Join IMBA's 'Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day' Celebration on Oct. 4

For Immediate Release
08-20-08
Contact: Mark Eller, IMBA Communications Director
markeller@imba.com
303-545-9011
IMBA'S International Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day

IMBA clubs and patrols around the globe will celebrate the fifth annual National Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008. The event provides a great opportunity to help kids have fun. All you need to do is visit IMBA's website, register your ride and plan an excursion. Whether you bring a few kids -- or a few hundred -- outdoors on their bikes you'll be helping the next generation gain an appreciation for the healthy, low-impact activity of mountain biking.

Register your event.

IMBA has a tradition of leadership in youth-oriented mountain biking programs. Leaders in the field gathered at this summer's IMBA World Summit and discussed strategies for expanding and improving youth programs.
Corporate Sponsors Onboard for Fifth Year

This year's celebration marks the fifth edition of Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day. Click here to find out more about last year's gatherings.

Once again, longtime IMBA corporate supporter Schwinn will donate prizes --including 10 youth-sized bikes -- for a drawing of registered events. The good folks at CLIF ZBaR will again donate healthy snacks for all registered events. Smartwool and the National Park Service will provide additional support for the celebration.

Trips for Kid provides valuable assistance for Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day. Trips for Kid has been helping disadvantaged kids discover mountain biking since 1988. Trips for Kids chapters nationwide make a difference in kids' lives by opening their world to mountain biking.
Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crews to Attend Events in ID, MA

The Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crews will be participating in two huge events. Kelly and Collins will join the New England Mountain Bike Association (NEMBA) at Middlesex Fells Reservation near Boston, and Anna and Jason will be partnering with the Southwest Idaho Mountain Bike Association (SWIMBA) at the Idaho Velodrome Park in Boise. Both events promise to be some of the most exciting celebrations of the year. Organizers are expecting close to 100 participants each, and numerous VIPs will be in attendance ‹ big names like Gary Fisher, Eric Carter and Randy Drielling.

FL CX is coming!!!

National Mountain Bike Oktoberfest at Fisher Farm Park in Davidson, NC, October 24‐26, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 8, 2008

Contact:

Connie Giordano

704‐957‐8450

connie@NationalMtbOktoberfest.org

connie@therightwords.com

David “Tinker” Juarez and Cowbell Challenge Inc., bring National Mountain Bike Oktoberfest to metro Charlotte

Charlotte, NC ‐ World and national mountain bike endurance champion, two‐time Olympian, and Mountain

Bike Hall of Famer David “Tinker” Juarez partners with Cowbell Challenge Inc., in presenting the National Mountain

Bike Oktoberfest at Fisher Farm Park in Davidson, NC, October 24‐26, 2008. The three‐day, family‐oriented

mountain bike festival features the last race of USA Cycling’s 2008 National Ultra Endurance Calendar, as well as

short track, time trials, and children’s races. The race venue is uniquely designed to take advantage of the early

sunset, giving racers the opportunity to ride the trails at night. Proceeds from the festival benefit Davidson

Recreation & Parks Youth Scholarship fund.

“I’ve been a professional cyclist for 35 years,” says Tinker. “I love this sport, especially endurance racing, and

this chance to step off the trail and give back to sport is tremendous. We can’t wait to come to North Carolina for

this world‐class endurance cycling event and festival.”

National Mountain Bike Oktoberfest kicks off on Friday night with short track races, sponsored by Niterider

Lighting Systems. Kids can get in on the action with special Kids Kompetition races on Saturday morning, including

a chance to try out the Strider balance bikes, designed specifically for one to five year old children. The featured

event of the weekend, the Oktoberfest 8‐Hour Endurance Race, starts at noon on Saturday. Time trials and a

special combination event known as “the Beast” round out the weekend on Sunday. Races conducted after sunset

will require adequate front and rear lighting.

