California Touring – Tour of California Route Announced

Tour-of-CaliforniaThe Organizers of the Amgen Tour of California have announced this year’s route for America’s highest ranked stage race, which runs north to south from May 11 to May 18. It will cover 740 and organizers have said that the toughest and most critical stages occur on the first few days as a way create a new dynamic in the battle for the overall title.

The peloton will face the longest stage, the fast and flat time trial, and the hardest stage in the first three days of racing. In past races, the time trial and Queen stages – which typically shape overall standings – came late in the race, and the leader after that point had to defend his top position for only one or two remaining days. This year, with several days of difficult racing to follow, it is likely 2014 race fans will see the coveted yellow leader jersey change hands throughout the week with top performers in close contention and challenging each other until the very finish,” a race press release said. Continue reading California Touring – Tour of California Route Announced

The Cost of the Olympics (And Other Facts)

OlympicsThe flame of the Winter Olympic Games has been extinguished. The final costs for the games in Sochi Russia might not be known, but it was a reported $51 billion or more than the previous 21 Winter Olympics combined. GearJunkie compiled some interesting facts, and among those the games cost roughly $18 million per athlete!

Check out the other interesting facts!

[Via GearJunkie: Sochi Cost $18 Million Per Athlete and 34 Other Fascinating Olympic Facts]

Under Armour Rearmed With U.S. Speedskating

UnderArmourDespite an underwhelming performance at last the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, the U.S. Speedskating team isn’t putting the blame on “suitgate.” The company has signed a deal to provide the U.S. team with uniforms through 2022.

This was the first U.S. medal shutout since 1984. Beyond the talk that perhaps it was the uniforms were the culprit for the poor showing, training strategy and funding woes were noted. Back to the drawing board and back to the training.

[Via ESPN: U.S. sticks with Under Armour]

Blades to Cut Through Snow

FATbladesRollerblades pretty much revolutionized the concept of roller skates, and now FATblades are looking to take the skating to the snow. These mini-skis, which can be worn with traditional snowboard boots are essentially a combination of skates, skis and snowboards for the feet. The designers, which are now looking to a Kickstarter campaign to bring the FATblades to the masses, say these can be used in all sorts of conditions including ice, soft snow and even heavy powder. Video after the jump

Reflecting on Chrome

VictorChrome Industries’s Reflective Camo collection seems like a bright idea indeed. The company has delivered a number of camouflage bags, and the waterproof Victor compact utility belt is the latest in line to offer a camo pattern by day yet be fully reflective at night. The Victor can be worn across the chest or around the waste, and it features Chrome’s iconic quick-release seatbelt buckle that has an integrated bottle opener.

Chrome Official Website

HelmetsLast week ESPN addressed that there are many different safety helmets on the market and these protect the head in very different ways. It is true that a military helmet for example needs to stop bullets whereas a ski helmet is meant to protect the wearer from injury in a crash.

However, in this insightful piece ESPN noted, “(motorsport) racing helmets are designed to redistribute the force of an accident, skiing helmets are designed to prevent skull fractures, and have not been designed with potential brain injuries in mind.”

The article also added, “Brain injuries are not restricted to Formula One, yet the FIA is the governing body that has done the most research on how to reduce the impact of high-impact head injuries on its competitors.”

With this in mind, perhaps it is time that the governing bodies for various sports start to consider the research that other bodies are doing. Thus football – which has only in recent years started to take head injuries seriously – could learn something from motorsport as well as winter sport helmets and so on.

These should all do the same thing at the end of the day, and that is to protect the wearer.

[Via ESPN: In the pursuit of safety]

Weekend Reading List (02.22.2014): Olympic Tech, Flu Recovery, Curling Tech

Olympic Tech

httpv://youtu.be/lZvJ49gJ9Tw

From Sport Techie: Three Technologies that Have Helped Define the 2014 Sochi Olympics Continue reading Weekend Reading List (02.22.2014): Olympic Tech, Flu Recovery, Curling Tech

Totally Disposable Paper Board

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZRTgrrLH_A&list=PL34695342B698FC80&feature=share

While we know we live in a somewhat disposable society that isn’t always a bad thing. The crew at Signal Snowboards did it again, and this month’s Every Third Thursday project involved a totally disposable paper snowboard.

Because it was paper it should be mostly biodegradable.

Every Third Thursday YouTube Page

The Scooter Evolved

E'lution-ScooterThe scooter has been rolling along ever since making a comeback in the late-1990s. We didn’t there would be much that could evolve with the simple scooter, but then the E’lution EVO came along.

This scooter features a hubless wheel system that is rugged, sturdy and looks rather high-tech – or at least as high-tech as a scooter can be. The hubless wheel has the promise of a smoother ride, which could mean that the annoying scooter isn’t going away anytime soon. The developers of the E’lution Evo are now looking to a Kickstarter campaign to get this one rolling. Video after the jump

Bicycle Design Signs Off

Bicycle-DesignWe’ve enjoyed reading the BicycleDesign.net blog for years. It has been going strong, showcasing the latest in bicycle innovation, since 2005. However, this week James Thomas announced that he’ll be ending the postings on the popular blog.

However, he had this to say on Thursday:

For anyone interested in only the bike related posts on my new blog, I have created a Bikes and Active Transportation category. There won’t be nearly as much bike design content as you were used to here, but I do plan to post a bit of it (starting with coverage of NAHBS next month).

Seems you can’t keep a good blogger from blogging! We look forward to seeing what he has to say on his new blog at JCT Design.

JCT Design
Bicycle Design

Mercedes-Benz Catches the Wave

Mercedes-BenzWhile much has been made about BMW helping develop the Team USA’s Bobsled at the Olympic Games rival automaker Mercedes-Benz has been busy developing a surfboard with Garrett McNamara. The result is the “The Silver Arrow of the Seas,” which was used to catch the massive wave breaks at Nazaré North Canyon in Portugal earlier this month.

In addition to looking every bit a Mercedes-Benz this board offers built-in telemetry system capable of measuring surfing performance. Video after the jump

SIA Snow Show: Tow Line

SnowMuleLast month at the SIA Snow Show in Denver the Snowmule won the ISPO Gold award in Ski Products for 2014-2015. It is a simple concept but one that could be welcome by parents. It basically is a backpack that features tow lines that could allow parents to help younger less experienced skiers navigation flat sections that could slow them down.

It probably would give Mom or Dad a bit more of a workout as well.

Snowmule Official Website

Tri It On

TriKayak-XS-1Want to try kayaking without the work of tipping over? This is where the TriKayak XS-1 comes in. It features outriggers that provide stability, while the V-hull design allows it to cut through the water. It features a raised seat with a soft yet supportive padding. The outriggers can be deployed into three positions, and can be removed so that the TriKayak can fit on most car carriers.

If you need to bring some gear with you, there is pleny of open storage in the back plus the designers also included a 13 liter compartment in the front, along with two small dry storage compartments on the sides.

The designers behind the TriKayak XS-1 have launched a Kickstarter crowd funding campaign, and plans are to deliver the first batch by May. Video after the jump