Olympic BMX Finals

ESPN Photo Wow, watching the Olympic BMX brought back some memories. I remember being in the start, and the nervous energy surrounding the whole event. The course looked beautiful with perfect weather and a full stadium. There were enough rounds to kind of get a feel for each rider and watch some different lines. Tons of crashes though, I don't miss that. Seems like all the media people focus on the carnage to keep it interesting to spectators. Easy way to make some headlines; scorpion into a roller. Few Kamakazi french moves out there as well, kinda had to hold my breath as one guy hopped the rocks inside the white line. You never know what is gonna happen or where the other riders are going to be, that's the game of it, ready for anything. Crazy that there were no British, French, or US medals. Quite a different story this time around.

For the Women's rounds, for sure that first semi was really difficult, stacked, but the whole field was really talented. Devastating to watch Alise go down after strong starts and incredible pull down the ramp. She said she was ok, but had a concussion. Good for Brooke to play is steady to get into the final, she has so much style:)

For the final, the favorites had a lot of pressure. I called Pajon ages ago, she just has the most talent and history of success. Caroline Buchanan looked really really fit and strong as well. It was a little sad to watch her not make the medals after being that dominant all day. Shanaze too, she has so much pressure again, it was a tough race.

You could kinda read what they were thinking on the Gate, but the calm confident person usually rises. I was wondering why Pajon picked lane 5. It gave her the space to focus on herself. She had the fastest times to the bottom of the ramp, so to get past the kink with a clear lane was smart. Caroline and Shanaze got boxed in on the inside by Latietia. Sarah Walker kinda struggled all day, but pulled out the silver when it counted. Like to think Bronze is the award for best battle:).

Strombergs was so calm, I could feel he was gonna win after the last semi, when there were lots of tense close moments, and he did all the right things to be in position and out of trouble. Lifetime of work put into it. Latvia had a full team this time, obviously doing something right over there, he is their only gold medalist- 2 total for these games so far. Wow. I wish someone would do a story on him in latvia to see what his life is like there. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMoQK1V48sA

Anyway, congrats to everyone who went, and the medalists. It is the most difficult task to be selected and compete at the olympic games. Everyone there has talent. Enjoy the wave for the next few months:)

http://espn.go.com/action/bmx/story/_/id/8255371/colombia-mariana-pajon-latvia-maris-strombergs-win-olympic-bmx-gold-london

Olympic fan Stuff!!! TT

Today was the time trial BMX event in London!!!. Seems like a really long time since the Beijing games, 4 years, but for London the sport is bigger than ever, with a beautifully landscaped technical course primed for action .

After about 6 years of Supercross history, most countries have it figured out with gearing, technique, training, etc. Leg speed is crazy to watch, but shifting never proved to be faster, keeping bmx equipment simple and solid.

USA, France, Australia, GBR, and the Dutch have really strong showings in cycling events. For BMX throw in Latvia, New Zealand, and Colombia to the mix as well. BMX has world wide participation, so it's cool to see the variety of colors, and fancy paint jobs. Think USA has the best looking kits, but I am also a little bias. Nike stuff always looks good.

Material science comes into play; light-weight tailored breathable gear for pedaling seems to outperform the standard moto kit. Well unless you hit the pavement, then I think the heavier material would be way better. All or nothing at that point anyway.

I got a little neardy trying to put in split points agains the clock to see who was faster where. Definatly in the girls TT, cutting the turns a little more inside was faster, especially out of the tunnel and going into the rhythm section. Last turn had a couple tenths to cut too. Caroline Buchanon has Mountian bike experience and looked to have her lines sorted in the corners, also set the fastest time. Pajon was actually the fastest in most spots. She lost some tenths in the last turn and rhythm section to the finish. Opposite with Latietia, she made up ground from the tunnel to the finish, cut inside real hard on the second turn which was way faster. Sarah Walker was really good too, but like a tenth slower down the ramp. There are a few girls who have caught up to shanaze's power down the start ramp, so it's gonna be good. Obviously a time trial is not the same as racing 8 people all together, but getting out first in the first 3 cranks and the bottom of the ramp will be super key.

The USA girls looked good too!!!. Alise Post has awesome starts, reaction times, and power down the ramp, and Brooke has the style and form on the jumps, so it's wide open for Friday.

