#bikeflights.com

[weshipyourride]

Bikeflights Improves Shipping Service For Small Packages

We’re pleased to announce a new, cheaper shipping option for small packages using Bikeflights.com. It’s ideal for customers who are looking to reduce their costs of sending bicycle accessories and components while still enjoying the conveniences of shipping ground with Bikeflights.

“You can now get Postal Service prices for small packages without having to stand in line at the post office,” said William Alcorn, Bikeflights President. “We listened to the needs of our bike shop and individual e-commerce customers who are buying and selling online.”

Shipping via the new service starts out as a typical ground shipment and may move into the US Postal Service for final delivery. It’s ideal for small, low-value, non-urgent packages going to residential addresses and saves $5-$10 per package. As with all other Bikeflights services, customers still have the option to either schedule a pickup or drop off their shipment to get it underway.

Effective immediately, Bikeflights customers will see the option to ship via UPS SurePost® for packages that meet the following criteria:

Shipment Size less than 60 inches (152 cm) where Shipment Size = Length + (2 x Width) + (2 x Height)

Weight less than 10 lbs (5 kg)

Premium Protection of $100

Shipped from within the contiguous United States

Shipped to a residential address in the contiguous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico or the US Territories (including American Samoa, Guam, Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Northern Mariana Islands and US Virgin Islands).

Due to its non-urgent nature, the new service is not available for time-sensitive Bikeflights shipments such as those booked for events and vacations.

This addition of our newest service complements the industry-leading bike shipping that we’ve been offering for larger gear – like bikes, frames and wheels — since 2009.

Visit Bikeflights.com today to book your next shipment of bikes, wheels or gear.

[eastcoastmtbadventures]

Dirty Kanza 200 in the books!

@Dirty Kanza 200 race is in the books! Whooweeee was that an amazing weekend and day on the bike! 206 miles, 10,780 elevation gain, 8,716 calories burned, 15.6mph avg speed w/ the last 90 miles into a fierce north headwind of 20-30mph gusts riding solo through the majority of it, overcast morning with bright sunshine for most of the day and temps topping out at 91. At 5am we had lightning, rain, and wind gusts around 50mph which delayed the start 30 minutes. I had a tough first 50 miles and struggled to find comfort & the correct saddle height (slightly off with the shipping and rebuilding of bike) leaving my knees & hips aching. Frustrated, I stopped twice to make adjustments & started feeling good around mile 88. The bike had no mechanical problems whatsoever, but I did puncture the front & rear tire which @Orange Seal tire sealant sealed up nicely & kept me rolling (yaay!).

My finishing time 13:24:09 coming in 4 in class, 11 overall for womens field out of 183, and 81 out of 1,016 overall. Although I had hoped for a better result, I learned a ton from this experience and every minute of it was rewarding. It was a very challenging day on the bike and truly amazing experience all-around.

What really made this weekend even more special was being able to finally share this experience with Brett. He raced his first 100 miler and crushed it coming in 9th, so impressive! I think we’ll be back for more next year! ❤️🚴

Huge thanks to everyone cheering from afar, you helped me get through this! Thanks @OrangeSeal for an amazing weekend and for all the help every step of the way, all the landowners that let us ride through your beautiful countryside, the Dirty Kanza crew, volunteers and everyone who helped make this event amazing, the Emporia community for coming out and cheering everyone on all day and night, High Gear Cyclery bike shop for all the help with shipping my bike using bikeflights.com (you guys are awesome!), and @Orange Mud for making it so easy to hydrate and eat on the bike using the new Endurance Hydration pack!

Thank you:

@orangesealed / @ridecannondale / @pedrosbikecare / @schwalbetires / @defeet / @wolf_tooth_comp / @cyclingconcepts / @bikeflights / @ridemaple / @guenergylabs / @volerapparel / @mustgearsportswipes

#dirtykanza #dk200 #stepoutofyourcomfortzone #thisisgravel #womensracing #womenscycling #fromwhereiride #rideyourbike #gravelbike #adventureawaits #dirtroad #cantstopwontstop #gravelguru #cycling #lovetoride #thisisgravel #findyourlimit @gravelguru #orangesealed #irideorange #cannondale #pedrosbikecare #gripisyourfriend #schwalbetires #defeet #wolftoothcomponents #guenergy #guforit #bikeflights #ridemaple #orangemud #dirtykanza2018 @ministerofgravel #Kansas #Emporia #beatthesun #allthingsgravel #mondaymotivation

[bittenpath-blog]

48cm:BikeFlights.com Signs Agreement With UPS

Bike shipping service to offer shipping with new partner carrier

PORTLAND, OR - BikeFlights.com, a bicycle shipping service for cyclists, is pleased to announce that it has signed a partner carrier agreement with UPS, the world's largest package delivery company and a leading global provider of specialized transportation and logistics services.

