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Bits of kits

It's all pretty theoretical at this point, but here is a look at our ensemble of gear this season. Only changes to our stuff is that we have added Jett clothing, and will be running Troy Lee helmets:) So about a week and a half to go until we get back to America to Build bikes, unwrap gear, and begin to shred this season:). Hasn't been a very dry summer out here in OZ, and It will no doubt continue to be wet in Seattle, but at least it's GO TIME!! . The tr250 is gonna kill it at Sea Otter, I'm so excited to have this weapon of a bike for that round. More to come in the next few weeks...

NSW state round at Thredbo

THREDBO, NSW, AUSTRALIAI've never been to an aussie state round, but so far I'm liking it. Just decided to come down for a bit of fun and practice with my pal Cillian who does the whole series, he won this race last year actually for Elite men. State rounds get a pretty big tournout, not so much on the pro front- handful of top guys, but the other classes are quite full. Cool to meet people that I wouldn't normally meet. It's also not as expensive to do these races as a national round, more practice,  closer to home, relaxed,,, similar to our little NW cups at home I suppose.

Nice little saturday here in Thredbo- birds chirping, river flowing, people playing golf, riding bikes, fishing etc, even added a bit more red to my face with a sunburn. Last time I was here we had torrential rain the whole time and had to hideout inside, so this is fantastic. Thredbo is the best resort in OZ, I think, kinda spendy but a nice place to come. The range in temps while riding the chairlift though goes from sweaty while loading, to frigid and windy near the top. Nothing like a blast of artic breeze to the face before you get off a lift to go ride..

I've been loving the track though, working things out, getting smoother sections, trying to go fast, hitting new lines:) Bit better than my last time here at thredbo last Feb or march. Dry dirt helps but it's cool for me to see my own personal evolution of my riding and Bike set up on the same track I started on last season. Anyway, just came for two days, sans Bryn, to get some longer runs and racing back into me, should be somewhat of a 6.30 to 7.30 min track, hopefully quicker but I have no idea really, but it's a long track, with plenty of  arm pump through this section called bunny something. Just switchbacky turns in the woods with holes and stuff halfway through. Pretty high speed and rocky in bits tooo, lots of turns that you have to get your front wheel up high and just tip or lean the bike over. Dirt was insanely perfect today as well which made me really pleased. Hoping for another day like this tomorrow. Tube-less is awesome too, saved a few near punctures I'm sure.

Cillian was looking good for a top spot, but I think broke his hand or ligament in his thumb on the last run, so my role as sidekick just upgraded.

Left early and decided not to race. Woke up in the am on race day to pouring rain anyway.

here's a random link to a helmet cam vid of the track http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yZYElNXYTc

Lack of content

Don't worry about the lack of content here, Pretty soon, you guys will get what you pay for :) and more... It's not all that easy to put videos and stuff together without filmers and photographers. It's sort of a DIY on the media front in the offseason, and I don't personally believe in making content just to make it, quality is more important to me. I should show you how my moto skills have improved though, I'm pretty proud of that. On the up side, Supercross is going strong, plenty of battles to follow. I'm not really sure who I am going for anymore, I have a lot more insight to the sport and industry thanks to Pulp MX, the Steve Mathes show, as well as racer X podcasts n stuff. They are pretty funny on those shows, good for long drives. SOmeone should do those for MTB, but more than 5 guys covered.

Turns out for the final showdown in Vegas for supercross, Travis pastrana is doing his first live USA nitro circus show in the same town same weekend. That would be an awesome weekend, holy crap!!

NBA is also fantastic, coming into playoffs in a few months. Lots of trades and general awesomeness. I love NBA a lot, follow it daily. I watch quite a few different sports, lots of parallels, but I like the technical side of BBall. Lakers have been my favorites for awhile, but there are a few other players and teams I love to watch . Quiz me, I got it down.

