This two man team from New Zealand had a stellar performance at the second round of the CMRC Canadian Motocross Nationals in Nanaimo. Mason Phillips and Kieran Leigh thoroughly enjoyed the Nanaimo track and weather this weekend.
With a great first moto under his belt, Mason went to work in moto 2 charging hard to give him 4th overall for the weekend. The tight and technical track came as a huge advantage for Mason and his KTM 350 SX-F as well as all of his pre season training, which combined with the mild weather, launched Mason into his riding groove. “Nanaimo was a big confidence booster for me. My KTM 350 SX-F was working amazing and I'm looking forward to making more points back this weekend in Calgary” explains Mason after the races. His fill-in mechanic, Ryan Lockhart, did a great job prepping the 350 and ensuring Mason had everything he needed all weekend.
Kieran, in his second race in Canada, made his Dunlop tires hook up to bring his KTM 250 SX-F to the 9th overall position this weekend. “I worked hard for both finishes at Nanaimo. I'm getting more comfortable with racing over here and excited to race Calgary this weekend. I've heard it's one of the best tracks” said with a huge confident smile. With the help of Rob Munro from Valley Speed Performance to guarantee that his KTM 250 SX-F was in tip top shape all weekend Keiran finished round 2 with a solid ride and consistency which will be the key to the young rider’s success for the remainder of the series. Rob will also be on hand for both riders in Calgary, so look out for some spectacularly prepped bikes and both riders eager to build on their wicked start to 2011.
Mason and Kieran would like to thank all of their sponsors: Kini Gear, Dunlop Tires, TCI, DL Performance, Valley Speed Performance, Alpinestar boots, FMF, RK Chains, LB Graphics, Cycra plastics, VP Gas, Twin Air, Bel-ray, Renthal, Spy, IMX and Kermaxx products.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Making New Lines
Matt McAnanama is a pretty soft spoken guy when it comes to face to face. He doesn’t seem as interested in the politics of enduros in Ontario as he is in helping Ontario racers get to the level of the rest of Canada, where we can then push each other, as a nation, to step up to a world class level of competition.
Building on the success of organizing his first enduro, the final round of the CEC in Parry Sound, Ontario, Matt has realigned himself with the WEC in order to present an “Enduro Sprint” series (ES). The series will run in partnership with the Ontario Cross Country series (XC), with a possibility of four rounds spread over the summer. The ES races will be held the Saturday prior to the XC event. McAnanama has planned it so the four events will take place at more “remote” locations; places where riders usually camp out the night before. So far they have three confirmed venues: Burnt River, Wingham and Orillia.
The ES races will incorporate the three tests found in a WEC style enduro race without the transfer trials. Basically, riders will complete three individually timed tests, come into the pits for a short break, before going out once more and doing the timed tests again; ideally McAnanama suggests that it should take a Pro-level rider approximately 20 to 25 minutes to complete the three test sections, with most of the time allotted to the enduro test. Riders will do this between six and ten times in a day of tough competition. The class structure will be very similar to the WEC, though he admits that the Pro class might be amalgamated into a singular E class, rather than broken down by displacement.
“It’s a lack of development more than a lack of talent,” McAnanama commented when asked about Wiesner’s comment on the WEC website. “The talent is there; we just need to bring it out. We need an environment where riders like Van Hove and Wojo can thrive... Even Jake said when he came here, he was more relaxed; he rode at a slower pace. When he went out west, he was challenged again.” McAnanama hopes that with these extra practice tests, which will be run as races therefore pushing riders to put their fastest times down, can help draw out the latent talent.
But McAnanama hopes to draw more than just the guys who want extra practice time before Parry Sound and Labelle. He and his crew hope to draw riders who would traditionally not run a WEC style enduro, both young and old. He marks that traditional, “old school” enduros tend to draw an older crowd, and with the largest classes at the Terra Nova enduro last October being the veteran classes it’s hard to disagree. Many younger riders, according to McAnamara, are turned off enduros by the expensive and complicated gear that goes along with it. The Enduro sprints won’t be the same as the XC series, where motocross riders are encouraged to throw on a set of bark busters and blast through the woods, but the extra gear required will be minimal. Like the larger series, bikes will be required to meet a maximum sound level.
The series is looking to attract riders from all levels, from C straight through to Pro. Motocrossers aren’t part of the necessary target, but technically speaking anyone interested in running one of the XC events will be welcome to sign up, provided their machine meets the requirement. He’s also looking for rider input, and understands that without the riders there’s really no point in having a series.
“A lot of people “hmmed” and “hawed” about whether or not something like this would work,” McAnanama said about the series. “But really, the only way to know for sure is to go out and do it. You’ll never know if an event will fly unless you try.” Matt’s positive attitude will be as much a benefit for the series as the change itself, it stands in direct contrast to the old guard’s staunch adherence to tradition in the face of rider dissatisfaction and abysmal turn out.
When asked about where the thinks off road riding in Ontario will be in ten years, whether or not our riders will be up on the same level as the rest of the country, McAnanama said: “It all depends. We’re at a cross road right now. Change has to happen. Change had to happen ten years ago, but things are finally happening now. Right now we’re trying to make some events, try some things out and have some fun.”
For more information hit Matt up on the Dirty Bikes website at www.dirtybikes.ca
Building on the success of organizing his first enduro, the final round of the CEC in Parry Sound, Ontario, Matt has realigned himself with the WEC in order to present an “Enduro Sprint” series (ES). The series will run in partnership with the Ontario Cross Country series (XC), with a possibility of four rounds spread over the summer. The ES races will be held the Saturday prior to the XC event. McAnanama has planned it so the four events will take place at more “remote” locations; places where riders usually camp out the night before. So far they have three confirmed venues: Burnt River, Wingham and Orillia.
