Partnered with Honda Canada instructor Yoshi Nakatani was Rockin’ the Red for another wildly successful Moto-GymKhana event in beautiful BC. Held on May 11th, 2014 the second annual MGK event saw a host of activities including Honda’s Junior Red Riders program, scooters and ATV demonstrations, and an action packed day.
MGK is an event consisting of speed pattern racing where the rider follows a new course ‘layout’, reacting by driving the bike into turns, braking, and accelerating in a closed loop. The goal is simply to complete the course in the fastest time with the fewest errors.
Cecile Gambin Photography was on hand and capturing all the excitement including one from atop the Honda Trailer. Thanks guys for helping me up!! Check out the course that Yoshi put together from a birds eye view. The circular pattern of cones named ‘The Vortex’ was a highlight for riders. Instructors Yoshi and Reagan are out in the field teaching their students the layout.
Never been to or heard of Moto-Gymkhana? Check out my picture book below to help you understand!
Mandatory walk around the enclosed loop to help prepare and learn the course. Actual MGK events require riders to go in blind relying heavily on their knowledge of the ‘cone code’ where the colour of a cone defines a rule. For example, red cones are for right hand turns. The Rock the Red program is user friendly and designed to help a rider understand and learn MGK.A set of wireless timing system insures quick and accurate timing results. The bike must be within the yellow rectangle at the start and must end inside a similar box at another point in the course. The tire must not go past the yellow tape at the finish line.Lead Instructor Yoshi Nakatani and Regan help noobie MGK riders learn the course with a little help from yellow arrows pointing the way.Teaching course marshalls the rules of MGK. Yoshi hates this part of his job :pYoshi checking the course layout and warming up the tires before the event begins.Honda’s CB500F and the 125 Grom were used for the events. Riders could choose between one of the two categories (CBF or Grom) for the competition.Fail! Although fast and showing lots of promise this Grom rider went past the Yellow tape at the finish line.While MGK might look easy falls can happen. Usually the rider and the bike are unharmed as speed isn’t a factor. Most riders barely get out of second gear again reinforcing the fact that this is an event not based on speed but rather on technical skills.Motorcycle riders and spectators are always up for a good laugh!Working with Honda’s Junior Red Riders the good folks at Popkum Motorpark are all thumbs up!A CB500F on course and on deck a fleet of Groms patiently waiting their turn.First place Grom Class Trophy. Pretty sweet plate!!Honda’s Junior Red Riders are at all MGK events. Bring your child and they’ll come back with smiles!Even the little tykes get to play while Mommy and Daddy get to ride big bikes of their own.Want to try an ATV, or a scooter? Honda demo programs are also on hand at all MGK events.A great job by Yoshi Nakatani, as well as Honda Canada and all the volunteers for a successful 2014 event.
If you are interested in trying an MGK event the next stops are in Boucherville, Quebec (May 24) and in Markham, Ontario (August 10).
The PNWMA first XC kicked off the 2014 season with the Barry Groundwater Memorial race. CGP was on hand capturing the event. Please click HERE for all event photos.
Despite the bleak forecast the SDBA reported over 140 riders braving the mud, and slick roots. Touted as one of the hardest races of the season the former Cat Scratch Fever XC separates the weak from the tough. In abundance were rocks and roots, and for the A riders a long, technical uphill and two challenging enduro sections. Yet despite the arduous conditions riders came out in droves to compete and face the elements knowing that by the end of the race the word ‘tired’ would be a huge understatement. Perhaps because it is a well organised event, and spectators encourage and support the riders cheering, helping and urging them on. Or perhaps it’s because it is the first event of the year and competitors are eager to begin the race season. What ever the reason it’s apparent that this is a race to attend and in the end the challenges it presents only serve to help a rider become stronger, more skilled and ready to tackle the rest of the season.
A spectator laughs off the mud from the roost he received helping out a rider in the swamp.Ryan Dey showing his skills in one of the many rocky, rooty yet breathtakingly beautiful S turns.
