Tag Archives: DH

Following the 2012 World Cup DH

The 2012 World Cup DH circuit is nearly coming to a close. Through 5 rounds, 5 countries and 3 continents the scores are being tallied and the next race will determine the roster on the box. Consistency is key in climbing the scoreboard and ranking high among the competition. While one great result may provide a much needed jump, any holes in the points plummet that number to the bottom.

Windham 1

The riders racing for Norco this year was greater than ever with a total of 8 riders piloting the Aurum down the world’s most challenging tracks. The Dirt Norco Race team added a rider this year bringing the total to three. Duncan Riffle joined Ben Reid and Dan Stanbridge to travel in style and live the BusLife. New for 2012 is the Team Norco International where Jill Kintner and Bryn Atkinson fight side-by-side for the top of the podium. Rounding out the total is independent riders Olie Burton and Isak Leivsson plus Norco Factory Team rider Ludovic May.

Windham 8

The first race of the year was some 11 weeks back in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. This race is flat, fast and open. This course is a test of endurance and fitness, while not typical it gives a good indication of who is serious about the season approaching. Following Africa the teams picked up and moved to an Italy-Scotland double header. Testing the physical and technical abilities of the riders both Val di Sol and Fort William are both challenging and well anticipated races for the season. Hoping over the big pond rounds 4 and 5 are yet again back-to-back affairs. Mont St. Anne is the first of the two and is a big one. Showing off what is to come in this year’s World Championships the points race is also tight and no one wants to disappoint. Round 5 goes down to Windham NY where two years back flooding devastated the town. Back and stronger than ever this is yet again another great event.

MSADH 2

The boys of Dirt come out strong and have great expectations for the season. Duncan comes out of Pietermaritzburg with a 36th place and moves through the the following races with determination. Heading into France for round 6 Duncan is sitting in 48h spot. Ben Reid missed out on Round one but has been staying strong since. Despite missing one race Ben is comfortable in 52nd spot. Dan Stanbridge has had a bit of a rough ride breaking his wrist in Windham and missing out on qualification in round 2. Despite this bad luck, Dan is looking at points that place him in 77th.

MSADH 4

Jill Kintner has had a strong start to her season. In only her second year on the World Cup Circuit she has climbed the podium twice so far. Windham was bad news for Jill though as she broke her Radius and dislocated her wrist taking her out of contention for the France starting list. Jill is sitting in 6th spot right now through 5 races. Bryn Atkinson is in his first season back after breaking his Femur at the start of his 2011 racing. Bryn took his best result of the year in Mont St. Anne where he crossed the line in 21st spot. Bryn is currently the top placed Male Norco Rider with his points ranking 30th.

MSADH 7

Olie Burton has had his best season yet after consistently qualifying and keeping consistent. Olie is currently in 57th place overall. Isak Leivsson is new to Norco out of Switzerland. Racing in 4 of the five events he is sitting comfortably in 70th spot. Traditionally a Super-D racer, Ludovic is moving up in the rankings sitting in 105th spot.

With one more race to go and World Championships just around the bend this has already been a standout year for the whole Norco team. More riders and better results than ever before the 2012 season is a year of firsts. That said, we still have some big events to come and a single race can change everything. Jill Kintner found this out in Windham so let’s all cross our fingers for some fast and safe runs in the coming months!

Relaxed Racing at the Sunshine Coaster

Norco has been attending the Sunshine Coaster for a few years now. From the home of the Coastal Crew is some of the best mountain biking in the world. Being just a short ferry ride from Vancouver a few Norco representatives head over each year to race and support the event. While this may not be a world cup or even a UCI sanctioned event, the race is a ton of fun for everyone at all racing levels.

The course hasn’t changed much in the past few years but small nuances make taking a closer look beneficial in the long run. This fade-away log drop is a spectators’ favorite so it is important to look (be)  fast.

While the DH course may not be steep, it is by no means easy. Through loose corners, pedaling flats and slick roots the many racers leave it all out on the course.

As a race close to home for Norco, western events main-man Jonathan Duncan climbed into third spot for the 30-39 men.

Norco grassroots C4 rider Lee Jackson crossed the finish line in a blistering 2:54:79 which was good enough for first place in the Junior Men’s category. Congrats Lee on an incredibly fast time!

