January's Featured Rider: Joanna Petterson

Joanna Petterson is a South African-born rider who splits her time between winters in Hawaii, training sessions in CA, and racing the US and World Cup 4X and downhill circuits. Last season, Joanna found herself atop two World Cup podiums in Canada, and is looking to build on that success in 2010. In fact, Jo is one of the few riders who consistently races both disciplines at the World Cup level. As if that's not enough to set her apart from the crowd, she's as passionate about getting others involved in cycling as she is focused on her own professional career.--FF

Name: Joanna Petterson
Home: Kauai, Hawaii (born in South Africa)
Age: 30
Favorite type of riding: Bikes, of course! Downhill, 4x, jumping, road, XC, singlespeed, around town
Why you ride: I ride because it is a freeing experience. I love the wind on my skin, the speed, adrenaline, and the challenge. I love a good hillclimb on the road bike. I love to push myself and accomplish goals, and do things that I think are (near) impossible.
Sponsors: Fulcrum Wheels, Maxxis, Clif Bar, Smith Optics, ODI, Leatt, crankskins.com, Harlot
Website: (Coming soon!) JoannaPetterson.com

Are you a dreamer? I am. Every day I take myself from reality and attempt to reach my dream of being as great as I can be on a bike and then get even better. It is challenge to make the cycling life a reality. It is a full time job apart from the training needed to be elite. Racing is a lifestyle, from hotel, to plane, to car, to venue. I live my life out of a bag during the season and even in the off-season, making my various stops my home.

I left South Africa when I was 4, moved around a bit with my parents, and ended up on the amazing island of Kauai, HI. I returned to SA when I was 8 and then returned to Kauai when I was 13. I was a world-traveled child, and I guess that stuck with me. I haven't done much riding on Kauai because I'm usually trying to take a break and let my body heal when I am here. So, I spend my free time surfing. It is such an amazing sport that I don't even want to call it a sport, more like an amazing adventure every time I get in the ocean.

Recently, I surfed Hanalei Bay. We had some flooding this past week, the ocean is brown from the rivers and there are logs and sticks and even dead things that float into the ocean. On one hand it was terrifying to think what lurked beneath because there are sharks in the bay, crazy ones when the water is so murky, but on the other, the waves were so amazing! It was my best day of surfing since I got home.

The riding on Kauai is mysterious, wet most of the winter and hard to find. One of my favorite trails takes you through eucalyptus forests, down a red dirt smooth trail with drops and smooth natural berms, and around the rim of a canyon with the views of Niihau. That's when you stop and check the surf. If it's up, then you finish your ride and head to the waves. Kauai is an amazing place, and I'm hoping it returns somewhat to the agricultural roots it has. Move away from tourism a bit and start to be self-sustaining. I'm working on that with my family when I am home, and when I retire from racing it will be a huge part of my life. Providing a resource for food is such a valuable asset in the long run.

A little more relative to cycling, though, I aim to start a BMX track on the island, to provide a place for kids that's free of drugs and negative influence, that is healthy, and could one day lead them to the Olympics. I can't wait to start this project! In 2010 I am also producing a movie with a few other people. It is a hugely exciting project for me, one that I have wanted to do for a few years. It is going to be a women's race/ride film and we are going to highlight the best of women's riding.

My biggest riding accomplishments would have to be unaccomplished, so far! Winning the 2006 NORBA 4X Series Championship was a good time. This season, my 3rd in 4x at the Mont Ste Anne and 4th in Bromont World Cup races where both great. But, I'm not super happy with the season. I placed 10th at the World Championships in Canberra, which was a good show but not my best. I'm aiming for much more in 2010 as far as my racing goes.

Racing and competition in general have always been a part of me. It's a huge part of my personality that I can't deny. I just want to be the best I can be, and truthfully, I want to be better than every other racer out there. But so do they. So we just keep pushing each other and it's great. I love racing. I dedicated my life to it after my first race and have been pursuing this dream ever since for the last ten years.

I enjoy meeting new people to ride (or surf) with wherever I am so if anyone wants to ride don't hesitate to get in touch and we can go enjoy this amazing sport. The more the merrier!

Jonnier Takes Series Title, Moseley Wins Final Race

Sabrina Jonnier had already clinched the 2009 Downhill World Cup Series title by winning six of the eight races during the season. However, she was looking for a win in Schladming as redemption for an awful race at the World Championships. She had to settle for 4th in the final World Cup race of the season, though, as Tracy Moseley took her second World Cup win of the season. For full Word Cup Series standings, visit UCI.ch.

Schladming Results
1. Tracy Moseley
2. Florian Pugin
3. Celine Gros
4. Sabrina Jonnier
5. Mio Suemasa
6. Petra Bernhard
7. Emmeline Ragot
8. Claire Buchar
9. Miriam Ruchti
10. Anita Ager-Wick
11. Anita Molcik
12. Anais Pajot
13. Katy Curd
14. Harriet Rucknagel
15. Jessica Stone
16. Caroline Sax
17. Helen Gaskell
18. Nicole Beege
19. Darian Harvey

DH and 4X Qualifying at the World Cup Finals

The last races of the 2009 World Cup season are this weekend. Qualifying was held today in Schladming, Austria.

Jill Kintner leads the 4X field going into tomorrow's finals. Current series leader Anneke Beerten needs to finish at least 5th tomorrow to take home the series title. Fionn Griffiths and Jill are her closest threats, and Fionn isn't racing 4X this weekend.

