Verbier Dreaming

Verbier is just one of my favourite places to ride… this is why:

I’ve just spoken to Sam at Verbier and he tells me that the snow just keep on dumping there – unheard of at this stage of the season… and bad news for getting those trails all dusty… 

Spreading the love….

 

RIMG0134

Originally uploaded by Velo Fello

one WordPress page at a time…

Since Mig Pilot got me switched onto WP, I’ve dumped all my stuff out of .Mac (which i will keep using but more for family stuff) and built up this here WP site.

My old buddy Ben has been suffering from not enough Mac time, and too much riding, so I noticed that his website was down… so I decided to spread the love and threw together a quick site for him.

If he’s not yet managed to turn on the domain forwarding, then the site will be here, otherwise it might be here?

Welcome to SoCal

There I was packing for my 3 day SoCal work trip (off to interview a guy who I’ve admired for years now… and exited that maybe, just maybe, he’ll come and work for us…) and I though “It’s SoCal, T-shirt and shorts central” so did I pack wet weather gear. In a word, No.

Anyway, one of the days I was there (I forget which, but I think Sunday) we went to Fontana – where there was the second round of the SoCal series. In the paddock I bumped into a very unhappy looking Brendan Fairclough – and he’s from the North of England so should be used to this soggy weather. Anyway, we were miserable together for a few minutes then I went and hid in the truck with the heater blowing…

Portes du Soleil Summer Dates 2008

It’s not comprehensive, and don’t blame me if any of them turn out to be wrong… but as far as I know these are the main dates for your diary this summer.

Stations	Remontées mécaniques	Ouverture 2008	Horaires  (sous réserve)
Avoriaz	TPH des Prodains	NC	NC
	TC de Super Morzine	NC	NC
	TS de Zore	NC	NC
Champéry	TPH Planachaux	14/06 au 19/10	08h30-17h30
Les Crosets	TS Pointe des Mossettes	28/06 au 03/09 + we jusqu’au 22/09	09h00-17h00
	TS Crosets II	28/06 au 03/09 et we dès le 14/06  jusqu’au 22/09	09h00-17h00
Champoussin	TS Aiguille des Champeys	NC	NC
Châtel	TC de Super Châtel	27/06 au 31/08	09h00-17h30
	TS du Morclan	27/06 au 31/08	09h00-17h00
	TS de Pierre Longue	27/06 au 31/08 et we dès le 14/06  jusqu’au 14/09	09h00-17h00 10h00-16h30
	TS des Rochassons	27/06 au 31/08 et we dès le 14/06  jusqu’au 14/09	09h15-17h00 10h15-16h15
Les Gets	TC des Chavannes (Piétons uniquement)	28/06 au 31/08	10h00-13h00 14h15-17h30
	TS Chavannes Express (VTT uniquement)	28/06 au 31/08 et we dés le 07/06 jusqu’au 07/09	09h15-18h00
	TC du Mont Chéry	28/06 au 31/08	09h15-18h00
	TS de la Pointe	28/06 au 31/08	09h45-16h45
	TS de la Grande Ourse	28/06 au 31/08	09h45-16h45
Montriond	TS de Chaux Fleurie	NC	NC
	TS des Lindarets	NC	NC
	TS des Mossettes	NC	NC
Morgins	TS La Foilleuse	28/06 au 31/08  et we dès le 14/06  jusqu’au 22/09	09h30-16h45
Morzine	TC du Pléney	07/06 au 07/09	09h00-18h00
	TS de la Crusaz (piste de luge)	07/06 au 07/09	10h30-18h00
St Jean d’Aulps	TC de la Grande Terche	NC	NC
Torgon	TS du Tronchey	28/06 au 22/09  we et jours fériés  et mercredis en juillet et août	09h00-17h00

Légende : TC : Télécabine / TS : Télésiège / TPH : Téléphérique / we : week-end

 

I’d suggest that you check the official Portes du Soleil website for the latest dates, you need to click here

Oh for a big van…

One day, one day it will be mine.

 

Happy New Year…

In a last minute piece of non-planning, it was decided that the SO wanted to stay in with the Baby and head to bed early. I made some excuses, jumped in the car and headed over to Champery for the celebrations…

Some great biking buddies have a flat there – through which several generations of other riders have passed, I don’t want to know how many sweaty bodies have slept on that sofa, and I don’t want to…

Woke early in order to get home, and then spotted what is possibly the coolest ever bit of bathroom mirror ‘tagging’ I’ve seen… Mr VanDine is obviously too good for old-fashioned marker pens!

