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The Bloggers
Sonya Looney Blog: Off to Mongolia
Mongolia. I had to look it up on a map when I decided I was going there to do a bike race. I didn't know anything about the country or the race. Personally, the best travel experiences come from the unknown.
Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic: Photo Essay By Devon Balet
(May 26-June 1 2013) SPRING MILLS, Penn- The fourth year of the Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic was one not to be forgotten. Nearly picture perfect weather with only one day of rain left racers battling it out on premier courses. The trails that are part of this seven day mountain bike race are world class and will test your technical skills as much as your physical fitness.
Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic: Day 7- Bald Eagle Little Poe
(June 1, 2013) SPRING MILLS, Penn- Justin Lindine overturns his past years' misfortunes to win the 2013 Trans-Sylvania Epic, while Amanda Carey takes her second overall win in the week-long stage race. After close racing all week, riders battled over an intense, 26-mile course in Stage 7 to confirm the final standings.http://www.mountainflyermagazine.com/mfAdmin/index.php?mod=addnews
Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic: Day 5- Rothrock Tussey Mountain
(May 31, 2013) SPRING MILLS, Penn- Known as the "Queen Stage" of the race, Stage 6 presented by BMC takes riders over some of the most known and loved trails in Rothrock State Forest. Most notably, riders transverse Tussey Ridge.
Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic: Day 5- RB Winter State Park
(May 30, 2013) SPRING MILLS, Penn- Day five of the Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic brought on classic early summer Pennsylvania weather, hot and sticky!
Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic: Day 4 - Galbraith Enduro
(May 29, 2013) SPRING MILLS, Penn- Day four of the Tran-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic brought warmer temps and humid conditions after yesterday's rain. Today's stage tested racers technical riding skills over the course of five timed segments.
Trade Secrets for The Down and Dirty…Kanza 200 that is!
by Daniel Matheny, Senior Coach at Carmichael Training System & Pro cyclist for Honey Stinger/Bontrager Off-road
Serving as the contributor, coach, and competitor for this event, I had to be timely not to release too many of the trade secrets, race plan, and what my clients pay good money for as we've prepared for one truly epic day in the Flint Hills surrounding Emporia, KS for the ever-growing scene of gravel grinders. Muaaaahhh!
Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic: Day 3- Bald Eagle Coburn
(May 28, 2013) SPRING MILLS, Penn- After yesterday's technical rock crawl, racers faced a day course that tested their fitness equally as much as their technique. The Bald Eagle Coburn Stage 3, presented by DirtRag and ProGold Lubricants, would treat riders to almost 5000 feet of climbing over 42 miles of fire roads interspersed with technical, rocky trails.
Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic: Day 2- Cooper's Gap
(May 27, 2013) SPRING MILLS, Penn- Day 2 of the Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic was another picture perfect day for racing.
Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic- Day one
(May 26, 2013) STATE COLLEGE, Penn— Day one of the Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic kicked off under clear skies and cool temperatures.
Trina Ortega Blog
A Little Bitta Fear and A Whole Lotta Bling
By Trina Ortega
Rebecca Rusch thinks we've got it too easy.
The pro athlete has learned much about patience, made good friends, and pushed her physical and emotional limits through mountain bike racing. To jazz up others' lives with a little more thrill, Rusch aims to introduce the sport to more women on her 2011 SRAM Gold Rusch Tour.
Fish Tales from Sedona
Four Days in Sedona with Magura Direct, Crank Brothers, and SKS
It's not every day that an Olympic gold medalist and Tour de France racer pulls you and your bike out of a rock gully on a cross-country ride in the Arizona desert.
The Coolest Thing I Saw At NAHBS Guest Blog 2
Two guys saunter down a row at NAHBS, chatting about all of the great things they've seen so far, when one questions the other: "What would it take to come up with all this stuff, man?"
Blake Harlan Blog
XCM World Championships and European Recap
My time in Europe has been quite memorable both from a personal perspective as well as from a race perspective. This trip I had the pleasure of always staying with people and experiencing various cultures from the comforts of home away from home and not from a hotel room. A Short recap of the places and I visited and my experiences there...
Blake Harlan's Dutch Adventure
"I'm making a new doghouse so that you can sleep in the old one when you get here" --Best Dutch joke thus far.
Shawn Lortie Blog
Gila Day 5- Riding along with the Trek-LIVESTRONG U 23 Team
(May1,2011)-Silver City,NM-After Joe Lewis's win in the Stage 4 Downtown Criterium on Saturday, the team was pretty pumped up. It was a kind of Déjà vu, as last year in the 2011Tour of the Gila, Jesse Saergent had won the TT the day before the crit, with Taylor Phinney winning the crit the next day. Could this be happening for a second year in a row, this young team stamping its mark on the pro peleton once again?
Gila Day 4- Riding along with the Trek-LIVESTRONG U23 Team
(April 30, 2011)-Silver City, NM-It just keeps getting better for these kids! The fourth stage of the tour is the Downtown Silver City Criterium, 40 laps of pure speed. George Bennett and Dale Parker get call-ups, and the team sits in first for the GC of the tour. It's a super fast circuit through town, with a couple of high-speed corners and a bit of a climb on the backside of the course.
Gila Day 3- Riding along with the Trek-LIVESTRONG U23 Team
(April 29, 2011) Tyrone, NM-The 16.15 mile Dan Potts Memorial Tyrone Time Trial course starts just south of Silver City and heads down the highway for just over 8 miles before it turns around and heads straight back to the finish line. There are two small climbs, and today the wind is back.
Gila Day 2- Riding along with the Trek-LIVESTRONG U23 Team
(April 28, 2011) FORT BAYARD, N.M.-Day two of racing brings another road race to the table for the Trek-LIVESTRONG U23 Team. Known as The Inner Loop Road Race, the course involves 80 miles of hilly riding with two KOM climbs and a couple of bonus sprints thrown in for good measure. The wind is once again calm at the start/finish line, which is just outside Silver City at Fort Bayard, on old military base.
Riding Along with Trek-LIVESTRONG at the Gila
(April 27, 2011) Silver City, NM-The day before the race is crazy windy. One of the roads into town is closed due to dust and blowing debris.The airport is closed, forcing Team Bissel, amongst others, to fly into Albuqurque and make the 5 hour drive down to Silver City. By the time the sun is setting, the wind is still blowing as hard as ever and the horizon is nothing but a glowing orange cloud of dust.
Trek/Livestrong U23 Media Ride
(April 13, 2011) BOULDER, Colo.-The Trek/Livestrong U23 team hosted a media ride last Wednesday to introduce it's Boulder based squad, and give some insight into what makes the team tick. While some of the team members are living elsewhere for the season, at least six riders are calling Boulder Colorado home for the 2011 season. The Trek/Livestrong team was created by Lance Armstrong as a project to help develop the next generation of great young cyclists. It is a hand picked squad chosen from over 1000 top U23 cycling resumes from around the world. Needless to say, this is a serious group of young riders who are being groomed to become top riders in the Pro Tour.
Jordan Carr Blog
MF Blog: US Pro Challenge - Craziness on Cottonwood Pass
Quickly Becoming an Annual Tradition
The party that follows the USPCC through the mountains of Colorado is quickly becoming an annual affair for many hardcore race fans. "We just love traveling around the state and enjoying the outdoors. The race gives us a great excuse to do that" explained a couple who is following the race in their 4x4 RV.
Cool Stuff from Interbike 2010
What we expected to be the last year of Interbike in Las Vegas. Lots of cool new products along with some expected trends.
LAS VEGAS, Nev.—Sin City, Glitter Gulch, Lost Wages: all historical and well-appropriated nicknames for Las Vegas. It's an amusing town with great food (if you know how to get yourself off the strip and into the right places) and, well, just about anything else large sums of money can buy. Vegas is all that. But it's not a place most cyclists have on their list of top vacation spots. Despite the obvious disconnect, for the past 12 years the Gambling Capitol of the World has played host to the United States' premier cycling trade show: Interbike
On the Road to Outerbike: First trip in the new Van
With the Eurovan all loaded and the Let's Go Aero trailer attached we headed off to Moab, but not without a couple of stops on the way.
Trip number one in the new mobile Mountain Flyer rig is in the books. Outerbike turned out to be a great first year event drawing people from all over the country and many from Canada. I was also fortunate enough to go on a little ride called the "Whole Enchilada" in a fast "group ride" type format (kind of like a race).
J. Carr Blog: Endurance Bike racing is like a 1000 piece puzzle.
Things don't always go as planned.
Many racers say that everything must click together for things to go well in a bike race, especially a really long one. Your bike must work well, your light system, your fueling, and most of all your body all need to be working in sync with one another. But sometimes all these aspects just don't come together.
jordon Carr Blog: Patiently waiting... Final Countdown to 2010 Vapor Trail 125
Its almost time. Just a few more hours of chilling and filling the body with needed fuel.
2010 Vapor Trail Prepartaion Continues
As the week winds down and the weekend begins to call, preparation for the 2010 Vapor Trail 125 has continued to consume much of my evening hours.
5 days and Counting to 2010 Vapor Trail 125
Epic, fall high country riding is exactly what the Vapor Trail 125 offers. Amazing views, flowy singletrack and 20k feet of climbing... What could be better? Starting at 10pm on a Saturday night!!
On the Road with Smartwool. Update 2
Riding from Steamboat Springs to Meeker, Colorado and Meeker to Vernal, UT.
On the Road with Smartwool. Riding to Outdoor retailer
360 miles in 4 days. From Steamboat, Colorado to Park City, UT. A company ride promoting an active lifestyle and alternative transportation.
Brian Riepe Blog
Trade Secrets for The Down and Dirty…Kanza 200 that is!
by Daniel Matheny, Senior Coach at Carmichael Training System & Pro cyclist for Honey Stinger/Bontrager Off-road
Serving as the contributor, coach, and competitor for this event, I had to be timely not to release too many of the trade secrets, race plan, and what my clients pay good money for as we've prepared for one truly epic day in the Flint Hills surrounding Emporia, KS for the ever-growing scene of gravel grinders. Muaaaahhh!
Sydney Fox Blog: Video Preview - RME#3 Indian Creek
Night-time crit, pot luck, and fierce racing make a weekend
Course Preview: Battle at the Bear - Rocky Mountain Endurance Series #2
Race #2 for the RME series moves north to Denver
The second race of the Rocky Mountain Endurance series takes place at Bear Creek Lake State Park for Battle the Bear. With a 60-, 30-, 20, and 10-mile race to choose from, competitors of every style will have their chance to prove themselves.
Blog: Kilimanjaro by Bike
Alchemist Threadworks Jeff Wu Takes on Kilimanjaro, as a Rider and a Doctor
When Jeff Wu trained to be an ER doc, he didn't expect his profession to blend so conveniently with his passion. He figured mountain biking, his passion, would be put on the backburner, a past time to be visited when his rigorous work schedule allowed. As luck would have it, down time during late nights in the ER lent well to new hobbies taken up to soften the edge.
Jefe Branham Blog: Sleepless Nights on the CTR
Pushing the Limits
By Jefe Branham
The 2012 Colorado Trail Race was to be my fifth time to the starting line of this event. With three decent finishes under my belt along with plenty of soul scorching lows and silly giddy highs, why do it again? For one, the CTR offers a massive adventure in a relative short period of time, taking time away from work, life, etc., is minimal, yet the experience puts life's troubles in perspective.
Honey Stinger Team Blog: 24 Hours in the Sage
By Nate Bird
The 24 Hours in the Sage, "best mountain bike race at a party" as race and venue owner KOA Dave puts it just went down this past weekend on August 18 and 19 in Gunnison, CO. The race has always been at Dave's KOA campground, however, this is the first year he has also taken ownership of the race. What I have always called the best 24 hour mountain bike race anywhere, certainly lived up to my billing again – bigger and badder than ever.
Ben Swanepoel Blog: Pierres Hole 100
And I Thought the Breck 100 Was Hard.
