The Whole Enchilada...So Good!

The colors were out in full force this past weekend

 It was the middle of April at 7:55pm and I was preparing myself to pull the trigger on the most anticipated event of the year, I was one of the lucky 150 competitors that made the cut as the event sold out in less than 10 minutes. I knew this event was going to be something big as the race was still more than 4 months away! The reasoning for this anticipation is due to the classic venue and the trail system that the race course will be on. “The Whole Enchilada” is a combination of trails that start in the high alpine of the La Sal Mountain range and descend over 20 miles and 6,000 feet to the finish line near the bottom of the Porcupine Rim. Many will argue that this ride is one of the best EPIC rides in the country and the trails are all classic rides in the area making this event one for the ages.

Castle Valley is the image on the shirt and where we were headed

 After a pleasant 4 hour drive from El Jebel to Moab, Utah I was quickly whisked away by The Whole Enchilada Shuttle Company up Geyser Pass Road to the drop off at the base of the Burro pass climb. This 1,000 foot climb up the pass is short and sweet and elevates you to 11,300 feet before dropping in to a true high alpine downhill with extremely steep switchbacks and when wet like it was on this day, there are many tricky diagonal roots that are just waiting to trip you up. The descent mellows out and fallows a creek all the way down to the first climb through the brilliant gold and orange colors of the aspens just above Warner Lake. A sustained climb through some of the most picturesque and pristine aspen groves and valleys brings you too the start of Hazard County where the trail continues to climb until it levels out overlooking Castle Valley and Porcupine Rim. Many claim Hazard to be the highlight of the ride as it descends and flows through blue groove berms in an open scrub brush valley. Finally its time to rest, if you call flying down a portion of the well known Kokopelli double track trail at speeds hovering around 40mph scanning your peripheral for potential rogue cattle providing as extra trail features. The climate transforms multiple times en route to the desert and the start of Upper Porcupine Rim. The trail is full of short punchy sections and overlooks the valley below as it wanders through the technical mess of slick rock slabs, sand and juniper trees. Once past the Porcupine trail overlook the last leg is a brutal onslaught of high speed double track 90 degree rock slabs and short, technical sandy climbs. By this point the bike usually feels like a bag of bolts and hands about to fall off, luckily the finish line is right around the corner at the beginning of the Porcupine single track.

Road gap below Hazard County

 After eating a whole fish and lubing the chain I hit the hay Saturday evening with a 5:30am wake up call the fallowing morning. Every shuttle vehicle in Moab lined up and as soon as everyone’s bike was loaded it was up, up and away. The Harvest moon shone brightly as we ascended up the pass and towards the starting line. A quick pit stop later I was on the starting line for an 8am start. There was the 1,000 foot neutral climb to the top of Burro where the timed race started and many had different strategies on how they were approaching this climb. I decided to be as energy efficient as possible, so I allowed everyone to contend with each other to the top as I sat back, took in the morning light upon the glowing aspens and took it one pedal stroke at a time. Once I reached the top I clipped in and timed it so I didn’t have to wait in line to start, 30 seconds later I was descending through the shadows of Burro down, and within 5 minutes the race had taken its toll on multiple races as I cruised passed the riders scrambling to put their rides back together again. I had a good clean ride down and once I reached the first climb I had made up my mind to take it easy as it was very early in the race. My race strategy was to break the course up into 1000 mini sections and to take it one step at a time. The thought of racing this course was extremely daunting and without breaking it up and keeping my mind off the end result, I’m not sure I would have made it! Throughout the race my stoke meter would spike as I would pass another competitor and in technical sections the diehard spectators would amp you up with words and signs of encouragement. The race ultimately flew by and I had a smile upon my face the whole entire time, I really didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I had zero issues, unlike the dozen or so that I passed, tools laying about on the ground and sour faces Once I reached the finish line I was ready to go back up and do it all over again.

Mid race run flying the horns for the camera, what a great time!

 I might have given up a little bit of time by high fiving fellow competitors and hamming it up for the camera lens, but this is what this whole weekend was about, having fun with fellow friends and riding competitors in one of the most well known riding areas in the country. This Big Mountain Enduro Series has been extremely successful and the Enduro racing format is gaining big time popularity all over the mountain bike world. I’m extremely excited to dive head first into this world of Enduro racing and cannot wait for all of next years events. These events provide you so much bang for your buck and at the end of the weekend and the satisfaction of just finishing and not the result is what is going to keep bringing me back. What a fantastic way to wrap up the 2012 season, with a 13^th place to my name and a clean bill of health, I look forward to the winter months as I will be traveling down to New Zealand at the beginning of January for 2 months to ride in preparation for 2013.

Ride On!            

