'cross my heart

puppy time

2012-02-12T10:53:00.000-05:00

This weekend the Boy and I trekked up north to Kearney to visit some friends and watch dog sled racing. This was my first year watching, and it was so great! The only bad part was not being able to pet any of the dogs, as they are obviously very focused (and cute and fluffy) athletes.

It was sunny, but don't be fooled - it was not warm! It was real winter, something we have not seen too much of around here. Some hot chocolate with marshmallows was required to get through the day. We watched the start of the 4-dog 4 mile race. It's like a time-trial, with each team going off at 2min intervals. At the start, those dogs really can't wait to just start running!

They also ran a small snow-bike race. They are hoping to develop it into a bigger event for the weekend, and from what I've seen, there are more and more of these snow bikes popping up all the time! I did a little spin in the parking lot on one. Fun! Luckily, there doesn't seem to be enough snow in Toronto to justify wanting one...

The best event had to be the "Kids and Mutts" race. Small children that don't know what they're doing plus dogs that don't normally race equals good time. A few dogs and kids seemed to do ok. Some parents were obviously really into racing themselves, and were so happy to see Junior's first race. Some dogs were easily distracted, running off course to the first crowd of people.

This guy was awesome - so fluffy, and so excited to race, he was bouncing up and down. Wanted to take him home, but wasn't sure his owner would have liked that (or the cats, for that matter).

holiday catch-up

2011-12-30T22:41:00.000-05:00

Yikes - long time no post!

The cross season finished up well - I had one last race after Provincials, and even though I was done with the training, I was looking forward to getting one more race in. Bonus: it was cold and rainy... after a season of dry, fast races (including a few warm enough for short sleeves!), I think a few of us were excited about the potential for some bad weather at a race... by which I actually mean great cross weather. I don't think anyone had a good start - no one seemed ready when the whistle blew! I was still tightening my shoes, but I got going pretty quickly, and made it to the front of the group. I led for most of the first lap, until Julie passed me just before the sandpit. I got around her again when she took a downhill corner too wide and accidentally pitted, but half a lap later, our game of cat and mouse was over - she passed me on a downhill corner (note to self: protect the inside of the corner!), and pulled away. I gave chase for a while, actually just tried to stay away from the Masters women breathing down my neck. I got a bit worried about getting caught and put in a dig for a fast lap. Apparently it worked, as I managed to take a minute off my lap time for a six-minute lap. Unfortunately, I paid for it on the next lap, taking 8 minutes! It was great to finish the race in second, felt like I worked hard for it.

After that, it was time off! I spent most of December off, just trying to keep up at work. The Boy and I had big plans to bring the mountain bikes out west for Christmas, but an unfortunate dooring incident involving the Boy meant we were leaving the bikes in Toronto.

Christmas in Victoria is always a good time. Lots of family time, and some traditions I absolutely love! Santa brought me a new camera, so hopefully that means an improvement in blog-photography for the new year!

I got to run errands around town in my dad's new car - an electric Nissan Leaf! Really smooth drive, and it always got a lot of looks. Plus, you get to plug it in at the end of the day.

We normally make individual mini gingerbread houses, which we, of course, take seriously.

Spent the last few days in Squamish, where I took a turn at making a holiday dinner. Chicken, stuffing, brussel sprouts and mashed potatoes.

We spotted a sea lion while out looking for eagles (seeing him was more exciting than the photo of a small head bobbing in the water). Lots of eagles were out as well!

Back in Toronto now. Looking forward to a relaxing New Years eve, recovering from the holidays, and we're all set for 2012!

provincials

2011-11-30T23:02:00.000-05:00

I am going to cut to the chase on this one - another year, another near-miss of the elusive Provincial podium. I spent a bit of time being bummed about it, and then a bit more time being resigned, and now I've moved on. One more race left this season, can't let dwelling on one race outcome kill the whole season (or at least my outlook on it)!

Both the Boy and I had Friday off, so we drove up to Ottawa. I had hoped to arrive early enough for a quick spin, but alas, it's dark at 4:30 around these parts, so that was a no-go. Glad I brought the trainer - I was stiff from sitting in the car for so long, so I set it up in the hotel room and still got in an hour to spin the legs out before dinner.

