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March
20, 2009
The
New Pedaleda is a Stage Race
In
2009 the Pedaleda race is scheduled in the second half
of August. The many affectionate bikers will be challenged
with a new stage race, ending up on Sunday the 23rd of
August, with the traditional Pedaleda. Livigno
(Italy) 20th March 2009 – La Pedaleda is a main
MTB event of the Italian national race calendar. Its
16th edition will launch a new 4 stages race: it means
that instead of only one day, bikers will have the chance
to participate to four days of pure mountain bike challenges,
scheduled from Thursday 20th to Sunday 23rd August.
Read
the Rest... |
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Botswana
Bike Safari with adiridas team
February
16th 2009 - Mashatu Reserve, Botswana
By Hans Rey
While
sitting in a luxury game lodge enjoying a big breakfast,
watching a warthog drinking from the nearby waterhole,
I’m reflecting on the last two weeks in Africa,
which were extremely exciting, productive and adventurous
but not exactly as luxurious as the lodge I spent the
last night in.
Although
my thoughts were already focusing on the long journey
back to Europe, and I figured the trip was basically
over, little did I know that I would soon be confronted
with a real wild lion, which we had hoped to see all
week long. Luckily for me, the lion had just eaten a
young zebra for breakfast, therefore wasn’t hungry
and could not even be bothered to stand up when I faced
her from less than 10 feet...
Read
the Rest... |
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February
19, 2009
Tanzania
Trip #3
This is one of the bikes we
bought from World Vision, our friends from World
Bicycle Relief are selling these bikes in Tanzania.
They are stronger than the standard bikes.
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I
just returned from Africa, we concluded the filming
for our Wheels 4 Villages Film project. We have now
been there three times over the past year to document
the impact bikes have on this area around Ugweno in
the Northern Pare Mountains.
The
film will be released in the summer 2009.
On this trip, Aaron Lutze came along as the cameraman
who will also edit the film, together with Carmen and
myself.
We
distributed another 52 bicycles, which gives us now
a total of 135 bikes that have been distributed in this
area by Wheels 4 Life.
Read
the Rest...
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Riding
Camp in Umbria/Italy includes one on one training with
Hans
This could be YOU: 1 on 1
training with Hans in Italy this summer.
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Only
12 spots available
Dates:
June 27th - July 4th 2009
Bookings and info: info@alpstours.eu
Price Euro 935.- incl. in price: 7
nights halfboard, div. tours and clinics Hans will join
the group for two guided half day tours with training
and riding tips along the way. Also included are additional
guided tours. And a 2 hour one on one session with Hans,
where he can work on anything with you, you want to
or need to learn. This is a perfect opportunity for
any biker to take their riding to the next level. Hans
will also work with you on the mental aspect and teach
you skill you didn't think were in you.
Place: Villa Rey Bike Hotel, Lake Trasimeno,
Umbria, Italy
Betreff: Pressemeldung: Fahrtechnik mit Hans No Way
Rey
Personal
Training mit Hans No Way Rey garantiert ihren Lernerfolg
für ihr persönliches Technik Problem. Jeder
Biker hat individuelle Stärken und Schwächen,
die von seinem objektiven Können und seinen mentalen
Grenzen abhängen. Ob ein Teilnehmer Level 2,3,4
oder Level 5 fährt - Hans, der erfahrene Coach,
erkennt die Schwächen und kann selbst eingefahrene
Fehler wieder ausmerzen. Dabei geht es sowohl um körperliches
als auch mentales Training.
*Tour
- Information*
Das
Revier: Flow Country Lago Trasimeno- Italien
Bike-Programm: -2 Stunden privates Fahrtechnik
Training in 2-er Teams mit Hans Rey
- 2 HalbtagesTouren mit Fahrtechnik
Training mit Hans Rey
- 1 Ganztagestour mit Guide
- 1 Halbtagestour mit Guide
-
1 Abendseminar zum mentalen Training
Leistungen:
Biketouren und Seminare, 7Ü/HP im Bikehotel Villa
Rey.
Termine:
27.06.-04.07.09
Teilnehmer:
6-12 Personen
Preis:
935 Euro
*Veranstalter*
ALPStours
Tel:
(0049) 0700 257 786 877 und (0041) 062 7750073
@:
info@alpstours.eu
www.alpstours.eu
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Oct.