Race Report: Durango Big Mountain Madness

What a different race preparation experience! Leaving the team trailer and downhill bike at home left me feeling like I was forgetting everything as Michael and I pulled out from the Team Geronimo Bike Park with only our Banshee Spitfires, helmet, gloves, camelback full of trail side tools, spare bits and old snack wrappers. We made our way to the incredibly bike friendly town of Durango, Colorado for the second stop of the Big Mountain Enduro Series. I’ve been drooling over the idea of a gravity enduro race that starts close to 12,000 feet and descends over 5,000 feet to the finish for years and the Big Mountain Enduro looked like it had a promising solution to satisfy my appetite for big mountain bliss. In its first year in existence this new series secured the permits to run a race down one of the most epic trails around. 

We corralled teammate Jess and some friends and got the shuttle rolling for a Friday morning pre-ride of the trail that started at the base of the La Plata Mountains and would climb 2,000 plus feet to the top of Kennebec Pass. This area is so stunningly beautiful and scenic that racing the 22 tough, rugged and exposed miles down to the finish line at the base of Dry Creek was going to be a tough proposition. I really enjoyed the trail as it included a very diverse mixture of track conditions as the landscape and altitude changed. I feel like it was pretty essential that we pre-rode the course so I could figure out energy conservation, bike setup and food prep. 

The race would take place on Sunday, so we spent the majority of Saturday relaxing out at the Navajo reservoir and doing a little wake surf cross training. There was some excitement in the air as the early evening riders meeting rolled around to inform all riders on general information and last minute details. It was going to be a long day of riding so a quick stop off at the grocery store to pick up a few breakfast items and off to Jess’s brother’s cabin we went for the night. 

It had rained steadily throughout the night and a 6am wake up call roused us to some damp conditions outside as the puddles reflected back the dim early morning light. There was a shuttle that was bringing the vast majority of the riders from Durango up to the drop off spot which was a lazy pedal down the road from where we were staying. With a good light, yet hearty breakfast in our bellies and bikes ready to roll we waited until 7:30 to come about and then made our way to the drop off which started at Boren Creek at the base of Kennebec Pass road. Once riders arrived and signed in there was a laidback yet anxious atmosphere in the air as everyone anticipated the starting gun that would signify the start to a long day of riding and racing. The race would start with an un-timed climb to the summit where stage 1 would begin. Everyone including myself had a race strategy and how they would approach the climb. A large group of racers went hot off of the line and rode hard all the way to the top where unlimited coffee and bacon would be waiting. Jess got into a good grove and found himself in the first group, but Michael and I both had the same idea of taking it easy using the allotted two and a half hours time limit to enjoy the scenery while having some fun socializing with the other riders along the way. 


Once at the top, all of the bacon and coffee had been devoured by that hungry early bunch but beautiful views were aplenty as I took the rest of my time to stretch, hang out and warm up before launching myself down 3,000 feet to the 1st stage finish line bridge. I strategically waited until I had a 5 minute gap and would snowplow for Michael who would start 30 seconds behind. The all too familiar start beeps sounded and off onto the Colorado Trail I sprinted as I eyed the first hill climb grunt that would top out at 12,000 feet before starting its incredibly exposed descent traverse across scree fields down to the valley floor. The altitude and small climbs took their toll as I was quick to feel out of breath and weak in the legs, but I kept it consistent and quick down the greasy trail to the bridge. I completed stage 1 in 9th overall, all riders who I came up on where very courteous and pulled over very quickly so it didn’t affect my ride, Michael however wasn’t so lucky. He got stuck behind a very cautious rider on the scree field and had to shut it down for a minute until he finally found a way around him and finished 18th overall on the stage. Jess had a clean run without any problems and made it down into 13th. 

Climb number two would also be un-timed and once I took off my confidence aspiring yet semi blood constricting knee and elbow pads I started the slow march up the steep incline 1,000 feet above to the start of stage 2. At around the half way point in the climb Michael and I took a 15 minute break to refuel and check in with the other riders. I was having a great time as it felt like the largest group ride I had ever been on, riders sharing their experiences with each other and helping push one another upwards to stage 2. Again I took all of the allotted time to rest and recover drinking all my water before embarking on a very fast yet pedal pounding stage. This time Michael was my 30 second man which was fun as I love having a rabbit to chase. I caught and passed Michael half way into the stage and for a while we freight trained down the fast railroad grade trail until it ducked back into the winding trees of Dry Creek. I felt extremely fast and in the zone but as the grade started to level out I started to become fatigued around the 20 minute mark. One final rush of adrenaline hit as the finish line came into view, a fast and furious few turns wound to the line and a whip over the final double sealed the deal into the finish corral.  