In the men's race, it is so close technically, that is gonna come down to the power and the snap. I am a little nervous for the hip chicane thing, such a bottleneck with nowhere to go.Looks like that inside is it and it's tight to hold. Dunno. They had to boost to clear the jump before, so 3rd-8th may be wild and exciting. Dutch rider took the win with a dialed lap, but Herman, Connor, and Nic will hopefully have the power. The Haro bikes looked really good, BTW, my fav scheme- stealth. Connor looked strong smooth and poised, just one little mistake in the rhythm. French guy- Daudet was buttery smooth, and fast. Latvia champ was also looking good. Hard to tell till you get everyone lined up. I didn't do their stats. either way, should be exciting. See if we can get a sweep for USA this time.

Stevens Pass Bike Park

Stevens Pass, WA - MTB US Grand Prix Stevens Pass hosted it’s first ever mountain bike race this weekend, and it just so happened to be the NW Cup and MTB Grand Prix finals. Lots of National talent , as well as all our favorite locals from the N-Dub, all enjoying Washington's only bike park with a chairlift.

Opening the trails to the public late last summer, Stevens Pass has done a lot of work to open 2 sustainable trails for pro and amateur levels . Situated about an hour and a half east of Seattle, the turnout was pretty huge, drawing top riders as an easy stop prior to Crankworx up in Whistler.

With Blue skies and hot temperatures into the high 80's, the track was a dust bowl. High speeds and rocky terrain would keep the riders on their toes over the weekend. Bryn Qualified 3rd and finished in 4th- 1.44 off the win.

Bryn had this to say, "I put together a sick run, and really enjoyed the weekend.1.44 seconds is a pretty small margin between 1st and 4th, just goes to show that Stevens made a course for tight racing. "

DOWNHILL RESULTS: PRO MEN 1. Luke Strobel 2. Mitch Ropelato 3. Neko Mullaly 4. Bryn Atkinson - Norco Intl 5. Austin Warren

Of course I was there for support:)

Bryn in Val d'isere

Bryn is in Val d'isere, France at the World Cup. Race is early tomorrow. Just wanted to say good luck!!! He got caught in a gnarly storm in qualifying 2 days ago, but is primed and ready for the big show. He was 40th? so just outside the top 30 for webstream coverage. Photo Vitalmtb.com

RACE REPORT:

Val d'isere – July 29th, 2012 – Round #6 of the World Cup was back in Europe in the South East of France. Val d'Isere is about 6000 feet above sea level, and the tight valley was open to changes in weather, sometimes by the minute. The track was different from what the World Cup has seen over the last few months; very narrow and exposed, with only one tree section at the bottom. New venues with variety give an exciting mix to the schedule.

With sunny hot conditions all through practice, qualifying would see a big change with wind, rain, and thunder unleashing some havoc on a handful of riders. Bryn just so happened to have caught the worst of it, in what a UCI official commented "was of storm of biblical proportions" for about 7 riders ranked in the 20's and 30's. Bryn would hold it together to qualify 40th, while others had a dry track by the end of qualifying. In the final he had a good run going, hitting 16th at the first split, and ultimately finishing 75th after going off the track and down into a creek.

Bryn had this to say "I felt the best I have on my bike this year, I was having a blast, and feel like i'm shredding again. I rolled the dice with a risky line in the last rock section and went off the track, but at least I went for it, and feel good about leaving everything out there."

Norco 2013 bikes are sweet

VANCOUVER, BC I suppose the one upside to being injured is that I get some time to do different stuff. Norco had their 2013 product launch this weekend in Vancouver for some dealers, and invited me and a few other Norco riders. I even said a few words in the Aurum presentation, little testimonial :).

THis was my first ever product launch for any bike company, and I was so impressed with the new bikes and all the people surrounding Norco. SHop owners, Sales reps, engineers, marketing, riders, etc. NORCO is a great brand, lots of long term employees- some 30 years, nice people, legit distribution, solid dealers, etc. They also literally had every bike on display from the catalog, like  over 100 bikes inside the fancy hotel, felt a little like interbike:) The week is basically presentations for a few hrs each morning, afternoon riding/demos, then dinners and smoozing:).

