Bikes and Bows as told by Ray Petro, founder of Ray's MTB Park

What is Ray's MTB Park? Ray's is a fun, no attitude, indoor bicycle park built by guys who love to ride as much as you do. Mountain bike riders of all ages and skill levels are welcome. There's something for every rider, from big-air dirt jumpers to beginner cross country riders and everyone in between. Don't let winter keep you off your bike. Gather up a crew and head to either Ray's Milwaukee or Ray's Cleveland!

On to the story:

I was busy helping to assemble our annual bike shop mailer at the park the other day. While I was stuffing envelopes, thanking god for e-mail, and just thinking about whatever, I had a flash back to what I guess would be my first " love of bikes" memory:

It was about 1976. Panasonic road bikes were all the rage on my street. I remember them being so cool looking. I was riding around on the normal block foam seat Huffy that everyone had; bikes that were meant to mimic an off-road motorcycle, number plate and all. I asked my parents about getting one of these new road bikes. Well, times were tight, so I got a "Sorry, but we can't afford that." We lived and died by the family budget, but I had a birthday coming. I convinced my parents to put my $50 in birthday money towards a new bike. Off we went to the local bike shop in Niles, Ohio. I still remember the smell of the store. It smelled the same as all bike shops do, even today: like tires. I still love that smell. It's nice knowing that if I ever want to feel like a kid again, I can just walk into any bike shop and take a deep breath. Amazing how the brain works!

Anyway, I don't remember exactly how I chose this bike, but I do remember the overwhelming feeling of love I had for a Kabuki 10-speed with 24" wheels. It was pearly white and it was love at first sight! I also learned my first lesson about money. My budget was short by about $100. I'll never forget that feeling, either. At 10 years old, $100 may as well have been $1,000,000. So, I did the normal begging. No luck. Although, I do believe that if my parents would have had the money, the begging would have worked. My dad and I went home and asked my mom. I'm sure she felt bad that they couldn't spend the money and still maintain the family budget and not spoil me. I'm sure they were trying to teach me a lesson in money. I'm sure I was frustrated, but when I am frustrated, that's usually when I find the answer.

The answer came a few days later. My mom worked at a candy store part time while my sister and I were in school. They used to make these goodie bags that they would sell at the checkout. They had chocolates, hard candies, and other stuff in a clear cellophane bag with a bow made of ribbon fastened where they close the bag. The shop girls didn't like having to make the bows as they assembled the bags. When the store was slow, they would make extra bows on this wooden jig thing, so they always had a supply handy. While my mom was telling the other girls about my bicycle woes, the owner asked, "Would he like to make some bows? The holidays are coming up and we'll need a lot of them." Mom came home and asked me if I wanted to make some money to put towards the bike. I thought my prayers were answered! I agreed to do it for a penny per bow. I wish I would have spent more time figuring out the math on how long it would take me to make $100 at a penny a bow! Well, I was 10, no math whiz, and totally driven by passion. I wanted that bike. It took me all winter, but I made the 10,000 bows it took to make the $100 I needed.

I learned so many lessons from this experience. Probably the best one was how to make a commitment and see it through. I remember thinking, "What have I agreed to? I hate bows! This is crazy! I'll never get there ... but that bike ... I love that bike ... ok ... I'll keep making bows until the end of Gillian's Island." I did finish, and we had garbage bags full of bows all over my room. What a sense of accomplishment! I really think it helps me to this day. I absolutely need to have a visual record of what I have accomplished for the day. I guess that's why I love the indoor park. It's an endless visual project.

So, anyway, back to the bike. Spring came, and I got the bike. Man, what a sense of freedom! I was riding all over the place! I quickly learned not to tell my parents how far I was venturing out. In hindsight, it was only 3 or 4 miles from home, but man, it felt like the other side of the earth at 10 years old. On one of my ventures, I rode by a school that was having a craft fair thing for kids. I stopped to check it out. I walked around, very proud of my new bike beside me. I saw a sign for a men's room and thought to myself, "Man, I gotta pee." I ran in to pee, ran back out, and she was gone! Someone had stolen my new bike! As I write this, my stomach still sinks. I'm not a material guy, but there is something special about bikes.

