Crankworks Colorado

Crankworks Colorado was such an awesome experience for me, it started by road tripping down from Whistler with a awesome crew of people which kept it interesting.  We stopped in salt lake for a day to ride the local parks with Cody Gessel which was sweet but it was stupid hot!  We ended up getting to Winter Park on Tuesday night, after about 30ish hours driving all up) and went and checked out the course Wednesday morning  then hit up practice to try sort it out.  Kyle Ebbet and crew did a sweet job with the course, the idea of small to big was a really cool in my opinion with the bigger jumps getting up to 35ft.  We practiced and hot-tubbed  Wednesday and Thursday then Friday we hit up quails, I had a run sorted out so I hit that up and ended up qualifying in 17^th I think which to be honest I was disappointed with but at least I got into the finals so can’t complain with that.  

Americans love huge signs

Saturday I was the first person up practicing because I had afew ideas to help me better my score.  I got most things I wanted to in practice so I was stoked with that.  I was a lot more nervous for my first run here compared to Claymore but I managed to stick it and flipped the 35footer which was playing on my mind so it was good to get that out of the way, I also managed to 3 the drop which was really long and only 4 other people (I think) managed to 3 it so I was super stoked on that.  Because I had a good first run I decided to throw a 360 that I had been trying in practice which had smashed me once, popped my tyre once and ridden out once but with no speed, it was the long and low transfer which the biggest trick on so far was a barspin or tuck no –hander.  I nailed my run up top and sent the 3 and managed to land it but didn’t have much speed so pedalled my ass off and hucked the last jump and just cleared it but didn’t manage to trick it so I was bumbed on that as I was going to throw my biggest trick but ohwell I came out unhurt so I can’t complain and I got a lot of credit for the 3 so I was happy with that.  I ended up placing 15th which I’m pretty bumbed about because I know I could have done better but I'm stoked to come away from the event not even feeling banged up.

Might look like your usual drop...but it wasn't really, it was super long and hard to clear

360 transfer on the long and low

Overall it was an awesome experience and I’ve learned so much!   I didn’t know what I wanted to do next year because of studying but after this comp I’m super keen to get back over here and hit up the American comps again just to hang out with the crew and have fun so hopefully it will work out.  This was the last comp for me over here due to Goat Style getting cancelled so just lots of DH and freeride for me and hopefully a big roady with some of the crew from this event.

Contents page photo in NZMTBR

Just found out that scored a full page spread in the contents page in the latest NZMTBR mag, stoked!

 

Go check it out.

Crankworks Colorado

So I tripped down to Crankworks Colorado in Winter Park with Ben Glassen, Dan Brown and Drew Vandergriend.  We drove for around 1.5 days including stops until we got to Salt Lake City where we met up with Cody Gessel.  We hung out at the local parks for the day and just chilled in the 1000 degree heat, it was so hot compared to what I'm used to back home!

We finally got to Winter Park after another 9 hours driving and went to see the course, its a pretty sweet course and the idea of it going from small to big is an awesome idea, Kyle Ebbit and crew did an awesome job!  Check out the day 1 practice vid put together by Drew, its got abit of me in there along with a sweet flip crash on the 28ft (apparently) final jump where my ass got stuck between my tyre and seat, not to nice but didn't hurt and got it sweet next try so all good.



Check out Crankworks Colorado live webcast for the qualifiers which is on at 8am (I think) NZ time tomorrow and then finals the next day starting at 7am.  http://www.crankworxcolorado.com/live_webcast.html

Whistler

As everyone knows Whistler is the meca of mountainbiking and it kind of is...  Its got sick DH and trail riding but I must say Queenstown kicks its ass when it comes to jumps: gorge, mini dream and dream are definitely one of a kind.  So i must admit I was expecting abit more in that department but that's fine because the DH is so much fun!  There's every kind you could ask for, fast, slow, tech, you name it, and then there's Crab Apple Hits!  Its a sick five pack of jumps that are rather large, getting into the late 30s (feet) at a guess.  Might manage to get some photos on that at a later date.

Looking back over Whistler

Its crankworks at the moment and to start it off Chromag and Reece Wallace combined together to host the Family gathering which was a lax as jump jam at the river jumps.  There were some shredders there along with the odd pro, defiantly a great jam with a sweet vibe.  Also the longest train I've ever seen (or been in), I went through it three times and it ended the way I thought it might, by a crash, but luckily the person was fine.

Next stop for me is Crankworks Colorado! Stoked, Dan Brown and crew are giving me a ride there, 20 hours driving or so from what I hear!

Spoke Magazine cover!

I've managed to get on the cover of Spoke Magazine somehow, stoked!  The photo was taken by Camilla Stoddart when I was filming for Aint a Big Deal in central Otago.

Theres also a 7 page interview in there put together by Lester Perry.  Go check it out!

Claymore challenge vid put together by lucent productions.  If you ever get the chance to go to highland do it!!


2011 Claymore Challenge Highlights from Lucent Productions on Vimeo.

Also another vid put together from every1 shreding in the HTC indoor area waiting out the rain. Good times

2011 Claymore Challenge - HTC Sessions from Lucent Productions on Vimeo.