Nov 15, 2012
Nov 12, 2012
Nov 8, 2012
Nov 1, 2012
Oct 17, 2012
Project
Oct 2, 2012
home
Heading back to Japan is always a big deal for me, lots of packing especially with 3 bikes this year, cleaning the ranger house, saying bye for peeps. All happen because I'm leaving the country but not simply moving out to somewhere else.
What is "home" to you? Where is it? I'd say my "home" is somewhere I miss when I leave but know that I'm coming back no matter what at the same time, not just where I grew up. I've lived in Whistler for only total of 2 years out of my life which is a little more than a quater century and still call it "home".
So, when am I coming back? I can't tell yet. Then, am I coming back, I can say "yes".
Once you get out the door, a trip begins, in search for another home.
See you on the other side of the world, or at my home.
gypsy shot me shooting J2U and Nugs in the last entry
What is "home" to you? Where is it? I'd say my "home" is somewhere I miss when I leave but know that I'm coming back no matter what at the same time, not just where I grew up. I've lived in Whistler for only total of 2 years out of my life which is a little more than a quater century and still call it "home".
gypsy express down to YVR
So, when am I coming back? I can't tell yet. Then, am I coming back, I can say "yes".
Once you get out the door, a trip begins, in search for another home.
See you on the other side of the world, or at my home.
Sep 12, 2012
The Four Kings
Mountain Bike racing has a relatively short history on this earth.
All kinds of race formats have been (and are still) being created to suit the
ever evolving bikes we use and the ever evolving ideas of the mountain bike
enthusiasts. As the equipment changes, the trails change, one thing that does
not change is our need to both have fun and compete on bikes.
Enduro racing captures the basis of both XC and DH racing
and seems to be winning over a new breed of all mountain riders that must
compete.
How on earth do you categorize the insane trilogy of races
that ended last weekend with the “Four Kings”?
The Four Kings was
the finale in a Trilogy of unique races that was a follow up the Four
Queens which was a follow up to the Four
Jacks.
This Trilogy of races and each stage within each of the
three races truly stands alone. Uncategorizable! Maybe an Enduro/Stage/Circus race that
requires mad mtb skills, mega fitness and a penchant for enduring pain slash
bizarre fun. These are the races that most other races want to be.
Q. Could these races have been so well contested anywhere
other than Whistler? Who’s to say? All three events were a huge success.
With the legends of the Jacks and Queens
– The Kings sold out in 18 minutes!
The (Trilogy) creator, Mr. Tony Horn has quite an
imagination indeed. With a vast knowledge of the trails in the Whistler valley,
it is a treat to just partake and get to ride so many trails within one weekend.
The level of riders
that partook is truly outstanding and the format favored the riders who are the
most well rounded at both pinning the hane-gnar down, as well as punching it
uphill and everything in-between. The races also featured the odd time bonus
for executing a particular crux move, or by having the best costume for a
certain stage.
The most important
element of all three events was that each rider had to choose their weapon
wisely. One bike and one set of tires that you could not change between stages.
Bike doping was enforced!
All stages were themed after a particular Jack, Queen or
King from the annals of human history and the representation of these characters
were well suited to the type of race for their stage. The trilogy ended with
King Kong, which was probably the best Enduro race there will ever be.
We at Chromag are proud to have been a part of all three
stage races and this past weekend we had no less than 15 Chromag steel hard
tails represented in the Four Kings.
In finishing order, here are the Chromag riders listed below
(If we miss someone here please let us know).
5. Kevin Phelps
21. Julian Hine
33. Ian Ritz
38. Sean Dinwoodie
39. J-F Robert
41. Dan Skogland
51. Peter O’loughlin
*54. Greg Mcdonnell *(split tail broke and borrowed a
Chromag to finish King Kong).
69. Guy Patterson
91. Yoshi Tsuji
99. Andrew Rankin
104. John Inglis
121.Matt Mcinnis
126. Jinya Nishiwaki
130. Pete Field (SINGLE SPEED FREEK)
Panowama sign in.
Sep 11, 2012
The Four Kings came and went last weekend and of all the Samurai, Jack's, Queen's races, this rests in the memory as the most epic, most comprehensive of this ilk ever.
Joe Schwartz's blog story on this is so good that I'd rather poach it than try and write it again.
