Switchbacks DH Spain News
Rocky Mtn Freeride Pro riding with SBDH
Eamonn Duignan is going to be at our DH location this coming week for some sampling of our tracks and testing kit. If you are about come up and say hi.
Added 28th July 2010
MBUK coverage
Ric from MBUK is coming out to catch up with all things from 'the Shore' when Rocky Mtn team rider Eamonn Duignan arrives for a weeks riding on the 31st of July. Look out for the forthcoming articles in MBUK on SwitchbacksDH and some new secret kit from Rocky Mtn for 2011.
Added 21st July 2010
SwitchbacksDH Sponsors Swedish DH series
More free holidays up for grabs for all those entering this years series. Apparently lotteries are illegal in Sweden so these holidays are for the one who most improves upon their qualifying to race runs. Good luck!
Added 13th May 2010
SwitchbacksDH Sponsors Northern DH Series
SBDH is pleased to anounce that we will be sponsoring the NDHS in 2010. Like the BDS we will be giving away 2 free holidays by lottery so listen out for your race number beeing called out for a FREE week in the sun this winter.
Added 2nd May 2010
SwitchbacksDH Sponsors BDS
SBDH has teamed up with Si and Dave from the Britsh DH Series for 2010. We are giving away 2 x 1 week long holidays each race this year to a tune of 7000Euros! All riders who enter the events will have a chance of winning a week FREE riding with us this coming winter by lottery. So listen out for your race number being called out at the end of each race.
Added 30th April 2010
Josh Bryceland and SwitchbacksDH
For the next 4 weeks Miami Bryce will be here training with us under the sun. Yesterday was our first ride out and get this, on the Rockadillo my heart rate hit 206bpm. We were going kinda fast...
Added 21 January 2010
Live on Twitter
Follow our winter exploits on Twitter. Look out for SwitchbacksDH on Twitter
Added 19th January 2010
Trek/ 23 Degrees pro DHer Dennis Dertell
Swedish national DH champion and Treks latest pro DHer Dennis Dertell, has arrived here for several weeks of training with SwitchbacksDH.
Added 14th January 2010
It's 19C under sunny skies
It's been hard here this past winter. Almost uninterrupted sun but for a bit of rain which has only made the tracks more grippy.
Added 10th January 2010
Happy New Year
Hope that everyone has a great 2010 and hope to see you out here soon.
Added 2nd January 2010
New DH video on Pinkbike
One of our recent customers has put video of their trip with Switch-backsDH.com on Pinkbike. See their Downhill holiday movie
Added 21st December 2009
Congrats to lucky DH holiday winners
Jimmy Bengtsson plus a mate are the lucky draw winners of a weeks DHing gratis with SwitchbacksDH in Spain.
30th Sept 2009
SwitchbacksDH sponsors DH competition
Switchbacks will be in Vallasen Sweden on the 26/ 27th of Sept to give away 2 free DH holidays.
If you see us there come up and say hello
12th Sept 2009
Congratulations Steve Peat
Yes he has finally done it! World Champion at last. 2009, the year of Steve Peat.
Bring on Mt St Anne next year for back to back wins:)
6th Sept 2009
New DH Website
Welcome to the new SBDH site, we hope you like it. If you have got any idea or feedback your comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Hope to see you out here this winter.
Added 25th July 2009
Nice one Steve Peat (well two actually!)
Congratulations to Steve Peat on the birth of his new baby and 2 consecutive victories - the later making history by surpassing Nico for the most World Cup victories. Good luck with the rest of the year Steve.
Added 20th May 2009
Dirt Mag Switch-backs review
If your need is to ride great tracks that are different every hour of every day, on a variety of surfaces and severity, with fast uplift, reasonable weather, food and beer, easy to get to and easy to escape, then this is your place.Dirt Mag issue 87
Read the MTB trip review here (5Mb file)
Added 12th May 2009
SwitchbacksDH in Dirt Mag issue 87
Our DH specific mountain biking holidays feature in the latest issue of Dirt (Issue 87). There's a nice eight page spread all about riding at our DH location near to Malaga. Check it out in the mag. Hopefully we'll have a copy here for you soon too.
Added 6th May 2009
Another PinkBike Review
SBDH Downhill Mountain Biking Holiday Review
Added 15th April 2009
Si Paton with PinkBike Review
Read about Si Paton's visit to Switch-backsDH to try our winter Downhilling location
Added 22nd March 2009
Downhill Mountain bike Helmet Cam footage
Headcam footage of the SRAM Test Track
Added 16th March 2009
Dirt Magazine Article
Look out for Dirt issue 88 due out end of April for their report on riding with SwitchbacksDH in early Feb 2009.
Added 2009
Dirt Short SB-DH.com vid
This is a little taster of the post ride activities...
