As most of you know, support for bicycle related programs dwindles every year even though the sport continues to grow. As a cyclist each and every one of us has felt this pressure while on a road ride hugging the shoulder for dear life, or on a last mountain bike ride before a trail is closed. It’s a harsh reality of growth and expansion, but it doesn’t have to be. Tim Johnson (@timjohnsoncx), a fellow Red Bull teammate of mine, organized the inaugural Ride on Washington in 2011 to raise funds for a program called Bikes Belong (@BikesBelong) and to help promote cycling as a whole before the National Bike Summit in Washington D.C.

This year Greg and I were invited to participate in the entire ride, and help the fund raising efforts. We will also be representing the Wood River Bike Coalition and participating as members of IMBA. We are planning on listening, learning and speaking to the Idaho represenatives about issues in our state such as the CIEDRA bill that threatens to close much of the Boulder – White Clouds...

After freeskier Ryan Hawks died while competing at the Kirkwood stop of the Freeskiing World Tour last winter, his father, Peter, made a discovery on his son’s computer: a set of “core principles” written by Ryan. They included “never stop exploring life,” “look out for others,” “look out for myself,” “live simply,” “be self-sufficient,” “don’t be afraid to ask for help,” “work hard,” and “be the best friend I can be.”

“They were really simple and he lived them well,” Peter says.

To keep Ryan’s principles alive, the Hawks family set up the Flyin Ryan Hawks Foundation, which has three objectives. One, give scholarships to skiers who “demonstrate Ryan’s core values and whose passion is hampered by financial constraint.” Two, run an ambassador program that’s open to anyone who espouses Ryan’s values. And three, host Flyin Ryan Days, when kids can ski with celebrity coaches at resorts around the country.

“We’re not trying to put him on a pedestal,” Peter says. “But there were so many people who were impacted by him....

After a brief hiatus, the Ask Reba contest is back! We chose January as Ugly Cycling Kit Month and wanted to give everyone some time to get and ride off the holiday pounds, plus I was in Argentina, so I was a bit busy. This month Buff Multifunctional Headwear has kindly offered up some of it’s un-rivaled headwear for one lucky winner. I use Buff products everyday for both riding and casual use, and have a wonderful relationship with everyone at the company. Not only do they make a useful and stylish product, they’re cool people too.

Wool is one of my favorite fabrics in the world.  It’s not bulky and stays warm when wet.   I use the Wool Buff for nordic skiing, Spring road riding, backcountry skiing, or epic mountain bike rides.  It’s what I reach for when I know the weather might be nasty or change quickly.  The longer length is perfect for your neck, face and head or any combination you can think of.

This simple item is what I reach for first for almost any ride.  It’s light, small...

Sorry I haven't been able to send you many updates—wireless was a bit spotty but now I think it's solid. We're able to get on our phones up at Sky Resort but it's hard to type a very long e-mail when it's -40 F.

The scene at Sky Resort: picture women with Louis Vuitton purses and spiked heels in the lodge, bitterly cold temps, bright sunshine, great grooming, hipsters skiing in jeans, women skiing with their purses slung over their shoulders, groups of people stopping at the edge of a slope to smoke cigarettes, snowmaking that only needs to be done once in November and once in March because it stays firm for months, and just a couple runs total on a 14-cm base depth. A scene unlike anything in North America.

We're also on a bit of a wild goose chase to find the elusive traditional ancient ski culture. I met a journalist from the UK on the bus up to the resort and it turns out he saw a pair of wooden skis with reindeer skins leaning against a hut of some guy named Gambal (sp) up near Lake Hovsgul, which—lucky for...

I wouldn’t say Thursday night’s upslope storm was a surprise. The talking weather heads on the local news seemed more and more agitated as the Front Range’s radar forecast grew meaner by the hour. But I’ve missed most of the few Colorado powder days this season. So when I woke up Friday morning to 10 inches on my porch and a 7:00 AM report of 18 overnight at Eldora, I was tweaking. At 7:30, the snow continued to fall in town. A couple coworkers and I instituted the Powder Day Clause and rerouted the commute to our Boulder office. Eighteen miles later we pulled into an Eldo parking lot still blanketed with knee-deep snow and proceeded to farm turns through Corona Bowl, Salto Glades, and Psychopath under a relentless barrage of meaty Colorado snowflakes. By 11:00, the snow report read 24 in 24. By 1:30, our legs were trashed. Over pints, slices of Hawaiian, and hot wings at Backcountry Pizza, we basked in the powder day afterglow and deemed our snow-starved sanity saved and our email accounts appropriately neglected....

