Successful season for team rider Mitch

Have just had some great updates from Mitch Mcdivitt, Ventana NZ downhill rider and all-round shredder! He has ridden his El Cuervo to some excellent results in the competitive under 17 field. With riders like Mitch and fields of 100+ riders at some events, the future for DH in New Zealand is looking very bright!

This from chief mechanic and race manager Russell Mcdivitt....

By the time we caught up with the National series in Nelson for the National Champs the other riders that Mitch had been riding with had already spent 3 weeks of riding in South Island and Mitch finished mid pack in the under 17's. The next round in Auckland he picked up 10th, though the field was without most of the South Island riders. His best ride was in the last round in Levin where he took 20 secs off his seeding time in his race run and finished just outside the top 10, in the biggest field off the series. Last weekend was the National Secondary School champs in Levin where he finished 3rd in his under 15 age group (only 00.01 of a second behind 2nd place) and 17th overall in the DH from over 400 riders.

Nice job Mitch! Mountain Pedaler NZ is proud to have you aboard a Ventana.
Mountain Pedaler out...

Down and dirty at the Uni Games

Pete putting it in the hurtbag

Team Ventana riders Ben 'Dodgum' and Peter Fyfe pulled out some awesome results at the NZ University games held at Halswell Quarry in Christchurch last week.
With tough conditions and even tougher fields, both riders pulled out blinders, flying the flag for Ventana and helping the University of Canterbury to the national title.
Both were aboard red hot Ventana's, with Ben doing it old school on an El Chiquillo hardtail (often in singlespeed mode), and Peter opting for the more huckable El Saltamontes.

I just love the expression on Pete's face in some of the race shots. Good to see he knows how to find the hurt bag.

Ben looking cool as a cucumber aboard his red hot El Chiquillo

Ben's report sums up the race nicely....

This was my first geared race aboard a Ventana, and I was thankful given the expected 800m of climbing, mostly up grass tracks. After giving it a bit of a burst in the first lap, I settled back to grind out the rest of the race. It ended up being one of those races where you're by yourself almost the entire way. I like to think I gained some ground on the windy downhill section, aided by a little local knowledge and some sweet El Chiquillo geometry (and maybe that hot red frame finish!). After managing to pip another rider at the top of the last climb, I crossed the line in 5th place. The hurt bag had been used to capacity!

Keep up the good work boys!

Don't mess with Ventana riders!

Mountain Pedaler Out....

Stunning El Terremoto build

The guys over at MTBR.com really know how to build up a sick bike, and here is a case in point!

Check out http://mysite.verizon.net/restij1w/ for details.
This guy is so dedicated to the build that he took some amazing photos and arranged them in chronological order, even including a spiel at each step!
The build has to be seen to be believed, and really is a great showcase of the new Ventana El Terremoto 6.0 just released.

Mountain Pedaler NZ has one of these frames on order in blizzard white for use as a test bike, which will be ready to roll in mid May. With 6 inches of travel and a quad bearing package delivering the legendary Ventana stiffness, it should handle anything NZ's DH tracks and backcountry trails have to offer.

Will keep you posted on the progress, but if it turns out half as sweet as this guy's ride then it'll be pretty special.

Mountain Pedaler Out....