Bones Over Metal Freeride and Downhill Video BlogAll About Gravity Mountain Biking: Freeride, Downhill, Dirtjump, Urban and Trials

Tuesday and Wednesday: Hood River, OR.

So, I crawled into Hood River, Oregon and met up with Mike Estes, Miles Sullivan and Carl Warren for a little ride and shoot among Bike Media types. You would have seen Carl Warren’s stuff here, as well as, on Pink Bike with Mike Estes and Miles Sullivan. Kim Sturts, Karen Johanson, and Leif Olson all came down from Seattle to ride with us. By the time we all got together and got up to Post Canyon it was getting a little late. Plus the rain just continued to come down on us. We all ended up riding some quick lines on Middle School and then taking the Super D line 7 Streams out to the bottom pick up. It was a great run out in the rain, but my legs were rebelling by the end of the trail. After Sea Otter they didn’t need to ride another long pedally course on a downhill bike.

See More Of Carl Warren’s Hood River Shoots, Including this stop by Me.

The rain abated for the morning on Wednesday. Just enough time for us all to feel good about going up into Post Canyon and hitting some greasy trail. We went right up to a new trail called Extended Play. This trail is so new not all of the features are finished. Unlike a lot of Post Canyon that is top to bottom shuttle lines, this trail invites the session. After watching the local boys and a couple Canadians that had joined us down at Discovery Bikes, I went up and gave her a go.

I came off the ladder step down with what I thought was enough steam, but came up a bit short. I was using Miles for a tow in and found myself too close, so I tried to pull out. I applied the brakes and slid to a stop right on the edge of the lip. I teetered there and then fell on my face breaking my visor. What a wonderfully great first run.

I went confidently back to the top and decided against the tow in. I landed much farther down the transition on the step down, but the back end carved sideways in the wet clay. I again applied the brakes. I was going much faster this time. I spit off the end of the jump and slammed my face into the the back of the transition. I saw colors, something like a lime green, white and peach race jersey. I know it sounds weird, but that’s what I saw. All I remember saying to myself, is good thing that I have a DOT approved helmet. I’m not sure that a lessor helmet would have protected me from such a direct hit. In addition, to the apparent head and neck strain, I had re-injured my wrist. Like Mike said, “You went from rider back to shooter in twenty minutes.”

I stuck with the shooting for a bit, but I had to get ice on my wrist. They were going to Syncline across the river back in Washington and I really wanted to ride it, but my trip was done and I needed to realize it and get home.

In all it was a great trip. As I got into my truck, I felt privileged, stoked for my effort at Sea Otter, and humbled in the same emotion. The rain came back as I headed down the Columbia towards Portland and the Interstate home.

I hope to see you all out on the road.

Monday: Road Back to Seattle

Wow, today I feel like I’m in a bucket of cotton balls. Everything goes on around me, but I don’t hear it and I certainly am not affected by it. I’m that tired from Sea Otter. I stopped by the Chain Gang Bike Shop in Redding, CA. again and rode with Eric, LG and the crew after work. Since when can being tired keep me off my bike. Sure, it may suck for driving and actually make getting back to Seattle tough. But, put me on my bike and I’m ready to go.

We went up and rode and medium length trail called Rattlesnake. This trail is in the vicinity of the Mary Lake trail I rode on the way down to Sea Otter. Like that trail Rattlesnake twists and winds it way down hard pack clay. The dusting of sand on top makes every corner a drift waiting to happen. There are no jumps, but the features in the trail reward the rider who pumps and carries their bike over rollers and through berms. The trail is actually balls out fast.

The trail finishes with a short XC ride out to the road. Then about a mile of road back to the cars. On the way back up to the cars there was a impromptu jump jam on a natural bank along side the road.

Tuesday, I’m supposed to ride in Hood River. Later!

Sunday: Sea Otter, Monterey, CA.

Shooting Sunday’s Pro Race for me became a clinic in fast. (see results) To see the pros attack every aspect of the course with power pedaling, tight lines in the corners, or the speedy dismissal of a awkward freeride or dirt jump feature really put me into the mind space I needed for my race. After for days of shooting and gathering content for you all, I finely got my chance to race. My category was the very last race in the Gravity calendar for Sea Otter. Imagine how great it finally felt to just unleash everything I had watched, and learned over those four days.

There was still a large crowd on hand. The largest crowd I’d ever ridden past. People who knew me and whom I’d met over the four days yelled my name, or Bones Over Metal. There was never a moment where I was by myself on the course. The encouragement really fuels the desire to go faster.