In downhill, the French Force is back on top, with Floriane Pugin clocking the fastest time in qualifying, followed by Sabrina Jonnier and the newly-crowned World Champion Emmeline Ragot. Sabrina will be looking to redeem herself after a crash and flat in Australia, but she has the series title in the bag, having one 6 out of 7 World Cup races this season. Emmeline and Tracy Moseley will be vying for 2nd place.

4X
1. Jill Kintner
2. Anita Molcik
3. Anneke Beerten
4. Mio Suemasa
5. Emmeline Ragot
6. Romana Labounkova
7. Lucia Oetjen
8. Katy Curd
9. Rachel Seydoux
10. Helene Valerie Fruhwirth
11. Eva Castro Fernandez
12. Tereza Votavova
13. Laura Brethauer
14. Stephanie Teltscher
15. Neza Knez
16. Neven Steinmetz
17. Federica Perardi
18. Lea Schleifenbaum

Downhill
1. Florian Pugin
2. Sabrina Jonnier
3. Emmeline Ragot
4. Mio Suemasa
5. Celine Gros
6. Petra Bernhard
7. Tracy Moseley
8. Fionn Griffiths
9. Harriet Rucknagel
10. Anita Molcik
11. Claire Buchar
12. Miriam Rutchi
13. Anita Ager-Wick
14. Katy Curd
15. Anais Pajot
16. Helen Gaskell
17. Darian Harvey
18. Caroline Sax
19. Jessica Stone
20. Nicole Beege
21. Emily Horridge
22. Elisa Canepa
23. Alia Marcellini
24. Helene Valerie Fruhwirth
25. Fanny Lombard
26. Sophie Borderes
27. Carina Cappellari
28. Sandra Rubesam
29. Sarah Newman
30. Leoni Caroline Dickerhoff
31. Federica Perardi
32. Kristina Kodrnja
33. Kerry Wrigglesworth

For more info, visit CyclingNews.com.

Bromont World Cup Results

Now that we can all watch the World Cup action on Freecaster, it's much easier to make sense of the results we see online. You can tell who bobbled, who flatted, and who made up 5 seconds in the lower woods. But you still don't get a sense of what's really going on as a racer. One of the riders who's been sending out phenomenal race reports all year is Joanna Petterson. Last weekend at Mont Sainte Anne, she had one of her best World Cup finishes yet, taking 3rd in 4X. This weekend, she experienced some ups and downs, but we'll let her tell you all about it. You can learn more about Joanna from her blog: JoannaPetterson.blogspot.com:

Downhill is what we do. But from the get-go this weekend, I hadn’t expected it to go as far downhill as it did--and then make a complete u-turn.

I was having a great week at practice. At times I was feeling really good on the downhill track and pretty confident in my ability to qualify this week. The track was dry when we inspected it and by the morning of practice it had completely changed with the downpours that ensued. But
that’s racing… rain or shine I try to face the day with every intention of riding to the best of my abilities and beyond.

One spill in practice and I was feeling focused for qualifying. I had a pretty good run but after last weekend, I was definitely a little cautious, which I couldn’t afford when I hit a rock and my chain came off my chainring. Luckily I was able to spin it back on just in time and made it into finals.

Racing Saturday morning was met with sunny, beautiful skies. And the track was drying out again, except for a few sections that got so soaked they wouldn’t dry out soon. The Bromont course is a very rocky track, and the one particularly fast rocky section that I felt very confident in was my quite literally my downfall during my race run. I was seen by many on Freecaster.tv,
spinning and sliding out of control down the rocky face. I lost my goggles (which someone was kind enough to return) and managed to turn my bars so far sideways I had to stop and fix them after getting out of the rock section. I lost so much time in the process I finished last, much to my disappointment.

I couldn’t believe it.

I took my frustration and decided to let go of expectations and just ride my bike. Mountaincross remained for the day’s competition and I needed a little redemption. I was asked during practice what I wanted from the day and I answered honestly, "To have fun riding my bike." And that’s what followed. My first heat was challenging with Mio Suemasa, Anneke Beerten, and Neven Steinmetz in the gate along side me. I came across the line in second to Anneke and was into the round of eight. In a dramatic second heat, I battled for 2nd and came out on top. I was into the finals for the second time in 2 weeks.

I was up against the same three women in the final as I was last weekend in Mont Ste Anne. It was Jill Kinter, Anneke Beerten, Fionn Griffiths and myself lined up for the start.

I had a pretty good start from lane 4 and held my line, managed to get past Anneke and Fionn for a brief moment when Fionn shot in front on an inside line and took first. It was a great race and I finish 4th. I also walked away with the pride of knowing I was one of the only women to
attempt the pro line of challenging doubles. That was one of the highlights for me.

This week I am in Vermont for the Mount Snow Mountain Bike Festival. Looks like it’s going to be a busy weekend! Thanks again to everyone for the support and mostly, for believing in me.

