north shore

The End of the Year

Posted on by Smoke

Yeah, I’ve been avoiding htis update. It’s just been an unpleasant month…what can I say? The day started out pretty good actually. Gary and Tom from Hertfordshire were on deck for a day at the bike park, and the Cove boys came out for a rip. Even Chaz was tearing it up on Garbonzo today.

Since it was the last dry day on Garbonzo, I started to ride really hard. Four NON-STOP top to bottom runs, plus a couple more at a slightly slower pace made it tough to hang out with anyone else. Riding by myself for a change was actually really refreshing.

Pete, the Angry Pirate, hung out for a run on the Manager…..

…and for a lap on this big scree slope near the TreeFort (he managed to clean it a couple of weeks later).


We ran a sweep run off the top together to close ‘er down, then hit the lower park for a few more quick ones. I managed to score a Dirt Merchant for lower sweep, and that’s when the shit hit the fan. Thinking to myself, “Geez, I’m kind of tired out, maybe I should slow ‘er down a bit” I tagged my brakes at that high speed shale section on lower A-Line and promptly chattered my hands off the bars.

High speed ejectamenta inot the boulders on the right. At least I got myself to the bottom of the hill under my own power, but I didn’t feel so hot. Kind of pissed off too.

Final tally on the injuries? Cracked ribs and pubic bone, a few hematomas, contusion of the liver (and a pretty good one too), whiplash, and my thumbnail got torn off. Oh well, in twenty four straight seasons of riding, this is only the third trip to the hospital for me, and as of writing this one month later I’m nearly 100% good to go.

Actually, I rode the Full boar Challenge on Greenstone Mtn. three weeks after this crash and finished the race in a respectable 25 mins (THATS a downhill), but I don’t think it did me any good.

Absolutely EPIC season. 150 days on the bike, and they were all stellar. Now it’s time to regroup for next year.

Watch out for changes to the site coming soon, and announcements regarding the Wade Simmons Experience ’06, as well as the possibility of more tours with other superstars of the North Shore.

Thanks to everyone who came out, and to all the support. I’ll have a proper list up soon of everyone who made it such a great year.

CycleActive XC Tour — Last Day

Posted on by Smoke

Last day, time to shine people. We pulled off an epic North Shore line today. Since everyone was staying at the Holiday Inn, we rode up the old Lilloeet road to the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge to get started.

We worked our way up various sneaky little paths through the valley until we got up to the top of Mountain Highway, and cruised up to Upper Oilcan.

It was a little much for some of the crew, but everyone rode part of it, and we got to check out the Circus too. Bike Mag recently rated UOC as one of hte top 10 trails ever or some such thing. I’m not sure if I completely agree, but it’s definitely a good one.

Now, after that we rode up again and hit 7th Secret. I used to hate this trail, but that top 10 rating should have been applied to 7th. It’s amazing with all the work that’s gone into it recently.

Some others seem to agree with me….

So, funny story….

Kate,who rode stronger and strnger all week, nearly cleaned this log ride. Of course, jerk that I am, I was standing so close to the log that I elbowed her off into the canyon at the end. Just one more “souvenier” to remember me by….

Actually, most of the crew rode it clean and everyone tried it.

We finished the ride by going all the way down Leapoard, Crinkum Crankum, Kirkford, the Griffin Trails, Mtn View trails, back across the Demo Forest and the Fisherman’s Trail via Twin Bridges.

That about did everyone in.

Great trip, and a nice change of pace from all the huge hucks of summer. It’s nearly fall, must be time to switch to rotary power soon……

CycleActive XC Tour — Day X

Posted on by Smoke

OK, enough of this easy stuff. Time for the piece de resistance; The North Shore. Are you afraid?

You will be…he heh…you will be….

OK, maybe not. Everyone seems to be adapting quite nicely.

Still, it’s quite a change to be in the rainforest after those mellow desert trails all week.

The log rides are just a tich bigger here, eh?

Paul seemed to like this stuff a lot more.

Em’s doesn’t care, so long as she’s riding her bike. It’s ALL good.

Craig got a charge out of the bigger options on all the trails on Seymour.

Even Barb put in an appearance today between shifts at the fire hall. Just so those UK types know what Canadian girls can do….

Barry wasn’t fazed in the slightest.

Clinton seemed to take it all in stride too.

Kickass Kate was also flying. For that matter, everyone was killing it on Seymour. Good riding by all.

We finished the day with a little session at the local dirt jumps. Too funny, because this is an XC tour, and we’re throwing down at the dj’s. Craig had a little breakthrough today.

It was probably the locals that inspired him.