Morzine 2012

Thursday 5^th July, I went up to my parents to look after my horse for the last time that week, arriving in the van which was loaded with our equipment for a week long French adventure.

Everything went to plan, getting to the Euro Tunnel early, getting to our viewing point of the Tour De France well in time for a very much deserved break.  

Showing our support to Wiggins and Co

The stage leaders just outside Reims

How many bikes can you get on a roof rack?

We camped overnight somewhere in France and Saturday morning work up early to do the final leg to the Alps, reaching our Chalet at 3pm in the afternoon after a relaxed drive. Jill was there to greet us and we even had the same room as last year.  If felt so nice to be there, a bit like a home from home.

This year was a lot nicer, I was mentally and physically better prepared for the riding, and on Sunday we headed over to Chatel to watch the Slope Style (which we didn’t know was cancelled).  It was nice riding familiar trails on the Yeti knowing I got down them on the Trance and was now on a much more capable bike.  As the comp wasn’t on we had a relaxed lunch and rode the Green trail a few times to get my confidence up, before heading back to Morzine and Mutzig. 

Mutzig, makes you forget everything

The next day we headed over to Les Gets, yet again to ride familiar trails and keep everything relaxed, I wanted to get down the trail I fell off on last year which was blue graded.  So after a couple confidence building runs on the green  we tackled one of the blue runs we hadn’t tried the year before, It was wet and slippy and a few times my heart leaped into my mouth, but I made it down and ended up praising the Yeti like it was a horse.  We stopped for lunch and that was when the plan when tits up, a Power cut stopped the lifts running, if we took a DH trail into Les Gets we’d have to ride back uphill to get to Morzine or ride the road back.  So with disappointment we headed back on the trails to Morzine, meet up with the nutters from Surrey (boy can those guys drink) for a couple of rounds of Mutzig before heading to the chalet for tea.

Tuesday morning I was keen, not having fallen off or had the fear that haunted me all of last year’s trip I was going to tackle my demon trail and after talking to the guys from Surrey if I got down the Blue Ok I was going to try the red route under the Chavennes lift.

So after a warm up lap down the green turning off to get to the lift to take us to the top of the blue I was there, on my now very much trusted Yeti about to face the trail that had so scared me last year.  Darrel again promised not to shoot off and stayed with me.  I remembered the first half, a nice simple run under the lift, crossing the fire road and heading into the woods, this was the bit that got me last year.  As the track dropped steeply off I was feeling apprehensive, the berms started and I found myself remembering to look round the corner, stay off the brakes on the bend and at all times keep my heels down.. The berms disappeared behind me and before I knew it I was out in the open.  I’d cleared my demon.. that was it, straight back to the lift I wanted to try the red before my nerve ran out. 

On the way up to ride the Red

I can’t really say much about the Red I was too scared to remember much detail, the top was great not steep and fast with a couple of massive but ride able jumps and the mandatory killer braking bumps.  But like the other tracks the nature changed when it went into the trees, the track was steep berms dropping down that once on the only way to stop would be to fall off... and with last night’s rain they were slippy.  By my little bike gripped and got me down. And by the time we got to the top of the old 4x track I was relaxed and had enjoyed it. 

I had met my week’s goal on day 3 though!  I was happy to relax for the rest of the day so went for a bimble down the green track again leaving Darrel to play on the harder tracks without having to worry about me. 

Back at the chalet Darrel and I watched the footage from my camera back, laughing at me talking my way round the berms on the blue and being too scared to breathe on parts of the red.  Watching it back is great, firstly the tracks don’t look as steep and I can remind myself that I did get down.

Having had such a great day on the Yeti Darrel convinced me that night to give the Super 8 a try, after all we’d brought it all this way and he was a DH bike.

