New Rider: Kevin Ziegler

Wheels North welcomes another addition to our 2009 group: Kevin Ziegler.  Kevin will be coming from Katy, TX, to do the ride.

Kevin will be setting up his online fundraising page soon--go to the Wheels North web site and click on the link for "The 2009 Riders" and look for Kevin's profile.

Wheels North: The Movie

We just heard today from the folks who make Flip Video cameras that we will be using their cameras to record our event.  A variety of riders and support crew will have Flip cameras to record their Wheels North experiences.  We will be blogging the video every day, and when the event is over we'll use the footage to create a documentary about Wheels North.

Thank you to Flip for helping make our video efforts possible!

Training Update: January 2009

Ride start is less than six months away, which means it's time to start training in earnest for Wheels North.  Three WN riders--Eric, Mojo, and Peter--are riding from San Francisco to Santa Barbara in three days (about 125 miles per day) this weekend.  Here's a video from aboard Eric's bicycle:

Our Destination: Drumheller Fountain

We've selected the famous Drumheller Fountain on the campus of the University of Washington as the final end point for Wheels North. The fountain is in an area known as "the pond" that was the "Geyser Basin" for the 1909 AYPE, and is one of a handful of locales that remain from the 1909 event.  A photo of an early airship flying over the fountain during the AYPE is shown below.

See you at the fountain on July 16!

Fixed Gear Riders, Join Us!

Wheels North is open to all kinds of bicycles (the most important thing is the motor: you), but we expect to see several riders on fixed gears. We went to a screening of a new fixed-gear movie over the weekend and passed out flyers--we hope to see some of the riders we met when we start in Santa Rosa on July 4!

Info on the movie, "Macaframa," is available at http://www.macaframaproductions.com/

A New Sponsor: Doma Coffee

We're pleased to announce that Doma Coffee, a family-owned coffee roaster based in Post Falls, Idaho, has signed on as the official coffee provider for Wheels North!  We'll be sipping Doma's hand-roasted coffee every morning as we prepare for the day ahead.

Doma Coffee co-owner Terry is an avid cyclist.  We're thankful for his support of our cycling efforts.

The Centennial Year is Here!

It's January 1, 2009, which means that we are now in the Centennial Year of the original Two Wheels North adventure!  Our thoughts today turned to what Vic and Ray were doing 100 years ago as their adeventure loomed on the horizon.

It also means that the countdown to Wheels North has begun in earnest--just six months and three days until we roll out of Santa Rosa.  If you're thinking about participating in Wheels North, now is the time to start training and collecting donations (go to the Wheels North web site for more info).  

Our 2009 training started today with a 70-mile ride from Davis to Calistoga (stopping in Winters, the first overnight stop on Wheels North).  Here's a video report (or click here to see a high-res version):

Campagnolo Signs On As Wheels North Sponsor!

We are pleased to announce that Campagnolo, the world-famous Italian bicycle component maker, has signed on as a sponsor of Wheels North!

We thank Valentino Campagnolo for his generous donation.

Six New Videos Today

Six new videos today!  Mojo Cosgrove and Eric rode a 100-mile loop to start getting in shape for Wheels North and an upcoming ride (in January) from San Francisco to Santa Barbara.

Check out my YouTube page and look for the latest videos.  Here's one, shot in downtown Davis, California.

Wheels North Video Log 12-7-08

Mojo and Eric took to the chilly roads of Northern California to get in some training for Wheels North ...

Loch Lomond

Wheels North will likely be visited by some of the members of Portland's Loch Lomond chamber folk musical group on our rest day in their fair city.  We're also working on a visit from another well-known Portland group ... more on that as it develops.

Salem Bicycle Club

A Wheels North shout-out to the Salem (Oregon) Bicycle Club.  Club president John Henry Maurice contacted Wheels North last week to offer his club's help with routes, lodging, and other logistics.  We're all looking forward to meeting the folks from Salem in July!

The Bicyclist Movie "Wheels North" Benefit Screening

We are working with the folks at The Bicyclist to host the California premiere of their new full-length feature film in Davis, California, in early March 2009.  Watch for more information on show times and ticket sales.  The film will be shown at the famous Varsity Theater in downtown Davis.  The screening will be a benefit for the Histiocytosis Association of America.

The Bicyclist: The Wheels North Promo

The promo done for us by the folks at The Bicycist is now available on YouTube:

Wheels North and the AYPE

We are pleased to announce that Wheels North will be the subject of a presentation at the 24th Annual Conference of the Pacific Northwest Historians Guild in Seattle on March 7, 2009.  This year's conference will be dedicated to the Alaska Pacific Yukon Exposition, and we will be there with Evelyn McDaniel Gibb to talk about the original Two Wheels North adventure and our centennial recreation of that ride.

Watch our blog for more information!

Evelyn Has A Billiken

Readers of Two Wheels North know that Vic amd Ray carried  with them a small  figurine of a "Billiken," the mascot of the Alaska Pacific Yukon Exposition.  Their Billiken survived a number of mishaps, including being briefly stolen.  Sadly, its fate is unknown--both Vic and Ray in later life assumed that the other had the Billiken, but neither did.

We learned this year when we met Evelyn that she, also, did not have a Billiken. Well, we have taken car of that.  The US Postal Service yesterday delivered one to her, courtesy of Wheels North.

The Billikens are starting to return home, and we look forward to carrying ours back to Seattle after his 100-year absence next year.

Sleeping on Wheels North

Laurie suggested this great solution to lodging for Wheels North ...

Actually ... all participants in Wheels North (riders and support crew) will be provided with daily lodging, full sag support and gear transport, and everything else needed to make the ride as enjoyable as possible.

Reminder:  Wheels North is open to all kinds of bicycles, from high wheelers to modern carbon-fiber speedsters.  Go to the Wheels North web site for more information on how to become a rider.

Riding in the Rain (Video)

It probably won't rain on Wheels North, but is was raining in Davis today. Despite the wet weather, we went out for a ride ... and got quite wet. Here's a video:

Santa Rosa Part 2: Mendocino Avenue VIDEO

Turning right on Mendocino Avenue, we continue to follow Vic and Ray's 1909 route.

Where It All Began -- VIDEO

Here's a video of the starting point for Wheels North--Fifth Street in downtown Santa Rosa.  We'll be here in a few short months to follow in Vic and Ray's footsteps (wheelsteps?).