winter park = rain!

After a relaxing break at home for a month to catch up with my Fiancee Katie and see the family I flew back into the US to head to the forth round of the Pro GRT series being held at Winter Park, Colorado as part of the Crankworx Colorado event. Having never raced there before I wasn't too sure what to expect of the race, all I had heard was that it was really long and physical so I was hoping my fitness hadn't faded too much after being sick for two weeks before the race.

With a nice short drive of twenty hours from Southern California we turned up on Wednesday afternoon and found the place we were staying and got settled in. After a sleep in Thursday morning we headed up to the event to check out the track and get some early practice runs in. After the first run down it was mixed feelings with my team mate brad and myself both wondering how we were going to survive racing a run that felt like it took nearly ten minutes to get down but was so much fun at the same time. With rain looming on the horizon we decided to try get in another run for the day but just as we got to the top of the hill it started dumping down on us and we had the wildest run in a torrential down pour.

Luckily the rain held off over Friday and Saturdays practice sessions which made for a really fast track with all the roots and mud holes drying out.

Sundays forecast wasn't looking quite so good, although the whole week had shown thunderstorms sunday had the highest chance of rain but after a dry practice it was looking like we might make it through the day before it rained. Pro qualifying went on straight after practice so I was first down the hill at 10.30am eventually ending up 8^th with a resonably conservative run trying to save energy for the finals.

Once qualifying was done the amature classes started racing on a nice dry track until about half way through the skys opened up once again with heavy rain and thunder and lightening causing the chairlift to stop and hold things up for a while. With the Pro race runs scheduled to start at 3.30pm we were clinging to hope that the rain might pass over by then but it kept on coming down steadily all afternoon with random clear patches followed by more heavy run.

Unfortunately I was one of the people that got some of the worst rain from what ive heard but I had got prepared back in the pits with tear offs and an extension on my helmet visor in an attempt to keep as much water out of my vision as possible which ended up paying off for me coming down into 3^rd place with a resonably clean run minus one near massive crash blowing both feet off the pedals but just managing to hold on to get going again.

In the ended my run held on to get me 4^th place on the day so in the conditions im really stoked with how the whole weekend went and it was great to get another podium in the Pro GRT and hopefully get myself up in to the top 5 overall with the points from this race.

Next on the event list is Crankworx in Whistler, Canada starting on the 6^th and running through until the 15^th so im pretty excited to get back up there and get lots of riding and training in before the next world cup downhill round being held at Windham, New York where I actually won a US National round in 2008 so im really looking forward to heading back there.

I also just found out that I have made the New Zealand World Championships downhill team again for the 6^th year in a row which will be awesome to be able to put the New Zealand jersey on once again in Mt Saint Anne, Canada on September 5^th.

Once again I cant thank team DRD/Tomac enough for all the support this season and thanks to all the team sponsors keeping our bikes running!

East to West

Im back on the west coast again now hanging out at the Bike Vault getting my bike rebuilt and back into race spec after our 3 week trip on the road to the Plattekill Pro GRT, US open and the Angel Fire MSC race.

Plattekill went well but the US open and Angel Fire I just struggled with crashes and maybe pushing a little too hard.

I felt great on the track in New Jersey at the US open, it was rocky, fast and when you opened it up it got pretty wild so I was enjoying it a lot and was confident of putting another good run in after my podium at Plattekill.

The weekend had some really random weather, the first day we were riding before practice it was about 32 degrees celcius and you couldnt even ride to the lift without sweating! Then over the course of the next 3 days it went from cold to hot to a huge thunder storm then back to hot again just in time to dry the track up for race day!

The rain before qualifying was enough to get the track pretty slippery and I spent all morning crashing, my first run involved 2 big crashes and one off course wash out, I was pretty fed up after that run because i cant remember having a run that bad in a very long time! But I managed to get it together over the next couple of runs and get comfortable again in time for qualifying.

Qualifying started out good but then about a quarter of the way into my run i second guessed one of my lines and went over the bars, scambling to get my bike and get going again i managed to ride the rest of the course pretty well and make it down in 43rd place with only the top 50 making it into finals! talk about stressed waiting for the results to come out!