The ES races will incorporate the three tests found in a WEC style enduro race without the transfer trials. Basically, riders will complete three individually timed tests, come into the pits for a short break, before going out once more and doing the timed tests again; ideally McAnanama suggests that it should take a Pro-level rider approximately 20 to 25 minutes to complete the three test sections, with most of the time allotted to the enduro test. Riders will do this between six and ten times in a day of tough competition. The class structure will be very similar to the WEC, though he admits that the Pro class might be amalgamated into a singular E class, rather than broken down by displacement.
“It’s a lack of development more than a lack of talent,” McAnanama commented when asked about Wiesner’s comment on the WEC website. “The talent is there; we just need to bring it out. We need an environment where riders like Van Hove and Wojo can thrive... Even Jake said when he came here, he was more relaxed; he rode at a slower pace. When he went out west, he was challenged again.” McAnanama hopes that with these extra practice tests, which will be run as races therefore pushing riders to put their fastest times down, can help draw out the latent talent.
But McAnanama hopes to draw more than just the guys who want extra practice time before Parry Sound and Labelle. He and his crew hope to draw riders who would traditionally not run a WEC style enduro, both young and old. He marks that traditional, “old school” enduros tend to draw an older crowd, and with the largest classes at the Terra Nova enduro last October being the veteran classes it’s hard to disagree. Many younger riders, according to McAnamara, are turned off enduros by the expensive and complicated gear that goes along with it. The Enduro sprints won’t be the same as the XC series, where motocross riders are encouraged to throw on a set of bark busters and blast through the woods, but the extra gear required will be minimal. Like the larger series, bikes will be required to meet a maximum sound level.
The series is looking to attract riders from all levels, from C straight through to Pro. Motocrossers aren’t part of the necessary target, but technically speaking anyone interested in running one of the XC events will be welcome to sign up, provided their machine meets the requirement. He’s also looking for rider input, and understands that without the riders there’s really no point in having a series.
“A lot of people “hmmed” and “hawed” about whether or not something like this would work,” McAnanama said about the series. “But really, the only way to know for sure is to go out and do it. You’ll never know if an event will fly unless you try.” Matt’s positive attitude will be as much a benefit for the series as the change itself, it stands in direct contrast to the old guard’s staunch adherence to tradition in the face of rider dissatisfaction and abysmal turn out.
When asked about where the thinks off road riding in Ontario will be in ten years, whether or not our riders will be up on the same level as the rest of the country, McAnanama said: “It all depends. We’re at a cross road right now. Change has to happen. Change had to happen ten years ago, but things are finally happening now. Right now we’re trying to make some events, try some things out and have some fun.”
For more information hit Matt up on the Dirty Bikes website at www.dirtybikes.ca
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Ladies' Night
When Derek invited me to post on this blog (which, admittedly, I haven’t been doing as often as I should), I was curious as to why. It is, after all, a racer’s blog, and I am decidedly not a racer. I am an observer, and happy with that position. I love the thrill of competition, but lack the necessary skill to turn that love into anything more than a hobby. What I do have, or so I am told, is a way with words, good camera skills and the proper connections in the off road riding community to be considered something of an “off road specialist” (to use Jeff Morgan’s words, not my own). And it is in this capacity I choose to write to all of you in Internet Land.
For the first time in Canadian history, it looks like we will be sending our fast and fearless females to the International Six Days Enduro. This year the world’s premier enduro championship race will be held in Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico, November 1 to 6, 2010. In previous years our trophy team and club teams have improved, bringing home fleets of silver and bronze medals, and narrowly missing gold in 2009. In 2010, with the help and ambition of some lively lasses, it looks like we’ll have representation in the Ladies’ class as well.
With two committed riders already, Victoria Hett of British Columbia and Jillian Bolso (ne Kings) of Alberta, the team still needs a third rider to be considered a straight team. Both Hett and Kings are dedicated riders, and eager to head down south in November (and really, who wouldn’t be?) for some spectacular racing against some of the fastest ladies on two wheels. Lining up against the likes of Ludwig Puy and Maria Forrester might sound intimidating, but as Victoria Hett said “Racing and riding is my passion, and it allows me to life the life I dream of and meet the most fabulous people. ... Dirt bike people are good people.” (Yes we are.)
Of representing Canada, the newlywed Jillian Bolso said: “Representing the flag is something that I am looking forward to experiencing! I can’t wait to put on my Canada Jersey, I don't know how it is going to feel, but I imagine at the end of the week it will be pretty emotional!”
Victoria Hett was crowned the first National CEC Ladies Champion in September. After an amazing run, she competed it at all eight rounds of the championship, never once coming in second, a feat matched by fellow KTM rider and BC native, our Mister #1 Bobby Prochnau. The young woman from British Columbia points to the Malcolm Smith epic, “On Any Sunday,” as inspiration for her drive and passion in the sport; the film and epic rider had such an influence on the Hett family that younger brother, Malcolm Hett, was named after the MSR founder. Hett knows that making the run at the ISDE isn’t going to be easy, or cheap (with the average racer paying around $10,000, out of pocket, to get to the event), but is sure the event will be worth it. She is optimistic, though. The young rider had this to say about the financial side of things: “We need help... a lot of help. Sponsors are what will make it possible. ... With support from Canadians, we will make them all very proud.”
Jillian Bolso, herself a fierce western femme fatale, competed at the first four rounds of the CEC as Jillian Kings, but missed the eastern rounds. Something about getting married, or some such none sense. Now happily married, and with “Bolso” proudly across her shoulders on a new set of gear, she’s ready to get dirty in some Mexican mud and dust. The tenacious KTM rider has taken on the role of unofficial team captain, downplaying the important role she’s accepted, Bolso replied: “It’s not so much about being the best; it’s having the most time at this point.” Don’t let her modesty fool you, though, the organizational skills required, and patience needed, for this position are immense; just ask team manager Lee Fryberger.
Both ladies are looking forward to Mexico as a learning stage, the first in many ISDEs for the Lady Canucks. “This is the chance of a life time,” said Hett. “But it is also just the beginning. Mexico will mostly be a learning experience for us, but it will help prepare us for many ISDEs to come, and we will compete with the best in the world, and through experience, we will be successful.” The forcefulness of Victoria Hetts words are matched only by her drive and determination on a bike.
