What do I do in this weather?!

As far as most cyclists are concerned, winter is in full swing. Snow may or may not be on the ground, short days and it is freezing outside. The fair weather cyclists have already packed up shop and are counting down the days of spring. For some of us, winter training is essential to performance. Especially when we think about all of the gruelling hours we put in on the bike this year to get where we are, and not wanting that to go to waste. Everyone has their own ways to get through these tough times, so I thought I'd share my list with the best way to get through these dark days. Soon enough we will be working on those razor sharp tan lines!

1. Take a trip! I have never done this unfortunately and don't have the budget for it. But I can only assume it is the best possible senario. It is warm somewhere so why not go there? I guess this is kind of cheating, but it makes the list because some people are lucky enough to take advantage of this.

2. Suit up and go outdoors! Just the thought of riding in the cold will give you shivers. If you get the right gear (and lots of those heat packets) riding outdoors can be tolerable, and lots of fun! It is a little cold to get started but within 5 mins you are warm and ready to go. Great time to get out on the cross or mountain bike, fat bikes are becoming very popular for riding in the snow. Many of the trails and gravel roads are still sheltered, at least more-so than most paved roads I ride. This will help you hide from the chilly wind and keep you warmer. I also highly suggest investing in some proper winter shoes, booties will not save you! Trick-tip: do not over dress, as soon as you start to sweat you have lost the battle. This will make your clothes wet and then you will freeze. If you don't feel a little cold as soon as you hop on your bike you probably have too much on.

3. Or stay inside and ride with friends! This is one of my favourite ways to get through winter. I like to hit the spin classes at the school gym (even teach a couple!). While spin classes tend to be high intensity for short periods of time, there is nothing stopping you from doing the class with slightly less gearing. You can build you base, still participate, and absorb the motivation from everyone around you! The time just flies by. If you can't hit a spin class, just get together with some buddies with your trainers and do your workouts together. Computrainers would make this even more fun!

4. Videos! Alright you are stuck by yourself but need some motivation. I haven't used a video yet, but many swear by some of them such as the famous "Sufferfest" videos. I might try one out this winter to see what the hype is about. It has to be better than the last option...

5. Sitting on the trainer solo. You need music or something! This can be extremely boring and leaves you pedalling the bike contemplating life, and wondering if you should just give up racing now. It gets the job done nonetheless but the time just drags by. There are better options but sometimes they just don't fit into your schedule and you need to harder up and get on that trainer!

Just remember we are all going through the same weather, and you can make it through this! Warmer days will soon be upon us, and you will be back to kicking everyone's butt that decided to slack off during these dark months soon.

Man, I sure am busy!

I have been meaning to update for a while and this wont be the update I wanted to give. I have been super busy with homework, starting my thesis project, looking into grad school applications and scholarships, getting team stuff (including potentially a new bike :D) for next season organized and of course trying to get enough time to bike, eat and sleep. Well those three things take priority, then whats left I divide up for the rest of that list. Are my priorities straight?

 I will be writing a full report on the last 3 University Cup Mountain Bike races after this weekend. So far it has been a blast racing them. Definitely a much different fitness and skill set is required to be a top tier mtb racer than a roadie. For me this series is just a fun social event to get away from all the school work that never seems to stop piling up. If you go to any university or college in Ontario (im sure they'd let you participate if elsewhere as well), come on out to the last one at Ganaraska this sunday! All the information can be found here.

For now I will leave you with an action shot! (Photo cred to the great Adrian Chao)

Taking a tight double track corner towards the end of a lap at UCUP #3- Albion Hills

Centurion- U23 Prospects Challenge

It's been a while since I lasted posted up. In that time I scored 3rd at the u23 provincial time trial championships. I lost my brothers garmin edge 810 there so I was too upset to write anything. On that note if you were there and found it or know someone that found it that would be great if it could be returned! That should be enough karma points to buy you out of 5 race day flats and/or 3 crashes...

So this past weekend I competed in my first stage race at Blue Mountains, Centurion. While it seemed a bit disorganized at times everything fell into place before the races started and it turned out to be an awesome event! It started with a hill climb on Friday up the glorious Scenic Caves road (the hill itself is about 2.5km with about 10% avg). On Saturday evening there was a crit held through Blue Mountain Village. It was a technical course with a combination of brick and paved sections and lots of spectators to give you a boost. Finally the race ended on Sunday morning with an 85km race through the surrounding hilly area.

