BettyGoHard Women Action Sports Blog

To be honest I hope that nobody is reading this - it is the long weekend after all, and you should all be out playing!

I posted a link on the Betty facebook site to a recent article on Pinkbike entitled 'Why no Y?', another article lamenting the lack of ladies in MTB. You can read the full article on Pinkbike, and look at the pretty girl riding pictures.

I was motivated to write a response to this article because I believe it is time that we all admit that the MTB industry is changing, and changing for the better. MTB is no longer struggling in the backwater, it is gaining traction and becoming a sport that is gaining participation from men women and children from all walks of life.

I know I live in a bike-mad part of the world, but I started out in places where biking was a minority and girls even more so. I have traveled around and seen what works, and I want Pinkbike to share the success stories, not just the sob stories.

Forgive me, but I have published my response directly with Pinkbike in the hope that they put it on the front page and get some real dialogue going.

Please visit my response 'XX or XY? Bikes don't care', leave a comment and help me build something positive into our fantastic MTB community!

I hope your long weekend is full of sunshine and action!!

Pip

 

I have never considered myself a very competitive person. In primary school I stayed clear of anything that involved sports and a prize preferring to stick to book learnin' which I was far more comfortable with. High school and university I played some basketball and soccer and started running by myself for fitness. In university I met my future husband who allowed me to tag along when he went bike riding and for the last 10 years I have been slowly catching on to this biking thing.

Last year to beat the winter blues I entered mself in a running group that was training for the Whistler half marathon. I got a lot out of the training and race prep - improved fitness, better eating habits, new running skills. It really got me thinking how having goals in our sports can help push us to new skill levels - and through that new levels of enjoyment.

This year, I decided to lady up and race in the local downhill MTB series. I live in Squamish, BC so the toonie races are run by the amazing Squamish Off Road Cycling Association. Every two weeks, they pick a different local trail to race, and have a BBQ social afterwards. Not a high stress race environment, but some of the tracks they race are deliciously gnarly. It has taken me a couple of years to muster the courage to give it a go.

So why chose this year to race? Number one - bucket list. I am turning the bg 3-0 this year, and I am trying to celebrate all year long by doing fun and challenging new things. Racing DH fits right in to that category! Number two - I had a great riding season last year and I finally feel I am confident enough on my bike to give it a go. Number three - I got my first ever DH bike. Everything is falling into place!

Of course, everytime I point my bike downhill over challenging terrain there is the potential for injury, and adding the need for speed into the mix can increase it. I choose to accept that risk, and to do everything I can to minimize the chance of something happening - I will ride within my limits, take time to look at the tracks beforehand, keep fit, wear appropriate protection and make sure the bike is always in good working order.

My goals this season are to ride smooth and ride in all the races, even the more challenging tracks at the end of the season. We are now two races in, and already I am kicking myself for waiting so long. We have a great group of girls turning up to race, everyone friendly and there to have fun no matter what bike they are riding or what their skill level is.

What I am really enjoying is spending time getting to know one track really well. For the first two races I have I have spent time pushing up, observing sections and riding them over and over. I think analysing the track, trying different lines and practising tricky sections over and over are going to improve my riding in the long run. It also gives the opportunity to watch other people ride and learn from how they tackle technical sections.

So far my results are pretty good  -  second and third place. I even find myself thinking 'I could have shaved a second here, could have added a pedal there!'. I am certainly no Ann Caro - but I am really enjoying racing DH. I encourage you to get out and have a go at a race in whatever your chosen sport is. You might not win, but you may push your skills to a new level. And remember to have fun- social racing is , after all, an excuse to hang out in a beautiful forest, talk with friends and play bikes. Everybody wins!

I made a special effort to shrug off all commitments and get to the Interbike dirt demo this year, I have heard great things and thought it was time I checked it out.  I arrived into Vegas at 11.50 with the goal of making it for the last shuttle at 2.30pm out to the demo.  Vegas was calm and overcast when I got there, however from what I heard it sounds like I arrived at the perfect time, just after the storm passed.  Earlier that day the dirt demo had been more of a mud fest with only the hardcore hitting the trails with some serious rain around them.

