Jared Graves - Rider Journal - EWS 3

Jul 8, 2013 at 14:29
by Yeti Cycles  
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Wednesday – Travel day
We had 36 hours in Morzine, France with just enough time to squeeze in some laundry, grab some much needed sleep, and get in a quick spin on the road bike to bring the legs back to life. To say I was feeling fatigued after last weekend would be an understatement; flat as a tack would describe it best. We left Morzine set for Les Deux Alpes around lunch time, arrived late afternoon, got settled into our place, went for a quick ride to scope out the area, and just took it easy.

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Thursday
The day proved to be a good opportunity for Polar Bear Hughes and I to check out the bike park and get some riding in. The bike park is full of endless berm and jump trails…basic stuff, but still really fun. After last weekend, I still wasn’t feeling 100%, so we only did a few runs and decided to spend the afternoon with the feet up and get to bed early.

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Friday
The trail crew was out and beginning to mark the courses and racers had the opportunity to walk some of the stages. I opted out, after feeling like it was more of a blowout than it was worth. Instead, I got out on the road bike for a couple of hours to spin out the legs, have a look around, and keep the body awake. Finally started feeling recovered from the previous weekend’s efforts, which relieved me and made me feel a lot better about the racing that was around the corner.

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Saturday – Practice Day
The format for this weekend’s race was a bit different than previous EWS events, with practice on Saturday and all racing on Sunday. Practice started at 9:30AM and everyone was keen to get up on course. All the tracks were freshly cut and new, and the morning practice session was almost a waste of time. The tracks featured a lot of fresh mowed grassy stuff that needed burning in and were changing quickly and were totally different by the end of the day. They’d become very fast and dusty and were getting rougher with each rider. I got in two to three runs on each of the stages, and was feeling pretty confident with my preparation.

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Sunday – Race day
Stage 1

As the leader of the series, I was the last to start and didn’t roll out down the ramp until 1:00PM. Stage 1 had a little bit of everything. The first half was long, flat and basic. But, the second half was a whole different story; a solid climb that felt like it would never end, followed by 3 minutes of brake dragging steep descending…a big mix of terrain. The top half of my run went well, and I was feeling good. The climb was tough and I was trying to push the 40t chainring up a climb that would’ve been more manageable with a 36t or 34t. It was almost impossible to concentrate once over the top of the climb and I started the descent …I was totally in the red from the climb and then dropped straight into some seriously steep and techy turns. It was all going well, when I saw my whole stage go down the drain. The course tape had been completely broken at the end of a long fast, steep straight (after just two runs it’s impossible to memorize an entire 15 minute run, so you sort of rely on the course tape to give you an indication of where to go) and missed the turn and kept going straight down the hill at about 50km/h. Pretty quickly, I realized that I had missed a corner. I stopped and had no idea where I was and began to panic knowing that I was losing a bulk of time. In the “spirit of enduro” I didn’t want to be that guy to gain time by taking a shortcut or risk getting disqualified by taking a shortcut. So, I tossed my bike over my shoulder and hiked back up the hill (50m worth up a very steep slope). I knew I had lost probably a minute or more, and I was fuming!

In the end, I had lost almost 1min30sec to stage winner Jerome Clements. Jerome annihilated the stage with an impressive display of skills, fitness and strength. He essentially set himself up for the rest of the day and it became his race to lose. With Stage 1 behind me, my focus for the day changed. I needed to have a solid rest of the day, and get back in the Top-10 in order to salvage as many points as possible.

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Stage 2
It was a very tight time transition for Stage 2 and I got to the top of the hill with only 8 minutes until my start. Stage 2 started with a very technical rocky section before transitioning to a fun, fast and flowy with some fast rough stuff. I had a decent crash in the rock section during practice on Saturday, so my plan was to just get through the section in one piece. That actually became my plan for the rest of the day; ride smooth and safe as to not have any major crashes or mechanicals that would completely have me out the back on points. It’s a little frustrating to have to ride conservatively, but it was easy to push it and risk crashing and doing damage to my bike and self. So, I played it safe. My run was solid, and to my surprise, I was 2nd fastest and on the same second as Nico Vouilloz. I was feeling confident going into the short lunch break and Stages 3 and 4.