“Partnering with UPS aligns well with our mission to serve cyclists of all types, especially as we expand our e-commerce and international shipping services,” said William Alcorn, BikeFlights.com’s President. “UPS not only supports our business goals, but also our sustainability initiatives and efforts to give back to the local community like we do with our cycling nonprofit partners.”

BikeFlights.com helps individual cyclists ship their bikes, wheels and bike-related gear for event, vacation or work travel and after selling them online, and it also strives to meet the bike shipping needs of bike shops, tour operators and other cycling industry partners. Cyclists get great rates, excellent service and premium protection with every BikeFlights.com shipment.

“The market today demands flexible and international logistic solutions for companies to reach their business goals,” said Lawrence Catipay, Northwest District Director of Sales for UPS. “I believe we can help BikeFlights.com move towards their business goals, and it’s a natural fit since UPS started as a bicycle messenger company right here in the Northwest.”

BikeFlights.com planned to begin offering shipping with UPS on Wednesday, March 27, 2019.

For more information and to stay up to date on all BikeFlights.com happenings, follow BikeFlights.com’s blog at Blog.BikeFlights.com, or create and account subscribe to the BikeFlights.com e-newsletter.

[walkerwander-blog]

50cm:Hagens Berman-Supermint announce 2019 roster

Hagens Berman-Supermint have named their roster for the upcoming season, with two newcomers joining eight returning riders to form the UCI women's team.

US pro criterium champion Leigh Ann Ganzar and newcomer Aimee Vassee will join returning riders Whitney Allison, Jess Cerra, Lindsay Goldman, Julie Kuliecza, Harriet Owen, Liza Rachetto, Starla Teddergreen and Lily Williams on the 2019 roster. Goldman will continue as the team's general manager, while Tad Hamilton will return as sports director after leading the team to their strongest season yet in 2018.

"Tad’s leadership brought out the best in our riders and put this team on the map in 2018," Goldman said in a statement released by the team. "Thanks to Steve Berman’s support, we have another season to build on that success. Steve and the Hagens Berman firm have made a huge impact on US cycling by sponsoring multiple teams, and we can’t thank him enough for what he has done for this sport and women’s cycling."

ADVERTISEMENT

Ganzar racked up strong results throughout the 2018 season, culminating with her criterium championship in Knoxville, Tennessee, after a daring late breakaway, while Vasse joins the team after a hiatus from professional cycling, although she recently won the Mt. Washington Hill Climb and Phil Gaimon's Hillclimb World Championships.

The team will ride Scott bikes again in 2019, with additional sponsorship support provided by BikeFlights.com, Feedback Sports, Tazzina Coffee, Terun, Vittoria, Vie 13 Kustom Apparel, Base Cartel, Honey Stinger, JoJé, FFWD, GQ6, Donnelly Sports, Arundel, Victory Circle Graphix, and K3 Holders.

After a February training camp in Scottsdale, Arizona, the team will start their season at the Valley of the Sun Stage Race in Arizona and then follow the USA Cycling Pro Tour calendar to major stage races, one-day events and top criteriums.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

[weshipyourride]

How To Partner Your Event With Bikeflights in 2024

Calling all Event Directors and Staff: For nearly 15 years, Bikeflights has been the go-to partner for cycling events worldwide, ensuring riders’ bikes are shipped safely and arrive on time. As we gear up for 2024, we remain committed to providing the best bike shipping experience for riders traveling to do events of all types. Here’s how you can partner your event with us.

​​Make Travel Easier For Your Riders

It’s a lot easier to travel for an event when you don’t have to bring your bike case or box with you to, through and from an airport. Your riders will speed through airport check-in and baggage claim, and their bikes will be awaiting them upon arrival at their chosen delivery location. All your riders have to do is relax and enjoy their travel to your event.

Calling Events Of All Types And Sizes

We work with events of all types: gravel, mountain bike, road, track, cyclocross, triathlon, BMX, adventure and fat bike, just to name a few. Some are competitive events, some are charity rides and some are consumer or industry shows. We’re happy to provide our shipping services to your event, whether it’s brand new or has been established for decades. And we partner with events of all sizes, too.

How It Works

When you partner your event with Bikeflights, we work with you before, during and after your event to give your participants the best bicycle shipping experience.

We begin by connecting you with a direct Bikeflights Event Support Representative who will work with you on the logistics of bike shipping for your event. For each event, we create a custom, co-branded Bikeflights Event Shipping Guide for easy booking of bike shipments to/from your event. In your Event Shipping Guide, we’ll help you promote your designated event partner bike shop(s) and any bike receiving, assembly and packing services offered to your participants. Our Event Shipping Guides save you as the event promoter from answering some of the same logistical bike transport questions over and over.

Once your participants’ bike shipments are underway, we provide elite-level tracking and monitoring to ensure riders’ bikes get to and from your event as scheduled.

