#followcamfriday chasing Frenchie in Sedona. If you hear any whimpering, it's just me back here trying. 

One thing is certain. After spending a few weeks in Sedona this past February, I came away a fitter man. It turns out that all of the sprinting I did to keep Alex in sight made me reasonably fit. Despite trying my best to offset this with wine and chocolate, I still came away net positive on the fitness thing.  I call that having my cake and eating it too. 

Sedona is not really known for its sustained downhills, and the Soldier Wash area is no exception. This area offers some of the more natural and less sanitized trails in the area, but make no mistake, you will earn every inch of it. By earn, I mean, cough up blood to make things interesting.... But, with effort, these trails become very interesting. These are the type of trails that are ho-hum if you are just cruising, but if you are sprinting like your life depends on it, shit gets real. Real quick. 

Speaking of sprinting, walking Pete these days is the opposite of sprinting. More meandering than anything. Pete is 12 and has lived the best life of any dog I know. He is still fit as a fiddle but I just can't bring myself to run him hard anymore. He will basically run till he explodes, so I have to exercise some restraint. We just cruise now. Pretty refreshing if you ask me. 

This is the look I get when Pete has had his walk and it is time for me to actually ride. He lays the guilt on hard, but I think he understands that I need to get my exercise too. A bowl of water, a bit of food, a couple of treats and it is nap time for Mr. Pete. If only my life were that simple. I have responsibilities, like typing this stupid blog and managing my Instagram account. I wish Pete could Instagram for me. 

So what were we doing? Oh yeah.... Sprinting. Alex is abnormally fit and holds most of the KOM's in the valley. Or Lars. Take your pick. I swear sometimes these two plan their schedules opposite so that when one gets tired, the other one has had a couple of days off and is ready to try and kill me. I think they are conspiring against me. Fresh Alex plus fresh Lars equals one very tired Nate. All in the name of training I suppose. 

This photo demonstrates the proper way to enter a turn. It's science, duh. If you haven't been paying attention, try turning the wrong way, just before you turn the right way. Got that? Poetry in motion. Nothing makes your bike fall into the turn better. Send Alex a dollar. He just taught you something. 

Alert AF
It is still snowing in Colorado as I type these words. Since returning from NZ, I have ridden my mountain bike once. I have been riding my gravel bike in the snow and skiing a bunch. And drinking wine. Lots of wine. It's almost time to get back on the road and make some magic for the people. Summer will be here before we know it. I guess I am ready. Road trip. 

#followcamfriday from the land of red rocks, vortexes, and sprinting. Finishing the day out correctly with Frenchie and Mongo. Pyramid, Scorpion, and Ridge Trail for your viewing pleasure. 

Chasing light. The life of a habitual procrastinator. Why did you wait until the last possible second to jump on your bike and put a mega ride together? Nothing keeps the pedals ticking over like imminent darkness. I like to film when the light is good, that is the real reason I "put things off to the last minute". This leaves less time for eating and drinking, but that is the price one pays for #lightbro I guess..... We will be up late, making up for lost time. 

This was filmed in early February, just before I departed for New Zealand. What is the best way to get ready for international travel and bike racing, you ask? Chase Lars and Alex around their local trails for a few weeks. All of the sprinting and cry-breathing was perfect race training, as it turns out. I felt like a million bucks down in NZ. Thanks for making me bleed out of my eyes, guys. That's what friends are for. 

Lars Romig is an absolute legend. Fireman, trail builder, father, photographer, gym rat, Keto diet fat glutton, consumer of the finest box wine. Lars' slowest day is your busiest. Lars' slowest ride is your fastest. Whenever I feel like my world is closing in and I have way too much on my plate, I think of what Lars does on the daily. Motivation for life, lived to its fullest. Pay attention kids. Go do something! Anything. Maybe go for a bike ride and eat bacon. 

