6th in Leogang, Austria

TEAM NORCO INTL. - 2014 WORLD CUP #4 LEOGANG, AUSTRIA

Leogang, AUT - JUNE 15, 2014 - Round #4 of the UCI World cup took place under sunny skies last weekend in the mountains of Austria. With some changes to the course this year, and a few rain showers early in the week roughing up the terrain, Leogang Bike park proved worthy to host 340 riders an exciting World Cup event.

For Team Norco Intl, things were going well all week with all members working together and having fun, the bikes performing amazingly, and everything at base camp running like clockwork. As far as racing, times were so close in the final that little mistakes were the difference between 15th and 40th, as both Lorenzo and Bryn found out on the weekend. Isak had still been feeling the effects from his concussion the week before, and took another spill early on in practice adding insult to injury. Jill Kintner had consistency and put a run together to finish 6th, which keeps her striving for podiums.

JILL KINTNER - 6th

“Leogang has been a really good venue for me over the years. From the first turn on, it's just huge braking bumps and holes into sweet ruts, a few switchbacks, rock gardens, high speed jump sections, steep woods with roots, etc. The ground was rolling so fast for finals, that I probably braked in a few more places than I should have, trying to hold it together.  My run was decent and I was in a good state of mind, just kicking myself now for riding the bottom too slow. The podium is where I want to be, so l will do everything I can to find more speed for the next few rounds. Overall, I am happy and having a lot of fun racing with the best."

RESULTS

LEOGANG 2014

WORLD CUP FINAL DOWNHILL RESULTS:

PRO WOMEN

1. Manon Carpenter - GBR

2. Rachel Atherton - GBR

3. Myriam Nicole - FRA

4. Emmeline Ragot- FRA

5. Tahnee Seagrave GBR

6. Jill Kintner - USA

7. Tracey Hannah - AUS

8. Micayla Gatto - CAN

9. Morgane Charre - FRA

10. Emilie Siegenthaler - SUI

PRO MEN

1. Josh Bryceland - GBR

2. Greg Minaar- RSA

3. Troy Brosnan- AUS

4. Brook Macdonald- NZL

5. George Brannigan - NZL

6. Matt Simmonds - GBR

7. Danny Hart - GBR

8. Andrew Neethling- RSA

9. Connor Fearon - AUS

10. Sam Hill - AUS

…

42. Lorenzo Suding - ITA

…

46. Bryn Atkinson- AUS

…

63. Isak Leivsson - NOR

Podium in Ft.Bill

Well honestly, I got a bit lucky with 3 fast British girls getting flat tires, but hey, that's racing and I am happy to be on the podium  in 5th for the second time already in 2014. The 650b wheels were awesome on a really rocky rough course like this, infact nearly everyone with factory support is on 650b dh bikes this year, so it all happend really quick and is proving to be better. Having a lighter bike also helped a ton!! These girls are very talented so it means a lot to get top results this year.

I don't think you can imagine how tough a race Ft.Bill is without doing it. It's mostly holding on from all the big hits and braking that gets you, then all the sprinting at the bottom. Plus surviving practice. I limited my practice, which was good and bad. Luckily the course doesn't change a whole lot, but building speed takes a little bit of time and finding that fine line. This place has everything to do with braking efficiently and getting the most out of the flat turns.

I learned a lot and will take that with me next week. Recovery now, feels like I've had few days at the gym in a row.

Big thanks to the team , Reg my mechanic, and Norco, Red Bull, and all our other sponsors.

Ft.William World Cup 2014

Back in Scotland, ready for one of my favorite courses. It's 5 min + of racing, and very physical, which is good. Schedule is condensed to 3 days, which will save a bit of energy. The Brits have raced here a lot, but it's a very familiar place with a good vibe. Hanging out now till course walk tomorrow. C ya

Port Angeles -NW CUp #2

Chicken dinner for round 2 of the NW Cup at our local venue of Port angeles (that means I won). With over 400 riders and trails that are incredibly fun to ride, It's refreshing to be local and get a victory in a very comfortable place. The course was a combination of trails, which I haven't ridden. They made a few changes for the better, and it was running really well in the dry.

