Pro gravity tour- stop 1 2011

PORT ANGELES, WASeems like we have been waiting forever for this season opening weekend, but it has finally arrived. Sun was out all day too which is the first bit of sun we have had since arriving back to Washington. Doesn't take long for the dirt to be perfect either-one day of decent weather has made hero dirt out here in port Angeles.

Today was kind of a set up day, track walk, and some practice. Good to see people again, the crew is back together. Some world cup guys in attendance; bryn, luke, Danny hart, Neethling, duncan, jared graves, Shaun o Connor, etc. a solid field of national guys too; lars, Logan binggelli, Mitch ropolato, Eliot Jackson, memmelar, timmer, maybe a buel brother or two, jd, Cody warren is back, evan turpen, eric loney, Keene, Amado, brad Benedict, Kyle thomas, few wiley canadians, etc dunno all. Teams- Khs, intense/xfusion, giant, transition, mojo, etc. Hopefully the rest roll in tomorrow.

Haven't seen too many ladies though, buhly and I usually battle it out, and no sign today:( Miranda miller is here though, so that'll be fun now that she's all trained up and healthy.

Track is really really good today. Few new sections, which are all loamy and rutting up nicely. There is a mega ski jump kicker with a 50 foot line drawn for distance. Dunno about sending it that far, but I suppose with the right speed an bucking skills, anything flies.

I was having the best time ever in 2 runs. The difference in my set up from last year is a drastic improvement. Guess perfect conditions help too, but Fox has some new stuff that really has made an insane difference to my riding. Our testing in the freezing rain last week up north was well worth it. Justin at fox shox has done well with all the feedback and is pretty much priceless as the suspension tech. Nice to have him on our side- Well done !!

Anyway, not much to report, people are just Rollin in, sporting new stuff looking all fresh. We are in our territory here in the NW , so no better way to kick it off...later.

Dirt series camp- Santa Cruz

Dirt series camps have an awesome thing going for women riders to learn some skills, ride, and meet friends along the way. For the last couple years I have taught at the Santa Cruz stop, and will again this year!! Pretty rare that I get the time to teach at camps, but I really enjoy the people at these ones. Candace and her crew do a great job catering to all levels of riders and include local shops to boost the community and get eveybody set up.

So anyway. If you would like to learn some stuff from me or any of the other instructors, sign up. I will only be doing the weekend after sea otter- in santa cruz -April 22-23. Www.dirtseries.com

Flashy D3 RedBull Helmet

My custom D3 RedBull helmet rocked up in the mail this afternoon!!!!. Just in time to get it nice and muddy at our FOx testing in the Pouring rain. Nice way to break in complete new bikes, new helmet, pads, etc. Airtrix is the spot for paint jobs!! Chris is the best ever!!! www.airtrix.com. Also a big thanks to Sauce Creative Group for the design, Troy Lee designs, and of course RedBull for being one of the greatest sponsors of all time. enjoy the crispness of the photos from the canon s95:)

Rhys Atkinson INterview

Rhys Atkinson, formerly known in the bike industry as Bryn's little brother, has been making waves this season and creating his own name. The Australian national season just concluded, and with 2nd place at every round in Elite DH, Rhys was able to take the coveted Overall title for the series, beating out some veterans and fast company.

Rhys has really stylish and efficient form on the bike, but in my opinion he is also really creative with reading terrain and line choices. That may have something to do with his occupation as head Track Builder at World Trail with Glen Jacobs, and possibly the countless hours by himself on the shovel listening to music etc. but that's just one theory.

Obviously the years of watching Bryn, videos, building trails, and being around pro riders has also had a big impact... Getting Second hand bikes and advise from one of the world's best riders/Brother is a little perk as well, But Rhys beats to a his own drum... Quiet, hard to read sometimes, but funny, and kind. Rhys is his own person, and one thing's for certain; he loves to ride fast. So congrats to little Bro, who is not so little anymore:).

World, Meet Rhys....

Name Rhys Atkinson

Age 22

Nationality Australian

Hometown Townsville

Occupation Machine operator for World Trail

First of all congrats on the Aus National Series!! Heard it was down to the very last round, how many points did you end up winning it by?

