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

Steaming Nostril: Cold, Wind and Ice

This was the first race for many people this year. Temperature was right around -8 and down to -16 with wind chill. I am pretty sure everyone there had heat packs jammed in their gloves and shoes at the start line. You would basically be crazy not to!

The big fear for everyone that did last year’s edition was the rail trail. This year they shortened it up, and graded it before the race. Due to the cold weather it was frozen and hard, which made it much easier to ride than last year.  The course itself started with 1km of neutral to get everyone out of the park, then around 1km on the roads to get position before the 6km rail trail section (this turned out to be the most important part of the race). Following this is about 60km of mainly rolling gravel roads, with little wind coverage. You are also treated with getting to ride past several horse and buggies during the ride. Then it is back on to the rail trail with whatever group you have left around you, and finally a final 1km or so until the finish. This year they threw in a fancy path just before the end through a park that would definitely have made a group finish interesting. 

When the race started I felt good, and moved up the pack a bit to what I thought was a good spot. I judged this by looking around me and seeing some strong riders, assuming this front section of the group would stick together on the rail trail. I couldn’t have been more wrong. While the rail trail was hard pack in certain spots, some spots were loose and snowy, making it very hard to pass. I spent this section red lined, trying to make up some ground to reunite with the lead pack, and get around those that were having more troubles with the snow and ice.

My efforts were in vain, as I emerged from the rail trail and caught up with a Novo-fit rider. He was strong, and we could see the lead pack. We put in a lot of hard work to try and catch them, but we were no match for their numbers. My bottle was frozen by the time I left the rail trail, which sucked because I knew I had two hours now to race with no water. I was able to get a few gulps off of a friendly racer I met before the race at about 20km in, but that was to last me till race end. We kept powering through, picking up and dropping riders. We ended up being caught by a larger group. The three of us at the time were pretty thankful for this because we were torn apart from battling the strong headwind. It was at this point where I started to realize if I didn’t ease up for a bit, I will be limping into the finish line.

During the whole race we had a single speed ‘monster’ pass us on the hills then we would periodically catch him, either because he stopped for some reason, or we had gears to get down hill faster. Needless to say, this guy put in a monster effort and he killed it.

About 5km before the rail trail they had a pit stop. And I was praying for them to be handing water bottles out, as I was definitely dehydrated by this point. There were only bananas (unless you stopped), so I kept going. Shortly after my legs started waving the white flag. Too much work was done at the beginning, and without water or food, I wasn’t able to recover. I lost the group I had been riding with and tried to keep up whatever I could until the rail trail. It got real cold here as all the work I did early on, heated me up making me sweat, and now that I couldn’t sustain that high effort the sweat was evaporating and I started to freeze. At the rail trail, I got a second wind knowing the faster I got through this, the sooner I would be to warm and dry clothes. I was able to pass a few other riders that were also barely hanging onto that group before the finish. I ended up 33^rd overall, and 5^th in the 20-29 age group.

Overall I am happy with my fitness level coming out of this terrible winter. I should have been in that front group, but that was a mistake not moving right to the front before the rail trail. So for next year: positioning is crucial for that first rail trail section. Also find a way to keep one bottle from freezing. I asked Steaming Nostril champion Mr. Rivers what he did, and he put his bottle in one of his back pockets with a heat pack, which kept it from freezing. It might also help filling it with hot water.

Next on the calendar is Tour of Bronte, then Good Friday RR. I will post pictures up when I find some available.

Race Results:here

Garmin data:here

Spring is here!

Well, at least as far as the calendar goes. The weather can't make up its mind and some days feel like spring, and others still feel like we are trapped in this winter. I just keep telling myself: summer is coming, summer is coming...

My race season kicks off this weekend with Steaming Nostril on Sunday. Using it as a good training ride to try and point out my weaknesses. This will get me a few weeks to try and work on them before Good Friday. Fingers crossed that the weather holds up, and the rail trail stays frozen and is easier to ride than last year. If those two things fall into place, this will be a very enjoyable day. If not it will be full of tears and misery. Best bet is that it will be somewhere in the middle, but what else do you expect from a race this early in the season?

I was featured in the local free paper, which is hopefully as a good sign for the season! Of course the picture of me on the bike is from last years edition of Steaming Nostril. Looks like the weather wasn't any better judging from the lack of skin showing.

Check back up Sunday night or early next week for a recap on Steaming Nostril, and maybe some footage if they allow me to mount the GoPro to my bike.

Update on training, and everything else

It has been quite a while since I have last posted up. I tend to forget how busy I can get in the off season with school, even though workout hours are cut back. January was absolutely hectic for me trying to apply for grad schools so I can continue with my education next year. I currently sit at Pearson airport, waiting to get on a flight to Vancouver. This next week will hopefully bring some great time to relax, and enjoy some time outdoors. Whatever the temperature is there will probably seem like shorts weather compared to the -30 Celsius we are starting to get used to here in Ontario. This weekend I will be heading out to Whistler to get in some snowboarding, if I get any good Go Pro footage I will be sure to post it up. The rest of the week I am hoping to get some riding in outside, by this time of the year I am starting to get sick of the trainer.

I have learned the best way to get yourself through the winter, is just to be surrounded by like minded athletes, who have big goals in mind, or just fitness fanatics. When everyone is talking about their workout, you don't want to be the odd one out because you skipped a day because you just didn't "feel like working out". It also helps being able to make workout time social time. Most of my rides throughout the year end up being solo rides because I don't have people that can ride my pace in Brantford that are available when I am. I take the winter time to get out and enjoy some spin classes with friends, and work on building new relationships. You get to meet with many more people that you would never see if you were just riding outside. Then instead of being by yourself on a trainer in the basement, you can share stories, or motivate each other and listen to loud music and the time just flies by. Add into that getting together after for some recovery chocolate milk and you have had a great social workout!

Also going on right now: http://www.bmctempo.com/gf/an-amateur-racers-dream-christopher-r/
BMC is hosting a pretty sick contest, but it closes saturday, so get your entry in soon! Also I am patiently waiting for my new Scott foil to come in, have been since october. I guess I should have known it wouldn't have been ready so early. I have had a beautiful box of sram red parts sitting in my room waiting to be mounted. It kills me to see them there like that, but they will have their home soon.

Hopefully my next post will be within a shorter interval than the last. Until then, power through this weather, spring is near, and so is some sweet riding!

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