I have done media camps with the magazine people, but this was educational and more social for me since I can't ride yet. Liked hearing Bike shop owners' stories. I had several days of looking at all the sweet 2013 demo bikes and just fantasizing about riding. The 2013 line up is going to impress a lot of people, the attention to detail and refinements of these bikes is top notch. Team effort, but the engineering team deserves a lot of credit, PJ and Owen. For me, their 2012 bikes that I have ridden (sight, Aurum) have incredible balance, clean lines, and they handle light and nimble, and it keeps getting better...

650B has hit the range and sight for next year,and have been getting insane feedback. All positive that I have heard. Had to try, so I rode down a dirt path, and admit that it was noticeably easier to climb and pedal. Team riders Mike Hopkins, Darcy, Hoots, and every one else  were raving about it as well. Heal faster arm:) All I can think about is SST trail calling my name, adn the perfect flow and brown dirt.

Overall a good couple of days. It's nice to see the ins and outs of the bike world, and I appreciate all the different sides and people of the business. Learned all about how the bikes are made, the technology, price points, spec, folding moving blankets, etc. so it was really fun for me to be involved. Thx Norco .

USA National champs

Sitting at home watching US National Champs was not an easy thing to do. It looked like a lot of fun mudding out there in North Carolina, wished I was there, oh well, next time. Wanted to say congrats to the new US National champions: Gwin and Jackie for DH, and Neko and Buhly for slalom :) Go USA

LONDON 2012 BMX!!!

All the Olympic hype in the media is unbelievably exciting leading up to the London Games!!. Following along as a fan is a lot different than competing, but it is fun for me to have both perspectives. With a week and a half to go, there is an embargo for individual athlete websites and stuff, but the quality of exposure from the last few months has been very high. Hours and hours of video profiles, athlete commercials, training vids, and captivating stories. Every single person going to the games has some kind of personal triumph as to how they got there, or a struggle, sacrifice, injury, etc. Trials were really intense and sometimes heart braking to follow- just a few highs and lows:). It's not easy to be an Olympian, obviously, so let the games begin and see how the chips fall.

Most of the BMX stories involve explaining what the sport is. Seems like everyone grew up with a bike of some kind, so it is relatable, but not everyone knows as much about racing. Freestyle BMX is pretty mainstream with the X-games and all the various superstars like Mirra, TJ Lavin, Hoffman. For racing though, the sport is still a bit unknown to most, only the die hard might know who Bob Haro, Greg Hill, and Gary "The Lumberjack" Ellis are.

I enjoy all the charts and breakdowns that media sources come up with, as well as defining the jargon. Bmx vocab needs it's own urban dictionary almost; wheelie, gate, hole-shot, snap, pimped, getting squirrely, nosing it in, casing, boost, overshoot, manual, pull manual, nose bonk, ramping, the kink, the one-two, tires, micro-knobby, helmets, goggles, single speeds, rhythm sections, step ups, hips, rollers, doubles and triples, pulling a snowman (8th), owning it, etc... Guess there is a lot to it if you have never seen the sport before, which makes the olympics the best opportunity to educate and reach so many people.

With 4 years separating the first ever games from now in BMX, all the athletes, coaches, trainers, cycling organizations, fans, etc really have an understanding of how the Olympics changed the sport, and the science and evolution that has come with specialized training. Bikes haven't really changed that much, probably a few new carbon pieces, or tire patterns, but for sure better athletes and tracks.

France was on the cutting edge for years with their tight technical courses, separating pros and amateurs, while America did have pro sections, there was still the little 5 year old that had to be able to roll through everything else. Supercross BMX changed the level of skills. The main difference being a 40 foot high start ramp and massive jumps.

Even the beijing track, after a year of riding other supercross tracks, was easy come Olympic time. In Chula vista at the US Olympic Training Center, when I lived there construction was being done to build a track. Now they have 2 supercross tracks, an ABA track, skills areas, etc. It's quite a sight!!! Bmx took over. Stoked that Donny, Mikey, and I did so well in China, to get the funding for the next generation of USA BMX.

I personally think after London, BMX will be one of the most showcased events, because it is so fast, exciting, technical, plus the people are humble and within reach to common folks. The rain delay killed prime time coverage from Beijing, so this time around should be better, if it doesn't rain:).

Shanaze Reid lives near London, so she is doing her part and drawing a lot of people in. It is so good to create heros and give the people someone to cheer for. Of course, I am fully supporting USA, but I still appreciate the global effort. To have a BMX racers on the doors of Holiday Inns, on Coke bottles, McDonalds cups is quite remarkable. I have a lot of positive Olympic memories, and love sports of all kind, so this is like Playoffs, world championships, etc all rolled into one.

