Photos from MASH opening reception at Project Space.

A big thanks to all who came out to the opening reception for the MASH exhibition at Project Space. It was a beautiful, sunny L.A. day and the fixed gear community represented in full to see and celebrate the accomplishments of the MASH team during the 2009 Tour of California.

MASH rider Walton Brush came in first in the fixed-gear only race from Echo Park to Project Space that preceded the event. The short jaunt was a proverbial walk in the park compared to the 750-mile course he journeyed as a barely-legal rider with MASH on the 2009 Tour.

The event also hosted the premiere of a new 12-minute video short of footage and reflections from the MASH team during the 2009 Tour. The crowd grew steadily over the course of the evening, taking time to socialize, revisit the MASH journey through the photographs and displays and enjoy giveaways courtesy of MASH, Incase and Arkitip.

All in all, it was a night of good times filled with a true sense of community. We hope you all enjoyed the event as much as we did. Check out all the photos in this Flickr set.

The MASH installation will be on display at Project Space through June 6.

Project Space
603 North La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles CA 90036
+1-323-938-8818
Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Last year, Incase sponsored the MASH team when they embarked on their uniquely subversive journey to crash the 2009 edition of the Tour of California on their track bikes. For nine days, MASH team riders ascended on the same .750-mile course as international cycling teams on bikes with one gear and no brakes, battling the horrendous rains and traversing some of the steepest hills in California.

A little more than one year later, Project Space is proud to host with MASH a special exhibition entitled “Revisit MASH Tour of California,” a retrospective on their incredible journey during the 2009 Tour of California. The Project Space installation will showcase documentation from the MASH experience, including a new short film and behind-the-scenes photography, and a display of artifacts from the tour, such as road-worn bicycles, a torn kit from the 2009 Tour and more.

The opening reception for the MASH exhibition will take place Saturday, May 22, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Preceding the opening reception is the MASH-organized fixed gear only race from Echo Park, coincidentally timed with Stage 7 of the 2010 Tour of California. The race will finish at Project Space, culminating with an awards ceremony during the exhibition’s opening reception.

Please join us for Revisit MASH Tour of California.
May 22 2010 through June 6 2010

Opening Reception
Saturday, May 22, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Project Space
603 North La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles CA 90036
323-938-8818

Only this time it’s a bit different since the race will consist of three stages:

1. Drag Race
2. Alleycat
3. Goldsprints

Who will win the individual stages and who will be the overall winner?

Meet up at the Cyclocross parking lot at 9:30pm.

As every bike fanatic knows, the MASH guys rode the Tour of California this year on their track bikes. Mike Martin documented the ride and MASH is in the process of releasing a video for this. The preview is now available on Vimeo.

MASH blogged their journey on our site. Here’s the story in 6 parts:

1. Mash Rides
2. The Oldest and the Youngest
3. Gear Selection
4. A Day in the Life
5. Spectators
6. Final Thoughts

1. Chas
2. Rainier Schaefer, congrats on winning the Skate Messenger Bag!
3. Julian Stranger

(via MASH SF)

Tomorrow, Sunday May 17th, MASH SF present: Breakers to Bay Race

Start: 10am at Java Beach Cafe 1396 La Playa Street.

30 minute route.

$1600 in prizes for the top 5 racers.
Cinelli, Vittoria, Dodici, The North face and a Skate Messenger Bag.

The guys at MASH created a Vimeo channel for bicycles, music, and other cultures on the move. Subscribe now, because you know they will pick and produce some proper videos. (via Arkitip Intel)

MASH CA is complete. As we began the journey, I wrote that “carrying a hard tempo throughout will require the highest levels of performance from our equipment, bodies, and minds.” That certainly was the case but, looking back, I realize that I was thinking primarily about the point-A-to-point-B and much less about the context of our efforts.

The Tour organizers have claimed that almost two million spectators watched the race. Whether or not you believe that particular number, you can’t deny that there were a lot of people, every day. It was interesting to see how varied the crowds were from stage to stage. Some days, it was all about Lance. Other cities had mainly local crowds, drawn by the novelty of the race coming to town. In a few places, like Solvang and Mt. Palomar, the majority of the spectators could be considered “true” cycling fans.

