Well we still don't have the official press release, but the 2005 Red Bull sponsored Mt.7 Psychosis sign up is officially underway!!! That's right, for all you guys and gals out there who "think" they have what it takes to tame Mt.7-sign up now as space is limited. Mt.7 is one hell of a ride and this year will be no exception to the rule, as top pros from around the world will be coming to compete. For a little taste of what it's about, here is a video from the race a couple of years back.

Turn up the volume and check out the winners and honorable mentions from the FOX Racing Shox 36 for 36 Video contest on:

http://www.foxracingshox.com/36seconds

SRAM continues it’s support of the top mountain biking resorts in North America with it’s sponsorship of Diablo, Sun Peaks, and Whistler. All three mountains will feature SRAM componentry on their official rental, patrol, and guide fleets. “We believe in supporting the places where riders are allowed to roost free. And allowing people to ride our componentry is just an added bonus,” stated John Dawson, SRAM’s North American Race Manager.

That's right. We've just got confirmation from Janelle at Cycling BC, that this sunday's DH event has been cancelled due to mechanical problems with the lift at Hemlock Resort. The XC and 4X events are still a go for Saturday though, so come out and support BC racing. Thanks to Chad O. and Derek Roque for their concern in prompting this notice so that all you racers don't make the long trek out and have no race to partake in. See you all in a few weeks at Panorama for the Mad Trapper DH, XC and 4X weekend.

This past weekend the world of downhill mountain bike racing convened at Diablo Freeride Park for the third annual U.S. Open of Mountain Biking.

Who will get a share of the $10K purse?

Over twenty of the top freeride athletes will battle it out for a share of the $10K purse at the 2nd Annual Bike Magazine Monster Park Slopestyle Invitational, July 1-3, at Snowshoe Mountain, West Virginia. A partial list include Rocky Mountain Rider Thomas Vanderham, Red Bull’s Aaron Chase and Race Face rider Darren Berrecloth who took home first place last year.

Mt. Tremblant hosted round 2 of the Canada Cup downhill circuit on May 29th. The week leading up to the race saw heavy showers and the track was slick mud from summit to finish. Race day was super sunny and warm, but before the race the gondola broke down leading to a one hour delay followed by a heavy thunder and rain storm that lead to half the pro men racing on a dry track and half racing in heavy rain and slick conditions.

Well we pulled onto the LSB land at about 11 am and Chuck gave us the tour of where campers would be staying, be it Teepees or the lodge. The Teepee set up is super rad, with the tents surrounding a huge, traditional native Powwow site. From here we headed up the road to where Mr. Hunter will drop us off at Old S-Kool for our first virgin run at KBC.

The Kicking Horse trail crew have been working hard on some new trails and upgrading old ones. We will have 4 new machine built trails that will feature fat berms, bridges and tables. This summer you can ride off Catamount quad chair on the lower mountain, as well as the Gondola.

Well this season started early! In fact it felt more like last season never ended and that that there are no longer any breaks between seasons. Needless to say we're really excited with our new program and team. In addition to offering great tours we have an amazing pro freeride team consisting of Jordie Lunn, Tyson McCrae, Chris Glew, and James Doerfling. With the new Iron Horse/Freeridetours Freeride team and the tours I have an endless barrage of riding, planning, dreaded paper work, and shoots to arrange, plan, and come up with.

Wow this adventure started a few months ago with my buddy Matt Davis telling me that Chuck Brennan at KBC wanted us here at Pinkbike.com to come out and take in a weekend at the new facility. After a lot of emails and a few phone calls it all became reality a few weekends ago, when 6 of us from the industry met at Chuck’s house for our trip to the future of what mountain bike camps will be judged against. Here’s a look into Chuck’s dream, which is now a reality:

May 22nd marked the season opener for the Canadian National DH series. The event was held at Bromont, Quebec which is one of the premier mountain bike destinations in Canada with a lift accessed bike park that can be compared to Whistler in terms of its technical and varied mountain bike trails. The weekend saw close to 500 riders on the mountain with the combination of racers and park riders.

As with past seasons, the race track was demanding. This year we raced on a new course that featured 5 sections of difficult single track and 5 sections of fire road that required all out sprinting, there was no rest to be had and at nearly 5 minutes long the riders fitness and winter preparation was really tested.

