3 awesome new videos from the first 3 World Cups this season. All the Yeti race action you need!
Yeti Leogang WC Video
Yeti Ft. William WC Video
Yeti Maribor WC Video
Video Goodness.
Europe.
Europe. The land of dry bread, mayonnaise, and lunch meat sandwiches! This was the case way to many times while on the road, doing epic drives from venue to venue. I experienced a totally new europe, only visiting small ski resorts and small towns on the road to the next race. We really didn’t visit many tourist destinations or big cities. I got to see a part of Europe that most American travelers don’t often see. Here is a few photos from each different experience.
Stop #1: Maribor, Slovenia 2010 UCI World Cup #1
Mud was the name of the game in Maribor. By far the muddiest, most rutted, slickest track I have ever ridden.
Unfortunately I had a bad run in qualifying. Bottom line I didn’t make it from the start house to here fast enough.
This year marks Yeti’s 25th anniversary. This was the first race we got to show off the new goods!
Stop #2: Winterburg, Germany 2010 IXS Cup
The riding and racing scene in Germany is huge. IXS puts on a massive show!
I got a bit too loose in my race run which ended up costing me a lot of time.
We had a great photo shoot after the race with the guys over at Mountain Bike Rider Mag Boris and Sebastian are awesome and the magazine is really good.
Stop #3: England/Wales
On the ferry to the UK. Gwinny getting his Titanic on!
XC ride up to the Llangollen Castle
Shuttles down to the sea in North Wales!
The legendary Dirt Mag van from Earthed 1. Me and Aaron went with Ed to the new Dirt 1:04 track. Look for the article in Dirt Magazine Issue #102 August
There is no Gym near the Dirt chicken shed. Jared is resourceful by using the Joey Gym (c)
Stop #4: Fort William, Scotland 2010 UCI World Cup #2
Dibs castle!
Track walk with my two favorite Aussies. Mick Hannah and Scott Sharples!
Fort William always has the best crowds!
I was on a top 30 pace when a crash and chain drop would put me out of the finals.
We went on a day trip to Loch Ness to visit Nessie the monster!
Stop #5: Willingen, Germany 2010 Wheels of Speed Festival
Event proudly sponsored by Milka Chocolate! Too tempting.
The track was fast, short, and had lots of massive jumps!
Stop #6: Leogang, Austria 2010 UCI World Cup #3
Leogang brought more roots and mud to the table as well as another crash for me.
If you want to become a strong rider and racer, Europe is the place to do it best.
The alps are massive and unforgiving.
Stop #7: Crested Butte, Colorado, USA 2010 Mountain States Cup
Retro much?
It was good to race Boice again! Always a close competition.
He barely just edged me out!
The Monday after the race me and Mick Hannah and Tasso Koch (yes, Tasso did an all day xc ride and killed it!) went on a 6 hour XC mission on the Monarch Crest Trail. It was so amazing!
This was the most amazing and epic XC ride of my life! A must do for everyone!
And now… Now I am back at home. Taking a few days off the bike and reorganizing my life. Good times on the road! Cant wait for it to start up again next week with Snowmass MSC, Sol Vista National Championships, Champerey World Cup, and Val Di Sole World Cup. Bring it!
Joey
Tweet Tweet
No blog entries lately. Too much good stuff going on in life! Be sure to keep up with the Twitter feed on the right hand side of the page. Thats updated daily!
Recent videos
Here are some videos from my most recent adventures.
VitalMTB.com Video Pro GRT #1
Yeti Sea Otter Classic Video
Yeti Team Camp Video
JoeyTV Guatemala Video
Port Angeles, Washington
Next stop on the calendar was the first round of the Pro Gravity Tour in Port Angeles, Washington.
Me, Aaron, and Chris had a great week of riding and testing with Fox and riding the PNW. I was riding fast all week, and of the 30+ runs I must have done, I don’t understand why my last run down, my race run, I crashed… In sight of the finish line! I had a mechanical with my pedal, and one thing led to another, and I was catapulting through the air. Better luck next time. Next on the agenda is just finishing up school and training before I head out to Maribor for the first World Cup this week!
Yes yes, I will show you my wrecking my self… I really got lucky with this one.
Sea Otter
Sea Otter was Sea Otter. I certainly don’t care for this event a whole lot. I struggled in the slalom and made some mistakes, and in DH I had a good run and got 25th… The DH track is flat and boring to say the least. How can I pull a good result when there is nowhere to get “rowdy” or “loose” on the track. Sheeshhh loueeeesh. Anyways, its still a fun event because everyone is there and hanging out. It is really the only time all season every one is together at the same event. Its also a good event for some media stuff. I did an interview with Pinkbike, took some photos here and there, and signed a t-shirt here and there, so its not all bad. See ya next year Otter.
New team graphics
Jared and Gwinny killed it!
Pinkbike.com interview and “the new bike”
Pan American Championships. Guatemala
Los Campeonato’s Pan Americano de 2010 en Guatemala!