Bryn won qualifying in the men's race, and had one little bobble to finish 3rd in the final. He and Luke Strobel are riding buddies, and this time Luke took the win with a dialled run. Sangers of Canada was 2nd. KT Kyle Thomas 4th, Dean-o Tennent 5th. Remi Gauvin was 2nd in quali and took a nasty crash doing this tricky gap just before cougar chutes and broke his thumb and hurt his back. There were a few diggers this weekend, which is kinda normal but not for PA.

Lots of competition for these events. A few canadians, Americans, an Aussie, etc:)

For my race, Miranda Miller and I battled it out once again. She was a bit ill, which made it not quite a full battle, but I was riding really well all week and finding good speed, so happy to put my Norco on the top step:).

Blue mountains

We just got to spend a couple weeks in our Aussie homeland in the Blue mountains ( hour NW of Sydney). It is such a spacious lovely spot with some of our most favorite people, so it was nice to have a bit of a break and do some hiking, riding, hanging out, etc. We also had a couple of garage sales to clear out all of our life in Australia. It's been awesome going summer to summer in the past. The last two years we have based in Seattle for the winter and it's a bit brutal, but having two complete lives is pretty tricky as well. Onto the next chapter. Feels good to start fresh again I suppose...

Anyway, it's time to focus up for then next two World Cup rounds in Scotland and Austria, both places which I look forward to!!! Can't wait!! c ya.

Cairns World Cup

Well Cairns was a bit of a disaster with the weather. Probably the hardest conditions of all time to ride in. No grip on the off cambered roots clay. Greasy rocks, steamy weather, etc. I had fun only part of the time, it was really quite hard to feel good about things. Obviously some people still managed to rise to the top, but I had multiple crashes in my run and just wasn't feeling great about what happened. Have to move on I suppose and just forget about that stuff. Bit of a skill riding that slow tech stuff and keeping balance on your feet. Once both feel lost contact with the pedals, it was over. Gotta keep one foot on , hands clean, look ahead, and pick up your wheels not to slow down when hitting roots or whatever. Some softer suspension would've maybe helped absorb the hits instead. That's what I learned anyway.

AUSTRALIA

If feels good to be back in Australia. For me, it's been a couple of years since I have been back. We used to go from summer to summer like a couple of snowbirds, but sadly, I have spent the last two winters in Seattle. We sold our Aussie house a couple years ago, and I't just easier to stay in America for winter and get stuff done. Anyway, Cairns is where we are at now. It is green and tropical, but super hot and humid. A lot like florida but with bigger mountains all around. The world cup is as the '96 Worlds course, and it's been revamped by none other than Bryn's little Bro- Rhys, and the World Trail crew. Looks good.

We came straight here from South Africa just to acclimate to the heat and time zone.  Looking forward to riding the hill- Till then. jill

TEAM NORCO INTL. - 2014 WORLD CUP #1 RSA

TEAM NORCO INTL. - 2014 WORLD CUP #1 RSA Pietermaritzburg, RSA - April 12, 2014 - After much anticipation, the 2014 season got underway last week under sunny skies and blazing heat for an exciting race in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Home of the 2013 World Championships, the course saw a few changes for 2014 to add more technicality for the riders. Awkward man made rock gardens, blown out dry soil, big jumps, 60+Km/h speeds, and a huge pedaling effort proved to be a challenging race course for everyone.

Team Norco International had a great start to the year, with Jill Kintner placing on the podium for 3rd, Bryn finishing 23rd after a nasty spill in practice, Lorenzo 26th, and Isak Leivsson 31st.

JILL KINTNER

“ South Africa is a good venue for me. I have come 4th here for the past couple years, and for qualifying I was 4th again. My goal was to improve upon what I did last year so I was calm knowing that my fitness has improved, power is up, and pedalling is my forte. To finish 3rd, which is a personal best in World Cup Downhill, is exactly how I wanted to start this year. It feels good to work that hard in the off-season and see it pay off . Big thanks to the Team and all he people who have helped us get to this point! It was a really fun week.”

Jill coming into the high speed gully to reach 61km/h.

BRYN ATKINSON

“ I am really happy to get a shake down race before heading to home soil in Australia. My bike felt good all weekend in South Africa, and after a bad crash and a concussion, I was relieved just to be able to race. This was a good result all things considered. Bring on Australia.”

Bryn over the hip jump near the finish line.

LORENZO SUDING

“The season is long, so finishing 26th at the first round is a solid result to build on. I was a bit tense before both quails and finals, with first race willies, so it's nice to get that out of the way. All in all I am going into the next race knowing I have some speed left in the bag and I'm confident I can do better. Pretty excited for Cairns!"

