NC- Day 1

BEECH MTN, NORTH CAROLINAWe are deep out here in the mountains of NC. Haven't seen a Beech tree yet, but apparently that's what this mountain is named after. Really nice place, lots of space, all up in your face. Had to make it rhyme, but yeah, black dirt, green grass, changing leaves, mist in the hills, deer frolicking in the forest, it's a hidden gem:)

US racing has a welcoming feeling. So many friendly faces, who are here for a good time. Know quite a few amateurs these days, the soul of the sport. Like Lil' Phil, Slayed Steve, fast freddie, etc:)

Bunch of industry too. Cane Creek is from North Carolina, so they have a lot ot do with this event, Specialized is here, Shimano, Sram, Fox, Gt, Giant, Dunno. Few of us took a plane and do not have rigs.

This mountain has done a great job. You hardly even notice the size (600feet -think form chairlift). Not steep, but not too flat either. THe only part that is crazy is the 70+ yard  uphill sprint to the finish. Which sounds horrible, but the last feature is a box jump into the ice skating rink, with grand stands, so it may be awesome at the end to pass out in style. Everywhere else kind of meanders along, pretty wide in the ski fields. Has a vermont feel actually.

There is still a bit of moisture in the soil. Slippery in the woods, rutted out switchbacks with roots popping up, grass off-camber turns, couple rock gardens, typical east coast. I think everyone I spoke to today had good stuff to say about the track. Most used the phrase "super fun". I only did two runs today, let it bed in a bit and watched. I concur though.

Chris Herndon built the slalom track too. Nice when someone who knows what they are doing builds a track. It's has all tight corners, good flow, rythem, some jumps- I really enjoyed it. Was kinda missing Lopes out there, bummer he doesn't attend these events. Mitch will be out there tomorrow though, next generation of gated racing.

Speaking of Foos who aren't here. Melissa Buhl, Luke Strobel, Lars, Richie Rude, Eliot Jackson, jd, Kyle strait, Timmer, Chris Heath, Mikey Sylvestri, ET, Furbees, Vories, Cierra Smith, crusher, dave z, blake carney, Neven- the defending 4x Ntl champ,  etc. The fans are missing you guys.

On the plus side, we do have some talent here;  Gwin, Riffle, Mitch, Cody Warren, Bubba Warren, Neko, Brad Benedict, Keene the American Dream, Logan Bitchin' Bingelli, Kevin Aeillo, Memmellar, Kyle Thomas, Just to name a few. Think 36 starters on the Pro Men's list so far. 12 for pro women. They wouldn't let Neko race pro cause he's under 19. Usa cycling's rules.

Anyway. I'll keep you posted. Matt Delorme is here taking pics, so I'm sure you'll see something. I took one from the ski lift, but my camera is in the car. later.

North Carolina NTL CHAMPS

East coast has some serious pull for USA racing, 3rd trip this year!!. North Carolina bound tomorrow for USA National Champs. Kinda weird since all the big mountain stuff is in the Rockies or out here on the West coast. 600ft mtns are bike park havens though, cause the skiing ain't so great. Slightly mellow terrain, but perhaps some good features. Know that NC dirt has potential to be clay, could be slippery. USA Cycling is whacky these days with their venues, but I love it there in NC, beautiful place!!! Still extra excited for slalom. Haven't seen any pics lately of either track. Think it has been wet as can be out that way, but supposed to be sweet for race day on sat and sun.

Wish me luck. Bryn is coming too for support :) yay.

https://www.usacycling.org/events/2011/mtbgravity/

La-sta Wedding

VASHON ISLAND, WA Our teammate Lars Sternberg got married yesterday to the lovely Asta. Pretty well put together event with the flowers, colors, good crew, fun stories, band, outdoor setting, lights, food, tents, etc. Nice to see our homies surrounded by so many friends. Lars was so nervous, we were cracking up, but he did well. Congrats guys.

Of course a large chunk of the NW bike community was there. Casey Northern as best man, which was awesome. Reverend Nate on the mic, who killed it out there- funny hat, good stories, singing love songs. Transition crew; owners Kyle and Kevin, Sam, Skuk, Cam burns- who brought 26lb of smoked meat:) Actually Most of Bellingham was there; Trail builders EB and TOdd, as well as many many trail shredders, etc. so a Good mix.