Aside from a third member for their team, the ladies are also looking for anyone willing to help them financially. As stated above, it is not a cheap venture to go to this event, but with the help of many dedicated sponsors, the dream of Canada’s first ever women’s ISDE team is very realistic. The fiercely national pride these women feel at the honour of being able to represent their country is a kin to the feeling our Olympic athletes will be feeling next month, and while the ISDE and off road riding in general may not garner the same level of media attention, it is no less important to those who compete. Representing your country, regardless of how small the stage, is always an honour. “One thing is for sure,” Jillian Bolso added at the end of our talk. “My Team Canada jersey is going on display on my wall when all of this is over.”
Victoaria Hett is still looking for sponsors, but would like to thank KTM Canada for all their support in the 2009 season, along with Valley Motorsports. She has confirmed VMS as a sponsor for the ISDE, and is currently talking to DMX, who offered support for the final rounds of the CEC.
Jillian Bolso would like to thank Motocandy A&E Racing/KTM, Steel MX Optics, Freestyle Watches, Infokus Designs, Troy Lee Designs, Seitzco Motorsports, her trainer, her husband Noel and all of her friends and family who have helped and supported her, and believed in her. Of the experience, Bolso said: “I look forward to comparing teh times of us who don’t race as a career to those who get to dedicate their lives to it.” The ever positive KTM rider will use her experience at her first ISDE as a way to highlight the areas she needs to work on, to improve for the possibility of Finland in 2011.
Of course, it should be said that the ladies won’t find out until the end of March who’s going to make up the inaugural squad, so there is plenty of time for any other fearless females looking to test their enduro skills against some of the best in the off-road riding world. It’s going to be tough, with lots of heartache and hard work along the way, but as Tory Hett said “Nothing worthwhile comes easy in my experience.”
Anyone interested in helping the cause, or joining the team, can contact Jillian at jjkings@hotmail.com, or can contact Marilyn at the CMA. For those of us on Facebook, (and these days, who isn't?) I've put a link in the title of this post to the Canadian Women's Team's Facebook group. Check them out! They're gonna turn some heads in Mexico. Mark my words.
For the first time in Canadian history, it looks like we will be sending our fast and fearless females to the International Six Days Enduro. This year the world’s premier enduro championship race will be held in Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico, November 1 to 6, 2010. In previous years our trophy team and club teams have improved, bringing home fleets of silver and bronze medals, and narrowly missing gold in 2009. In 2010, with the help and ambition of some lively lasses, it looks like we’ll have representation in the Ladies’ class as well.
With two committed riders already, Victoria Hett of British Columbia and Jillian Bolso (ne Kings) of Alberta, the team still needs a third rider to be considered a straight team. Both Hett and Kings are dedicated riders, and eager to head down south in November (and really, who wouldn’t be?) for some spectacular racing against some of the fastest ladies on two wheels. Lining up against the likes of Ludwig Puy and Maria Forrester might sound intimidating, but as Victoria Hett said “Racing and riding is my passion, and it allows me to life the life I dream of and meet the most fabulous people. ... Dirt bike people are good people.” (Yes we are.)
Of representing Canada, the newlywed Jillian Bolso said: “Representing the flag is something that I am looking forward to experiencing! I can’t wait to put on my Canada Jersey, I don't know how it is going to feel, but I imagine at the end of the week it will be pretty emotional!”
Victoria Hett was crowned the first National CEC Ladies Champion in September. After an amazing run, she competed it at all eight rounds of the championship, never once coming in second, a feat matched by fellow KTM rider and BC native, our Mister #1 Bobby Prochnau. The young woman from British Columbia points to the Malcolm Smith epic, “On Any Sunday,” as inspiration for her drive and passion in the sport; the film and epic rider had such an influence on the Hett family that younger brother, Malcolm Hett, was named after the MSR founder. Hett knows that making the run at the ISDE isn’t going to be easy, or cheap (with the average racer paying around $10,000, out of pocket, to get to the event), but is sure the event will be worth it. She is optimistic, though. The young rider had this to say about the financial side of things: “We need help... a lot of help. Sponsors are what will make it possible. ... With support from Canadians, we will make them all very proud.”
Jillian Bolso, herself a fierce western femme fatale, competed at the first four rounds of the CEC as Jillian Kings, but missed the eastern rounds. Something about getting married, or some such none sense. Now happily married, and with “Bolso” proudly across her shoulders on a new set of gear, she’s ready to get dirty in some Mexican mud and dust. The tenacious KTM rider has taken on the role of unofficial team captain, downplaying the important role she’s accepted, Bolso replied: “It’s not so much about being the best; it’s having the most time at this point.” Don’t let her modesty fool you, though, the organizational skills required, and patience needed, for this position are immense; just ask team manager Lee Fryberger.
Both ladies are looking forward to Mexico as a learning stage, the first in many ISDEs for the Lady Canucks. “This is the chance of a life time,” said Hett. “But it is also just the beginning. Mexico will mostly be a learning experience for us, but it will help prepare us for many ISDEs to come, and we will compete with the best in the world, and through experience, we will be successful.” The forcefulness of Victoria Hetts words are matched only by her drive and determination on a bike.
Aside from a third member for their team, the ladies are also looking for anyone willing to help them financially. As stated above, it is not a cheap venture to go to this event, but with the help of many dedicated sponsors, the dream of Canada’s first ever women’s ISDE team is very realistic. The fiercely national pride these women feel at the honour of being able to represent their country is a kin to the feeling our Olympic athletes will be feeling next month, and while the ISDE and off road riding in general may not garner the same level of media attention, it is no less important to those who compete. Representing your country, regardless of how small the stage, is always an honour. “One thing is for sure,” Jillian Bolso added at the end of our talk. “My Team Canada jersey is going on display on my wall when all of this is over.”
Victoaria Hett is still looking for sponsors, but would like to thank KTM Canada for all their support in the 2009 season, along with Valley Motorsports. She has confirmed VMS as a sponsor for the ISDE, and is currently talking to DMX, who offered support for the final rounds of the CEC.