Paige Hareb (Tara) has regained the billing as New Zealand's top ranked female surfer after placing fifth at an international event held in Spain over the weekend. The 21 year old surfer now sits in sixth place - two spots clear of Mason and well within the hunt to qualify for the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour.

The Betty team is heading out to Panorama this weekend and I am super excited about trying their newest feature - the Mouse Trap.  Designed by 25-year-old Kyle Wynia of Abbotsford, B.C., The Mouse Trap was Wynia's design entry into a joint contest put on by Panorama Mountain Village and Rockstar Energy Drink.

The Rockstar Bike Rodeo—Dream it, Drop it! contest had mountain and stunt bike enthusiasts enter their own stunt feature designs. Wynia's winning design was selected by a panel of judges, including pro free-rider Kurt Sorge.

It was my birthday last week and totally contrary to my personality instead of heading out and hitting the trails I just hung out and took a day off.  It was awesome to sit back and relax with the knowledge of a weekend of biking just on the horizon.  This weekend past was the annual Silver Mtn Brewsfest.  Silver mountain is in Kellogg, Idaho and a great place to go downhill.  The Brewsfest is a super cool event; for less than the price of a regular lift ticket you get to ride the mountain bike trails, try out beers from 30 different breweries and listen to cool music. 

It is not the most extensive bike park you'll ever visit but the trails are fun and super long.  From the top of the world's longest single pole gondola back to the base you drop 2,200 ft, its a long way down!  Three runs and I was revved up and loving life but the body was tired and ready to eat some food and drink some beer.  The runs are a little bumpy but have fun flow, a few challenging sections and lots of smiles at the bottom.  The gondola ride gives the legs and arms time to recover then downhill we go.  To make it a full weekend you can stay on mountain and enjoy the water park too where they have the Flowrider so surfing and biking in one day is possible at Silver Mountain.  This is the second year I've attended and it is definitely an annual event; check it out next year we will be there!!  The more friends the more fun to be had!

After the weekend I was a little jaded, slightly stiff and in need of some yoga.  BettyGoHard and Kerry Yoga had our first Hiking and Yoga event on Monday night - what a way to start the week off on the right foot!  We hiked to the top of Raven Rock trail to the lookout overlooking the the town of Trail and the Columbia river - what a view!!  Overlooking the Columbia, Agathe led us through a half hour gentle yoga practice; normally I have trouble stilling my mind and really getting into my practice but with the wind blowing gently and the view of the mountains it was the best yoga I have done for as long as I can remember.  Thank you to the ladies that joined us and the cute guy at the bottom with the amazing quinoa fruit parfait it was the perfect way to end a perfect experience.  Next week we will be doing Elder Trail high above the Columbia on the other side of Trail.  Maybe I will see you there.

Have a great week

Betty

 

It was Australia’s day today at the 100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games Jucy Snowboard Cross with reigning snowboard cross world champion and X Games competitor, Alex Pullin taking out the men’s competition and Belle Brockhof taking gold in the women’s competition.

Mother nature cooperated providing blue skies and light winds; the athletes provided the entertainment in this fast paced competition that, for spectators, is similar to watching a motocross event.

“It was great to be out here today competing against some of the world’s best,” said Pullin.  “The Winter Games is fantastic in that it provides another major competition during the Southern Hemisphere season.  It’s critical to our training and to being in top form for the Northern Hemisphere season.  I’ll definitely be back.”

Pullin went on to comment on his teammates Cameron Bolton and Andy Fischer who placed second and fourth respectively.  “We’ve been working hard to bring these two developing athletes up and it was fantastic to see them step it up for this competition.  All around it was an amazing day, the weather was great, the course was great and we’re all happy to be here.”

In third was America’s Chris Mahaney the second highest ranked competitor in today’s field.

Six nations were represented in the men’s field with 31 riders competing.  New Zealand’s top ranked snowboard cross rider Philip Dominick was the top placing kiwi today finishing in sixth place with Cody Logan coming in just behind him in eighth.

The women’s results today proved that in snowboard cross being at the top doesn’t guarantee the win; one small mistake can see a title slipping away.  In the semifinals, top ranked rider, 2010 Olympian and X Games silver medalist Callan Chythlook-Sifsof (USA) slid out while overtaking Amanda Taylor (AUS) who launched over Chythlook.  This small error cost Cythlook her shot in the finals and in the end the win went to Brockhof with teammate Alexandra Lockie taking second and Japan’s Karen Iwadare rounding out the podium.