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Stage 3
After lunch, I decided not to look at how the overall positions were playing out. I’d just focus on doing the cleanest run I could for each stage and remain hopeful that the overall position should look after itself. Stage 3 was like a steep sketchy DH track; very tight and awkward with no real pedaling. Just trying to stay upright was the key to success on the stage. I honestly thought I was losing time throughout my run; I just felt really slow. I hadn’t missed any lines or crashed, but I stalled out in one tight turn. I really thought I was going to be out the back and was completely surprised when I crossed the line with the 3rd fastest time…2 seconds back behind stage winner and Junior DH World Champ, Loic Bruni. My confidence was growing, but I couldn’t help but think about what could have been with a good stage 1 run.

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Stage 4
It looked like rain was going to hit us for Stage 4, but it passed just as quick as it came. Much like Stage 3, Stage 4 was like a DH track; very fast and rough, with some tight turns that all looked the same and required a delicate touch. My plan was to not do anything silly and put together a solid run to improve a few more places in the overall for the day. I still hadn’t looked at the overall standings and remained focused on riding my own race. My run was solid with no major mistakes. I definitely over-braked a good amount of sections that I could have pinned a lot more. But, I played it safe and ended up with the 3rd fastest time behind Sam Blenkinsop. My result had me feeling good about my chances of getting back inside the Top-10. Results were posted and I was pleasantly surprised with 6th for the day and fastest overall for the last 3 stages.

Overall, it was very up and down day with frustrating Stage 1 followed by three solid stages. I was happy with my riding and to salvage 6th place and some good points. Jerome Clementz kept it solid all afternoon and took the well deserved win. Jerome’s the guy to beat right now, and my main competitor for the overall title. I was very happy to see him get the win, he’s a top guy and really great for the sport! With his win this weekend, he’s taken over the series lead, with me 2nd overall and Nico Vouilloz in 3rd. After three rounds (of seven), the points are really close and the title is still completely up for grabs.

I’m excited to be heading to Denver, Colorado on Tuesday morning to get in some high quality riding, and even higher quality burritos! So damn excited to get a burrito in my belly! My extra special wife, Jessie Graves will be coming to join me in a couple weeks, too. I haven’t seen her since before Punta Ala event nearly 2 months ago. So, there’s a lot to be excited about, and all in all, things are just peachy right now. A huge thanks goes out to Shaunybear Hughes, the best mechanic ever. My bike was 100% dialed all week; it never misses a beat!

Bike Specs:
Frame – Yeti sb66c Medium
Fork – Fox 34 R.A.D
Rear Suspension – Fox Float X
Seatpole – Fox DOSS
Wheels – DT swiss 240 hubs, 500 rims, and Aerolite spokes, alloy nipples
Tires – Maxxis Minion 2.5 EXO, ghetto/split tube tubeless. 27psi F, 30psi R
Brakes – Shimano XTR race lever, Saint calipers, 180mm Ice-Tech Rotors
Derailleur – Shimano XTR Shadow Plus
Cranks – Shimano XTR 170mm with Stages Power Meter
Chainring – Shimano Saint 40t
Casette – Shimano XTR 11-36
Pedals – Shimano XTR trail
Chainguide – E13 LG1
Bars and Stem – Renthal 740mm Fatbar lite, 20mm rise, and 50mm duo Stem
Headset – Chris King
Grips – ODI ruffian MX

Author Info:
yeticycles avatar

Member since Aug 22, 2000
78 articles

40 Comments
  • 36 0
 Dat 40t Eek
  • 3 0
 Quads of steel.
  • 3 0
 i cant begin to imagine how much more powerful his legs are than mine Frown

Also, imagine how fast you need to be going to get the most out of a 40t. Takes balls.
  • 25 0
 Super talented rider and an excellent writer too! Grooving on the diary entries - best of luck Mr Graves for the last 4 rounds. Also really appreciate the section at the end which describes his bike set-up. Would be neat if other pros did the same.
  • 1 0
 Jared Graves you're a fookin hero. Thank you for going to school and learning English properly. A turn of phrase and the ability to spell and punctuate properly are such a rarity in sport, as is the ability to smash it in the squat rack. You've got a fan for life in me for said qualities!
  • 11 0
 So Pinkbike you guys should get more rider journals because this was just about the coolest post ive seen yet! Really enjoyed the photos and the story! Thanks guys
  • 7 0
 Awesome to see you doing so well in yet another discipline. I can hardly wait to see you winning track sprints in a few years time...
I do wish you'd ride something a little cheaper than a yeti though, mate. You've remained a bit of a hero to my young fella since crashing on our floor a bunch of years back, so of course he has to have a bike like yours... If you could swap brands an ride for say,Repco?, that'd save me a bundle Smile
  • 5 0
 "Tires – Maxxis Minion 2.5 EXO, ghetto/split tube tubeless. 27psi F, 30psi R"