Jillian Bolso would like to thank Motocandy A&E Racing/KTM, Steel MX Optics, Freestyle Watches, Infokus Designs, Troy Lee Designs, Seitzco Motorsports, her trainer, her husband Noel and all of her friends and family who have helped and supported her, and believed in her. Of the experience, Bolso said: “I look forward to comparing teh times of us who don’t race as a career to those who get to dedicate their lives to it.” The ever positive KTM rider will use her experience at her first ISDE as a way to highlight the areas she needs to work on, to improve for the possibility of Finland in 2011.
Of course, it should be said that the ladies won’t find out until the end of March who’s going to make up the inaugural squad, so there is plenty of time for any other fearless females looking to test their enduro skills against some of the best in the off-road riding world. It’s going to be tough, with lots of heartache and hard work along the way, but as Tory Hett said “Nothing worthwhile comes easy in my experience.”
Anyone interested in helping the cause, or joining the team, can contact Jillian at jjkings@hotmail.com, or can contact Marilyn at the CMA. For those of us on Facebook, (and these days, who isn't?) I've put a link in the title of this post to the Canadian Women's Team's Facebook group. Check them out! They're gonna turn some heads in Mexico. Mark my words.
Monday, August 24, 2009
*~Casondra 787~*
By the Thursday before Sand Del Lee, I still wasn’t even sure if I was going to be able to go. I couldn’t find anyone to go with, and was pretty much planning on going alone. I basically begged my brother into coming with me, and by Thursday night had him agreeing to go. The trip was on! Friday morning I loaded up Jody’s trusty S10 and we were on the road by noon. I’ve been to SDL so many times I pretty much know the way, and was on auto pilot most of the way. We rolled into the pits, and immediately came across my New York boys Ron and Chris and decided to set up camp with them again. They had brought up their motorhome this time and had the big fancy set up, while I was pitted outta the S10, and sleeping in the front seat again. My brother had brought along his little camp stove he has for his hiking adventures, and we cooked up some pasta for dinner. Shortly after I filled up the water barrel I got a text from my friend Jeff who offered up his hotel room to me. Of course I took the offer, a bed over the front seat of the truck was sounding pretty good! The only problem was with the barrel filled up, the tailgate wouldn’t close with the bike in there too. I was able to rig up some tie down straps to make a harness and just drove easy and slow out the Kanata to the hotel. I threw my bike right in their room and was able to get a nice comfy sleep. Saturday morning I got up early, and Jeff helped me load up my bike and I was headed back to the track to race amateur day. I stopped at Tim Hortons to grab my brother and I breakfast and was back at the track in good time. As I went to sign in, I couldn’t find my wallet anywhere, I started to panic a little, and then it hit me. I had set it on the roof of the truck when I was putting the coffees in the holders. Immediately Blaze grabbed my cell and got on 411 to find the phone number, and we tore out to find it. We called Tim Hortons and asked them to look in the parking lot as we kept our eyes peeled on the side of the road. Not thinking about the bike, I was driving in panic mode. Not so good when theres a full water barrel in the back. It didn’t take long before the water barrel slid, and bam the bike fell over. So here I was in a panic about my wallet, in the middle of the road trying to tie my bike back down. I was almost in tears by the time we hit Tim Hortons. My bro went next door to ask if anyone there found it, and I went inside. I couldn’t believe it when they handed me my wallet, with all my cash and credit cards still inside! I was so relieved, but it sucked because by this time I had missed sign up for the day, and wasn’t going to be racing today. I unloaded, and headed over to sign in and got my bike through Tech and watched from the sidelines. Saturday night I slept in the front seat of the truck, and was up bright and early for riders meeting. I didn’t feel well, and once rider’s meeting was over I went back to bed for a few hours. Practise came around and went well, the track had some incredibly long straightaways! First moto I had a terrible start, and was way back in the pack. Before halfway my arms started pumping up really bad and I was bracing for a brutal moto, but surprisingly I started to loosen back up again and picked off a bunch of people the last few laps. Before my second moto when I was getting ready to go to the line, the bike decided it wasn’t going to start. Ron helped me out and eventually we got it going. When I got down to the line, same thing…bike wouldn’t start, I had to hold the line up, and some mechanics on the line were nice enough to help me out and give me a bump. I’m not sure who they were exactly but thank you so much to all of you!! My start went much the same, and all I could think about was don’t stall because you won’t get going again!! I finished the day in 14th, enough to earn me 14th in the women’s national series. We loaded up and started the trek home. We stopped quickly for some food, and ran into the KTM team of Fitzgerald and Ofarrel, along with their man friend Kuli at DQ. Who can resist an ice cream after a long hot day of moto? The trip home was another experience of being half asleep at the wheel and getting friendly with rumble strips. It’s really tough racing a national all day and then driving yourself home. I know I’m not the only one who does it, I have mad respect for those who do. I’ve learned this summer what it’s like to be a real true privateer again. I spent a lot of time in the front seat of the truck this summer. We got home by about 2am, and unloaded the truck. I was up bright and early Monday packing the trailer for Walton. My dad headed out by noon with the trailer, and I left around 5. I will do a Walton report in another blog though! I really can’t believe how fast the nationals went by, it’s really sad in a way, but also amazing. I had the greatest summer I could have ever imagined in terms of travelling and having some really cool experiences. My results weren’t as great as they could have maybe been, but I am proud to say I did the whole series, basically on my own. I can’t thank my brother enough for this summer. We both had incredible adventures this summer travelling coast to coast. Part of it we got to experience together and part of it on our own travels. He was on the line with me at Calgary, Riverglade, and Sand Del Lee. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without him thank you so much Blaze I love you!!