Anyway, that is all for now. I'm going to Thredbo this weekend for a state race and good practice on a long track-Shredders at Thredders

Mountain states cup schedule

Here are a few more races in the USA this summer, for people interested... Mountain States Cups are pretty good regional events, easy to base in Colorado and ride a ton of bike parks, and still do competitive races. If you like high elevation, chairlifts, etc, this would be cool. Fairly unique dirt, kinda rocky, and not usually too steep of terrain, but it'a all real fun. The Crested Butte round is a national Pro GRT event, so that should be a pretty big one. Darner has his fingers in many pies, but does a good job running these events with their sponsors and partners. There are xc events in the mix here ( tt, Stxc, xc, SR, SD = super Downhill with ups n downs) so DH is the code for Downhill:) , DS=dual slalom, 4x =4x Later. www.racemsc.com ________________________________________________________________________________________

Aussie National Champions.

Here are some words from Bryn about the weekend in Adelaide...
_______________________________________________________________________________________
"Just a quick update from a Big weekend at the Australian National Champs. It started out with a massive drive on Wednesday from home in Wentworth falls south west 14hrs to Adelaide, South Australia. The Downhill was pretty short, tight and basic, not really too much to separate the field as far as technical features, so right from the start I knew times were going to be tight. The weather was scorching hot down there too, like 35 degrees C or 97F.
Seeding on Friday- We have been experimenting with tubeless, and for some reason I lost some pressure in my tires. Anyway, I left the gate and noticed it right away, my tires were just rolling around a bunch.. Being a heavier rider, i tend to roll them off the rim if they are too low, so had to shut it down. The same thing happened in my final run, even though I double checked everything, but I just put it behind me, and pinned it. I put together a good final, and pushed all the way, but wasn't enough for the win.
Gotta be honest, this was an all or nothing event, so i was a little disappointed, but happy to be putting in good solid race efforts leading up to the season...
4 more weeks at home here in Aus, then it's back to U.S for the International season. Can't wait!
Thanks for the support! "
Bryn
Here are some links to some video and photo's from the weekend-

Mic Hannah and Leonie Picton won the elite Aussie National Titles for the year. Bryn 3rd, . Jr Atkinson  8th. Stacked Aussie field. Photo: pinkbike.com

Pro GRT schedule finalized

Seems like there have been 100 emails about the Pro GRT schedule, but this is the latest release. Pretty cruisy to be finished before July. These events are really fun, pretty easy to do, good competition, and decent prize money. If you know what is good for you, you'll hit at least one and make the series bigger and better. It'd be a good little trip for people to do the two east coast rounds, US open, then Off to Scotland and Austria. Imagine a bigger picture, like how the Norba's used to be..

Aussie DH nationals- Seeding

I'm not there, as it is like a billion degrees and too hot for my northern blood, but the seeding is in. Mic Hannah and Claire Kovarik took top spots.  Jr. Atkinson- Rhys, had an awesome run to take out Bronze in seeding against all the big dogs. Bryn will be up there, bit of an hiccup today, but all good. You can guess that times may be quicker tomorrow for race day . Local Adelaide sesnation Willy Rischbieth had a noteworthy day, after several months of barely being able to walk and no riding from back injury. Guess he got some magic pills to get er done! 12 on the day, Nice one.. Joshy B went pretty good too considering the knees.

http://www.onlineresults.com.au/Comp/mtba11_adeldhi

Aussie national champs- next up

ADELAIDE, S.A. , AUSBryn is heading out this week to South Australia for his Australian national champs!!!. Big drive from where we live,  16 hrs west to ADELAIDE. It also happens to be one of the hottest places ever, 95+ degrees which doesn't really suit my blood, so I won't be there.

It's a race for aussie glory, not American, so there you have it. My butt has only just recovered from the last race anyway, but Bryn will be out for the win, so look out. New national jersey rule is a little better- Left arm as a flag.

I'll have a few 2nd hand updates next week. Later

2011 schedule

It's getting closer to go time. Some events are still TBD..

