What does “DSG” stand for?

Sh*t cyclist say…

I usually don’t post stuff like this but these are too funny.

 

Team DSG 2012

A new year means a new look….

Trans Rockies 2011 Media

Feature Video from Prime Time Alberta

http://www.albertaprimetime.com/Featured.aspx?pd=2811

Trans Rockies Slideshow from Raven Photography

Bow 80 2011

2011 BOW 80-ish – REVENGE OF THE NINJA COWS

80 KM or so Mountain Bike Race – September 18, 2011
Kananaskis Country

What a way to finish the season!

A funny thing happened on me to the race; I got to the hotel and was taking the bike out of the car. I went to put on the front wheel and ZOOM. (like in a movie when your mind goes into rewind to an exact point in time) my mind went to when I took my front wheel off and put the front through axle skewer on my bench instead threading it into the forks. Fast forward, now here I am standing in the parking lot of the hotel with no front skewer for my bike 12 hours before the last race of the season, wondering WTF am I going to do now… I went down to Bow Cycle who did not have any in stock. They did give me a few other places to call which came up negative as well. After some scrounging around the good folks at Bow Cycle came up with one for me… I would race another day!

Sunday started off at 5 AM, with breakfast of a bagel with nutella, an apple and several hot cups of coffee. The morning started off pretty brisk at 5 degrees C. We climbed into the car and started off from our hotel in Calgary to Station Flats where the race would start. The heater fan motor in the car burnt out the day before, so we had no heat in the car. The kids were wearing their winter hats and mitts, which we had enough sense to bring along!

We arrived at Station Flats at 6:45 AM, but we had to park down the road about 0.5 KM at River Cover Campground. I proceed to get my bike and things collected together, and we headed down the road towards the start. After getting signed in, I held on to my oldest daughter in order to keep myself (and her) warm until the race began.

The race started at 7:30 AM sharp with only 153 of the 200 entrants starting. I started off at a pretty good pace, keeping up with some of the same riders I had spent time with in the TR4 the month before. We headed down Sulphur Springs Trail, Elbow Valley Trail to Powderface Trail, all of which were pretty flat and easy riding. Then on to Prairie Link Trail which went through pasture land, so lots of cow patties and deep punched up sections from cattle crossings. That linked up to Prairie Creek Trail which saw the first of some substantial climbing. I came out at Feed Zone 1 / Checkpoint 11 at right about 2.5 hrs.  I was feeling really good at this point and decided not to stop. I had been expecting to see my family there, but they did not make it. Then on to the road for a 7-10 KM gravel ride back to Powderface Creek Trail.

In the Bow 80 in 2009, we would have gone from Checkpoint 11 on to climb Jumping Pound Ridge, rode along the top to Cox Hill and then down Lusk Pass, but this year the race organizers decided to omit them due to unpredictable weather this time of year. This shortened the race from 80 KM to roughly 62 KM.

Powderface saw the first major climbing of the day, then we double back on path down Elbow Valley Trail before we started up Moose Mountain. I was thrilled to see my cheering squad had caught up with me at Checkpoint 15, cheering “Go Daddy Go! Go Daddy Go!” as I rode by… it was awesome!

From Elbow Valley Trail we headed up Moose Mountain which is a really long, tough switchback climb that seems to wander upwards forever. The climb up Moose Mountain proved to be very tough. All morning, my front brake pistons were not retracting all the way, causing the brake pads to scrub on the rotor, but now it was rubbing enough to cause resistance on the front wheel and making really awful noise. There was very little I could do other than keep on going. The sun had come out and it really started to warm up. What proved to be just enough for the cold morning was now too much clothing for the warming day. I had neglected to fill up my water bottle at Feed Zone 2 and I quickly ran out of water. My legs started to cramp up at the top of the Moose Mountain Ridge, but I was able to recover coming down Tom Snow Trail. Tom Snow Trail contains several downhills that were way too much for my limping front brake, which quickly lost power and became spongy and of little help in slowing me down.

I came down to Checkpoint 22 at about 6 KM to go. The news of the finish line so close really picked up my pace and I forgot all the challenges of the morning. I came across the finish line just under 5 H. I was in the top 10, finishing 9th in the 30-39 category. What a tough day! The race itself was very challenging. Course marking was excellent, at no point was I concerned of my whereabouts with 22 checkpoints that kept up to pace with the course. Bow Cycle put on a well earned BBQ after the race was done. The Bow 80 exceeded my expectations.