(August 4, 2012) Alta, Wyoming - After the Breckenridge 100 everyone told me the hardest 100 mile race I could do was behind me. Well, they were wrong! Good thing I didn't race last weekend as the extra recovery time was a prerequisite for this weekend's racing.
TransAlp: Spazzing, Tearing, Hacking
By Jason Sumner
Two stages down here at the eight-day TransAlp mountain bike stage race. Good news: The scenery is off the charts, course marking is spot on, food is tasty, and legs have been decent.
Ben Swanepoel Blog: Firecracker 50
The 4th of July is a pretty big deal here in the States, being Independence Day and all. As a rule the American Stars and Stripes flag adorns everything and anything, but on the 4th of July, the country literally turns to shades of red, white and blue.
Ben Swanepoel Blog: Wildflower Rush
My second week in the US had me feeling a bit like a tourist...
We started off by driving across most of the country, leaving Michigan behind and heading to Colorado. The 2000km journey took us away from the big lakes, past Chicago, through the farmlands of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Nebraska. As the miles passed, so we gained altitude eventually reaching our first stop in Boulder, Colorado after 2 days in the car and several stops at Subway (fast food).
Andrew Wilz Overland Blog Post 7: Interstate Blues
Overland and interstate travel is awesome right? Well... not always. Over the course of our adventure, travel's served a purpose of connecting ride-destinations.
Andrew Wilz Overland Blog Post 6: Prospecting in Utah
The prospect of riding fresh, highly-thought of singletrack seemingly propelled everyone out of their sleeping bags simultaneously in the morning as the sun broke-free of the clouds at the Phil's Trailhead in Bend, OR. The now-familiar routine of packing tents, stowing sleeping bags, preparing breakfast etc, was run through with a new aire of excitement.
Cameron Chambers Blog: Taunted by the Whiskey
Prescott, Arizona, is not normal. I had never been there before but I knew this to be true-blue fact.
Honey Stinger-Trek Off Road Team Camp Buzzes into Fruita
FRUITA, COLO. - Members of the Honey Stinger-Trek Off Road team recently gathered in Fruita, Colorado for their annual training camp.
The Coolest Thing I Saw At NAHBS Guest Blog
In the tech business they call it open source. In music it's a jam session. Bill Gates wants to call it The Cloud, but simply put, it's collective thought and shared ideas: the symbiotic melding of minds, resources, techniques or technologies. And it's powerful.
Claro Brasil Ride Stage 5-6: Brian and Jenny Smith Blog
We Woke To Rain, Again
There has been a distinct theme of wet during this race.
Claro Brazil Ride Stage 4: Brian and Jenny Smith Blog
Cleared to continue with ibuprofen, massage and rest
By Brian Smith
We have been racing in rain for 3 days straight now. It hasn't rained for a whole year here in Rio de Contas and it seems the rain gods are making up for lost time.
Claro Brazil Ride – Brian and Jenny Smith Blog
Stage 2: Mucuge to Rio de Costa: Roosters, flattened toads, and grinning from ear To ear
By: Brian Smith
Each year I invite about 20 keen riders to join me on my birthday ride, one day on the White Rim. On Monday, I spent the day on my bike in Brazil with 300 international riders. The route consisted of almost 100 miles and 10,000 feet of climbing.
Claro Brazil Ride Blog Post 2: Brian and Jenny Smith
Messages, Music and racing the Prologue
Last night in the Claro Brazil ride village I had one of the best miscommunications. In the center of the village is an open air tent, bar and music area with bean bags, couches and flax mats. I was using a grid rolle and stretching when one of the race doctors came over introduced himself, asked my name, where I was from.
Claro Brazil Ride Brazil Blog Post 1: Brian and Jenny Smith
What a Trip
By: Brian Smith
MUCUGE, Brazil—What a trip it's been so far. We've spent about 25 hours traveling from Gunnison Colorado to Mucuge Brazil. Strangely enough we haven't experienced any conflicts along the way and we managed to receive our entire luggage undamaged.
SSWC 2010, New Zealand: The Schnell Diaries, Defending the Title
Mom wouldn't have been impressed with another tattoo anyway…
The fine people of Rotorua, New Zealand brought us the 2010 edition of the Single Speed World Championships and it was everything you'd expect from the Kiwi's.
Road Trip: Mountain Flyer's Jordan Carr on the Highway in the New Rig
First Stop: Outerbike, Moab Utah.
With a credit card in hand and a pile of boxes full of Mountain Flyer schwag, Mountain Flyer's Jordan Carr has hit the road in our new - well 18-year old but new to us - VDub Eurovan. The first stop for the new ride will be Outerbike in Moab, Utah. Sept. 29 - Oct. 3.
B. Riepe Blog: Back on the Program with a new SRM Power Meter Crank
Training at the mercy of a mindless computer
The new SRM crank showed up at my house in mid July and sat on my dining room table for some time; the shiny black FSA carbon crank arms with their red and white racing stripes glistening under the lights like a sports car possessed.
Breck Epic Blog Post Stages 4 and 5: Montana is Getting Tired
Stage 4 began wonderfully when I missed the start of the race.
When 8:10 rolled around, I was at my jeep trying to fit my chain onto an oddly shaped 23 tooth cog that Dicky had lent to me.
Breck Epic Blog Post Stage 3 - Montana Miller: Hypothermia at 12,000 feet
I thought I was going to get hypothermia at 12,200' on the continental divide. Then I found a beach towel.
When we started up the first climb of stage three, I immediately felt better with my lower gear. I was able to sit down and spin right up the hill.
Breck Epic Blog Post Stage 2 - Montana Miller: Hugging trees at 30mph
I ran into a pine tree today at 30mph. Aside from that bit of misfortune, stage two was better than stage one.
This morning's start was a pleasant 50 degrees. We crowded into some little side street in downtown Breck, stood around making fun of each other, and then pedaled up a paved road.
Breck Epic Blog Post Stage 1 - Montana Miller: Covered in Hammer Gel
I'm covered in hammer gel. I threw my wool shirt, knee warmers, and gel flask into my drop bag at the first aid station today.
Aggregating like drops of oil
The romantic notion of 'making a difference' a rant by James E. Rickman LOS ALAMOS, N.M.— As the fifth week of environmental catastrophe continues to unfold in the Gulf of Mexico, I've decided that remaining powerless is no longer an option.
Sonya Looney Blog
Sonya Looney Blog: Off to Mongolia
Mongolia. I had to look it up on a map when I decided I was going there to do a bike race. I didn't know anything about the country or the race. Personally, the best travel experiences come from the unknown.
Sonya Looney Blog: Giddy Up
Team SRAM at 24 Hour National Championships
What do you say when the 6 time 24 Hour World Champion asks you to race on a team with her for 24 Hr National Championships? How do you feel when you know you're racing on a 4 woman team consisting of Rebecca Rusch, Jenny Smith, and Kelly Boniface? You say GIDDY UP!!!! Our team name for the event was "SRAM."
Sonya Looney Blog: Singletrack Never-Never Land
Park City Point to Point 2011
(September 8, 2011) PARK CITY, Utah. - Singletrack Never-Never Land. I'll bet you didn't know that nestled in the mountains in and around Park City are 300 miles of the sweetest singletrack your tire will ever grace.
Eszter Horanyi Blog
Eszter Horanyi's Tour Divide: Done and done.
19 days, 3 hours, 35 minutes. Two countries, five states, four bears, and countless decisions on where to sleep, what to eat, and what to do. In the end, it was simple: Eat, pedal, sleep. Was I prepared? Mostly.
Eszter Horanyi's Tour Divide: The Final Countdown
14 months in the planning. 14 days till the start. It's the final countdown.
Eszter Horanyi's Tour Divide: The Power of Research
With a month until go time, it's time to actually take a look at the route, and more importantly, where and what I can eat and drink on the route, because in the end, it's a matter of keepin' on eatin', keepin' on drinkin', and keepin' on peddlin'.
Eszter Horanyi's Tour Divide: Gear Packing
With the final countdown to the Tour Divide commencing, it's time to finalize the gear. And figure out how to keep it from falling off my bike.
Eszter Horanyi's Tour Divide: Mental and Physical Thresholds
Is there a silver lining to every cloud? Can miserable situations be beneficial? I'd like to think so.
When the snow starts coming down at 12 Hours of Dawn to Dusk, there's little else to do but laugh at the situation. All in the name of training.
Eszter Horanyi's Tour Divide: Head Games
With the official start of spring, musing on the physical preparation, the mental game, and ski racing for Tour Divide preparation.
As someone who's never ridden the Divide, I can only speculate on what it's going to take to finish it from a physical and emotional standpoint.
Eszter Horanyi's Tour Divide: Letter of Intent
The snow is melting. It's time to start thinking about summer.
Every year, riders who plan on tackling the Tour Divide send in a Letter of Intent to the race website declaring their intention to race. This is mine.
Eszter Horanyi Arrowhead 135 Blog: When Preparation Pays Off
Three months of preparation. One race day. 135 miles.
After a quarter year of thinking about, reading about, and obsessing over the Arrowhead 135, it was finally time to toe the line and see if it was all worth it.
Eszter Horanyi's Arrowhead 135 Blog: Lessons Learned
The final countdown to race day.
Yesterday was my last day of cold weather riding before heading off to the land of International Falls for the start of the Arrowhead 135. I'd like to share the top five lessons I've learned in this adventure because regardless of how this race goes on Monday, I've been able to commute to work, in Crested Butte in the winter, on my bike everyday this winter, and that in itself is enough to consider this adventure a success.
Eszter Horanyi Arrowhead 135 Blog: Puzzle Pieces
Two weeks out from the Arrowhead 135 and the puzzle pieces are coming together.
As of right now, I am 16 days out from the start of the Arrowhead 135. The thought is slightly terrifying because until I bought my plane ticket to Minnesota two days ago, the race seemed like somewhat of an abstract event in my future. With less than two weeks until I board a plane in Denver and head north, the reality of the situation is becoming very real.
Eszter Horanyi Arrowhead 135 Blog: No bad weather, just bad clothing
Winter has arrived and with it, the opportunity to fine-tune cold weather clothing. Or so I hope.
Last winter, my first winter here in the Gunnison valley, I was blown away by the cold in late December and early January. I was hoping to use a similar start to winter to figure out exactly how much clothing I'd need to stay warm for 20+ hours of riding through the Minnesota winter. My systems are slowly developing.
Eszter Horanyi Arrowhead 135 Blog: What was I thinking?
Follow Eszter's adventure of getting ready for the Arrowhead 135, through the good and the bad.
Bad ideas are born in strange places. Signing up for the Arrowhead 135, a 135-mile snow bike race in International Falls, MN., at the end of January seemed like a good idea at the time. Forget the fact that I've never raced a snow bike before, I've never actually ridden a snow bike before, and I generally strongly dislike riding in the cold. What could possibly go wrong?
Eszter Horanyi CTR Blog 2: An Ounce of Comfort
by Eszter Horanyi
Historically I have not been a gear head. I'm not a gram counter and generally choose bike parts based on durability over weight.
Eszter Horanyi CTR Blog Post 1: Preparation
Looking back in order to look forward
The Colorado Trail: How does one describe it? We could go by pure numbers: 470 miles, 65,000+ ft of elevation gain with the majority of the route above 9,000 ft.
Andrew Wilz Blog
Andrew Wilz Overland Blog Post 8: Spanish Fork
Spanish Fork may perhaps not be best-known for its trail-riding in the mountain bike community, with iconic destinations such as Moab and the Wasatch Crest network stealing pretty much all the Utah thunder.
Andrew Wilz Blog Post 5: Miracle Morsels
Today marks the ½ way point of our trip in a manner of speaking. The mission for the trip was to arrive in Port Angeles with Team Geronimo to report on the race and for the guys to compete in the DH. With the race-weekend over, we had a decision to make concerning return-route, the completion of our Ride Guide for Mountain Flyer was our priority on the way out, and as we were looking at a possible overlap-situation related to stops we'd discussed for our return-route, some further planning was required.
Andrew Wilz Blog: The Race, Port Angeles. Post 4
In life, most often it's not the result, but the process that defines us... molding us into positive examples of humanity, driving us ever forward to explore, learn and grow as individuals functioning as a whole.
Andrew Wilz Blog: Overlanding to Port Angeles with the Buell's - Post 3, Portland
(April 27, 2012) - PORTLAND, OREG. - so where were we…? Middle of the desert.. check… Riding bikes… check. Eating delicious meals prepared in the middle of nowhere with friends… check. No wait, we were putting down miles and getting to somewhere ELSE to ride bikes, right?