After another night of rain before the finals I was sure the track was going to be soaked but after my first practice run I was surprised to find probably the driest track wed had all weekend so I was pretty happy and looking forward to racing.

The cool thing about Diablo freeride park is that its quick and easy to do runs so right before my race run I went up and did a warm up run down one of the other tracks to get loosened up after sitting round for a few hours.

Once again my run started out good and I was feeling really good on course untill about 10 seconds where i crashed in qualifying I managed to screw up my line going through the technical rock section on the track and ended up over the bars then getting hit in the head by my bike.

That was basically the end of any chance of a good result but I got going again and pushed as hard as possible to the bottom and ended up finishing 33rd so better than my qualifying time but definately not in my top 10 goal.

After the open finished it was back on the road that night and headed back across the country on another huge drive, the team van was heading back to California and I was stopping in Albuquerque, New Mexico to head to the Mountain State Cup race at Angel Fire.

I won the race there in 2008 so I was really hoping to put another race like that together when I got there because i really enjoy the track but once I got there I found they had changed it to the track they raced the world cup on back in 2005 which they had also ran a 12 hour downhill enduro on at the end of last year so needless to say it was pretty beat up and slow.

I stuggled the whole weekend from run number 1 to get comfortable on the course and spent the whole of practice trying to get my suspension set up so I wasn't getting so beaten up on the course. The whole weekend was record temperatures up there so there was no worry of rain or a wet track, it was more just trying to stay hydrated and not get sun burnt!

By the time qualifying rolled around I felt better on course but still not 100% so I wanted to put in a good run to see how I stood but about a minute in I got caught up on a rock and had another over the bars crash resulting in being really winded and having to sit on the side of the course for a while to get my breath back. I didnt realise how bad it was untill I got down and was sitting in the pits and realised my chest and back were still aching and it was hurting to take deep breaths.

I was still motivated to try pull a good result so I pushed hard in finals and was putting together by far the best run I had all weekend even with the pain from my chest nagging me. But once again disaster struck within 30 seconds from the finish line in the last set of trees, I pushed way too hard going through on of the last turns and just washed out of the turn and into some trees aparently hard enough to rip a lot of bark off so I found out afterwards!

Salvaging what I could I ended up in 16th place which was well behind my goal.

Although it wasn't a good race I still took a lot away from the race and I feel like I know exactly what I need to do for the next race so now ive got a couple of weeks to relax and get ready for the next Pro GRT at Tahoe on the 26th then its home for a month for a break!

News and stuff

Just a quick update today, im currently in Albuquerque, New Mexico hanging out with American racer Chris Boice getting ready to head to Angel Fire tomorrow for the Mountain States Cup thats on this weekend. I won here in 2008 so hopefully this weekend I can go for a repeat to make up for the horrible race I had at the US Open last weekend.

I managed to crash in both my qualifying and race runs there, luckily i got up kinda quick from my qualifying crash as they only take the top 50 and I made it through in 43rd. My race run was no better, I ended up going over the bars about 10 seconds further down the track from where I crashed in qualifying. Luckily it was also the most crowded spectator section on the track so plenty of people got to see me each shit.

I ended up finishing 34th which i was pretty surprised with cause it was a decent crash and looking at times I feel like i could of been well up there.

keep an eye out for a bit more detailed report from the US Open, hopefully with some pictures too

5th at Pro GRT Round two!

One month ago exactly I was sitting in the emergency room of the Nelson Hospital with one hell of a sore right hand which ended up being a fractured metacarpal bone in my hand just below my index finger. There I was thinking things probly werent looking good as the doctor decided to stress me out by telling me my scaphoid bone may be broken but it was too hard to tell as they dont show up straight away, great! For those of you who dont know about the scaphoid its a stupid little bone in your hand down between the bottom of your thumb and your wrist and is a bitch to heal usually taking like 6 weeks.