Sugar Showdown

Duthie Hill MTB Park- Issaquah , Wa I feel lucky to live in a place where mountain biking is thriving. Duthie hill is one of the best places for people to work on skills and have fun. This weekend Kat Sweet of Sweetlines.com put on a 2 day Women's freeride event. One day of coaching, and one day of putting it all together down some of the jump/flow trails. She brought in about 20 Pro level coaches, and 45 women showed up to learn. Sold out!! Awesome. I just got home, but made it out for both days to support the cause. No riding cause of the arm, but cheering and helping. Kat is awesome as an instructor, so lots of success and improved riding.

here is a story from the Sammamish Review Paper. I even had a quote:) .. http://sammamishreview.com/2012/07/09/women-freeriders-make-their-mark-at-sugar-showdown

broken arm

Jeeze. Getting hurt sucks, but luckily for me just a broken arm and a lot of bruises. 6-8 weeks seems like forever though, will see how the healing goes for mellow Crankworx events and World Champs. Windham. I crashed after the high speed road gap and step down section, lost the front end hauling ass out of that left hand turn after those jumps. Bum deal, dunno why or how it happened, was probably going faster than normal. My front tire felt a little funny from when I got on my bike after warm up, but didn't think it was anything.

I hit the ground straight to sliding on my head and shoulder, plus my arm somehow slapped the ground and broke instantly. I was out of breath just wheezing, then holding my arm from moving got off the course so they wouldn't red flag tracy. Then fainted. Sigh. I was going really well this week.

Poor Bryn was so worried when he saw me.He had to still race not knowing what happened to me.Just knew they were taking me off the hill and to the hospital. New York is far from Seattle, But realatively close compared to Europe,and in my own country at least. Ironic that this Albany medical center was the same hospital that Bryn got his Femur repaired at last year.I even had the same nurses:) surgery went perfect. Now I am home and got 6+ weeks to heal. That's it so far. Black eye looks sweet.Been called the coon.

Windham World Cup- 2012

TEAM NORCO INTL. – World CUP #5- Windham. NY

Windham, New York – July 1st, 2012 – Round #5 of the World Cup was held in the Catskill mountain range a few hrs north of NYC. This, being the 3rd year in a row for Windham resort , showed the growing popularity of mountain bike racing in America. Patriotic fans were out in the masses making as much noise as possible down the course for their favourite riders in both the XC and DH events. Hot days above 95f made the already dusty blown out track even tougher with drifty turns, speckled light, and loose shale. As the shortest course on tour, Windham mountain still packed plenty of excitement into the steep shoots, big jump features, and rock gardens.

For Team Norco International, Jill started out the weekend strong- qualifying in 4th. She was also one of the few ladies to hit all all the big jumps, including the 60 footer into the finish arena! For the final, things were right on track as she took off two more seconds from seeding at the first split, but that was as far as she would get. In the next high speed section, Jill lost her front end and went down hard, breaking her right arm and instantly ending her race. She was taken to Albany Medical Center via ambulance and since then has had surgery to repair the damage with a plate and 7 screws in her radius.

She had this to say after surgery this morning "Finding the edge and going really fast sometimes costs blood, sweat, and tears. Arms heal, so I was lucky to be able to walk away from that one with a simple surgery and a few bruises, but it still sucks to get hurt. Especially since my speed was good enough for a podium. I am proud of the way I was riding here in Windham, so all I can do is heal and come back stronger."

Bryn finished 37th and had this to say, "Having to head up for final's not knowing what had happened to Jill was pretty rough. When I got to the top, I warmed up like normal, but was obviously a little worried. I raced as well as I could in that situation, with a clean run, but was tense."

The Team now head's back to Seattle for 3 weeks (Jill for a little longer ;) for a short break in the World Cup schedule before heading to Val Di'sere, France for round 6.

Thanks again to all our sponsors, and our mechanic Alain for doing an awesome job!!!!

Red Bull, NORCO Bicycles, Crank Brothers, Fox Racing Shox, Shimano, Renthal, Maxxis, 5.10, e*13, Dakine, Oakley, Fi:z’ik, Cane Creek, Motorex, Stan's Tubeless, Alpinestars, Tld, Park Tool, Cti, and eSoles.