Really classy though:) Cheers to the Sternbergs and Sestraps!!! Casey

Interbike

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA Innotech, Innotrode, Interbike?. Not quite like Office Space, which is one of the best movies of all time, but still a place of business. Bike business. Our business...

Trade shows, slot machines, new products on display, sponsor stuff, movie premieres, and so much more. Pretty fun once you get over being on your feet all day. I really enjoy getting to see everyone and say thanks to all the people that work in the industry behind the scenes to make the wheels go round.

Oregon SUper D

SANDY, OREGON Since I wasn't in Switzerland for Worlds, decided to try something a little different and cruise down to Oregon for a Super D event. Lars was going, so At the very least, thought it would be some sweet trail riding with a shuttle to the top, plus a chain-less dh race, which I couldn't pass up....

Super D (Downhill) is like an xc trail ride race 20+ min. Few brutal ups, and pinch climbs, but mostly downward gradient, with lots of pedaling. It's pretty much an xc race with mild flowy Dh sections. Designed for anyone and everyone who rides bikes.

Oregon Super D has been going strong for awhile. Seems weird that it is such a niche thing in this particular state, but they might be onto something. Part of a 4 race series, this final race was in Sandy, OR- a town real close to Mt. Hood and ski Bowl. Trails here were fun, super flowy. THe climbs were not too steep but long enough to be at threshold for a few minutes each, then barely enough time to recover on the slight dh pumpy bits before you gotta climb again. The last 7 minutes was mostly cruisy dh pump style, with gravely berms, but still turning the pedals over at every chance.

Didn't expect to see Lopes and Eric Carter in attendance, but it made it so much fun having a good crew of people to hang with. Ol teammates:). Bryn came with me too and was doing rehab riding up the shuttle road, then into mellow sit down riding on the pump trail. His first bit of dirt riding in 3 months!!! he was loving it, not supposed to be doing that yet. Lars  is all healed up and racing again. Estes on the microphone.

We actually met all kinds of people. May be the Subaru/dog owner capital of the world. Few pros that specialize just in these enduro events, Nathan Riddle (who shreds) , Matthew Slaven, Anthony Diaz, Timmy Evans, etc. Jamie goldman took a break from jumping and was there racing (freestyle/xc ripper) but had a mechanical in his race. Bunch of other guys got all dressed up iin crazy suits, just having fun with it as grass roots events usually do.

Kind of a different crowd with a mix of xc bandit-isms, dh-ers, freestylers, and former 4x riders. But all in all pretty chill. Defiantly a better scene than an xc race. It's a good cross over sport.

Lopes and I won the Chain-less events, but he also won the super D in Pro category with a rediculous time sub 20 min. Love how dialled he always is. Lots to learn from the master. Light 5" travel carbon bike. Double ply tubless semi slick tires, wearable hydration pack under his jersey, brought his mechanic, all trained up, skinny and light, just knows really well how to prepare. Jamo from go pro pictured with lopes here.

Lizzy English won the super d by a minute- think 23.3. I had a 24.3, which was surprisingly good enough for 2nd! Laura Winberry 3rd.

I am not really that fast at climbing, nor have I ever raced for extended period of time- longest race of my life. Good thing there were plenty of turns and rollers. The ol trail bike covert with a 36 fork, saint brakes, etc loved it. Besides a little crash near the bottom onto a raw elbow in the gravel, I survived!! Just really tiring effort. Lizzy has been dominating this series and took the overall series title as well! so congrats. Nice to meet some new chick shredders.

THink the pro prize purses have room for improvement though. Hard to really pull pros in with only a couple hundred bucks for a win- men $350, women $150. Gotta be like 1k at least to get more people involved so it's worthwhile to go. Good start though, lots of product sponsors- Amateurs make the killing. Each overall class winner got a carbon santa cruz nomad! other prizes were gravity droppers, Teva shoes, Go pro cameras, Tires, yakima racks, etc.

After I finished the race, I thought of all kinds of strategies and ways to improve- once the burning went out of my lungs and legs. Experience pays in these things. Having a light bike is really important as well as pacing the energy you expend.