Many thanks are extended to Steve Klassen and Ted Blow for helping me find my way around the course. It is indeed a photographers dream (eye candy). Finally, kudos to ALL the volunteers who worked unselfishly before and after the event – without you there is no race. Love you all!!
Yes! It’s that time of the month again when Traction eRag comes out. Stoked to have one of my photos grace the cover of the May 2014 issue. If you are into riding (offroad, Dual Sport and Trials) be sure to check out this on line magazine. It’s free and it’s chock full of goodies. Tons of graphics, relevant stories and articles and it’s even interactive! Click on the link below to subscribe so you can automatically receive the magazine in your inbox (and don’t forget to include the address into your address book so it doesn’t go to your Spam folder). www.tractionerag.ca
Rocket Lal is synonymous with perpetual smiles during rides and photo shoots. Even after a few hours in front of the lens, Lalena Desautels, still pumped out great energy by the end of the day.
I know Lalena is very proud of her new bike and she should be. Her 2014 Transition Covert is a one very light, capable machine with killer looks. She took the time to build it up with some sweet bling. Hopefully, in the future she’ll let me take it out for a rip in the local hills.
The focus of the shoot was to get some photos of her bike before it gets that’ worn in’ look from an ace rider. I’ll save the mud and scratches for a future shoot with her shredding the trails. Looking forward to that day because I know Lal can ride with the best of them and style it like no other women rider can. Her junior days on the Canadian National Downhill team may have been a while ago but time has only made her a more skilled and finesseful rider. Plus, she’s just plain fun to hang around with!
So while we were concentrating on bike shots I couldn’t help but notice Lal’s multifaceted personality – from a sweet little girl to a strong, and confident woman who can ride and shred a photo shoot. Saweeet. I really happy with how the photos turned out. I believe that my goal to capture her with emotion and give the world a taste of who Lal is came across.
I am very proud of this issue for a few reasons. But it’s not just because two of my articles and photos are featured in this months magazine but simply because I made a great friend in the process. I had the opportunity to interview Robert Perkins for the ‘Riding with MS’ article at the end of August and in that short time a life long friendship blossomed. I am very proud of the article but my success could not have been without my amazing editor Aija Marshall. She has a way with words.
I hope you take the time to check out the December issue. It’s chock full of goodies, editorial content and crazy pictures.
Don’t forget to share the link with your friends as well and if you haven’t already please sign up to receive Traction directly to your inbox. The magazine is FREE.
The geniuses at The Hershey Company figured out that if you put peanut butter and chocolate together you get something good. Now I’m not quite sure who created the snow-bike but the same concept holds true: take a dirt bike, remove the wheels, slap on a single ski up front and a track similar to that of a snowmobile behind and you get a snow-bike all of which doesn’t melt in your hands and makes you just as giddy as scarfing down a Peanut Butter cup.
Food aside, my good friend Jon Mutiger called up fellow snow-bikers to meet at Britton Creek Rest Area, just off the Coquihalla Highway this past Saturday. We met up with Kevin, Euc, and Dave all eager beaver to hit the snow but kinda spooked by the weather. They weren’t the only ones…according to everybody in the lower mainland, BC just hit record lows and the complaints I heard about the cold were hilarious. But before all you Vancouverites and other fine BC folks get all bent out of shape and call me an ‘Onterrible’ I need to let you know that I hate the cold. I don’t do well in it. My feet and hands have been frostbitten before and really dislike temps below 5C. So, it seemed fitting to try snow-biking for the first time under blue bird skies and morning temps hovering around -25C. The thought of trying my hand at riding in the deep, fluffy snow and photographing riders where a backdrop of crisp, clean whites and deep blues was too alluring to be bothered by the cold. To view all photos please click HERE.