Saturday morning was nice and relaxed - neither of us were racing until noon, and the hotel was very close to the race course. We got there around 11, just as the race before ours was getting started, so we checked out the course on foot. I hopped on the trainer for a bit, and had time for a couple of laps before the start.

My start was not great - I think I need more practice in larger groups to get more comfortable with the pack and high speeds at the start. I spent a good chunk of the first lap trying to find places to pass people. I finally got up into 7th on a long grassy power section, and could see 5th and 6th a little ways ahead. Unfortunately, it was not a course where it was easy to close gaps - I spent most of the race holding a pretty steady gap on 6th, never quite making a dent in it. With about three laps to go, the gap was suddenly much larger, and I could see a couple of women slowly inching up on me, too. I knew that Lori was in the Masters category, but I didn't know about the woman with her, so I kept the pressure on. Smart move, since they came within 15 seconds of me, and the other woman was in my category!

I knew I hadn't podiumed for the race, but I also knew that some of the women ahead of me were from Quebec, so they wouldn't be eligible for the Ontario provincial podium. That element of not knowing was what kept me from giving up when it was hard on the course - you just have to keep plugging away and hope for the best. In the end, I missed out on a Provincial medal by one spot - I finished the race in 7th, and as the 4th Ontario rider. I was upset when I realized I had come so close and come up short again. I've had four consecutive years where I've been really competitive in the Southern Ontario races - and have come up with 4th at Provincials each year!

I took a few minutes to dry my tears, a few hours to replay the race and try to figure out what I could have done differently, and a few days to just get over it (with the help of a few good email exchanges). And then, of course, I was ready to go for the last race, at Albion. After all, can't let a great season end in tears!

nationals

2011-11-11T07:35:00.001-05:00

Last weekend was the big event for Toronto cross, as our fair city played host to the National Championships. I had mixed feelings leading up to the event - a lot of signs seemed to indicate that, on both organizational and course/location fronts, possibility of "gong show" was quite high. I debated not racing... but... it was Nationals! Plus, I had decided to stay in Elite this year to see if I could improve over last years result... so I had to see, even if it was just for myself. So, of course, my debate of not racing was short-lived, and I did register.

Heading into the race, I had three publicly-stated goals:

1. Finish on the lead lap
2. Finish not-last
3. Don't have a loose and crooked helmet (even if I failed at 1 and 2, I would still look good in the photos)

Let me state here that the race and the course were both better than expected. My cynical heart was expecting total chaos, and but the participant experience was quite smooth - other than the lack of pins at registration. It may have been a total shitshow behind the scenes, but you wouldn't have known. The course was quite hilly and did not suit my strengths at all, but it was not nearly as bad as I was mentally prepared for.

Anyway, showed up quite early, as the Boy raced at 10am, and before the 9am race was the only opportunity to get on the course to check it out. I did a couple of laps at an easy pace. The Boy had a great race in the biggest field of the day. He finished 12th, and I was really proud to see how strongly he fought the entire race.

After watching the Boy's race, I was more excited to get going for my own. I had to remind myself to sit down and eat - I don't normally race so late in the day, so making sure I got more food in between breakfast and race time was pretty important! I got kitted up and had time for a few more laps in the gap before the afternoon races.

All of a sudden, it was time to line up and get started. My initial start, for the first grassy stretch, was pretty good. I came off the line quickly and held my position. The other part of the start, once we turned onto the pavement, suddenly sucked. I just kind of got swarmed. Chalk it up to "not used to riding with more than 10 women", or "don't forget, you need to keep going hard". By the time we hit the woods, I was either last or second to last, and not so impressed with myself.