So the main theme I took away from this weekend is: warm up, warm up warm up! Friday I had a sufficient warm up but then we had our start delayed 20mins. In that time I had to do a jersey and number switch and my legs cooled down. It was a mass start event and everyone took off like a rocket from the line. I hung on until around the round-about then was the first one to fall off the back. My legs just weren't ready. I found my rhythm and was able to catch a few guys and make up some time. Finished 24th, losing about 1.5mins. Ben Perry posted a crazy time to take the stage here and overall on the GC and KOM jersey.

Again the warm up was the problem. We were suppose to have a neutral lap to start but the pace car got too excited. I looked down to see we were hitting 50km/h. Needless to say again my legs weren't happy and said no. I was off the back before the end of the lap (being at the back didn't help either). I ended up riding with some Centurion development kids and we were able to hold our own for the minimum 50% of the race which is when we got pulled. We got a prorated time to stay in the stage race. Ended up losing about 6mins here. Perry crashed with a few laps to go and a small but strong break got away. When he was allowed back in he was behind the break and couldn't catch up. Ryan Aitcheson took the win this day and took over the GC. Post race I had spectators coming up to ask me questions about the race. It was awesome that people were interested and made me feel like I was a pro even though my race didn't go as planned.

Sunday was my redemption day. We were to do the C50 course that featured three tough climbs and lots of rolling hills. This time we had a proper neutral start and I was able to hang in there. Two riders were popped off the back on the first climb, and a break formed somewhere around there. I was happy to sit in still as it was so early in the race and I knew a lot of these riders have more power than I do. A couple riders experienced flats on the way to Epping climb. During this section Dal-Cin took himself out of the race. I made my way towards the front and took a few pulls to help out Team Ontario, who were doing all of the work. As we hit the climb I fell back into the group and stayed in there for a while. Ben Perry was solo off the front and Team Ontario were just letting him sit there. Once we got to Grey Road 19 we were all together. The descent was very fast with speeds getting close to 90km/h. Everyone was trying to move up and get into a better position as the finish line was rapidly approaching. Once we turned the corner the race vehicle said we had the full road after the round about. There were pylons at the left turn off of Grey 19 and I got caught on the wrong side of them. Had to slow down, swerve through them and then try and chase back on. I was able to catch them by the round about but used up too much unnecessary energy. The field saw a few more riders get hung up on another pylon situation after the round about which was used to direct cars for parking. I gave it a kick from my bad position to take 13th on the day and moving up a few spots in the GC to 24th. Ryan secured the overall GC and points jersey with a second victory today. Perry took home the KOM jersey. The team Ontario boys were noticeably exhausted from a 90km team time trial they just did.

Overall this was a great event and hope to see it again next year. It was a great feeling to get to ride with so many young riders, all of them super strong with big futures ahead of them. It also gives yourself a chance to compare to the level others are at. Someone like Graydon Staples is in crazy shape for being only 13, and he has an incredible future ahead of him if he sticks to the sport.

This puts an end to my road racing season for the year. Im now taking a few weeks off to just have some fun back on the mountain bike and hit up the remaining University Cup mountain bike races for fun. I'll post up again soon!

Results: here

London Tourism Challenge

Yesterday was the London Tourism Challenge, which took place following a youth cup. This was an open category (all ages, skill levels and gender) could participate with some extra awards being awarded to top female finishers and younger riders.  It was a criterium that was based on a 75min time plus one lap rather than a set distance. We raced around a wide-open 1.3km course with no-yellow line rule. The roads were all smooth asides from the first corner of the race, which was a little rough. It was a fun and fast course, one of my favourites this year. The one thing I might like to see changed is the start/finish moved to the longer side stretches just to make the sprint finish more open, which will make it more exciting to watch and also make it safer. (Although there weren’t any crashes that I know of in the final corner).

The race started out with all cadet and junior riders being brought to the front. When the whistle blew for the start of the race I wasn’t able to clip in right away. This saw me off the back and the race just started! I was able to get back on and the pace was high with many attacks being launched. I could feel that the stronger riders were waiting for the move from Jeff Schiller to go with. I finally saw him fly up from the corner of my eye but I was nestled in the middle of the pack and wasn’t able to do anything about it, and the front didn’t react either. Eight strong riders were able to make the jump with him and they were quickly able to distance themselves. Looking around I saw Ed Veal was still with us so I thought there was a chance that we would see the break again. Veal attacked solo and he also quickly distanced himself and we thought we wouldn’t see him again.

They announced a $50 prime for us mid race and I thought it would be a good chance to salvage the race. I attacked a bit too early and Jordan Broad got onto my wheel. No one else contested this and he was easily able to sprint off of me to take it.