DON’T throw away your master links…they CAN be removed!!! SKAB Toolz is proud to present QLR pliers—the easy alternative for removing master links.

Focused on developing innovative bicycle tools and accessories, SKAB Toolz is a small independent company that’s just starting up in Calgary, Alberta.

Pedal Magazine's story on the making of the first 2 seasons, the uncertainty of season 3 and the future plans for the next series - Drop In New Zealand, straight from the mouth of the Producers.

Brand new [R]evolution magazine in Australia has managed to get the low down from a first hand perspective on the Drop In - New Zealand tour (season 1).

This past weekend marked the official start of the 2005 season at Diablo Freeride Park. Over 800 riders made the trek to Diablo to celebrate opening weekend and compete in the First Round of the Diablo Domination Race Series.

MTB Freerider.com has just released their highly anticipated freeride film featuring Scandinavia’s best ripping it up on their home turf; Nordic Ride is now available through the Pinkbike Store.

If your like most mountain bikers you have unused bike gear laying around in your bedroom or basement. Today’s cost of new gear and equipment for you or your growing family is always on the rise. The challenge is how to cut cost and get great deals on new or slightly used biking gear. The OUTLOOK Mountain Bike Gear Swap is the answer, it will bring buyers and sellers together to swap quality used bikes and gear on Saturday May 28 at the Lynn Valley Centre, 1199 Lynn Valley Road in North Vancouver from 1:00pm- 5:00pm.

KENDA USA is proud to announce a strategic partnership with DIABLO FREERIDE PARK as the exclusive sponsor for tires for the 2005 season. KENDA USA will provide Diablo instructors, trail crew and the entire rental fleet of mountain bikes with Kenda Premium Line Tires.

DevineRIDE Mountain bike camps rocked the Kootenays last summer and are back by popular demand. DevineRIDE hosted two successful Women’s mountain bike camps last summer, and now the word is out. These Camps have established a reputation for delivering a high calibre Camp that focuses on the quality of the rider’s experience, good organization, and qualified, fun instructors.

In a few short years, the TransRockies Challenge has established itself as the one true epic for mountain bikers, with the most technical and challenging riding of any of the major multi-day events. The official stage locations for the 2005 TransRockies Challenge were unveiled this week and, with more singletrack and a return to the Highwood Pass region, the course promises to offer the 350 riders who take part the most awesome, authentic mountain bike challenge yet.

The early season riding in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park has been so good that Whistler Blackcomb will open the Park for daily operations starting this Friday May 20.

It was just over a month ago when my new Santa Cruz Blur 4x showed up at Calgary Cycle and so far its been great. The new blur 4x is one of the newest editions to the Santa Cruz line up, and is meant to be a 4x (aka) mountain cross machine, but as I have noticed it is much more capable then that.

With just a few days remaining before the North Shore Credit Union “Shore 2 tha Core” Marathon (May 21) and Enduro (May 23), riders can now register and pick up their race packages early!

Introducing two chances to get the jump on the competition…

A New Experience in Whistler BC

Whistler based mountain bike holiday provider Ticket2RideBC prepare for a season to remember with Iron Horse & freeride tours.

Last season T2R put a smile on many a riders face in Whistler by guiding them around the best trails in the valley. This year they are set to do it again, but on a much grander level. The boys at T2R have gone all out to provide you the rider with the best Whistler experience ever.

Everyone pretty much knows the feeling of waiting for a new bike? The wait – tap tap tap – the anticipation - tap tap tap – then there’s the first “another two weeks” update – bang bang bang – then the second “another two weeks” – BANG BANG BANG. You know the drill!!

NORTH VANCOUVER — The gates dropped last week with Tyson Mcrea of Iron Horse Bikes sealing a season opener win at Cove Bikercross 2005.

After a long awaited hiatus, it's on. Cove Bikes along with FOX RACING SHOX present Cove Bikercross 2005 at Grouse Mountain. With exclusive access to the world cup track, the series, starting May 18,
runs every Wednesday for the duration of the summer.

Mica Sport Canada is seeking a Product/Sales Manager for Scott Bikes.
You will require a minimum of 3-5 years experience in a similar position and are now ready to help build the Scott bike line in Canada. Candidates with extensive bike knowledge, knowledge of the Canadian market, established contacts in the Canadian bike market, proficiency in MS Word, MS Excel, MS Outlook and some knowledge of ACCPAC would be an asset. If you are an energetic, eager, hardworking go-getter, who wants to assist in building the Scott bike line in Canada.

