Author Archives: "Seb Kemp"
Video: Taking it Blind–the Essence of Enduro
04.03.2013 //
Enduro racing was originally a “blind” racing format where, unlike downhill or cross-country competitions, racers could not pre-ride and learn every detail of the timed stages. This is the purest format of Enduro. In recent years, however, organizers have added practice runs to the schedule. Pre-riding the course is supposed to even out the advantage of local riders or racers who have raced the same event previously. Is that how it actually works out? Ash Smith scouts this year’s Trans-Provence and shares his thoughts on keeping enduro pure.
News: Bell Super in the Spotlight
04.02.2013 //
Bell is back on form with a rash of new, innovative products. We took a trip down to Sedona and gave their new enduro-style helmet, the Super, some ride time. Here are our impressions.
Exclusive: What is Enduro? What is Super D?
03.27.2013 //
Super-D and Enduro seem to be divided by the Atlantic. In Europe, Enduro has been raced for the past fifteen years. In the US, Super-D has been the dominant version of events. What sets the two apart and what are their relative merits? Can they co-exist? We asked Joe Lawwill a few of these questions. Here are his answers.
News of the Tweet: Battle of the Sexes
03.21.2013 //
This past week I’ve noticed more gender-based antagonism and friction than ever before. Is there something in the water or something more malicious building?
News of the Tweet: 97 percent of the Internet is as dumb as a hammer.
03.13.2013 //
RockShox’s marketing plan went to plan perfectly, and all because they knew that walking amongst us all is an entire army of utter mouth breathers who would be willing to bite on the lure set for them.
News of the Tweet: Twitter Hates Your Life
03.05.2013 //
’m a big fan of Twitter and one of the most frustrating things about liking Twitter is explaining to non-Twitterati that it isn’t just a scrolling screen of tedious social statuses. But now I’m struggling to argue with them anymore.
Exclusive: The Heart of Enduro
03.04.2013 //
Mountain biking is about the experiences you have on and off the bike, the jokes that are shared, friendly races between mates, waking up with sore legs yet wanting to get back on the bike…and getting into situations that you wouldn’t if you stayed at home playing it safe.
News: Mavic Turns it Up a Notch
02.28.2013 //
We spent two days racing Enduro in France and testing Mavic’s expanded line of apparel aimed at trail and enduro riders. Here are our impressions of the gear.
Video: “The Escape” Teaser
02.26.2013 //
This video is about bringing you the pleasure of the road and the thrill of the trails. Although the video’s backdrop is the back roads of British Columbia, we want to remind the world that adventure can be found on your own doorstep; you just need to get off the couch and seek it.
Feature: The Escape–Day 13–Journey’s End
02.21.2013 //
We may have been strangers to many of the people we met on our circuit of the Salish Sea but every one of them greeted us warmly and offered us assistance.
Feature: The Escape–Day 11–The Islands
02.19.2013 //
Today was a boat day. We took three to jump from Vancouver Island to Saltspring to Pender to Saturna Island. The Southern Gulf Islands, along with the San Juan Islands in U.S. waters, form an archipelago of hundreds of islands and islets….There could be a lifetime of discovery here.
Feature: The Escape–Day 10–Duncan
02.18.2013 //
Before setting out on this trip I knew that every little town in B.C. had great singletrack. I even suspected that they had bustling mountain biking communities. Nevertheless, I’m astounded by how deep the passion and ambition runs in every town we visit.
Feature: The Escape–Day 8–Heroes in a Half Lid
02.14.2013 //
Meeting these people – the real cogs that make mountain biking go around – is what fuels us on our trip now. Our bodies might be tired, but our spirits keep rising because we are being invited into the heart of mountain biking.
Feature: The Escape–Day 6
02.12.2013 //
Cumberland is the epitome of the idea that every town in B.C. has trails. Cumberland is tiny but it has trails – a lot of them–and all of them make you want to stay.
Feature: The Escape–Day 5
02.11.2013 //
We spent most of the day looping the green and gold treasures that wind through the forests, but the real riches we discovered were the down-to-earth people who seem to experience mountain biking sremoved from the baloney that distracts us from what really got us into mountain biking in the first place: time spent communing with our surroundings and the people we share that space and time with.
Feature: The Escape–Day 4
02.10.2013 //
This little corner of the Northern Gulf of the Salish Sea seems like a perfect little pocket: good people, a tight knit community, a cracking brewery, and fantastic trails.
Feature: The Escape–Day 3
02.09.2013 //
The Sunshine Coast dirt, made famous by the Coastal Crew, is the stuff mountain bikers’ dreams are made of. But beyond the bounty of gold dirt, the thing that makes this place so special to ride is that there are trails: carved-and-cared-for-by-mountain bikers trails.
Feature: The Escape–Day 2
02.08.2013 //
Like a tractor beam we were pulled west towards the sunlight. Bikes had brought us there and we drank in the illusionary warming rays of the falling red blob, content enough.
Feature: The Escape–Day 1
02.07.2013 //
By the time we freewheeled into Squamish it was engulfed in low-lying rain clouds, so we treated this exactly like any normal bike day: get on the singletrack and then find a cool beer once the goods were got.
Feature: The Escape–Day 0
02.06.2013 //
The mountain biking that most people experience and fall in love is radically different than the image of energy drink-fueled aerial tricksters, cowboy huckers, and jock-like racers that dominates the media. Most mountain bikers I know are under represented….This trip is about bringing the pleasure of the road and the thrill of the trails back into people’s lives.
The Connect
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May 21, 2013
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May 19, 2013
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May 17, 2013
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May 16, 2013
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May 15, 2013
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May 13, 2013
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