--Jojo

Downhill
1. Sabrina Jonnier
2. Florian Pugin
3. Mio Suemasa
4. Tracy Moseley
5. Celine Gros
6. Micayla Gatto
7. Claire Buchar
8. Emmeline Ragot
9. Emilie Siegenthaler
10. Kathy Pruitt
11. Anita Molcik
12. Anais Pujot
13. Fionn Griffiths
14. Melissa Buhl
15. Danice Uyesugi
16. Petra Bernhard
17. Darian Harvey
18. Amy Laird
19. Gabrielle Malloy
20. Anne Laplante
21. Joanna Petterson

4X
1. Fionn Griffiths
2. Anneke Beerten
3. Jill Kintner
4. Joanna Petterson
5. Melissa Buhl
6. Sharsha Huntington
7. Eva Castro Fernandez
8. Lucia Oetjen
9. Mio Suemasa
10. Angelika Hohenwarter
11. Anita Molcik
12. Anne Laplante
13. Neven Steinmetz
14. Leanna Gerrard

Maribor World Cup Results

Sabrina Jonnier continues her mid-season reign of the World Cup downhill series. Tracy Moseley's stellar start to the season seems to have fizzled as the French ladies continue to dominate the podium. Sabrina barely bested fellow countrywoman Emmeline Ragot for the win in Maribor, Slovenia. In 4X, Caroline Buchanan took the second World Cup win of her career, and her first World Cup win of the season. She prevailed over one of the the toughest final rounds of the season, as it included Anneke Beerten, Melissa Buhl and Jill Kintner.

Downhill
1. Sabrina Jonnier
2. Emmeline Ragot
3. Floriane Pugin
4. Celine Gros
5. Mio Suemasa
6. Myriam Nicole
7. Emilie Siegenthaler
8. Fionn Griffiths
9. Tracy Moseley
10. Claire Buchar
10. Miriam Ruchti
12. Anita Molcik
13. Joanna Petterson
14. Petra Bernhard
15. Melissa Buhl
16. Caroline Sax
17. Fanny Lombard
18. Emma Atkinson
19. Sophie Borderes

4X
1. Caroline Buchanan
2. Melissa Buhl
3. Anneke Beerten
4. Jill Kintner
5. Emmeline Ragot
6. Jana Horakova
7. Mio Suemasa
8. Diana Marggraff
9. Anita Molcik
10. Fionn Griffiths
11. Joanna Petterson
12. Eva Castro Fernandez
13. Katy Curd
14. Lucia Oetjen
15. Rachel Seydoux
16. Tereza Votavova

Ft. William World Cup Results

The French women ruled the downhill podium at the Ft. William, Scotland World Cup this weekend. Sabrina Jonnier took her third win in a row, and extended her series points lead over Great Britain's Tracy Moseley. Sabrina finished 8 seconds ahead of second-place rider Emmeline Ragot.

In 4X, Jill Kintner returned to her winning ways. Both she and Melissa Buhl made their way to the final round, where Jill dominated the entire race. Anneke Beerten didn't make the final, and gave up the series points lead to Jill.

Downhill
1. Sabrina Jonnier
2. Emmeline Ragot
3. Celine Gros
4. Floriane Pugin
5. Myriam Nicole
6. Mio Suemasa
7. Tracy Moseley
8. Claire Buchar
9. Micayla Gatto
10. Emilie Siegenthaler
11. Melissa Buhl
12. Fionn Griffiths
13. Anita Molcik
14. Katy Curd
15. Miriam Ruchti
16. Joanna Petterson
17. Harriet Rucknagel
18. Sarah Newman
19. Sophie Borderes
20. Jessica Stone

4X
1. Jill Kintner
2. Caroline Buchanan
3. Fionn Griffiths
4. Melissa Buhl
5. Anneke Beerten
6. Jana Horakova
7. Anita Molcik
8. Mio Suemasa

We found these results on CyclingNews.com.

Vallnord World Cup Results

The third downhill and 4X races in the World Cup series were held at Vallnord, Andorra this weekend. Sabrina Jonnier took her second downhill win in a row, which also gives her the lead in the series. In 4X, Jill Kintner and Jana Horakova took each other out in a corner, giving Fionn Griffiths a clear path to victory. She held off Anneke Beerten for the win. Anneke maintains her lead in the series. The next World Cup 4X and downhill races will be held at Ft. William, Scotland on June 6-7.

Downhill
1. Sabrina Jonnier
2. Emmeline Ragot
3. Tracy Moseley
4. Celine Gros
5. Myriam Nicole
6. Mio Suemasa
7. Florian Pugin
8. Melissa Buhl
9. Fionn Griffiths
10. Anais Pajot
11. Emilie Siegenthaler
12. Katy Curd
13. Micayla Gatto
14. Petra Bernhard
15. Miranda Miller
16. Diana Marggraff
17. Claire Buchar
18. Anita Molcik
19. Jessica Stone

4X
1. Fionn Griffiths
2. Anneke Beerten
3. Jana Horakova
4. Jill Kintner
5. Emmeline Ragot
6. Melissa Buhl
7. Caroline Buchanan
8. Rachel Seydoux
9. Joanna Petterson
10. Mio Suemasa
11. Diana Marggraff
12. Angelika Hohenwarter
13. Lucia Oetjen
14. Helene Valerie Fruhwirth
15. Eva Castro Fernandez
16. Neven Steinmetz
17. Anita Molcik
18. Sarsha Huntington
19. Steffi Marth
20. Katarina Tothova
21. Esther Leroy
22. Tereza Votavova
23. Maria Sanchez Veliz
24. Romana Labounkova

Jonnier Wins at La Bresse

Sabrina Jonnier returned to the top of the podium at the second World Cup downhill race of the season. This weekend's race in La Bresse, FRA saw Sabrina best current World Cup points leader Tracy Moseley by 5 seconds. Tracy has been consisently winning races this season, but Sabrina was on her home soil and proved that she's still very much in the game. The next World Cup race will be held in Vallnord, Andorra next weekend and will be the third stop for both downhill and mountaincross.