At your request, we’ll also provide you with a shipping report ahead of your event detailing the number of bike shipments coming and from whom. And we can even provide a PDF file of shipping labels for all return shipments if you are helping handle those for your riders. Finally, we can help you get self-adhesive label pouches and luggage tags if needed for your participants’ return shipments.

Our experienced Customer Support Team - made up of fellow cyclists - is available for assistance needed via live chat, email and phone.

Spread The Word

We like to work together to co-promote your events and our services.

Your event gets featured in the Event Calendar on our website, and for several months leading up to your event, we also list your event in our Bikeflights monthly e-newsletter which goes out to more than 160,000 cyclists.

In return, we ask you to share news of Bikeflights’ bicycle shipping services and bike shipping boxes with your event participants via your website, social media and email communications with registered riders.

To begin the process of becoming a partner event, email us at partners@bikeflights.com with some information about your event.

Examples

Check our list of partner events for examples of some of our partnerships.

Unbound Gravel (Gravel Race) 

People for Bikes Shift’23 (Conference)

Bike the US for MS (Charity Event)

MADE Bike Show (Industry Expo)

[weshipyourride]

New Payment Options Coming Soon to Bikeflights.com

We are pleased to announce that we will be switching payment processors on January 10, 2024 to better serve you when booking a shipment on Bikeflights.com. 

With this upgrade, you will get additional, new payment options such as Google Pay, Apple Pay, Klarna, Cash App and bank transfer upon checkout. Of course, you’ll still be able to pay by credit card.

Please note that payment via PayPal will no longer be available. 

Saved Payment Updates

For security reasons, we will NOT migrating your saved payment info, so you will be prompted to enter payment details as you purchase your next Bikeflights shipment after the upgrade. 

You will also have the option to save your payment details for future use. Switching to our new payment processor will fix a previously known issue with saved payment options not always functioning correctly.

Visit Bikeflights.com to book your shipment today.

[weshipyourride]

Holiday Shipping Tips

With the holiday season comes a lot of shipments and what is, in fact, the busiest time of year for carriers. Potentially wintery weather can also affect shipments. Thus, we’ve compiled some helpful holiday shipping tips for getting your bikes, wheels and gear safely and on-time with Bikeflights to wherever they need to go. Whether you’re shipping bike-related gifts to recipients or your own bike for holiday travel, we’re here for you.

Tip #1: Allow Extra Shipping Time.

There will be no pickups or delivery service on December 24, 2023 (Christmas Eve) and December 25, 2023 (Christmas Day), and how fast your shipment will travel depends on what level of service you purchase. 

Our carrier UPS suggests the following ship-by dates by service level to help you make sure that your packages are delivered by Friday, December 22, 2023, the last business day day prior to the Christmas holiday.

3-Day: Tuesday, December 19, 2023

2-Day: Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Next Day: Thursday, December 21, 2023

UPS Store® locations may also have modified business hours over the holidays. We recommend checking with your local UPS Store® for specific hours of operation.

For all shipments via ground service, you can easily get estimated delivery dates at Bikeflights.com based on your ship-to and ship-from locations and your ship-on date, but remember that carriers always suspend their delivery guarantees during the holiday season, so the estimated delivery date you receive is just that: an estimate! Do yourself a favor and build in some extra shipping time to reduce potential delays due to high shipping volumes.

Tip #2: Account for Potential Weather Impacts.

Snow delays can and do happen. Throughout the northern hemisphere, it’s winter, and therefore it can snow or ice at any time in many places. Significant storms may slow or even halt package delivery, especially when the system is already strained due to the higher volume of shipments.

Even if you are shipping to or from a warm climate, your bikes, wheels and gear may have to travel through wintry climates en route, or their travel may be impacted as consequences of winter storms in other places propagate through the system. Potential weather delays are another good reason to ship earlier to give your shipments some extra time. 

Tip #3: Remove or Completely Cover All Previous Labels and Markings

After you receive all the items ordered during your Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping, it’s time to wrap and ship your gifts to recipients. Be sure to always remove or completely cover all previous labels and markings from any boxes that you’re reusing for subsequent shipments. This includes addresses, barcodes and hazmat and other warning stickers.

Automatic scanners will read old labels and markings, and your package could end up getting delivered to the address on a previous label. If the previous label’s address is yours, the package could come right back to you instead of going to your intended recipient, and then you’ll have to ship it again! 

Tip #4: Book Shipments With Accurate Dimensions and Weight.

When booking, be sure to enter accurate dimensions and weight. We’ve pre-loaded the dimensions of popular cases suitable for shipping that you can select when booking. For all boxes or cases not on our list, use a tape measure to determine the following dimensions for your shipment: Length, Width and Height. 

Length is the longest side of a box or case; Height is the second longest, and Width is the dimension that’s leftover - measure each at their widest parts to account for any bulges. Then use a scale to determine package weight. Always round up to the next unit. For example, enter 13 inches for a measurement of 12.25 inches, and enter 14 kg for a measurement of 13.7 kg. 

