RushHD has picked up the video that would have otherwise accompanied this piece, and as such many of the words are no longer applicable; however, here is a gallery and some words to entertain you for a few minutes.
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Words and Photos by David Peacock
The Internet has had a tremendous effect on mountain biking; it has brought riders together, allowing us to share stories, rides and experiences instantaneously. Now, after a radical cultural evolution, videos have begun to be the most popular method of sharing the ride. Admirable cinematic efforts can be rare, difficult to unearth from the endless stream of conformity, and are soon omitted from the amnesic minds of the web generation, myself included. In May, I attended a shoot with Mike Hopkins, Mike Parenteau and Dan Poirier, as they worked to tessellate a variety of shots for a project to be featured on RushHD.
Goggles gracing the end of a prototype Titec handlebar to be released next year.
There's no better place in spring to dust out the cobwebs than the local trail Spring Cleaning.
Before two months of rain and overcast set in, BC was graced with the suns presence in May. Initially it appeared that the heat was here to stay, and a scorcher of a summer was imminent. Now that we are on the other side of weather not seen in years, it is nice to be back in sun. These photos are all from the short pre-summer stint of sunshine that spring unexpectedly provided.
Any moisture had long since abandoned the trails surface, leaving the rocks coated with a slick layer of dust.
Mike went down hard roosting a loping corner, but was fine and proceeded to exact his revenge on the malicious bend, as shown below.
Please remember to click on the photos for better quality!
Doing justice to Mikes power aboard the bike is rarely difficult. His undeniable style, natural ability and hard work seemingly translate seamlessly to film, but it does take effort from everyone to maximize the appearance of every shot. The video for Rush will do better justice than these shots, so keep an eye out for it.
Roost happens.
Mikes new steed had just arrived and he was rightfully keen to get on the flashy yellow Gambler. Next year's banana-emulating color is sure to make its rider stand out in any race or at even the biggest of bike parks.
Closing this article out is a jump shot, on perhaps not the most DH-style section of trail, but that makes it no less enjoyable on the DH bike.
Now that summer has indubitably arrived and we are on the other side of several trips around the province, it feels good to post some of the photos from the inaugural shoot of 2010. They may have gotten lost in the wash, but they're on "the monkey" now! Cheers.