Jon finished working on his bike installing a long track ‘Timbersled’ late Friday night. The plan was to ride 2-UP and I cannot thank Jon enough for agreeing to take me onboard. He smartly adapted BMX foot pegs to the rear of the bike so that I would have somewhere to place my feet. Because of the track the left peg was displaced further back when compared to the right peg which made for an interesting riding position. I couldn’t see myself travelling far distances with one leg stretched out well behind me while the other was in a more normal 90 degree bent position. As it was, Jon’s GPS recorded a 47 km trip. From time to time I did need to stretch and extend my left leg. This however wasn’t a big concern and I adapted quickly. The hardest part was trying to stay on the seat as my snowboard pants slipped on the rock (frozen) solid KTM seat. The steep verticals were a challenge as Jon needed to punch the throttle a few times to get us up and over. Funny enough while I was gripping the seat with my legs…my thoughts wandered back to when I was 15 and at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto where I rode a mechanical bull. I used my legs to hold on and allowed my upper body to relax and go with the flow. I’m a day dreamer – thinking of weird things while I should be concentrating – I’m odd like that!
Far from being on a mechanical bull though the ride on the snow-bike was relatively smooth. Until we hit a stump. Jon gasped and squawked milliseconds before we hit and I automatically braced myself gripping tighter with the legs and arms tightening around Jon’s waist. No worries…Jon’s a great rider and he expertly handled the stump – just a bump in the snow.
We did fall a few times though and the landing was soft. Actually, they weren’t ‘true’ falls but more of a slow-motion tip over. Please don’t think that these bikes tip easily. They don’t and are in fact very stable…I think. Alas, I can’t really write about how to ride them, or how they handle as I don’t have the experience and I failed miserably attempting to pilot Jon’s machine later in the day. Apparently, the trick is to give the bike lots of gas off the start. On my first two attempts I barely got the bike in motion and fell over. By the third time I realised how much more gas I needed to give it and happily rode about 10 metres before I had to turn (there were trees in front of me). I made it partially through my turn before I fell over. Jon looked at me patiently as I tried with all my might to lift the 350lb + machine in knee deep snow. I batted my eye lids and reduced myself to a princess by throwing up my hands in the air and yelled ‘I can’t lift it…it’s TOO heavy’.
I’m determined to learn how to ride one of these machines and will rent one in the future. There are several outfits that rent snow-bikes around the BC area. Geoff Kyle of Geoff Kyle’s Freeriding offer both rentals and guiding in the Whistler area. After spending a day as a passenger soaking in unreal sites I am ready to learn. Snow-bikes have the ability to go where sleds cannot – easily traversing slopes and riding steep verticals. The allure of fresh powder, and (wo)man-handling a bike through un-touched, rarely travelled terrain is appealing. Plus, I love the feeling of the bikes power when climbing and cutting through deep snow on tight turns. The feeling of floating across the powder is unmatched by dirt … not to mention there is no cleaning afterwards. No mud and always squeaky clean!
Cecile
PS…you can laugh at me as this recent Ontario transplant may not have been afraid of the cold but I did manage to get frostbite on the end of my fingers. Serves me right for holding my camera and lens sans gloves. At least I got some killer photos!
To finish the article I am currently writing for Traction eRag Magazine I decided it was necessary to ride the ‘A Loop’ of the Fall Newbie Ride to give a more complete overview of the ride. I took my Gas Gas TXT 200 trials bike and was called a cheater by some of the DSBC members (LOL!!) for using such a light weight bike but I am glad I did as we hit snow. I know it would have been a handful and the thought of falling with rather heavy and expensive camera equipment on my back and my KTM 200 didn’t really appeal to me. After all, this is the A Loop and Tom Timmerman, president of the DSBC was quoted saying this was hard because it is the HARDEST. To see more photos please clickHERE.
As promised the A Loop did not disappoint. Buffalo Jump, Parish Hill…all trails that deserve a blog on their own. Six riders in total (7 by the end of the day) travelled together and knocked off one trail after another. One hill after another. One mud hole after another until our tires no longer travelled on dirty, wet leaves but left traces across fresh, wet snow. As we climbed the snow became deeper and wetter.
