LOCations!

As you may have known, I spent most of last season making a full length movie that shows the various spots that we have to ride here in the Aptos/Santa Cruz area.  The film is called “LOCations” as it shows the different “locations” around here and riders in it are locals or “locs.”  The project has been a long one, but now it’s all on pinkbike.com, waiting for you to watch! 

The full movie can be seen here!

Here’s the article about it on pinkbike!

I also uploaded the individual sections so you won’t have to stream through the full movie to watch a certain part, so those are right here!

I’m really stoked on how it turned out and hope you enjoy it!

-Jack

A couple Mtbr.com awards

So at Interbike it was awesome when the crew at Mtbr.com came by to give us not one but 2 best of awards. One was given to a bike we aren’t even making anymore but no surprise its still popular is the Scirocco a previous best of winner in the freeride hardtail category.

New however was the Banshee Amp and well deservedly so as its a killer little bike.

I’m still hoping some of our other bikes start popping up. I know the Wildcard was only a mere 5 reviews with 5 chili’s away from getting a best of but maybe next year.

Don’t forget to review your bikes guys… its really cool to get the feedback from our riders and its what keeps us doing what we love to do… building bikes for you guys to enjoy.

 

Technorati Tags: mtbr.com,2009 choice award,banshee,amp,scirocco

Banshee Bikes Signs Team Geronimo as Factory Team

 

Banshee Bikes (www.bansheebikes.com) and Team Geronimo (www.geronimoracing.com) are both pleased to announce their new partnership for the 2010 race season. 2009 isn’t even a memory yet, but Jay MacNeil, General Manager of Banshee Bikes, and Team Geronimo are busy preparing for a jump start on 2010 – ready to hit the National, International, and World Cup race circuits on Banshee’s new Legend Mk II DH bike and Rampant 4X bike.

Banshee Bikes is amped on teaming up with Team Geronimo for the 2010 season and beyond.

The Mk I, which was not available to the public, has completed 2 seasons of testing and 4 years in development, culminating in the introduction of the lighter, faster and more racer-dialed Mk II version. This is one screaming fast rig, and Team Geronimo is stoked about the upcoming season.

The Banshee Legend Mk I

“Its great to find such an amazing group of riders that have in their hearts the same spirit and passion for mountain bikes and the sport. It’s like an extended part of our family and I can’t wait to spend time hanging out and hanging on as I try to keep up with them out on the trails” says Jay MacNeil.

Team Geronimo is not a new team – they’ve been steadily gaining steam over the last two race seasons, but their all-star lineup has expanded by three riders for 2010. Brothers Michael and Brian Buell, of Colorado, have been holding the team together since its inception in 2008, and racking up some fierce results. Now they are joined by Rachel Bauer of Utah, Colorado, California (and everywhere else her travels take her with fiancé Troy Walch), Graeme Pitts of California, and Cody Eichhorn of Australia.

 

No stranger to athletic competition, Rachel Bauer has been at the top of her game in Women’s Collegiate Track and Field and Cross Country for Fresno State University, and Alpine Ski Racing at the Pro level in both National and International competitions. She exploded on the gravity mountain biking scene in 2007, kicking butt and taking names. 2008 1st Overall Mountain States Cup Series, 2009 Colorado State Champion, 2009 2nd Overall Mountain States Cup Series, 3^rd in both DH and 4X at the 2009 Pan Am Continental Championships in Chile, and 1st Angel Fire Pro Gravity Tour #2 are a few of her recent accomplishments. On the podium at Pan Am Champs, her Chilean competitor called her “vicious”. Don’t let that sweet smile fool you.

Rachel Bauer

According to Rachel, who raced for Banshee in 2009, “The Legend Mk I was an incredible and reliable bike to race – no mechanical issues and maintained throughout the entire season. Rampant was equally stable in 4X and DS, and it was a great training bike prior to the race season. There was instantly a level of comfort and familiarity that came with the Rampant, and when the Mk I came out, I was ecstatic!”

 

The Buell Brothers come as a pair - they are the brother team in the Rockies. Michael Buell is the senior brother, and lays claim to having competed in 3 World Cup DH races at Andorra, Fort William and Monte Sainte Anne, as well as many other National and International races. A consistent top 10 finisher pre-2009, Michael’s 2009 season suffered from an ankle injury early on, but he managed to make an awesome comeback with a few podium finishes and 4th Overall in the Mountain States Cup Gravity Series. Fully recovered and now relieved of team management by a professional staff, he’s ready to get back to the business of full-time training and racing on his new Banshee rides in 2010. He’s back!

