A busy week @ MSA

I’m now in relax mode after a very busy string of days. From getting ready to be on the road to getting on the road and then covering all the action at Mont-Sainte-Anne (MSA), it’s been quite a week. But now I’m less than 200 miles from my next destination (Windham) with more than a day and a half to get there.

Which means I have time to sit here and write a little. Oh… “here” is this little coffee shop in Middlebury Vermont that Andrea and I have been to before.

Meeting #SearchingForSero

I arrived at MSA mid afternoon on Wednesday after a smooth trip through Ontario and Quebec. As I was looking around the media parking area (which was quite full) I saw a Vanagon Westy with quite a load of toys on it. Including four surfboards up on the roof. Not a common sight in Quebec. It was parked, didn’t see anyone there so I went about my business and found my “VR” camping spot that had been arranged with the ever-helpful Marie-Michelle (media relations for the organizer). It was still relatively early in the week so there was lots of room for camping. Friends on Facebook would have seen the photo of a solitary Westy in the parking lot along with a cluster of RVs. Here’s a different view…

Keep that spot in mind… I’ll get back to it.

#FoundSero

So there I was in the VR camping when a young couple came up to chat and ask a few questions about camping there. Turns out it was the owner of the Westy with the surfboards (John) and his girlfriend Tracy. They were there as media to do a story on the MSA World Cup racing and were looking at camping options. A friend had offered them a spot on his property not far away and they had used that the night before. I told them about how I had arranged it and they decided to talk with Marie-Michelle too. A little while later they pulled up and parked next to me. Only then did I realize who I was talking to. I had come across the story of Searching For Sero via Frank Condelli on Facebook and immediately recognized the camper. Hard not to with the custom wrap…

[This photo was taken later in the weekend after all the racing was done but I love it! Thanks for sharing it John.]

Take the time to visit their FB page and their website to read about their project. And be sure to go back in about a week… more on that later.

MTB Action

John, Tracy and I spent quite a bit of time over the weekend talking about a wide range of topics. John is an experienced photographer so we had lots in common however this was his first MTB WC event so I shared a little of what I’ve learned over the years of doing this. It helped me realized that I do actually know what I’m doing 😉 .

And Tracy is an imaginative and creative story teller. Reading through their website will certainly show you that. Both were great company throughout the weekend.

The next three days were full-on racing action with few breaks until Sunday evening. Here are a few shots to show a bit of the story. You can see more in the galleries on my website or the stories on PedalMag.com.

Remember that camping spot? If you check out the coverage on RedBull.tv you’ll see the two campers showed up a few times! Here’s a screen capture Andrea sent me. And I’m sure I show up a time or two as well 🙂

Onward!

As quickly as the weekend arrived it was suddenly all over. I was stiff and tired from the days of climbing up and down the mountain with a load of camera gear so when the three of us went out for a ride/photo shoot Monday morning it took a while for my legs to get with it. They did though and we ended up having a fun finale to our weekend. And then it was time to pack up and go our separate ways. I’m sure I’ll follow their adventures and who knows… our paths may cross again.

My destination was Underhill Vermont for a visit with Guy and Joan. They are generous hosts as well as good friends. One of these days Andrea will make it back for a visit too. One night with them, then on the road to make my way toward Windham for the next weekend of racing. I have time to explore so I’ve kept the driving to short stretches and used the rest of the time for other adventures. Including sitting here in Carol’s for a few hours writing this!

Last night was Crown Point campground (across the bridge in New York), tonight I don’t have set destination yet but will keep heading south. Perhaps I’ll camp in Massachusetts just for fun. Who knows! In any case… it’s time for me to wrap this up and get going.