The whole experience was extremely gratifying and the sense of accomplishment made this race one of my all time favorites. The atmosphere at Ska Brewery where the after party and results were being posted was relaxed as it had been all weekend with all of us competitors exchanging ride stories, battle wounds and high fives. Free beer washed down the Zia Taqueria tacos and we all celebrated the podium winner’s accomplishments together while lounging around the outdoor patio. Why every race cannot promote this type of atmosphere I’m not sure, but what a way to end an awesome weekend of racing. Michael finished Stage 2 in 23rd place with a combined 18th place overall on the day. Jess, even though I didn’t see him all day, he had a clean ride scoring a 12th place in both Stage 2 and in the overall. I had a good days ride, but know that I can improve upon my pedaling and climbing ability as I came home with a very respectable 7th also in both Stage 2 and in the overall. It was an amazing weekend in what many would call the best place to ride a bike in Colorado, and a Monday fun ride with my girlfriend Holly at the base Engineer Mountain down Pass Creek Trail was the perfect way to cap off the holiday weekend and unofficial end of summer. I cannot wait until I take towards the La Sal Mountains in Utah the first week of October for the Whole Enchilada and the last stop of the Big Mountain Enduro Series.

Ride on!

- Brian

Race Report: Good times in Telluride

I packed up my bags, hitched the trailer up and got the wheels turning towards Telluride Mountain Resort for the 2012 Colorado State Championships. This small mountain town situated in the southwest corner of Colorado has played host to a World Cup and has been a mainstay on the Mountain States Cup circuit the past decade. The surrounding mountains tower above the historical mining town of Telluride, this place really is special and sometimes the views can even be distracting while trying to navigate down the course. The mountain has created a good system of trails in its developing bike park and the 2002 World Cup track still remains, but has seen quite a few facelifts throughout the years.

Two years have passed since I was last here and the track has since received some changes. The rocks in the landing of the road gap were to my delight removed and smooth rocks put in there place to provide an easy landing platform. Momentum Trail Concepts last year developed the bottom of the track with big berms, added track sections and time with steep chutes and tight turns. The weekend started out with some soaking rain that tacked up the riding surface creating hero dirt to end the day Friday. The rest of the weekend called for afternoon showers which could really shake things up if we were to race in the peanut butter.

There was once again a time trial Super D race that I chose to enter in for a bit of fun and practice towards the Big Mountain Enduro series later this year. There were a ton of dusty bermed turns and short sprints between to set the riders apart. It was a fun track to ride and I was excited to see if I could repeat my 1st place performance from last week. I had a great top section going and was riding well until I traversed across the open ski slope. I was looking ahead towards the entrance of the trees and then the off camber trail fell away beneath my wheels sending me sliding head first over the flesh searing rocks. After dusting myself off I hopped back on my bike with bars twisted 10 degrees to the left and rode hard the rest of the way to a 6th place finish only 4 seconds off the box and 10 from the win. As disappointing and painful as the race was I was stoked to see Teddy come across the line and finish 4th place overall less than a second off of 3rd. 

Sunday morning rolled around and the aches from the previous evenings activities fallowed me up for my qualifying run. The rain had held off and the track was rough, fast and dry. I put together a clean qualifying run and ended up seeding in 2nd place .2 out of 1st. I knew I had to open it up throughout the turns and minimize mistakes for my final as I was tired from peddling too hard out of every turn. Telluride local boy Jess rode very well in his first timed run since Angel Fire to seed 5th and Teddy who had been right on my tail seeded into 7th. With some good rides, we were looking at the possibility of 3 riders in the top 5, but first the Cat 1 15-18 junior riders were about to drop in. Both Roy and Tyler had crashed in their seeding runs and Roy was the first to cross the line and into the hot seat. He held the top position until Tyler crossed the line .05 ahead. Overall, Tyler would finish in 5th and Roy in 6th place. Congratulations to Roy who finished 2nd overall in the MSC Cat 1 15-18.

It was time to head back up the hill for my final run. In 2010 I had qualified 1st and was primed for a great finish and I ended up blowing my bead off the rim and awarded myself with an overnight stay in the Hospital. This thought had crossed my mind once or twice but I knew all I can do is ride and the rest will sort itself out. After congratulating the young junior rider who seeded 1st behind me, I set out of the gate far more focused and was riding exceptionally faster in the top section. I was riding loose, drifting past some of the spectators as I entered into the trees that took me down two years ago. I let out a little celebratory cheer as I smoothly rode past my old crash zone and blitzed into the rocks. I rode a slightly higher line than in practice and avoided many of the bigger rocks, but just as I thought I was in the clear, the all too familiar sound of the bead blowing off the tire rang true through the trees like a shotgun blast. At least this time I was still upright, body intact and ready to ride another day even though my day was done due to my rim losing the battle with a very sharp rock. Teddy had a safe run but left a little too much in the tank and finished 13th overall. Jess who had been gaining speed all weekend was looking for the podium but just fell short in 4th place overall, .8 off of the box.

