A Whirlwind Weekend Of Racing

When the race season starts, it gets moving in a hurry. The weekend of May 18th-19th was a busy one for Norco Team racers around the world. Through five disciplines of racing and 7 racing teams a whirlwind of results are pouring in from North America and Europe
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The first ever Enduro World Series race took place in Palo Alto Italy this weekend and members of the Norco Enduro World Team and the Dirt Norco Race Team were out and competing. Norco rider Ludo May took the 14th spot in the multi-stage race while team-mates Lukas Anrig and Michael Schzrer took 39th and 56th places. For the women racers Lorraine Truong finished in 9th spot. Representing the Dirt Norco Race Team Greg Callaghan finished the first World Enduro race in 37th.

Meanwhile in Winterberg Germany, slopestyle rider Sam Dueck was competing at the Red Bull Berg Line where he placed top 3 in the best trick competition.

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Also in Europe was the first Cross Country World Cup where Haley Smith was racing in the U23 women’s category amung the world’s best. Haley has a very strong race and managed a personal best finish of 16th.

Meanwhile, closer to home Norco riders were also competing in the first Canada Cup event held at Mt. Tremblant QC. Both XC and DH riders came out for the event to fight for provincial and national pride. In the XC Norco Factory Team Andrew Watson finished in 3rd spot closely followed by teammates Evan Guthrie, Evan McNeeley and Andrew L’Esperance in 5th, 6th and 7th places. On the DH track Nick Geddes crossed the line in 11th place for the elite men while Lee Jackson finished in 2nd place for the Juniors.


In the Pacific Northwest, Jill Kintner was competing at the 3rd NW Cup where she was able to continue her dominance and take yet another win in the early season. Jill’s season has a ton of momentum early on so watch for her fighting to the top of the podium in the first World Cup DH just a few weeks away being held in Fort William Scotland.

Photo by Paris Gore

On the road racing front Team H&R Block was competing in the 18th annual Enumclaw Stage race where Kyle Buckosky finished in 15th place, Ryan Macdonald in 21st and Justin Kerr crossed the line in 32nd spot. Meanwhile on the East Coast Team Jet Fuel Norco was competing in the Niagra Classic where Anton Varabei took the overall win putting the Jet Fuel Norco Jersey at the top of the podium.

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Cinco de Sombrio Photo Shoot

Post by Darcy Turenne

It was really nice of summer to kick winter in the butt and take spring’s place, wasn’t it?

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I got to ring in the hot May weekend-of-the-century by shooting with my long time friend (and brilliant photographer) Harookz down in Hood River for the Dakine 2014 catalogue.

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Hood River is always one of my favourite places to ride. Post Canyon a flow-haven and Syncline boasts breathtaking views this time of year because the wildflowers are in full swing. Personally, I could ride Post Canyon every day and be happy, but this year we were super lucky to go to a zone across the river on a trail that led us to a giant waterfall. Don’t get to ride by those everyday! That, plus a few days at Post and Syncline gave us the full Hood River experience.photo 2

Like usual, Harookz did an amazing job of getting the shot (or 200 shots!) and making us look good. I think it’s going to be a tradition to now spend every Cinco De Mayo riding bikes and eating fish tacos. Hope your week was equally good!

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-Darcy

Joe-Bike Prefers an Indie With Di2

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Di2 electronic shifting and the Alfine 11 internally geared hub might seem an unlikely hookup. Di2 is one of the current darlings of the road racing set because it allows for blazingly fast shifting. Alfine 11, on the other hand, is a current darling of urban biking because it’s weatherproof, extremely low maintenance, and lets you shift from any gear to any other whether you’re pedaling or stuck at a red light. Although it does, as they say, go to 11, Alfine 11 will almost never be found in any sort of racing situation, whether road, mountain, or cyclocross, as it weighs 4 lbs. and isn’t designed to shift under extremely high-pressure pedaling.

But this mutation, which is found on only one production bike that we know of—the new, $2600 Norco Indie Drop Alfine—works. It works really, really well, which we’ll talk about in a minute. What we need to mention now is that Norco has applied this un-obvious, ham-wrapped-cantaloupe sort of thing to its new flagship urban road design, the Indie Drop*, which a double-butted cromoly frameset with disc brake tabs, numerous rack and fender options, and a distinctive, vibration-dispersing arc where the seat stays meet the chain stays. The result is a revolutionary urban road bike.

Read the full review at joe-bike.com

A Team Performance at Contrecoeur

premieretechWithout the help of the leader Sebastien Rousseau who was left behind with a broken shoulder blade at Battenkill, Norco/ Premier Tech senior team showed a great performance at Contrecoeur GP, the first race in Quebec.

