Competition
RED BULL 5000 DOWN – Sep 11/12
Sep 8th
article from www.redbull.ca
For a second year, Red Bull 5000 Down hits Whistler Blackcomb with a mass start downhill mountain bike race. On September 11th and 12th, mountain bikers will gather at the peak of Whistler Mountain, at Whistler Blackcomb Resort in British Columbia and will descend more than 2,182 metres and a vertical of 1,530 metres in order to cross the finish line in the Whistler Village.
Categories are open to both men and women 17-years-old and over. Each racer will have to qualify on Saturday, September 11th for a spot in the race on Sunday, September 12. Out of the 400 qualified athletes, the fastest 250 will move on to the race on Sunday.
Whistler’s own Katrina Strand took the women’s title last year with a staggering time of 25:04.67. If you’re not racing, head to Whistler to support the girls ripping up the trails in the 5000 Down!
For more event information, visit http://www.redbull.ca/cs/Satellite/en_CA/Event/Red-Bull-5000-Down-021242873481690
2010 TARA LLANES CLASSIC
Aug 24th
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| Brooke Duqesnel and I getting ready to ride. |
Competitors in Cat. 1, Cat. 2, and Cat. 3 categories who win their respective classes will each get a pair of Fox Launch Pro Kneepads. All second place riders in those categories will win a product from Dakine, and all third place riders will receive a pair of Smith Fuel V.2 goggles.
The Mega DH course that provided the challenge and excitement for 115 riders in 2009 will be back for 2010. This is the same course that WTB top pro Mark Weir calls, “the best course I’ve raced on all year!”
Other events planned for the race weekend insure a great time for everyone in the family. A Shimano Kids Race will take place on Saturday, as will a downhill clinic by Giant Factory Off-Road team DH pro Duncan Riffle. And Saturday night will feature a premiere screening of the new MTB film, “LifeCycles.” On Sunday during competition, hundreds of great prizes will be raffled off for spectators and racers alike.
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| Pro Men Podium – Adam Craig 1st, Evan Turpen 2nd, and Mark Weir 3rd |
The Tara Llanes Classic benefits the Reeve-Irvine Research Center at the University of California-Irvine to help find a cure for spinal cord injuries, and also the Tara Llanes Road to Recovery fund which is designed to provide charitable medical assistance to professional mountain bike athletes who participate in Downhill, 4X, Dual Slalom, and Cross-Country events.
A list of sponsors is at http://www.tarallanesclassic.org/sponsors.htm as well as information on how to join the growing number of sponsors and vendors. Bookmark the following websites for information on how to register and take part in the Tara Llanes Classic.
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| Podium – Top 3 finishers in each category will get a TL Classic custom medal and either a Fox Clothing, Dakine, or Smith product. |
http://www.tarallanesclassic.org/
http://www.northstarattahoe.com/
http://www.reeve.uci.edu/Home/
For more information please contact:
Brian Bolin – Race Information 8831-295-1056 brian@racefortara.com
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| Stuffing Swag Bags |
Takin’ On The TEST OF METAL!
Jul 2nd
“Losing My Test of Metal Virginity”
by Crystal Lambert
Crystal and Charlotte racing the Test of Metal
2010 began with the decision that this was the year I was going to complete the Test of Metal! Next on my list was to convince a close friend that it would be a great thing for us to accomplish the 67km bike race together. And with a little nudging she was on board! Getting a spot in the race itself was all there was left to do. We in no way trusted ourselves with the New Year’s Day sign up so we opted to join a training clinic that ensured we get a spot. After a bit of research we found that there were a few options for this and we chose the Endless Biking Enduro XC Training Program and signed up!
We hit the gym with the TOM as our goal right away. To some this may seem early to start training, and maybe it was, but neither of us was super fit nor very experienced riders so we were pretty nervous.
Fast forward to February… my friend and TOM team-mate had a crash and ended up with a bad concussion. Sadly she could no longer complete the TOM an onward alone I went.
Mass Start
In April the EB Enduro XC Training Program began. It was a 10 week long training clinic with rides twice a week, coached by women and men who have competed in and won numerous races. Many of you already know that EB has fantastic programs and coaches but I have to plug them yet again. The Enduro XC Program was amazing! I honestly miss the grueling rides and hard-ass coaching.
