Commencal Young Gun Brendan Howeys European Vacation
Since I first heard about this trip a year back, I had been anticipating it. I was thrilled to be able to attend an event like this. It was a great experience! The riding, the people and the course were all great reasons to go to Europe.
Brendan
Curtis Robinson and Kyle Norbraten flew ten hours to Frankfurt Germany on Saturday, June 27th. Although it was delayed, the timing of our next flight seemed perfect. We hoped that our luggage would be the same. We made it to Geneva Switzerland just a few hours later, and were met by Nico from Commencal.
We made it! Our bikes were there, so we loaded all our stuff into his Euro van. Then we were off to Chatel France! Nico stated that the weather was amazing and that the course was looking great with new lines. We were really excited! He and the organizers had put us up in a large Chalet.
View from the Chalet
For the first few days, we stayed in Chatel to get over jet lag. We also met Ben Walker. We were taken on a ride through the bike park by Ben Walker, who was sure to show us some of the most beautiful trails we’ve ever seen. We rode from France to Switzerland in less than an hour.
Day 3 was a road trip Ben and I decided to take to Monte Tamaro to visit a bike park Ben used to work with, just across the border from Italy. All of us loaded Ben’s mustard mobile into our cars and we were off. After a few hours, we were given the option of driving over mountains or riding on a train and driving through the mountains. It was quite quick, as we were on a train going through a mountain. It was quite cool and the last part of the drive was one of the most beautiful roads I have ever seen.
Take a train ride on the drive-on!
We reached Monte Tamaro. It looked like Jurassic Park, and the trails were extremely exposed and gnarly. There was an off-camber single track that weaved along a mountainside to a steep, fast shale rock section. I was thrilled I had my Commencal Furious. We went to Bens Bike Park, which he had told us about. It was a great place to ride on Italian TV and it was so cool! It was insane! There were small, medium, and large drop and jumps lines that all connected to a huge wall ride at the top with a view of the valley. After a few days of riding and shooting, we headed back to Chatel to take part in the Mountain Style Contest.
Mountain Style Contest: Sick jumps
Everyone got some sleep and were eager to hit the hills the next day. My bike was the best choice for this course. It handled everything well and would have been difficult to control with a smaller bike. There were some new lines at the top, and a jump at the bottom. This was a huge gap, so you had to pin in full. It was one of my favorite stunts. I was ready for shred. After a morning practice, Saturday arrived and we were ready to go for qualifying. It started to rain as soon as we reached the top of the course, just as we were waiting to drop off our equipment, the helicopter began to take action.
The upper section is worth a look
This event was going to be difficult because of the unpredictable weather. The weather was bad the next morning so the event was rescheduled for Sunday morning at 8am. The qualifying runs were the last. Before the show, we were on the course at 8am to practice for an hour. It was difficult to stop on many sections of the course because the dirt had turned into a slippery layer and made it even more difficult. It was time for me to get in, and I was thrilled to be at the top. I was ready to go and not wait. I chose the higher jumpy lines and the steeper, more technical lines in the lower half. I was thrilled with how my runs turned out in the conditions. I had hoped for at least top ten, but I was happy to go home with 13th. This was my most sickening ride yet, real mountain biking.
My Commensal is my best friend
Cedric Picard and Hadrien Picard, Commencal photographers, were my delight to meet me on Monday and Tuesday. It was great to meet them and discuss my experiences in Europe. We also shot for the new catalog on the absolute sx. We managed to avoid the rain and get the shots we needed. It was great fun working with them. It was a great experience that made me very excited to return home and build my absolute sx and ride at Crankworx Colorado next year. This trip is undoubtedly the best of my year and without their support, it would not be possible. Now, I am looking forward to riding the new slopebike and dialing in my tricks, then going to whistler with Alex and Mike to Crankworx Colorado on July 28th.
Brendan