Michael Buell

Brian Buell has frequent flyer status on the podium in the highly competitive Mountain States Cup Gravity Series, with a 2nd Overall finish in 2009. He was 2005 Junior Expert National 4X Champion, 2007 Collegiate National DH Champion, and has mile-long list of National podium finishes since then, including a bronze medal for this year’s 4X National Championships, and 1st place for DS at Colorado Crankworx. His International experience includes 3 World Cup DH races in Andorra, Fort William and Monte Sainte Anne. Better be wearing your sunglasses if he smiles at you, especially in the starting gate! Consistent, strong and great karma (with a capital “K”) – he is one to watch out for in 2010.

Brian Buell

Graeme Pitts is the baby in the group. At 19, he competed in the Pan Am Continental Championships in Chile, came home with UCI points, and pulled off a reputable rookie Pro year with a number of top 10 finishes against some tried and true competitors. In 2008, he was part of the formidable posse of the USA Junior Worlds Team in Italy after only 3 months in the Junior Expert class. Pitts will be spending the early part of 2010 in Australia with teammate Cody Eichhorn and his compadres. When the US race season starts, he will already have gotten into race mode at the Australian National Series, training with their top gravity riders.

Graeme Pitts

Cody Eichhorn - the wild card addition to the team from the Land of Oz. He will arrive from down under ready to race his first Sea Otter Classic – Eichhorn has been dreaming of spending his birthday at Sea Otter for a few years, and now it’s becoming reality. Managing to complete Uni (as University is called in Oz) while still racking up a huge list of podium finishes, Team Geronimo’s new Aussie competed in 2008 World Championships in 4X, a number of World Cup Races, Kokanee Crankworx, and was invited back to Worlds this year,

but was too busy traveling and racing with Pitts in the US of A. He took California by storm, acing out Eric Carter and Rich Houseman in the first round of 4X at Cal State Champs at Mammoth Mountain. He brings the Aussie flair and is an all around crowd pleaser.

Cody Eichhorn

Team Geronimo is also parent to an awesome Junior Development Team based out of Aspen Valley, Colorado. Managed by Brandon Turman, it is a collection of some of the hottest young talent in The Rockies and they are being mentored with Junior World Championships as the objective.

Plans are already in the works for Team Geronimo’s collaboration with The Wounded Warrior Project – returning, injured soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan who are regaining their passion for life through bicycles. The team is working with WWP organizers to schedule coaching clinics and entertainment with these worthy riders who put themselves in harm’s way so we can all keep living our dream.

The Fall is traditionally time for sponsors to make choices; Team Geronimo shares that odious task and will announce the rest of its line up soon. Anyone interested in seeing their products on Team Geronimo/Banshee should contact racegeronimo@aol.com

Technorati Tags: Team Geronimo,Banshee,Legend MkII,Cody Eichhorn,Rachel Bauer,Graeme Pitts,Brian Buell,Michael Buell

Ham and Steeze

The Ham and Steeze Jam went down at Post Office on Saturday and it was crazy!  If you’ve never heard of the Post Office jumps, let’s just say it’s one of my favorite places in the world!

The way it was set up was with categories of 13 & Under, 14-18, open, and pro.  It was a contest for all of the classes except pro, with pro being a big jump jam.  The day started out nice and foggy while the contest portion of the event went on.   It was cool to see a couple other riders on Amps out there!  Everyone threw down really hard, which was rad to see.  It was the coolest seeing some of the younger locals trying (and landing!) tricks like 3’s and tailwhips on bigger jumps than they’ve tried before.  Max Kauert got second place in the 14-18 class and won an Amp frame, so he’s psyched!  It’s gonna be cool to see that all built up.  After the rest of the awards were over, the Pro Jam started.  It was sick because it was a big sesh with all the locals, but with a little added pressure of the spectators and media.  Now was the time to throw down!  I felt good on the main set, throwing some tricks like back to back tailwhips, 360 1-foot x-ups, pendulums, a 270 on the big hip, and 1-foot x-ups to no-foot-cans.

