Category: Edge wheels
The Caveman Cometh (and he’s on a 29er)
So, you are a trail mashing mofo; gnarliest of the gnar. Yes, you are a fit machine and can ride. You have skills. Skills, eh? How about swimming, mountain biking and running — as in consecutively… in one day… at race pace?
Whaddya say? That off-road triathlon stuff — Xterra — isn’t for true mountain bikers? It’s so easy even a caveman could do it?
Straight-up fact: The Caveman does make it look easy. And the Caveman will make it look easy as he smokes you out on some technical singletrack — on a big-wheeled bike, no less.
He isn’t racing Xterra — yet — on a 29er, Conrad Stoltz rides his Specialized Epic 29er the rest of the time. CHECK OUT MORE PHOTOS IN THE SLIDESHOW BELOW Photo by Seth Lightcap
A couple of weeks ago I did an interview and shoot with Singletrack.com editor Jamie Bate (and photoman Seth Lightcap) in Truckee. We talked 29er, kicked some ideas around and I have to say I’m quite stoked with the result. This website has some real meat to it. Informative, technical material for the serious trail rider.
Here is the complete article from SingleTrack.com
Visit Stoltz29.org for my 29er manifesto
I knew I had my 4th XTERRA World title in the bag. I knew it.
I felt the strongest I have felt in years. Tore up the bike course and had between 2min30 and 3min lead with only 6k to go on the bike- and then the P word happened again- on the smoothest road on the course. I quickly fixed the slow puncture with foam- and still in the lead- carried on. The P thing slowly came back, and then I had to stop and put in a lime tube. The change went quick, but I resumed in 4th and of course the tube couldnt resist the P. So I rode the last 5k on the rim. Thankfully its an Edge wheel and it had no damage, smallish crack in the bead hook. Riding the rim on the lava was really dangerous, the rear wheel slid out in every turn, but a deep determination coupled with deep denial kept me mashing the pedals.
I started the run 5 minutes behind. It was all gone. I didnt come here to race for 10th. I enjoyed the run. The views, fellow athletes and people. I finished with a smile and enjoyed the Halloween party. People say” what a gentleman you are”.
But today I’m totally gutted. I dont feel the gentleman. I put so much into this World champs, no, I put everything I had- the whole year- into this and now I have nothing but a big empty feeling inside me. Never mind the big empty place in my bank account. Money cant but a World title.
I have won 3 World titles here and I have lost 2, maybe 3 to mechanicals. This is a humbling, cruel sport.
I qoute from the XTERRA race report:
“Early on, this race showed all the signs of a Stoltz world championship run. The “Caveman” was out of the water with the leaders, passed everyone by the fourth mile of the bike where he had already put 30 seconds on Marceau, Dan Hugo, Batelier, and Eneko Llanos. From there he extended the gap, and was up 1:30 by mile 10 and with less than two miles left of heavy climbing before “The Plunge” steep downhill section where Stoltz’ is at his best, it looked like he was well on his way to a 4th World Title.
“I felt really good today, best I’ve felt in a long time. I was relaxed and riding really fast on the technical stuff, and even had quite a bit in the tank for the run, but then it came down to luck,” said Stoltz, who got a slow-leak somewhere around mile 13 or so that forced him to stop, repair, and watch as Ruzafa went by.
To compound matters, at mile 17 Stoltz’ back tire was completely gone, and he was dangerously riding on the rim coming down the lava fields. “It’s the last race of the season and I wanted to see what I could salvage,” said Stoltz.
By the time he entered T2 and was five minutes and 10 places back, best he could do was a) enjoy the ocean views, b) drop words of encouragement and some energy gel to a friend, and c) cross the line graciously in 12th place giving high-fives to the spectators that lined the finish chute.
Those Edge Wheels
I have been riding Edge Composites wheels this summer.
What a pleasure.
The product is amazing – just about bomb proof wheels but also quite light. What I really appreciate is the joy and pride going into these hand crafted wheels. 340g per rim for the Edge XC MTB. The AM (All Mountain is more of a free ride rim- a bit wider, (36mm) but only 400g. What really blew my mind was the 280g tubular rim. The complete wheel set was a full 400g lighter than my Edge XC race wheel set. But then I did shred the 460g Tufo tubular on the 1st lava rock I hit. Shopping for durable tubulars…
Good 29er news: the clincher weighs only 380g and these wheels are so strong I’ll bet my life on them. a 29inch tubular is “easy” to make- all we are waiting for it tire technology to catch up…
Jasons’ friend and test rider is a 260 lbs Samoan on the 26″ clincher All Mountains and no worries with the wheels brah.
You just have to love the Edge logo. It depicts the Wasatch mountains (where Edge is based in Ogden) and the logo can be be read upside down too.
The week leading up to Ironman Hawaii, Kona
The Ironman village had a demo booth where athletes can test run shoes, ride bikes etc. I worked at the Avia booth and was amazed at the size and energy of this whole Kona/Ironman thing. The Avi Lite II seems to be the most popular for IM racing- its light with plenty of cushioning. I was also surprised at the might of the Triathlon Dollar, despite the world wide economic slump. Just proves again- Triathletes are overachievers, and Ironpeople more than most. Tomorrow is the big day- let the suffering begin!
Signing autographs at the Avia demo booth with triathlon legend Scott Tinley. Or, more like “watching Tinley sign his books.” I have been a Scott Tinley fan since (especially) my beginnings in triathlon in the late 80s, and I was stoked with my autographed ST books. The one says: “To the Conradenator”