Crystal's Support Team
Every week and every ride I would gain more confidence, stamina and knowledge. Two weeks before the TOM one of our training rides was to compete in, and presumably finish the North Shore Marathon XC Race. My first race was looming and I was nauseous nervous but felt prepared as long as mentally I could hold it together. Before I knew it I was running around a baseball field, riding through a pump track and generally being yelled at. I had officially started my very first bike race! During the race I tried to keep calm and only worry about myself. It worked and I had a really fun ride on some challenging terrain.
The North Shore XC Race was 27km and I completed it in approximately 3:45. My level of concern for the time it would take me to complete the 67km TOM was growing. It was just 2 short weeks, 1 parental visit and 3 training rides away.
Finally race day had arrived! The TOM begins with an 800 person mass start which is fantastic to witness. With the sun shining the riders were pumped! I lined up in my 5 hr finish time spot and waited. The National Anthem played and it was time. Being at the back of the pack it was awesome to see the hundreds of riders leave Brennan Park and begin the ride down Hwy 99.
What's the Duct tape for?
The first thing you notice when riding in the TOM is the energy of the volunteers and spectators. Residents are out in their drive-ways with music and horns and water sprinklers and they all cheered just as loudly for me (probably somewhere around rider 778 out of 800) as they did for the first rider. It was amazing and you couldn’t help but get caught up in it. And it didn’t end there. All through the 67kms were friendly, energetic faces and yells of support. I was lucky enough to have my own mini support team on hand to follow me around with cheesy signs my concussed team-mate made to help me along.
Five hours and nine minutes later I pulled through the finish line. When I hooked up with my family the first thing they mentioned was every time they saw me I was grinning from ear to ear. Granted there were times when I was tired and sore but I enjoyed every minute of it and can’t wait to do it again!
Jill Kintner’s Sweet n Spicy New Ride
Apr 14th
source: Kevin – Transition Bikes / Ryan Petersen
Muddbunnies Note: I’ve always been a huge fan of Transition Bikes, (great geometry, specs and design) so it’s no surprise that Jill Kintner, an olympic athlete, has one underneath her this season. Watch for Kintner, a well-seasoned pro, to tear up the circuit this year on her new steed. Check it out below.
We got a few of the new Doubles air shipped for the team riders for Sea Otter so we decided to share some pics. The main shipment is on a boat and will be here right when we get back from Sea Otter middle of this month. Here is the low down on the new frame and how we were able to increase the awesomeness by 27%.
For the 2010 Double it was all about refinement and taking an already dialed frame to the next level. We looked at every tube, yoke, cnc’d bit and hardware to come up with the cleanest and trickest frame we could imagine. The result is a stronger and lighter Double that is more capable for a wider use of disciplines.
1. New proprietary formed tubeset for the front triangle. No more headtube gusset and a design that mates up perfectly to the tapered headtube for increased strength.
2. Adjustable travel via our new flip chip in the rocker arm. Travel options are now 80 or 100mm.
3. Internal chainstay cable routing for the rear derailleur.
4. Trick new custom pivot bolts that are our own design that match up nicely to dials on Fox forks.
5. 3 new colors to choose from, Raw, Lemon Lime Green, Cyan Blue
Internal tube gusset on our new formed tubing. Super clean.
New rear end with internal chainstay cable routing.
New adjustable travel rocker with chamfered edges and new pivot bolts.
More about Jill:
Jill Kintner is one of the most dominant female cyclists in the world. With every title in 4x Mountain biking, and BMX; including a Bronze medal from the 2008 Olympic games, Jill has prevailed across two sports.
For 2010 she has her sights set on diversifying with new challenges.Jill’s focus is driven by wanting to captivate viewers, and get more people involved with bike riding while promoting her partners. Through her creativity in the form of video podcasts, photography, and blogging, she maintains an average of 5,000 pageviews per day on Jillkintner.com. Her loyal fans love being constantly updated with dynamic content about racing, training, art, and her life on from an inside perspective.
2010 Trek World Racing Team. Ooohhh, what dazzling race kits!
Apr 14th
In pursuit of key goals that revolve around the World Championships in September and the summer long World Cup season, the 7 rider team will also be supporting other key events throughout the year, in particular this weekend’s Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California, the Swiss Racer Cup Series, the new US Pro Gravity Tour, Crankworx and other selected events.
On the gravity side, last year’s trio of Tracy Moseley (GBR), Justin Leov (NZL) and Andrew Neethling (RSA) are joined by US phenom Neko Mulally for 2010, as the team aims for the number 1 ranking in teams classification. Riders are once again aboard the Session 88 (pictured below) with its race proven geometry and class leading weight.