Andrew Wilz Blog: Overlanding to Port Angeles with the Buell's - Post 2 - Elko, Nev.
(April 26, 2012) Elko, Nev. - This next segment was set up to be a 'gimme' and would be a bit of a stretch. We'd departed Vernal Utah late due to a wiper-motor issue with Michael's truck, and decided somehow that it was worth it to make the sprint across Utah and deep into Nevada to try to rid ourselves of one of the peskier-sections of tarmac that obstructed us from our crossover into the loamy-goodness of the Pacific NorthWest singletrack that awaited.
Andrew Wilz Blog: Overlanding to Port Angeles Post 1
(April 23, 2012) VERNAL, Utah. - Whew… finally on the road as of later in the day yesterday, after the Buell-rig needed some careful trailer-sorting/loading, and then a departure around 1800hrs from Carbondale. The first leg of the trip took us due west on i-70 to Rifle where we promptly decided we'd had our fill of Interstate and headed north on 13 to catch 64 to rte40 through Dinosaur to Vernal…
Macky Franklin Blog
Macky Franklin Blog: Whiskey Off-Road
It has been a bit over a week since the Whiskey Off-Road and I've had some time to recover and process my experience as a Whiskey second-timer. And here's my conclusion: this is a world-class event.
Opinion: The Next Eight-and-a-Half Months Could Change Mountain Biking
We have eight-and-a-half months to demand that the UCI drop Rule 1.2.019
On the morning of Thursday April 11, the cycling community woke up to good news. The UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) had announced that it would postpone enforcement of Rule 1.2.019 until 2014. This is a victory for the cycling community, but a small one.
Macky Franklin Blog: Learning Trials - week 3
It took over a month, but I finally figured out the standing manual.
Macky Franklin Blog: Learning Trials - week 2
Pedal kick week is done and (standing) manual week has begun!
Macky Franklin Blog: Learning Trials - week 1
This winter I have decided to learn the basic skills of observed trials riding on my mountain bike. I may never be famous for these skills, but learning has already improved my handling skills and made me more comfortable on my bike. And it is making me happier.
Macky Franklin Blog: SSWC Course Preview
For those unlucky people who didn't get to race Single Speed World Championships 2012 in Winterton, South Africa, here is what the course was like.
Macky Franklin Blog: Single Speed World Championships 2012 - South Africa
The 2012 Single Speed World Championships in Winterton, South Africa were awesome. I may not have brought home the tattoo, but I had a great time and can't wait for SSWC 2013 in Italy!
Macky Franklin Blog: Breck Epic Final Stage
The 2012 Breck Epic is over and I have a new title to add to my resume: Single Speed Stage Race World Champion!
Macky Franklin Blog: Breck Epic Stage 4
Took the SSSRWC leader's jersey back and got some dirt rash!
Macky Franklin Blog: Breck Epic Stage 3
Turns out riding a bike (especially a single speed) is quite a bit more fun when BOTH cleats stay attached to your shoes.
Macky Franklin Blog: Breck Epic Stage 2
I've had a week to ponder and I'm finally ready to post about Stage 2 (more commonly called the "wet and cold and miserable stage").
Macky Franklin Blog: Breck Epic Stage 1
First single speed race. First single speed win. Lots of work to come though!
Macky Franklin Blog: Winter Park Enduro
Enduro racing is fun. Really fun. And for the second year in a row, Winter Park has hosted a great weekend of Enduro racing.
Macky Franklin Blog: Road Trip Part I
Two weeks ago I crammed four months worth of bikes and equipment into the back of my Subaru Legacy and headed out on a bike racing road trip. Now, two race weekends later, I can't wait for more!
Macky Franklin Blog: Missoula Pro XCT Course Preview
Missoula is serving up some real mountain bike racing. The course has steep, punchy climbs and a fun descent with a solid A-line drop. Check it out!
Macky Franklin Blog: Nationals Pro XC Course Preview
In case you wonder what the top Pro men and women in the USA will be racing today.
Macky Franklin Blog: Centering disc brakes
I love disc brakes. And I hate when they rub. Luckily, it's pretty easy to center your disc brakes and make them stop rubbing.
Macky Franklin Blog: Where the bike goes
One of the most effective ways to stay to get your bike to go where you want it to is to look where you want to go, not where you're afraid of going.
Macky Franklin Blog: Fix a bent chain link
Nobody likes a bent chain link, but ride long enough and you'll probably experience one. Here's what to do so you can finish your ride.
Macky Franklin Blog: Shift Early, Shift Often
Macky Franklin explains the importance of proper shifting habits out on the trail
Most mountain bikers know how to shift. Those that don't, ride singlespeeds. The problem though isn't how to shift, but when. Wanna know the secret?
Tammy Sadle Blog
Tammy Sadle Blog: Training with Power on a Mountain Bike
Part 1: The Questions
From the first day we met, cycling and racing have made my life better. The sport has allowed me to meet wonderful people and push myself harder - physically and mentally - than I ever imagined was possible.
Jason Sumner Blog
Breck Epic Blog : That's a Wrap
Keeping this short and sweet as we've got a party to go to. Or as Breck Epic race director Mike McCormack, calls it, the Gold Pan stage. (if you've ever corrodes around Breck, you understand. If not, do a Google search for, "Breckenridge's best dive bar."
Breck Epic Blog: The Bell Has Tolled
Full disclosure, I'm smashed.
And no, not in a "deep in the cups" kind of way. That's tomorrow after the last stage. Right now it's all bike induced thanks to five hard days of racing at the Breck Epic. The legs hurt, the arms ache, the hands throb, and my brain's hard drive is skipping like a scratched record.
Breck Epic: Stage 4 Glossary of Key Terms
Like any cool, hip happening, the Breck Epic has its own unique verbiage and vernacular. Words that those who know, know. Now you can, too, thanks to this primer of Breck Epic Stage 4 Glossary of Key Terms
Breck Epic Blog: Screw The Journey, It's The Destination
Whoever said, "It's the journey not the destination" has never climbed to the saddle of French Pass or rolled up and over neighboring Georgia Pass. I write this because frankly the journey was a pain in the ass, or more specifically the legs and lungs.
Breck Epic Blog: Sometimes the Cliche Really does Apply
By Jason Sumner
There is perhaps no more overused word in the cycling world than "epic." The often trite descriptor can be used in front of just about anything having to do with two-wheeled pursuits. Rides, climbs, crashes, attacks, descents, mechanicals, you name. They can all be epic, yet rarely really are. Perhaps we need a moratorium. Or just some new words.
Breck Epic: Up, up, up, and doooooown
By Jason Sumner
The raw numbers were ugly: 5,700 feet of climbing parceled out in four separate trips above 11,000 feet stretched out over 39 miles in the saddle. Sounds painful (and it was). But there was also plenty of sweet singletrack payoff during the first stage of the 2012 Breck Epic — and that made it all worthwhile.
TransJuly: Done
By Jason Sumner
Greetings once more, this final time from the Sheraton Hotel at the Malpensa airport outside Milan, Italy. In a few hours it's fly time, as I head home to Colorado after 16 days of racing that included bruising MTB stage race traverses of the Pyrenees and Alps.
TransAlp: Back on (Single)Track
By Jason Sumner
Greetings from Scuol, Switzerland, country No. 3 of this 8-day fat tire tour through the main chain of the Alps. We'll add a fourth tomorrow when we pedal into Italy to the stage 5 finish in Livigno.
Jason Sumner's TransJuly Part 2: TransAlp Mountain Bike Stage Race
By Jason Sumner
Saturday at 10 a.m. Nuno and I are at it again. Two weeks ago it was the TransPyr MTB stage race in Spain. This time it's the 2012 TransAlp mountain bike stage race, which kicks off in Germany with a 61-mile trip from Oberammergau to Imst.
TransPyr Stage 8: Elizondo to San Sebastian
I'm not going to sugarcoat things
By Jason Sumner
I personally think it's silly to play the ranking game with endurance cycling events.
TransPyr Stage 7: Isaba to Elizondo
Affectionately known as The Wall
By Jason Sumner
Brain function is at an all time low right now, so we are going to do this notes column style. Coherently connecting thoughts after 60-plus hours of racing/touring is just not in the cards.
TransPyr Stage 6: Jaca to Isaba
She's a good lady
By Jason Sumner
There's a strange realization that often comes over me in the middle of mountain bike stage races such as the TransPyr.
TransPyr Stage 5: Ainsa to Jaca
New Pedals and New Confidence
By Jason Sumner
It's amazing how a few long days in the saddle can alter perspective. After back-to-back-to-back-to-back 9-plus-hour days, Wednesday's mere 7-hour and 19-minute jaunt seemed almost easy.
TransPyr Stage 4: El Pont de Suert to Ainsa
It's official, this is now a tour, not a race for Team Mountain Flyer/Correio da Manhã.
Bad legs and bunk pedals are primarily to blame. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.
TransPyr Stage 3: La Seu d'Urgell to El Pont de Suert
Finally, after a couple of days that had me questioning my personal sanity, and wondering if like queen size mattresses, showers made for people taller than 5-foot-2, and reliable WiFi, the concept of mountain as in mountain biking had not made across the Pond here to Spain.
TransPyr Stage 2: Camprodon to La Seu d'Urgell
Getting Ahead, Falling Behind
By Jason Sumner
You havenít lived until youíve carried (yes, carried) your bike across a lumpy, high alpine Pyrenean field occupied by dozens cows and sheep. I can now say, Iíve lived.
Melt Swanepoel Blog
Melt Swanepoel Blog: Crater Cruise and bridge Cape Pioneer Trek
Cruising the Crater is always one of the hardest race days of the year. The substantial prize money, strong field and relentless course add up to an extremely challenging day in the saddle. In addition, rain leading up to the event had washed away sand on the district roads making the corrugated sections even tougher than usual.
Fool's Gold 100 - Dahlonega, Georgia
The concluding event of the NUE series was held this past weekend in Dahlonega, Georgia. This state is nestled in the South-eastern corner of the United States where the people are friendly and speak with that deep southern drawl.
Devon Balet Blog
Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic: Photo Essay By Devon Balet
(May 26-June 1 2013) SPRING MILLS, Penn- The fourth year of the Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic was one not to be forgotten. Nearly picture perfect weather with only one day of rain left racers battling it out on premier courses. The trails that are part of this seven day mountain bike race are world class and will test your technical skills as much as your physical fitness.
Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic: Day 7- Bald Eagle Little Poe
(June 1, 2013) SPRING MILLS, Penn- Justin Lindine overturns his past years' misfortunes to win the 2013 Trans-Sylvania Epic, while Amanda Carey takes her second overall win in the week-long stage race. After close racing all week, riders battled over an intense, 26-mile course in Stage 7 to confirm the final standings.http://www.mountainflyermagazine.com/mfAdmin/index.php?mod=addnews
Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic: Day 5- Rothrock Tussey Mountain
(May 31, 2013) SPRING MILLS, Penn- Known as the "Queen Stage" of the race, Stage 6 presented by BMC takes riders over some of the most known and loved trails in Rothrock State Forest. Most notably, riders transverse Tussey Ridge.
Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic: Day 5- RB Winter State Park
(May 30, 2013) SPRING MILLS, Penn- Day five of the Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic brought on classic early summer Pennsylvania weather, hot and sticky!
Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic: Day 4 - Galbraith Enduro
(May 29, 2013) SPRING MILLS, Penn- Day four of the Tran-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic brought warmer temps and humid conditions after yesterday's rain. Today's stage tested racers technical riding skills over the course of five timed segments.
Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic: Day 3- Bald Eagle Coburn
(May 28, 2013) SPRING MILLS, Penn- After yesterday's technical rock crawl, racers faced a day course that tested their fitness equally as much as their technique. The Bald Eagle Coburn Stage 3, presented by DirtRag and ProGold Lubricants, would treat riders to almost 5000 feet of climbing over 42 miles of fire roads interspersed with technical, rocky trails.
Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic: Day 2- Cooper's Gap
(May 27, 2013) SPRING MILLS, Penn- Day 2 of the Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic was another picture perfect day for racing.
Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic- Day one
(May 26, 2013) STATE COLLEGE, Penn— Day one of the Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic kicked off under clear skies and cool temperatures.


