The Friday Video

Who says there is no passion in mountain biking, it's not a spectator sport, just someone riding down a hill.....

This week we bring you some incredibly enthusiastic reporting, not to mention some incredible riding skill and total 'go for it' attitude from the World Championship Downhill event at Champery. Going into this Championship Aaron Gwin had comfortably taken out the World Cup series with five wins from seven. But the young guns have been making a show of things and nineteen year old English rider Danny Hart has been turning some heads with some exciting performances which included 2nd place on the podium at Fort William and Val di Sole.

Come the weekend of the Championship event the worst everyone feared happened, after a week of dry and dusty practice sessions the the rain that no one really wanted, with the exception of the wet weather specialists, finally showed up. This was lining up for a great finale, the young gun Hart getting the chance to show his experience in the wet and slippery conditions, Gwin aiming to prove that he could ride mud and technical.

Overnight rain eased for the junior session on the Sunday morning but by the time of the main event it was hosing down. After some variable runs with many riders slipping and making mistakes Spagnolo recorded a 3'  53" run to take the lead. As other riders continued to struggle Danny Hart was ready at the gate 4th last to ride. And boy did he put in the ride of his life. At the first timing point he was an incredible 4.6 secs ahead and an electric buzz went through the crowd as they sensed something special. By the second time split he was 10 secs up and the commentator and crowd were going wild. There was one moment where the boy from Redcar looked like he had lost it but after a miraculous save the rest of the run became a spectacle, with amazing jumps and leaps Danny was now playing to the enthralled crowd. Through the bottom gate he was 11.699 seconds up - what an incredible ride.

Could the already crowned World Cup holder Gwin do anything about it, did he have a response... Despite only being a second back from Danny on the first sector he went wide on a corner and caught the side netting. And that was it!

But words cannot do this ride justice. Watch the video, feel the energy, feel the passion..... And remember the name Danny Hart. This 19 year old kid is going places.

Check out the full report and pictures at; PinkBike News - Danny Hart

Mountain Bike Magazines

Being based in Thailand there is not a huge supply of mountain bike magazines available. Maybe in Bangkok, but down here in southern Thailand, in a small town like Don Sak it's pretty hard to even find an English newspaper. On visits to our nearest big city, Surat Thani I've scanned the bigger book stores and cannot even find a Thai MTB magazine; are there any? So it's great to be able to find an on-line magazine and even better still it's free of charge.

The magazine is International Mountain Bike Magazine or IMB for short.

The magazine is only available on-line and uses Flash Player by way of presentation. Produced in the UK the current issue, No.13 Aug-Sept 2011, marks the 2nd anniversary. Published bi-monthly it is feature packed with some excellent photography and video footage from around the world. Pretty much all types of MTB riding are covered from X-C, to down hill and dirt jump. The current issue is over 150 pages and it is certainly great value for money! What am I saying.... oh yes, it's free of charge ;) Of course, being FOC means that the costs associated with publishing must be covered by advertising, but even the adverts in this magazine are classy and full of great action shots.

There are in-depth bike, gear and apparel reviews as well as coverage of the latest trade shows and exhibitions. Event reporting is also comprehensive and truly global and the tips and tricks, skills training and DIY bike maintenance presentations make this probably the most comprehensive site where you can get everything on-line in a single location.

So what are you waiting for.... head on over to IMB and check them out!

The Friday Video

That time of the week again folks so here's another downhill MTB video.

This week we feature Fakawi Bikes team rider Adam running his Banshee Legend down the Cilegon DH Track in Indonesia. Clever mounting set up with the Go Pro HD camera and a very interesting point of view. Certainly gives you a good feel for how the rider has to be one with the bike for a successful and fast run ;)

Enjoy....

The Friday Video

Well, it's that time of the week so here's another Downhill MTB video.

