O-CUP DH#3 - KELSO

June 14- Race Day
The third round of the Ontario Cup Downhill series was held at the Kelso Conservation Area in Milton. Kelso also hosted the series opener back in May. The track used on the weekend was unique as it was just over a minute long! I drove up from Collingwood with Andrew Gotuaco from the Exprezo/NEMA team. We we're stoked to arrive at Kelso ontime with Blue Skies! Shortly after we registered for the event Zach Tatem and Ben Ellis had arrived and we threw the pits together in record time! After a quick java it was the lift was running and it was time to practise. On such a short course practise is tough for Elites as you catch beginner riders in no time. We hiked a few sections and got 2 top to bottom runs in that felt great. After practise we grabbed some lunch and re-feuled. Races start at 1pm and Elites have until around 4pm for their runs so its important to keep moving and awake. To kill the time as usaul, we took the cowbells up on course to cheer on friends and teammates. Zach and I were really stoked with how Ben Ellis rode the slick rock section in his race and he definitly got an earfull for his efforts from us.

At 3:42 I dropped in for my race run- I knew I had to put some big time work in up top in the pedalling to have a chance against clipped in riders (Zach, Ben, and I all ride flat pedals). Besides a minor mistake in the first woods section where I smacked a rock with my pedal the run went well. Right after my run I ran up to the final sprint on course to scream at Zach for some motivation, and I tell ya he was on FIRE. Zach rode an amazing run coming in only 0.9seconds off the first place rider Rob Fraser for 3rd place. Also note - The top 3 Elite men were all riding TREK SESSION 88 bikes further proving the abilities and character of this machine. I ended up in 11th, glad to get some points for the overall, also learning how important small mistakes can be. It was a great weekend!

CANADA CUP DH#1- MONT TREMBLANT

Mont Tremblant, what can I say, i have visited this Canada Cup venue the past 6 straight years and have never been disappointed. Kicking off the Canadian National DH series this year, the Tremblant trail crew had been hard at work. We arrived Thursday afternoon, checked in and quicky got on our gear to walk the track. The track in the past was very old school, narrow, and unforgiving. This year the crew widened the track as well as built up some very eroded sections, making for a close to world cup class course. Thursday night the rest of the Trek Store Race Team , Zach Tatem and Ben Ellis had arrived and were eager to hear about the track.

Saturday AM- Generally in Quebec we just expect to wake up to rain, something was weird this year.... Each day was nothign but sun and high temperatures making for some of the fastest conditions i've seen on this track. Practise Saturday went great, I took 5 runs in order to save some energy for the Red Bull race Saturday Night. On my fifth and final run, the fun came to a screeching hault. I tried sprinting a rutted section that normally was coasted and caught a pedal on a root, before I could even look up and was bikeless and airborne heading for a pine tree. Luckily my shoulder got out of the way by my arm took the impact. Come Sunday monring it was swollen and inflamed to the point where i couldnt hang onto my bike. For the first time in years I had to watch the race from the sideline and words cannot explain how that makes you feel, but understanding that it is a part of our sport is crutial. I am now on a strong recovery riding XC, and hope to get back on my Session 88 soon!

RED BULL MONTE DESCEND

This past weekend, the team headed up to Mont Tremblant, a couple hours north of Montreal. Each year we make the voyage to the Canada Cup Downhill race. This year, Red Bull and a team of keen Tremblant organizers came up with a Saturday night event new to all of the riders. The Red Bull Monte Descend is a relay race consisting of 25 two person teams. Each team includes a cross-country rider, as well as a downhill rider. From 8pm-10pm on Saturday night the teams completed as many laps of the course possible (xc rider rides up, tags the Dh rider to come down). This seemed like no biggie being the Downhill rider on the team, but after practising the exhausting Canada Cup Downhill course all day, and riding all evening, this turned out to be anything but easy. My teammate Tim Carleton of the Trek Store XC team rode amazing all night keeping us in the race, after a slow start, we eventually starting flying by other teams. When the clock struck 10pm we had completed 13 laps on this greuling track!! Good enough for 7th place! I was happy with how we finished and had a blast during the race, I think events like this are a great way to explore the borders of our sports, and nobody better to put it on than Red Bull!

Season Opener - Kelso DH#1

This past weekend was the season's first race. Kelso has hosted several provincial races over the past years and this years event was not to disappoint. Starting the season off with the second biggest rider turnout had everyone pumped.

Saturday's practise went great as the rain held off the and track was getting worked into great condition. I took several runs with teammates Zach and Ben Ellis and we soon were in the zone. Near the end of practise I caught my pedal on a rock and was sent over the bars into more rocks, a bit shook up, i ended my day a bit early. Zach and Ben pinned a couple final runs to cap their day off. We cruised back to the City for dinner and got some much needed rest.

Sunday, Race Day, its on! We got our pits set up on time and quickly geared up for some early practise runs. The track was in the best shape it had been in years with a bit of rain late saturday to keep the dirt tacky. We soon found ourselves hauling through the rock sections and flowing the bottom half. Around 2 the races started and practise was over, as the younger guys went up for their runs, Zach and I hiked up the course to cheer Ben and other friends, also getting a last check on the course changes. Ben put together a fantastic run putting him in a solid 4th position. After watching a few categories, it was time to get warmed up and ready for our runs. At 3:30 we took the lift to the top and started warming up the legs (this course was very pedally). I dropped in at 3:46 a few riders ahead of Zach, my run was almost flawless with the exception of a dab in the off camber sections near the bottom, I finished 8th in the Elite Mens Category. I anxiously waited for Zach to pop out of the final section and he did exactly that. His sprint to the finish was nothing less than inspiring and he deserved every bit of the 3rd place in the elite category.

I was trilled this weekend at how our team rode, but was even more impressed with the bikes and the interest the general public had in our set-up, all in all it was a fantastic start to the season.

Kits Are In!

Our Trek Store Toronto DH kits came in today from WREX, modeled exclusively by Zach Tatem. Lookin Fast!

Pre-Season Shots

Heres a few pre-season shots thanks to Andrew Gotuaco (pro racer/friend) Collingwood has gotten snow, rain, and sun the last few weeks making for perfect training conditions. BRAP

April 20 Update

With under two weeks to go until the first race of the season we are sure into the thick of it! Fortunatly an early April meltdown has allowed us Collingwood riders to repair old tracks and start new runs, but more importantly get some serious riding hours in on the new bikes. The Trek Store in Toronto has put together a dedicated downhill team to compliment their strong cross country team. I am really excited to be teamed up with Zach Tatem, he has exceptional bike skills and finally has his shoulder issues sorted out, watch out for Zach this season all across the country. Along with Zach I am also stoked to have youngster Ben Ellis on the team, Ben is super smooth and a quick learner, cant wait to see what the whole team can do this year.