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! 

Race Report: Windham World Cup

In order to match Aaron Gwin's speed I've decided to go on a spinach only diet!

I could see the light at the end of the tunnel, and just cleaned the rock garden section the best I had all week. Last pump into the left hand turn before the tunnel of trees disappear and the fishing dock spits me out into a sea of sunshine. No brakes and fully committed I let go and look ahead, but something isn’t right, I’m still in the air!

            Back racing a World Cup in the USA. It’s a pretty cool feeling going to a World Cup race, but to have it on home soil makes it that much better. I made my way to the town of Windham, one of the many towns that were heavily affected by last years devastating hurricane, hurricane Irene. It’s incredible that just a few months ago I was staring at images of a river flowing down Main Street, and how the town has come together to rebuild and host another World Cup event. It’s always nice to come back to a familiar venue, not only because I already know the mountain, but just already knowing where the grocery store, laundry mat and bike shop is a big help preparing for the weekend.

            Last year I did not have a great weekend here at Windham. The course was slick, extremely fast and I couldn’t figure out exactly how to allow myself to open it up. This year, the track was much the same, but the conditions couldn’t have been any different. I felt like I was riding back in Colorado on the dry and dusty track. The top section straight out of the gate dives into the trees and onto a single track ribbon of trail that if a tire migrates inches away from the main rut, the consequences are very costly. The speeds are high too as the chutes bring you right down the fall line. Much of the top is a controlled skid as you slid and rudder your way through the forest. This opens up to a rock face that is wide open with many lines that can be seen overhead by the chairlift in the wide open ski run. Some riders were opting for the inside and middle double drop line, but that was extremely harsh upon landing so I generally stayed near the tape hugging the ground and preparing to gain speed back into the trees. At speed it was quite a feeling entering the trees at such a high speed and for a quick second your blind riding by brail as your eyes struggle to adjust to the intense light changes. It was very loose in the trees, navigating the bermed turns, shall rock chutes and natural doubles were even more difficult to commit to once 200 riders took to the track. Across a road and instantly back up ludicrous speed before sending it off of the “gap” jump, about 45 feet from lip to landing and then a step down into a left berm really gets you going. The rhythm changes as you start to weave through the trees, pumping and jumping the natural undulations. Once again you pop out of the trees and prepare for the smallest yet most terrifying maneuver over what is called the shall pit (of doom). It’s a small step down, but there is no backside, the only option is to land on top of the shall that is jutting out of the earth and to try to be as light as possible hoping not to explode a bash guard. After a few riders went down hard on the first day of practice, to my delight the organizers tore out the rock creating a slightly more appealing landing zone. Coming in hot to the only real rock section of the course, notably called the “Rock Garden”, it’s a quick trip and skip through, but could be very tricky if your wheel doesn’t stay on top of the rocks and finds a hole as many found out. This brings me to where I left off. I was on a good run, minor mistakes up top but I really let loose towards the bottom and right before jumping back out into the open, I restrained from doing a brake check and paid the ultimate price by overshooting the landing ramp and turtle shelling while still impressively holding onto my bike. I was shocked…I couldn’t believe that this was happening as I felt in total control and was ready to lay down one of my best runs of the year. Even though I knew my day was most likely done, I got back up as quick as possible and wanted to race it all the way to the rest of the finish. The bottom race arena had a big facelift with big landing put in place for the tunnel drop, and newly constructed finish sprint jumps one being a 45 foot hip that would be squashed as there was a 65 foot monster step down into the finish corral that many riders struggled with all weekend. From run 1 I committed to these jumps and hit them every run and had so much fun feeling the sensation of being airborne for an unnaturally long period of time. I was riding well within the top 80 before crashing and finishing 108^th overall, only 4 seconds from qualifying.  

            I tried very hard to focus on all of the positives that came from this past weekend and my qualifying run. I know I have the speed like always. I’m learning to deal with the pressures of performing at the highest level while trying to not over perform making too many mistakes in the process. I was pleased with how I prepared myself, riding the waves of nervousness rather than paddling against the current or drowning in them. In the end I got a little too excited and for a split second rode outside of myself while trying to set a personal best in the speed trap. Thank you to all of my sponsors and supporters who have supported me through the past few weeks of World Cup racing. I always feel like I progress and learn so much at these races and will be taking this knowledge with me to the next event. Tomorrow morning I pick up my brother in Hartford and will head back up to Highland MTB Park, New Hampshire for the 3^rd round of the MTB Grand Prix. 

Media: 

http://www.vitalmtb.com/interstitial?page=%2Fphotos%2Ffeatures%2FGwIndependence-Day-Comes-Early-Windham-World-Cup-DH-Finals%2C3946%2FSlideshow%2C0%2Fsspomer%2C2 

Video: 

http://dirt.mpora.com/news/dirttvwindham-world-cup-finals-2012.html 

Ride On!