I think I had the most fun with some of the trains we did.  Someone would yell out something like “360 train on the ___ line” and everyone who dropped in would have to do at least one 360.  It wasn’t always tricks, there were many good ol’ “Steeze Trains” where everyone would throw down their best style.  For about the last third of the Jam, everyone began seshing the trick jump, throwing everything they had.  It was going off with people throwing superflips, flipwhips, 3-whips, upside-down 3s, double tailwhips, a frontflip, cannonballs, giant transfers, super nothings, 3-flattys, and attempted bike flips.  I started out with the tricks I felt really comfortable with, like flip tables and no-foot-can whips.

I had been thinking of trying a 3-whip at Post for a while, since I recently learned them at the step-up.  With the crowd cheering, Black Sabbath playing, and Guy French killing it on the mic, I figured this was the time!  I ended up seat-landing it a few times, and got pedals on the 4th try!  It’s always sooooo satisfying landing a trick to dirt for the first time, and with a trick like that I couldn’t have been happier (or so I thought)!  I wanted to try some flip-tucks to dirt while I was at it and ended doing a whole bunch!  I went for a double whip as well and seat landed it!  I was sooooo stoked after that, and soon, the Jam began to slow to an end!  Tired and hungry, we all got some bbq and congratulated each other on all the new tricks everyone pulled!  What a day!  And no better way to end it than a nice mellow sun-down sesh back at the jumps with some smooth cruiser runs!  Thankfully not a single person got hurt the whole day!  That was probably the best day at Post Office I’ve had, seeing all of my friends throw down new stuff and landing a few new tricks of my own!  HUGE props go out to Justin Brantley for putting the whole thing on!

Here’s a few clips of me from the Jam!

 

Here's a cool video my friend Keegan made!

And another from Jordan at Pinkbike!

Anyway, solid day to say the least!  Can’t wait till the next Jam!

 

-Jack Fogelquist

I'm back.

Hey Guys,

I'm back from hospital in body at least... think my mind has some catching up to do still as painkillers and drugs have slowed it down.

Operation went pretty well, and recovery was generally good (after the first few days of vomiting... but that is to be expected really). I'm going to have to take it easy for a while just to get my mind back in the game (certianly don't think that designing bikes while at this level of brain activity is a good idea). I'm going to try and catch up with all the e-mails I've been send over the rest of this week, please bear with me. Sitting upright hurts quite a lot right now, so extended periods at my computer are not really an option, but that will improve quickly I'm sure.

What used to be my tummy! (at the bottom of the pic is where I had a wound drain in place, It was a small 5mm diameter tube sucking blood and fluid stuff out from inside me. I figured it was only a couple of inches long, but when they ripped it out of me it was over a foot long and went right deep inside me. the nurse who pulled it out got squirted and covered in blood from the puncture wound for her effort, it was like being stabbed in reverse!)

Just wanted to say thanks for all the kind messages I recieved, they all made a difference! Considering that 10 days ago I was totally disemboweled with my guts on a table next to me, I have to say that I am feeling surprisingly alive!

On a side note... I watched Jack Fogelquists new full length movie 'Locations' earlier on his pinkbike blog. Well worth checking out to see how many cool spots they have in his neck of the woods down in Ca. (you might have to friend him on pinkbike to see, I'm not sure?). Good work Jack!

Fakawi Banshee Team podiums in Specialized DH Championship

4th UKDI-Specialized International Downhill Championships, Indonesia.
16-18 October 2009.

FakawiBanshee Team rider Gig from Thailand notched an impressive 2nd place losing to Risa Suseanty of Indonesia in the women's category.

Rizal "Redride" on the other hand managed a 4th place in the Men's Master A category. More pics to come...

Gig in her glory!

Rizal ..another podium

Gig on her Scythe. [Pic by Meita Glen]

Rizal on the Legend mk1, airborne at the rockdrop

Krempl, our Deity sponsor, pinning it!

The Claw! That's a 5m high road gap.. "That's the biggest road gap I have done in 3 years" claims the Claw!

