Here is a short video from yesterday of riding the Emerald Trails just north of Whistler. Techy and tight is the name of game here and is often referred to as the "no flow zone". But with the help of big 29er wheels, a KS adjustable height seatpost and a little practice you can link together a super fun and fast ride through here.
"29er wheels turn it into the flow zone" - Julian of Chromag
WORCA is holding their next trail maintenance day on July 9th and will be working on Shit Happens. I am pretty stoked for this as it is a chance to work on the trails right in my backyard. Hope to see you out there.
peace
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Test of Metal 2011
Another great Test of Metal race with what turned out to be pretty good trail conditions. The rains seemed to let up just in time for the start with close to 1000 riders at the start line.
The rains before the race made some sections pretty slimy, but overall I thought the course was in great shape thanks to all the volunteers. Huge efforts from the local crew.
This was my 4th Test of Metal and overall went really smooth. No mechanicals, thanks to the help from Luke back at our Whistler Bike shop, no crashes and a clean ride with smiles to the finish. I was heavily contemplating riding our Specialized Camber 29er rental bike, but ended up sticking with the trusted Stumpjumper Carbon FSR with the new addition of the Command Post. There was lots of 29ers out on the race as it really is an ideal course for the bigger wheels, but then again the 26 inch wheel is just that much more playful.
The early commitment to the race with signups in Dec for locals and Jan for everyone else is a great motivation to get out on the bike early season and get in shape. Seeing the Canucks in the Stanley Cup final definitely hampered some training plans, but at the end of the day it's just a fun race that the whole community of Squamish supports.
Looking forward to more races and events this year.
The rains before the race made some sections pretty slimy, but overall I thought the course was in great shape thanks to all the volunteers. Huge efforts from the local crew.
This was my 4th Test of Metal and overall went really smooth. No mechanicals, thanks to the help from Luke back at our Whistler Bike shop, no crashes and a clean ride with smiles to the finish. I was heavily contemplating riding our Specialized Camber 29er rental bike, but ended up sticking with the trusted Stumpjumper Carbon FSR with the new addition of the Command Post. There was lots of 29ers out on the race as it really is an ideal course for the bigger wheels, but then again the 26 inch wheel is just that much more playful.
The early commitment to the race with signups in Dec for locals and Jan for everyone else is a great motivation to get out on the bike early season and get in shape. Seeing the Canucks in the Stanley Cup final definitely hampered some training plans, but at the end of the day it's just a fun race that the whole community of Squamish supports.
Looking forward to more races and events this year.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Sugoi Award Winning Shorts at Arbutus
Our Whistler Bike Retail shop is filled with the 2011 Sugoi line with everything from jerseys to shorts to knee warmers and gloves. Come by and check out the latest from Sugoi including the new Sugoi Evolution Bib Short.
Winner of the "Best Buy" in Mountain BIKE Magazine, the Evolution Bib short is an incredible value. Perfect for the upcoming rides and events this summer.
Winner of the "Best Buy" in Mountain BIKE Magazine, the Evolution Bib short is an incredible value. Perfect for the upcoming rides and events this summer.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Yummy Nummy Trail connection
Comfortably Numb is highly regarded as The Epic trail of the Whistler valley and rightfully so. A beautiful trail design using the natural lay of the land, but also a long day on the trail for most.
Yummy Nummy, which opened up last year now connects you to the flowy rock slab section near the end of Comfortably Numb and gets you there in direct fashion. Last night a crew from Arbutus Routes headed out to check out the new connection to Yummy Nummy that avoids the golf course and is a great piece of trail that climbs up with the aid of some well crafted bridge work. Trail crews did a great job with the new connection to avoid any conflicts with Golf Course staff and ensuring the success of the new trail.
Yummy Nummy is the high point of the ride and yesterday there was still small patches of snow out there, but nothing that would slow you up and is a great connection that I'm sure will see lots of riders this summer. With the final day of the BC Bike race rolling along Yummy Nummy in addition to other trails, I can only see this trail getting better and becoming a local classic. It will be challenge for the final stage of the BC Bike race, but one that I'm sure all the racers will love if they still have some energy left in the tank.
Also wanted to note that there was cell reception on the trail as there is a large section of Comfortably Numb without it.
Enjoy the ride
Yummy Nummy, which opened up last year now connects you to the flowy rock slab section near the end of Comfortably Numb and gets you there in direct fashion. Last night a crew from Arbutus Routes headed out to check out the new connection to Yummy Nummy that avoids the golf course and is a great piece of trail that climbs up with the aid of some well crafted bridge work. Trail crews did a great job with the new connection to avoid any conflicts with Golf Course staff and ensuring the success of the new trail.
Yummy Nummy is the high point of the ride and yesterday there was still small patches of snow out there, but nothing that would slow you up and is a great connection that I'm sure will see lots of riders this summer. With the final day of the BC Bike race rolling along Yummy Nummy in addition to other trails, I can only see this trail getting better and becoming a local classic. It will be challenge for the final stage of the BC Bike race, but one that I'm sure all the racers will love if they still have some energy left in the tank.
Also wanted to note that there was cell reception on the trail as there is a large section of Comfortably Numb without it.
Enjoy the ride
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Road Bikes Ready to Ride
With the continued success of events like the Ride to Conquer Cancer and the Gran Fondo, Arbutus Routes has added even more road bikes this year to the fleet. We have the 2011 Specialized Allez Elite and they are all set up with computers and ready to ride. We also have a number of great whistler road bike routes all drawn out for the area including the classic Pemberton ride, the Meadows, Alta Lake road and now the addition of the ride up to the Olympic Nordic Centre in the Callaghan Valley.
I was out yesterday morning for a quick ride along Alta Lake road and was happy to see the road cleaners hard at work in cleaning any remaining gravel on the shoulder of the road. Also great to see the feature article in the Pique this past week focusing on the huge boom in the road cycling market. More people out on bikes enjoying one our most notable inventions- The bicycle.
Arbutus Routes-
I was out yesterday morning for a quick ride along Alta Lake road and was happy to see the road cleaners hard at work in cleaning any remaining gravel on the shoulder of the road. Also great to see the feature article in the Pique this past week focusing on the huge boom in the road cycling market. More people out on bikes enjoying one our most notable inventions- The bicycle.
Arbutus Routes-
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