packed, which made it pr-etty unpleasant to ride on. however, all wasn’t lost. since it’s so amazingly picturesque there (caught the sunset, awww!), walking allowed me to soak in the scene more than if i had been zipping by on my bike… which actually brings me to a mini-tangent…

a fair number of people WERE riding their bikes on the bridge. a small percentage of those people were riding cautiously, and ergo, respectfully. however, the larger percentage was going unnecessarily fast, cutting quickly in-between large groups of tourists, and yelling obscenities at couples who didn’t just *feel* them coming (okay, this last one was only one lady who really seemed to be having a tough time, but come on!) obvs i’m completely pro-bikes, pro-riders, pro-cyclist rights, but it’s really frustrating to see fellow riders treating pedestrians so blatantly like the “enemy.” also, as a disclaimer, i know speed can sometimes get the best of us. you’re in the moment, you luckily caught a tail-wind, you’re liberated, the world is yours!! it’s great. and sometimes speed is necessary, crucial to the mission. going to work, rushing home, making a delivery, whatever. i just think that as cyclists, especially in nyc, we’re used to dealing with jerks who feel completely entitled to every inch of the road (i.e, taxis, SUVs from jersey), and it would be a shame to present ourselves as just another species of self-entitled prickitude. ESPECIALLY when we need more recognition in the law! we need more bike lanes! we need drivers to treat us like people, not nuisances! let’s not alienate pedestrians, as well! right!?

but i digress. i’m SO happy to be writing here in a network of rad-ness. i look forward to continue posting and to talking with you all! safe riding,

xo!

The Tour of Britain and The Prostate Cancer Charity Reveal Three New Tour Rides For 2010

Following a successful entry into the world of sportives last year, The Prostate Cancer Charity, in partnership with The Tour of Britain, is pleased to announce they will stage a further three events in 2010.

Cyclists will have the unique opportunity to measure themselves against the pro riders, taking on one or more stages of The 2010 Tour of Britain, going the full distance of 150km, or taking on a challenging 70km.

The Prostate Cancer Charity’s Tour Rides, which will all take place in September, will offer amateur cyclists the chance to ride three full stages of Britain’s national cycle tour in 2010:

• In a brand new event for 2010, cyclists will be able to tackle a tough route which traverses the scenic South West, travelling 150km from Minehead to the South Devon coast or covering part of the route over a distance of 70km, on Sunday 5 September.

• Stoke-on-Trent, which saw 1,300 riders participate in the inaugural Tour Ride last year including British Road Race Champion Kristian House, will again play host to cyclists, offering a grueling 145km route which starts and finishes in Stoke-on-Trent in the City’s centenary year, as well as a 70km challenge event, on Sunday 26 September.

• There will also be an event on the London stage of the event, which will take cyclists on a route past some of the most iconic landmarks in the capital, on Saturday 18 September, prior to the final stage of The Tour of Britain.

In both the South West and Stoke-on-Trent, there will also be 20km family rides, as well as other cycling-related activities at the event sites, so that people of all ages and cycling abilities can take part.

To take part in The Prostate Cancer Charity’s Tour Rides, visit www.tourride.co.uk.

Happy New Year Everyone!

It has been a while since my last post reason being I have been away traveling for the last seven months and just got home to Dublin. It is great to be home, after spending the last few months traveling around Asia, Dublin seems a lot less hectic

After saying hello to everyone my first port of call was checking out my bike which had been gathering dust in the garage. I really missed her while I was away! All she needed was a quick pump up of the tires and I was motoring again but I soon realised it was not the weather for cycling in Dublin; it was so cold I nearly froze; I am definitely missing the hot weather I left behind! We’ve had some sever frost and snow over the last few days with temperatures going as low as -10 degrees which has made cycling around the city a bit like cycling on an ice rink!

white on white!

cold!

So unfortunately my bike has gone back into the garage for the time being until the ice melts. Meanwhile I have my feet up by the fire and have started the mammoth task of sorting through seven months of holiday pictures below are some pictures of bicycles that caught my eye in Hanoi, Vietnam.

My bike is better than yours...

Everyone does it, checking out their neighbours bike while waiting for the lights to turn green, I know I do

Hanoi

a lady and her bicycle

These old bikes get a lot of use and abuse but they are so sturdy they look like they could last forever!

a lot of flowers on one bike!

Snow..Amsterdam has been full of snow for the last week! It doesn’t usually happen this early here or this much so we are all loving it. And the best thing? Not even snow stops us from cycling !! This is what i love most about Amsterdamers..nothing comes in between us and our bikes

It has been slippery and the bike paths have been full of snow but that’s not a problem ! The bike paths are usually clear of snow by mid morning and everyone is out and about.