Lorenzo bringing it home for Italy.

ISAK LIEVSSON

“Great first race with the team, really a lot of help. Although I felt I had more speed at the top for the finals, I was happy with my effort, and that was a pretty good result coming back from my broken femur last August.”

Isak steezing into the "Bomb hole"

PIETERMARITZBURG

WORLD CUP FINAL DOWNHILL RESULTS:

PRO WOMEN

1. Mannon Carpenter - GBR

2. Rachel Atherton - GBR

3. Jill Kintner - USA

4. Myriam Nicole - FRA

5. Emmeline Ragot - FRA

6. Tracey Hannah - AUS

7. Tahnee Seagrave - GBR

8. Morgane Charre - FRA

9. Emilie Siegenthaler - SUI

10. Fionn Griffiths - GBR

PRO MEN

1. Aaron Gwin - USA

2. Mick Hannah - AUS

3. Greg Minnaar - RSA

4. Loic Bruni - FRA

5. Troy Brosnan - AUS

6. Sam Blenkinsop- NZL

7. Sam Dale- GBR

8. Neko Mulally - USA

9. Sam Hill - AUS

10. Gee Atherton - GBR

…

23. Bryn Atkinson - AUS

…

26. Lorenzo Suding - ITA

…

31. Isak Leivsson - NOR

Team Norco International is supported by:

Norco Bicycles- Bicycle Frames

IXS- Apparel and Protection

Shimano- Drivetrain and brakes

Fox Shox- Suspension

Renthal- Bars, Stems, and grips

Maxxis- Tires and tubes

Bell- Helmets

Industry Nine- Wheels

Enduro Bearings- Bearings

Crank Brothers- Seat posts, Pedals

5.10- Shoes

Stevens Pass Bike Park- Bike Park and Camps

e.13- Chain Guides

Cane Creek- Headsets

Oakley- Eyewear

Fi’zi:k - Saddles

Jet Black- trainers and rollers

Stan's NoTubes - Tubeless Sealant

Camelbak- Hydration

PotentrX -health and performance testing

Maxima- Lube and Racing Oils

Vitargo & High Performance Nutrition- Nutrition

Next up: The second round of the UCI World Cup in Cairns, Australia……

INSTAGRAM: @Teamnorcointl

TWITTER: @Teamnorcointl

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TeamNorcoInternational

Photography: Paris Gore www.parisgore.com @parisgore

3rd at World Cup #1

PIETERMARITZBURG, SOUTH AFRICA Just finished up racing the first round of the 2014 World Cup in South Africa. It was at the same venue as World Champs in 2013, but they made quite a few changes to prevent people from running anything less than a downhill bike. Lots of people still had modified downhill bikes, and trail tires for the rolling speed, but the course had some really technical features, lots of pedalling, huge jumps, and loose blown out dirt. Not an easy race course that's for sure. Really happy to step one spot higher against the best in the World for 3rd and my best Downhill World Cup result!!! (1st. Manon Carpenter UK  2. Rachel Atherton UK  3. Jill Kintner USA  4. Myriam Nicols FRA  5. Emmoline Ragot FRA.

The boys of our Team Norco Intl. did pretty good as well, with Bryn pulling out a 23rd after a nasty crash earlier in the week, Lorenzo 26th, and Isak 31st. Good start with room to improve.

American Downhill also needs a mention with Aaron Gwin returning to form to take a win, and our Junior- Luca Shaw winning the Junior class, my podium in Elite Women, Neko Mulally 7th. Mitchypoo would have been on point as well but he had a flat tire on his trail bike 29er. Eliot Jackson is back as well, which is fun. There are not too many of us on tour 6 or 7 Americans total in attendance, but we made it count! Eric Carter is the Specialized team manager now too , which is amazing. He is one of my favorites, and so clever.

Anyway, The heat was damn hot to go from Seattle winter straight into 82+ degree sunny dusty conditions. My face was bright red all day. Luckily or unluckily I am in the early practice, which means waking up a 6:30am to be on the course at 8:30 am which is a mellow temperature, but pretty early to go that fast. In the speed trap, which is maxed out down this gully, I hit 61 Kph, which gets you ready.

