About 3 months ago i received a phone call from the editor of [R]evolution magazine , Australia’s leading gravity mag. The mission was 5 riders 3 photographers and 3 days at Redbull’s famous Dirtpipe. When we all first rolled into the place and looked at the giant pipe the first thing i noticed is this thing is way bigger then any picture or video makes it look. Its a lot steeper then i thought it would be. The owner Mitch built the pipe as close as he could to a snowboard super pipe. So to see it in dirt was an amazing site and huge props Mitchell Smith and his crew that built it. The speed needed to get out of the pipe and make the jumps was also a surprise, you had to be going warp speed in some places especially the hips at the bottom which were the most fun. I spent most of my time just hitting the hips cause there is nothing better to float over then a huge boosty hip. Anyway the magazine is out so here are some shots of the trip. Get [R]evolution v20 for the full story.

Hey everybody, here is a photo from last week. Enjoy!

Hi, I’m Cory and I live in Squamish BC. I went for a lovely ride with Karen on Monday night.

Karen waited patiently while I whined and walked it off…
(continue reading…)

Myself on the big step up at the training (Photos by Simon Chanez)

Heeeey, a couple weeks ago we had the biggest freeride event ever made in France. The set up was pretty sick and big. This happened in the famous ski and bike resort Châtel which is located about 1 hour away from Geneva. All the best freeriders made the move to there because it was a gold event for the FMBA tour.

The organizers built some massive drops and a 12m (36 feet) step up at the beginning of the course. Then we had an wide open face where you could take whatever lines you wanted and showed your freeride skills. On the finish we had again a couple drops built by the shaper to end it on a wood kicker with a dirt landing 10m (30 feet) further. It was kind of gnarly but I really enjoyed that contest. Everyone was super friendly and every night all the riders had meeting at the bars in the village which was fun.

Here is me again doing a flat table one foot (photo by Simon Chanez)

I was really stoked to finish 9th at the finals on the middle of all the best pros in the world. I had a good run and fun while riding. A lot of good friends from France where there which made it even better.

Here are the results :

1 – Brandon Semenuk
2 – Darren Berrecloth
3 – Cameron Zink
4 – Alex Prochazka
5 – Sam Pilgrim
6 – Mike Kinrade
7 – Amir Kabbani
8 – Tyler McCaul
9 – Antoine Bizet
9 – Vincent Pernin
9 – Cameron McCaul

Here is a good video of the event edited by my friend Thierry Neau :

Talk to you later.
Vince.

Sooo I think it’s pretty obvious from the photo above that things didn’t go so good for me tat Nationals. Actually they went pretty good…until I crashed. I have been having so much fun riding my bike recently and I think that was pretty obvious this weekend. I was riding with confidence and I was just having fun, didn’t really feel a whole lot of pressure. It was just another day goofing around on the bike

On my last practice run before qualis I hiked back up to hit the jumpy section cause I wasn’t getting good flow…I was over jumping the first jumps causing me to loose speed for the hip. So, yah, walked back up, hit the jumps perfect and as I was rounding the corner into the hip, my wheels started sliding but I just stayed committed because I was sure they were gonna hook up, they did, and then I started pedaling and then they broke loose again. I was already totally committed so I just slammed on the ground, Not exactly sure how I landed on my arm but I felt it break under me…eww.

Of course, I am absolutely devastated. I want to be riding my bike right now, not sitting on the sidelines but accidents happen and I have no regrets. Whenever an accident happens, I always think what I could have done differently to avoid it.  To be honest, I wouldn’t have done anything different, If I were to go into that section today I would have done the exact same thing. We ride DH, accidents are inevitable, you can’t push it and expect to never get an injury.

Now I am back in Whistler. Made it back in time for the COC Bbq and final party which was a blast. I seriously had the best time ever coaching and I can’t wait to do more.

So the doctor is saying 6 weeks in a cast. Gonna try and prove him wrong…staying fit, eating good and using the magic bone stimulator. With that said, I only have one body so I am going to let it heal properly how it needs to heal. Feels so good to be back in the gym…my head just needs it. It is so hard to go from go, go, go…to STOP. not cool. As we speak I am sitting on my sofa because I can’t move…got worked so bad this afternoon at the gym…but I LOVE it.

I expect to see every one of you up at Crankworx…make those reservations now if you haven’t already. Best week of the summer!!

Photo: Ryan Cathrall, Rufas Designs

Now the european MTB enduro season have started and the first races was good. This year, I ride on 2 championships : the Enduro Series and the Maxi-avalanche Europ Cup.

The season started very well for me because I won the 2 first Enduro Series in Métabief and Allos. I won too the 2 first Maxi-avalanche Europ Cup in Vallnord and Samoëns.

