Gear Review: Demon United Soft Elbow and Knee Pads

As a blogger and adventure athlete I am asked to test drive gear from a range of companies and this year I was contacted by Demon Unites to join their growing team and try out their gear.  I was excited to do so - thank you to Demon United for inviting me to the team!

*Disclosure: I was provided with a significant discount on these items as a Team member.  This is my personal review of these products and my reviews are never influenced by sponsorship- I give the straight up goods.

Freakin Awesome Triathlon

Subject: "I call a FAT this Sunday."

And so, it began.

I sent out the email on a Friday afternoon to a few friends, all of whom are notorious for having extremely rubber arms.

Videos: Weekend Film Fest!

Happy Weekend!  
I hope you got out to play in the puddles today like I did:).  The trails are beautiful right now...tacky singletrack and the biggest range of colours we get to see all year.  Get out and enjoy it!  You're not made of sugar...sorry...hate to be the one to break it to you, sugarcube;)

Onward with the weekend!

en Morgen pa Stranda   from Ryan Harris.  I stumbled upon this film today and it is lovely.  A short film that portrays the great beauty of a simple mountain run on a regular morning in Norway.  Enjoy!
 
en Morgen på Stranda from Ryan Harris on Vimeo.


Huayhuash from Joey Schusler.  The bike adventure of a lifetime.  Awesome.  Thanks to National Geographic for sharing this one.
Huayhuash from Joey Schusler on Vimeo.


And one for the bikers...and dog lovers!  Watch Casey Brown and Poppy the Dog rip it up! Thanks to the Adventure Blog!

Videos: Weekend Film Fest! Adventure!

Happy Happy Friday!
Looking for a little adventure?  Here you go!
SS

Enduro Adventure from Mavic.  Ready to get off the beaten path?  Let this little film inspire you to start planning your next back country single track epic!  Kudos to The Adventure Blog for sharing this inspiring vid!

Sweet and Sticky: Maple Syrup Trail

If you are a mountain biker on Vancouver Island you have most likely heard whispers about 'that Maple Syrup trail'.  By now, you may have even gone to taste the Syrup for yourself.  So sweet hey?

If you haven't had a chance to sample the Syrup, here is a little taster for you...

I have been spending much more time in my sneakers than my bike shoes this year, and have to say that I came a little late to the party.  By the time I caught wind of the whispers this summer, the fabled Maple Syrup trail on Maple Mountain, had been well worn by thousands of wide grinning riders.  This 'new' trail was, in fact, officially opened last October by the CTSS- Cowichan Trail Stewardship Society.  Friends of friends had riden it.  Profile pics of wide spanning, 'rainbow' bridges appeared on social media.  Rumours of 'an epic ride' with a 5k climb and '10km of sweet continuous singletrack' got me salivating instantly.   It isn't very often that a south Island trail creates enough chatter to drag Valley riders out of our wonderful Cumberland cocoon.  It was time to check this trail out.

A few weeks ago a group of us managed to merge our schedules and book it down Island on a Friday.  The drive is about 2 hours from the Comox Valley and the trailhead is on Maple Mountain, a couple of kms south of Crofton.  'A 2 hour drive to ride a trail' you say?  I can now say that it is well worth the drive!

There are no other trails like it on Vancouver Island.  If you have ridden one, please correct me.  You can either ride about 5kms up the logging road, which is a good grunt with a few steeper pitches on it, but entirely rideable.  Or, you can ride up the new 'climbers trail' which has been crafted at the perfect slope for an enjoyable and very smooth single track ride.  The climbers trail was about 2/3 complete and it only left a short climb to the radio tower at the top.  I was impressed already!  A climbing trail!  The lovely, wide, 'green' trail wove it's way through shadey Arbutus forest, open grass fields and over rocky bluffs.  100 times more enjoyable than riding the road, having a trail to climb makes any ride that much better IMO. 

The view from the top gave us all some perspective on just how much elevation we had gained on our ride up.  The Village of Maple Bay, complete with tiny boats, appeared in miniature, far below. After a snack and a drink it was time to hit the 10k descent.  10k!

Maple Syrup is really like 3 trails in one.  The trail covers so much real estate that it actually travels through a very wide range of terrain from top to bottom.  It offers a combination of Hornby flow, Nimby 50 gnarl and Jughead/Blue Collar woohoo.   As it winds it's way back and forth across Maple Mountain, the trail morphs from steep, technical, rock at the start to mellow, flowy birms at the bottom.  All levels of rider will find something they love on the trail. 

The very top of the trail includes the most technical terrain, with plenty of rocky drops and steep roll overs.  The sun bakes Maple Mountain and by mid summer the dirt turns to powder, making steep pitches loose and challenging.  Quickly, the natural rocky drops disappear and the trail flows into big turns, fun descents and sweet rolling bridges (I call them rainbow bridges), reminiscent of the few park trails that I have ridden.  It is definitely a thinking trail.  After every long descent there is a punchy little climb.  Around every corner is a gnarly rock to navigate over or around.  The trail definitely keeps you on your toes.   By the time Maple Syrup merged into 'Solar Coaster' my body and brain were working overtime.   I loved it!

The trail transitions to more flow and less work over the final kms.  By then, it is a welcome break and an enjoyable way to finish the ride.  Beginners can jump in off the road to experience the lower 'Loggers lane' section of the trail, Intermediate riders can start half way up on the flow of Solar Coaster and those looking for more of a Challenge can tackle the entire trail from the steeps at the top.  Brilliant.  Helmets off to the trail builders who had the vision and even more impressive ability to execute the idea.  They have created a world class trail that will have riders returning for seconds...and thirds...and...

But don't take my word for it.  Go ride it for yourself! 

Still not convinced?  Watch this video of other people having fun riding it...and see if you can resist a road trip...


Happy Trails,
SS

Ride alone...ride with friends.

This week I remembered something I didn't even know I had forgotten.  I found something that I didn't really know was lost.  Kind of like finding twenty bucks in your jeans pocket.  Sweet. 

I get up with the mailman and I most likely go to bed before your kids.  In between I'm what you'd call pretty busy.  I have learned to run and ride whenever it works best for me.  Last year, while training for the BC Bike Race my rides got longer and longer and my riding buddies got fewer and fewer.  Out of necessity, just as I slipped into solo trail running, I soon discovered the beautiful selfish solitude of riding alone.  Since those first few forced rides I have learned to love riding alone in the woods.  

TEST of Metal Race Report

These mountain bike racers are animals.