Check out the video from 2011 Roc d’azur. It’s on the radar for 2012!

Morning,

We are off to on Stage 3 today, and are loving every bit of this race so far. Chris Carmichael and I are having a great time racing together, and have definitely been suffering! Day 1 ended up great with Chris and I placing 1st in the 80+ mixed category, and 5th overall in the mixed teams. Stage 2 was a bit rainy and sloppy, and thankfully was a bit shorter than all the other days, at only 50K. You can check out my Garmin Connect page for a view of the ride.

There is good race coverage on the following site for everyone to enjoy:

Trans Andes Website

A great blog by Jason Sager on Cyclingnews.com

I have also added quite few photos to my Facebook page and to my Flickr account so check them out! We are off on Stage 3 today, and I’ll check back in as soon as I get some quality internet time.

Stage 3: Distance 72 kilometers. Total Climb 2496 meters. Feed Zone 1 Km 26. Feed Zone 2 Km 49.

Buenos Dias,

We are racing today! Stage 1 is all set to go. Day 1 Panguipulli to Huilo Huilo (try to say that three times as fast as you can)!

Trans Andes starts today and I’m racing with Chris Carmichael from Carmichael Training Systems. Greg and I traveled down here with about 25 athletes and coaches from CTS. It’s the royal treatment with CTS and my friends from Adventure Store in Argentina as our support crew. Being in such a big, organized group is a logistical luxury and it’s also great to have so many instant friends to hang out with. The group ranges from a neurosurgeon to tech wizard to a BLM employee. The one common thread through us all is a love for riding bikes. Everyone here is addicted to cycling and are super stoked to be in the Andes. I am the only on in the group who has raced Trans Andes, so my role has been to share my experience and help get everyone excited and prepared for the event. This race is one of my favorite stage races in one of the best places in the world.


Today’s stage is long with...

NAMPA, Idaho -- Nampa Police are investigating what they call a homicide/attempted suicide Saturday afternoon. 


Around 3:22 p.m., Nampa Dispatch received a 911 call from the 16000 block of Blue Spruce Drive in the Evergreen Mobile Home Park.


Officers responding to the call found a 35-year-old woman who had died from an apparent gunshot wound.

They also discovered a 35-year-old man in the same room who was suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. He was unresponsive, but still alive. He was rushed to a local hospital where his condition is unknown.


Nampa Police are investigating this as a homicide/attempted suicide based on information they received from family members who were in the home at the time of the crime. The initial investigation indicates that this may be the result of an ongoing domestic dispute between the victim and suspect.


Charges could potentially be filed against the man in this case. 


"In a case like this, obviously there's a homicide," said Nampa Police...

MORES CREEK SUMMIT -- With the snow coming down, it's finally time for winter recreators to get up into the mountains and enjoy it. But that also means it's time for Search and Rescue to train to help those people in case they're in an avalanche.

Saturday, the Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue Team was training for something they're expecting to do this season - finding and pulling people out from under feet and feet of snow after an avalanche. They say avalanches normally happen after a big snowfall.

"People start getting that high where they want to get out, and they want to go skiing and snowboarding," said Delinda Castellon with Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue. "But they're not actually thinking about checking the avalanche conditions."


"We want to make sure that our members are prepared in case we need to do a search in avalanche conditions," said Winston Cheyney, also with Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue.

The team drilled on probing, digging and locating beacons. But Cheyney said no matter...

BOISE -- Community members came together Saturday to help a non-profit organization in need.


This week, Handy Hands Reflections found the building they rent flooded. Water came down through the ceiling, ran down the walls and got into the lights.

   

Handy Hands Reflections makes scrapbooks for families who have a loved one in hospice care or have had a loved one pass away.


Until 11 p.m., scrapbookers are paying rent for table space to work on their projects as a way to raise money for Handy Hands Reflections.


"I can't thank them enough for all the support," said Jacki Kelsch with Handy Hands Reflections. "We've had so many reach out to us for whatever they can do. And it's awesome."

  

Organizers started Handy Hands Reflections  three years ago.

 

MERIDIAN, Idaho -- Meridian Police are investigating a rash of car burglaries.


