Calgary Cycle DH Race Team

Race Wrap-Up!

2011-08-29T19:05:00.000-07:00

'Tis the end of the race season, for me at least, and there have been three since my last blog I need to update you on!

Canada/BC Cup - July 30 & 31

Panorama, BC

I was very excited for this race because I knew it was going to be low key compared to Nationals the weekend before, and because I was a lot more familiar with Quadzilla.

For a change it had been dry all week there so it was a very loose course - a condition I was not used to. So it was a nice change, but one I had to adjust to fast. Some of the corners took me out a few times forgetting that my tires didn't have much to grab onto. For me the course felt pretty long, maybe it was because of my pace and stamina, but I was tired after about 4 training runs. Even though I only got in 5 runs that day, I was pretty confident about racing the next day with nothing left to work on. There wasn't anything super challenging about the course, the only real tough section was the rock garden, but I had seen it the weekend before and had my lines picked already.

On race day I felt ready and did one practice run to get warmed up and to preserve energy. During my race I felt okay, a little slower than I would have liked but my time was a whole minute faster than my time at Nationals so I was super happy about that and got 4th place. I was also excited to only be 30 seconds behind Lindsey, who I've been trying to catch up to since the first few races.

NOS Gravity BikeFest - August 20 & 21

Fernie, BC

This race was just for fun, with the Hinton race being cancelled, I had the weekend free and what better way to spend it? They did a great job at keeping the people entertained with multiple events to watch: trials, dirt jumps, Enduro DH and a Classic DH.

While only participating in the Classic DH, I spent most of my afternoon learning the race course which was on Hollow Tree. It was such a fun course, so easy to go fast with it being wide and not a lot of corners. Very rooty though so my arms got a good work out by the end of the day. Feeling good I quit at 5 PM and went for dinner before heading down to the dirt jumps to watch the trick contest. Those guys put on quite a show, I am still so amazed at what they can do on bikes!

Sunday was lots fun, no pressure for me though, I was the only one in my class. I was still determined to go as fast as I could and got to take home some sweet money and prizes. It was also good to see all my friends do so well that weekend, Luke Stevens set the course record for both Enduro and Classic DH.

Alberta DH Provincials - Auguat 27 & 28

Canyon Ski Resort, Red Deer, Alberta

What a good weekend it was! Calgary Cycle did amazing with all 4 riders there making podium!

I was really impressed with the course in Red Deer, I wasn't expecting much, but they have great terrain to work with. I'd definitely go back if they could develop more biking terrain in the future. The course had a little bit of everything: a few steeps, stunts, tight trees, sprints and technical spots. It posed a few challenges at first but after the first few runs, my focus was to get smoother and faster.

Race day didn't have the best start, during training I was making mistakes where I wasn't the day before which made me a little nervous for my race run. I tried to forget about my runs that morning and focus on the ones the day before when I was smoother and more confident. It payed off, even though I still had a few troubles in my race run. My pedaling made all the difference and put me one second faster than Lindsey for first place. I couldn't believe I had actually caught up to her, and she was so happy for me as well. Jeremy, Rick and Daniel all made podium which made for a great showing for CC.

I've accomplished so much this summer, it's hard for me to believe. I have reached every goal I set for myself and much more. I have to give thanks to everyone who was patient with me and giving me endless tips that made me improve as much as I have. Summer is not over yet so I am planning on doing some more riding but I am sad to see the race season end. But I could not be more excited for next year! Also a BIG thanks to Calgary Cycle for all the support and help this summer too, it was a blast!

- Kristine

Grand Prairie & Panorama

2011-07-27T16:52:00.000-07:00

Things have gotten busy lately so I have an update on the last two races:

Race to the River - July 1-3

Nike Hawk, Grand Prairie, AB.

This was the first race in the Alberta Cup series and even though it was the furthest away, it was lots of fun. After an early rise and a 7.5 hour car ride, my dad and I got there at about 2 p.m. Friday afternoon and we jumped on our bikes right away. The race was on "Black Run" and I have to admit it is one of the easier blacks I've seen. It was not super technical and had a great flow to it with the bottom half full of switchbacks and berms. With three runs under my belt that evening I was super comfortable and had all my lines picked out, so we ended the day by checking out two other blue trails and called it quits.

Saturday morning was all about tweaking my performance by increasing my speed, memorizing the trail and working on where to pedal and brake. By the end of the day I was full of confidence and could not have been more prepared to race the next day. I had everything dialed and was happy with my pace by the last run. All I had to do now was get a good sleep.

I felt great when I woke up Sunday morning, I had a good sleep, and was about to grab a bowl of cereal, when I noticed the wet pavement in the parking lot. Hoping it hadn't rained much, we pulled into the Nite Hawk parking lot and got ready. As we rode up to the run, there was a line of riders because people were crashing right after the start gate. Poor track conditions resulted in practice being pushed back while safety patrol checked over the course again. That was when I knew it rained a lot more than I thought. I talked to Cody as he was coming back from finishing a practice run and he said it was worse than when it rained at the Child Find race at Moose Mountain a few weekends before. By now my confidence was shot and the nerves were creeping back up in my stomach. I rode a cautious race and my goal was once again just to finish. I made it down and happily took second place.

Canadian DH Championships - July 22-24

Panorama, BC.

With it being my first year at nationals I didn't really have any expectations going in, but figured it'd be the toughest course I'd see all summer. Having ridden "Insanity" once the summer before, I had a slight idea what it was like but had forgotten almost all of it, especially the "Cliffs of Insanity". Rolling up to that for the first time was a bit nerve racking.

Friday was mostly a waste due to getting there late and the course being completely drenched. I got one run in, but at least I got to see it again. I skipped the cliffs Friday since they were super wet and slippery and left them for Saturday when it was supposed to be drier.

And thank goodness it was drier Saturday morning! I was starting to get pretty tired of every race being a mud bowl. With only getting three runs in, I wasn't super confident. I knew I had a few trouble spots to work on, cliffs included, and looking back now I should have squeezed another training run in. It wasn't the best training I've done and regret it a bit. I was definitely a day behind, I was learning the run on Saturday when I should have done that Friday. And final tweaking was left till practice Sunday morning. I landed third place, and it was bitter sweet. I was stoked on finishing the race and my improvement over the two days, but I know my time could have been better. Lesson learned: What you put in, is what you get out. This weekend when I'm back in Panorama for BC Cup, I am determined to give it all I got.

- Kristine

The Dark Side

2011-07-13T09:38:00.000-07:00

Just put clips on my downhill bike for the first time since Race the Ranch in Kamloops. Although it feels like I am cheating on my girlfriend or joining the dark side of the force; with the recent success of riders in the WC all on clips; not to mention a significant number of traditionally flat pedal riders switching to clips i figured it might as well be worth a go. More on this after i do a few more rides but some evening COP laps went pretty well actually...

Rain, rain and more rain.

2011-06-15T21:35:00.000-07:00

Not that I need to say it, but Calgary weather has been the least bit cooperative lately with rain almost every day. It's been difficult to get much riding in at all but I have managed to get a few days in within the last two weeks.

