We’re pretty bike-crazy here at Clif Bar & Company. After all, our owner/founder Gary dreamed up the idea for a better-tasting energy bar on a long bike ride. Plus, he designed bike seats, raced bikes and has attracted a lot of bike-types to our company over the years.

If you’re even a bit like us, you can’t help but turn your thoughts to bikes in May, which is National Bike Month and home to Bike to Work Week and Bike to Work Day (Phew!). As we were scrolling around that big Internet thing this week, we found some pretty cool new stuff going on with bikes all over the world. You can take some of them in if you’ve got travel plans this summer—or just look around your own town, where all kinds of bike stuff is likely happening starting this month.

Bike the Grand Canyon

As of May 1, you can rent bikes at the Grand Canyon National Park visitors’ center through the fall season (8 a.m. to 6 p.m., daily). Park officials say cycling is a particularly good way to experience the park’s popular South Rim.

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Yes, Earth Day 2010 has come and gone, but we’re continuing the Earth Day spirit—in pug form! And so we came across this hilarious video from The Daily Puglet. Here’s the gist—if a pug can recycle, so can you. And not only that, this pug sorts paper and plastic, rides the bus, conserves water and more.

This is definitely a must-see heading into your post-Earth Day weekend. Hope you enjoy it!

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As most of you know, Clif Bar has a long history of involvement with the endurance sports community.  After all, the entire concept for the Clif Bar originated on a 170-mile bike ride.  Athletes competing in marathons, triathlons, bike races, and Jiu Jitsu tournaments nationwide have relied for years on our Clif and Shot products to give them the energy they need to perform at their best.

Oh, did someone mention Jiu Jitsu?  Well, since we’re already on the subject, let’s talk a little bit about Eduardo Fraga.  Eduardo is the Head Instructor at Ralph Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy here in good ol’ Berkeley, CA, and also happens to be a black belt and 7-time state champion in the art.  Eduardo teaches the discipline with a focus on strength, conditioning, and technique, and several employees here at Clif have recently been training with him to keep their minds and bodies sharp.  And you never know when you might have to defend yourself against a furious HR person coming at you because you forgot to turn in your written goals and objectives for the year.  It can get pretty rough around here.  In fact, I just noticed a small blister forming on my thumb from using the space bar.  It really stings.

Anyway…the big news is that Eduardo recently competed at the (take a deep breath) International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation Pan-American Championship Tournament and took 2nd place in his division.  This is the 9th time he has finished on the podium at this event against some of the toughest competition in the world.  And, since Eduardo and several other instructors at the academy have been keeping their energy levels up during training and competition with our Clif Bars and Shot Bloks, it’s natural to assume we played a little role in helping him to a great result.  Nice job, Eduardo…the folks here at Clif Bar send you a hearty congratulations! 

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In the spirit of Valentine’s Day we thought we’d celebrate two things we love around here. 1. Snow. And 2. Mike Parziale. Snow is lovable for many reasons. So we’ll skip the list. But Mike Parziale? You may not know all the reasons we love him. So here's a little Valentines video on what makes Mike such a lovable person. P.S. He's happily married so send your love letters elsewhere.

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Our office is a buzz with excitement for the start of the winter Olympics. In the spirit of The Games, I'm heading up to Lake Tahoe to watch them from within a wintery, white setting. That way when I get inspired to take up Bobsleeding or Biathloning, it’ll be that much easier. Kinda hard to do from here in our Berkeley office. Over the last few weeks, I've gotten the question (in some variation or another)..."So, what’s up with Clif Bar and the Olympics?" In the event you were wondering the same thing, here's the scoop. Our friend Mike Parziale,…

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