Inside Info: Connor Fearon – Scotland

#22 Chad Reed! No in this case it is Connor Fearon... — #22 Chad Reed! No in this case it is Connor Fearon…

After the Cairns World Cup didn’t go the way I planned I headed home for about 4 weeks in preparation for the next round, Fort William. The time seemed to go really quick but I got a solid few weeks of training in. In the past the Fort Bill World Cup has treated me well. Last year at the season opener there I finished up 21st so a top 20 was definitely on the cards for this weekend. It’s always a long haul coming from South Australia to the UK it takes almost two days spent aboard the big bird. With the worst of the travelling done I arrived in Glasgow on Tuesday and Matty my mechanic picked me up and we drove the last 3 hours to Fort William. Wednesday was spent building up my race bike and new Process 153 which is sick, we got a trail ride in beside Loch Ness.. Unfortunately no monster was spotted but I’m still a believer!

Sending some of the bigger jumps on the course.

As usual the downhill track is the same as the last 2 years I’ve been racing here. I won’t bore you with the details as everyone knows about the track. Fast, rough, open etc… We got to walk the track and register on Thursday. My overall was down to 22nd so I was rocking Chad Reeda��s number for the week. I was really excited to start riding on Friday, I hardly took any breaks in practice because I was having so much fun. After a few runs and a couple changes to my suspension my bike was feeling so smooth down the track it gave me lots of confidence. Qualifiers were good, the track was really dry and slippery because of the loose gravel type of surface. I had a good run and finished 19th. A good result showing what I was capable of.

A solid qualifying result set Connor up well for finals.

It rained on Saturday night but just enough to make the track tacky so it was a little faster for Sunday! Saturday/race day is pretty much the same at every race. I do 2 practice runs then wait around nervously for finals.

2 practice runs on Sunday morning then this, finals!

It rained a tiny bit while I was going up in the gondola for my race but not enough to make a difference. I warmed up as usual and my run was really good. I felt I was on edge the top half of the track but started to fade and make a few mistakes down the bottom. I pedalled hard at the bottom but I wasn’t as strong as most of the other riders which is something to work on. I finished 14th which is an excellent result but the times were so tight if I was half a second faster I would have been in 9th position. After the weekend my overall is down to 19th which means I automatically qualify for Leogang this weekend. Last season I got my best result there with 10th so I will be looking for another top 10 this time around! Thanks to everyone that helps me; Kona Bikes, Fox Head, SRAM/Rockshox/Avid/Truvativ, Yakima Racks, Stans No Tubes, Maxxis and of course Downhill247.

Physically draining as well as technical, Fort William is a proper track, 14th gets Connor sitting inside the top 20 overall.

Images: Jason Stevens Photography (@jasonstevensphotography or on Facebook)

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June 13, 2014

Inside Info: Fektor Clothing

Fektor have been on the scene for a few years now and are getting a wider following but for a good reason.

You’ve probably seen Fektor on riders out at races across the country and they have just dropped a new range of goods but we thought we would dig a little deeper and get the true Inside Info. Incidentally we met the main main behind Fektor, Brett, in Whistler many years ago, we heard he wanted to hike-a-bike up a big mountain side glacier just to ride back down, pretty impressive. In the years since, Brett has come back to Australia and started Fektor, you might have watched his ‘Top 5’ edits which are now something of an institution. With that in mind we had a chat to Brett, here is what he had to say:

Hi Brett, thanks for talking to us, before we launch into Fektor can you tell us a little about yourself and your riding history:

I grew up on the outskirts of Melbourne. Starting racing BMX when I was seven. I was introduced to mountain bikes when I was 11 and got my first downhill bike when I was 12 back in 99. It was a pretty red Craftworks. Raced a bunch of Vic and national rounds over the years and ended up spending 2 A? years in Whistler. So yea, been pretty obsessed with DH ever since I was introduced to it.

Thanks to marketing departments everywhere the term 'by riders, for riders' has been over used but when we say it applies to Fektor, we mean it! Boss man throwing down. — Thanks to marketing departments everywhere the term ‘by riders, for riders’ has been over used but when we say it applies to Fektor, we mean it! Boss man throwing down.

Okay so Fektor, first of all what does it mean? And the cool key logo is that significant:

Fektor is a word derived from my racing days. We were originally called Yum Cha Racing and grew into team Fektor B. Fektor doesna��t quite have a meaning as such, but it does represent the great times I had/have racing with my best friends. The key represents strength and works well into the word Fektor.

You have just launched your next release, there are some fresh threads, can you tell us little about it, where the inspiration came from:

With the new release we wanted to provide a premium product that’s comfortable to wear, fits well and isna��t going to break the bank. Our printing and embroidery is done locally. Quality was very important. Our pocket teea��s are handmade with every pocket being a little different. ita��s nice to have control to put small finishing touches on each piece.

Little details, like pockets that are all slightly different but done locally all combine to make things just a bit different.

There are some cool little tag lines used across the range a�?Trick. Fast. Rad.a�� Any hidden meanings:

Do tricks, go fast and be rad. pretty much sums up what Fektora��s about.

