I stumbled across Alison Dunlap while riding in Palmer Park today. She was conducting a clinic for another rider, but graciously took a minute to stop and shoot the breeze.
She and husband Greg Frozley have an 8-month-old squirt, Emmett, and haven’t been getting much sleep, but nonetheless Alison looks fit and ready to kick ass (Greg was at home riding herd on Emmett while Mama took care of business). I should’ve taken a pic. Bad cycling journalist.
Alison took some amusement from my drop-bar 29er, the Voodoo Nakisi, which — being a cyclo-crosser of some small experience herself — she initially mistook for an actual ’cross bike. Nope, it’s a weirdo, just like the guy riding it.
But with a pair of 700×38 WTB Allterrainasauruses and a low end of 22×28 the Nakisi is an ideal bike for about 75 percent of the trails in the park. The others I can’t ride on a 26-inch hardtail, and I’m not inclined to buy a double-boinger just to test-drive our UnitedHealthcare insurance policy.
As it is, I have regained just enough fitness, strength and technique to do something appallingly stupid on two wheels, one of those “hold my beer and watch this” moments that winds up on YouTube. You know the feeling? “Well, I just rode that so surely I can ride this. …” It always ends badly.
Mad Blog Media 
Alison is a class act!
Once had the chance to chat back when she was killing it on the 26ers in Napa. Along with Ms. Furtado and Mr. Juarez, they were great examples of top-level athletes caring about the fans. It was always a pleasure to meet and greet them. Glad to hear that she is still riding and passing the joy along to others.
Yeah, Alison and Greg are good folks. Ditto Furtado, Ned Overend, Dave Wiens and Susan DeMattei, Tim Johnson — all folks who’ll take a moment out of their busy days to spread the velo-love. They don’t have to (or want to) hire skinheaded Belgian coppers and a battalion of lawyers to shove the punters out of their path.
Love the cartoon; hope you earned a buck off it from the Veloguys/gals and didn’t just squander it on us!
Reminds me of long ago when I said to the wife, “want to see me ride off the porch?” on an MTB. Sure enough, I rode off the porch but was not connected to the bicycle shortly after the front wheel hit the ground! I too think of a dual-suspension MTB as the prelude to a hospital visit. On a front suspension 26’r if it looks dicey I climb off and scramble down on foot..with one of those engine-less motorcycles I’d certainly endo my way off of those drop offs! Those things seem to tear up the trails on the descents too…or is that just the old-fart in me?
Talk of dicey descents, check out this race in Chile http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO0VLouJFNQ
Ira, that clip is crazy but there is another one (I believe from this year’s race) where another dog nearly gets tangled up in the wheels. And if you wonder about “another dog” watch this clip’s first 30 seconds as the rider launches off a jump and over a brown dog!
Of course there is also this clip: http://youtu.be/93UzcOVdYPM
“Hey is that Mud Stud?” as the rider cruises through the family room.
Fun vids. If they’d had this stuff back when I was an appropriate age, I’d have been _so_ into it. Takes too long to heal now, though.