Last week a lone rider was chased by a cougar as he rode the big descent from the top forest,” announces the mountain bike guide with a smile.
It turns out the lucky mountain biker outran the predatory big cat – which silently stalks its prey before striking from behind – by hammering flat-out down a long, tricky, rocky descent.
Sorry – cougar? Chased? I knew that riding this epic, handmade trail in deepest, darkest Whistler in British Columbia, Canada, was going to be a tough mountain-bike mission, but dodging cougars wasn’t part of the deal.
As full-suspension bikes – those with suspension at the front and rear, capable of handling the toughest terrain – become the norm, extreme cross-country (XC) mountain biking that pushes bike and rider further than ever has never been more popular.
In Britain a new generation of man-made trails, built by enthusiasts to provide more challenging routes, has sprung up in the mountains of Scotland and Wales, while the Witch’s Trails in Fort William, near Ben Nevis, are about the toughest you will find. However, even these pale into insignificance when seen against the trail I am about to plummet down.
Known as Comfortably Numb, this is one of the toughest slices of man-made XC track in the world. Unlike straight downhill mountain biking, XC requires the rider to go up as well as down, and is far more technically challenging.
Comfortably Numb starts at 2,067ft then rises to 3,323ft at the highest point before dropping back to 2,346ft at the finish. The whole ride covers 15 miles and along the way riders must negotiate near-vertical rocky drops, cross mountain streams and weave between giant trees through the forest section.
It has been rated by the Canadians as a “black diamond” XC trail (the toughest grade there is) and is super-technical from start to finish. Section after section requires 90-100% of effort to haul your way over huge roots and up steep rocky trails as you try to wind your way up and clatter back down the mountain.
You need to allow between four to eight hours to complete it – four hours for ultra-fit pro XC racers, six to eight hours for strong and experienced endurance mountain bikers.
The trail was hewn out of the mountain by Chris Markle, a local legend who set about building it with spades, axes and a chainsaw. Because there’s no access for JCB diggers every part had to be crafted by hand, cutting trees that have fallen naturally to make wooden pathways to negotiate boggy patches or water crossings.
“It was my real labour of love,” Markle says. “It took me six years to design and construct. I was totally on my own for five years, with a little aid and funding from the municipality during the last year. I tried camping out along the trail for a week at a time to save myself the daily commute until one of our too-friendly local black bears appeared.”
First cougars, and now bears? This trail was turning into an extreme sports safari.
With enough water for the day and three rounds of sandwiches (carefully wrapped so bears can’t get a whiff of them) I begin my descent.
From the start I’m faced with a super-steep trail littered with the massive roots of giant, densely packed pine trees, and rocky steps on top of a soft, loamy single track. It goes on and up, and on and up.
However hard I pedal I can’t maintain any momentum. Even the smoothish bridleway section is brutally steep. Just when I thought we could have a breather at the top of the first big climb, I’m faced with a narrow wooden bridge over a river that’s raging like a horizontal waterfall. This is the trail’s largest structure, the 70ft long, 70ft high El Presidente bridge over Wedge Creek.
My two guides, Jonny Lloyd and Mark Knight, are race fit but I’m struggling, puffing and sweating. Then I fall off. A near-vertical descent appears from nowhere, and seeing only big rocks and painful landings, I foolishly dab the brakes and my bike spits me over the front wheel, fortunately injuring only my pride.
I have a quiet word with myself. I relax. Slowly but surely I start to get a feel for the trail. The trick is to put effort in where necessary; muscling up the steep bits, “pumping” my full-suspension bike through the easier undulations, taking a breather on descents, all the while enjoying the silence and fresh smell of the green Canadian forest. And ignoring any thoughts of cougars.
We delve deeper into the forest and out of mobile phone reception for the next six miles. “Not that there are any roads in or out or anywhere for helicopters to land even if we did get a call through,” says Knight cheerfully. Now we really are alone. I remind myself to ride smart.
Two, three, four hours pass as the miles tick by slowly. If we aren’t going up steep technical sections, we’re coming down them. There are no flat, easy sections. We stop for sandwiches and sup on water, watching each other’s backs for hungry wildlife.
I now know where “nowhere” is, because I’m in the middle of it, deep in the centre of an ancient, green, mossy forest surrounded by trees reaching up to block out the sky.
We saddle up and plod onwards. I churn my way up, down and around the wiggly trail. I sense danger and feel like I’m being watched. Whenever I hear a twig crack, I look over my shoulder, half expecting to see a furry feline, fangs out, about to attack.
After five hours we reach the halfway sign. “It gets easier and faster from here. We’re halfway distance-wise, but two-thirds time-wise,” says Knight grinning. Then he points out some cougar waste on the side of the trail, with bones in it. I munch on another energy bar, grit my teeth and carry on.