It's getting dark now and my camera is struggling. Can you see the lightbro? This image is grainy, slightly out of focus ,underexposed, the sky is blown, and the chromatic aberration is next-level. Would you just look at it! But..... The lightbro on the crotch region, and the fact that I almost t-boned Alex in this turn, more than make up for my struggling GoPro screen grab. This is special to me somehow, despite being a "technical" disaster. 

Mr. GoPro still struggling to maintain detail in the sky. Dynamic range lacking. But would you just look at cactus tips... Just the tips... Lightbro game strong. As it just so happens, I pulled a cactus quill out of my leg, just a week ago. Sometimes they take a while to emerge to the surface. The human body, being the wonderful machine that is is, will eventually push and foreign bodies to the surface for ejection. I hope you enjoyed your travels for the last six weeks, freeloader quill. Thank you for leaving my body. #justthetip

Classic Sedona. #shredthered

More post TransNZ shenanigans with Brady and Tom. Slip Saddle is one of Queenstown's steepest, legal descents. 

Slip Saddle, aptly named, is one of my favorite tracks in NZ. We actually raced this one for a stage of the TransNZ. Brady but the wood to us. Brady also won the U21 EWS last week in Rotorua. Keep your eye on this kid. Pinned as and humble as they come. True Kiwi spirit. Follow Brady on the IG's HERE

We started the descent from a little ways up the Coronet "XC" track. The section just before the turn into Slip is world-class, and worth the extra effort. You can see here that Tom is frothing for some more climbing, because a 6 day stage race clearly isn't enough to wear down Mr. Sampson. Tom is into fitness. 

I was told by some locals that there was a stunt, about half way down this track, built by the late, great, legend that was Kelly Mcgarry. It would have been rude not to hit it a couple of times for nostalgia sake. RIP legend. I never knew Kelly very well but his larger than life presence and positive attitude inspired so many people. Absolute Legend. 

Most of my friends have a reasonable amount of back wheel love in them. Brady is on another level. Watch out Kendall-Weed, Brady is coming in hot to take your #lovesbackwheel title. 

Digby Shaw, photobombing my ice-cream-selfie. #pesting hard. Aren't I pleased with myself. Yes, that is a zip-tie on my head. Digby is from Nelson and is one of the petter photographers and better people I have had the pleasure of working with and becoming good friends with. Cheers Digby, love your work, enjoy your ice cream!

If I am being honest, I tend to have an addictive personality. This applies to most things in life. Anything worth doing, is worth overdoing. This could be a problem....  If you stare longingly at the person scooping your ice cream, you are guaranteed to get a larger portion. That is my #fatkid tip of the week. You can thank me later when you are packing on those KG's. Do work. 

Where will #followcamfriday take me to next? The sky is the limit. I am honestly excited to be home for a couple of weeks, skiing pow and getting my life back together. Only time will tell what lies ahead. Desert, dessert season is nearing. Stay tuned frothers. This kid will be fat and sunburned soon enough.  

Fishing for Salmon outside of the Queenstown Skyline Bike Park with James Weingarten and Nate Corrigan. #followcamfriday

Skyline Bike Park in Queenstown , New Zealand offers some of the best lift-accessed riding in the world. If you are willing to work for it, there is a ton of good riding, just outside of the park that takes minimal effort to get to. I know, you paid to ride the lift and you only ride park, but these two gems are worth it.  The nectar always tastes better when you sweat a bit to get there... 

I only get to ride with Nate Corrigan on special occasions and in special locations, throughout the world. Together we make up team-Nate. Corrigan is like my younger, more pesty, brother. From another mother. Legend has it that Nate spent some time in Japan racing track bikes in a full-contact situation that is apparently popular there. Perhaps that is where he gets his reckless demeanor from. 

Interestingly enough, this was Nate's first day on flat pedals. Foot out suits him well I say. Missing Link is accessed via a 1 hour hike a bike from the top of the chair, and shares some sections with the classic tramping route "Ben Lomond" Missing Link is well worth the effort and eventually dumps back down to Beached As, the main traverse that accesses  some of the better side-country trails near the park. Combining this into Salmon Run is up there on the all-time list. 

