Triple Dip- Sol Vista

Up next is a big cash money race in Sol Vista, Colorado this weekend. This is the location we had national champs last year, but the Bike park crew there was able to go to the city council and get $25,000 for prize money for the event, to stimulate the local economy. Racing is big in colorado, the Mountain States cups are almost as big as the nationals, so it should be a good turnout. Winner of this event will be taking home a bunch of scrill, but I guess it pays pretty deep, so a lot of people will get a piece. Minnaar, Giant boys, top US guys, and I will all be there.

Three race format, hence the name "triple" dip. one race is a chainless race! two regular dh races, on different tracks. Omnium format. Not too much info on the website, but, scheduling allowed this race to change it's date, which lines up perfect with the following weekend in Crested Butte, then off to Mont St Anne the week after..

http://www.tripledhip.com/

Home

Made it back from Austria to get two days home with my wounded soldier- Bryn. He's doing pretty good, had first day at PT yesterday and is already ahead of the game with his flexibility. Painful injury though that can't be rushed, which is gonna have him off his feet till at least August 13. Mom has been doing a great job looking after him, blood pressure under control.

To cheer him up, I spent the whole day, feng shui-ing the basement, mowing the lawn, adding flowers, and getting everything streamlined. Pretty nice little zone now right by the fireplace.

Leogang DH finals

Leogang, AustriaLot of positives came out of today, but it's pretty devastating to be winning the top split and speed trap, then have a crash on a ripper run. So it goes. Was in an easy spot, but the lip of this jump had a weird rut up the face and sent me off the track, down a hill, and tangled up in tape, no chance after that. Was just before the two wooden berms.

Nice to know my speeds are getting faster, and will be competitive at the next rounds. Going home with some more motivation..... Congrats to USA's Aaron Gwin for another win, and Pugin for her first ever WC victory. 

Austria WC

Vitamtb.com photo Had practice today, and a timed run. Good to have the extra practice for being top 20:). doesn't rush the day so much. Had a flat too, which took awhile to get down. All nice and dry too, which made today one of the best days of riding on one of the most fun courses. I was loving it. But every run, new ruts and holes seemed to form. It's a pretty straight forward track, but the hardest part for me has been the roots , just braking properly, and trusting the bike down everything. There are a couple sections that take a lot of control. Now that it's raining, may be a bit trickier, for sure a few new lines tomorrow. Miss bryn out here:( Bit tough without any teammates, but luckily I got some nice fast friends to shoe me some things..Later

LEOGANG, AUSTRIA WC#3

LEOGANG, AUSTRIA Little travel day on monday, and now we are at the next round of the World Cup, in a vastly different location- Austria. Surrounded by towering mountains, green grass, ornate wood carved balconies, snitzel, off and on rain, and perfectly stacked firewood .

It has been a couple years since I was over here in Europe, but it all seems so much easier than it used to be for some reason. I'm pretty well a professional traveler. Did the solo journey -drove to glasgow, flew to london then munich, rented a car , and drove here on "z autoban" going moch speed. Doesn't seem right though that I am driving an american car in Germany when I drive German cars in America. Oh well.

Sun was out yesterday, so I used my time to do some hiking and get a feel for the place, till marshy and Scotty got here. Meet up with Billy from dirt on the way to my hike, so we scoped together. Check out his photos on the Dirt website .

Walking down the track, it is a steep one. Kind of had a nice feel though. It'll be real challenging, but I can't wait to hit some ruts. First minute may have my name on it again. Feels a lot like home actually. I think our buddy Luke Strobel is going to pull a major result, cause this is what we ride all the time, little rooty-er and worn in, but his style for sure. Glad Bryn made me ride exit 38 a bunch and get comfy on awkward terrain. Wish he were here, would've been a good one for him too:( Lets hope today/ tomorrow is the last of this rain.

WC DOWNHILL FINALS- FT.BILL

FT.WILLIAM, SCOTLAND I finished 6th today in World Cup Downhill!!

Pretty good, had an awesome time riding and just being here. Didn't feel too nervous, was just trying to put together something worthy. It's nice to have goals to strive for again, Downhill is a wild beast full of close calls, speed, skill, fitness, loose moments, etc. Wish there were never any mistakes, but it happens to everyone.

These WC girls ride so well, the pace will keep on challenging me. Tracy Mosley, today's winner, has raced here since 1997 and won this course 5 times!!! SO she knows what the pace is, but it was still close between her and Rachel Atherton. Sabrina is usually a dominator, but looked a bit off. Pugin was solid as was pom pom.