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Atkarībā no naktsmītnes politikas var tikt piemērota katrai viesnīcai specifiska maksa par papildu personām.
Lai reģistrētos, jāuzrāda personu apliecinošs dokuments ar fotoattēlu un jāiemaksā skaidras naudas depozīts vai jāuzrāda kredītkarte neparedzētu izdevumu segšanai.
Īpašie pieprasījumi ir atkarīgi no pieejamības reģistrācijas laikā, un par tiem var tikt piemērota papildu maksa. Īpašo pieprasījumu pieejamība netiek garantēta.
**Šīs ērtības var būt pieejamas tikai dažos numuros vai vienībās. Par dažām ērtībām var būt jāmaksā papildu maksas.
Viesnīca piedāvā šādas izklaides iespējas: āra baseins, pirts un diennakts vingrošanas zāle.
Naktsmītnē vai tās tuvumā ir šādas atpūtas un izklaides vietas (var piemērot maksu):
Šīs maksas un iemaksas tiek veiktas naktsmītnē pakalpojuma sniegšanas, reģistrēšanās vai izrakstīšanās laikā.
Šis saraksts, iespējams, nav pilnīgs. Maksas un iemaksas, iespējams, neietver nodokļus un var mainīties.
Atkarībā no naktsmītnes politikas var tikt piemērota katrai viesnīcai specifiska maksa par papildu personām.
Lai reģistrētos, jāuzrāda personu apliecinošs dokuments ar fotoattēlu un jāiemaksā skaidras naudas depozīts vai jāuzrāda kredītkarte neparedzētu izdevumu segšanai.
Īpašie pieprasījumi ir atkarīgi no pieejamības reģistrācijas laikā, un par tiem var tikt piemērota papildu maksa. Īpašo pieprasījumu pieejamība netiek garantēta.
"Nicely appointed but very dark room"
My room was next to the elevator on the second floor with a view of the beach, but the windows were small and dirty and the room was made of cement so it felt like being in a bunker. The hotel was beautiful and great location next to the beach. However the hotel has a DJ playing very loud music on the front patio from about noon to 10:30 pm. Also, there […] is a bar next door that has entertainment outside with loud music and large crowds, so it was impossible to sleep. The hotel provided ear plugs which helped. IzvērstPatiesa Hotels.com viesa atsauksme
The hotel is not as glamorous as the pictures depict and the food was average at best. Service at the front desk was good but bar/restaurant service was poor. Don't think it deserves the high rankings that we saw on hotel.com. Would look for a brand name hotel next visit.Patiesa Hotels.com viesa atsauksme
great lovely boutique hotel, restaurant also best tried in MiamiPatiesa Hotels.com viesa atsauksme
"Wonderful stay!"
My wife & I just celebrated our 10 year anniversary at this hotel & could not have been happier with our stay. The staff, from concierge to waiter/waitresses, treated us with the most sincere kindness. We enjoyed every moment of our stay & would highly recommend the hotel to friends & family that would be traveling to South Beach. Thanks for the great […] memories!! IzvērstPatiesa Expedia viesa atsauksme
"great hotel"
I liked everything exept for the pool was not warm ..but in general iy was greatPatiesa Hotels.com viesa atsauksme
"Too loud to sleep"
The hotel was beautiful and great location next to the beach. However the hotel has a DJ playing very loud music on the front patio from about noon to 10:30 pm. Also, there is a bar next door that has entertainment outside with loud music and large crowds, so it was impossible to sleep. The hotel provided ear plugs which helped.Patiesa Hotels.com viesa atsauksme
"Miami Beach perfection"
Very nice hotel, great location, very friendly staff. Would definitly stay again.Patiesa Hotels.com viesa atsauksme
"Great Hotel, Great location"
Outstanding staff, excellent location. The beach across the street is an excellent spot.Patiesa Expedia viesa atsauksme
"I love this place!!!!"
This is becoming a yearly family vacation for my daughter and I. Classy and in the midst of the action at the same time. I can't say enough about the service.Patiesa Hotels.com viesa atsauksme
"Top 10 Hotel on Ocean Drive"
I booked this hotel due to the reviews on Trip advisor and the recommendations were all true. The staff is courteous, friendly and professional (except one guy, read improvement section below). The hotel is close to Lincoln Road and the other shopping stores on Collins. The room was always clean, the staff came at least 2 - 3 times in a day to make […] sure room has towels and all was well. Easy access to the beach - don't have to pay for the umbrella and chairs, just give your name and room number and your set. IzvērstPatiesa Expedia viesa atsauksme
Awesome. Met a couple had a great time. Joseph the bartender at the hotel was great. Planning a return trip soon.Patiesa Hotels.com viesa atsauksme
"Best South Beach trip"
Went for my wifes 50th birthday. This staff here was excellen especially Alain who handled almost everything. Also, Joseph and Ceaser had our cocktails ready in the bar. The desk staff also went out of their way. Best ocean side boutique hotel in my opinion as all the other seem small by comaprison. Prices for dinner were high but brekafast and lunch […] were good. All in all would stay there any time we are in South beach IzvērstPatiesa Expedia viesa atsauksme
Wonderful hotel , great location , quiet pool that gets great late afternoon sun, largest rooms in Miami (for a standard room), love how all rooms were ocean view, very attentive staff ... Beware of the bathroom design ... you can see straight into the shower and toilet area from the bed!!Patiesa Hotels.com viesa atsauksme
"Very nice hotel, exellent staff, very clean."
Our stay at the Tides was just wonderful! The hotel is across the street from the beach which came with lounge chairs, towels and an umbrella. The hotel offered evening entertainment and a pleasant atmosphere. Some may say that it was noises but we expected as much because we were vacationing.Patiesa Expedia viesa atsauksme
"The Tides"
The hotel is on South Beach and in a central location although it can prove to be noisy at times. However, the music from the bar below finishes at 11pm. The rooms (we had a suite) are very spacious and of a high standard. The bathrooms are also very nice, although the shower is within a high sided bath, so if you have difficulty in raising your legs […] then it is not for you. The staff are very helpful - the front desk can be inexperienced at times which led us to feel frustrated, if there was any major problems I am not sure how they would deal with them. The Internet was not working on the morning we were checking out as there was a tropical storm approaching. We advised them we needed to check the Internet as we were driving 4 hours to Orlando in bad conditions and needed to see if our flight would be taking off but they never got back to us. When we went to check out we found that the front desk had a different Internet system that was working - they could have offered to look up what we needed but didn't. Also when checking out they first printed out the wrong rooms bill, then started to answer another customer query who arrived after us and offered to print something out for them and asked us to hold on a moment while they dealt with him, then answered the phone and dealt with the call all whilst we were waiting for the correct bill to be reprinted. Not very professional in my opinion. Lastly the swimming pool is noisy from trucks and cars below. IzvērstPatiesa Expedia viesa atsauksme
"Awsome place."
Loved every minute. My first time in Miami and I couldn't be in a finer establishment. On my behalf I like to thank the staff for their warm welcome. When I return I will be staying at the King & Grove Tides. Arlester BrewerPatiesa Expedia viesa atsauksme
"Highly recommended!!!"
Definitely stay here if I ever get a chance to be in Miami again. Staffs are really nice, the room is big and clean. Located in the heart of south beach. This hotel had completed my vacation.Patiesa Expedia viesa atsauksme
"Great place!!"
This was a last minute book during a holiday weekend and we were very pleased with this hotel! It was very clean and in a great location. We would definitely recommend this place. The service for the restaurant part of the hotel could use some improvement. We were hoping for faster waiting service and more attentive service from the waiters. Other than […] that we were very pleased and would definitely come again! IzvērstPatiesa Hotels.com viesa atsauksme
"Classy and great location."
Very cool place, fantastic location, very nice rooms, some elements now show that renovation happened a few years ago.Patiesa Expedia viesa atsauksme
"completely OUTSTANDING!"
EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT! ESPECIALLY THE STAFF!Patiesa Hotels.com viesa atsauksme
"Very Diisapointed and totally miss guided !!!"
This Hotel did not meet my expectations i am soory to say. I was totally miss guided by the internet and the rating of this Hotel ! The staff was very nice but the immentities were nothing like the other Hotel's that i have stayed and it was more expensive !!! I did not get my money's worth here !!! Don't believe the internet on this one they are way […] off the mark !!! IzvērstPatiesa Expedia viesa atsauksme
"Nice hotel, huge rooms, great location"
The only negative thing I can say about this hotel is that the glass door on the tub did not keep water from getting all over the place. The floor was soaked after each shower. Other than that, the hotel was nice and clean and the staff was friendly. The location was perfect. I would stay here again.Patiesa Hotels.com viesa atsauksme
"Pleasant place, very noisy"
This is a pleasant hotel with friendly competent staff and a predictable drawback � Ocean Drive street noise and bar musak. The noise gets in full swing around 10am and goes on until 1-2am at night, later on holidays. To the overall cacophony the hotel�s bar/lounge unfortunately contributes its own performance. The hotel itself is quite stylish, kept […] in art-deco style and well maintained. The rooms are spacious, in very good condition, all with ocean view. Windows are not sound proof. The restaurant is overpriced and somewhat inept in services. The staff does all they can to make your stay pleasant including� handing out ear-plugs for a good night�s sleep. If you can put up with the noise � great place to stay. But this is a big if. IzvērstPatiesa Expedia viesa atsauksme
"Great for couples vacation"
very good, the staff was very nice, the food was average a little overprice.Patiesa Expedia viesa atsauksme
"Expensive, But Worth It"
This is a great South Beach Hotel located right on Ocean Drive and across the street from the beach at Lummus Park. The staff is very attentive from the valet to front desk to restaurant. Previously just known as The Tides, its one of South Beach's art deco palaces with a nice mezzanine level pool and beach access. The outdoor seating of its restaurant […] is a great place to people (and car, after all this is South Beach) watch. Best part: with the room comes lounge chairs and an umbrella right on the beach (included in the price). It IS expensive, but if you're into the South Beach experience you'll enjoy your stay. One other thing: this IS Ocean Drive in South Beach, so do NOT stay here if you want peace and quiet. Loud activity and neighboring clubs go long and loud up until about midnight so if you can't stand the noise, move a block or two inland. IzvērstPatiesa Expedia viesa atsauksme
"Class on ocean drive"
Loved everything about this hotel !!!! It is by far the classiest well kept hotel on ocean drive !!! And the pool is open 24 hours a dayPatiesa Expedia viesa atsauksme
Perfectly fine stay. Good food served outdoors. friendly staff. Stayed in small suite facing Ocean Drive. Only quibble was that bathroom needed some brighter lighting & maybe a hook or two for towelsPatiesa Hotels.com viesa atsauksme
"Even better than description"
After much scrutinizing about where to stay in Miami Beach, we finally chose The Tides. This lovely boutique hotel is central to South Beach thus we were able walk to a fine selection of restaurants. The outdoor set up is chic and excellent for watching the scene on Ocean Drive. From the moment we exited the car to the personal accompaniment to our […] room, we were felt welcomed and appreciated as guests. The room was large and spacious with a perfect view of the ocean. The lobby was tastefully decorated and served coffee, tea and pastries in the morning -gratis. The beach is right across the street and the hotel provides free setup also. The only complaint is the outside placement of tables and chairs early one morning was very loud. I didn't complain since I had to get up early that day anyway. I know they would have done something about it immediately if I had told them. We were extremely pleased with our stay at the Tides and would stay there again! IzvērstPatiesa Hotels.com viesa atsauksme
"Happy stay"
A delightful stay, the staff were very nice and helpful. The hotel was quiet even though the streets were noisy. The view from the room was lovely. All in all very good value for money. We would stay there again.Patiesa Expedia viesa atsauksme
"Absolute Must Stay"
November 2012. Stunning art deco hotel right in the heart of South Beach on Ocean Drive. Rooms are classic chic South Beach, stunningly beautiful. Marble everywhere, clean cut yet classic decor. Bathroom is beautiful, huge marble tub/shower, lovely designer toiletries. Very nice closet/room with matching robes and slippers, very adequate size safe and […] well stocked bar with glassware. Extremely comfy king-size bed. Huge flatscreen t.v. Terrific view to the beach from every room. Fabulous pool with cabanas and lounge chairs. Lobby is gorgeous and welcoming. Had complimentary continental breakfast that was absolutely delicious and elegant. Entrance to hotel is like a personal backyard sitting area, makes you feel like you are home. Everyone from the people out front who greet you and help with bags to people behind the desk could not have been more courteous or helpful. They made you feel like you were the only guests there. It just felt decadent and fun to stay there. Lots of night life surrounding the hotel. Beach is a short walk across the street and the hotel has two complimentary beach loungers and umbrella per room. We can't wait to go back. IzvērstPatiesa Hotels.com viesa atsauksme
"Location! But not modernized or high comfort"
This hotel is all about location if beach proximity is your primary ask- and if you aren't confident in many of the old, dated options on Ocean Drive. This is the nicest- but that still means old tile floors and fixtures in the room and a tired no-longer trendy vibe. As the area has passed its prime, a lack of valet assistance, a less than vibrant lobby […] and restaurant all characterize that other options offer a better experience. IzvērstPatiesa Hotels.com viesa atsauksme
"Great hotel in South Beach."
Great Hotel in South Beach. It can get a little noisy at night but it did not bother us. Great place for people watching.Patiesa Expedia viesa atsauksme
"Great hotel, especially the service"
Everything was amazing, from the location to the rooms to the lobby to the pool to the restaurant/bar area. However, the service was perhaps the best I ever received from a hotel.Patiesa Expedia viesa atsauksme
"Amazing experience offset bynoise & cold food"
Gorgeous hotel however situated right next to a raving gay bar which was incredibly noisy and intimidating. Excellent service at all times from all staff. Sadly food was served cold and the restaurant lacked ambience or exclusivity in keeping with the rest of the hotel.Patiesa Expedia viesa atsauksme
"In the heart of the art deco world"
Location was fabulous especially for those looking for art deco experience; however very close to bar with loud music.Being across from the beach was also great. Historical value of hotel was also nice for someone who likes architecturet. I was only disappointed in restaurant which I found to be of very average quality and not equal to cost of room […] or other luxuries. IzvērstPatiesa Expedia viesa atsauksme
"Two Nights in South Beach"
excellent location right across from the beach on Ocean Blvd. Very expensive for the hotel stay one receives, however for South Beach - not bad.Patiesa Expedia viesa atsauksme
"When you want to stay on Ocean Dr..."
there's no better hotel directly on Ocean Dr. When you want to experience the atmosphere of the area in comfort and never be more than a minute away from the beach, this is the hotel you want to take. You might want to pack a tennis rocket for this trip because a hotel room in Tides is big enough to play inside :).Patiesa Hotels.com viesa atsauksme
"Unplesant stay"
Maid service was terrible dry blood on sheets had to call maid back everyday.It was not like this before.The noise was terrible it was just awfulPatiesa Expedia viesa atsauksme
"Tides rocks!"
We stayed in the Amber Suite. It was a beautiful room with a spa bathroom and a great private outdoor deck. Views were incredible. Staff was great, especially Francisco. He gave us great dining info. We will definitely return to the Tides. And, the pictures on the website are pictures of the Amber suite.Patiesa Expedia viesa atsauksme
"Great hotel"
The main purpose of our visit is to celebrate our honeymoon so for that it was so quiet and the stuff were very friendly and always greet you with a big welcoming smile we really like it in here. The building it self was very beautiful and when you enter you can feel so warm like you are entering your home. The view from our suite was so frish and nice […] you can see the ocean and the road activities at the night. IzvērstPatiesa Expedia viesa atsauksme
"The classiest hotel on Ocean Drive/across from Lum"
The classiest hotel on Ocean Drive/across from Lummus park. The only draw backs is the small pool that is on the back side of the hotel, and a small exercise room with equipment in disrepair. The service at the hotel was excellent.Patiesa Expedia viesa atsauksme
Great room, excellent service, luxury!!Patiesa Hotels.com viesa atsauksme
"Perfect Miami beach hotel"
Friendly staff, happy stay, free Internet, free coffee & snak in the morning, perfect locatin in south beach, Play area for kids infront the hotel...Patiesa Hotels.com viesa atsauksme
"Location is the highest price component"
Price for the quality is too high. Pool was closed because of storm.Patiesa Expedia viesa atsauksme
Rooms are big and very clean. The service is excellent!!!Patiesa Expedia viesa atsauksme
"romantic retreat"
great location, great decor and ambiance. a little noisy next door, but just added to the fun vibe.Patiesa Expedia viesa atsauksme
THE SERVICE AND STAFF WERE GREAT! I WOULD VISIT AGAIN.Patiesa Expedia viesa atsauksme
"Friendly hotel"
The staff at the hotel were extremely friendly and helpful and made us feel most welcome. The beach location was great and there were plenty of places to eat within walking distance. Our only criticism was that the bed was a little soft for our liking.Patiesa Hotels.com viesa atsauksme
"Very nice. Would stay again."
Great service from valet and front desk. Our room was beautiful and clean. The restaurant seemed short staffed as we waited a while for our server, yet there were several empty tables. Couple of things to keep in mind: gin and tonic was $18 (that is WAAAAAAAY too much for a small drink), and parking was $35 for one night.Patiesa Hotels.com viesa atsauksme
"Great hotel on Ocean Drive!"
The Tides was fantastic. Had contemplated staying at the Betsy, the Lowes and the Victor. Happy we landed here! Great boutique hotel with friendly staff and fabulous beds. The decor was quite chic and intimate. Calm pool area, marginal fitness center, small private bar. Loved the visit and definitely recommend!Patiesa Hotels.com viesa atsauksme
Šajā vietnē pieejamās atsauksmes un vērtējumi ir subjektīvs klientu un piegādātāju viedoklis; tie neatspoguļo Hotels.com nostāju. Ne Hotels.com, ne citas atsauksmju sniegšanā iesaistītās puses nav atbildīgas par nekāda veida zaudējumiem, kas radušies šo atsauksmju izmantošanas rezultātā.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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Honey & Spice Baked Chicken Recipe
- 3 teaspoons garlic powder
- 3 teaspoons chili powder
- 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1-1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 8 boneless skinless chicken breasts (5 ounces each)
- 6 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
- Preheat oven to 375°. Combine first six ingredients; rub over chicken. Transfer to a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan.
- Bake 25-30 minutes or until a thermometer reads 165° and juices run clear. Combine honey and vinegar; baste over chicken during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Save three chicken breast halves for Chicken Chimichangas (recipe also in Recipe Finder) or save for another use. Yield: 5 servings plus 3 cooked chicken breast halves.
Reviews for Honey & Spice Baked Chicken(15)
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It was ok. Nothing special.
We loved this, ate it with mashed potatoes and a salad and it was so good. So easy and so tasty
Sorry, I just didn't care for this, dry rub was a little overwhelming and honey sauce didn't stay on chicken at all. I made more of honey/vinegar mixture and use as a dipping sauce which was much better. Going to use the leftovers for chimichangas as recommended which sounds wonderful.
Wow this was delicious chicken! It was easy, tasty and healthy! I followed the recipe , cutting the cayenne to 1/2 teaspoon and it was perfect, wouldn't add more than that. My son (9 years) and my hubby thought it was very good. This will be made again for sure,I always have these ingredients on have too! It went great with buttermilk mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. Thank you for the recipe.
Loved this recipe!!!! I only put in half the amount of the cayenne pepper!
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- March 13, 2013
- 5:50 a.m.
- Suggest removal
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buster writes:
Dude, your ignorance truley knows no bounds.
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Down East 2013 ©
When David Quinn, the founder of Acorn (2 Cedar St., 800-872-2676, www.acorn.com [2]), a footwear company based in Lewiston, landed a deal with NASA in 1982, the company gave new meaning to its slogan "Comfort on Earth." That year, astronauts were sent on their shuttle missions wearing Acorn's signature Slipper Socks. Since then, astronauts have logged more than five hundred million miles in their comfy Acorns, and one pair has been placed on permanent exhibit at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Quinn founded the company in 1976, modeling his socks after those he had worn growing up on family ski vacations. Aside from its iconic Slipper Sock design ($39.95) — consisting of a ragg wool sock fitted with a soft leather sole — Acorn now offers a full footwear line, including socks, shoes, and sandals in a variety of styles, colors, and materials.
[1] http://www.downeast.com/files/images/DEE0909IM-Sock.jpg
[2] http://www.acorn.com