Enter James Weingarten. After traveling to New Zealand in my carry on luggage, it only seemed fitting that he join me for a lap on Salmon Run. James handily won the 40plus, old guy class of the TransNZ, the week prior, so a run on this Queenstown classic was well overdue. James did great for his first run. Living up to his ninja status nicely. 

The bottom of Salmon Run is full-on jungle riding. Slippery on the dryest days, this bit couldn't be more different from the steep beach forest that makes up the top section of this track.  No worries for James. Riding blind is his specialty. If you need me, i'll be back here, trying to hold his wheel. 

Upper Salmon is basically a sketchy bench-cut through some amazingly steep terrain, linked with barely rideable switchbacks. Can't nose-pick? This one is not for you.  Fortunately, James can only turn on his front wheel, so he did just fine. Come to think of it, I don't recall ever seeing James' wheels on the ground at the same time...  There is just something special about riding a trail for the first time. You only get to do it once, so don't fuck it up. Be like James. 

By the time you read these words, assuming you made it this far, I will be at home in Colorado, skiing knee-deep pow. Oh the contrast. A lucky boy I am. Making the most of the seasons. So very fortunate. Mountain bikers traditionally complain about the snow. Not this guy. I'm headed straight back into the biggest winter Colorado has seen in 10 plus years. Time to send. 

#followcamfriday eating calamari with James in Queenstown. The sweetest blue run in the world. 

Interestingly enough, I didn't eat any seafood while I was in Queenstown. Even though some of the trails are named after fish, I chose to get most of my daily calories from the ice cream store. The dairy game is next-level in NZ. Happy cows make for happy milk, or in this case, ice cream. Maybe it's the grass. Whatever the reason, love your work NZ. If you need me, you can catch me standing in line at Patagonia Chocolates, trying to decide which flavors to get this time. Dulce De Leche is winning. I'm packing on those KG's. 

The Skyline Bike Park is unreal. There is a reason that some of the best mountain bikers in the world come here to ride and train in the off season. The lift line, which rarely gets deeper than about 20 people is basically half world cup DH and EWS pros, R Dog and 10 "regular people" that undoubtedly shred, mixed in to keep things mellow. This park rivals Whistler if I am being honest and the fact that there is no line means that you can bust out laps until your hands loose feeling.  Keep it up Skyline. It should be noted that this place is actually worthy of a real DH bike. Trail bikes come here to die. 

This was James' first trip to NZ and it was nice to see that he hasn't forgot how to properly turn. Pay attention kiddies, go out in the driveway and work on those stoppies until you go ever the bars and skin your knee. It is Kiwi tradition to ride without gloves or knee guards,  so go strap on your jandals and give it a go. 

Looking down at the lake from the park is relatively inspiring. James has realized that I am trying to pimp him on the inside, but really, I am just trying to see the lake. Eyes on the trail, always protect the inside line. This could be more dangerous than Instagraming and driving. Don't update your status and drive mate. 

This week's Kiwi language lesson is brought to you by summer. When you go the the beach, you bring your jandals and togs mate. My feet are funny looking after wearing my jandals for a couple of weeks.  A little girl actually asked my why my feet were so white...  True story. I had to laugh and explain that I live in the mountains and mostly wear shoes and ski boots. Which reminds me that I will be home in a couple of days and be straight back into ski season. Colorado has gotten a couple of meters in my absence. Time to ski I suppose. What a rad life I lead. Feeling fortunate. 

#followcamfriday from Cardrona Bike Park. New Zealand is sweet as. Hide your sheep, we out here. 

So. I have been in NZ for a couple of weeks now. James and I traveled here to race the TransNZ enduro. This 6 day event had a day planned at Cardrona, but the weather had other ideas. Heaps of rain and snow led to the cancelation of the race day in the alpine. ( heaps) is Kiwi slang for "lots". Still with me?? It only made sense that we got back up there after the race finished to get some sunshine and redemption for our rain day.  We were treated to a perfect day in the park. 