It was another great weekend of riding and racing on some great tracks in arguably one of the most beautiful places in the country. There were some close calls and disappointment on my part with my DNF and fall in the Super D. The junior riders continued to impress and show their willingness to push themselves faster each weekend. Michael took this weekend off the rehab from a few bicycle get offs and to train for the upcoming Big Mountain Enduro Series races. Lear has been ripping it up in British Columbia, visiting Banshee headquarters and shredding hard in front of the camera. Thanks to all of our great sponsors for allowing us to perform at our highest potential and helping us reach our goals.

Ride On!

Snowmass: Home Sweet Home

 

 

The 3rd stop on the 2012 Mountain States Cup came to my home valley to Snowmass Mountain. Since I can remember there has been a race every year at Snowmass dating back to 2004 when I started racing. I've been living in this valley on and off throughout the summers the past 5 years, but it would be the first time I slept in my own bed on a race weekend, which was awesome!

Snowmass is well known for their flat out fast downhill course, and this year it was no different. There has also been some recent trail development at Snowmass with the addition of a new A Line inspired jump trail that is a blast to ride. While at registration I was talked into racing the Super D race dubbed the Uber D, that went from the top of the mountain and would include the new trail called Valhalla. At 5.5 miles long, and close to 3,000 vertical drop you sure get your moneys worth. Before the start of the Uber D, some of the pro riders wanted to race chainless. We all took a vote, nobody voted against it, so we broke out the chain breaker and pocketed them. Momentum and exit speed would be my biggest concern as there are hundreds of turns on the track. It was a long run of pumping even the smallest bump in order to keep speed, but I must have done something right because after 17 minutes of riding as efficiently as possible I came away with a 42 second victory. 

There was another Super D race the following morning that Pro rider Teddy Benge competed in. He avenged a tough Uber D run the day before, put his chain back on and pedaled his way onto the podium for a tough 3rd place podium finish. 

The Downhill course had burned in throughout the weekend and was starting to get rough as moto bumps, ruts and giant bomb holes developed in many of the dry and dusty berm turns. The top of the track had been straightened out compared to recent years so speeds were high almost touching the 50mph mark. Seeding runs Sunday morning saw some guys go for it and blow up due to the rough track conditions. Teddy, Michael and I took it easy with Michael and Teddy slotting into mid pack and myself finishing 2nd while holding back a little and making sure I had my lines down. 

The Juniors started out the day of racing by upping their game and riding hard for some impressive finishes. Tanner Spence battled through the pain of a swollen and bruised hand on his way to an 8th place finish. Younger brother Tyler had his best ride and result to date by finishing 4th, just two-seconds off of the podium. Roy Benge has been putting in the work, fresh off of racing at National Championships in North Carolina and the experience helped him finish on the podium for the 2nd straight race in 3rd less than a second from the top step. 

Michael was the first to leave the start just ahead of Teddy, but just as he was getting up to speed his day ended quickly as his rear tire sustained an inch-long puncture, so he was forced to ease it down slowly to the finish. Teddy would improve upon his qualifying time and rode smoothly to an 18th place finish. I decided to gamble and run lower pressure in my tires so I could stick to the ground as much as possible on the high speed sections. This tactic paid off as I had a great top section and hit all my lines while navigating through the rough, rowdy and relentless course. Not even a mechanical near the finish could slow me down enough as I finished in 1st place 2 seconds up. 

It was an incredibly enjoyable race weekend as the tracks were fun, the weather beautiful and being home for the first time in 2 months made for a very relaxed weekend. Thank you to all that made this weekend great. The team will once again prepare, pack and head 4 hours southwest to Telluride, Colorado for the last round of the Mountain States Cup and Colorado State Championships. 

Ride on!

Winter Park Enduro: Lungbusting good fun!

While racing on the east coast, I was looking forward to this weekend. Before last years event I had never participated in an Enduro style event and I had some great success and couldn't wait to do it again. The weekend started off with a bang on Thursday in the Air DH where I took the top spot alongside teammate Jess who was right behind me in 2nd. I felt good as I was using this race as a warm up for the weekend, I was worried that I would still be fatigued from traveling and from the altitude, but I felt as fresh a daisy going into Friday. 

The first race was chainless and very downhill oriented so I was extremely confident going into it especially since I smashed it last year. It was not going to be a repeat as I left too much on the course riding conservatively. I wanted to get off to a good start, but a few momentum killing mistakes and too much brakes left me playing catchup in 19th place after stage one. 

The second stage was also very downhill oriented and once I put my chain back on I was determined to leave it all out on the track. I rode so much more aggressive and it paid off with a great 2nd place result. This moved me up from 19th place to 7th overall after the first day of racing. 

Day two would be tough as the stages were getting longer with a lot more peddling. Stage three was an extremely fun track involving the air downhill course that I won on earlier in the week and finished on a freeride trail littered with jumps and drops. I once again put down a good run and was half a second off the top spot finishing 2nd again. This moved me up into 3rd place overall leading into stage four and the last of the mini stages. 

