Massive 5 week Western North American Road Trip (Start of Winter)

Well I am not going to do a massive write-up here. I have spent too much time just dealing with all the pictures. This time I have put captions with the photos that deserve to have something be said about them or are not self explanatory. You can get to these pictures via the map at the bottom of this post. I have also put a few pictures on this blog in a random order for a little taste of the pictures in my albums. So overtime if you are interested just flick through all the pictures in the 18 different albums linked off the map or form this link. I have broken them up in geographic units and you can pick on what you are interested in. There are lots of pictures but that’s because I now use the online albums as backup. Still I only pick decent ones to backup.

So in summary. Bridget and I spent 5 weeks road tripping around the Western US and South Western Canada. We saw heaps and heaps and there are many places we missed or want to see better such as Yellowstone Nat Park, Glacier Nat Park and Oregon. Also we want to go back and see them at different times of the year. All up we drove 6200 miles or about 10,000km. We had all sorts of weather. Heavy rains, blizzards, heavy snowfalls, heaps of snowy and icy roads and some very cold temps. Down too as low as -19C. For about 8 days straight the windshield washer liquid never thawed out. We met all sorts of people and saw many different ways of life from high class San Francisco suburbs, mates from years gone by, ranch/farming people, small-town folk who never leave town and real cowboys. For the most part 75% of people had no idea where NZ was but most had heard of it and most say they would love to go there even if they think it’s next to Belgium! Also it appears that the Flight of the Conchords have done as much for NZ as Lord of the Rings have. Overall the friendliness of people was high. We never felt unsafe even when we thought we would and overall few people left us with a foul taste in our mouth. It was wonderful. We saw some crazy driving, never an accident apart from the aftermath of a few in the icy, snowy regions which is pretty good considering the amount of time we spent on the road. Also I am becoming a bigger and bigger fan of Toyotas. It now has 187,000 miles on the clock.

Some of the highlights (there are many, just look at the amazing countryside in the pictures) include:

• San Francisco.
• Sonoma Valley.
• Mendocino Coast (Northern CA)
• Eureka Township. Cool we spot for lunch.
• The Redwoods National Park and the off the beaten path coastal road there.
• The Blizzard on the way too Crater Lake which we didn’t see cause of it.
• Bend, Oregon.

• Drive to Portland from Bend. The Columbia River, Salmon Farm and Multnomah Falls.
• Portland.
• Bridgets Birthday Dinner in Seattle.
• Halloween in Downtown Vancouver with mates from home.
• Whistler and the awesome drive to Kelowna.
• Seeing an Ice Hockey game in Kelowna with Neil and Fran.
• Lake Louise with falling snow about and it almost being frozen solid.
• Banff Itself. Great town in a wicked location.
• The Banff Mountain Film Festival.
• The Drive up the Icefield Parkway from Banff to Jasper. We had the chains on for 120 miles straight. Nutty.
  

• Seeing our first Bison (this became almost normal) at Elk Island National Park near Edmonton
• Chillin in Calgary. Pretty cool city.
• Early morning drive from Calgary though Alberta Ranchlands under the Canadian Rockies.
• Montana in general. Esp. Glacier Nat Park and the drive along Highway 2. Awesome.
• Spending the night in Butte. Very, Very cold and authentic old school Chinese for dinner.
• Hanging in Bozeman, 2ft snow about and the Museum of the Rockies.
• A little look at Yellowstone Nat Park before we got sick.
• Thermopolis, Wyoming.
• The Grand Teton National Park.
• 3 Bull Moose outside Jackson, WY.
• Las Vegas – In particular the Cirque Show ‘O’ at the Bellagio.

 Map of our route. Click on the ‘Cameras for a link to the photo albums of that area’

View BBT in a larger map

Till the next post after my wee adventure over Xmas somewhere very different than all these places – CIAO.

 

Merry Xmas and a

Happy New Years

 

Mountain Bike Trip to Colorado and Utah via Arizona on the way

After getting back to Redlands at 5.30pm on Fri 2^nd Oct and after a pretty broken sleep I had to be driving at 6am the next day to pick Craig up from LAX at 7.30am for our ‘Boys’ MTB trip. After some organization and shopping we hit the road from my place in Redlands at 10am and drove all the way to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon (GC) getting there just in time to see the Sunset. We drove the I-40 through CA and AZ most of the way. At the turnoff north to the GC the woman at the gas station was moaning about the fireman who had lit fires to do a burn off. It was windy and she said they were stupid. We agreed. After driving through it on the way to Williams it didn’t seem to be under control. Sure enough on the news the next day was a raging out of control fire around the town of Williams, AZ.

The GC was as incredible as you can imagine. So much so that the pictures do it NO justice. The size is too big to comprehend. You can actually see the curve of the horizon in many of the pictures taken of the view across the GC. The sunset was incredible that evening. The views majestic and after such a long day the sleep was much needed. The next morning we arose early. In near freezing temperatures (The South Rim is 7000ft high) we biked along the rim to find a good lookout too watch the sunset. It was awesome though the lighting conditions made it difficult to get good pictures.

After breakfast we spent a few hours driving east along the South Rim to the final ‘Desert View Lookout’ checking out all the view points and getting different perspectives of this giant scar on the Earth’s surface. Next up was a pretty giant drive though the Arizona Desert to Kayenta for a late lunch before seeing Monument Valley. We hit numerous dust storms along the way. Vis was down to just 10s of meters. It was like being in a red blizzard except you could actually hear the paint of the car being blasted by the sand. In the 60mph winds we saw a number of tumbleweeds. It was pretty Wild West. Awesome.

Monument Valley was the Camry’s biggest challenge yet. With 2 bikes on the roof we ventured off onto the ‘4wd’s Only Recommended Tracks’ so we could have a good view of the monuments. In dust storms we got some incredible views though it meant a few big scrapes on the underside of the old beast. The rear window latch thing had broken so it keep sliding down in the roughness of monument valley. With the massive winds it meant the car filled with red dust. Enough so that it got into my camera and crippled it permanently. Bugger. I wanted a camera with a wider angle lens so now I had my reason. Once back on smooth roads electrical tape came to the rescue and the window though it could not be used never fell down again. The rest of this day was through some wild country in the South East corner of Utah to the Four Corners Monument which was closed just 15mins earlier. It’s the only place you can stand in four States at once. 1.5 hours or so from here and we were in Durango, Colorado. That evenings feed of hot wings and Fat Tire Beer went down very well.