Bretta��s top 5 (and sometimes 10!) edits have been must watch for a little while now, what do you hope to achieve every time you do one:

I thought it was a different take on how a race is recapped. The top 5a��s encourage people to have fun and follow our motto, trick, fast, rad. Often riders will be missed or overlooked based on their result. When you film something and ita��s awesome, it doesn’t matter whoa��s behind the bars. If somethinga��s awesome it just is.

Fektor is not just about clothing, can you explain in your own words what you see Fektor representing:

Fektor is a company representing a passion for an industry that it loves and supports. We love riding bikes plain and simple. Our company was founded on that premise and will always stick to it.

Your heading overseas this year to the Windham and Mont Sainte Anne World Cups, what can we expect from there, any clues:

Well plans are a little hush hush, but I can tell you that I will be hitting up a bunch of bicycle hot spots this season. We will be supporting a new media company so keep your eyes peeled. Lots of projects coming up and we can’t wait.

It may be a bmx in this shot but 2 wheels, 1 love right?!

Mr Fektor himself in the middle flanked by photograph extraordinaire Jason Stevens. We would like to tell you who the model on Brett's right is but we can't, sorry...! — Mr Fektor himself in the middle flanked by photograph extraordinaire Jason Stevens. We would like to tell you who the model on Brett’s right is but we can’t, sorry…!

Thanks Brett for the chat, sounds like some great plans are a foot for the remainder of the year, if you are keen to show your support for this independent company check outA�www.fektorclothing.comA�or on Facebook www.facebook.com/Fektor

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June 2, 2014

Australian Gravity Enduro Series – Fox Creek

Troy Brosnan racing the second enduro race of his career, both have been in his home town of Adelaide!

Round 3 of the Australian Gravity Enduro Series rolled into Adelaide over a quiet weekend in May, with around 140 riders competing it was another good turn out for the series with good racing across the classes. The event was made up of 4 timed stages with 2 loops to get riders around. Surprisingly there were no major injuries considering how quick riders were going, especially on the ‘steep’ sections. Some unlucky riders did run into kangaroos on Saturday whilst out at Fox practicing but nothing major.

A few stray kangaroos on course were the only real concern for most riders who were practicing Friday and Saturday. Stage 3 was a new trail and only cut in for this event.

Of the 4 stages 3 were pre-existing tracks and there was a good mix of stages that required a combination of fitness and technical skills. Stage 2 was the same track as used in the South Australian downhill state series so it was fast and suited the more technical riders. Stage 3 was new for the event and one of the most challenging aspects for riders was how it changed between Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Being brand new it bedded in as the weekend wore on (excuse the pun!), there was a lot of almost powdery like dust to be had on this stage. Stage 4 was a bit of a rider favourite (check out the intense competition on Strava!) A�’Green Smoothie’, this trail is really fun to ride with big flowing corners and jumps if you were keen. Most tracks were pretty dry as the weather leading into the event was unseasonably warm in Adelaide.

There was something over the four stages for all riders. Sam Hardie showing the physical effort!

Showing that local knowledge pays off, both the men’s and women’s podiums had Adelaideans (that’s a real thing right?!) on the top step. Troy Brosnan was the favourite coming into the weekend but with riders like Dan MacMunn, who are veterans of the relatively young enduro scene, it wasn’t going to be a cake walk for Troy. We had a chat to Troy about his weekend and this is what he had to say “I was using the event for training and to ride with some of my Adelaide mates. I made sure I climbed all the ascents before the stages”. Troy raced on his 29er S-Works Enduro bike and in only his second enduro event he took the win! What makes it even more impressive was the fact Troy didn’t practice on Friday & Saturday unlike some other riders and therefore rode stage 3 completely blind as it was created for this event. “It was hard to know where to push as I was going in blind but this stage had less pedalling and there was fresh dirt”, for the record Troy got second on that stage.

Get your speed tuck on, Troy Brosnan winner of round 3.

Talking about second, there was initially a draw for second place between Simon Buzzacott and Dan McMunn as the timing system couldn’t differentiate riders by larger than the closest second. In the end Simon claimed second as he had the fastest time on the last stage. Talk about close racing! In the women it was Jackie Schapel who used her fitness, skills and local knowledge to full effect taking the win.

Second place for Simon Buzacott, it was close though with a countback to the last stages' results required to determine the 2nd place getter! — Second place for Simon Buzacott, it was close though with a countback to the last stages’ results required to determine the 2nd place getter!

Elite Men

1. Troy Brosnan

2. Simon Buzacott

3. Dan MacMunn

4. Dave West

5. Cameron Ryan

Elite Women

1. Jaclyn Schapel

2. Genevieve Mckew

3. Rosemary Barnes

4. Vanessa Thompson

5. Alyssa Lyons

Jackie Schapel off and into the stage, eventually claiming the overall title win for round 3.

That wraps up this round, the next race is scheduled for June 29th in Western Australia at Mount Gunjin.

