A lot has changed in cycling over the past decade but there are certain aspects that stand out in mind as turning points. These moments of change are different for everyone; some may be defined by a product, others by learning a skill and still others see this change through viewing the experience of others. This may sound lame to live through others, but when the names at hand are Ryan Leech and Jeff Lenosky it is understandable. For myself one such moment was channeled through the movie ‘Evolve’. Evolve was a mid-nineties trials movie which I see as a changing point for cycling.
If you haven’t seen the movie here it is for your enjoyment. If you have seen it, watch it again and reminisce.
So is it just me or has this summer just flown by? It seems like just yesterday we were coming into the spring and enjoying the longer and longer days. That part has changed quickly as I’m back to full lights (on bike and helmet) for my early morning rides with my hound. I don’t mind that on a day like today when it was clear, but earlier this week when it was pitch black and pouring rain sadly it felt like the depth of Winter again.
There is some great articles in this month’s e-news about Crankworx, See Jane Jump, the World Champs and more, but I’ll give you the intro to something even more recent…
As of this morning the 2011 Norco website is live.
Go check it out.. you know the way. www.norco.com I hope/think you will find the site easy to navigate, informative and inviting as always, but I’ll point out some other features and stuff that is new and exciting…
Of course we still have Country/Region-Specific bike catalogue and prices, an Interactive Bike Search, Hi-Res and Zoomable images for all bikes (360 degree views for many best in category models), The bike archives go back to 2006 and there will be some new Category Intro Videos to get you keen on your next new bike. An Events Calendar Including team appearances and Trials-of-Life Presentations, quick links to current News featuring latest articles, videos and contests etc. are all quickly accessible off the home page. OH YEAH, let’s not forget our User Submitted Content –I Love My Bike videos, photos, stories and Ride Guide videos featuring Norco riders. Hit us with your best stuff !! It will get posted.
But the fun stuff is all the New Features… On our new 2011 site you will have the ability and be able to filter Category-Specific Content! It should be easier to find your dream bike with some all new navigation (“more bikes” and “more categories” on the bike pages), and if you are visiting us from another part of the world, we have added a Google translate feature (ability to translate any page into almost any language). Coming soon will be a cool bike comparison feature, and we will be adding media hits as they come in to all applicable Bike Pages. Oh yeah, there is a new improved and Updated Dealer Locator to round it all off. Lots of fun stuff !
OH, and don’t forget… if you see anything you like on the new site and want to try it out your first chance is coming up in a hurry at the OUTERBIKE demo in Moab UT at the end of the month. It’s gonna be fun, that is a guarantee.
Crankworx seems like it was ages ago, but really only a few short weeks have past since the largest mountain biking festival in North America. Taking place in Norco’s own backyard of Whistler, British Columbia, Crankworx is 10 Days of racing, competition and spectacular riding. As a result of attracting the worlds best riders from all disciplines, Crankworx is one event that brings the Norco Team together from around the world. With events ranging from Downhill to Slalom, Pumptrack to Enduro and Trials to Slopestyle, there is an event for nearly every member of the diverse group. It is this reason that from a Norco perspective Crankworx is so much fun. All together in Whistler for the duration of the festival was the who’s who of Norco Riders. Besides the XC, Road and BMX teams, we were just down one soldier – Mislav. Hopefully next year he can make it out.
From Left To Right: Dustan, Angie, Jay, Pete, Dylan, Sam, Nick, Ally, Ben, Ryan, Jon, Darcy, Fionn (missing are Dan and Bernard)
Highlights from the festival were so plentiful that it will be tough to keep this summary short and consise. From race results to spectacular shows, event hosting to ‘getting a coffee’ there were some great moments. I will try and be brief, but here are a few of the top moments from Whistler’s Kokanee Crankworx 2010.
On the small bike racing the three main events were the Dual Slalom, Pumptrack and the Giant Slalom. Between these three events, Angie, Nick, Fionn and Bernard all tried their luck in at least a couple of these events. Top results in these competitions include Fionn taking 4th place in both the Giant Slalom and the Pumptrack while Nick took home the gold for the juniors in the Dual Slalom.
Angie in the pumptrack
When we start talking about gravity, we are looking at the Air DH, Garbanzo DH, Enduro and Canadian Open DH. For these races Nick, Fionn and Bernard all took part and again topped the charts. Nick again took the win for the Juniors in the Enduro while clinching 4th spot in the Garbanzo DH. Fionn placed 5th in the Air DH and Bernard managed to pull off 24th in the impressive field of Elite Men.
Fionn on the Canadian Open Course
The biggest event of Crankworx was of course the Monster Energy Slopestyle. This is possibly the largest slopestyle event in the world and brings out the best known names in the sport. Norco’s very own Sam Dueck was one of the lucky few to be invited to compete after an impressive performance at the Goatstyle qualifyer. Sam’s first run was chalked full of insane stunts such as a tailwhip, 360, barships, and even a Superflip. Sam’s first run score would hold through the competition and give him a 4th place overall. Congratulations Sam on an incredible finish to the Crankworx Festival.
Sam Dueck Super-Flipping
Besides racing, there were a whole lot of other things happening in Whistler during Crankworx. In fact, over the week one of the biggest draws to the village was more than a dozen shows by trials sensation Ryan Leech. Performing on an all-new trials setup, Ryan wowed crowds all week with his perfect balance, flawless riding and a keen eye for seemingly impossible lines. For one of the week’s shows, Dylan Korba even joined Ryan for a demo where together they showed their contrasting trials style and incredible skill on a bike.
Ryan Leech Dropping off the Trailer
Dylan had a little bit of spare time during Crankworx between laps, demos and competing in Trialsworx so he decided to go get a coffee. To some this may seem a pretty mundane task; for Dylan even Starbucks can be an adventure.
