During the BC Bike Race, many of us had a chance to check out the new Shimano XTR 980 group for the first time. Some sponsored riders like Geoff Kabush and Melanie McQuaid even had the opportunity to race most of the week on the new parts. I was fortunate to be able to take some short rides on bikes equipped with the group and even interview Paul Thomasberg from Shimano regarding the latest edition of XTR.

Thomasberg is a long-time Oregon resident and was schooling the race scene when I began riding in the early nineties. By then, Paul had already been developing the first ever XTR group as part of Shimano’s Skunkworks, and was well on his way to being inducted into the MTB Hall of Fame in 2004. Like many other riders of the old-school, Thomasberg competed in all disciplines of mountain bike racing even finishing on the podium at the 1990 World Downhill Championships and at the NORBA Nationals. He helped found Central Oregon Trail Alliance (COTA) and is likely quite responsible for turning the Bend area into the MTB mecca it has become.

While the new XTR is similar in function to the 970 vintage it replaces, it has gained more refinement and polish–literally. It could be the most cosmetically appealing XTR since 900 as it returns to its roots of forged and finished aluminum. Innovation definitely goes more than skin-deep with major changes throughout the group. The two most prominent being more a general philosophy: Dyna-Sys and Rider-Tuned. While the parts themselves all see some modification, the 10 speed drive train and brakes seem the most obvious.

Dyna-Sys is what Shimano hopes to be the next big revolution in shifting for mountain bikes. I can remember the original SIS groups and wonder if there may be more than just a literal corollary! Dyna-Sys includes a 10 speed cog set that offers a wide range of gears in the back mated to a close ratio front crank set. As Shimano has continued to develop technologies to improve shifting, this next step includes an asymmetric chain which even further integrates the shifting both front and rear mechanisms. While racers will be offered double front crank sets, most riders will find the triple ring options more seamless and functional in gear selection.

Rider-Tuned is the mantra behind the new XTR–it allows different types of riders to select different options with XTR. This is most evidenced in the double/triple cranks and the brakes where the “Trail” version features Servo-Wave technology for more power and modulation at the same weight as 970. For the racer crowd, the standard brake weighs a couple ounces less and is still packed with tremendous performance. After riding them, I have to say it has the most incredible feel of anything currently on the market! Changes don’t stop there as the pistons are now ceramic and the rotors are a combination of steel and aluminum to keep the performance high even when the heat is on.

The wheels and pedals will also have “Trail” options with wider rims and larger platforms being the notable difference. Speaking of pedals, the race version of the 980 pedal is also refined with a considerably lower stack height, larger platform, and even more mud clearance. This is great since it also seems to retain the bomb-proof internals that have made Shimano SPD pedals the industry standard since the beginning.

Other small but important changes include the return of a clamp-on left crank arm eliminating the need for special tools required for the 970.The left shifter now has a switch for double or triple crank sets, and front derailleurs also come specific to both applications. Unfortunately for some, two technologies will be discontinued with the latest revision: Dual Control levers and Rapid Rise or low-normal rear derailleurs. While Shimano will still support those innovations, the market hasn’t embraced them despite the obvious performance advantages. Instead XTR derailleurs will adopt the Shadow geometry for improvements in rigidity, weight savings, and durability.

It seems that Shimano has set another standard with the new XTR 980 group. While it remains to be seen if it will have the same impact of earlier versions despite the more competitive component market this time around, my first impressions were favorable. If all the victories at BC Bike Race are any indication, then the new XTR will continue to set the standard for MTB race performance!

Finally finished the Cascade Creampuff 100! Last year I rode this event for the first time and it just didn’t work out. This time around the weather was perfect and my Ibis Tranny ready to roll singlespeed.

We took off at the ridiculously early before sunrise start and I rode away from the rest on the first climb. It was more about pushing the 38-18 gear than trying to drop anyone but I even had time to stop and open my cooler for some bottles at the top.