Shipments are audited multiple times during transit. If a package’s actual dimensions and weight do not match booked dimensions and weight, it may be delayed en route while the discrepancy is resolved, and you may be charged additional fees. Such shipments are also more susceptible to damage because they may end up getting incorrectly sorted by size.

Tip #5: Double Check Your Addresses.

You’ve gone to all the work to get the gifts you’ll be giving, and now you’re ready to send them. Remember to double check your address BEFORE shipping. Make sure you’ve got a complete street address, including the house, apartment or suite number so the delivery driver knows exactly where to go.

Prior to shipping, all address corrections are free, so just reach out to us with your corrected addresses, and we’ll update your shipping label at no charge. Once a shipment is underway, you can still contact us with any delivery address changes; however, standard change and re-route fees will apply, and your delivery date will likely be later than originally scheduled.

[weshipyourride]

How To Partner Your Event With BikeFlights in 2023

Travel and event participation have been near and dear to our hearts since we started BikeFlights in 2009, and we remain committed to providing the best bike shipping service for riders traveling to do events of all types. We work with cycling events around the world to ensure that riders’ bikes deliver on-time and safely. Here’s how to partner your event with BikeFlights in 2023.

Make travel easier for your riders

For riders who use BikeFlights’ door-to-door bicycle shipping service to get their bikes to your event, going to, through and from the airport en route to your event is a lot easier. They’ll breeze through airport check-in and baggage claim, and their bikes will be awaiting them at their chosen delivery location. All your riders have to do is relax and enjoy their travel to your event.

Calling events of all types and sizes

We work with events of all types: gravel, mountain bike, road, track, cyclocross, triathlon, BMX, adventure and fat bike, just to name a few. Some are competitive events, some are charity rides, and some are consumer or industry shows. We’re happy to provide our shipping services to events ranging from brand new to established for decades. And we partner with events of all sizes.

How it works

When you partner your event with BikeFlights, we work with you before, during and after your event to give your participants the best bicycle shipping experience.

We begin by providing you with a direct BikeFlights Event Support Representative who will work with you on the logistics of bike shipping for your event. For each event, we create a custom, co-branded Event Shipping Guide for easy booking of bike shipments to/from your event. In your Event Shipping Guide, we’ll help you promote your designated event partner bike shop(s) and any bike receiving, assembly and packing services they are offering to your participants. Our Event Shipping Guides save you as the event promoter from answering some of the same logistical bike transport questions over and over.

Once your participants’ bike shipments are underway, we provide elite-level tracking and monitoring to ensure their bikes get to and from your event as scheduled.

At your request, we’ll provide you with a shipping report ahead of your event detailing the number of bike shipments coming and from whom. And we can also provide a PDF file of shipping labels for all return shipments if you are helping handle those for your riders. Finally, we can help you get self-adhesive label pouches and luggage tags if needed for your participants’ return shipments.

Our experienced Customer Support Team - made up of fellow cyclists - is available for any other assistance needed via live chat, email and phone.

Spread the Word: We help you. You help us.

Event partners and BikeFlights work together to co-promote your events and services.

Your event gets featured in the Events Page Calendar on our website, and for several months leading up to your event, we also list your event in our BikeFlights monthly e-newsletter which goes out to nearly 160,000 cyclists.

In return, event promoters share news of BikeFlights’ easy-to-use bicycle shipping services and easy-to-pack bike shipping boxes with participants via their website, social media and email communications with registered riders.

To begin the process of becoming a partner event, email us at partners@bikeflights.com with some information about your event.

Examples

Check our list of current partner events for examples of some of our partnerships.

Some examples:

The Mid South (Gravel Race) 

People for Bikes Shift’22 (Conference)

Empire State Ride to End Cancer (Charity Event)

[weshipyourride]

How To Find A Bike Shop

Traveling somewhere new to explore and ride your bike is fun and exciting, but it can also mean that you’ll need to find a local bike shop at your destination where you can ship your bike and get help with any bike assembly, packing or repairs needed while on your trip. Finding a local bike shop that offers the services you’ll need in a location you want is easy with our BikeFlights Bike Shop Finder. Read on to learn more about what it is and how to use it.

About the Bike Shop Finder

Our easy-to-use Bike Shop Finder, which exists on BikeFlights.com, gives you instant information about bike shops for any location. Use our Shop Finder to get a list of local shops and see exactly where they are on a map. Each shop listing also gives you important details like services offered, store hours and contact info. 

Search by Location

Start typing the city and state or zip code of wherever you’d like to find a shop, then select your location from the drop down menu. Specify your search radius in miles or kilometers, and press the “search” button. You’ll see a map showing the resulting locations with specific details about each show below.

Filter Results by Services Offered

After your search results are displayed, you have the option to filter them per the following services offered:

Packing & Assembly - Hire these shops to pack or assemble your bike on either end of your shipment.