Riding along a narrow goat path, rocks hidden under a foot of snow the trail turned and opened to reveal a bowl. My jaw dropped and I had to stop to take photos. It was eye candy. Every turn was as beautiful as the last – snow covered pine trees absent of noise – it was a true winter wonderland. I stopped several times. I had to – the photographer inside me begged me to.
I had not ridden in snow in a long time and it was indeed a test of balance. I was called a cheater for using my trials bike but I don’t think I was. In fact, in my eyes the others were cheating as they sat and paddled their way through the deep stuff. I, on the other hand, have no seat. The difficulty came when the snow and ice would freeze creating a layer of ice on my pegs after crossing open creeks. My feet would slip off pushing me forward onto my bars and digging my front wheel into the soft snow. This was on the flats. The downhill was another story as my rear brake kept freezing up forcing me to use more front brake than wanting and again causing my front end to dig in. But, I survived and it was fun and I only fell once…of course, in front of everybody.
I’m all smiles after this ride. The scenery was unreal!! Our ride stopped here and we were forced to double-back as the snow and trail were too hard on Parish Hill. Next year I will have to tackle the boulder infested hill.Riding along the ridge of the bowl. Check out the 3 riders from our group below.
Sylvain’s Beta all snow covered and looking pretty in red.Having left the snow behind Mitch expertly navigates his bike through a rocky part of the trail.
From an alpine setting to a tropical environment this ride had it all.So much eye candy and great trails to ride.
Thanks again to Tom Timmerman for leading the group and taking me out on an amazing ride. I’m still in awe at the scenery and the fun time riding in the snow along narrow goat paths. Next week Tom has a call out for DSBC members to help clean up and maintain the trails in the area. If you can lend a hand contact the club for more information – preserving trails and keeping them safe for our use is important to us all. Thanks for all the hard work!!
Yes I am a ‘Newbie’. New to the province and apparently, new to hanging around motorcycles as I burnt my hand on the rad while posing for this picture. Which is probably why you don’t see me too often in photos – it’s dangerous!
Sunday, October 20 – I was introduced to many people by my long time friend Kellee Irwin at the Dual Sport BC ‘Fall Newbie’ Ride. This is a the last social function of the year and we were treated to another round of blue bird skies once the fog dissapted early morning. The ride was organised into 3 clearly marked sections with the A Loop being the most advanced leading into tight, twisty, rocky, slimey and greasy single track, the B Loop single track (with a bit less slime, roots and vertical) and the C Loop mostly double track and fire roads. There was a trail for everybody and every type of bike. Which made this ride sweet as it was great to share the roads and trails with the dualies.
This was a special ride because I had not ridden with Kellee in over 8 years and our last ride together was in the good ‘ol Ganaraska Forest. Today Kellee, and her friends showed me their stomping grounds and I even found a little bit of the Ganny during our tour. That put a smile on my face as I immediately felt at ease whipping in and out of the trees. More smiles were to follow as we climbed, and climbed, and climbed, and climbed a very long chewed up logging road. I don’t think I have ever climbed so much on the motorcycle. My shoulders and forearms pumped from the pull of the bike as I kept pace with the others in 3rd gear. As I followed the rocky path that dutifully wound upwards, passing a few riders here and there, a whole new level of admiration for those riding dualies bigger than 650cc came upon me. At the top surrounded by snow capped mountains in the valley below laid the peaceful town of Chilliwack. To my left and to my right layers and layers of deep green forests create the familiar backdrop of a mountainous province.
Riding with the big bikes. I have a whole new level of appreciation for these riders tackling mud, single track, rocks, roots and steep up and down hills.Every time I see or hear the name Chilliwack I fondly remember my LP…and one of my fav songs on it … ‘she talk crazy talk…mumbo jumbo…’. BTW, that’s Chilliwack in the distance.
Kudos to Kellee for skillfully riding a KTM 350 through the tight stuff and rocky paths.