The rock gardens were quite tricky. Man made stuff never really flows like natural terrain. In all the good lines, they would put an awkward rock right where you wanted to be, but the same for everyone. It was tricky to get anything consistent out of that new middle cloud nine section. I didn't really blitz it in my final run, but knew I could make it up in the pedal a bit.

I felt pretty calm for this event really. We had a scare with Bryn on the first day after he got a concussion and hit the deck hard. spent 5 hrs with him in the hospital that night and got home late . Life happens. He is way more important than a race, so I was happy to see he was ok. Better to know these things than drag out the speculation.

Anyway, this was our first race as a full team. We brought in a local mechanic from Cape town - JP Jacobs to help with Lorenzo and Isak's bikes, and Reg the Wrench was there directing things and sweating his ass off in the tent. We were in a good spot with shade, which made a difference.

New bikes were good too. We are developing a bike with Norco that may or may not ever be made, but so far so good. It's not really a public thing to talk about, as it's a work in progress.

We had a few weeks to get used to em and then race, which is tough. Bikes take time to fine tune. We rode the shittiest hard packed trails trying to get ready for this race on Grand Ridge, and duthie on our dh bikes with droppers:) Not your normal world cup testing. There isn't really anywhere close that matches speeds and technicality, but we were spot on. I didn't really change anything other than a couple clicks of compression. Tires were the main thing, and I just rode a High Roller 2 up front for the added traction for the loose stuff on top, and a DHr2 on the rear for rolling speed - Maxxis TR 3C Trail tires.

Just flew to Australia. We have a mega layover, so I'm sitting here with heavy eyelids waiting to go to our second home and see the fam. :) Can't wait. Couple weeks till the next one.

Team Camp

We just finished up having our first team camp of the season here in Washington. Isak Leivsson, and Lorenzo Suding, our two new team riders, flew over from Europe for the gathering. Building new bikes is always good, plus getting a boatload of new gear, dialling everything in as a group, and going riding/ testing/filming, etc. Not the kindest of weather, but that's what happens in the N-dub when you get a new bike:)

I can't begin to tell you how much work it has been for Bryn and I to organize everything to be set up , and train , but it's a great success to see it all come to light, and have incredible equipment and a really good chemistry between everyone. Feels like a victory already. It should be a lot of fun traveling around the world racing bikes with these foos:). Each person brings a little flair and experience in different areas, plus some culture, so learning and moving forward is all part of it.

Big Thanks to the Norco guys for designing such incredible bikes this year. We are all really grateful to all our sponsors for helping create this program:) Can't wait for our debut in South Africa.

Latest happenings via instagram...

We are down to the last few weeks before the season starts. Winter has been pretty good. Wish it had been a bit warmer and drier, but I guess we need to go to Australia for that.

Adding more riders to the team has been sort of a full time job after training. We have got a few of our new bikes, parts are arriving daily, and we have organized a team training camp for next week with our Euros boys flying out for it. Things are cruising along. It makes me really happy to have such sweet gear, Norco has done really well this year with the bikes, can't wait to show everyone:)  The trees are starting to blossom which means its go time!!!

We are really looking forward to the first few rounds. No sea otter this year because of the World Cup scheduling conflict:( Someone else is gonna have to collect those stuffed otters this year. c ya Jill

NORCO 650 Carbon Sight :)

Over the last couple years, Norco Bicycles have put a lot of energy into designing 650B trail bikes. At Last year's Sea Otter Classic, I was the first rider to test out this carbon sight, and it won a gold. Since then, a few modifications have gone on to make this bike a truly polished machine for the consumer.

Norco offers a few trail bike options; the 650 Carbon sight, 650 Aluminum sight, Carbon Range, and an aluminum Range. Bryn and I have ridden all of these bikes, except the carbon Range (which will arrive in the next few weeks:).

I use the sight as my number one all rounder bike. I feel like 5.5" of travel is plenty for any kind of xc, plus it pedals well, and is really versatile. You can use that much travel for really aggressive trails, as well as more mellow stuff. Prime example was going from the Northwest down to California where you have to do lots more pedaling over smooth terrain. We use a Fox Float 34 Talas fork, which I think is magic with this bike and makes the head angle spot on.

The range has 6.3" of travel, is bit slacker head angle, etc. It's also an awesome bike, and really comes alive through rough stuff. It's a tough choice. Bryn rides the Range because for the extra inch of travel plus the shock options, he uses the Float X by fox with a reservoir.