Last Monday, Dan and I went out to Moose Mountain. It was my first time riding there and I was glad to have an experienced guide with me. First we rode T-Dub so I could get a taste of it before the Child Find race. After we did two more runs, one on Toothless, and the other on Jean-Guy. After seeing T-Dub for the first time, I was a little nervous about what I was getting myself into with it being such a technical course. But Dan reassured me that after a few more runs on the course I'd have it dialed.

The following Thursday Dan, Evan, and I plus a few of their friends went back up to Moose for some practice runs and stuck to T-Dub. I was much more confident that day and my speed was improving. Though I was making progress, I was still looking forward to getting a few more runs in on Saturday after work. But of course it torrential down-poured and the course was closed due to it being too wet out.

Sunday was race day and conditions were not much improved but they allowed the racing to commence. "Brown butter" was a term used to describe the conditions, and I'd say it was pretty darn accurate. It was so greasy my goal for day was just to finish the race without crashing. Lines didn't even matter as you couldn't stick to them if you tried. For my first race of the season and the given conditions, I'd say I am pretty happy with the result. I was doing pretty well and was happy with my pace till about half way down and my arms started giving into fatigue and I crashed about three times within 20 feet. I knew my time was ruined but was still determined to get down and I finished in third place.

I am eager to get back out and ride and hopefully the weather will allow that to happen. I am also looking forward to improving my riding by getting out with Dan and Evan some more.

- Kristine

A Great Start!

2011-05-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

Christmas came early this year when I went to pick up my new Session 88 last Saturday, and boy was Santa good to me! This bike is too sweet, and quite a step up from my VP-Free. Stu did a bike set-up with me and told my dad not to adjust the settings until I get a few rides on the bike.

As soon as I got my bike home I just could not wait to take it out and decided to take a ride up to Nose Hill. Clearly I am not in as good as shape as I thought I was, just getting there was exhausting. So I stopped off at a friends house near by to show off the new ride, leaving Nose Hill for another day.

Thankfully the weather was on my side for the most part this weekend and Sunday afternoon I headed out to COP for a few hours to get a taste of the new bike. First run was slow, which was disappointing to me. I didn't feel confident anymore, the bike was foreign. But as the day progressed, and run after run I learnt the new ways of my bike. By the end of the day, my speed had increased dramatically and I was getting my confidence back. I also figured out that 31 inch bars are a little too wide for me so that evening my dad cut half an inch off each side and I am waiting to try the new length out.

All in all it was a great start to the season. Got a handle of the new ride and a solid day of training in. Thursday I plan to face Nose Hill once again with a few friends and plan on being back at COP as soon as the weather lets up. This season is going to be on of the best ones yet and can not wait for what lies ahead!

- Kristine

End of season

2010-09-05T22:09:00.000-07:00

With the leaves already starting to change colour, me and my Dad pack up the truck for the BC cup finals in Golden, British Columbia. We pulled out of Calgary saturday morning in near negative tempertures, which is odd in August everywhere except Cow town seeing as it has snowed every month of the year here. As we made the drive for kicking horse we stopped in lake louise for one of the best breakfast's I have ever had; a heaping pile of eggs and bacon all stuff in a bagel with some BBQ sauce.

With my stomach full, we got back on the road and arrived at Kicking horse around 11. I geared up got registered and got up the lift to the top of snow covered kicking horse and proceeded to freeze my but off with 70 km/h winds coming at me as I whipped down the fire road on the way to Pioneer, the race course. After thawing my hands I went off for my first run down the hill. The course was near identical to last years race course, which helped me getting only one day of practice. My first run was pretty darn good, I blasted blind down the track at near race pace and from then on I knew it was going to be a good weekend. I managed to crank out a few more runs and just stayed relaxed as I knew I was feeling quite good.

That night me and Daniel went to the Bar to watch UFC 118. As a Mixed Martial Arts superfan I was pretty excited for the nights card which pitted 5x UFC champion Randy Couture against current IFA heavyweight boxing champ James Toney. It was an interesting matchup as a striker of that caliber had never fought in the UFC before, but "The Natural" Couture quickly submitted the boxer in the 1st round. Being a massive fan of Couture I was amped to see him pull of such a descisive victory. This only added to the positive energy I had surronding the race.

On race day I got up to a beautiful view of misty mountain tops out the hotel window, banged out three runs and then proceeded to watch the weather turn horrid. It rained earlier in the week put it hadn't been this wet. I sat and watched as riders came down progressivly getting dirtier and muddier. When it was finally time to go up I slapped a makeshift fender on my bike (a cut inner tube zip tied to the fork crown and arch) and headed up the lift with Dan. On the way up me and Dan were pretty care free joking and laughing, for the 15 minutes in the gondola. We exited the gondola and were greeted by a pounding blizzard at the top of the mountain. We somehow managed to make it to the course without being able to see from all the slete and muck flying into your face. There was a few patches of snow at the top of the track which pretty much guarenteed a loose and messy run. After joking and messing around on the way up I started up my pre race routine to get focussed. This includes cracking most of the injured joints in my body, swinging my arms laterally across my chest and tapping my Leatt brace against my stem plate. I set off down the hill and took it pretty easy for the first few meters but as soon as I hit the pioneer rock drop it was on! I began to let the brakes go and nailed the upper section of course. about halfway down shortly after a highspeed section I mis-timed a pre-hop of some roots and went down hard over the bars and slid about thirty feet from my bike, but the conditions were so bad I almost excpected it so I was able to keep focussed and run back to my bike and hop on without loosing to much of "race" state of mind. I got up sprinted back to my bike and ran with it until i was able to jump back on and get rolling again. I finished of my run really well by doing a massive drift through a wet berm in perfect control. As I got on the final sprint I was already exhausted but I just told myself that there was no way in hell I was going to sit down. I stayed standing and put absolutley every ounce of energy I had into the 45 second dash to the finish. I crossed the line with my legs burning more than books at a Nazi rally.

I ended up finsihing in seventh place which was a pretty soild result, but it also makes me more hungry for next year and this years remaining races because I know I could have been on the podium if I hadn't crashed. It reaffirms in my mind that I have the speed to make it on to podiums and know its just up to me to put it together and do it!

My Summer... So Far

2010-07-12T12:29:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a while since I've contributed to our blog here but I've been racing every weekend for the past few weeks now so I've got lots to write about.

First of all the Freeriders for Child Find Alberta charity race that was held on June 26th at Moose mountain. It was only my second real race of the season and it was more for fun but it was still a really good race. We raced T-Dub from the very top right to the river which was great because in my opinion T-Dub is the best trail on Moose. The track was made even better by the fact that we got to race down the gully rather than the newer and less technical re-route. On race day I was ready to go fast and I let it all hang out on my race run. I used minimal brakes and just hammered my way down the entire course. As a result I missed a few of my lines and I was pretty much all over the place. It seemed like I was going really fast but I definitely learned that it's beneficial to stay smooth and relaxed during race runs since smoothness contributes greatly to your overall speed. I ended up coming 6th in the advanced category which is a result that hopefully I'll be able to improve on next time. After the race Stu gave me some great advice that I've already implemented into my training and racing. (Thanks again for that Stu.) It was a bit weird that the race was held on a Saturday but other than that it was a fantastic event!

