DH seeding runs are now complete. The stage has been set for racing this weekend and the order that things will unfold. Starting off with the Junior Men, Nick Geddes set the bar VERY high. He came down the extremely dry, dusty course in a staggering 4:52.72 placing him in 6th place. This time would also hold up through the day as the fastest Canadian DH run for the day. Once the Junior Men finished, the Elite Women to the course on where Fionn Griffiths put down a solid run seeding her 13th for the finals. The Last Norco to come down was Dirt Norco Race Team’s Ben Reid racing for Ireland. Ben had a super solid run with a time of 4:44.58. This run qualified Ben for 18th spot in the finals.

With a Hurricane rolling in, the course is going to get wet. Don’t be surprised to see some moving around in the standings for the weekend. Those that can deal with the wet will be bound to take advantage of the situation

4X racing is coming up and XC is just around the corner. Check back soon for updates. In the meantime, here are a few photos from today’s racing.

***** UPDATE*****

Fionn Griffiths has qualified 2nd for the Dual Slalom. The Finals happen tonight.

On my recent trip to the Yukon,I was lucky enough to tag along with a group on vacation for a ride along the Yukon River Trail. Well, one of the riders brought along a GoPro Camera and filmed a bit of it. This trail rocks!

Dustan

Dustin on the Norco 2011 Glide – Mix 1 from Blind Nub on Vimeo.

When thinking ‘vacation’, the mind automatically starts drooling over white-sand beaches, palm trees and margaritas right? Well, what if I told you that there was another option where the days are long, the beer is cold and the mountain biking is out of this world? The place is the Yukon Territory. Following the 2011 Norco Product Launch, I managed to sneak away for about a week and visit the midnight sun of the Yukon. Let’s start off by saying that I had a blast!

The Yukon has about 30,000 people that call it home and nearly 25,000 of them reside in the Capital of Whitehorse. Another town that you may have heard of in the Yukon is Dawson City. Situated about 500km northwest of Whitehorse, Dawson City was first settled back to the Gold Rush Days and is now home to about 1300 people. Once a year, the town doubles in size as the Dawson City Music Festival draws people from afar to enjoy some beer, bands and perpetual light. Bringing in artists such as Dan Mangan, Fred Penner, Elliott Brood and more, this is the largest music festival in Northern Canada. The thing about the Yukon that caught me off guard was the people. Living in the city you forget about the aspect of community, and neighborly kindness that is so important to a smaller town’s vibe. Well, it seemed to me that no matter where in the Yukon I was, the people were willing to go the extra mile to make sure I was having a blast. This closeness of the people is one aspect that makes me want to return time and time again. The music festival was really a gathering of people in a celebration of sorts. It is a celebration of the North, the people and the music. This is more than your typical festival.

After spending three days at the Dawson City Music Festival, the time to ride was upon me. Driving back to Whitehorse meant that I could meet up with my friends at Boreal Mountain Biking an the local bike shop Icycle Sports. There is nothing quite like local knowledge when on vacation to find the best spots to spend limited time.

Mountain biking in the Yukon is totally different from anywhere I have ever ridden before. The diversity of the terrain runs from open rock to dense forest, lush meadows to near desert conditions. One minute you may be riding at tight forested singletrack and the next riding a ridge above the beautiful Yukon River. Regardless the trail, somewhere along the way, there will undoubtedly be a stunning vista, a vivid glacial lake or the sight of a winding river. The views are even more spectacular than the best-in-class trails. When you are planning your vacation to Whitehorse, plan to ride the Yukon River Trail, Money Shot, Mountain Hero and more, much more!

At the end of any ride, a bevy is in order and in the Yukon this is no exception. The Yukon Brewery makes some of the best beer around. From the Gold to the Amber, IPA to the Stout, there really is no bad choice… Not only is the beer awesome but the brewery is also a big supporter of the local mountain biking community and the Dawson City Music Festival. When you head up to Whitehorse, check out the brewery, they do daily tours and make a beer that is ‘worth freezing for’. So, the Yukon in a nutshell is pretty straight forward. Good riding, great people, spectacular views, and you can enjoy it all with a cold beer.