Images: kaneophoto.com.au (@kaneophoto)

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May 28, 2014

Inside Info: Lenzerheide

You know when a rider of Steve Peat's caliber is getting excited about a track it is something special. — You know when a rider of Steve Peat’s caliber is getting excited about a track it is something special.

If you have been following Steve Peat on Instagram @stevepeat you would have seen what he has been up to during the break between races. Aside from just having a good time and being the god father of mountain biking he has been spending some time inA�Lenzerheide, Switzerland. These pictures immediately piqued our interest as the track looks steep and fast! With Champery a few hours down the road are we in for another classic course? Let’s hope so, we have to wait until 2015 to find out as the world cup stops in to the town then.

You know when the track builders include the Swiss master Cloudio Caluori that it is going to be a good one.

Unfortnately we don’t have a whole lot more information on the track yet but we knew we needed to share what we could with you guys. The prospect of seeing the world’s best tear down a ‘proper’ track have us salivating, be sure once we know more we will let you know!

Even Sam Hill picked up on Steve's post asking about it he was pretty stoked to find out he would be heading there next year! — Even Sam Hill picked up on Steve’s post asking about it he was pretty stoked to find out he would be heading there next year!

2015 here we come!

Images: Steve Peat (@stevepeat)

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May 22, 2014

Inside Info: The Hutchison UR Team Mother Ship!

The pit set ups at World Cups is a pretty impressive site!

One of the most important tools in any racers quest to win is their team van/truck/pit set up. Not only do the team mechanics do their thing from it but it gives the riders somewhere to relax, get out of the public eye at races, store all their gear, etc basically it is a home away from home. There are some impressive rigs out there but one of the most dialed setups goes to Hutchinson UR and their mother ship! This is the same beast that Australia’s own Mic and Tracey Hannah call home for a large part of the year. Check out how it transformed over the months to become the beast that it is today!

Not too impressive to look at, this is how she started off!

It was actually a super market delivery truck that was then converted into a rally team's transporter before the Hutchinson guys got onto it! — It was actually a super market delivery truck that was then converted into a rally team’s transporter before the Hutchinson guys got onto it!

The team did everything themselves. These photos of the grinding also cost Tim the photographer a lens courtesy of the flying sparks!

"From welding to painting, cutting out new windows to replacing entire panels" the team did it all! — “From welding to painting, cutting out new windows to replacing entire panels” the team did it all!

One of the coolest features of the truck is the top deck, where people can hang on top of the trailer to get a prime view over the pits and surrounds.

After all the work was completed a fresh lick of pain to give her that factory look!

Set up in all her glory, you can see the top deck here.

With all the races the team attends the mothership covers some kilometres!

It is a real shame these truck stay in Europe and couldn’t make the trip over to races such as the Cairns World Cup, they add another dimension to the race experience!

Images courtesy: Hutchinson UR/ Tim Bardsley-Smith

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May 15, 2014

SA State Series – Fox Bowl

As Inside Line heads into its 20th race season for round 2 we headed to good old Fox Creek and the infamous Bowl track. With the weather in Adelaide during the week being wet everyone was bracing for another wet Fox race (surprise surprise!). However, Mother Nature smiled kindly on us with excellent weather over the weekend, by finals Sunday some riders were saying the track conditions were as good as they had experienced. Check out some of the images below from RF Photographics (www.facebook.com/rfphotographics – head over and give them a like they do great work).

Slightly ominous on the drive up to Fox but the good weather prevailed.

In fact the weekend conditions turned out almost perfect!

The track was similar to it has been for any years so riders knew what to expect.

Angus Maddern on the hunt, Angus is always a contender at Inside Line races.

The training rig was out, things are getting serious..... — The training rig was out, things are getting serious…..

Everything was green due to the winter conditions.

There was a good spectator turnout, it must have been everyone treating their mums to a day out of racing for mothers day!

There were probably a lot of mums worried about their off spring ending up like this! Fortunately nothing was too serious... — There were probably a lot of mums worried about their off spring ending up like this! Fortunately nothing was too serious…

Connor Fearon was always going to be the man to beat, you don't argue with World Cup speed! — Connor Fearon was always going to be the man to beat, you don’t argue with World Cup speed!

There were a lot of trail/enduro type bikes at this race and in fact 2 of the top 5 elite riders were on them!

In the end, Sunday afternoon in sunny conditions the finals kicked off, as always there was good racing across the classes and the spectators were there to cheer. In the under 19 men it was Drew Gartery 2.28 seconds clear ahead of Darcy Grooby followed by James Chambers. Elite women was taken out by Cami Miller 3.91 seconds ahead of Moira Love followed by Simone Cameron. In the elite men’s class it was the favourite, Connor Fearon, who took the win by 4.82 seconds. His time was 2.16.47, interestingly enough Connor himself said he was chasing sub 2.15. Second was Angus Maddern followed by Cam Ryan on the first of the enduro bikes, Steve Gebert 4th and Simon Buzzacot rounded out the top 5.

Never really in doubt if he kept it up right Connor Fearon took the win.

Next race in the series is Eagle!

Images: RF Photographics (www.facebook.com/rfphotographicsA�and follow on Instagram @rfphotographics)

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May 13, 2014