The Best Christmas Ever
Christmas Day Mammoth Bar Shuttle with Kris, Avery and Wyatt Morin and Geoff Pitts
What more could anyone ask for? Christmas Day, incredible weather, riding with my bro and a gaggle of stoked young riders and their parents! 3rd from left – Wyatt Morin with his Christmas present – a Morewood Izimu DH, 5th from left is Avery Morin with her Christmas present – Joanna Peterson’s race machine – a Specialized Demo 8! Mom Kris Morin is in between them, ready to shred! I’m 3rd from right, next to my bro Geoff Pitts (2nd from right).
When Geoff had enough of shredding (he prefers 46 hp between his legs), he did some Pro LifeBlasting photography of me.
Photo: Geoff Pitts/LifeBlasters
For more photos of me and friends, see inside….. (more…)
A Visit from Canfield Brothers, Lance that is….
As if the holidays weren’t enough fun already, Christmas night brought a nice surprise, and it didn’t come in Santa’s sleigh – it came in Canfield Brothers’ Sprinter van! What is there to do when Lance Canfield and Michelle Good show up? RIDE OF COURSE!!! XC, DH, Moto. If it has wheels, we will ride it!
Connor Kuhns, me and Lance Canfield before setting out on 30 miles of the tightest, twistiest trails you'll ever find
We must have eaten too much Christmas dinner, because we still had too much energy. Next up – an 18 mile Super D trail near my house. Well, maybe we didn’t have that much energy, because we weren’t too quick and almost lost enough light to ride home…. (more…)
2011 Goes Out with Some Hacking
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Among some of 2011′s challenges was discovering that my website had disappeared. Fortunately, much of the content was able to be restored, but it’s going to take some time to insert all the photos and customizing. Thanks for your patience while that work gets done! Check back soon – it should all be in place shortly.
First Ride
Never thought I would be so happy to ride a beach cruiser on a flat paved trail!!!
Got cleared for take off yesterday at Dr. McGillicuddy’s office, but only flat, safe stuff. We had an appointment today with the President of the USA, but we cancelled it so I wouldn’t waste a minute before getting back on the saddle.
It felt tremendously good to be back on two wheels. The dead person in my knee is happy, and looking forward to what else I have planned for him.
As for the bike, I won it in 2005 at Northstar, when their raffles used to be awesome. This is the first time it’s ever actually been ridden, but it was exactly the right thing for today.
Geometry feels pretty good, maybe a shorter stem and wider bars would be a good decision – better cornering. Maybe some clips and a WTB seat that does not resemble a tractor seat 
Northstar Pro GRT
The Pro Women’s Podium finishers and yours truly – (l-r) Darian Harvey, Cierra Smith, Tassa Herndon, me and first place finisher, Katie Holden
This race was my first outing as a free man! It was so awesome to be at Northstar, even if I wasn’t on two wheels. Being on two legs was sufficient.
The course was gnarly and sick, on par with what Northstar is known for. Every rider that came down was stoked because either they survived a near-fatal run or managed to cheat death and walk away from a crash. Look inside for more pics from the event…. (more…)
Let the Physio Begin!
Well, I never thought the day would arrive when I would get the go ahead to get off the crutches and put some weight on my left leg. On Monday, August 29, I had my first appointment with Kevin Ivey of Ivey Physical Therapy, in Grass Valley.
Here I am doing leg lifts to activate my quad muscle, which hasn’t suffered too much. That really amazes me because the only thing I’ve exercised in the last 3 weeks is my armpit muscles! Crutches are evil! In fact, Kevin was impressed with what progress I was able to make in my first visit. Hopefully, this trend will continue.
I’ve got PT 3 times a week for the next 8 weeks, and now I can even get on my wind trainer – no resistance, but what the heck, it’s a bicycle! I’ll let you guys know when the pain really starts. I’ve been warned that it should happen sometime next week.
In the meantime, I’ve also been working on the muscle in between my ears. Right now, I’m in the middle of “Talent is Overrated”, by Geoff Colvin. Funny thing is that it reinforces a lot of what I have always done, deliberate training, but quantifies it in historical and scientific proof. Bottom line – there is no such thing as innate talent, just serious, hard work. It’s great to have fun, but if you’re passionate and committed about what you do, the training has a purpose and seems worthwhile.
Keep the rubber side down!
The Big Wait
Road map for ACL reconstruction
I emerged from surgery in an anesthetic haze, but back in one piece, with some kind dead person’s Achilles tendon screwed into place. Dr. McGillicuddy is an engineering wizard, and the map on my leg shows what a Master’s degree in Engineering can do for an M.D.
I’ve got 3 weeks of crutches with strict instructions for no weight bearing on my left foot. Then, physio begins and my proactive recovery can really start to take shape.
In the meantime, I was lucky to get introduced to Glen Albaugh, one of the world’s top Pro golf coaches/sports psychologist, and I’m using my recovery time to work on my mental game. Interesting, but Glen recommends some of the same books Gene Hamilton (BetterRide) has also suggested. Here’s the list: (more…)
EVS Web Hazard Knee Brace
In the process of cross training for the Crested Butte Pro GRT #4, I hit the trails around my house on my moto last Sunday. I was doing uphill time trials when devastation struck – I stuck my foot out and my heel caught a root, which locked my knee out and hyperextended it. On my ride home, I felt that I might just be ok and get through it, but when I got to the house and couldn’t go up the stairs, I knew I was in trouble.
After a night of elevation and icing, we got scheduled to see the most awesome orthopedic surgeon – Dr. McGillicuddy in Roseville, CA. He offered some hope – there wasn’t any swelling at all, but after pulling on my leg, he wasn’t so certain. ”Sure seems like you have a torn ACL!” He is still perplexed though, and the jury is out until I have an MRI. Let’s hope for the best.
While I wait for the MRI, we decided to hit the road for the race I was supposed to do in Crested Butte, CO, even though racing was out of the picture. Might as well make some noise for Turner Dark Horse Racing! Upon my arrival, the first stop I made was to pick up my awesome new EVS Web Hazard knee brace, which was waiting for me at the condo lobby. I know I should have had two of these before I got on my moto, but I’m stoked to have it now, and I’m doubly stoked to introduce it to the Downhill mountain bike racing/riding community!
About the EVS Web Hazard Knee Brace:
In short – this brace fits like a glove. It is very solid and stable, with a smooth range of motion and a variety of angle adjustment chips to fine tune it to your specific comfort. There’s no denying that the Nitro Circus styling looks awesome!! I intend to ride both Moto AND Downhill with this as soon as I’m back in the saddle.
At the event, the Web Hazard attracted a lot of attention – all DH racers suffer from either past knee issues or the risk of them, so everyone wanted to know everything about it. The proof, however, was that I was able to spend the whole weekend on the mountain walking comfortably – without my EVS, I would have been on crutches.
Showing off my new EVS knee brace to curious racers
- Stay tuned for next Tuesday, when I get the results from my MRI…..
Anatomy of a Crash: Plattekill Pro GRT#3
Plattekill Pro GRT#3 Photo: Matt DeLorme
Crashes happen. Â All the time. Â This one from Thursday’s practice at Plattekill Pro GRT #3 was worth writing about:
The first 5 or so runs were totally epic! I know this course so well; it’s not like having to learn a new course for an important race.
So everything’s just flowing great and I’m having an awesome time when I head down the steep section just before the tribute to Evel Kneivel (translation: super steep before a dirt kicker into a fadeaway). Just then, my feet (which were clipped in) blow out of my pedals… (more…)