Thursday, August 6, 2009
*~Casondra 787~*
Well Round 4 of the women’s national championships is in the books. The trip to New Brunswick turned out to be quite the adventure. Wednesday evening we didn’t get back from the airport until after 1am. Thursday morning I got up early and loaded up the truck. It was really tight, but I made it work. Packed as tight as we could get in the little S10, my brother and I headed east. We drove straight through, and hit the Riverglade MX track by 8am, just over an 18 hour drive. My brother with his messed up hand had to modify his driving. Only able to use the one hand he developed a system of changing lanes and signaling by sliding his hand over. At first it was pretty jerky but he eventually got it down to be pretty smooth. When we pulled in, we found all the pits pretty much underwater. We headed into the “privateer” pits, which was the centre of the stock car track. We were able to find a cement pad and set up our not so factory pits. Little truck, Bike, powerwasher, pop up and a tent. My brother had his little tent, and I was stuck sleeping in the front seat of the truck. It wasn’t horrible… but it definitely was not the most comfortable sleeping ever. Friday night it started to rain, and we fell asleep to the downpour. I awoke Saturday morning to a huge muddy mess, and decided not to race and save the bike for Sunday. Halfway through the day, by the time pro practice hit the track it was absolutely mint and I was kicking myself for not riding. I got to take some great pictures of some buddies though. 2 of my good friends from New York were pitted with me, and had brought up a buddy of theirs as well whom I got to know. It’s always great meeting people from all over! Saturday night I was able to mooch a shower from my buddy Jeff who had a hotel room. Thanks Jeff!!!
Sunday morning I woke up stinging all over and realized I had gotten a terrible sunburn the day before. Riders meeting went as usual, and practice got underway. I made a quick run out to the truck stop to get some fruit and waters and ice and all that great stuff for our crew. Practise rolled around and I felt great, the track was awesome... with the exception of this one brutally muddy rutted out GP section. First moto came, and I was pumped. A few corners into the moto a girl crashed in the rut in front of me and I had nowhere to go. I attempted to ride over her bike but failed and fell over instead. I was able to keep the bike running but lost a lot of spots early in the race. I got up and going and a few laps later I cross rutted in the muddy section and smoked a hay bail, and took a nice flight over the bars. I got up quickly, but kicked my bike for what seemed like ages. I eventually got it going but was so far behind. I was upset, thinking I was in basically last. When I got back to my pit, my brother told me I was 14th. I was happy with that considering. Second moto I was able to stay up… but so was everybody else I guess, and I was only able to pull off a 15th, taking 15th overall for the day. That was good enough to move myself into 14th in the series going into the last round this weekend. It was definitely tough doing all my own work, washing my own bike between motos and sleeping in the S10.
We crashed at the track Sunday night, myself in the front seat of the S10 again. Monday morning we headed over to PEI to do a quick tour. We drove across the confederation bridge, with my trusty pink Honda tagging along in the back of the truck. We did a tour around the Central coast, and hit Charlottetown, Cavendish, the Anne of Green Gables house, and finished the day off with fish and chips on the peer in Summerside. By this point, I had already driven about 8 hours. I drove another 8 hours or so, and asked my brother if he was ready to take over. His hand was hurting and he wasn’t feeling good with driving. I ended up having to drive the entire 26 hours by myself. By the time we hit Ontario, I was getting pretty friendly with the rumble strips. A few hours into Ontario and I had to take a power nap. Half an hour of sleep and I was back on the road. I had to be home in time for work at 1:30 that day. I got home, unloaded and headed straight to work. I had been up for about 35 hours by this point.
Overall it was a pretty cool trip. We got to experience Moncton, and several places in PEI. It was the ultimate privateer trip but it was pretty fun! Definitely a trip I won’t forget that’s for sure. This weekend we head to Ottawa for the last round of the women’s nationals. Right now its Thursday morning at 5am, and I’m just coming to the end of the midnight shift at work. As of now, I still don’t know what my plans are, and I’m supposed to be leaving Friday morning for Ottawa.
Stay tuned for more of my privateer adventures!!
Sunday morning I woke up stinging all over and realized I had gotten a terrible sunburn the day before. Riders meeting went as usual, and practice got underway. I made a quick run out to the truck stop to get some fruit and waters and ice and all that great stuff for our crew. Practise rolled around and I felt great, the track was awesome... with the exception of this one brutally muddy rutted out GP section. First moto came, and I was pumped. A few corners into the moto a girl crashed in the rut in front of me and I had nowhere to go. I attempted to ride over her bike but failed and fell over instead. I was able to keep the bike running but lost a lot of spots early in the race. I got up and going and a few laps later I cross rutted in the muddy section and smoked a hay bail, and took a nice flight over the bars. I got up quickly, but kicked my bike for what seemed like ages. I eventually got it going but was so far behind. I was upset, thinking I was in basically last. When I got back to my pit, my brother told me I was 14th. I was happy with that considering. Second moto I was able to stay up… but so was everybody else I guess, and I was only able to pull off a 15th, taking 15th overall for the day. That was good enough to move myself into 14th in the series going into the last round this weekend. It was definitely tough doing all my own work, washing my own bike between motos and sleeping in the S10.
We crashed at the track Sunday night, myself in the front seat of the S10 again. Monday morning we headed over to PEI to do a quick tour. We drove across the confederation bridge, with my trusty pink Honda tagging along in the back of the truck. We did a tour around the Central coast, and hit Charlottetown, Cavendish, the Anne of Green Gables house, and finished the day off with fish and chips on the peer in Summerside. By this point, I had already driven about 8 hours. I drove another 8 hours or so, and asked my brother if he was ready to take over. His hand was hurting and he wasn’t feeling good with driving. I ended up having to drive the entire 26 hours by myself. By the time we hit Ontario, I was getting pretty friendly with the rumble strips. A few hours into Ontario and I had to take a power nap. Half an hour of sleep and I was back on the road. I had to be home in time for work at 1:30 that day. I got home, unloaded and headed straight to work. I had been up for about 35 hours by this point.