Friday Night Lights

Vancouver finally gets some Dirt Jumps

I’m a few days late getting to posting about this, but on Monday night the Vancouver Dirt Jump Coalition received the answer they wanted from the Vancouver Park Board on a proposed jump

track in Vanier Park. Vanier Park, located in Kits Point, will be Vancouver’s first ’sanctioned’ mountain bike/ BMX park. The proposed track site drew some opposition from local residents and Squamish First Nation, but ultimately was approved by the board based on the recommendations of the Vancouver Park Board.

Vancouver is Awesome was able to get this quote from Chris Youg, lead member of the Vancouver Dirt Jump Coalition:

“Last night the Vancouver Park Board Commissioners voted unanimously in favour of the proposed Dirt Jump park in Vanier Park. With the Park Board office beyond capacity with BMX and Mountain Bikers, the group listened in on delegations presenting in favour of the park, with no parties speaking against. One-by-one the Commissioners expressed their positive thoughts about the project, and thanked those whose hard work has made this possible. Opinions were expressed to ensure that the park will be designed with elements for all levels of riding, from young children right up to advanced users. And, that the park should be designed in such a way to fit in with Vanier Park, which could be done with landscaping. The project was given the blessing by the Vancouver’s Bicycle Advisory Committee.”

“One of the delegates, a mother who came to express her thoughts commended the Park Board on the approval process. She was impressed, and expressed how pleased she was with the inclusion of the community, Vanier Park stakeholders, and interested parties all were heard on this proposal. Multiple generations were in the room with her to see a positive outcome, which will hopefully inspire more youth to be involved.”

“Very special thanks go out to Commissioner Sarah Blyth for her dedication to this project, and the rest of the Park Board Commissioners for keeping their promise of engaging the youth and keeping them active as one of their platforms. Mark Vulliamy and Park Board staff have also been vital to making the Dirt Jump park a reality.”

This should be pretty cool

Pinkbike.com and Freeride Entertainment are bringing you ’10 Days of Disorder’. Starting Monday October 19th, we will be broadcasting a full New World Disorder film, live on Pinkbike.com, every day until the release of New World Disorder 10 on October 28th. NWD 10, ‘Dust and Bones’, marks the final chapter in the most storied mountain biking movie franchise in the history of the sport and this is an opportunity to relive the evolution of freeride mountain biking over the last 10 years through the eyes of Freeride Entertainment and the New World Disorder series.


On Monday October 19th, tune into Pinkbike.com to watch a live stream of the first New World Disorder movie in its entirety, and each day after that we will be airing the next part of the series until showing NWD 9 on October 27th. On the next day we will be shipping NWD10, so order your copy now and be the first to own the final piece of the NWD decalogy. http://www.pinkbike.com/shop/?op=viewcategory&categoryid=16

Schedule on Pinkbike.com (Airing twice each day - 12:00pm PST and 7pm PST)
NWD1 - Monday, October 19th
NWD2 - Tuesday, October 20th
NWD3 - Wednesday, October 21th
NWD4 - Thursday, October 22th
NWD5 - Friday, October 23th
NWD6 - Saturday, October 24th
NWD7 - Sunday, October 25th
NWD8 - Monday, October 26th
NWD9 - Tuesday, October 27th

Head on over to the Freeride Entertainment store and pre-order your copy of New World Disorder 10 - 'Dust and Bones' now. DVDs should start shipping October 28th, so get your order in now!

Weather Changes

On Monday afternoon Martin and I rode Project Nine here in Fernie. The temperature was around minus 7, the skies were clear and the sun was out. The trail was snow and frost covered in some places but traction was pretty good for most of the way down.

(frosty run in on project nine)

Today Martin and I rode Red Sonja in about 3 or 4 inches of snow. The fresh snow on top of the leaves made things a little bit interesting. It took longer than normal to get to the top, but I do not think it took us much longer to get down. The snow made sliding in and out of berms a lot of fun.

(first tracks on red sonja)

(short sleeved orange banshee shirt)

Walking up the trail in the snow made me feel like a kid again. Riding down put a huge smile on my face and reminded me why I ride. I am sure Martin felt the same way and for me this was possibly the best ride in 2009 ... so far.

(took a little bit longer pushing up the trail)

(Martin and his snow covered wildcard)

I got a couple of helmets in the mail today from Kali, thought riding in the snow would be a good way to test them out. Here are a couple of shots of my bike and helmet in the snow.

And for the record I only fell down once. Keep riding.

Rob