Lewis Buchanan

Fort William SDA round 5...

2010-09-17T09:21:00.001-07:00

After I got back home from Worlds I decided to race the final SDA rnd at Fort William. I was pretty tired from the season of racing and just wanted to have some fun and see everyone again.

I had alot of fun in practice and the track was pretty rough. It was good just doing some crusing runs and some big whips. On my first race run I just cruised down and didnt really pedal. I ended up 1st place in Junior. So I decided on my 2nd run just too step it up a little. I ended up going at about 75-80% as I didnt want to go as hard as could. It was only a fun race for me and I wasnt in contention for the series. I ended up winning by nearly 5 seconds so I was pretty happy overall. So it was good to see everyone and do a race with no pressure or an series position to chase.

Cheers

Lew

Website update....

2010-09-17T09:19:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

Just want to say that my website has been updated with some new pictures and some info on the front page.

Check it out!!

Lew

End of season report...

2010-09-16T15:04:00.000-07:00

So 2010 season has come and end. I learned so much this year and have some things too work on for 2011. My season started of really slowly and I thought I was prepared for the World Cups but Ill admit I really wasn't. I went a bit to hard in my quali's at the first few world cups and just ended up over cooking it and crashing. This really stressed me out so I had a good hard think about how to get this sorted. So after a few good results back home and getting my head in the right place I went to Val Di Sole WC#4. With the help of Stevie Smith and the other guys I finally put in my career best result so far. I got 16th. This was the best feeling ever. I just relaxed and had fun and just rode myself in my final and it felt comformtable.

After this It was Crankworx in Whistler BC Canada. This week in Whistler was very good. I walked away from this event with a 2nd place in the Canadian Open DH race behind Gee Atherton, Justin Leov was 3rd. It was great to be 2nd and infront of Justin as he is a rider I really look up to and learn from just watching him and was cool to see the rest of the team happy for me. It was a great week there training and riding every day with the guys and good preparation for the final WC in Windham USA.

Next up was Windham WC finals. This was a new track so was going to be interesting. I qualified 16th so got some good points for that. In the finals I ended up in 14th which I was super happy about. I had a good run and really felt I had found the mental state of mind for me and its working.

World championships was a huge race for me this year. Alot went in to this race preperation wise. I liked the track and felt fast on it and I knew I could win. I just needed to have a really good run and no mistakes. In finals I ended up getting to the first turn and hit my pedal on a rock when leaning in to the turn and bent my pedal. I tried to help but it was that bad it was twisting my ankle so All i could do was cruise and try and carry speed. This was such an upset during my run and I couldnt beleive it. I thought my chance of a medal was over but I still tried the best I could. I crossed the line in 3rd place. So I got a medal and everyone was happy for me. In the end It's not what I prepared for and wanted. I guess that's racing for you when stuff like that happens.

I was very dissapointed after that but I knew how well I would have done if it didnt happen. But iam over that now and looking forward to Worlds in Champery next year.
So this year was a good year and I would like to thank everyone at Evil bikes and MS racing. Thanks to Filip, Brook, Steve, and Luke for helping me this year and of course all of my Family and friends`. I learned alot and was such an Experiance. I am back home now and going to rest for a bit, then gradually get back in to the training and preperation for 2011 season. I have set my goals higher for 2011 so I will work towards these.

Thanks

Lew

Val Di Sole WC#4...

2010-08-02T13:18:00.000-07:00

The 4th World cup was held in Val Di Sol/ Italy. This is by far the gnarliest race course on the WC circuit. Straight from the start you have the longest, steepest,rockiest shoot with huge compressions and roots. Then the middle section is super fast with some nice loose turns and the last section is just so fast and crazy rough. I was loving the course and practice was going really good. Riding with my team mates helped alot throughout the weekend and them giving me advise was sweet.

I had a pretty smooth and steady Qualifiying and finished up in 28th place. I was really happy to qualify in a good position. I felt good in the lead up to the finals and was hoping to do a top 25, But when I was at the start I was the most nervous Ive ever been. I pretty much felt Ill and sick. I sprinted as hard as I could out of the start and just tried to relax on my run and not get carried away. I crossed the line super stoked with my run. I was so happy to make it down without doing naay major mistakes. It was such a loose run I had and was out of control in some sections. I didnt know my result till the result sheets where out and I ended up 16th overall 8 seconds or so behind the winner Marc Beamont. I was so happy to be fastest junior and to nearly get a top 15. It was such a confidence boost especially going in to World Champs in Canada and WC finals. I feel I have found the pace and got my head straight.

I really look forward to the WC finals and Worlds but I cant wait to do some shredding in whistler with my team mates and have a bit of a break.