Stage four had a good mixture of flow built into it but there wasn't anytime to relax. If I wasn't turning, I was churning and burning. There were two flat peddling sections including one that was named 300 yard walk, which was a road with a slight crown to crest over before bombing back down to the finish. This stage I gritted me teeth and put my head down for a well deserved 3rd place on the stage. This would move me into 2nd place overall going into the fifth and final stage. 

The last stage would be a canon start, meaning that riders would start in the order of the overall and how many seconds behind each other they are. It was also going to be around a 25 minute race to the bottom with multiple climbs and slower trail conditions. The morning started with a 20 minute slog up the road from the top of the base lift, all racers had to get themselves to the top unassisted. This proved to be a nice little warm up to get the legs going before really putting them to the test. Going into the last stage I knew I had my work cut out for me in order to improve or to even stay in the top ten. I had done everything in my power to work out the fatigue 3 straight days of racing had put on my lower limbs and was going to leave it all out on the trail. Once the gun sounded I sprinted out of the gate with 3rd place behind me on my wheel. I rode hard for about 5 minutes but the momentum robbing roots and spongy conditions started to take their toll. I dropped back into 3rd place trying to pace the man in front of me but to my despair I had already hit my threshold and needed a recovery. Two more riders sprinted by me like I was standing still. In 5th place I tried desperately to find my rhythm again but it was too little too late. I had blown my legs and hit the wall and there were riders teaming up working together to get around me. My legs felt like cinder blocks as I made my way up the last climb in 8th which I would hold until a minute long road sprint towards the bottom. I gave it one final go but my 34 tooth combined with my lack of power output wasn't enough as I moved back into 10th place before the final plunge to the finish. Unlike the previous year, the last stage was extremely XC oriented suffer fest and did not bode well for me. I've been training and riding 3-5 minute World Cup downhills and I was not properly prepared to confidently ride to the best of my ability flat out for 25 minutes straight after multiple days of racing. I was still extremely pleased and proud to have put myself on the podium multiple times, scored a top 10 overall and in podium position amongst the whole North American Enduro contingency. 

Ride On!

Race Report: National Champs

The boys at Beech Mountain built a phenomenal dual course and I couldn't resist the urge to SHRED!!! Photos: Steve Kaufman

 

 After sampling some of the best all mountain riding Asheville had to offer Michael and I made ours he two hour trip up north the Beech Mountain for the MTB Gravity National Championships. This is the 2nd year this race has been held here but it was a first for us in terms of new racing venue. This course was going to be short but packed in a little bit of everything. It took a few runs to find the flow and lines, but by the end of Thursday we were getting the slick upper woods, middle rock garden and big jumps dialed in. We made a quick trip to pick up Team Junior 15-16 Roy Benge and machanic John Hartmann at the Charlotte airport early Friday and pinned it back up to the mountain in time to get some l practice runs. Immediately fallowing practice was qualifying for Michael and I in the Dual Slalom. 

After a poor qualification, I had to turn up the heat early in the round of 8

 We were both stoked to have dual back and jumped at the opportunity to race. Being on longer travel bikes on such a smooth track with tight radius turns put us in a bit of a disadvantage over those who rode hard tails. Michael would qualify 10th and I ended up 6th. Immediately fallowing qualifying, John began dismantling the single speed setup on my Banshee Amp Hard-tail swapping drivetrain and tires making it race ready. The next day was downhill qualifying. It had rained off and on throughout the night leaving the track a little greasy but come the afternoon most of the course was perfect. Michael has been battling an injury and his goal was to keep it upright as he finished 50th looking forward to a stronger finish on race day. I didn't have a good idea how I stacked up on this track so I rode loose fallowing the main lines and getting drifty towards the bottom finishing in 6th place. Pretty happy considering I had to take my feet off a few times. 

Every time I race dual Cody and I always find a way to race each other, definitely creating a friendly rivalry against the fast young gun!

 Later that day we switched bikes and headed back up the hill for the dual main event. A beer festival was going on in the base and many patrons found there way up the hill to spectate which made this event really fun to participate in. The crowd was loud, my bike was feeling great and I was having fun. Michael gave it his all but could not make up a first run deficit and was ousted in the 1st round. I cruised in the 1st round finding my flow and then turned up the heat advancing to the round of 4 where I was narrowly defeated by .07 overall by number two seed Blake Carney. Cody Kelly and I put on a good show for the crowd as I took the heat and bronze medal. I was jazzed on the whole experience, I usually always have a great time racing dual and this was no exception. The support from the fans and my teammates really helped me push back up the hill as many times as I did. Rain fallowed that night and foggy morning conditions greeted us for morning practice. I was smoked from the night before and decided to session 1 run and to take a good look at the course trying to figure out line and tire choice. Racing began late in the morning and Roy was the first one of us down the track. He put together a decent run but was hampered by a few mistakes. Not what he was looking for, but it was a great experience and will help him in the future. After many hours of waiting Michael and I were making our way up the hill. The sun had been out and baked the track surface making for a quick track in the open sections, but in the trees word was it was still very greasy and slow in spots. Michael set out to improve greatly on his qualifying time, but was derailed mid run by a get off and hammered it across the line for a 39th place overall. Due to re-runs I was held up at the start for a half hour longer than anticipated. Trying to keep occupied I visualized the track, stayed warm and even played some rock hackie sac. Once on the track I got a hair off line and overlooked it into the first woods and over the bars, game over. I tried to give the crowd a show after dusting myself off and readjusting my brake levers but nearly ended up on the ground again through the rock garden. I put it onto auto pilot and rode to ride another day finishing 47th overall. 

