New Remedy
Just prior to this trip I got my new custom Trek Remedy 9.9!! Its such a great All-Mountain bike, I can't imagine riding anything else. Noah from Western Slopestyle and I did up a last minute "Bike-Check" video for the Vital MTB website. Its on their homepage right now and also on the Spoke Magazine website. If you get a chance check it out on VitalMTB.com and vote for the February "Bike-Check" video of the month!
Laguna Beach
3/4/2010
Its early March and the traveling season is already under way. I'm out in Laguna Beach right now doing a media camp with Crank Brothers unveiling some really cool and innovative new products. I'm lucky to be associated with such an awesome brand! So far I've been spending my time meeting with magazines, going out for rides and showing off the new product. Hans Rey and Richie Schley are also here as athlete representatives so its definitely fun riding with those guys around on their home turf.
The riding in Orange County is pretty sweet. Right here in Laguna they have trails everywhere. Its definitely the steepest terrain I've ever ridden on, everything is straight up or straight down. This makes the climbs quite difficult, especially with my single front chainring! You really have to muscle up the climbs but its so worth it when you get to the top and have countless downhill trails to choose from.
From here I fly out of LAX to New Zealand. I'm really looking forward to this trip! It's been about 3 yrs since I visited New Zealand and the last time was incredible. Such epic scenery and trails, and the people are so nice down there. I'll be traveling and road tripping with Brett Kennedy and Caleb Smith from Spoke Magazine. Both top-notch guys and great tour guides. We'll be getting some photos and doing a road trip/feature story for the mag! My next update will be from down under, catch you on the flip-side.
Hut Trip!
2/17/2010
This last weekend Cathryn and I headed up to the family cabin for a long Valentine's weekend getaway. It was really nice getting away from cell phones and computers for a few days. We covered about 25 miles in 3 days, not bad considering we both had blisters all over our feet even before the trip! Cathryn's such a trooper, she didn't complain one time about sore feet or a tired back from lugging a heavy pack around. We spent the weekend playing in the snow and relaxing in the cabin. Wood stove fireplaces are awesome! We got the cabin cranking to an uncomfortably warm 80 degrees a few times. I'm trying to get the skiing bug out of my system by next weekend, after that I'll be gone for the rest of the winter. Next weekend I'm headed to Laguna Beach for a global media camp/launch with Crank Brothers. Straight from there I fly to New Zealand for the rest of March!!!
Giant Loop
2/9/2010
Someone just forwarded this link to me. Giant Loop is a company out of Bend, OR that makes cool stuff for motorcycle touring. I used this bag when I rode Baja last winter. Anyway, check the link and support these guys!
giantloopmoto.blogspot.com/2010/01/rider-review-pro-mountain-biker-rad.html
BetterRide
2/3/2010
I recently had the opportunity to do a private coaching session with Gene Hamilton of BetterRide (www.betterRide.net). I've known Gene for a long time and have much respect. I've heard good things about his approach to coaching and improving rider technique and am always keen on finding ways to get faster on a bike. I've never had any formal coaching on the subject, my skillset relies entirely on what I Iearned in the early days of the BMX racing school of hard knocks. Needless to say, I'm due for a refresher course.
I always try to keep an open mind and learn as much as I can when the opportunity presents itself. What I found after just one training session with Gene blew my mind. Everyone has good habits and bad habits, what I learned really helped suss the good from the bad. In addition to reinforcing the few good habits that I've always had (keyword being “few”), I learned how and why I need to improve certain areas of my game. Things like vision, body positioning, and cornering technique are huge aspects of descending. I’ve always prided myself on being a fairly complete rider, but learning new skills and knowing how to reinforce said skills will go a long way. If you look at any elite athletes that are at the top of their sport (whether it be tennis/golf/basketball/etc…) and see how they train you’d notice that they spend relatively little time actually "playing" the sport that they're so good at. Most of their time is spent doing drills and perfecting their technique. Same thing applies to bike-handling skills.
Luckily I now have the knowledge to work on and reinforce good technique while expunging bad habits I’ve developed over the years on my own.
