Introducing The Pivot Reynolds Enduro Team

PHOENIX, AZ – For release March 31, 2016 – Pivot Cycles is happy to announce the formation of the Pivot/Reynolds Enduro Team. The team is comprised of three riders – Adam Snyder (Durango, CO), Mason Bond (Grass Valley, CA) and Brice Shirbach (Brookhaven, PA).  Adam is a winner of the Eastern Enduro Triple Crown overall championship and is a top five athlete in the North American Enduro Tour overall rankings. Mason is the team’s young gun, with the style and speed needed to make an impression on the podium and in team edits. Brice brings years of XC and Enduro racing to the table and is a well known contributor to Pinkbike and Dirt Rag Magazine, and was recently involved in a Teton Gravity Research project. His successful East Bound and Down series will continue in 2016, as will 2 new video series.

“We love supporting up and coming riders at Pivot. Adam, Mason and Brice all shred and we are excited to be working withthem as they make the jump from NAET to EWS enduro racing.” said Pivot Cycles CEO Chris Cocalis.  “Our athlete programs are essential to product development and we look forward to the crew’s contributions to the future of Pivot bikes.”

The Pivot/Reynolds Enduro Team will be competing at both Enduro World Series and North American Enduro Tour events, as well as the Dirty Sanchez, Big Mountain Enduro and North American Crankworx races. In between events, the team will be traveling across the United States, producing three different video series: “Down Time”, a three part series focused on the stoke a rider finds on his hometown trails, “When in Rome” a series documenting the shredding and atmosphere found off of the track at NAET and other North American events, and finally, in partnership with Pinkbike, rider Brice Shirbach will be producing a new video series in conjunction with his popular East Bound and Down editorial column called "Local Flavors", the first of which has just been published, featuring the riding in Ocala, Florida. Ocala, Florida is quickly becoming a destination for riders from around the USA. The local trail system is currently experiencing a renaissance courtesy of builder Ray Petro (of the famous Ray’s Indoor Mountain Bike parks) and the Santos MTB Festival and the "Local Flavors" edit is an sensory oriented edit showcasing the best singletrack Ocala has to offer.

BIKES AND WHEELS

The Pivot Reynolds Enduro team will be riding Pivot Mach 6 Carbon and Mach 429 Trail models. The versatile Mach 6 Carbon is Pivot’s dedicated enduro bike with 155mm of dw-link™ suspension – perfect for the big, technical courses of the Enduro World Series. They will also ride the Mach 429 Trail, with its innovative mid-travel dw-link™ design, which will be the perfect choice on the varied courses of the NAET and other classic North American venues.

Co-title sponsor Reynolds Cycling will be taking care of the team’s wheel needs. “Taking stock of what really matters to those

who live to push the limits on a mountain bike, ride-quality and durability, we are supplying the team with wheels from our new Black Label line-up to complement their chosen bikes.  They will race predominantly on our new Black Label 27.5 Enduro and 29 Enduro which feature a 28mm wide, hookless and asymmetric rim laced to our Reynolds straight pull, center lock hub by Industry Nine.  Wider is better, if you engineer the build to match the desired outcome.  With evenly tensioned uniform lengths of bladed spokes these guys will enjoy a ride quality second to none with proven durability to charge with confidence” said Reynolds Cycling CFO Mike Dufner.

The sponsorship is the brand’s first foray into the enduro race scene following the success of their latest line of Black Label mountain carbon wheels.

“Enduro style riding, making use of a multitude of terrain and features, is what inspired the design of our new Black Label products.  Having proven the durability under the saddles of Bernard Kerr and the Pivot DH team we were looking for riders who could ride the wheels everywhere from rock gardens and berms to technical climbs and step-ups. We are excited about watching this team push the limits from their backyards to the slopes of Andes and having proven themselves on the bike and behind the camera gives us the full package of what we look for in sponsored athletes.  These guys represent who most mountain bikers are and want to be!”

2016 Zerode Trail Bike Is Almost Here!!!

Sam Blenkinsop to Race 2016 Enduro World Series

Norco Factory Racing is excited to announce that team rider Sam Blenkinsop will compete in five rounds of the 2016 Enduro World Series. The World Cup-winning downhill specialist raced the French and New Zealand EWS events last season, earning two top ten finishes.