We were fortunate to get a tour from local legend, Pete Miller. Pete builds trail, wears purple shirts and is pinned. Got to love the Kiwi shredders. No gloves, no attitude, just pure love for riding bikes and getting people stoked on the trails. Take note cocky Americans, the Kiwi's are doing it right. My general rule of thumb is if someone needs to tell you how rad they are, the opposite is often true. So many locals that wear cotton shirts, no knee pads, and absolutely shred. And, won't talk about themselves. So refreshing.

Enter Brady Stone. Brady is a 19yr old Nelson local, running a similar program. A quiet, respectful, young shredder that will smash turns harder than anyone. Hide your berms. Cutties all day. Gloves? Yeah nah. Sweet as. Brady is intending to race a bunch of EWS rounds this year. Look out world. 

I hid James in my bike bag. He fits nicely in the overhead compartment. This was his first trip to NZ and definitely will not be his last. There are more trails to be ridden and more jumps to be sent. The seesaw feature pictured above is absolutely disastrous if you are trying to follow your bro. Wood to the head tube is never a good way to go. I was smart enough to go around, avoiding certain death. Just barely.  

I will be teaching you one Kiwi word in each of my upcoming NZ episodes. Today's word is "Chur" . It means, hello, good bye, good day, how are ya, yes, among other things. I would like to give a big CHUR to the Cardrona Bike Park for hosting us for the day. Definitely check it out if you are in the area. And definitely do the classic Peak to Pub run to finish the day if you can sort out the admin. 1300 meters to the pub. That is like 1 million feet for you Americans. Well worth ditching a car or having a driver for at the end of the day. Surely someone will be tired, or have broken their bike and volunteer to drive. Best part is you can all have a beer at the pub together. CHUR

Stay tuned for more shenanigans from the land of sheep and gloveless riders over the coming weeks. Maybe ditch your knee guards and pick yourself up some jandals. It should be noted that James did his first race in 10 years and handily won the 40 plus category. Chur James. Still got it. Never didn't have it. In the spirit of the Kiwi attitude, I am not going to tell you how my race went, but just say that is was sweet as. Chur. 

Does your favorite descent have a bottle of tequila chained to a tree on it? Unless you live in Tucson, you may be out of luck. #followcamfriday on Tucson's finest.

La Milagrosa - the crown jewel of Mount Lemmon. This is picking up where we left off last week, beginning at the snow line on Bug Springs and ending in the city of Tucson with Alex and Randy. I would love to ride the upper sections of the infamous "Lemon Drop", but that will have to wait until the weather improves. Nice down here tho...  Down coats at the top, tee shirts at the bottom. 

Par for the course with Frenchie Alex - nose picks for days. You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose... Not sure where that came from but I think my dad used to tell me that when I was a growing up. This is proper switchback technique. Learn now for success. 

La Milagrosa has a tequila tree. I could end the blog right here because there isn't really anything else to say, but I will provide some context. While I never condone drinking and riding, there are just some situations where this sort of thing is encouraged or even expected. If the man showing you the trail asks you to drink, you say yes. It would be rude not to. I don't care about your training, or your "racer" paleo, gluten free, hella vegan diet (including my own). Drink fucker.  As it turns out,  a small sip puts you right where you want to be for success on the descent. Cheers Randy. Loose is fast. Living proof. 

It's easy to forget what you were doing when you drink too much tequila. At least this gives me time to appreciate my surroundings... Tucson has some of the best sunsets in the world. If you look closely, you can see Randy's house. Inside that house, there is more tequila. But I digress... Oh yeah, bikes are cool. What was I doing?

If you find yourself on Mt. Lemmon, make sure you don't miss this one. You won't find the tree with the booze chained to it, but that isn't really for everyone anyway. I don't want you to end up with two flat tires, upside down in the bushes because of me. Just ride and enjoy. If someone shows you the tree, then you have to drink.