Well luckily I was taking a trip to Dunedin to see my Fiancee so while I was there I went and saw a doctor at the New Zealand academy of Sport and got it rechecked again (3rd opinion as id already seen another doctor in nelson). After some more x rays it was all clear and I was ready to get back on the bike but with one problem, the knuckle in my thumb was still very swollen (and still isnt much better) so I decided to not risk and wait as long as possible so the first day at plattekill was my first day back on a bike in was seemed like for ever!First run was a bit dicey but it didnt long to get back into the rhythm and straight away the new 2011 Fox suspension was running like a charm, after a change up to a heavier spring they were amazing!

Looking at the weather forecare earlier in the week we spent all weekend waiting for the rain it finally showed up Saturday night just in time to wet the track before race day but it passed over pretty quickly and really just ended up making things better by the time we raced in the afternoon.After one slippery practice run first thing in the morning I was ready for qualifying and decided to just take it easy and have a clean run and see how it went. There was still some pretty slick spots but it was beginning to dry up a lot and after getting down pretty clean I was sitting in 13th.

After a nap in the van and a long time waiting round it was time to race, heading up the chair lift I heard a few of the chicks times and noticed how much faster they were in their race so I figured it must of dried up a lot so it was time to hang it out in the finals and push it a harder.

My race run ended up being pretty good bar a couple of minor mistakes and once I got out into the open flat sections at the end I just put my head down and sprinted as hard as possible knowing the suffering would ended pretty soon! Coming through the line on 2.47.99 I went into 1st which was an awesome feeling, its been a while since ive had a race like that. I ended up sitting in the hot seat for quite a few riders until #4 qualifier and good friend Justin Leov came down and bumped out, by then my time was guaranteed for a top 5 so I was stoked!

I couldn't of asked for a much better start to the season standing on the podium with 4 factory world cup riders!

Were in Vernon, New Jersey now for the US Open of Downhill which is on this weekend, $7500 for the win so I think it might be a death or glory run this weekend!

A history lesson

Just found this over on Vital MTB, the 1994 Reebok Eliminator!

2010 Schedule

For anyone out there in the land of the internet that keeps on eye on this little blog heres my schedule for this season so you can see where im gonna be.

May 15-16: Golden State Downhill - Fontana, CA

May 22-23 : Pro GRT round 2 - Plattekill, NY

May 29-30: US Open - Diablo Freeride Park, NJ

June 5-6: VEGG #2 - Blue Mountain, PA

June 12-13: Gravity East Series round 2 - Seven Springs, PA

June19-20: Powerade Race series - Snowshoe, WV

June 26-27: Pro GRT round 3 - Lake Tahoe, CA

July 3-4:

July 10-11: Mountain States Cup - Snowmass, CO

July 17-18: US Champs - Sol Vista, CO

July 24-25:

August 1:Pro GRT round 4/Colorado Crankworx - Winterpark, CO

August 7-8: Mountain States Cup - Keystone, CO

August 14-15: Gravity East Series Round 6 - Killington, VT

August 21-22: Plattekill, NY

August 28-29: World Cup Finals - Windham, NY

September 4-5: World Championships - Mt Saint Anne, Canada

September 11-12: Pro GRT Finals - Whiteface, NY

Pro GRT #2 race course helmet cam video

Just found this vid on the Sick Lines website of the first major race im doing this year in the US on May 23rd.

Become Geoff Ulmers head for a few minutes and see what the track looks like from a riders point of view.

Spoke Magazine Frankly Thursday with Kieran Bennett

So in case anyone out there doesn't check out the best New Zealand mountain bike magazines blog and didn't see my mini interview in the regular Frankly Thursday check it out HERE

And if you don't check the Spoke Magazine site keep an eye on it for all sorts of local and international news www.spokemagazine.com

time to go, time to sell!

Alright ive been slack on this again but things are gonna change this year im sure of it, maybe.

Anyway its nearly time to go back overseas so its time to clean out my shed, everything listed below needs to go so if you see anything you like leave a message, send me a text if youve got my number and facebook me. im open to offers!