The next day after hassling the guys at ‘Hassle Free Sports’ we headed out on the lovely multiuse trail next to the river running through Durango to the Horse Gulch Trails. Wow. What an introduction to biking on our trip. Some of the flowiest trails I have ridden. All made by MTBikers for MTBikers. Lots of variety and right in town. During our rip around out there Craig almost took someone out. After I recognized who it was we stopped and chatted. It was Todd Wells charging around on his proto Specialized Carbon 29er on his local trails. He is from Durango and it was awesome meeting one of the best Mountain Bikers in the world on his local trails.

On our last morning in Durango we were up early in the freezing temps and headed to the start of Dry Creek and the Colorado Trail. We rode 22 miles in pristine Alpine and sub alpine zones up to 9600ft. The climb in the thin air was worthwhile. The downhill ripped and again it was once of the best trails ever ridden. Flow, technical bits, wicked views and amazing autumn colors. Just look at the pics... So far Colorado is living up to all the good things I had heard. The drive that day got us to Gunnison in Central Colorado. The highlights of today’s drive were 3 high passes, 2 over 10000ft and one over 11000ft. Wow. What views and the highest I had ever driven. Some of the towns such as Silverton and Ouray were incredible. Another gem was seeing the “Black Canyon of the Gunnison Canyon National Park”. A deep cut in the Colorado Plateau. Pictures here due to the setting sun and stark environment were very difficult.

The next day was a big day too. All these days were big trying to fit in as much as possible. Craig and I were having a great time and it was time to pick Paul up in Denver who was flying in from Aussie. After a lovely 4hr drive from Gunnison we arrived in Central Denver with a few hours up our sleeves. We walked around the State Buildings and 16^th Street Mall. It was a lovely area actually and we had a very tasty lunch. I was quite impressed with Downtown Denver. After grabbing Paul from the airport it was straight to the massive bike shop (Wheatridge Cyclery) where he brought a brand new Enduro for a bit of a bargain. We were set. 1 Camry loaded to the hilt and three bikes clinging to the roof for dare life with trails to hit in Grand Junction, Fruita, Moab and Southern Utah in 10 days. 

NOTE TO THE NON COMPUTER PEOPLE– TO GET TO THE PICTURES LOOK ON THE ROUTE WE TOOK ON THE MAP AND CLICK ON THE CAMERA ICONS FOR PICTURES OF THAT AREA. CLICK ON THE LITTLE POPUP PICTURE TO BRING UP THE WHOLE COLLECTION.

View MTB Trip to Colorado & Utah, Oct 2009 in a larger map

After an evening in Boulder we hit the road in the first snows of the season on our way over the Rockies on following the I-70 to Grand Junction. This drive was sick. One of the most amazing roading engineering feats I have seen anywhere. Massive tunnels, a high pass and a stacked multilane highway through a 20mile long gorge. That afternoon the 3 of us rode together for the first time in many years on some incredible trails in a moonscape environment. They were technical and quite the introduction for the boys on loose, rocky, steep trails here in the States. It was called the ‘Tabeguache Trails’ or Lunch Loop Trails. They were just out of the town of Grand Junction and I loved them. That nights the meal at the Local Brewery went down very well indeed.

The 2^nd day in the Grand Junction area was my Birthday. Quite frankly I would be hard pressed to have better activities to do on my Bday. Riding was in Fruita today 12 miles down the road and WOW. The morning was spent driving around the Colorado Monument. A Protected area. Lovely views indeed. First up riding wise were the ’18 Road Trails’. They were smooth, fast and fun with some extreme hill climbs. Lots of ridge riding and we hit trails named Prime Cut, Chutes & Ladders, Perimeter, Western Zip, Frontside, Joes Run and Kessel Run.

After a late lunch to refuel we headed out to the famous Kokapelli Trails. They were all I imagined and more. Nothing has been even a little disappointing so far. We started on Horsethief Bench and finished on Mary’s Loop. Wow. So so good. Flow, technical stuff and incredible views. Yep it’s all getting repetitive. All this good riding I know. I don’t know how else to describe it anymore. If you are a mountain biker you need to get to Colorado. I will have to go back. It was a massive day. 60km of single-track. After a big dinner at the Rockslide Brewery I had the earliest night I can remember for a birthday. I was satisfied though :-)

Rose early so we could spend the morning hitting more trails at Kokapelli before the short drive into Utah to the mecca that is Moab. That morning we rode Lion’s Loop, Steve’s Loop and Mack Ridge. All awesome. That afternoon we drove through the Colorado Gorge via the back roads to Moab. We setup base for a few night at the downtown Ramada Hotel.

We spent 3 days riding in Moab including one afternoon exploring the nearby Arch’s National Park. I could go on forever but will let the pictures do the talking. We rode Slickrock Trails the first day and after Paul crashed we spent the afternoon getting his biking sorted. All I will say is I never knew I could ride up stuff that steep and was able to clear every climb there. I was well happy with myself and few others we saw cleared everything. You just need horsepower and balance and you are away. All the grip you will ever need is there. The 2^nd day we rode “The Whole Enchilada”. This was a shuttle run. We were dropped off in the La Sal Mountains at 10000ft. We then rode up to 11200ft. From here we spent hours riding mainly downhill back into Moab. All up that was a 40+ mile ride. It was technical, smooth, alpine, rocky and the best single day I have had on a mountain bike. It took in numerous trails including Porcupine Rim to finish. Go do it is all I can say.

The final day was spent at the Trails: Amasa’s Back, The Portal and the Sovereign Trails. All wicked as usual and really after 3 days we only scratched a deep scratch in the surface of the riding options in the Moab area. I’ll be back. The Portal Downhill was the most exposed trail I have ever seen and ridden. A signpost on it stated. “Dismount now. 3 people have fallen to their Death at this Point”

After viewing the 24hrs of Moab Race the night before we were back at the Slickrock Trails on our final morning in Moab. Paul was compelled to complete the loop after it defeated him the first time. That afternoon we had a big drive across Utah and down to the St George, Zion area. It was a lovely drive again across a big variety of terrain. So much to see and no time to see it as always. Such a big country.

We stayed in Springdale right on the gate into Zion National Park. The first day there we headed out to Gooseberry Mesa for the day. Wow. I was well impressed. It was very different than any trials we had yet done. Slow going and technical with a bit of slickrock, exposed track and some great views. We had heaps of fun here and though it had little flow or big downhill’s it was back to basics Mountain Biking. Not really going anywhere but going everywhere if you know what I mean. These trails are well worthy of their reputation.