For full results please have a look here: http://www.freewebs.com/adhra/

The following weekend was the first round of the Alberta Cup up in Grande Prairie on the weekend the 4th of July. It was quite a road trip but to my surprise it was really worth it! We arrived on the Thursday evening and immediately hit up the water slide in our hotel. The following morning our course walk provided us with a few laughs, but they did the best they could with the terrain that they had. The course was lacking a bit in the technical department but it turned out to be extremely fun to ride - there were plenty of berms on the bottom part of the track to be shredded! I wouldn't hesitate to call it the best DH track in western Canada east of the rocky mountains. On Friday afternoon we had the opportunity to do a walking tour of Grande Prairie while our van was getting fixed because it almost blew up on the trip up there. Until now I always thought I had some pretty unique ways but I when we went into the gun store there I realized that my redneckedness is nothing compared to some people... I can't blame 'em though, If I lived up there I'd certainly have a badass truck that could transport my multitude of guns.

Anyways, back the riding stuff, we spend a couple hours on Friday evening helping the bike park crew (who are all volunteers) buff up the 4X track for the race the next day. The next morning I had the opportunity to participate in my first ever 4X race and it was a blast! I won all my heats to take the win in the Junior category. I packed in as much training as I could for the downhill, but I still only managed to get about 5 or 6 runs in because I couldn't pass up the opportunity to huck myself into a pool! At Nitehawk they have an outdoor facility that aerials ski jumpers use for training in the summer - it's pretty much a massive booter into a swimming pool, and they have an air compression system that allows an observer to release a bunch of bubbles into the pool so it doesn't hurt as much when you land. I did this jump many times and by the end of the day I had back flips dialed so I was pretty stoked.

On Sunday the race day was similar to most others. I did more practice runs than I usually do on a race day, but it was all good since it's only a 2 minute course. My race run went pretty well because I didn't take any diggers and I kept it smooth the whole way down. I was happy with my run but unfortunately it wasn't quite enough for a podium finish. I came 4th in Junior Expert with the 4th fastest time of the day. The trip home after that was long and boring but luckily our vehicle survived. In general I'd have to say that it was one of the best events I've ever been to.

For full results from GP please see here: http://www.albertabicycle.ab.ca/results

Last but not least, the race I most recently returned home from was the 2010 Canadian DH Nationals in Panorama. I showed up without high expectations, but I was bummed out to find that I didn't actually have enough points to race Junior Expert, so I had to race Junior sport. That was a pretty bad deal since I missed out on Saturday morning's practice and seeding. Luckily the course was super fun - probably one of the best race courses I've ridden in the past few years! I trained pretty hard and up until race day the damage done to me and my bike was minimal considering the situation. It would have been nice if the trailer was around though. I held everything together on my race run and when I got to the bottom I was fairly pleased. My run was pretty smooth, but I learned that in the future I need to do more top to bottom runs during practice in order to get a better feel for the course as a whole. I came second in Junior Sport having been defeated only by my teammate Evan... by only 0.34 seconds. (Good work by the way Evan!) It was a podium sweep for Calgary Cycle! My time would have put me in 11th place in Junior Expert and 32nd in Elite.

Check out the full results here and click the link that's just above the list of the Junior Expert results.

Daniel Banks

2010-07-12T12:27:00.001-07:00

Summer; mine and the majority of high school students entire basis for existence is finally here and in full force. I have raced the last three weekends and ridden my bike for hours each day. Blisters, cuts and the perpetual farmers tan are proof of that. The best part of it all is that the lion's share of excitement still remains. With a few weeks in Vernon, Crankworx, kicking horse and another Canada Cup still in store for me I couldn't ask for much more. While I am writing this my house is being pelted by larger than golfball-sized hail and heavy rain so trail conditions are going to be pretty darn interesting for the next 36 hours i would guess. I'll keep it updated.

Evan

COP in the Mud

2010-06-08T22:05:00.001-07:00

Had a super fun day riding by myself at COP after school. It rained for like half an hour but that was enough to completely saturate the trails and make for some super rowdy conditions. I had an awesome time just sprinting every run, scrubbing all the jumps and sliding around the turns. On another note I am hoping I will be able to get out to the mountains a few times this week/weekend because I had an unreal time doing some runs at Moose on Sunday. Me and Dan managed one down Jean guy one down toothless and one down Shoulda. Last weekend was the first time I have ever rode shoulda and i have to say it was well worth the excessive calf burn from the 30 minute hike! Love the trail; super fast and and It was my first run so i was pinning it in front of Dan pretty much oblivious to where i was going. Riding a trail fully pinned for the first time is a feeling like no other. It gives you that feeling of uncertainty and adventure that mountain bikes are so well designed to produce. I already said this but the trail was fast, really fast. I bet the slowest me and Dan went was 50km/h, it was awesome. Looking forward to riding that trail again soon, and going even faster.

Evan

What's the Difference Between Dirt and Roost?

2010-05-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

I recently got my new Session 88 and so far it's absolutely off the hook. The only real differences between this one and my old one are suspension, tires and weight, but this one is so much better. I got the new Boxxer up front, a DHX RC4 in the back, and it all tips the scale at slightly less than 39lbs (with pedals).

Today while I was up at nose hill riding my new baby and something absolutely amazing happened to me. I was having a pretty good run, when suddenly I decided to carry more speed then usual into a small jump, thus propelling myself through space and time directly into a berm. I G'd out in the corner, brushed my bars against the ground, and rode it out at a speed approaching that at which sound travels. Upon looking back to assess the destruction, I was amazed to see what was likely the largest cloud of roost I have ever prodroost (pun intended). Needless to say, I was pretty much in awe. After a short bout of laughter, it was back to business.

Luckily, it wasn't over there. On my way back to the top for another run, I had a epiphany that would forever alter the way I think about the powdery brown substance that composes the vast majority of our trails. While determining the manner in which I would describe the aforementioned events to my friends and associates, I thought about the term "a cloud of roost". What is roost anyways? How is it made? Why is it that mountain bikers, especially downhill racers, have such an affinity for roost?

In that very moment, it became clear to me that roost is so much more then just dirt. Like Holy water is more than just water or Hot chocolate more than just chocolate milk at an elevated temperature, I concluded that roost is dirt that has been anointed with radness; earth that has been jettisoned into the atmosphere as a result of awesomeness.

Ultimately, roost is tha bomb. All dirt aspires to one day be roost, so get out and make the world a better place by shredding some soil skyward.

Daniel Banks.

2010-05-15T10:37:00.001-07:00

Race the Ranch 2010

2010-04-28T16:46:00.000-07:00

This past weekend held the first race of my 2010 season; Race the Ranch in beautiful Kamloops British Colombia. With over 350 racers it was quite an event indeed. The course was super fun with plenty of jumps and a few gnarly parts thrown in for good measure - Nothing short of what I expected from the loops! After a full winter of training arduously I was quite excited to see how I would do in competition. Practice on Saturday went really well despite some hybrid precipitation during our special practice just for Juniors and Elite men, but it was all good since it settled the notorious dust for the following day of racing.