FB- facebook.com/teamnorcointernational

FULL RACE RESULTS

1. Gwin 2. Stevie Smith 3.Gee Atherton 4. Danny Hart 5. Loic Bruni

WOMEN:

1.Rachel 2. Tracy Hannah 3. Ragot 4.Emile Siegenthaner 5. Pom Pom

Mt.St.Anne Update

Qualifying was yesterday in the dust, while today was a bit muddy. Lots of variety up here in quebec.  o be honest, the track needed some moisture. Hopefully it dries out a bit though. Practice had some changes as far as holes and traction go. All the same though, riding is going well. Rained for the poor xc bandit men the last few laps. Downpour, so we were stuck under a tent staying dry for about 30 min :) DH Race day tomorrow.

Seeding I was 6th, bryn 47th. Gwin and Rachel took the wins.

Men - http://direct.coresites.mporatrons.com/dirt/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/42237_DHI_ME_Results_QR.pdf

Women- http://direct.coresites.mporatrons.com/dirt/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/42237_DHI_WE_Results_QR.pdf

Mt.St.Anne, Quebec

Well this Mt.St.Anne venue has been on the world cup since 1991? And for good reason, it captures the speed and technique that world cup DH courses demand. I think it is probably the hardest XC course too, with steep technical rock gardens, rooty woods, pinch climbs, etc. DH today, first day of practice was loose, fast and really dry. They have rerouted the top to be a cannonball run down the ski slope into a tricky right hander, then into the woods again. Lots of rocks, then high speed, then dust, some turns, and more rocks. The rock garen is pretty fun, just less and less dirt each year.

I did a near full run in timed training. Just one stop in the middle. The ol heart rate was charging 120 out of the start straight into 177-187 nearly the whole 5 minutes. I haven't even seen my heart rate do that, just cruising without pedalling too hard too. Why not max it out:) my heart is working well, but hey DH is intense, breathing is your friend in the threshold:).

Tried to pace it out today, unlike the other first days where I just get really excited. The course is always in the best shape on day 1, so fun!!! got 3 days left, quali tomorrow. I saw nothing, nothing to report. Just riding. Norco had an awesome pit set up for us, so that was cool.

Twitter @jillkintner

Know this is a shameless plug, but if you are after more updates, follow along on twitter. I'll work on the transfer to this webpage. https://twitter.com/#!/Jillkintner

BMX Olympic Trials and Hall of Fame

CHULA VISTA, CA- USA Well a lot of running around this week, but some things are really important and can not be missed. Olympic trials and a Hall of Fame award don't just happen every day. I was really happy to be there to support my friends with their dreams, witness history being made, and be recognized for our effort in Beijing. So thank you to USA BMX and the US Olympic training center:)

Olympic trials day felt like an emotional rollarcoaster , wow. 8 of the best guys in the country trying to make one final spot on the 2012 team. First off, the new replica track setting is beautiful with the lake in the background, and purple trees and grass lining the building down to the dining hall, running track down below. Much better location for viewing. Individual rider tents with their names, etc. Things have evolved quite a bit. The track was crazy, looked steeper and more technical than any other track I have seen, 3rd straight caused some grief, but was a good separator.

They ran a different format this time. The Time trials was a best of 2 format, with points being given. Then the first two rounds, more points, 2 people got dropped, then two more rounds, and two more people being eliminated. Final was 4 guys, head to head. Winner take all.

With Connor already having the coaches pick if he didn't win, there was not much on the line for him, but the other guys had to win to get a spot. Corbin Sharrah was looking fantastic, as was mikey, the other too. But from the first lap, connor had a second lead on Corbin, 2 seconds on mikey, adn a bunch on the other guys. That is impressive in 37 seconds to pull that time. Anyway, connor won the first rond, Corbin won the next couple?? Mikey was 3rd in every one I think. The Don was riding well, but just a few mistakes, Meyers and Joey "the Bird" Bradford went out in round 1, Nick and the don in the next round. Kinda devastating for those guys.

For the final, it was Connor , Corbin, Mikey, adn Barry Nobles. Think Corbin hit the gate, Connor got out front early. Mike was right in the mix, bar to bar, but eventually was 2nd in the end to Connor, Corbin 3rd, Barry 4th.