Now, just to find my way back to the Yukon soon…

Dustan

Whistler is home to a whole lot of great things. Whether you are looking at skiing, boarding, golfing, eating, lift-access mountain biking or even cross country – Whistler is the place to be. On this note, one of the local weekly events around the city is the Thursday Night Twoonie Race. Located at various locations around Whistler, every week anywhere from 100 – 250 riders will show up ready to race. The best part – it only costs a Twoonie ($2 if you aren’t Canadian).

This past Thursday, The Norco Van was packed up with some new 2011 product and we headed out to take part. For the race, Norco set up a tent showing off some new bikes while Norco Engineer PJ, Factory Team rider Nick Geddes and myself (marketing)  put some coin down – literally, to take part in the race. With 150 participants on the start line the theme seemed to be a bike in the 100-120mm range. These were XC bikes.

With this in mind, us three were mounted upon two Ranges (160mm) and one Shinobi (120mm 29er). Compared to the competition we seemed a little over-biked; but, with the new A.R.T suspension platform and sub 30lb bikes we were up for the challenge.  Off the start line, the course took the pack 150 strong up a gravel road that never seemed to end… For this, I stepped down the Range’s Fox 36 Talus to 120mm, flicked on the pro-pedal and set off. The first kilometer or so I spent reeling in the riders ahead trying to gain some places before the top of the climb. Nick was already ahead of me on a range but at around the 2/3 mark up the hill PJ caught up and passed me with the big-wheeled Shinobi. Once we reached the top of the climb, it was time to cut across the ridge through a rolling trail before dropping down. The descent was actually one of two choices, there was an easier – longer route, or a steeper – faster route. Seeing as how I was riding a 160mm bike, when it was time to start down the fork went back to full travel, the shock was opened up and down went. The descent was steep, rocky and loose but the bike soaked it up and allowed for a few more places gained. After a time of 42 minutes I came across the line in 12th place. PJ was a couple ahead in 10th and Nick broke the top 10 in 9th place.

As everyone was rolling in, the best part of the weekly event started up. At the finish was Burritos courtesy of Dups Burritos and pints from Fanatyk Co Bike Shop. Thanks to both for putting on an awesome event!

It may seem weird, but right now is a time of transition from 2010 and 2011. Sure it may only be June, but with brochures to be printed, product launch to be had and ads to be designed really, for all intensive purposes 2010 is already over. With this in mind, it was just last week that we made a quick trip over to Merritt BC to grab a photo or two.

The photos in such media always look like such a great ride through serene terrain. The strange thing though is that on any given ride, there aren’t photographers lining the trails waiting for a rider and a perfect photo… Instead we are looking at 5AM wake-up calls, snails pace riding and some strategic tree climbing. It is still pretty fun though.

These may not be the amazing Margus Riga photos that will be released later but this is more of the behind the scenes from a day of shooting.

So in the end though… This is what we have to look forward to….

Photo by Margus Riga

]]> http://www.norco.com/blog/1600/major-of-photography-minor-of-climbing/feed/ 0 http://www.norco.com/blog/1514/featured-norco-blogger/ http://www.norco.com/blog/1514/featured-norco-blogger/#comments Fri, 21 May 2010 18:25:40 +0000 admin http://www.norco.com/blog/1514/featured-norco-blogger/

I remember this course from last year, a brutal long climb and a super fun downhill. We had 3 laps to complete. After a 2km hill climb to the start we were ready. A steep hill climb start to our first downhill, I had a little too much air in my tires and was just trying to adjust being thrown around a little more then usual. At the bottom of the downhill there was a creek crossing, last year I managed to ride straight through it, although not able to get around the person in front of me, I actually fail to unclip and find myself sitting in the cold cold creek!!

Check out the blog at megans-adventures.blogspot.com

The Sunshine Coaster is the newly-renovated Rat Race. A classic up on the Sunshine Coast just North of Vancouver in Roberts Creek. With a BC Cup XC on Saturday and a DH race on Sunday and pre-riding everywhere between the weekend was a flurry of activity and a blast for everyone involved.

Eight members of the Norco crew head up for the race with everyone signed up for the DH and 4 lucky soles registered for the XC as well. Brave soles they are taking on gravity in both directions. Taking the ferry over on Friday afternoon meant that we could head out on a pre-ride mission before settling in at the Up The Creek Hostel. This is by far the nicest hostel I have ever stayed in. A 10 minute walk from the beach, equipped with a great kitchen, hot tub and cleaner than your average hotel, this was a great, economical choice for the weekend and the perfect place to grab some rest.

