Race Report | US Cup 3: Bonelli HC

Kathy Burcham photo.

Back to Bonelli for US Cup number three this past weekend, and what a change from our first visit. Most notably, the temperature was much more hospitable. Coming a close second on the list of positive changes was the course. Though it still had a heck of a lot of climbing (362') crammed into such a short loop (2.6 miles), it was definitely more flowy, and the added technical sections were of my favorite variety: log overs!

Morning of, I arrived nice and early, got registered and then headed out with a teammate to walk the course and see it for the first time. At first look, the log and rock features were definitely intimidating. But I decided to include a lap as part of my warm up, and that took care of that.

Although we've had plenty more time together since the last visit to Bonelli, my Rocky Mountain Vertex is still "new" and these were actually the first log overs I'd tried with it. Verdict? I felt like I was cheating. The bike has so much clearance I didn't need to worry about hitting the chainring, and it felt like it just wanted to get over stuff. That must be the magic of 29ers I've been hearing about. Super stable through the whole maneuver, and the wide handle bars really gave me the control I needed to get over smoothly.

My fav part! Thanks to the cheering section! Michelle Allen photo.

Though there were about six log/rock overs total on course, the section that attracted the most blood-thirsty spectators had a set of two large obstacles: The first was all logs, and the second was of similar shape but made of rocks, and only a few pedal strokes away on a slight uphill. Momentum is your friend.

On my first attempt in warm up, I balked and had to redo. I realized I was looking at them as a set so I decided to just concentrate on the first one first, and then work on the second. A quick refocus and it was up and over, no problem. My third attempt I threw in the second feature, and rode away with fresh confidence. It was a great reminder that when you're working on skills, progression is key. Start small, then work your way up, and you'll be amazed at what becomes "easy." (PS: Here's more info on log overs from my fellow coaches at Ninja Mountain Bike Skills!)


Once I'd lapped the course once, I took the rest of my warm up to the road and the start loop. I love these moments before the race when it's still anybody's day. The energy is electric. When it was time for staging, we all gathered under the limited shade near the start line. I was in a gaggle with the US national champion, current US Cup points leader, Swedish national champion, and the World Champion, listening to them joke with each other and offering up my own comments from the peanut gallery. Young girls came up to have their picture taken, and the media was around snapping photos as well like paparazzi, calling out "Hi Catharine; Oh hi Georgia; Lea, over here ..."

http://www.toxxxik.com/ninja/index.html

I knew I wanted to do better at getting off the start so I selected a "go" gear and got ready to mash it out for position. I think everyone must have had the same idea because it didn't feel like an option for me to skirt around the pack. The opposite seemed to be happening as my lungs began to burn and my HR shot up, and 37 tigresses surged off the line.The start lap had me dogging it, but once we hit the steep climb, I was back in the mix.

On my first lap through the logs, I reminded myself to be calm and smooth. But I forgot there would be spectators! If I fell on my face, there would be an audience for it, at least. The girls in front of me got hung up, so I slowed momentarily so they could clear the way. The Vertex flew up and over both without a problem, and I pedaled away relieved. With every lap I gained more confidence, until by the end, I could hardly wait to hit those big log overs.

I raced back and forth with a girl I don't know except by her blond, curly pony tail. We seem to often be racing near each other so I focused on catching her. As the course doubled back on itself, I realized our time was running out: The front of the race was quickly coming at us from behind, with Emily Batty and Catharine Pendrel in a tight fight for the lead, which they maintained right to the wire. (Emily took the win by less than half a second.)

Emily Batty 1, Catharine Pendrel 2 after a really impressive, tight race.

With only one single track left I heard them charging up the climb so I pulled off just before the entrance to let them through. Since they were alone ... and I was alone ... I then quickly jumped on their wheels for the fun descent and tried to hold on. It was like going for a drive in a friend's sports car. I flew through the section, pulled along by their jet stream, and then jumped on the pedals to try and stay with them. They were in the heat of battle, so it lasted maybe all of 7 seconds but it is not every day I'm hanging on to Canadian MTB Queens' lead group. So thanks for the ride, ladies!

Of course, once the leaders go by you, you can be assured you will be pulled thanks to the UCI's 80% rule, so that was my grand finale. I was happy with how it all turned out: I rode every part of the course smoothly without incident, I worked hard, and I got in one more lap than I did at the first Bonelli to finish just one lap down from the leaders. Good enough for 29th place, and putting me in 31st in the overall ranking.