“The two EWS events I rode last season were a lot of fun, yet very challenging which is exactly what I’m looking for,” said Sam. “I’m the type of rider who performs better the more I race, so I’m excited to compete in even more events next year.”

A threat to any podium, Blenki’s signature fast and oh-so-loose style will be on full display at EWS stops in Chile, Argentina, Italy, USA and Canada.

Sam will be racing aboard the 2016 Norco Range outfitted with components from Race Face, Novatec/Factor, Fox, Schwalbe, HT, Formula, MRP, and Shimano.

His schedule will also include the full calendar of UCI World Cup DH and Crankworx events. The Kiwi will look to build off a strong 2015 season that saw him win the Crankworx World Tour DH Championship title, finish 5th at the Fort William World Cup, and 7th at the World Championships.

Working with PerformX Training’s Todd Schumlick, who is also the Norco Factory Team owner and manager, Sam has been training hard through the off-season and is looking forward to more success in 2016.

Justin Leov's Diary 2014 EWS Whistler

August 11, 2014.

I've had hard weekends before, weekends when you just will yourself on to get through, but this was the toughest week by far in my Enduro career. Rewinding back to Colorado, after the race we spent two days testing with Fox and Trek and had some great results from suspension tuning. I was then on-route to Quebec to be at the Downhill World Cup to help Trek World racing in my coaching role. It was as always, a busy week and in hind site I didn't get the rest I really needed after having such a demanding race in Colorado.

Landing in Vancouver Sunday night I caught an early shuttle up to Whistler Monday morning and checked into our condo. I was still getting some knee trouble so I booked in for some sessions with the Physiotherapist at Back in Action and arranged a sports massage as well. Through the week things were going great, finally my knee was starting to get back to normal with the help of acupuncture and taping. I was getting great power in my training sessions and my bike was fast as a result of the tuning.

Thursday morning I got up to do a few short sprints to get my legs into race mode and on my warm down ride back to the condo I suddenly started to feel low on energy and sick for the first time. By time I got back to the condo and had a shower I was trashed and rolled myself into bed for the rest of the day with a fever. I figured it was possibly a result of the Physiotherapy and massage sessions releasing toxins into my system. With some heavy days about to approach rest was my only option.

Friday morning I woke with a really sore throat, my fever had reduced so I made the decision to try and practice a little bit on Stage 1 and 2.  I have learnt that when I am sick it is so important to rest as much as possible, but with limited practice I needed to be on the hill. I rode both stages 1 and 2 twice then a slow run down stage 5, keeping my heart rate on or below 120BPM in an attempt to look after my body as much as possible. Even with taking it easy I still found it a challenge and after 5 hours of riding my body was telling me it was more than it wanted to do.

When I got back to the condo that afternoon I noticed my throat was getting worse, I was getting tingling in my fingers and toes and a rash was starting to come out on my face. I had an early night and woke the next morning to all the cuts on my body looking inflamed and sore. Despite this I got my kit on and headed over to stage 3 to practice it twice for the morning. With the climb taking just over 40mins I did the same as the previous day with keeping my heart rate around 120BPM or lower, not an easy task on a steep climb!

I had one more stage to practice and I could access this one from the top of stage 5 for one run and then ride back up from the bottom for the second run. After completing my second run I headed home and felt pretty hammered. The tingling now was a lot worse in my hands and feet and getting my gloves off was a now a bit of a challenge.

I rested up for the afternoon, but come the evening I went to the bathroom to check my throat and when I opened my mouth was horrified to see blisters all over it. By this time it was 10pm and I knew I needed to see the Hospital. Ray my team manager took me down the Whistler Medical but being after hours and with limited staff around we weren't able to get any treatment, a blood test with results not to come in until after the race would mean I was on my own. I was told by the doctor that it would be unwise to race, this wasn't the first time and probably not the last time that I have heard this in my career. I got out of the hospital around 1am I headed home and went straight to bed.

