MTB for Family Fun

In the last few weeks the weather has finally warmed up! MTB'ing has been for 30 years now my favorite sport, recently I have been discovering something that when I started riding I did not think about. Riding with Kids! What a great way for the family to get out and enjoy a day together. Nesta my 10 year old son has been riding with our customers this year and Dayna at 5 years old has just started riding in the bush this spring. Escape the summer heat,come and spend a day riding with your family here on Yatsugatake Mtn, Nagano.

Winter Olympians

Every 4 years the Winter Olympics arrive and evry 4 years I have been amazed to see banners across the roads congradulating local athletes on thier selection to the games. Speed Skating is the sport around here and every year there seems to be a local doing well at the world level. Last year my then 7 year old son Nesta decided to join the school skate team, so my skate education began. Yatsugatake Mountain is quite well know for its cold dry winter air, we don't get lots of snow here but it stays below zero for a good 3 months every winter, good for making ice. As an ex-pro bicycle racer I am very impressed by the coaching and infrastructure of the local skate clubs. I now understand why the level of cyclists is so low here in Japan, they have no support, by the time an apsiring cyclist figures out how to train properly they are already well into thier 20's and it is too late. Here are a few shots of last weeks Izumino Elementry School Skate Race. The skate club members and PTA were out on the ice every night for 2 weeks getting the ice ready. The sign in the background is a fight banner for local girl Sayuri Yoshi recently 2nd in the world speed skate championships.

Father and Son Ride

Genki and Nesta took thier fathers for a summers end ride last week. I am very lucky to have some customers who are starting to bring their kids to ride here at Freeride Adventures, my son and I really enjoy spending the day riding the trails with them . Takagi-san has come riding with his son Genki a couple times this year and it is really exciting seeing both the father and son riding better and better. Kids learning curve is so much quicker than us adults and it won`t be long until they are demanding bigger jumps and faster trails to ride, but for now it is great cruising some easy trails.

The Natural

On Sunday I had a group from Kanagawa-ken come for a ride, this group shows up once or twice a year, the numbers vary but they are always ready for anything. This year just before we got to the top of the mountain, I was told that this was one guys first ride. I was quite concerned as the trail we were about to ride is not ideal for beginers, dropping in is a good way to descibe the first 10 meters of this descent. I was pleased to see him use good judgement and walk this section, I gave him a very quick , 1 minute, how to brake lesson and we were off. He made it down the first trail, a bit jerky but no injuries. One of his friends decided to let him try his full suspension bike and then it was game on, he found his groove and was riding right in the middle of the pack. Even during our afternoon ride when he was back on his "Bridgestone Slugger" he was right there ripping it up. I hope he keeps riding, he is a Natural

BC RACE stage 5

Stage 5
If you ever have the chance to get over to the sunshine coast , make sure you ride the trails around the towns of Sechelt and Gibson known as the Rat Race Trail System. The locals have built some of the most fun flowing trails that I have ever had the pleasure to ride. Not super technical but just tricky enough to keep you on your toes. Great banked trails through the rainforest help you keep your speed on these fast smooth trails. We were feeling good about our riding over the last couple days and were looking forward to this day. The cycling gods were not on my side though as today was my turn to have the mechanical problem , with about 15 kilometers left to go on this 65 kilometer ride my chain snapped. Not only did it break but a whole section of chain came off. By the time we got that fixed we had lost at least 20 minutes and once again finished the day feeling a bit unsatisfied.

Stage Winners-

Team Old School ( Canadain 2008 olympian Seamus Mcgrath, Chris Sheppard) 3:36

Brownfishjumpers 4:47

XTERRA JAPAN

If you are looking for a good way to cool down this summer, head up to Marunuma Lake on Saturday the 30th and either participate or watch the XTERRA JAPAN Championship.Marunuma is in Gunma Prefecture on the road that leads over into Nikko from Numata City, a very beautiful part of Japan not to far from Tokyo. Turn off your air conditioners and breath the fresh air in this beautiful mountain setting. Paul is the course director for this event, one of these days he will actually race this event, but for now he makes do with the draft beer and live music at the Awards party on Saturday night. For more info check here: http://www.xterrajapan.net/ or contact paul@freerideadventuresjpn.com

Freeride Adventures Video

This video was made by one of our customers last weekend. Everytime Paul looked at Suzuki-san he seemed to have his camera in his hand. He filmed all this one handed while chasing us down the trails riding his mountainbike. The only thing he couldn`t do one handed was eat the hamburger! You can link up to either of these links to check it out.