Port Angeles, WAAhh, back to a familiar place, good ol P.A. This N-Dub cup is A smaller regional race, but should lure in a few Canadians and die hard Californians. Will see. There is a national here in a few weeks.
Bryn is still in Australia, so he won't be back till next week, then off to California for the otter. Later.
Fanatik bike shop, which is up in Bellingham, is having a big sale /demo/ bbq/ prize giveway/ riding weekend. They sell Norco, and a bunch of oter premium brands, so I will be up there with Russ and the homies form the shop just chillaxin for a few hrs. That is kind of the local zone, tight community of bike riders there. So come say hi, try some bikes, and enjoy the best trails. fanatikbike.com
All packed up in oz and onto the next chapter- full time international racing. Will be back to oz/nz when it gets cold again, but for now, really excited to be heading home to the USA!! Mom, pup, cars, friends, and summer all await.
Next is a dealer day at Fanatik shop in Bellingham, a NW-Cup, then the Otter mid April!!!
Still lagging pretty hard from the South Africa trip, and I have just compounded it with another 15 hr mission from Sydney to Seattle. Glad this big ones are done for now. Makes europe seem like a breeze at only 8-10 hrs:)
Stay tuned. Lots of excitment on the horizon....
Two of our bestest pals, Cillian and Shannon, (AKA: Cillo and Shaz) got married last weekend, so I wanted to say a big CONGRATS!! They are in NZ living it up right now on a honeymoon. March 17th World Cup, so we missed their big day, but they looked lovely, and no doubt had an awesome party. Cheers guys!!
One of the nicest people on tour, and one of the best photographers we have ever seen, Gary "Flipper" Perkin, will not be at the rest of the World Cups. Life as a gypsy only lasts so long, his family will enjoy having him home. Good luck, we will for sure miss you and your amazing view of the sport. www.blog.flipper.co.za
Got my first Dh World Cup podium today. Norco and the Aurum got their first WC podium as well!! Thanks to our new mechanic Alain Hall, sponsors, and justin at Fox for the tuning. I was so glad the course dried up, cause after the downpours last night and the slippery wet clay this morning, it was a bit of a relief to be able to race like normal. Not a perfect run, had a big mistake in the steep bit- front wheel over the top of the berm, and lost a lot of time, but a podium is awesome! I'll take it!! 4th. Tracy Hannah 1st, Manon Carpenter 2nd, Ragot 3rd, Me, Myriam Rucchi 5th. Sabrina and Pugin both were hurt in practice and didn't race.
Bryn rode amazing as well, with good form and speed. Think the pedalling was a bit tough still, but his first world cup back from the femur is a win. More later. Minnarr with the hometown win. Gwin 2nd.
Just a few quick updates from the day. Overcast skies, humidity, but an awesome day overall. The transport is a fleet of vans and trailers, so it is about a 30 minute commute to do a run. Pretty funny how the drivers are working the clutch. It's a mission to get on the freeway up the hill, through some neighborhoods, a massive fancy estate gate, pass sugar cane fields, past the Hawk that chills on the fence post at the top, then a little ride into the start. 8 people per shuttle, it goes good though.
Pit row is also quite spaced out, we elected not to even be in there. After you finish a run, you gotta ride to a bridge to get over the xc course, climb up the stairs, ride down the other side, and the pits are like a quarter mile long and in the opposite direction to the shuttle in some cases. Much better set up under the trees in the parking lot with the other privateers on the way to the shuttle. Our new mechanic Alain Hall is doing awesome, getting broken into the ways of WC racing.
THis course is very rapid and a lot of fun. High speeds amongst the trees, then out in the open, etc. I had a good run, just a few places to still work on. This is only day two, but conditions were perfect. Tracy Hannah set the fastest time, she went big on al the jumps and also raced here last week, so congrats to her. Frenchies following her +3 sec, in the same second- Ragot, Pugin, Jonnier, then Me +3 from them in 5th:) Pom pom 6th, etc. Another day on sunday, but a good start. This track is red clay and hardpacked, bad combo with rain, and it's raining now. Will be like ice. Fingers crossed it dries up for sunday.
Mens quali was pretty exciting. There was good coverage on the jumbotron. I got to see the majority of bryn's run, which was awesome. He came out today with 18th! After all he has been through, that is awesome, more in the tank:) Think he came up a little short on the jump leading into the pedaling bit.
