Author Archive

Sweet holiday deals for you (and us, too!)

Monday, December 5th, 2011 by Anna Telensky

Looking for great gifts for all the cyclists on your list this holiday season? We’ve got you covered.

For the month of December, our friends at Detours are running a special promotion on their new D2R bag line. By entering the code CASCADE at checkout, you get 25% off your purchase on any of the D2R bags. With everything from full pannier sets to seat bags and shopping panniers, they’re a great gift for any cyclist. And for each D2R bag you buy, Detours will donate 25% of the full retail value to Cascade.

Anyone can take advantage of the Detours promotion, but if you consider becoming a Cascade Bicycle Club member, you’ll also be able to take advantage of our many other member discounts at local businesses this holiday season. With discounts on everything from gear and apparel to custom racks and bike tours, there’s something for every cyclist on your list.

Have family members coming to town for the holidays? You can also get a 10% discount on room reservations at the beautiful Inn at Queen Anne, where each room features a kitchenette with microwave, stovetop, refrigerator and dishware, as well as a large walk in closet with plenty of space for a bike or two. Guests not interested in pedaling themselves can take advantage of the Inn’s new pedicab service for a fun ride to nearby attractions.

And if, after the holidays, you’re feeling the need to work off some of those extra calories, Cascade members receive a special joining rate and discounted monthly membership at the Magnuson Athletic Club.

Happy holidays!

Bicycle Film Series Holiday Party – Breaking Away!

Thursday, December 1st, 2011 by Anna Telensky

Breaking Away
Friday, Dec. 9, 7 p.m.
REI Seattle, 222 Yale Ave. N
**Free**

By popular demand, Cascade will be showing the Mother of all American Bicycle films, the Academy Award winning* 1979 classic, Breaking Away. We’ll have separate seating/cheering sections for both fans of The Cutters & Team Cinzano plus fabulous prizes for best movie related costumes. It’s fun and it’s free, so bring down the whole gang to enjoy this festive end of the year presentation.

*Amazingly enough, Breaking Away was nominated for five Oscars (including best film) and won one for best screenplay.

Return of the Metal Cowboy: A Guide to Falling Down in Public

Tuesday, November 29th, 2011 by Anna Telensky
Tuesday, Dec. 6, 7 p.m.
REI Seattle, 222 Yale Ave. N
Advance tickets are available at: Brown Paper Tickets
Cascade members: $5

General public: $7

Back for another year of hilarious, endearing, and insightful storytelling, Joe Kurmakasie, aka the Metal Cowboy, will be making an appearance at REI for one night only to regale and delight with stories from his new book, A Guide to Falling Down in Public: Finding Balance On and Off the Bicycle.

Joe’s stories will celebrate beautiful wrecks on five continents, the extraordinary people met along the way, and all the awe-inspiring, sweat-soaked miles ridden in between. If you’ve seen him before, you know how entertaining a night with the cowboy can be. If not, you’re in for a treat. This will be the Metal Cowboy’s only scheduled appearance for Cascade Bicycle Club over the next 12 months, so don’t miss it!

An Evening with Tyler Farrar

Friday, November 18th, 2011 by Anna Telensky

Wednesday, Nov. 30, 7 p.m.
Theater 47 at Magnuson Park
7120 62nd Ave NE, Seattle
General public: $14 (Cascade members get $2 discount)
Advance tickets are available at  Brown Paper Tickets

Two years ago, Washington native Tyler Farrar spoke to a packed house about his career and experiences as a member of Garmin-Cervélo‘s professional men’s team. At the time, he had just completed his first year on the grand circuit tour.

Since then, Tyler has won stages in the Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, and Tour de France. He’s overcome crashes and personal tragedy and continues to prove himself as one of our country’s most talented racers.

Now widely considered the greatest sprinter to come out of the USA, Tyler is competing against the world’s fastest cyclists and riding at the very top of his game.

This special event will feature a 75-minute talk by Tyler, hosted by PT Eric Moen, and followed by a question and autograph session. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet one of cycling’s greats!

Hell on Wheels

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011 by Anna Telensky
Bicycle Film Series
Friday, Nov. 18
6:45 p.m. sharp, doors at 6 p.m.
REI Seattle, 222 Yale Ave. N
Tickets are available in advance through Brown Paper Tickets
Cascade members: $3
General public: $5

In 1994, documentary filmmaker Pepe Danquart won an Academy Award for his short film about racism on a German streetcar, Schwarzfahrer.  He’s since turned his lens on sports, with a film about one of the last remaining East German hockey teams ten years after the fall of the Berlin wall, and another about speed rock climbing.

On Friday, November 18th, Cascade will be showing Danquart’s unique take on the Tour de France, Hell on Wheels. Going beyond the traditional tour documentary, Hell on Wheels focuses on the courage, the pain and the fear of the riders of the Tour.

Training his lens on German superstar sprinter Eric Zabel and his loyal domestique Rolf Aldag, Danquart captures the thrill of the race and the teamwork behind the stars of the peleton. He also shines light on the Tour’s supporting cast – the director sportifs, masseurs, and, of course, the wildly enthusiastic fans.

Reveling in the stunning landscape – from the Alps to the Pyrenees to the Massif Central to Paris – and with a nice dollop of Le Tour’s history, Hell on Wheels transcends the sport it celebrates to reveal an astonishing human endeavor.