Overall it was a pretty cool trip. We got to experience Moncton, and several places in PEI. It was the ultimate privateer trip but it was pretty fun! Definitely a trip I won’t forget that’s for sure. This weekend we head to Ottawa for the last round of the women’s nationals. Right now its Thursday morning at 5am, and I’m just coming to the end of the midnight shift at work. As of now, I still don’t know what my plans are, and I’m supposed to be leaving Friday morning for Ottawa.
Stay tuned for more of my privateer adventures!!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
*~Casondra 787~*
So I’ve seriously neglected my blogging duties lately, and for that I apologize. I went through a crazy spree of work as soon as I got home and things have slowed down now. The day I flew home, I got picked up at the airport, dropped my bags at home and went straight to work. I worked the next few days, and my gearbag went straight into the trailer, it didn’t even get unpacked and we headed out to gopher for a provincial race on the Sunday. After that, I’ve just been working and trying to ride wherever possible.
Last weekend was the third round of the women’s nationals at gopher dunes. I decided not to ride on the Saturday after having some bike issues that needed to be worked on. My good friend Cale came down and helped me out with getting my valves all back in shape and working on some bearing issues and such. He also helped me switch over my wheels so I could run a sick set of black sand wheels. I also was able to get a brand new set of plastics and graphics courtesy of IMX. The bike looked really sick and I was stoked to go. I was also really happy to finally be on my own bike for a national, have my dad by my side after being out west for the first two rounds without him. I did have my brother in Calgary which helped out huge, but my dad is definitely my backbone in racing. It’s hard without him. Having my own trailer and my dad by my side I was prepared to have a better finish this round. Practise went well, I ran about ¾ of it and decided to pull off and save my energy. I know gopher so well, It’s the closest track to my house I didn’t need to waste energy practising.
First moto I had a pretty good start and was running in around 9th or 10th when I crashed in the bowl corner by the front. The bike was on a funny angle and was tough to get it up, and then by the time I got going I had already lost a few positions. Then as I was trying to get myself turned around in the deep sand, I fell over again, the weight of the bike on the downward angle just pulled me right over. I got up again, and by this time I was completely exhausted. My heart rate went through the roof and my goggles fogged all up. I wanted to rip them off, but gopher is definitely not a fun track to ride getting roosted full of sand with no goggles on. It took me over a lap of riding slow to get my heart rate down and get back in the groove. I was able to work myself back into 14th place. I was happy with that as my goal coming in was to finish with a top 15. Last year I certainly would not have been happy with a 14th, but the competition this year has stepped it up huge, and my conditioning and riding is not nearly where it was last year. It’s disappointing because this year I actually have the opportunity to do these nationals, and I’m not in the shape I need to be for them.
Second moto I had another decent start, and was able to stay up, finishing in 12th. It was probably the longest race I’ve ever done. After the races when I picked up my transponder times, I found out we ran 29 minute motos. Crazy long. I had only recently started working on 20 minute + 2 lap motos in practise. I think a lot of people struggled with the long motos, even Jocelyn who is queen of the sand appeared to be getting tired.
Overall I finished 14th, and was pretty happy with that. It doesn’t sound great saying I got 14th, but considering the stakes I’m up against I think it’s pretty amazing. I have no dealership sponsoring me, I don’t even have a place to get parts for my bike. I’m racing against women who are pitting out of factory rigs and have personal trainers and people backing them up. I pretty much am doing this year on my own, with the help of IMX of course.
After the races, I was able to spend the evening hanging out with my good friend Missy Hackett from BC. We cruised around on the CMRC quad, as missy attempted to learn to drive it, nearly throwing me off the back every time she shifted. We went out for dinner with the track crew, and went back to the track to hang out around the fire. It was a pretty good time!
Coming into Gopher I had a big decision to make, whether I was going to continue following the series east, or call it off. I told myself If I was in the top 15 in the series standings after gopher, I would go, if not, I wouldn’t.
Sure enough, after gopher dunes I find myself in 15th in the Women’s Canadian National Motocross Series, with two rounds to go. I’m working on plans to head East to Moncton New Brunswick this weekend, and Ottawa Ontario the next. Following Ottawa I have to go straight to Trans Can for a week. August is gonna be crazy but I’m really excited for it. I can’t believe the year I’ve been so lucky to have. I’m going to hit both coasts of the country in one summer, doing what I love to do.
My brother flies home Wednesday from his own amazing adventure across Alberta and British Columbia. I am picking him up at the airport Wednesday night and he is going to be home for the night, and we are leaving for New Brunswick Thursday morning. He will hit both coasts of the country, and travel through at least 4 time zones in less than 48 hours! It’s going to be very cool!
You’ve read my Western Adventure Blog, now Stay tuned for the Eastern chapter!!
*Cas*
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Day One
I arrived in Calgary International Airport 1:30 local time, which means it was already 3:30 at home. After picking up my luggage, I spent a few minutes, and a couple dollars, deciding whether I should grab a hotel room for a night or just tough it out in the hotel. After all, there was plenty of work I could be doing. At $125/night I opted to stay up and try to get some thinking done.
Funny thing, after a certain amount of time awake, I wasn’t so much tired as I was starving! Of course, being 2 in the morning, there was nothing inside the airport that was open, and I wasn’t in the mood for snacks from a vending machine. I bit down, had a bottle of water and again decided that I could tough it out. After all, I’m a pretty tough girl when it comes down to it, or so I like to think.
The people you can meet at such odd hours in an international airport can be a little... odd, but then again, along with being “tough,” “odd” is another word used to describe me from time to time. I met “Frenchie” from Lake Louise, he had flown in and missed the last shuttle and would have to wait until 9 in the morning to get the next one. He and a travel buddy, whose name I never did get, were eventually able to get a taxi out there, which was good for them. While an overnight stay is doable, it’s certainly not preferable to a warm bed and a hot shower; I know this now from experience.
Canada Day was Ride Day. My boyfriend and some of our friends went out for the day and I decided that if I couldn’t be the fastest girl on the track, I should be able to last the longest, and I did. I eventually doubled the most laps the only other girl riding was able to do, on her lap pace by the end. This meant that I was a very sore girl coming into Thursday, the day I flew out to Calgary.