Yeh came down to the wire, came into the last round 23 points down and only ended up winning by 5 points which is pretty tight considering there’s 80 for a win

Pretty stoked? Hell yeah! So happy, looking back its hard to believe I could of done something this rad after having such a miserable 2010 world cup season

Did you remember to drink water on the weekend:)? Haha yeah, you have to drink water out at shepparton, the heat is gnarly, truly Australian

You've come a long way since our little slalom drills a few years ago in Kergunya. Tell the people how many years you've been riding? Started out riding BMX like most kids, maybe for 1 or 2 years, then got some big wheels when I turned 16

What or who got you into it? Definitely my brother Bryn had the biggest influence on me and still does 6 years on.

Seeing him transform from a local BMX shredder with a xxxl Metallica long sleeve, to travelling the world as one of the fastest racers on the world cup circuit, made me catch the bug and naturally enough Aspire to my own goals. Also mud cows had a lot to do with it. Those dudes were so badass, dreamt so many times of having a minjin necklace

First bike? First one I can remember was a pink redline BMX, I actually asked Santa for that color, kinda weird

First race? Thredbo national round, 2005

You have quite a bit of natural ability and skill, what has inspired you to ride the way you do? I guess I just love having fun on my bike like everyone else out there, whether its smashing dirt jumps or push runs with mates, kind of taken a bit more relaxed vibe everywhere I ride and I think it's had an effect on my riding style and attitude over the last year or two

What are your plans for the next steps? Keep it in oz, or go global for 2011? At this stage I’m keeping it oz this season but wouldn't rule out a snappy trip to a world cup or two late in the season, I’m already excited for the opener in South Africa and I’m not even going

What did you learn the most from your trip overseas on the world cup last year? Learnt so many little things from last years world cup, but I guess the major one for me was learning how hard it is to be able to string everything together and keep your head straight, it kinda felt like a curse last year always crashing and not being able to qualify. So when I came back to oz I just concentrated on toning my racing down and being more consistent throughout a whole run, rather than smashing a section then smashing myself.

Do you think all that adversity you had to endure led you to being a better racer? Cause it seems like that was an important part of your development, which led to this championship... Yeh definitely did. I got so beat up on the world cup circuit last year. I knew in the back of my head that it was going to be a massive learning experience but I didn't imagine it to be that hardcore. When I got home I tried to understand why I had such a difficult time and to this day all I still can't put my finger on it, but I guess it's just the tuff love of learning. I think this championship's success did mainly come from my overseas trip. Even though I had a lot of tough times, I did gain experience, confidence and the willingness to not to give up, no matter how hard things may seem. All these things were pretty vital for me winning this championship.

Mr. Consistent or Mr. Cool? Haha Mr. consistent now, used to be Mr. cool.

How many hours a day do you work? On average 9

How many hours a day to you listen to music? At least 3, not enough

Favorite song? Depends what mood i am in either Brand New - At The Bottom or Notorious B.I.G - Brooklyn's Finest

So it started on the shovel and you've worked your way up to excavators and bulldozers? What’s next? I guess naturally enough bigger machines. The way the sport and bikes are progressing I think people are going to need bigger and better trails and tracks and we are going to need to match that with our equipment

Ever ridden a kangaroo? Ha nah, accidently ridden one with my car

Best trails you have built? Probably a trail called Stonefly up at Mt Buller. It's a 6km climb and 4km descent. Classic Glen Jacobs style trail, ton of flow, berms, high-speed gaps, pure rad-ness.

Best trails you have ridden? Best trails I’ve ridden on a cross-country bike would definitely have to be Mt Buller. The place has a load of variety in the terrain, with loam, hardpack, mud and rock scattering around about 60km of trail. Best downhill track I’ve ridden was the Champery, Switzerland world cup course last year. True downhill track, steep as shit, good size jumps and sick turns. Bike wasn't loving it at the time

Biggest nemesis out in the bush? Biggest nemesis would probably be the scorpion or spider, those things are everywhere, had a couple of sneakies hanging off me

Bush Friend? Probably be the snake, even though I’ve come across a lot, none of them seem to bite. Hope they're a long time friend

How is having Jacobs as a boss and living with him? You in charge of making his triple macchiatos?

It's rad living and working with Jacobs, we work good together and he always has a energized positive vibe around him no matter what situation. Haha nah he toned down on the old macchiatos, but were coming into the winter season so we'll see

Did you choose to mentorship under Jacobs because Bryn did? Nah it kinda fell into place that way. I was really excited when I first started working with World Trail just for that fact that I’d be around one of legends of the mountain bike scene. He has a lot of priceless information to give not only about bikes but life.