25th Wheels 4 Life Fundraiser and GT Day at Tretlager
Bike Shop in Winterthur, Switzerland
Dear
all,
Please
find attached some flyers for a event in Switzerland
October 25th 2008, in cooperation with a big bike shop
in Winterthur, GT Switzerland, Hans Rey and Wheels 4
Life.
It
started out as a fundraiser from the bike shop to open
a partner bike shop for Wheels 4 Life in Tanzania.
I
volunteered my time with a personal appearance and a
slideshow presentation about my 20 years with GT and
about our Wheels 4 Villages project in Tanzania.
GT
Switzerland joined forces in promoting the event. Top
riders like Roger Rinderknecht will be there. There
are several serious GT bike collectors in Switzerland
and Germany. Some of them will bring some of their rare
collector GT models for a special GT exhibition.
Please
help us spread the word in Switzerland and Germany (Winterthur
is about 30 minutes east of Zürich).
The
goal is to raise money and tools and parts to buy a
old container, that will serve as the actual shop and
some inventory to help them get it started. Everything
will be filmed for our Wheels 4 Villages Film Project,
which is supported by Adidas, GT Bicycles, Ergon, Fox
Shox, Trent College in the UK, Alps Tours and Met Helmets
regards
Hans
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September
29, 2008
Here
are some expressions from the past few month on the
road in Europe and Africa!
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| This
was the Baita (mountain hut) I stayed in Livigno
(Italian Alps) for a few nights. It was fully equipped
with food, firewood, blankets and even beer, open
to anybody - first come first serve. |
Inside
the mountain hut |
With
a beautiful view over Livigno |
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 |
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| This
old man lives along the Tornantissima Trail near
Grossetto in the Alta Rezia region in Italy. The
trail is a blast and has 82 switchbaks, the old
man shares some red wine from his clay bowl |
Tracciolino
Trail is carved along the hillside above Lake Como
for length of 11km, very impressive and beautiful |
Tracciolino,
Lake Como |
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 |
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| I
went back to Tanzania to film with Phil Sundbaum
for his "Summer of Shred" movie and for
my Wheels 4 Life charity |
Happy
kids in Toloha, Pare Mountains, Tanzania |
From
right to left: Phil Sundbaum, Caleb Smith, Aaron
Lutze and Joseph tuning one of the bikes we gave
away |
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| We
weren't alone there |
Back
in Livigno with my old friend and bike park design/builder
guru Diddie Schneider on the site of the first official
Flow Country Trail |
Sample
of the first snow in Livigno with locals Fabio and
Adam |
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| It
is always fun to explore new trails and remote valleys
with killer views...... |
Hanging out with friends in Switzerland, guess which
one is my dad? |
Alex
Hoffman and I resting our injured legs after a 30
mile ride at the Frischi Challenge near St. Moritz,
Switzerland |
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| Las
Vegas during Interbike, dinner with (from left to
right) Paula and Brian Lopes, Laguna friends Garrett
and Sten, myself, Willow and Richie. |
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A few weeks ago I went back to Tanzania to do a follow-up
trip on the Wheels 4 Life Film project and to shoot
a segment for Phil Sundbaum’s ‘Summer of
Shred’ film. Along with us came producer and cameraman
Aaron Lutze and New Zealand photographer Caleb Smith.
We did a great adventure through the Northern Pare Mountains,
we distributed more bikes to people in need and filmed
some valuable footage for our film projects. Thank you
to Aaron Lutze and Phil Sundbaum to let us use the footage
for free for our film, which is due sometimes next year.
Thanks also for their fundraising efforts with their
‘Flips 4 Life’ promotion and to Caleb Smith
for letting us use his great photos. Aaron’s and
Phil’s movie ‘Summer of Shred’ is
already available now (www.summerofshred.com).
For me it was great to be back in action after my injury
and to ride the all new GT carbon
Read
the Rest... |
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May
23, 2008
I'm
happy to announce my partnership with the Livigno bike
resort for 2008
Welcome
to Livigno |
Endless
'FlowCountry" singletrails all around Livigno |
Livigno
(Italy) is situated in the heart of the Alps on the
Swiss/Italian boarder.