Our last day in the Zion Area saw us up early yet again to look around the Zion National Park itself. A stunning place and a place I want to go back too and camp and hike. Lovely. Massive walls, great streams and very impressive views. We also saw some tiny dots on the massive walls. They we big wall climbers and I wished I had a much bigger zoom on the camera or atleast binoculars. On the 2500ft high walls they were almost impossible to spot. That afternoon was spent getting down to Las Vegas. For a night on the town. It was Paul and Craig’s first trip to Vegas and we had one raging night then left. The best way to do Vegas if you are there to booze. Anymore than 1 big night there and you get a bit over it. We saw the Cirque Show Zumanity at New York New York. It was good as was the Brazilian BBQ dinner and the fancy pants club at ‘The Wynn’ which included a 6 storey waterfall in the middle of the club and well over priced drinks of course.

After a short sleep in the shitty Hotel 8 we awoke hung-over and visited Hoover Dam before the 4hr drive across the barren desert back to my place in CA. Hoover Dam was impressive indeed. Very big and the Visitor Centre was worth its entry fee. What is more impressive is the massive 4 lane Bridge they are building across the gorge to link Nevada with Arizona. When completed 16000 cars will pass over it everyday. Sunday was a long day also. That morning I took Paul and Craig on the local trails I ride. It was ‘The Hellride’ comprising of the full length of Santa Ana River Trail Singletrack. They really enjoyed it and it was a fitting end to an incredible trip. MTB trips are the best way to spend time with mates and when they flew out that evening back to Aussie if it was not for Bridget arriving the next day and a next adventure to begin I would have been rather deflated.

One of my favorite tracks from back home...

Rata Ridge: BTE from Spoke Magazine on Vimeo.

VISA Trip To NZ

Well it seems like an eternity ago now but I’ll write up a few things I did while in NZ for about 2 weeks to get my new VISA to enable me to work in the States for a longer period of time. I landed in Auckland at the same time as Matt, early on Saturday morning way back on Sept 19th. Matt had been away in Bolivia and Peru working and it was his first time back in NZ in 2.5 years. It was great to catch-up at Marke and Paula’s place that weekend. Pretty good timing really. They flew in from London via Hong Kong and I from LA and landed within 20 mins of each other.

After being put to work in Marke and Paula’s yard making a retaining wall I biked at Woodhill with Marke and the Auckland MTB Club that afternoon. It was great fun and I always have a good time at Woodhill. After an evening at the Cooper Room in Taka’s drinking Monteith’s and watching the ABs I crashed that night. The next day we all went for a walk at Piha Beach. I love that beach. That evening Marke showed me some of the local technical trails on the North Shore. A little tough on the SS but I can’t complain as Marke also only had one gear but also no suspension.

The next day I caught up with some colleagues in Auckland after getting my VISA at the US Consulate. Yip. I needed to fly halfway across the world to sit in a room for an hour waiting to talk to a US VISA person for 10mins. In this day and age of carbon miles, dwindling oil supplies and global warming this seems a bit off. Anyhow it meant I had an excuse to head home for a while.

I landed in Welly on Monday night and had till Sunday in the capital. As most people were working I rode out at Wainui and Makara on 3 occasions. It was great to ride the wicked Welly Trails again. I forget how different they are to over here in Redlands. I had totally forgotten how to ride Deliverance. I think it is rougher now but geez in the wet and the roots and the rocks I was all over the show. Crickey. They rest of the time was spent hanging out in town, catching up with friends for lunches and hanging out with Bridget.

On the Sunday night after a pretty cold week in Welly I landed next to the sheep paddocks in Timaru to hang out with the parents and Lauren for a few days. I had a good time of course. I ate lots of Mum’s incredible cooking and baking including homemade Licorice Ice Cream. Mmmm... I also did a couple of rides with Dad for the first time in many years on the local Timaru Trails. Good times. I think he got a little idea of what I really get up to on the bikes these days. Bit different than when I was a teenager and most of the riding was in the flat Burwood Plantation in Christchurch. We also went for a drive through Geraldine, Woodbury and up the Rangitata Gorge/Valley. Lovely country and it reminded me how awesome the Southern Alps are. After too short a time I was back onto the big bird destined for LA.

Tioga Pass and Road Biking in Mammoth

Well it’s been a wee while since I last had a post on here. I have just been chilling. Hitting the beach a few times and relaxing after a busy first half of the year focused around racing on two wheels.

Last weekend I headed up to Mammoth, this time with Derek which meant that we had road bikes in tow, not the usual mountain bikes. Anyway we left early and by the time 1pm rolled by we were zooming down the 395 from June Lake towards Tioga Pass. This is the pass you must cross to get to the Eastern Entrance of Yosemite National Park. The climb started on the valley floor at about 7000ft and headed up too just under 10000ft. 9945ft to be exact. We were guttered. Anyway it hurt. The altitude was felt as was the steepness. It was however the most beautiful place I have ever ridden a road bike. Incredible passing by huge avalanche slopes and lovely lakes with huge valleys and peaks all around. The pictures though pretty good do not show the scope of this country side. It was epic.

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Even more epic was the downhill. What took us 1.5hrs to chug up was dealt to in about 15-20 mins of downhill. Man Derek was just ahead of me, we were tucked. He shook his head and I looked at the speedo. Yep. 60.3mph. Dam. Insane. 100 clicks in metric terms. It was awesome though we got out of the tuck position both from excitement and from self preservation and never went faster. We were catching up to traffic real fast. Anyway it was exhilarating. I still cannot believe how stable those bikes are. So light but at speed that carbon is just so stiff.

The rest of this ride was tough. Derek started to drag the anchor, but man he did so well coming out of some surgery not a month before. My legs were wrecked too especially due to the head winds and rolling hills past Grant, Silver and June lakes. The Jacuzzi helped out immeasurably that evening however.

That night we were met by Dave, Kendra and Kerri who had come to spend the weekend up in Mammoth also. They did some great hiking. The two nights we had there were spent playing Apples to Apples. This is the best board game out. Add a bit of booze and it means you have the grumpy neighbor knocking on our door at 10pm saying that she was angry from the night before by all the noise of people having fun the night before. Man. We should have offered her earplugs. She did live in a condo next to another one that is rented out to holidaymakers coming to Mammoth to have FUN.

Another ride Derek and I did was also awesome. It consisted of a round trip down to the Devils Postpile. Awesome extruded hexagonal lava outcrops are the main attraction here. I visited this site the year before. Riding down there was awesome though. Mammoth really is a sweet spot. From Hiking, rock climbing, cross country mountain biking and downhill and also sweet road riding. And that’s just in summer.