1. Sabrina Jonnier
2. Tracy Moseley
3. Myriam Nicole
4. Mio Suemasa
5. Emmeline Ragot
6. Celine Gros
7. Fionn Griffiths
8. Melissa Buhl
9. Floriane Pugin
10. Emilie Siegenthaler
11. Petra Bernhard
12. Miriam Ruchti
13. Joanna Petterson
14. Diana Marggraff
15. Helen Gaskell
16. Anita Molcik
17. Jessica Stone
18. Antje Kramer
19. Micayla Gatto
20. Caroline Sax

We found these results on CyclingNews.com.

World Cup 4X and Downhill Results

Anneke Beerten dominated the 4X finals for the win on Saturday night. Jill Kintner had qualified first, but didn't make it into the big final for a chance to race Anneke, who won all of her heats on her way to the top of the podium.

On Sunday, Tracy Moseley won the downhill by 6 seconds over Emmeline Ragot. Tracy's first World Cup win of the season also fell on her 30th birthday. The next round World Cup racing will be a 4X event held in Houffalize, Belgium on May 2-3.

4X
1. Anneke Beerten
2. Fionn Griffiths
3. Romana Labounkova
4. Jana Horakova
5. Jill Kintner
6. Emmeline Ragot
7. Melissa Buhl
8. Helene Valerie Fruhwirth

Downhill
1. Tracy Moseley
2. Emmeline Ragot
3. Sabrina Jonnier
4. Fionn Griffiths
5. Claire Buchar
6. Floriane Pugin
7. Melissa Buhl
8. Myriam Nicole
9. Joanna Petterson
10. Emilie Siegenthaler
11. Helen Gaskell
12. Sarah Newman
13. Anka Martin
14. Helene Valerie Fruhwirth
15. Elisa Canepa
16. Risa Suseanty
17. Victoria Phillips

South African World Cup Downhill Qualifying

I just found some qualifying results on CyclingNews.com from the first World Cup downhill race of the season. Tracy Moseley continues to ride strong, taking the top qualifying spot. Rachel Atherton won't be racing, as her shoulder is still recovering from the collision she had with a car while training in the off season.

1. Tracy Moseley
2. Emmeline Ragot
3. Claire Buchar
4. Fionn Griffiths
5. Floriane Pugin
6. Myriam Nicole
7. Melissa Buhl
8. Sabrina Jonnier
9. Joann Petterson
10. Emilie Siegenthaler
11. Anka Martin
12. Helen Gaskell
13. Elisa Canepa
14. Sarah Newman
15. Helene Valerie Fruhwirth
16. Risa Suseanty
17. Maria Michalogiannaki
18. Victoria Phillips

South African National Cup #4 Results

Tracy Moseley continued her winning ways at the fourth round of the South African National Cup downhill series last weekend. The race was held in Pietermaritzburg on the same course as this week's World Cup.

1. Tracy Moseley
2. Claire Buchar
3. Emmeline Ragot
4. Fionn Griffiths
5. Joanna Petterson
6. Helene Fruhwirth
7. Helen Gaskell
8. Sarah Newman
9. Risa Suseanty

From BC to Italy in One Year

Ello Mate! I am one plane down, two to go, on my way from Vancouver to Sydney Australia. It's a long day of plane hopping, but I’m not complaining! The funny thing is that it was blue skies and sunny when I left Van this morning, and apparently it’s raining in Sydney now (and for the next week). That seems a bit backwards, but I guess that’s how they do things Down Under. It doesn’t really bother me too much though, because I am certain that the hot sun isn’t far behind the rain clouds, and a warm rain is much more comfortable than a freezing one!

This trip was a spontaneous one--I had more or less accepted the fact that it was going to be a dark, wet Vancouver winter for me, and had started writing several Blogs, most of them about riding in the rain. The off-season (for racing) has flown by. If I wasn’t working on sponsorship stuff (trying to sort out this coming race season), I was working, training, eating or sleeping. Weeks can disappear pretty fast that way! Then along came an opportunity for me to go to Australia to combine a bit of warm weather training/riding with visiting some friends, and I decided it was too good to pass up.

Now I have a bit more “me” time, I’d like to share a bit about my last couple years of racing because they kind of took me by surprise, because I enjoy talking about racing, and because I learned a couple of things along the way that others may find useful to know as well.

My first year of DH racing was 2007. I started riding bikes in 2001 and had worked through my share of broken bones and bruises, so by this time I had at least figured out how to stay upright more often than not--that in itself can be quite an accomplishment! I had always told myself I would never race. I just wanted to ride because it was my passion and not get caught up in the racing scene. I thought riding would become too serious then and all the fun would disappear. But after several years of riding I was curious… how would I do if I raced?

So, I entered my first race of the season, a fun little course on the Sunshine Coast of BC called the Rat Race. I had no expectations of myself and no idea of any racing technique or strategy (finding lines, learning the course, etc.). All I knew was that I had to pedal as hard as I could and try not to crash! I doubt I had any grace at all coming down the course but I gave it my all, finished first in my category (novice), and had a time that would’ve put me in 3rd place in the pro/elite category! I spent the rest of the day on cloud nine, while also coughing up a lung from overexerting myself. I was hooked.

That year I entered every single race I could--13 in total. It made for a very busy summer, but I was determined to get as much racing experience as I could. I highly recommend doing this, and also getting the support of a local shop if possible. Fortunately for me James, owner of Obsession Bikes in North Vancouver, took me on their team even though I’d never raced before. He even sat me down and gave me my first (of many) pep talks to get my brain in the game and start thinking about what my goals and expectations were for the season. I think it’s very important to develop a good working relationship with your bike shop. If you’re anything like me, bike maintenance requirements go way up as soon as you start racing! And remember, a clean bike = a happy bike (and happy bike mechanics).