Its been one of my favorite bike destinations in Europe
for many years and counts as one of the top biking destinations
in the world.
Hundreds
of miles of perfect singletrails and endless tour options,
along with the Mottolino Bike Park and the Carosello
3000 trail network, make it one of the most diverse
destination for any biker.
Great
views and trails from the top of Livigno's Carosello
3000 mountains |
Livigno
hosted the 2005 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World
Championships and organizes every year the 'Free Wheel
Festival" (June 24. - 29.2008) and the legendary
Pedaleda Bike Marathon (June 29. 2008).
Livigno has over 15 bike hotels, which specifically
cater to the needs of cyclists, it has great tax free
shopping and offers great food, nightlife and it is
surrounded by the most beautiful mountains.
Mottolino
Bike Park offers many Freeride and DH trails |
Visit
the Resort's Website
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April
18, 2008
Check
out Hans' equipment and products and enjoy the video
Some of you
might find this trailer interesting. Its a prototype
website of an Orange County based company.
Everything
in this clip, including all my gear, can be clicked
on, the consumer will get immediate product info and
prices (don't worry if some of the prices are off).
Ultimately people will be able to get linked to web
sites where they can buy these products.
The content
of the website is supposed to be not just sales driven,
but news and other information will generate traffic.
Take a look,
many of your products are featured from bikes, parts
and Clif Bars to vacation-packages in the Alta Rezia
Region.......
Use your mouse to click on the screen. For example if
you move the mouse to my glasses the info will pop up,
same for the backpack, tires, etc.....
http://www.mobilemedianow.com/hcv/hcv_solo/hans_rey/
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March
9, 2008
Broken
Leg
 I'm
sorry to inform you all, that I had a bad crash on my
downhill bike at the end of February and that I have
severely broken my left foot. Unfortunately this injury
will keep me off my bike for the next few months.
My accident happened in my hometown of Laguna Beach.
I had just returned home from Europe the night before
and I was doing some downhill training runs for the
legendary RADS Telonix Leaping Lizard downhill race.
I
was just warming up (not going at full speed - at least
I thought i wasn't), but my flu congestion and head-cold,
combined with my jet-lag, and the Malaria Medicine (I
had taken 2 hours before) caused to imbalance my equilibrium
and sense of speed.
Luckily for me many friends, one of whom is a doctor,
were on site to rescue me. They actually carried me
up the hill and then drove me to the hospital ER.
Unfortunately the x-rays revealed a comminuted (many
pieces) fracture of the tibia at the ankle joint line.
I had the first surgery last Thursday, they put an external
fixator, which is like an erector set scaffold (see
pic). This will hold the pieces together until the swelling
goes down. After about a week I'll go back in for more
surgery to insert plates and screws. I will be flat
on my back with my foot elevated for a solid 4 weeks
with these 2 surgeries. Once the skin is healed and
sutures are out I'll be able to get around on crutches.
It will be a few month until I can ride again, hopefully
by summer.
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  February
5, 2008
In
The Shadow of Kilimanjaro
a “heart-core” adventure ride and Wheels
4 Villages Film Project
Last
spring I decided to combine one of my ‘Hans Rey
Adventure Team’ trips with a project for my charity
‘Wheels
4 Life’.
Finally I had found, what seemed to be, the perfect
place to start our “Wheels 4 Villages –
Film Project” – to document on film over
two years the impact bicycles will have on communities
and the lives of individuals of the Ugweno Valley in
Tanzania; right in the shadow of Africa’s highest
mountain, Kilimanjaro (5896m/19,344ft.).
Read
the Rest...
Click
here to watch a slideshow/clip from the Wheels 4 Villages
Project in Tanzania |
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Laguna
Beach, Jan '08
The new year
has started and my schedule is filling up rapidly.