This is normally the part where I could give some kind of lap-by-lap race recount. I actually can't for this race, which probably means I was working pretty hard. Or was pretty worked over. Regardless, I know that I hung on to the strung out field for a bit, and moved up to 18 (of 21). I managed to squeak by Mandy on one of the run ups, but she rallied and got the spot back and then some, moving up even further in what I think is one of her first cross races. The gap ahead of me grew, and the gap behind me seemed pretty solid. I really, really hurt. I wanted to DNF - the climbs were absolutely killing me, I felt like I was working so hard, it hurt a lot, and being at the back of the race, I didn't feel like I was getting much payback for the effort. (An aside: does it actually hurt less when you are fighting near the front? Or does the excitement of being in the thick of things help you forget and/or shelve the pain? Discuss!) I felt like I had people cheering for me on every corner of the course, which helped so, so, so much. Besides, it was only 40minutes... I could handle it, I just needed to toughen up. I just tried to focus on doing each thing as well as I could - fast over the barriers, good remount, pedal through the corners... I screwed up one of the off-camber sections, and just heard Rachael remind me to stay focused - it helped so much. Before I knew it, I saw that I was catching on the girl in 18th. I had a lap and a half to go, and I could catch her. I caught her on the paved section, and led through the woods, just before we got the bell for last lap. She got out of the saddle and hammered out of the corner after the woods, and I let her open up a small gap. There was still a full lap left and I knew that I could reel her in again; it was nice to race with a bit patience and confidence. Sure enough, I caught her again at the first run up, and gapped her on the remount. Held onto 18th for the finish.

I have never worked so hard for such a low result. I admit that I felt frustrated when I first finished - it is very hard to go from racing in the top-5 at local races to the back of the pack for one race. On the other hand, well, it's Nationals - the largest and most competitive field all year. I know I'm a long ways from top 5. I also know that when I set my schedule at the start of the season, I've never put much emphasis on Nationals - it's just hard to not get wrapped up in them when you're actually there.

Anyway, musing about the importance of the race aside, I am happy for a number of things from this race. First, I improved on my result from last year (from 19th in 2010 to 18th in 2011!), and second, I achieved two of my previously stated goals of finishing "not-last", and of not being lapped. The straight-helmet thing seems to depend on the photographer, the time, whether I am on an off-camber section or not, and all other weird witchcraft. I think I might just need to go shopping for a new helmet over the winter to solve this one!

dwindling chances

2011-11-04T09:09:00.001-04:00

The end is nigh!

As the season heads to closing, I realize I have only 3 races left to get it right. And by "it", I mean racing with my helmet on straight and even! Hi, my name is Briana, and I often race with a helmet that is either loose or crooked.

This example is from Hillbilly Hustle, but I have plenty of similar evidence. People, if you see me headed towards the start line, please don't snicker to yourselves and let me go on my merry, crooked way!

Last weekend was the Hardwood Hills cross race. I wish they had put it on the same weekend as Baseball Cross in Barrie, because they are so close, it would be much easier to make a weekend of it.

Anyway, where Baseball Cross had lots of open grassy areas and fast corners, Hardwood had hills and sand and run ups. I had a great start, and moved up into third as we did the "prologue" from the start to the finish. I was feeling pretty good, and was doing my best to hold that position, but I could see Julie, Lori, Rachael and Michelle not far behind. Julie could clearly see that the hillier course was not my friend, and with a really strong push, caught and passed me. I kept plugging away, trying to be as efficient as possible, and take as much advantage of the sections where I felt good, but with two to go, Lori also made me feel like I was standing still. I thought I could keep her within close distance, but on the last trip through the sand pit, I hit it with a lot of speed and instead of rolling gracefully through, I hit a rut badly and just kind of bounced up and down all over the place. Ah well - 5th woman and 4th elite is still pretty good!

Adding a photo, by Rob MacEwen, to show off my awesome old Cactus Cup jersey, worn because it was Halloween and I couldn't find anything else that qualified as a costume. And, of course, because it is pretty cool. I won it when I got third place in Beginner Women at the Whistler Cactus Cup in 1994 (I also got so, so, lost pre-riding, still have scars from crashing on a dusty downhill switchback, and finished about an hour behind 2nd place... but there were only 3 of us, so I still made the podium!).

baseball cross

2011-10-28T22:50:00.000-04:00

Sunday saw a bright and early departure for the drive up to Barrie. When Mike and I pulled into the lot, we got out of the rental (a Fiat 500), and a woman walking by said "I can't believe you fit a bike in the back!" Actually, 2!