I also talked to friends who had raced before and others who were still racing, and picked their brains about how learning courses, line choices, bike setup, proper riding stance, cornering, what to eat…. You think you know how to ride a bike, and then you start racing. It’s a completely different world of riding, but it’s fantastic! You start pushing yourself a little harder and actually thinking about your riding, like what you’re doing that you shouldn’t be and vice versa, and discovering what you’re actually capable of! It’s when you start to see changes in your riding that it gets really exciting. Suddenly you realize you’re doing that drop or gap jump that you used to think only crazy people did. Or maybe racing has brought out the crazy in me.

I managed to podium in almost every single race I entered in 2007. I walked away as the Provincial Points Champion in the Senior Women’s Category, and was allowed to enter the Pro/Elite category for 2008. I was actually quite nervous about that, and had no idea what to expect of myself in relation to all those other fast girls. It’s nice standing on the podium, but there’s nothing like some healthy competition to make you really push your limits. I don’t know if it was me trying to be realistic or me doubting myself, but I figured my days of winning were over for a couple of years until I worked my way up to podium status again. When you don’t know how you stack up in comparison to others, you need to focus on personal goals and steer clear of obsessing about results. My goals for 2008 were to get out there and have fun, keep my feet on my pedals, and try and learn something from every race. If I did that, I would be happy no matter where I placed.

I hadn’t really done any specific training over the winter leading up to the 2008 season (I tried, but with no real program or plan, my gym routine quickly got boring). But I had ridden a lot, and that was enough to get me a 2nd and a 1st place at my first two Canada Cups out in Quebec. I was blown away, and even more so when I found out that being the Points Leader in my category qualified me to be on the Canadian National Team and go to the World Championships in Italy! Now this is when I had to pinch myself--I was going to Italy to ride my bike! Whose life am I living anyway? Just look where riding a bike can take you!

Going from beginner to the World Champs in a year is a kind of a big step. I loved riding, and I loved racing, but I definitely felt a little out of place amongst the big names of the sport. At this point I still placed them on a pedestal, and that was a mistake. Everyone out there breathes the same air, rides the same course, and has the same chance at winning as the next person. I had to start thinking like I was a force to be reckoned with. I didn’t know what they could do, but I knew what I could do, and even more than that, I knew that I could do it with a bigger smile on my face than anyone.

As my friend and mental head-shaker James from Obsession keeps telling me, it’s not about what you can’t control, it’s about what you can. You need to turn as many of the unknowns as you can into "knowns," focus on them, and ignore the rest. The World Championship track was by far the hardest course I’d ever ridden, but I knew I could do it… even though I hadn’t had a single clean run during the entire week of practicing! I spent the entire morning of race day sitting in a corner visualizing myself cleaning the course… over and over and over. Race time came. I was calm and ready, and I cleaned it! I honestly didn’t care how I placed, I was so happy with my run!

The 2009 season is yet to start, and here I am again wondering what the year will bring. I’ve spent a lot of time preparing for this season, both in terms of seeking sponsor support and actual physical training. I highly suggest talking with a professional and getting a workout program written up. I’m training at a facility called Level 10 Fitness right now and it’s much more effective and efficient than doing it on my own. There are the usual unknowns going into this season, but instead of feeling nervous about them I’m excited. Whatever happens, I’m going to do my best to make the most of it! I have my goals set for this year, including the same ones I had 2 years ago: to have fun and to keep my tootsies on my pedals! I’ve also started a little racing journal where I jot down the important information I’ve learned and bike setup notes.

Racing has taught me many valuable life lessons, but in a nutshell I’d have to agree with a couple of little critters: although it’s not easy being green (sing it Kermit!), “when your heart is in your dream, no request is too extreme” (Jiminy Cricket).

February's Featured Rider: Claire Buchar

Claire Buchar is Canada's fastest female downhiller. Claire consistently places in the top ten at World Cup downhill races, and she finished 8th overall in the series in 2008. She's part of the Canadian DH Girls with Katrina Strand, and has spent this winter training and racing in Australia. But Claire is more than just an incredible athlete--she's a talented artist and is super smart about marketing herself within the bike industry. Read on for proof. --FF

Name: Claire Buchar (soon to be Kovarik!)
Home: Whistler, Canada and North Brisbane, Australia
Age: 30
Favorite type of riding: DH, dirt jumping, XC
Why you ride: Fun, traveling, challenge, fun, adventure, fun
Sponsors: ChainReactionCycles.com/Intense, Sombrio, Maxxis, Smith, Crank Brothers, Dakine, Evolution Bike Shop, Whistler Mountain Bike Park
Website: CanadianDHGirls.com

Both my parents were athletes, my dad especially. He used to race motocross and was on the Czech National Alpine Ski Team. He is now 72 and still rips on his moto in the backcountry of Squamish, BC. I guess I got his blood. As lanky as I was (still am!), I was always good at sports. As a kid, I dreamed of being an athlete. I didn’t care what kind. I used to pretend I was winning races of all sorts and even clothes-lined myself on my homemade backyard finish line!

However, I didn’t pick up a mountain bike until I was about 20 years old. And naturally, I had to try racing. I finished 2nd at my first National Champs in 2002 and was selected for the Canadian National Team which, at the time, I didn’t even know existed! I’ve never looked back.

