Kona Pro-Development Rider Elliot Smith figured the best way to fight jetlag was to go for a little pedal. After arriving in Vancouver from New Zealand for a couple of months riding and racing, he headed straight for the second round of the Canadian Enduro Series at Mt Vedder in Chilliwack, BC. Elliot would finish the wet weekend in 6th place in Pro Men onboard his Process X CR.
"After being in Canada for barely a day and still mentally on New Zealand time, the boys (fellow Kiwi's Will and Jesse) and I decided we’d swing a Canadian Enduro Series race in on Mt Vedder in Chilliwack, BC, what better way to kick off our two month riding trip. Off the plane and straight onto the loam.
The main goal of our trip to North America was to escape a wet and miserable winter back home, so the torrential rain that greeted us at Mt Vedder was bittersweet. We were stoked to ride such sick tracks, but soooo gutted to be wet.
Even with the rain, practice day was a treat. We were absolutely caked in mud by the end, tired as anything and struggling to keep the UHaul clean. We washed down practice day with some beer and a pizza and went straight to bed in our trusty Walmart tents.
With my first full night of sleep in Canada under my belt, race day was go. The early 6:30am wake up was a bit gutting, but it made for a very quick day. We managed to finish the race day in under four hours (24.63km and 1500m of climbing) getting back to the pit zone at 11:30am! The course treated us a bit better on race day, it wasn’t quite as wet, but just as fun. I wrapped up the day with a sixth place in Pro men, off the top pace by a bit, but still happy with the day and my Process X!"
Photo: Jump Into Frame
