The Devinci Log Jam (and Fiona) Road Trip - Day 4 - where'd I put my 7 inch XC bike?

May 23, 2007

It's the fourth day and only the second time that the whole crew has been together on this trip-haha so much for good planning. This morning the talk was once again about getting up really early for trail shredding, but last night Gee and Ross discovered that they liked DUDEs-heck I think Steve Mitchel even had his first DUDE. Needless to say the straight crew was ready, but waiting on our friends that earned their new aliases - Flatty O' Tool and Stunt Cock to get their DUDE loving asses out of bed.

The evening of day 3 set the stage for many a joke and new nick names that would come about for various riders on the trip. Ross had heard some commercial about DUDE beer, so he had to track some down. 12 DUDEs later, Ross, Gee and even Steve were happy to say that their first experience with a DUDE wasn't a bad one. Gee and Ross whined a bit once they heard that they'd be pedaling their DH bikes the next day-ya their road cassettes wouldn't be doing them any good in Penticton. By the time the lights went out Ross was known as Flatty O' Tool and Gee was now Stunt Cock-honourary members of the Penticton MTB Porn Star Posse.

I skipped the morning laps in order to get some work done but Johnny Smoke of Bush Pilot Biking snapped pics and made sure the riders were well taken care of. Shuttles left directly from Freedom bike shop at 10 am-ok almost 11 am, but really who's checking time. The riders were ripping laps up on the Peat Bog up until they needed to be fed in the early afternoon.


Chuck de Railer met me in town once I was done getting my type on and we headed way up for a Peat Bog lap. The riding in Penticton is a little rockier than I am used to, but no flats (knock on wood). It's old school freeriding- you know the kind where folks used to pedal and earn their vertical. The stunts were above my skill due to being built before I was born-haha not really but you need serious skills for their skinnies. We rode back to town and met the rest of the crew for a "longer run"-Now you see Stunt Cock and Flatty O Tool had to be dragged on this run as they weren't too sure about going on a run that takes over an hour, let alone one that requires pedaling too.


Funny part is it takes over 2 hours to get down from where we started with that size of group. The last run of the day was a big one, we hit up "Arawana", "The Beer Run", "G to the T" and "Rusty Muffler." Some folks zigged when they should have zagged, a few tires popped (How are those IRCs now Chuck D?), but everyone was stoked on the ride.


The day was awesome for everyone, FGT met other girls that ripped hard on two wheelers, Mike got to get the old school groove back, Ross and Gee realized that DUDEs and pedalling are both good things. When we left Penticton we split the crew again with the intent to meet in Whistler the next day.


Big thanks to Barb and Johnny for the shuttles, Kurt for the tubes (no thanks to Gee) and the rest of the crew for getting rad on 2 wheelers.

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Mike's take on his 2 days of Penticton ripping:

As I rolled into Penticton early Sunday morning, there was a lot going on. Tents were set up, people were running around, and there was a lot of spandex. I've been hangin' in the Loops for the past couple weeks and I wasn't accustomed to seeing that sight. Never the less, it's a part of cycling.

Fiona and I were patiently waiting to get our shred on and see what Penticton would offer us. Things weren't looking all too good, the triple clamp to carbon fiber fork ratio was not in our favor and I was starting to have an anxiety attack, so much that I even pedaled around the water front smelling the blossoming flowers. Like what the F#&%!!! Enter Johnny Smoke from Bush Pilot Guides in all his god sent glory and large van full of big bikes. "This is the dude we've been waiting for" I said to Fiona. We're dialed now! Big bikes and big smiles were plentiful! Freedom Bike Shop and Bush Pilot Guides made it all go down!


Penticton is a place where the old school is still alive and strong, and by that I mean the old boys are livin' the life and have bigger nuts than the bull I chased down the Peat Bog for a few hundred feet. They go up fast and they go down fast. I'm usually the guy who just wants to be dropped off at the top, shred to the bottom and get a ride back up from my smokin' hot chic. It's the life! These are the guys who work for their ride and love every minute of it. I went along with it. Myself, Ross, Gee, and Fiona were not too sure about the pedaling up thing and definitely we are there to descend some vert. Fiona and I were the only 2 that knew enough to keep our mouth shut, don't complain and just go with the flow. Gee and Ross on the other hand decided to ask on each ride if there was any pedaling. As a result they were each dubbed "Non Pedaler or Flatty O Tool" and "Stunt Cock" and after each little climb were asked if their balls had dropped yet.


My Balls are big and sometimes get in the way, but I won't lie, I like to go down the mountain only these days, but the more I rode with these guys, the more stoked I became. As I was half way down the last trail of the day shredding some beautiful single track on Arawana I stopped and just started laughing to myself. I realized that it was these kind of guys, the good ol' boys, who were the ones that made mountain biking such a special part of my life. Back in Nelson when I was a young lad at 17, it was the same kind of guys who made me appreciate everything there was to the sport and what it meant to ride in the mountains. Joking around, having fun, being a bunch of goofs, and making the most out of each day you ride your bike. It's good to see that these boys in Penticton have kept those days alive because those are the days everyone lives for. Nothing but a good time! As they kept laying into Ross and Gee, who admitedly sucked 12 DUDEs dry the night before, I said "I've been in your place before, it builds character!"


My ride was capped off with some wine at sunset and a big smiling welcome at home from a blonde beauty. The day was complete and full of everything there is to love about mountain biking. I thank those boys for showing me what it's (still) all about!


Thanks Johnny, Barb, Ron, Steve, Kurt, all the boys from Freedom and of course Tyler, Fiona, Ross, and Gee.


This trip is brought to you by Devinci Bikes.