November Photo Shoot…Really?

Posted on November 14, 2014November 22, 2014 by Smoke

Yeah, really. Mountain Biking BC and Tourism BC are doing a whole series of seggies on the various riding destinations in BC, and they needed just a little bit more on the Penticton trails. Yet again, Rocky Mountain is in the mix, and our old friend Ambrose was along to do the video. Just to make it more of a party, we invited Bruno Long down to shoot a few stills. Well, that and Wade and I are doing a little side project with a guide book and we can use all the images we can get.

#mtbtrails #explorebc #ridepenticton #penticton

It’s very cold now, unlike last week. That typhoon that rolled through the Arctic has fired a huge pool of cold air down, so it’s a good 30-40 degrees colder than a week ago. But on the plus side, it’s stunningly beautiful out. Dre seems to be pretty stoked.

Wade too. It’s actually kind of nice when it’s a bit cooler like this. Makes going back for another run at the shot much easier when you’re trying to stay warm.

Ready for the Golden Hour, boys?

Oh yeah. Sunset is at 4, but at this time of year that magic light lasts a long time. We worked this spot pretty hard, and the photogs seemed stoked with the results.

Like this shot that Bruno got…

http://instagram.com/p/vmu6THRUTo

Still Summer

Posted on October 9, 2014October 10, 2014 by Smoke

It’s sure a far cry from last year when we had snow in the hills and cold temps all around. They say it ain’t over until the fat lady sings, and at this point she’s still in her dressing room getting ready.

With highs around 24C today, Mike D’Antoni put in an appearance to check out the south Okanagan trails.

I think he found them suitable.

Although he did spend an inordinate amount of time pumping up his rear tire. He’s been on a bit of a trip around BC, so I think it’s just the mileage catching up with him. But if you’re going to get a flat, odds are it’s gonna be here. At least the scenery was nice today.

We also found some trails that I’ve heard about but haven’t gotten around to checking out. This is an older trail in the Mice called Ferngully. Not sure why they named it that…

I also introduced Mike to another post-ride tradition in the Okanagan. It’s not quite pizza and beer, but it’ll do**.

http://instagram.com/p/t84JPdH-cR

**We went for pizza and beer right after this.

BC Enduro #1

Posted on May 19, 2014May 20, 2014 by Smoke

Penticton has a long history of mountain bike racing, going back to the early 80’s at least.

However, although there’s been some racing in the nearby areas recently, it’s been several years since there’s been a real event in town. Cue the arrival of Megan Rose and the BC Enduro. We ran into Megan last summer when she was looking for venues for this new series. All parties seemed to feel that Penticton was a perfect fit for this race format, and prep work began immediately.

Which is important, because there’s a lot of trail here. Just look at the amount of marking that we needed to put in…

I got out for some pre-riding with Chris, Rich, and Julie (who all ended up on the podium) which allowed for us to get up and close with some of the many natural hazards of the course.

I was supposed to be shuttling all day actually, but a last minute transmission failure in the van meant that I was down to a pickup truck. Good thing bikers are resilient. People were far more concerned with the weather forecast. This is what a rainy morning looks like in the Okanagan…

One of the best parts of Enduro racing? No waiting around. Boom….you’re racing.

Shane Jensen

Jason Bond

This guy got the record for most flats. This is #5, and he was only at the start of stage 2. Right after I grabbed this shot, he somehow blew up a CO2 canister in his hand. Never seen that happen before, and it was really lucky nobody got hurt.

Thanks to Shane Jensen and Giant bikes, we had some onsite tech support. No gin and tonics in there though. Misleading or what?

Adam was enjoying the breeze all day during his first ever race.

Was this the perfect event? Well….not exactly. We made some rookie mistakes, mainly with marking the uphill portions of the course. A handful of riders made some wrong choices and ended up riding a bit more, but that was during un-timed sections. The vast majority figured it out. If you don’t get lost at least a little bit in the Mice, were you really there?

We had to endure more rain at the wind up at Misconduct. Weather reports in the Okanagan require a certain amount of translation for Coastal visitors.

Adam showing off his kilt at the after party. Freedom gave him some new shorts.

Some podium shots.

Juniors

Old cores

Ladies

Dirtbags…

Men

Pros

Afterwards we went to Laughing Stock for some food…

…and a little something to drink.

I finished up in 9th in the Old Core division, and would not have been last in the Pro Elite. Not too shabby for a guy that doesn’t really race. Maybe next time I’ll put a fresh cable on the old derailleur for this one….

More pics and write ups:

PinkBike

Chris Van Luven

Bush Pilot Biking

Savage mountain bike adventures in the heart of the freeride capital of the universe: British Columbia, Canada.

penticton

November Photo Shoot…Really?

Still Summer

BC Enduro #1