August 15/99 12:02 pm - More Nationals News and Photos

Posted by Editor on 08/15/99
 

Kevie's Nationals - Day 2

Top o' the hill at the start is all shield rock, glaciers moved south east thruogh here, bonus points for knowing how I know. Fast start across the rock quickly dipping into the woods. Across a couple of water pipes, lots of roots to start. A natural occurring pile of neatly stacked logs at the bottom of a compression.

Quick rise across wet roots down to a dry stream crossing, more roots. Pedal, pedal, pedal more logs with dirt filler. Drop off and out into the sun, down the ski hill scary fast. Back into the bush again via rocks and roots and bitsy stumps. Fast right sweep left through larger than baby's head rocks more like a field of water melons made of granite. Rock jump coming fast then down and across a stream in a compression dip. Wow, this is getting to be fun. Quick right off camber and all exposed roots, then left and down over some slick rock. Left hander tight bet wide and fast right, must be a road here, small hill and into the trees.

Still fast small rollers and rocks, lot's of rocks all a funny shade of orange. Air time , I love to fly. Down and sweep left too fast. Recovery time. Up, down take the top line it's better, take the bottom and fight with the next corner. Drop off sweep left. Drop again and left with roots this time. Open space bright, cross the ski hill face and back into the bush. Cross another 8 inch water pipe. They grow them big here.

Large boulder right, take the left line. Fast bit, double jump, whoops, rocks. Double down arrows, more rocks, roots. Dry soil - what's that doing here? Left and steep down, quick right halfway down exposed rock, wet to improve traction -not! Gotta love those tree pillows. Tight left, right, left, AAHHH boulder field, steep drop and way too many people watching, splatter spot. Bike path exit, false confidence builder before the boulder field revisited. This one has a spring in the middle just to keep things moist and mushy. Rollers out, right, left, oh look, another natural occuring neatly stacked log pile. Big air, on to a super highway, fast, fast, followed by a shingle covered plywood bridge. Now right, off camber and sandy. The rocks are colored to look like the sand, sneaky. Sweeper to the right, dip up, dip down, stick to the slope side and avoide those pointy rocks. Sunlight zip across the ski hill and bounce off the other side. Pretty view if you had time to admire it. That's the finish line down there, sharp left and dive into a sweeper right with lots of marbles. Straight flight to the finish line from here, wow in the air again was that a jump?

Ahhhh, done. That was fun∑.


Photos From the Downhill

Canadian Nationals downhill photos can be found Here.


Editor's Notes

Among the news and views heard at the Nationals so far:

- Eric Cseff has left Ellsworth to race on an Intense Cycles frame.
- The course are getting high marks, the administration and organization aren't...
- while walking across the media centre with my laptop under my arm (to plug in and upload a story), yours truly caught his foot on a cable and went crashing down, dropping his laptop. Dead silence descended on the room, as everyone contemplated the dropped computer. Despite bleeding from the knee and hand, your editor's first concern was the computer - luckily, everything fired up just fine...
- you have already heard about the timing problems the organizers are having. Well, here's another story: after printing out final results, the results guy left. Somebody stole the only set of results before the Elite Men's standings could be posted. Your's truly had them on disk (but needing a lot of formatting, and was working on them in the press centre). Word got out, and suddenly there were 20 noses pressed to the glass trying to read results over my shoulder off the screen...