On Saturday evening I went to see the Follow Me premier with my friend and Teammate Evan. The movie was off the hook and seeing it out in Kamloops was a great experience, especially since most of the riders on the big screen were in attendance.

Come Sunday our category was one of the last to start. My race run was pretty clean, despite being a bit too conservative on a few parts of the track. My time was decent, however it only got me an 11th place finish. Unfortunately that's about 11 places back of where I wanted to end up. Riding on this team is a pretty big deal for me so I feel that I have to make the next race a lot better. Fortunately you learn something from every race, and in last weekends case I reckon that during races you have to ride with confidence in your skills and push yourself as hard as you want to win.

Overall, It was a super fun weekend and an excellent way to kick off the season! My next big race will be the Mad Trapper in Panorama at the end of June. In the meantime I'll certainly be training harder than ever in pursuit of my athletic endeavors. I'm really looking forward to see what this summer has in store!

Cheers!

Daniel Banks

Race the Ranch 2010

2010-04-26T15:10:00.000-07:00

The first race of the season has come to a close. I managed to get a 7th place finish in Junior which is my best finish to date. Be that as it may I am not completely satisfied with my result, but with less than 2 seconds separating me and a podium position this result gives me confidence that I can be on the podium very soon. I am taking my result with a grain of salt and using it to motivate me to train harder and continue improving.

My race run went fairly well. I lost some time after getting bogged down in the famous Kamloops dust but as far as having a game plan and sticking to it my run was almost perfect. I had planned to conserve my legs a little for the bottom rock garden bunny hop due to the fact that casing it would mean catastrophe, but now I know that I could have pushed it harder. I always look back at race runs and try to learn from them and every race I compete in seem to teach me something new. This weekend's lesson was to trust my training and not hold back.

The race itself was really well run and I am pretty impressed by the fact that they had an elite and junior practice only. This was fantastic because it cut down the long lines and you didn't have to pass slower riders on your way down the course. Despite the uncharacteristic weather conditions (hail and rain!) the course held up extremely well in comparison to last year only deteriorating in a few places.

Me and my teammate Dan also attended the Follow Me premiere Saturday night after practice. All I can say is I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of that movie, it was phenomenal! It was the first premiere that I have ever been to and it was heaps of fun and a great representation of mountain bike culture which only continued to remind me of why I love the sport so much. All in all the weekend was awesome and I can't wait to get out and continue racing and riding for the rest of the season!

Evan Blackwell

Kamloops- Spring break

2010-04-13T15:22:00.000-07:00

Well, Spring Break has come to a close recently and during spring break I was fortunate enough to head out to beautiful Kamloops, British Columbia and get a few runs down the course before the race in late April. My first few runs I cruised down stopping in frequently to check out lines and a few blind up-and-overs featured on the course. The course begins with a few man made rock gardens which then lead you into a steep left handed switch back. This steep section then sends you over a road gap and down a high speed section of table tops and a rock garden gap. The course levels out into a flatter pedalling section frequented by jumps and rollers. The course then exits into the dirt jump park where riders face a short sprint and a table top through the finish line.

The Race the Ranch course although not a course that lends itself directly to my riding style is a darn good time! After a winter with minimal jumping I was excited to get out on some decent sized jumps and throw my Session 88 sideways as much as possible! I also managed to clock about 10-20 timed runs during the 3 days I was there which also doubled as a cardio workout because I was beat afterwards, going against the clock forced me to give it everything I had every run. As well as being excellent for fitness training these timed runs also gave me confidence that I can do I good clean race run at full pace because I made very few major mistakes under the pressure of the clock; something I struggled with last season.

After riding the course I am looking forward to the race to see where I stack up against everyone as well as enjoying all of the vibe and excitement that comes with racing.

Evan Blackwell

Injury Update- Tyler Paksi

2009-08-25T09:05:00.000-07:00

After crashing in practice runs at the Alberta Championship race in Blairmore, where I tore almost every ligament in my hand, Ive been on a long road to recovery to try and heal before the Canada Cup finals in Kamloops.
I was off work for 3 weeks, and I was doing anything I could to speed the process. In my time off I set my journeys off to Whistler to watch some
crankworx and support the team a little. Never did I imagine how difficult
it would be to have no bike in whistler. Watching all the racers coming down one after another killed me inside, and it pushed me to get my hand back on track even faster. It seemed like it was coming along well, and would be very close to being healed before race day. Every day was getting me a little more movement in my hand and a little more strength.
Unfortunately, by the time the race weekend came around, I still had minimal grip strength in my left hand and have no way of holding onto my bike or reaching my brake. I want to wish good luck to the Calgary Cycle racers racing on Sunday in the Canada Cup, and would like to thank Calgary Cycle and our sponsors for the season I had. I am looking forward to next season where I'll be pushing myself harder than ever.

Tyler Paksi
Calgary Cycle DH Race Team

We're Provincial Champs!

2009-08-04T14:36:00.000-07:00

Luke Stevens took the win and the Provincial Title in the U-17 Category this past weekend in Blairmore, AB with Cody Ratte in a close second place. Luke also took the overall fastest time of the weekend with a 2:50.70. Congratulations to both CC racers!

A big shout out also goes out to the rest of the Ratte clan- with dad Richard taking 1st place in the Master Expert Category and the littlest Ratte, Logan taking 1st in the U-13 category!

My Trip to Nationals in Massif Du Sud, Quebec

2009-07-24T12:02:00.000-07:00

MY TRIP TO NATIONALS IN MASSIF DU SUD, QUEBEC
This was my first ever National event that I have taken part in, and I felt very honored to have been asked to represent Team Alberta. When we arrived in Quebec, I stayed with my Grandma at her house, which is right in Quebec City. Knowing that Mont-Sainte-Anne was pretty much right around the corner, that’s where my Dad and I headed. The weather was holding up for us, and the sun was shining, so up the chairlift we went. Right away we looked for the “World Cup” course, and found it, but unfortunately it was closed due to the World Cup being held during the next week.

We found a different course called “La 1837”, so we decided to give that one a try. It’s a double black run full of mossy rocks and tight 90 degree corners. There were a few steeps with slippery roots growing all over them which made it pretty tough to stay on course. The entire run from top to bottom was about 4 to 5 minutes in length. When we got about ¾ of the way down, we met a rider who had fallen and broke his ankle. We helped him get his bike through the rock garden, and he managed to get to the bottom himself.

After a day at Mont-Sainte-Anne, we headed to Massif Du Sud for Nationals. We arrived on Thursday, and went directly to the hill to walk the course. Thursday was warm and sunny, and that was about the only day where the weather was decent. As we made our way up the hill, we realized that this wasn’t your typical Quebec style course. There were a lot of slippery root sections, and not many rocks, and it was proving to be a course very fun to ride. On my way down, I managed to slip and fall, and ended up dislocating my shoulder. Unsure what to do next, I popped it right back in, and it was a bit sore for the next few days, but nothing very serious.
We checked into our B&B and had a great night’s sleep, and got up early the next morning and headed to the hill. The weather took a turn, and it rained on and off all day. The course was turning into sludge, with all the rain. We took it relatively easy for the rest of practice, and went to rest up. Sunday was here, and it was race day. As I made my way up to the start gate, it was foggy, and you couldn’t see anything. The rain started, and you knew it was going to be slick. My race run was great for the most part – considering I had to come to a stop twice, in order to pass two riders in front of me. I got to the bottom with a clean run, and just had to put the rest of it out of my mind, as there’s nothing you could do about it at that point. I ended up placing 5th in Under 17 (Cadet). I had a great experience at Nationals, and got to ride some world class trails, and met some fantastic people. If any of you get the opportunity to ride in Quebec - take it!!
PS – Congratulations to my Dad for finishing in 2nd place in Masters Expert!!