On August 21st and 22nd, girl shredders invaded the trails of Mount Washington Alpine Resort for the first annual See Jane Jump women’s mountain bike festival. 50 riders, ranging in skill level from beginner to expert, were greeted by gift bags filled with goodies by event sponsors Oakley, Norco, Gravity, Denman Island Chocolates, and Vitamin Water, and soon after collecting their swag riders were paired up by head coach Katrina Strand with one of nine pro coaches. Trail riding, yoga, wine, and a slideshow of the days’ events by photographer Dan Barham were on the menu for the weekend, and Oakley-provided accommodation at Deer Lodge allowed participants to rest easy after a busy day on the trails.
Event organizer and pro rider Darcy Turenne designed the weekend to cater to all levels of riders –even experts– and surprised riders with a slopestyle course designed specifically for the event and built by the Mount Washington trail crew. The course was taken advantage of during the Sunday afternoon slopestyle demo where participants, family members, and onlookers lined the course to see the coaches and expert riders in their element. Although the slopestyle attracted a large crowd, perhaps the most popular venues of the festival were Norco’s free bike servicing by Norco Factory Team mechanic Jonathan Duncan and free chiropractic and deep-tissue work provided by Dr.Lindsay McKeeman.
At the end of the day each participant walked away with two new pairs of Oakley goggles and two lucky ladies went home with a pair of Shimano XT wheels, and the biggest ticket item of all, a Norco Vixa freeride frame. “This weekend totally renewed my love of all things bikes,” quotes one participant, “thanks again for organizing such an awesome weekend! It was so fun and I think we all really learned a lot!”
Pro coaches for the 2010 event included Katrina Strand, Claire Buchar, Tammy Donahugh, Lorraine Blancher, Wendy Robinson, Beth Parsons, Emily Johnston, Kat Sweet, and Angi Weston. See Jane Jump festival would like to thank the following sponsors for their amazing support: Oakley, Norco, Gravity/FSA, Shimano, Budget Rent-A-Car, Denman Island Chocolates, Skullcandy, Chainlink Clothing, Vitamin Water, and Mount Washington Alpine Resort.
The 2010 World Championships are said and done. Seven riders at the champs were riding Norco’s through the disciplines of XC, 4X and DH. Here is how things unfolded over the past week of racing.
In XC racing, both Andrew Watson and Catherine Vipond were flying the Norco Colours and both raced solidly to end in 58th and 42nd respectively. A shout out should also go out to fellow Canadians Geoff Kabush and Catherine Pendrell who placed 8th and 4th for the country.
In 4x both Norco World Team rider Fionn Griffiths and Norco Germany rider Angie Hohenwarer were representing the elite women’s category. Angie made it to the quarter finals where she finished 15th while Fionn pushed through to the Semi’s for an 8th place finish.
Racing the DH was Factory Team Rider Nick Geddes, Norco World Team’s Fionn Griffiths and Dirt Norco’s Ben Reid. Racing in the Junior Men, Nick Geddes started off early before the course had a chance to dry out but still came through in 19th place. Fionn Griffiths raced her way to 13th place and Ben Reid was able to crack the top 20 Elite Men in 19th place. Also, it the DH we should send out props to Steve Smith the top Canadian in the DH pulling together a phenomenal run and taking 2nd spot on the podium.
Watch this interview with Ben Reid from before his race run.
Dylan likes two things, bikes and coffee. So what happens when you combine the two? Well you get a video filmed solely on an iphone that outlines the adventure. Enjoy.
For 2011, BC-based Norco didn’t simply reintroduce the Six; instead its designers developed the 2011 Range, which is a bike that retains the climbing capabilities of the Fluid LT (which it replaces) while stepping it up a notch (or three) when the bike is pointed downhill. I recently picked up a demo 2011 Norco Range 1 to ride for a week, and I immediately made plans to ride a bunch of local favourites while traveling later in the week to sample some of the fantastic alpine singletrack that British Columbia has to offer.
The Crankworx Slopestyle event is now complete and Norco Factory Team rider Sam Dueck took home some cash with a 4th place finish. Sam lay down a huge lap first run down which held out for a final score good enough for 4th place. When all was said and done, this is how the results came through. Way to go Sam!
1: Cam Zink
2. Mike Montgomery
3. Casey Groves
4. Sam Dueck
Thursday at Crankworx up in Whistler entailed two main events. Slopestyle Qualification/Best Trick and the Pumptrack challenge. First off was Norco Factory Team Rider Sam Dueck at the Slopestyle. On Sam’s second run he pulled a massive backflip off the whale-Tale then a Superflip on the next booter. Making his way down the course, he then Tail-Whipped off the final step-down and caught a gust of wind bringing him down. Sam was okay, a little swore but pleased with the run besides the small tumble. Plus, the run was enough to bring him through to Saturday’s Semi-Final. 16 riders move on to Saturday where the field will again be reduced down to a total of 8 riders for the final. Way to go Sam!
After the slopestyle qualification, The Pumptrack Challenge kicked off. Pumptrack is a bit of a newer competition but it is a lot of fun to watch. The corners are tight, the speeds high and the energy is awesome. For the event Bernard, Fionn, Nick and Angie were all representing Norco on the course. The field of riders was about 50 deep and Norco’s top finisher was Fionn Griffiths in 4th for the women.
Today was technically day 4 of the 2010 Crankworx Mountain Bike Festival, but it was also day one for the Ryan Leech Trials Shows. With a dozen or so shows happening this week, the first two were today. With an all-new setup for the demo, check out some photos from today. If you are coming out for any of the festivals check out the show, Ryan is an acrobat on a bike. See more photos at flickr.com/norcobikes
()