Added 18th February 2009
Dirt with SB-DH.com
In the run-up to Dirt 88 Steve Jones is this weekend riding with SB-DH.com. Also present is Rowan Sorrell and Steve Wade from Orange testing a new 224 linkage based prototype while Jon Gregory completes the line-up. Thus far things have been rather tranquil however with Wales playing England in the rubgy on Saturday night things might heat up....
In the meantime check out the short Dirt review article on SBDH.com here.
Added 12th Feburary 2009
Moorewood bikes at SB-DH.com
Nathan Rennie, Mitch Delfs and the whole Gravity Group crew are coming for 5 days riding with us on the 24th February. Being joined by technicians from BOS suspension, they will be testing further developments to their DH race rig the Makulu.
Added 11th Feburary 2009
Switch-backs DH Pro in Dirt
Check out the latest copy of Dirt to see Switchbacks DH pro James Mcknight in action on his factory K9. Steve Jones from Dirt will also be coming to SwitchbacksDH on the 12th of January for a long weekend of riding and bike testing so look out for an article on us in the very near future.
Added 10th January 2009
Victor Lucas turns filmmaker
Victor Lucas from Dirt Mag chose SwitchbacksDH to be the location to have his first dabble in making videos, and well, we think the results speak for themselves...
(Winter riding video)
Added 30th December 2008
The Cresta Run Lives!!
Two consecutive hard rain falls left our best trail rutted and badly damaged. But last week armed with shovels and pick-axes we went out and re-claimed it from the elements. After 3 days of back-breaking digging it is as flowing as ever with the few extra burms thrown in for good measure. Check out the shots of James ripping it.
Added 5th December 2008
McKnight signs for Guak.com
Switchbacks DH is pleased to announce the signing of James with high-end Spanish MTB clothier Guak. He will be sporting their DH wear for the 2009 season. For more details about their kit please see www.guak.com
Added 19th November 2008
Bike Radar give us the thumbs up
Doddy from MBUK gives the low down on both SwitchbacksDH and Switch-backs in his Bike Radar Switch-backs DH blog
Added 7th October 2008
More-Dirt.co.uk rides with SB-DH.com
Read about a recent visit from more-dirt.co.uk for a Spain downhill trip
Added 4th October 2008Stock takes 2nd!!!
At the IXS Swiss National DH race held in Verbier this past weekend, SB-DH.com DH pro Jim Stock took 2nd overall gaining valuable World Cup points and putting him 4th overall in the series.
An incredibly wet and slippery course saw Jim slide his way to the podium in his best result yet of the season. Well done mate.
Added 19th Setember 2008
SwitchbacksDH riders Mega Avalanche Results
Bad weather awaited the 1000s that descended upon Alpe D'Huez this past weekend for the absolutely mad MegaAvalanche.
The SwitchbacksDH camp had no less than 7 riders entered. Jim Stock, Mike Skinner (pro Iron Horse guest rider), Paul Aston (pro Solid guest rider) and Tony Onetime ripped in Friday's qualifying placing 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 13th!
While Rob and John Parkin from Orpheus Productions filled the shoes of non-racing McKnight..............
I had a great start and was sitting in about 6th until someone crashed in front of me flipping me over the side of the safety netting and removing my saddle from my bike. Great! that only meant 30 mins more riding time without being able to sit down and rest.
Back on the bike my mech had been bent into the rear wheel which I had to stop and repair. Several mins later I was riding again but skipping gears and a bent rear wheel finally gave out about 1/2km left in the qualifier tearing itself to pieces and with it the rear wheel. It locked, I had to carry the bloody bike the rest of the race and as I crosssd the line I thought that was it - I hadnt qualified.
Pissed off I felt rather sorry for myself the rest of the day until later that evening I got the result and I HAD qualified! Just, on row L, M being the last.
Saturday 6:00, weather - chucking it down with temps of about 5C. For more than 2 hours we waited at the middle chairlift station in the lashing rain and wind waiting to hear if the race was canceled or not. Many people were experiencing some form of hypothermia and aborted while the rest of us fools stuck it out. Then the lift opened and the race was back on.
Unfortunately the famous glacier start would not be due to snow and freezing temps up top so the Mega started on the qualifier before splitting off at lower altitudes back onto the proper Mega track.
So the remaining 350 odd riders lined up with frozen toes and feet for an unforgetable hour of carnage.
Tony and Jim suffered bad starts and lost lots of places while Mike and Paul shot off with the front runners. Paul got hung up at the first glacier while Mike had a great race finishing 13th.
Paul came in at 33rd just in front of Brendan Fairclough while Jim was 35th. Onetime finished 98th and I a sheit 217th after my pedal kept on coming undone and getting lost in the undergrowth.
Saturday night was er I think, a brilliant one seeing as the only evidence that I have of it in my memory is the 13 hour hangover the next day....