Tracy: “It’s been a pretty harsh winter in the UK this past few months, but I’ve been working as hard as ever. It was nice to be in the sun in Arizona and now I’m looking forward to repeating my win at Sea Otter from last year, as well as doing the Dual Slalom. The World Cup promises to be the most competitive for a long time in Women’s DH, with a new World Champ in Emmeline, Sabrina (Jonnier) always a tough competitor and the return of Rachel (Atherton) to the mix. Can’t wait!”
Justin: “I’ve been working hard in the off-season, but I’m all about racing. Getting back with the team at camp and seeing all the new gear just gets me amped for the race season ahead. Looking forward to hitting the tracks again and hopefully some more podiums this year.”
Andrew: “Out training with the boys in Arizona and I feel as fresh as ever and I’m ready to take on a new season. I’m ripped and raring to go!” I actually raced less in the off season than I planned to, mainly due to earthquakes and such, which in a way has worked out pretty well or me, coming in a lot fresher.”
Neko: “I was really happy to be at camp in Arizona and meet all the people from Trek, Fox and the team that do all the hard work behind the scenes, and I’m stoked to hang out with my new team mates. For Sea Otter this year I really want to improve on last year, and I’m counting the days to my first ever World Cup in Maribor. The support of the team is amazing and I’m hoping to make them proud this year.” Team Director: “So much work has gone in over the off season with the bikes, the upgrading of our team vehicles, and a bunch of other cool stuff, that it’s almost a feeling of relief to get on the road and start the season. All of the riders have very specific goals we’ll be helping them to achieve and with the arrival of Emily and Neko, we have a very full program ahead of us. The new bikes look amazing, and together with the new kits and the testing we’ve been doing with Fox Racing Shox, as well some other surprises we have the fans, it should be an amazing season”.
Fresh from their two stage victories in South Africa at the Absa Cape Epic, Swiss brothers Mathias and Lukas Flueckiger joined their new team mate Emily Batty for the first time in Arizona and enjoyed their time out riding the trails on their new Top Fuels. The new bike (pictured below) has a very distinct appearance and is once again loaded with the performance technology needed for podium results. Both Mathias and Emily have the Under 23 World Title as shared major goals for 2010, while Lukas wants to finish top 5 overall in the World Cup, something he narrowly missed doing in 2009.
Lukas: “For me having two World Cup podiums last year was a great start on this new team for me, but we have learned a lot and the engineers have done some great work over winter and we’re excited by the developments we have seen at camp, so I would really like to get my first World Cup win this year.”
Emily: “I have been so impressed and amazed at the team set up, this is a such a dream come true for me and I know I will have the greatest support as I set out for the 2010 race season. I’m excited about racing in the new colors this weekend at Monterey”.
Mathias: “I’m really looking forward to Champery, at the middle of the season. That’s for 2 reasons. One is because that’s where Luk and I made history as brothers on the podium last year, in front of our family and friends…but also because from Champery onwards, I become a full time racer having completed my studies and other work!”
The team’s partners continue their commitment to the global program. In particular JBL, Shimano for drive train and brakes, Fox Racing Shox, Bontrager components, clothing and tires for XC, Bontrager rims and Hope hubs for Downhill, FUNN bars and stems for gravity as well as SDG seats and i-Beam, e*thirteen chain-guides, Alpinestars clothing and bags, Maxxis Downhill and Slalom tires, and long standing 23 Degrees supporter, Motorex, with their Lubricants and Cleaning products.
Ride with Team Diabetes and Make a Difference!
Apr 2nd
Ride with Team Diabetes in the exciting, new Whistler GranFondo and make a difference in the lives of the 3 million Canadians and someone you know with diabetes.
Team Diabetes is celebrating its 10th anniversary and to date over 4,000 team members have raised $23.5 million in support of research, advocacy and programs such as camps for kids with diabetes but a lot more still needs to be done. You can help the Canadian Diabetes Association get closer to its goals by riding with Team Diabetes!
In addition to the satisfaction of supporting such a great cause, team members receive:
- GUARANTEED race entry
- Team Diabetes cycling jersey
- On-line fundraising tools and support
Although spots are guaranteed for Team Diabetes, space is limited so join Team Diabetes today! Registration closes July 2 or when the spots are filled – whichever comes first.
For more information contact Rebecca at rebecca.taylor@diabetes.ca / 604-732-1331 ext. 246 or go to www.teamdiabetes.ca.