Connor got the olympic trials spot, which meant the 3rd spot on the roster went to a different coaches pick, which is a really hard decision. Based on the day for trials, it could have been either Mikey or Corbin based on Awesome performances, but they went off the points from a year of racing. Nick Long was next on that list. Consistency. So congrats to them, and David Herman who got the Automatic spot on points.

Each person trained for so long, and put so much energy into this one day, to be done before the big show. USA has one of the strongest teams for depth. It's gonna be good.

I made these shirts for '08, but Leigh, mikey's girlfriend bedazzled it to a new level !! Yeah!!

Me 'n M Day Crazy part was at the Hall of Fame dinner that night. The 2008 team was getting an award, we were all up on stage. Then they announced the coaches pick while Donny, Mikey, Kyle, adn I were standing there, as Nick Long (who is a phenomenal rider), but I could feel the energy from the Boys next to me shift to empty and cold. Guess we were holding onto hope for Mikey, but then realized the finality which set in. Ultimatly the people who were meant to go, are going. Arielle and I experienced this last time really severe, where I ran the gauntlet, adn she missed it by 1 point.

2012 Olympic team - Alise Post, Arielle Martin, David Herman, Connor Fields, Nick Long. So Yeah, proud of the girls, Alise and Arielle, adn all the boys. Quite a life changing event about to unfold. Go get the gold!!!!! Cool to have my face on the wall of BMX legends, and to know I made a difference, and pioneered for the next generation. My actual olympic bike is also in the Hall of fame museum, right next to the idols. I watched the movie rad so much when I was a little kid, Crew Jones #33 is the reason I run #33. I Had a paper route, timed it, the whole deal. And hell track actually came to real life as supercross:) good stuff.

Also special that Eric Carter was being inducted to the Hall of fame too, my old teammate. His speech was pretty good. Few emotional moments, but it's gonna happen. Matt Hoffman was there as well for freestyle. The whole community loved it. Me too. Way to go USA!!!

Saint Media camp

So from Scotland, we headed to Whistler, to do a media camp for the new Saint stuff. Tight schedule, but whistler is usually a good refreshing spot to ride for fun, see some friends, make new friends, adn overall positive place. Shimano has a really good thing going with the new design of the saint, and they are using their athletes more and more, which is great to be involved with. Bunch of other pro riders here too, mostly the free ride canadian guys like Vanderham, Claw, Mike Hopkins, Schley, Matt Hunter, etc, and my pal and fellow Norco rider Darcy. Good times.

Thanks to Hammer, Joe, etc for hosting us. Media guys for making this happen. And TKW and crew at Shimano form making awesome products. Quiet, precise, powerful.

Ft.William World Cup Recap.

We just got home from a big couple of weeks over in Europe and the UK. Been quite an internet void over there, sorry for the lack of updates.

I had an awesome time riding it Ft.Bill, rad overall scene, good people, crowd, costumes, etc. Weather was even nice till race day.You should see the pit set up there, all these bigger teams are running semi trailers, busses, motorhomes, it's booming. Our pit was even all dressed up, Full walls, carpeted floor, some fancy chairs. Big time:)

As far as racing goes I just didn't seem to put anything together in my Quali or final. My qualifying run was awesome actually, minus a crash right after the top split, front end just slid out in a gravely turn, visor was down in my face, so had to push it back up, remount , and get going again, still was 8th in that, but without that, would have been something decent:) I was happy with it.

By sunday, it had poured all night and day.  The top gravelly turns and rocks were still pretty grippy. In my race warm up , i couldn't really get my Heart rate up, was just so tired, dunno what happened. I didn't really overdo it in practice, I don't think, but that track is so long and rough, especailly compounding it with val di sole last week. No excuses. Had a little excursion off the track in the top, then on the wall ride at the bottom, I went for it, slipped off the wood, and landed with my head in a tree. layed there dizzy for a bit, then whatever. Thought I did the woods pretty good, so that was one positive thing I suppose. 10th?? I think. Ragot won, which was a good effort.

Bryn was the hero of the team this week, busting out a solid amount of time on the hot seat, and getting back into the top 20.

Gwin took the eventual win. Minnaar missed the podium which is strange, guess a mechanical with his chain guide kept him from pedaling? Peaty rode down with a torn hamstring, which is mad, but he has so much heart to do it- didn't want to let anyone down. Danny hart with 2nd, and almost the win .8 off?

Downhill has so many ups and downs. Emotioanlly, physically.