A few laps after I saw Ed Veal ahead of us, and was surprised to see him. I guess he wasn’t able to get up to the break. After that the group stayed together and then the announcer said that we were going to get lapped so that we would get our sprint finish a few laps early. For whatever reason I didn’t contest the sprint. Probably a combination of fatigue and wasn’t where I wanted to be so I didn’t risk it. Unsurprisingly Jordan took the sprint, followed by Veal. Jordan is turning into one hell of a sprinter!

We were able to watch the real finish and it wasn’t a surprise to many that Jeff Schiller easily took the win. The man is a machine and I hope one day to be able to put up power figures that could come close to his.

This was probably one of my favourite races this year. It was organized really well and it was a fun course. The perfect weather conditions didn’t hurt either! At the end my garmin said I had an average speed for the race of 44.3km/h (a little off from the OCA results estimate).  Pretty sure this is the fastest race I have completed, I can feel huge improvements from the start of the year.

Next for me is HCC club race this coming weekend, then provincial time trial championships Labour Day weekend!

Results:here

Garmin Data:here

Picture of my brother in the Cadet race earlier on in the day

Looking fresh midrace? Not sure when this was taken

Pushing the pace at the front

Tour de Terra Cotta: I'm Back!

Now based on the title, you may think I did really well. Well not really but I finished in the peloton. This race was meant to be a redemption race. After upgrading to cat 2, I was pulled in my first two races (both were provincial championships), and my moral wasn't too high. Todays goal was accomplished and I'm feeling good about my fitness again! Also i'm almost fully recovered from my cold so I think that helped.

So the race is a must attend race for the first time racer to the experienced cat 1 rider. It is a closed 8.8km loop, so you get the full road with no yellow line rule. There was a youth cup race in the morning, followed by a 26km beginner race, 54km Intermediate race and a 104km elite race to finish the day off in style. There was good prize money in the elite race with the winner walking home with $1000 (according to the tech guide).  Theres a short hill on each lap which will sometimes break people off the group if they aren't very strong on climbs.

I ended up being there for all the races this time as my brother did the youth cup in the morning. I had friends in both the beginner and intermediate races so it turned into a day of cheering before racing.

Before the race started I noticed the guy beside me had his brakes pretty tight at the start line. Let him know and they were indeed rubbing. That gave me some good karma to keep me out of trouble in the race! The elite race started neutral up to the base of the hill. No better way to warm your legs up than starting a race at the bottom of a hill... I managed to hang in there the first lap and get my legs warmed up. There was a crash behind me on the third corner of the first lap, not sure what happened but it was at the back of the pack so I can't imagine many were involved. On the second lap a strong group of riders attacked on the hill and got away. For some reason I was sitting neatly at the back still and had no idea this happened. Mid-way through the race I finally moved up and met up with team mate Andrew and he said he wasn't feeling too great. Andrew not feeling great is the same as me feeling my best so I thought I should help him out. Just before the downhill section I brought him to the front and we got off the front a bit before getting reeled in. I stayed towards the front for a bit then found myself again towards the back of the pack...

The main problem I had on the hill was getting boxed in and getting pushed back. This was a big problem on the second last lap. I was boxed in by two female riders and the side of the road. They lost contact with the group before I was able to get out. I got to the front and tried chasing back. I tried flicking my elbow to get help, no one responded so I tried my other elbow (there was faint hope that they just couldn't see that side :p ). No help. We turned the corner into the head wind and finally a guy came up and helped. We were able to catch back on just after the third turn with the two girls holding our wheel. When we came around the corner we weren't back on yet, and one girl picked a better line through the corner than me, got ahead of me, pulled in front and slowed down. This was frustrating, I don't care if you don't the energy to chase back on, but don't prevent someone else from doing so. I got around her and sprinted to catch back on. In the end those two riders ended up a few mins back so I am doubting they caught on. Anyway this was all caused by my bad positioning and then I had hardly energy left for the last lap. I got around just hanging in the group.

This was a pretty tough races with my two attacks and then trying to catch back on the second last lap. We had an average speed of just under 42km/h which is one of the fastest races I have done. It was definitely easier than provincials which I am grateful for. My whole body ached when I was done, a clear sign of a good workout accomplished!

Things to take from this:
-work on pack positioning, even more so on hard sections of the course and as the race gets further along and people get tired
-attacking before a downhill doesn't seem to work, especially on a straight. Save your energy.

Next races will be a set of crits in Toronto and London following the youth cups. Hopefully I stay trouble free!

Results:here
Garmin Data: here

Holland Marsh: Provincial Road Race

Yesterday brought great weather for the race, asides from the strong wind. The course started out heading west with a tail wind, we turned left where the crosswinds strung out the peloton. We quickly descended a steep hill (I hit a max of 88.7km/h sure someone else went faster), the next left was terrible as the road was full of pot holes. It was a mess and there were water bottles everywhere, this wasn't made anymore appealing with the headwind. The last leg of the course saw the peloton meet the crosswinds again with a nice hill leading up to the feed zone. Overall we had 12 laps for 144km on the agenda.