Looking forward to Sea Otter this weekend for the final round of the US Cup that I'll be racing, on a course that I think is absolutely perfect for the Vertex. Not to mention beautiful!

Rocky Mountain's Raphael Gagne finished second to Schurter

Big thanks goes out to Rocky Mountain for the race rig; and congrats to Rocky Mountain's Raphael Gagne (also on a Vertex) for taking second to current world champion Nino Schurter's win in the pro men's race. Thank you GU Energy for the shout out before the start, and for all the goodies I so happily received last week! Team Ninja, you guys are my favorite. It was so fun to see all of you and cheer on our riders together. Thanks to Brigid as well for being an awesome help with carpooling and hangtime. Can't wait for Sea Otter and beyond! RIDE Cyclery, I can't do it without you! Thank you so much for helping me with all the little things (like how DO you quickly, easily, and bloodlessly change your pedals?) and for being the awesome community of riders you are. Eliel, the kit is amazing. It breaks my heart every time they make us put safety pin holes in it for number pinning. And thanks ZOIC Clothing for all your support!! Thank you thank you thank you. Next stop? Sea Otter!! Can't wait to see everyone there!

//////

Watch the whole race, announced by legends Bob Roll and Christian Vande Velde as well as US Cup stalwart, Colt McElwaine, for both pro women and men (you can see my pink shorts off the start and for a little cameo at about 1:23:52) 




And here's a a few more photos:

Super proud of my coached Cat 3 athlete Bjorn, here on the third step at only his second race ever! Congrats! #BCBR2015, look out for this ripper!

Pro Men's field gets ready to launch, including reigning World Champion, Nino Schurter

Future World Cup course? Bonelli Park. Michelle Allen photo.

Loving the Bonelli course! Michelle Allen photo.

RACE REPORT: US Cup 1 and 2, Bonelli and Fontana

Fontucky. Photo by JPoV

The first two weekends of the US Cup have provided some of the most exciting racing of my life. Fresh in my new category, in new kit, with a new bike, there was plenty to get the juices flowing. After an awesome weekend logging some more endurance miles and spending time with my family while they were in town, I'm ready to finally get this post up! Read on for thoughts and feelings about Bonelli I and Fontana/Funtana/Fontucky.

Team Cannondale for a day!

BONELLI  - US CUP 1, UCI C1

I headed up to Bonelli to ride and visit with the ShoAir-Cannondale crew the Thursday prior on assignment for MTBR which was an exciting way to kick off the weekend. Manuel Fumic wanted to make sure we were "actually media" which I think was a compliment. "You should race," Evelyn Dong told me shortly before I endo'd over the handlebars on the steep backside descent. Embarrassed, I let her know that I would be somewhere near the back of the pro women's category and she kindly offered up some tips and line choices on the course. It stuck, so I had the treat of her voice in my head each lap!  

Darryl Sykes photo: I survived Bonelli!

I rode that first lap on the Cannondale Scalpel so I thought it would be a good idea to sneak out out my new Rocky Mountain Vertex to make sure I could get around the tough course on a hard tail. About then is when Tedro and crew started hammering the railway ties into the A Line. And I still couldn't even get my brain to allow another attempt on the steep section, let alone acrobatic wheel lifts. *gulp*

Thus dampened of spirit, and short of time, I returned to Bonelli only the morning of the race, without having had the chance to sort out my trouble spots, which i knew were mainly mental. I chatted with Gerhard part of the way (he was in Colorado) to try and understand the nerves, and hopefully put them to bed.

Let me tell you, it does nothing for nerves to hear your name called out at the bottom of a very long list of national champions, world champions, and Olympians. What does help with nerves is when the whistle blows, you get clipped in, and start moving.

I was pleasantly surprised to find I was not chewed up and spit out the back as I was sure would happen. I was with the group, though yes, near the back thanks to being called up in 55th place, but I had contact and it wasn't so scary afterall!!

I got to work on the very short course, and to my excitement, found I was passing girls on the climbs (of which there were many). I should probably also mention that the temperature was a blistering 90+ degrees. There's tough, and then there's tough.