Racing on Saturday was 2 hours of gut-wrenching XC with grueling climbs, ripping descents and even a few bridges in the mix. The Sunshine Coaster XC really is the perfect cource for a well rounded rider. The DH on the other hand is a fairly flat, Stand and hammer course. Racing the DH is tuned towards the most fit of racers… Let’s just say there where a few people hacking up a lung at the finish.

Check out a few photos from the racing action

Check out more photos at flickr.com

Moab is second to none when it comes to epic all-mountain rides. The trails are made up of everything from massive rock expanses to desert conditions, and if you can get up high enough you may even find some alpine conditions. Moab, to say the least is a mountain biking Mecca. If you are going to head out Moab way, you should make sure to be, fit, well hydrated and fueled up. Moab to say the least is a pretty intense area to bring a bike You take this intensity then add a guide who has ridden here for the past 25 years. This turns the Moab intensity up from ‘hard’ to what the local trail maps consider to be ‘Dude’!

Day one of our adventures involved a Moab classic, the Poison Spider Mesa. This is a trail that wraps around the land formed by millions of years of water and wind erosion. Climbing up the ridge over countless drops, through deep gullies and grunting up steep climbs is rewarded by spectacular views of the surrounding canyon. Well worth the effort. This is the point in the ride where most stories would end, a tough climb, spectacular view then we head back down a fast descent. But. . . in our case this is where the legend of Steak Sauce comes into play.

As we crest the top of the final ascent. We lightly gasp for breath while the plateau becomes a realization. It is a great feeling to reach the top of an epic ride. But. . . between breaths I make out the unflustered voice of Steak Sauce, “Well, this is where most people think the trail ends.” Heck, that is what I was thinking. After all it had been a great ride up and we were all ready for some gravity fun. It turns out that a second trail called Portal winds further out into the desert up to a spectacular pillar that creates a gap in the landscape visible from miles around. This is a great place to stop for lunch and a well deserved break. After all we are about 4hrs into our ride. Post break and snack we continued on a slight climb before wrapping around the ridge and starting to descend. The trail Traverses a ridge is on a semi-exposed rock trail with a few steep chutes and rock drops. Things are getting fun again as the adrenalin starts pumping. This is where the sign shows up. . . It was a little steep. . .

After a quick aside to deal with the so called ‘danger zone’ we were soon enough back on the fast, rocky singletrack winding down towards the truck.

Most people that head to Moab think of Poison spider as a pretty epic 2-3 hr ride. Well, if you pour a little Steak Sauce on that and don’t mind a short stint on the pain train, then you get a 5hr test of endurance. It is definitely worth it though, seeing the portal and linking up the descent are some of the best experiences I have had on a bike. If you head out to the area, make the effort and go the extra mile.

On day seven of our Moab vacation we started off with a shuttle heading up, way up. We were shuttled all the way up to Geyser pass by Ryon from Chile Pepper Bike Shop where we were put into the hurt locker and climbed the final let to over 11000ft in an area called Burrow Pass. This left us gasping for air and itching to ride. This was high, really high and there was 7000ft of descending ahead. Can it really get any better than this?

The air was cool at a mere 3 degrees and ice lined the sides of passing creeks. At this elevation and temperature keeping dry is a bit of a big deal as the water is as cold as the descent is long. Starting off the descent we were in a sub-alpine terrain speckled with evergreens and icy rivers. Soon after we were descending through a vibrant yellow poplar forest shifting to a deep red as we continued on, the terrain in this area is so diverse and varying it makes for an experienced unparalleled. Starting off in Winter like conditions and ending in the desert, where else on the face of the earth can you do that in a single day? With close to seven hours of riding and over 7000ft of descending it is hard to argue that it wasn’t epic and we weren’t tired. The ride is huge and totally worth it. Pack your bags, pack lots of food and even more water then hit the trails. This descent is like no other. From 11000ft to 4000ft and 3 degrees all the way up to mid 30s the range on this ride is astonishing.

These two rides are two small fish in a very large sea of trails. I feel as if I have seen so much in but a week of riding yet I know that I have barely scratched the surface. Time to head home, get back to work and start planning a trip next year. After 7 days of relaxing vacation in Moab Utah, I am Exhausted!

Dustan

On Aug 18th at 9pm we (Matt Young, Curtis Christopherson, and myself Richard Alm) walked into the Vancouver International Airport and left for Australia; an adventure that had evolved from a world record ride in 2007 : Team H2V – the Ride Across Canada.