Brockhof was pleased with her result, “This is my third race back after a two year break.”  Brokhof took the break after a year of too many close calls and for a time changed her focus to Slalom and Parallel Giant Slalom.  “When I stopped competing I was ranked 32nd in the world; it feels good to be making a comeback.  I knew with Callan in the field I needed to go flat out.  I was hungry for the win today.”

There are two stages to each snowboard cross competition. The first stage sees riders taking on the course against the clock to decide in which order they race. Then riders race in heats of four where they fly down the same course at the same time as three other competitors. The first two to cross the line move to the next stage of the competition.

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Olympic gold medallist, Justyna Kowalczyk confirms her spot at next weekend’s Winter Triathlon

 

Olympic gold medallist, Justyna Kowalczyk has confirmed her spot at next weekend’s 100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games Winter Triathlon joining a field of local athletes that also includes New Zealand Olympic biathlete, Sarah Murphy.

Featuring a 6.8km run, 12km bike and 9.5km cross country ski, all on a hard-packed snow course at Snow Farm, the event is also open to age group athletes. The sport is new to Winter Games NZ, having been a demonstration sport at the 2009 event. Winter triathlons are an exciting sport and great for low impact, high intensity training over the cold winter months attracting a broad spectrum of athletes, from multi-sporters to triathletes.

“The winter tri adds a new dimension to triathlon,” said Winter Games NZ CEO, Arthur Klap. “It’s quite novel to be biking and running on snow, all at altitude and is great fitness and a lot of fun. It’s great for spectators as well with a few thrills and spills!”

The event is part of the ITU Oceania Championships and athletes can enter at www.wintergamesnz.com/accounts/register

Keep up to date with all of tomorrow's action on Twitter/Facebook

Keep up to date with the action as it happens on the 100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games Facebook and Twitter pages.

www.facebook.com/WinterGamesNZ

http://twitter.com/#!/wintergamesnz

With the sport on the brink of being included in the Paralympics, 100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games today its first WSF Para-Snowboard World Cup at Cardrona Alpine Resort, featuring a strong international field from both sides of the world.

It was an all-American victory with world number one, Amy Purdy, taking out the women's in a combined best of 202.69 and Evan Strong, also world number one, taking out the men's in 148.25.

"I'm surprised at how fast I went in my first run as I was taking it easy and just wanted to stay upright. My second run I somehow lost time in the middle section but it was my final run that was the quickest. It's great to see an improvement overall and that's what feels good, to know that you can improve and do better all the time. You're always racing against yourself."

Amy said the athletes were just waiting to see if snowboard cross would be included in the 2014 Paralympics in Sochi. "It's not a Paralympic sport at the moment but we're due to find out any day. I think to bring a sport that a lot of our generation relates to will definitely benefit the Paralympics and it will really blur the line between able bodied and adaptive sport. We all raced really well here today and showed the sport has the ability to be included at Paralympic level."

The men's race was incredibly close between X Games gold medallist, Evan Strong and Carl Murphy (NZL), world number two, who took silver.
"That was one of the most fun World Cups this season," said Strong. "It was nerve wracking in the morning with low visibility and the practice was rough as we couldn't see very well. But the sun came out, softened up the course and made it way faster. It was fun racing with Carl, he's an amazing snowboarder. On the first run he had 4/10 of a second on me so I had some pressure to push through. The second run put me in the lead by 2/10 of second but I know Carl is a fast racer and that he could easily take that up so I had to make sure I made my last run count and pushed through to take the win."

Both athletes agreed Cardrona's World Cup course was the best they'd ridden for an adaptive competition.

"The course was built beautifully, probably the best the world cup snowboard cross course we've ridden," said Purdy. "It was perfect for all abilities - having prosthetics on both legs I don't compress very well but once you get on long berms it's fun to ride. It was a perfect mix and open enough for us all to ride well, no matter what your strength."

