A crashless Springbank

Who knew it could be possible?! All the riders, at least in our field stayed upright. There is video footage below if you don't feel much like reading, courtesy of my brother Jesse. I'll keep the reading short and sweet.

Early in the race, Jeff Schiller attacked in a solo effort and started to build a big gap. A few laps after a small chase group of three went up the road to try and bridge the gap. The peloton, at least to the spectators didn't seem to be putting in much effort as Schiller's gap kept growing. My legs were saying otherwise. It got so big that the announcers thought it was easier to report it to us as how far he was behind us, instead of vice versa. A prime was announced in one of the last few laps, and in the last quarter of the lap the field got broken up. Unfortunately I was in the back half, but my team mate, Andrew House, made the front group. Schiller was able to keep his big gap that he formed and soloed to another victory in London. Jack Burke came in a little ways back on his own to take second. The group of three was caught by the front of the peloton split group and the sprinted for the next spots. I was able to take third in my group sprint for 14th overall, after making up some solid ground during the sprint. It was good enough to get my first two OCUP points in the Elite 1/2 field!

Next race is Saturday morning in Collingwood. Scenic caves will be the finish, and it is going to be a leg burner after riding 150km. It might be best to try and convince yourself that they took it out, and just be surprised at the end when they actually didn't. Then you won't spend the whole day knowing hell awaits you with open arms.

Garmin data: here
Results: here
I will try and post up some pics later on if I find some!

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

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!