Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Crankworx Enduro Race

After a summer of riding both the Bike Park and Whistlers epic singletrack trails I along with Graham and Luke from the store decided it would be a good idea to enter the Crankworxs Enduro race. For those not familiar with Crankworxs it is essentially a week of mountain biking mayhem that takes over Whistler. With the world’s best riders in town it seemed an ideal opportunity to test myself. The Enduro format is essentially a downhill race with climbs mixed in to test both the rider’s outright speed and fitness. I decided my Specialized Enduro would be the ideal bike; with the ability to climb whilst holding its own on the descents.

A wet practice day provided an eye opening experience, a combination of wet roots, and mud on parts of the course that had been used the day before by the Garbonzo DH race meant that conditions where challenging and left us all hoping for a dry race day. Race day morning and I was beginning wonder why I thought this was a good idea. A mass start down a ski run into tight technical singletrack made the start a crucial part of the race. This crucial part didn’t go well for me, with Luke leading the pack I struggled to get clipped in then on entering the singletrack rode straight into the nearest tree. The rest of the race went much better overtaking several riders on the big climb and holding position on the descents. One over the bars crash later the finish line and more importantly fellow WOA staff member Graham were in my sights. With a bit of help from a Whistler local (the biggest black bear I have ever seen!) I passed Graham on the final descent and crossed the line in 6th place. Having been aiming for a top ten finish I was super happy to finish 6th. With Graham in 7th also on a Specialized Enduro and Luke retiring from a comfortable 1st place with a puncture it was an eventful day for the WOA staff.

The rest of the Crankworxs week was spent riding the sweet and empty valley singletrack during the day and soaking up the party atmosphere in the village most evenings.

Tom Bye-

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Whistler Riverside trails Movie

Here is a movie we put together highlighting the riverside trails near Whistler in Function Junction. This is a great area that is often overlooked by tourisits because it is a little off the beaten path of the main whistler trails but it is a great little area to ride in if you are a novice or beginner rider but also really fun mountain biking for people more advanced as well.



Check out our main website at http://www.whistleroutbackadventures.com for more information on bike rentals and guided tours in the Whistler area.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Chilcotin Dream Ride

What a great day we had in the Chilcotin's last week! Float Plane assisted mountain in one of B.C.'s most pristine wilderness areas has to be one of the greatest days possible on a mountain bike. We are running trips there until late september so if you want in on this epic locale check out www.whistleroutbackadventures.com

Just to get you a bit more stoked - have a look at video we produced to highlight the area: