[Motionboy2]

I finally got to go to sea otter this year! Where else are you going to spend your days in a complete bike environment. Every company is here, road and mountain. It is a very cool experience thus far.

I am sure you guys want to know what everything looks like. Well the Dual course is awesome as usual. It has beautifully sculpted berms and about 12 flat turns, some are way off camber and will require a lot of skill to get through quickly.
The DH course has a new feature. Some like it...some do not. It is a 2 1/2 foot wide bridge. The riders are adapting to it and it is working well for now. We will see how it works out when it comes to the race.
The MtnX. Well, I gotta tell ya, it is a bit dissapointing. I got here last night after 22 hours of driving. Immediately we walled up to the Dual and Mtnx course to check them out...well the mtnx course wasn't done. It was about 1/2 done infact! They must have finished it this morning, but it has this really spongy dirt that is the wierdest thing I have ever walked on. It is like someone burried a trampoline.
Today was practice and some road and XC stuff. I have a lot of pix to get through but here is one, of someone you may know. I met Freak and Velocity girl today as well as YetiDHer, and Acadian.

Here is a shot of Freak today

Keep your eyes peeled I will try to get some time to update the pix..

 

[Motionboy2]

All right here are a few more shots.

Wendy Reynolds

Here is that bridge I mentioned.

 

[chicodude]

Sickness

 

[Beyr]

I can't wait to get out there tomorrow!

 

[mobius]

I wanna goto sea otter

 

[Mike B.]

nice pics Josh but shouldn't it be raining?

 

[RhinofromWA]

Here is a shot of Freak today

Keep your eyes peeled I will try to get some time to update the pix..

Heh, I am up here watching their dogs and they are out having a great time.

They better enjoy themselves..... like that will be hard.

So that was taken this early morning? They were scheduled for practice from 8-10am right? I like the lighting

 

[DHanamal]

Dunno if was already posted but....

Some more pics here.

 

[Dirtbike]

i live only an hour 40 minutes away, but i cant get a ride

 

[DHanamal]

Some more here to:
http://www.norcalfreeride.com/
Click on Pictures, duh.

 

[cove rider]

too far away for me

 

[RhinofromWA]

too far away for me

Why? It isn't like you are anywhere important....neaky:

 

[cove rider]

this is true. d**m i wish i could drive but i also live in WA so still a bit far

 

[RhinofromWA]

this is true. d**m i wish i could drive but i also live in WA so still a bit far

Yeah it is a haul. I am doggy/house sitting for Freak and Velocity Girl because they went down there. Freak left at 9 pm'ish from Seattle and made it to SO mid dayish the next day.

 

[cove rider]

bummer dude. hey we should ride sometime i live in mountlake terrace not too far from you.

 

[PatBranch]

I'm grounded because of grades and stuff, so I can't go. I can race at firestone.

 

[Akula_7]

Just out of interest is that Jared Graves in the last pic on the bridge there, if so, he is also running Utopias for 05. Good stuff all round. Wheres J Dean to clear all this up!

 

[FarkinRyan]

Looks like Jared to me, either that or someone out there is taking their Graves fan-dom a little too seriously.

 

[Matt D]

Somebody needs to put some rocks on that course!

 

[Westy]

i live only an hour 40 minutes away, but i cant get a ride

Ride your bike there.

 

[profro]

Thats Joe Hailey up front leading Chris Herndon. Very Cool.

 

[ito]

i live only an hour 40 minutes away, but i cant get a ride

Pfft, no excuse. Do what I do and ride there. Nice 80 mile warm up for my race on Sunday. Leaving in a few....see you fellas on the road.

The Ito

 

[Dirtbike]

My bike was stolen *crys* The insurance money hasnt come yet

 

[cove rider]

bummer dude, what kind of bike?

 

[Motionboy2]

Ahh, today was filled with DH practice for the pro's and MtnX qualifiers. Dh practice showed that the course is very dry at the top. The berms are blowing out and the dirt is turning to sand. The riders are makig the best of it but it is definitely making the course progressively worse. I am hoping they do a bit of work to the upper section.
Freak was stylin' the new helmet today, I heard rumor of a mighty crash that required immediate replacement of the helmet. Today he said that he was a bit sore, but overall felt pretty good. VG was looking fast as well. She was keeping Freak in her sites and powering through the "S" Berms last I saw her.

The MtnX course is a bit of a joke at this point. There are actual sections of the course that are caving in a bit because of the mystery dirt that they have on this mountain. Now I am no dirt expert but I have been told that because of the immense amounts of rain that Cali has had a lot of the dirt is very saturated and is seeping out water. This may explain it but it is making life difficult.

I am nervous to see the MtnX finals. The ridable course is probably about 3-5ft wide and the actual course is about 15ft wide. When you put 4 across on the course it is definitely going to be an issue, especially when someone gets stuck in a spongy bog...

Tomorrow is the Pro Dual. That is an awesome course and I am looking forward to seeing the action there. I will try to post some pix in a bit.

 

[manhattanprjkt83]

thanks for the input motion boy keep it coming

 

[Motionboy2]

thanks for the input motion boy keep it coming

Glad you guys are finding my ramblings useful! I am looking forward to the premier of Arron Chase's new vid tonight too! I hear rumor that it is VERY good.

 

[cove rider]

got amy pics of stuff today

 

[Motionboy2]

got amy pics of stuff today

Yeah, it is very tough to edit the pix here so hopefully these will look decent.

 

[Motionboy2]

Sanjay rode through the course this run with Michael Jackson Blairing on speakers in his backpack. It was pretty funny. You could hear the sound of Michael coming through the woods then Sanjay popped out through the trees!

I am off, I will try to get some more info tomorrow.

 

[Bicyclist]

I like the shot on the top. What kind of lens did you use?

 

[RhinofromWA]

Freak hit his head! Crap!

His Giro he went down there with is dust huh?

Freak hope you are feeling better ...you have till Sunday morning to get th e cobwebs cleared out.

 

[cove rider]

sweet pics cant wait to see more

 

[Brad23]

Well I'm gutted. I forgot about no Sat Beg. reg....and I had to work today :angry:

I guess next year. I might show up Sunday anyway.
Have fun out there

 

[Freak]

Freak hit his head! Crap!

His Giro he went down there with is dust huh?

Freak hope you are feeling better ...you have till Sunday morning to get th e cobwebs cleared out.

I'm ok...just a little sore on my right side...My Giro has 3 good gashes, and it completely scratched all over. It's like I was doing a break dancing head spin down a section of the course.

 

[RhinofromWA]

I'm ok...just a little sore on my right side...My Giro has 3 good gashes, and it completely scratched all over. It's like I was doing a break dancing head spin down a section of the course.

dork

keep the rubber sid down.....to little to late it seams for that advice.

 

[manhattanprjkt83]

motion boy post some more of sanjay...they are always the most enjoyable

 

[DsDhBxracer13]

He was using a fisheye. I think.

 

[lovebunny]

god sanjays a kick. sweet pics motionboy. i wanna kill my mother for not allowing me to go. oh well theres allways next year

 

[Motionboy2]

Dual qualifing just finished and it looks like I have a half hour till the finals start. I am hoping to get my cards downloaded and get over there as fast as possible.
The dual course is very cool, it has so many tricky flat turns and those berms each have their own character as well.
It is ashame that they are going to plow it following the event.

The lens that I used for the Cole Bangert shot is a 15mm sigma fisheye. The other shots are done with a 70-200 canon zoom.

I will try to get some more shots up later.