Mike races at 10, so I was there with plenty of time to get signed in, check out the course, and get warmed up. Which was good because it was a bit frosty when we first arrived. Thank goodness for sunshine - it all melted pretty quickly, and I ended up racing in shorts and short sleeves! The course was a great mix of surfaces, and lots of fast, flowy corners. Some gravel sections, a bit of mud, and a large dirt hill - rideable, unless you were stuck in traffic or someone went down in front of you.

I also have to give a huge thanks to Brad for sorting out a shifter problem I was having, about 5 minutes before the start.

I had a great start, and was sitting comfortably in the front group through the first lap. There was a bit of traffic on the hill - even though I was in 4th wheel when we got there, I didn't have as much momentum as I had used in practice. I stalled partway up and had to get up and run. Apologies to anyone behind me, as I'm pretty sure this was part of a big chain reaction right down the hill that split the group up! I got into chase-mode, and within a lap and a half, I had moved up to third, on Leigh's wheel, with Laura ahead off the front. Leigh and I spent the next 4 laps going back and forth! It was probably the most tactical and closest race I've had in a long time. I could never make any of my little attacks stick, and ultimately, couldn't stay in front when it really mattered. Leigh got around me on the inside on the second to last corner, and I couldn't make up enough ground in the sprint.

The excitement of such a close race stuck with me for a couple of days, and I was feeling excited and motivated all week. Well, at least until it was time for my workout tonight, and I suddenly felt way less motivated!

(This week's photos courtesy of Rob MacEwen, who took such great shots, I might just hire him to follow me and photograph me all the time.)

the mountain bike season

2011-10-17T19:45:00.001-04:00

A quick post, with some thoughts on my 2011 mountain bike season.

In 20 words or less: it was awesome!

The longer version:
I started out by upgrading to Expert women - a move I was hesitant to make, as I wasn't sure if I was ready for the move. In 3 years of racing Sport, I'd only managed one win, and I knew my technical skills still had a ways to go. On the other hand, I felt ready to push myself a bit, and thought the extra lap would be fun. In retrospect, moving up was the best decision for me! The Senior Ex category is small but mighty, and it was exciting to have such close races and tight competition all the time. Certainly motivating! I ended the season in 4th overall, with a string of 3rds and 4ths throughout the season.

Another (unexpected) bonus was that I managed enough upgrade points to move up again. I am still in the "optional upgrade" crowd, and have no plans to go to Elite for 2012, it is exciting to think that someone (or some formula) think I am ready!

I also got a new bike this year. People often ask how I like having front suspension, and I tell them excitedly how much I love it. You know what I love just as much - possibly more? Disc brakes! Let me tell you - reliable and strong brakes are amaaaazing! While a part of me is sad to no longer be riding the retro brakes, most of me is excited about decent stopping power.

The other thing that made my mountain bike season so much fun is that I pushed my boundaries, and think I really improved my skills (which, admittedly, still have a ways to go). I made a couple of trips to Buckwallow by myself, or with friends I don't normally go with - perfect for practicing stuff on my own, or trying out the trails that I always think are "too hard for me". I followed Rachael's "3 tries and then move on" rule each time I was in the Don, and with many coached sessions (with very patient riding partners), started conquering a few more log piles and bridges. I pre-rode races with different people, was more patient with myself, and as a consequence, had fewer "oh my god, I totally suck" trail-side tears. Oh, and I rode with my sisters in Oregon, and had so much fun!

Basically, I really just can't wait to do it all over again next year!

(No race report, since I didn't do any cross racing. The Boy and I went to Buckwallow for one last ride before they close in two weeks to join the Boy's team for a group ride.)

Hillbilly Hustle

2011-10-08T08:42:00.000-04:00

Last weekend started with a quick trip to Muskoka. We had some event-planning business to attend to. As any time we are in the area, we swung by Buckwallow. The Boy visited with Mike while I did a quick spin. The Boy thinks I may be one of the first to ride a cross bike at Bucky. It was... challenging, to say the least! Despite sticking to the double track and easier single track, but those skinny tires are not a great match for those roots and rocks. I think the hairiest moment was coming down one of the rocks on Missing Link, and realizing just how crappy canti brakes are. It was still super fun, and I certainly got a couple of good looks on the trails from people on somewhat bigger bikes.

