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.
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.
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!
Shredding Carlmont
One from the archives: New Year’s Eve 2010 was spent with Tasso, Keith Moreland, Bridgette LeBer, Jamie Moreland, Connor Kuhns and some of the C-mont locals shredding some prime freeride real estate. We had an awesome time riding; Keith and I staged a whip comp and after that, we watched Will Scharninghausen rack up the air miles on the jump Mega Pimpin.
Carlmont has some history – some of the Bay Area’s best riders grew up near here and it’s been featured in numerous AllOut Production Videos. The place lives up to its name – it is really fun, has some unique training features and there are always some gnarly locals who are fun to ride with!
Thanks to Aaron Chao for capturing the day!
Plattekill from behind Mike Lord’s Lens
Photo: Mike Lord Six3Events.com
Another awesome photo from Mike Lord!
Find yourself, or just look at awesome shots in his photo gallery at http://www.six3events.com/
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…)
Welcome to the New, Improved Graeme Pitts Website
Welcome to my new website! Â The old one ran into terminal technical difficulties, so please pardon our appearance as we strive to repopulate a new one!