Jill Kintner Wins Double Gold at Sea Otter

The 2012 Sea Otter Classic was a whirlwind of activity but the highlight of the four day event was definitely from none other that Team Norco International’s Jill Kintner. After taking the win from Melissa Buhl in the Slalom Jill moved on to repeat the result in the DH. With a 1 second lead over Melissa and an 8 second lead over Mahon Jill took the win in definitive style.

Jill opted to ride her Norco Sight over her Aurum for this track. The pedaling sections and lack of technical aspects allowed for the 140mm travel bike to shine. Congratulations to Jill on two big early season victories. Watch for a full recap of the 2012 Sea Otter Classic soon in the Norco E-News.

Top Results were as follows:

Top 5 Men
1. Jared Graves 2:02.5
2. Mick Hannah 2:03.0
3. Aaron Gwin 2:03.8
4. Brian Lopes 2:04.4
5. Neko Mulally 2:04.6

Top 5 Women
1. Jill Kintner 2:16.1
2. Melissa Buhl 2:17.8
3. Manon Carpenter 2:24.0
4. Miranda Miller 2:26.3
5. Holly Feniak 2:27.2

Kicking off the World Cup Season in Pietermaritzburg

The First world cup came early this year with Pietermaritzburg South Africa hosting the season opener March 15-18th. The 2012 race season showcases some of the stiffest competition ever on the circuit and the South African course is designed to separate the strong from the week. Equipped with stiffer suspension, light-weight parts and dropper posts the racers would surely have to pedal their way to a victory. There would be no coasting here.

Heading down to the first race of the season was more Norco DH Athletes than you could shake a stick at. Even with Ben Reid out with illness the lot included Jill Kintner, Bryn Atkinson, Dan Stanbridge, Duncan Riffle, Olie Burton, Ludovic May and Isak Leivsson.
With 7 athletes racing on the 2012 Norco Aurum this was a great test for the work put in by Norco engineering and the Dirt Norco Race Team.

Qualification Round

In qualifying Jill Kintner was able to come in for 5th spot for the women. This placed her in a great fighting position for a podium spot in the finals. In the men’s elite category a whopping 134 racers came out to compete. In his first world cup back since injury Jill’s partner Bryn Atkinson qualified competitively in 18th place. Shortly behind was Dirt Norco’s Duncan Riffle in 37th and Oliver Burton in 48th. Super-D specialist Ludovic may and Norwegian rider Isak Levisson squeaked through to the finals in 74th and 75 spots. Unfortunately Dirt Norco’s Dan Stanbridge flatted and missed qualification for the main event.

Finals

After a further day of practice the finals came around. With enough moisture to keep the dust down, the track was fast, hot and punishing. It was clear far ahead of time that fitness would be a major consideration in winning the season’s opener.

In the women’s race, Jill faltered slightly in the top section before fighting through and gaining time back down the course. Jill climbed up one spot from qualifying finishing on the podium in 4th spot. In the men’s field, competition is even tighter. The fight for top 50 seems nearly as competitive as the fight for top 5. Bryn took a quick start before bogging down in the pedally bits and finished as the Norco top male in 24th position. Oliver Burton had by far his best race to date in an extremely impressive 27th spot. The newest addition to the Norco roster is Dirt’s Duncan Riffle who finished his first race on the Aurum in 37th place; 3/10ths of a second behind was Norwegian rider Isak Leivsson. Ludovic May finished in 68th position.

4. Jill Kintner (USA) Team Norco International 8.492

24. Bryn Atkinson (Aus) Team Norco International 0:10.657
27. Oliver Burton (Gbr) Team Are Bikepark By W-Racing 0:11.178
36. Duncan Riffle (USA) Dirt Norco Race Team 0:13.211
37. Isak Leivsson (Nor) Norco Bicycles 0:13.491
68. Ludovic May (Sui) Norco Factory Team

The 2012 Norco Team is the largest it has been and has more talented riders than ever before. The first World Cup is out of the way and we have a bit of a wait before Italy’s Val Di Sole kicking off on June 2nd. In the meantime, you can stay in tune with the latest racing in the British National Series and the upcoming Sea Otter Classic.

Heading to South Africa – Olie Burton close-up

Olie’s New Race Rig

Norco Independent Rider Olie Burton is a privateer up-and-comer on the World Cup DH track. While Olie is not the biggest name on the circuit his commitment to riding and racing is like no other. Olie is a UK rider that is one to keep an eye out for at next weekend’s world cup in South Africa. His long legs, solid fitness and need for speed make this course right up his alley.