Minnaar and Gwin had a really tight battle, Minnaar won by .008 seconds. Gwin didn't pedal to the line, so there you go, nothing in it. Stevie was right there .8 back, so that was rad to see as well. Super gnarly; Brook McdDonald was cruising into the last hip jump with the finish line in sight, took off funny, landed sideways, high sided, yard-saled, and took a massive digger, just layed there for 10 sec, no concussion though. Next dude down almost hit him, inches away. I saw it happen, and am impressed he is ok.
I haven't been taking photos or anything, just riding. Sorry about the updates. Guess other things I noticed. Brendan Fairclough is on clips, as is pom pom. Marc Beaumont has "Atherton Racing" written all over him as well as their logo of the three guy guy girl icons, which is weird. The new Scott bike is out. Luke Strobel is on Pivot. 90% of people have drop posts on. Richie Rude qualified 45th at his first World Cup, USA Junior ripper. Bunch of top guys even are casing the big table tops. The sprint is very long. Florent Payet broke his collar bone last weekend at the pre race cause of the wind on the big jumps. What else? Ben Reid is out with Pneumonia. Dunno really. That's all I got for now.
Been in South Africa for a few days now. Today is actually the first day of practice. Over the week, we did some tourist stuff; saw some lions, elephants, monkeys,etc. did a little bit of exploring, some riding, watched the race last weekend, walked the track twice, saw everyone, Alain (our mechanic) has been getting the bikes ready, and now it's time for business...
- PIETERMARITZBURG, RSAWe are off on friday for the first World Cup of the year- South Africa!! 15 hours of flying time from Sydney. Been an awesome offseason with exponential progress, so all the work is done. I'm prepared to vomit at the end of that sprint:) leave nothing behind. Only one box left to tick off..
Also, a massive highlight will be to see monkeys again:) In case you were wondering, the local monkey's are caled Vervet Monkey, and yes they have blue male bits:). Crazy critters...
Sicko:)
jill kintner / "I am not willing to compromise on a good descent, and the kronolog post does what it is supposed to do… Letʼs me climb with full extension, and reacts quickly and quietly when I want to drop my seat down to shred. For a cable driven system, the feel is really smooth and consistent, plus reliable in all conditions. I find the routing off the back of the post an obvious improvement, and the logo as the lever a thing of beauty. Adjustable posts make riding more fun.”
That's my quote from the product release:) I've been testing this new adjustable seat post out for months, in so much mud and sand, so it is exciting that Crank brothers has finalized the Kronolog for the public!!! It's a much simpler design than the previous joplin adjustable posts. Operated by a cable, this post has a nice smooth feel, speedy at the bottom, and smooth to the top. No play from side to side, it's quiet, the cable attached to the post doesn't move with the seat anymore (stationary), and the remote lever is so cleverly the CB logo. All good things. Design and function:) check it.... http://www.crankbrothers.com/seatposts.php
ADELAIDE, AUS
Photo: Bryn in action.
Troy Brosnan and Tracey Hannah are the new Aussie champions.
Race day started out pretty chill, some overcast skies eased the death sun, and made for nice flat light. Track was running dry and skatey, but good.
The tv coverage was probably the best I have seen at an event, so awesome job for that, made the big screen viewing spot pretty lively for the fans.
Under 19 guys set the tone going first. Aussie Juniors are so fast on a track like this. ,Connor fearon took the win, and third fastest time of the weekend. Local advantage? Not really, just good riding.Think the top10 is pretty tough. Rando will be taking a handful of these kids to Mt.St.Anne and windham for some world cups.
Photo: Connor Fearon- U-19 Champ
For elite women, Tracey and I were within .8 of a second yesterday. Unfortunately I got a flat tire near the end kinda, and that was it. Spewing. so yeah nothing I can do about it except avoid sharp rocks. Looking forward to having a mechanic again so i can run tubeless:) Stan's tubless is sending some special race formula to tryout. My time would have been better than yesterday, but who knows if it was enough. Congrats to Tracey for the win, I still managed 2nd, and Shelly flood for 3rd.