From: joeschwartz.ca http://www.joeschwartz.ca/archives/506
I raced the soon-to-be infamous Whistler 4 Kings race on the weekend. Infamous; meaning that tales of this race will soon be blown to mythical proportions, inspiring some and frightening many. There are many tales of mountain top bike failures, facial stitches, cramping bodies and fragile psyches. Above these horror stories, though, will rise the accounts of friends lending each-other bike parts to continue on with, remembrances of epic views and even grander singletrack, and fond memories of a weekend of bicycle shredding with many like minded individuals, all in the epicenter of the mountain bike universe, the Whistler Valley. The format for this race breeds a story unto itself, so rather than waxing poetic about the weekend in general I will attempt to break down the weekend by the stages themselves, all “King” themed and very up to the “royal” designation.
King Tubby: Dub In The Dark Time Trial
Lost Lake Trails are a maze of interconnected, bisecting and undulating routes. Add to this already confusing area the element of darkness, dust, and 159 other racers, plus thumping reggae in the trees and scantily clad female course marshals decked out in glow in the dark glitter paint, and you have the recipe for a great time trial. Once the burning sensation from dust inhalation settled to a dull ache, and the legs started to warm up, racing the twisty trails aided only by a bike light transported me into my own little world, where all that mattered was the 15 feet illuminated in front of me, and that was changing very quickly as we negotiated some fast and rocky terrain. A very unique bike experience!
Elvis: All Shook Up DH
The bike park is a very fun place to go smash downhill runs on a big DH bike. The strict bike doping rules that were in effect for the 4 Kings prevented us from changing bikes, let alone tires or anything else, so it was a “run what you brung” morning stage down Schleyer to Lower Detroit Rock City, a lap I usually reserve for my extra beefy DH bike, not my Kona Abra Cadabra, a svelte all mountain machine. The little bike ended up being really fun, actually a bit too much fun, as I flatted about two-thirds of the way down my race run. I limped it to the finish, staying light on my overly-expensive carbon fiber rims that I had no intention of sacrificing for one run. Richard Petty: The Yummy 500 Remember when your parents used to walk to school, and it was uphill both ways? This uphill/downhill stage felt just like what your elders had to suffer through, minus the deep snow and angry nun wielding the strap. The uphill was a timed hammerfest up the Yummy Numby climb, a grueling singletrack ascent, followed by a short rest transition over to Foreplay, a very deceiving “downhill” timed stage. True, it did drop a significant amount of vertical, but through super rocky terrain interspersed with quick grunty climbs to negotiate. There were some shattered folk popping out of the woods at the bottom of the descent, looking forward to a beer and some rest before the really big day on Sunday.
King Kong: The Kong Endur-X
The day that was in the back of everyone’s mind, the one that was referenced in nervous, speculative conversations that centered on one’s potential to finish the day, whether one would break down in tears halfway through the dreaded Emerald “No Flow Zone”, or generally how much pain the day would inflict. The conversation would usually end with a crazy sort of smile exchange though, indicating that deep down most people were actually looking forward to the mtb exercise in masochism. Winding for 46km from the peak of Whistler Mountain down to Function Junction and all the way to Emerald and through nine timed stages, the Kong Endur-X was a test in bike handling skills, endurance, and mental fortitude. Highlights included a raging run down Top of the World to Kyber Pass Trail and sampling brand new singletrack on the Flank, and riding/racing copious amounts of trail with a 160 person crew. The scantily clad girls were out again, this time in the No Flow Zone, marshaling a time bonus technical hill climb and doing their best to distract all the riders. It was a good feeling to cross the finish gate of the last stage, and bobble my way down to food and drink at the afterparty. Racing can be hit or miss, but when the race focuses on celebrating everything that is awesome about mountain biking, and then sharing it with a large group of people, it’s bound to be a good time. Even if my aching, shattered body doesn’t agree at the moment.
From: joeschwartz.ca http://www.joeschwartz.ca/archives/506
I raced the soon-to-be infamous Whistler 4 Kings race on the weekend. Infamous; meaning that tales of this race will soon be blown to mythical proportions, inspiring some and frightening many. There are many tales of mountain top bike failures, facial stitches, cramping bodies and fragile psyches. Above these horror stories, though, will rise the accounts of friends lending each-other bike parts to continue on with, remembrances of epic views and even grander singletrack, and fond memories of a weekend of bicycle shredding with many like minded individuals, all in the epicenter of the mountain bike universe, the Whistler Valley. The format for this race breeds a story unto itself, so rather than waxing poetic about the weekend in general I will attempt to break down the weekend by the stages themselves, all “King” themed and very up to the “royal” designation.