It does get easier, but then this mother of all mountain-bike missions couldn’t get any tougher. My pace quickens and I even start smiling. After six sweaty hours we eventually reach the “highest point” sign and I know the final downhill fun has arrived.
I excitedly chase the two guides down the mountain as they leave a trail of dust in their wake. We’re all shouting and whooping as we ride down the descent to where the cougar tried to attack a rider – to scare rather than surprise them.
I enjoy the feeling of gravity pulling me over the big rocks that line the way. It’s steep, scary and fast, but it beats pedalling, so I lay off the brakes, hang off the back of my bike and attempt to avoid near death. Speed is my friend now as I try to stay loose to let it guide me safely over the top of the jagged terrain.
We reach the bottom and the end of the trail near Whistler village with throbbing, aching limbs. After nearly seven hours of full-on riding, Lloyd is distant and quiet, and Knight is nursing a sore wrist and bruised chest after crashing on the final descent.
I’m so broken I don’t know how or what I feel. I’m exhausted but I don’t feel in pain nor about to collapse. I feel empty. I guess I really have become Comfortably Numb.
The following week a cougar was shot dead on the trail.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Go, creased lightning!
Australia has called for extreme ironing to become an Olympic sport after a group of 72 Aussie scuba divers broke the world record for ironing underwater last week.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is believed to be working feverishly behind the scenes, using all his Beijing contacts as he lobbies the Chinese Government to knock up a Stadium of Steam in time for the Games' opening on August 8.
The Prime Minister's office says it's proof that the Australian Government is not afraid to get tough with the Asian superpower. Besides, Kev knows how to say "pretty please" in Mandarin.
Asked if he would be mentioning Tibet during his talks with the Chinese Government, a source close to the PM said: "Why? Are they good at extreme ironing too?"
Analysts say Rudd bypassed the International Olympic Committee on the grounds that it is even more scared of China than we are.
The 72 Aussie extreme ironers beat the previous mark of 70 and are seeking entry into the Guinness World Records book after completing their feat at a depth of three metres.
High winds in Melbourne during the week meant the ironed clothes also set a record for drip-drying. Guinness statisticians are trying to track down the garments, which were last seen flying over Ballarat.
The irons' electrical cords were removed for the world record attempt. Fundamentalist group the Wrinkles Liberation Front say this takes the "extreme" out of "extreme ironing" and has declared a jihad, calling on devout extreme ironers to track down the Melbourne 72 and spray them with a steam jet turned up to six. Rival group the Wrinkles Liberation Army says it should be turned up to seven.
"We had a few fish going by and a stingray. It was great," said event organiser Debbie Azzopardi, who is expected to carry the Australian flag - and iron it at the same time - at the opening ceremony in Beijing.
Storm-chasing, base-jumping and ice-climbing have become old hat as ironing has grabbed the extreme sports community by the lapels and given it a good shake to get the creases out.
Governing body the Extreme Ironing Bureau says on its website,
http://www.extremeironing.com, that the sport dates back to 1997 and the English city of Leicester. Pioneer Phil Shaw was faced with a choice between a basket of ironing and an evening pursuing his hobby of rock climbing when inspiration struck: he decided to combine the two.
Eleven years on, the world is in the grip of extreme ironing mania. Hecklers even shouted "iron my shirt" at Hillary Clinton during a recent campaign speech in New Hampshire. Assumed to be sexist agitators, the men were in fact attempting to break new ground in the world of extreme ironing by having the first shirt ironed on a Democratic hustings.
Sources close to the Clinton camp say she is a fan of the sport and would have acquiesced had the men said "please".
Hollywood too has embraced the craze - and taken it one step further. George Clooney said as much in Esquire magazine last month. Denying that he had undergone surgery to remove eye wrinkles, the Oscar-winning actor said: "I did get my balls done, though. I got them unwrinkled. It's the new thing in Hollywood - ball ironing."
Should Clooney make it to Beijing, his chosen discipline would be one of the highlights of the Games, though it would be screened only on specialty pay-per-view channels.
As the Australian Institute of Sport prepares to launch its extreme ironing program, critics say our desperation for medals is embarrassing. While the rest of the world enjoys extreme ironing as a bit of fun, we would be the only nation to invest millions in it and treat it as a real competitive sport. Just like swimming.
However, extreme ironing may be Australia's only chance to win gold in Beijing because all our swimmers are expected to be in jail for assault, firearms offences or impersonating a police officer in fishnet stockings.
