Velirium Trip Day 2: Dirtsurfer Canada

I was up and on the road Saturday morning by 9:00 am. The drive back to our van took about an hour. Greg and Donna met me there with the replacement part and we began working on the problem. Greg did almost all of the work while I held the flashlight. We had to jack up the van, remove the wheel and reach up inside the engine compartment to remove the tensioner pulley from below. In a matter of moments, Greg had the new one installed, the belt re-threaded and the wheel replaced. Keep in mind, this is a total stranger… volunteering his time on a Saturday morning to do all of this hot, dirty work with no expectation of pay. It really makes you appreciate people.

Greg didn’t want my money but I made him take it. He saved us a fortune in repairs and our vacation. I can only hope that others are as blessed as we are to have met this amazing couple.

I was back on the road and on my way to get the rest of my family who had stayed at our friends house to visit. Lunch was just being served when I arrived. After a hearty meal, it was time for a few quick Dirtsurfer demonstrations before we headed to Quebec.

It was 1:00 pm by the time we got back on the road to Velirium and we had 5 more hours of driving still ahead of us. There was no way we were going to make it in time to see the big demo events. I called Jeremy to let him know our situation. We made arrangements to meet-up for dinner when we arrived.

We rolled into the Velirium parking lot at Mont St. Anne at about 6:16 pm and just happened to catch the whole team packing up for the day. The guys were all showing off their inline boarding injuries and reviewing the gnarley crashes from the race earlier in the day. Turns out there were some hairy jumps on the course that gave the team a challenge.

After I checked the family in at the hotel, we headed to St. Bernard’s for dinner. Jeremy and the guys met us there for a chance to share ideas and stories of the whole Dirtsurfer experience. The Quebec rep, Alain Bourgois and his crew had to leave early but they also had some good ideas to share.

Dirtsurfer Canada also has pro snowboarder and Winter X Games bronze medalist Rob Fagan on the team. I’ll share his interview in a later post.

By the end of dinner we agreed to hook back up at the tent around 8:00 am the next morning to set things up for the last day of the event. I called it a night around 11:45 pm.

-Brian

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Velirium Trip Day 1: Broke Down In Vermont

We headed to Vermont on Friday morning around 4:00 but stopped in Roanoke to buy a few supplies… snacks, drinks, digital video camera, the usual stuff. It took over an hour and then we couldn’t seem to escape from the Valley View Wal-Mart parking lot. Make one wrong turn and you are right back where you started from. FINALLY, we hit the highway headed out of town. It was smooth sailing until about 7:50 pm. when we smelled burning rubber and then heard a loud thump under the hood. Uh oh. That can’t be good… but we kept going.

We made it about ten more minutes when we heard a whining sound, smelled the burning rubber again and this time the thump was followed by a loss of all electrical power. So, we were forced to pull over immediately. There we were, broke down on I-91 just north of Brattleboro, Vermont about 54 miles from our friend’s house. Our serpentine belt was in shreds as we sat there in the heat waiting for help to arrive.

A few moments later some strangers in an old silver pick-up pulled over and offered to help. The nearest garage said they couldn’t work on our van until Monday. So, we needed to get a new belt before the stores closed at 9:00. By then a state trooper had pulled up to see what our problem was. He helped us shuttle my kids to the garage. The tow truck was on the way and the strangers drove me to the store to get the belt. We all met back at the garage to fix the problem ourselves.

The strangers were Greg and Donna Tyler, who lived nearby. Greg happened to have tools in his truck and was a backyard mechanic type who like helping stranded folks like us. We got the belt replaced but discovered that the tensioner pulley had disintegrated. Turns out that was what caused the belt to go to pieces. By then it was 10:00 pm. and everything was closed. Our only option was to call our friends to come and get us. We would have to replace the pulley the next morning.

Looks like we’ll miss the first day of Dirtsurfer demonstrations at Velirium.
-Brian

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Off to Canada, Oh Canada! Eh.

I’ve spent the past two days custom building a couple of Dirtsurfer roof racks to fit my van so that I can take my boards along to Canada. With the whole family going, there won’t be room inside for them. I have to admit that they turned out pretty well. Simple, cheap to make, easy to build (once I got my design down) and easy to install. I just hope they hold up for the entire 2,500 mile trip.

So, we’re all packed and ready to head out in the wee hours of the a.m.

Our first stop is Vermont to see some friends, rest, eat and stretch the legs. I’m sure the kids will need to burn off some energy if they don’t drive me crazy first… 9 hours in a van with 5 people can start to wear on the nerves.

After our overnight visit, it’s off to Velirium at Mont Saint Anne in Quebec. I’d better break out my old French text books for a quick refresher. “Bonjour, tout le monde. Ca va? Oui, monsieur.”

Jeremy with the Dirtsurfer Canada team had this to say:
“Things have been crazy!!! We did an amazing shoot with MuchMusic on Sunday – I will let you know when it airs. It features (among other shots) two of our Pros jumping over the VJ!