Preparing to launch the triple out of the woods. The course at Beech Mountain had a good mixture of everything and I especially enjoyed all of the jumps!

 It's been a long trip out east and I'm excited to head home. We'll switch it up next weekend as we pull out the Banshee Spitfires for the Colorado Freeride Fest, Trestle Enduro stage race at Winter Park. Thank you to all of our sponsors for supporting our journey.

Pushing the small bike to the limits and a 3rd place podium position

 

Ride On!

Life while living, riding and racing on the East Coast

4th of July celebrations in NH

 Hey Y'all! Its been a great last month of traveling, riding and racing out here on the East Coast. Traveling alone has really been a good learning experience, and I've enjoyed it immensely. I have listened to many audiobooks, taken wrong turns and have slept in parking lots, truck stops, and campgrounds. Its been a simple life, not having to cater to anyone but myself, living in the back of a pickup truck and having everything I need to compete in the 16x7 trailer certainly has made life easy. Sometimes having solitude for a few days on the road allows you to relax, and suddenly the task of driving 35 hours across the country sounds pleasant. It also helps when everything has been going smoothly, there have been minimal problems and many people are supporting what I am doing.

Saratoga Springs, NY. Taking in the last of the evening light

truck and trailer on route to Sugarbush, VT

awesome swimming holes are aplenty out here

Big red barn hotel at the base of Sugarbush Mountain

Hucking it into the deep end in Vermont

Thanks Garson for the pump track fun!

Twilight shot, it was that fast

The gang after a rad xc ride in Waterbury, VT

Lee Trumpore found a shot of me getting a move on at Sugarbush

The weather has been phenomenal, I really couldn't have asked for anything more. I've been clean, the bikes have been clean and its been very nice because of that. I've grown a liking to Vermont and will definitely be back to ride out there. The mountains are most definitely green, and they are big as well which was somewhat surprising. The roads are a maze, lots of twists and turns and I like that too. Everyone has a giant garden in their yard, every town seems to have a local organic farm and an awesome swimming hole. I crossed the boarder to drop the trailer off with Duane at the Holderness Academy in Plymouth, New Hampshire. He is our POC rep Willie's dad and was incredibly helpful in my mission to leave the trailer somewhere safe before heading up to Canada. Cheers Duane! I never know whether or not I'm in NH, or VT when I'm around the border because the roads crisscross multiple times. I do know that Moose are the very prevalent in the area as I saw two the very first week I was out East. Eastern Canada is very different from Western Canada obviously. Once you cross the boarder the world suddenly turns into a very different place. The people speak a different language, measuring systems are different, and the land stars to mellow out the further North you go towards the St Lawrence river. I somehow navigated my way by memory to the base of MSA, with a minor detour through the heart of downtown Quebec City at 1am.

Got in late and found a spot to set up the tent, Mount Sainte Anne

It was awesome hanging with the Furbee clan, good times!

Pit stop through Canada, the contents in the back regurgitate out of the back.

Racing these are fun!

Thanks for letting me hang out, here is breakfast!

