So I guess you can say that no one really sees these things coming. I mean, I saw the 24 hours of Moab coming. I was ready for it. Trained, rested and ready. I had my mom and friends to help me with my Scott bikes, with my food, my Niterider lights, clothes and moral support.









What I didn’t see was crashing on the second lap and getting a trip to the emergency room. There I was stitched up very nicely after Dr. Love (no joke I swear that was her name) made sure I hadn’t done any damage to my exposed bone. It was just impressive that she stitched up my knee, as it was not the cleanest cut.



So, now what do I do? I mean, I can’t get back on my bike. The whole knee bending thing and ripping out the stitches that I so happily just spent 2 hours in the ER getting put in, wasn’t really doing it for me. So we went back to the race to see what was going on. I had no idea what I was going to do since it was hard enough to walk around.



But there I was. Cheering on other friends that were racing. A first time solo rider Liz, was in need of some good lights and since I had the best and wasn’t going to be using them I loaned them to her. It worked out. Her way was brightly lit all night. Also, for one of the guys from Crested Butte, racing on a team. He used my backup lights. At this point I would have given my bikes to someone in need.



I have to say I didn’t see it coming that this was going to be one of the hardest things I would ever have to watch. I am so glad that I could be there, though, cheering on, helping out, and hopefully being helpful, but….it never got easier to watch without having some sadness that I could not, and was not racing. This is my race. I love it. It is at the end of the season, and I have set the world record for the distance ridden by a women in 24 hours at this race. Was I content and happy? Not really, but I love this sport and it was better to be there helping out with some expertise than feeling sorry for myself at home.



So, no I didn’t really see this coming, but since I can look back now, I am hoping that some good came out of it.



Let’s just hope that next year isn’t like this one. Thanks again for all your support. I would never have been there in the first place. Here’s to keeping the dream alive!!!





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Ketchum, ID, October 29th, 2009 — After months of speculation, SCOTT USA would like to put the rumors to rest and announce that Tom Wallisch, the world’s #1 slopestyle skier and creator of the illest edits, is officially the newest member of the SCOTT International Ski Team. Wallisch is the first North American to be sponsored on SCOTT’s award winning skis. Wallisch will also represent SCOTT for goggles and ski poles.

“At just 22 years old, Tom has proven that he is a force in slopestyle and that he can throw down dominating movie segments,” comments Gabe Glosband, marketing director for SCOTT’s wintersport division. Wallisch’s resume is already stacked, he has appeared in numerous Level 1 Productions movies and has solid slopestyle competition results including victories at Dew Tour Northstar and the Dumont Cup. Tom was recognized as the #1 Ranked Slopestyle skier for 2008-09 season by the Association of Freeskiing Professionals. “Tom is the skier we wanted to be SCOTT’s first North American ski athlete. I can’t wait to watch him rip our skis onto the podium,” adds Kevin Kruse, SCOTT’s wintersport team manager.

 

“I couldn’t be more excited to be joining a company like SCOTT and to be riding their skis and rocking their eyewear and poles. I am really stoked to take my skiing to the next level with their help,” states Wallisch.

Look for Wallisch this winter on the worldwide competition circuit including the X Games, Dew Tour, and tomorrow night at the London Freeze. Wallisch also plans to film with Level 1, 4bi9 and Field Productions. Wallisch is also the featured ski athlete on the Alli Show that can be seen on MTV2 and at http://www.allisports.com/the-alli-show.

After Marco Pinotti's win in the GP Citta di Stresa time trial, this brings down the curtain on the 2009 season for Columbia-HTC, and it also brings the men's team's final tally of season wins to 86 - one more than in 2008.





photo by Tim de Waele/tdwsport.com



The Italians victory came in the last race for Columbia-HTC this year, a season in which the men's and women's squads have taken a combined total of 132 victories by 21 different riders.



Too many victories to mention every one of it, just let the best moments speak in those few pictures and the unforgettable Tour de France 2009 highlight video with an unleashing riding Mark Cavendish:






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Flashback 2005 - I was sitting at the Bottom of the US Extreme Freesking Championships in Crested Butte, CO sipping a cold PBR when I first saw Dane Tudor ski. This was a few years before becoming the Team Manager at SCOTT but realized that I was witnessing someone with a promising future in skiing. At just 15 Dane had just flashed a line down Bodybag in Crested Butte that would have had him sitting in first place in the Pro Men’s division, however at only 15 he had to compete in the Juniors.

Dane Tudor Spring Summer Edit Wit Cali P, 2009 from duneis on Vimeo.