King Tubby: Dub In The Dark Time Trial
Lost Lake Trails are a maze of interconnected, bisecting and undulating routes. Add to this already confusing area the element of darkness, dust, and 159 other racers, plus thumping reggae in the trees and scantily clad female course marshals decked out in glow in the dark glitter paint, and you have the recipe for a great time trial. Once the burning sensation from dust inhalation settled to a dull ache, and the legs started to warm up, racing the twisty trails aided only by a bike light transported me into my own little world, where all that mattered was the 15 feet illuminated in front of me, and that was changing very quickly as we negotiated some fast and rocky terrain. A very unique bike experience!
Elvis: All Shook Up DH
The bike park is a very fun place to go smash downhill runs on a big DH bike. The strict bike doping rules that were in effect for the 4 Kings prevented us from changing bikes, let alone tires or anything else, so it was a “run what you brung” morning stage down Schleyer to Lower Detroit Rock City, a lap I usually reserve for my extra beefy DH bike, not my Kona Abra Cadabra, a svelte all mountain machine. The little bike ended up being really fun, actually a bit too much fun, as I flatted about two-thirds of the way down my race run. I limped it to the finish, staying light on my overly-expensive carbon fiber rims that I had no intention of sacrificing for one run. Richard Petty: The Yummy 500 Remember when your parents used to walk to school, and it was uphill both ways? This uphill/downhill stage felt just like what your elders had to suffer through, minus the deep snow and angry nun wielding the strap. The uphill was a timed hammerfest up the Yummy Numby climb, a grueling singletrack ascent, followed by a short rest transition over to Foreplay, a very deceiving “downhill” timed stage. True, it did drop a significant amount of vertical, but through super rocky terrain interspersed with quick grunty climbs to negotiate. There were some shattered folk popping out of the woods at the bottom of the descent, looking forward to a beer and some rest before the really big day on Sunday.
King Kong: The Kong Endur-X
The day that was in the back of everyone’s mind, the one that was referenced in nervous, speculative conversations that centered on one’s potential to finish the day, whether one would break down in tears halfway through the dreaded Emerald “No Flow Zone”, or generally how much pain the day would inflict. The conversation would usually end with a crazy sort of smile exchange though, indicating that deep down most people were actually looking forward to the mtb exercise in masochism. Winding for 46km from the peak of Whistler Mountain down to Function Junction and all the way to Emerald and through nine timed stages, the Kong Endur-X was a test in bike handling skills, endurance, and mental fortitude. Highlights included a raging run down Top of the World to Kyber Pass Trail and sampling brand new singletrack on the Flank, and riding/racing copious amounts of trail with a 160 person crew. The scantily clad girls were out again, this time in the No Flow Zone, marshaling a time bonus technical hill climb and doing their best to distract all the riders. It was a good feeling to cross the finish gate of the last stage, and bobble my way down to food and drink at the afterparty. Racing can be hit or miss, but when the race focuses on celebrating everything that is awesome about mountain biking, and then sharing it with a large group of people, it’s bound to be a good time. Even if my aching, shattered body doesn’t agree at the moment.
Sep 8, 2012
Sep 6, 2012
Sep 5, 2012
Aug 29, 2012
Aug 28, 2012
Friday Ride Lift Assistedition.
It was an idea that long time Chromag confidant Tyler Morland came up with. We lift assist to the Peak of Whistler and rip 5000 down. Who better to try and follow than a Red Bull 5000 down Champion? We had a rather large group including Kenny Smith, Adam Billinghurst which added to the speed of our long descent. We had 20 people for this ride and it's truly amazing to to ride with such a capable group. Kenny decided to ride the gnarly off camber rock roll drop thingy on 'Babylon By Bike' -yeah, the psycho one next to the rope line that most of us lower ourselves down with. Remarkably, 3 others decided that if Kenny Smith can do it, they can too! And two of them on Chromag hardtails! After a quick beer stop at Chromag HQ, we continued on and climbed up the west side at an alarming pace for some new super secret single track. We finished at the NRG log home where the cold beer never tasted better. Another good one in the books.
Aug 26, 2012
Aug 15, 2012
Aug 14, 2012
Aug 13, 2012
Aug 7, 2012
Aug 6, 2012
Aug 1, 2012
Jul 30, 2012
Jul 27, 2012
Jul 26, 2012
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