Little did I know then about the winding and rolling trail my life would take. At the same time, around 1976, there was a guy named Dick Burke working in a barn in Wisconsin with his own love of bikes. It so cool how our paths have crossed 35 years later, bows and all.

Me then:

 

Me now:

Racing with Fritz

Fritz. Could there be a more Austrian name? Fritz Liedel, the guy who taught me cyclocross back in the early 70s, was every inch an Austrian—the Austrian Road Racing Champion, in fact.

I might never have met Fritz if he hadn’t fallen in love in the early 60s with a beautiful black woman named Rosie. Austria didn’t look kindly on Fritz and Rosie’s relationship, so in 1963 they moved to the Excelsior District in San Francisco, a much more welcoming scene. Fritz didn’t waste much time in organizing the road racing team Club Endspurt, sponsored by Stones Bicycles of Alameda.

By the time I joined Stones Endspurt in 1972, it was one of the top teams in Nor Cal. Fritz was a master of racing strategy and teamwork, and he took me under his wing. He taught me a lot about racing in general and schooled me in the sport of cyclocross. In 1975 he finished 5th in the National Cyclocross Championships, I finished 9th. By 1976, I was 5th and he was 6th. Fritz taught me well.

US road racing in the 70s was full-on Campy country. Everybody raced Campagnolo—but not the cheap, stamped-steel Valentino Campy. Nobody rode that. Equipment didn’t change much from year to year, so the only way you could tell its vintage was to look at the year stamped into the back of the rear derailleur.

Another universal back then: thick Binda Extra toe straps made of fine Italian leather around a plastic core. They were incredibly strong. They’d never creep or let go, and they’d last a full season. When Binda was sold back in the 80s, clipless pedals were the up-and-coming technology, so Binda’s new owner threw out a whole dumpster’s worth of the old straps. Too bad… the fixie crowd would give their right arm for toe straps like that.

That universal equipment lasted a long time, and made for a level playing field, everybody riding the same 22-24lb steel bikes. But it also meant that technology had stagnated. Today’s racing world is a whole different ball game, with continuous improvement, and an army of engineers cranking out new advances nonstop.

Loved the old races, but I’ll take today.

 

 

My Tires!

Sometime in spring 1981. 

I have just received two big boxes of cruiser tires from UPS. Each box contained 25 of the 26X2.125 wire beaded tire. I hoisted them up on my shoulders and started to walk across Anselmo Avenue when I heard the high-pitched whine of a car speeding my way doing at least 45 mph, in the 25 zone.

I pushed both the boxes forward and stepped back—the timing was perfect, the little sports car crashed into boxes. One of the boxes was under the car. The driver looks out the window and screams at me,

“I'm a schoolteacher and I'm late for school!”

“Now I don't think you understand” I said, “I saw a little kid get run over by a school bus and swell up to about twice his size and pass away not too far from where you've stopped.”

 “I'm late for work and what the hell is that under my car?!”

“My tires!”

I tried to reach under the car but she was moving across the intersection. She wouldn't hold still! First forward, than reverse.

“Hey my tires!”

“The hell with your tires!”

And the little sports car took off down center blvd, at about the same speed that it showed up.

“My tires!”

I ran back to the shop and grabbed my bike and rode down Center Boulevard as fast as they could. “Has anyone seen my tires? I mean has anyone seen a car with my tires under them?”

People were looking at me weird. She was gone and I went downtown to the police station. I started the process of telling the story about the tires under the car, and the police officer was questioning me. The officer was the only one on duty and was, handling the entire town at that time. The call box went off.

“We have a car fire here, the car is totally engulfed in flames. There’s something underneath the car something, rubber, burning like crazy.”

“My tires!”

It seemed that she had just driven at the same speed figuring that the tires would just disappear. Well not really. The tires created a lot of friction, and she created a car fire for herself.

I did the right thing right then, I rode over to where her car was burning to have a little talk with her. And I said,  “Next time you'll slow down right??”

Cam's new job

It's no secret that Trek has been looking for a new assistant MTB brand manager. Cam McCaul quickly expressed interest in the gig, and moved right through the system — he's outgoing, he knows marketing, he's got quite the personality, and he's proven his writing ability through his past columns in Decline magazine.

