Pro GRT Mountain Creek. New bike, new team, new digs.

 This past weekend marked the beginning to my 2013 season with Madkats, Transition, Mrp, KORE, Spank wheels, Chuck's Bikes and Troy lee Designs. The bikes are feeling great and the kits are looking great!
The Pro Gravity tour (or Pro GRT) was held at Mountain Creek. The course was something we had raced before with some much needed improvements that made for an awesome weekend! After a bit of frantic bike building on Friday I was feeling fast and loose, Thanks Cambro! But Saturday after sent us a curve ball with an un-expected rain shower just before seeding. I gave 'er anyway and seeded in 8th place out of 54 pros!!! But I knew that many fast pros had crashed and I would be hard out for a top 20 if every one had good runs. After a little bit of suspension tuning thanks to Lewis at the Fox van and some patience I felt ready for race run on Sunday, Due to a few HOURS of course hold for timing, things really started to dry up. After the first corner I realizd how dry it was it tried to bring up the pace.

As I cam out of the last corner in the woods I clipped tree and got a bit squirly but managed to save it and only loose a second or so.....buutt I think it might have been a bit more than "squirly" because I remember 3 spectators DIVING away from the tape as I tri-podded my way back onto the bike and back on course.

I finished with a 2:23.45, 2 seconds faster than my qualifying time. I was content. A great weekend and I look froward to next weekend at Plattekill, rumor has it the jumps are big and fresh! Thanks everyone for making it possible, we're giving it 110%!

Breakfast of champions at the diner. Free attitude and coffee refills.

Team 450 frame showed up 10 minutes before we left for the race. STOKED.

Had to build her in a panic before Friday practice. No matter how much time you have you can never build a new bike fast enough.

headset was an issue as I managed to forget 1/2 of it. But team manager Jarad got me sorted out with a new lower cup.

time to bang out some practice runs on the new whip before it closes!

Course walk on the open section. 10 seconds to cover all that ground?

anndd pretty nice finish line jump well done Mountain Creek Rad track and we approve!

It drizzled all Saturday night making for some slick trickery.  Went down pretty hard on the right shin, she swelled up pretty big straight away.

woah time for a few more "pressures of air" in the rear tire dry conditions meant wide open throttles

toughest corner of the course. Corner #1.

Moto rut that ejected from the dark woods into the harsh light of the ski trail.

Open section of the course. seconds later my back end kicked out (drifted) and showered Jarad with rocks and dust. my bad dude. The 450 ate this section and felt so stable with the long and low setting.

The announcer said 2:31 when I crossed, luckily he was WRONG! 2:23:45 good enough for  14th place.

Great weekend and a great kickstart to the Madkats season!