Archive for September, 2011
New Proto Hardtail
Follow @mitchchubey
New Hard tail Just built up. New bars, stem and cranks. feels so good! its lighter and stiffer than the last prototype. The geometry is even more dialed. Should be available early 2012!
Full Spec:
Frame: 2012 Morpheus DJ
Fork: Fox Shox 32 831 at 100mm
Wheels: Industry Nine Endruo’s
Tires: Maxxis Ikon 2.2 3C EXC EXO
Cranks: Race Face Turbine 170mm 32 tooth Race Face single speed ring
Bar: Race Face Atlas cut to 29.5″
Stem: Race Face Respond 45mm
Grips: Race Face Sniper Black Lock On
by Mitch Chubey on Sep.26, 2011
I Hate Summer
I hate Summer. Such a statement may seem questionable coming from a mountain biker living in one of the hottest places you can think of, but I am totally serious. The hottest and driest days of the summer are my least favorite of the year. I much prefer a thick frost on my windshield and icy snot in my nose to the impending beads of sweat that slowly roll their way down my back when simply standing still. Trails turned oceans of brake bumps and bomb holes create a major lack of enthusiasm. The chatter of shit kicked trails vibrating though my bike and into my body reeks of destruction. And I have also never really been a fan of choking on the lonely pale dust that lingers around ever corner of the trail. Such a dream killer.
My disagreement with hot summer days doesn’t end with poor trail conditions either. It seems like everything functional about Kamloops gets flipped upside down when the heat comes around. Parking lot and gas station fills up with over sized trailers and roads that were once quiet and pleasurable to drive are suddenly littered with red lettered license plates. I should probably make an effort to sound less like a spiteful bastard and mention that I do thoroughly enjoy floating down the river on an air mattress. But even when I find time to enjoy one of those hot summer days I still find myself put off by everyone in their wake boarding boats, cruising down the river and listening to remixed dubstep songs while haggard looking women dance on the back, talking about this weeks episode of Jersey Shore.
I think I’ve likely made my point, summer and I simply don’t get along. I still ride and I still have fun but it really isn’t the same for me. I’m sure you can imagine my displeasure when hot August sunsets continued burning through until just last week. A meteorological phenomenon like the Indian Summer was really giving me the blues when all I wanted was the red and yellow hue to come out in the leaves and light up the forest. I was pretty excited when I woke up a couple mornings ago and my bedroom was feeling chilly while raindrops hit the window, even more excited that it has stayed that way for the past couple days. So it feels like the beginning of things again on this uneventful afternoon. Fall is like a brand new season and the season is starting now. A chilly breeze is blowing in through my window and letting me know its time to get back to shredding it and loving it.
by Dylan Sherrard on Sep.20, 2011
Treadfest & Chequamegon 40
Major time crunch right now, so media and press will have to suffice for Treadfest write-up.
If you have not heard I had an amazing day down in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin two weekends ago. You should be able to piece together how it went from all the sources below…
For Kyle….double time! One in my arms and the other arm looking forward to his presence.
Chequamegon Fat Tire 40 did not go as well. I had really high hopes after such a great race the previous weekend, but a few things came together to make it one of my worst performances of the Year… I swapped tires thinking it was a flat road race with minimum bumps, they were slower…much slower…
It was my first time doing the race and with the stacked field, including the Pro Tour boys Vande Velde and Mcartney in town, positioning was key! I had very little idea of where to be for the lead group break…
But even so I would not have lasted long. It was very obvious to me after the first ten minutes it was going to be a rough day. Initially I made the lead group but with the Fall Season here my lungs are acting up again, could go really hard for 1-2 minutes MAX and then had to shut it down and recover forever. This happened over and over again…anaerobic efforts were good, just anytime sustained oxygen was needed it was game over. Constricted lungs and hacking stuff up, I have known this was coming and just neglected to schedule an appointment, so I am going to see the Doc tomorrow and hopefully back to using some of this peak fitness I have going on, always learning. Next up is Fall Color Festival and Bear Paw this coming weekend!
Thanks for reading!