As we approached the check-in desk with excitement and handed over our passports, the Air Canada representative asked us, ‘What are in these boxes?’ Without hesitation we replied, ‘Bikes…We are riding from Cairns to Melbourne in 8 days to raise awareness for Juvenile Diabetes!’
‘With your push bikes?’ she replied.

This would be the first of many questions asked to us the entire time we were on the road in Australia and we would soon find out why.

Some history…

After a promise was made from a dad to his daughter, that he would do anything in his power to find a cure for Juvenile Diabetes, a group of committed individuals came together to ride across Canada in a record breaking 8 days in 2007. We planned out a 5 man relay ride across Canada which resulted in a Guinness Book of World Record and close to a million dollars raised for Juvenile Diabetes.

One year later, after our successful 2007 Canada ride we were contacted to develop a major event for a group of friends in the US & Australia.  With a second Canada relay in the planning stages, an Australian relay would be that extreme effect they were searching for.

Training protocols were to be designed in Canada and ground operations and media were controlled by our Australian teammates. With an unexpected drop in the world economy and a couple major natural disasters in Australia, our focus on raising another million dollars shifted to raising awareness and having an unbelievable journey in the process of doing so. We also sonly came to realize that with the economic shift and other personal reasons, a team that was originally comprised of 16 people soon became a team that was comprised of 5 riders and 3 support people.
Regardless, with planning, caring and focus the ride was going to happen and we would make it a successful one!

At times we seem to forget or not believe that WE CAN achieve what we aspire to. Yet, it’s only a matter of setting out the plan (setting goals), having the confidence to do it (believing), and putting in the work to make it a reality (executing the plan) ~ Curtis Christopherson

Our trip began with our flight to Sydney, where our 16hour trip was upgraded to business class – just the first sign of good luck on our trip down under!

Matt, Curtis and I took off on the 18th but arrived on the afternoon of the 20th. Jumping from Sydney to Cairns we arrived in a summer oasis even though it was their winter. A group of 3 Australians picked us up and we instantly knew it would be an interesting time when they showed up wearing all the riding gear driving the van. There was Nelson (our ground operator), Micky P (in charge of sponsorship and media), and Cameron (rider and comic relief). Our first night was spent getting to know each other and let’s just say that we enjoyed Cairns hospitality! The next morning was slower than normal, we had a morning interview with a local radio station and the rest of the day was spent preparing the vehicles, our Norco bikes and last minute details.

By this time we were getting to know the rest of the team. Steve (our 5th rider) arrived to join the group, as well did Andrew (who was in charge of filming this journey). The whole team was amazing and their general attitudes from the beginning were so solid. Generous and caring hearts mixed with an Australian personality is a winning mix.

Our daily rides commonly started off and completed with an hour group ride in and out of towns and were filled with 2hr solo shifts throughout the day. Our plans included hotels in the beginning because of permit issues with riding at night, but we soon figured out that riding at dusk until dawn is actually very dangerous. The roads are full of wildlife and trucks driving in teams to save gas (ironically bikers ride in teams to save energy)

Day1 was a ride to Townsville. It was a full day of riding through sugar cane fields and farmland. With hills in the distance one really gets the feeling of open space. The temperature was gorgeous and the rest of the scenery was breath taking. We stayed in a very cool hotel in Townsville and had a great meal down the street from our restaurant. A comical note of the evening, while we were getting ready for dinner, we were taking turns in an ice bath (this causes fresh warm blood to get in there to warm you up later and clears the lactic acid out of the muscles – a huge deal when needing to recover from physical activity) and during mid ice bath the fire alarm went off and we all piled outside wearing shorts and towels to be greeted by what seemed to be almost 100 people wearing nearly nothing…that was a funny sight for some!

Day2 was a hot ride to Mackay. The card games in the back of the RV, the hilarity of our cultures coming together while riding the east coast of Australia was proving to be noticeably the best road trip ever. The time together was spontaneous, fun and interesting. We were learning about each other and Matt, Curt and I were getting passed major information from our new friends about their land and we were all witnessing the visuals right in front of us…

Day3 was spent riding towards Rockhampton. The morning was misty and crisp. This quickly was replaced with some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded in the surrounding areas…we ate sugar cane standing in a field, we saw many wild animals and birds, and experienced new foods like; pies, monkey burgers and ice poles…my stomach was sore from laughing all the time!