Full Race Results

Additional Photos – Gibson Pictures

Me and my 2 biggest fans after a long day at the Bow 80.

TR4 2011 – Day 4

TR4 2011 Stage 4
Rafter Six Ranch to Canmore, AB
45 km 1,150 m / -1,150 m

Our final stage takes us up the beautiful Bow Valley to the town of Canmore, just outside Banff National Park. This stage features the TransCanada Trail, fun singletrack riding leading to the town of Canmore. Once in the town, the route will explore some of the Quarry Lake trail network, and then into the Canmore Nordic Centre, host venue of the 1988 Winter Olympics and UCI Mountain Bike World Cup racing from 1998-2000. Finally, the route will descend into the Town of Canmore and the cheers of the assembled crowd on Canmore’s Main Street.

Results

Race Reports

Race Photos

TR4 2011 – Day 3

TR4 2011 Stage 3
Little Elbow Campground to Rafter Six Ranch
72 km +2,050 m / – 2,350 m

Our “Queen Stage” will be one of the funnest days you will have on a mountain bike. Our longest stage with significant climbing, stage 6 will also be the most rewarding, with dozens of kilometers of marquee mountain trails that will challenge your stamina and riding skills, and reward with fantastic ridgeline views and incredibly fun descents. Locals will surely recognize Powderface Creek Trail, Prairie Creek Trail, Jumpingpound Ridge Trail, Coxhill Ridge Trail, and Lusk Pass Trails as some of the best rides in the area.

Rhett on Cox Hill (last rider in the line)

Results

Race Reports

Race Photos

TR4 2011 – Day 2

TR4 2011 Stage 2
Little Elbow to Little Elbow
66 km +2,000 m / -2,000 m

Since we first introduced “big loop” stages at Nipika in 2008, we have seen great reviews for these stages that feature excellent riding based out of an attractive base camp. We return to this concept with our Little Elbow based Stage 5. Stage 5 features an incredible loop of mountain bike trails. The stage combines classic area rides like Prairie Creek, Sulphur Springs and Moose Packers Trail with newly developed purpose-built mountain biking trails like Pnuema and Ridgemont to put together the ultimate combination of trails in the Moose Mountain area.

Day 2 Start

Day 2 Rhett

Day 2 Kirk

Day 2 Wally

Results

Race Reports

Race Photos

TR4 2011 – Day 1

TR4 2011 Stage 1
North Fork Recreation Area to Little Elbow Campground
47 km +1,250 m / -1,000 m

Brand new for 2011, the new stage 4 starts with a bus transfer from Etherington Creek Campground. This strategically placed transfer puts you at the start of the best riding in the Rockies, and skips over the areas most prone to difficult mud in wet conditions. From North Fork you head south on the Gorge Creek Road, which is closed and reclaimed after 7 km. This brings you quickly to the base of the biggest climb of the day to the top of Volcano Ridge. This newly re-built climb is a grunt but all rideable by top riders, and mostly rideable by mid-pack folks. A rolling descent on trails brings you to the spectacular Black Rock Canyon. Then it’s onto the last climb of the day on Wildhorse trail, and a blast down one of the funnest descents of the week.

Results

Race Reports

Race Photos

Furious 3 2011 – Day 3

Stage 3: July 3, 2011

Course Description:
Day 3 of the Furious3 course will be a great wind down to the weekend. It will take you up and over hyperventilation and hyperextension and then into the Ridgemont area on the east side of the valley. The area is riddled with trails that are a single track paradise for the locals. After winding our way through the area we will hit sidewinder on your way back to town. Day 3 will be shorter and will finish on a fun note and will put a perma grin on your face to remember the event until you come back the following year. Click on map below for larger view.

Day 3 Course Map

Our 8:00 am start was delayed by a false start due to reports there was a train blocking the route out of town. Once that was cleared up we slowly got underway. Kirk had over 15 minutes lead on the 4th place racer, so we had time to ride a little more conservatively. He had lost a little form due to the crash he had yesterday, and my head cold was getting progressively worse. Today’s Stage was shorter with only 32 km of racing, but contained 2 really hard climbs including another route up Hyper-Ventilation.

