Brian Buell Takes On new Zealand

Deep in the heart of the Wairoa Gorge outside Nelson, New Zealand lies the most developed, and in my opinion the best trail system I have ever experienced yet nobody has ever heard of it. This private bike park that is in its final stages of development was opened for the first time to the public this past weekend as it was host to the Dodzy Memorial Enduro. Finding your way to the venue was half the battle, and once you arrive on the property you are greeted by some of the steepest hillsides that all converge on the Wairoa river below. It was hard to imagine building bike trails in this unforgiving landscape, however what I saw that weekend opened my eyes on what can be built if provided with the proper resources and trail building knowledge. This race was held in tribute to Dodzy, the mastermind behind this trail building operation and a prominent figure in the NZ mountain biking scene. The race sold out, but I was instructed to sign up immediately once I arrived in NZ as this was an event/experience not to miss.

Everyone was buzzing come Saturday morning as fellow riders of all levels lined up promptly, early in the morning to fetch a shuttle ride up to get their chance to sample what all of the talk was about. The shuttle ride was a fantastic adventure in itself as the Land Rover's powered riders up out of the valley floor, climbing thousands of feet to our drop off point and stunning views of the Ben Nevis region. Groups of riders had to be organized and led by a Guide. These guides are also the trail builders and without their guidance trying to navigate and find a comfortably safe pace down the trails would be a tough proposition. I cannot describe how impressed I was as a fellow trail builder with the quality of work that these builders put into this place. They went above a beyond, utilizing the great resources that they had at hand to make many of our dreams a reality. In short, these trails were the most flowy and fun works of art I have ever lied eyes on. It was all built with a purpose and every turn complemented the next while the use of steep hillside was blended together to create what felt as a giant pump track no matter what type of trail difficulty and terrain. I could gush about these trails all day and the amount of trails seemed endless, but it being a race weekend my focus was between the tape and the trails I needed to do my best to conquer.

I was in the que promptly at 8:30 and didn't stop riding until last shuttle mid afternoon. I was told by a fellow rider that I had the most massive grin on my face after my first run, however I've probably never seen so many people giggling and grinning ear to ear. The best part about New Zealand is that you cannot pinpoint exactly one type of terrain even in a small area as the landscape constantly changes between all climate spectrumes. So the trails were all varied and you had to be a true all mountain rider to really master them all without worry. I completed 4 runs on the day top to bottom and each one felt better than the rest as I latched tight on the back wheel of some insanely quick guides and did my best to learn the trails and pick out points of interest all the while riding on the limiter. I was slightly concerned for the safety of some lesser ability riders due to the dangerous and exposed pitch, but these trails proved to hold up and wear in well as only a few bumps and bruises were sustained on what was unanimously felt as the best day of riding ever! Everyone gathered later in the heart of Nelson to share a brew and exchange stories of the day, and to also come together in celebration of Dodzy's life.

The sun had yet to hit the valley floor before we were being whisked away back up the hill for our first race run of the day. The racing format consisted of 3 timed race runs and the combined provided the overall race winner. Coming into this race weekend I didn't have any big goals as I had only been on the bike for a week, but I felt like I got a solid training block in while in Queenstown and was keen to give it my all and to see what my new Banshee Prime could do. One goal that I did set for myself was to just ride rather than racing these trails as the consequences of riding off trail could be spectacular. I nearly missed my start as I was chatting with newfound friends up top and taking in the views, but once I was in the gate and pushed off I quickly found the zone. This windy, tight and rather slick track named Creamed Rice didn't leave anytime for the mind to wonder, only to react. I dove into the one steep and rooty right hander that I had highlighted and once clear, it was a blur of pine needles, rocky hardpack and one hell of a road sprint to the finish. The seeding was completely random, however the organizers tried their best to organize the fastest riders together, but being a rather unknown from the states I was slotted right into the mix and had to work my way through traffic and dust. After a stage 1 victory over a large field with world cup level riders, I was now known and once in the que for the 2nd run, riders situated themselves around me to help provide a clear path to the finish.

Stage 2 started midway down the mountainside and riders quickly started moving in 30 second intervals. Holly greeted me at the start to get a shot of me sprinting out of the gate and onto a bench cut masterpiece that paralleled the steep and windy road down. The somewhat dry track called Kurtology wove between tight trees and had some incredible G outs and some sneaky line choice. My Fox Suspension absorbed every bump and the Prime accelerated like a drag racer after every pump. The trail dropped onto Quattro track, descending into the trees and valley floor while scenes of Jedi Speeder bikes ran through my head. It was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my racing career and I could not stop talking about it to fellow racers preparing to make their way up for their race runs. A short break to allow all riders a chance to make it down the hill and we were being shuttled back up for the third and final stage that would bring us all the way down the hill in one go. Starting on a trail named Slippery Waka(a large chicken like native bird) for its slippery and rooty nature and tough flat turns, this proved to be the hardest part of the race for me as I made numerous mistakes due to poor line choice. I was ecstatic and slightly anaerobic once I reached the flow trail of Bermed As. My quads and calfs burned as I pumped, jumped and cautiously navigated hairpin corners. The track is well ridden and fast, most likely a favorite afterwork ride by the trail builders, but it was real loose through the corners with renegade rocks just looking for a front wheel and heart to break. The end was in sight as I sprinted a blocks length of road and turned down onto Kidknappers, the 12 loosest, steepest, shall rock littered turns before the finish line sprint. My Shimano XT brakes eased my mind as I knew I could go hard into the corners without failure to slow up. The finish arena is extremely exposed, and the growing amount of spectators observing from across the road took in all of the excitement until the last rider made his way down making for a ruckus and wild atmosphere. I was extremely knackered as they say, and utilized the frosty river below the finish to relieve my screaming leg muscles, enjoy the days achievements and take in the wonderment of where my journey has led me so far.