All in all an amazing weekend and definately something to be experience. I had to rush out between customers so was there from Wed to Sat. In reality this is not enough time. A full week is required if you want to practise the full Mega and qualifying courses.
The qualifier is actually the more important race, you do well in this then you are set for the Mega which means you get a chance of a cleaner start and better result. All I can say is when registration opens in Jan 09 - get in there for a week you will not forget.
Mega Avalanche 2008 results page
Added 15th July 2008
SBDH at the Mega-Avalanche, Alpe d'Huez
Come see the SBsDH girls, Isabel and Marilyn at the Mega...
Mike and some of the regular Switch-backs and Switch-backsDH guides will be there riding too but who's interested in that?!
Make sure you pop by and see us at the Mega Avalanche.
Click the link for more details on the Mega Avalanche.
Added 9th July 2008
Switchbacks DH regulars take World Championship titles
Congratulations to Josh Bryceland who was out with us in March 2008, for taking the Junior DH title in Italy and to Gee Atherton with the win in the Seniors.
Gee has proved to be SwitchbacksDHs most insane customer ever by first doing a road gap with a 10metre vertical drop on his hartail and pisspot. Then after finding this too easy, he decided to put in a back-flip on the same said gap. The first resulted in a 30 foot to faceplant stoppy and the second I had to take him to the emergency ward after the same result!?.
His victory is marred only by the fact that he beat another SwitchbacksDH regular Steve Peat (here in March '07 and again in March '08). We were so gunning for you man!Added 28th June 2008
Stock 17th in Czech Republic
A very long and physically demanding track at Spindleruv saw Jim finish 17th this past weekend.
Added 15th June 2008
Stock 20th at Wireiehorn
SwitchbackDH pro Jim Stock finshed 20th at the Swiss DH National Cup inWireihorn. After a 1500km long rode trip and €500 over 3 days from Southern Spain direct to the race - with Jim doing all the driving, he is seeing a strong start to the year, this adding to his 16th place in Portugal earlier in May. Well done mate.
Added 2nd June 2008
McKnight signs for Howies
Yes the tree-hugging James got one step closer to full-on vegetarian mecca by signing a clothing deal with UK based independent and forward looking Howies.
Added 29th May 2008
Get well soon!
McKnight had a nasty accident mangalating his right hand. Whilst on the Uber Daddy he went over the bars and punched a rock forcing the 5th metacarple through the palm of his hand. 3 hours of surgery and several weeks later....
Added 5th May 2008
SwitchbacksDH signs rapidisimo Jim Stock for 2008
Jim will be sporting SwitchbacksDH kit along with fellow teammate James McKnight. Check them out this summer in Let Gets where they will be riding the French and Swiss DH Cup series.
Added 22nd April 2008
SwitchbacksDH and the 2008 MegaAvalanche.
Come by and say hello to us all this coming July 10 - 13th. Mike, James and Jim will be there racing.
Added 12th March 2008
MBUK Holiday review and SBDH trip article
Check out the new March 2008 MBUK for an article about holidays with Switchbacks and SwitchbacksDH. Find out why the MBUK guys like to ride with us and return again and again....February 2008 MBUK SwitchbacksDH review and trip report
Added 20th February 2008
Current Weather Conditions
It's 18C here, the trails are bone dry and the beers are cold. What are you waiting for?
Added 30th January 2008
DH Timing System
SwitchbacksDH recently purchased some Freelap timing systems for our Malaga location to allow riders to not only ride great trails but also to see how they are progressing.
Those coming out for pre-season training can now put down some timed runs.
Added 26th January 2008
James McKnight signs for another year racing for SwitchbacksDH.
Follow his trail of stunning victories and broken hearts/bones here or under the pseudonym Europikey on myspace.com
Added 24th January 2008
SwitchbacksDH sponsor the Swedish 2008 4x and DH Cup
SwitchbacksDH is a proud sponsor of the Swedish 2008 4x and DH Cup series. For our Swedish speaking visitors we have the press release :(2008 Swedish 4X and DH Cup Series details). Those non-Swedish speakers can admire the pictures of last year's action.
Added 21th January 2008
2008 DH holiday season is underway
SwitchbacksDH are already open for business and have many DH oriented guests arriving each week in 2008.
A growing number of guests are opting for the freedom of riding our dry Spanish trails. Enticed by van and lift assist riding, you spend your day descending and pushing your riding skills to the limit...
Added 7th January 2008
Team MBUK/Santa Cruz visit SwitchbacksDH
The MBUK and Santa Cruz teams visited Spain and stayed with SwitchbacksDH.
Read about the MBUK/Santa Cruz filming and photo sessions with SwitchbacksDH.
Will Longden, Marc Beaumont and Neil 'The Don' Donoghue, Gee Atherton, Steve Peat and Chris Smith all came over to ride our trails and feature in photoshoots for upcoming magazines.
Added 14th May 2007
