: The Colonel has a story….

By: g | No Comments » |

Growing up in the southern vales of Adelaide in the early 80′s there was only 2 kinds of bikes you could have, Roadie or BMX. It wasn’t till 88 that I got my first MTB and I haven’t been the same since (sad but true), I joined the RAAF in 91 and pretty much forgot about riding till I hooked up with the solid bro’s here at Richmond.

We all started back into MTB’s in 95-6, buying heaps expensive (VTIC) Apollo’s, Avanti (rigids) and Mongoose bikes. After riding the local trails and starting to meet guys like Paul King, Andy Mills and his Dad Don Mills (“THE” LBSG) we gradually upgraded through to decent bikes. I bought a Cannondale Super V 700 and started racing DH at WSMTBC in 96, by this stage my journey to the dark side was complete, I was addicted to the trick bits and bikes that MTB offered (know by most as Bike Porn).
All of us started to get more serious and the race results started to get half decent too, then in 97 a bunch of us (Me, Micky V, Patto and Webby) all flashed out and bought half decent DH Race Bikes, the trusty Mongoose NX 9.5, at around $3500 each the LBSG’s totally dug us. As soon as we got them we were off to race National Series DH’s. When we got to our first one in Mt Buller me and Patto didn’t even have rear shocks in the bike (they were that new), but that’s another yarn.

Over the next 3-4 years we raced everywhere we could from Nationals to State Races and even a few National Championships. The bikes got further MODS and upgrades. Then at the start of 99 I slammed a tree at Ourimbah Forest in a State DH Round, dislocating my shoulder.

I spent the next 12 odd months off the bike trying to rebuild my shoulder with exercise and plenty of gym work. In that time I chatted to a few various people that I’d met at the races about new bikes, the old Goose had taken a big digger on the crash and was just about out of frame warranty. It was at this stage I really got to know “the” man of Aussie DH, Bear Bradley. After a whole heap of ass kissing and bribes of bottles of scotch I managed to get a custom frame at a very nice price. By the time I got back from the East Timor push up north my swanky new bike was ready for action, sporting Bear modified Rock Shock Boxxers and 8.75″ of rear wheel travel I was once again ready to rip it up (the frame number’s quite a nice touch too. COLONEL 1-9-99).

I never managed to get back into the sport to the same degree after the injury, when we went to the Canberra Nation Championship at Blue Range the big drop scared the crap out of me, I didn’t want to risk popping the shoulder on landing. I think this is the race I first saw ubber Freeride Honcho Grant Allen ride, you had to see how this guy literally launched the drops to believe it. In my race run I rode like a complete wood duck and only just managed to finish, my motivation to race was near on zero. Most of the rest of the lads had stopped racing, we now had a split federation and generally speaking DH racing wasn’t quite as fun any more.

Then in late 2000 everything changed. We all entered the MONT 24Hr in Canberra and once again the desire to get out and get it on re-emerged, albeit on the XC bikes. Since then a lot has happened, we’ve all got newer bikes and started to head in new directions with our racing and riding. But one thing has stayed the same, the desire to get together with some top blokes and get out there amongst it.

We never set the world on fire with race results, hell I’m happy for the Millsy’s and Rennies to do that. But what it’s about for us now is why we got into riding bikes when we were kids, freedom to push your own limits, weather you do that on a Roadie, BMX or MTB it’s a moot point. As long as you’re true to yourself and you ride buddies that’s all that matters, it means more to us than just riding bikes, for most of us it’s life!

I’ve yarned for long enough, where’s me helmet?

Punch it on whatever!

Colonolio

 

Tags:freeride,shocks


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