The event was a huge success, the shuttles and timing ran like clockwork as the race promoters had all the logistics figured out. It was an honor to be apart of this event as it was inspiring to see how many people one man could bring together through his hard work and efforts in the mountain bike community. A BBQ feast ensued down by the river as riders splashed around, friends old and new told tales from their day and with the massive amount of swag available, it seemed like everyone came away with something, but everyone came away with huge ass smiles on their faces. After my first event of the year in the books I was pleased to find myself in 6th place overall, a near 5 seconds from 3rd with a combined time of 28:12. The weekend was a great success, in the midst of their summer I felt like I wasn't far of pace in my riding, however I could do to find a bit more fitness. This recaps the best race weekend of my life, wish you all could have been there, and for those that were I'll hopefully see you next year!

Results

Race Coverage


Thank you all for your support as we look forward to more racing adventures like this one in 2013.

X-Fusion Title Sponsor of Ashland Mountain Challenge

X-Fusion proudly announces today its title sponsorship of the Ashland Mountain Challenge Mountain Bike Enduro for 2013. The Ashland Mountain Challenge (AMC) is in its 4th year, with prior history as the 12 Mile Super D. This year, the AMC will be organized as a true Enduro style event, and racers will be competing in more stages and riding more trails than previous years.
 
“Our goal is to grow with the current explosion of Enduro racing, as well as provide racers with more time on their bike and a better overall experience”, says Bill Roussel , AMC Race Director. Bill also added, “Having X-Fusion as our title sponsor this year is very special to me. This is a suspension company that I have been testing with for the last 3 years and I continue to be blown away by their commitment to performance, quality and reliability.”
 
The 2013 event will encompass both the Eastern and Western ridges of Mt. Ashland. Racers from the Pro and Cat 1 categories will race on one ridge, while the Cat 2 riders start their race simultaneously on the other ridge. Once finished, racers will then be shuttled to the next leg/ridge. There will be climbs involved to get to each stage, but not timed. Only the descents will be timed, which will have small burst type climbs and other physical challenges. This format promises to reward racers that are skilled, fit and on bikes that can handle technical terrain while being efficient around the mountain.
 
Adds X-Fusion Marketing Manger John Hauer: “X-Fusion has spent a ton of saddle time ripping down the Ashland trails and has held a close relationship with Bill Roussel of Ashland Mountain Adventures. When the opportunity to support such a unique event at what we feel is one of the most ideal venues in North America for Enduro racing, we had to jump on it.”
 
Event Date: Saturday June 22nd, 2013
 
To register go to www.ashlandmountainadventures.com and click on the race page Starting March 1st, 2013.
 
Event Sponsors: X-Fusion, e*thirteen by The hive, Ashland Mountain Adventures, Kali, WTB, Smith Optics, Clif Bar, Specialized, Decline, Ibis, ProGold Lubricants, Standing Stone Brewing Co., HWY 68 Hillbillies.

2012 VP Components Dirt Club Enduro

The VP DIRT CLUB ENDURO was  a fun ride with friends- going easy on the hills but pinned on fast, fun, descents, with timing and prizes.  Who could ask for anything more?  Watch the video- it tells the story!

We are also in the planning stages of a November event because the riders were so stoked on this event, and of course we are planning for a bigger 2013 event that keeps the successful smooth and mellow vibe of our first event.

Thanks to all of our sponsors: VP Components, Body Armor, X Fusion Shocks, Light and Motion, KHS Bicycles, TRP Brakes, Cane Creek, Kore, T.H.E. Industries, Kenda, Nema Brand Clothing, Decline Magazine, Mountain Khakis, Gamut, SDG, TIME, MRP, Adidas Eyewear, Lazer, SR Suntour, Novatec, Osprey, Clean Bottle, WTB.  Thanks also to Volunteers, Staff, and the Riders.

OPEN MEN RACE RUN DOWN:  

Session 1 was composed of 6 timed runs and saw runs averaging 2:30 with saddle time around 2 hours for 2000 feet of climbing (and descending).  The overall DH flavor made mistakes costly, but there was a big incentive to ride the hardest lines as they could be worth as much as a full minute at the end of the day.  Anthony Medaglia posted the fast time in the opening session of 11:59.2 combined for all 6 runs.  Craig Harvey trailed him by only 4 seconds with former BMX pro Jared Kolich down by only 12 seconds.  