Coming into this race I didn't know what to expect as I had been racing roughly half this distance this year while most of these guys have been racing this all year. Also I went swimming to a public pool on Friday and I think i'm coming down with a cold from that... I wanted to give it my best shot anyways to see how I could do.

Race started off good, trying to get a feel for the potholes. On the back section my bike felt funny after crossing under the 400 hwy, I looked down to see I had a flat. Crap. Lost my good position in the peloton already... Pulled over and got a spare wheel then sprinted to try and catch back up not wanting my race to be over already on the first lap. Luckily the peloton eased right up before the hill so I was able to get back on after about a kilometer. We hit the hill at a moderately hard pace, then it picked up at the top.
 The next time up the hill people were starting to suffer and a few looked to be popped off the back but were able to get back on when the paced eased at the top.
 The third lap saw the pace pick up at the beginning of that last stretch. The peloton was single file (at least the back half was) riding along the yellow line trying to get protection from the person in front from the crosswinds. Paced eased up slightly only for a moment as there was a surge on the hill. I saw a few people pop off, my heart rate was through the roof and then I also fell off the back. I tried chasing hard for a lap and kept them in my sights. After a lap I lost sight and my hopes of catching back up were dashed. I decided to keep riding until I got pulled. After a few laps of TTing I saw teammate Ryan on the back stretch with a flat. He had a few choice words for the the organizing of the race for not having a wheel car behind the peloton and I could see why he would be so frustrated. I knew I was so far back that giving him my wheel wouldn't have helped. A real deal rider came by and I rode a few laps with him. We got pulled after 8 laps of 12.

I don't know how much the flat took out of me from getting back on, or how much the cold held me back but I wasn't impressed with the result I had. Some hard interval work is definitely needed for next year if I hope to be competitive, as racing with these guys is a whole new ball game. I think if I positioned myself better in the pack it probably would have helped as well. After looking at the results though I know it was a hard race after seeing so many big names with a DNF beside it. Next year i'll be back for redemption!

Pictures up when I get some...
Race results: here
Garmin data: here

CHIN Picnic - Provincial Criterium

I had a bad feeling about this race leading up to it, and didn't really want to do it. The course is great, racing on a 1.4km course with its fair share of turns. Its a section from the Molson Indy race track so it gives you the extra race feeling, and there are always plenty of spectators to cheer on the riders.

I just upgraded to senior 2, and I knew that my fitness isn't quite on par with these guys. Being a provincial race with a title on the line I knew people would be there to take chances, and the big names would be there to make it hell. Also with provincials, the races are run by age groupings only, so I was in the dreaded 19-29 bracket (but my results would be classified in the under 23 group).

I started the race at the front with a neutral start around the initial chicane. I kept a good position but I didn't have the same sprint power coming out of the corners as a lot of these guys. A found myself slowly sliding back while my heart rate was through the roof. Soon enough I found myself positioned neatly at the back fighting to hang on. The race was flying and I wasn't use to this kind of pace in senior 3. The first crash that I know of saw my team mate Andrew House cartwheel off his bike on the back stretch as he ran into the back of another rider. I hung on for a few more laps before I found myself unable to hold anyones wheel. Not shortly after I lost contact, a waterloo cycling club rider, Aaron Hamill, was off the back too. We rode together but I had a massive side cramp that slowed me down a bit. We rode a few laps at a decent pace but we eventually saw the lead corvette come by and wave us out of the race.

Next was the ride of shame back to my family that had come out to support me. They were positioned at the end of the chicane. I showed up to find them not in their chairs. They were across the street helping downed Real Deal rider Jeff Moote. My grandpa being a long time fire fighter was in his natural habitat as a first responder and was there to help the situation the best he could. Apparently there was a brutal crash coming out of that left turn seeing 5-6 riders go down. The race was soon neutralized in order to bring in the ambulance. According to twitter he suffered a facial fracture and needed some stitches.
By this time I think many riders had already been axed, and the ones remaining got a little break. In the end Jeff Schiller came out victorious. Race results have a 46.0km/h speed as the average which would help to explain the decimated field. Congrats to everyone that held on, that was tough and I sure have a lot of work to do for next year!

Next race for me will be the Provincial road race in Holland Marsh at the end of July. Hoping to finish that one!

Race results: here
Garmin data: here

Neutral Start

Still with the pack

 Fighting to survive off the back