Before we hit the long drive home through the desert we visited Mono Lake. What a weird place. 10% salt in that lake. So it’s real salty due to evaporation being the only way the lake loses its water. Also there are real weird limestone formations call Tufa. They grow under the water and when the level of the lake drops they are visible sticking up like little spires round the shoreline. The pics will give you a better idea of what I am talking about.

Yesterday I just did a 100 mile road ride with Derek aswell as Lee and Eric. Their first big big ride. At lunch in Big Bear after 2500m of climbing Eric told us it was his birthday. Pretty sweet doing your first century on your birthday if you ask me.

Anyway this is my last post before I head back to NZ to get a new working VISA and catch-up with all the peps. This time I will take a bike back home so I can remember what riding in mud, on roots and not in 35 degrees is like. The riding is so different to here which is good. Variety is the spice of life after all. After that there is a variety of shenanigans planned so keep posted to see how it goes. I have lots to look forward too and can’t wait.

So till my next post from the road take care,

Kurt

Dave’s West Coast of the South Island (NZ) Midwinter Touring Mission

A great wee write-up and some awesome pictures from one the best parts of New Zealand. I love this area.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=3Tzut&page_id=119124&v=6Q

A sample picture from Frankton… Awesome

Great wee Vid for all you Cyclists out there :-)

Dam. I gotta hit this up next time I’m in Rotovegas

Maybe its about time for a rework of the Bible…

In the beginning God created the bicycle, saw that it was good, then went for a nice Sunday ride on the bike lanes He'd made the day before, and they were good, too, because they were new and He had the angels keep them clear of debris. Later, of course, God would get cross and have the flood wash all the good ones away.

And God said to Himself, Let us create man, because cycling is too much fun to keep to Myself, and so He created man, him did He create, create did He him do. And God put man in paradise, and commanded him, Glideth upon the earth anywhere thou wisheth, except for that big hill over there. For on the day thou goeth down that hill, thou shalt surely die.

And God said, Man needs a companion to keep him from spending too much money on new bicycles. So God caused man to fall into a deep sleep by asking him if he wanted to go clothes shopping at the mall, then took a rib from him. Then God said to Himself, Who am I kidding, I'll never hear the end of it when she finds out she was just a rib, so He created woman from frankincense and myrrh and a certain je ne sais quoi.

And God said, Let man have dominion over lathe drills and Philips head screwdrivers, and let woman have dominion over everything else, and as long as thou art naked and unashamed, thou might as well be fruitful and multiply.

Lastly, God created the chicken and the egg, in that order, which should clear up that matter.

Now the serpent, he was a wily one, and he said to woman, Yea, hath God said you may cycle anywhere but down that hill? And the woman said unto the serpent, That's about the size of it: go downhill and die. And the serpent said, Ye shall not surely die, you probably won't even fall off. For God doth know that on the day you go downhill, you will not need to pedal for a long time. Go on, give it a try.

And the woman saw that the hill was good, she did not need to pedal for a long time. She told the man about it, and he also went downhill. Their eyes were opened, they saw they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves into padded cycling shorts because sometimes it got bumpy going downhill.

And they heard the voice of God as He was offroad, fully suspended of course, and they hid their bicycles at the bottom of the hill and started whistling nervously. And God called unto the man, and said, Where art thou? And the man said, We art down here. And God said, Hast thou cycled downhill, whereoff I commanded thee that thou shouldest not? And man said, It was her idea.

And God said unto the woman, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow whilst climbing hills; in pain shalt thou perch upon thy saddle.

And God said unto the man, Because thou hast harkened unto the voice of thy wife, cursed is regular bike maintenance. The inner workings of the hub gear will be beyond thou to repair. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou service thy freewheel.

And God said, Behold, the man doesn't listen very well, so he kicked him out of paradise and guarded the entrance with a sign of a picture of a bicycle in the middle of a red circle. And He had a Cherubim with a flaming sword stop by a few times a week for good measure.

This is the book of the generations. The first bicycle was a single speed, Godspeed, but after that it got complicated. Sprockets begat sprockets and cables begat kinks. Celerifere begat Draisienne begat Macmillan begat Michaux begat Ariel begat Bayliss Thomas begat Lawson begat Rover begat Boneshaker begat Ordinary begat Raleigh.

And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth in a critical mass, God saw that the wickedness of man was great and he did not like to give way to anyone on the road even his mother, so He directed Noah to build an ark made out of renewable resources. There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark every type of bicycle: one to ride and one for spare parts. And Noah gathered two touring bikes and two mountain bikes; two recumbents and two tandems; two road racing bikes and two cross bikes; also four unicycles, just in case there was a misunderstanding, and a brace of Bromptons, as their folded countenance pleasethed Him. And God said there might be Some strong winds in the Southeast. And it rained for 40 days and 40 nights, then drizzled for another fortnight.

And God remembered Noah and asswaged the waters, and Noah opened a door on the ark and set loose Japheth on a unicycle, and God said This is a covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature: that a man on a unicycle is a hilarious sight. The waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

A bit later, God spake unto Moses, saying, Here are a few ground rules, I hath numbered them for thou for easy reference:

I. Thou shalt hold no other races above the Tour de France.
II. Thou shalt not make unto thee helmets which cost more than £100.
III. Thou shalt not take My name in vain everytime thou gettest a flat tyre.
IV. Remember to oil thy chain, to keep it rolling.
V. Honour the Zebra Crossing and those walking upon the face of it.
VI. Thou shalt not ignore other road users, nor cycle recklessly upon the pavement.
VII. Thou shalt not steal bicycles.
VIII. Thou shalt not kill, except bicycle thieves.
IX. Thou shalt not hang onto moving cars.
X. Thou shalt not covet they neighbour's new Cannondale, nor his groupset, nor his £3000 mtb, nor even his stylish shades.

Forget not the Titanium Rule: Signal unto others as thou wouldst have others signal unto thou.

And moving right along, there came four horsemen of the Apocalypse, and they were the Taxicab Driver, and the Motorcycle Messenger, and the White Van Man, and the Man Opening a Car Door Without Looking.

Amen

The Worlds Fastest – Random Stuff but pretty incredible.

Race Season Wrap-up – Thanks for hanging in there with me…

Well a summary of it and a few sums that I calculated. It sure was pretty surprising when you start to look at totals. Yikes.

