Pumpkin Ride – 2

OK, seasonal shenanigans are over. It’s time to get back to some serious shredding, and a full day of Farwell laps.  I think Cheryl would agree.  That lady likes it steep, and steep it shall be today.

Getting ready to drop in on the Fingers, and can you believe the weather?

25C and sunny.  Lots of wind though.  It made some of the more exposed lines incredibly dynamic today.  Once again, all time conditions were on tap.

You can’t just hit the Fingers once.  At least twice is always the call.  The secret with all these trails is to go WAY too fast.

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Oops. Got a flat.  And also the van rolled off the jack.  Cheryl called it with never taking the last bolt off the wheel until you’re out from underneath the vehicle.  Good call.

We got ‘er fixed in no time and got back to the business at hand of shredding the Classic.

You know that we were not going to leave without a lap down Godsmack.   It was on my mind all day, since I haven’t been able to hit it for a few years (the last two times I visited I had to guide people around the easy way, and the time before that it was baked hard and I crashed).

Today it was butter smooth and wide.  Maybe the best I’ve ever seen it, or at least even with the best it can be.

I think Cheryl got her steep fix, and I know Chicken was having a time.

Shred.

JC continued his mission to rip the local trails up before he leaves.  He went way too fast, as is tradition, and nearly lost it on the g-out.   He did pull through here, though.

One last drop in to finish the line.  This always feels like Spanky’s at Blackcomb to me….but on dirt…with bikes.

Hey Mark!  What’s the point?

Ha!   We got one more run in to grab Chicken’s bag that he dropped, but this was the climax of the day for sure.

What a way to finish the last big road trip of the season.   There’s still some more shenanigans to play out this year, but we’re in the final few weeks before the snow hits.

Singletrack Stampedin’ – Day 2b

The photo epic continues…

Now let’s see.  Where were we?  Ahhh…that’s right.  On our way to Godsmack.

More than half the ride to the big mountain lines of Farwell is actually this awesome grass and cactus area.  The girls were all learning lots about how to read lines in open terrain at high speed, and I was just plain old enjoying some good times out there.

Hard not to have a good time on this kind of day, even though the mercury was flirting with 40C at this point.

Ahhh yes.  Here’s what we came for.  I really didn’t expect anyone to ride this line today.  It’s much different in the heat of summer than in the shoulder season.  Everything is faster, and just that much more intimidating.

Luckily we had Doerfling and Jer along to show us how.

And even though none of ‘my’ ladies went for it this time, rad local Chiara popped her Godsmack cherry today, and she did it in style.

She sent this line as fast as I’ve seen it ridden.  A tip for anyone trying this one; if you’re going too fast to crash you should be good.  Chiara didn’t just style this one, she STOMPED it.

Well, it’s just too hot here to do much more, so we went back up to the Fingers for one last blast.

Ashley and Aja (the unicorn in the background) on the steeper part of the Fingers.

Bum shot of the day?  Could be…

Monica, about to take me out.  Nice position though.

Aaauuuggghhhh!!!!

Hahahahahahahahahahaha!

There you go, Lidia.  That’s the steep one you were looking for.

Unicorn!

The voluptuous Mallory.

And the other contender for bum shot of the day.  Don’t make me choose, I like them all…

Lydia, making it look all too easy.

And the inimitable Annie.  Who said to me at the end of the day "I didn’t even know this level existed."  From someone who’s been charging hard her whole life, that’s a serious statement about how rad this zone really is.  Pictures and video do NOT do these trails justice.

Leanne "I Wish I’d Brought My Other Bike" Tompkins, loving it on light gear.

…and yes, Lindsay almost hit me too.  Probably just not used to riding without a big camera bag on her back.

Here’s our "guides".  Ride the Cariboo set us up with these two as our celebrity guides for the weekend, but they partied too hard at the Stampede and only made if for one run.

Look ashamed, boys….

Yeah, that was yet another all time session, and once again I’m amazed at the level these ladies are riding at.  I have always liked shredding with the girls, be it on dirt or snow, but for a long time that meant making certain concessions to the choice of trail, or how hard you go; that sort of thing.  No longer.  It’s not just that these women are beautiful (they certainly are), or that they shred hard (which they definitely do, and that just makes them hotter), it’s that they are just so damn cool.

Thanks for letting me hang out again, and we should do this again sometime.

Singletrack Stampedin’ – Day 2a

It’s hot, it’s sunny, the girls are hung over…let’s go to Farwell.

But first lets hang in the lake a bit.

Gotta make sure your eyes are protected out there too.  Thanks again to Ryders Eyewear for the shades, eh?

Due to the insanely good light and sick level of riding today, I’ve got crazy amounts of images.  So we’re splitting this post in two.  Sorta like the two tickets to the gun show that Lydia has here…

Mallory, getting a feel for the Farwell dirt in summertime.

Tha’ girls…

Another group shot.  I can’t wait to see the pics that Lindsay got.

Last year when we rode Fingers with Monica’s crew, it was the stickiest gumbo of all time.  Lots of crashes and frustration.  Today?

Total shredfest…

That’s Lidia above, and Mallory below. 

Our intrepid photographer is up next.

Lap #3, and Monica is getting her drift on.

Runner up for bum shot of the day…

It’s hard to tell with the full face, but I’m pretty sure Annie is sporting a big smile in there somewhere.

And we all KNOW that Ashley is, because Ashley is always smiling.  Nice shoelaces, too.

Liz "I Can’t Believe How Hot It Is Here" Francis…

Lidia, aka "Chesty"

The other Lydia  (yes, the names this weekend were challenging.  Looks like a lot of rad bikers have names that begin with ‘L’).

Leanne…

Ahhhh….Rose.  So much easier to remember.  She was definitely feeling that harsh crash from yesterday, but she managed a few laps with us in spite of the discomfort, and also the challenge of riding big mountain lines when you’ve got an issue with heights.  What a champ.

Annie, showing everyone why she’s been a shredder in this sport since…well since the 20th Century anyway.  Annie, damn glad to ride with you again.

Farwell, round one complete.  Next up…Godsmack!