After seven weeks of racing in Europe, it was finally time to fly to the States for some burritos and round five of the EWS. It was even more exciting to drive to Denver and pick up our long-awaited new bikes from Yeti. I'm 99 percent sure most people reading this will know that Colorado was our first ride on new bikes. We've ridden prototypes on and off over the past few years, but these were the first of their series and it was love at first sight. We set up the bikes and had a few days to test the bikes before we went to Winter Park.
Winter Park is only 90 minutes from Denver so luckily we didn't have to travel days to get here. I know some people think we had a home advantage with Yeti being a local great, but I'm from Australia, Rosara is from New Zealand and Richie is from Connecticut, which equates to a 40 hour drive. I've only been to Winter Park twice before so we didn't have a huge advantage in the race. However, when we are in France and riding trails that the French have known for years, no one suggests possible benefits.
I think the biggest reason I rode so well at Winter Park was the fact that I've spent a lot of time in Colorado over the past ten years and the terrain is very similar here. So I have no problem riding on loose gravel and slipping into every corner. I've learned to manage my strength and not to blow all my powder at the beginning of a stage, so that I'm out of breath at the back...but enough of that, let's get down to business.
Friday – Stage 1 & 2
Stage one and two were fairly bike park-heavy routes and had some big jumps, nice berms and a flowing, natural part. There was nothing really demanding on the stages, so it was important to keep up the speed, especially in the corners. The two stages were definitely fun, even though they were extremely physically demanding to race. But we were almost 11000 feet above zero and even normal walking was pretty damn hard here.
I was pretty nervous before the first stage because I knew the track suits me. Anything but winning would have been a disappointment here, so I put a lot of pressure on myself. I rode well but had trouble pedaling. Every time I pedaled, I would collapse and be exhausted. In the end I had a good time and took 20 seconds off the other top 14 drivers. But there was one rider out there that I knew could beat my time. This was none other than my teammate Richie Rude. Richie's cornering speed is unbelievable. That combined with the track, which required you to be physically strong, made him a great contender. And so it happened. He beat my time by a second, so we were first and second.
Stage two went a little better and my body felt better. I had a minor incident on the trail when a squirrel sat right on my line on a turn. Of course, I immediately slammed on the brakes so as not to run over my little colleague. A funny event, but I briefly forgot that I was in the timed race..haha.
Richie was on fire and also got the best time on stage two, followed by Yoann Barelli. I was third and so Richie and I were in the lead after the first day
Saturday – Stages 3, 4 & 5
Saturday's stages were all outside the bike park and were very natural. We already rode stage three "Mountain Goat" last year, but the long pedal section from last year was completely removed, so that we only started where things really got going. There is a section of the trail called "Rock Rotor". I never knew exactly which section of the trail it was supposed to be and I was always lucky to get through it safely.
This time I was really aware of it for the first time, but I got through it well and felt good. When braking into the next corner, my rear brake lever went all the way to the handlebars and I could hear the disc rubbing against the caliper. Things got pretty interesting over the next five minutes but I made it to the finish well and won the stage by over seven seconds. Richie was second.
Stage four and five was on a trail no one has ridden before and was a ten minute run that was split into two parts. My brake disc was pretty battered and the Spider broke in one spot. At this point I have to thank all the riders who helped me to sort everything out so that I could ride the stages. The disc was still warped and the brake lever pulsated every time I braked, but I had to go through with it now. I drove a pretty messed up run, but was able to win my second race. Richie was second again and so we both had two best times and were up to one second.
Stage five was quite long and had a lot of corners. It all looked the same and I could only remember a few places. Sometimes you drive really well even if you don't know what to expect. So you have to concentrate a lot more, because if you don't do that, you'll fly off. I managed my strength well and drove a perfect run until I went too fast into a right-hand corner two minutes before the end and was allowed to eat dirt. I quickly got back on the bike and did everything I could to correct my mistake.
We had a 15 minute tour ahead of us to the paddock and I was curious what my time would be like. To my surprise, I was also fastest on the stage. Richie also fell on the stage, losing 19 seconds on me and giving me a comfortable lead for the final day.
Sunday – Stage 6 & 7
Stage six was weird. It was very pedal heavy, but also had some fun parts and tight corners where it was important to carry a lot of speed. I wanted to give everything and extend my lead further so that I could tackle the last stage quite easily. To make a long story short: I did exactly that and at the finish I was completely floored. Shortly before the finish, however, both drivers were warned of a fall.
Brittany Clawson fell badly and we had to slow down. As soon as we were over, however, we gave everything again. At the finish there were only four of us for quite a while. My legs were still shaking from the exertion and suddenly we were told that the other riders couldn't get past the crash and that we would have to ride the stage a second time. After a nine minute descent in which I gave everything I had, they now told me that I had to do the same thing again...
The four riders who had already gone through now had a big disadvantage. To be fair, we all drove again. My legs were like pudding, but I took the corners a lot better this time and managed almost the same time as before. The stage went to me and my lead was now a whopping 41 seconds with just one stage ahead of us.
Stage seven was the Trestle Downhill course. It was riddled with stones and many other technical obstacles. I drove a relaxed run and wanted to avoid a defect. My lead should still be enough and so I even refrained from pedaling. I crossed the finish line and I knew I won. To add the icing on the cake to the whole weekend, Richie won the last stage and finished second. Rosara also had her best race of the year, finishing fifth, making the weekend perfect for the team.
We couldn't have asked for a better result. The new bike had only just been introduced and we were already taking first and second places...it all seemed too good to be true. Conroy and Hoog, the big bosses at Yeti, were also there and if there had been a podium for the best party, we would certainly have been at the top of the podium.
bike setup
Frame: YETI SB6c prototype
Fork: FOX 36 Float 2015, 15mm axle, 160mm travel, 70psi
Shock: FOX Float X, 170psi
Wheels: DT Swiss 240 hubs, Aerolite spokes, EX471 rims
Tires: Maxxis 2.3 Minion DHR2 EXO 3C 26/29psi
Crank: Shimano XTR 170mm w/Stages power meter
Brakes: Shimano XTR m987 levers, Saint Calipers, 180mm Freeza discs
Rear derailleur: Shimano XTR Shadow Plus
Shifters: Shimano XTR
Pedals: Shimano XTR Trail
Cassette: Shimano XTR 11-36
Chain: Shimano XTR
Handlebar/Stem: Renthal Fatbar Lite Carbon, 740mm width, Renthal Apex 50mm stem
Seatpost: Thomson Elite Dropper
Chain Guide: E-13 Carbon LG1
Chainring: E-13 36t
Photos: Sebastian Schieck