Allan McVicar is a name that mountain biking never heard enough of and for the past couple of seasons probably heard nothing at all. His photography of other Kamloops locals was basically the reason I felt inspired to start working with photographers in younger years. And I’ve been fortunate enough to spend enormous amounts of time collaborating on different images with Allan, but for the past few years he hasn’t been around much.

He must have been missing mountain bike photography to the same extent as I missed working with him, or at least that’s the impression I got when he started uploading older images to Pinkbike.com recently. Since he has started uploading all these images titled as “the good old days” he has been gaining a lot of exposure. A few photo of the days, full screen shots on front page articles and images boosting views exponentially. It seems like all that positive feedback has Allan stoked on shooting again and I don’t really have words to explain how excited that makes me.

I also feel like it’s pretty bad ass that although some of these shots are from as far back as 2006, I still had a bike kitted out with Raceface parts. Back then it was all about Diabolus bars cut to 26inches so X-ups were easier and Evolve DH cranks so I would never have to worry about bending them.

Brett Tippie sometimes reminds me, “THESE, are the good old days,” and often times I have to agree. But these photos from “the good old days” certainly represent some amazing times too. Personal milestones and memories I’ll never forget.   And with the amount my phone has been buzzing lately, bearing excited messages from Mr. McVicar, I can’t help but feel like the good old days are still to come.

My new fun maker!!

When all there is to do is ride your bike in the Sea to Sky! I’ve been trying to get in as many hot laps as possible in Pemberton and Squamish while we wait patiently for Whistler to melt out. Whistler Mountain is now closed for skiing (and ski patrolling) and I’m entering my favorite time of year right now. The trails in Pemberton and Squamish have been in amazing shape and I’m off to Utah this weekend to change climates and scenery for a shred trip to Moab. The Whistler Bike Park opens in only a few weeks!

Pemberton in April.

-Leishner

Ps: hopefully you’ve checked out the Canadian DH Girls “Fill in the Holes” on pinkbike.com. Between that and a couple of double pagers I’ve had with Strand in magazines like MBR and Wide Open, I’m pretty pumped for what’s coming up this season. Stay tuned!

Wade Simmons and Thomas Vanderham riding “cross country” on Vancouver’s North Shore on their 25lb carbon cross country bikes. I guess I can’t blame my bike the next time I can’t clean a tough trail

Simmons and Vanderham Ride “Cross Country” on Element from Rocky Mountain Bicycles on Vimeo.

In Estonia, we might not have the best mountains in Europe, but we have the most interesting ones for sure.
RUMMU

TUHAMÄGI

Both of these are arisen as a result of local limestone mining in Soviet Union time..
These are the most highest artificially generated mountains in all Europe.
I just arrived there in two days ago, to meet some people, who want to have the downhill tracks
in there.. So we will have in a year time one more mountain where to ride downhill and that`s superb!

I hope you all can ride a bike already soon in Canada also and `till then, don`t forget
to party

Triinu

Since 2009, West Coast Racing has put on the Super-D in Belcarra and with each year, we enjoy a better course, more racers, and better prizes, with sponsorship from John Henry Bikes , Norco, Ryders Eyewear, and. Raceface. There is no better way that we know of to kick off the race season than this race. Each year, we get loads of people out to enjoy some of the best early season riding on some of the best trails BC has to offer. The event is all about a great vibe that comes with a down-home, grass-roots, mud-slingin’ event like this one.

The Super-D format is the great equalizer in racing: downhill sections designed to challenge DH pros, and climbs straight out of the XC catalogue, all wrapped up in a race that most riders blitz through in around 15 minutes. This race is one of the most fun and exciting courses of all the local races, and includes one climb, as well as descents to challenge you. Strategy is huge in this race, with every split second essential to getting through the course as efficiently as possible. Most racers pre-ride the course a few times before the official start in order to get their lines figured out and locate the best lines as the course is taped with multiple choices throughout the track. A practice run is highly recommended to put in a good time!

In previous years, it has come down to less than a second separating the winning times and it can truly be anyone’s race –XC or DH equipped, so choose your weapon wisely…
We will see you on April 22nd this year at the top of Belcarra for the most fun you can have covered in dirt.

Registration and event details available at www.westcoastracing.ca

Spring has been something else in Kamloops this year. It took a little longer than usual for winter to wander away from the trails, but now that its dry the mulch has seriously started to fly. I’m never certain what the reason is, but with each new spring comes a new level of shredding. Maybe it’s the eagerness that built up over winter, the alleviation of an ache that worsened over the bitter months past. Or maybe its the lethal combination of fresh bikes, faster eyes and faster times. Whatever the cause may be, it feels like I’ve been riding snappier than ever and conditions couldn’t be better.

I’ve been pounding out laps on the trails like its going out of style, sessioning jumps and sketchy lines like they’re never going to be there again. I just wrapped up a week of shooting photos with Gibby, and as if I haven’t already made enough bold claims in this post, I’ll admit it was the funnest and most productive photo shoot I’ve ever been a part of. We had sun up till sun down marathons capturing the spirit of pushing it and progressing with your friends while the spring sky flickered in tones almost unimaginable. It’s almost overwhelming how much time I’m spending on my bike and how much action is soon to come this way, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Wanna learn a little more about myself and the other Canadian DH Girls?  Check out this on Pinkbike!

Come and join us this summer at select BC Cup DH events and get dialed in!

See you there!

-Cory

Hey. Just this past week I put together my new race bike. For 2012 I am very excited to be racing on the Banshee/Trident team with teammate Kip Shortreed. I will be racing the full National series as well as some BC Cups and hopefully both North American World Cups. The first race is coming up soon and I couldn’t be more stoked to start racing, I’ll be traveling to a lot of new tracks this year which is very exciting. This past Easter weekend Jazz Chodak and I put together a little edit showcasing me testing out the new bike on some local trails. Remember to like our Natura Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/Natura/298256353554372
And also check out my blog http://forrestriesco.blogspot.ca/ to keep updated on my training, racing and riding.

Go Flat Out on pinkbike.com