My bike has taken me all over the globe, from Chile and Peru to Croatia and Slovenia, from Scotland and Ireland to New Zealand and Australia. I’ve been on the craziest adventures with all
sorts of crazy people and even met my very near future husband, fellow racer and rider Chris Kovarik, through one of those adventures! It’s been really cool and I feel privileged to be able to live this lifestyle. However, it absolutely did not come without serious hard work, determination, passion, drive and sacrifice. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I genuinely enjoy riding my bike. I am currently spending my winter in summer! Chris and I are in Australia for the off season and the riding here is pretty sick. The XC is flowy and addicting and there are some world-class DH tracks to get going fast on. It’s quite different from the riding we have back in BC or in Europe, in addition to the fact that you have to dodge extremely venomous snakes. I like riding different styles of terrain. I think it helps you become adaptive to any situation. The area we are in is a bit lacking of my favorite thing--dirt jumps, but our buddy has a pumptrack in his back yard and sometimes we hit up the skatepark for a little play.

Besides all of that, I decided to go back to my roots……art! I’m getting smart at graphic design school. It’s pretty full on, but I’m stoked.

Tracy Moseley Signs with Trek

Tracy Moseley is officially off of Kona and onto Trek!

Here's a blurb from the press release on Trek's website:

Today the speculation on the six-rider line up for the new Trek-sponsored World Cup program reaches a conclusion with the announcement that 29-year old Tracy Moseley from the UK has signed up to ride a Session 88 in 2009.

Tracy is one of the greatest downhillers in the sport's history and has a place in a very exclusive club of only five downhill riders, male or female, to have won 10 or more World Cup races in their career. Tracy has won her 10 World Cup races between 2002 and 2008, with two of those victories taking place in the past season at the Fort William and Canberra rounds.

Tracy joins World #5 Justin Leov (NZL) and South African Andrew Neethling, as well as XC teammates Lukas and Mathias Flueckiger (SUI), and fellow countryman (and near neighbor), Liam Killeen.

On the announcement, Tracy said today: "I am really excited to have this great opportunity to ride on a new exciting bike from 2009, and with a great team around me to give me all the support I'll need to further improve. I'm also really happy to have two great guys to ride with as I believe that is really important for my ongoing development as a racer. These three things combined, the new bike, the team support and my teammates, will make a big difference to me."

Click here to read the entire press release on Trek's site.

World Cup All-Mountain Championships

I'm making up a new World Cup category for recognition: All-Mountain Championships. The winners of the World Cup Mountaincross and World Cup Downhill titles are specialists. Rachel and Anneke rarely cross over to race each other's disciplines. There's nothing wrong with that at all, but there are a handful of women who race both disciplines throughout the series.

Fionn Griffiths, Mio Suemasa, and Anita Molcik are no strangers to the World Cup podium. However, it seems like they're rarely recognized for their abilities to practice and race all weekend and consistently put together impressive performances in both disciplines. Mountaincross is usually held on Saturday night, the evening before the downhill race. While Rachel and Sabrina are kicking back and watching the action or possibly even turning in early, Fionn, Mio, and Antia are duking it out in the dark on the 4x track. There are more girls who cross over, but these three have managed top-ten overall finishes in both disciplines. I think they deserve a bit more credit.

Unfortunately I'm no statistician, so I don't know how to award the real World Cup All-Mountain Champion title. Antia is the highest-ranked of the three in Mountaincross, but Fionn has the highest ranking in downhill--where there are a lot more racers. So, I'll just list their rankings and let you figure it out. Nice work, girls!

__________2008 WC 4X Overall ___ 2008 WC Downhill Overall
Anita Molcik _____2________________ 9
Mio Suemasa _____3________________ 7
Fionn Griffiths___ 4________________6

World Cup Downhill Final Standings

Rachel Atherton took the overall 2008 World Cup downhill title by a hefty margin. What you hear less about is that there is also a 2008 World Cup Junior downhill title too. That honor went to France's Myriam Nicole, who was also ranked 10th overall in the seniors. The riders with *s by their names are all juniors. Pretty impressive! Canadian Claire Buchar was the top-ranked North American in 8th place.

Final World Cup Downhill Standings
1. Rachel Atherton
2. Sabrina Jonnier
3. Tracy Moseley
4. Emmeline Ragot
5. Florian Pugin
6. Fionn Griffiths
7. Mio Suemasa
8. Claire Buchar
9. Anita Molcik
10. Myriam Nicole *
11. Celine Gros
12. Helen Gaskell
13. Micayla Gatto
14. Diana Marggraff
15. Emilie Siegenthaler
16. Petra Bernhard
17. Scarlett Hagen
18. Helene Valerie Fruhwirth
19. Miriam Ruchti
20. Melissa Buhl
21. Kathleen Pruitt
22. Elisa Canepa
23. Amy Laird
24. Katy Curd
25. Danice Uyesugi
26. Harriet Harper
27. Joanna Petterson
28. Anais Pajot *
29. Birgit Brauman
30. Dalma Kiss
31. Sheryl MacLeod
32. Caroline Buchanan *
33. Melanie Pugin *
34. Katrina Strand
35. Claire Whiteman
36. Miranda Miller *
37. Harriet Rucknagel
38. Leigh Douglas
39. Cara Smith
40. Amber Zirnhelt
41. Sheila Morris
42. Silja Stadler
43. Joanne Fox
44. Marie-Eve Marcotte
45. Victoria Hernandez Molinas
46. Pascaline Reusser
47. Jaymie Mart
48. Maria Michalogiannaki
49. Sandra Rubesam
50. Aimee Dix
51. Sophie Borderes
52. Anka Martin
53. Katarina Tothova
54. Leoni-Caroline Dickerhoff *
55. Anne Laplante *
56. Helena Boskova
57. Julia Boer
58. Jayne Rutter
59. Diana Lorena Dromundo Vargas *
60. Sarah Newman
61. Jessica Stone *
62. Kim Huard
63. Elke Rabeder
64. Calamaty Jayne Cann
65. Antje Kramer
66. Mireia Bosca Ballester
67. Darian Harvey
68. Wendy Reynolds

We pulled these results from CyclingNews.com.