Ship From/Ship To - These shops are willing to serve as a shipping location for customers using BikeFlights to ship their bikes, wheels and gear. 

Used Boxes & Packing Materials - Ask these shops for boxes and packing materials that they’ve saved for re-use.

Bike Case Sales or Rentals -  Buy or rent cases from these shops.

Mobile Service - Save yourself a trip (or two!), and hire these shops to come directly to you.

Filtering narrows down the results for your search, which is especially helpful in larger metro areas with many shops. 

We suggest that you ALWAYS contact the shop in advance to make arrangements for whichever service(s) you will require. Availability may be limited at some times of the year or before, during and after major local cycling events. 

Quickly Access Shop Contact Information

Each shop listing not only gives you a list of which services are offered, but it also provides you with the hours of operation and contact info, including a website and phone number so you can easily reach out with questions or to coordinate re: shop services.

Quickly View NBDA-Affiliated Shops

You’ll see the logo of the National Bicycle Dealers Association (NBDA) next to NBDA member shops displayed in your search results. The NBDA is a non-profit association that offers numerous programs for dealers, with an emphasis on education, research, communication and advocacy. It has represented specialty bicycle dealers in the United States since 1946.

For questions regarding our Bike Shop Finder, or to get your shop added, please contact support@bikeflights.com.

[weshipyourride]

Holiday Bike Shipping Tips

What’s often called “the most wonderful time of the year” is also the busiest time of the year for shipping. Carriers deal with a tremendous increase in the volume of shipments during the winter holiday season. That’s why we’ve put together these useful holiday shipping tips to help you get your bikes, wheels and gear safely and on time to wherever they need to go. Whether you’re shipping bike-related gifts to your favorite riders or shipping your own bike for an upcoming holiday trip, BikeFlights has you covered.

Tip #1: Allow Extra Shipping Time.

How fast your shipment travels depends on what level of service you purchase. Our carrier UPS suggests the following ship-by dates by service level to help you make sure that your packages are delivered by Friday, December 23, 2022, the last business day day prior the Christmas holiday on Sunday, December 25, 2022.

3-Day: Tuesday, December 20, 2022

2-Day: Wednesday, December 21, 2022

Next Day: Thursday, December 22, 2022

For all shipments via ground service, you can easily get estimated delivery dates at BikeFlights.com based on your ship-to and ship-from locations and your ship-on date, but remember that carriers always suspend their delivery guarantees during the holiday season, so the estimated delivery date you receive is just that: an estimate! Do yourself a favor and build in some extra shipping time to reduce the potential impact of delays due to high shipping volumes.

Tip #2: Account for Potential Weather Impacts.

Snow delays can and do happen. Throughout the northern hemisphere, it’s winter, and therefore it can snow or ice at any time in many places. Significant storms often slow or even halt package delivery, especially when the system is already strained due to the higher volume of shipments.

Even if you are shipping to or from a warm climate, your bikes, wheels and gear may have to travel through wintry climates en route, or their travel may be impacted as consequences of winter storms in other places propagate through the system. Potential weather delays are another good reason to ship earlier to give your shipments some extra time. 

Tip #3: Remove Previous Labels and Markings.

Once you receive all the items ordered during your Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping, it’s time to wrap and ship your gifts to their lucky recipients. Be sure to always remove all previous labels and markings from any boxes that you’re reusing for subsequent shipments. This includes addresses, barcodes and HAZMAT and other warning stickers.

If you leave old labels on, automatic scanners will read them, and your package could end up getting delivered to the address on the previous label. And if the previous label’s address is yours, the package could even come right back to you! 

Tip #4: Book Shipments With Accurate Dimensions and Weight.

When booking, be sure to enter accurate dimensions and weight. We’ve pre-loaded the dimensions of popular cases suitable for shipping that you can select when booking. For all boxes or cases not on our list, use a tape measure to determine the following dimensions for your shipment: Length, Width and Height. Length is the longest side of a box or case; Height is the second longest, and Width is the dimension that’s leftover - measure each at their widest parts to account for any bulges. Then use a scale to determine package weight. Always round up to the next unit. For example, enter 13 inches for a measurement of 12.25 inches, and enter 14 kg for a measurement of 13.7 kg. 

Shipments are audited multiple times during transit. If a package’s actual dimensions and weight do not match booked dimensions and weight, it may be delayed en route while the discrepancy is resolved, and you may be subject to additional fees. Such shipments are also more susceptible to damage as they may end up getting incorrectly sorted by size.

Tip #5: Double Check Your Addresses.

You’ve gone to all the work to get the gifts you’ll be giving, and now you’re ready to send them. Remember to double check your address BEFORE shipping. Make sure you’ve got a complete street address, including the house, apartment or suite number so the delivery driver knows exactly where to go.

We make address corrections for free prior to shipping, so just reach out to us with your corrected addresses, and we’ll update your shipping label at no charge. Once a shipment is underway, you can still contact us with any delivery address changes; however, standard change and re-route fees will apply, and your delivery date will likely be later than originally scheduled.