My run was pretty dialled except for the bit in the woods, it was kindo of a 50/50 section. got it good every other time it seemed. slipped coming into both root bits and stalled out, foot out unclipped for days scootering along trying to get over it and the next uphill bit into the road gap was not stunning either, other than that, put in a good effort. Learning a ton as I go. Just the connecting pedals 1-2 outta berms with power, and linking sections together need some more attention. Maybe some lines too, but this track was pretty straight forward. Got my flow on, and has so much fun!!, so I'm really happy with the weekend!!:) 11 times down the course total.

America is getting back up there in the ranks. Gwin is doing his job, but had an unfortunate crash near the end. Still finished 5th. Brooke McDonald smashed out a ripper of a run for 3rd, and Danny DH hart was amazing. Such a drifter and loose unit. He is running near his potential, bit tidier and he'll have one of these.

Exciting stuff. Always a huge turnout of fans here. Bus loads pooling in all day!! dirtmag, vital, pinkbike, have the goods.

Flight in the AM to Munich- next week a different beast to tame in Leogang, Austria...Big thanks to Transition, Red BUll, our co-sponsors, Bryn, my Coach Scott sharples, and marshy for wrenching. c ya.

WOMEN 1. T-MO 2. Rachel Atherton 3. Pugin 4. Pom Pom 5. Sabrina Jonnier 6. Jill 7. Ragot

MENS DH 1. Minnaar 2. Danny Hart 3. Brook McDonald 4. Gee 5. Gwin 6. Cam Cole 7. Blenkinsop

WC#2 Downhill Qualifier

First full run completed on the course!!! I am loving this track. Had the fastest top split in my run today, which is a small victory. It's pretty much a rougher looser slalom, and the first minute is kind of my specialty, the other 4 min are what I have trained so hard for!!! Stoked. Got a little balled up in the middle, had to make a quick pass on the rider in front of me coming into the woods, but the 5 faster seeded girls in front of me pulled quite a few seconds there in the middle. 6th is pretty good though. Should be clear tomorrow. Cool for Gwin to have such a ripper of a run. Think a lot of dudes were surprised how much faster he went than the guys that have won here in the past. Heard a lot of other stories about people flipping over the bars in the swamp section of woods. A big hole formed and sucked in a lot of front wheels, I pulled a one footer in there, garbage. Stoked for Luke Strobel, 10th today and gaining, keeping in real for NW...

It's been so helpful to have my coach Scotty Sharples here for support, as well as marshy tuning the ol bike.

Miss bryn though:( He would have put the stomp on these guys today. He and Mom finally got on a plane and made it back home to Seattle!!!

Race day tomorrow.

Ft.Bill DH prctice

FT.WILLIAM, SCOTLAND First day of practice under sunny skies. The track here is a lot of fun, I was really enjoying the speed up top. Throw in some pedaling and we got ourselves one exhausting, rough as guts race track. Took awhile to learn where to go, still sort of getting it down, but yeah, it is only the first day. The new wooded bit has got some issues with drainage and roots, so I think some changes were being made. The approach to that road gap is terrible. It's not a difficult jump, just uphill and boggy coming in. Bottom is flatter and lots of sprinting. dunno. It's gonna be brutal to piece together with max effort.

I wrote more, but it didn' save. Practice and quali tomorrow .

Ft.Bill Course Hike

FT.WILLIAM, SCOTLANDGot to the venue today and the lift was shut due to extremely high winds, so we hiked to check it all out:)

The overall weather scheme so far has been overcast all day, windy and rainy. Looks exactly the same from the minute you wake up to the time you go to bed, but It's supposed to hopfully clear up and be nice. Seattle is similar weather, but this wind is a buzz kill, and potentil hazard. Guess it shut down the race at glenco last weekend. Crushed rock surface stays grippy and doesn't let the water seep in. They've got Round river type rocks here too instead of the square edged ones we just visited on the east coast. So no surprises, same as usual.

Sic mic, His mechanic terry', Scotty, and I got all got gortex-ed up to hike for an early inspection. Bit of a mission, but gave us something fun to do and get exercise. Sic mic is a bit of a champ here so it was nice of him to point out a few lines for me, in Bryn's absence.

It wasn't too windy until up by the cattle grid where the trees disappear and it is all exposed. Felt like the bitter cold of winter nearly pushing us over. maybe blasting at 60 mph or more. Didn't see any sheep, they must have fled to a warmer mtn or got blown away-  So cute with their little black faces. Anyway, Waterfalls were gushing, midges were dormant, which made the walk sort of a windy scenic nature hike. Finished up by a nice warm dry set of clothes, and soup at the cafe:) dialled!

Besides that, There were a couple new pole placements as well as a new woods section and road gap. standard eroded terrain. I'm pretty pumped to ride here, looks real fun. Turns will suit me well, and rocks- like all that stuff. Haven't had 14 years of riding here like T-Mo (tracy), I'm a first timer, but it's shouldn't matter too much- here to shred. Will be all about the physicality of it, just so rough and long. Couple tricky bits, mostly the new stuff, but we will see once that beds in a bit..