14 Feb    - Tour de Palm Springs Charity 100 mile ride
1 Mar      – Bonelli Park (US Cup Race 1 & Sthn Cal State Race 1)
7 Mar      – Vision Quest 60 mile Mountain Bike Race
29 Mar    – Fontana (US Cup Race 2 & Sthn Cal State Race 2)
5 Apr      – Sagebrush Safari (US Cup Race 3 & Sthn Cal State Race 3)
11 Apr    – Mulholland Challenge 103 mile race (King of the Mountains Race 1)
19 Apr    – Sea Otter XC Race 40 miles (US Cup Race 4)
2 May     – Breathless Agony 114 mile race (King of the Mountains Race 2)
23 May   – Heartbreak 100, 102 mile race (King of the Mountains Race 3)
31 May   – Big Bear Shootout 1 XC Race (Sth Cal State Race 5)
7 Jun     – Elings Park XC Race (Sth Cal State Race 6)
13 Jun   – Ride around the Bear 100 mile race
28 Jun   – Rim Nordic XC Race 1 (Sth Cal State Race 7)
12 Jul    – Big Bear Shootout 2 (Sth Cal State Race 8 – The Final of 2009)

All up I have raced in the above races 790 miles (1270km) this year. 519 miles (835km) of this total has been on the road leaving the remaining 271 miles (436km) being on the dirt in XC MTB races. Roughly the total amount of climbing in all of these events equals 82500 feet (25000m). That's similar to climbing from sea level up Mt Cook 7 times. Mt Cook is New Zealand's highest mountain for all you North Americans  :-)

It’s pretty weird totaling up these figures and seeing just what is possible when you really concentrate on racing. It has been by far the most active race season, the most action packed, the most varied and the most rewarding I have ever done, as well as the toughest. The combination of huge road rides vs the shorter insane paced XC races in the Cat 1 category has been a tough one to balance. Looking back at it I thought the long endurance rides would have helped out my shorter XC Races but I gotta say that the tougher rides were definitely the MTB races. Though they averaged only around 2hrs for most of the US Cup and Cal State races the pace and intensity for the most part meant I found them harder than the long road races where I was out for 6-8hrs.

All that was missing from this mix was competing in some 12/24hr races like I use to do all the time back home. Oh and mud. In a weird way I missed the mud, though I never once missed riding in rain that’s for sure.

The highlights have been across the board. First up was completing the Vision Quest (the biggest MTB race I have done and doing pretty well in it). Competing at Sea Otter was also a great time however the most satisfying events I have completed were both on the road (I think cause I had not raced on the road before and due to the epic nature of the events). It was pretty fun I have to admit, though I am still a dirt boy. Getting about 20th (out of 400 odd riders) in Breathless Agony and finishing it with Derek together after all our training together and beating many good roadies with all their bling at their own game was awesome and massively satisfying. At the same level however was competing and racing in the Round the Bear Century. I raced this by myself, rode by myself and had a fantastic day. After 100 miles, 10000ft of climbing and 5hrs 57min in the saddle I got 10th out of about 350 riders. Lastly but not least though was the XC racing and especially the final Big Bear Race as detailed in my last post. Getting 2nd was great and the 4th overall placing was fantastic.

The Dons Bikes Team has also had a pretty successful year overall. Both Al, Lisa and Jeff have had great results in both individual races and in the overall series as well. More details can be found on the Dons Bikes Team Blog we have setup and pictures on the team Picasa site.

I gotta say though I am pretty happy that all the racing is over. I just wanna chillout for a bit. Hit the beach a few times and start doing some exploring on the mountain bikes and do some more downhilling like I did last weekend up at Lake Tahoe. I wanna get the buzz of exploring new trials and riding because I want to ride not because you force yourself due to the race next weekend. Don't get me wrong I have really enjoyed the races and will be back to it at some stage however some time out is required. I just got to try and keep a bit of a base there so that I can get back to race speed pretty fast. Oh and not eat as much as I have been cause I will not be burning as many calories. Or maybe I should just eat some pies and turn into a true blue DH guy :-)

I leave you with 2 collages. Each has 15 pictures in it. One is a selection of pics from my road races this year and the other is from all the MTB races I have been doing. Over and Out.

Sthn Cal State Series Final – Big Bear Shootout 2

Well finally. The day came. One I was not looking forward to because really I was a little over racing. Still even after going out into town for the first time all year - pretty lame aye and getting a little buzzed on the Friday night and only a few hours sleeping I went to bed real early on the Sat night before the race and headed up the Mountain with Lisa and Jeff to Big Bear. I was feeling pretty good actually and after the warm-up riding up a tarmac road to the start of the race I knew that it was all on just a few seconds into the first climb.

It started at the usual insane pace and I was left thinking Oh No. This will suck. Within a few mins though I found myself in the top 3 guys (even hanging with the guy that has been winning by big margins for a bit). I ended up by myself in 3rd for a bit and stayed here for a while very slowly catching up to David Santos (Champion of my category in this years 8 race series). I kept looking back expecting to see others in my class catching up. It never happened though. David and I rode together for ages. It was great and the best competition and closest direct competition I have had all year. We really pushed each other and the pace of the race was really high.

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20 Miles Long, 2700ft climbing, 1hr 24mins Race Time

David and I went back and forth many times trying to get an edge. At one point I really thought he had me but when I reached the high point and the fire road that took us to the final main descent of single-track. The fire road was rolling and I slammed the rig into the big ring and put in a massive effort. In the end I slowly pulled away and when I got into the single-track I was well clear and feeling good. Man though was I in for a shock. The technical stuff is what I normally feel good about and love that stuff, it really is why I go up hills. However when in the most technical section of downhill single-track where many people were watching waiting for carnage, well lets just say I made sure they did not go home disappointed. I think I thought I was on my big bike with my full face helmet on like the weekend before at Lake Tahoe. The line I took (by accident because I came in too hot) was NASTY. I bounced over big expose roots, thought I had got things back together but then hit a massive rock. I remember flying over the bars doing a bunch of rolls and tumbles head over heels down the hillside and hearing many different sounds from those watching (from excitement to horrified yelps). I jumped up, adrenaline taking over, and got back on the bike before I felt any pain. The finish was only a few mins away and I had to make sure David didn’t catch back up. I cranked over the line in 2nd place. My best finish of the season (why did I have to wait till the last race). I was stoked and just 2 mins off Vincent’s time (winner) and only 5 mins off the fastest Pros time. It was a great finish to the season.

After I stopped I checked out the grazes. I came off really well. Bruises on each knee and a cut on the bum from a stray stick. Haha – but like a true cyclist the worst injury was to my bike. Yep a few good scratches on one of the fork legs. Bugger aye.

