Jane Emerick
Special to The Chief
A mountain bike movie exploring the soul of the sport, has led five Squamish residents to Peru, the home of Inca trails, archeological wonders and the world's highest mountain bike race.
Warwick Patterson, Dave Hord, Ted Tempany, Mike Jones and Colin Miller of Squamish are traveling to Peru on Sunday to film and compete in the 2006 Megavalanche downhill race. The highest of its kind in the world, the race sees racers taking an average of 45 minutes to complete the descent traveling on Inca trails starting at an altitude of 4,300 metres.
Patterson and Tempany will be filming and photographing the event, while Miller and Jones will be competing. Hord, a graphic artist, was not sure of his role with the team, but said he would be there to help out with everything.
"I can order pizza," he said.
Although each member of the group will contribute different aspects to the trip, at the crux of their adventure is Tempany's mountain bike movie, My Backyard.
Tempany (a.k.a. Big Red Ted) and Patterson have produced two other movies (Rise and The Circus) under MTB films. Under the same production name, this will be Tempany's solo attempt and he said his latest work would be a return to the beginnings of mountain biking.
"It will be a movie getting back to the roots of pros and up and coming pros and where they would have been sessioning with buddies before they were pros," he said.
To shoot a segment of the video in Peru was a decision Tempany said was made in the spirit of the adventure.
"I wanted to show the culture and why it is so beautiful to ride, and the friendships you make," he said. "And Mike [Jones] suffers from the great Canadian blues and there was a lot of snow in Squamish this winter so he dreamed of some exotic location."The 2003 downhill national champion and mountain bike coach, Jones said the experience of mountain biking in Peru and the uniqueness of the event, is a part of his need for a change from traditional competing.
"I did 15 years of pure racing and it isn't exciting anymore, there is no adventure," he said.
An accomplished biker, Tempany has been featured in a several mountain bike movies, including a segment in a Warren Miller film where he descends a chute on Blackcomb on his bike in the snow. He also has five years World Cup downhill experience and said he made the switch to "actually holding the camera" in 2003 after suffering from a fractured back. To create his first film, Tempany teamed up with Patterson, who has had previous filming experience.
"Ted [Tempany] knew what he wanted to see he just needed to know how to do it," said Patterson, who is now focusing on expanding his own business of still and moving images.
Miller, a physiotherapist, will also be competing in the grueling race and said Tempany is unique as a film- maker because of his experience as a rider.
"He really catches the soul of the sport," he said. "The film will show what mountain biking means to mountain bikers," he saidMiller is emphatic about the trip and the unique opportunity it brings the group.
"Most of the trails we are on are hundreds of years old and they are trails you wouldn't normally ride, that's why we want to go," said Miller. "Who would have thought mountain biking would take us to Peru?"
The Megavalanche event takes place on March 25 and 26, however the group is leaving this Sunday to allow time for them to see Machu Picchu and get used to the elevation.
Tempany predicts My Backyard to be completed in late spring.