But when he learned about the need to relocate, be in an office, and give up that whole Professional Freerider thing... well, we quickly realized it wasn't a great match.

While he was here, we took the chance to see how he would handle quick administrative tasks like voicemail greetings. What do you think? Should he get the job, even though he's on the road?

Download Cam Voice Greeting

Whistler local gets the first Session 9.9

Adam Billinghurst is a Whistler local and a featured rider in Anthill’s new film Strength In Numbers.  As part of Trek’s commitment to the film project, Adam was the first non-pro rider to receive a new Trek Session 9.9. Why, you ask? Adam lives to ride the Whistler Bike Park and has done so for 13 years. His commitment to living his dream is an inspirational story that revolves around the park and a man’s love for his downhill bike.

 

Last week, Anthill Filmmaker Jonathan Schramm asked Adam some questions to find out exactly... “Who is Adam Billinghurst?”

Question:  Who is Adam Billinghurst?  Where did you grow up?  When did you start biking?  

Answer:  Adam Billinghurst is just some guy that rides bikes. From Bracebridge Ontario. Couldn't ride a bike till I was 6. Started MTB at 12. Racing at 14.

Q:  Why Whistler?  When did you move out to Whistler? 

A:  I visited Whistler for 3 days when I was 16 to ski, decided it was the place for me to live. Moved here Sept 98.

Q:  What has got you to where you are now?  

A:  Doing almost whatever I wanted has got me to where I am now.

Q:  Why are you stoked on the life you live now?  

A:  I’m stoked on life because I live in paradise, have amazing people in my life, and I do what I love to do.

Q:  What is your perspective on your future?  

A:  My future involves more biking, some ups, some downs, then death.

Q:  What does it take for you to follow your dreams?  

A:  To follow your dreams you have to have them first.

Q:  What advice would you give someone working towards his or her dream? 

A:  Just because you've found a dream to follow doesn't mean it's going to be easy. If you love it enough you'll keep doing it.

Q:  Describe your bike?

A:  My Session 9.9 is bicycle perfection. I watched it more than my TV for the first several weeks I had it.

Q:  Describe the roll your bike plays in your life?  

A:  My bike plays the same role as oxygen in my life.

Q:  What is a great day for you in the bike park?   

A:  A great day for me in the bike park is a full day of riding two days after a heavy rain followed by sun. Twenty degrees (Celsius!). Four pack of shredders. No line-ups. Riding as fast as I possibly can.

Q:  How has it been having early access to the carbon session? 

A:  Getting the carbon Session 9.9 early was insane. People stared. It stopped conversations in the line up. It was like I was riding a carbon unicorn. After waiting for it to be built I was literally shaking with excitement. I got it and sprinted to the lift. I couldn't wait to shred this rare machine. As the lifty unloaded my bike the chairlift stopped with me 10 feet away from the unloading zone. I instantly jumped off the lift to the ground and climbed up to get my bike and sprint to the trail. True story.

Q:  Are you a happy person?

A:  I am a happy person. I'm also a lucky person.

Production for Strength in Numbers is currently underway.  Learn more at:

anthillfilms.com/strengthinnumbers

facebook.com/anthillfilms

twitter.com/anthillfilms

______________________

Strength in Numbers is a new feature mountain bike film that will be released Spring 2012. Strength in Numbers is presented by the Red Bull Media House, Shimano and Trek, in association with Contour HD, Clif Bar, Pinkbike and PRO Components.  Additional support for the film is provided by the Whistler Mountain Bike Park, Toyota Trucks, Scion, Evoc, Big Mountain Adventures, Verbier St. Bernard and Ride Nepal. 

Anthill Films is an award-winning action sport production company based in Squamish, B.C.  Anthill is owned and operated collectively by Colin Jones, Darcy Wittenburg, Darren McCullough, Ian Dunn and Jonathan Schramm.

Trek World Racing: Absa Cape Epic Preview

Just a few short weeks before the start of the Absa Cape Epic  and the world will see just exactly what the Flu Brothers have been up to this winter — their rise in the World XC ranks makes this year's pre-season warm-up that much more important. If this year is anything like the past, Trek World Racing is bound to take at least a couple stage wins, and remain solid contentders for the overall. 