Race day- I woke up and was actually pretty nervous. Not because of the courses or how I would be for the races, but the thought of what if something did happen to me as a result of the big effort I was about to put my body through. I shut that off in my head and got organized for the day. My plan was to listen to my body on the stages and not take risks where I could risk crashes. I didn't need any other hindrances this weekend. Just survive!

Stage 1: We had about a 1 hour a climb to reach the start, I managed to ride feeling okay and had a descent warm up on the steep terrain. Stage 1 and 2 would be similar terrain, loose, fresh and hard to carry speed. Dropping in for stage 1 I was surprised how blown out the course was. Being freshly cut and with the high volume of riders it had seen every corner had huge holes. It was easy to get caught up and the feeling of going over the bars at any moment was there. I took it very easy and finished out the stage with the taste of blood in the back of my mouth.

We had a 40 min climb back up for stage 2 so keeping the water and nutrition on the climbs was really important. Around 30 degree heat always meant staying cool was difficult so searching for the shadows and staying out of the sun was also something I was mindful of.

Stage 2: It felt very much similar to stage 1, awkward and blown out with some tight and technical rocky lines. I felt a little better in the run but was still on safe and steady mode.

The transition to stage three was a longer one, we had to cross the valley and climb up a reasonably steep four-wheel drive track. Luckily most of this climb was in the woods so it was cooler, at this point in the day the heat was over 30.
 
Stage 3: This was a better suited track for me, it was a little more open and not as freshly cut. Dropping in once again I was really surprised how blown out and wreaked the trails were. I had a much better run and had an opportunity to put in a good time. I had also just found some confidence in the fact that my body was holding up. I kept thinking just get through the next stage then we would have a gondola and chairlift for the final stage.

The transition to stage 4 was across the other side of the valley so it meant a good hour of climbing in the roasting sun. I drank over 2 liters of water on the climb and was nearly out by time I got to the top. I have to admit I was starting to hang, the heat was getting to me a little bit and my hands and feet really starting to hurt where I had the rash

Stage 4: This was the most technical of the weekend in my option. Really dangerous terrain if you got it wrong and a lot of bike wreaking sections. My plan was to ride smooth and look after my bike. With the last stage being so long (over 20 mins) it was important to have a good bike for it. Dropping in, my run felt good, I slowed myself down in a lot of the sections I would normally have attacked and I keep it a clean safe run. My throat was on fire when I crossed the line and I was glad there was icy water at the finish line to cool me back down.

We had a 30 min transition to get back to the pits and then a little bit of time before we had to be up for the final stage (top of the world). Having the condo's so close to the pits allowed me to come back and make some quick food, shower up and get my bike checked over. Pulling off my socks was now difficult and the blisters had come up all over my feet and between my toes. All I could think was just one more stage!

On the Gondola and up the hill for a final time it was a better feeling being able to watch as we climbed up the mountain from the gondola instead of sweating our way up. For the last stage I had one plan, flat out from the start to the finish and give everything I had. This stage would suit my Remedy 29er, it wasn't as tight as the other stages and being longer I knew if I could hold on I would improve some positions.

Stage 5: From the start of the stage I seemed to straight away find a good speed, my hands hurt before the start but when I was in my run I didn't feel them anymore. I worked on being as smooth as possible and let the bike carry speed out of the corners. Everything seems to play out to plan. Coming into the finish line I felt like I had put in a solid effort and was super surprised I had made up enough time to sit me in 6th overall for the weekend.

I couldn't believe I had been able to pull off a day like that, let alone finish inside the top 10.  My next stop after the race was straight back to hospital. They had my results and were able to diagnose me with Hand, Foot and Mouth and prescribed the next week to be in bed recovering. After that massive effort I was happy to oblige!

I learnt how tough the mind and body can be this weekend, you can push yourself a lot further than you think. I also learnt how important it is to hang in there. Points are points and you need to fight for every single last one of them to stay in the chase! I've had a few rounds now where things just haven’t worked out, but that’s racing and I know its just a matter of time before one will go my way.

Next and final round will take place in Italy next October. In the meantime I'll be visiting home - New Zealand - and I'll be back in Europe for the Bluegrass Enduro Tour of Castelbuono in Sicily end of September. See you there may be!

- Justin -