For serious inquiries please submit a resume and references by email to marketing@micasport.com

RMBNB Fury III, Revenge of the Double Baseline on July 2 & 3rd, 2005 and the ABA 2005 Provincial Downhill Championships.
Due to many changes in the calendar we where able to secure this date which was our first choice and it makes it perfect for you to attend the premier MTB Extravaganza in Alberta this year. You will not want to miss a minute of this action filled long weekend.

Well we just got a hold of a few new DVD titles for all you riders out there. Local Yokels is out of Nelson B.C. and showcases 23 riders from 6 different towns in British Columbia doing their thing in their towns. The New Deal from Ryan Denehy has been filmed on a much more global scale with house hold names. Both film crews bring the goods to the table with a side of fries and gravy!!

As many of you know, Whistler Blackcomb has become a true destination resort for cyclist. What many of you forget is all the other things going on up on the mountains. Bring your hiking boots, your snowboard and even your binoculars, as you'll find so much to do up here in our playground.

The new DJ Park is bigger,better and more progressive than ever. It will
have jumps for the beginner all the way through to 18' foot doubles for
the advanced hucker. For the ultimate in convenience we placed the DJs near the Food Court, Slopeside Cycle and Emergency to cover all the
riders' bases. The West Trees have taken on more flow by eliminating a few criss-crossing of trails and with the new high speed quad on weekends and Wednesdays you'll now get twice the bang for your buck.

I regret to inform you that Diablo Freeride Park will not open this weekend as planned. Unfortunately we are faced with a minor permitting technicality that will not allow us to open.

I just got a call from Roger Hall director of BC Parks and Rec. He informed me that this Tuesday at 7:00 am at the City Budget meeting that the City Council will cut the Bootleg Canyon Budget. This is a huge set back for all of us that use the facility.

Port Coquitlam, BC — Norco Performance Bikes is excited to announce the return of VPS-Fest, a customer appreciation day especially created for Norco riders. After an overwhelmingly positive response last season, Norco decided to expand the series with at least THREE confirmed events already, and two more potentially on the way.

- Bombproof Rental-Specific Kona Bikes Debut at Mountain Bike Parks across North America –


KONAWORLD (May 9, 2005) – By introducing four new rental specific downhill bikes for Groove Approved mountain bike parks across North America, Kona Bicycles has assuaged the fears of park staffers everywhere; no longer will rental bike fleets be reduced to piles of twisted, broken scrap metal by season’s end. Knowing full well rental bikes take more abuse than a red-headed stepchild, the design team at Kona based their park specific bikes for the ’05 season on the durable world champion Kona Stab downhill platform and equipped them with super burly components. These bikes take a beating with gusto, and can handle anything over-confident renters throw at them.

It’s been almost a month since the UFC wrapped up with Kurt Sorge taking the win and being signed to a sponsorship contract with Race Face, Giant and Manitou worth over US$25,000.

Despite a little snow in the forecast, Treaded Biking is ready to rip. After riding out on the coast, the goal is to bring this riding to the folks in Calgary looking to learn how to rip.
From 100% beginner to full on hucker - we are geared to cater. If you want to learn the tips and tricks that will make you a HOT rider, check out our camps for the 18+ crowd, for both men and women. We're small, we're low-cost and we're good. What else do you need to know?

The second annual Crankworx freeride mountain bike festival wheels into Whistler August 3-7, 2005. Crankworx blends extreme freeride mountain biking competitions, fun family races, music and entertainment, and will showcase Whistler as the place to play and ride this summer. Organizers have announced event details that will combine highlights from last year with a range of new elements to deliver an explosive lineup of entertainment and gravity-fed action.

The Shimano Front Yard Fury took place last weekend in front of John Henry Bikes in North Vancouver, a sign that the 2005 mountain biking season has started for us Canadians....

Back in 1991 I entered my first mountain bike race, the original ³Test of
Metal² race put on by the legendary frame builder Paul Brodie and his crew of merry pranksters. Back then mountain biking was just starting to get its act together and the pioneers who came out to test their skills in this loosely organised event were really part of a brotherhood of adventurers discovering what this sport was all about. The Start/Finish area was nothing more than section of the dirt logging road that just happened to be wider than the rest and provided some sort of staging area for the event......