 I'm
glad to announce that I have signed for 2 more years
with GT Bicycles and Fox Racing Shox, I will also continue
my longtime sponsorships with Adidas for Shoes, Apparel
and Eyewear, with the clutch maker LUK Automotive Systems,
and with the Alta Rezia Bike Region in the heart of
the Alps (Italy/ Switzerland). Ultimate traction is
provided by Kenda tires and tubes, energy by yummy yummy
in the tummy Clif Bar, Sambazon acai smoothies and Guayaki
Yerba Mate, comfortably seated by SQ Lab saddles, super
engineered cockpit by Syntace for stems and bars, powered
and slowed down by Shimano cranks, gears brakes and
levers.
I'm very
happy to introduce some new sponsors and partners I'll
be working with in the future:
 Met
Helmets, the Italian based company has some beautiful
looking product and is one of the top players in the
helmet market.-
Ergon Bike Ergonomics, the German company will sponsor
me with their innovative grips and backpacks featuring
a revolutionary carrying system creating a completely
new comfort experience.
-
Crank Brothers will expand their sponsorship with
me from pedals to also include their slick new wheels
sets, adjustable seatposts as well as their super-light
weight headsets. Compliments to their new line of
products and their cool approach.
The highlight
will be the following adventures / shoots.
 Tanzania
"Wheels 4 Villages - Film Project" and circumnavigation
of Mount Kilimanjaro adventure.-
Philippines first descent of Mount Mayon Vulcano (very
active)
-
Alta Rezia Trail Exploration Tour
-
Mount Ararat, Turkey - in search of Noah's Ark
Photos copyright
by Carmen Freeman (Carmenmfreeman@aol.com) |
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November
2007
Check
out Hans' next project "Wheels 4 Villages - Film
Project" starting in Jan.'08
[Download
.PDF]
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November
2007
Hans
Interview in Singletrack Magazine
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Oct
1, 2007
New
Hans Rey limited edition Zaskar Trials frame
Check
out the new 2008 Zaskar Trials frame Hans Rey signature
edition This frame will be available in many countries
where GT has a distributors. The frame has a trials
specific geometry but is also suitable for urban riding
or 4X.
Its compatible
for disc or cantiliver brakes, ridget or suspension
forks and front derailleur option.
Available winter '07/'08
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Living
the Dream in Livigno (part 2)
Livigno/ Alta Rezia/ Italy August 19th 2007
Photos by:
Carmen Freeman, Chris Winter and Alberto Azzoni
Hans on ride with the guys from Big Mountain bike
adventures |
"Look over there, more trails" |
I'm
getting used to the life in the mountains. I've been
having a great time in the Alta Rezia region, with my
base in a remote and simple mountain hut above Livigno.
My car can only get within one kilometer from the hut,
the rest of the way I have to walk or ride my bike.
Its been good to hang with the locals and to discover
new trails and valley's. Done tons of good rides, from
riding the Mottolino Bike Park, to singletrack rides
from Bormio to Santa Caterina (6000ft. downhilling),
shuttles in the Red Train from Poschiavo up to the Bernina
Pass in Switzerland, or from the Carosello 3000 mountain
down the beautiful Val Federia in Livigno. This place
is amazing, there are constantly new (old) trails discovered
or simply new trails build, especially for mountain
bikers. The old trails are often, long forgotten military
Hans and Carmen taken some freeriders out for a
day at the bike park. |
trails
from the World Wars,
Hans
sampling the wall ride at the Mottolino bike park
in Livigno. |
the
new ones are part of the plan, to turn this region into
one of the worlds best riding destinations, with not only
converted hiking trails, but special designed trails for
mountain bikers, with plenty of flow and adventure.
Every style of mountain biker can find
unique riding, and lift access makes it very inviting
for freeriders to every once in a while take the easy
way to the top.
Ferragosto is the National Holiday on Aug. 15th, and
the reason why the whole of Italy, practically shuts
down for the month of August and goes on vacation.
Look
how stoked I am, could it be the trail I'm on or
something else.........? |
Warming up for a trials show, at Ferro Agosto celebrations
in Livigno. |
I
was asked to do a trials show at the local festivities
in Livigno.
They set up a great obstacle course
for me. In the last week, it wasn't quite as lonely
on my hut, since my girlfriend Carmen, joined me for
some days.
Its amazing how many pro athletes, especially cyclists
train in the Livigno and St. Moritz area, due to the
high altitude. Its very normal to see European Pro Cycling
Teams on the roads or top mountain bikers like Ralph
Naef or Thomas Frischknecht on the trails in the mountains.