Check out the below recap from the race organizers — some of the freshest xc ripping you can find anywhere!

The Schalk Diaries: Precisely

I’ve long had a reputation for being very precise with my training, treating cycling as an exact science. This reputation largely stems from the fact that I keep meticulous track of what I do – my training log spreadsheets are ridiculous amalgams of masses of data, incomprehensible to anyone but me. And though I much deserved this reputation at the outset of my career, I’ve transformed over the years – I am no longer the precise athlete I once was, largely because all of my experience has pointed to getting away from all of that. True, keeping journals and checking wattage and heart rate is all very useful, but it can also be somewhat soul-crushing to the true joy that is cycling.

The great Merckx is known to have said that the secret to being fast was to “ride lots”. He didn’t say that the secret was to “have your data analyzed by a team of ivy-league scientists”. And after all, no one gets into cycling so that they can stare at a little number fluctuating on a wattage screen. Everyone originally got into the sport because of the pure fun of getting on a bike and pedaling hard and screaming across the ground under one’s own power. Okay, I still keep track of everything and still spot check my progress. But, I’ve learned that spot checking is all that is needed since the purpose of all the ridiculous piles of data is to just show a general trend. At the end of the day, you get fast by riding lots, and being motivated to do so can be stifled by neurotic over-analysis. Races are won with grit and determination and tactics, not by fractions of a percent due to calibration in a lab (maybe road time trials are the exception, but I’m ignoring those…).

I have applied these lessons more and more to my riding, and this was more evident than ever at training camp a few weeks ago. I headed south with friend Nick Waite (semi-retired/semi-active pro who is always fast even if unsure of why). We got away from the winter with 3 days in Dahlonega, GA and 3 days in Hendersonville, NC and our camp was more productive and more fun than any I’ve had in the past. We put together 27 hours of riding in those six days, but there was no precise plan and we were completely flexible the whole time. We rode super hard, but not according to any agenda. We just went out and put in 5 or 6 hours each day, as hard as we could manage, and ate fantastic food in the evenings. We rode a ton of back-country trail, shelving the road bikes and the power meters for most of the week. We rarely talked about racing, and rarely said the “w” word. It was incredibly refreshing.

 
Still, when I got home, I was somewhat curious to spot-check where I stand. I went out and did a 20min hill climb as hard as I could and the “w”s were better than I’ve ever seen at this time of year. I am ahead of schedule. The plan to have less of a plan is working: ride lots, enjoy cycling as it is meant to be enjoyed, and get fast without the neurosis. Precisely.

The Schalk Diaries: Tools and Stuff

When I first started racing bikes about ten years ago, I was fascinated with the concept of free stuff. Everyone around me seemed obsessed with free sponsor stuff, to the point of missing the point. So many seemed ridiculously entitled: “I’ve been racing for two weeks now, but I haven’t gotten anything free yet… something must be wrong with the system.” I’ll never forget the first sponsor item I ever received, in my second year as a cyclist. It was a pair of eyewear, and was the only thing I was given for free that year. I won’t say what brand they were, but they looked absolutely terrible on me, and made me look like an insect. I may as well have been given an out of date mullet. Yet, I was so proud that I wore them for years, and owned the mullet look happily.

Over the years, as I earned more sponsor product, I was always really bothered by the continued sense of entitlement of so many athletes around me. It is a delicate subject, but I’ve always tried to maintain a sense of gratitude for the amazing products that we receive, and I no longer think of these things as ‘free stuff’, but as tools.

And now it’s that time of year when the products and bikes begin to roll in from the great people at Trek, and I continue to be humbled. On the one hand, I am giddy as a little kid at Christmas, and my heart speeds up every time I hear the UPS guy knock on the door. On the other hand, I feel a deep sense of duty to earn what is entrusted with me, so I open up the boxes with grave sobriety. And I am grateful to have access to the fastest tools ever built – luckily, the Top Fuel isn’t a mullet. It is the pinnacle of years and years of research, design, and engineering. The newest iteration continues to improve upon the past, with beautiful, yet subtle details.