Cody Ratte
Calgary Cycle DH Race Team

Calgary Cycle brings home 2 podium spots at Nationals!

2009-07-24T11:58:00.000-07:00

Race Team Truck and Trailer get P-I-M-P-E-D out!!

2009-07-14T15:21:00.001-07:00

The CC Race Team Truck and Trailer got a face lift just in time for the Western Cup out in BC last weekend. The Team will continue to roll in style... watch for us out at the races- come by and say hello!

Western Cup #1

2009-07-14T13:37:00.000-07:00

The final weekend of Stampeding in Calgary brought a different kind excitment to racers and fans alike in Golden BC. The first annual Western Cup, a battle of the best of British Columbia and Alberta took place at Kicking Horse resort. This is the first race of its type where an individual province will be crowned the fastest.

Racing down classic kicking horse trails, including pioneer and Blaster, Racers were challenged with every type of terrain the resort had to offer. Ranging from long rock slabs, tight technical sections, and highspeed brakeless sprint sections, this trail had it all, keeping everybody on there toes pushing to make it to the bottom with the fastest time of the day. Riders had nothing but bright eyes and ear to ear grins as they worked across the finish.

With last years Psychosis being the final race down Mt. 7, Western Canada needed a new unique event to add to the calendar. The Alberta Downhill Racing Association came forward with the idea of creating an event that tabulated the results of the provinces and crowning the winning province with a very cool looking trophy made from old brake rotors. This year, with the majority of the riders coming out from Alberta, the trophy is going to make Alberta its home until next year. This doesn’t mean the BC riders were holding back. Local Golden ripper 16 year old Riley Suhan took home the fastest time of the day with a 3:40, beating out the rest of the junior expert field by 12 seconds. Luke Stevens and Cody Ratte of Calgary Cycle rounded out the podium, all of them taking home a cash prize for some of the quicker times for the day. In the Elite field, top honours went to Fernie’s own Luke Nelson, closely followed by Bryson Racing Clans Jeff Bryson and Nick Quinn. All of the riders went home with a ton of money and prizes all brought together by the big sponsors of the race, including Calgary Cycle, Louis Garneau, Devinci bikes, and Kicking Horse Ford. Big thanks to you all for helping out.

Next weekend has 2 big races coming up. Racers have the option of travelling east for the national Championships in Massif Du Sud, in Quebec or for a more local excursion, the 3rd alberta cup race of 2009 is set for Rabbit Hill in Edmonton on a brand new course from last year. Best of luck to our Calgary Cycle and Alberta provincial team riders Luke Stevens and Cody Ratte, who are both headed to Quebec to try and take home the national championship title.

Big thanks to ADHRA, and Kicking Horse resort for putting together a flawless race. It’s the first Western Cup, but everybody is looking forward to a bigger and better future, with more and more racers next year. Thanks to Calgary Cycle and other sponsors for helping bring it all together.

See ya on the race course,

Tyler Paksi
Calgary Cycle DH Race Team

CC RACERS HEADED TO QUEBEC TO REPRESENT ALBERTA AT NATIONALS!

2009-07-14T13:26:00.000-07:00

photo credits to Stephen Exley

Luke Stevens and Cody Ratte – two of our junior riders have been asked to represent our Province, and race at the National Cycling Championships being held this weekend in Massif du Sud, Quebec. They both will be racing in the U-17 (Cadet) category, and we all wish them both the best of luck!

Swansea Riding

2009-07-08T15:12:00.000-07:00

As May saw its share of sunshine and cool nights, I think it’s one of the best months to get out and ride. So, that’s what I did. I had never been riding out to Swansea before, so decided to make a day trip out there and check things out. I never know what to expect, but I think Swansea had a little bit of everything to suit every different rider, and every different level of rider.

I rode everything from road gaps, to shorter portions of single track, as well as long and steep portions. Everything was in pretty good shape. Really, I think there were hundreds of trails; you just have to know where to find them. I was surprised by how many hidden trails there were. We met up with a bunch of fellow riders and friends we know, and spent the day riding and having a great time. If you have the opportunity to get out there and experience the trails out there; I’d say “do it”.
Cody Ratte
Calgary Cycle DH Race Team

2009 Bromont Canada Cup #2- Video footage

2009-07-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

Check it out on Pink Bike...

http://http://www.pinkbike.com/video/86782/

Race the Ranch - Team bound for Kamloops & other random information.

2008-05-13T14:18:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

Is thing on?...Check 1, Check 2...ok were good!

Well 2008 here in Calgary has been a bizarre one in the weather department. It's May 13th and we still aren't riding anything locally. Sad...but it is certainly helping to build the excitement for the up and coming race season. "the stoke is high with this one".

This weekend is the first round of races the CC Team will be attending. The Kamloops Bike Ranch will play host to the event. It should be a fun and exciting one, both to try the new course that has been built, but also to test out our new 2008 V10's. (I'll post pictures soon)

If you see the trailer or any our team guys, stop by and say Hi !!!

Let er' slide!

N.Q.

SEA OTTER 2008

2008-05-05T19:01:00.000-07:00

After a very long drive of 25 hours, we finally arrived in Monterey, California for the 2008 Sea Otter Classic. The weather was warm and sunny at about +20. There was no wind, unlike the following days! After checking in at our hotel, we headed for Laguna Seca where the race was being held. We were early, so we walked around and took a look at all the tents being set up by all the different bike shops, and stores. I have really never seen anything that big, and all of them had something to do with biking or fitness in some way. We made our way to the registration tent, and tried to get that out of the way, and on our way out, we met 3 guys from Pinkbike - Tyler, Radek and Jordan.

Meeting them was a lot of fun - and Tyler gave us one very useful tip: make sure to put sunscreen on your neck, so not to get burned by all the walking on the pavement. I guess in previous years he's had a pretty bad burn! Well, back to the hotel, and back to bed, as I had to get up for Dual Slalom qualifying the next day. When we arrived for DS, we soon realized that they had registered me in the wrong category, but there was nothing we could do about it, they wouldn't change it. Well, I was still happy, cause I still got to race. I ended up qualifying 1st, and would go on to finals that Sunday. Saturday morning arrived for the DH practice, and on my second run I nose cased the log drop, and went over the handlebars, and found I wasn't able to get up very quickly - a little shaken up, and a little bruised. I had a fairly large cut on my upper chest, and was having a hard time breathing. I took a break, but wanted to return for my race later that afternoon.