We hung out for hours in the sun waiting for the results. It was good to get to know some of my competitors. Both Vincent and David were really nice guys and I wish I got to know them earlier in the season. Arwell, next time maybe. In the end I got 4th overall for the season (out of 8 races) in the Southern California State Series. I am pretty happy with this and know that with more dedicated training specifically to XC racing I could have done a little a little better. I had many 6th place results and were often just a few mins off 3rd place. Still its been an enjoyable time. Its been satisfying and its been great sticking to a hard tail. I love my new hard tail and are very happy I didn’t go to a full sus rig. They have their benefits but I love the simplicity of no rear suspension. Also I can now confirm after all the races this year that Titanium really is as good as you hear. It’s a pleasure to ride it and gives me a big smile everytime I’m out on it. It’s one of the best rides on 2 wheels for sure. Well a Ducati 998 would go down ok too I must admit, but don’t EVER let me buy one of them. EVER. I will become one of those ‘temporary citizens’ very quickly.

Downhilling at Northstar (Lake Tahoe Area)

Well what an epic trip. 1200 miles driving in a few days so that we can ride bikes down hills without the requirement of having to pedal them up first…

What can I say? I have got the DH bug back. Man what a great time. Some had told me not to get my hopes up about the Riding at Northstar. After riding at Whistler, Mammoth and Silverstar last year I can say that Northstar is second only to Whistler and is better than the other 2 mountains I have ridden at. Sunpeaks in BC is another that is a must and from what I have seen may be better than Northstar. However the variance at Northstar was good with a large percentage of it being natural terrain and lots of technical riding (rock gardens galore). Overall the tracks were technical and not flat-out. A big focus on cornering and like I said rock gardens were the main themes. There was nothing insane there either, or maybe it’s because I am getting a little better. There were only a few drops and one insane rock garden called ‘The Waterfall’ which I didn’t hit. Had I had a bigger bike I would have tried a few of these obstacles. We spent all of our time on Black and Double Black Diamond runs.

The weekend started with packing up the car at 10.30pm at night then driving throughout the night with Andy and Jason. It’s the first time I had been away with these guys and the trip went well. We were all of a pretty close ability and pushed each other in all the right places. Not one of us came away with any major injuries, a big deal because we were super pumped up to hit the dirt and super tired on that first day also.

So yeah we drove from 11pm for 8hrs through the night taking shifts until when we arrived in Truckee at 7am. After hitting the local diner for breakfast and much needed caffeine we walked round the main street a little before driving the 15mins to Northstar. A ski field in winter which like many of the ‘best’ ski fields provides a place for mountain bikers to hurl themselves down rocks during summer without needing to get up the hills under their own steam.

The first day was intense. We concentrated mainly on the right-hand side trails in the morning, doing many laps of Live Wires. Northstars equivalent to Whistler’s Aline. Jump Jump Jump corner, launch, jump, corner, jump, corner, berm, berm, berm, jump…. It was great to get back into jumping and I was starting to clear most of them by the end of the second day. It was rougher than Aline though. The last run of the day was again down Live Wires and I needed to peel my right hand from the handlebar as as it was locked in a deathgrip. Geez… but we didn’t want to stop riding.

Boondocks was another great track we hit many times on the first day. Technical, loose, fast, drops, trees. We had a wicked time on this track. In the afternoon I met up with Matt from San Jose for a few hours and we rode with his buddies on the more technical left-hand face of the mountain. What can I say. Super technical, rock gardens everywhere, a few drops, not many jumps and some serious loose out of control steep sections. It was a great time and really beat-up the hands and forearms. Even though the place was open till 7pm on the Friday we were so beat by 4.30 we had to stop. After driving the whole night we could hardly keep our eyes open at dinner. A little burger joint by the name ‘Burger Me’.

The next morning we sleep in and were at the mountain for 10am opening. Today we chilled a little more than the first day. Less rushed and had a great day, helped by the fact my eyes wanted to stay open. We still got in many runs, maybe not the 15+ of the first day but we concentrated on hitting a few drops we were too chicken to hit the first day and also spent more time on the rock gardens chasing each other through the dust. It was so quiet both days but especially on July 4^th which was weird. We never needed to wait in queues on either day. The weather was also perfect each day. We all had pinch flats on Saturday. Jason got the first in a rock garden. I got mine after landing on a rock sticking out of the transition from one of Live Wires jumps and Andy had another on Boondocks. It turned out to be his last run (we only had time for one more anyhow) as we could not get his 12mm rear axle off with a little multi-tool. This evening after pizza in Truckee we checked out the fireworks for July 4^th over Lake Donair. A spectacular location for fireworks with the explosions echoing around the mountain sides.

On Sunday we had the epic drive around the NE side of Lake Tahoe, down to Carson City and all the way down the 395 past Mammoth and home. The Lake Tahoe area is awesome. Not spectacular like Yosemite but just lovely, an outdoors paradise. Out of places to live in CA this would have to have been one of the best places I have seen so far. The drive right down to Bishop is lovely. After that it becomes desert and then sprawl. The drive was interrupted however with some riding. We shuttled Rock Creek with Andy’s cousin who lives in Bishop and his mate. Nothing insane but a great trail. It followed Rock Creek down through a gorge and had some great wee launches, awesome corners and in the lower sections some rock gardens. It was a great way to break up the 550 mile return journey.

Finally some Mountain Biking that is not Racing

Marke was coming back from the UK after a trip home and had a few days stopover in LA. Of course being a true mountain biker he travelled with his bike meaning that we had a couple of days riding up our sleeves. We meet Matt (an old Uni friend of Marke’s) at Kernville. A lovely wee mountain town in the Southern Sierra Mountains about 3hrs north of LA. Matt drove down from the Bay Area.

The first day was great just hitting up a few local trails in the middle of nowhere. The views were lovely and the tracks heaps of fun. One trail was called ‘Just Outstanding’ and it was simply that. Flowy, bermed and tones of fun. The vista overlooking Lake Isabella reminded me of the Central Lakes Region in the South Island back home. One section in the pics below shows a tunnel if Manzanita bushes you had to rude through.

The next day was our main goal and highlight of our time in Kernville. It’s a trail called the ‘Cannell Plunge’ and it was extraordinary. First up we had to shuttle to the top of the ride. No small drive. It was a 1hr shuttle up to 9200ft (2800m). Yep this ride started at this height. In total there was 2000ft (600m) of climbing over its 26 mile (42km) length, however all this climbing was done at over 8000ft (2400m). I was pretty use to it from my racing however Marke coming from Sea Level in NZ and lots of time off the bike struggled. He got stronger and stronger as time went on which was great, especially considering he had just flown 12hrs from London and still had lingering injuries. A job well done.