Nathan
Photo Credit: Amy Dykema, Jason Henry, Niki Frazier, Loren Beyer
by Nathan Guerra on Sep.19, 2011
Home
So pumped to be home, the season is wrapping up and I am stoked to get some new projects rolling. Lots of things to build and shoot this winter.
by Mitch Chubey on Sep.19, 2011
Tippie covers 2011 World Championships in Champery, Switzerland for Pinkbike
Sad to see 2x World DH Champ Fabian Barel retire from World Cup racing but stoked to see him crack the top ten in his last race.
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Just-The-Tip-World-Champs-Edition.html
by Brett Tippie on Sep.09, 2011
Reforestation Ramble WORS #9, 2011
A bit late but here is an update from 2 weekends ago at the Reforestation Ramble.
My daughter Asa had another Great Race taking 2nd in her 8 and under Age Group again, and a few other Vision youth had good races like Connor Mccoll and Andrew Guerra in this short video edit. Marty Tank also found his way into one of the pics at the start of Connors race? Asa sure knows how to give a good post race interview with all the Mountain bike lingo.
It is ironic how much fun you can have with people of whom, in just a few moments, you will give every ounce of effort in your body to get as far away from as possible! The level of competition in the Wisconsin Off Road Series is amongst the best in the Nation, yet the camaraderie ranks just as high, with a growing sense of community. The smiles at the Pro/Cat1 call-up line is becoming ritual to our bi-weekly brawl of cycling prowess.
The Reforestation Ramble is usually anticipated to have a roadie type feel to the race, which this race did not disappoint in the latter laps, but the start this year was a bit different…IT WAS FULL THROTTLE from the word GO!
In this picture you can see the sling-shot coming from Ben Koenig on the far left. He seemed to be on an HTC-Highroad lead out mission for the first mile or two.
Cole is a very experienced road racer and had his tactics planned, he was obviously resting as we came upon him. As soon as the we bridged he started attacking hard into and out of each single track section. I was at the back and suffering pretty bad from the yo-yo being created and when Tristan started throwing the elbow to come through I knew we may be in trouble. I have not been over limit in a race like that since Subaru Cup I think. Been a long 4 weeks straight of racing and my base might have been lacking a bit.
Tristan and I rode to recover for a bit and were caught by the chase group a little ways into the 2nd lap, which made for a group of about 10 riders. I rested a little but with that size group I tried to snap the elastic once or twice during the 2nd lap in the single track. My legs were still not ready for a big effort so I shut it down and rested at the back till the start of the 3rd lap. As soon as we hit the 1st single-track I started attacking in and out to whittle it down. Tristan, Ted Hanes, and I were able to survive the efforts with 1/2 a lap to go. I was the aggressor of the group and kept getting gaps but could not hold them off for long.
There was a hilarious moment going into the last single track climb, pretty much the only semi-significant climbing section on the course. My Dad was doing all my water hand-ups and he was like a ninja out on course showing up in the oddest places. On lap 2 he was in the middle of no-where in the single track around a blind corner and all I heard was him yelling to take a water when suddenly the bottle was in my face and I was grabbing it as I came around. Talk about Star Wars speeder bike hand-ups! So when it was down to just the 3 of us fighting for 3rd, I was going into full on attack mode trying to drop Tristan and Ted on this climbing section before the last straight away to avoid a sprint finish and suddenly my dad comes flying out the woods on my right running along side me at like 20 MPH…I am standing/sprinting uphill, but in need of water, and with Dad’s effort I could not let it go. Somehow I grab the water while entering uphill single-track in a standing sprint while yelling at lap traffic that I am coming on the left and still get a gulp down and start descending while placing my water bottle in the holder. Definitely had a few laughs and comments about my Dad’s ninja abilities and record breaking 50 yard dash.
Even with all that the attack didn’t stick and it was 3 of us coming into the last long straight away with Tristan leading and Ted trying to come around. I was in good position for the last corner and had a good jump left, but it was decided by lap traffic as Tristan was taken off-course trying to pass a lapped rider. Pretty sure I had the best legs and sprint left amongst the 3 of us, but I think Tristan would have had 4th as Ted had to work really hard to get back to us in that final stretch.
Asa missed her podium so she got in on the Pro/Cat 1 action!
Thanks for watching and reading,
Nathan
by Nathan Guerra on Sep.07, 2011
Get stoked: Forrest Riesco
Hey,
Just finished up a quick little edit I did with a local friend/filmer Jazz Chodak. It gives you a little taste of my style, and the riding here on the Sunshine Coast. Jazz and I were so stoked on how it turned out and what we had created that we thought a fitting name should be “Get stoked”.