Ciao

Lew
C

Champery World cup round 4 2010

2010-07-25T04:53:00.000-07:00

Champery world cup track was amazing... In the dry. I had so much fun on the first day practice and was loving the track. I just had a good flow and speed the whole way down. It rained for Quali day and the track was good for the first runs but it got so rough and slick it was tough to stay on course. I crashed 4 times in my quali and had to stop to take my gloves of and pull a tear off. I lost about 30 seconds or something around that. I was gutted. I came in 86th place. It was not what I was looking for. Anyway I need to put that race behind me and look forward to Val di sole next weekend. I am hoping its going to be a better result.

Lewis

2010 UK National Championships- Ae Forest

2010-07-21T01:01:00.000-07:00

After a succesfull weekend at the Scottish championships winning junior and fastest time of the day I carried alot of confidence in to the next race which was the UK National Championships at Ae Forest. I arrived there late Saturday morning and got in 5 practice runs. The track was damp and a bit muddy but I liked it and was getting on with it well. Sunday was Seeding and finals. On seeding my run was fairly good and I didnt make any mistakes and was 1st place by over 10 seconds. I ended up having the 5th fastest overall time after seeding only a few seconds behind Gee Atherton who seeded 1st in Elite.

In the finals I was pretty nervous but once my run got going I was focused on getting a good run in. My run was average. I made mistakes in a few places and just didnt find the flow that I found in my seeding. The track was slightly thicker mud aswell so it was slower. I ended up winning junior by 4 seconds but going 2 seconds slower than my seeding time. Overall this put me in the top 10 overall fastest time. I was really happy with how I rode overall the whole weekend and happy to be in the top 10.

Next race is Champery WorldCup 4 this weekend. I have been chilling the first day with the CRC/Intense guys at their Chalet and It's great. Its track walk today and first day practice tomorrow.

More news later

Lew

Lead up to UK National Championships...

2010-07-14T15:44:00.000-07:00

After a successful weekend at the Scottish champs at Dunkeld I am now at home doing some road riding and core work and chilling out before the biggest domestic race in the UK. The UK National Championships is an important race for all. If you win it you get to wear the jersey and be crowned the National champion. In 2009 I was youth National champion and Its a great feeling.

I feel great coming in to it and I know what I have to do.
More info soon.

Lew

Scottish Championship Dunkeld

2010-07-12T10:06:00.000-07:00

So after being back home for one day I headed to Dunkeld for the Scottish championships. It was a great weekend and I walked away with being the fastest junior by 19 seconds and getting fastest time of the day and Scottish Champ. My race run was pretty good and just kept it clean and safe. Iam super happy with how it went and I look forward to the UK National Champs this weekend at Ae Forest.

Lew

A week in Morzine/France...

2010-07-04T07:51:00.001-07:00

After the IXS european cup in Leogang which I put in a good result at I then went to Morzine in France to ride for the week. I have never been before and I have always wanted to ride here. I have been staying with Tony, Kaos, Tahnee and Joanne Seagrave. Its been great to stay with them and they are such nice people. The riding here has been unreal. I have never had so much fun training and riding before. I have been riding with the crc/Intense boys and I felt as if my speed/confidence has shot up. I done a bit of riding with Kaos and he is a fast 10 year old for sure. I done a bit of riding with Tahnee and she's super fast up their. She has so much style and speed for a 15yr old girl. Its really good to see.

I am heading of to Champery to ride the WC track this week with Chris Ball and the other scottish juniors. It should be good fun and preperation for the wc.

Finally a massive thanks to Tahnee, Kaos, Tony and Joanne for this week, Its been great.

Lew

Leogang IXS thursday...

2010-06-24T06:32:00.000-07:00

Iam sat in Leogang race venue for the 2nd round of IXS European cup this weekend. Its pretty quiet here but the weather has been great the past 2 days and the sun is shining and the track is drying out loads. First day of practice if tomorrow. I look to do much better than I did in the world cup this weekend and try and keep the series lead.

Leogang WC3 finals...

2010-06-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

Sunday was the finals. I went for 2 practice runs and the track was super rough and so boggy. It was one of the hardest courses I have ever rode/raced on. In the final I ended up just getting down the hill safely. But I just struggled and got tired easily. The hardest part for me was to carryspeed through the mud on the flat sections. I ended up in 60th place. Which isnt to great but It still keeps me in the chase for the Junior overall World Cup. Iam sitting in 3rd in juniors just now so Its not out the window yet with plenty of rounds left.

The next wc is in champery and it looks like it has no pedalling at all. Just steep and technical. I really look forward to this track.

Ciao

Lewis

Leogang sunday morning...

2010-06-20T02:56:00.001-07:00

Its sunday morning and I have just finished practice. Its pissing it down and windy. The course has got so rough and the holes are massive. Its super muddy but still grippy in places. I am heading up for my final soon. So more after that.