Huts and shelters like this can be found on remote
mountain tops at 10'000 feet. Nobody lives there,
but a hot soup was on the woodburning stove and
a bottle of wine was there as well. Donations are
not manitory but recommended. Gotta come back and
spend the night here sometimes: Monte delle Rezze,
Livigno. |
It was
a really need experience to live in the mountains - I
think I could get used to it - especially the million
dollars view.
Hangin
out at my temporary home in the mountains. |
I'm
off to ride the Haute Route, this week, before I'll
head to Eurobike and then back to Livigno for the Free
Wheel Festival, from September 6. - 9.
Living
the Dream in Livigno (part 1)
Livigno/ Alta Rezia/ Italy August 7th 2007
Photos by:
Carmen Freeman, Chris Winter and Alberto Azzoni
The view from my mountain
hut and my bedroom above Livigno |
This is my home at the moment, will move to another, completely remote hut in
the valley to left in the background, next week. |
It always has been one
of my dreams to spend some quality time in a remote mountain hut (Alp Hütte,
Baita); my dream has come through, my friends from Livigno and the Alta Rezia
region (www.altarezia.eu) have organized a hut for me to stay in, all by myself,
without hot water, phone or internet.
Its right above the town
of Livigno, which in my top 5 destinations of all time, with the most incredible
views of the village and the Mottolino Bike Park across the valley. I can even
see some of the jump from my bed.
This
is my hut, the dirt road is part of Livigno's Panoramica Trail, a 20 mile singletrail
that winds along the hillsides above town. |
Yesterday,
I hiked up a super steep mountain (without my bike) near Livigno, so see if it
was ridable. I have been eyeing this gorge for a few years, but the chute turned
out to be too steep and loose. Don't have a deathwish, nonetheless, it was a good
workout. |
Livigno has one of the better
bike parks in Europe and has an outstanding singletrail network.
Next week they will move
me to a more remote valley at 7000ft. with no other buildings nearby or in sight
and where I'll only have access with my bikes or trials moto.
While here I'll be doing
several photo/video shoots and other PR related stuff, and sample a lot of the
other awesome trails in the Alta Rezia region.
Its
always steeper than it looks on photos!
|
Today I went riding in Bormio, another town in the Alta Rezia region in the Italian
Alps. We went up to the Bormio 3000 mountain (10'000 ft), per gondola and then
started a endless downhill on a very technical trail. On the lower part of the
mountain we found a new awesome singletrail that leads all the way to Santa Caterina,
where more shuttled trail options awaits a rider. Got some rain today and grinded
my brake pads to the metal. My new GT Force bike, was the perfect ride. |
Ciao,
Hans Rey
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June 27, 2007
Adidas
Eyewear / Hans Rey Team at Mountain Mayhem 24h race
in England
Photos
by Carmen Freeman
 
Last weekend I entered with a 4 men team the Mountain Mayhem 24h race at Malverns
in the UK. Its one of Britains biggest cycling event with over 2500 participants.
On my team was my longtime
friend Jay Hardy aka Top Gun, as well as Jim and Craig, who won the spots on my
team courtesy of Adidas Eyewear UK.
  We
had the perfect crew and set up, including our own wrench, Mike, a big tent, BBQ,
fold-out- beds, private shitters, and our own fan club - the Evil Eye Posse -
who, along with Carmen and Haz, cheered us on all night long.
It was all good and fun
until it started to rain halfway through the race at 2am, from then on it turned
into a miserable mud fest. Lap times almost doubled and the wheels were hardly
turning anymore, to the point where I had to push and carry my bike even on some
downhill sections. We managed about 18 laps, (some solo guys did more than that!!!),
I have no idea how we ended up, but we sure had tons of fun.
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Ride
4 Life Freeride Camp @ 24h race in Finale Ligure, Italy
Friday May
4, 2007
Wheels 4 Life is an
official partner of the 24h Mountain Bike Race in Finale Ligure, Italy from May
18. - 20. 2007
In the days prior to
the festival, Hans Rey will host the "Ride 4 Life" - Freeride Camp in
Calizzano (http://www.legiaire.it); which will benefit W4L.
