crankworx I tell you now the real story about crankworx whistler and the Kiwi boys…not the usual basic reports which you can find on the ordinary bike pages. I came to whistler with a broken heart and just wanted to fly home. Broken heart -not in the way you maybe think broken heart because I managed to race so crap at both world cups the weeks before. The one was in Mont Sainte Anne and the other in Bromont. In Mont Sainte Anne I had a technical deffect and in Bromont I crashed so hard that I couldn’t ride on. I was so pissed of everything and I couldn’t believe why I am actually racing when just the podium makes you happy and to reach this is so hard. I said to myself forget it and keep your head up doesn’t matter what comes next it could be worse. I know it sounds kind of weird for people who are looking at my life as a racer. “Girl you living your dream how can you be sad?” that’s what I hear when I’m disapointed about my results.But believe me racing has also shadow sides and when you don’t race you can’T understand that. Anyway I came to Whistler to enjoy the other spirit of riding your bike and I couldn’t believe how great it was. It’s the best place on world to ride your bike and have fun all the time.
Crankworx, one of the biggest bike event in the world, was running at the same time I was there. you must image a big hill with chairlifts - hundreds of bike trails. Okay maybe not hundreds but of course 1000 lines you can choose and hundreds of people with whom you can share your passion. Riding your bike. the two weeks in whistler were my official holidays this year and I rode everyday and pretty much non stop. I met so many awesome persons. EVeryone special on their way.
Chris Beverland a Kiwi boy with whom I rode most of my time inspired me to learn doing wips and style in the air.
Harriet Harper and her boyfriend, who gave me a ride to whistler in their massive campertruck.
Dan Frew, who went up with us to take great pictures. Katrina Strand, a great downhill chick from Whistler, who spreads out good vibes. Sheryl McLeod a Kiwi Lady who rocks her bike for years. All the Manitou/Sun Ringle crew who helped me out. Davis English and Jeff Bryson , two locals I rode with. TOm Hey, an England dirt jumper whom I met on my last evening.
Nigel, Rueben, Ryder, Kerrian and Cam, other Kiwi boys I stayed with and of course DAn Mc Millan who helped me out again. I crashed at his place. BUt this time I could help him too with this blog, which you are reading at the moment. These boys hmm how can I say…gave me the feeling of home. I mean not the house- the house was nearly all the time a big mess and I slept in the Kitchen/ living room on a big matresse on the floor. And I also don’t mean that most of them came home in the middle of the night, completly waisted and jumping around on my matresse and I also don’t mean that Ryder called me horse and other words which I dont wanna write down (in a funny way) I mean more that they listen to me when I needed someone to talk to- cooked for me- bought me a big cake forme birthday- Sang the happy birthday song and I was welcomed from the first second i walked up the stairs. Around the Whistler village centre are many little neighbour hoods with nice houses. The one I stayed wasn’t that nice but right next to the ALta Lake, Which was pretty awesome.
Where I went for a swim, lied around on the beach and jumped back flips of the jetty during my phenomenal riding time. Of course I wouldn’t be a racer if I wouldn’t have taken part in few Crankworx competitions. But I tried to take them not so seriously like a world cup and it worked for me I had a lot of fun. In one event I ended up on the podium. I did my longest downhill race ever. Called Garbonzo. It took me exactly 19 minutes from the top to the bottom in race speed. I ended up 5th in this event.
I wanted to do the Crankworx women event too but I got ill on my birthday and I didn’t feel for competing. On friday I raced the Giant Slalom which was hard work on my big bike, concerning that I was the only one with a downhill bike instead of a light 4x bike. I got 3rd. On Sunday I race the Canadian Open race. I like the track very much…hmm I nearly like every track so but anyway I crashed in my race run and ended up on the 11th place, which was excally the last. COmbined with the fact that I had to leave the bike paradise I was little bit sad. I will try to come back next year again and stay longer. Now I am sitting in the airplane number AC033 to Sydney to race there my next world cup. I hope it will work out better for me than at the other ones. see you your LENE
I don’t like cities much so I wanted to get out of it and moved to Manly. It’s in the north of Sydney it’s a beautiful place. I stayed with Mick Ross. I met him because I met Chris Southwood the boss from the Australian bike magazine “Mountain Bike”. Chris is also the Morewood distributor from AUS and got his email address from Dan, whom I met in Dan McMullans house one evening, and who is a good friend from Chris. quite complicated… Yeah and on Saturday afternoon I met Nico a French guy who lives in Sydney and I got a ride with him to a club race not far from Sydney. I was soooo happy to get out of Sydney and see a little bit country and also race my bike. It was great. The track was very different to them in Europe. So very flat and a lots of pedal section. But I enjoyed it and it was good training for canberra. The race was finished by 3-4 and I drove back with other riders and did some shuttle runs somewhere else near Sydney or Sydney I don’t know where it was. BUt it was good too. ANd after that my day wasn’t finished I went to a dirt jump place.