Overall, a great day spent with friends. I even met an old friend from my downhill days, Dave de Jonge, who rides a big bike himself. Thanks to the Dual Sport BC for organising a great ride and social event. The trails were mint, and according to many riders, a lot of trail work and maintenance went into clearing the last bit of single track. Over 140 riders participated! Next up for me…hopefully another ride next weekend. I’ll keep you posted on Facebook.
For Vedder or for worse I went riding today. Ok…bad pun. This past weekends riding destination was at Vedder Mountain near Chilliwack, BC.
The day started early with a 5:30 am wake up call to pick a long time mountain bike friend, Karley Cunningham. I had not seen her in over 10 years. Thankfully I packed the night before so I was out the door in 20 minutes. From her place we picked up her friend, Cynthia. From there it was a short drive to the local UHaul to pick up a trailer and finally a quick stop at the storage center to get their rigs – a Yamaha 125 and a Honda CRF150. I used my KTM200 this time around and felt like a fish out of water! After two weeks of riding the trials bike and my mountain bike, the KTM felt really heavy and sluggish. No wonder my upper body is lightly sore today.
I found single track reminiscent of Ontario at Vedder Mountain albeit with a few more roots and killer vistas. From what I understand the umbrella group Vedder Mountain Trails Association oversees several mutli-user groups (horse, hikers, mountain bikers, and ATV’s), including the Cascade Offroad Motorcycle Club. All groups work together and have been doing a fantastic job of maintaining over 90 trails covering over 200 km of fire roads, double and single track combined!! It is great to see all sport groups functioning as a whole and creating a safe, and fun environment for all.
Cynthia decided to almost go for a swim on her Honda (it was a good save!) and the only injury was water in her boot. You got lucky girl! Next time, slow down before entering an unknown water hole, scan the area and look for other riders tracks.
Cynthia, notice the tire tracks to the right of the puddle. LOL!Slosh. All meant in good fun. I’m sure many of my friends can tell you stories of me watering out again, and again, and again.
As for me…no injuries this time. The only casualty was my KTM kickstand. Broke in the parking lot!! The only positive about this is that my bike is now a few pounds less.
Randy on his rare ‘Ivan Cervantes’ Gas Gas. Nice bike…wish I could have tried it.
We ran into Randy who was a real sweetheart. Basically showing us the way as none of us had ever ridden there. And, if you know me I’m lousy with directions so it was always nice to know that Randy was somewhere close by ready to redirect us. Have to love dirtbikers – they are such a friendly bunch. There are not too many other sport groups that have this type of camaderie. One of the reasons I love this sport so much – no one will leave you to hang dry!
Thanks for the great day Karley and Cynthia, Cascade Off-Road Motorcycle Club, and to Vedder Mountain Trails Assoc. Next week…I’m off riding with Kellee Irwin. I don’t know where she’s taking me but I know it’ll be some more fun.
A blue sky, warm temps, killer trails and snow capped mountains! Awesome. What through me for a loop though was the steepness of the trails from minute one onwards. Guess I’m used to a smooth, gentle rise in elevation. BC single tracks, in general, are pretty tough and I admit that the narrow paths, steep granite walls, and slick roots made my heart patter more than once. My years as a downhill racer led me to race more than once on BC trails so you would think I would be used to the difficulty. I have come to accept that I am green. My skills on a trials bike is negotiable and my friend Jon has now rated me as a beginner. After todays ride I accept that I am a newbie.
The technical – a 12.4 km ride, with over 800 metres of climbing in 4.5 hours (break time, photo time) and approximately 2 litres of fuel used. The start, as mentioned, clearly took me by surprise as the rapid narrow ascent became gnarlier and greasier as rocks and roots jutted in all directions. While you are visualising this throw in about 10 tight switchbacks into the mix. I surprised myself being able to keep up with Jon and Steve. I dabbed my foot on a slippery rock and that threw me off and I landed hard on my right hip. No problem. Pick up the bike and keep going. If I stop it’ll be that much harder to get going again so … ‘don’t stop’ became my mantra.