Ambitions? I just want to be the best rider I can be and keep progressing. I won't lie and say I don't want to be the best one-day, but as long as I’m having fun with it; I’m in a good place.

Short-term goals? Short-term goals would definitely be defending my national title, progressing as an international rider and developing into a strong, more fit racer.

Sponsors? Specialized, Specialized Tires, Sram, Alpinestars, World Trail

Thanks? Bryn, Family, friends, Jacobs, Matt-O at Specialized, sponsors, my girlfriend Laura, and everyone who has helped me along my travels.

Back to the N-DUB

BLUE MOUNTAINS, AUS >>>SEATTLE,WA We are a day away from being on a plane heading back to Seattle!! Finished packing the house, car, bikes, gear, etc, and closing up shop for 7-8 months till we return. It's been such a soggy summer, but we are ready for whatever comes our way this year:) Can't wait to see Mom, the pup, family, Smapril, AMelia, Travis, Luke , lars, transition crew, the Sprinter, my truck etc..

Gonna miss our little mountain crew, but there is talk of a mid summer reunion in Whistler, so that'll be sweet. Hopefully winter in oz if full of new trail building and  moto missions for scouting:) we are out..

s95

After a good run with my little Panasonic Lumix camera, it finally died- for the second time. So with a bit of research and a recommendation from the great Sven Martin, I purchased a Canon s95. Pretty excited. My half assed blogging will hopefully get it's second wind with a nice compact functioning camera...

Lakers VS. Suns

Yesterday was one of the best Basketball games I have seen in awhile!! So pumped, almost like a bonus from last year's playoffs. Triple overtime, crazy plays, high scoring, fast pace. Suns vs Lakers is an awesome match, and I loved it. Nash was getting Nash-ty as usual, you gotta see some of the highlights with the passes and assists. Then you got Kobe, Lamar, Pau, matt barnes, etc- So I'm pumped. Ron Artest gets a bit gay sometimes but comes up big, ol diamond face short shorts:). They play 80 regular season games to get to playoffs, and there are only a few left to go. Ramping up.. One of my favourite shows is Inside the NBA on TNT with Charles Barkley, ej, and kenny. NBA.com has the goods- check it...

KORE Mini

Pretty stoked that my prototype mini seat has basically gone to production at Kore!! Last year I was having a few issues with thigh bruising from a regular length seat, and also not being able to lower it enough with tire buzz, so got to wondering why do we even need a big nose on a seat, and extra overhang at the back? The woodpecker needed to be fixed...

Few years back Oscar Saiz rode a little hoof looking seat with no nose , which looked really retarded, but it had to have function to be that ugly. We did some experimenting and concluded that having the seat too high or too big of nose compromised bike lean in downhill, at least for Bryn and I.

So I busted out a dremmel and some shoe glue and went to work on my previous saddle to come up with a really nice little number that functions so much better than the previous version, for me. Cut a bunch off the nose, the back, and tapered the sides a bit.

Kore is keeping the graphics inline with their torsion line, so this is not like my signature seat. My version is a bit different, but this torsion production seat serves the purpose of the mini seat.  Thank you Kore for being awesome and adapting our ideas:)

Their 35mm Torsion bars are amazing, and the new direct mount stem has nice aesthetics now. For sure peep the new goods from Kore when you go to buy new bars and stuff. http://www.kore-usa.com/index.html

Oceania Champs/ OZ national series final

Shepparton, VICJr. Atkinson- Rhys just finished 2nd at Oceania champs!! And won the overall National Series for Australia!!! Nice work! May have been the lucky poster I made, Or just solid riding for the season, either way, He can now claim to be the Wizard of OZ, aka National series Champ!!

Was a bit of a heated battle for that overall between Rhys and Ricky Boy, think it must have come down to only one position. Lucky maybe that Came Cole flew out for the event? But who knows, anything can happen.

Rhys Willemse won on the day, confusing with the names, but yes, two different Rhys' . Little Troy beat out his nemesis Connor Fearon in U-19 by 0.1 - fast little buggers:). Peep online results if you are after more-stats... http://www.onlineresults.com.au/Comp/mtba10_dhi_sheparton

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...
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"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.