The bunch had 8 laps to ride for a 107 km race. Adam Andersen, Samuel Blanchette, Marc-Antoine Boulet, Guillaume Fiset, David Fugère, Louis-Charles Lacroix, Maxime Le Pluart and Etienne Samson were really active in the field staying up front and taking part on almost every attack.

Unfortunatly for the team Remi Pelletier-Roy (Garneau Quebecor), the defending winner, and his team were on fire. A bit out of luck and out of organisation, the race took the best of the team while the pack ended sprinting for the second step of the podium.
Maxime Le Pluart and David Fugere finish respectively 6th and 9th of the sprint. Everyone else finished with the peleton.

Few hours earlier Annabelle Dumais and Marie-Hélène Carrier were representing Norco/Premier Tech at the women race. They had 4 laps to complete for a 54 km race. It was a hard day for Annabelle who was forced to abandon. Nevertheless, a great performance for Marie-Helene who stayed with the pack for it’s first race of the season.

Results Pro 1-2

Maxime Le Pluart – 6th
David Fugère – 9th
Etienne Samson – 25th
Adam Andersen – 37th
Samuel Blanchette – 42nd
Louis-Charles Lacroix – 47th
Marc-Antoine Boulet – 48th
Guillaume Fiset – 49th

Results Pro women

Marie-Helene Carrier – 11th
Annabelle Dumais – DNF

Merging Seasons: The Ski 2 Sea

Post by Evan Guthrie

Another SkisSea in the books, and this marks year three that The Bike Barn has won, slightly different teams each year, but equally great members! On a cold, snowy drive up to Big White Ski Resort it seemed likely that the mountain bike leg of the: DH ski-XC ski-Mountain bike-Road bike time trail-Run-Canoe relay may be cancelled. With fresh snow, freezing temperatures it meant the compact ice/snow on the roads would not melt, which meant danger to anyone getting on their mountain bike. I voiced my opinion very firmly, yet quietly the marshal overseeing the mountain bike. After going through the big chain of command and other people voicing their worries it became clear only the stupid would want to start the leg. After back-and-forth communication and a late call(after the race has already started) the cancellation of the MTB leg came in. Very tough decision, but safety comes first. Of course there was some people that were pissed off, but they were outnumbered and in my mind quite stupid. I love racing, I love going fast but most of all this was a fun, family, community event where an injury in this event could cancel it for future years. When racing a bike down a mountain mountain, into oncoming traffic, with ice and snow, and all levels of ability taking part, it was not a question of falling or sliding but who would be the first to slide out on a corner and get run over by an oncoming car. In past years I have averaged over 50 kilometers per hour, with points reaching excess of 90 k’s which is dangerous. I just don’t understand why some of the older experienced riders from town were pressuring to keep the stage going, yes they have bike skills, as do I, but what about the Rec team that pulled out a 20 year old Canadian Tire bike and has no clue what they are getting into? Aren’t we supposed to be making a united front and inspiring people to ride, not put others in danger? Anyway my point/rant is over. I can’t quite voice how much I appreciate Re/Max coming on board and taking over the Ski2Sea after it came close to not happening this year after 30 years of existence. I also appreciate the tough call on cancelling the MTB leg, we’re all competitors but most of all we all want to see one another smiling, and safe, at the finish line all while enjoying a hot dog and cold beverage of course!

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Into the race. Once the MTB was cancelled I had the opportunity to take over the road bike time trial, which I jumped on! I had no aero gear, no light wheels. But I did have my trusty yellow/blue Bike Barn skin suit to look good. Sometimes is about looks over speed right?.. I took off, probably road my best time trial ever, sensation wise, and finished feeling tired, but a good tired. I carried on my ride to cool down and met our team down at City Park to watch our canoeists paddle up, out in the lead, we pulled them out of the water and as a team pulled the canoe across the line first. We were confused because with the cancellation of the MTB timing was a little off so some calculations had to be made until we officially new we had won.  Thanks team!

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That concluded my first weekend back in the Okanagan since arriving home from my six-week training block in Victoria, where I have to give a HUGE thanks to the Ewart family. Words can’t explain how great they were and how much this season will be dedicated to them because of their support. I am fitter, faster and more confident than I have ever been, which comes in perfect time as the season is just kicking off!

Thank you to all my supports, family and friends who believe in me. 2013 is going to be great!