Wednesday morning, after swapping pedals I took the old boy out.  Now taking a retro DH bike out is much like taking a classic car out.   Firstly I never expected people to react to the bike like they did, in the que for the Pleney lift people stared, some even stepping out of line to have a look.   On the ride into Les Get I really noticed the difference, the brakes weren’t as good as the Yeti and the bike felt sluggish and more like a bulldozer to ride.  I was feeling so relaxed, happy and unsusally confident that I suggested riding the Red route which I'd enjoyed the day before.  Now this was an experience, if the Yeti had felt good on the trail I can’t describe how the super 8 felt, the start ramp of the red on the yeti had felt like dropping off the world, on the 8 it felt like going down a gentle slope.  The whole track felt different and easier, I found the world whizzing past, even the steep berms felt less steep and more grippy.  At the bottom of the red I even took the 4x track to the lift station, not having risked it yesterday on the Yeti.  After these runs it was off to meet up with the other members of Pink Bike for a late lunch.  Parking the Super 8 up at the bar, and people would walk passed double taking at the old fella. After a lunch of listening to tales of shredding the blacks as if they were on a family trail, I almost felt able to join in.  So the suggestion of some riding in Les Get, something that would have filled me with terror was not as scary.  I was possessed, we went down the red again, and the demon blue, taking the red option to the lift instead of the blue.  I was relaxed enough to enjoy it, but still swearing on the scary bits, much to the amusement of the lift guys who laughed at me as I turned up for another attempt.  Wednesday 11^th July was my best day ever on a bike, I felt courageous, and found myself shooting down trailed with reckless abandon.  

Evolution, the Super 8 meets carbon V10

Returning to the Chalet that night I was exhausted, and even Darrel braved the hot tub to try and ease the sore muscles.  I went to bed that night still buzzing and looking forward to tomorrow. 

Thursday we had decided to head to Chatel and try the new trails, the great guys we’d met from South Wales had given me a breakdown of the trails and with new found confidence I was keen.  On the ride out to Chatel the saddle clamp on my bike loosened off and we didn't have the right sized allen key.  This was when we realised the other comparisons between a  classic car and a Retro Bike, you need to take a full tool kit out with you.  Big up to the Morzine Mobile Mechanics (MMM) in Lindrette, not only did they recognise my bike from Pinkbike, and fix my saddle but they also recommended a great place for lunch.  After one of the best Burgers in the Passporte region, with a schnapps chaser (apparently to give me courage) we headed on our way to Chatel to try the Serpentine and People.  With a planned quick rundown Panoramic, it started well, on the DH bike I was able to keep with Darrel much to my surprise, and as I came to the last jump in the top run I applied a bit of rear brake.  I remember at this point in time the brake didn’t feel right, but it wasn’t until 10m’s later and a sharp right hand bend that I really noticed a problem, I had no rear brake it just made a clunking noise as my bike dived down a shoot building up more speed. My rear calliper bolts has vibrated undone, and the calliper was hanging away from the rotor, by the bottom bolt that although undone hadn't come off.  Once Darrel got back to me we tried to work out what to do, either carry on down the track or push up.  We opted for the push up whilst looking to see if the bolt was anywhere in sight.  I remembered the odd feeling from earlier and at the jump after some scouting we found the offending item and the washers.  A quick repair and we were off, but my confidence in the bike was a little rocky and I didn't let the bike build up speed like before.  The rest of the day went without incident but I noticed I didn’t feel quite right and my throat was sore.  That evening I felt worse and even Jills excellent cooking didn’t improve things, it was obvious I’d got a blooming cold... The next day I was worse, but it was our last day and there was no way I was going to not ride.  Riding the Panoramic to Chatel was fun despite everything and I’d pretty much forgiven and forgotten yesterdays near miss.  So we continued down the Serpentine, me trying to keep with Darrel and taking the berms correctly.  I did wonder at one point why I was able to keep with Darrel and then Darrel stopped, his brakes had failed.  Another track repair revealed that Darrel had eaten through a pair of 2 day old brake pads... we swapped the pads round to give Darrel some brakes and headed more carefully down the track (well for Darrel more carefully but for more like at my speed).  After 2 lift rides and a slow ride to Linderettes we again were helped out by the MMM with a new pair of pads and another excellent burger.  Back again to Chatel, with the intention of riding people, only to find the track closed L and after all the days riding by the time it opened my cold and a week’s worth of biking had caught up with me.  

All got things come to an end