But the first objective of the year is the Megavalanche in l’Alpe d’Huez. A nice event : 2000 riders, 1 week of ride and the longest downhill marathon of the world with a mass star on the snow and a finish 30km after. Regrettably, I fell on the snow and can restart only in the last ones. The victory flies away and I can finish only to the 4th place. That’s a pity, they are the uncertainties of this event. It will be for a next time…

 This weekend finally, 3rd round) of the Enduro Series in Vars ! Beautiful spot, beautiful enduro tracks and one stage by night with lights, wonderful ! I led the first day but broke my chain the 2nd day, I can finish only 2nd. I lose the possibility of taking the general. But I took lots of pleasure to ride in a very nice spot !

 Now, I thus concentrate on my coming in Canada for the enduro of Crankworx. I have never been to Whistler, I am sure that it is terrible!

In one fellow swoop, my riding season has come to an end. Iwould love to be able to sit here and tell you that the crash was a mind blowing demonstration of hackiness only Geroge W. Bush could be proud of. But it wasn’t. It was so bad, and uneventfull that even the paramedic who assisted my removal from the mountain suggested that I make up a new story.
So here she goes. Cough… Cough

I was slaying the trails up in the Garbonzo zone, ripping it up, throwing the bike around, in general having a rukus good time. When out of the forest comes the largest bear that I have ever seen. This thing was massive! The size of a truck it was! And it was old, older than any bear in Whistler. Older than all cougars in Whistler combined!

I attemped to evade the bear with my ninja moves, but I failed and the bear quickly latched onto my right leg. What I soon realized when the bear went to clamp down on my leg, was that it was so old that it didn’t have any teeth. Despite this, it still continued to gum at my leg. We wrestled around in the dirt for a while. I got some good shots in! But finally my pencil thin legs were no match, and after repeated attempts the bear managed to break my tib fib in two locations.

Totally believable eh?

Okay the real story is that I was riding out the table on Upper Freight Train, just after the Tree Island, and when I was riding across the dirt to the “new” section my right foot slid forward off my pedal and lodged itself between the pedal and the ground. I rode through a pothole and when the ground came back up on the other side of the pothole, my lower right leg got stuck and snapped. I knew something was wrong, and it was confirmed when I looked down at my leg, because it was sideways. I rolled to a stop and lower myself to the ground and got a call into Patrol.

I would like to thank all the Patrol people on the mountain, the ambulance drivers who drove me to the Hospital and the staff at the hospital. You guys were super amazing and made a very bad experience great! Many Thanks!

And to my friends, I love you people, you were there in a flash, and have helped me out more that I will ever be able to repay you! A few at the GLC when I am better…. perhaps?

Apparently with the bionic attachments that are being put in my legs today I should be good to go in about 6 weeks… well at least walk again.

I have tossed around the idea of getting out of biking and picking up EXTREME KNITTING! I guess only time will tell. Anyone want an afghan? 

Just got back from Panorama, BC from racing the National Championships and the Canada Cup round 2.  The National track was a fun and long track. It got blown out so quickly, making big big holes and insanely dusty. I Finished 4th. With stopping to say hi to a tree that I hit during the race, then a flag in my face near the bottom saying that rider is down in front of me. Getting to the bottom and going straight back up for another run with no time to rest. Having to hop right back on my bike to do another race run was so hard, after being mentally and physically done from my first run, my body started grabbing brakes more and just not having the power left.  So I was happy with 4th.

Panorama used the same upper tack with a change in the lower part.  They didn’t work on the track during the week so the massive holes stayed the same just with some dust filling them to make them look like they were gone. It felt like you were riding in sand. I had blown my shock before Nationals and still raced with it.  I found a shock to use for Canada Cup race weekend. The track felt a little better with a working shock. With a few mistakes I finished 5th.

Best Euro adventure yet!  Just got back from some bike missioning in the Swiss and French Alps.  Raced the Mega (CRAZY!!!  Read my story at http://canadiandhgirls.wordpress.com/2010/07/11/megavalanche/), and bike vacationed to Portes de Soleil.  Bike vacations are the BEST!  No commitments, no schedule, just a strict itinerary of fun.  I joined Claire Buchar and the CRC crew to Morzine after the Mega with a rough plan of bike, lake, bike, lake.  We killed it – saw the Tour, had epic missions through the mountains, ate some crepes, went on a wicked hike, and had some unbelievable DH laps.

I have to say, the DH’ing in the area is amazing.  I don’t even know how many lifts there are to choose from, but the potential for adventure can keep you going for weeks.  Take a lift, descend, take another lift, descend, another lift, all the sudden you are in Switzerland, take more lifts, descend some more.  It really doesn’t get much better.  I’m already planning for next year!

Went up to silverstar for the day with mike and brock to take some shots. We rolled into blast off and decided just to film all of the awesome berms. The filming was cut a bit short because I pinch flatted.