Rocky on the Island: Part One
The annual Rocky Mountain Bikes team trip was held on Vancouver Island BC. One week of team-building. One bike. And a whole lotta' good times.
Our plan was to do a fun, relaxed tour of the Island's goods. From its southern capital of Victoria, all the way to its northern end and the tiny, remote Island of Alert Bay.
Stay tuned for part two of the Rocky team trip, which will include the video edit of the whole trip.
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Our plan was to do a fun, relaxed tour of the Island's goods. From its southern capital of Victoria, all the way to its northern end and the tiny, remote Island of Alert Bay.
Stay tuned for part two of the Rocky team trip, which will include the video edit of the whole trip.
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 Margus: "Hey Gully, think you can one-foot table that there speed bump?" Gully: "Sure, I'll give it a try." Nice way to welcome in the 2013 Rocky Mountain team trip. Ferry line up, Tsawwassen BC. |
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| Thomas Vanderham getting to work near Mt. Work, Victoria BC. |
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| Riding on Vancouver Island is like being on vacation. All your worries seem to fade away and your mind relaxes as your bike flows effortlessly through the surreal landscapes of rock, moss, and Arbutus. |
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| Geoff Gullevich, Thomas Vanderham, and Andreas Hestler taking in the sights of Victoria's trails. |
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| Island wildlife. |
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| TV. |
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| Victoria's trail system in full effect. |
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| Last light. Day one of the 2013 Rocky Mountain team trip. Andreas Hestler. |
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| Hipsters have taken over downtown Victoria BC. The good: Tons of tasty coffee shops. The bad: Hipster staff. Habit Coffee shop, Victoria BC. |
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| Hartland Dump trails. Andreas Hestler and Thomas Vanderham getting in an early afternoon rip/video session. |
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| Tippie's energy and enthusiasm is contagious. |
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| Next stop on our trip was Sooke BC, just west of Victoria. There are two main riding zones in Sooke: Harbourview and Broom Hill. We only had time for one afternoon session, so we went with Harbourview. Gully POV. |
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| Gullevich + Tippie = Good times. |
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| The mystery of where TV gets his pop is still not solved. For this hit he basically popped off a blade of grass. |
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| TV exploring the Harbourview trails in Sooke. |
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| Last light on day two of the 2013 Rocky team trip. Sooke. |
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| "One bike" was the motto for this trip. Rocky's new Altitude 650B was that bike. |
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| Day three of the trip brings the team up-island to Maple Mountain near Duncan BC. |
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| Tippie and Gully, Maple Mountain. |
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| Vanderham and Hestler, Maple Mountain. |
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| Geoff Gullevich, roaming amongst the Arbutus trees on Maple Mountain. |
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| Cowichan Bay wharf. |
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| Cowichan Bay bagel crawl 2013. |
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| The second location on day three had us at the top of Mt. Tzouhalem overlooking the Cowichan Valley. Interesting fact: Both Gully and Tippie are scared of heights. Notice how far back from the edge they're standing. |
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| Andreas Hestler comes up to check the views at Mt. Tzouhalem. |
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| Gully, demonstrating a not-so-rare-as-of-late Enduro moment. |
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| Gully, at home in the Arbutus-infested, rock slab garden that is the top of Mt. Tzouhalem. |
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| Mt. Tzouhalem, Cowichan Valley. The trail that skirts the ridge from one end to the other is a playground of exposed ridge lines, and waves of undulating rock, snaking through obscurely shaped Arbutus trees. Quite a trip. |
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| Chasing down the last of the evening light. Vanderham and Hestler. |
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| Tippie, slashing a prayer for freeriders everywhere. |
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| Another, "that-was-a-sick-day" moment on the Rocky team trip. |
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| Last light, day three of the trip. Cowichan Valley BC. |
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| With the last light photo and video session over, it was a mad dash to make it out before dark. |
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| Getting the golden light shots on the trails sometimes means, getting out of the trails in less than ideal conditions. Lucky for us, we were prepared. We had lights and a Tippie. |
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| Full moon over Mt. Tzouhalem. |
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| Day four, we decided to explore Mt. Tzouhalem's lower trails. Gully, threading the needle. |
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| Mt. Tzouhalem's lower trails are fast and bermy. Andreas, slashing through the woods, on a one-horse open beast. |
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| Fun times x 4. Hestler, Tippie, Vanderham, and Gully. |
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| Getting the goods. |
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| Insert photo quote here: |
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| Yes, they are both in the air off the same hit. 'Gotta ride real close to look like this. |
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| For a side excursion, we hit up the Island's western coast to relax and get in some surfing. Thomas Vanderham...Tofino surf Ninja. |
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| Tofino life: Bikes, beers, and boards. |
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| Big thanks to Pacific Surf school and Ryan Grimstad for letting the boys play in the waves. |
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| I wish I could post a photo of one of the Rocky crew slashing waves, but unfortunately they didn't look as good as this un-named local. Cox Bay, Tofino BC. |
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| Tofino surf mutt. |
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| Tofino surf mutt #2. Gullevich, reeling it in. |
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| With the evening's surf session done, it was time for the... |
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| ...knife juggling and throwing session to begin. Master of ceremonies, Brett Tippie...of course. |
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| Just because you're injured and can't ride, doesn't mean you can't hang. Wade Simmons, Tofino BC. |
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| Wade Simmons, Thomas Vanderham, Geoff Gullevich, Andreas Hestler, and Brett Tippie...Team Rocky Mountain 2013. Cox Bay, Tofino BC. |
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| Stay tuned for part two of the 2013 Rocky Mountain team trip. |
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Awesome article captured everything perfectly