These races are won in the climbs I think, cause you go all out for those, and faster xc bandits can pull so much time. Plus then you are tired for the good sections to really give it everything. Gravely turns when tired need proper attention. damn that was tough, just so much pedaling in places you wish to be coasting, but not really technical enough to make huge amounts of time in the DH, this course had balance between the two.

EC was charging on a 29er. Claimed it just pulls on the rolling, which might be the case, but tire choice, flex factors, and pizza cutting ability make it kinda,, what's the word..?? . I have never ridden one though, so I may be wrong, but man they look silly.

After it was all said and done- band, food, beverages, and awards. Only3 hr drive back home, so pretty easy to do. Thx to Lars for inspiring me to go, EC for convincing me to actually race, Transition, Red Bull, and all our sponsors. GUess I got a new discipline to add to the resume...

http://obra.org/events/18391/results

Check out oregonsuperd.com

More photos on facebook...

WORLD CHAMPS- CHAMPERY

SWITZERLANDWell it's over, World Champs crowned for the season. Danny Hart made some history with a loose run down the steepest track in torrential rain, in Sam Hillish fashion. Ragot backing up her win on this track last year 2nd world title, Troy Brosnan Top junior 2nd year in a row, and Manon Carpenter. Prokop and Anneke for 4x.

Looked messy. I made the right decision for me not to be there. Just wasn't quite ready for all that. But it was exciting for those who made it out in one piece. :(

Dirt.mpora.com , vitalmtb.com, pinkbike.com for the latest.

yeah Buhly!

TEAM USABuhly set the fastest time today in qualifying for 4x World Champs! Stoked for her- Inside lane will be sweet on that course. Few more days till the big show for the 4x and DH.

Feels weird not to be there, but I made the right choice for me. Good luck everyone:)

check the news on Dirt- http://dirt.mpora.com/

good to be home

SEATTLE, WASo happy to be home with the family doing all the things I love in the NW. Still have a couple events on the calendar, but really really needed this break to get my life back together and formulate a plan. Lot of changes in life and racing, but change is growth.

As for now, epic riding, BBQ, floating rives, swimming in the lake, gym, yoga, hanging with bryn, and getting regrouped.

Vegas for the trade show is probably next, followed by national champs at the end of September in North Carolina. honestly, I kinda got suckered in by the slalom, can't really get enough:) the dh there is on a 700 foot hill, not many people going, but I'll be there. :)

World Cup finals

VAL DI SOLE, ITALYWorld Cup racing is tough, first year for Downhill, and I came out 9th overall. WHich I suppose is pretty good, but I can't really say I've been operating at my potential. Learning curve; made a lot of mistakes, took some slams, had a couple good men get broke off, won some splits and speed traps , lost some, yada yada.

Gotta have the ol ducks in a row to trust going as fast as you can in ever changing course conditions. THat, plus Pick yourself up again after crashes, ride in the present state of mind, trust your skills, have the bike all tuned right, adapt, react, etc. Kinda fun- the newness, just wish it wasn't so hard to deal with all the emotions this year. Riding the wave..

Not that I have it too rough, but there have been a lot of outside factors this year as far as support goes that have really effected me. Equipment and sponsors are amazing, and Marshy, my mechanic, has been the saving grace. He's a lot of fun and does a great job with the bikes, so I'm grateful for that, but defiantly could have used a team mate at times:( a manager, a coach for the whole season, and Bryn- he's my partner in crime. Didn't expect to be solo for most of this. So it goes.

I am happy with the experience, but can do much better. It's good to know what to improve on. Reading tracks and picking lines is such an art form with a mix of common sense and self belief. Top half of a race is usually my forte, first couple minutes, but of course no one ever sees that on freecaster. By the end of a run, I get pretty tired and sloppy which translates into pulling brakes. Had a few stall outs in the ol race today, was Especially hard to hold on here at the roughest steepest track ever- 4 days in a row. Carrying speed is the name of the game, but it's scary as hell sometimes going that fast.

Pom Pom, Troy Brosnan, and Danny Hart stole the show today. Incredible riding:) Good job. Gwin and Tracy Mosley took the World Cup overall titles.

Gonna go home early and skip World Championships in Champery. Just so emotionally drained, I don't really have the right mind set to attack anymore right now. Sorry America. The course in Champery requires 100% focus, and I have nothing left for it. Gonna come back next year with a lot more motivation, a smile, and more speed/ confidence to my riding.

