Made Pinkbike’s highlights of Crankworx with a photo from Colin Meagher. Thanks to Ian Hylands for the summary, Pinkbike for the coverage and Colin for the photo. Yay!

Air DH 2011 in Pinkbike.com's summary of Crankworx this season. Colin Meagher photo.

Here are two photos Amy McDermid took of me the day before the Air DH for her awesome blog. Thanks Amy!

I sure do love Fantastic, and I love flowers so much I got a bunch tattooed on my arm. Amy gets it. Amy McDermid photo.

I love that Amy doesn't depend much on post production work and she still comes up with stuff like this. Here's that eye of hers on Hornet. McDermid photo.

We’ve got some pretty rad stuff comin’ down the pipes this month, kids, so stay tuned. See Jane Jump is at Mt Washington in August, there’s another Dirt Series camp in Whistler next month and Strand and I are cookin’ up some rad stuff come September!

-Leishner

The past four days have been all about sleeping, trying to go pedal on the little bike and catching up on rest. I did interrupt the vacation by doing a little shoot with Todd Hellinga while he compiled precious data for his 2012 Norco Review. He decided when we were done doing stills to follow me down Aline with his helmet cam – I took it super cruisy not realizing he’d post it but suddenly it keeps showing up in my newsfeed on Facebook! Thought I’d put it here also…

Evening bikepark cruise with Leishman from Todd Hellinga on Vimeo.

- Leishner

Matthew Mallory posted this the other day as part of his coverage of the Air DH. He said some nice things. Thanks Matt!

Air DH 2011. Matthew Mallory photo.

Standing in good company with the legendary ACC and the soon-to-be legendary Kintner. Air DH 2011 Pro Women's podium.

To be perfectly honest, I was not feeling it yesterday morning at all and I am super pumped things worked out the way they did. I went to clean the Aurum (my amazing 2012 Norco rig) in the morning and found that I’d let it almost fully unravel. No problem. Off to the shop, change a flat, tighten some stuff I had neglected here and there and off I go. Snapped a der. cable in training run #1. I think what made it tougher to handle (cuz honestly, we all deal with mechanicals and this was so minor) was seeing the Aline filter feature about ten feet out of the start gate. Great – two pedal strokes to janky double thing to Leishman-flail.

I bit off a bunch more stuff this week than I usually take on and I was feeling it. Poor Gunner and Fanatyk Co mechanics! Hah. But I chilled out after two mediocre training runs (how many more runs does a person really need on ALine really?), watched Gunner get 2nd in Masters (ya!) and hung out with the boys at the shop.

Continue reading »

Hot off the presses…I’ve been added to the roster for the Canadian DH Girls! This program was started a while back by Katrina Strand and Claire Buchar and now includes Micayla Gatto (Canadian World Cup DH & Dual Racer), Miranda Miller (another World Cup athlete from Squamish who specializes in gnarly, wet, long courses – the Garbo DH), Danice Uysegi (Canadian DH racer) and now me!

I’m pumped. The program comes with a Maxxis Tires sponsorship and even more chances to write stuff about biking and be a part of a really amazing group of women.

Yay. Onto Crankworx!

-Leishner

Just kidding – Jinya took this photo just as I covered up. But these are from last night. I’m super sore from the other day – good thing I’ve got a long weekend of working ahead of me rather than smashing more on the bike. Got my program for CWX mostly dialed in. Now just gotta stay healthy and try to chill out!

3 for 4. Jinya Nishiwaki photo - Casey Brown (shredder) on my right, Julie Istvan (shredder) on my left.

Billinghurst magic phone photo. Phat Weds #3.

-Leishner

I’ve been a bit off with writing lately – been pinned riding & dialing my bikes in, working, patrolling, coaching and getting ready for Crankworx. Feeling like I’m getting tired a bit too (I high-sided a corner and smashed my chin straight into the ground last night while riding pumptrack – it’s now swollen and black) so I’m trying to reel life in and slow it down to be ready for the big party in less than two weeks.  Tonite we race in the bike park (been 2 wins for 3 so far this season; would like to improve on that), tomorrow I’m back at work at the shop and then Dirt Series this weekend. My sisters get here with their kids in about 24 hours also.

Will post pics and more as soon as it’s possible. I like feel a picture of  the chin will be worth throwing on here after a day more of “healing”.  Some super exciting stuff coming down the pipe for Crankworx (not least of all my face going back to normal). Once it’s all finalized I’ll talk about it here first.

Yep. Dirt Merchant to Aline. That’s the course tonite. Really.

-Leishner