You can check it out on Pinkbike and please let me know your thoughts on it, enjoy.
Again thanks to all the people that have helped me out this season and made it a great one.
Thanks
Forrest
forrestriesco.blogspot.com
by Forrest Riesco on Sep.07, 2011
Kicking The Horse 2011 (Pt. 2)
Pano
I missed Pano this year, it’s far away and work had already given me so much time off. I heard it was super fun, there was a broken jaw incident, some nick names were handed out and there was tons of pedalling. Can’t wait to get there next season.
Western Open
After Pano was the Western Open at Kicking Horse. This was a prestigious event if ever there was one on the BC cup circuit. Head commissar and race organizer Stephen Exley obviously put his heart and soul into this event. It was an outstanding location, vibe and track, and was the most professional event of the year. I drove the 9 hours after work with Dave McInnes (Senior Mens) and no ipods…so it was a long but beautiful drive. We arrived at about 3 am and pitched the tents in the parking lot, slept under the stars and woke up early for a course walk.
Dave and I walking the course. This was the nice steep shot before a drop into a kicker.
Spine Boards and Helicopter Rides
We were the first to walk the course that morning, and it was still closed, so we definitely got to chose some fun lines and spend tons of time talking and strategizing. When it comes to course walks there are tons of different approaches. Some people like to walk the course before they ride it, so they know what’s coming and how fast they need to go to clear this or clear that. I tend to enjoy riding the course first, so I’m not over thinking any particular feature before I ride into it. I think this was the first course I walked before riding, and it definitely made for a faster first lap, but I had pre-determined what lines I could hold based on walking up the hill (maybe the wrong approach- walking from the top down feels like a better strategy). Anyways, thanks to the lifty for the bug spray, and to Dave for the insights on the course.
Practice day was a sh*t show. First run, Kelsey went down hard in front of me, and I ended up putting her in c-spine and watching her get air lifted off the hill on a spine board. It was scary watching a friend lose use of her hands for a few minutes – and so relieving when she walked up to me at the end of the day with a few stitches and a concussion. She’s bloody tough, and stayed in good spirits all weekend despite not being able to race.
Kelsey Looking Hardcore.
An amazing look at the Western Open through Steven Exley’s eyes.
http://sexley.pinkbike.com/blog/2011-Western-Open-through-the-lens.html
After I found my truck key, which was missing for a few hours and contributed to a minor heart attack, I squeezed in a few laps with Dave and Adriano. Thanks for that guys, it was nice to have someone to practice with! With no falls during my practice runs, and the course being super loose and pretty steep, I was feeling pretty hot about the race run the next morning. I decided to go for one last practice rip, and ended up bending my crank before I even got to the start line. The crank was so bent it wouldn’t clear the chain stay, so I couldn’t even really coast down. Thanks to the Ratte’s for helping me figure out where the hell my key was- Richard in particular for sending out like 50 people to comb the hill for me.
Why I run Atlas Cranks Now and Forever
I was in a bit of a worry about the crank arm, but also starving- so we had a huge Lasagne and Chicken Poo casserole dinner at the Clan’s condo. (Thanks to Jeff and his Mom for amazing food)For those who don’t know Chicken Poo casserole is traditionally topped with baked Lays Potato Chips and has a wonderfully creamy texture. After dinner Jason from Lambert went into full mechanic mode and tried to bend my arm back…two large Frenchman had my pedal wedged in a sewer grate and were standing on the crank arm to no avail. I was crank-less. And kind of cranky…Luckily Jeff had invited the world most amazing and generous folks to dinner- and when Phil Mowatt of CCN heard I had no cranks, he and Jason took Phil’s Atlas cranks off of his hard tail and put them on my Demo- I was even able to get in a practice run in the morning. I don’t think I would have been able to race if it wasn’t for Phil and Jay that weekend- so the biggest thank you goes out to these two. I think I owe Phil thank you’s for beer and chicken legs too.
Race Day
Race day was fantastic. My run was going so well (I lost my foot a few times, but always held through) and my lines were holding. As I came out of the treed section nearing the bottom, I was too far left and slid off course and down a shale slope. I had to throw my bike back up onto the trail and scramble to get back up the hill…then take a running start to pick up speed on the flat and pedal my butt off. I still ended up in third so I’m not complaining.
