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?).

Win a Richard Sachs Frameset and Support Wheels North

Here is your chance--maybe your last chance--to own a custom frame from Richard Sachs, one of the world's premiere builders, *and* contribute to a worthy cause at the same time.

Starting on August 15th, 2008, Richard stopped taking orders from new customers. If you don't already own a Sachs and weren't in the queue by then, you can't order a frame from Richard.

However, Richard held one slot in the waiting list open for Wheels North, a fundraising ride that benefits research into Histiocytosis, a rare and deadly disease. That slot is being auctioned off, which means that you have the chance to have your own Richard Sachs frameset.

Just 100 tickets will be sold for this auction, at $100 each. Proceeds from the auction go to the Histiocytosis Association of America and Wheels North.  Click Here to buy raffle chances online

To learn more about Richard Sachs: www.richardsachs.com

Live Reports!

We'll be posting live blog reports from Wheels North next year. Here's a test--a photo from a ride last week.

Wheels North Promo Video

Click here to see the Wheels North promotional video from our friends over at The Bicyclist!  (Yes, everyone who rides to Portland with us will have a chance to meet Elle and the other stars of The Bicyclist.)

The Bicyclist: The Movie

Our friends over at The Bicyclist are making a big screen movie.  Check it out:

More Turn of the Century Cycling Stuff

We recently saw the DVD documentary, "The Six-Day Bicycle Races: America's Jazz-Age Sport," and can recommend it highly to anyone interested in turn-of-the-century and early 20th Century cycling. 

Narrated by Frank Deford, a longtime contributor to Sports Illustrated magazine and National Public Radio, SDBR is loaded with great photos and film from the period, as well as interviews with some of the surviving six-day racers.  Check it out at the SDBR web site: www.sixdaybicyclerace.com 

Histio Awareness Month

A reminder that September is Histiocytosis Awareness Month.  Wheels North invites you to check out the Histiocytosis Association of America's web site for more info:  Click Here

1903 All Over Again

To show the types of bikes and equipment that Vic and Ray would have used in the original 1909 ride, we've posted scans of the 1903 Sears Catalog.  Check them out here. 

Reminder to potential Wheels North riders: ANY kind of bicycle is welcome on Wheels North!