The race wasn’t without issue, though, as my rear brake rotor cracked on the first descent leaving me with a dragging useless brake. Not only did it slow me on the climbs but barely worked on the descents making it hard to go as fast as I should have.

It ended up being fast enough as I was only passed by one other rider and won the singlespeed category. The course was awesome and hard–truly living up to the billing as one of the most challenging and fun MTB centuries around!

Day Zero—Prologue. North Vancouver

I put an old race acquaintance, Bruce Dickman on a plane from Birmingham earlier this week to help me with driving for the 2010 BC Bike Race. Bruce is pretty well known on the east coast and down south for his exploits MC’ing all types of cycling events. He is also an avid mountain biker, well versed in the general racing schlep-fest and keeps flexible schedule.

We headed north yesterday and of course experienced traffic purgatory in Seattle. Apparently Washingtonians know each and every time I travel the I-5 corridor and immediately wreck, stall or otherwise jam the freeway with vehicles to impede progress as much as possible. After spending 6 hours simply getting past Seattle things cleared up and we found a cruddy motel in Blaine for quick border access this morning.

I visited the gas station convenience store across the street for a snack. I perused the aisles for something that might not kill me and found nothing except a cup of joe. When I paid for it the proprietor started shaking me down for shop lifting! I emptied my pockets of keys, wallet and phone and then proceeded to explain to the fool and even if I was a thief I wouldn’t bother since every item in his store was full of sugar, saturated fat and a variety of chemicals OSHA would require gloves, goggles, boots and apron to handle!

We crossed the border with no further cavity searches amd made it to registration less than an hour after it opened. Evidently the BC Bike Race crew planned a marathon que and a short MTB ride for today as it took about four hours of lines to accomplish registration at which point there was another two hour wait for the prologue start.

The prologue was took most people about 10 minutes and consisted of a variety of surfaces and technicalities. Overall it was really pretty RAD and just about perfect for the first day. Chris Sheppard set the pace and the rest of us filled in behind within about a two minute window. Barry Wicks and Kris Sneddon won the open duo and Geoff Kabush and Katherine Pendrel the mixed. It was my first ride on the IBIS Mojo and WOW—love at first bike! Climbs like a goat, descends like a butterfly and felt like an old friend. Special thanks also to NoTubes and Manitou suspension for also making this trip possible!

Day 2—Stage One. Nanaimo

WOW, that was a beautiful ride Started the day with a ferry ride across to Vancouver Island and started the stage with RCMP (Royal Canuckian Mounting Police—er something like that) escort through Nanaimo before climbing out of town to a frenetic funnel into in a sickening single track climb. During the chaos another bike rear-ended my Mojo and busted the rear derailleur housing which resulted in endless skipping regardless of gear selection for the ensuing punchy climbs.

Since there were no less than hundreds of roots, rocks and steps-ups I was off the bike countless times nashing my teeth and cursing my luck at which point I had an epiphany of sorts: I love racing and I love riding technical trails but I found out today they can be mutually exclusive. Once I resigned myself to the reality of riding a really janky three speed for 80+ kilometers and relaxed, things became ridiculously fun. In fact, more fun than I have ever had in a “race”. There was something refreshing and exhilarating about NOT being cross-eyed in the single track, NOT getting a flat, NOT wrecking or coming close, and actually being able to look for the sick lines and enjoy the ride!

After the first loop, we did another equally awesome collection of single track silliness that leaves me in awe… Who builds all this and how does it stay so sick and buff? There must be an undocumented species of trail gnome indigenous to British Columbia doing all this…

Sheppard, Wicks/Sneddon, and Kabush/Pendrel all moved to consolidate their leads with victories in each of the open divisions.

The sun began to burn through this afternoon and shone brightly on all the post race smiles. In fact the trails are incredibly dry so far and the forecast is for improving weather for the remainder of the week. Oh, yeah!!!

