What an amazing event! It was really something to have so many of mountain biking’s all-time all-stars in one place, at one time, for one purpose: to help the average rider become better, to be safer, and to simply have more fun! Check out some of the weekend’s images and stayed tuned for event video. Photos by Walt Denson and Jason Van Horn and Jeff Engerbretsen.
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Some of the All Time Mountain Biking Stars and Bikeskills World Class Instructors
From Left to Right: Cedric Gracia, Steve Peat, Leigh Donovan, and Joe Lawwill
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A Slopestyle Clinic for Physicists, Engineers, and Attorneys
While a bit surprising, Jon Wilson’s Slopestyle clinic had an unlikely, or so it would seem, demographic of professionals. Who’d a thought?
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Ring Leaders Discuss the Downhill clinic
NorCal local, Bob Indig, was instrumental in getting the word out to his posse about the Bikeskills DH clinics. Props to Bob.
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Cedric the Entertainer Holds Court
Cedric’s command of the English language is second only to Yogi Berra’s. Regardless of his scrabble approach to syntax, Cedric can lay things out in a way that what is at once as funny as it is serious and helpful.
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Those World Champions…
I think anyone and everyone, not just the students, really enjoyed seeing the world’s best riders play. While most of their riding was demonstrating, and evaluating, there was plenty of times when the pros busted it out. Here Greg Minnaar whips it as Steve Peat gets ready to hit it. Photo by Jason Van Horn
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Leigh Donovan’s Professionalism and Energy was… The Gold Standard
Leigh had some really great lines, both on the bike and with her mouth, the best of the later was “guys think they know everything…. but they don’t…”
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Greg Minnaar and Gregory Discuss Downhill Mountain Biking
Recruited to the World Class by Bikeskills board member, Jon Sigerman, Gregory (right) is one of the most articulate people we’d ever met. Wow, would it be great to have him on our staff…
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Making Tough Stuff Not So Tuff
One of the key things the pros helped with was to deconstruct complex and difficult sections, break them down in to individual skill challenges, and alternative lines for varying skill levels. Here Cedric explains an array of ways to get from Point A to Point B.
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Roman Gladiator or Mountain Bike Rider?
The skillfull lens work of Walt Denson transforms your basic bike enthusiast in to someone who looks like he just stepped off the set of Gladiator with Russell Crowe.
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Cedric Making the Most of it
We were amazed at how much pop and height Cedric could get out of small hits and what seemed like relatively low speed. Amazing. Photo by Jason VanHorn
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Even Cedric Gracia can lookSerious
We didn’t say Cedric is, or is even capable of being serious (maybe he is, we just don’t know…) but once again, Walt’s way with the camera makes Cedric appear every bit as comtemplative as Greg Minnaar.
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And Yes, Students Took Flight as Well
Paul from the Santa Cruz area, a double top secret trail rider, samples some thin air on Livewire.
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Quiet on the Set: Joe Lawwill Clinic Take Two
We tried to make the best of our time in Tahoe and did some filming for an instructional video. Here Joe Lawwill leads a Trail Clinic while Bikeskills videogrpapher Jeremy Teman (not visible in picture) handles the HD rig while Mike Schutt, far right, handles the audio with the boom and “furry dog” mic.
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Joe Lawwill Lays Down a Big Carbon Footprint
While most people ride full-on Downhill bikes at Northstar, very few have Joe Lawwill’s skills. Here Joe rips it up on a carbon Nomad proving that Santa Cruz’s latest all mountain machine can handle some serious terrain.
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Girl Talk
Leigh Donovan’s clinics were enjoyed not just by her students, by all of the Bikeskills team that were taking pictures, shooting video, as well as helping her with logistics. No doubt about it Leigh added a huge amount of World Class in the Bikeskills World Class.
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Local Hot Shoe Jon Wilson: Teacher Teacher
Ride much in Tahoe, and at all at Northstar? Then you probably know Jon. If you’re just out there mowing the lawn, you know him as a really nice person who’s always got a good word. If you’re a NorCal pro DH racer, you know him as the guy who usually wins the pro division races… If you’re a cycling student, you know him as the instructor; and soon he’ll be an elementary school teacher in the Reno Nevada area.
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No Words Needed From Hiroshi
There’s no way to fake a smile like that! Hiroshi drove several hours to work with the Bikeskills team. By day, Hiroshi is an engineer at Cisco Systems, but he’s one serious slopestyler and dirt jumper.
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Adrienne Talks it over with Leigh
Like Jon Wilson, Adrienne Garbiel, is a Reno based school teacher, who is also a pro Dher as well as a PSIA Level III Ski Instructor. Here Adrienne and Leigh talk about what it takes to be the best and stay there.
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Greg Points out Lines that even the Locals Didn’t See
Again and again the pros would point out new ways, and new lines that surprised even the Northstar pass holders. As one student said “thes guys weren’t just a lot better than the best local guys, they’re at a completely different level…” I suppose that’s what the world cup and world champshipships produce: unreal skills.
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Local Boy Landon Wahlstrom Take it all in
Landon Wahlstrom is both fit and a solid rider. But he told us that there was a lot of 411 coming down during the clinics. It was great to see Landon there soaking it all in.
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One of Leigh’s Students Doing it as Well as it Can be Done
Again and again we watched Leigh transfornm rider’s bad habits and riding positions in to… well, what you see here.
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Leigh Donovan Taking it All in
Leigh was at all times serious and professional. That said if you have never heard Leigh’s laugh (range about 1/2 mile) then you haven’t been around her. Probably the most infectious laugh in sports.
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Jon and Hiroshi Play Hand Games
It’s funny how much of the most technical elements of slopestyle and jumping are about hands and forearm position. Here Jon and Hiroshi discuss the finer points of hand jive.
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Greg Minnaar Blows the Gallery Away
Some of the lines Greg demonstrated simply blew us all away. He wasn’t just a bit faster than the rest of the crowd, but much faster and, paradoxically, so much smoother as well.
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The Perpetual and Infectious Image of Cedric Gracia
Probably no better way to end the pics section than with a shot of Cedric that says it all not just about him, but the whole Bikeskills World Class experience.
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Special Thanks to the Bikeskills World Class Partners
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