Us tracks were a good starting ground, but honestly, gonna have to spend a lot more time in Europe to be in contention to win world cups. The style and roughness are advanced.

WOMEN'S RESULTS: www.pinkbike.com

MEN'S RESULS: www.pinkbike.com

Big thanks to my wonderful sponsors: Transition, Red Bull, Fox SHox, Crankbrothers, Oakley, Shimano, Maxxis, Kore, ODI, TLD, Jett clothing, jaguire, e.13, cane creek, 5.10, esoles, park tool. Thanks also to : Scotty, Justin Frey, Bamel, Martin the Masseur /physio, Bryn, Marshy, Lars, and my mom:).

Italy DH quali

Wow, track is getting rougher and rougher as the days go on. Every little section between rocks or whatever is losing more and more dirt. Ping pong down the track. Quali was set to be prime, felt ok all day:) Just had a hand slide off the bar at the bottom in a g out and crashed. Wasn't too bad, but had to go get my bike and was unclipped down the last fast shoot coming outta the woods. Not a stellar run. still in the mix, 11th. Gwin won the mens, pugin the women's . I thought from practice that Troy Brosnan was gonna do really really well, and he came 4th. He's riding a smooth track compared to everyone else. Guess ol Brendan would be onto it as well for finals. Minnaar with a mechanical apparantly, Peaty hit a tree. Saw quite a few loose moments. Stevie smith did awesome, hope he can back it up.

As for me. Glad there is another chance. I sort of like doing full run better than not, satisfying putting it together here cause it's so technical. Will have another look at some lines and handle business. Had a 4:20 yesterday, 4:26 today with a crash and an average run before that so we will see. Favorite part is the start and first two turns:) Was just so hard to hold on by the bottom....

Women's Quali Times: http://dirt.mpora.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/39079_DHI_WE_ResultsQualifyingRound.pdf

Men's Quali Times: http://dirt.mpora.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/39079_DHI_ME_ResultsQualifyingRound.pdf

Italy practice day 1

VAL DI SOLE

So after I got through the first terrifying run:) The track is actually real fun to ride. Bit wild in spots, sketchy holding on through root gardens adn rocks. Took a lot of effort to enjoy and link together. Had a lot of skidding going on early, but now kinda know where to go I suppose. Roots are becoming polished and holes forming. It's only day 1, so long to go till sunday.

Did a full run at the end of practice for a time. Like how it's really obvious that it's just about riding the track, nothing else, no mind games nothing, just get down. I got lots of time to make up in the last couple of sections of the course, was braking cause it's sketchy and tiring. Hands are sooooo throbbing at the end of a run from braking mostly and the roughness of the holes, relentless steepness. It;s good to know what a full one feels like early.

New Troy Lee Designs body armor has been awesome. I don't normally wear that kind of stuff, but had a full top and bottom suit on today in the heat. It's got that shock doctor stuff, so it is soft till impact. Pretty sweet. Why not really, so much gnarly shit to land on here. Doesn't really hurt to have it, and their protection is hardly noticeable, well the shorts are a bit warm, but that's my only beef really. Think there is a lighter version. 4000 times better than those dainese suits that make you look like a turtle...

Val Di Sole, Italy

VAL DI SOLE It's so nice to be back over in Italy; good food, coffee, mountain-scapes, steep rooty rough tracks, etc. Just a really pretty place to be, feels a lot less european than France.

Did a little track walk today, man, never really seen a track this full on the whole way down. I've haven't ridden here, but it looks fun and scary at the same time. Lots of erosion. Will be honest, not excited for the first couple runs,hate first runs. Oh well, should get a lot of time to get er dialed.

Baguette-ville

FRANCE Been posted up in Morzine, Fance for a couple weeks now between races. Quite the place to ride, sort of a new level of technical; It is rooty, steep, and rough, then main trails out in the open hardpack have big holes and braking bumps everywhere else. Absolutely brutal on the ol hands.

I've been mainly sticking to the wooded areas where there is some dirt left, but the roots n stuff I haven't seen anything like it. spanning the entire width of the trail, like spiderwebs, Big holes too. Good training for italy next week.

Have ridden at a couple different resorts now. Even tried to xc mission over to a few, but got shutdown from the weather. closing lifts in the rain from thunder maybe? Guess you can ride and link up chairlifts, so it's mostly all down hill.