text: Residential Permit Parking was first established in St. Paul in 1979 and now includes twenty-five separate areas that span the City. Two areas initially included in the residential permit parking program were the areas around the University of Minnesota St. Paul campus and the St. Thomas campus. The concept was simply to provide relief to these residential areas where the intensity of the non-residential use in terms of traffic activities, parking demands and general accessibility interfered with the quality of life within the residential area. Essentially, residential permit parking gives priority for on-street parking in the abutting residential area to area residents. This page is designed to give you information and answer any questions you may have about our Residential Permit Parking program.


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A MUD (Multi-User Dungeon or, sometimes, Multi-User Dimension) is a
network-accessible, multi-participant, user-extensible virtual reality whose
user interface is entirely textual. Participants (usually called players) have
the appearance of being situated in an artificially-constructed place that also
contains those other players who are connected at the same time. Players can
communicate easily with each other in real time. This virtual gathering place
has many of the social attributes of other places, and many of the usual social
mechanisms operate there. Certain attributes of this virtual place, however,
tend to have significant effects on social phenomena, leading to new mechanisms
and modes of behavior not usually seen `IRL' (in real life). In this paper, I
relate my experiences and observations from having created and maintained a MUD
for over a year.
tagged MOO MUD interactive_fiction lambdaMOO video_games by mhighlan ...on 13-DEC-05
tagged MOO MUD interactive_fiction lambdaMOO video_games virtual_reality by mhighlan ...on 13-DEC-05