Rachel Atherton Wins In Austria and Takes the World Cup Downhill Title

Not only did Rachel Atherton crush the downhill field by more than 13 seconds in her final run of the 2008 World Cup season, but she solidified her title as the 2008 World Cup downhill champion. On a muddy, mangled Schladming, Austria course, Rachel qualified first by more than 10 seconds over Florian Pugin. Times got just a tad slower in the final, but Rachel managed to increase her lead even further.

1. Rachel Atherton
2. Florian Pugin
3. Sabrina Jonnier
4. Tracy Moseley
5. Emmeline Ragot
6. Fionn Griffiths
7. Helen Gaskell
8. Petra Bernhard
9. Claire Buchar
10. Anita Molcik
11. Miriam Ruchti
12. Diana Marggraff
13. Elisa Canepa
14. Myriam Nicole
15. Birgit Braumann
16. Harriet Rucknagel
17. Dalma Kiss
18. Emilie Siegenthaler
19. Silja Stadler
20. Mio Suemasa

These results came from CyclingNews.com

Tracy Moseley Bests Rachel Atherton in Canberra

Tracy Moseley powered her way through a mucky course to take the win at the Canberra, AUS World Cup downhill. She won both the qualifying and final runs over Rachel and Sabrina Jonnier, who took third overall. Rachel holds onto her UCI downhill points lead.

1. Tracy Moseley
2. Rachel Atherton
3. Sabrina Jonnier
4. Fionn Griffiths
5. Emmeline Ragot
6. Sheryl MacLeod
7. Mio Suemasa
8. Helen Gaskell
9. Floriane Pugin
10. Anita Molcik
11. Scarlett Hagen
12. Diana Marggraff
13. Caroline Buchanan
14. Helene Valerie Fruhwirth
15. Claire Whiteman
16. Leigh Douglas
17. Cara Smith
18. Amy Laird
19. Joanne Fox

I Scored UCI Points! Now What?

Technically I hit my goal. I wanted to accumulate enough UCI points this year to be eligible to race a World Cup. Low and behold, it happened. I grabbed them at the US National Championships in Vermont on July 20. Sweet! I thought, I can drive to Mount-Sainte-Anne next week and finally race my World Cup downhill "oot and aboot" in the land of maple syrup, Celine Dion and snooty-sounding Quebecois!

Not so fast sister!
I thought that if I got on the ball I would be able to race the next two World Cups that were being held in Canada starting July 26. As it turns out, per UCI rules, I needed to have accumulated and submitted the points prior to July 8, 2008. There was nothing that could be done to squeak me in to either the Mont-Sainte-Anne or Bromont events. This discovery led to a swarm of new questions about the UCI points themselves. Where do they live? When can I see them? Do they know I exist? I decided to look into the matter a bit further to clear up some common misconceptions.

Points are elusive and are easily scared away. (Not a misconception.)
I am an American racer. American racers starting with no UCI points and participating solely in US downhill events during 2008 had one, yes, ONE chance to nab any UCI points by the July 8th deadline. This situation is not unusual. Normally there is only one opportunity to score UCI points on US soil all season long, and that's at the National Championships. This season, riders could utilize the National Championships, as well as the Snowmass Blast the Mass race and the Angel Fire Chile Challenge to score points. However, only the Chile Challenge happened before the July 8th deadline for the Canadian events.

Also, the Chile Challenge was only a C2 event, meaning that if you started with no UCI points, you had to place no worse than 2nd in order to gain the 20 UCI points required to participate in a World Cup race. So, if you didn't start out the season with the points needed to race at the North American World Cups, your chances of getting those points are slim to none. If you started the season with a few points, your stats are more favorable, but not by much. (Your points are specific to your discipline, so mountaincross points won't get you into a downhill event and vice versa.) Another last-ditch effort to snag your points would be to either petition USAC for elgibility or get chosen by them to represent the USA at the World Championships and then race your buns off to qualify well.

Why the early deadline?
If the registration deadline fell after the Snowmass race, (which was a C1 ranking and awarded a heap more points than Angel Fire), it would give riders who scored 1-19 points at Angel Fire or had a few points that carried over from 2007 another chance to score the points needed to hit the magic 20.

I contacted USA Cycling to find out more about my precious points. Mr. Marc Gullickson explained to me that for riders who are not on a UCI registered trade team, it is necessary to register for World Cup events through the USAC, not directly through UCI. USAC can't set their registration deadline on the same day as the UCI deadline because all of the rider information needs to be uploaded. USAC gives themselves a week to do this. That's why the USAC World Cup registration deadline is actually a week before the UCI posted deadline. USAC, however did specifically ask the UCI for leniency on the point deadline rule for the two Canadian World Cup events to which the UCI flatly said, “No.”