Either way, these new 650 Carbon bikes are beautiful. I built my new sight up the other day, and just wanted to share some of the details of this bike with you.

DETAILS OF THE NEW NORCO CARBON 650 SIGHT:

CARBON: Obviously having the material change is the biggest difference. Carbon can be made with so many options with how many layers they put, the direction of the fibers, width of the fibers, the bonding agents, etc. The engineering of these bikes has a lot to do with where loads are, how it pedals side to side, where they want flex or not, etc. You see this a ton with the Road bikes, so there is a similar application to mountain bikes considering forces and outside factors like strength upon landing, wear and tear, the elements, etc.

Carbon has a really nice ride feel, and very clean lines. The lateral stiffness was one of the most noticeable improvements, in my opinion. Plus it is a bit lighter, which is awesome on the climbs.

INTERNAL ROUTING: There are little portals for the internal routing on this bike. Accounting for the new internal routed dropper seat posts, brake lines, shifting cables, etc. We run a single ring, but the front derailleur set up is pretty clean just mounting off the frame above the front chainrings. They offer options to not have that post as well. Anyway, I feel like getting routing as clean as possible is so important, and this bike succeeded in that.

INTEGRATED HEADSET: I wasn't really expecting this, after my prototype, but norco took one more extra step to make an integrated headset. This means , no cups need to be pressed into the frame. The bearings sit directly into the frame, which is really cleaver. Take note that the cups are a bit different size for this new frame 42/52 for a tapered steerer.

PRESS FIT BOTTOM BRACKET: I haven't had a mountain bike with this kind of set up, but it all went together really simple, and looks nice. Bearings are in the frame instead of outside will give more strength.

DIRCT MOUNT HANGAR: This is sort of standard issue these days. Works well.

650B WHEELS: It doesn't take long to get used to the bigger sized wheel on these trail bikes. The suspension kinematics are designed around the bigger wheels, so  the center of gravity feels perfectly balanced. We noticed a bit more grip on the corners, and a little smoother feel over rough stuff. The benefits are obvious now that tire selection has come around.

I love this bike!! Check it out..

http://www.norco.com/bikes/mountain/trail/sight-carbon/

Five Ten - New Impact VXI Shoe review

Find out what improvements have been made to the new Five Ten Impact shoe. These guys are revamping quite a few models of bike shoes, so make sure to check out the www.five ten.com website for more info. Here is a link to my blog, first thoughts on this new shoe.

http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14566-the-new-impact-vxi-first-thoughts-jill-kintner

"

First of all, the old Impact shoe by five ten has been a staple piece of gear for YEARS to any downhill mountain biker. Sam Hill Won the first Elite Downhill World on flat pedals with that shoe in '07, and many many other riders have had it as their go to shoe ever since.

Over the past year and a half, Five Ten asked a bunch of riders from their "Elite" team about ways to improve a few different shoes. With the redesign of the Impact, the Impact VXi addressed issues regarding the weight, protection, and weatherproofing, like the athletes requested.

Featured Product

Impact VXi - Sam Hill

DH champs and flat pedal specialists Sam Hill and Brook Macdonald helped design the Impact VXi for gravity fed,...

So my first thought on this shoe was that the weight was hands down the most notable improvement. This shoe is so light compared to the old Impact, but stiff in the right places, malleable through the toes, with the same amount of stiction to the pedals with the Mi6 rubber. The whole shoe overall is a bit more sleek too. The little impact dots on the bottom are smaller in diameter, but it didn't really seem noticeable vs the old bigger dots of the last generation impact and freeriders. It might be better for hiking, but hard to say after one ride.

Weatherproofing is such an important part of this new shoe as well. Wet soggy shoes are no fun, and weigh you down. This has been considered, and water and mud seem to shed off a lot better rather than absorbing into the material. It's a smooth coated surface.

Toe protection seems really good on this shoe as well. If you have ever clipped anything with your foot on a trail , you will know the importance of a bit of reinforcement. The pinkie toe has a bit of reinforcement too on the side, which is a must. Cowboys have the same idea with their steel toe boots; keeping toes safe when kicking rocks. These are not steel, but there is some sort of rubber/plastic composite to keep your foot safe. You can notice the protective quality along the sole of the foot as well, while still being able to feel the pedal. Wizard engineers know their materials. Really impressive to have damping in the rubber, stiffness on the platform, and still be able to feel for control of where your foot is on the pedal.