That afternoon was cold and windy. We waited around for the Sport category to get started, and the wind was still blowing. I made my way to the gates, and got a pretty good start, and felt pretty good about my run, however over the log drop I went with a different line, which probably cost me some time, but overall I was happy with my results. Back to the hotel for some more first aid and food. I managed a placing of 28th in the DH Sport category. It was Sunday, the final day of the event. I had finals today in Dual Slalom. I was still pretty sore, and still had some trouble breathing, but I still wanted to race. Practice began at 12:00 and the race got started at 1:00. It was so much fun, but exhausting at the same time. The finals didn't finish until 4:30, and I was tired, but managed 3rd place. From there we went back to the hotel and started packing up as we had an early morning for the 25 hour drive back to Calgary! All in all, I had a great time and met some fantastic people and made new friends along the way. I'd like to say thank you to my parents, who cleared their schedules to take my brother and me to California, and to my grand-parents for flying out of Calgary, and meeting us there. I would also like to say "thank-you" to Mr. Stevens for running back to his car to get my jersey! THANK YOU CALGARY CYCLE - WE HAD A BLAST!!

CODY RATTE
CALGARY CYCLE DH RACE TEAM

Morely Indoor BMX racing!

2007-12-10T13:44:00.000-08:00

So it ain't mountain biking, but for Calgary in the middle Dec when it's -20C outside, riding is riding. Fortunately we are lucky enough to be riding one of the most technical tracks I've ridden in a REALLY Long time! So I'm pretty stoked, in the same week I can ride waist deep pow one day and then go ride for 5 hrs at the track. It's going to be a GREAT Winter.

I'll post some photos next week when I bring my camera to the track.

Qn'r

Calgary Cycle DH Team Whistler Review

2007-09-22T14:41:00.000-07:00

After the Nationals at Mount Washington, the whole team was on their way to Whistler BC, for the Kokanee Crankworx Festival. The first race on the list was the 4X Race which happened to be in the pouring rain, but despite the grim weather the course held up very well and was a blast to rip down. There were a couple muddy spots, but for the most part it was fast, tacky, and tons of fun.

Glen Bradley -

After the 4X the next race was the Garbanzo DH. The rain was continuing to come down hard and beat the course relentlessly, making for an extremely slippery and muddy race. Many riders dropped out of the race because of the dangerous conditions and all of those who were racing were scared for their safety to say the least. In the end the race turned out to be a great success, and one by one the muddy and soaked racers came down the hill and across the finish line.

Robert McPhalen -

Geoff Briggs -

For the Jim Beam Air DH a few days later the weather was finally staring to look up. The hill had begun to dry out and the sun was peaking out of the clouds making the riding in on the hill even more of an amazing experience. By the time of the race the course had been groomed and was very tacky and smooth. Times were fast and the race laps were nothing less than perfect.

Jesse McCrae -

Robert McPhalen -

Geoff Briggs -

Nick Quinn -

To break up the races a little there was the "Slope Style" event. The course wasn't in as good condition or put together as well as other years and resulted in a lot more injuries and crashes, but all in all it was still a lot of fun to throw down on.

Glen Bradley -

The last race and competition at Whistler this year was the Canadian Open DH Race. The course was very similar to other years but with some new extremely techy and rooty steeps in the trees. The weather was great for the race and was one of the best courses many of us had riden. It had a variety of terrain including, fast open sections, gnarly rock and root sections and some good old flat pedalling portions to.

Geoff Briggs -

Robert McPhalen -

Jesse McCrae -

Glen Bradley -

Whistler this year was once again great to our team! We all came home with a few battle wounds and smiles all around. We'll be back next season for some more amazing riding at Whistler!

Glen Bradley,

"Let'er Buck"

Dirt Jumping On The Prairies

2007-09-02T22:18:00.000-07:00

Today a bunch of my friends and I headed out to my buddie Sam's farm where we have been building jumps for the past little while. After a little buffing and packing of everything we started to hit it up and I must say out of all of the jumps I have ever riden these were some of the funnest. They incorporated steep lips and landings that required you to boost high and pump to get enough speed for the next hit like bmx jumps, but at the same time they had enough room to rock it on the mountain bike.

We all had a blast just riding the jumps let alone trying tricks on them. They were the type of jumps you could ride all day long not throwing one trick and still be having the time of your life. As the session progressed we did start doing some tricks, but mainly small ones that we all felt comfortable with as the jumps were already difficult enough to ride.

After riding these jumps in excess of six hours we were all tired and decided to call it quits. Can't wait to go back to Sam's farm to ride and build come new stuff in the near future!

Glen Bradley,

Let'er Buck

Commitment

2007-08-31T09:05:00.000-07:00

This picture caught my eye this morning. (Browsing Farkin.net) Why you ask? the bright blue, the clarity? Nope and Nope. It's the commitment the rider is showing here. Cranks down, Knees tucked in as if he's railin' a berm...but wait, it's an off camber flat corner.
I dream of cornering like this...not because of the fear of failure, but simply for the joy of feeling calm going that fast over something SO difficult to execute. I had one of these on Saturday. Calm, Cool knees tucked in weight back and low and the bike just bounced back and forth between drift and corner, drift and corner. As DH racer's we see the likes of the World Cup racers floating their bike over the terrain insuch calm and cool manors. Learning to execute techniques like this, something I've never really understood is so rewarding!! Now...consistency is the next step...doing it ever single time, over and over and over again...in other words, consistency to commit.

Whistler Crankworx "Slopestyle"

2007-08-02T21:55:00.000-07:00

Heading out to Whistler this year, there were a handful of different events to compete in. One of these events was the Slope Style. Competing in it last season was a blast, so I went into it expecting nothing less this year. Coming into the event everyone had high hopes for the course. Unfortunately it did not meet the expectations of most. The course had lost a lot of flow from last season, had some very flat landings, and was extremely accident prone.

Practice runs started off fairly smoothly, but as riders became more comfortable with the terrain, they started to go bigger and before you know it, ambulance after ambulance was called in. Seeing all of these riders hurt was not exactly a confidence booster, but as a wise man once said, "The Show Must Go On," and that it did.

Coming into the day of qualifying, everyone’s nerves were acting up. There was a much more tense feeling in the air than most freestyle competitions, and you could 'feel' the fear of all of the competitors. For my first run I just wanted to play it safe. It was going extremely well with some tuck no handers, x-ups and a bar spin onto the Kokanee Box, with a 360 off the box. But when it came down to the last jump, I ended up falling on my back flip and came out hurting too much for another run.

Needless to say I did not make it to the finals. I'll be back next year Whistler ... can't wait!

Glen Bradley,

Let'er Buck

Mt 7 Psychosis

2007-07-17T19:07:00.001-07:00

We rolled up Wednesday afternoon to the 9th annual Mt 7 Psychosis in Golden BC. Practice started Thursday and continued Friday leading up to the 5km race on Saturday and than the main event the 14km on Sunday. The 5km race went off without a hitch and had a good turn out. The fastest time of the time of the day was our very own Justin Willoughby with a 5:30. Later Saturday after the 5km finished practice was open from the top. As more riders started coming down the mountain it was starting to become clear dead dog was way to sketchy. Thanks to some volunteers the steep got some love and water. Sunday was a nice 36 degrees and the racer were off. Starting with the Sandbaggers, Masters, Hardtailers, The Pro men and women finally made their way down the course. Helicopters could be seen with camera men hanging out filming Steve Smith and Tyler Morland for the latest movie by the collective. Sam Hill showed up, did two runs and decided he’d like to win $5000 and so he did. Steve Smith was 2nd and last years winner Tyler Morland was 3rd.