I got in about an hour of racing before I was met with a line of tape across the course, and directed to the side. The UCI 80% rule had been amended to 50% to accommodate the short [2.35 mile] course and I was done (and 'well-done', after an hour in the oven).

Even though I was pulled, and finished in 32nd place, this was one of my favorite results ever. I met all my goals: ride safe, figure out hardtails, know the unknowns, and get in a workout.

FONTANA - US CUP 2, UCI HC

Fontana, with shots from Drew and Ben

For Fontana--a course I really enjoy for its technical rocks and long "power moves" climbs--I set new goals. Now I understand that you can't race with all that extra fear. And you can't race like you're going to get to ride all the laps. You gotta go NOW like you're on your last lap, every lap. So the biggest adjustment for me was pacing.

Thankfully, the heat was down a little with the temp comfortably in the 80s. My folks and Gerhard made the trip as well which always makes me dig a little deeper. Fontana was ranked HC by the UCI so we again had a truly impressive group of riders to line up with vying for those valuable points.

They announced my name in the call up much sooner than last time, however I didn't get to take advantage of the better start position as the staging took a LOT longer than anticipated. So again, I was in the back row, but I had a much better idea of how to handle it.

After a few laps, I came through the start/finish expecting to get pulled and every lap that wasn't the case. I was joyous, but also totally shit-wrecked because I was racing like I was about to get yanked thus not leaving as much in the tank as I'm used to. However, I found out that I have a lot more in the tank than I think!

Fontana: Drew Engelmann photo

We had a few great bike races --another thing I like about the US Cup and racing in the pro category: other people!! and I enjoyed playing "what would happen if..." to test out different strategies and tactics. I won a couple rounds, and learned from a couple more.

The best part of this race though was the support from so many friends, family and Ninja teammates along the course! It seemed like every corner on the way to that grueling asphalt climb had someone else yelling my name. Big thanks to Mom, Dad, Gerhard, Drew, Tony, Liana, Dawn, Todd, Derek, Vinny (Vinny especially!!), and last but not least, Jake (and I'm sure I missed some names!!). Jake was up top taking photos and his "Yeah Kris, Stay on it" was such a welcome message near the end of that climb. Except the last lap, he added, "Yeah Kris .... you want some beef jerky?" which almost made me fall over. It was just the smile I needed to get my hot crampy legs up that final push one last time. Thanks Jake! And thanks for the photo too!!

I raced clean, my bike was SO AMAZING, and I finished all five of our laps for a 35th place. I couldn't have been happier if I'd won the thing.

TAKEAWAYS: THINGS I LOVE ABOUT RACING IN THE PRO CATEGORY 

 1) So awesome to have big fields! It makes racing 1000% more exciting when you bust off the line with almost 60 other women.

2) Feeling like even though I'm at the bottom of the pile, it's pretty much the raddest pile ever.

3) Short laps. I kind of love it! I thought I wouldn't but besides getting lost on the lap count sometimes, it is really fun to roll through start finish/feed zone and get that energy boost from your friends

4) Ours is the only race on course. I don't mind sharing a race course, but this is just darn luxurious.

5) The pomp. I love the call up, I love the helpers standing around with umbrellas, and I love national anthems.

6) My fellow competitors are awesome! Everyone is super nice but you can tell they're also there to do well, and they recognize that you're there to do well too. It makes for a really cool vibe of mutual respect.

Thanks again to all of my amazing helpers this season: Top shout outs to Rocky Mountain for that hardtail you sent me. Good lord I love that bike, especially after Brock at RIDE Cyclery helped me get it dialled in. Thanks to Eliel for helping me look the part in the best-fitting kits I've ever had. Thanks GU Energy for keeping me fuelled and well-stocked in salted caramel, and heat-beating hydration. My stylish new white shoes are courtesy of friends at Gaerne and they are a perfect fit right out of the box (thank goodness, because they were an emergency addition to the shoe rack after Temecula wrecked All The Things). And of course, thank you to Team Ninja, the awesome gang in black and pink! The season is just beginning and we have so much more fun to come! 

Fontana: Drew Engelmann photo (hi Tony & Liana!)

RACE REPORT: Vail Lake Kenda Cup -- Hope You Brought Your Snorkel!

