Weekday Diversions #13: Dirt Diaries, Planes, and Crankworx

It’s Wednesday, you’ve (almost) made it! The work week is halfway done, and the prospect of big weekend rides is beckoning. Until then, here’s a roundup of the best bike (and non-bike) content that’s caught our eye this week.

Deven McCoy - Staff Writer

It's been a minute and there are many things that have caught my attention over the last two weeks. Crankworx Whistler was a real eye opener as it was my first time being in the MTB mecca. There was just so much to take in throughout the week that we were there, and a lot going on outside of the event with the Olympics kicking off this weekend.

I love this long raw format, especially for such a long DH race like Garbo.

More impactfuly, Joyride was mind blowing. Women are finally in. The morning time slot makes WAY more sense. Shooting events like this is incredibly fulfilling. So here are some of my favorite shots from the week.

Ariel Kazunas - Staff Writer

Sandy Ward is slated to be featured in our Beyond the Ride series, and her nomination reflects the sort of community-first attitude she brings to all aspects of her mountain biking. She won the Dirt Diaries competition at Crankworx Whistler this past weekend and has the full film available now online - it’s definitely well-worth the watch and the win:

I’ve looked up to Lisa Slagle ever since I met her. She’s a badass on a board and a bike, who also happens to be maybe the smartest, most creative person I know, too. As the founder and owner of a creative agency, she’s run some pretty incredible campaigns - like this banger of a super bowl ad - but I’ve really been digging the more personal work she’s been doing on the side, for her own sake. She popped up on my social feed the other day with this clip and I really feel like more of us could use seeing it:

I got to attend the premiere of the Redbull x Antill Films “Anytime” flick, which reminded me about this recent piece by Eugene Young Pak, one of the cyclists behind the 2023 film “Riding Han,” for the Melanin Basecamp blog. Because while “Anytime” was a blast to watch, and finally finally finally featured as many women, with as many minutes of airtime, as men, the cast reflected the fact that mountain biking still has a lot of work to do to make BIPOC folk feel welcome and represented at all levels of the sport - and as I reviewed it, it got me thinking about how we story tell and who we invite in to tell said stories. Eugene does a really cool dive into all that that, as a bookworm, I really enjoyed:

Dylan Russell - Social Media Manager

As we all recover from a long week spent at Crankworx, we can't help but reminisce on the good times we had. That is exactly what Evan Bradley did as he captured how Crankworx looked through his lens. I love Evan’s style; tossing in the right amount of lifestyle content, along with the pristine riding of course. The editing and song choice put the vibe on this one exactly where it belongs, solid work Evan.

Cy Whitling - Editor

I honestly don’t have much to highlight this edition. The last few weeks have been a big exhale - getting a bunch of work into the world, dealing with logistics, and creating much more than I’ve been consuming. Which, helpfully, is the topic of this comic by The Oatmeal. I’ve got a few more projects to wrap up, and then it’s time for me to inhale, consume a bunch of other people’s work, rest, regroup, and get ready to exhale again.

That said, last night, this excellent article from NPR's Linda Holmes made my evening. Sure, generative AI has lots of ethical issues, but at its core, I'm frustrated with the marketing around it because it focuses on the worst, least useful, most generic possible uses. Linda articulates that frustration so well in this piece. And it was a reminder to go back and watch this excellent music video:

Are you rooting for the kids or the meat grinder?