Funny story, I was sprinting into a section during practice and got stopped by a marshall cause the KOala was crossing the track:)
Men's elite. 1.Troy 2.Sam hill 3.Rhys Willemse 4.Kovarik 5.bryn. 6.jared Graves 7.Delfs 8.rhys 9.Will Rischbieth. Impressive riding to watch. Looks like Troy can't put a wheel wrong, pump track floaty style, he's off his head. Sam looked as good as ever, pedaled real strong and efficient, just maybe too easy of a track. I didn't really see those two practice together, race rivals maybe? Sam had a big picture in the paper, no smile, and Troy riding in the background. Media will love this team dynamic, but ultimately it's good for Sam.
Bryn rode really smooth and steady. He had a crash yesterday, and some swelling in his knee, so good to battle back. His riding style is so nice to watch. Really proud of him for coming back so strong from the femur and elbow. I'm a big fan:) like having my buddy at the races again;) His little bro Rhys too- Good times.
Photo - Big cat- AKA Rhys Atkinson
Nothing between positions, all close.
COngrats to Will in 8th as well. He's had a chronic back problem, barely rides because of it, and still pulled a top 10.
Overall, we survived the heat, did a ton of riding, and are now driving the great ocean road home. I took some pictures, and will post up later.
Adios.
Another scorcher of a day. Qualifying results here- http://www.castech.com.au/
Damian Breach, a good pal, and photographer from Vital MTB came to our place in the mountains to film a day in the life feature. Check it out. We also did a 17 question thing coming soon....
ADELAIDE, AUSNot much to report today, except probably the hottest environment in the history of bike riding. It seems a bit cruel for xc to be racing middle of the day tomorrow. Hard to nail down an actual temperature on the hill, but someone said 37-40C.
The fire levels are only at severe, needs to be extreme for them to take action. Who knows, supposed to be hotter tomorrow. With only one exit out of the park, precautions are good. I joked that all it would take is a pedal clipping a rock for a spark to take the whole place down. Eagle Bike park has been here awhile and is still standing, so not that likely.
Just a few runs today, getting the track down. Got my bike a little more balanced, but the slippery dirt is tough to ride. We are on our new world cup -Norco Aurums.
Chris Kovarik showed up today, so most all the big name Aussies are ready to race, no Claire though:(. Jared Graves is a full Downhiller again having lost his BMX ass, and down 7-8 kgs. Sammy and Troy are looking pretty dialled. Bryn's going really good. Both Rhys' are on it, Mitch Delfs is super stealth, can't find him at all out there, but yeah, you would expect all that. Kye Hore was telling me how sweaty he was, so I responded by calling him a sweaty Hore:) my homie.
They Raced 4x finals tonight. The women's race was cancelled cause only one registered, I was going to do it to fill out the numbers for the other girl, but she didn't want to do it either. Think only like 11 men total in the pro category. Grame Mudd might have won. That's what Rando said anyway. Rando is kinda doing like his own omnium- brought one 6" Giant bike and is racing every event, same tires, same settings, drop post, just loving it. Is bike isn't really that good for any one discipline, but as a whole, he's winning.
The Koala moved locations, even closer to the action today. He's hanging out watching looking all cute in the trees. Bryn was tripping out about it's claws, and crazy eyes, but he needed to focus more on the fluffy ears I think.
Finished the day out with a swim in the ocean and a sunset over the water, which is the first one in Oz I have ever seen. Nice.
Seeding tomorrow if it's not too hot.
ADELAIDE, SA, AUSTRALIAI had never been to Eagle Bike Park before, but there is a bit of everything here as far as xc, dh, 4x, pump track. Not the biggest hill or most difficult track, but slippery and very hot, which gives it a different type of challenge. Energy, traction, fluid intake, all important things to keep in mind here. Word on the street is that the temperature may reach 40 C degrees on race day, aka- 104 degrees F, yuck. Not too much shade, so having the ol motorhome is really nice for some relief.
I did a few cruise-y runs today. Seemed like there were people crashing all over the place, kinda hard to keep the flow going. There is one bit that is pretty tricky right in the middle of the course- rock garden type thing. It is a left turn with either a rock inside or an offcamber dusty outside, into some other rocks turning right, then a high speed section. I was sitting on the side, watching there, looked over, and a Koala was chilling in the tree like 2 feet from me. That was the highlight of the day for sure.
There are some fast riders here. Bryn, Sam Hill, Troy, Jared Graves, Rhys, the other Rhys- Willemse, Mitch Delfs, Will Rischbieth, Ben Cory, Rando on his trail bike, Connor Fearon, I am forgetting people, but yeah. Guess Mic Hannah has a knee injury, and no Kovariks, Josh Button is out with his knee as well, who else? Dunno. Tracy Hannah is here. Think I am the only international. Aussie land has some rippers- Juniors are going well, there are about 5-6 that are real impressive.