Not only did I learn how to descend faster and visually process the terrain faster (yeah there are drills for that too), I also learned how to be more efficient and use less energy the rest of the time. This translates to more power and energy (and time savings) to utilize throughout the duration of the race. Betteride camps are awesome, enough said!
Burrrr!!
1/25/2010
Turns out winter is cold. I don't really like riding my bike in super cold weather. Seeing as how I'm trying to be somewhat “professional” about all this “bike racing stuff” I should probably figure out how to escape to warmer places...and by warmer places I mean Sedona, AZ. I've been here for almost a month now and its glorious. With the exception of some random winter storms (the last one being pretty bad actually), this place hits 60's most days and has the most spectacular mountain bike trails on the planet. I've been slowly but surely getting my bike legs back after skiing 20+ days in December. I thought I'd be in pretty good shape after skinning and ski touring at high altitude a bunch, until I got down here. It took some time but I feel like the fitness is creeping back around. Taking a big break from riding makes you appreciate, well, riding. Being the quintessential slacker cyclist that I am, I don't ride nearly as much as the other guys. That's because I occasionally enjoy doing other things to keep it fresh. Things like skiing and playing indoor soccer, riding motorcycles, car racing, and sometimes going for hikes with the lady friend. That means that when I get back on the bike I feel energized and ready to hit it for another season.
Once the Sedona gig is over I'll be back in Colorado for a few weeks in February, then the travel ensues (Wait a minute, I thought it was still technically off-season?). While at home in the snow, I'm going to ski as much as possible and even hit up a few Ski Mountaineering races to mix it up. I'm not very good at these “randonee” races, but its a good way to practice injuring myself while getting destroyed by a bunch of hardcore, uber-fit ski racers. Maybe someday I'll get serious about that stuff and try to get fast...
Once March rolls around its all business. The first week or so I'll be in Laguna Beach for a media camp/product launch with Crank Brothers. It'll be bonus if I actually get to “train” a little bit while I'm there, whatever that means. Straight from there I'll fly to New Zealand for 3 weeks of awesomeness south of the equator. I spent some time there a couple years ago in the winter time (summer there) and had the time of my life. One of the greatest trips ever! So I'm very lucky and fortunate to have been invited back down there for a road trip/media/photo-fest with a NZ/Aussie magazine. We should get some pretty epic shots out of that trip, and general good times along the way. We'll be kicking off the trip proper-like with a rad as rad Pixies concert in Auckland. Really looking forward to that! Not often you get to see the Pixies in concert.
Anyway, thanks for checking in from time to time.
My New (as of Jan. 25th) Years resolution is to update the site more, so bare with me as I attempt the impossible and make good on that. Cheers and Happy belated New Year!
Fall is in the air
With daylight waning and the temperatures dropping it sure does feel like off-season to me. This is the time to sit back and relax, enjoy my time at home and reflect on the season. 2009 has been a wild ride. For starters, my existence as a bike racer has changed quite a bit with the demise of the Trek/Vw team infrastructure. Gone are the days of having an awesome team manager, soigneur and mechanics to help facilitate things. Now I'm my own travel agent, coach, personal assistant, and team director! At times its really nice, I had a lot more flexibility this year to make my own schedule and dictate what events I do. At other times its a lot more hectic now that I have to take care of my own travel plans, book my own flights, stay organized (not my strongest suit), and generally stay on top of things from a professional standpoint. On the racing side of things it was a really interesting season to say the least. I've done everything from XC and Singlespeed racing to Enduro/All-Mountain racing in Europe. From a results standpoint its been a mixed bag. There's been some good results coupled with some really bad luck (i.e. broken bones).
I've also been lucky enough to travel the world and see some really cool places. I've had the opportunity to travel to Europe 4x this year! In September I was invited to do a film project/photo trip with Rene Wildhaber in Switzerland. That was an amazing trip that had Rene and I riding down glaciers and hitting up spectacular high alpine trails!