We had a difficult time finding our rhythm for the first hour of the day. Then Kirk crashed again, this time over the bike into the neighboring forest. The rider between us told me Kirk also had a flat tire. Much to my relief this was false and Kirk was back up in a few minutes. However, he had a big bruise on his leg from the crash that would bother him for the rest of the day. I started to feel good and get my legs under me but Kirk continued to fade as a result of the crash. I slowed down and kept pace with him through the balance of the day. We came in together with a time of 02:35:41 which would keep Kirk’s 3rd place for the podium. My final placement for the day was 46th in the Open Men Category. Wally came in close to an hour later with a time of 03:24:24.

Kirk’s final time over 3 days of racing was 09:19:58 which secured him a 3rd place podium finish in the Men 50+ Category. Wally place 13th in the Men 50+ Category with a time of 12:26:36. My final time was 09:11:58 and a 36th place of 75 competitors in the Open Men Solo Category.

Kirk attended the banquet that night and climbed the podium to collect Team DSG’s first race win! Congratulations Kirk on a well deserved win for an incredible effort!

Team DSG on the start of Day 3

Rhett on Day 3

Kirk on Day 3

Wally on Day 3

Drag race to the Finish Line

3rd Place in 50+ Solo Men – Congratulations Kirk!

3 Amigos

Day 3 Course Map

Final Race Results are posted here

Photography by Revolve Photography

Furious 3 2011 – Day 2

Stage 2: July 2, 2011

Course Description:
Day 2 of the Furious3 course will take you on a tour of some of the best single track trails the valley has to offer. You will skirt town on Old Stumpy and work your way over to the west side of the valley. There you will get more than your fill of some epic trails. With over 4000 feet of climbing you will see some beautiful views on the journey. Of course with 4000 feet of climbing comes 4000 feet of descending as well. Lots of bermed corners and fun flowing and twisting trails that will make you forget about the climbs. Click on map below for larger view.

Day 2 Course Map

The start of Day 2 and 3 was bumped back an hour to 8:00 am which proved to be challenging due to the fact that there was nowhere in Fernie open for breakfast at 6:00 am. We ended up waiting until 7:00 am for the breakfast at the hotel we were staying at, then rushed to get changed and get the bikes ready to be signed in before 7:45 for the pre-race announcements. Racers were blocked into 3 tiers based on the time of the first day. The first wave would start at 8 am, with the following tiers starting 5 minutes afterwards.

A concerted effort yesterday combined with my cold meant I was not in very good condition to race hard. After discussing it with Kirk, I decided to change my tactics and ride with him to pace him and help protect his 3rd place advantage.

Today’s stage was significantly longer at 52 km with 4 big climbs (totaling close to 5,000 ft) and 4 huge, technical descents. The start of the day went really well for us, with Kirk matching my pace on the first 2 big climbs. Our luck was about to change though, when we, and close to 50 other racers, missed a key turn and went far off course, adding roughly 6 kilometers (about 20 minutes) to our day. Most riders were confused and frustrated. We finally made our way to the first checkpoint / aid station. We were briefed that almost half of the 300 riders had gone off course including top tier competitors who decided to sit up for the remainder of the day thinking the organizers would have to forfeit the day.

Regardless of the outcome we kept our pace. On one of the last downhills of the day, Kirk had a hard crash coming over the handle bars and landing hard on his left side. He quickly collected himself together and pushed on. Racing the last few kilometers to the line on roads into Fernie, Kirk had a little more gas than me and came across the finish line first with a time of 03:55:24 keeping his 3rd place. Wally finished the day with a time 05:19:24 to place 13th in the 50+ Category. I dropped 11 places to 37th in the Solo Open Category with a time of 03:55:50. We immediately went to the organizers and expressed our concerns over the day’s events. We would later learn that the standings for the day would stand without any time adjustments. It was a hard day in the saddle, but we accomplished our objective of maintaining Kirk’s 3rd place.

Rhett on the single track on Day 2

Kirk on the single track on Day 2

Wally on the single track on Day 2

Rhett negotiating a log obstacle

Kirk negotiating a log obstacle

Wally negotiating a log obstacle

It’s hard to miss Kirk in a bunch

Day 2 Course Map

Photography by Revolve Photography