Buller final

MT.BULLER, VIC, AUSAs it started to snow before qualifying in Australia, I was thinking what the hell happened to the heat wave we had last week. Anyway, saturday practice was cancelled from high winds and downpours, but suunday it was on. Track was wet and slippery, but the rocks all held together for some grip. Bryn and I seeded first. And Bryn went on the take the final win by quite a bit of time over his little Bro who was riding well, and the rest of the Aussies. Rennie 3rd, Ricky Boyer 4th, tim eaton 5th.

I was almost to the finish, but had a pretty severe crash. Was layed out for at least half a minute trying to breath again and gather my composure. Clipped a rock with my pedal on the fastest bit of track, straight to my backside. Helmet is pretty scratched up, pedal destroyed, ass sore, but so it goes. Had fun riding and seeing everyone, and now will have a few days off to recover. Not the best week for me.

Day 1 at Buller

MT.BULLER, VICTORIA, AUSBig day of cleanup,,, crappy weather seems to follow me around the world, jeese. Windy, Muddy, rainy, cold, foggy, conditions were less than ideal for learning the track today. Mega wind storm tomorrow too which may or may not cancel practice and seeding,will see. Hardest thing is always Visibility though, tear-offs only work for so long, fresh goggles every run, boo.

Not too many people were excited to get dirty, but once in the thick of it, the track was fairly grippy. Whole trail was built with rocks pretty much, momentum killing rocks too, so it's not the most enjoyable track, but it has good points. Takes about a minute of Narrow dicing through trees, and hitting rocks before flow kicks in in the middle. Middle and bottom are pretty good though. Nothing too crazy out there as far as difficulty, but I wasn't really going full speed, yet, so we will see. sub 4 min or something. Lot of sneaky hops to get amongst. Not a big social day either, just getting it done and going home to sit in front of the fire and dry off.

I made a really ghetto little video, nothing too great, but maybe you will get a piece of the vibe from it... http://jillkintner.com/movies/bullerTwalk.mov

Mt.Buller NTL

Coming up next week, a national round in Victoria, AUS. Bryn's little Bro Rhys is on the World Trail building crew and has been building tons of  xc tracks up there. Think the DH trail is the same ol one, but I'm not sure. Victoria state round went down this weekend. Rhys raced, as did little Troy Brosnan and a few others. Rhys set the fastest time of the weekend, but had a crash in the final to finsih 3rd. Anyway there were an estimated 390 riders or something for a state round. So who knows how beat the track will be for a national round. It's supposed to rain as well, so should be pretty interesting. I'll keep you posted.

http://www.rapidascent.com.au/BikeBuller/

Race Cancelled

ROTORUA, NZWell after an incredible day of riding yesterday, the excessive rain from all afternoon, night, and morning has cancelled this race. Pretty unlucky for me, but at least mission accomplished with a visa renewal. I'm going to have to come back, hopefully soon, and spend some real time riding here!!.

I would've hated to see the track destroyed by riding it today anyway, so they made the right call. Kitted up  and ready to get dirty though, I really really had a lot of fun with this terrain. From my first run onward I was just smiling the whole time. So fast and flowy, with fun little gaps everywhere, ruts, actual jumps, etc. Think the shuttles have problems when it rains as the big busses/ trailers slide down the hill and freaks the drivers. It hasn't really rained here in awhile, so after today it will be all caught up to last another couple months. Never fails to rain on race day.

Rotorua DH track

ROTORUA, NZHaven't ridden this track yet, but made the hike up to have a look. Pretty rad, has quite a span of steepness, speed, dirt texture, overall about 3.5-4 min I'm guessing?? Loamy dirt, roots, tons of ruts, bumps, jumps, etc. Like most tracks it's got variety. Doesn't seem like much pedaling though, which i'm sure everyone appreciates. I can see why Luke Strobel likes these tracks so much, a lot like where we live in seattle. Hold on, slam into ruts.