After living on the road for a month and not riding the road bike I have been storing in my van, even once. I decided that it would be a crime not to do the classic Mount Lemmon climb. For this 5500' grunt, I packed 1 banana, 1 water bottle and a down coat. It was well below freezing at the top. Ever question whether it is better to go slow on the descent to stay warm or sprint with the brakes on to stay warm? Yeah, that was me. Nipples erect, slowly descending, burning on 100 calories. Fortunately, road biking is easy and I made it back to Safeway and strutted around the parking lot in my baggies, amongst the 50 shaved and kitted people who are really into fitness. I don't think they understand me, but that's okay. They probably don't like tequila anyway. 

#followcamfriday on Bug Springs with Alex Petitdemange and Randy Sooter. Tucson tech at it's finest. 

After spending the last three weeks, riding ridiculous Sedona slabs with Lars, I headed south to decompress in Tucson. This would be my first trip to Tucson and the farthest south in the United States that I have ever been with a mountain bike. What have I been doing with my life?? And to be clear, this couldn't be further from "decompression" Tucson is ROUGH.

Enter Randy Sooter. Randy was introduced to me by Alex. Interestingly enough, they both have a background in gymnastics and this becomes very evident when following either one of these gifted gentlemen. Randy is an 8 time national collegiate club champion and now coaches and runs a gym in Tucson. Randy also has good taste in shuttle vehicles and drives a Bronco that just so happens to be the  same age as me.... 

As this was my first time in Tucson, I didn't really know what to expect. After riding Sedona for a bit, this place was reasonable rough and raw in comparison. Like, break your wheels and get flat tires, rough and raw. Pretty much what I am looking for when I ride my mountain bike. The decomposing  granite deals wonderfully with the moisture, which is good, because it rained more this week than Randy had seen after living here for most of his life. Seemed like perfect grip to me. 

As per usual, always jump everything. Back to the part about these guys having a background in gymnastics.  When your body awareness is on point, the trail is your playground. Every root and rock is a jump. Every corner, an opportunity to send gravel into the air. Crashing is a rarity, but even when these guys hit the deck, its fucking catlike. 

French Technique. I think this is a product of your surrounding. If you grow up riding jank hiking trails in the European alps, this is second nature. If you grow up riding flow-trails in the States, this is a skill that probably needs work. Frenchie Alex is dialed. Legend has it that Mark Weir built some unrideable swithbacks behind his house to practice before racing enduros in Europe because the turns were not challenging enough in the states... Smart man, Mark Weir. 

The sunsets in Tucson are next-level. People seem to think that all I do is race around and shoot video, but I promise you that I do make some time to appreciate my surroundings. I feel very fortunate to be able to travel to all of the sweet places to ride, and always try and make the most of my time and appreciate things fully. Keeps me grounded and reminds me why I ride and why I am attracted to dramatic landscapes and new experiences. 

Randy mentioned that the rivers on the trails were deeper than he had ever seen. The crossings were BB deep. I think that is good for your dirvetrain, right? Pete seems to like it. Soothing on his paws after walking around on all the sharp rocks. 

As I type these words, I am sitting on a couch in New Zealand. Sweet as bru. I just arrived for a bit of racing and a bit of filming over the next few weeks. The riding here couldn't be more different from AZ. Variety, spice of life. Once again, very fortunate and grateful opportunity to see the world by bike. Keep it locked right here. 

I always wanted to be a famous rapper when I was growing up. Instead, I ride mountain bikes for a living. Could be worse... #followcamfriday

​Y'all act like you never seen a white person before
Jaws all on the floor like Pam like Tommy just burst in the door
And started whoopin' her ass worse than before
They first were divorced, throwin' her over furniture (Agh!)
It's the return of the "Ah, wait, no way, you're kidding
He didn't just say what I think he did, did he?"
And Dr. Dre said, nothing, you idiots!
Dr. Dre's dead, he's locked in my basement (ha ha!)
Feminist women love Eminem
"Chicka, chicka, chicka, Slim Shady, I'm sick of him
Look at him, walkin' around, grabbin' his you-know-what
Flippin' the…

Alex is French, and may, or may not have an appreciation for rap music produced in the year 2000.  I was a big fan of Eminem back in the day. And Dr. Dre. Still am, I suppose. It would have been a crime to leave Sedona without filming this classic trail. 

