Issue 17 is online and includes my 3rd quarterly column: http://wideopenmag.co.uk/magazine/issue-17
They forgot to mention the two riding shots are by Sven Martin 
You will also find this epic photo of Sarah and Katrina by Reuben Krabbe inside….:)
- New Friends! Left to Right: Chris, Nick, Timmy, Alan, Matt, Ewen, Claire, Nathan, Darcy, Victoria, Cal. Missing: Shannon(had to leave early). Thanks for joining us guys and gal
This is our 2nd year working with Bike Techniques Australia. They invited us down to teach 2 weekend camps this year and this past weekend was round 2. We had another great crew of riders of all ages and abilities, some just getting into riding, some fine tuning their race skills and tactics, some adults, some youth. Either way, everyone was challenged and we were able to cater to each riders’ strengths and weaknesses.
We spent the first day at Stromlo Forest Park, where the 2009 World Championships were held. It is a great venue to coach at as they have some good little skills areas to work on drops, pumping and jumping as well as a couple tracks to work on cornering and putting it all together.
Day 2 we went shuttling out at Blue Range which was pretty rad, actually. Canberra isn’t a mountainous area but Blue Range offered some steeper terrain, more technical single track, off camber sections, drops, jumps, corners. It was a little greasy in the morning so everyone was challenged and we could give some good tips for riding in more slippery conditions.
One of the best things about coaching is the characters you meet. Some people are just so stoked on life, some just little shredders on bikes too big for them, so great. One of our riders, Cal, was hilarious. He drove over 7 hours to ride with us! What a legend. He was having so much fun on one run, I caught up to him on the side of the track with his helmet off. I thought he’d had a crash but he was having a laughing fit!!! Haha, so great to see.
All in all, a great 2 weekends of coaching with Bike Techniques. Thanks for having us guys! Looking forward to next year already…
Leishman, Paul and I checking out our line down 'Winky Pop'. Photo by Billy-hurst.
After weeks and weeks of no snow, it came! Not that I wasn’t having a good time, a simple drive to Squamish meant riding my bike in epic dirt conditions with Champ and co. But snow can be fun, not to mention it stops everyone from moaning! It’s been a reallllly good couple weeks up on the mountain, snow snow more snow and no one up there. Prime opportunity to explore new places and zones. I can’t believe I had never been to ‘Winky Pop’ till just a couple days ago, but then again, I can’t believe there is a run called ‘Winky Pop’! I’m almost convinced the owner of a new place to eat in town, ‘Dinky Dawgs’, named that run too.
Anyways, just two days ago it was a 15 cm day with sunny skies, then yesterday I was riding hero dirt on my bike! I love how I can do that in my backyard.
Another good reason for snow - digging!
I am currently in the works on upgrading all my material for 2012 and I’ve got some exciting plans aside from dominating some races. I’ll keep you all posted when the time is right! As some of you may know I spent some time working with local videographer, AJ Barlas of Straightshot filming for the SORCA pre-race video series. He recently compiled all of the footage to make a sort of ‘Season recap.’ Please check out the links below to watch the video and take a look at AJ’s site…there will be some good stuff on there this year!
Have a good one,
Miranda
Had a great weekend coaching down in Canberra, Saturday in Tuggeranong Pines, Sunday at Mt. Stromlo. We had a good little crew of riders, worked on everything from Body Position and Balance to Drops and Jumps. Everyone progressed throughout the weekend and some will join us again in 2 weeks time for our next Canberra Camp. Looking forward to it! Photos by MayneRidge Photography.
If biking is your poison, Giro has the Remedy. I just got mine for this year – the Evil/Carbon Fade and the non CF but totally rad looking Cloud Nine. Giro also carries a nice variety of gloves including several women’s specific ones which have slightly shorter fingers for our slightly smaller hands. I’m not a fan of having lots of extra material bunching up under my hands and find the women’s gloves fit me perfectly. Plus they have one called the DND which matches the CF Remedy perfectly!
Check out this interview on NSMB.com. It’s pretty clear what my thoughts are on Yoga!
Yes we’ve left behind 2011 – it was a good one one – and crossed over into 2012. We’ve had quite a mixture of weathers lately but it seems as though the wintery white part of it has left us… for now. I did manage to get out on some fun little adventures while it was here though, and I must say that dirt biking in the snow is quite a challenge! Actually I think riding any kind of bike in the snow borders on being ridiculous, but to me all that really means is that you’re guaranteed a few extra laughs along the way and who doesn’t enjoy that.
Mid December B and I and our friend Travis headed out to Nickel Mine near Hope and did a little exploring on our dirt bikes. We were a bit limited to the trails that we could ride but still had a blast!
Over the Christmas holidays we went to the Island for a visit and found some dirt to play on. I quickly discovered that sand is almost as hard to ride in as snow is!
And of course our good old back yard trails on the pedal bikes. Nothing quite beats that!
Oh, and if you haven’t seen this video on Facebook yet check it out – it’s pretty funny!
January.
I feel like January is the most positive and energy-filled winter month. It seems as if the long dark tunnel of short days and cold weather has just a glimpse of light at the end of it, which gives me a bit of motivation to go out and bare the cold, knowing it will all be over soon! January is also a time of new beginnings; a new year calls for new standards to be set; new goals to accomplish, and often goes hand-in-hand with a refreshed and new outlook on the season and year to come. Anticipating the upcoming season and what I want to accomplish is more than enough to motivate me in these last weeks of cold. Training starts to pick up a bit, and the transition from endurance-heavy weeks and gym-rat days starts to turn into more explosive riding and some time on the bikes I love so much. January is also a great month to squeeze in some winter activities that are seldom enjoyed in my life, due to traveling to warm places to ride and a general lack of snow in Vancouver that makes such activities usually less than desirable. Snowshoeing, snowboarding, and snowball fights are just a few things I did last week, and to me, it feels more like Christmas now than it did in December!
Sarah truly made the world a better place. It’s a tough day today, we lost one amazing lady. I can’t thank her enough for the role she has played in not only the ski world, but in women’s sport. Her legacy will live forever, and be remembered and celebrated forever. Play, Inspire and Rest in Peace Sarah.
STRAND
claire
micaylag
daniceuyesugi
mirdoc
leishner
