Yay. Another sporadic post.
Last time I posted I was enroute to BC for a month. Without boring you to death, I'll summarize it by saying it was a blast.
I've gotten to know Canada even better. While last years trip was a wholly new experience, this year I knew what to expect and how to be more productive with my time. Knowing places to avoid, and places to spend more time in was a serious advantage.
Work was a gong show as always. Long days, with endless work to do, peppered with some industry fun.
Oh.. I also did a heli drop. Just like all those MTB movies you've seen at all those outdoor film festivals..
Early one morning after our dealer event, we headed out to Pemberton where we were greeted with a chopper who proceeded to pick us up in groups of 6 and drop us on the top of Mt. Barbour with our bikes. The next step was to ride down the mountain. We traveled through loose scree above the tree line, snowy berms remnant from the previous winter. As we descended, we entered alpine meadows dotted with lakes and streams. Further down, a more hardwood forest took over, before we reached the base of the mountain 5 hours later.(All photos credited to James Healey)
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| Brand new 2015 Giant Reign Advanced 0's ready to go Heli drop off (Photo: James Healey) |
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| From the chopper, in Pemberton Heli drop off (Photo: James Healey) |
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| The views were gorgeous. Heli drop off (Photo: James Healey) |
It took awhile to settle in. in fact, only now, 3 months later after work has died down and I have a moment to reflect on the year that I realize how rare and how cool an opportunity this was. Easily the highlight of my summer.
As summer wound down into autumn, my demo season also drew to a close. Focus shifted to supporting our women's brand Liv.
A few events across Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto were well attended and it was great to see the increased interest in cycling.
Lastly... I did my first bike race in three years. It was time. I've forgotten the woes of training and racing culture enough that I have the burning desire to throw myself back into the pit.
At the starting line, it felt as if it were my first race ever. However, within 5 seconds of the race start, it felt like I hadn't even left the race circuit. While my top end race heart/lungs/legs was nowhere to be found. Years of base riding and strava hunting amounted enough to score me a 12/98 finish. Now if only I can get rid of those last 10 lbs and throw in a few intervals, I might be able to put out a good race season before the big 3-0.
That was the tail end of the summer for you. I've got plenty more I want to say, but bed is calling.
At the starting line, it felt as if it were my first race ever. However, within 5 seconds of the race start, it felt like I hadn't even left the race circuit. While my top end race heart/lungs/legs was nowhere to be found. Years of base riding and strava hunting amounted enough to score me a 12/98 finish. Now if only I can get rid of those last 10 lbs and throw in a few intervals, I might be able to put out a good race season before the big 3-0.
That was the tail end of the summer for you. I've got plenty more I want to say, but bed is calling.
night.