Now off to Mt Washington for a Canada Cup, Nationals and finally Whistler for Crankworx wait for our next update to see how our season rounds out.

Till next time,

Calgary Cycle Race team

Calgary Cycle Team Canmore Sesh

2007-07-05T02:18:00.000-07:00

Wednesday evening Robert, Jesse and I headed up to Canmore with our small bikes in search for some good jumping. We had all heard good things about the new jump park up at the Nordic Center and a cool step up in town.

We ended up rolling into town around 8:00pm with the temperature still scorching hot. Our first stop was the step up which turned out to be a little smaller and run down than what we had originally thought, but with a little buffing it was good to go. Robert, who had been there before, was basically our tour guide and guinea pig for the evening. He landed a 360 or two and some awesome whips off the step up with Jesse and I not far behind him, to spin a few ourselves.

Next stop was the Nordic Center. Having not been there before or really heard anything about it we had no clue what to expect. The jumps turned out to be a blast and were built extremely well. They were very smooth and were hard as rock. Not long into the session all off us were hitting transfer lines and starting to trick the jumps.

All in all our trip to Canmore was a success. We had a blast and all three of us walked away with smiles on our faces.

Let'er Buck

Glen Bradley
.

Panorama Mad Trapper BC Cup

2007-06-28T17:08:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, June 23-24, the Calgary Cycle Team and many others made their way up to Panorama Resort for the Mad Trapper BC Cup. This year was a bit different as they had completely changed their course from years before. We were all a bit skeptical going into the new course, but once we started riding there was nothing but smiles. The course had some really fun treed sections that were amazing to pump through and ended with a very fast section cutting onto the old 4X course from last season.

All in all it was a great weekend. We got to ride some of their new trails, rip it on the DH course, and Geoff Briggs ended up taking the win in the Junior Men’s category (see photo above).

Can’t wait to ride there next season, who knows what they will have in store for us!?

Here are a couple snaps from the weekend ...

Robert & Quasar

Me on the course

Glen Bradley
.

Shooting with PowerBar USA.

2007-06-14T13:50:00.000-07:00

This happened awhile back, but I thought I'd share the story with ya!
PowerBar USA was looking for athletes to shoot a national campaign in the US for advertisements for their 1-2-3 system. They were looking for a male "Mountain biker", a female "Mountain biker", some roadies, some tri-athletes etc etc. Lucky me was selected through the connection I have via my lovely girl-friend Elise. Long story short, I got to be a model.
It was a pretty interesting day for me. Having to put on make-up, put on different outfits courtesy of Oakley & Dakine and re-riding up hill sections, downhill section and just interesting sections of really easy trails. I thought to myself, I don't know how the heck they are going to get anything descend out this terrain, but man I was wrong. Here is a "proof" I got from the photographer Jason Stang. Damn is all I gotta say. I believe the term, "something from nothing" comes to mind. Pretty amazing what a few flashes and some photoshop work can net you.

Who knows if these or some of the other images from the day are going to be used?

But it was a fun experience, one I need to get more "gig's" like that.

Images courtesy of Jason Stang Photography.

N.

ABA DH Race #1 - COP June 3rd

2007-06-07T15:19:00.000-07:00

It was a lovely day @ COP Sunday for the first of three ABA Race series. Lot's of racers showed up, not as many as the Wed night races, but still a good 50+. Not a bad showing for the return of DH to the Alberta "licensed" racing scene.
The course was running fast with the lack of moisture all week. It sure was great to see the likes of Partick Lebel and Damian Bissett out to race. These boys whoop it up all year racing pro bmx, so it was nice to see them not riding little kids bikes!!
I thought the team worked pretty well together to help pick out the faster lines on the course on Sunday. Unfortunately Robert had a crash in his run, cause he was looking oh so fast in practice. In the Juniors Ex category Glen took the win. First Junior Ex win I think for him, so props!!
So how'd it go for me?
With Damian And Patrick in the mix, combined with Andrew Pohlmann (Cafe Racers) racing on a Santa Cruz Nomad I certainly knew I had my work cut out for me. My time the previous week was 2:00.91 on a V10, so I knew Andrew would be able to beat that on a Nomad for sure. Not to mention in the Senior Ex category, Mitch Thorton was able to nail a 2:02 in his race run on a Giant Regin. So the question in my head was, do I run Heckler or the V10? Funny I had the same question @ Sea Otter and choose the v10 then. This time I decided that I would be able to make-up more time in the bumpy sections riding the 10 then what I could make up on the sprint with the heckler, I'd just have to pedal harder on the 10 then I did @ Sea Otter. In the end I was able to sneak a 1:58 something in and take the win. Really all I attribute that too is increasing the cadence of my pedal stroke on the sprint and making sure I'm always 1 gear too high exciting corners. Why? Well after watching WC guys on video's, I noticed that the 1st & 2nd pedal stroke out of every corner they take is very heavy (meaning High Power, low Cadence).So that's how I practiced on Sunday morning. I just memorized exactly what gear I needed to be in for specific exiting or speed generating corners. Now, if only I can start transitioning this type of thinking into more course's I race.

The Team is off to "Race the Ranch" this weekend in K-loops. Kevin should have the pits looking sweet and rumor has it our graious sponsor Pioneer/Visions added a sweet soundsystem to the trailer. Dance Party!! Ok, not really.

Next Wednesday night race I'm going to wear a funny outfit...look out!!!

Picture courtesy of the beautiful Elise Russell !!!

Golden Sunshine

2007-05-28T22:56:00.000-07:00

so this past weekend me and my dad headed out to golden for some riding. we left calgary bright and early saturday morning and rolled into golden around lunch time. to start the weekend off we did a little dirt biking, myself playing around on the dirt jumps and trying to master the art of wheelies on my crf 50 and my dad trying to get the skills down on his brand new yamaha ttr 230. Aaron from NME tours than showed up with his shuttle rig( chevy passenger van with a flip down tv, and trailer for bikes) and was kind enough to take me up for a rip on the 10k. conditions couldn't be better, nice tacky dirt the occsonal slippery spot made for some good fun. A run and 5 black bears later Aaron got tired of shuttling he decided to go get his bike and come for a ride. We rode the black trail which is full of jumps and some large stunts. The trail is in mint condition and i've never seen it better. We than linked onto the ridge trail from b12 than linking onto 6.5 k, again the trail was mint. Sunday rolls around and Justin Willoughby decides to show up as well as Terry and Leah from the shop. Trail conditions hadn't changed even after some light rain saturday night. Justin and I decided we'd man up and give bris a try. Expecting it to be some what scary and greasy the steeps were actualy nice and tacky. After both getting closed lined by a single tree branch we had a good laugh than tunneled our way under the branches of a tree than had fallen across the trail we hopped onto 5k and headed for the bottom. Than is decided to pour. It rained pretty hard for a good 20 minutes soo we waited. Than we decided it would be a great idea to go for a mud run so we headed up the road to the 10k. Suprisingly no rain had reached the upper part of mt 7 but once we made it down to 5k things got sketchy. Justin lost the pin in his back break lever, soo he had a frustrating run trying to ride only with his front brake. "people say the front brake is the one you want, screw that at least with the back brake you can still kinda pin it" says Justin.