In fact, swimming has started to appear so dangerous that it may be shunted off to the extreme X Games alongside skateboarding and freestyle BMX. Competitors would do a couple of laps then get out of the pool, stand at a bar and try to avoid being shot in the foot by Kieren Perkins wielding an air pistol. It makes extreme ironing look like a game for wusses.
>In other news
CONSERVATIONISTS have warned of the imminent extinction of a creature once found in vast numbers worldwide: the climate sceptic.
The news last week that a UK study had found almost no correlation between cosmic rays, solar activity and the Earth's temperature may have destroyed the sceptics' last piece of habitat.
A World Wildlife Fund campaign, Save the Sceptic, will be launched in an attempt to stop this bizarre, often colourful creature going the way of the dodo and the Tasmanian tiger.
Outdoor screenings of the sceptics' favourite TV show, The Great Climate Change Swindle, will be held to try to lure them into the open so they might be captured for their own preservation, though zoos have promised to stop short of trying to mate them in captivity.
swebster@fastmail.com.auSource: The Sun-Herald
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is believed to be working feverishly behind the scenes, using all his Beijing contacts as he lobbies the Chinese Government to knock up a Stadium of Steam in time for the Games' opening on August 8.
The Prime Minister's office says it's proof that the Australian Government is not afraid to get tough with the Asian superpower. Besides, Kev knows how to say "pretty please" in Mandarin.
Asked if he would be mentioning Tibet during his talks with the Chinese Government, a source close to the PM said: "Why? Are they good at extreme ironing too?"
Analysts say Rudd bypassed the International Olympic Committee on the grounds that it is even more scared of China than we are.
The 72 Aussie extreme ironers beat the previous mark of 70 and are seeking entry into the Guinness World Records book after completing their feat at a depth of three metres.
High winds in Melbourne during the week meant the ironed clothes also set a record for drip-drying. Guinness statisticians are trying to track down the garments, which were last seen flying over Ballarat.
The irons' electrical cords were removed for the world record attempt. Fundamentalist group the Wrinkles Liberation Front say this takes the "extreme" out of "extreme ironing" and has declared a jihad, calling on devout extreme ironers to track down the Melbourne 72 and spray them with a steam jet turned up to six. Rival group the Wrinkles Liberation Army says it should be turned up to seven.
"We had a few fish going by and a stingray. It was great," said event organiser Debbie Azzopardi, who is expected to carry the Australian flag - and iron it at the same time - at the opening ceremony in Beijing.
Storm-chasing, base-jumping and ice-climbing have become old hat as ironing has grabbed the extreme sports community by the lapels and given it a good shake to get the creases out.
Governing body the Extreme Ironing Bureau says on its website,
http://www.extremeironing.com, that the sport dates back to 1997 and the English city of Leicester. Pioneer Phil Shaw was faced with a choice between a basket of ironing and an evening pursuing his hobby of rock climbing when inspiration struck: he decided to combine the two.
Eleven years on, the world is in the grip of extreme ironing mania. Hecklers even shouted "iron my shirt" at Hillary Clinton during a recent campaign speech in New Hampshire. Assumed to be sexist agitators, the men were in fact attempting to break new ground in the world of extreme ironing by having the first shirt ironed on a Democratic hustings.
Sources close to the Clinton camp say she is a fan of the sport and would have acquiesced had the men said "please".
Hollywood too has embraced the craze - and taken it one step further. George Clooney said as much in Esquire magazine last month. Denying that he had undergone surgery to remove eye wrinkles, the Oscar-winning actor said: "I did get my balls done, though. I got them unwrinkled. It's the new thing in Hollywood - ball ironing."
Should Clooney make it to Beijing, his chosen discipline would be one of the highlights of the Games, though it would be screened only on specialty pay-per-view channels.
As the Australian Institute of Sport prepares to launch its extreme ironing program, critics say our desperation for medals is embarrassing. While the rest of the world enjoys extreme ironing as a bit of fun, we would be the only nation to invest millions in it and treat it as a real competitive sport. Just like swimming.
However, extreme ironing may be Australia's only chance to win gold in Beijing because all our swimmers are expected to be in jail for assault, firearms offences or impersonating a police officer in fishnet stockings.
In fact, swimming has started to appear so dangerous that it may be shunted off to the extreme X Games alongside skateboarding and freestyle BMX. Competitors would do a couple of laps then get out of the pool, stand at a bar and try to avoid being shot in the foot by Kieren Perkins wielding an air pistol. It makes extreme ironing look like a game for wusses.
>In other news
CONSERVATIONISTS have warned of the imminent extinction of a creature once found in vast numbers worldwide: the climate sceptic.
The news last week that a UK study had found almost no correlation between cosmic rays, solar activity and the Earth's temperature may have destroyed the sceptics' last piece of habitat.