We’ll arrive at Velirium for setup early Saturday morning and run demos from 10 am- 6 pm with our race from 6-7 pm. Sunday will be demos only from 10 am-6 pm. Not sure when the filming will happen as Extreme TV, Adrenalina TV, and Musique Plus (French Much Music) will all be covering us, but I will find some time to meet with you. There are going to be plenty of riders and representatives of the Canadian scene there to cover things when I am not around.
Hope to see you soon! Cheers!”- Jeremy Bresciani

Sounds like fun. I can’t wait.
I’ll be sure to take some pics of everything going on and share them on the blog. I’ll try to get in some interviews as well. May as well get the most out of this trip.

I’ll be back by Wednesday and might get to post an update then, but will likely do it on Thursday. Have a great weekend.

See you in Quebec,
-Brian

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50 Miles Per Hour

The past few days have been spectacular. Low humidity, high in the mid 70’s, crystal clear skies… perfection. Of course, I had to work inside all of those days and naturally, since today is my day off it is cloudy and drizzling off and on.

That didn’t stop us, though. I was determined to get out and ride. My wife was nice enough to drive the chase car, my silver ’02 Mazda Protege 5. Our destination… Windy Gap Mountain.

Once we reached the top, my son and I padded up and hopped on. Windy Gap has wide smooth roads with wide gentle curves as you come down the Franklin County side. My son, Keith, rides a Dirtsurfer Flexi Pro with 100 psi street racing tires. I ride the silver GP with 40 psi knobbies. He headed down first since he’s the fastest. I was right behind him in a standing race tuck. My wife road behind in the chase car to keep traffic off our backs.

We quickly accelerated to 50 miles per hour with my son reaching about 54 miles per hour. No need for brakes on this run. It’s all out blazin’ down to the bottom. The posted speed limit is 45. We ended our runs in a parking lot at the bottom as we coasted to a gentle stop. Total distance of the run is only 1.2 miles but it’s a blast.

Unfortunately, we had to get home to get our daughter to a friend’s birthday party. That’s it for riding today with the rain setting in. I’m hoping Father’s Day will be bright and sunny so we can hit some more slopes after we go see Batman Begins with the kids.

I’ve been thinking about what Christine E. in Hawaii said about making life choices… doing what you love. The phrase “Live What You Love” comes to mind. I think I’ll use it often… even post it on the wall as a reminder. She’s out camping this weekend on the rim of the crater in Maui. They are riding their Dirtsurfers down to the ocean all the way from the top. She promised to send us some pics for the blog. Now that’s living.

Keep sending me your favorite rides to add to our Rider’s Guide. You can e-mail me at duvall.brian@gmail.com.

Live What You Love,
-Brian

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Inline Boarder Fell In Love With Her Dirtsurfer

“I have been addicted to Dirtsurfer since the day I hopped on one in East Lansing, Michigan in the middle of January. I went cruising down a snowy street and fell in love.

Being in Michigan (aka the flattest land on the planet), we attached a 30 CC engine to the rear of the Dirtsurfer, and made that flat land into our personal playground! The minute I graduated from college– I was out of Michigan and on my way to Oregon, the 2nd best kiteboarding and Dirtsurfer run location I have seen yet!

I taught kiteboarding and took runs down from Mt. Hood to Hood River on the Dirtsurfer all summer long. That area is really special because you can go snowboard on a July morning, Dirtsurf down a 2-3 hour run from 12,000 feet to sea level and then kiteboard all evening– if you can take that much in one day 🙂 I’ll save the rest of my travels for another email, and get back to the point!

Always being an avid board sport enthusiast, and looking for the latest and greatest ways to rip, we discovered Dirtsurfer at a kiteboard competition in Detroit. A man at the competition mentioned the name of this two-wheeled wonder and immediately I was on the internet in search of one. We shipped one over from England, from a man who had bought one in Australia. It was
new– still in the box, and the best present I have ever given myself!

I love the feeling of carving high speed powerful turns. I love the feeling of adrenaline pulsing through me as I step on and choose my path for a downhill run. I love leaning into a banked turn and trusting that the Dirtsurfer will perform as an extension of my feet…knowing that it has the
integrity to ride as hard as I can!

The endorphins we all experience keeps our stamina up and gets us hooked, but it is the infiltration of the sport into our hearts that creates passion for life and keeps us yearning for more!

I grew up snowboarding, riding half pipes on skateboards, and a few years ago began kiteboarding and surfing. Being part of the kiteboard community, and being a certified instructor, I have really been introduced to a different way of living– a more hands on approach to happiness. I
understand that if there is something that you love, that is how you should be spending your time– not waiting to do what you love in your “spare” time.

We all have one life to live, and our time is ours alone to spend however we choose. I choose to spend my time doing the things I love, maintaining a strong healthy body and mental clarity that comes from being active and also very importantly- integrating the activities I love into my life every day.

Thanks for the opportunity to share my thoughts, I hope they are helpful!”

Aloha,
Christine E.
Maui, Hawaii

Thanks, Christine. That was pure poetry. Absolutely beautiful. I’m envious of the riding you did in Oregon. I can’t even imagine a 2-3 HOUR run. Here in Virginia the runs are 2 to 7 miles and only take a few minutes. Be sure to give us more details on your favorite runs for our Rider’s Guide. Sounds like Oregon is prime territory. I can’t wait to go try it.