Evan Guthrie

 

www.evanguthrie.com

www.twitter.com/evanwguthrie

‘Norco Nails It with the Valence C2′

Review by Canadian Cyclist

In 2012 Norco introduced a new line of road bikes, called the Valence.  Consisting of 14 separate models – carbon and alloy, men’s and women’s – the Valence is Norco’s response to the growing demand for what is referred to as the ‘Endurance’ segment of the road market.  Specialized was one of the earliest brands to recognize it with their Roubaix line, but by now pretty much every manufacturer has at least a few models.

The Valence and others of its ilk are designed for the serious non-racer.  Whether they ride in organized events like GranFondos and long distance charity rides, or ride on their own, there has been an increasing recognition that bikes designed for racing are not necessarily the best for most types of riding.

Norco nailed it with the Valence C2

The 2013 Valence C2, 60 cm as tested
If you are not racing, you are likely willing to sacrifice some performance efficiency for comfort, especially on long rides.  A race bike may be the most efficient at transmitting power, but it is also more likely to beat you up on less than pristine surfaces and demand less comfortable aerodynamic positioning.  That doesn’t mean that you need to accept a bike that is a wet noodle, and won’t perform; just that there is a rational trade-off between performance and comfort.

We tested one of the carbon versions of the Valence, the C2 model, which sits squarely in the middle of the carbon range.  All five of the carbon models share the same geometry, plus there is one carbon Forma model, Forma being Norco’s women’s specific designation.  The top two models, the Di2 and C1, feature a higher quality (and slightly lighter) carbon matrix than the C2, C3 and C4 models.

If we compare the Valence to Norco’s race model, the Tactic, we can see visibly noticeable differences in the frame geometry.  The head tube on the Valence is half a degree slacker (for my 60 cm test bike), the seat tube a full degree less, the wheelbase is 13 mm longer and the head tube length is a significant 45 mm more.

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Read the full review at canadiancyclist.com

The slow road to recovery

Post by Catherine Vipond

With winter coming to an end, race season is fast approaching, and in some cases already begun. My only problem is: I’m not ready to race. In some ways I don’t want the snow to leave as I can finally skate ski, and with snow on the ground I don’t feel that I’m missing out on mountain biking; too much anyhow. The truth is I can’t ride off road for more than a minute without a headache, if I push through, the trees start moving on their own, the world spins and things become blurry. That doesn’t even require 5 minutes of riding and I’m left feeling wrecked for a couple hours and wondering when I will once again be able to ride. You often hear how every athlete needs a good comeback story, a recovery from injury that defines them. I’ve decided that isn’t necessary, I wouldn’t wish my last year on anyone, sport and competition in itself is enough of a story without having to overcome an injury.

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Enjoying lots of time on my skate skis this Spring

I’ve been asked numerous times when’s your first race, what’s your schedule like for the year, what races are you doing, when’s your next training camp, when are you mountain biking, how are the trails? I wish I knew the answers, I live for schedules and plans, but right now I can’t plan anything. I don’t know when I’ll be mountain biking let alone racing. My team is heading down to Sea Otter this week, I know I won’t be going and that is about the extent of what I know for the season. All winter I’d planned on racing the Canada Cups in May, but I’m no longer holding my breath. Maybe it will happen, maybe it won’t but really there isn’t much I can do about it. I have great plans; races I want to do, road trips I want to go on, and trails I want to ride. When it comes down to it, I’d be happy just to be able to mountain bike because as hard as I try, I can’t find anything that I like as much as Mountain Biking.

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Enjoying playing in the mud

People want to know if I’m doing anything to get better; trust me when I say I’m doing everything I can. I’ve seen more physios, doctors, and optometrists than ever. I’ve been stabbed, poked, xrayed, mri’d, twisted and turned but when it comes down to it everyone’s answer is the same; they don’t know what is still causing me problems.  I’m told to be patient and with time things should get better. Balance was a real problem for a while so I’ve spent hours on balance boards, I have dots all over my walls for eye stabilization exercises and so it seems I spend hours staring at walls. Juggling apparently helps with eye tracking and so I juggle, I’m learning new tricks, and juggling while on a balance board. I’ve done more neck strengthening exercises than I knew existed. I spend hours with foam rollers, tennis balls, lacrosse balls and golf balls stuck in my back and neck. My balance seems solid, my staring is top notch, my juggling is really coming along, my neck is stronger than ever and I have better neck mobility than I’ve ever had; but still there is something not right and so I have to wait.

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Juggling and balance, it’s harder than it looks, Matt is still working on the one ball juggle.

