Phil Sundbaum Part 1 from corytepper.com on Vimeo.

So woke up at 5am on Saturday to go pick up Travis Erickson and head to Dry Hill in Port Angele’s, Washington.

We arrived to PA at 9 am and Travis began to practice. As I hiked the mountain to find decent spots to shoot at, I walked some of the side trails. Wow, the other trails I saw were amazing and looked like so much fun to ride. So back to the racing, I ran into Travis mid course after one of the Keifer guys had broken his collar bone on a tree that stuck out into the course. Travis had also blown up from this same tree, and some others.  All in all people were looking fast on this dry dusty course,really fast. After watching the pros some time later in the day, I decided where I would shoot Sunday.  After practice we headed to the Elwha river to cool off and then set up camp.  After the river we set up camp at the  Elwha River RV Park (www.elwhadamrvpark.com). What a cool place to camp, the owners were very nice and hospitable. The camp sites were nice and clean, even had a commons type outdoor kitchen/ BBQ pit. After setting up we headed back to Dry Hill for the Spaghetti feast! Casey, Scott and all the others that put on a race also feed us. Free food and lots of it, thank you guys again for that! So finally it was time to go get some rest, every one was beat from getting up early and riding all day. Around dusk our group headed to the fire pit, for more beers and laughs. What a fun night 20 or so people makes for a good fire. Around 1230 it was finally silent in the campgrounds.  Woke about 7am got some coffee and headed back to dry hill.  Everyone got ONE practice run today, apparently some people like to poach and get in more then the competitions’ practice amount.  The racing was over about 2:30 and I am pretty sure I got a shot of every single rider. All in all a great weekend and another great race put on by the NW cup!

Local Skateparks around Renton Washington….

Mountain Bike Bobsled Run from Aaron Lutze on Vimeo.

Last weekend was my first 24hr race of the season … in Spokane, Washington. I was looking forward to the weekend as Fraser had put together a 5 man team (which at the last minute turned into a 3-man team) so it was going to be a bit of a social weekend as well (well, during my 2 minute pits anyway!).

Fraser and I drove (ok, he drove, I relaxed) up to Spokane on Friday morning and got there around 3pm to snag a nice camping spot/pit for the race. We were right on the course which was perfect for me. Having the trailer sure is nice … we roll up and I can pretty much sleep right away. It is so comfortable and easy. I was loving it. What wasn’t so nice was the headwind which greeted us on the way to Spokane. The wind was brutal and at one point we were getting about 4 miles a gallon!!!!! Crazy.

So, the race started at noon and Will, our friend who is living in San Francisco, drew the short straw on Fraser’s team and got to start with me. He decided to use my pacing off the start and we were pretty much the last ones to finish the run (I am not kidding – there were maybe two guys behind us). All according to plan. We headed into the bike and it didn’t take Will long to pick up the pace and leave me in the dust…. I was once again in my own world and in the 24hr zone.

The course had to be re-routed this year due to flooding in the Spokane river and I didn’t really remember my time checks from the year before so the first lap was all by feel and by heart rate. This usually works pretty well but the weather was perfect. I’m not complaining but the cooler temperatures meant that my HR was lower than normal for the same amount of effort. I was also a little too keen on drafting and let my HR get a bit too high a few times just so I could keep a wheel. It’s hard to turn off the competitive racer!!

All that to say that the first lap was a bit fast. It was 1:15 to be exact … last year my lap times were around 1:30. Now, I know I have improved my fitness a fair amount but I also know that I haven’t improved that much. But I felt great. My legs, stomach, and everything felt great. I saw Fraser in the pit and we decided that it was a bit too fast so I backed it off a bit the next lap; coming in at 1:17. I backed it off some more and finished a lap in 1:19. I finally settled in around 1:22 and was enjoying the pace.

This is a good time to talk about the pit. This race was a little different than the other 24hr solos I’ve done. Usually I have dedicated support (Fraser) … this race he was racing too – in a team. He and the others on the team were doing what they could to support me while they weren’t racing. Fraser was, as always, amazing. I would come in, ask for something to get charged, or fixed and the next lap, like magic, it was done. I don’t think he got a moment’s rest between supporting me and racing! The other guys were awesome too. When they were in the pit and I came in they’d ask me what I needed and most of the time they’d have some little cups made up (even if one of the cups had beef jerky in it – what were they thinking??) for me to choose from. They always had drinks made and ready for me. It was great.

