at least i'm consistent

 
 

The Buckwallow O Cup has come and gone. Another 4th place for this season!

This was a good circuit to see just how far my riding has come in the last year. Last year, my pre-ride was the first time I'd ever been to Bucky. Those in the know know that it is unlike anything else in Ontario. So last year was a pretty tough race for me, and I can distinctly remember racing against another woman to avoid being DFL. I finished 15min back, and thought it was one of the worst places to ride!

Fast forward a full year, which has included more time just trying to improve my technical skills, riding with the Boy, and a couple of trips to Buckwallow earlier in the season. Hello, improvement! (also, hello room for more improvement... but the fun in riding is that there is always room to improve.)

We drove up with DD on Saturday, and had the joy pain of experiencing lots of traffic on the 400. Especially bad through Barrie, and the stop-and-go was not friendly to my innards (I used to get carsick a lot as a kid). By the time we got to Buckwallow, I needed to chill for a bit. We got to take full advantage of cool-kid status, since having a season's pass gets you into the prime (and shaded) parking. I soon felt better, and riding helped me feel even better. I warmed up, and did a lap on my own to check out the course, making note of any spots where I wanted to come back with someone who could show me the lines *cough* the Boy *cough*. After lunch, lots of water, and a long break, the Boy and I did a lap. We practiced a couple of sections, including practicing running a couple of parts, and I was happy with how I knew the course.

Saturday night was a nice break from the usual pre-race restaurant fare. We were invited to the Fishers for potluck bbq/spaghetti dinner, and spent the evening hanging out with a great crowd.

The next morning, the boys went for the greasy Skyways special. Recalling how I felt when I'd had exactly that breakfast two weeks ago (here's a hint: not like riding), I made oatmeal in the room, and joined them for a coffee after. Then it was time to get back over to Bucky, where we snagged one of the last good parking spots. It's been so long since I raced, I was having trouble staying focused for the pre-race activities... put on the number plate, prep the bottles... oh crap, I need to warm up! I warmed up on a section of singletrack (not on course this year), and then it was suddenly time to line up and go.

I didn't want to do my usual thing of going *really* hard off the start and losing the lead halfway through the first lap. So I decided to take it easy off the start, and even started on the second row, with a plan to get to the front, but not attack for the first little bit of the double track opening. Yikes, guess I forgot how fast the start can be! By the time my place to attack came up, I still wasn't as far forward in the group as I wanted to be, so I only made up a couple of spots on the hill. I did my best to stay with the front group through the first few sections of single track, and it was pretty fun to race so close together. By about halfway through the lap, though, things had settled down, and I was in no man's land in 5th. Just focussed on riding smoothly and reeling in backmarkers from the men's group ahead. Halfway through lap 2, I caught and passed a woman from my category who was running her bike - broken chain. This was way out on Mohawk, possibly the furthest point from the finish. Kudos to her for sticking with it - I saw the results, and instead of going to the closest marshall, announcing her DNF, and walking back on the easy, smooth double track, she finished the race - all the single track - carrying her bike.

I finished this one with a smile on my face, very happy with my 4th. Even happier to have finished 7min back, and to have been able to ride so much more than before. Making for an even better weekend was that in his first race this season, the Boy felt good and rode well, finishing on top of the podium.

Busy day with unpacking, laundry and re-packing, and while helping tend to some injuries the Boy sustained in a crash yesterday... next adventure is in Canmore. That 7am flight tomorrow isn't sounding so good right now!