Our class, 40+ expert, was 3 times as large as I’ve ever experienced. The amount of race experience that was represented humbled me by the time I’d even got in the start line. The best piece of info I’d been give by the Pros about the course came from Portland based Fluidride pro rider Philip Wiering. He told me to remember that each time I should pedal and don’t or attach and sit back I drop a place in the final ranks. As I raced, I basically kept a loose score. I feel that I had the best run I was going to have and it was good enough for 15th out of 33rd. I’m happy with it, because of the level of competition among the “old-guy” racers. From what I could tell, I was the rookie, being this was my first Sea Otter DH race.

There were a few places that I made a mistake that cost me a second here and there. I also, would have liked to be able to pedal stronger in a few spots. I can sit back and see where I could have gained that 5 seconds that kept me off the podium and the 11 seconds that kept me out of 1st. In all, that makes it a very successful run for me.

Next Stops: Redding, CA. then Hood River, OR.

Saturday: Sea Otter, Monterey, CA.

I spent the majority of today fighting the wind and dust to watch and shoot the Pro/Semi-Pro and Pro Women as they tore up the Dual Slalom course. By the end of the day I had over come the elements and got my shots. I also had my final practice session for my DH race to take place on Sunday. My race is the very last event of the festival.

When I took my two practice runs I felt empowered by the clinic I’d participated in watching the Pros do their thing on the Dual Slalom course. Add to that, the frustration that comes with standing and watching others ride. I got my chance and just pedaled. The whole course. That’s how I’m going to do it tomorrow. I’m going to treat it like a larger Dual Slalom course. Pump and pedal and charge, everything!

So, I got to go now and get the sand out of my eyes.

Friday: Sea Otter, Monterey, CA.

What can I say about today? I got a sunburn, while watching the pros get it right and show the rest of us how that looks. Made me stoked to get on the bike myself. The crowd had grown. You could really see where the sport of Gravity Mountain Biking was going. After today you will not find me thinking people only want to watch the captive sports like Dual Slalom and Slopestyle. Sure, people love those events. But, the love to watch down hill, as well.

The dirt wasn’t so wrong for me today. I found my speed and tempo and just hooked up. Yesterday, the course was strange, like a new job. Today, it was mine. I put my iPod buds in for the first time, ever, and it help shut out the zoo going on around me. After that it was just about finding speed and keeping a good, fast tempo top to bottom.

Some cool things happened today. The top prize came when I ran into people from all over that have been visiting this site. I thank you all, the readers, those that help and the new content providers. Peace!

Thursday: Sea Otter, Monterey, CA.

I got in just in time to register, find my camping spot and run up to DH course to shoot the Pros in their first practice of the event. There definitely was an excitement among the amature riders and even the photographers. People gathered around to see how the Pros were going to ride the upgrades to the rhythm section up top. This area, which is also closest to the parking, is the obvious crowd favorite. But in my opinion the race is going to be won by those who flow those jumps, keeping their bikes down, and carry their speed into the flatter sections further down the course.

After that session I walked the Pits and checked out the vendor offerings. I must give them my due later. It appears that every bike company is represented in force. Right now, I’ve got to go get my practice runs in….

Okay, I’m back and I must say, the dirt down here is different than what I’m used to back home in Seattle. Back there I get the sweet loamy soil, often muddy, with roots and rock gardens. The run here is hard pack clay with a light dusting, like a suffleboard deck. I’m running single ply 2.35 Kenda’s on my DH bike with about 45 pounds of pressure to keep from flatting. Back home we try to pressure the tires to get them to drift. Here, we don’t have to try. So, I’m having to learn to back off that a bit. Anyway, by the end of the 2 hour practice session I was feeling it. Good thing we have two more practices before race day on Sunday.

Tomorrow I’ll have more photos and maybe some video. Peace!

Wednesday: Redding, CA. Mary Lake Trail

So after driving all night from Seattle, I arrived in Redding. I needed to press on to Sea Otter, but I knew of this trail on the edge of the city limits. The guys at the Chain Gang Bike Shop had shown it too me the last time through town. It’s a fast clay run that is more luge than trail. To find it, you have to know the secret combination of trails through the neighborhood of Mary Lake.

As I started the push up to the top, the sun was coming out and it was already in the high 60s. Great for a rusty Seattlite. At first my tires were to firm and I was drifting everything. Their was a light dust on top of the clay and it took just a little pressure and I was in a drift. I took out some air and began to feel the trail. Like I said, Luge Run with Jumps! What a great trail to hit before jumping back on the highway for another 5 hour drive.

Near the bottom of the trail, I drifted a tight left hand corner and had to get down on the tires to keep from flying off the trail into the bush. As I can out and started to pedal to get my speed back up, my tire started to hiss. What a let down. I was almost inclined to do it again, but now I had to push out through the neighborhood back to my car. About a mile all together. I did take a short cut up the power lines but that forced me to wade through a bog. It was a lot deeper than it looked before I walked into it. So, when I got back to the truck, I knew I would have more places to ride. I had to get back on the freeway…. Stay Tuned.

* photos taken with my cell phone.