The only real other thing, that may be different for other people, is that I would probably order a half size smaller. The toe box area is nice and roomy and this shoe is comfy, but a little tighter fit would be better, I think. I had some extra room in a 7.5 where in the old Maltese clips and Minnaars 7.5 is my standard size. 7 for these probably.

So there you go. I think these shoes ride really well. Sam Hill was wearing/ racing in these bad boys at the last two races of 2013, so he must like em as well. Colors look good too.

Pinkbike.com had a bit of a review here if you want to see more : http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Five-Ten-Impact-VXi-First-Look-2013.html "

Team Expansion

The word is out. We added a couple more riders to our program to make for a solid World Cup roster representing Team Norco International. Besides Bryn and myself, the Italian National champ- Lorenzo Suding, and Norwegian National Champ Isak Leivsson will be joining us. Both riders have a ton of talent, speed, and style, not to mention are top quality people. We are excited to welcome them to the program!! Congrats fellas. LORENZO SUDING

ISAK LEIVSSON

Here is the official Press release...

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Team-Norco-International-Expands-Team-Roster-for-2014.html

Norco Bicycles is thrilled to announce Team Norco International's 2014 roster. Returning to the team are World Cup downhill racers Jill Kintner and Bryn Atkinson, who partnered with Norco Bicycles in 2012 and have made considerable contributions to product development and to proving the Aurum on an international stage. For 2014, the team also welcomes Italian National DH Champion Lorenzo Suding and Norwegian National DH Champion Isak Leivsson.

"When we built this program, our goals were to ride the best equipment, have a solid image, and win races. I think we accomplished our goals," says Jill Kintner, 2013 US National DH Champion. "The 2014 expansion came about because people took notice of our hard work and our good relationships within the industry. We wanted to be able to provide opportunity to riders who have serious talent, but maybe lack the support they need to take the next step. Bryn and I have a lot of experience and know what it takes, so we thought having teammates would be fun and exciting. Big thanks to Norco for believing in us, and for moving forward with the expanded Team Norco International."

Lorenzo Suding comes to Norco following his fifth National DH title at the 2013 Italian National Championship. Racing the World Cup circuit in 2013, Lorenzo had three top 20 finishes; he is aiming for the top 10 in 2014. "Joining Jill and Bryn is a dream come true, as I see great benefit in working together on the track," says Lorenzo. "Discussing line choices and tactics will be help greatly in race preparation. I think inspiration can be linked to change and this is a great opportunity to build great success with Team Norco International."

Isak Leivsson has ridden with Norco Bicycles since 2012 as a privateer from Hafjell, Norway. Isak is coming off a successful 2013 season: he won his third consecutive Norwegian National Championship in his hometown and finished 26th at the World Championships. Isak's affinity for seemingly impossible riding conditions will aid him in key 2014 events such as Fort William, Méribel and the World Championships in his backyard of Hafjell, Norway.

Norco's commitment to Team Norco International and to earning top results on the World Cup stage created this exciting opportunity for expansion. High caliber, World Cup-level athletes are a source of invaluable product testing and feedback and we work very closely with them in our pursuit of engineering excellence. Athletes racing at the World Cup level push themselves and our bikes to the absolute limit and our design and engineering teams are right there with them, ensuring they have the best possible tools to do the job. Jill, Bryn, Lorenzo and Isak each bring world-class style and experience and we couldn't be more excited for them and for the upcoming downhill race season!

www.norco.com/

Back in Seattle:)

After about a month and a bit, I made the drive back home to look after my mom while she gets hip surgery. It's nice to be back. I liked Santa Cruz a bunch, but had a nasty battle with poison oak, and being sick. I rarely get sick, so it's pretty difficult to rest and do nothing, especially when the sun is out. Anyway, lots if rest, accupuncture, and movies. Team business is going good, we have a couple new partners and riders to announce soon.

Nw air is glorious. I'm glad to be back to hero dirt.