Because racing the next day was up in Duntroon, we opted to stay over in Collingwood. We even stayed at the Mariner Motor Hotel, aka, that place with free breakfast and bunnies in the yard across the street.

Hillbilly day came, and it was cold and windy. I got in one lap before the 10am race - just enough to check out the course and confirm that my mega-squealy brakes needed further adjustment. A bit of bike work from the Boy, which downgraded my brakes to just plain squealy, and I got in a few more laps prior to the start. It was a good course for me - lots of good power sections on the top of the plateau. A bit of fun single track, and nice long downhill, and then a fun little over-under flyover before the last few fast corners. I was loving the second half of the course, where it felt like you were just flying.

My start was not great, and I gave up a few spots from my second row start. By the time we hit the gravel climb, I decided I needed to move up. Picked a line on the far left - some may say gutter - and motored my way up to get back to the front of the pack. Or, what was left of it. I think by now, Amanda had taken off to work her way through the Master men's field, and Julie and Michelle were also off on their own. I tried to sit in on Lori's wheel for a bit in the wind, which was really quite ridiculous considering how much smaller she is. At the barriers, I gave an extra push to get back on the bike and on the gas before her, creating a small gap as we headed to the single track. I pretty much spent the rest of the race in no-man's land - steadily working on lengthening the gap on the girls behind me where Jamie and Lori were riding together, and watching the gap in front get just a bit bigger each lap. Picked off a few Master men, and rolled in for 4th overall and 3rd Senior woman.

The downside was having to do the podium out in the rain. Total worth it, however, for the chocolate in my prize! Then it was out to spectate and help out, wearing as many layers as possible. I think it's time for a new umbrella...

The Boy was racing in the rain, and the temperature seemed to drop. Even though he forgot to sign in and forgot to pin his numbers, he settled in and was having a fantastic race. The slippery conditions were great for him. The rain and cold, however, were not, and he had to pack it in when he couldn't feel his hands anymore. I've seen him get those kind of chills before, so I bought a tea and brought it to the men's changeroom to help him warm up. I just called from the door, since I knew there were a few others who had DNF:ed in there, but apparently getting personal tea service to the changeroom still got a few giggles from the others.

Love the Hillbilly Hustle. Last year was the only year I did not do the Hustle - can't remember why, but it was cold and snowy, this year was cold and rainy and it was great to be back!

ooooh, cross

2011-09-27T20:44:00.000-04:00

First cross race of 2011 is in the books!

Last year, my first race after finishing the 8-hr in Quebec was terrible. I don't want to relive it here - that's what the archives are for - but let me tell you that a long endurance event did not set me up well for 50min of suffering.

This year, I definitely felt better after the 8-hr (thank you, front suspension!). And I tried to get out on the bike and for a run in the intervening week. I even practiced dismounts and remounts the day before... oh man, was I rusty! I decided that my definition of success for race day would be if I didn't trip and land on my face.

Race day, and it was really, really hot. I unzipped my jersey, and now see from the photos that I had a bit of a Paola Pezzo thing going on. With apologies to those who think cycling races should be family-friendly, I promise to race in more modest attire in the coming weeks!

Success - on more than one level! The start was fast and it was hard to hold my position, but as the race unfolded, I felt pretty good. I felt strong when I needed power, and made the most of out of the long flat sections. The run up and barriers were killing me, but it still wasn't that bad. I had a good battle going with Lori and Julie for a couple of laps before they pulled away. With about 2 to go, I could see Leigh just ahead, and lucky for me, we were heading for the long power section. I gave it everything I had to pass and take the lead - unfortunately, when that effort proved to be too much, Leigh was on my wheel and passed me easily. I ended up in 4th for Senior Women, and totally humbled by the speed of some of the Master Women, too. Some fast ladies!