Also wanted to say thank you to the Rischbieth family for hosting us:) Good times up here in the hills of Adelaide. More practice tomorrow.
Aussie National Champs are this weekend in South Australia. For those of you who know Australian Geography, or can draw obvious conclusions from the name, South Australia is at the bottom of the country, but Adelaide is pretty much West from where we are. Since it has been know to be 100 degrees at Eagle Bike park, with little to no trees, we have rented a big 6 person motorhome for the occasion. That was pretty much the only way I would go. Being an American, I am not up for the title, but will still get some good race practice in. Shame, cause it would be cool to have one usa sleeve for national champ and an aussie one to represent our half lif over here. Bryn is going for it:).
There are a couple US National race series' going on next year. Usa Cycling is still moving forward with the Pro GRT, while J. Dylan Dean has created a new series called the US Grand Prix, which as of now is a 4 race series in the USA. Lucky for us, two of these events will be in Washington, so we will be there for at least half of his events. Not too sure about the Pro GRT, but I think Port Angeles is a GP, GRT, and a NW cup. Crazy.
USA GP - Tenative Schedule:
• April 28-29 – NW Cup - Port Angeles, Washington • June 16-17 – Sugarbush Resort in Warren, Vermont • July 7-8 – Highland Bike Park in Northfield, New Hampshire • August 4-5 – NW Cup - Stevens Pass Resort in Skykomish, Washington
________________________________________
2012 USA Cycling Pro Gravity Tour (Pro GRT)
• April 26-29 NW Cup — Port Angeles, WA
• May 20 Eastern States Cup — Mountain Creek, NJ
• May 27 Eastern States Cup – Plattekill, Roxbury, NY
• June 9-10 Mountain States Cup — Angel Fire, NM
• June 16-17 Whiteface Pro GRT 5K Downhill — Wilmington, NY
• August 3-5 Northstar Pro GRT — Truckee, CA
One of my favorite tracks in Australia is in New Castle- Awaba. They are having a national round the weekend before South Africa, so we will not be going unfortunatly, but it is so fun. Thanks to Ricky Boy, Goffy, Cillo, Willis', Bryn, Simon, for a fun day up there. Weather held off till the drive home, then it monsooned, again:) Saw a Fararri, that was cool, pretty rare in OZ. Check the track- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXgz84cL0vQ&feature=player_embedded
My little buddy Joel Willis and I attended the Y-Aim class out at Clarence MX on the weekend. Holy crap the weather has been so shocking the last few months, maybe two full days without rain that I can remember. This Saturday was am torrential rain, followed buy sun and blue skies, followed by another big storm, sun, etc. River runs through it and puddles, but the sand loved it. Track was almost perfect once the sun came out, just puddly. As a local, once you see the Black Cockatoos heading out, you know it's gonna rain. Never fails, those birds read low pressure.
Learned a bunch of set up drills, and helpful tips. Never done full laps standing up, that was interesting. Some clutch throttle slow speed drills, popping wheelies, braking, etc. I'm loving my new Renthal Moto gear. Unbreakable levers are awesome:)
Shane Booth- the main instructor, teaches year round, so they had the system down. Quite a mix of people, lots of little kids on 50's and 85's :) They hand in their log books to get credit towards a licence or something, dunno. Little kids like to kick rocks and get muddy at that age, pretty cute.
The other instructor/ assistant was such a ripper, skinny as hell (pencil legs), but went sooo fast- Jordan, didn't catch his last name. Bet he's top 5 in his category Nation-wide. Fun to watch.
It's a few days since it happened, so I don't really have a lot to say now. Everyone was super nice, but it wasn't the most personal experience. They didn't really ask us any questions, do any individual instruction, or know our names, but doing these weekly, there would probably not be much point to knowing names. I had fun. Bit different scene than the ol mountain bike world.
___________________________________________________ Just signed up for a class this saturday with the Yamaha-Australian Institute of Motocross or Y-AIM. Pretty excited. MX is part of our weekly training regime, so basic instruction with fundamentals can always help break it down and build it back up. The 250 loves it. http://www.yaim-nsw.com/