As well as the competitive World Cup competition, today's race also included the demonstration sport of sit ski on the gravity cross course. Corie Peters (NZL) clocked the fastest time in 190.97 after just three weeks in a sit ski. In the women's Gemma Fletcher taook first in 222.40.

The snowboard cross competition continues tomorrow with the FIS Continental Cup snowboard cross at Cardrona Alpine Resort from 9.00am.

 

I am about to give you the key to speed. One phrase. Are you ready?

 

Don't use the brakes.

 

Don't look so disappointed. What were you expecting, Magic? I don't mean to not use them at all, just use them less.

 

One of the best ways to improve your riding is to go with someone that is faster than you. Not way faster, so that you get discouraged, but a bit faster, so you really have to work to keep up. Once you've found someone that fits the bill, try following them through some downhill singletrack. Notice how the gap keeps getting bigger? You're not doing much pedaling so it's not likely a strength issue. What could it be? I'll tell you, the faster rider is using their brakes less.

 

Have you ever been on a ride when, for some reason, you had no brakes, or a lot less than you wanted? Maybe a cable broke or your rims iced up or something. I know it was scary. Careening downhill, unable to slowdown to a comfortable speed, you thought you were going to die. But you survived, and you went down that hill a lot faster than you otherwise would have. If you want to go faster every ride you need to harness a bit of that experience and apply it in a more controlled manner.

 

Moving out of our comfort zone can make us apprehensive. To try to calm the fears of your rational mind have your irrational mind tell it this: Speed is our friend; Speed brings stability; Stability is good. The wheels underneath do more than just hold us up. They also act as gyroscopes, like those spinny things you may have played with as a kid. They're also the things that keep spacecraft stable in the vacuum of space. The faster a gyroscope spins, the more rigidity it has. This means the faster your wheels are turning the more they will fight to stay upright and pointed straight ahead, just what we want. Now you know why sometimes when you get anxious and slow down you biff, but if you stay fast and ride it out you make out okay and look like a hero.

 

The hard part is knowing how fast is really too fast and when to say whoa. You can set yourself up with an exercise to explore these limits. Find a section of downhill singletrack steep enough that you won't have to pedal much and fast enough that you definitely have to brake for the corners. (Keep IMBA happy and make sure you won't encounter any hikers or horses on the way down). Make your first run at your normal blistering speed. Try to note where you apply the brakes for each corner. On the next run, each time you reach for the brakes fight the impulse for one second. Remember that every bit of speed that you can carry through the turn is speed you don't have to gain back on the next straight. And that's energy in the bank, my friend, better than money. A little bit saved every corner can really add up over the course of a trail.

 

In all your subsequent training runs try to brake just a tick later than the time before. It is super important to ensure that you are only using one or two fingers on your brakes - no three, four or five fingers - what are you holding on with?  Although some might suggest that a tip to avoid the temptation to brake too early or when you really don't need to is to ride with all eight fingers wrapped around the bars. I personnally subscribe to the theory that you should always be brake ready including uphill climbs. 

 

The key to pushing the envelope is to do it gradually, in small increments. Riding a downhill with your front brake disconnected may make teach you how to go really fast. More likely, it'll teach you just how brittle collarbones really are. Even though improvements may seem small one corner at a time, it will add up and it will make a difference. You worked way too hard for that speed to just turn it into heat for no good reason.

Good luck and stay safe!

Thanks to Dirtworld.com Staff for more tips and biking information visit them at www.dirtworld.com

Skiers and boarders rise to the challenge in an action packed day of competition

LAKE WANAKA, New Zealand (July 17th, 2011) – A quality field of skiers and snowboarders turned out for the BASE Triple Comp yesterday at Treble Cone to showcase their speed, creativity and precision over three events in one day.

Vanessa Aadland of Washington was the female champion of the day producing some top level skiing keeping the men on their toes.

“What an awesome day and a great start to the season. There was a great vibe amongst all the competitors with a great local turnout for the first event of the season,” said Brent Harridge, Managing Director of BASE Wanaka.

The POW Banked Slalom took place in the Lower Gunbarrel offering steep natural walls and heaps of snow for the competitors to negotiate their way through. The Dreamweaver played host to the Rossignol Expression Session offering the perfect playground for competitors to show off their skills and creativity. The BERN Downhill took place in Treble Cone’s popular Powder Bowl where competitors demonstrated style and speed over the full length of the piste.