A World Wildlife Fund campaign, Save the Sceptic, will be launched in an attempt to stop this bizarre, often colourful creature going the way of the dodo and the Tasmanian tiger.
Outdoor screenings of the sceptics' favourite TV show, The Great Climate Change Swindle, will be held to try to lure them into the open so they might be captured for their own preservation, though zoos have promised to stop short of trying to mate them in captivity.
swebster@fastmail.com.auSource: The Sun-Herald
Monday, March 17, 2008
Bennett takes big lead in BMX standings
By ANDY KENT
Special to The Palm Beach Post
Saturday, March 15, 2008
WEST PALM BEACH — When the BMX track at Okeeheelee Park first opened two decades ago, having it mentioned in the same breath as the Olympics was just a pipe dream.
In 1988, the sport of Bike Moto Cross racing was seen as an extreme sport, and certainly not fit for the Olympic Games.
But on Saturday evening, racers looking to land a spot on America's first Olympic BMX team that will compete in this summer's 2008 Beijing Games brought attention to the venue just east of Florida's Turnpike.
As the crowd filed out near sunset and the racers began breaking down their bikes, the weekend results confirmed what has been known for months: world champion Kyle Bennett is in complete control of his Olympic hopes. He left Okeeheelee with a huge lead in the men's Olympic points standings, and Jill Kintner, Amanda Geving and Arielle Martin remained closely bunched in the race for the automatic women's Olympic berth.
As many as three men and two women can qualify for the U.S. Olympic BMX team, but the final determination on the official roster won't be made until the USA Cycling selection procedure ends in mid-June.
The second and final day of qualifying drew competitors from around the world for the International Cycling Union event sanctioned by the National Bicycle League.
"We don't make money from this, but that's not what it's about," said Robin Brow, Okeeheelee track president. "It's about the honor and prestige to have this type of a race at your facility, and the elite who race rank our track among the top three in the world, so they were pressing to have it here."
What has made this weekend an even bigger challenge is the fact that the Olympic qualifier was run at the same time as the NBL Gatornationals, so some creative scheduling was needed. Beginning at 10:30 a.m., the NBL preliminaries, quarterfinals and semifinals were run consecutively under the hot sun, with the finals set for Sunday morning at 8.
Bob Tedesco, managing director of the NBL, is one of the principal people behind making BMX's vision of becoming an Olympic sport a reality. He said the success of snowboarding at the Winter Olympics has helped pave the way for BMX racing as an Olympic sport.
"When the world sees a BMXer with a medal around his neck, this sport is just going to go through the roof," Tedasco said.
Special to The Palm Beach Post
Saturday, March 15, 2008
WEST PALM BEACH — When the BMX track at Okeeheelee Park first opened two decades ago, having it mentioned in the same breath as the Olympics was just a pipe dream.
In 1988, the sport of Bike Moto Cross racing was seen as an extreme sport, and certainly not fit for the Olympic Games.
But on Saturday evening, racers looking to land a spot on America's first Olympic BMX team that will compete in this summer's 2008 Beijing Games brought attention to the venue just east of Florida's Turnpike.
As the crowd filed out near sunset and the racers began breaking down their bikes, the weekend results confirmed what has been known for months: world champion Kyle Bennett is in complete control of his Olympic hopes. He left Okeeheelee with a huge lead in the men's Olympic points standings, and Jill Kintner, Amanda Geving and Arielle Martin remained closely bunched in the race for the automatic women's Olympic berth.
As many as three men and two women can qualify for the U.S. Olympic BMX team, but the final determination on the official roster won't be made until the USA Cycling selection procedure ends in mid-June.
The second and final day of qualifying drew competitors from around the world for the International Cycling Union event sanctioned by the National Bicycle League.
"We don't make money from this, but that's not what it's about," said Robin Brow, Okeeheelee track president. "It's about the honor and prestige to have this type of a race at your facility, and the elite who race rank our track among the top three in the world, so they were pressing to have it here."
What has made this weekend an even bigger challenge is the fact that the Olympic qualifier was run at the same time as the NBL Gatornationals, so some creative scheduling was needed. Beginning at 10:30 a.m., the NBL preliminaries, quarterfinals and semifinals were run consecutively under the hot sun, with the finals set for Sunday morning at 8.
Bob Tedesco, managing director of the NBL, is one of the principal people behind making BMX's vision of becoming an Olympic sport a reality. He said the success of snowboarding at the Winter Olympics has helped pave the way for BMX racing as an Olympic sport.
"When the world sees a BMXer with a medal around his neck, this sport is just going to go through the roof," Tedasco said.
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