Riding with Reindeer: A Bicycle Odyssey through Finland, Lapland and Arctic Norway

Monday, November 7th, 2011 by Anna Telensky

Cascade Presentation Series “Season Kick-off”

REI Seattle, 222 Yale Ave. N
Tuesday, Nov. 8, 7 p.m.
Free!

Finding yourself leery of wildlife after watching this video? Come out tonight to hear about the kinder, gentler reindeer who relieve Seattle author Robert Goldstein’s solitude as he pedals across sparsely populated Lapland and slowly makes his way through the Arctic.

Robert’s presentation will intersperse comical insights into the mind of a solitary traveler with rich cultural and historical anecdotes of passing through forests littered with rotted fortifications, rusted tanks and mass graves—the detritus of Finland’s desperate defense against a massive Soviet invasion in the winter of 1939.

Robert’s first book, “The Gentleman From Finland, Adventures on the Trans-Siberian Express”, received the Benjamin Franklin Award for best travel memoir in 2006. For a sneak peak of his bicycle journey, check out his travel blog.

100 person max capacity for this free event, so be sure to arrive early!

With My Own Two Wheels TONIGHT in Tacoma

Friday, September 23rd, 2011 by Anna Telensky

Friday, Sept 23, 6 p.m.
$10/adult, $5/student
Tickets available at the door
Charles Wright Academy
7723 Chambers Creek Road W
Tacoma, WA 98467 [map it!]

If you missed our showing of With My Own Two Wheels this summer, you’ve got another chance to check it out TONIGHT. The film, which is currently being shown across the country and internationally as part of Bicycle Film Festival, features five incredible stories about the life-changing power of a bicycle. Shot on location in Zambia, Ghana, India, Guatemala and California, the film includes breathtaking regional footage and inspirational narratives that highlight the impact a bicycle can have in improving a life.

This special showing is being put on by the students of Charles Wright Academy for World Bicycle Relief. Since 2005, World Bicycle Relief has provided 87,265 bicycles to people in developing nations. They work with local assemblers to produce heavy duty bicycles designed to withstand rugged roads while carrying up to 200 pounds of cargo. As part of their current project, they’re working to provide 50,000 bicycles to improve rural Zambian children’s access to education.

Charles Wright Academy has already raised $7,000 to support this project, with the goal of raising a total of $14,000, and they plan to send five students to Zambia in February to help assemble and distribute the bikes. Come out this Friday to see an awesome movie and support a great cause!

The Way Bobby Sees It

Wednesday, July 13th, 2011 by Anna Telensky

The Way Bobby Sees It
Friday, July 15, 7 p.m.
REI – Seattle store

Bobby McMullen is a legally blind downhill mountain bike racer. He has a guide who rides in front of him to shout out turns and obstacles, and from what I’ve heard from people who have ridden with him he’s not only an incredibly talented rider, but more aggressive than many who have the benefit of seeing the obstacles coming up on them.

Bobby lives in California and will be in town on Friday, July 15 on his way up to Crankworx, so this is is a pretty rare opportunity to meet him in person. We’ll also be showing a film about Bobby’s preparation for and competition in the 2007 Downieville Classic Mountain Bike Race, a 17-mile course said to be the country’s most challenging downhill race.

We’re putting this on in partnership with Outdoors for All and Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance. Let me know if you’d like more info. What this guy does is so incredible that I can’t imagine anyone who shows up not being completely amazed by it. People can pre-purchase tickets online at Brown Paper Tickets.

Don’t miss the Group Health STP Finish Line Festival #BikeSTP

Tuesday, July 5th, 2011 by Anna Telensky

One of the most rewarding moments of the Group Health Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic is crossing the finish line. You’ve made it, all 200+ miles on your own two wheels, and there’s a huge crowd waiting to cheer you on for your accomplishment!


The Finish Line Festival in Holladay Park is also an attraction in its own right, featuring music, food and beverage service, exhibitor and sponsor booths, a massage tent, showers and first aid. We’ll also have a New Belgium Beer Garden and ton of giveaways. Even if you’re not riding the STP, if you’re in Portland for the weekend it’s worth checking out.

This year, we’ll have sampling from:

(more…)

“Why I Ride” winner announced #BikeSTP

Monday, July 4th, 2011 by Anna Telensky

Congratulations to Glenn Bestebreur, who won a Raleigh Revenio 4.0 in our recent contest by telling us his Group Health STP Story:

On April 2, 2009 I had a heart attack.  After recovering form my heart attack I talked to my doctor about bike riding and he agreed it was a great idea.

About a year later a friend and I were talking about his bi/triathlon training.  I mentioned STP as one thing I’ve always wanted to do.  He suggested that we do it together.  I didn’t have a road bike to train on and ride the STP in, so he loaned me his old Peugeot road bike. (Since he had bought a new bike for his training a year earlier.)

Riding through the countryside is a “relaxing” exercise that has helped me become physically fit and healthier. I’ve also found it to be a great stress reliever. Since I’ve started training for the STP I’ve ridden over 2,000 miles and I’ve lost 20 pounds, with a few more still to lose.

On July 10 I will achieve one of my “bucket lists events” by completing the STP and I plan on doing the one-day STP next year.

The best part of doing the STP is the amazing people that I’ve meet along the way.  There is also a freedom that I can’t explain when riding a bike and only a bike rider knows what I mean.  Bike riding will be a part of my future.

We had 90 incredible entries into the contest. To read more great stories of why people ride, check out Raleigh’s new webpage, MyCyclingEvent.com