The eight car burglaries were discovered by Meridian Police on patrol Saturday morning. 

   

Sgt. Matt Parsons with the Meridian Police Department said it looks like the vehicles, which were unlocked, were broken into between 11 p.m. Friday and 1 a.m. Saturday. 


The burglaries targeted cars in the area between North Black Cat Road, North Ten Mile Road, West Cherry Lane and West Franklin Road.


Officers discovered the burglaries when they noticed opened car doors and glove boxes. Victims said they were not missing property from their cars, but a small amount of property was recovered in the 4200 block of Big Creek. Because of this, police suspect there may be more victims. 

So far, police do not have any suspects.


Meridian Police have increased patrols in the area. If you have any information, you are urged to call Meridian Police at 888-6678.


Parsons said to make sure to lock...

BOISE -- With all the snow we've had the last few days, the Boise WaterShed spent Saturday afternoon teaching kids about the importance of snow.


Kids were able to learn about avalanches and participate in activities that taught them about all the ways snow helps the environment.

    

They also taught a group of kids this afternoon just how fun snow can be by taking them snowshoeing up at Bogus Basin.


"We've got a great facility out here and it just helps to drive home the importance of our water resources and the importance of keeping and taking care of the resources we do have," said Dave Eiriksson, a Boise State graduate student.


The Boise WaterShed holds activities every third Saturday of the month.


Each activity is different, but they all have something to do with water.

 

BOISE -- One man was injured after a rollover crash on Interstate 84 Friday,


It happened around 6:30 p.m., between Gowen Road Exit 57 and Eisenman Road Exit 59.

Bernard Liss, 75, of Union City, Indiana, was traveling west on I-84 in a 2009 Ford F750 truck.


Liss drove the vehicle off the left shoulder, then overcorrected onto the right shoulder. The truck then slid and overturned at least once before coming to rest upside down in the right lane.

Liss was transported by ground ambulance to St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise.   


I-84 was partially blocked for over three hours while crews worked to clear the scene.

BOISE -- Boise Police are investigating after two people were found Saturday morning with what appeared to be stab wounds.

Officers were called to a home in area of W. Boise Ave. and Beacon Street around 5 a.m.


The first officers on scene saw a car leaving the house. They soon discovered a person inside the car with what looked like stab wounds.

A second person with stab wound-like injuries was also found a short distance from the house.


Both people are currently receiving medical attention. The extent of their injuries is unknown.


Police said they don't know the exact relationship between the pair, but did say that the cases appear to be connected.


Stay with KTVB and KTVB.COM as more details about this case come to light.

HAILEY, Idaho -- The police chief in the central Idaho town of Hailey says officers will be cracking down on dog owners who let their pets run loose.


Chief Jeff Gunter tells the Idaho Mountain Express that loose dogs are causing problems and pet owners need to be reined in.

 

He says police are getting 10 to 12 calls a week about dogs chasing kids, chasing cars, causing traffic problems, and fighting.

 

He says the city ordinance requires dogs not on the owner's property to be either on a leash or within voice command.

 

He says violators face a $300 fine along with animal shelter impound fees.

 

REXBURG, Idaho -- A tiny fish fossil found by a Brigham Young University-Idaho biology instructor a decade ago has been recognized as a previously unknown fish species.

 

Dave Stricklan found the 3-centimeter specimen in the Manning Canyon Shale Formation near Lehi, Utah.

 

KIFI-TV reports the university announced Thursday that experts identified the fossil as a new species last month. 

 

The fossil is named Bourbonnella jocelynae in memory of Stricklan's daughter, Jocelyn.

 

Experts say the fossil is the earliest known representative of its kind from North America.

 

BOISE, Idaho -- Lawmakers in the Idaho House introduced legislation to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors. 

 

The so-called e-cigarettes allow the user to heat nicotine, herbs or other substances and ingest the active ingredients without actually burning the substance.

 

But Republican Rep. Bob Nonini, of Coeur d'Alene, says state health officials are increasingly concerned about sales of the devices to children. Nonini brought legislation to the House Health & Welfare Committee on Friday that would prohibit sales of e-cigarettes to minors.

 

The Spokesman-Review reports the panel voted to introduce the measure, which will now have a public hearing.

 

Advocates for banning sales of the devices to kids say it will send an important message about smoking in general.