Bryn is still down there hanging out, but will be back soon:) c ya

Pump tracking

Santa Cruz has a crazy amount of pump tracks!! You should see how many little kids are there tearing it up, and adults. Er um and pros:). It might have been due to the holiday break the number of people, but after school is the same. Our buddy Alex builds tracks professionally, and enven made one at the office of Google so employees can get some exercise. There are 4 community pump track spots within 15 minutes, plus about 5-6 private ones. You can imagine my excitement. The good ones have plenty of transfers and gaps. Without that, and steep berms, I think pump tracks are kinda boring, more combos the better. We have been running the gauntlet with afternoon skills and intervals:)

Maxxis adventure

Maxxis is having a contest for people who want to win a go pro 3. Follow @maxxistires on instagram and then vote at http://maxxis.com/sya . Maxdaddy will be stoked that you did:) Here's the info. ____________________________________________________________

California

With a long season, wedding, and planning our team program for next year, Bryn and I decided to head south for sunnier skies and dry dirt. California has a lot of opportunity and most of our sponsors are down here anyway, so we will be handling as much business as we can, training hard, and riding as much as possible.

Cold weather riding tips….

SEATTLE, WA These past couple weeks have been exceptionally cold. That is a matter of perspective I know as some people have it rougher. But here in Cascadia (NW), anything below 40 is testing, below 30 and I sorta draw the line, and it has been 20degrees!!. I've done my share of permafrost and snow, but I can't say it's really all that worth it. Suspension doesn't work as well, tires are cold, hands barely can grab the brakes, camelbaks freeze, feet go numb. This all seems to be amplified for females, cause once I go past a point of the chills, it's quite hard to get back up to temperature. Soup and coffee get me through most days.

Training still has to happen in some capacity, so I have a few tips that might help till the cold snap passes and frozen ground turns back into mud. Bear in mind that I go riding to rip corners and live for good descents. I usually climb hills to stay in certain heart rate zones and just get to the top.

______________________________________________________________________

With that said. Here are my basic pro tips. Gearheads take notes...

1. Wear a Marino wool long sleeve base layer. This keeps you warmer and drier than cotton.

2. Wind jacket or something that'll block the chill (rain coats work too) on the outer layer. I sometimes use a down coat underneath as an insulator too.

3. I use a marino wool Buff daily, it's like a neck scarf but tubular, I always have one!!. There are many other Bitchin ways to wear it too:) JK

4. Waterproof gloves do exist, but they seem too thick and stiff to feel the brakes. I use surgical gloves under normal riding gloves. It blocks the wind and insulates, plus is super thin. You still get a little bit damp from the sweat inside, but it works pretty good once you get used to it. I put a spare pair of gloves in a ziplock in my pack too.

5. Goggles- eyes water a lot more, so goggles block the cold wind and protect your peepers. I'm not a fan of the look of xc lid with goggles, so you won't see many pictures of me wearing this, but it's pretty vital. Bring a cloth for the fog. Only wear them on the decants and keep the bag dry.

6. Tires: Try using Maxxis 3c tires tires on frozen ground. It's a softer rubber that still rolls ok, but will grip a lot better than a 60 comp or a super tacky. They still get hard, but I feel the difference. Tires like minions or ikons are good for rolling speed. The ground will roll faster but be sketchy in places, use a tire like the HR2 when the soil is muddy and soft.

7. Socks. and wool socks. The Dissent socks actually work the best I have found, they are wool and have compression as well.

8. If it's really wet and muddy and your shoes are prone to getting soaked, try duct tape over the whole shoe as a waterproofer.

9. Have a thermos in the car with water. I filled my pack up the other day, and the hose froze within 10 min:( it's too cold some days. Also those Nuun tablets are good to use for drinking more water if your pack doesn't freeze. It's easier to dehydrate, and they add electrolytes and flavor.

10. Have a garbage bag ready for post ride clean up . We sometimes use our rain coats and zip everything up so the clean side faces out.

___________________________________________________________________________________________ If that doesn't sound like fun then you can always slam a Red Bull, go to the gym, rock climb, hike, dig, snowboard if there is snow, or head to warmer places. Winter riding makes you tough, but there are options. Indoor BMX goes off in winter- look for a track, skateparks, etc. Anything that keeps you on a bike is sweet. We ride our hard tails a lot and a trainers inside to get the mileage. Road riding is too sketchy I seriously don't recommend that. Guess there is always the other option of sitting by the fire and drinking some schnapps , or whiskey to stay warm. Most normal people can do that anyway:) Well have one for me, it's full on from now on… c ya. Jill

Atherton Article

Pretty rad piece written by the Atherton's coach. Thought some people might enjoy, courtesy of Red Bull!!! http://www.redbull.com/se/en/bike/stories/1331614049528/rachel-atherton-2013-success