Specialized tire specialist Frank Stacey and I talking tires at the Stellenbosch testing in January 09.
Photo by Gary Perkin.
I have been incredibly busy since my arrival in the US 2 weeks ago. Moved to Reno NV from Bend OR, did 3 days’ tire testing with Specialized and I bought a car. (yes, the legendary Red [...]

Burry Stander doing rolling resistance testing on the rollers. He rode at 25km/h and at 35km/h with about 20 different tires and measured the wattage needed to hold those speeds for each tire. On the right (reading the power  tap numbers) is Benno Willeit, our Specialized mechanic, and on the left is Tire Specialist Frank [...]

It was “Make a wish” for 16 year old mountain biker Justin Pictor from Stellenbosch South Africa. Fresh off a great 3rd in the under 17 race at South African Mountainbike Nationals last week, it was good to catch up with Justin again.
A year ago I rode with him and some friends. His ability and [...]

Here is some video of our tire testing in Stellenbosch South Africa earlier this year:

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photo by Nils Nilsen, see Xterra gallery for more
With 2 XTERRA USA Series victories so far, I was eager to beat the rush and wrap up the USA points series early. (best 3 out of 4 Series race to count towards Series. Plus compulsory Tahoe Nationals)

Caveman (XTERRA), Rebecca Rusch (24hr), Paolo Bettini (Road), Chris McCormack (Ironman), Christoph Sauser (Mountainbike).
Yes, Specialized had 5 World Champions last year! Quite a big deal. We got together at the start of the Tour of California, and here is a peak from behind the scenes:

Tom Keily (XTERRA CEO), myself, Scott Tinley (Tri Legend and one of my childhood heros). Photo by Rich Cruse
I honoured to receive this special award here in San Diego. The 40hr flight was fully worth it. The Competitor Awards are amazing, and the other award winners were truly inspiring. Saul Raisin, Scott Rigsby, Ryan [...]

I am Specialized poster