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It is the year 1350. A terrible plague was born from the bloated belly of Asia… The Black Death emerged in the Genovese cities of Crimea, crawling on to Istanbul, and finally reaching Italy aboard merchant ships. After wreaking devastation upon Germany, France and England, it turned East, flooding into the Baltic lands, and soon reaching the borders of Russia…
On the vast lands lying between Krakow and the golden domes of Moscow, the plague gathered its last rotting harvest and vanished into dense forests of Russia. There, on the outskirts of Europe, lie the lands of Russia and Poland, destined to bring down the tyranny of the Golden Horde and the chivalric orders, to fight for freedom and independence, and survive the deadly struggle for dominance which spreads from sea to sea.
The dice of fate have been cast. The new empire shall carve its path to greatness, and reign over the conflict of nations.


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A vibration/shake while driving at a steady speed of approximately 100 km/h (62 mph) on smooth roads may occur on some vehicles. This may be due to the interaction between the body and suspension modes.
Perform Steps 1-7 of the Service Procedure to insure the vibration is not due to any common cause condition. If vibration is still unacceptable, install the components listed in this TSB article to reduce the vehicle's sensitivity to vibration. Refer to the following Service Procedure for details.
Eligible Under The Provisions Of Bumper To Bumper Warranty Coverage
303000, 703000, 703300


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Broncos finish deal with Tom Heckert for director of pro personnel position
Thanks to a strong recommendation from his right-hand man Matt Russell, Broncos front-office boss John Elway has officially hired Tom Heckert Jr. to become the team's new director of pro personnel.
The position had been vacant since last week when the team declined to renew the contract of Keith Kidd. Heckert's job will be to scout current NFL players and oversee the team's advanced scouting for upcoming opponents.
Heckert, 45, is an NFL executive through and through. His father, Tom Sr., was an NFL personnel executive with Miami and Cleveland for more than 20 years. Tom Jr. got his first NFL scouting job when he was 23 years old with the Miami Dolphins and head coach Don Shula in 1991. He eventually rose to general manager with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2006-09 and Cleveland Browns from 2010-12.


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The U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging holds a hearing at 1:50 p.m. today on the targeting of Social Security benefits by ID thieves. It will be streamed live on the committee's website.
The panel will ask the Social Security Administration what it is doing about growing reports of fraud against the elderly, whose monthly benefits are often diverted online into thieves accounts.
Sen.Bill Nelson (D-FL), is chairman and Sen. Susan M. Collins (R-ME), is ranking member of the panel, which has been hold a series of hearings.
Yesterday, The Patriot Ledger reported that Lillian Broide, 79, of Braintree, recently stopped such an attempt on her monthly checks.
One of the witnesses in Washington will be Alexandra Lane, 73, of Florida, who discovered last March there wasn't enough money in her checking account to pay her bills. Identity thieves had rerouted three-months' worth of her benefits onto their own pre-paid debit card.
The Senate panel said that Lane endured a 50-day ordeal to recover her hard-earned money. Lane was fortunate because she had a small amount of savings that helped keep her and her husband afloat. But for more than 5.2 million seniors nationwide, and nearly a third in Florida, Social Security benefits are their only source of income. Without this money, they would be unable to pay for basic necessities such as rent, food or medicine.
Social Security fraud involving electronic payments has been rising steadily ever since the U.S. Treasury issued a rule in 2010 requiring beneficiaries to switch from paper checks to electronic benefits.
Between October 2011 and June 1, 2013, the SSA Inspector General received more than 37,000 reports involving questionable or attempted direct deposit changes.
Identity thieves obtain a beneficiary's personal information then contact Social Security or bank officials to reroute payments to their own bank or debit card account. The thieves are taking advantage of a new option to set up an online Social Security account and change where the beneficiary's Social Security benefits are deposited.
The hearing will also explore the role of Direct Express cards, the government preferred debit card designed for beneficiaries without bank accounts, and the rationale behind Treasury's decision to renegotiate the contract with the bank offering the card. A recent internal committee investigation found that Treasury amended the contract twice outside of the competitive bidding process to provide additional compensation to the bank, despite the fact that the bank contended it could already provide the same services for significantly less money.
In addition to Lane, witnesses include: the SSA inspector general; the SSA assistant deputy commissioner of operations; Treasury's fiscal assistant secretary; and a victim advocate.
The hearing is the third in a series of investigations the panel has undertaken this year on scams affecting the elderly.
The Center for Public Integrity also issued a comprehensive new report this morning,


