2011 Mountain Bike World Championships

Champéry, Switzerland


Well the prep and season long goals have been achieved and now its time to put everything I have into a basket, sadly not my wicker beer basket on my beach bike. This has been up and down year with lots of ups and a couple downs. Having results that put me in the World Cups with the National Team, and having bad races in them, then to winning my first Pro race at the Canada Cup Finals in Edmonton, to being sick and now off to the World Championships in Switzerland. I have been totally satisfied with how the season has gone, but not over the top excited. With having last year crossed off in the record books due to a not so awesome case of mononucleosis. I put pressure on myself going into this season to show to people that my 2009 year was not a fluke season, this season has gone in the right direction putting me back at the level where I want to be, I still feel I have not even gotten close to form that I know I can achieve. I guess that is what the cyclo-cross season is going to have to be for this year, maybe this year I will put in some training time for it. Anyway thanks to Rocky Mountain Bicycles, all the factory team sponsors and all their support they haven given me over the past 3 years. And an even bigger thanks to sticking with me and helping me get back on track. I definitely would have had a hard time making it back to this level without all the people around me. Family, friends, The Bike Barn, Rocky Mountain, Planet Foods, Cycling BC, my coach Dan P, the Canadian Cycling Assocation and my Grandad!

Race Site:

Right now I am sitting in YVR, just landed from and left from the one and only Kelowna International Airport YLW. Sitting with the one and only current Junior World Downhill Champion. We are discussing how we are going to make the crowds go wild on the technical sections on the worlds course..

As most people know I am from Peachland, BC and ride bikes. I started off with soccer, somehow almost stuck with playing rugby and then got into wearing spandex and shaving my legs, on the plus side I can almost beat any regular people at tan lines contests. I am starting a long journey to a little place they call Champéry to ride bikes at the biggest race of the year, kind of like stanley cup finals. Its what I tell people as I'm travelling with a hockey bag..some people question it and some people have no clue..yah I know. I'm excited to be back on a CCA project, as most of my best travelling memories are from those projects. Apparently we are staying in a full board hotel with views from mountain tops and 200m from the course, life is hard I know. Excited to get out and slay this course, I know it will be a good race even in the legs aren't there because of the 5 ft drop, roots, and just all around technical course. Just help me pray for the rain gods, as I'm going to need the nutella like conditions! I brought the perfect bike choice, my Rocky Mountain Element Team RSL. With Maxxis rubber, shimano drivetrain, fox squishy stuff and a fi`zi:k saddle to protect my no no place I should be set to rock it. We are there to have fun, but we are also there to win medals. I think all of us Canadian athletes will do everything in our power to put Mrs Pendral in the position to do so.

It was tough leaving the Okanagan as summer is finally in full swing. Waking up to blue skies everyday and drinking a bottle everything 30 min is nice in that 30 degree. Plus having a lake anywhere you go makes life easy. Last week Cycling BC, with the help of Ron Hayman put on a Future Champions camp in Penticton, BC where I work. So I spend most days working, riding and hanging with the group. It was great to see the depth of people in the camp with all having the same passion. Having guys from Rob Britton, to athletes who haven`t even been on a provincial level project. Richard Wooles is changing the way of cycling in BC and that is spreading across country to for the best possible scenarios in the future. It felt great to have gone through the Provincial program and dipping back in to help whenever I possibly can.

Last week my bicycle shop that I work at and that supports me, The Bike Barn (www.bikebarn.ca) hosted one of the final toonie races here in the Okanagan. With tents, chips, smokies and beer we were set for a good night. I just cruised and tried to have a race to be the slowest with some of shop boys, I came 2nd, close. But on the plus side I did win the post slow race beer shotgun. As the oh so knowledgeable Geoff Kabush says “bigger hole, fast flow”, I used that my advantage and beat my aussie shop buddy. But not before he thought he had won and put the can above his head and some excess beer was left and dripped on his head...With that accomplished I feel better about being a non-excessive beer shotgunning extraordinaire athlete. Better rest up Geoff as I will be challenging you post Worlds!

Not really more to say other than last week I raced a local crit, which was a event success and self fail. Tried to light it up for the crowds and friends that were out, mission unaccomplished. Had the suffer face on and gritted through the pain. Needed to flush out those cob webs from the lack of racing this month.

That will be all for now,

EG