For more info
check out: www.24hfinale.com
* Home
* About Us
* The Bikes
* People in Need
* Events/Promotions
* Help Now
* Our Supporters
http://wheels4life.org/media/uploads/logo-festival-2007.jpg
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October
20, 2006
Hans'
& Peaty's Irish Pub Crawl
Dublin,
Ireland
Audio Slideshow
  "That's
it, I had enough, I can't stand anymore pubs for at
least a month or lets say a week", after spending
the last 6 days in an RV camper together with the
current Downhill World Cup Champion Steve Peat and
Irish photographer Victor Lucas.
Our
mission was to hit some of Irelands best biking spots,
while visiting as many pubs as possible along the
way. The camper was packed with several bikes from
each of us. I brought my GT i-drive 7 and GT i-drive
5 bikes as well as my Trials bike, Peaty brought his
V10 DH bike and his Santa Cruz Nomad freerider.
  Our
first stop was the Guinness Brewery and a little urban
asult through the streets of Dublin, before we hit
the road to head west towards Croagh Patrick, a famous
pilgrimage mountain on the west coast of Ireland.
Once we finally arrived on the other side of the country
on the narrow winding roads, we had managed to stop
at 7 pubs, including Sean's Pub, the oldest one in
Ireland dating from the 1600's.
  At
this point I have to confirm the rumors that the creamy
dark Guinness beer does indeed taste better in Ireland.
We got
a slow start the next morning, not so much due to
hangovers, than the misty and moist weather. Even
though we had to first carry and push our bikes for
2 hours uphill, we decided to bring the heavy artillery
- the big bikes. Saint Patrick's mountain proofed
to be quite a challenge, the weather was foggy and
rainy, often we had a visibility of less than 20feet,
until we eventually reached the small church on top
of the mountain. It was windy and cold, tradition
has it that pilgrims have to run 15 times around the
church to get rid of their sins, we didn't even bother
to ride the 15 laps.
  The
downhill was superb - big loose stones and steep slopes.
Shortly after we left the summit the sun started to
peak through the clouds and opened up a breathtaking
view below us. The lush landscape and coastline was
eye-candy, just as it was to watch Peaty skip over
the loose rocks at high speed. It was a fun ride down,
the trail offered many different lines, which kept
it really fun and interesting. Campell's Pub was a
good call and the beer tasted even better after we
had to earn it hard. Peaty wasn't in the mood to skip
many pubs, his mission was to hit at least 30 different
pubs during our 6 day trip, and half pints weren't
an option either. That night we parked the RV at a
local mountain bikers house and took it easy.
  Our
next stop was the Burren, a vast rocky landscape,
with little vegetation and miles of cracked rock slaps,
which were actually quite fun and challenging to ride.
We rode parts of the Burren Way, an old historic route
and popular hiking trail. Medieval castles and 5000
year old dolmen and stone circles marked the way,
the weather wasn't great, but at least it didn't rain;
yet. It was good to get out of the RV and spin our
legs through this remote countryside. In the late
afternoon we arrived at the Cliffs of Moher, which
were for me the main reason why I wanted to come to
Ireland. The 600 feet tall cliffs are entirely vertical
and the edge is very abrupt. My dream was to ride
along the small narrow ledge that was between 6 feet
to 6 inches wide and looked like a long curvy balcony
without a handrail.
  Upon
arrival at the Cliffs we had to postpone those plans
rapidly. The weather was getting worse and herds of
tourists were all over the place, plus the security
guy wouldn't let anybody near the edge of the cliffs.
We
changed our plans and did a pub crawl instead, hoping
for better conditions and luck in the early morning,
before anybody else would get there. It turned out
to be my favorite pub experience of the trip. In the
small seaside village of Liscannor we found 4 pubs
next door to each other. Five Pints of Guinness later
and after a great seafood dinner and some fresh oysters
it was   time
to hit the second pub, after a quick drink to quench
our thirst, we moved one door over to Egans Pub, where
locals were playing Irish folk music and the old fireplace
was keeping us warm. We were told earlier, that with
a bit of luck, "T. O'Brien" pub would open
at around 11pm, sure enough the doors were open and
3 characters, straight out of the 50ties, were sipping
on some drinks. It was like being set back in time,
this place has been around for a long time, but it
must have been at least 50 years, since any of the
interior, including the suit and tie of the bartender
have changed.