-2009 Intense Tracer VP trail bike. $4500

-Formula R1 brake set F & R (brand new) $800

-661 Fenix Rad1987 motocross helmet, medium (brand new) $400

-661 Evolution Carbon downhill helmet, medium. $220

-661 EVO Knee pads, size M. Used once, basically brand new. $140

-Dean Optics goggles, 3 pairs all with new lenses. Red, White or Blue, $50 each

-Titanium Spring, 550x3.0 - will fit most shocks. $300

-Royal Elite Gloves, size M - 3 pairs all brand new. $40 each

-Royal X-fusion/Intense Race Team tops, size M - 2 @ $60 each

-Royal moto pants, red/white, size 34" - 2 brand new, $60 each or 1 pair used once for $50

-Royal DH shorts, black, medium - $60

Europe Part Un.

Our first trip of the season was only a short 2 race trip which was to 2nd and 3rd rounds of the World Cup held in La Bresse, France and Valnord, Andorra.
After a fairly busy night after the first round of the Pro Gravity tour that was held at Port Angeles, WA we finally got packed up and on the road to Seattle International Airport at about 2am which seemed early but by the time we got there we missed our first flight heading to LA but luckily just had to wait a couple of hours and got another flight there in time to quickly get some nutritious Burger King for dinner then realised while we were in line we were actually getting called to the plane, turns out the 4 of us were the last people left to board so we had to do a bit of a sprint through the airport to the gate.
Our flight to France was on Air NZ so all the guys got to see how good their service is, we actually ended up getting two rows of 4 seats in the middle of the plane so with only 2 of us in each row it made for a bit more of a comfortable trip.
This was the first World Cup La Bresse has ever run and it turns out its in the middle of no where so after about 3 hours of driving through the mountains we ended up where we started with no idea where to go, after a quick drive around to find some wireless internet to steal we ended up in a car park at about 2am trying to find directions. That was untill the cops blocked us in and started getting quite grumpy, turns out they ended up being quite nice after they realised we were lost tourists and they ended up escorting us about half way to La Bresse.
After spending half of the next day asleep in our awesome log cabin accomodation I woke up to find out I had caught some kind of cough/flu which gave me one of the worst coughs ive ever had, it hit me really hard in my chest so i was constantly coughing and struggling to really breath normally.

Practice in La Bresse was the hardest practice ive ever had to do, I would get about a minute into the run and have to stop to be able to breath again, my chest would just tighten up and make me start coughing again.
Over the course of the weekend i think i ended up doing a total of 7 runs which is usually what I will do on the first day of practice to learn the track.
With qualifying being the first full run of the track for me I was a bit worried I might not be able to actually hold it together for the full run but making it to the finish line i had a decent qualifyer and was somewhere in the 50s making top 80 so I was happy.
After random rain all through the weekend it showed up again just in time for race runs with no warning, not expecting it i was sitting in the tent at the top of the hill with no tear offs on my goggles watching as is was pissing down just minutes before my run. Getting into the start gate it was still pouring rain so I had no choice but to try hold it together as good as possible.
After about the first 30 seconds my goggles were covered in rain spots making it hard to see but the track was awesome in the wet and I was having heaps of fun. Unfortunately though I ended up making a couple of anoying mistakes because of slick spots catching me out and ended up only holding it together enough for 72nd which was disappointing.

After La Bresse it was onto Andorra for the next round of the World Cup, with a similar beginning to the last trip we made it our accomodation at about 3am but found the keys in the door so we got to actually get some sleep for that night.
Having raced in Andorra last year I was pretty familiar with it so I didnt end up walking the track and just went straight into a very wet practice to find the track was identical to last year and didnt even look like they had done any work to it since last year so lots of braking bumps and exposed roots which made it tough but was awesome to have a challenging course.
By race day the track was some good deep ruts and was getting fast and even more fun. Qualifying was rough and after an off track moment I got it back together and made it through to the finals somewhere in the 60s.
After a bite to eat for lunch and a bit of a break it was back up the hill for finals after my mechanic Mike D had got my bike into race spec and running smooth. I put a good run together except for a minor moment where i was headed straight off the track but got it back together and had a lot of fun getting wild for the rest of the run ending up in 47th place, my best world cup finish so far for the season, the craziest part was my team mate Ryan finished in 48th only .01 behind me!