Day 3—Stage Two, Cumberland

We began the day with an hour drive from base camp to the start in Cumberland. As karma would have it, one of the racer buses broke down resulting in some serious anxiety. Alls well that ends well and it seemed like most of them made the start only ended up being delayed a few minutes. The race began ape-crazy with everyone thinking they would get out front for the trails that started almost immediately.

Of course that isn’t possible so I just rode along and lost some time prior to the first open road section where I was able to put the pedals down a little harder. Thankfully my gams were respondent despite yesterday’s over-gear punishment and I was able to move up a bit. However, things came apart on each of the next couple single track sections as first I blew a turn and then I didn’t see a cut off post and smacked a pedal on it. Both times a boob snuck by to check our speed prior to the next road work.

Finally we hit the big climb of the day and after several miles things had sorted out pretty well. I managed to pass the last riders in sight just as we entered downhill trails and it was pure unadulterated shred-bliss. Up, down, French braided roots, chutes, ladders and rock slabs galore. This went on without interruption for miles and without riders to deal with I was alone with my only vice and addiction and loving every second of it!

Finally my own little session came to an end and I passed Blake Harlan just before the second significant climb. He seemed to have slowed but then came back like a pesky little flea leaping up the steep pitch in nearly a single bound. Soon he was out of sight and mind and other than some of the “challenge” (shorter daily distance) riders I didn’t see another rider until Harlan Price caught up just a few k’s from the finish. We rode in together and learned that Sheppard, Wicks/Sneddon, and Kabush/Pendrel had all won again.

Day four—Stage 3, Powell River

Today we woke up to beautiful sunny skies with a few puffy clouds drifting up over the mountains of Vancouver Island. Leaving Courtenay we drove a short bit down to the ferry for a ride back to mainland North America and the isolated coastal town of Powell River, It was a older, smaller ferry so some extra time was needed to pack all the race vehicles on board. This resulted in a late departure and the start being pushed back an hour to one in the afternoon.

BCBR crew made a brilliant decision to break the start up into groups of 50 riders which definitely made things more manageable. Since all the timing is electronic this year, each rider doesn’t actually “start” the clock until they cross the timing mats. Hopefully they consider this approach for other stages since it really makes the start safer and helps establish a reasonable order once the trails begin.

The racing began literally a stone’s throw from the ocean and climbed a bit of road and double track that led us up onto a wooded plateau above town. Most of the rest of track consisted of rolling, tight, deep woods trails that tested us relentlessly. It could have been the hardest three hours of racing I have every done! The serpentine line of endless ups, downs, roots, and bridges kept my legs on fire. Apparently my plan to “take it easy” this week was impossible, and I was fully in the pain cave today.

While it was hard and hurt a lot, I was again in awe of the ridiculousness of it all—these trails are triple-sick and seem almost endless. Whilst racing through these woods we pass countless options leaving us to wonder how much more we are missing! In the end, I was able to preserve my precarious 10th place position over all and hope for some respite from the intensity thrown down by my fellow racers.

With another short night ahead it will be interesting to see who recovers for tomorrow’s ultimate single track onslaught in time!

Day 5—Stage 4, Sechelt

It was hump day on the BC Bike Race just like most of you at home. It felt like a typical Wednesday for a lot of us as “murphy’s law” seemed to be in full effect. We have all heard that “history repeats itself” and the definition of insanity is repeating the same mistake… Well, both were true for me today!

If yesterday was one of my hardest three hour rides then today was close but a different kind of hard and still a beating for sure. We began the day with another ferry ride to Earl’s Cove where the racing began with a bit of road work followed by a new trail skirting the 101 highway heading south. The new track was a work of art, but consisted of a rolling series of steep climbs and descents that immediately brutalized my bum leg into submission. It seems that the stage racing MO for most riders consists of going as hard as possible until blowing apart. So while I was out the back to start, I immediately began to ride up through riders as they petered out.