What a “loco” trip. From start to finish it was absolutely nuts! I know that news is supposed to be quick and current and all that, but I’m only finding time to reflect and write about this trip now, and since it was such an amazing and unique experience, it would be a wast not to share.
I decided to go to this race because its always good to try something new. I had never raced in a latin country, let alone in the tropics, so what better opportunity then to go to the Pan American Championships; the most prestigious race in all of Latin America!
Me and the rest of the USA team stayed in a hotel in downtown Guatemala City. It was insane showing up and seeing guards around the hotel in every which way armed with full on machine guns. One officer even let Katie hold his gun! Now that takes some commitment. The race track was much different than I had expected. Steep, loose, and dry were the name of the game. It was a 4 minute track and you had to be on your game the whole way down. In the shadow of the Picaya volcano, the dirt was very soft, light, loose, and pummicy which made for a really rutted out course, or as they say in spanish “pista”. I had a massive crash in my quali run. I guess it was because I was just pushing it and over cooked a corner a bit. I ended up smashing my knee pretty good but nothing that was going to keep me from the final run. I just remember how hot and humid it was waiting at the top for the final run and how I was actually pretty nervous because it was the first real race of the season. I ended up “getting friggn rad” as my coach Scott Sharples would say, and threw down a pretty solid race run. I finished the day in 3rd behind Marcelo from Colombia and Markolf from Brasil. I was happy with the result considering the number of insane pinners at this race, where for them, it is the biggest race of the season.
The day after the race was the best. Me and the rest of the USA gang went to the town of Antigua, a really famous and classical Guatemalan village. After moseying around town for a while we decided to climb the Picaya Volcano. 4 intense hours later we were poking a stick into the underworld. I honestly never thought I would get to play with lava this close! The volcano hike really topped off an amazing trip.
Keep posted for more updates through out the season.
Joey
New Yeti WC Bike + Website
Yeti is a company that is always trying to improve the product and supply its racers with the fastest bike possible. The Yeti 303 RDH has been a huge success and Yeti is going at it again with a new DH bike that the World Cup team will be racing on at all of the 2010 UCI World Cup races.
I got a chance to catch up with Distilled Mag out of NYC and do a little write up on the bike. You can check that out here.
Also be sure to check out the new Yeti Website that was launched today!
Yeticycles.com
Yeticycles.com/Joey
March
Hey everyone,
Just got back a few days ago from my first trip of the 2010 race season. The Yeti team had a team camp with Fox Racing Shox in Bootleg Nevada. At the camp we got the whole team together to set up the team structure for the season as well as get out new bikes dialed in and all tested up with Fox Racing Shox, all I have to say is that these new bikes are faaaasssttt!!!! Not to mention how good they look! I am really happy with how everything is coming together for this season!
After we got out bikes all set up we went to the first race of the season in Fontana, CA. I usually really don’t like racing in Fontana but this year was different. I felt like I was going really well in practice and I really wanted to win that race, but I gave er’ a little too much gas in the race run and had a nice little crash. I’m just happy I was riding fast rather than timid and slow! I am ready for the World Cups! Can’t wait to get over there and start tearing it up!
Here are some photos from the camp and race.
Bootleg Canyon is just a few miles out side of Las Vegas. We rolled in late after a long day of driving.
Testing with Fox gives us a huge advantage on the race circuit. Bike set up is one of the most important aspects of racing and Fox has the system down to a perfect science.
It was really great to get out of snowy Colorado and get some warm DH runs in.
I took this photo at my favorite breakfast spot ever in Bootleg. Can’t wait to go again next year.
I’m not going to lie, I had fun in Fontana this year. You’ve got to love that LA smog sunset.
A little team bonding XC ride was in order.
I was on a near perfect race run until I got a little bit to “zesty” is a corner and slid out. Even though crashing sucks, I think it was a good gauge to start the season. I know the speed is there, I just have to dial it in.
The crash…
Here is a little video to top it off. John’s camera was in the shop getting fixed so he used the Go Pro HD all weekend and came out with a sweet little video! Right on John!
http://twitvid.com/MBGSM
Twitter Feed
I haven’t had a whole lot of time to keep the blog section of this site going but I have been posting up tons of pics and updates via Twitter. Be sure to scope out all the latest via the Twitter feed on the left.
All week I was with the entire Yeti team/family in Boulder City, Nevada testing suspension with Fox and setting up the team dynamic. Next we traveled to Fontana, California, where I am now. We are all racing the Fontana City National here. Today was the first day of practice and it was amazing! So much fun to ride some gnarly rock sections and see every one on the race circuit again! I hate to off season! The new Royal Racing kit looks amazing as well as our new WTB seats. Aside from that, we have basically all the same sponsors this year. I have been on the new Yeti prototype, loosely named the “720″. It is an amazing ride and I can’t wait to get some more time on the thing. After this race I go to Guatemala for the Pan American Championships, then to Sea Otter, then on to Washington for the first round of the Pro GRT and then off the Euro land for the WC’s. Very Exciting! Its shaping up to be a great season!