On a day like that, all you can do is laugh. Krystof Andres photo

"Awesome job! Congrats Darryl!!" I posted on my teammate's podium photo. "Thanks Kris! Nice work getting on the podium yourself!!!" he responded. 

Wait, what? 

During yesterday's race at Vail Lake in Temecula, any thoughts of winding up on the podium evaporated when I lined up behind the likes of Lesley Patterson, Evelyn Dong, Larissa Connors, and Marine Lewis for my first race in the pro category of the Kenda Cup West/US Cup series. 

And what a day it was was.

Just a glimpse of the carnage to be seen at #KendaCup

I naively held on to the hope that it would be like last year -- an hour or two of non-raining to let the course dry out "just enough" and provide tacky excellence for the later start times. I was wrong. Instead, it poured right before, giving a course that had already been torn up by all the Cat 2s, 3s and endurance racers a fresh helping of slop and, I swear to god, peanut butter. That's what that was, right? Sticky, crunchy, but not-so-delicious peanut butter. 

I didn't warm up properly because I was too scared to leave the relative safety of the team tent. It was cold, raining and windy. "Belgium" was being thrown around as an adjective. Eventually, I summoned the strength and headed out to spin the legs and make sure my bike was at least going to start in working order. 

Rolled up to the start with 2 minutes to go, felt deeply intimidated to find myself surround by very fast humans, and quietly collected myself in the back row. 

On "Go" we sprung into action, quickly stringing out as all the wet brakes and rotors sang in a cacophonous symphony up the first climb. I was with the girls, and my one triumph of the day was clearing a wet muddy climb that had everyone else walking thus giving my shoes an extra two minutes free of trench foot. 

Lesley went around me when I baubled on something ... I don't remember what exactly but skateboarding was involved.  And then I was kind of alone for a minute while the Cat 1s caught up. Riding the next singletrack seemed out of the question, though not for lack of trying. I realize now I ought to have just kept moving on my feet because the constant slippery struggle of getting on and off the bike was eating up the clock. 

Will she ever be the same??

Racing in these conditions, my bike quickly had had enough. I lost my big ring's capabilities almost immediately, so I was down to middle and small (that's right, I rock a triple). Then only small. With the cassette skipping and jumping all over the place, and a pretty reliable sudden stop in the cranks for the last two laps as well. It turns out it's hard to pedal and find your flow when you're never sure when that sudden jam is going to seize your momentum and stop you dead. Speaking of stopping, don't even get me started on the state of my brake pads.

Anything off camber was particularly terrifying because not only would your wheel slide down laterally, but it also had the tendency to turn it off course. I promised myself as long as I could go, I would go, and just changed my expectations to finishing the damn thing. And also staying out of the way of the pro men ... who didn't seem to notice there was a problem with the course at all, at least judging by the moment race leaders Raphael Gagne (Rocky Mountain) and Stephen Ettinger (Team Sho-Air) came by me at full sunny-day speed. It was awesome to be on course just to see that.

Despite all this, I managed to only crash once -- not that I'm one to take many chances though. The worst part was that I was wearing my brand new Eliel kit. I was so bummed when I felt my bum doing a big slide through some of the rutted out muck as I bounced down the trail after what I think was actually a pretty impressive front wheelie.The spectators nearby cheered anyway. 

Ninjas Dan and Mark after the Cat 2/3 race

Sometimes, on the fire road, I did actually feel like I was going good (or at least as much as you can in the small ring) and that was fun. Also awesome to see how well my Racing Ralphs shed the mud as long as they got even a short reprieve. That's over and above, Schwalbe! Thanks! Because those were certainly not the best tires for the day, but they were what I had. (Then again, is there any tire that could stand up to that??) Then it would be back into singletrack [of doom] to try and keep the flow going. Only, I was afraid to really let fly because it seemed like you couldn't ever trust the trail -- at any minute, it might grab you for a little mud wrestling.

Anyway, nearly three hours of slip slidin' practice in the mud is not something we often have in California, and you never know, it might come in handy for BC Bike Race. To be honest, once I got over my preconceptions of what the race "should" have been, it was pretty hilarious to be out there. Like, laugh out loud funny. 