Anywho, here is a bit of video from an old video. Not 100% our track, but it does have most of the sections in there http://www.pinkbike.com/video/164825/

Where's Bilbo?

ROTORUA, NZ New Zealand!! Pretty easy trip really, seemed like it almost took the same time getting to the Sydney airport in traffic as it did to fly over. Not a bad drive either from Auckland, nice way to take in some scenery, only annoying part was snail speed limits on one lane highways. The slower pace is good every now and then I suppose for a nature lover such as myself.  Sun was out the whole time too, which was lovely, but just cooking my right side as I drove for a few hrs:). At the end of it I was Looking like Braveheart all dressed up in war, half n half, but with red burnt skin not blue paint. Me n Mel.

Local Rotorua sensation-Craig Pattle has been hosting me for a couple days. Been good fun seeing the town, catching up, meeting crew etc. All the Kiwi DH stars are turning up as well. Cam Cole, Amy, Keiren Bennett, Justin Leov, Blenkinsop, spotted Wynn Masters' ride in the parking lot, Brook McDonald, Nathan Rankin, Matt Walker, and Elisa Canepa from Switzerland. So it'll be a good event full of talent. I'm most excited to see my pal Vanessa Quinn though. She's not racing mtb anymore- traded it for the family life a couple years ago, but word on the street is that she is racing Track in the velodrome. Hopefully I still recognize her and she hasn't turned into a giant quadricep:).

I was here in 2006 for worlds, but having a bit more time to explore, The forest reminded me a lot of Bellingham, which puts a mega smile on my face. Same color dirt, big trees, greenery, Transitions everywhere, not quite as technical, but flow for days, I was loving it!!!.!!! perfect conditions as well- so far. Thanks to Kiwi Bikes for the loner xc machine!

Been a bit tricky sorting out a race schedule, buried deep in the middle of Bikenz website, I've finally worked it out that it all happens sat and sun, and friday they tape out the course. Plenty of people out there as the shuttle bus is running for the other tracks. Designated drinking fountains all over too, it's mtb paradise not having to take a pack or be on the look out for mountain lions, bears, snakes, or even spiders!!. Epic. Only draw back I suppose is that the stAnk from being near geothermal hot springs areas. I've got a wee headache.

NZ weekend

ROTORUA, NZ Well, it's not quite the month long trip I was trying to plan for this year to NZ, but since my Aussie visa expires in a few weeks I gotta do a border hop, stat!!!. New Zealand is the best and cheapest spot to go from Sydney, so I am off, by myself, to renew another 3 months of Australian goodness, as well as do some DH racing in one of the best place ever!!-Rotorua.

I'd like to spend more time over there, with Bryn, but as long as we have our awesome half life in mountains of OZ, it's nice to live someplace for awhile.

4 days of NZ excitement coming up..... I'll keep you posted!!!

Kayak Explore

Just discovered this little gem on the interweb. It's a feature on Kayak.com for travelers, to check costs on tickets all over. You can set the departure city, and general month that you want to go somewhere, and the explore button shows you how much it would cost to go anywhere and any time. Pretty sweet  http://www.kayak.com/explore .

Flooding

Man, the news is so dire about the Queensland flooding. Darkest day they are calling it, so much has been destroyed; Houses, cars, land, crops, food, etc. Pretty sad. I'm sure most of you have heard about it. Fire in the West, flooding in the East, Australia is in a bit of a conflicted state these days. Glad we live high in the mountains. Positive thoughts to people who are not so lucky:(

LUX BMX Store

On our road-trip back from Cairns, we stopped off in Brisbane to visit one of our good friend's new BMX shop- Called LUX BMX. Evan and his business partner Mitch have created a shop with the essence and style of NYC. A Boutique-ish shop with incredible design, product, and people:) I was well impressed, loved the store. Well worth a stop. BMX has become an art outside the race world, color, graphics, branding, etc. very impressive.

luxbmx.com.au