A drawing for a five‐night stay at Anse Chastanet Resort in St. Lucia will also be held on Sunday. “This is a true

mountain bike festival with something for everyone with a bike and a little energy,” says Taylor Sullivan, president

of Cowbell Challenge. “We’re designing an endurance course that will challenge the top pros and amateurs, and

the whole weekend will be filled with chances to ride for fun and for prizes.” The 8‐hour endurance race boasts

equal cash payout for men and women in the solo (Open) categories and prize packages from sponsors including

MonaVieCannondale.com and ODI Grips. Other activities include Halloween costume contest for kids and adults,

and bike demos by Cannondale and Specialized Bicycles.

Fisher Farm Park in Davidson, NC, is the site of a former dairy farm owned and operated by the Fisher family

since the mid‐1800’s. Davidson, approximately 25 minutes from Charlotte‐Douglas International Airport, is a

beautiful college town situated near Lake Norman for an idea combination of small town ambience, outdoor

recreation, a flourishing Main Street of local businesses, and a unique sense of community.

Sponsors for National Mountain Bike Oktoberfest currently include Niterider Lighting Systems, Cannondale

Bicycles, MonaVieCannondale.com, ODI Grips, Specialized Bicycles, iBert Safe‐T‐ Seats, Strider Running Bikes, Anse

Chastanet Resort in St. Lucia, Summit Coffee, Bicycle Sport and The Cyclepath. Registration for short‐track,

combination, and time trial races begins at $10, and the 8‐hour endurance race begins at $50. There is no charge

for children’s races, but they must be registered. For more information on registration, purchasing raffle tickets,

new sponsors and activities, and the schedule of events, visit www.NationalMtbOktoberfest.org.

Cowbell Challenge, Inc., a 501C3 nonprofit corporation, is a volunteer organization dedicated to promoting

and organizing endurance mountain biking events which raise funds in support of charitable causes that promote

health, well‐being, and strong communities. Its signature event, the Cowbell Challenge 12‐Hour Endurance

Mountain Bike Race finished its seventh year in 2008 with more than $16,000 raised in support of numerous local

and national non‐profit organizations that support those facing catastrophic illness, families in crisis, maintaining

natural spaces, and promoting cycling and fitness.

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Related links:

http://www.NationalMtbOktoberfest.org

http://tinkerjuarez.blogspot.com/

http://www.usacycling.org

http://www.cowbellchallenge.org

Event: Oleta Off-Road Half Marathon & 5K Run

Presented by Down 2 Earth

Warning: No Whiners!

This event is off-road folks... that means running on singletrack, thru water crossings, and ground rappelling. Sounds like a challenge of monumental proportions.

Date: October 11th, 2008
Location: Oleta River State Park, 3400 N.E. 163rd St, N. Miami Beach, FL (305) 919-1846
Time: 7:30am Sharp!

Register Online at www.active.com and use keyword "down2earth"

For more information just send them an email here, or call Marlon at (786) 385-4204

Sizing a bike vs. Fitting a bike

In the market for a new bike? Have you thought about where you are going to have your investment professionally fitted? Do you know what size bike frame you need?

Sizing a bike is rather mundane, and often overlooked as an important step in the bike fitting process. The directions below will give you exactly what you need to find the proper frame size. Taken directly from Wobble-Naught , the worlds best fitting solution and our chosen method to professionally fit bicycles.

The only tools needed to size your bike are 1) level or book, 2) a metric tape, and 3) a calculator!

This is a very simple sizing process!!! It takes very little time.

1. Take your inseam length while standing in your socks with your feet about 4 to 6 inches apart, back against a wall.
2. Hold your level or book under your crotch (pull up firmly).
3. Use the tape from the top of the level or book, and measure to the floor.
4. Read the tape in centimeters.
5. Multiply the (cm) measurement by .67
6. Mountain Bikes, subtract 11 cm and round to the lower number, road bikes round to the nearest even cm.
7. This should roughly be the length of the seat tube on a properly sized frame.

This should give you a good reference point on size, so that you can obtain a precision fit.