Session 2 was held after a big break of hanging out, live blues, beer, and tri-tip sandwiches.  Once the sun went down, the lights came on and the riders rolled out to tackle two timed sessions.  A big thanks to Light and Motion in the night session who supported the event with free demo lights to anyone who didn’t have lights of their own.  Anthony Medaglia again put the hammer down and did his two runs in 6:30.7 thanks in part to some aggressive line selection in the dark.  Jordan Lopez was second best 13 seconds later with Craig Harvey 18 seconds back.

Session 3 featured the most pedaling with a slight climb that a fit rider could blast over, and also included a few floaters, doubles, a 25 footer, and a long high speed off-camber section of trail.  There were 4 timed stages on the final day and Jordan Lopez got the most power to the rear wheel, hit the jumps, stayed off the brakes, and posted the fastest time in 11:31.3 followed by Medaglia in 11:33.8.  Third position went to John Hauer, 18 seconds in arrears.

Anthony Medaglia turned out to be the best of the bunch with Jordan Lopez and Craig Harvey rounding out the podium in second and third respectively.  Jarrett Kolich and Tom Obrien occupied the spots just off the steps in fourth and fifth.

Results

Place	Name	Team	Class	Bib	Saturday AM	Saturday PM	Sunday	Total
1	Anthony Medaglia	SRAM Factory	Open / Expert Men	6	0:11:59.2	0:06:30.7	0:11:33.8	0:30:03.7
2	Jordan Lopez	SPECIALIZED / Victory Velo Racing	Open / Expert Men	7	0:12:19.7	0:06:43.9	0:11:31.3	0:30:34.9
3	Craig Harvey	Harvey Custom Homes	Open / Expert Men	1	0:12:04.5	0:06:49.2	0:11:58.3	0:30:52.0
4	Jarrett Kolich		Open / Expert Men	4	0:12:11.1	0:07:13.4	0:11:54.9	0:31:19.4
5	Tom O’Brien		Open / Expert Men	8	0:12:25.8	0:07:10.5	0:12:06.9	0:31:43.2
6	John Hauer	X-Fusion	Open / Expert Men	2	0:13:52.4	0:06:39.6	0:11:49.7	0:32:21.7
7	Michael Cody	Best Friends Bike Club	Open / Expert Men	5	0:13:07.8	0:07:12.3	0:12:44.2	0:33:04.3
8	Cedar Kyes	Devinci / X-Fusion	Open / Expert Men	3	0:12:46.4	0:07:28.3	0:13:42.8	0:33:57.5
1	Mary Moncorge	Santa Cruz Bikes / Endura / Kali	Open / Expert Women	30	0:14:10.1	0:07:58.4	0:14:26.2	0:36:34.7
2	Olivia Harkness		Open / Expert Women	31	0:16:37.6	0:20:40.7	0:15:52.9	0:53:11.2
1	Nathan Loyal	Team Helen’s	Expert Men 35+	46	0:14:26.3	0:07:33.8	0:13:57.3	0:35:57.4
1	Christopher Muntz		Sport Men 19-34	43	0:13:36.1	0:07:55.2	0:13:08.3	0:34:39.6
2	Aaron Guerrero		Sport Men 19-34	42	0:14:49.9	0:08:08.2	0:14:14.1	0:37:12.2
3	Patrick Green		Sport Men 19-34	53	0:14:39.7	DNS	0:13:40.0
1	Ted McToldridge		Sport Men 35+	47	0:12:57.3	0:06:53.8	0:12:14.4	0:32:05.5
2	Blake Garnand		Sport Men 35+	54	0:13:02.0	0:07:15.1	0:13:13.9	0:33:31.0
3	Luke Jones	Dirt Club	Sport Men 35+	48	0:15:40.1	0:08:42.0	0:15:27.0	0:39:49.1
4	Gary Lucia	NEMA	Sport Men 35+	45	0:21:35.7	0:09:23.6	0:17:53.3	0:48:52.6
5	Andy Somerville	Team Duke	Sport Men 35+	52	0:17:02.6	DNS	0:15:18.2
6	Mike Tjaden		Sport Men 35+	41	0:15:52.0	DNS	DNS	DNF
1	Joshua LaForge		Beginner Men 19-34	40	0:17:58.0	0:09:25.3	0:16:55.2	0:44:18.5
2	Demar Morris		Beginner Men 19-34	44	0:23:37.5	0:10:23.9	0:20:06.8	0:54:08.2
1	Damion Dasaro	Ten Four Graphics	Beginner Men 35+	49	0:16:59.7	0:08:58.6	0:15:54.6	0:41:52.9
1	Thomas Phelan		Junior Men	50	0:07:21.3	0:08:46.6	0:15:56.2	0:32:04.1
2	Gus Phelan		Junior Men	51	0:07:48.3	0:09:14.4	0:17:44.5	0:34:47.2