Well, boo! However, I understand that they have deadlines for a reason and if they bend them for every Harry Hardknocks and Sally Sobstory, it would probably result in (even more) chaos.

What do I do with all of these glorious points if I can’t use them this year?
I was thinking of making them into a necklace or maybe a belt until I found out that they carry over! Woohoo! UCI points are on a rolling calendar which means points earned are kept until the date that they were earned the following year. Yes, come 2009, riders who have accumulated UCI points in 2008 will carry those points into the 2009 season! You can add to your old points to get to your 20. Just make sure you use them before they expire.

A glimmer of hope!
For once in professional gravity racing, it pays to be a girl. UCI points are awarded equally whether you're a guy or a girl. And National Championship races award far more points than the other UCI races. So simply showing up and racing the National Championships will greatly increase your chances of scoring 20 or more points in one shot--and it will increase the competitiveness of the National Championships as well. That's a win-win situation.

American guys and girls who ride as privateers have the same obstacles to overcome to even be able to take a swing at a World Cup. There just aren't that many races to attend to get the points, but there are far more guys struggling to get their points than there are girls in the same situation. Last year Decline Magazine created Team America to give a few more guys the opportunity to race on the World Cup circuit, and they're all doing pretty well out there. Cody Warren is ranked 67th in the series right now, and Cole Bangert is 105th. That's not to say they wouldn't have come up with their UCI points on their own (both are National Champions, so both probably had plenty to work with), but the point is that once riders are given the opportunity to race at the World Cup level, their riding skills increase dramatically, and the competitiveness of US riders skyrockets at home and on the circuit. So it makes sense that giving more riders more opportunities to race at the World Cup level benefits everyone.

You may have scored some points already this year, and they'll carry over to the '09 season. Visit uci.ch to check your numbers.

I digress...
The World Cup courses and more UCI rules will weed out riders who don't belong at the gnarliest courses on the planet. (See the July 3 post, “Petition to Reverse the UCI Women’s Downhill Qualifying Rule”) If more riders have more opportunities to score points and use them, the number of women racing at World Cups will increase, and it will only make sense that the number of riders who move from qualifying to the final run will need to increase--maybe even to 40! As I mentioned before, giving more girls the opportunities to race and ride the World Cup courses increases overall skill levels and the competitiveness of the whole women's field. That's how the sport will grow.

Sit and whine or get up and do something!
Get up and do something, silly. Part of the reason that I was disappointed this season is that I had a hard time finding information about how and when to sign up for the World Cups. If you have questions that weren't answered here, and are wondering how to sign up for World Cups in the future, check out the USA Cycling documents on their website.

If you want more opportunities to earn points, start contacting the promoters of all the big events that you think should offer opportunities for UCI points. The Mountain States Cup series and Bigfoot Production hosted Snowmass and Angel Fire this year, so hopefully we'll see more events next season. Although the USAC encourages promoters to offer UCI points, there i$ more to it than ju$t applying for UCI points $tatu$. In many cases the extra UCI fees and rule restrictions discourage the promoters from even considering it.

What options are left for racing a World Cup in '08?
I could still go to Australia or Austria and race a World Cup there, however (cue the violin music) with the waning value of the dollar, price of airfare, time off of work, etc. it isn't realistic. As much as I’d love to live for the moment and go, I think my time is best spent learning what I need to do to get ready for next season. For the rest of the year I’ll be buttering up my husband for that honeymoon we still need to take--I hear Mont-Sainte-Anne, Val Di Sol and Maribor are just lovely!

Bromont Downhill World Cup Results

Rachel Atherton took her second World Cup downhill win in a row at the Bromont, QC, Canada yesterday. She won the Mont-Sainte-Anne race last week. And for the second week in a row, she bumped Sabrina Jonnier to second place, while Tracy Moseley landed in third.

Finals
1. Rachel Atherton (GBR)
2. Sabrina Jonnier (FRA)
3. Tracy Moseley (GBR)
4. Emmeline Ragot (FRA)
5. Floriane Pugin (FRA)
6. Claire Buchar (CAN)
7. Mio Suemasa (JPN)
8. Anita Molcik (AUT)
9. Scarlett Hagen (NZL)
10. Micayla Gatto (CAN)
11. Danice Uyesugi (CAN)
12. Fionn Griffiths (GBR)
13. Elisa Canepa (ITA)
14. Myriam Nicole (FRA)
15. Amy Laird (NZL)
16. Miranda Miller (CAN)
17. Harriet Harper (NZL)
18. Amber Zirnhelt (CAN)
19. Sheila Morris (CAN)

Pro Women Qualifying
1. Emmeline Ragot (FRA)
2. Tracy Moseley (GBR)
3. Rachel Atherton (GBR)
4. Sabrina Jonnier (FRA)
5. Mio Suemasa (JPN)
6. Claire Buchar (CAN)
7. Floriane Pugin (FRA)
8. Fionn Griffiths (GBR)
9. Scarlett Hagen (NZL)
10. Micayla Gatto (CAN)
11. Anita Molcik (AUT)
12. Danice Uyesugi (CAN)
13. Myriam Nicole (FRA)
14. Amber Zirnhelt (CAN)
15. Amy Laird (NZL)
16. Elisa Canepa (ITA)
17. Harriet Harper (NZL)
18. Caroline Buchanan (AUS)
19. Miranda Miller (CAN)
20. Sheila Morris (CAN)
21. Katrina Strand (CAN)
22. Anne Laplante (CAN)
23. Helen Gaskell (GBR)
24. Helene Valerie Fruhwirth (AUT)