Olie has joined Norco for 2012 and will be racing the Aurum through the season. With the first big race fast approaching we all feel like six-year-olds on Christmas Eve. The Norco presence at the race will be huge this year. Between the Dirt Boys, Jill and Bryn, Ludo and Olie South Africa is sure to be a great race.

To read a bit more about Olie, his early spring training and who he is check out his latest blog post at olieburton.co.uk.

Stay tuned for more race updates on the first world cup.

Introducing World Cup Rider Olie Burton

Olie Burton is a solo competitor on the World Cup circuit. As a privateer he has been making his own way to the races and fighting his way up through the ranks. This coming year he will be riding a Norco Aurum in all his racing endeavors. Olie is still on his own program riding for sponsors such as Kore, One Industries, 661, Adidas and Action Cameras but this year he has the power of the Aurum on his side.

In 2011 Olie injured his finger and was forced off the bike for three months. Disappointed,  he struggled coming back and missed qualifying at a few of the World Cup rounds. As 2011 progressed he recovered and came back to finish in an impressive 68th and 66th at Mont Saint Anne and Windham and 62nd at the world cup finals in Val Di Sole. These results were a great step forward and he is looking to improve upon them in 2012.

Some other highlights from this past year have been 4th place at the Nissan European Cup in La Bresse, France and winning the overall Elite title for the Pearce Cycles race series. The Pearce Cycles series was a specific goal Olie had set for 2011 and hopes to continue through 2012.

Everyone at Norco would like to wish Olie a warm welcome to the team and offer the best support we can over the coming year. Here is to a great 2012! If you would like to send a message, you can connect with Olie on his facebook page.

Here is a video from the past year of Olie, looking forward to seeing an Aurum going even faster.

Tuned for Gravity – The Aurum Reviewed

Decline Magazine has just released their full review of the 2012 Norco Aurum. This is the first ever full review for the all new 2012 platform. With features like A.R.T. Suspension, Gravity Tune, Post-Mount, Tapered Head Tube and more – what is not to like? If you don’t believe us, have a read through the Full Review. If you like what you read, head to your local newsstand and pick up a copy of Decline Magazine for yourself.

hate jpgs? 2012_01_Decline_Aurum

Gravity Tune Explained by the Dirt Norco Race Team

With the release of the 2012 bike range from Norco, the ‘Aurum’ is the DH rig that the team have been working on with the engineers at Norco. Some more exciting news about the new frame is the addition of ‘Gravity Tune’ as explained here by Ben and Dan.


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original post from dirt.mpora.com

Ludovic takes 9th at the Megavalanche

Norco Factory Team Rider Ludovic May out of Switzerland was out competing at the 2011 Megavalanche on his Norco Range. This is the largest Enduro/DH race in the world. Ludovic came into the finish in an impressive 9th place out of a massive 328 starters. Congratulations Ludo on a fantastic Result.

Here are the Top 10 Finishers from the 2011 Megavalanche

1 ABSALON Remy COMMENCAL (COMMENCAL France) 0:42:32,460 0:00:00
2 CLEMENTZ Jerome CANNONDALE (CANNONDALE France) 0:43:19,890 0:00:47
3 WILDHABER Rene TREK RED BULL (TREK Suisse) 0:43:30,000 0:00:57
4 VOUILLOZ Nicolas LAPIERRE (LAPIERRE France) 0:43:31,550 0:00:59
5 AMOUR Karim KONA (KONA France) 0:44:40,800 0:02:08
6 GIORDANENGO Olivier TRIBE SPORT GROUP YETI (YETI France) 0:44:46,720 0:02:14
7 BAILLY MAITRE Francois SCOTT LES SAISIES (SCOTT France) 0:45:05,030 0:02:32
8 GALY Theo TEAM PROBIKESHOP (ORANGE France) 0:45:08,220 0:02:35
9 MAY Ludovic NORCO FACTORY TEAM (NORCO Suisse) 0:45:35,860 0:03:03
10 BARNES Joe MTBCUT/ORANGE (ORANGE Scotland) 0:45:51,700 0:03:19

Megavalanche 2011 Alpe d’Huez