18 days down, 23 more to go. Kinda missing normal breakfast, only so many baguettes with ham and cheese you can eat. Good riding though. Kinda of an eat, sleep, ride kinda place.....

World CUp #6- Labresse final

LABRESSE, FRANCE 9th today with a pretty depressing run. It was really wet, full spikes, so I wasn't really comfortable hitting a  couple main jumps with big speed sucking ruts before them, felt too sketchy. GUess the other girls got through it though:(. Hopefully one day soon I'll learn to let it roll a little faster and stay off the brakes, and not freak out every time I unclip of get offline, It is my first World Cup year. 2nd year ever riding or racing a dh bike, but still:(.

Minnarr took the win as did tracy.

Going back to morzine now... Couple more weeks here...

Labresse Qualifying

Setting some good top times. Like seeing #1 next to my name. Woo!! Middle part of the track was not so good for me, need to let it roll. On the brakes, got a few little bits to work out, grr.. Jeeze. I still rode cut spikes, but it was bone dry out there, grass and spikes are like peas and carrots. Raining now, so should be super fun to get a little wild!! Men's quali

World CUp- Labresse, FRANCE

LABRESSE, FRANCE After about a week of riding in Morzine, Marshy and I finally arrived to soggy Labresse. 2 years ago in 2009 was the last time there was a World Cup here. Bryn raced it , not me, (before my DH campain), but the track is almost completely identical routing. Think all they did was get out the lawn mower and built a roofless house that we ride through to hit a drop:) funny. Couple jumps n stuff too, but a nice old school track to mix it up. Good variety this year.

It's only wednesday today, so nothing going on, but I went out for a hike cause it was better than sitting around all day in the room. Rain and all- i'm hardcore. Haven't been able to fall asleep before 3 am all week, so gotta fill the day somehow.

yeah, so , big pedal out the start, 40 second sprint, no braking. Some mega G outs, lots of grass, rocks, off camber, jumps, etc. Shorter track than normal too, which is always good for sprinters.

Peaty took a victory here last time, as did Frenchie. We will see what the future holds.

DH'ing in France

I bought a seasons pass yesterday to the Portes du soleil, and hit up 3 different resorts with Marshy- my mechanic. He  has lived her for 10 years, and knows all the tracks, so we are having a good time riding together. Bonus for me is that he looks after my bike at the end of the day, which is amazing!! Thank you Marshy!!. think 12 resorts linked up in total, spanning France and Switzerland, so hundreds of tracks. Bit muddy out there yesterday, but drying up fast, sun is out!!. Can't say that I've even tapped into the potential here, but covered some ground. Main lines at each resort, Morzine-the pleney, Les Gets, and super morzine have kind of ruined my hands. So rough, it's hard to hold on by the end. Guess the edges of the tracks are better than the middles, but the less ridden tracks in the woods are the go. So far , best track of the place was in Lesgets, captain something or other, in the trees off the main path a ways. And run of the mill on super morzine.

My new Israeli friends cliam the best tracks are on the pleney lift, so that's the go today I think. Love how they all met bryn last year and now have tr450's .

I'd be out there right now if it was for the ol 'lag of z jet, keeping me back . Half days are probably the smart thing to stay fresh anyway. Some of the girls I race are out here every day, frenchie, pugin, emile, etc. Ripping around with local knowledge. Just gotta find a practice buddy, dunno if they are keen, never really ridden with girls before....

Got a solid chunk of time here, till sep 5th. Miranda is coming out after Labress, so that'll be super fun!! Woo. I'm outta here. Sorry for no pics.

Morzine

Well, 3 stops later I finally made it with all my bags to Morzine, France. Nothing like the ol Seattle, Chicago, Newark, Geneva route, thx lars. Heard a lot about this place, big Mtb destination. Our mechanic Marshy lives here, and so far he's right, it's really nice. Chair lifts on both sides of the valley, steep mtns, bikes everywhere, sunshine, gardens, river. If only my bike was built and I could keep the ol eyelids open. Saving the fun for tomorrow. I'll be based here for the next 5 weeks between races, so lots of time to do stuff.

LaBresse, Fra next week, Italy a few weeks after that, then Switzerland for worlds.... Later.