Going to the World Cup races are exciting and also a daunting task. I have so much support regionally, but once I leave the country I suddenly feel like I'm starting over, trying to meet new support people and make a good first impression just in case I need any sort of support outside of what I'm capable of doing from the back of my truck. This is such an individualistic sport, but its crazy how much support you need to be at the top of the box. Luckily for me I was much more prepared than I have been in the past thanks to my current support team and I was able to remain self supported throughout the weekend. However when the World Cup came to Windham, NY everything suddenly feels all too familiar again and that level of support is higher. I'm curious as to whether or not my fellow racers across the pond feel the same way I do when I travel internationally as when they come to North America? Being that two thirds of the competitions are in Europe, does that provide a home court advantage if you will to those racers who are so comfortable over there and who also know the support teams and people behind the events much like I do on my home soil? In the end its a traveling circus and if you are part of the carnival you are like a family on one big giant vacation where each weekend is as similar, surroundings are familiar just a different destination each stop. Back in 2008 we took a race trip to Europe, and it was full of setbacks, problems and adventures. I got a chance to revisit some of those memories as I was pitted in the parking lot next to some chaps from Scotland and Ireland. They were all around 20 years of age and were piled into a van, one of them without a bike, the others slightly disoriented but all having a good time. That week I lent out tires, knee pads, tools, food and pretty much anything to help give these guys a fighting chance with the big boys chilling in the tents comfortably lounging while a wrench puts back their wrecked bike back to showroom floor status. Its cool, the people you meet and the friends you make all because of this on a whim lifestyle we lead trying to chase our dreams around the world on a nonexistent budget. Now I'm sure if I go to Scotland or Ireland I will receive the same support from the more fortunate trying to help a brother out. I would like to thank Yeti Cycles for providing me with a weeks worth of food after the Windham World Cup event, they were going to get rid of so much good produce, meat and items like Almond butter, pesto and hummus. Makes me wonder how much food gets tossed per WC team after every event if they can't find a home for it. Does everyone else shop? Eat Out? Eat like crap? All I know is that most everything I got was quality and I was like a kid on Christmas morning as I spent 3 hours cooking all of the meat, cooking down the spinach into a saag and preparing meals for the days to come. I spent a few extra days in the Windham parking lot enjoying some golf and trying to sharpen my mental prowess. I also had to wait around to pick up Michael at the Hartford International Airport on Tuesday and that's when my solo trip came to an end.

2nd try is the charm while setting up the Shimano rig in Windham, NY

I was pretty stoked with my home away from home for the week

Richie from Stans No Tubes getting a move on out in the forest, good ride fellas

Natural shag carpet, everything out here is so green!

Always a good decision. Much better than coffee in my book.

Nothing can beat a local diary's chocolate milk with commemorative jug.

Sharpening my mental skillz out on the course. I actually hit it that close.

I average about 3 hours of this a day when you factor in prep and cleanup. Some may say its not worth it, I highly disagree!

That is at least 5 lawns worth of mowing

Colorado Moose has been representing out here.

I'll admit it was nice to have Michael on board, even if he is impartial to sports talk radio. I got Michael on the bike as soon as possible up at Highland Mountain Bike Park. He had been in the Grand Canyon for the last few weeks and hasn't seen his DH bike since the end of April. Highland is a pretty rad place, a former ski hill that closed down and was revitalized by a vision to create a place for all mountain bikers. Its an amusement park for bikes and because its is so small there is a great mellow community based atmosphere. We utilized that parking lot and felt at home as I would wave hi to all of the mountain employees every morning on my way to utilize the bathroom facilities. By the time we left I was on a first name basis with most of them and it was kinda tough to move on from the comfort and familiarity of the area. I had gotten pretty familiar with the North East area and wouldn't have been too hurried to move on as there is still so much to be explored, but the beauty is I'll have something to explore another day. I had a formal invite to make my way down to Asheville, North Carolina to join our buddy Tyler West from Shimano for a week of riding his old stomping grounds. I couldn't resist the urge to explore a new part of the country and new trail systems. As much as I like the thrill of riding downhill all day, I never get the same sense of accomplishment as I do after a good day working for it on my Spitty. We arrived at the West residence after a pleasant drive down the eastern seaboard, dodging I phone misdirections trying to send us through the Bronx, found a quite corner in the Walmart parking lot for the night and finally got excited once we started to see real(ish) mountains again. We were immediately taken in and adopted into the family here. Household amenities were a realization again and tell you the truth not really missed, but greatly appreciated. Its been great headquarters here in Asheville. The riding has been amazing and I feel like we have only scratched the surface. Tyler has played tour guide and has taken us to some amazing spots and we have gotten to ride with some great people. Our friends Bama and Tanisha from our college days in Boulder have been on the same trajectory that we have and finally we connected. They along with their dog Larry have been staying with us here at the house as Mary and John have been phenomenal hosts. We really couldn't have asked for a better week off if you will, even though its been non-stop. This next week we look forward to National Champs up at Beech Mountain outside of Boone, North Carolina. I pick up Holly, junior rider Roy and good friend and mechanic John on Friday morning in Charlotte. Should be a fun week most likely playing around in the mud as the rain keeps falling.

Messing with our helmet cam while attempting to get a shot with the scenery

lightning fast, or maybe just trying to outrun the rain. There is no doing that around here, riding in the rain everyday!

Decided to pay these fine folks a visit and let em know that they make awesome stuff!

The views are much different out here. Its been unseasonably rainy around these parts this past week.

If there was an ocean behind these trees, I would have thought I was back in Costa Rica.

Everything was soaking wet, including my camera lens. Washing off in the creek has been a normal occurrence. I like it!

Forging the river at the Little River crossing. Rain has greatly increased the water flow and even managed to wash Bama down the river. He rode it like a champ!