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There are hours of entertainment right her

Luckily, I’ve built up from doing basically nothing to being able to do a lot of activities, just not everything yet. Once given the clear to exert myself the trainer gave me no issues and so I’ve crushed a lot of time and frustration on the trainer. There have been more than enough six times a week trainer riding weeks, but at least I was doing something. Rollers took a while to remember how to ride straight but I’ve surpassed my initial maximum of 2 minutes, I’m nowhere near my old four hour roller rides, but I’m okay with that!! Skiing is my main winter activity and that took a while to come. I did a lot of 10-15 minute skis and a lot of sitting on the trail side. Initially using poles added an extra level of difficulty so I gradually built up to skate skiing with no poles for 2 hours. Now as long as there is a hard packed track I can skate ski. Classic doesn’t agree with me so I’ve mostly avoided that one.  Snow storms aren’t my favorite this year either as that extra visual stimulation is just too much. Unfortunately backcountry skiing has been out this year too, when you’re up top of a mountain and the mountain seems to start moving and you can’t see straight after 8 turns it makes getting back down tough. So unless I can find some way to reverse shuttle I’m skipping out on that for the rest of the year. I’ve realized just how much we take for granted in our day to day lives and how complex some of the things we do really are. The brain does an incredible job of comprehending difficult situations and allowing us to perform incredible skills, it just apparently takes a while to reteach the brain everything.

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The extent of my downhilling

I won’t lie, there were days when all I wanted to do was lie down on the couch from physical pain and mental frustration except lying down made my head pound and the room spin so that wasn’t an option, I just had to keep going. And so I make the most of what I can do right now and hope that someday soon I’ll be back doing what I love; ripping the trails.

Catherine

Enough is Enough – Fighting Mental Illness Across Canada

DSC_1428The wheels have started turning in the Enough is Enough cross Canada tour in support of mental Illness. The 8000km journey started on May 12, 2013 in Whistler BC. Day two of the epic journey brought the ride’s visionaries Ginny and Kerry Dennehy with their support crew past the Norco Bicycles head office in Port Coquitlam BC where they were greeted by Norco Staff and a fundraising BBQ.
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Ginny and Kerry have a goal of raising 1 Million dollars for the Kelty Patrick Dennehy Foundation in support of research towards mental illness. A mere 3 days into the journey and this ambitious duo is closing in on the half way mark at nearly $480,000. After an hour long pit stop and Lunch break with the crew at Norco the team pulled out on their Norco Valence bikes $1000 dollars closer to their ultimate 1 million dollar goal.


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As the Enough Is Enough team plots their ride across the country it will be a means of baby steps towards a massive achievement. With the ultimate goal of arriving ing Cape Spear – St John’s, NL on August 11th this 3 month, 9 province, 8000 km ride will not only raise the funds necessary to help cure a terrible illness but also raise the level of awareness and help save lives in other ways.

If you live somewhere along the route of this passionate and inspiring team make the time to support them along their journey!

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Getting to the bottom of it

Post by Andrew Watson

After 3 weeks down and out with something I just couldn’t kick, I called my doctor to come in and see him…in another week.So I opted for the sketchy clinic route and headed into town. Sure enough it was more than just a cold with the doc hearing “something” in my lungs and prescribing me antibiotics which are used to treat Pneumonia as well as Bronchitis and sinusitis. So its probably one of those things, he didn’t actually say.

Its been really tough to put racing on hold today is the second spring race I was hoping to do but, I’m confident if I put my health first Ill be able to hit May and UCI race season in good shape.

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Its given me a chance to give the legs a break, I’ve been heading out on some nice easy rides, and skis as well since winter is very nice this time of spring. It will be a little while before we get out on some dry trails up here. I took out the GoPro and took a few shots of my latest road ride.

I’m just waiting to take out my new Tactic on some clean roads, I’m no chemist but I think salt and electrical systems don’t mix, but with some rain in the forecast hopefully they’ll be clear soon.

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I’ve also been enjoying helping out on some committees and seeing a new MTB specific club being formed here in Simcoe County with the aim of building some more legal singletrack. The riding here is amazing but with the current litigious climate the public land managers are looking for a group to take stewardship of the trails. I’m really happy to be helping this happen here.

All for now, time to get healthy and get training

Andrew W

Ryan Leech – Leisurely Riding At the Beach

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Ryan Leech is one of the best known names in mountain biking. His frame of mind on the sport may have changed slightly over the past decade but he is an absolute inspiration to watch. All that yoga sure has paid off keeping Ryan’s riding as sharp as ever! Here is 2:54 of absolutely amazing footage with Ryan going for a leisurely weekend ride in the city and on the beach.

Video by Matt Dennison/NSMB