Hammerfest in Parksville is one of the most popular Mounain Bike races on Vancouver Island. Kebble Sheaff, owner of Arrowsmith Bikes started the race originally as a fundraiser for cancer research. The race was so popular that he decided to make it an annual event. Now in its 12th year, having grown through BC Cup years & clear cuts, Hammerfest still attracts the best racers from all over the Island.

Whistler, BC - Instead of the usual line up of over-exposed, pro rider
plastering every other mountain bike film, Gammalight Pictures went on the hunt for fresh blood, bringing the up-and-coming mountain biking stars into the lime light they deserve.

The first World Cup downhill and 4X race of the season has wrapped up and Syndicate racer, Nathan Rennie, enjoys his first visit to the world cup podium for the season, finishing 5th in the downhill.

May 31 - June 3, 2005, North Vancouver, British Columbia

Subscribers to this newsletter will receive exclusive speaker profiles and other important conference news leading up to this year's event. This week, we profile the following individuals:

Temecula, Ca- May 4,2005: Sabrina Jonnier brought home the gold in the first UCI Pro Women’s Downhill race located in Vigo, Spain last weekend. Jonnier’s prominent victory aboard her Intense Factory Racing M3 shows that Sabrina hasn’t lost her touch even after her devastating accident last summer that nearly cost Jonnier her life. Sabrina has been training hard over the winter and her win in Vigo shows that she is not going to make it easy for anyone to achieve the number one slot in the UCI points race.

Vigo, Spain– May 1, 2005: World Cup gravity racing got back to business Saturday, April 30, with the first event of 2005 taking place in Vigo, Spain. Nearly 500 athletes competed for over 6,000 spectators in both Downhill and Four-Cross events along Spain’s scenic western coast.

Stops Include San Luis Obispo, Calif., Grand Rapids, Mich. & the Pocono Mountains, Pa.

The Jeep® King of the Mountain Series today announced the three national host sites for the 2005 Mountain Biking World Championships, as well as a stellar line-up stocked with national and international champions competing for the richest cash purse in the industry and a pair of 2006 Jeep Commanders.

Eastside Freeride Productions and Ugly Ass Bikes are pleased to announce the Ugly Ass Jam on May 6, 7, 8th in Montreal, Quebec. It will be a Pro and Amateur MTB park competition in Jam format. Riders will face off to win Prizes and to get a part of a $1000 purse

WHISTLER, BC, May 1, 2005 - It was another weekend for the record books for Whistler Blackcomb: Whistler Mountain Bike Park had its earliest opening to date, and a record number of riders hit the trails.

On Saturday, rider numbers topped 600, compared to about 400 from last year's opening. Over 500 riders hit the park on Sunday, compared to about 300 last year.

North Vancouver, BC – The 2005 North Shore Credit Union World Mountain Bike Festival & Conference is pleased to introduce “Shore 2 tha Core” – an epic new event taking place this May long weekend on the trails in and around Mount Seymour.

Shore 2 tha Core is a cross-country mountain bike marathon race like the hugely popular Test of Metal and Cheakamus Challenge, which it now joins as part of the SISU BC Cup Marathon Series.

KMI Inc. is proud to announce that we are the official distributor of Commencal bicycles for Canada. Commencal, while still relatively young, is steeped in tradition. Founded by Max Commencal, former team manager of the Sunn powerhouse team, Commencal counts the legend Anne Caroline Chausson among their team riders. She has helped design the Supreme DH and Supreme 6, their offerings to the gravity inclined.

Fox Racing Inc. is proud to announce a strategic partnership with Diablo Freeride Park as the exclusive sponsor for protective apparel for the 2005 season. For the 2005 season, Fox Racing will provide Diablo instructors and trail crew with protective apparel, including our revolutionary Launch leg pad, featuring our patent pending X-Up strapping system.

Some of you might recognize Derek from his video sections or pictures in magazines. Others of you might know him for the faaaaasssttt as hell guy he is and this is why we are happy to have him onboard this year racing our colors. Derek will be racing out of Nelson B.C., doing as many Canada Cups, Norba's and North American World Cups as he can drag himself too. Derek threw down a little info on himself for all you to read, so enjoy. (We look forward to seeing him giv'ner and keepin' the rubber side down in '05!!!!)