First event of the year in NZ was a nice sunny change to the dreary wet winter back home in Washington. I am happy to report that I won 3 of my events!!!!!! and did the whip-off on the biggest jump ever. Bryn also won in the Deep Summer Photo Challenge with photographer Simeon Patience. So yeah, an unbelievable way to kick off the year!! Thanks Crankworx for a good time. This was stop 1 of three- Les Gets and Whistler are next......
The first stop of 3 Crankworx festivals this year goes down into summer in New ealand. I will be competing in 4 events (Whip, Slalom, Pumptrack, and DH), so it'll be quite busy, but I'm all trained up and ready to go. From Winter into the southern hemisphere we go.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4kSfrwOrtQ
Documenting progress is key to any racer's preparation and ultimate success, but Jill Kintner's version of note-taking stands out. Instead of relying on POV footage, words scratched on paper or her memory, Kintner sketches detailed maps of every course she races. "Maps give me something to think about and rehearse" she said. "It's my version of a game plan."
Freehub Magazine. In the final episode of HOME, Jill Kintner rides one of her favorite backyard trails in the Chuckanut Mountains. She pins the straight aways and takes the high line in a fashion that can only come from knowing every turn of the trail. A little extra inspiration comes from a simple question: "What would Bryn do?"
https://freehubmag.com/videos/home-episode-3
It's pretty fun to have an idea, sketch it out, and have a custom prototype made by a talented local bag maker. My friend John at Highabove.net makes sweet packs for riding, his specialty being hip packs. He loves bags in general though, and is really enthusiastic about products that function and have style:) . He can sew just about anything, so when I asked him if he wanted to help make a travel helmet bag, he was in!! ....
Our friends over at Freehub Magazine put together this 3 part video series about what "home" means to Bryn and I. Wattsy and Grundburg literally work down the street at Freehub HQ, so this was a fun video making journey with a solid crew! Hope you enjoy a little slice of NW life. Courtesy of Maxxis tires :)
Episode 1 was Bryn riding and shuttling with his moto.
Episode 2 is this camping trip in eastern Washington.
Episode 3 will be me ripping around the chuckanut trails.
Bryn and I joined the SMITH OPTICS family for eyewear!!! It's hard to ignore the momentum Smith has been gaining in the bike world, with lively athlete marketing, and MTB specific products like the the Squad Goggle and Arena Max Pro glasses. Based now in Portland, Oregon, promoting a local sponsor with fun style and clear vision is gonna be sweet. Check out Chromapop :O
"What if you could get the whole world running? Everyone, worldwide, on the same day, at the same time. A race of epic proportions with just one lone runner left at the end. A world run. But could it be done? It could."
Nothing quite like going for a morning jog a 4am with hundreds of awesome people who are helping raise money for spinal cord research. Be one of em! Come with me and run for those who can't!!! Santa Clarita
Christmas in Aus goes down as a blistering hot affair, but it's good for riding bikes and getting some base miles in. A second summer makes me happy. It sure beats the countless hours sitting on rollers indoors watching the rain drizzle down:) Santa is a bit overdressed over here, but other than that, it's pretty festive all around.
MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN, CA Last official race of the year took us back to Mammoth mountain in California. The Pro GRT series had 5 stops, and this was the last one to seal the deal. Coming in, Bryn and I both were leading the series, so it was even better to walk away with both the pro men's and pro women's National championship series.
Final race of the International calendar went high into the Pyrenees Mountains, down steep, technical terrain of the Andorran landscape. With a bit of nasty weather all week, the course had a few challenges with traction, but it was the relenting grade and length that were the hardest feat.
Sombrio is having a contest on social media for you win an awesome guided bike trip and a stockpile of gear to wear!!! You just have to post your #luxuryofdirt on instagram with a photo and follow contest rules to win gear through Aug 27th....
From humble beginnings in Washington State, Jill Kintner has grown into one of the best riders in the world. Jill’s professional BMX career began when she was 14, and progressed into winning a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Jill’s abilities extend beyond BMX, evident in her progression into downhill and slalom mountain biking....
Learn to shred with world class mountain bikers Jill Kintner and Bryn Atkinson at their home resort in the Stevens Pass bike park
Just finished up a mega week at Crankworx. Went 3 for 3 in all my events, and got to see some impressive shows, photo contest, dirt diaries (which is hillarious), a women's yoga class with Juliana, slopestyle Joyride event, and mingle a bit with our friends and sponsors:) I signed up for Canadian open as well, but didn't get any practice and was really tired by saturday.
Jill Kintner is one of Dirt's all-time favourite riders. She can (and will) ride any kind of bike on the dirt and is a proven World Champion... she's an inspiration too.
Looking for legit tips to improve your riding?? The Don, and Marc Beaumont are doing an awesome job as pro riders explaining all kinds of stuff. It's rad how thorough they are, with some humor and sick riding. Check it out for how to, gear review, bike checks, explaining setups, etc. I've watched dozens of them.
Jill Kintner…. Three time 4x World Champion… multiple Downhill World Cup podium finisher and … Olympic bronze medalist!
Just won 3 more National pro titles this weekend, making 15 elite pro- one day- National Championships.
This time one in a new discipline- ENDURO, so I am now up to 5 disciplines, but Enduro is Sooo hot right now:) too bad pumptrack doesn't count. Anywho,,,Mammoth was really kind to me, and I am grateful to have had the ability and energy to get it done.
New Mexico is like another world compared to the Austrian Alps (where I came from), but for the Southwest the bike park at Angelfire is really fun, with over 60 miles of trails, 10,000+ feet of elevation, and one of the longest chairlifts in the world. Worth a visit.
