I was at the top of the course early for once in my life, as the old balls men straggled up to the top of the course I detected a slight stale beer smell and some bleary eyes, indicators of some well deserved partying the night before.
I decided that today, instead of just covering the Canadian Open race and chatting with the pros (they are so predictable), I would seek out the hard core Devinci riders to see what they think of their rides. I caught up with a few of them at the top of the course....
Name: Travis Bilton
Age: 20
Hometown: Penticton, BC
Category: Amateur Men
Bike: 2008 Devinci Wilson 3 (cool!)
Pinkbike: How long have you been riding your current Devinci?
Travis: Since Wednesday, I was on an Ollie before that.
Pinkbike: Where did you get it?
Travis: Freedom Bikes in Penticton.
Pinkbike: What do you like best about your Devinci?
Travis: It is light, low, pedals well and corners well.
Pinkbike: How is the Canadian Open course?
Travis: It is good, tough!
Pinkbike: What is the scariest section?
Travis: The steep rooty section.
Pinkbike: How are you going to do in your race today?
Travis: Great!
Pinkbike: What is your secret weapon when racing?
Travis: I try not to think about racing, I ride as if it is a practice run.
Name: Simon Garstin
Age: 17
Hometown: Courtenay, BC
Category: Junior Expert
Bike: 2007 Devinci Wilson 2
Pinkbike: How long have you been riding your current Devinci?
Simon: Since March, 2007, before that I was on a Devinci 8 flat 8
Pinkbike: Where did you get it?
Simon: Mountain City Cycle in Courtenay
Pinkbike: What do you like best about your Devinci?
Simon: Its ability to go fast, it is low and stable.
Pinkbike: How is the Canadian Open course?
Simon: Really good, the technical section is steep and will separate the pros from the amatuers, there are some good lines.
Pinkbike: What is the scariest section?
Simon: The steep root section, last run I didn't hit it so good.
Pinkbike: How are you going to do in your race today?
Simon: I'm gonna win.
Pinkbike: What is your secret weapon when racing?
Simon: Being confident.
Name: Nick Woods
Age: 18
Hometown: Shushwap Lake, BC
Category: Junior Expert
Bike: 2006 Devinci Wilson
Pinkbike: How long have you been riding your current Devinci?
Nick: 1 year
Pinkbike: Where did you get it?
Nick: Full Boar Bikes in Kamloops
Pinkbike: What do you like best about your Devinci?
Nick: It is smooth and quiet
Pinkbike: How is the Canadian Open course?
Nick: One of the best DH courses I have ridden
Pinkbike: What is the scariest section?
Nick: The steep root section
Pinkbike: How are you going to do in your race today?
Nick: Hopefully I will do well, top 10 at least.
Pinkbike: What is your secret weapon when racing?
Nick: I am calm, I don't get nervous.
You will notice that besides all of these riders loving their Devinci bikes, they were all not ashamed to admit that the "rooty steep section" on the Canadian Open Course was making their palms a little sweaty. I couldn't wait to check it out. After a quick stop at the road gap to take a few picks and watch some riders get bucked right off course I trekked down until I could hear a hundred or so screaming fans. Eureka, I rounded the next corner and found the steeps just in time for the pro men to pick their way down. The crowd was awesome, there were cow bells, homemade noisemakers and lots of distractions for all the riders.
On my way through the village, having viewed the results and deciding that I needed some food after my afternoon of climbing through trees and diving into bushes to avoid riders, I realized that I had not managed to catch up with any girls to answer my questions. Then I ran into Rebecca, she looked like a racer, and she had a sweet Devinci so I figured what the heck.
Turns out that Rebecca does race, she broke her collar bone competing in the Race the Ranch in Kamloops and has just recently got back on the bike and is ready to rip it up....
Name: Rebecca McQueen
Age: 21
Hometown: Whistler, BC
Category: Expert Women
Bike: 2006 Devinci Wilson
Pinkbike: How long have you been riding your current Devinci?
Rebecca: 2 years
Pinkbike: Where did you get it?
Rebecca: Cyclepath in Vancouver
Pinkbike: What do you like best about your Devinci?
Rebecca: It is stable at high speeds
Pinkbike: What is your favourite trail in the bike park?
Rebecca: Joyride to Schleyer
Pinkbike: What is the scariest trail?
Rebecca: Detroit Rock City.
Thanks to all of the riders for answering my questions and here are the results for the day....
Pro Women:
1st Tracy Moseley
2nd Claire Buchar
3rd Jennifer Ashton
Pro Men:
1st Fabien Barel
2nd Sam Hill
3rd Greg Minnaar
4th
STEVE SMITH!
-FGT
Canadian Open ReportSunday, July 29, 2007
The final event of the Kokanee Crankworx Festival was a good old fashioned downhill race. Three minutes of furious action on a World Cup level course that kept speeds and excitement high. Two time World Champ Fabien Barel took the win by 2 seconds over current world champion Sam Hill. It was another 5 seconds to Greg Minaar in third. Of course everyone expected those guys to go fast, so the big story of the day has got to be
Stevie Smith, the Nanaimo BC ripper, only 1 second of Minaar! He’s still a junior!
The course was far and away my favorite of the year. It was very similar to last year's National Championships course with a few well made changes. The first kilometer was a very European feeling high speed tear through rough grassy corners. This is the type of riding that seems too easy until you start cooking along at 60 km/h. At those speeds the smallest bump puts you in the air and the simplest mistake puts you way off course. One of the new features was a step down road gap over Crank It Up. This provided about 20 feet of air before dumping you into a rough, off camber corner. Awesome!
The course got more technical after this, though not too much slower. A quick rip through Rock City and a new connector trail into lower Joyride put riders at the top of a very steep, very rooty pitch. This section was enough to scare the crap out of many racers and generated major traffic jams in the woods as riders lined up to stress out. A bit of pedaling and some more loose, high speed corners brought riders to the bottom and a good sized gap jump into the finish area. This jump and the aforementioned rooty pitch were enough to generate a DNS list about 30 riders strong. They could have had their own category! I guess that’s what happens when you get to put whatever you want in your race course and you don’t need approval from the UCI. I thought it was great, though I would have liked to see some alternative routes available.
One thing that was a problem was the way in which the final jump was added to the course. It shared a landing with the previous night’s slopestyle event so it was not available to practice on until the morning of the race. Many racers were not even aware that it was there until race day. I smoked one such rider on my first run of the day as he cut in front of me, obviously unsure of where the course was taking him. Maybe some UCI rules are good eh?
All in all it was an excellent and challenging course with a super strong field of riders. Great racing in the holy land of gravity.
-G-OFF
More Canada Open Info-
The first annual Canadian open went off this weekend in beautiful Whistler. Wrapping up Crankworks was an open format DH race. There were plenty of international competitors who showed a strong presence, and the open format let anyone who was willing to take them on to race against the big boys in the pro category.
The young Steve Smith (Cove/Sram/Red Bull) proved himself once again as our most promising Canadian. He placed 4th against 3 past and present World Champions. Fabian Barel (2004-05 world champ) took the gold with Sam Hill (current world champ) in second and Greg Minnar (2003 world champ) taking the third spot. Nice work Steve and best of luck at the World Championship in Fort William, Scotland. Steve has just signed on with the Red Bull family and will no doubt be a name to look for on the World Cup circuit.
-Derelict
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