Interbike is moving

Interbike, the industry show for all things cycling is moving - both location and dates.

For the past 14 years, Interbike has been held during the 3rd week in September in Las Vegas, but 2010 will be the last year at the Sands convention center. 

The new location has not been announced, but they are looking to move the date to early August. 

Two locations are on the short list: Anaheim, California - where it was held before move to Las Vegas, and...

wait for it...

Salt Lake City, Utah.

Obviously, you can guess which one I want to host Interbike in 2011.  In my opinion, SLC is the obvious choice.  There is ample road and mountain riding within minutes of downtown SLC, and the Outdoor Retailer Summer and Winter market shows are both ran by the same group that runs Interbike. 

Interbike is in discussion with both cities. 

Last day to enter the Element Bars contest

Today is the last day to enter the Element Bars giveway. 

Remenber, all you need to do to win a box (dozen) Element Bars, or Element Endurance Bars is leave a comment telling me what you would name your custom Element or Element Endurance Bar. 

I'll announce the winner on Friday, September 3rd.

Product review - Yurbuds

Now that the Tour of Utah, and my posting of photos from the Tour is done, I can get back to product reviews of items that I found at the Outdoor Retailer show.

One of the booths I found tucked away in a back corner of the show was the Yurbuds booth.  What Yurbuds offer are earbuds to use with your iPod or mp3 player.  What makes them different is that they guarantee that they will not fall out.

video from the Yurbuds YouTube channel

The way they do this is by the shape of their earbuds.  They are huge!  When I first saw them, my first thought was "you expect that to go in my ear?!" They shape is unique, and they look like they will be bulky and uncomfortable, but that couldn't be farther from the truth.  They are ergonomically designed to not contact any pressure points in your ear, and come in 6 different sizes to fit a large range of ear sizes.

photo from the Yurbuds website

I was given a pair of Yurbuds to try out, and I have been using them non-stop since then.  Like I said, they look like they would be uncomfortable, but you can hardly tell that you have them in. And the sound quality is great.  I find that I'm listening to my music and podcasts at a lower volume than I was when I was using the standard iPod earphones, or my Skull Candy buds.

I've worn them when running, and their claim is true - they won't fall out! With my other earbuds, it seems like I'm constantly having to push them back in, or at least putting my hand up to my ear to make sure that they aren't falling out, disrupting my rhythm, or they're hitting a pressure point, and are uncomfortable to wear.  These I can't tell that I have them in - except for the fact that I can clearly hear my music or podcasts.

The music clarity is another thing that is great about them.  Due to their design, the Yurbuds allow you to hear a good deal of ambient noise without sacrificing the quality of your music.  The guy I talked to at Outdoor Retailer said that they're great for cycling because you can still hear the cars on the road while listening to your music.  I can't - and won't - vouch for that claim since I am completely against cycling with earphones in.

They come in 6 different sizes.  If you are buying them in person, they will measure your ear with a credit-card sized piece of plastic with a hole in it, or if you are buying them online, you will need to send them a picture of your ear with either an iPod-style earphone in, or a quarter held below your earlobe.

photo from the Yurbuds site

Yurbuds start at $19.99 for the silicon earbuds that will work with your own set of iPod-style earphones and go up to $49.99 for the Ironman Performance version which includes an extra pair of earbuds and a carrying case along with some high-quality earphones. 

I love my set of Yurbuds.  They are easily the most comfortable earbuds that I have worn. 

For more information, go to http://www.yurbuds.com/

Tour of Utah 2010 - Stage 5 pictures

Funny.  This is my post about stage 5 of the Tour of Utah, and it is my 555th post.

Anyways...  I already posted the stage and final results, so on to the pictures. 

a little pre-race prep

putting on the final touches at the finish line.  Notice the wet ground, and the ominous clouds in the next picture?

about an 1 1/2 to 2 hours before the riders showed up, there was 5 minutes of pouring rain and hail.  Fortunately it cleared up and went away before they arrived.

 

Jai Crawford taking the stage win, with Levi right on his wheel.

Burke Swindlehurst finishing what may be his last race as a pro.  I think the bowed head some of the riders had as they crossed the finish line speaks volumes of how difficult this stage was.

Great tribute on Levi's bike for Terry McGinnis, the former Exec. Director of the Tour of Utah who passed away from cancer last October.

the Tour de France may have Didi Senft, the Devil, but we have our own. 

I can't wait till 2011. People are thinking that there may be some problems for 2011 with the Quiznos Pro Challenge in Colorado scheduled for the week after the Tour of Utah.  Hopefully that won't be the case.

Tour of Utah 2010 - Stage 4

Sorry for the delay in the pictures.  Like I said, I took more than 3x the pictures on this stage than any of the other stages.  And what a stage it was!  Unlike the criterium stages of the past years, this one was a brutal uphill criterium in downtown Park City.  The riders started on Main St. and had to climb the 1/2 mile, 12% grade before turning and rocketing back down Swede Alley, through several 90 degree turns only to face Main St. again, for 30 more laps. 

Jeff Louder lead the race for an impressive 30 minutes, and had built up a lead of over 60 seconds at one point.  Here are the results.

1. 23 Jeff LOUDER BMC Racing Team BMC USA 1.14'45" 10"
2. 170 Jai CRAWFORD V Australia VAU AUS 1.15'07" 22" 6"
3. 1 Francisco MANCEBO PEREZ Canyon Bicycles CAN ESP 1.15'07" ... 4"
4. 141 Davide FRATTINI Team Type 1 TT1 ITA 1.15'12" 27"
5. 14 Benjamin JACQUES-MAYNES BISSELL Pro Cycling Team BIS USA 1.15'12"

And pictures.

First, a couple of warm-up laps.

and then, they're off!

Louder out in front, and this is where he stayed for more than a third of the race.

a well deserved win for Jeff Louder.

Do you want to be incredibly fast on the bike like Taylor Phinney?  Have this lady as your mom.  Taylor with his mom, Connie Carpenter-Phinney