Here are some thoughts on racing in the mud after Sunday's race in the mud: 

1. Tires matter. Choose wisely. Duh. 
2. WD-40 Bike frame protectant, PAM cooking spray or the secret sauce of your choice should be applied to help keep the frame shedding those extra pounds of mud. 
3. Run water in your bottles so you have something you can use to spray off your drivetrain if you need to
4. If you lose control, let the bike drive a little until you can get it back. Fighting it usually just had me down  in the mud ... you have to relax and roll with the punches
5. Stay off your brakes if you can ... it invites more sliding 
6. Skateboarding: use with caution 

7. 

   Post race, pre rinse

   It's all mental: it's really easy to get negative in conditions like this, and it's also easy to check out entirely. Stay focused, and enjoy the chance to get dirty!
8. Have a good post-race game plan ready to execute with minimal touching of clean things with dirty things. 

By the time I finished my three laps, the course marshals had packed up. The pit zone tents were coming down, and there was zero traffic on the trail -- I had the whole thing to myself. When I rolled across the finish line, they were already announcing the awards. By this time, having not had much of an opportunity to eat or drink for the past nearly three hours, I was hungry, shivering, and kind of not finding it as funny anymore. 

I headed over to the remnants of casa Team Ninja to check in and say my so-longs. I used the last of my energy to get back to where I'd parked. I was so happy to see the RinseKit I'd packed. Usually Gerhard uses it when he goes surfing, but this thing's powers became the highlight of my day. After slogging it out, battling with the mud, FINALLY I was going to come out on top. I got my destroyed(?) kit off piece by piece, standing on RinseKit's handy lid, trading my jersey, bibs, best and warmers for dry layers as I went. I hosed off each piece and left them soaking in the top compartment for the ride home. I think rinsing my kit with RinseKit saved my kit from stains. Straight into the washer when I got home, and it came out almost like new. One more round and it's like it never happened. Check out RinseKit for your next mud race (or a thousand other uses):



Oblivious to anything but my need for In N Out and my car's heater on full blast, I hopped in and drove my sorry mud-butt home. 

But I forgot something. Turns out I had a podium finish for all this trouble, but hypothermia must have caused brain freeze and I forgot to check results. Had I done that instead of lock it down into  self-preservation mode, I would have a podium shot to share from the hardest, muddiest race I've ever done. And a trophy to remember it by! Not that I'll have any trouble forgetting it. 

My kit survived!! I thank RinseKit for on-site headstart!

Congrats to everyone who stuck this one out. Congrats to everyone who even showed up. 

Results: 

1. Larissa Connors - RideBiker Alliance 
2. Evelyn Dong - Team Sho-Air 
3. Kris Gross - Team Ninja 

And of course, big thanks to my friends and teammates on Team Ninja. This was only fun because of your smiling faces and good sense of humor in the face of this crazy adversity we paid good money to ... um ... enjoy. Check out Darryl's version of events here.

Big thanks also to anyone who came to support a racer, take their photos, and to the organizers for responding to conditions and delivering a memorable day in the harshest environs ever. My own parents are in town but I advised them to stay home for this one!

A perfect day to kick it with a caramel macchiato!

And thank you to my sponsors and helpers for all you do!! 

Eliel - I'm so sorry for what I did to your kit. But it survived! It's just as beautiful as ever. I was stoked to show it off at its first Kenda Cup. 

GU Energy Labs - "I'm only bringing salted caramel with me today because I'm going to need all the happy I can get" - Me, before rolling out to battle. 

Rocky Mountain - Don't worry. I did not make this bike-destroying mud fest the new bike's maiden voyage. (Meanwhile I think I killed the one I did bring ...)

ZOIC - Thank you for providing the soft, warm, easy-to-get-into clothing I had for post-race. I have never been so happy to get into a pair of Naveahs. 

RIDE Cyclery - The bike ran awesome ... For the entire warm up ;) I know I can count on you guys to help me bring my old girl back to life, and that was the thought that kept me going instead of calling it a day. So awesome to have you in my corner. 

See everyone at Bonelli! 

More photos: 
PB Creative 
Kystof Andres

Best-Fitting Kits Ever: Eliel

Early Eliel | top: testing prototypes. left: sewing machines at the ready. right: bib shorts about to be laser cut.

Kits are first printed on special paper

Do you know how kits are made? With fricken lasers, that's how. I know because last summer, I got to visit the brand new Vista factory of new apparel makers on the block, Eliel. Eliel provides high-quality (like, atmospherically high) custom cycling apparel, and a new consumer line is set to launch soon as well.