Fresh off of that trip I found myself a little jet-lagged and on the start line of the Singlespeed World Championships. Its funny how being injured all summer can lead to amazing and unexpected late-season form. Better late than never I guess, I came away from SSWC 09' with a much needed win and a new tattoo! It was a nice cap to an injury-filled season, and somehow fit right into my eclectic mix of racing titles. I seem to be getting really good at winning un-official World Championships..So at this point in the year I'm spending as much time as I can at home. Sleeping in your own bed is pretty nice when you travel so much. I've been doing everything from playing in the local co-ed soccer league to racing cars out on the track! Last weekend I went out to the local track and drove the crap out of my turbocharged Vw GTI. I finished the day with the 6th fastest lap time out of about 40 cars. Not bad for a 27yr old Vw racing against Porsche's, Subaru STI's, Lotus 7 kit cars, etc....
I've also been enjoying the last few weeks of nice motorcycle riding weather. Its refreshing riding new trails and exploring areas I've never been to. The nice thing about doing trail recon on the moto is that you can cover so much more ground.
Up next is a trip down the Kokopelli Trail to Moab, and possibly adding in the White Rim for good measure. I've even been pickin' and grinnin' on the banjo a little bit, and working on perfecting my coffee roasting technique. The mountain bike trails here in the Grand Valley are primo right now with a little more moisture than usual and cooler temps. So I've been very much enjoying the off-season so far. Within the next couple months I'll be hitting it hard again, hopefully in warmer climates and aboard my awesome new Remedy and Scratch bikes! My tentative plans for the winter include a mix of ski touring here in Colorado coupled with some epic riding down south. Each year I try and escape down to Sedona, Arizona for some warm weather training blocks. I can't think of a better place to ride in the winter time than Sedona, its definitely a magical place to escape to.For next season it'll be much the same, a wide variety of events and locations sprinkled into the mix.
Already on tap is a trip down to New Zealand in late-February, more European adventures, and a good mix of fun racing exploits in North America. Stay tuned for more fun and excitement!
Enduro of Nations
In an effort to support awesome bike racing around the world, I ventured to France for the MTB Enduro Trophy of Nations. It took place in Vars, France, home to many of the top World Speed Records for skiing and snow biking. Each Nation is allowed several composite teams, each with 3 riders. Team USA brought two teams to do battle with the world. My teammates consisted of all-mountain honch Chris Van Dine (Cannondale/Crankbrothers/SRAM), and multi-time winner of the coveted MegAvalanche Series, Olivier Guincetre (Ibis/Crankbrothers/SRAM). Ok, so Olivier is actually a born and bred Frenchmen, but he's lived long enough Stateside that we've adopted him as our own. Chris Van Dine is the 2009 Pan-American DH Champion and also won the Peru Megavalanche this past spring. Both of these guys have mad skills and uber-experience, so I count myself lucky to be associated with such quality guys. The other US Team was very strong with top riders Mark Weir, Brian Lopes, and Jason Moeschler taking on the world. The enduro race format has been alive and gaining momentum for over a decade in Europe. With any luck, we'll start to see more and more of these races popping up in North America.
My last Euro adventure brought me to Metabief, France for the first stop of the French Enduro Series. These races are essentially long, endurance downhill races where fitness is just as important as skill. The format is simple; two days, one bike, 11 race runs, and over 35,000 vertical feet in 2 1/2 hrs worth of racing. The runs lasted anywhere from 8-15 minutes for the fastest pilots. In my opinion, these races crown the best all-around bike rider. There are fast DH riders and there are fast XC riders, but few are well-rounded enough to win an Enduro!
These are real mountain bike races for real people, and each race fills up months in advance. I think what excites people about this type of racing is that you do it all on one bike. Not everyone can afford a full quiver of bikes, and there's a big discrepancy between a hardtail and 8" travel downhill bikes. Most people that I know have one trail bike that they rely on every day. The fact that bikes are constantly getting faster and lighter with more travel totally lends itself to this format. I think the bike industry as a whole can get behind this because it's what the average Joe Q public is into and the bikes they're actually buying. The top enduro racers run light-ish 5-6" travel bikes, perfect for me considering thats what I ride every day.
