Paris to Ancaster 2014

Unfortunately don't have pictures or videos for you guys this time, should have a something for Springbank though so come back for that!

Anyways, starting off this year I was a little disappointed that I was having to start in wave 1, as I really wanted to try and hang with the best up in the elite wave. So this year's goal was primarily to get into that top 100 to qualify for the elite wave for next year.

The race this year was surprisingly dry. I think I was a record clean for the past 6 years that I have done the event, including a few where I have completed the shorter St. George to Ancaster. If this was your first year doing the event, you had an outlier year, and I wouldn't expect that again next year. This year it also felt like we had a slight headwind, which would have really helped being with a strong group for the open road sections and the rail trail. The mud slides looked pretty rideable, however by the time I was getting to them, they were filled with people who paid for the VIP package and so I thought it would be safe just to run by than to risk being taken out. You never know what rocks are hiding under that mud! And it definitely isn't a race that I am willing to risk my health for either.

I started near the back of the wave because I was trying to get my friends bag to my mom to bring to the finish. I spent the first section of road and rail trail trying to move up towards the faster group. Sorry if I rode past and angrily yelled to move over if you weren't passing on the rail trail. I don't hate you, but it is a race and I had somewhere to get to, the finish line! I cannot understand why people lined up so damn early for the race. They must have started lining up 40-50mins before the start!

Anyways after the first rail trail section I had found some pretty fit guys that I was able to ride with for a while as I wouldn't be going any faster myself trying to battle the wind. This group ended up splitting up after the first part of the Jerseyville rail trail section. I rode away from them (really a roadie on off-road terrain?) and caught up to a Midweek rider, Scott Elliott. He was strong and we took turns pulling each other for at least the next 10km. He dropped his chain unfortunately just before the Powerline mudslide and I just kept racing on. Shortly after I caught up to Boundless star, and my spin class participant Paul Trebilcock. His excuse was not charging his DI2 batteries so he didn't have much for shifting (one of the reasons I have no issues staying with a mechanical setup!). I guess we will have to have a rematch for that. After making it through the mudslides, I got to tackle Martin Road.

I always try and convince myself that the hill isn't that bad. And every year I get a reality check. You have a few rollers that drain your legs before the big finale. The crowd being there at the top of the steep section really helps you drive through to get to the top. I had them cheering me on to catch a rider that was just ahead of me. I was able to bury the pain and catch the rider just before the line. My own exciting finish for 87th! So yes goal accomplished of top 100, and it only took 6 years.

So this week I have Springbank to look forward to. And please, let the cycling gods be on my side. Hoping to stay upright here, so far I am 2/2 on Springbank appearances for crashing. And I know most people say this but I did not create the crashes, last year someone went down in front of me, and the year prior someone came over into me after I was already half way up the side of them. Hopefully the E1,2 field can figure out how to ride the course!

Results:here
Garmin data: here
Cool Strava race playback: Here

Good Friday Road Race -Media Edition

Normally I have lots of writing for you guys to go through. This time I had my family with me for support and they were able to get a few pictures and some video so I will exchange some words for media. Even with all these people here, no one reminded me to take off my saddle bag, so I had a big pouch hanging from my seat the whole race! Combo that with still riding my wire bead trainer tire and that must be why I didn't win, right?

This was my first Ontario cup race as a cat 2 racer. Last year I dropped out of the race in only cat 3, so I was unsure how this was going to go. I was able to stay with the group until the last lap, towards the end when the pack split. The race was won by a break that was barely able to stay away at the end of the race. They broke away as soon as we left the fairgrounds on the first lap and had built up a 5min gap at one point of the race. The last 3 laps, the peloton really picked up the pace and the break must have either gotten tired or stopped working together as by the finish there wasn't much of a gap remaining. The finishing breakaway group however was much smaller, but 127km in a break is a lot to ask of your legs this early in the season!

This was a very challenging day, and my legs were toast at the end of this. I am very happy where my fitness level is, especially compared to last year at this time. I have my coach to thank for that!

Alright the usual:
results: here
garmin data: here
additional photos from the Hamilton Cycling Club: here

And we are off!

Rolling through another lap

More racers rolling through

Coming in hot to the gravel section

Photo finish for the sprint!

And to finish off, a quick video with footage of the finish including a slow playback of the leaders coming in.

As always, thanks for stopping by to see what I have to say!

Tour of Bronte - Sunny with a chance of crashing

70 riders took to the start line for this year’s edition of the Tour of Bronte. It was a beautiful day for it, some even were spotted racing in shorts, which was a nice change from the terrible weather we have been having. The course consisted of an 8km loop that was half pavement and half gravel. The potholes weren’t as bad this year as last I found. The gravel section was pretty wet and mushy in spots due to the large amount of rain from the previous day. Would have been nice to have 25c tires.

This was my first race on my new Scott Foil. While heading to the start line, I went to shift into the big ring, and I heard a snap. I thought the shifter broke, but it was the plastic cable guide down under the crank. I had no access to the big chain ring, and luckily the other half of the guide that controlled the rear derailleur stayed intact. I got the neutral support guy to lend a hand in tightening the limit screw keeping me in the big ring. One problem I didn’t notice until after was that we moved it over too much and the crank rubbed the front derailleur on each pedal stroke. Luckily that was only cosmetic damage. The bike gods thought this was enough punishment I think, as they kept me safe in the race that was about to ensue.

The race started fast, with many riders being popped off the back in the first few laps, or flatting out of the race. I wasn’t racing smart, and stayed at the back the whole race. While it kept me safe, it also forced me to do a lot of extra work to hang onto the group in some of the tight corner sections, especially at the beginning of the gravel section.

I think the first crash that I remember in the main group was on the sharp muddy right hand turn. That only brought 2 riders down that I believe caught back on. A few laps later there was a bigger crash by the registration cabin on the turn. People were not holding there lines through the corner and a bunch of riders went down. I was able to cut through the grass to avoid this one narrowly. Many of these riders didn’t join back to the group. Then towards the end of the race, just past the registration cabin, over the bridge there was another crash. The group was getting antsy as it was getting to the finish and everything clustered together, and some people went down. The final crash happened just before the loop turn around point on the last lap. I was somehow able to get around this, but not without slamming on the brakes. This caused me to lose contact with the ‘lead’ finishing group behind Mackinnon.

I had no idea Sean broke away, but he built an impressive gap on the field. He is going to kill it in Europe in the coming weeks. As for the rest of the riders, the race was a mess. It was a combination of the slippery conditions and early season excitement with riders not having spent much time on their bikes. It looked like some forgot how to properly ride in a group, and others paid for it. As bad as that is, you need to expect that in early season races and plan your strategy accordingly.

A nice little clip highlighting the day: (video footage courtesy of Jill Wyman)

(sorry about video ads, they have to be on in order to use the song. Let me know if the audio gets cut out then I can remove the ads, and put in a new song)

Personal note for next year, don’t be afraid to get to the front and have some fun up there. It isn’t all that fun at the back. It is also nice to have someone at your race to help cheer you on, because if you feel like you are almost out they can give you that extra energy to keep pushing on. I am happy with how much better my fitness is this year compared to last year. Next up is Good Friday RR, and I will get to test my skills with the big boys yet again.

Garmin data: here

Results: here