Photo by Mike Martin

There was something about this race that appealed to everyone, and it was awesome to see how many people – especially hardcore road riders – appreciated what we were doing. People saw us every day on the road and cheered when we came by. For me at least, that was one of the goals of the trip: to show that track bike culture is about more than bombing traffic and doing tricks, that it’s respectful of and connected with other forms of cycling. I’m proud of how we were able to demonstrate that without losing the essentials of MASH’s city roots and artistic vision.

We didn’t see anyone else riding fixed this week, but I hope that we will next year. There’s no ride that can’t be done on the track bike, although frankly I had my doubts going into the trip. It’s a tool with which you can explore not only the city, but also the world beyond.

All that being said, the point of our undertaking wasn’t to change the world or raise awareness for anything. What appealed to us was taking a road trip where we could challenge ourselves, generate great content, and hopefully see a little bit of pro bike racing. Everything else was incidental.

Photo by Mike Martin

A few thank-yous:

Will Meeker flies below the radar, but he’s an integral part of MASH. From driving the scooter, to working on bikes, to processing photos until 2am, Will was the glue that held this trip together. None of us would have completed this trip in one piece without him. Hopefully his professor at CCA will cut him a break for missing that one class…

No matter how tired he was or how late he’d stayed up completing his non-MASH duties as Clif Bar’s senior sports marketing manager, Matt Sharkey was always quick with a joke or a story about his friends in a certain industry. In addition to his help with logistics and general road trip know-how, Matt’s positive energy was a key to this trip.

MASH has received incredible support from many sponsors. Incase, Clif Bar, Cinelli, Vittoria, Selle San Marco, Lazer, Prowheelbuilder.com, North Face, SAG, SRAM, Specialized, and others. Thank you for sharing our vision.

Finally, I’d like to thank Mike Martin. He has carried this project on his shoulders and his photos and videos bring it to life. Balanced with his dedication to friends and family, Mike pours everything into his work and the results speak for themselves. I wish him all the success in the world. And some rest.

Photo by Mike Martin

See you on the road,

-Josh Kadis

Friday was a different kind of race for the pros and a different kind of day for us. It was a time trial stage, meaning that riders are timed individually over a short distance, rather than racing in a pack over long courses like the one’s we’ve been covering. Because there were only fifteen miles to ride, the MASH crew was able to sleep in and cruise around at the venue for a while.

Time trial days are great for spectating because you get to see so much. On the road stages, the teams have been showing up about an hour before the start and leaving within minutes of the finish. But at the time trial, the riders took off at 1-3 minute intervals, starting with last-place Francesco Chicchi at 12:00:00 and concluding with race leader Levi Leipheimer at 14:07:00.

Plus, the course started and finished in Solvang, so the pro squads were posted up there all day. Each team roped off an area around their vehicles for working on bikes, warming up, and hobnobbing with sponsors and media. For us bike nerds, it was pretty overwhelming.

Photo by Josh Kadis

By far, the best moment of the day was checking in with the Garmin-Slipstream crew that we met last week at the Clif Bar event. Jonathan Vaughters, the man behind the program, hadn’t been able to attend the Clif thing, so it was great to meet him finally. He has done amazing things to grow that program intelligently and set the bar really high not just in terms of clean racing but also in the quality of his organization.

Photo by Josh Kadis

Allen Lim is the team’s physiologist; he writes the riders’ training programs and analyzes their power data from racing and training.

Photo by Josh Kadis

Finally, Christian Vande Velde was rad. Hearing the guy who placed fourth in the Tour de France asking, “Are the MASH guys here yet?” was actually kind of embarrassing. Christian’s dad, a former Olympic cyclist himself, was there as well and told us stories about how he used to make Christian do intervals on the track bike on the road. Maybe we’ll get to tape a bit with him some day…

-Josh