The Enduro of Nations was an action packed weekend. 4 different tracks, 10 individual time trial stages, 1 legit mass start Super D (no ridiculous Lemans style start even though we're in France), and even a night DH race thrown in for good measure. The tracks start up in the clouds with fast, narrow, off-camber singletrack through scree-fields. Further down the mountain it opened into rolling, grassy glades with flowing singletrack through creek crossings galore. Each run featured 2000-3000' of lung-busting, pedally, high-speed descending. You finish each stage physically exhausted and grinning ear to ear, and have just enough time to grab a snack and head back up for your next run. Mechanical problems and bobbles are the norm, so one crash or flat tire doesn't necessarily mean your weekend is over. At least half the teams finished sans a rider, or had some type of major malfunction. Both Olivier and I stacked it on Saturday, while Lopes flatted 3x on Sunday, Weir ripped a derailleur off, and Moeschler flatted as well.
Race day dawned bright and early Saturday with welcoming blue skies. We figured since we neglected to be professionals and bring proper mud gear that it would surely rain cats and dogs...lucky for us it didn't.
Riding up the lift on Saturday morning we noticed a new track taped into the hillside, littered with cows and roughly resembling virgin goat trail. Yup, that's track number two for the day. This wasn't surprising at all, given that the premise behind these races is that you're not allowed to pre-ride the course. Only hiking is permitted for course inspection, which makes it absolutely terrifying to charge your first run! In spite of this, I definitely charged and made quick work of the French rider that started in front of me with a target on his back. The next rider I caught and passed was a little trickier as I got balled up in doing so. I climbed back on and finished the run pumped on adrenaline. Upon doing so I realized that my thumb and palm was already black and blue and looked like a big fat, overcooked sausage. The alleged French doctor guy at the bottom checked me out and deemed it unsafe to continue with said thumb injury, I told him to tape it and I'd be on my way. Turns out he was probably the wiser, as I went up for another run and found it moderately sketchy holding onto the bars without bilateral opposable thumbs.
Just another chapter in a rather irritating, crash-laden summer campaign. When it rains it pours I guess.
My teammate and enduro neophyte Chris Van Dine was loving the euro format as he posted consistent top-10 results through the weekend and battled his way to 4th in the final mass start race. Meanwhile, the other US team pulled out all stops and won the last man standing award on their way to 2nd place overall. On any given stage, 4 out of the top-10 riders were from the US! Its always refreshing to see the US riders representing up high on the scoreboard at the bottom of the hill. Especially considering that these European riders do this stuff every weekend. As Americans, we're coming over with little to no support and learning a new style of racing. For me its all about supporting and promoting a fresh and exciting new type of racing format, something that's much needed in our sport right now. So if you're searching for the holy grail of mountain bike racing, or just a change of pace from the usual flavor, these enduro races are the ticket.
The Hip
Well, it's been almost 4 weeks since I fractured my hip racing in France. The recovery has gone well so far considering I haven't had to check myself into the looney bin... It's hard going from the top of your game to soft and out of shape right smack in the middle of the season. The good news is that I'm back on my bike to some capacity. I've been going out soft-pedaling around the neighborhood and on the local bike path. It's definitely too early to mtn bike and risk another fall, but riding on the road seems reasonable. I'm hoping to eek out 6hrs of "training" this week and then double that the next. All-in-all I'm in really good spirits. After all, if I'd been healthy and traveling all summer maybe I'd be burnt and ready for a break anyway? Not to mention the fact that my girlfriend is loving that I don't have to leave every weekend! So where does this injury leave me for the rest of the summer? Who knows, only time will tell what the Downieville fitness will look like in 3 wks... It's going to be rough getting up the initial 3,000ft vertical climb during the XC on day 1. I imagine by August I'll be back to normal, charging descents and feeling comfortable on the bike again. I'm a firm believer in the fact that things happen for a reason. And at the end of the day, I'm sure I'll come out of this minor setback a much stronger person. Thanks for all your support!