It’s also that time of year to begin planning my assault on the racing scene. I’m going to have a full plate of grueling 100-mile MTB races. It will be my sixth season with Trek and I’m excited to get out and show off the newest Top Fuel.

 

Remembering Chris

Recently, Joe V.  (VP of a bunch of different things here at Trek), held a trail event to have some fun at the end of the year and to remember Chris Funk.  We asked Joe to tell us in his words what that was about.  Here is the note that he wrote back to me.  - Michael.

 

On Friday, almost 3 weeks ago now, we held what was meant to be our last MTB trail event of the year.  We will have a bit more riding this year, but days are numbered.  We are getting some great fall riding, leaves are down, sight lines are great, there are no bugs, it is chilly in the morning in the evening, night riding is great, a fire afterward is fun, the beer tastes really good after a night ride and standing around a fire.  I love fall riding.  I wish it could go on forever.

Unfortunately, winter is coming.  There is some riding to be done, but it gets really limited.  Yes, we can go skiing and we will.  But, skiing is a crummy substitute for riding your bike.  It is especially disappointing, coming off of fall MTB riding.  I guess the good side is to look forward to the spring.  The spring when the leaves start to come out, the dirt is so perfect and moist – you can smell the traction in the air.  

But I digress.

The main reason that Friday was a special day for me, was that Friday I got to do something permanent to help us all remember Chris Funk.  Chris was the head clothing product manager here at Trek.  Chris was one of the greatest guys I have known.  Chris was taken, after bravely battling his illness for years, from his family and his family at Trek just this last year.  His memory is out there.  Every time I look at our clothing group, I remember Chris.  Every time I see someone doing some yoga stretches in the gym, I remember Chris.  Every time I am out on the trails, I remember Chris.  I remember him saying things like, “Fun and Flexible”.  Nothing really stressed Chris.

I guess he had figured things out sooner than the rest of us.  The stress of what your job is and the stress of things that go on in your life, they don’t really matter.  What matters is – your family, your friends and the things that you are passionate about.  You see he had battled bigger things in his life already than worrying about where the B dot should go on the clothing, or even if it should have a B dot or if it should be called something else or..., any other myriad of things that we all worry about at work.  

I remember Chris just loving the opportunity to go for a lunch time MTB ride or a fall night ride, or his kids soccer game or just an evening with his friends and family.  “Go Big or Go Home”, Chris used to say.  

So in his memory, I renamed the most popular trail at our company trails “Funk”.  I had a nice modest little monument put up at the trail head.  It is a place that people stop before their ride and yack with each other.  It is somewhere that Chris would have said something like “Go Big or Go Home”.  That is what the rock there says now – permanently.  Now I get to ride by each day and give a shout out to Chris.  The other day, I did just that and gave a shout out to Chris.  I am sure he would have approved. 

I hope that someday  the people who did not know him, get to know him by stopping by there and then shredding the trail.  

This is the placque on the rock in front of the trail "Funk"

Carry on Chris.   See you on the trail.

Joe

About to unveil the new trail name and placgue in front of the trail.

1 World... 1 Day.. 1 gear.. 1 Rad Ross

This year's edition of Single Speed World Championships was brought to us by the fine people of Rotorua, NZ.  Marcus and the cast from N-Duro events promotions did a bang-up job of organizing this silly "little" bike race of at least 1000 costume clad, one-speed riders from all over the world.  30 different countries were represented at this years event, that's a good turnout for a country so far away.

When they first announced that SSWC's was going to nZed I was more than a little stoked.  Aside from the obvious (amazing trails, beautiful landscapes, good kiwi beer, and did I mention amazing trails?) reasons, it was a great excuse to visit some old friends.  The trip over seemed to last for an eternity, 4 layovers plus a 13hr final leg ensured that we were totally sideways and ready for bed as soon as we got off the airplane at 6:55am local time.  I caught up with the HIJHK's (Heather and Jeremy) from Denver on, so I had some company to commiserate with for the remaining 24hrs of travel.  They were smart enough to pack sleep-inducing magic pills.  I on the other hand, managed about 17 minutes of sleep between the screaming baby next to me and the absurdly turbulent ride.  Classic.    