Crazy. After exploding my ghetto tubeless on too many occasions I went UST and have not looked back, but this animal is running ghetto? Crazy. Just crazy. Did I mention he is crazy?
  • 4 0
 He is crazy I've seen him do a 30 footer with a flat tyre
  • 2 0
 How were you exploding the ghetto system? I thought it gave the tire a little extra protection between the rim?
  • 3 0
 What is ghetto?
  • 1 0
 @sam-ghetto tubeless, look it up.

@bryan- lotta people are running ghetto tubeless and really like it.. it offers a lot of advantages that running a tube could never get you. i was turned away at first, but after reading so many good things about ghetto, im determined to get it to work on my dh build.
  • 3 0
 8 min only before the start of stage 2? I've had about 10, and considering i've been 6 min slower than him on stage 1 (though not missing a turn...), that means i killed him on the liaison stage! Yes it's absolutely useless but now i can say "once in my life i've been faster than Graves" ;D
  • 1 0
 Jared if you make down to colorado springs on your trip you should try out the King Chef they make a pretty bomb (more ways than one) burrito and absolutely AMAZING green salsa! And also some really amazing singletrack too right outside of town.....but wait a minute it's Colorado all singletrack in colorado is amazing right?
  • 3 0
 I really enjoy reading these race stories from the actual rider and/or pit crews. Thanks for sharing and keep me coming. Go Team Yeti!!!
  • 3 0
 this is a top notch journal. I really enjoyed reading about your experience put there Jared - very well written.
  • 2 0
 Congrats to Jared!! Very strong and talented rider.
  • 1 0
 Awesome piece, perfect style of article for the perfect style of racing.

Approximate weight of bike?
  • 1 0
 I'd say probably about 28-29 pounds
  • 1 0
 you got a scale underneath your shell there turtle??
  • 1 0
 Nope, just magic Wink
  • 1 0
 so, ONE Industries does make their jerseys look a little tight as well as for Atherton ... so, no issue here :p
  • 2 0
 Gravey ya downhiller! Rob Warner lol
  • 2 0
 Great article and top guy. All the best for the EWS series
  • 1 0
 Another great write up!

Any idea why you'd choose to run ghetto tubeless??
  • 1 0
 cause it works. also worth noting that tubeless/ghetto tubeless offers advantages that you simply cant get away with running a tube.
  • 1 0
 Cool yeah wasn't questioning tubeless, more wondering what the advantages of ghetto tubeless might be over regular tubeless? Less burping? Easier to seal? Don't need tubeless ready tyres? Cheers
  • 1 0
 some people seem really turned away by it cause of the word 'ghetto', and the main advantage is "Tubeless tyres deform better over rough surfaces, which many people claim make their ride feel much smoother and "grippier" (i put it in quotes cause i took it from a mtbr thread..)

the other big benefit is no tube to pinch flat! some people do have problems with burping, although its usually caused when you put a single ply tire on, or when the bead of the dual ply tire isnt snug on the rim (ex: putting a tire on your rim with little to no effort (yes some tires are like that!).. you can seal up non tubeless tires with tubless sealant, there are a bunch of microscopic holes in non-tubless tires but the sealant plugs them up (granted, as long as you set it up right)
  • 1 0
 40T up front?! In such a terrain. Holy shit. He has some serious power in his legs!
  • 3 2
 I say that EWS is no longer enduro, but pure downhill... what a pity!
  • 3 0
 Sorry, but you're wrong! ;-)

They have to pedal their bikes between stages, so it's NOT downhill. Just because some of the stages utilise the local lift system does not make it any less demanding physically, especially on shorter travel bikes than than DH bikes...
  • 1 0
 If you read Jared's article you'd see what an effect the uphill had too. As he says, he was well knackered at the end of the stretch on one of the stages and it had a huge effect on how he rode the descent.
  • 1 0
 Waiting for the journal from Jared after every round of EWS!
  • 2 0
 Jared is the man!
  • 1 0
 you're a beauty graves!
  • 1 0
 holy cow! 40T on climbs?
  • 1 0
 Love the write up
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