Around one in the morning it was getting harder to eat… ahh, the stomach. My biggest hurdle! I had some potato, chatted with Frase and we and decided that I was too on the edge. After Canmore last year I have become very in tune with that line and never want to cross it again…. So. I ate some more potato and had a sleep. Yes, I slept! I was so disappointed but knew if I kept on riding I would likely not finish and worst yet, might end up very very sick. So, I had a 3 hour nap. After 3 hours I got up, feeling stiff but determined, and decided to give it a try and see what I could do. I had some more potato (loving the baked potatoes) and got on my bike. To my great surprise and delight I pulled a 1:20 lap and was feeling awesome. I was ready to hammer to try to re-capture 1st place. I had no idea where I was … I just knew I needed to ride. Fast.

This is a good time to talk about my bikes. This year I have two identical bikes (except the year) and was loving the Norco Faze! What a sweet ride. It was so nice to be able to flip the little switch on the rear shock and get out of the saddle to get up the short climbs … and soooooo nice to have the shock for the rocky descents. It is not a super technical course but had loads of baby-head rocks and stutter bumps. My hands were feeling pretty abused at the end of the weekend. I didn’t have any mechanicals and only swapped bikes once – to fix my race plate!

After another lap Fraser went to check the results and we realized that I was still in 1st and just about to lap 2nd. Awesome. I decided to slow the pace a little, kept on eating potatoes, bananas, and donuts, and kept on riding. I finished just after noon; safely in 1st; having lapped 2nd place.

I want to talk a little about the 2nd place woman because I felt really bad for the 3rd place woman (Janet Axelson). The 2nd place woman rode the entire race with her husband, who was also doing it solo. They come from the Adventure racing background so I am sure it is all very innocent but I still thought it unfair to 3rd place! I know I go much faster when I can work with someone else!!!

And now …. recovery is over and I am back on the trails – getting ready for Worlds. I am increasing the amount of potassium in my diet as it really seemed to help my stomach when I started eating potatoes and bananas during the race. We will see if this helps!!!

Until next time … a big thanks to my pit crew, Norco Bikes, and GHY Bikes! I couldn’t do it without you!!

–
Monilee

Monilee’s blog

Good Crowd

Heres the man behind the lens, Greg Tubbs.  And the cover in front of the DVD.

The go huck yourself crew getting tuned up.  After the movie things got a little rowdy and Wilsons’ boxxers got removed for him.  Heres right after and the aftermath.

Since everything was so much fun up until then why not fire up the BBQ throw on some dogs and play some Huffy Toss.  Norm and Jake were the test pilots.  Norm had a good launch but nobody expected the NASA commander Jake Hopple was in the house.  He hauled ass into the jump and sent that bike into orbit.  Just check out Coltons face in the background.  Not only is he looking at the bike but the expression is priceless.

Once again we thank all that came out and all that helped.  Thank Travis and Angie next time you see them…thats for sure.  Click Here for more pics.

Haro Bikes is proud to welcome world-class urban/slopestyle rider Phil Sundbaum and our partnership with the all-new “Summer of Shred” world tour. Phil joins the Haro mountain bike team for the 2008 season and will be globetrotting with the Summer of Shred tour aboard Haro Bikes.

The Summer of Shread tour will be an international mountain bike event that travels to the four corners of the earth with featured rider Phil Sundbaum. The tour will be an effort to learn about each mountain biking discipline from the top riders who are the best in their respective fields. Sundbaum and the Summer of Shred tour will be taking on Haro’s entire line of bikes globally to explore and test the endless applications of their product in every possible environment.

Phil Sundbaum had a breakout year in 2007, standing on podiums domestically at Ray’s 3Ride and the Whan Bam Thank You Jam. Additionally, Phil made his first trip to Europe to compete against the world’s best, where he wasted no time in landing the first ever 720 in international competition.

With regard to his upcoming 2008 season and recent signing with Haro, Phil said, “I am excited to not only be embarking on a world tour where I’ll have the opportunity to ride and learn from the world’s best-but also to be supported by a brand that I respect and enjoy. I am fired up to be on the Haro team with Eric Porter and I’m looking forward to showing the world what I’m capable of on two wheels”.

Here is Jim Delavalle rippin at Ray’s

rays speed trials practice

Add to My Profile | More Videos

Friday, January 11th will include lunch and a full 6 hours of instruction covering everything from bike set up and basic skills to advanced bike handling. “Don’t be surprised if you ride away at the end of the day with a back flip under your belt!” Four additional coaches have been scheduled to share their riding knowledge alongside the legend Shaums March. “I am excited to have this crew of coaches to work with,” states Shaums. “We also have Jeff Lenosky and Jim Dellavalle on the coaching roster. I’ve known Jeff and Jim for years. They are both amazingly skilled rider and really are true legends of the sport.”

Fridays coaching session 9am-3pm with lunch $185. With season pass $175.00The $225 Package includes one night accommodation with transportation to and from the park, lunch, instruction and the weekend pass for Ray’s. This would be a great Christmas gift!

Sat private coaching sessions 10am-1pm and 3-6pm Max 3 riders per group 3hr $150. Season Pass holders $140.