Eventually the trail straightened and a sea of lush green moss welcomed us into the higher levels. Only a few deciduous trees remained while big cedars and Douglas Firs (I think…I’m not really a botanist) lined the forest standing tall and majestic. The trail continued upwards but relaxed a bit in the steepness until faced with a few monstrous rock walls slick from moisture and drizzled with moss. I realised then I should pay heed to the kind words given to me by Jon before the start of the ride – he calmly and clearly stated for me not to be afraid to ask for assistance. Looking up at my first obstacle it didn’t take long to first laugh at the thought that I would even consider attempting this and finally, cave in and loudly cry ‘help’!
Now before I paint a picture of myself as some unskilled damsel I would like to say that I have matured and grown during my last two rides in BC on my trials bike. Clearly, it was evident that at times I was not going to clean some sections. And in an attempt to keep both myself, my bike and my friends happy I accepted the help and let the guys ride my bike up on some of the (as I found out) intermediate to advanced climbs. Afterall, we were riding a single black diamond downhill trail backwards so I guess I shouldn’t feel too bad asking for help once in a while. Besides…riding is way more fun than falling and fixing myself and my bike.
As I lay in bed that night I had some time to reflect upon my first two rides in BC on a trials bike and realised that there are 10 Cardinal Rules for Riding in BC. Along with my own thoughts, words of wisdom from both Jon and Steve led me to the following:
1. Be prepared – for me that means bring zip ties so when I loop my bike I don’t have to rely on friends to put my fender back on.
2. Tire Pressure – they are pretty much flat right now and grip is much better.
3. Back to the basics – clutch control, balance, body position need to be well rehearsed.
4. Commitment – Give ‘er!! is appropriate at times. Whatever the case…follow through and don’t back off.
5. Whoa! – and sometimes we need to stop and look before we ‘give ‘er’ as steep drops and giant boulders are the norm.
6. Feet on the pegs – self explanatory. If you must dabble at least keep on foot on for traction.
7. Plan a route – that means plan your route of attack before actually trying it.
8. Plan an escape route – just like the above plan an escape route should you not attain your goal and decide when and how to fall should the need arise.
9. Breathe – do not underestimate this Cardinal Rule.
… and the top cardinal rule …
10. Ask for help – there is no shame asking for help over an obstacle.
I cannot thank both Jon and Steve for their assistance. Without them I would have missed out on an incredible ride. I have learned a lot and plan to continue learning. One day I will tackle that monstrous granite wall…but maybe when it’s a bit drier. For now I am a beginner and loving where it takes me.
‘Up, up and away’. Jon tackles steep, slick rock. I chose to take photos instead.Having made it the highest Jon is King of the Hill as he tackles this steep, slick rock face. Can we go back so I can get more photos?? Need to work the rock on my end to showcase how steep and long this wall is.
There goes my Gas Gas expertly being ridden by Steve Bonnet. This was a 3 stage climb – the entrance steep, narrow and slick with a thick root at the top followed by a tight turn. Still charging upwards, parallel to the rock, and finally another steep, right turn and over some more greasy roots and rocks. Thanks Steve!! My bike and my body appreciate your help 🙂Taking a breather and soaking in a few rays.Steve laying down the law over the trail.Riding the front down the hill. Steve has some serious bike handling skills that I can only dream of!‘Roots, what roots? There ain’t no stinking roots here!!’
Partnered with Honda Canada instructor Yoshi Nakatani was Rockin’ the Red for another wildly successful Moto-GymKhana event in beautiful BC. Held on May 11th, 2014 the second annual MGK event saw a host of activities including Honda’s Junior Red Riders program, scooters and ATV demonstrations, and an action packed day.
Cecile Gambin Photography was on hand and capturing all the excitement including one from atop the Honda Trailer. Thanks guys for helping me up!! Check out the course that Yoshi put together from a birds eye view. The circular pattern of cones named ‘The Vortex’ was a highlight for riders. Instructors Yoshi and Reagan are out in the field teaching their students the layout.
