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jack
08-04-2008, 07:38 PM
Oh Canada,

I promised Kev and Aoibhe I would let everyone know how great it is over in the west coast of Canada. I meant to do it at the end of last week but went to the pub instead!

Well I went of to see Kev and Aoibhe over in Canada a few weeks ago; I land on the Friday at lunchtime after a 9.5 hour flight. The guys picked me up from the airport and we headed straight over to the north shore for my first sample of the great trails Kev had promised me. We put my bike together on the side of the road and headed up a gentle logging road to the start for the trails. I as feeling a bit nervous as I was a bit tired from the flight and didn’t want to bin myself the first trail but had no worries the trail was called 7th which led on to a trial called Pipeline both were fecking great really flowy over rocks and roots which were supper dry so you had lots of grip. The trail was really well maintained no horrible ruts, parts were even armoured with cobbles to help keep the trail in-tacked. I finished with a big smile on my face and looking forward to the rest of the trip.

Saturday and Sunday was spent in Squamish, where Kev and Aoibhe live and is surrounded by 166 trails of different levels and all marked on a Map so you can find your way around. Again the trails were super to ride and even drier than on the North Shore as I discovered as I nearly washed out on a dusty corner 5 mins into the spin. The trails were fast and twisty and I was trying my best to keep up with Kev you was flying down the trials. Also the scenery and views at different parts of the spin where just great, surrounded by mountains. There were also reports of a cougar on some of the trails we would be riding which added to the excitement.

Monday saw us head up to Whistler bike park, a different type of trial than before and still very dry and dusty. All suited up with the full face and pads we rode the chairlift up to the middle section and hit the trails. There were lots for different types of trails with berms with braking bumps, wood and jumps. All at different levels so you can build yourself up to try more difficult trails. All were fecking great fun to ride and end up back by the chairlift, with a small queue we were able to get lots of runs in. In the Afternoon and I headed up to the top of the mountain, which had longer and tougher trails. Was beaten by top granite slabs but apart from that rode everything else, which included a trail called ‘in to deep’ that had to be the gnarlist thing I have ridden on a bike. Had a really great days biking, we even got a cheeky last ride by persuading the chairlift guy to let us go up for a final spin down ‘Crank it up’ even though the lift was closed, so Kev and I just tore down the track.

Well it was a great first four days, crammed to the brim with biking. We did lots more later in the week which included shooting and biking, which I’ll report on tomorrow or something.

Jack

Don
08-04-2008, 07:58 PM
Great stuff, shooting and biking? I've been dreaming of such an event for years.

Nivek
08-12-2008, 04:50 AM
Tell us more dude, it sounds Zesty, just remember to catch me you would have had to catch and pass Aoibhe first ;-)

You missed the spin we did last saturday, biked up to the peak of whistler and then all the way back down black and double black with some big granite slabs all the way down to the valley floor

jack
08-13-2008, 08:16 PM
Right the second instalment of my trip to Canada,

After the busy four days of biking, Kev and Aoibhe had to go back to work, so I met up with Kev in the evening for a spin on a trail further north of Whistler. The trail was called PHD. We park on the side of the road and headed up the logging road through a concrete plant. About a 45 min climb up the road got us to the start of the trial. A small amount of traversing and we headed down and I was introduced to steep almost vertical granite slabs, the first couple were properly about 3m high. The trial continued with dry loose corners and more granite drops to deal with, started to get into the flow and was flying along. By the end I was really enjoyed riding down the granite slabs and only wish the really big ones at the start were at the end when in I was felling the mojo and would have given them a go. Never mind!

Wednesday night was the Squamish MTB social ride, which this week was shooting and biking. 2 dollars let you enter the race and have food afterwards. The event was biathlon but cycling instead of skiing. We were even using the proper guns and targets, Fecking brilliant. We were randomly put into teams of three. Each team member would do a lap of a short course, shoot, any targets missed meant a lap of the penalty loop then the short course a again, shoot, then a final lap of the course before the next team member headed out. Lots of riders of different abilities and speeds all having fun out on they bikes.

Saturday was the Gearjammer, a 47km race around the trails in Squamish. Really enjoyed the race the trails were fantastic. Tough going at the end on the Heckler but happy I finished in a reasonably time of just over 4 hours. Would liked to have been quicker but didn’t what to beat Kev on his home ground!!!

Monday we headed back to the Whistler bike park for my last days biking in Canada. Had rain a bit on the Sunday so the trials were a little different to ride at the start. Did pretty much the same as we had done the Monday before but was riding faster from the start. We headed up to the top of the mountain, where I had to ride the two granite slabs I had missed before. Easy I tell you, way more grippy then I was expecting. Not like the ones in Wicklow!

I have to say it was the best biking I’ve done so far and one of the best holidays I’ve had. The place was relaxed and chilled and so geared up for biking it was great. The bike park was great but there is so many deadly trials in the mountains around it would take you a long time to get board with the place.

Thanks again Kev and Aoibhe for a great trip… totally Zesty dude!

Jack

voodoofruit
08-16-2008, 01:22 AM
Any time Briack...

I saw Stevie Smiths Mammy yesterday... and Stevie Smith too, he's so cute! Crankworks is well under way... theres dust everywhere and every second person in Whistler has some form of injury...

Basil Fawlty
08-16-2008, 04:19 PM
Hey Jack, next time that drop off to the fire road at the end of McMoab will seem easy!

lovethebunny
08-19-2008, 01:48 AM
Jaysus that makes the place sound almost good, I'll have to find out one day. Who wants to hear about the bike trails in the arctic?

Nivek
08-19-2008, 05:38 AM
You were invited on all those spins but you had to
Wash your hair
go shopping
wash the truck
change your tyre pressure
cut your nails
go biking on spongy arctic trails
go for long walks on the beach

I haven't seen you on a spin for months now