  Locals
warned us of the upward drafts, that blow people off
the cliffs - and sure enough the wind was picking
up over night. We got an early start, and even the
extra strong italian coffee I brewed couldn't clear
our heads. Even though the conditions and weather
were less than good, this was our one and only chance
to ride the cliffs, so we did. It was a rad feeling
to ride along the exposed edges and jump over some
of the gaps. As time went on we started to feel more
and more comfortable and daring. Shortly after we
got done it started pouring rain, nonetheless we continued
the trail on top of the cliffs, which was one of the
more spectacular trails I have ridden. We followed
it all the way to Hag's Head. From there we drove
to RV to County Kerry in the South of Ireland.
  Our
next stop was the beautiful town of Killarney and
Ross Castle. The following day we did a killer XC
ride on the Old Kenmare Road, another classic hiking
trek. We were joined and guided by Rory, a local mountain
biker. Once again, the riding was better then I expected,
the trail was about 20 miles long and had all sorts
of elements we had to tackle, some good uphill sections,
water-crossings and muddy sections as well as very
slippery rocky sections which required trials skills.
Peaty and I challenged each other for little "ride-off's",
to see who could make it further. Some sections we
tried over and over again, until one or both of us
would make it. It was interesting to compare our different
styles, Peaty convinced me that speed can be a good
friend, even when its super rough and technical, as
  long
one has the skills and cajones. The landscape kept
changing, sometimes it looked like the Scottish Highlands,
then it was moss covered forests or northshore style
trails which led us on railroad beams across the swampy
areas. We arrived completely soaked at the RV. The
rest of the time we spent pursuing Peaty's 30 Pub
goal, with stops in Kenmare, Cork and last but not
least Dublin, where we were joined by a bunch of the
local riders and I gave a little trials demo in one
of the pubs.
31
pubs, excellent trails and good memories. We boarded
the ferry to the UK the next morning.
Hans
Rey
All
photos copyright by Victor Lucas: victor@freezefocus.com
|
|
 New
DVD
Hans Rey’s Classic Videos Collection (1992 -
1997)
All
of Hans Rey’s original extreme biking and trials
videos are now available on one special collectors
edition DVD.
The
DVD includes:
-
Hans No Way Rey
-
Level Vibes
-
Monkey See - Monkey Do
-
Big Five
plus a recent interview with Hans about
the making of the videos
Plays
all regions
Approx. Length: 2 hours
Price:
US $20 - plus shipping and handling |
|
|
Sept.
'06
New
Hans / Wheels 4 Life products
Several
new products, either designed by Hans or benefiting
his charity "Wheels
4 Life" are hitting the market soon.
 Check
out the sneak preview of Hans' new Kenda tire "Telonix".
This tire will be available in the following sizes
2.2, 2.4 and 2.6. It will be launched at Interbike
tradeshow in Las Vegas. It will be a multi purpose
all-round tire.
- SQ
Lab launches special edition "Wheels
4 Life" seat.
Each seat will raise Euro 5.- for Wheels 4 Life
More info at: http://www.dersattel.de
- Crank
Brothers just launched a special edition 50/50
Wheels 4 Life pedal, in the popular rasta colors
red/gold/green. Crank
Brothers will donate $ 10.- for each pair sold.
This is a limited edition of 1000 pairs.
|
|
June
26, 2006
New!!!!!!
Hans' Classic Videos are now available on one DVD
The
original extreme biking and trials videos from freeriding
pioneer Hans "No Way" Rey, are now available
on a special collectors DVD. Including "Hans
'No Way' Rey" , "Level Vibes", "Monkey
See Monkey Do" and "Big Five"; plus
a recent interview with Hans about the making of the
videos. These videos are legendary; they inspired
and paved the road for many of todays freeriders.
Total length approx. 2 hours, plays all regions.