Lewis

Leogang WC rnd 3 saturday (Qualifiying)

2010-06-19T12:46:00.000-07:00

Today was qaulifiying and it went ok but could have been worse. I felt good in practice and was just wanting to have a smooth quali. I sprinted hard out of the gate and my run started of good. About 15 seconds in I went of a drop and must have hit a small rock. As I kept going I could feel my tyre getting lower and lower. I was praying that I didnt have a puncture. I knew about 30 seconds later that I had a really slow puncture. I just made my way down the rest of the track slowly and tried to keep it all smooth. It was hard on the pedally sections as my tyre was folding on the take offs on the jumps and in the corners it was folding too. I ended up in 71st overall and made the cut for Qaulifiying. So I was happy to Qaulify but wasnt happy with what happended and how I had to ride because of the problem. I look forward to finals so should be sweet.

Laters

Lewis

fort william wc...

2010-06-19T07:50:00.000-07:00

Friday: Friday was first day practice. I was looking forward to riding in front of homecrowd and was exited just to be practicing the course. practice went really well and I felt super fast on the course. It was great to see my dad and mum and brother there too. The weather was also very hot and the course was bone dry and dusty.

Saturday: Qaulifiying day today and it was good weather again. I had done 2 practice runs and then chilled out. I went up for my qualifiying and the crowds where huge. I felt good and was ready. My run overall was pretty descent and just mainly coasting keeping a good rythm throughout the run. I ended up overall 43rd which I was happy about. It was a good confident boost for the finals.

Finals was packed with people all over the race course and at the arena at the bottom. I was nervous but super exited. I knew i had more in me for the finals. I set of for my run and it was going very good. I pedalled hard up top and then kept good speed through the middle corners then hit a big rock with my front wheel and my hand blew of the bars and i went of track. I went about 40 ft down the grass and then crashed. I had to push all the way back up the hill to were i broke the tape. It took me about 20-25 seconds back to the track. I was so tired from pushing up and just tried my hardest at the bottom. I ended up in like 71st or something. I was super gutted but i knew i could have done very well.

Anyway i just gotta look forward to leogang. should be sweet.

Finals IXS European cup Innerleithen sunday...

2010-05-30T10:39:00.000-07:00

Today was race day for the IXS European cup at Innerleithen. Today's weather was not that nice. It was spitting rain and cloudy so wasn't that pleasant. However, the track stayed the same with it being bone dry and only slick and greasy in a few places. After seeding 1st yesterday I was the last rider off so I rode the track when it was probably at it's most beat up. It wasn't too bad but the track had definiteley roughened up from when the first racers went down till I set off. My run was pretty good everywhere and I pushed it as hard as I could. I didn't make any mistakes however I was a bit cautious on one little section on the middle part of the course due to me thinking the roots were slippy. I crossed the line and finished in 2nd place. I was just a second off first place which was taken by Ben Cathro. Matt Simmonds was in 3rd and 4th was Nick Beer. I was really happy with this result. Winterberg las weekend and this weekend were 2 really good results for me! I look forward to Fort William World Cup next weekend and I hope to do well there.

Laters

Lew

Innerleithen IXS European Cup Saturday seeding...

2010-05-29T12:13:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Innerleithen on Wednesday afternoon with the team and chilled out that day. I am staying at home so it was good to be there and see everyone. I walked the track on Thursday evening and it looked super rad. It was all fresh and I hadn't rode it before so I was keen to get in to it. Friday was first day of practice and it was pretty mellow and not much was going on. I did 4 runs and loved the course. I felt it suited me well and I really got in to it. So today was seeding (Saturday) and it was raining a little bit but it didnt change the conditions of the course which was thick dust. I went up for my seeding and I was 55th last off. My run was average. I nailed most of my lines and just cruised and sat down on the pedally sections in the middle and cruised the last sprint section to the finish line. I ended up in the end seeding 1st place in front of Nick Beer from Scott 11 WC team and Ben Reid in 3rd. I was pretty happy with that and didn't really expect my time to be the fastest with the run I had. But I got down smooth which I think was a key factor on this track. This weekend is packed with about 14 of the fastest riders in the world so its going to still be really tough tomorrow for finals. More news later!

Lew

Winterberg IXS dirtmasters cup

2010-05-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

After Maribor wc round 1 me and the team headed to Germany for the IXS dirtmaster in Winterberg. It was a huge festival and there where alot of fast top world cup guys attented. Practice began on friday and I was looking forward to get riding. I done around 4 runs and was super fun and I felt fast on course. Saturday was seeding day and I done a pretty fast run and nailed all of my runs. I got 7th behind some of the fastest riders in the world cup circuit. so I was really happy. Sunday was finals day and I felt really good on the morning of the race in practice and was ready. I hit all my lines in my race run and made one mistake but nothing bad. I ended up in 11th overall in elite only 4 seconds back on Aaron Gwin who was in 1st. Next weekend is the IXS european cup in Innerleithen and I cant wait to get to the hill and smash runs out with my mates and have some fun. Hopefully put in a good top 15 result again.