I've been really happy to help them in their noble mission to make the best-of-the-best cycling kits. I started dropping by to help out as a size model and I am honored to say that I helped a tiny bit to create the amazing fit Eliel is becoming known for, far and wide (at least if you're a ladies' small, though the guys I ride with are also reporting extremely positive results).

When it came time to put together kits for this year, they were my number-one pick, and to my delight and glee, we're taking our relationship to the next level: Size model becomes sponsored athlete.

Ink is applied to the fabric ready for laser cutting.

Derek Wibeck and Ryan Cady have been the friendliest, go-getting-est, most passionate entrepreneurs I've met. They were at Interbike, patrolling the garments section to see best practices, scout out the newest fabrics, and talk to athletes and industry folk. They were at Ironman, launching their brand, and providing next-level comfort to next-level athletes. And they have become the official supplier of kits for my friends at RIDE Cyclery, not to mention a ton of local teams in the area including Wolf Pack Cycling, UCC Cyclery, and Surf City Cyclery. And the list is growing!

Many panels go into making each piece of the kit

To help them spread the word, I wrote a piece about co-founder Ryan for the UC San Diego alumni magazine, Triton, which covers his background and how this all came to be. Check it out here: http://bit.ly/1Ht6QX9. But this quote from Ryan pretty much sums it up for me: “I wanted to produce something that someone who spends as much time on the bike as the racing crowd or the super enthusiast would actually want to ride in.”

Legs of Eliel's famous  most-comfortable-ever bib shorts

Mission accomplished, Ryan. I'm so grateful to have met these cycling aficionados who know exactly what a good pair of shorts and a well-fitting jersey can add to your ride. I can pedal in these things all day long without a hint of discomfort. I can answer the call of nature WITHOUT having to remove my jersey, thanks to their genius mono-strap design. Serious. And wow, this Team Ninja kit is looking sharp decorated with the logos of all the sponsors and supporters I'm so humbled to be working with this season.

Thank you so much to Derek, Ryan and all of the amazing team at Eliel Cycling!! It's truly an honor to be working with you, especially from so early in the game. I can't wait to see where the Eliel story goes. Thank you for having me along for the ride.

This Eliel kit is going to look amazing atop the Rocky Mountain bikes that are on their way. You can get in on the Eliel goodness at RIDE Cyclery, another partner I'm proud to work with in 2015. And they feel amazing under ZOIC shorts when skills clinics or group rides call for a pair of baggies. 

Why The Rocky Mountain Thunderbolt Is My Bike Of Choice For The 2015 BCBike Race

Up

The coveted BCBR Belt Buckle

Update: First Impressions post now up! 

After dashing last year's hopes for a shiny BC Bike Race belt buckle in a dismal example of why you should always keep the chit chat to a minimum and watch where you're going (or else risk falling on your face, and breaking your hand), I have rallied, my support crew has rallied, and we are going back to [hopefully] finish this thing.

We learned a lot from our maiden voyage and this year's campaign will be even better than before. Mom has already started booking our campsites, Dad picked out an RV that is bigger and badder than last year's rig, and Gerhard is putting up with an absentee wife while I am busy logging those base miles.

But I think the thing I am most excited about for the 2015 BCBR, is getting to ride it on the 2015 Rocky Mountain Thunderbolt MSL 770.  The decision has been made, the order is on the books, and this red rocket will be here in just three short months.

Thunderbolt MSL 770 on the Interbike floor, where we first met. Jon Grinney photo

For those of you wondering what bike to choose for the "Ultimate Singletrack Experience," here are the six things that tipped the scales for me. And believe me ... I did not make this decision lightly. My coach and I carefully evaluated the geometry and specs of about six frontrunners on the short list. When we put all the data into an elaborate excel spreadsheet, the Thunderbolt was the clear winner.

GEOMETRY

When picking a bike out, there are two schools of thought: play to your strengths, or play to your weaknesses. Last year, I chose my Trek Top Fuel over a loaner Juliana Furtado because when it comes to BC single track, my strength is climbing, and I didn't want to bring the extra weight of the Furtado. The Top Fuel is a pure XC race machine ... which for me, I discovered, is not the bike for the BCBR.

Ride-9 chip. Jon Grinney photo.