even with the rain it was a great weekend and i can't wait to get back to mt 7

git r done

Robert McPhalen

COP

2007-05-16T15:54:00.000-07:00

Last night me and my dad went ot ride cop for the first time this season. later we met up with justin willoughby for some more fun. its good to be back on the local hill and nice to have good riding in the city. the trails are still somewhat the same but some new changes have made them much better and more fun to ride. the trails in the trees have had new entrances made other than that they have stayed the same. the current downhill course is alot differn't, changes were made due to snow from the terrain park still in the way of the old trail. the trail is mostly the same until you hit the trees on monkey suits. talking to jari (trail guy) i guess the course is gonna be re routed to the left of dropping in and won't be going down adrenaline like it currently is.

i'm headin back out with justin tonight, so if your free come ride!!

Robert McPhalen

Qn'r Trail Report

2007-05-03T16:35:00.000-07:00

Golden - Good to go 5 or 6 k down. "Trail is too tacky I belief is a quote I heard"
Swansea - Good to go to the big switch back, again. Pretty dry out there in spots already but better than the atomic dustin bin that it is in the summer.
Canmore - Reclaimer is running oh so smooth, plus the Benchlands XC ripping is pretty pinner.
Banff - Lake Minnewanka to the Ranger Station was super fantastic on Tuesday. Pinned riding at it's best if your into the pedal like a mofo thing.
Moose - I haven't heard much yet. Mr. "Free-rider of the Year" Reg Mullet should provide a good scout out soon enough. Probably pretty soggy and heavin' frost I'd imagine. Plus this recent rain storm probably doesn't help much.
Fish Creek - DJ'n is prime, fun jumps, Rain helps them, plus the pinner XC'n is stellar, just stay on the South West side to avoid the bridge bs and your good to go.
Millenium - Looks stellar, I haven't made it DT yet this year, something about being in the mountains catches my atttention more than being stuck in the city. Feels too much like "workin'" I guess?

Anyone actually reading this bs I'm writing. I'm going to go with probably not...oh well I've been know to enjoy talking to myself?

fishy djs

2007-04-29T19:29:00.000-07:00

Today Glen and myself (Robert)went and rode the fish creek djs. I got to the jumps at around 12 to find glen and some other riders playing around on the small set. I jumped in and trained glen to get the speed right. There not the hardest jumps but fun, flowy and great to play around on. After a few runs on the small jumps we swtiched it up and started to do a little digging and some loose dirt on the tranny to add a little cushion for trying tricks, than we started to ride. Glen was quick to bust out a 360 and even go for a backflip. My self on the other hand, I'm still workin up the courage to try something on the bigger jump. After a quick run for some training food ( McDonalds) we were back to the jumps for some more digging gettin the jumps ready for our next ride. All in all it was a fun day and hopefully i'll have the balls to go for a 360 on wednesday when we head back for some more riding.

keep er crunk

Robert McPhalen

Sea Otter - Quinner's perspective.

2007-04-25T09:26:00.000-07:00

NQ here.
Sea Otter from my perscpective: I rolled in Wed afternoon, got organized, went for a little pedal around the hotel parking lot and hit the hay pretty early cause pro practice started at 8am. I'm Defintely NOT a morning person when it comes to riding. It's pretty easy to get up and ride, but get up an learn to pin it...that's tough. My body doesn't normally "wake-up" until like 2 or 3 in the afternoon, so 8am starts were tough. The course it self was actually pretty fun because of the berms and jump set-up's. After running the course on Day 1 on my heckler, then day 2 running my V10 I decided to go with the V10 simply cause it was less sketchy to ride at high speed. I'm not sure that was the right choice. Race-runs are usually 1 sketchy moment anyways, so ...should have ran the little bike instead of the monster truck V10. Oh well, lesson learned about the importance of bike selection, set-up etc.
Day 1 Practice was a pretty cool expierence for Justin and I in that we rode with Mark Weir and Forest Arkwanka (sp, sorry Forest). I really look up to Wier for multiple reasons. Namely his fitness level and how fast the old bugger is. Plus the dude has a sweet mustache!!! For me this was one of the "cooler" experiences about the whole Sea Otter trip, riding with the big boys.
My Race run went pretty descent. A few things threw me off a bit though. In the US, maybe it's a US Cycling thing, but there timing system runs off a series of beeps instead of using eye's. I'm so use to rolling into the start gate, listening to the beep, beep, beeeeeeep. and then you go after the long one at anypoint cause your time starts when you cross through the eyes. Down their it runs a serious of 6 beeps. beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beeeep. Thing is you go on the last beep, but the clock starts on the 6th beep. So do you actually go on the 5th or wait until you simply here the 6th then intiate your starting pedal??? Since I was like the 5th dude out of the start gate I wasn't sure. Oh well. Lesson learned, pay attention to how things start...could be the difference between 1st and 54th. That's right Rennie got me by 15 seconds cause of the start gate...HA HA kidding. Actually it's cause the guy is a monster. I felt like a little kid standing beside him, but he remembered me from Psychosis. Bugger...I need to beat him this year, I know I'm dreaming, but a guy can dream right!!! Speaking of Rennie, I was reading NSMB this morning and came across this picture Dan Barham shot (www.danBarham.com). That shot says it all right there. Intensity, Focus, Determination and the fact that Rennie is a fricken Monster Truck. Kids if your reading this, look at learn from this shot. A picture says a thousand words, in this case this picture says one thing "I'm winning this race".

Word of the day today "Listen to Slayer"... incorporate that into your ride!!!

Summer is here, summer is here, summer is here!!

2007-04-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

Apparently while I was away in B.C. summer decided to show up here in Alberta. Finally. So in celebration some of the old school CC shopper guys are going "xc" riding. Funny how that term has changed over the years. Really it's just a bunch of ole' DH guys pedaling up these wonderfully light Full squish Santa Cruz bikes up big mtns in order to ride down. Sure riding old school favorites like Baldy, Jewel, Cox, Jumpingpound, Powderface etc are technically "xc"... but in the past couple of years I think the more correct term is "All mountain". Either way, when it's time to go down there really is only one speed...Pinned!!!

Pic from Sea Otter: Photographer Dave Pawlak 2007

Off to Invermere and Golden.

2007-04-20T09:08:00.000-07:00

You would think April would be about the spring flowers and riding muddy dirt around here...not so. 1/2 a foot of fresh pow this morning...sweet! Oh well the team is off to Golden to start running hot laps and getting use to these new rigs of ours. Word of the day "superfantasitcawesometimes" Try to incorporate that into your riding today!!