I hope the lyrics that I copied and pasted above are stuck in your head for the rest of the day. Instead of cursing my name, I hope it rekindles thoughts of youth and perhaps reminds you of how cool you used to think you were, blasting this in the high school parking lot in your mom's Toyota Camary.  I really would have loved to license that song for use in my video, but I am pretty sure that Eminem needs to get paid a bit more that the #followcamfriday budget will allow.  

I spent three weeks in Sedona. Yup, 3. Still not bored of the place. There is just something about the trails, people, and the vibe here. Maybe it is the vortex energy... I can't put my finger on it, but there is something unique here. Perhaps the reason is because there are no "junk" miles. Every inch of trail in this place is engaging.  Always something to hold my interest. And as it turns out, if you sprint your way down every descent, things start to get very interesting, quickly. 

#Petecam is becoming a staple in my videos. The people like Pete more than me. Can you blame them? I mean, he smells, but is so handsome. He really needs his own Instagram. I bet people would follow him. If only his human had time to foster that sort of thing. Instead, his human is writing this nonsensical babble to keep you entertained. There are only so many hours in the day and Pete needs to be walked. 

So now what? Rain is in the forecast and I am inclined to head south. I have spent some time in Phoenix, which I truly enjoyed, but I was searching for something new. Tucson, here I come. I've never been, but have heard good things. It is about ten degrees warmer on average and the soil does better with the moisture down there. Plus, it's only about 4 hours away. Oh, and I brought a road bike so I probably need to go and climb Mt Lemmon. In baggies, of course. 

Until next time, stay classy Sedona. Thank you for your red velcro. Much love. 

Getting loose on the hog. Pig Trails from Sedona, Arizona with Frenchie Alex. #followcamfriay on the hunt for swine. Meat-sweats engage. 

After last week's' episode, we were due for a bit of a decompression session. The model of constant risk, just isn't sustainable for very long. That said, the pig trails are no cakewalk, but the chances of death go down slightly with this one. Part of the legendary "Triple H" loop, Hogs compliments Hiline and Hangover really well. Ride all three in a day to see what you are made of. 30 miles in Sedona is legit. Maybe throw an extra slice of bacon in your bibs. 

Truth be told, you are more likely do die of heart disease from all that bacon you are eating, than from riding the Hogs. Fortunately Alex is sprinting his brains out and offsetting his bacon intake nicely.  If you hear me cry-breathing in my video, it's because Alex is pinned and I am hanging on by a thread. Or by a pig tail... 

And yeah, Pig Tail has got to be the most fun minute of the Hog experience. Several jumps that work well with the natural terrain, put you just where you want to be. Look out for javelinas hiding in the bushes. I have seen several in the area on this trip. Legend has it that they wait for mountain bikers that case the jumps on Pig Tail and feast on their compromised bodies. Luckily, we cleared all the jumps and emerged unscathed. 

Alex Petitdemange works at Absolute Bikes on the Oak Creek side of Sedona. When Alex isn't turning wrenches or stealing your KOM's, he is busy petting animals. Pete approves. Interestingly enough Pete spotted his first javelina pack on this trip. Fortunately for Pete, he was on a leash. As I later learned, Ridgeback's were bred to hunt boar. I have never seen that ridge stand up so tall on his back.... Good boy.   

Frenchie and I have been riding and racing together for years. When FollowCamFriday first began, I filmed him riding Hangover and that was my first "viral" video. By viral, I mean, stolen all over the internet. It's all history from there. There is just something about the scenery and visual appeal of Sedona, throw in a skilled rider, and you have yourself internet gold.  Sure am thankful for my talented friends!

Spending time at the Sedona dog park has become our daily routine. You can tell my dog from the rest by all of the cameras hanging off of him. #petecam has become a thing in itself. Maybe dog POV will be the future. I am ahead of the curve there, stacking content for a rainy day. If you need me, I will be bent over, picking up Pete's turds with a black bag on my hand. There is no poop fairy.