I flew out on the red eye, leaving Pearson at 10:45, to arrive, like I already said, at 1 am. So, not only was I stiff because of the long flight, but also because of the riding, but again, I toughed it out.
I picked up my rental car, a Nissan Versa I will begrudgingly admit is kind of cute, and headed off to Coleman. From Calgary to Coleman it’s a three hour drive, doing a healthy 110 kM + an hour. What a drive!? There’s only one word for it: Beautiful. I haven’t been so struck by my country’s natural beauty since the first time I went through the blasted pass through the Canadian Shield on the way to Parry Sound. The mountains, the rolling fields, the wide open spaces... I finally understand the “Go West, Young Man,” mentality.
By noon I was checked into my hotel, and my 1:30 pm, twelve hours after I first landed in Alberta, I was on my way to the site. The site was again, a marvel of natural wonders. After a 30 + minute drive up and through the mountain, taking me through some of the most breath taking scenery I’ve ever seen. It is so very hard to describe. It’s so clichéd, but truly it is something that needs to be seen.
The site itself takes riders through all kinds of huge mountains and some challenging terrain that I can’t wait to watch tomorrow. It is now 10:30 local time, 12:30 Saturday morning home time, and I still haven’t gotten to bed. I'm on my way, though. Tomorrow will be an early morning with a full day of racing scheduled and a fun filled night to boot.
I will have photos tomorrow; promise. Before leaving I forgot to charge my camera batteries, but they're happily charging now.
Cheers, and see you in the mountains!
Funny thing, after a certain amount of time awake, I wasn’t so much tired as I was starving! Of course, being 2 in the morning, there was nothing inside the airport that was open, and I wasn’t in the mood for snacks from a vending machine. I bit down, had a bottle of water and again decided that I could tough it out. After all, I’m a pretty tough girl when it comes down to it, or so I like to think.
The people you can meet at such odd hours in an international airport can be a little... odd, but then again, along with being “tough,” “odd” is another word used to describe me from time to time. I met “Frenchie” from Lake Louise, he had flown in and missed the last shuttle and would have to wait until 9 in the morning to get the next one. He and a travel buddy, whose name I never did get, were eventually able to get a taxi out there, which was good for them. While an overnight stay is doable, it’s certainly not preferable to a warm bed and a hot shower; I know this now from experience.
Canada Day was Ride Day. My boyfriend and some of our friends went out for the day and I decided that if I couldn’t be the fastest girl on the track, I should be able to last the longest, and I did. I eventually doubled the most laps the only other girl riding was able to do, on her lap pace by the end. This meant that I was a very sore girl coming into Thursday, the day I flew out to Calgary.
I flew out on the red eye, leaving Pearson at 10:45, to arrive, like I already said, at 1 am. So, not only was I stiff because of the long flight, but also because of the riding, but again, I toughed it out.
I picked up my rental car, a Nissan Versa I will begrudgingly admit is kind of cute, and headed off to Coleman. From Calgary to Coleman it’s a three hour drive, doing a healthy 110 kM + an hour. What a drive!? There’s only one word for it: Beautiful. I haven’t been so struck by my country’s natural beauty since the first time I went through the blasted pass through the Canadian Shield on the way to Parry Sound. The mountains, the rolling fields, the wide open spaces... I finally understand the “Go West, Young Man,” mentality.
By noon I was checked into my hotel, and my 1:30 pm, twelve hours after I first landed in Alberta, I was on my way to the site. The site was again, a marvel of natural wonders. After a 30 + minute drive up and through the mountain, taking me through some of the most breath taking scenery I’ve ever seen. It is so very hard to describe. It’s so clichéd, but truly it is something that needs to be seen.
The site itself takes riders through all kinds of huge mountains and some challenging terrain that I can’t wait to watch tomorrow. It is now 10:30 local time, 12:30 Saturday morning home time, and I still haven’t gotten to bed. I'm on my way, though. Tomorrow will be an early morning with a full day of racing scheduled and a fun filled night to boot.
I will have photos tomorrow; promise. Before leaving I forgot to charge my camera batteries, but they're happily charging now.
Cheers, and see you in the mountains!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Let the Count Down Begin!
It didn’t quite hit me until I was driving down to the office in Toronto: I’m really going out west! Not only that, I’m going out west for work, and as a great side benefit I get to cheer on some of my best friends in the business! I’m down to eleven days before I leave, and I’m really starting to feel the excitement build.
I left home pretty early, coming in with the morning rush. Not exactly the most fun event ever, but you know what, with the sun roof open and the tunes cranked, I made do. I walked in and after a momentary lack of recognition I was directed to my pile ‘o’ stuff. Five cases of magazines, one big box of prize packs and a large shipping tube filled with banners. Oh, and stickers, lots of stickers!
We, Mark the art guy and myself, loaded up the Cobalt with everything that was mine to go out west with. This is the first time I’ve ever had a chance to travel out west, and that it’s for a race is just icing on the cake!
I fly out in just over 10 days, on July 2nd. I haven’t been on a plane in over ten years, and this is the first time I’ve ever gone somewhere with a time change. Add to this that I’m technically flying solo on this mission, leaving the boyfriend behind (though, he’s probably going to San Del Lee for amateur week), and as far as I know, no tag-alongs or meet ups set up by the good folks at IMX.
I have to admit though, without considerable encouragement from Derek, help from Jeff and patience from David, this trip would probably not be a possibility, and I would simply be waving “Good-Bye” and wishing my friends “Good Luck” at Pearson International, rather than providing encouragement in the pits.
It’s going to be a heck of a series, with Lawrence Hacking and the gang hard at work to make the first cross Canada enduro championship a success. Stay tuned, and come on out to the event in your area. They’ve made sure that there are plenty of spectator friendly tests, sure to be crowd pleasers.
Round 1 takes place on July 4th and 5th in Blairmore, Alberta. I’ll see you there!