We again travel to France for the 17th running of the Megavalanche, held at Alpe d'Huez (yes, the same AdH made famous from the recent Tour de France). Qualifying took place on Friday 8th July where the large field of riders was whittled down to the best 38 from each of nine groups to narrow it down to 328 competitors at the mass start on Sunday. The race runs from the top of Pic Blanc (Altitude 3,300 mtr) down across the glacier to Allemont (Altitude 820 mtr) for a distance run of around 25km. 

This year's event was won by Remy Absalon - Commencal France. 2nd Jerome Clementz - Cannondale France. 3rd Rene Wildhaber - Trek Red Bull Switzerland.

Some stunning scenery, a pretty intense ride and real test of your biking skills......

Megavalanche 2011 Alpe d'Huez

The Friday Video

OK, it's been a while since we posted on Thailand Mountain Bike due to our local internet provider having to replace some stolen cable; stolen from the poles or the back of the truck?? Who knows! Anyhow, the down side was we had no DSL for over a week. But we are now back on line and back to posting.

So as it's Friday I guess it's time for another Friday Video. This week we've got some neat footage of the new White Brothers 'Loop' front suspension fork in action.

This fork is manufactured by MRP, Grand Junction, Colorado. The big update on this fork is the switch from separate machined lowers to a cast magnesium one piece unit. Available in 26" and 29" MTB versions with travel from 80mm through to 150mm this is a pretty versatile piece of kit. The White Brothers 'Loop' features compression, rebound and spring adjustments ensuring there is ample opportunity to fine tune for your type of riding. Oh, this fork also comes with a 15mm 'tool-free' quick fit axle.

Anyhow, enough waffle, enjoy the video.......

A change in riding routine

So my general riding pattern has been Tues through Thursday; early morning, cross country MTB trail ride of around 33-38km prior to breakfast. Saturday and Sunday; late afternoon ride around 45-55km plus. Monday and Friday are normally rest days. The current westerly monsoon wind pattern tends to bring building afternoon clouds, which usually result in typically tropical down-pours. More often than not I cop a real drenching and even when it does not rain the weather tends to be sultry and oppressive. This weekend I decided to change things around and switch my weekend rides from afternoon to early morning, when the weather is generally cooler and the rain storms few and far between. So Saturday past saw me rise at my normal weekly time of 5.40am and after preparing the hydration pack and wolfing down Weetabix and milk I was ready for the off.

Well, as Rabbie said; the best laid plans of mice and men.... around 1/3rd into the ride the heavens opened!! But the downpour was not too long in duration, leaving behind however a muggy sky in no way suitable for the photographic opportunities I had in mind. Still, the ride was invigorating and I managed to cover the 53km, mostly off-road, at an average of 22.5 km/hr. Setting me up nicely for the day, the post ride breakfast of homemade strawberry and banana pancakes was washed down with lashings of fresh brewed Doi Chaang coffee.

Sunday morning dawned more promising as indeed it was to prove! I covered more or less the same route, but in reverse. The early morning low clouds made for some great vistas on the early stretch along the coast at Nang Kam as the sun fought its way through.

 The mid section, predominantly through the rubber plantations was refreshingly shaded and the 'hellos' of the rubber tappers and local children were genuinely welcoming. By now the early morning clouds had scattered and the background sky was a nice shade of mid blue, great light conditions for photography and soon I had reached the object of my photographic quest, Wat Donsak (Singhkon). 

I had skirted this temple on previous rides but had recently discovered a trail that led into and through the temple grounds.

The monks were friendly and asked me to join them for breakfast, but an alcove / small cave in the towering limestone karst, the central feature of the temple site, begged to be explored. Up the steep stone steps I climbed, to find a serene, reclining Buddha, dappled in light.

Truly a great way to start a Sunday; stimulating exercise, friendly faces and some photogenic opportunities.

The Friday Video

A day early this week as I am off to Bangkok to go look at some bikes and gear :)

Courtesy of PinkBike and Banshee Bikes here's some great downhill action. Damn, these guys are FAST! But towards the end the old saying came to mind "sometimes I flick the Bike, other times the Bike flicks me!"

Enjoy.......