Here are a few pics - i even saw cyclists at 3am while it was snowing! Very cool

Merry xmas everyone !

Cyclists at 3am

View from my bedroom window

Cold orphan bikes all over :(

Brrrr cold start !

Really cute video  by Charge Bikes on their Lazy Susan model.

Aloha! So for my 21st birthday, a bar hop was an obvious necessity in the night’s plans, so what better way than make it into a bicycle ride?! We started off on a nice 3 mile ride out to La Mariana Sailing Club, a funky original tiki bar.

There were so many bikes!

And most of the ever expanding Punani Pedal Club!

As we moved on to more bars there was bike parking madness!

So it was an amazingly fun night and ride, thanks to all who rode and partied!

love from nimz!

(photos by Mike Keany!)

Aimed at capturing the lifestyle of female riders in the testosterone-ridden world of mountain biking, the makers of a new film, Awesome Land: Women of Dirt, hope to shed light on what drives these women athletes.

“The inspiration for Women Of Dirt starts first with the women who make up an important part of our sport and yet get overlooked,” said film producer Mark Brent. “We felt that our lifestyle gets overlooked, and that the women in our sport get overlooked. By focusing on two elements that we don’t see in DVDs, we are telling a story that hasn’t been told.”

More preview videos at:

Via Bikemagazine, Photo Wil Smith

Punani Pedal Club hosted its first Alley Cat for our friend Christopher who is moving to Portland!

The manifest included his favourite spots in Honolulu, including a couple bars, the university’s “free store” and the infamous abandoned Queen Theater! All stops had to be completed within 40 minutes….

Stop 1! Queen Theater where a photo must be taken!

Stop 2! Convenience store by Young Scale Co. where a mini whiskey must be consumed!

Stop 3! The University Free Store where something must be left behind!

these ladies found a castle!

Stop 4! Anna Bananas where a beer must be quickly consumed!

Stop 5! Fresh cafe where a cookie must be eaten! We found Open Mic there!

Stop 6! Smiths Union Bar where Karaoke must be sung! Only 1 team made it there as the rest of us got distracted by the open mic.. winners!

Photos by Aly Ishikuni and Nimz

Aloha Christopher! More alley cats to come!

-Nimz

After several false starts (and my very bad mood) the Mittens hit the road last sunday for Provins (middle-age town near Paris).
Numbers : About 120 miles, 2 punctures, half a litre of hot tea (thanks to Vic), 8 pancakes, 300g of dried apricots, 4h in the rain, 1h in a hailstorm, 3h night-riding, and a fricking head on wind (never the other way round), 3h rest, and 8 cases of the giggles…

PERFECT !

Round 2 for November rides in Honolulu! We had an amazing turnout for a Sunday evening, total of 16 people, 8 of whom were girls!! Alright Honolulu bike ladies! Many new faces and new friends were made!

As you can see, I’m way excited about this!

Devon and Jamie rollin out down Beretania Ave

Bike booty headin through Waikiki!

Devon’s first ride up Diamond Head deserves a high5!

Z and Sheiks lookin steller

Chicks on Bikes!

Mary and Jason made it out on Bianchis!

And the group! Punani Pedal photographer Mike Keany in the top right corner! 8 lovely ladies and our punani pedal boys on Diamond Head!

And this is where J.Ham starts to remove his girl pants…

Photos by Mike Keany!

Aloha from Honolulu!

Nimz

Shanghai is the home of the xiao long bao, or soup dumpling. Since moving here, I haven’t really been impressed, so my friends & I got together to seek out the best the city has to offer. And with the Shanghai Alleycat coming up, we thought this would be good training for the race.

We followed this ride map and hit up a bunch of spots around Shanghai.

Our whips

Our reward!

Dumpling details at www.phatsh.com

Though Hawaii doesn’t have much of an autumn season, our ride to welcome November was very friendly with “fall”…

Rain Battle wounds:

Photo credit: Michael Keany.
Besides the wipe outs, the fall ride was quite fun! We had a sadly skewed sex ratio, favouring males, yet three lovely ladies attended

Photo credit: Aly Ishikuni

The boys sabotaged our ride by changing the route and speed racing up Diamond Head, so the girls broke off, chatted and took awesome photos!

Photo credit: Aly Ishikuni

Eurgh, boys.

Photo: Nimz

Photo: Nimz

We biked through the rain for Frozen yoghurt madness!

Photo Credit: Aly Ishikuni

Photo Credit: Michael Keany

More photos can be viewed here!

Aloha, Nimz