Cheers,
- Suzie
Monday, June 15, 2009
*~Casondra 787~*
Well today we decided to experience the mountain life in Alberta. We headed to Moose Mountain to do some downhill mountain biking. I made it barely half way down the trail, when I cart wheeled down a rocky section, busting the derailer off my borrowed bike. As I was walking my bike down the trail, I rolled my ankle over pretty bad on a root and had to hobble my way down the steep trail for a while. Eventually the guys stopped to wait for me wondering what had happened to me. We jimmied up a glove to hold the derailer in place, and my buddy took the broken bike and offered me his. The sky started to get really dark and thunder started rolling in. We started to book it back as fast as we could, and then the skies opened up. It was lightening and thundering and pouring rain.
By this time we had hit the road at the bottom of the trail and were peddling back to the truck. It started to hail huge chunks, and it felt like getting shot with brutal roost for 3km. It really hurt! When we finally got back to the truck we were all soaked and covered in mud. There is nothing grosser feeling than slimy, wet muddy jeans. Blaze and Syko’s friend Shane decided they were going to brave another run, so we shuttled them back to the top in the truck and picked up the other truck that was up at the top from the last run. There was already a small snow cover on the top of the hill. Syko and I chilled at the bottom and warmed up in the truck.
When the guys finally got down the trail, we decided to pack it in for the day. It was just too slippery to run the trails and it was freezing cold. We headed back to Calgary and chilled out at the house with the plan that we would ride tomorrow should it be nice out.
I’m having such an amazing time in Calgary it is so beautiful here and I don’t want to leave. It has been really sweet being off work and just riding and travelling. The guys I’m staying with have been amazing and I can’t thank them enough for hooking me and my bro up with a place to stay this week.
Again, thanks so much to the Giroux’s for the bike, to IMX for the support, and Mark Perrin from MPI for always being there.
Thanks for following my western adventure with me, and I’ll share the rest of my season with you as it happens!!
Love Casondra!!
*~Casondra 787~*
We arrived in Calgary early afternoon Wednesday and my buddy JR met me at the track to pick me up. We got back to his place and I settled in and met his roommates. I spent the afternoon just chilling with them, and then in the evening I went on a street bike ride around downtown with Syko. It was really cool, very scary but a great way to experience the city. That evening we met up with the CMRC crew for a fun night on the town. Afterwards we headed back to the track for a bonfire. It was after 3:30 am by the time we left, and we had to jump over the gate that was locked. This resulted in me ripping my back pocket off the brand new jeans I was wearing. What I didn’t realize initially, was that my ID had been in my back pocket. When I got back to the house to put it away, I couldn’t find it. The next morning Jody texted me that he had found it in the driveway. Lucky for me!
Thursday Syko, Ryan and myself headed down to the track to help out the track crew a little bit. While at the track, my phone decided to stop working. Later that night when we headed to Bell to find out what I could do, I was told I had to wait until I was back in Ontario to send it away to be fixed. So I was stuck with no cell. We hung out at the house and watched some movies for the evening.
Friday morning we woke up early and picked up my brother from the greyhound station downtown Calgary. While the guys worked my bro and I caught up on all his stories from being in the bush for the past two months. We went out for dinner, where Blaze pretty much ate out the place.
Saturday came race day!! The track looked so awesome. It is located on the side of a hill right in the business district of Calgary. You can see the whole city skyline in the background of the track. Jocelyn, Blaze and myself walked down the hill to Tim Horton’s for some breakfast. The bottom corner is literally steps from Tim Horton’s it was so crazy!! Practice went well, I felt good on the track. Then we had to sit around for pretty much the whole day as we were last moto. Scorgie and Syko came over to the track and cheered me on. First moto my brother pushed my bike up to the line, and we picked a mint spot by the box. Then as the 30 board was about to go up, we were told that the ladies A class had to start on the left side of the box. I ended up getting stuck far inside in a really bad spot and was really nervous about it. Then, the 30 board flipped to 5 and dropped right away, there was no sideways board, and no warning. This resulted in a terrible jump, and thus a terrible start. I was able to finish with an 8th overall for the day though which helped me get some confidence going for the nationals the next day.
Sunday came national day. Riders meeting was its traditional 7:30am, and then we sat around and watched the pro practices until it was our turn to run. Practise was muddy and sloppy and there were crazy ruts already. The final corner before the finish was an uphill off camber that developed only a single rut in it. Towards the end of practise one girl crashed, and half the class was lined up waiting in the rut behind her. I took one look at it and said screw it, and blasted through the mud up the hill.
First moto came around and I told my brother to try his luck picking a pin for me, as I usually pick bad ones, and sure enough 28th gate pick. I got a pretty decent gate spot though and was pumped to go. I had an excellent jump out of the gate, and was off the concrete pad in a blink. I was charging into the first corner and as I hit the brakes, I just started to slide. They had just watered the track during maintenance. I missed the corner and ended up losing a lot of spots but kept on going, eventually finishing in 21st place. I was so tired when I finally pulled off the track, my brother could see it in my face as I could hardly breathe. He dumped a bottle of water over me and hopped on for a ride back to the pit. The ruts were so deep and the track was really rough. I was pretty disappointed with myself, and wish I had of known more in advance I was going to have this opportunity.
Second moto I knew I was going to be tired, I downed tons of water and ate lots of fruit and spent most of the time in the shade to rest up for it. I probably went to the bathroom 10 times between motos I was pounding back so much water. I got a gate very close to where I was before and had another great jump off the concrete start. I had a better start, but again faded into the background. I was able to finish up with a 19th in the second moto, good enough to gain a few valuable points. Overall I was disappointed with myself but was really excited to have experienced this, and be coming home with 10 points heading into the eastern portion of the national tour.
Sunday night we headed over to the blackfoot inn to meet up with Billy, Mark and Jody. We went over to the roadhouse to celebrate the end of round 2, and Mark was turned away due to his ID being worn out. We ended up walking around downtown Calgary and coming across a small little bar where we sat down for a few drinks. As the night wound down, we said our goodbyes and made our plans to meet up when the series came to Gopher Dunes in a few weeks.
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