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Book your birthday party today! Fun for all kids ages 3-11 years old. Choose from several party options and additional features to ensure your child has the best party ever!• sport&party basic • sport&party premier • sport&best party ever
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Additional Party Features • Make-Overs • Extra Guests • Arts & Crafts • Moonbounce • Pool Time • Maze Rentals • Personal Trainers• Face Painting


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recipe reviews for:
"Garden veggies, including eggplant and zucchini, are layered onto ready-made cheese ravioli, topped with mozzarella cheese, and baked."
Cooking Level: Intermediate
My Profile | Cooks I Like Reviews | Photos | Recipes | Menus | Blog
Cooking Level: Expert
Holiday cookies, cakes, pies, and breads. Get recipes and inspiration.
Get time-saving recipes to save your busy life.
Find just the right recipes for your holiday get-togethers.
Vegetables and cheese ravioli are baked in a flavorful tomato sauce.
Summer's tastiest vegetables converge in this classic casserole.
Colorful vegetables bake in a garlicky tomato sauce.


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This is particularly funny to me. It has long been rumored China was willing to provide as much as $3.2 Trillion in foreign exchange reserves to bail out the Eurozone. I would have expected the Chinese to focus their demands on austerity programs. However, what they are really after is:
- Greater status at the World Trade Organization
- Removal of an arms embargo placed after Tiananman Square
- Greater influence in the IMF- International Monetary Fund
When it came right down to it- led by Germany, the European delegation simply left rather than negotiate, stating its not worth it to allow a Communist Country to have too much influence of EU Members. The Chinese have a lot at stake in Europe, so they don't have any great leverage in the process. The EU is China's largest export market, and a full 25% of China's foreign exchange reserves are in European denominated investments. If Europe goes down, China will lose very big as well. While all this was going on, stocks in China continued their rebound, suggesting the Chinese markets are really starting to buy into the "Soft Landing" scenario. In Monday trading, the Shanghai A shares were up 1.92%, and the B shares 2.02%- 2% moves to the upside are nothing to sneeze at.


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Stayed here in November 2013 with my 12 year old daughter. Perfect location for all the Clifton Hill attractions if you have kids, and if not, across the street from the casino. "Free" Breakfast is a little better than decent, no complaints. They have waffles, eggs, a sausage, cereal, coffee, juices, yogurt, pastries, bagels etc. So really nothing to complain... More
- Also Known As:
- Comfort Inn Niagara Falls
- Niagara Falls Comfort Inn
- Comfort Inn Clifton Hill
- Reservation Options:
- TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Expedia, Choice Hotels, Orbitz, Priceline, Hotels.com, Cheap Tickets, Travelocity, Venere, Tingo, Fareportal and Otel so you can book your Comfort Inn Clifton Hill - Niagara Falls Hotel reservations with confidence. We help millions of travelers each month to find the perfect hotel for both vacation and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.


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Owning our very first home has been a love/hate experience. Our house was built in 1918 and has so much old charm, which we love. However, all the blood, sweat, tears, and money it has taken to make it livable has been a challenge. Unfortunately, we ran out of steam and cash by the time we got to our bathroom. We have to caution our two year old son not to splash a lot in our plastic surrounded tub, in fear that the water will find its way into the cement board or onto the floor where tile is missing. There is also a strange small room connected to the entrance of the bathroom that currently serves no purpose as we have no idea what to do with it. We have debated knocking down the small wall separating the two rooms and creating one larger bathroom or just making it into a powder room. Honestly, we are just lost on what to do with it. Frankly, our bathroom is an embarrassment and really detracts from all the hard work we've put into the rest of the house. This bathroom makeover would be an amazing blessing to our family and would mean the world to our son who just wants a safe place to splash.
Unfinished, Unorganized, Ugly Bathroom
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Results 11 to 15 of 21
July 24th, 2013 06:37 PM #11Senior Member
- Join Date
- Nov 2012
- Posts
- 320
July 24th, 2013 07:03 PM #13Senior Member
- Join Date
- Feb 2013
- Posts
- 224
I think it's fine. I'm a Christian attending a graduate theology school and it wouldn't bother me if an atheist used a biblical name. I would probably assume someone who used a more obscure biblical name is Christian/Jewish, however. I find that such names are most often used by conservative evangelical Christian or (in the case of Hebrew names) Jewish families.
If you like a name, go for it. The Bible is a foundational piece of Western literary/cultural heritage and has significance even if you aren't religious.Lila - Eleanor (Lena) Ivy - Audrey London - Leonie - Camille/a - Margery Wren
Clark - Gabriel - Simon - Malachy - Locke - Shepherd
July 24th, 2013 07:37 PM #15
I am Christian (Catholic) and I would not be offended
21 year old who loves names, books, and languages.
Ladies: Catherine Isabella,Helena Margaret, Clara Josephine, Amelia Juliet, Genevieve Pearl, Eva Rosalind, Rose Fiammetta
Gentlemen: Asher Frederick, Nicholas James, Henry Oliver, William Grey, Matthew Isaiah, Thomas Alaric, George Everett
July 24th, 2013 07:46 PM #17
I really think it depends on how closely they're associated as well as if there are other well known namesakes.
So a name like Abraham, while it's very associated with Judaism, is also held by some very famous namesakes. So if I met someone named Abe, I'd be just as likely to assume their parents admired Abraham Lincoln as to assume they were deeply religious.
I'm not really sure where the line is, but I certainly wouldn't be offended in any way, except maybe if someone used Judas. Like others have said, it's more an issue of assuming you're religious because of Malachi or Zachariah. But names like Esther, Ruth, Lydia, Felix, and others....weren't even originally part of Judaism or Christianity--they were from other nations, so just because they happen to be in the Bible doesn't mean they're unusable.Livy/Lucy : Geneva/Gwen : Coralie/Alice : Noelle/Eve
Eli/Bennett : Jude/Zane: Luke/Leo : Levi/Phineas
July 24th, 2013 08:33 PM #19
I wouldn't be offended, but like others said I would probably assume that you were religious. If I knew that you weren't religious, I would probably think it was a little odd, but if that doesn't bother you then go for it.


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Tag Archives: diets
…and it's a good thing!
This past Saturday, I visited Rowena's store, Accents by Josie, in downtown St Petersburg. The store sells boutique clothing and some home interior items and I always enjoy checking out their new inventory.
In the very back is a long mirror mounted on the wall which reaches from the floor up to the ceiling. It's beautifully adorned and would be an awesome addition to anyone who has a home with high ceilings.
The unique thing about this mirror is it's disportionate reflection of it's subjects. As you stand there, your full-length view casts a facade to make you look incredibly and porportionately thin. It's wonderful and is a good boost to anyone's esteem who needs to view themselves a little "lighter" around the middle.
As I stood there, admiring my thin little self, I started humming, "I feel pretty… oh so pretty". It was so automatic that I didn't even realize I was humming this song for the first few lines. Once I realized the tune, I said out loud, "look at me…I'm so pretty!" then started laughing.
So, here's my question..
Does Pretty equate to Thin?
Are all the thin people beautiful and chubby people are not beautiful?
Who made up this rule?
Don't get me wrong. I think we should take care of ourselves and do what we can to live as long as possible by exercising and making educated choices in our diet plans.
but I hope that we never forget how important to find beauty in everyone, including ourselves, regardless of size and beauty.
Psalms 139 reads…
Even in my mother's womb you were there. You created my inmost being and knit me together and called me by name.I encourage everyone to wake up every morning with a song in their heart and words in their mouth as they leave home to face their world…
I praise you Oh God, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…
and it's a good thing!
Posted in From Mel's Desk
Tagged Accents by Josie, Beautiful, diets, exercise, good thing, Josie, mirror, Psalms 139, St Petersburg
1 Comment