Maribor world cup...

2010-05-20T06:29:00.000-07:00

I had alot of fun in Maribor world cup round one. It was fun riding with my new team mates and my speed was building up fast and i felt really good. Unfortunatley in my qualifiying run the mud got in to the holes in my disk brakes and no air was flowing through and my brakes just seemed not to work and i was getting no bite out of them at all. I couldnt slow down so I crashed 3 times and they where big crashes to. Overall I lost about 1 min all together. I was gutted but had fun that weekend and learned alot.

Iam racing this weekend at the ixs dirtmasters race in Winterberg and its going to be a huge event. I cant wait to show everyone what i can do and I have alot of anger in me to put in a really good result. So its on. Me, filip, and brook spent a day in Willengen doing some DH and its was pretty sweet but super windy and iam feeling good.

More news really soon.

Maribor WC...

2010-05-13T02:03:00.000-07:00

So its my 2nd day in maribor. The venue looks sweet and the weather is unreal. Its just been pissing rain all the time. Alot of the riders reckon the track will be demolished by the end of tomorrows practice. But i cant wait to get riding in the mud. I think i ride better in it and iam used to it more. So today is just all about getting the bikes ready for tomorrow morning and putting the new graphics on the bikes and walking the course.

Laters
Lew

Maribor WC...

2010-05-09T13:42:00.000-07:00

Iam looking forward to the first WC next weekend in Maribor slovenia. I feel confident to do well and theres no pressure on me at all. I Know what i need to do and get done. Its going to be a big experiance for sure and I am just going to take it as it comes.

Laters dudes

Lew-dawg

1st place in DH race...

2010-05-09T05:21:00.001-07:00

So I was racing in Innbruck yesterday (Saturday) and the track was pretty fun. It was super rough and very fast and had some cool jumps and technical sections in it. I did 4 practice runs and then it was time to race. My run was really good and I kept everything at a consistent speed and didn't stall anywhere. I ended up getting 1st place by around 4.5 secs against some strong fast riders. I feel really good for maribor WC and I think I couldn't have prepared much better for it. I am looking to be top 3 fastest junior, but I feel that I can walk away from the first round being the fastest junior. Guess we just have to see how it goes. I leave on Tuesday with the team so I'll keep you guys updated.

Laters

Lew

Racing today in Austria...

2010-05-08T01:21:00.001-07:00

Today I am racing in Innsbruck. Its not a huge race, just a sort of local race but it will be good training for Maribor and just some fun. The track is pretty rough and slick. It's full of slate and rock and has some pretty cool berms and drops and jumps in it. I had 3 practice runs on it yesterday and I'm just getting the hang of where its going now. Well I better head off. More news later.

Lew

2nd day in Austria/Innsbruck

2010-05-07T03:13:00.001-07:00

Its early morning here in Innsbruck. I think the plan is to go riding in Innsbruck today at around 12:00 this afternoon just to do some runs on the hill. I've seen the new MS- EVIL race kit and it looks amazing. I guess you guys will just have to find out what it looks like at Maribor in pics or vids etc. Ill let you guys know how today's riding was later on.

Ciao

Lew

First day in Austria/ Innsbruck

2010-05-06T14:07:00.000-07:00

So I have now arrived in Innsbruck/Austria. I am staying at my managers house and Its a real cool place. The area is real cool and its interesting for me. Never seen such big mountains before and the tracks here are amazing fun. I have been riding today up in the hills and the tracks are fun. There are many to choose from and they all have varied terrain.

I got a bit loose on a few runs but the plan is just to settle in the first few days and adapt to the place and have some fun and get used to the place. Tomorrow Ill be hitting up Innsbruck tracks again and I am looking forward to it. Brook MacDonald gets here on Sunday so it should be sick riding with him. We leave for Maribor on Tuesday to go and pick up the rest of the team.

Laters

Lew

New Team

2010-05-02T05:16:00.000-07:00

Well, as much as I tried to keep it a secret, it all came out when the UCI published the 2010 trade teams. I've signed with one of my 'Dream' teams - 'MS-Evil'. Downhill Mountain Biking has never felt so good! Stoked/Stoaked or what?. I've been training hard at College and so far have been hitting some great race results, ending up fastest time of the the day overall in the two Alpine Winter Series races held earlier this year.

I'm heading off to Austria next week and can't wait! Going to do some chilled out riding with some of the team personnel (Manager and mechanics) until all the team meet up just before Round 1 in Maribor. The 'Revolt' has been flawless in it's performance and I felt right at home on it from the first day I rode it.