The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) was created by Congress in 1965 and is authorized to receive $900 million annually in federal revenues from oil and gas leasing. Unfortunately, most of these funds have been diverted, meaning the LWCF has received full funding only once in its multi-decade history. Current legislation could help restore full funding the LWCF. The bills, known as S. 2747 in the Senate (Sen. Bigaman and Baucus) and H.R. 334 in the House (Cong. Rahall) deserve your support.

Airborne® Bicycles recently announced a partnership with IMBA. To kick off the new relationship, Airborne is reaching out to IMBA members by giving them the first chance to become a part of its first-ever Flight Crew. Up to 10 enthusiastic riders will be selected for the Flight Crew and have the opportunity to test out new Airborne bikes, post videos of their adventures and represent Airborne® Bicycles at the upcoming Sea Otter Classic, April 15-19, in Monterey, CA.

Mountain biking has been identified as one of the fastest growing outdoor recreation activities among youth (Outdoor Foundation, 2009). IMBA's trail development work in urban areas, including the Gateway Trails program, helps meet that demand. These trail systems also contribute to reducing the risk of obesity and inactivity facing today's families.

IMBA recently conducted several meetings in Washington, D.C. with key congressional leaders and federal agency personnel. Productive discussions with Chairman Raul Grijlva (D-AZ), Congressmen Peter DeFazio (D-OR), and Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO), among other members of the House Natural Resources Committee, as well as meetings with Forest Service officials, provided IMBA with the opportunity to strengthen support for mountain bike access on public lands.

Working in locations across the United States, IMBA Trail Solutions staff is helping shape the next generation of trails. A variety of innovative projects, including the youth- and family-friendly trails systems IMBA calls "Gateway Trails," are scheduled for completion in 2010.

We have some fantastic news coming out of the National Bike Summit in Washington, DC this morning. The League of American Bicyclists is reporting that Google Maps has finally added a "bike there" option to the choices of directions between to locations.

Philadelphia-area mountain bikers of all shapes, sizes, experiences and abilities will again have the opportunity to fraternize, ride, eat and buy stuff when the Fourth Annual Rally in the Valley goes down on April 17th in Wissahickon Park.

The good people over at Bikes Belong recently showed us 55,000 reasons why they're so cool. Several cycling organizations and projects (catering to those who love non-paved as well as paved cycling) have just benefitted from the award of $55,000 worth of grants.

Minneapolis is always a good place to be. I'd say it is the city with the strongest bike culture in these United States. Geno at One On One, Hurl at Car R Coffins Cafe and so on. Even in the middle of a close-to-arctic winter. These guys make the rest of us look like pansies. The MPLS area is also the home of Quality Bike Parts...and here's some words about my trip there.

We are back from NAHBS 2010 and although I had a great time, I feel that I need a T-shirt printed "I Survived NAHBS 2010 and Frank's Driving". And all for you dear reader.

Online registration is now open for the U.S. Open of Mountain Biking, which is slated for May 27th through 30th at Diablo Freeride Park in Vernon, NJ.

What is Blography?

Blography is a photography based blog following myself as I travel across Western Canada taking photos of bikes. Having only lived in Canada since October 2009 and spending almost all my time at Big White enjoying the winter season, it will be an adventure to remember. My trip is going to take me around one of the world's capitals for mountain biking, traveling from place to place, hooking up with people to ride, shooting bikes, and having one hell of a good time.

More inside...

Here it is... after months of teasing with rider profiles, photos and blog posts, Anthill Films is finally ready to take the teasing to a new level with the release of the "official" Follow Me teaser.

Dates for the world premier and DVD release have also been confirmed.

See the teaser and get the details inside...

See Team Yeti's Aaron Gwin demonstrate several exercises every rider should be using to get faster on the trail.

One of the best ways to improve your riding is to include a heavy dose of single limb training, also known as unilateral training. While bilateral training is better known and also important, there are several unique advantages that unilateral training offers that makes it a must to include in your program. Before I get into their 4 main advantages, though, let me clear up a common misconception.

Details and video inside,

Martin Ogden aka "Oggy" has been on the bike racing scene for a number of years now as a pro rider and he has battled his way into becoming one of the darkest horses on any race track. A huge, all-round talented racer and a very genuine down to earth bloke - whether it's a 4X race or Time trial event, this guy excels at it.

Learn more about the "Oggy" legend inside, and some real home truths about being a pro rider!

Source: Silver Star Bike Park

An update from Silver Star?s one-winged bike park director ...

Pull your bike out of the shed, dust it off, and lube up the chain.

It was a strange winter. The conditions on the resort have been decent, but with little to no snow in the valley, the bike trails are primed and ready. Unfortunately, a snowboard cross mishap has me on the disabled list for a few more weeks, but I'm confident I'll be ready for the start of the season. More details inside,

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Linus Gerdemann of Germany won the opening stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico race in a sprint Wednesday, and British standout Mark Cavendish showed poor form by falling behind on a mild climb shortly before the finish. Gerdemann, who rides for the Milram team, covered the 148-kilometer (92-mile) route from Livorno to Rosignano in 3 hours, 36 minutes, 15 seconds.

Less than eight months after an horrific crash on the Tour de France, Jens Voigt is already looking ahead to this year's race.

Germany's Linus Gerdemann grabbed victory in the first stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico on Wednesday, the first big stage race of the Italian season.

Peter Sagan of Slovakia won the third stage of Paris-Nice on Wednesday, and German veteran Jens Voigt claimed the overall lead. Sagan was able to follow Nicolas Roche's attack in the last climb and won the 153-kilometer stage ahead of Joaquin Rodriguez. Roche finished third. The 38-year-old Voigt was two seconds back in fourth to overtake the yellow jersey from Lars Boom of the Netherlands, who...

Trek has launched its 2010 mountain bikes. The Remedy, the Fuel EX and the Top Fuel. The Remedy gets a carbon fiber frame; both it and the Fuel EX get the Fox DRCV shock and they all lost weight.

Julien Absalon has won two world championships aboard Fulcrum wheels, and now the Campagnolo-owned brand is extending its product line into the trail and downhill categories as well.

Marin recently unveiled a brand new 4-inch XC model called the Alchemist, a renamed Wolf Ridge called the Attack Trail that is optimized for Hammerschmidting, as well as a some key tweaks to the Mount Vision.

In an early release of its 2010 product line, Troy Lee recently unveiled the D2 Carbon Palmer, the latest installment in an arsenal of replica of helmets to pay tribute to some of the greatest legends in racing.

Garmin today unveiled two brand-new GPS devices?the Oregon 550 and the 550t?both of which incorporate a feature never before seen: a 3.2 megapixel digital camera.

Now when searching for directions, you have the option to map a bicycle-friendly route.

Joao describes what it's like to help his Cervelo teammates win races.

In the download center, you'll find core workouts, century training guides, posters, maintenance tips and more. The best part: it's all free.

Germany's Jens Voigt took the overall lead at Paris-Nice. Peter Sagan from team Liquigas won stage three.