The trail was truly lovely and we took our time admiring the views not to mention the great downhills. One rocked quite literally. It was a Rock Garden Decent lasting about 200m of vertical drop. The Enduro loved it and so did I though a few close moments made me realize how remote we were. Especially being all decked out in XC Garbe and no armor (oh and Vic as the pics show no lycra on show here for once…) Still we nailed the downs. Marke and his Anthem had a slower yet much more accurate descent while Matt and his Yeti 575 had some interesting issues. Namely the flex in the rear wheel and seat stays meaning when corners were railed the tire would buzz against the rear carbon chain stays. Yikes.

So after 3hrs of riding and mucking about we reached ‘The Plunge’. Yep we were still at 7200ft after 3hrs and had a downhill all the way to 2400ft. That’s a 4800ft (1500m) Single-track decent after a day of great riding already. I don’t know what to say but having my first 2 crashes in many months meant I was loving it and pushing the limits. We hit over 35 miles per hour on single-track. It was of the best downhills I have ever done and probably the longest. It was flowy, rocky, steep, techy… It had something for everyone, including blind corners for me to crash off. Hehe

Cannell Plunge at EveryTrail

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So after a big drive back to pick up the car we left at the top and some fun Mountain Driving trying to keep up with Matt’s WRX in the Camry Tank we then headed across the hills to the 395 and down to my place. It was a great drive until we hit the ugliness of the LA sprawl at Adelanto and Hesperia. Why people live out here in the desert in cookie cutter homes is beyond me. I know they are cheap but you might as well live on the moon. This country is so contrasting. From some the nicest scenery I have ever seen to the ugliness of the desert sprawl all on a short few hour drive.

Anyway the next day we did the Full Santa Anna River Trail including Morton’s Peak. This is my backyard and I am glad the guys loved it. It was 50km of single-track and was a tougher day than the plunge. In all it was a 65km day and we experienced great views, perfect temps (well it was in the 90s at home though, so a little warm), wicked single-track, a few tough climbs and got really beaten up by all the over grown plants. Geez some of them are spiky like Spaniard back home. Real mean especially when it gets stuck in your hand and you need to pull it out. The Gourmet Pizza Shoppe went down real well that evening as did watching Seasons.

Santa Anna Trail - The Hellride Route

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The next evening I had to drop Marke off at LAX, he called me 15 mins later telling me his plane was delayed so I picked both Marke and Paula up and we headed down to Santa Monica for the night. It was a lovely evening and going to ‘Bubba Gump’s Shrimp House’ of Forrest Gump fame was a cool experience. Man all I can say is that these trips give me the bug. All I want is to fill the car with bikes and mates and go everywhere biking. Bend, Oregon, Moab, Southern Utah, Tahoe, Downieville, Sedona, Golden, Fruita, Breckinridge, Durango, Park City and of course back to BC to a little a little spot by the name of Whistler.

‘Ride Around the Bear’ Century

Well yet another century ride to report on. In the end this race was most enjoyable and very uneventful. This is a very good thing however and much anticipated by me all year. There are no epic crashes to report on, no disasters with ripping tires and having 5 punctures and also no stuff ups with preparation and nutrition.

The race started at just before 7am down here in Redlands on Sat 13^th June. It headed up the big local mountains doing a big loop around Big Bear Lake over Onyx Summit (from the other side) and back down into Redlands on the highway I am familiar with (due to training and the Breathless Agony Race). All in all it was 101 miles long with at least 9000ft of climbing (160km and 3000+ meters). It was just myself as Derek was at a wedding and I went out there with few expectations on myself, except wondering if I could break 6hrs. Anyway other than getting a little lost on the way to the bottom of the hill in the mist and drizzle all went well. I rode all but about the last 5 miles by myself where two of us worked together. I kept catching people that were slower because the 9 people that bet me either started before me or too long after me. Therefore there was noone my speed to ride with. I really enjoyed it though especially when we broke through the cloud layer at about 2000m just before the rest stop at Snow Valley. The ride around Big Bear and down to Angelus Oaks was clear and perfect temperature wise.

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So in the end after slamming it down from Onyx Summit in the fastest speed I have ever done from up there because I had a sniff of getting in under 6hrs I made it in 5hrs 57mins. I was pretty happy and inhaled a bunch of food at the BBQ afterwards to replace what I had burned up. In the end I got 10^th out of 311 males starters. I was stoked with this especially cause I just rode my own race and felt good (relatively speaking) that evening and the next day. Man who would have thought aye. To think for years I refused to get a road bike let alone actually race one. Now I can even do pretty well at these events. Very cool. But just to let you know. Dirt is still where its at  ;-)

So now I only have 2 more races planned. 2 more XC races. I am coming 4^th in the Series (SoCal State Series) so hope to hold that position in the races coming up at Rim Nordic and again at Big Bear. After that I look forward to some downtime in terms of training and just getting out riding my mountain bikes to have fun and explore new trails.

Elings Park, Santa Barbara CalState Race

Well I had a tough race out at Santa Barbara in the last XC race I have competed in. I ended up back in 6^th place after my 4^th place finishing up at Big Bear the week before. It was a 24 mile race with 4 laps. A total of about 3500ft of climbing. It was up and down the whole time with no real good rests. It made for a very tough couple of hours. At this stage Big Bear suited me better as it had longer more steady climbs. Much more akin to the road biking I have been going. The intensity of these shorter XC races is just so much higher and more varied that I struggled in this race.

I ended up about 10 mins off the real fast guys in my category. That did include spending 2-3 mins going the wrong way (don’t ask) and also helping out a buddy who had crashed with another guy who had somehow got his leg between the rear triangle of his bike as well as through a number of spokes. Yikes.

All up the 340 mile round trip to get to the race was worthwhile. Al was there to provide company and someone to talk abotu bikes for the entire trip  ;-) There were some lovely views as it was on the coast and the track itself though a tough day out was fun. Heaps of corners and single-track that was technical enough to keep you on your toes.

The Scene of the Race and ensuing PAIN…

 

Yes yes. I have since had a haircut. Talk about a new meaning to Helmet Hair.

 

Finally Cracked the Top 5

Well I was really thinking about not going up to the Big Bear Shoot Race this last weekend on the 31st May. I am still getting up to speed since I had been away to NZ/Aussie. Anyway I forced myself up there (just to look good in the new Don’s Bikes Race Kit….hehe). After disintegrating my alternator belt on the way up the mountain I made it with plenty of time to spare as it was an 11am race start.