The prizing was amazing at this event. I walked away with new arm pads from Kali and Loeka rain pants. I think I’ll need those this winter. I really want to point out that Stephen made sure the Elite Men and Women received the same amount of prizing money. What a great gesture of respect for the Women, that kind of attitude and attention to detail is so appreciated- thank you Stephen! There was so many amazing pictures, videos and post event follow up articles etc…it made it feel like this race was really something special.
Here’s a link to the Western Open Facebook Group
http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/113116365398862/
Check out this cool clothing company from rossland as well, they use recycled polyester in their jerseys and are part of 1% for the planet.
http://frozenlaundry.ca/
Still to come: Mt. Washington and Hemlock (BC cup finals)
by Ash Kelly on Sep.05, 2011
Season wrap up
Hello,
This season has been amazing, not necessarily my results, but more so how much I’ve learned and how much fun I have had traveling across Canada racing the new tracks and being with some of the most fun and interesting people. From the coaches to team mates to people from the other side of Canada that are just as stoked as I am to ride.
I just recently added to my learning experience this season at Hemlock Mountain for the BC Cup finals. I decided that this off season I want to step it up a level, I don’t want to sit around waiting for some magical thing to make me faster, so to do this I’ve got to take chances and push myself. And that’s just what I did last weekend at my final race. I was riding great Saturday, pushing myself and getting loose, the track was wide open and was very fast. Sunday I was having a great race run and hanging it out. Halfway through though my back wheel got caught in a rut when I attempted an outside line and I ended up upside down tangled in my bike with a mouth full of dust. I jumped back up as quick as I could and continued on to finish with my brake lever bent up and my seat crooked. I finished fourth in Junior, 12th in Pro and 9 seconds off the fastest time of the day. My result wasn’t what I was hoping but that’s the consequences sometimes of taking chances and pushing myself. One of the Cycling BC coaches said I was one of the two fastest riders through the rock drop and I am confident that if I apply what I’ve learned this season than I will be able to ride that pace and faster consistently next season.
I finished off the BC Cup series in 3rd overall and placed 4th overall in the Canada Cup series. As you have probably guessed I was not selected for the World Championships team, missing it by one spot. It was an arguable decision by the CCA as I placed higher in Canada Cup points over the fourth picked junior from Newfoundland, but he did place higher than me at National Championships. A lot of people heard and thought that I was going and even just last week one of the Cycling BC team coaches sent an email to the CCA asking them to reconsider there decision as he believed I had progressed so much this year that I should be going.
Thanks so much to the people/companies that have made this season my best yet; First of all I’d like to thank Nancy Riesco Interior Design Inc. and Vancor Capital Ltd. for their financial support for my flights this season. Cycling BC, without them I wouldn’t have been able to make the jump from the provincial level to the national level with all their support providing accomadation, coaching and on ground transportation for the entire National Series. Steven’s Pools for their very generous financial support. Banshee BIkes for setting me up with the Legend MK2 race machine. POC helmets and armour for keeping me safe and looking good. Spank Industries for their support and Mike for keeping my bikes spinning on Spank rims. Race Face for their continuing support of me and providing me with the best components around. X-Fusion shocks for their very tuneable suspension and Suspensionwerx for keeping my suspension running smoothly. Kuat racks for their incredibly useful racks. NRG enterprises for supplying me with all my Maxxis rubber and Hope products. I’d also like to thank North Shore Billet, Five-Ten, Leatt Brace, Tyler at Twenty6 products, Gamut USA and SDG saddles. And last but not least my very supportive family that helps me reach for and achieve my goals.
I am looking forward to training hard this off season and having fun riding my bike. This off season and next race season I will be stepping it up and jumping to that next level and become closer to my goals of being an international rider and travel the world.
Thanks to everyone for making this a great season.
Forrest
Thanks to all the people/companies for supporting me for the 2011 race season.
Banshee bikes.
POC helmets and armour.
Vancor Capital Ltd.
Nancy Riesco Interior Design Inc.
Cycling BC
Spank industries.
Race Face components
X-Fusion shocks
Kuat racks
Suspensionwerx
North Shore billet
Five-Ten
Leatt Brace
Twenty6 products
NRG enterprises
Gamut USA
SDG saddles
by Forrest Riesco on Sep.01, 2011