Day4 we raced to Brisbane. This was a long day with hard riding, a stop by police and lots of photography. Everything was a treasure waiting to be seen. This day, the team was comfortable with each other spirits were total high as even the support crew (everyone) took turns riding. All the guys gave it a try and rode with us on occasion. They all looked great out there!

Day5 was a big media morning in Brisbane followed by a tricky departure of the city. The morning was difficult, but we were rewarded with some of the most amazing riding ever. What if you could ride your bike at Surfers paradise and then end up taking a quick dip at Byron bay…unbelievable. We slept in the RV just outside of Port Macquarie with our focus of getting to Sydney the following day.

Day6 was a long push into Sydney. The riding was hilly and challenging with wind in our faces. The heat was pounding down on everyone and we were all working very hard. The recovery time is important and we seemed to balance everything well. The moral was consistent and the energy stayed positive.

We arrived a sunset into Sydney and just made it to ride across the harbour bridge into the sunset with the opera house to our side. The visuals were absolutely amazing and with a quick fix of Curt’s bike en route kept the team rolling together. It was a little colder in Sydney was we were getting lower down the coast, the city seemed like home and we really enjoyed the pizza and beer we found down by the water…

Day7 started off with a media event at the opera house and an amazing ride out of Australia’s largest city. We rode through forests and along beaches…cliffs and coves…towns and estates, this ride was the greatest of all time. We rode along the sky sea bridge which hangs out over the cliffs as it curves right off the side of the mountains. Many car commercials have been filmed there because of the raw beauty and architecture.

To help us appreciate the positives there must always be a little adversity along the way. That night we hit and killed a very large kangaroo. This only enforced the decision to not ride at night and to finding the solution of doing 200km pickups from time to time to stay on track. Safety first was proving to be the best option. A very late night by all and an early start for Day8 into Melbourne. We camped along the way near Twin Rivers. There was plenty of riding to do before arriving at our finishing point. We had come so far and the entire time felt like so much longer. The long road traveled with providing us with a challenge through adversity into victory. The team dug deep to get us to our final destination…Melbourne

We arrived to a staging point where we repaired our second flat, ate some baked goods and met up with a rider for the last 30min cruise. The entire ride at times felt like home and our last moments felt like we were on Point Grey road (bigger and better maintained mind you!) the team exchanged smiles and pats on the backs. We came around the corner and were met by a party at a swim club. The last of its kind in Melbourne where there are bars in the water enclosing a shark free zone built in the early 1900s. High fives and a jump off the pier completed the ride. We did it! The final celebration began and believe me, the last 30hrs in Australia was jammed full of fun and good times…the travel home on the 31st coincidentally was about that long as well…

The teams wished each other well, friendships have been created and memories were established.
Thank you to all who made this trip possible for us. Norco for supporting us with the unbelievable bikes, Innovative Fitness for supporting us with the training & riding gear, and everyone else…your kind words, support and positive energy was appreciated. We completed what we set out to do. Raise awareness for Juvenile Diabetes and ride across a country with friends…what’s next?

Richard

Be sure to experience everything posted on our Innovative Fitness group page on www.facebook.com
2007 world record ride www.teamh2v.com
2009 Cairns to Melbourne in 8days www.cyclebetes.com.au

This past week marked the 2009 Kokanee Crankworx in Whistler BC. Norco had several factory team riders present but two stood tall through one event in particular. New for 2009 at Crankworx was the Canadian Open Enduro, a combination of white-knuckled downhill and gut busting climbing, this event saw everything from XC bikes to DH rigs speckled down the course.

Norco had two riders compete in this event, World Cup racer Fionn Griffiths and Junior Expert up-and-comer Nick Geddies. First off, I should comment on the respective bike choices. Fionn chose to ride her Team DH. She felt that there was more to gain on the descents than there was to lose on the climbs. Nick on the other hand chose a Fluid LT 6.1 all-mountain bike. The bikes were very different but the outcomes quite similar. Fionn was crowned Pro-Women Champion with more than a 10 second lead and Nick took the U-19 Men with an astounding 42 second lead.

Way to go Nick and Fionn on a spectacular effort and bringing home the hardware.

To see full results from Crankworx have a look at http://www.crankworx.com/whistler09/live-blog/results