The Race went well. It was my second race on my tubeless wheels and still no punctures. Man what a change for me. Lovin it… Also I had my GPS going for the first time on the MTb. I love the device. It rocks my world and seeing the elevation gain always makes the pain feel more worthwhile. Here is me getting a little more technical than usual. Really its the least I can do since I work with maps and spatial data everyday. Embedded is a Google Maps window with my GPS track I recorded. Have a zoom a pan at the very least. For those not accustomed to such high tech things (Dad) switch between the satellite and topo imagery to get a full experience. Yes you use your mouse to do this  :-) The left mouse button to be exact...hehe

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The Course was just under 24 miles long with a fair bit of climbing. You can view all the cool details on the Motionbased website where I upload my GPS tracks. You will also see the last two 100 mile road races and their associated stats such as elevation profiles. http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/user/mtbkiwi

The course itself can best be described as loose. The Mountains up there are heavily eroded granite so the fireroads and the single-track was all very loose and pebbly. Its pretty interesting riding in the stuff with lots of close calls at speed on the fireroads. A bit of drifting action, normally not intended was a constant reminder to concentrate and not look at the good views all around. The single-track rocked my world. Pretty dusty behind people but it was flowing and pretty technical including a mean loose rocky single-track climb which came close to ripping my legs off. All of this race was above 2000m high so as Damien said its gotta be good for the heart.

 

I got home in 4th. I finally cracked the top 5 voodoo in the Cat 1 category in one of these races. I felt pretty good and was only 1 min down on third and 3.5 mins down from 2nd place. 1st place, well he is untouchable. 8 mins ahead and he would have got 3rd in the Pro field. Can’t do too much about him. Lisa did real well winning her class and Al got 2nd overall out of the single speeders. Crazy nutters they are… Good on them.

KOM3 – Heartbreak 100

Well it was finally upon us. The final 100 mile race of the King of the Mountain Series. After completing the previous two: Mulholland and Breathless Agony and having a very good race in the Breathless Agony event I was not looking forward to this one other than wanting to finish it. I knew that after my small ride on Tuesday night after I got back from down-under that no riding and a bad diet of pies, beers and ice cream would have diminished me somewhat from the form I was in for the Breathless Agony race. I am quite sure before I headed down-under I was the fittest I have ever been on a bike and the result at Breathless somewhat confirmed that. Top 10 was probably quite feasible had we not had crashes and some bike issues to deal with.

Anyway we headed off into on paper what was to be the easiest of the races at about 8.30am. 101 miles (162km) with a bit over 8000ft of climbing. Just 2500m or about 1000 less than the other 2 races. Derek and I rode together for most of the first half of the race. We were holding a good pace and enjoying the scenery and lack of traffic on the roads. Some real cool roads too. Swooping, not too steep and the surfaces were decent in most places. However after the 53 mile checkpoint I could only stay with Derek for 15 mins. I was starting to suffer and that was to get progressively worse. I was starting to go backwards and many many people past me including many of the people that I had passed earlier on in the day. I had no gas in the tank. I was dehydrated, tired, hot, feeling sick and my legs were toast. The worst aspect was the mental side. It took lots of will-power to complete it. My mind was still thinking I could do what I did at Breathless Agony where I felt good on a much harder course but the legs and body had other ideas. I had gone backwards a couple of months. Derek recorded temps of 93 degrees (34 degrees C). It was quiet demoralizing having too totally different races that were just 3 weeks apart.

 

I knew that I would have gone backwards a little but to have fallen off my form so much after it takes months of hard-work to achieve was a real eye-opener to me and certainly a lesson learnt. Diet and maintenance of you fitness are vital and this can be changed very very fast indeed. The last 30 miles were some of the hardest times I have ever had on 2 wheels. Overtime one always forgets about the suffering until you put yourself through it again but being on the verge of cramping big-time for 2hrs is not my idea of a nice day out. I was very happy to finish and still did a respectable time of around 6hr 40mins, however that was almost 1hr slower than Derek who had real strong race and must have finished really well in the standings.

Still the goal was completed. Roughly 320 miles (515km) and 32000+ Elev gain (10km) in 6 weeks. It is very satisfying and was overall a great series. I had some wicked moments and some very low moments but overall it all builds character. I still look at it all and think how I have changed. Hell there was a time when I would not buy a road bike let alone dedicate myself to a series of road events.

 Mmm. 6hrs of Salty Crustiness

Next up is trying to get the edge back and other than 1 last century called 'Ride Around the Bear' in a month I will be getting dirty again and concentrating on Mountain Biking, both racing and just having a good time on the trails. I miss just playing on trails and want to explore some new ones too.

FOTC at the SBBowl

A number of months ago when I had the chance to buy some tickets for Flight of the Conchords Derek and I decided to go for the show at the Santa Barbara Bowl where we would combine it into a trip encompassing the last of the King of the Mountain Centuries we had to complete. Anyhow after getting stuck in lots of horrible traffic trying to get out to Santa Barbara on the Friday afternoon we eventually got there feeling a little frustrated. We had a couple of hours to burn and spent most of the time in the downtown area. It’s a lovely spot with some great shopping to be had. Santa Barbara itself is a wicked area. Lovely houses, hills, beaches and the place just has a good vibe about it.

Anyway after a good feed we headed up to the bowl which is tucked under a steep cliffside. It’s a lovely location and is one of the best venues, actually probably the best venue I have ever been too for a show. It holds 3000 people. We were sitting in our seats at 7pm when we expected the proceedings to begin. We were kinda worried cause it was meant to be a sellout show and half the seats were still free. Anyhow by 7.30 it was chock-a-block full and Arj Barker (Dave from the show) did 30 mins of standup. He was a bloody fine comedian. I had some great laughs and will definitely watch him again given the chance.

He introduced FOTC and they appeared in their robot helmet suit things singing "Too many d*cks on the dance floor". It was quite the intro and we had a great show. They did a bunch of their classic stuff and some less known stuff. I could not believe how well it went in an open air bowl in front of 3000 people. I always thought it was best suited to smaller venues. Little club type places but it went off. They were much better than their studio versions and they added extra words and phrases into many songs, often being more naughty than TV and album producers would normally let them be. They played a solid 1.5hr set non-stop and Derek, I and the whole audience had a great time.      

     

They of course heckled NZ, playing on the sheep jokes and our lack of population (tiny size) when they invited the NZ Symphony Orchestra which turned out to be one guy onstage to help with some instrumentals.

If you ever get the chance to see them live go for it. Especially in a big venue. They rocked.

FOTC Snippits from Kurt Janssen on Vimeo.

After this show we had to drive 100 miles to Lebec where we were staying as the Heartbreak 100 both finished and started here the next morning.