[weshipyourride]

SBT GRVL Recap

The inaugural SBT GRVL event drew plenty of interest when it was announced last fall, selling out within just six days of registration opening. It got still more attention by subsequently offering $28,000 in equal prize money for men and women and by managing to draw an impressive 30% female participation. On August 18, 2019, we were there in Steamboat Springs, Colorado to see firsthand exactly what all the hype was about.

Courses

Promoted by Mark Satkiewicz, Amy Charity and Ken Benesh, SBT GRVL offered three distances to riders. The “Black” course comprised 141 miles of mixed terrain which included sections of pavement and about 70% gravel roads. The “Blue” and “Green” courses were 99 miles and 37 miles, respectively, with similar pavement-to-gravel ratios. The rolling landscape, cattle ranches and hard-packed gravel roads, or “groads,” served up fast and competitive races while also providing a scenic tour of what makes Steamboat Springs and the surrounding area so attractive. 

#SBTPARITY

When Mark, Amy and Ken realized that SBT GRVL had sold out within just six days, their excitement was undermined when they saw the numbers of women versus men who had registered. Similar to other large, single-day events, there were far fewer women signed up. In an effort to boost women’s participation, #SBTPARITY was born, and a plan was devised to encourage more female participation by promoting interviews with already registered ladies and extending registration exclusively for 200 additional spots for women only. Their plan worked. Boasting an impressive 400 total registered women, SBT GRVL achieved a 30% female participation rate, a percentage they hope to increase in the upcoming years to 50%. 

Results

To no one’s surprise, with such a large payout equally split between men and women, each field composed of some heavy hitters which included current and former World Tour road racers, national champions and the other legends in the gravel racing scene. In the women’s pro field, Brodie Chapman (Team Tibco-SVB) put in an impressive ride to be crowned the first female champion followed by teammate Lauren Stephens, Sarah Sturm, Alison Powers and Nina Laughlin. In the pro men’s field, the King of Gravel, Ted King, took home the victory followed by Payson McElveen, Jacob Rathe, Colin Strickland and Jonathan Baker. 

Contest Winner

BikeFlights.com co-promoted a contest earlier this year to award the lucky winner a free entry and round-trip shipping to SBT GRVL. Our recipient, Julie, traveled from Kalispell, Montana with her family and competed in the “Green” course event. As a first-time gravel event racer, Julie crushed it and then expressed her interest in attending other similar events in the future! 

BikeFlights.com Staff

Two of our very own BikeFlights.com staff members took part in this year’s event and came away happy with meeting their goals, enjoying the community and experiencing Steamboat Springs. Customer Support Team Manager Cynthia Frazier and her teammates on The Meteor Intelligentsia squad tackled the “Black” course. Rocky Mountain Marketing Manager Michael Potter took part in the “Blue” course. Each boasted impressive finishes and enjoyed a scenic tour of the region, while also competing.

“I had an amazing time riding with my teammate Rachel. We stopped at every aid station and enjoyed the views!” said Cynthia. “We laughed and suffered with smiles on our faces!”

We’re all looking forward to attending again next year. Mark your calendars for August 16, 2020, and come join us!

[weshipyourride]

Leadville Trail 100 MTB Recap

The 2019 Leadville Trail 100 MTB Race was held in Leadville, Colorado on August 10.  Also known as the Race Across the Sky, the race takes racers over the Colorado Rockies at elevations ranging between 10,100 to 12,400 feet. A racer is challenged to catch their breath, while the views try to take it away. 

History: Leadville, Colorado

Nicknamed The Two-Mile-High City, and Cloud City, Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the United States and is tucked into the Colorado Rockies in Lake County, Colorado at 10,152 feet above sea level. The city was founded between two silver-lead rich deposits after a brief gold rush in the mid 1800s.  By the later part of the century, Leadville was one of the largest producing silver camps in the world and reached its peak population of around 40,000 people. Through the depletion of resources, and the closing of several mines over the next 100 years, Leadville was in an economic decline.  Once the final mining operation closed its doors in 1981, the town refocused its efforts to promote tourism and outdoor recreation in hopes of revitalizing its struggling economy. With this shift towards growth, the Leadville 100 was conceived in 1983 by founders Ken Chlouber and Merilee Maupin as an ultra-marathon, a 100 mile run. This was the start of the Leadville Race Series and the re-birth of one of America’s most unique cities.  

Legacy Foundation 

The Leadville Legacy Foundation was created in 2002 as a means to address the issues and needs of the Leadville community residents. The foundation exists in part by contributions from individuals and corporations, as well as a portion of race entry fees. The core values and pillars that keep the Legacy Foundation thriving are education, economic vitality, community, recreation and legacy.  The Leadville Trail 100 Legacy Foundation raised just over $312,000 between charity slots, the Dream Chaser, and donations throughout this weekend alone. 