Taiwan Factory Visits & the Ride On OEM Camp

Taiwan Factory Visits – pt 2 & the Ride On OEM Camp

Taiwan Factory Visits

Taiwan Factory Visits – part 1

I’m out In TW again, thought I’d show you a little of the behind the scenes stuff I did for the company blog.

Les Gets DH Course

Les Gets DH Course

Originally uploaded by Trey Wheeler

Reminds me of dusty days riding there in 2002-4… now those days are long gone, not just ’till next summer, but also possibly for good!

There is talk* of things changing for 2008 at Les Gits, possible investment into the trails – so badly neglected since 2004 and it’s World Championships.

Until there is some time and money (or lets just settle for time, which is of course money, but how much time and money does a bit of spadework take?) spent on the tracks, they will just keep on cutting up like in this pic.

Yeah sure it’s fun for a day or two, but then the cartilage in your hands starts asking for some rest, and you realise that the whoop section you just rode were in fact several years worth of braking bumps.

Then you head to the other ski stations in the Portes du Soleil, you know the ones that actually care to spend (a lot) of time and money on looking after you – the guy who pays their bills.

* In the Alpes it’s often just “talk” – you would not believe the amount of politics and bullsh$t that goes on… Fighting between landowners, the different villages and inside the villages themselves. The White Gold has a lot to answer for…

Eurodyke

It’s Eurodyke time again, and I am here with Lois and Dave looking after the stand for a busy few days!

 

 

Chatel Mountain Style

Went very well, after much nail biting due to the weather in the days leading up-to the event.

I ended up being MC on da Mike, shouting out (in both English and Franglais!) to the 1000 or so spectators.

A better write-up than I could ever afford is shown here, while the pics I took are here: Chatel Mountain Style

Chatel Mountain Style Vid

Chatel Mountain Style

 

Just a diaporama of some of the shots I took.

Ranch Bike Festival

Just back home after a whirlwind 24 hour trip into CH for the Ranch Bike festival - a Chablais group of riders: BMX, Alpine MTB who really rip, and are as hardcore as you’ll find anywhere!

The festival took place at the BMX track, with a concert in the evening. Being Swiss it was brilliantly organised, and the fact I got to crash in Lolo’s motorhome meant that I had the best bed on the campsite!

I managed to go for a ride on Saturday – super slippy steep runs but utterly awesome – even if I did ride like a girl! (Not one of the girls I know; 11th and 12th in the World Cup means they are slightly better than I…. !) Anyway – mission acomplished, not one drop of blood shed for once – though I did take a nice scuffer on the BMX track on Sunday morning!

I’ve not played on a BMX track in years, so when I woke on Sunday morning (with an ok hangover..) I took the Battery over to have a play. There was crap all over the piste from the night before, so with a couple of guys we cleaned it all up… when finished it looked like a swimming pool first thing in the morning… all calm and clean, just begging for you to dive bomb into the deep end…

I wonder where I can get a nice cruiser from….

Sprint Avalanche Lyon

Great racing, with some of the world top riders (Peat, Minaar, Barel, Gracia etc) right in the centre of Lyon.

A beer or two, old faces, good racing (oh I said that already..) a top day out!

Riding in CH!

It’s been a looong day, up at 05.30 to be at Chatel by 8.45 for a couple of meetings. Was odd to be there on the very last day of opening – just about a dozen cars in the car park. Then some more chats with various people in Chatel to arrange some things for the summer.

After that – let the fun begin! Headed over to CH to meet up with Ben and ‘Gordi at Bex BMX track. Got kitted up with the pro-tec for the first time this season, and then felt very silly rolling through centre of town in full Dianese & full-face!

Grabbed the tram/train at the corner stop, and then sat and watched the world roll by for half an hour as the mountain train winched it’s way up the mountain. Who needs ski-lifts, the Swiss ride whenever there’s not snow on the ground!

There were only five of us today, though I was told of a day back in Feb when they had 50 riders on the train!

I forgot my camera – but found a old pic on the locals website.