Bryn got his staples out today and is going home soon. That's the latest update.... couple more days till practice starts...

Scotland

Sitting at the airport heading to Scotland for the WOrld Cup at Ft. Bill!! Nothing but happy times ahead….

Been looking forward to this event for a long time. Ready for the next level of competition. Got great sponsors, my coach Scotty Sharples here, marshy wrenching, and Bryn's teaching in my back pocket. These girls are gonna see some serious determination outta me.

Us open downhill finals

VERNON, NJ American sweep today!! Actually all weekend, which is the first time that has happened here. Gwin and i took dh, and mitch and i took slalom.

I had a flawless weekend which is satisfying to report considering our week. Didn't know if i wa gonna race, sat out the first two days of practice, but got in 4 practice runs the morning of qualifying on sat, and 2 this morning before the final race. Wasnt really expecting much, but had a lot of fun and was happy to ride. Not 100% a new track to me, rode it last year, but the whole bottom was different. Did it for bryn! There was no way I could lose.

Sunny day too which makes things so much easier without having to deal with rain and mud up in your face.

I'm real happy with the victories and $4,750, which is outstanding prize money- thank you us open!, But I'd be a lot happier if Lars hadn't broken his fibula in his race run, 2nd turn, and is at the hospital waiting for morning surgery to plate it. He rolled his ankle so bad that it snapped in the weakest part, docs said it is an easy fix. Poor lars though, stomp of doom. I was so excited to see him come down with a ripping time, cause he was riding so well, but the seconds kept ticking by:( heard the report from a downward lift passenger, and soon followed tears from his teammate. Unbelievable really, seeing lars in a broken situation, not as bad as bryn last week, but I was not expecting a repete.

I'm glad that I was able to hold strong for the team an get some good results, but man. So unfortunate for the boys:( my crew is down to just me. Lucky to have my coach scott sharples here to help. Was real nice to also have the owner of Transition out here to lend some support and look after us. Fox and Shimano too. All our sponsors! So it's not just me, but Its a little lonely in our pits now:(

Pinkbike.com has results and pics. I didn't take any photos Later. Jk

Dh quali & gs finals

Had a good day today:) needed it. I love riding bikes and felt pretty good. Won dh qualifyier and giant slalom finals for the third time in a row!! Buhly was 2nd in both, but she had a slower rider to pass in dh through the rock garden which held her up a bit. So it'll be a good match up tomorrow for downhill finals.

In the men's field, Neethling won dh quali . He was the big winner here last year, so it makes sense. Gwin 2. Gee.3

I didn't actually see times or anything, even for me, so I can't tell you much, except it was really really rocky with a ton of square edges everywhere. Was glad to get down.

It's been disgustingly hot too. Saps your energy sitting out there all day. racing the slalom is not easy hiking up that hill, but it's so much fun. If there are ever more slalom events, I wanna know:) the best event ever would be a dh, slalom, pump track omnium, but organizers haven't figured that out yet.

Mitch ropolato won the men's slalom, 2. Sic mic. 3. Mikey Haderer 4. Lars. 5. Timmer

We made a bet with Mikey Haderer , and he has to shave his hair and face cause he got on the podium!! Should be sweet, he is a hairy man, and it' time to donate those locks for summer!!!! Steve, his dog, may or may not recognize him when he gets home.

That is all.

Us open giant slalom quali

Slalom is the best. Giant slalom may lack a little spectator appeal, but it's real fun to race I think. The course here is almost the same as years past, they just re routed the bottom and put the worlds worst jumps in there to the finish line. Jumps sooooo small for the lips, Gotta brake check fully or land into the face of the second jump. It's like a 6 foot jump going full speed with a lip for at least 20-25 feet. Track Is running about 37-40 sec. Mostly berms, I love power wheelies outta turns, plenty of that:) there is a crumbly layer of dirt which makes it pretty slippery. I actually had an incident in my quali cause of it. Can't push too hard, gotta just get the right speeds coming in.

Mitch ropolato won seeding as did I for ladies . Cut to 20 men, 5 ladies. Format For slalom race tomorrow, best of two runs.

The hike to the top is the hardest part, especially in this heat.

Men quali 1. Mitch 2. Sic mic 3. Mikey Haderer 4. Lars 5. Et

1. Jill 2. Buhly 3. Joanna 4. Jackie

Bryn, Mom, & The US Open

Well I can't tell you much about practice, cause I haven't actually ridden the course yet, but Spent some time hiking and watching yesterday. Looks real fun, but I wasn't really in any state to charge down technical rocks.

