Midweek Mini Movies 217

Here’s this week’s serving of inspiration for your eyes and mind, it’s a big tasty helping of Midweek Mini Movies…

Brew up, slack off and tune in…

FollowJC – Back to the beginning

Follow him for his first events back on the saddle
Filmed during Ischgl overmountain Challenge by Jeremie Reuiller

Scott MTB Marathon Series – Ruthin

A really nice round up to the Scott MTB Marathon Series.

Wilder Kaiser extreme

Johannes Pistrol rides the Steinerne Rinne from Goinger Halt, July 2014. The upper section from the summit down to the upper rinne is relatively straight forward, albeit slightly exposed. The lower section contains the hardest and the most futuristic riding. Johannes didn’t clear all sections but this attempt is the most I have seen ridden so far.

On Track With Curtis Keene – Dirty Deeds – Ep 8

Colorado single track is rocky, dusty and rather unforgiving, but the real punisher is the high elevation at the 5th stop of the Enduro World Series. Winter Park would host breakthrough performances and big-time crashes leaving riders with their head in hands, wondering, “What if?”

While series Leader Jared Graves once again exerts his dominance, Curtis continues to search for the right combination of the right preparation, plus the right equipment, on the right day.

Rake & Ride with The Coastal Crew

The Coastal Crew have been searching for that ideal zone with endless natural lines for years. That one magic zone they could walk into with hand tools, rake, ride and repeat. The goal was to embrace natural terrain, find the limits of traction and most of all have fun doing it.

OUT THERE | Sam & Kurt on the Great Divide

Follow Blackburn Rangers Sam and Kurt journey as they climb their way through the Great Divide route.

Iphone 6 Bike Edit

https://vimeo.com/106794840

Filmed on a phone.

Nomadic Dreams – Mongolia

Mongolia the land of the famous Genghis Khan, a country slightly larger than France with only three million people, making it the lowest population density in the world (this statistic is made for me!)

Nomadic life is still the life style of many Mongolians, moving their ger,(round tent) their family and all their goods where ever they are needed depending on the season.

We were very lucky to be invited here by our dear friend Christopher Giercke and his Mongolian wife Enkhe. They own a tented summer polo club in the Orkhon valley (literally in middle of nowhere – forget electricity, phone or internet, here you find nature in its most primitive form and beauty.) Their goal is to reintroduce polo to Mongolia by helping young local kids to play the sport…

It is difficult to imagine that it was from this actual valley that hundreds of years ago, Mongolia started one of the biggest empires in history. Horses and archery were the ultimate weapons at that time (A little less efficient nowadays…)

I’ve never been a big fan of horses myself but I assume from watching these kids galloping full speed on their horses in the middle of the steppe. That they have a wonderful feeling of freedom. So what about riding a bike there ?

Honestly, in a land of horses, I feel a little bit alone with my Meta Hip-hop, even if I quickly find some interest from the rare locals people that I meet.

Nomadic life means a small impact and little trace on nature. We were looking to ride single tracks but we found none of them. The hills are totally virgin, not one trace or track, just grass and rocks….and so many hills as far as the eye can see.

In beginning you feel very intimidated by this huge space in front of you, you’re lost in its immensity, shy, you loose your confidence, your mark, you don’t know which way to go… Then you realize that you can go where ever you want, choose the least steep way to climb, then at the top you have an unlimited choice of line. You discover a unique feeling of freedom that I have never encountered before.

This is the reason I ride a mountain bike, this feeling that you can escape, at least for a while, the reality of this world, returning life to this simple pleasure of being free.
In Mongolia I definitely found it.

Thanks to all the members of the Giercke family for your hospitality, it is so refreshing to meet passionate people who like to share what they have. Big thanks to Commencal for making the most fun and reliable bike to ride.

Tangi

BAKE PIZZA RIDE BIKES Featuring Anthony Mangieri

Anthony Mangieri owns and operates Una Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco, California and is considered by many to be one of the top pizza makers in the world. Anthony discusses his relentless pursuit of excellence for two of his lifelong passions, baking pizza and riding bikes.

Mountain biking in Tigray, Ethiopia

https://vimeo.com/106671011

Ethiopia has some remarkable terrain for mountain biking. In the north of the country the highlands are as dramatic as they are beautiful and the landscape is criss-crossed by a myriad of tracks created by livestock and local people. These tracks make for some fantastic single track, too numerous to map – the possibilities there are almost infinite. I shot this footage to show people what it’s like to mountain bike in Tigray, a province in the north east of the country.

My advice to anyone going to mountain bike in Ethiopia would be to take a full suspension bike with extra strong wheels, reinforced tyres with tubeless kits or at least half a dozen spare tubes and a repair kit. The terrain is dry, dusty and rocky – which causes pinch flats. The common indigenous acacia tree has thorns as large and as hard as nails. And then there’s the cacti to contend with too. There are no bike shops for parts and no mountain bike rental places so you should bring everything yourself for a completely self sufficient trip. I took my steel On-One hardtail with 110 mm front shocks and it was punished during the trip, it’s still recovering.

A couple of other notes on the trail – take care passing farmsteads as they all have dogs (some are aggressive – they are kept to repel hyenas after all), take care when passing people with donkeys and oxen as they may spook and be aware that a (very) small minority of children may throw stones. Almost all children however will ask for money, pens and sweets – none of which they should be given of course. It does no harm to hire a guide for directions or just to mind the car. The people of Tigray are as smiley, happy and hospitable a people as you will find anywhere, sit down and enjoy a coffee once in a while.

Bikes Are Fun

Some clips from the spring/summer. Filmed by cool people in cool places. Homie clip from my son, Andrew Pace, because he’s the original homie. Little bikes are the best shit ever, no lie. Watch this and then go out and get rad with your peoples.

FIVE to NINE Ep. 1 – Waiting for Winter

I’ve got a full-time job, a mortgage, a wife and three kids, so why not just call it a day and sit on the couch? Because there’s 24 hours in a day and there’s always time to get out there if you make it a priority (a very understanding wife helps too). Originally, mountain biking was something I took up to get in great shape and pass the time until ski season, but I’ve come to appreciate the similar sensations that riding single track can provide. While nothing can compare to a powder day, this is about as close as it gets.

Which leads nicely to  – And finally…

SKI BOYS

Thanks to everyone that sent in suggestions this week. If you’ve seen or made anything you reckon should be up here next time, the address is, as ever: newsdesk@singletrackworld.com.

And remember: Keep feeling fascination, yeah?

 

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