The day was drawn to a close with a prize giving at Mint Bar in Wanaka which saw all competitors rewarded for their efforts and winners revelling in their achievements.

This week Treble Cone stages the ABSOLUT Ice Competition (Tuesday 19) and celebrates TC Cat’s birthday (Thursday 21 July).

Visit www.treblecone.com

Ladies. BettyGoHard and Off Road Divas together with Phoenix Health and Fitness have created a weekend mountain biking and trail running camp jam packed full of skills, information, confidence and fun for those of you wanting to get more skills and confidence off the pavement.

Over the past few years triathlons have become an incredibly popular sporting event for people of all ages and abilities. The nature of a triathlon requiring participants to have the skills to do three different sports all in one event that can be anywhere from an hour to 12 hours long not only gives people something to strive for but is also incredibly rewarding when you get to the end. As the popularity of these sports has increased so have the level of the athletes involved, once you get good at triathlons short of running the iron man every year where do you go for more challenge with similar rewards? It seems that an answer to that question is off road. Just a few years ago no one really knew what an Xterra event was, however as triathlon’s started to increase in popularity so too did their off road counterparts. Triathletes looking for more challenge and off road junkies looking for a fix are flocking to this new sport and loving it.

What about the adventure races? The first time I heard about adventure racing I thought that it was insane – four days of slogging through forests, rafting rivers, climbing mountains, running and biking. However, these too are becoming increasingly popular the shear will power that it takes to train and then compete in these races is incredible and such a measure of our strength in so many different ways.

In saying all of this how does the average person who loves to swim, bike and run get off the pavement to join this off road, adventure racing group of athletes? It can be a little intimidating to say the least and let’s be honest even more intimidating if you are looking to get into adventure racing where your shortest race is at least 48 hours of intense activity.

Spokes and Laces is a ladies only mountain biking and trail running camp for women who want to get the skills and confidence they need to leave the pavement behind. We will be focusing on increasing your mountain biking skills and talking about racing techniques for those that are interested in participating in any off road events. Additionally, we will be breaking down trail running; the biomechanics, tips and techniques to not only make you more effective on the trail but stay injury free and have lots of fun.

Finally, it is recognized that taking on these challenges puts a lot of stress on the body; when starting a new training program not only do you need the skills to do the sport safely, you need to train properly, eat appropriately and do the exercises to ensure you acquire the fitness that you need to participate at your best otherwise there can be a lot of frustration, pain and burn out. With this in mind we have designed a personal training workshop that will enable you to identify specific needs to develop a training and nutritional programs that will help you reach YOUR goals.

Spokes & Laces Mountain Bike and Trail Running Camp
May 13, 14 & 15^th, 2011
Kelowna, BC
Cost $189 plus tax

What inspires you?  what is it that gets you out of bed in the morning and planning your next adventure.  It is amazing who you meet along the way and the stories they have of their adventures.  Keep posted to the betty blog for inspiring stories about Betties just like you getting out and having fun.

Clinics/Camps:

·         Rossland

o   May 8^th – Mothers Day Ride Clinic

o   May 27-29 - Cindy Devine Skills Camp

o   June 4^th –Ladies Introduction to Off-Road Riding

o   June 5^th – Ladies Park Clinic

·         Trail

o   June 4^th – Ladies Introduction to Off-Road Riding

·         Nelson – Working with Gerricks Cycle to create clinics for Nelson

·         Kelowna

o   May 13–15 - Ladies Off-road Tri Clinic –focus on running and biking

o   June 11^th - Ladies Intro to off road riding Clinic

·         Vernon

o   June 12^th - Ladies Intro to off road riding Clinic

Weekend Retreats

·         Silver Star

o   July 15,16&17 – Fourth Annual BettyGoHard Loeka Silver Star Biking Weekend

Local Summer Camps

·         Rossland

o   July 5,6&7 – Rossland beg/int – 8-13yrs Girls

o   July 11,12&13 – Rossland int – 10-15yrs Girls

·         Trail

o   July 18,19&20 – Trail beg/int – 8-13yrs Girls

o   July 21&22 – Trail beg/int – 8-13yrs Boys

·         Castlegar

o   August 15&16 – Castlegar beg/int – 8-13 Girls

o   August 22&23 – Castlegar beg/int – 8-13 Boys

·         Working with Grand Forks Recreation & Gerricks Nelson to develop camps for Grand Forks and Nelson