If Bryn's accident wasn't enough, last night mom had a heart scare. Just extremely high blood pressure from stress/ travel/ business stuff. We as a family have been through this before, and it stirs up a lot of emotion for me as a human to deal with, can't loose another parent. Anyway, she is fine, got all checked out. Lucky she was in a hospital, with bryn, and they made her go see the dr. Sounded a lot worse than it actually was, her blood pressure was 189/90 all day pretty much, which is an emergency, but there's meds to keep that under control. She hasnt been taking them and it caused the spike with this stress. The pair of em can look out for eachother while I can't be there. Jeeze.

Bryn is doing way better. Got his cast off his arm, swapped for a new immobilizing brace, And is kinda up and moving between his bed and a chair. He's been cleared by p.t. , but is still in a great deal of pain. Think he can leave next week sometime when he feels ready.

I'm doing ok, just sitting out the dh till I feel more together. Gonna race giant slalom for fun, and will see about the dh tomorrow. Haven't done any practice, it's not worth risking my own safety till I feel ready. thx to all my friends and family who have shared a bit of the load with me, appreciate it.

Track here looks amazing.

Us open

VERNON, NJHeading to jersey for the us open. Time to shift gears and get back to work, been a brutal week. Bryn i still in Albany, healing up, but Mom is looking after him till he can be cleared to fly home.

Surgery update for bryn

Bryn got through his surgeries pretty well. The doctors got the structure back in place, but now it's a matter of controlling the pain levels, swelling, and his red blood cells. He is better each day, but I have never seen anyone in so much excruciating pain, femur is not a good bone to snap:( morphine doesn't seem to offer reliefmuch anymore either.

He's doing as well as he can at this point though. Had a good chat with our buddy Grizz who broke his pelvis last year at us national champs. And cam mccaul who did his femur last year too. They both had insightful stories :) having gone through similar scenarios.

No real word though on how long till he's back up to normal. No walking for 6-8 weeks:( since he's fit and healthy coming into this injury, he'll be quicker out of it. Think he just has to get the swelling down, and should be able to fly home in like a week, Or until he can get the staples out maybe, but thats not official yet. Few more days to know for sure.

Had some visitors and real nice cards/ well wishes. So thank you for the support , keep em coming:) although groggy, he appreciates it.

My mom is flyin out tonight from Seattle to take over my shifts:) I have to continue to handle business on the racing front. Pretty gnarley, but gotta do it on Bryn's behalf, and my own. That has really been the most difficult part for me. We ride together an spend every single day together, gonna be tough leaving my little friend behind:( I can do it though, and have more motivation than ever to do well.

I'll keep ya posted. He's just getting a blood transfusion at the moment from losing a lot of blood in surgery. Later.

Bryn Down

FEMUR & ELBOW SURGERYGuess the world din't end today, but for Bryn it kinda did. He had fluke crash, front end slid on a rock, and he dropped from the air onto some rocks, causing a clean couple brakes in his femur (pictured left) and the little pointy part of his elbow to break off.

I came around the corner to hear him yelling and lars telling me not ot come over there. No words can really explain how that makes you feel when your teammate/best friend/ partner for life is down, clearly injured. He knew straight away it was broken, and his heart sank. So glad I was there for him, and everyone else who helped, homies looked after him:) Took forever for the ski patrol / volunteers to get things together and get him off the hill. Steep climb out, and the drive down the fire road couldn't have been any rougher. They sent him in a chopper to Albany.

He's had surgery  and it went really welll. They got the bones all lined up and hardware in place. Seems like the worst pain ever braking that femur bone, that's gonna be the hardest part to manage. Not comfortable in any position, right side not happy.

Feeling so devestated knowing he was closer than ever to his dreams, and they are now on hold for a little longer. :( Heal up friend!!! I'm at the hospital to make sure everything is going ok..

THx for all the well wishes:) update soon.. It's gonna be awhile till a full recovery recovery...

femur elbow.

Platty DH

PLATTEKILL MTN, NEW YORKMade a bunch of trips up the lift for practice today- super nice to have a lift!!. Little sun dried the track out quick, which is good cause we've been having a few thunderstorms, well a lot this whole week.

Track was riding really fast straight away. Run 2 I felt ready to go:) It's so fun mobing and going fast- lot of hoping and work that goes into this course to maintain speed though, so you gotta earn your speed. General theme is Traverses with rocks, into steep chutes. I got a couple little things to try tomorrow for bonus.

Bryn was looking real good out there, I was so impressed. All the testing we've been doing at home has given him new speed. woo! I tried to follow:)

Fun times in the Pits. Kirt, Colin Bailey, and Monk were cracking me up all week. We are growing tadpoles in our buckets, I fed em some lettuce, they got two days to turn into princes or we're out.

Practice and quali tomorrow, race sunday.