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…)
I’m Back!! CCCX 12/18/11
Needless to say, I am SO STOKED to be back riding and racing again! It was awesome being back in the mix at the December 18th CCCX race in Toro Park. I had some worthy competitors – Kieran MacKinnon (1st), Ben Cruz (2nd), Jeff Kendall-Weed (3rd), Ryan Condrashoff (4th) and Ian Massey (5th), but I just missed podium with my 6th place. Still, not bad for 5 months away!
Next stop – a few more CCCX and maybe a Fontana or two.
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!
Surgery Scheduled for Thursday, August 4
It’s official. Opinions have been collected and weighed, and I’m off my knee until it is fully healed. Surgery is scheduled with the venerable Dr. Jeffrey McGillicuddy of Roseville Sutter Orthopedics on August 4.
I’ll be off crutches after 3 weeks, but no riding or strenuous activities for 3-5 months. Guess I’ll just have to focus the strenuous activities on my brain!
Hairy Woods Bike Park open for friends who would like to come and ride. I can drive the shuttle truck. I’ve been working on some new features – jumps, downhill training trails and slalom training trails that should be challenging and fun.
Got a few people scheduled to hang out the week before Northstar for some pre-race prep and testing. Join us!