Local Ride Series

·         Trail

o   April 6^th – 27^th  – Four Week XC Biking and Chocolate – strengthening and conditioning

o   May 11^th – June 1^st – Four Week XC Biking and Chocolate

·         Rossland

o   May 23^rd - 13^th – Four Week XC Biking and Chocolate

o   May 24^th – 14^th – Four Week Beginner Downhill Biking and Chocolate

o   May 26^th – 16^th - Four Week Intermediate Downhill Biking and Chocolate

Local Hiking Series

·         Trail

o   April 21^st – 12^th – Four Week Hiking Series

·         Rossland

o   April 19^th – 10^th – Four Week Hiking Series

·         Renata

o   August 13^th & 14^th – Camping retreat: Hike to the Natural Arch and Dogwood Falls on the Arrow Lake just North of Castlegar

As humans we expect a lot of ourselves.  Regardless of what you do, striving to be the best you can be has its highs and lows.  I find it humbling to be put in a position where I do not perform to the level I expect of myself.  Regardless of the situation I have high expectations of my abilities and when I don’t meet those expectations I get discouraged.  A fun ride with friends can quickly turn into a competition of me against the world; it’s not that I am comparing myself to my friends so much as comparing myself to my unreasonable expectations.  Quickly that little voice in my head starts to berate me on not being good enough, fit enough, fast enough, ballsy enough whatever fits the particular situation.  Instead of giving up I have started to embrace these feelings of discomfort and use them to propel me to the next level.  It is also great to know how it feels to be left behind, without these experiences where is the motivation to keep getting better?

I don’t think it matters what level you are at, this happens to the best of us and as a beginner don’t forget that everyone starts somewhere, and for most there is always someone better.  It is important not to hold yourself back by thinking you are not good enough; honestly how are you going to get better?  If someone wants to get out and have fun with you that is what they want to do.  I have found time and time again that people will decline an invitation to get out stating that they are not good enough and they don’t want to hold me up.  That is not a good enough excuse.  So take on the challenge, embrace the discomfort and use it to your advantage.  One of the things I love about the BettyGoHard participants is the way they feed off of each other; all of them turn up thinking they will be the weakest member of the group.  Pushing those boundaries and challenging those assumptions is as easy as seeing another at the same level as you do something you never thought you would do.  That same competitive spark flares up and the rules of the game change.  Suddenly, things not imagined become possible and new doors open.  I dare you to feel uncomfortable and love it!    

It’s the end of the season and many of us are heading off for our summer jobs, spring vacations or new adventures.  I find at this time of the year I am always amazed at how fast the season fly’s by.  One day I am saying hi to old friends in Ferraros the next I am saying goodbyes.  Some will come back and others won’t, such are the hazards of living in a town like Rossland.  In the past few years Ian and I have headed off to the USA Snowboard Association nationals, however due to Ian’s recent injury while competing at the X Games we are staying put this spring and I am reminiscing over last year’s trip.  It was one of the best trips I have ever had; my girlfriend and I headed down to Moab, Utah in her Westfalia Camper for some biking.  I spent my days riding with old friends and making new ones, enjoying every moment of girl energy on and off the trails.  Moab is a beautiful place to bike, hike and be outside.  It was three weeks of biking, with a couple of days of snowboarding in the middle to mix it up, all my favorite things in one trip.  It was a great way to kick start my biking season.   I learnt that’s what I need; puts me in shape, and gets my head in the game as well as my body and gets me so amped I have to go every day for the rest of summer!

Now the bike season is here it is time to step it up a notch and I have started to see the pleasure and benefits in a good spin class.  Nothing can beat the real thing though, even if I can’t get out on the trails just being on a real bike outside is invaluable.  For the past few years BettyGoHard has been offering a strengthening and conditioning ride series, we are doing the same again this year so check out the schedule online or get in touch with us to find out more.