This is why I love this bike so much!!!

Thank you John and Mary for feeding us, sheltering us and being such great hosts!!!

Thank you big man for showing us around and for always taking care of us at the races!

Ride On!

Race Report: Highland Mountain Bike Park - FUN!

2nd place!!!

           I finally felt compelled to raise my fists in celebration after I crossed the finish line. I didn’t come across the line in first, so why celebrate as I did especially in this society where if your not first your last? It has been a while since I put together a run that I was truly happy with and proud to call my own. Even if I ended up in 15^th place, I would have been pleased with my performance.

            I picked my brother and teammate Michael up at the Hartford airport on Tuesday afternoon and we quickly departed northbound to Highland Mountain Bike Park in Northfield, New Hampshire. Last year was the first time I got the chance to experience this place, and it sure didn’t disappoint. I was excited to get back up there to do some midweek shredding and to get Michael back on the bike as he had been in the Grand Canyon kayaking some serious white water. I was sure he would get back up to speed in no time and after one day of riding he was starting to feel like his old self again. I’ve always been impressed with Highland MTB Park, they do so much with what they have to work with and they have everything here from full on downhill, flow trails, dirt jumps, cross country to a legit slope style course. For a few extra bucks I got an experience of a lifetime by back flipping my DH bike 50 feet into their 50X50 AYR Bag, it was so much fun I had to do it a half dozen more times, probably the highlight of the trip so far. With so much to do here, it was tough to concentrate on racing as I had been so focused the last few weeks at the World Cups, so I didn’t fight the urge. I rode everything all day trying to have as much fun as physically possible.

            The downhill track was the same one as we had raced last year, but the trail crew put some major work into it by smoothening out some rough technical sections and creating some serious flow. Out of the gate it was a sprint after a fruit bowl drop in to a table top and roll. After putting the pedal down hard for a few seconds the track diverted left into a tight tree section full of roots and technical chutes. Not much line choice was required on this track but if you made a mistake it would be very costly as momentum is your best friend. There are so many little things that make this track so much fun and if you can get the flow right you’ll be rewarded. After a high speed decent off of a bridge it is back into the trees and into a new cut loamy serpentine single track section. Over the course of the weekend this section would burn in and reveal its hidden rock slabs and diagonal roots. After navigating this new section it spit you back out onto the original track and the flow returned with some developed hard packed bermed turns and rhythm sections. A hard sprint into the last bit of the track sent you flying through the last few trees, up and over rock roll in chutes, big berms, and double jumps. This section is so solid and fast that you could commit one hundred percent and trust the track to point you in the right direction all the way down to the finish arena.

            The weather was incredible this past weekend. Unlike last year where it was a muddy mess, a bright blue sky was a welcomed sight. I for the most part didn’t mind the sweltering humid heat. Michael and I had a good few runs in the morning practice session and were ready for seeding. Micheal in his first recorded timed run since April put together a solid time and into 22^nd place primed to up the ante on the final run. In his final run he improved upon his time and moved up five spots to a very respectable 17^th place overall. With some more time on the bike in the next two weeks he will be ready for National Championships. I had been so relaxed all weekend and felt like playing a little hackie sack before dropping in. This little warm up seemed to pay off as I finished in 2^nd place, but I still had plenty of work to do to get that top spot. The competition for the top spot was very high, many of the top US contenders and some international athletes were out here competing for the top spot and the $1500 grand prize. I was excited on my seeding run result, but I knew that it was just one run and one that many just use as a warm up to their final run. As always, there seems to be about a 5 hour break in-between runs and instead of trying to conserve energy and to stay out of the sun like so many other I grabbed my Banshee Amp dirt jumper and rode the trails. I ended up even riding the cross country trails on my single speed focusing on finding the smooth line and having fun getting bounced around all over the place. Took one more run down the mountain to feel the flow and warm up a bit, even though I felt more than warmed up. This may have been the reason that I went into a really loose turn blowing myself up, smashing my ankle hard, getting dirt everywhere and tweaking my bike a bit. I dusted myself off quickly and thought it wasn’t the worst thing that I just got that out of the way. I spent a while up at the start before dropping in, and once I did it was over almost before it started. This track was short, half that of most tracks so the racing was extremely tight. I put together a great run, didn’t ride out of my comfort zone and felt I could have gone faster. I missed a few peddle strokes and that was about it, might have cost me the win but I wasn’t too concerned about that. My goal was to ride well and when I came down in 2^nd place I was so pleased with myself. It had been a long time coming and to do it against some top notch competition was a plus. Justin Leov was the only rider standing between me and the top spot. He has been such a fixture in the World Cup and North American downhill scene that I was happy to be standing next to him in the top spot as I have always looked up to him. 1 second was the difference on the day, but I felt as though I had won because I had more fun than anyone this past weekend, and that was what I’m most happy about.  

Ride On!