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Over the past year, Federal Reserve monetary policy has kept the shortest-term rates at historically low levels. There are sound economic reasons for this strategy, including the encouragement of bank lending in an effort to put the ailing U.S. economy back on its feet. However, the decline in rates to the present level was not easy on many commercial banks. Their funding costs trailed the drop in variable lending rates, compressing profit margins.
Now at the bottom of the rate structure, it's easy to assume that banks are adjusting borrowing and lending rates to get margins back to normal. At the same time, bank managers have learned a lesson in providing floor rates for floating-rate loans. Bankers and others for whom interest rates are an important part of hedging and speculating are now looking at the low rates and assessing the probability of near-term increases toward more typical short-term interest rates and yields.
Think the only way for rates to move is up? Not so fast. There have been occasions in the history of futures and equities markets when there was overwhelming market sentiment or consensus that certain events would probably occur. The current forecast of changes in short-term interest rates must be considered a prime example of a market consensus related to the immediate past rate and price movements instead of forward-looking.
One way to assess market thinking about interest rates is to look at options on eurodollar futures. Interest rate futures contracts on 90-day deposits of U.S. dollars in foreign banks cover 40 forward quarters and are each priced as 100 less the current 90-day interest rate related to the future time period. For example, on April 16, 2010, the September 2010 eurodollar futures closing price was 99.530, showing a 90-day rate equal to 0.47%.
As the 90-day rate declined from Jan. 4 through April 1, 2010, the September 2010 futures gained from 98.995 to 99.455, a total change in price of $1,150 at $25 per basis point. Continuing through April 16, the rate declined another 7.5 basis points to increase the gain since Jan. 4 by an additional $187.50.
The market's opinion on further increases in the September 2010 eurodollar futures may be evaluated by looking at the ratio between call and put premiums on options on April 16. As listed by Barchart.com, the ratio for that day was 247.88, with total call premiums of $570,131.75 vs. $2,300 of put premiums.
"Ratios of call to put premiums" (below) shows that the consensus opinion for eurodollar interest rate futures (as measured by the call/put ratio for September 2010 contracts) is much stronger compared to the consensus for assets underlying other futures. The assumption here is that the strength of consensus may be measured by the ratio of call/put premiums.
When rates rise
Thus far, the description of market consensus has focused on the short-term history of eurodollar rates from January through mid-April, during which time futures rates fell and prices increased. Now think of the longer-term future, when the Federal Reserve's emphasis on keeping rates low becomes a distant memory and interest rates resume unrestricted movements.
When rates increase, eurodollar futures prices will fall at $25 for each basis point. In other words, trading on the rate is equivalent to trading with puts on the eurodollar futures quarterly interest rate. The put price will fall when the rate increases. On the other hand, when the rate decreases, the put price goes up -- and this is what happened to calls on eurodollar futures prices (and to the equivalent puts on the eurodollar rate) from Jan. 4 through April 16, 2010.
An alternative consensus is that interest rates are so low at the present time that they must eventually change direction and head higher. Although the timing is uncertain, the probability is surely high that this will occur. In the meantime, the put options on eurodollar rates have become more valuable with declining rates. One question nags the valuation of puts, and that is the wall at rates equal to, or near to, 0%.
While call options may gain without limit as the underlying price increases, put options are generally limited because most assets will not have a negative price. This is the put price limit, or wall, blocking further gains once the underlying asset reaches the price of zero. For the eurodollar rate, this would be a short-term, 90-day, interest rate equal to 0%. With the September eurodollar futures rate equal to 0.47%, the put price wall is looming as a potential price barrier. Although officials at the central bank could make interest rates negative if they wished, they probably will not go that far.
The market is now
It is easy to understand why the near-term expirations of eurodollar futures would be caught up in the current environment of increasingly low short-term interest rates. But why should this consensus prediction of lower rates affect eurodollar futures with quarterly dates at least one and a half years in the future when rates are, in all probability, going to be higher than they are at the present time? The answer is that eurodollar futures are always geared to present market rates, especially to yields on U.S. Treasury securities and Treasury note futures in the current time period.
All eurodollar quarterly rates will respond immediately to today's interest rate movements. This relationship is made clear on "Eurodollar rates and yields" (below). The chart shows that on April 16, 2010, eurodollar quarterly yields, generated by computing the geometric means of the quarterly rates, are closely tied to U.S. Treasury yields. On that date, the spread between the eurodollar yield and Treasury yield averaged only 0.33%.
"Eurodollar call options" (below) shows option price curves for June 2010, September 2010, September 2011 and December 2011. On this chart, the futures rates, computed as 100 minus the futures prices, are listed on the horizontal axis and the dollar premiums along the price curves are related to the corresponding rates. Premiums are higher for the larger quarterly rates because these rates are subtracted from the strike prices that are listed as 100 less the quarterly rate, and the lower the strike price the higher the call option premium.
The prices for the two short-term 2010 options are higher than the two with 2011 maturities. This pattern is predictable from the curve of eurodollar rates shown on "Eurodollar rates and yields." As the rate curve increases with longer maturities, the result is lower futures prices as well as lower premiums for calls on September and December 2011. Price curves for June and September 2010 are closely related with just 90 days separating their expiration dates; however, September and December 2011 are more closely related because the dots for the December calls cover those for September at each quarterly rate.
When the eurodollar futures are related to the ratio of the futures rate (100 minus the futures price) to the "strike rate" (100 minus the strike price) for each strike price on "Call options on eurodollar futures" (below), longer-term calls are shown in their proper position as higher in time value than shorter-term options. June and September are approaching the futures rate/strike rate of 0, a possible barrier against continued upward price movement.
It is noted on "Call options on eurodollar futures" that the September 2011 premiums have slightly higher time values than the December 2011 calls. As time to expiration approaches over the next four quarters, it should be expected that the September calls will fall relative to December 2011, so that their two option price curves will be positioned similarly to those for June and September 2010 at the current time in April 2010. The shape of the U.S. Treasury yield curve also will play a part in their relative valuation because of the close adherence of eurodollar yields to the Treasury yield curve.
On the move
Interest rates are typically in motion, reflecting changes in the national and global economic environments. When rates are held in check temporarily by central bank monetary policy, they are unable to perform effectively as a pricing mechanism for current and future debt. In effect, there is a vacuum, or hole, in the pricing process that will be filled eventually when the interest rate market is able to perform its normal functions.
Currently, there are signs of unusual market manipulation, starting with historically low market rates and yields in the United States and continuing with the unusually low spread of eurodollar yields over the U.S. Treasury yield curve.
A final indication of unusual pricing concerns the five-year, or 20-quarter, eurodollar yield, which may be measured by the average between 2.83% for the March 2015 futures and 2.93% for June 2015. The average of these two yields, 2.88%, is slightly lower than the 2.91% yield on five-year T-note futures. This makes it likely that a broad span of eurodollar rates will need to increase to pull the eurodollar yield above the T-note yield at the five-year maturity. The five-year yield on U.S. Treasury's 2.5% coupon, March 31, 2015, on the same day was 2.47%.
A guide to eurodollar futures
The prices listed for eurodollar futures -- 100 less the rate -- are large enough to swamp the usual calculation of option price curves using the LLP option pricing model. A better alternative is to use the rates that create eurodollar futures price changes.
The below table shows 15 strike rates for the September 2011 eurodollar futures call options on April 16, 2010. Strike rates are defined as 100 less the strike prices listed by Barchart.com. For example, a listed price of 98.370 results in a strike rate of 1.630. When the strike rates increase, the call option premiums also increase.
The table shows the call premiums predicted by the LLP option pricing model at each strike rate, with the price curve shown on "Eurodollar call options." To compute the change in the option premium for a one-basis point change in the rate at the current market rate of 1.74%, two additional strike rates are inserted between 1.63% and 1.75%. The change in premium from 1.73% to 1.75% is $28.16, or approximately $14 per basis point.
From the premium at 1.74%, $1,308, to zero would be a change of approximately 93 basis points, which would result in an estimated range of interest rates from 0.81% to 2.67% for September 2011. Although this may be a fair prediction of potential interest rates at that forward quarter, it also would imply that eurodollar futures are related to the future -- an assumption that is appropriate when relating eurodollar quarterly rates to the forward rates implied by the U.S. Treasury yield curve.
Paul Cretien is an investment analyst and financial case writer. His e-mail is firstname.lastname@example.com.


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THE District of West Vancouver pays too much money to TransLink and Metro Vancouver for too little service, according to Mayor Michael Smith.
Its TransLink. Its a completely dysfunctional organization, he said. They have a board of directors. The provincial government controls the ultimate power. They have the mayors council that recommends, and the provincial government rejects, and they have a TransLink commissioner who costs $500,000 a year and nobody knows what he does.
Smith delivered the exasperated rebuke of TransLink and the province before heading out the door to a TransLink mayors council meeting after a West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce breakfast Wednesday.
The statement came in response from a chamber member who questioned whether it would be possible to get the bus trip from West Vancouver to downtown changed into a 1-zone fare, since it is a shorter distance than it would be from other 1-zone trips like Marpole.
TransLink is a real issue that, as citizens and as businesses, we really need to get something better, particularly on the North Shore where we dont have rapid transit but we do pay a lot.
During the meeting with local businesses, Smith pledged to use his spot on the mayors council to resist any moves by mayors to pay for transit with higher property taxes.
One of the things I can do for business is get to the TransLink meeting which starts and 9 a.m. and hopefully prevent them from passing, which theyve already passed, the property tax hike. Metro Vancouver and TransLink love West Vancouver because its the same (percentage) per $1,000 on assessed property value for all of their levies.
© Copyright 2013


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Make a Monkey Tutorial
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
Such Fun!
Yesterday, I met with some lovely ladies for lunch.
Lovely ladies who blog.
Please may I introduce you (from right to left) to:
Ashley, me, Sarah and Gem
Or Country Rose, me, Shabby Chic Sarah and Treasures From The Cherry Tree as you may know them.
I've met Gemma before (what a laugh we had then, too) and she organised a luncheon for us all, since we live near-ish to each other.
Marvellous fun, much a-chatting, laughing and sharing and too little time.
Three wonderful girls who I hope to see again very soon.
Thanks, ladies.
It was ace.
P.S. I forgot to take my camera to lunch so have nicked Gem's photo- cheers love! X
12 comments:
- Gem said...
Hee hee! Wasn't it fun. "SUCH FUN"!!!
Can I get the Prince to vomit into my hand for a change, next week at yours??!!!
Will bring cake-age.
But no stringy coleslaw!!!
Love xx x - 13 March 2012 20:51
- Crafted by Carly said...
A blogger meet-up sounds great! Glad all you girls had fun!!! :-)
x - 13 March 2012 20:53
- Faith said...
How nice....I am insanely jealous....I want a bloggy friend to 'do lunch' with.
- 13 March 2012 20:54
- Stocki said...
Aww...sounds like you all had a great time! So nice to see all the happy faces of bloggyland in real life! :)x
- 13 March 2012 22:03
- Christine said...
Looks like a good laugh, and sound like a great time was had by all! If you ever get up. Billingshurst way, there's a few craft bloggers here ;-)
- 13 March 2012 23:11
- Mereknits said...
I saw this lovely picture on Sarah's blog. Love that you all got together and are now fast friends. How fun!
- 13 March 2012 23:19
- Danette said...
Oh how FUN! Looks like you Girl's had a great time. Such cutie pies you all are too!
- 14 March 2012 00:47
- Grateful4Crochet said...
You all look so beautiful!!
Like Faith, I am also insanely jealous!!
xx - 14 March 2012 07:51
- Cuckoo said...
There's just never quite enough time is there? But there is always next time and the next and the next!
I really need to reorganise the bloggy girl gathering I started the ball rolling with last year. You still up for it doll?
We are off to Salcombe for Easter and Chipper Nelly is going to be just up the road so we will be getting together for a bit of mischief no doubt!
So glad you and Gem have hit it off. It is so lovely that she has settled into a totally new area.
xxx - 14 March 2012 14:54
- SarahB said...
We had the best time didn't we, even though it was short, but sweet due to the rotten traffic!!
We must do it again soon!!
S x - 14 March 2012 20:24
- Kristen said...
*waves* Hi, ladies! Glad you had a good time. :)
Kristen - 14 March 2012 20:48
- famfa said...
What fun. Wish I lived near too.
- 15 March 2012 02:00