“For some, a high school diploma is the end of the road for these old miner families and their kids ... through the Trail 100 Scholarship program, we provide $1,000 scholarships to every graduating Lake County Senior choosing to pursue any form of higher education,” says Ken Chlouber. 

For more information on how to donate: https://www.leadvilletrail100legacy.org/

Race Experience

One-hundred miles across high altitude and extreme terrain is a daunting task in itself. Add in time cut offs, weather, nutrition -- and in BikeFlights.com’s Rocky Mountain Marketing Manager Michael’s case, two days of working the expo -- this race is quite a challenge.  A mountain biker might claim the Leadville Trail 100 MTB Race to be a road biker’s course, however a road biker might claim this to be a mountain bikers course.  The race is not so forward and direct. Yes, a road biker’s endurance and ability to pedal will help keep the legs spinning, however there are many aspects, including loose rock, technical descents and power climbs, that benefit mountain bikers. Let’s be fair, a mountain biker won the men’s and women’s pro field and in the end. This race is just plain hard. 

BikeFlights.com’s Race Experience

Michael Potter, BikeFlights.com’s Outreach and Marketing Manager for the Rocky Mountain Region also “raced across the sky” in his first ever endurance mountain bike race. 

“The race started very similarly to some of the gravel events I’ve raced in the past. It was a mass start out of town before hitting some gravel and eventually double and single track trails. We were flying for the first 3 hours, and were on pace for a sub 8-hour finishing time. Up Columbine [climb], I really started to suffer. This is the biggest and hardest climb of the race, however every subsequent climb there after felt just as hard. Aid stations were crucial, as I raced unsupported. Potato chips and Coca-Cola saved my day and I was able to finish in 8:41:52; which was fast enough to earn the coveted ‘big buckle.’  I would love to ride this course again outside of competition so that I could really take in the sights - the views were incredible,” - Michael Potter

Race Across the Sky Expo

For two days, prior to the start of the race, BikeFlights.com was on-site at the Race Across the Sky Expo. This time was used for participants to get their packet picked up and browse the many companies in attendance. It was fantastic to see so many exhibitors showing their “latest and greatest” technologies, as well as conversing with all those cyclists interested in sharing their insights, race tactics and past experiences racing the “LT100.” As first timers, we were impressed with the heart of the competitors and the welcoming arms into their community. We look forward to returning next year! 

Race Across the Sky Expo

Leadville Trail 100 MTB Champions Howard Grotts and BikeFlights.com Brand Ambassador Rose Grant

A mural map of Leadville, Colorado found in town.

The evolution of Leadville enjoys a cold one! 

[weshipyourride]

Spotlight on Ambassadors Stan’s-Pivot Pro Team

Since their 2015 inception, the Stan’s-Pivot Pro Team mountain bike team have been a formidable presence on every race course on which their tubeless tires rolled, earning multiple national championships, consistent podiums and even team co-founder Chloe Woodruff representing the U.S. in the 2016 Olympics. 

And since 2017, BikeFlights.com has been an integral part of their race day routine.

“BikeFlights.com has completely changed the way to travel and pack for races. We ship all of our bikes domestically,” says Woodruff, who founded the team in 2015 with team mechanic TJ Woodruff.

The four-racer team, consisting of Chloe Woodruff, Rose Grant, Sophia Gomez-Villafañe and Keegan Swenson, expects to compete for the top step at every race at which they show. Allowing focus to remain on performing, and not logistics, is paramount.

 “I believe we have the team where we can show up and contest the win at every domestic race we enter. [BikeFlights.com] saves the team a huge amount of travel day stress.“ says Woodruff.

With the calendar just barely crossing into July, Woodruff feels there’s already a lot to celebrate the 2019 season.

“For Sofia, it was her early season podiums at UCI HC races and defending her Argentine National Championship jerseys. Keegan has been undefeated in the U.S. since May and just landed a big result at a World Cup (18th in Andorra). Rose came back from injuries, yet again, to win the Carson City Off-Road. She's the toughest racer out there. And I won the World Cup short track race in Nove Mesto [in the Czech Republic].”

While there’s much for the Stan’s-Pivot Pro Team to celebrate, there’s plenty left in the season upon which to remain unyieldingly focused.

“The [Epic Rides] Off-Road Series is very important to us, but also the U.S. National Championship this season. Rose is also training for Leadville which is new territory for us. [Other targets are the] Pan Am Games (Sofia), and of course, the World Championships.”

We wish them luck for the remainder of the season, and look forward to lending our voices to the cheers at USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships, the Leadville Trail 100 MTB and the Epic Rides Oz Trails Off-Road!