The Thunderbolt's geometry is almost purpose-built for this race. I'm getting a slacker head tube angle so technical descents and rough trail will be more manageable, but not so slack that I'm sacrificing on the climbs.  And with Rocky Mountain's Ride-9 technology, you can actually change the geometry to match the stage you're on. Genius. The chip has nine different settings that move the shock mount-point into different configurations: Forward = Aggressive, Back = Efficient, Up = Lightweight Riders, Down = Heavyweight Riders.



The RIDE-9™ System Explained from Rocky Mountain Bicycles on Vimeo.


It also comes shod with 27.5-inch wheels, which are a great choice for demanding trails, especially for riders of my stature. Basically, choosing the Thunderbolt means I don't have to play to either my strengths or weaknesses ... it's almost like magic how much capability is packed into this one frame.

SUSPENSION

My Top Fuel gave me 100mm in the front and back and to be honest, I didn't feel like I was coming up short in this area in last year's race. But, more is always nice, so the 120mm that comes with the Thunderbolt is a welcome addition. Rocky Mountain also thoughtfully included a remote for the rear shock -- for me, that's a critical feature that will ensure I make use of the shock's settings, even on the fly.

The suspension is also the feature that put the 770 MSL past the BC Edition of the Thunderbolt. For me, at 125 lbs race weight, a 130mm Rockshox Pike is a bit much ... though dang, that bike was a close second. If you're a guy reading this, I think that's what I would recommend. For us lighter-weight riders, we can get away with less.

DROPPER POST 

I think one of the biggest lessons I learned (the hard way) at the race last year is that a dropper post is mandatory. There is just so much technical descending, a little help getting your seat out of the way is a no-brainer. The Thunderbolt comes spec'd with the one I'd choose: the RockShox Reverb Stealth. I like that it's the most reliable one I've tried, and you can drop/raise it to whatever height you like, rather than pre-set levels.

Me, racing the 2014 BCBR, stage 1, North Vancouver
Margus Riga photo

2X 

It's not that I have anything against a 1X system ... but for this race--with 29,000 feet of climbing--I'm a fan of keeping a smaller chain ring. Shimano's XT has always been my go-to for its low-maintenance, reliable, takes-all-of-my-abuse capabilities. With Rocky's add of the XTR rear derailleur 'great' just got better. For me, a less-cluttered cockpit is a big price to pay for the tendonitis I'd get from rifling through my gears up and down, rather than a single left-hand shift. I like gears. I use all of them.

PAINT

It's red. Red is fast. And it's also the color of my very first "real" mountain bike. The one I got because I wanted something "cool" to ride when my Raleigh Tarantula was stolen--my gateway into the sport. It was a Rocky Mountain, too. A Fusion to be exact, with a RockShox Judy fork. I loved that bike and the places it took me. I get nostalgic thinking about it, so for me, the paint comes with some very good vibrations.

RED hot. Jon Grinney photo.

IT'S CANADIAN 

Rocky Mountain is an awesome Canadian brand that's now in its 30s. But more than that, it's British Columbian. These guys build bikes they'd want to ride in their back yard. Which happens to be where the BC Bike Race takes place. So for me, there's an extra level of confidence that comes from knowing that the bike I chose has been tested and tried against the very terrain waiting for me and 599 other racers this July.

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The BC Bike Race is a "cross country" event, but it's a little more than that. The enduro sections are challenging, the single track is technical and though you'll want to bring an XC racer's fitness to the start line, you'll also benefit from a downhiller's technical skills. That's why when choosing a bike for the BC Bike Race, you need a little more than a cross country bike. The Thunderbolt is the perfect amount of "more."

But wait, there's more more! When I let Rocky Mountain know I was totally enamoured with their new Thunderbolt--in carbon this year for the first time--they were stoked too and made me an official ambassador. That's why in 2015, not only am I thrilled that a Thunderbolt will be taking up residence with me, but also a Vertex, their 29er hardtail, for all the racing leading up to BCBR.

More on that beauty later, but before we get another minute into 2015, I wanted to share this most exciting news for the upcoming year. Thank you so much, Rocky Mountain!

Over the coming weeks, I'll be sharing even more news like this welcoming all of the amazing support that has come to the table in 2015 so stay tuned. It's going to be an awesome year. Love the ride!!