I guess it's that time of year again. Christmas is over, and with the new year only a few days away, it seems appropriate to quickly reflect on the the past 12 months, and look ahead to the year to come.
January was pretty nice in the Comox Valley. We were consistently getting out for our Tuesday night rides, and all things considered, conditions were pretty good. Sure, the days were short and it rained a bit, but the snow line was pretty high up, and we were riding some of the upper trails that usually don't clear up until late spring.
The obvious highlight from February is the Olympics, but since cycling isn't a winter Olympic sport, we'll just ignore the Olympics. Mount Washington was getting massive dumps of snow, keeping boarders and skier happy. Back down here in the valley night rides were continuing, and trail conditions were pretty good.
The end of March marked the arrival of daylight savings time. After work rides in daylight were suddenly attainable, and our Tuesday night mountain bike and Thursday night road rides began.
April officially marked the start of racing season. The Cumberland XC and DH races were both held, with solid representation from Blacks in both events. Even though we're all about fun here at the shop, sometimes it's nice to challenge yourself in a competitive environment, and see how far you can push your limits.
Besides the great weather we had in May, the obvious highlight had to be the Rocky Mountain Demo Day we had in Cumberland. We got a chance to demo some great trail bikes, including Altitudes, Flatlines, and lots of 29ers.
June and July were kind of a blur between busy days in the shop and lot of time in saddle. Between commuting, road rides, and mountain bike rides, I think it's safe to say I put in more saddle time in a couple months than some do in a lifetime.
In August we held the first annual 4 Peaks of Cumberland. We basically took 4 separate stand alone rides and combined them into 1 fun all day epic. We had a great turnout and will definitely do this one again next year.
The 4th annual Yana Ride took place in September. This is Les and Erica Black's big event - Something they work tirelessly on months ahead to make sure that things go as smoothly as possible, and ultimately, raise as much money as possible for Yana. 2010 marked the first year the weather was less than stellar, with grey skies and a bit of morning rain. Despite the weather woes, we had a great turnout and more than $20,000 was raised. Big thanks to Les and Erica Black and everyone else who helped make this great event a success.
October for most people means the end of the riding season, but here at the shop the rides kept going and we were still getting lots of pedal time.
November is always and exciting time with 2011 products starting to roll in. Some of the most anticipated products, like the Norco Range series arrived. For us at the shop it's like Christmas every time the courier truck shows up at the door.
And I guess that brings us to December. Most of us indulge in treats a bit more this time of year, providing the perfect motivation to get out on our bikes to keep the winter fat at bay. Most of the lower trails are still rideable. If you're geared up right you can still get those base miles in on your road bike. Hopefully you got some cool new riding stuff under your tree, and you get out soon to use it.
Looking forward we have lots planned for 2011. We still have new 2011 bikes arriving daily, and if the product is any indication, 2011 is gonna rock. From everyone at Blacks, Happy New Year. Hopefully 2011 is filled with smooth shifting gears, true wheels, and complete lack of flat tires for everyone.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Rocky Slayers
Here it is! One of the most anticipated all mountain rides for 2011. 6.5 inches of do it all travel. This bike must been seen to be believed. Its always better in person. A Slayer 30 and 70 are currently here with some more models coming in within the next week or two.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
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