News

Gates sponsors design contest • SRAM’s new Red blitz
DENVER, CO (BRAIN)—Gates Corp. is sponsoring a design contest at the 2012 North American Handmade Bicycle Show and is bringing in a panel of well-known bike innovators as judges.
The show is March 2-4 in Sacramento, California.
TAICHUNG, Taiwan (BRAIN)—Giant Global has formally launched its bike touring division, called Giant Adventure.
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO (BRAIN)—USA Cycling will be offering race directors training and a certification program next year.
HELSINKI, Finland (BRAIN)—Amer Sports, the Finnish owner of Mavic, will acquire women’s snowboard apparel brand Nikita as part of its priority to grow faster in soft goods.
Amer also owns Salomon, Wilson, Atomic, Arc’teryx, Precor and Suunto.
• Foundry contest seeks essays • Cyfac launches custom colors program • Light Electric Vehicle Association offers webinars • Blue adds Korean distributor ...

Penny Westman, who has represented GT Bicycles and Felt during her long career, is retiring.
BALLYCLARE, U.K. (BRAIN)—Online retailer Chain Reaction Cycles has hired an events team to oversee the its increasing presence at global races, including the Sea Otter Classic.
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA (BRAIN)—Interbike will launch a dealer conference in downtown Monterey, California, piggybacking on the Bicycle Leadership Conference dates of April 17-19, just before the Sea Otter Classic.
BRUSSELS, Belgium (BRAIN)—European manufacturing trade group Coliped is planning its biggest presence ever at Taipei Cycle in March.
BERN, Switzerland (BRAIN)—The World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry has hired a bicycle manager to work with the association’s 40 or so bike members.
German native Florian Dammer, 28, formerly of KTM and Lowa, stepped into the position last month.
ALMERE, Netherlands (BRAIN)—Pon Holdings now controls 92 percent of Derby Cycle Werke with the recent close of a second acceptance period of the Dutch company’s voluntary takeover offer.

BOULDER, CO (BRAIN)—Future Publishing, a media group whose titles include Procycling magazine, Cyclingnews.com and BikeRadar.com, has hired a former VeloNews sales executive as its North American sales director for its sports titles.