The Shimano camp
Photo: © Chris Davidson

The Chris Davidson diary

Chris Davidson is a former mechanic for Bontrager Racing Service, now in the service of Shimano Multi-Service.

Chris' diary entries will show you what life is like inside the pits and an insight into the mind of a mechanic.

Index to all entries

NORBA National Series #7 - Snowmass, Colorado, August 5-8, 2004

Day 2: Short-staffed at Snowmass

Wow, today was epic in the Shimano tent. We found out yesterday that my boss has giardia. So not just a little sick, but really ill. The last two days have been pretty miserable for him; he has been confined to the condo. We usually work the NORBA events with four mechanics; this ensures that we can handle even the largest rush of riders. Today it was just Foye and me. It rained most the morning and that kept more people from venturing out, but the weather stabilized by noon, and with the first XC races at 2:00pm, there were tons of riders out this afternoon. By 2:00pm this afternoon, the line for service was growing. A little after 3:00pm we had to close the service area to new repairs [we usually shut down at 4:00pm], and it took until after 5:00pm to get to everything. Some stuff we had to put off tomorrow. There were lots of understanding and appreciative people in all the chaos; we received homemade baked goods, malted beverages, and even a dinner invitation.

Usually I look forward to closing up the trailer after a work day, typically we go for a ride for a couple of hours after work, then head back to the condo to clean up and find dinner. It has been very enjoyable to get in some riding in the cool venues that we visited this year. However, today I was so bushed that I headed directly back to the condo for a shower and pre-dinner nap.

Tomorrow we have some additional manpower coming onboard. One extra wrench will be a big help. Also visiting the trailer tomorrow is another one of the legendary 'Skunk Works' riders, a Colorado resident named 'Coffee Bob'. Bob is one of the R&D group that tests Shimano equipment and provides feedback on current and prototype design. We are talking about serious hours on the bike. Some of our Skunk riders put over 2000 hours in on the bike last year. Yes, that averages out to over 40 hours a week, for 50 weeks a year. And you think that you need a new chain too often? These guys put equipment through some stuff that they can't even conceive of in Japan.

So I did not get any pictures today. I have some more photos of the course from yesterday's ride, but then ended up on Intense rider Brent Miller's computer. I was supposed to hook up with him tonight, but I am totally out of gas and it is barely 10:00pm.

I promise to have more tales and photos from the race course tomorrow. The start/finish for the XC and the finish line for the DH and Super D are literally 20 feet in front of our trailer, so more photos too.

Until then, happy dreams,

CD