Price: US $20 - plus shipping and handling |
|
|
Ormoc
City, Philippines - April 3rd 2006
Hans Rey Philippines Road Trip   As
I write this I'm sitting in the beautiful garden of
the former Governor of the Leyte Province. The Larrazabal
Family is the organizer of the 5. Terry Larrazabal
Bike Festival, one of the biggest cycling events in
Southern Asia. I was invited to the festival as special
guest, ambassador and trials showman. I decided to
ride my bike prior to the festival to some of the
incredible natural sites in the Philippines, little
did I realize what the Philippines had to offer in
terms of mountains, volcanos and over 7100 islands.
  This
wasn't a typical "Hans Rey Adventure Team"
trip, it was more like a road-trip, consisting of
several mini-adventures. For the majority of the trip
I was joined by Italian photographer, Marco Toniolo,
and a local videographer. Goyo, the organizer of the
festival and my host, prepared a great plan of action,
that left little room to breath but plenty of room
for incredible memories.
March
22.-24.: After a 16 hour flight from Los Angeles to
Manila, I arrived at 5:30 am. A couple hours later
Marco arrived from Germany and immediately we went
to a press conference at the National Tourism Office.
With an hour and half  delay,
which is considered on time in the Philippines, we
started our well attended press conference. In the
afternoon we got ready for our trip up north to the
Mountain Province and the world famous Banaue Rice
Terraces,  considered
the 8th World Wonder and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
But first we had another live TV appearance before
we started our 12 hour all-night drive. Talking about
jet lag, we didn't have a chance to even think about
it. Thirty minutes outside of Manila the nicely paved
express way ended already, and the rest of the trip
was an windy and dangerous mountain roads. In the
middle of the night I was woken up, as our car all
of sudden did a u-turn and drove back. One of our
support vehicles had come of the road and flipped
into a riverbed 25 feet below! The car and the two
bikes on top (luckily not mine) were totaled, miraculously
the two passengers were unhurt.   I
brought two bikes with me, just to be ready for any
situation, a GT i-drive 5 all-round bike and my new
GT - Hans Rey signature trials bike (frame).
With
a reduced crew we continued our trip, in the morning
we arrived near Banaue from where we started immediately
our first bike tour to the remote village of Batad,
where, for the past 2000 years, locals had carved
beautiful rice terraces into the surrounding hillsides.
It looked a lot like the terraced Inca hills near
Machu Picchu, Peru. First we had to climb a long dusty
Jeepney road in the brutal mid-day heat. But then
we descended on a beautiful footpath into the small
village of Batad, where people live in primitive huts,
most them without electricity, running water, etc...
Needless to say, we went to bed shortly after dark
around 7:30pm in a simple backpackers hostel.
  March
25.: With the crack of dawn and the call of the roosters
we awoke in the midst of the 'rice terrace amphitheater'.
My first goal was to ride to the beautiful waterfall
on the bottom of the valley, about 100 levels of terraces
below. It proofed to be very tricky to ride along
or down the terraces, many sections, very steeper
than I could ride without a death-wish. The narrow
dirt path' along the edges were uneven, nerve-wrecking,
and ready to grumble under my tires. The waterfall
was a long way from the top of the mountain range
we had to still climb, before we could make our way
to the next stop. Sagada, known as one of the adventure
capitals of the Philippines but too far off the beaten
track for most people to ever make it there. The weather
was brutally hot and some local riders showed us to
their favorite trails.
  First
we went to a place called Echo Valley, site of the
'Hanging Coffins" a sacred burial area surrounded
by limestone cliffs, it was very eire and after my
experience with the spirits several years ago in Borneo,
I was extra cautious and respectful. Some of those
coffins are 500 years old! We proceeded to the local
market, to buy some tropical fruit for breakfast,
before heading to a wonderful trail in a pine forest
that led us to some gigantic caves. Later that afternoon
we found ourselves once again cramped in the Toyota
Defender for another 12 hour drive back to Manila.
The roads can be quite scary and sketchy, the drive
back was more stressful than riding the steep rice
terraces.
  March
26.: Today was a trials show in one of the biggest
shopping malls of Manila. The turnout was incredible,
I couldn't believe how big and enthusiastic the local
biking scene was. The people were so happy to meet
me and have their photo taken with me. As I found
out, many of my past adventure team trips are constantly
being televised on the Discovery Channel Int.and other
TV net | | |