From now on I ride for fun, nothing else. Think I got a bit ahead of myself, and lost the spirit from practice. Racing is my favorite game, time to ride like it:)

The best thing about World cups though, is that all the best competitors are there. I enjoy that so much more. All those days at home pretending they were there, is no match for the real thing.

Thanks to Alain out mechanic this trip too, good little swissy , making sure thing swere all in check.

I have more to write, but not now. We had a long day of travel from Edinburgh to Seattle. Was 24hrs of being awake pretty much door to door.

Heading to whistler tomorrow. Body is a bit sore and ready to rest, so gonna be mellow this week.

UK

Just spending a couple days in Edinburgh till we get up to Ft.Bill.

Val Di Sole, Italy- Finals

VAL DI SOLE,  ITALY There are a lot of good things that came out of today... Cool to see Gwin lay down such an amazing performance... It didn't rain.. I had flashes of glory... got more experience riding steep terrain...we are in Italy. Etc.

Result wise though, not the best. I had a lame crash in the final, really wasn't happy to see my bike front flip and fling down the track 30 feet into catch netting, and then have to pick myself up and walk down to get it. But hey, maybe I should have been off the brakes a bit more. Got nasty bruises across my legs, could have been worse though I guess.

Bryn too, he had a crash in his run, right up top, so not even a split time to gauge himself.

Maybe we forget about this weekend, adn just gear up for Scotland next week. That place is much kinder. I liked riding here, it sets new scale in difficulty, Kind of makes any other track seem a little easier.

Congrats to Rachel too for a fantastic run. Cool to see, kinda:) . 1.Rachel 2.Pom pom 3.Ragot ...13. Jill

Men's 1.Gwin 2.Minnaar 3.Gee

Val Di Sole, Italy- World Cup

VAL DI SOLE, ITALYWe just finished the 2nd day of riding adn qualification here at Val Di Sole- (Valley of the Sun) in Italy. I've got some special requests put in that it says sunny for race day, hard enough, don't need anymore factors:).  I've been loving the track, not too often we get to ride here, so making the most of it is key. It is hands down one of the most relentless courses of all times. I have blisters on my thumbs from holding the grips, just lots of big hits and holes, constant bumps. Takes a bit of patience this track, so been sort of easing into it, even the shadows keep ya guessing. The dirt has no compactness to it, real strange, like pete moss maybe? Just falls apart, making banking off the soil a bit of a task. The crazy part is though that you can't see so many of the sniper that lay beneath the loam. I don't really care though, good track to test skills and hold on. Strength and fitness is a big deal to survive the week.

Qualifying, for women. Ragot, Rachel, Pom pom. ... I was going decent, but had a crash at the end that took forever to get going again. One of those teetering- your up, then down, then caught in the bike on a steep hill up, down again, arrg like that 14th, but whatever. My last practice run today was sort of a reward in itself. Felt awesome, I was charging. Looking forward to race day tomorrow.

Bryn had a big crash yesterday and sort of tore the skin inside his lower lip, face-plant, and had a sore knee. His goal today was to just lay down a full run and build for tomorrow. All good, everyone is qualified, which is the point of qualifying.

Gwin took the win, minnaar, beaumont, gee, Remi Theiron.

Stevie smith didn't finish, hope he is ok,dislocated finger or something from practice. (Twitter news)

I haven't taken any pictures. No time. Too busy riding, resting, eating pasta, or soaking in the freezing river:) Life in Italy is pretty sweet. Everything is a little better in Italy.

Later...

Arielle Made the Olympic BMX Team!!!!

For those of you who remember Beijing olympics, and my epic story to get there.... Arielle, my roomate at the time and good buddy missed going to China by one point. 4 years later, as of this week, she has secured her spot for the Oympics in London!!! I knew all along she was going to make it, but another sprint to the finish to get there. Just wanted to say Congrats!!!! And hope everyone who reads my website will follow her to Olympic glory as well- @AMV15 . https://twitter.com/#!/AMV15

The rest of the team is still to be determined. David Herman is going, pretty sure Conner Fields, Alise, adn whoever wins the olypmic trials June 16 in the mens. Come on Mikey!!!. I will be at trials and keep you filled in. GO USA !!!! so stoked for everyone!! It's a sigh of relief once you make it. After that, it's easy.. Kinda:) YAYYYYY ARIELLE!!!!! So proud.