We were riding a point-to-point course to the little coastal town of Sechelt. The majority of the day was spent following a powerline right-of-way with a series of trails on each side of the access road. In 2007, we missed several of the turns off the power lines and today was the same story for many again. Déjà vu began with Harlan Price missing and turn and coming back onto the trail just ahead of me. Then I proceeded to miss the very next turn and ended up picking up the trail further on just as some of the fastest riders were passing through. I turned around a only lost about 10 minutes getting back to the same point via the single track. In the process, was able to chase back to my approximate position within a few miles.

Shortly thereafter my front tire inexplicably went flat while riding down a benign gravel road. This delay was compounded by the seat bag zipper refusing to open so I just ripped the bag apart and I added some air. I rode on without further deflation to checkpoint two again regaining most of the positions I lost trailside. However, I immediately gave most of the time back topping off the tire and then chased back up through the same riders for the third time as the course climbed into some beautiful single track for the final descent into town. These trails had a bit more flow compared to yesterday which took the edge of the ridiculously steep grades.

Finally, we turned downhill and I was really enjoying the ride and looking forward to a grin filled descent to base camp. Just as we came to a fire road break I again missed another turn and the road turned steeply downhill. I was to the bottom in less than a mile before coming to the demoralizing conclusion that I was off course. Rather than facing the impossibly steep climb of nearly a thousand vertical feet, I continued on the road until reaching a more prominent road and turned back toward town. Soon it merged with the missed single track. Not only did I skip some fun riding, but I also passed a few riders for a fourth time indicating that more time was lost with the wrong turn.

After a few more climbs we came back to the power line for a short drop into Sechelt. Towards the bottom there were a bunch of spectators lining the double track and I went left to pass a slower riding only to discover a massive washout ditch. I tried to cut back to the right but scrubbed the front tire into the ditch and went over the bars much to the satisfaction of the assembled onlookers. Guess it was a fitting end to a frustrating day with Mr. M…

The last time I participated in BC Bike Race in 2007, the stage to Sechelt was our worst while the next stage was our best. Lets hope history repeats itself as the insanity continues…

Day 6—Stage 5, Sechelt

I awoke this morning to sea gulls squawking outside the window—at 5am! After closing the window and burying my head under a pillow I dozed off only to be roused by the neighbors about doing laps in their room with bike shoes. This went on for two hours until I finally got up at seven with an hour to prepare for the start. Apparently these folks were foreigners, because every Canadian I know takes their shoes off indoors!

Today is Canada Day when the folks here celebrate their nation like we do on the Fourth of July. Unfortunately, the weather decided to rain on the parade and it was pissing by the time I left the motel. For those who don’t know, I despise riding my bike in the rain and today was going to be no exception. The skies continued to open and as soon as we rolled off the start our bath began with a trip through some city streets and onto a sandy gravel climb through the local dump.

Folks were off their bikes, walking up the hill and the stench was hardly dampened by the rain. Thankfully Sechelt dump is small and even the local bears were staying under cover. The next obstacle was a thigh deep creek crossing that pretty much was the literal icing on my cake. I was soaked and cold and incredibly unmotivated to ride my bike fast or at all for that matter.

I distracted myself from my imminent demise by attempting to clean as much of the endless super-steep uphill single track. This worked for awhile and I passed a few others, but my frigid body slowed as it preferentially produced body heat over wattage. Riding with one-and-a-half leg power has been hard this week, but as I approached the single leg mark, I was continually forced off the bike by the countless roots and rocks which littered the impossible grades in a maddening puzzle.

Frustration corroborated with the cold and fatigue to foil every effort to establish any sort of rhythm and I seemed to be off my bicycle as much as on. My heart rate slowed to less than 120bpm and I stopped for a Honey Stinger shot and Red Bull chaser with no effect. I was beyond gone, in the hurt box and fully thrashed. A shadow of my usual strength and stamina was all that was left and I became aware that it was going to be a long, slow struggle to the finish line at Langsdale Ferry.