Happy riding,
-Brian

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Inline Boards Banned From Rocky Mount… For Now

Rob and the guys were out riding their inline boards around the town of Rocky Mount, Virginia this week hoping to get in some fun and show off their boards.

Rob tells me that before long the cops had pulled him over and said that a driver called in to complain about them riding on the roads. The officer told them that they couldn’t ride around town until they had gotten the o.k. from the Chief of Police who would probably check with the District Attorney to see if it was legal.

The officer then told Rob and he guys that they would need to get some reflectors on their boards. My feeling is that we should check the local laws about bicycles on the road. I know that it is o.k. to ride bikes and Dirtsurfer inline boards are more like bikes than skateboards. It’s more like a “Bikeboard.”

The good thing is that they didn’t get a ticket. Rob did say that if he were to get a speeding ticket on his Dirtsurfer, he wanted to get some pictures of it to show his friends how fast his board can go. He would gladly pay the fine just for the bragging rights.

So, we’re banned from riding in town for now. I talked to the Mayor (who is a friend of mine) about holding a race in town. He’s pumped about the idea but we need to find a good steep road. It’s good to have the Mayor on your side… as well as the Parks and Recreation Director and the Town Revitalization Director. We’ll get permission to ride, I’m pretty sure of that.

Of course, it always helps to get on the good side of local law enforcement. So wear your helmets and pads, be respectful of others and obey traffic laws. Oh, and don’t do stupid stuff that would endanger yourself or others… at least not on public roads. The sport is too young to damage it that way.

Happy and safe riding,
-Brian

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Slow Week

I’m sorry to report that there wasn’t much happening this week for inline boarding. It’s been too rainy, hot and humid with temperatures in the 90’s. It’s been like a steam bath here in Virginia.

We do have a small group of riders interested in representing Dirtsurfer inline boards. The company has been approached by riders in Hawaii, Florida, New York and elsewhere.

We’re still trying to get up to Quebec to the Velirium at Mont-St.-Anne. If we make it, we’ll post the interviews with riders and sponsors. We might even post some video. Until then, brave the heat and get out to ride.

See you in Canada,
-Brian

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Parking Garages Make Great City Riding

Here’s a little tip for you inline boarders who live in or near the city and you need a place to ride.

Find a parking garage that’s four or five levels high. On the weekends, these parking decks usually offer free parking and in smaller cities they are often empty. We found a great one to ride in on Saturday in downtown Roanoke, Virginia. The Church Street parking garage across from the Texas Tavern has five floors with good slope.

The sweet thing about riding in a parking deck, you get to ride the elevator back to the top to do it all over again. Another big plus… on really hot days you are riding in the shade. Plus, you can ride on rainy days. It’s like having your own mini ski resort complete with free ski lifts.

The downsides… all of your turns tend to be in the same direction. Riding around and around isn’t the most interesting. It’s kinda like roller skating in a skating rink without the mirrored disco ball and the Hokey Pokey. Plus, you can’t hit high speeds. It’s a little freaky riding with your head just 8 inches or so from the overhead concrete supports. I had a tendency to want to duck but I got used to it and relaxed enough to stand up straight.

We were going pretty fast and were able to really practice our tight turns but you definitely need to have your brakes in good working order before you go. Parking decks make great beginner slopes. Smooth surface, moderate speeds, no uphill walking or traffic.

I recommend it. It makes a nice alternative. Give it a try and tell us about your favorite parking garages.

Happy riding,
-Brian

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Dirtsurfer Canada Announces Big Events

On June 25th and 26th, the Dirtsurfer Pro Team will be conducting a Big Air Comp, race and free lessons and demos at Velirium, an international mountain bike festival taking place at Mont St-Anne! We are extremely happy to be welcomed and associated with this prestigious extreme bike event and look forward to putting on a great show and growing this relationship long into the future!

Besides offering the opportunity for anyone to try the mean machine on site during those two days, the Pro Team will be performing a demo race on the 4-cross race track on Saturday the 25th from 6-7pm. We promise you a great show!

For more information about the event please visit the VÉLIRIUM website.

Dirtsurfer will be the star of the Inline Board class events at Top Challenge to be held in Montreal, Canada September 2nd through the 4th, 2005. Be sure to check the website for full event details at Top Challenge.

Much Music is Canada’s MTV and they will be shooting a segment with us on June 20th. This will be one of our best TV segments as we will have many of our best riders there, including MAD MIKE, Scott Schneider, Peter DaSilva, Logan Miller and myself. We will even get one of their VJs on the board for a lesson! We leave for Ontario/Quebec June 10th and won’t return to Edmonton until June 29th.

Cheers!
Jeremy Bresciani,General Manager
Xtreme Xperience Inc.
www.dirtsurfer.ca (Home of Dirtsurfer Canada and Kitewing West)
Toll Free Ph: 1-866-998-7388
Ph: 780-465-5833
Fx: 780-469-5803
jbresciani@dirtsurfer.ca

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