Follow the Stan’s-Pivot Pro Team members and the rest of their 2019 season on Instagram:

Rose Grant @rosekgrant Keegan Swenson @keegels99 Chloe Woodruff @chloewoodruff Sofia Gomez-Villafañe @sofithevilla

[weshipyourride]

Celebrating 10 Years of BikeFlights.com

We at BikeFlights.com are excited to announce that we’re turning 10 years old this month. Throughout July, we’re celebrating a decade of shipping bikes, wheels and gear.

“I started BikeFlights.com to make it easier to adventure with your bike. People loved our shipping service, and over time, the word spread,” said William Alcorn, BikeFlights.com’s President. “Now we ship bikes not only for cyclists who are traveling or selling their bikes online, but also for bike shops, bike manufacturers and many other bike industry companies. Thank you to all of our customers, partners and supporters who have helped us get to this point - we couldn’t have done it without you.”

The list below summarizes many of the highlights of our first 10 years.

BikeFlights.com Milestones

July 2009 - BikeFlights.com is born out of desire to make it easier to adventure by bike.

April 2010 - BikeFlights.com releases version 2.0 of its online shipping tool.

December 2011 - BikeFlights.com relocates to Portland, Oregon.

April 2013 - BikeFlights.com attends its first Sea Otter Classic.

June 2014 - BikeFlights.com launches its growth plan.

September 2014 - BikeFlights.com exhibits at its first Interbike.

September 2014 - BikeFlights.com launches a mobile-friendly site that lets frequent customers book shipments in as few as 11 clicks.

April 2015 - BikeFlights.com begins its Brand Ambassador Program.

January 2016 - BikeFlights.com launches its Buck Up For Bikes Program. To date, the program has raised $56,000 for organizations like Trips for Kids, the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA), the Amy D. Foundation and Little Bellas.

June 2016 - BikeFlights.com begins its partnership with USA Cycling.

July 2016 - BikeFlights.com designs and sells its first (cardboard) bike shipping box.

July 2017 - BikeFlights.com launches its second (corrugated plastic) bike shipping box.

October 2017 - BikeFlights.com enables e-bike shipping.

September 2018 - BikeFlights.com conducts its first staff retreat.

January 2019 - BikeFlights.com becomes the Official Bicycle Shipping Service of the Tour de France.

February 2019 - BikeFlights.com reaches the 500,000 shipments milestone.

March 2019 - BikeFlights.com expands its service with new partner carrier UPS.

April 2019 - BikeFlights.com launches its Sustainability Initiative.

“It’s been an amazing 10 years, and I’m excited for what the next decade will bring,” said Alcorn.

Learn more about BikeFlights.com’s history.

To get started shipping your bike, go to BikeFlights.com.

[weshipyourride]

NICA Hold 8th Annual Conference

BikeFlights.com Buck Up for Bikes partner National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) held their 8th annual national conference last week, and we invited their Communications and Marketing Manager Emily McDonald to tell us what went down in Sun Valley, Idaho.

Photo by Todd Bauer / TMBImages

The National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) recently held its 8th annual National Conference at Sun Valley, Idaho. The NICA National Conference is an annual event that brings league leadership, NICA coach supporters, national staff, race production partners and sponsors together for professional development, strategic planning and discussion of best practices. This year the conference was attended by over 150 participants representing nearly all of NICA’s 27 leagues.

“The best takeaway was the in-person connections and interactions throughout the conference, on the trails riding bikes and around meals,” said NICA’s President, Steve Matous. “Getting to know people from all of our leagues and speaking in person was extremely valuable - the human touch is always the best method of connecting. Secondly, the quality of the presenters, their material and the engagement of our participants was incredible. We had a mix of detailed operational topics and more global and philosophical topics of concern, so everyone came away from the conference enriched and positively challenged.”

This year’s conference focused on leadership, character development and diversity, equity and inclusion, with special presentations by Rebecca Rusch, World Champion, Adventure Athlete, Author and Activist; Lou Bergholz, a Character Development Partner from Edgework Consulting; and Kat Smithhammer and Allison Bergh of Leadership at Play, and Risha Grant of Risha Grant, LLC. Additionally, there were two special presentations on NICA’s impact from Zack Rundell, a NICA student-athlete from the Pennsylvania League and the Hurst Family of the Idaho League.

“The 2019 National Conference was an invaluable experience. It is not often you have the opportunity to meet with like-minded individuals from across the country who are all working towards a common goal - to get more kids on bikes!” said Stephanie Chall, Director of Strategic Growth for the Maryland League. “The NICA team built-in opportunities for participants at all levels -- from inspirational coaching sessions to seminars on recognizing unconscious bias to working with people with disabilities to building community by riding with colleagues, there were important lessons to learn, and connections to be made, around every corner. I walked away with fresh ideas to build existing programs and inspiration to leverage new programs NICA has built for the coming year.”

For more information on the National Interscholastic Cycling Association, please visit www.nationalmtb.org or follow @nationalmtb on social media.

And don’t forget to add a buck (or four!) to your next BikeFlights.com order to contribute to NICA’s mission to put #morekidsonbikes.