I made it thanks to grim determination and the endless encouragement from my fellow riders. That is what rocks about racing—we all are super competitive, but most of us are also keenly empathetic to the woes of a failed body and sooner or later when the music stops we all find ourselves without a chair in this game.

Today is a historic day for Canada, but it won’t be one I will look back on fondly. History did NOT repeat itself with a result similar to the 2007 BC Bike Race for me. However, the route was brutally hard and at the same time rewardingly awesome! The conditions were near epic and Jason Sager and all the other category winners showed us that the stage can be won in an amazingly short amount of time. Hopefully tomorrow will be spring like and bring fair weather and new life to my legs in time to enjoy some of the great riding around Squamish.

Day 7—Stage 6, Squamish

We finished the stage yesterday at Langsdale ferry terminal, loaded up, and set sail back to mainland North America and Horseshoe Bay. Once disembarked, we drove a half hour north to Squamish, home of the Test of Metal. Our accommodations were right downtown and within walking distance of restaurants and shopping. The base camp was just a 5 minute drive away at the local recreation center.

In 2007, Squamish was one of my favorite venues with convenient services and a beautiful setting where the seemingly endless mountains of British Columbia meet the water of the Pacific Ocean. Despite the Olympic weather debacle, winter stayed late throughout the Northwest, and BC was no exception. The mountains were especially beautiful on this sunny early summer day with a backdrop of azure sky and puffy white clouds.

Squamish is home to many purpose-built trails, and we got to ride one of the famous ones called Half Nelson. The government was propositioned to fund the construction of this downhill pump track, and apparently no expense was withheld! It will be interesting if there is a Full Nelson in the future…

The other trails we rode were typical of alpine single tracks found in high mountains most anywhere–steep and rocky. The course lasted about 30 miles and consisted of mostly fire and double track climbs with narrow, wooded trails to traverse and attack the fall line. I was back to my fatigued but manageable state, and found my place in the bus was things slowed down on the initial climb. From that point, I enjoyed the comfortable conditions and company of friends for a great ride!

It is hard to believe we will be in Whistler tomorrow and this adventure will come to an end. However, for me the end will likely not come soon enough to start an intensive recovery for my next two-wheel endeavor. It has been especially fun to ride different equipment this trip and to “race” with a different perspective. For those of you who wish you rode at the front, I can say the view from the back seat is pretty nice; and for my piers who haven’t ever lifted their noses from the stem I suggest you try it for a change!

Day 8—Stage 7, Whistler

After a somewhat restful night in Squamish, we drove a half-hour north to the start of the final stage of the BC Bike Race in Whistler. The race began in the Upper Village at Blackcomb and proceeded straight up the ski hill on a service road. The start was a little hectic and then the drama really began as the leaders evidently wanted more BCBR and took us back down to the village for some bonus miles!

Oh, well, it was fun doing an extra couple hundred feet of climbing and a trail we would end up riding twice more anyway! The rest of the course included riding up and down some bike park trails which were pretty fun but not-so-boost-able under the circumstances. A few racers got boosted and ended up with a painful final day. Ouch!

I managed to ride easy and finished the first loop in my comfortable position of the week. Next, rode some lower single track that was pretty built-up with lots of roots, rocks, and cool bridge features before climbing back up for a quick drop to the finish after a couple hours of racing.

Each of us was personally awarded our finishers buckle from BCBR proprietor, Dean Payne. It was a beautiful day, but seemed a little anticlimactic after such a knarly week here in BC. I love the point-to-point aspect of these events, and would rather have ridden from Squamish to Whistler for the finish today. Maybe it will be back next year!

Later this evening we attended the awards banquet hosted at the Fairmont Chateau Hotel. The food was decent and it was nice to say our good-byes and catch-up on the week of racing. As the dance floor opened, we rescued my Ibis/NoTubes Mojo SL from impound at the bike check. She had handled the race without issue and provided me with a comfortable safe ride all week, so it didn’t seem right to lock her up tonight!

We loaded up the Jeep and turned south toward the USA and our waiting Fourth of July celebration!