I've had the opportunity to ride and travel about New Zealand twice before, once back in 2006 and another trip this spring with the good folks at Spoke Magazine.  I figured going into this trip that I'd have plenty of opportunities to visit with cool people, ride sick lines, and generally enjoy what the southern hemisphere has to offer this time of year.  My experience tells me that trips to kiwi-land typically don't disappoint, and this trip was no different.  A cloudy, chilly first couple days gave way to sunny skies and warm temps by weekend, as promised by the nice hotel clerk that checked me in to my room.  Evidently it always turns nice for the 3 day Labor Weekend Holiday.

Knowing that I was coming here to defend a make-pretend "World Title", I figured I damn well better show up in reasonable shape.  Mission accomplished.  I seem to be the king of coming into incredible form when its too late to win a real race, which proved successful last year about this time when I cherry picked my way to a win at SSWC's.  Fitness confirmation came in the form of a win in the 4-person Team title at 24hrs of Moab Nat'l Championships last weekend, plus the fastest lap(s) of the race.  Surprisingly fit coming in, I deemed myself ready enough to defend.  Apparently the reigning, multi-time New Zealand and Australian one-speed champion was ready for it as well...  

Race day dawned with blue skies, warm temps, and the most incredibly dope velcro dirt that I've seen.  With the exception of a rather muscly opening climb, the entire course was clearly "geared" toward riding a single speed.  Nicely rolling climbs gave way to twisty, flowing descents with a minimal amount of high speed (read: 8+mph) pedaling sections so that gear selection was a no-brainer.  This meant that the typical late-night, bar room gearing discussions each night were kept to a minimum amongst the geek-squad SS community.  Bottom line was that the Whakarewarewa race course was mint, and came complete with beer-chugging shortcuts and course splits where the harder line was rewarded by a 10-20 second refund of time.

The 1000 rider start conundrum came good by the idea to start it "nascar" style around an oval-shaped, grassy infield track.  While announcer guy promised a "fair" start for all, I couldn't help but wonder how many rabid single-speeder's were going to freak out and pile up once the randomly selected gate was opened to start the race.  As expected, pandemonium broke out as the gun went off and no less than 1000 brain-dead bike racers struggled around the oval and out the gate.  I certainly can't say I had the worst start, but it definitely could have been better.  I figure I only had to pass 150-200 riders in the opening lap before catching the lead group.   To my surprise, World Super Bike Champ Ben Bostrom was at the front killing it with the likes of JHK, Kashi Leuchs, Brent Miller (Au), and eventual Kiwi winner Garth Weinberg.  As I rolled up onto them and immediately went off the front, it felt like I had a good chance at the elusive repeat.  And with proper pre-race hydration, it seemed as though the Speights beer-chug shortcut on lap one would be no problem?...  Turns out it was.

 

 A missed bottle (of water) feed going into the second lap ensured that I was absolutely cramping my arse off for the last 45 minutes of the race.  At the top of each climb I was crippled with hyperextended, locked quad muscles that wouldn't allow my legs to even bend.  Yikes!  The stars aligned that day to provide an amazingly comedic interpretation of what not to do if you're trying to win something.  Numerous missed turns and shortcuts start to add up throughout a race.  The coup de grace was when I chuffed off the final beer short cut in a futile attempt at self-preservation.  

 

If I'd known how much longer it was I probably would have just taken the beer, it may have even helped numb the pain?  As it were, I died a slow, painful death while still managing to catch up to Garth in the last few corners.  As I pulled up next to him in the finish chute, we shot-gunned beers, side-by-side, mano-a-mano, for the honor of being named Single Speed World Champ.  Turns out the kiwis know how to drink beer, and I'm the first loser.  Looks like I've got a lot to learn, and next year's race is in Ireland so I'd better kick my beer consumption into high gear!  Mom wouldn't have been too impressed by another tattoo anyway...  Its all about the experience, and this race for me was one of the most memorable to date.  

I don't have much in the way of pictures, just a few random shots from the finish.  

 Up next for me are some Halloween shenanigans, Iceman Cometh, a grand opening celebration at Ray's Indoor Park in Milwaukee, and yet another trip to Europe in November.  After that I fully plan on camping out in my own bed for at least one month.  Thanks to all for your encouragement and support, its been a great ride!