His line had everyone at the bottom talking about the little kid from AK who just flashed a line that had put the likes of Wendy Fisher, Seth Morrison, and more on the podium in Crested Butte before. Dane went on to win his first of several junior big mountain titles that year in Crested Butte by a landslide, and his winning ways were started. When his resume came across my desk just after I started at SCOTT I immediately picked up the phone to call and welcome him to the team.

It was only about 2 to 3 years ago Dane decided to start taking his already solid big mountain skills to the park. Needless to say it did not take long for him to develop the skills it takes to compete all over the world in Slopestyle competitions. These days Dane can be found everywhere from a Heli in AK with Abma and Poorboyz, Dew Tour Stops, or winning the Canadian Freeskiing Open. Somewhere in all these trips he also managed to score the first 8 minutes of Poorboyz Latest release, Everyday is a Saturday. Just ask Mark Abma about Dane, “Seems like he has the makings for greatness. Growing up at a mountain like Red, Dane has been studying lines since a young age. He was able to put all this together and shred lines like a seasoned veteran this year on his first heli trip ever in AK.”

These days Dane has been hanging out in Alaska spending down time at home by riding moto, and hitting the gym to stay in shape. During this time Dane is still a business man working on his website, www.danetudor.com and traveling to premieres all over the globe. On his travels he also swung buy IF3 to pick up hardware in the form of, “Male Performer of the Year,” which has to be one of the biggest moments of Dane’s life this early in his career. Quite the honor when going up against the likes of Simon Dumont, Tanner Hall, Sammy Carlson, Seth Morrison, and many more.

Dane Tudor some mx riding in AK from duneis on Vimeo.

If you didn’t know who he was before this year, you do now. Everyone in Crested Butte got a peek into the future 5 years ago and was talking about the young kid from AK who just flashed the pro line, these days everyone in the Ski industry is talking about that young kid from AK who just blew peoples minds in Everyday is a Saturday, that kid is Dane Tudor.

André Greipel sprinted to victory in the Paris-Bourges Classic on Thursday, netting Team Columbia-HTC's 85th win of the 2009 season. Greipel was the fastest in the bunch sprint which decided the 193.3- kilometre event, and resulted in the sprinter's 20th victory of 2009.



Following Bernhard Eisel's victory in Paris-Bourges in 2008, Greipel's triumph is Columbia-HTC's second straight victory in the French Classic. "I never expected to get so many wins this season, particularly after a tough beginning to the year," commented Greipel. "But today I won again, even though we had to work really hard to get it and there were attacks all the way through. My team-mates got me in the right position, and I did a very long sprint, from about 300 metres to go. Haedo almost got past me, but when he tried to overtake me he had to move out, and the wind made it harder for him. So I eventually beat him by about half a bike length."





photo by Tim de Waele/tdwsport.com



With an early move of around 20 riders getting away, Greipel said he hadn't really expected a bunch sprint to materialise. "Fortunately we had two guys in there, [Morris] Possoni and [Vicente] Reynes, the break's lead stayed at around two and a half minutes, and so we didn't have to work so much. Then the best moment for me came when Bernie [Eisel] said to me, 'Hey, relax, we'll get the break back and we'll get you to that sprint, too'."



Greipel's victory means the Columbia-HTC men's team has now matched their 2008 total of 85 wins in one season.


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Team Australia and SCOTT athlete Chad Reed came into the 2009 Motocross of Nations with the pressure of his homeland on his back and he was ready to answer.  Reed came out of the first turn in moto one inside the top 5 and would quickly be battling for the lead.  Reed was all over the home country’s hero, Tony Cairoli, but was finding it difficult to pass. Reed, clearly faster than Cairoli, dodged roost most of moto 1 only to come up a second short at the finish.





Chad Reed rolling to Second in Moto 1. Photo Courtesy TWMX.com



Team USA and SCOTT Athlete Jake Weimer, started well outside the top 10 but quickly picked through the MX1 and MX2 guys to gain on his class rivals Musquin and Searle. Jake would put in a solid effort to finish 8th.  





Reed and Dungey battle on the start. Photo courtesy TWMX.com



In the second moto, bad luck struck both Reed and Weimer. Reedy was caught in a second turn pile up and came through on the first lap well outside the top 25.  Weimer would suffer problems of his own, hitting his stomach on the bars and knocking the wind out of himself. Weimer would fall a total of 3 times on the first lap, having one of his worst motos of the year.  Reedy would charge the whole moto, passing 3 and 4 guys at a time in the early laps.  Reed's time would eventually run out and he would settle for a disappointing 9th place.  



Team USA, along with SCOTT athlete Jake Weimer, would go on to win the event with Australia finishing 7th.

Victory for Team USA. Photo courtesy TWMX.com 

Riding his Spark, Scott RC Mountain Bike team member won the Mid Atlantic Series race at Bear Creek.






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