Adventures in la Belle Province

2011-09-20T01:37:00.001-04:00

Time for the annual trek to St-Felicien in Quebec for the 12-heures de Clorophylle. I signed up for the solo 8-hr option, since I just wanted to go for the riding and was not so keen on the idea of night laps. The Boy's friend, who builds all the great trail at the St-Feicien Tobo-Ski, talked him into doing a 12-hour tag team.

First, however, we had to get there. We drove to Montreal on Thursday, where we stayed with my cousin. The next morning, we lounged over brunch, and then we were off for the rest of the drive. Took a couple of breaks, especially when we passed through the town with the giant chair.

We arrived around 6pm, and decided to go straight to the race site, to see where our friends were camping and say hello. We had one minor mis-hap at this stage. To get to Tobo-ski, you take a dirt road out of town. There are a couple of off-shoots, and in our we-only-come-once-a-year fuzzy brains, we turned off one dirt road too soon. It took a little while before we realized our first mistake, we turned around and (being in the middle of nowhere), I took the opportunity to relieve myself - this being our second mistake. We continued back out to the main road, and were stopped in our tracks by a long steel cable, spray painted fluorescent orange, pulled across the road and locked. It was so unexpected, I briefly thought that we had made yet another wrong turn, and that this was not the direction we'd come from. No such luck - the guy working in the area must have left while we were turning around, and not realizing we were on his property, locked us in. Did I mention the trees and boulders lining the road? The only way out meant sorting out that little locked chain and cable situation.

We inspected the cable, and saw that it was attached to a chain with a couple of bolts. We had pretty limited tool selection - think "here for a bike race" - but one of the bolts was 15mm. All bow down to the mighty pedal wrench, which the Boy used to undo bolt number one. Bolt number two was a bit bigger, and we tried to jam the pedal wrench on, even employing a rock. It wasn't working out quite as easily, so we hiked the last kilometre or so up to Tobo-ski for reinforcements. Since the Boy's friend works there, we had no problem getting vice grips. The boys went back down on the quad while I tended to the campfire, and within 10 minutes they were back - with the car! One potentially stressful situation diffused by being resourceful and really lucky.

The next day was race day. I was taking a pretty relaxed approach to my race - I hadn't given nutrition too much thought, and planned to just take breaks as often and for as long as I wanted. My only goal was to get in more than 6 laps, which was what I managed last year. A secondary goal was to make it to the start before the actual start, and I did do that, though barely!

I did two laps off the start, and was happy to recognize a bunch of stuff on the back half, and to feel like I was riding it better this year. Took a break to get a fresh bottle, and fuel up, and headed back out for another double. I knew I was getting comfortable on the course, because it didn't seem so long. Laps 3 and 4 were pretty uneventful - people had really spread out, so you got to spend plenty of time on your own. I followed this up with a really long break - I got changed, got fresh bottles, and made a bit of lunch. Then I made some coffee, and hung out for a bit with the Boy, who had come in about half an hour after me. It took some real self-talk to get myself out there again, since I was starting to feel pretty relaxed. I finally got going, grabbed extra food, and put a spare bottle down by the transition so I wouldn't be tempted to come back to the car. Lap 5 and 6 were good. Through lap 7, I was making a lot of mistakes, and generally getting a bit tired. By the time I got through the fun stuff on Slalom and Ricochet (two great trails), I was feeling a bit better, and started to wonder if I'd have time to squeeze in one more. I decided that if i got in and still had 50min or more, I could dial the effort back but still get one in and finish before 6:30pm. I came to transition, and had 49min left.... close enough! I had a gel, and threw the bike in granny gear to get myself up the opening climb. My last lap, I somehow felt better than previous, and loved every minute of it.

I ended up 5th, and had pretty steady lap times between 41 and 45 minutes. Definitely a fun time! The Boy and his friend did well as a tag team. They had a couple more hours of racing after me, since they were in the 12-hour category. We thought they were winning, but at the awards ceremony, learned that they had finished 2nd. There was a second list of tag teams that we missed, and never knew they were behind this other team all day!

Two in One

2011-09-14T22:58:00.000-04:00

A bit behind in posting race reports, so here we go!

Mountain Bike Rally
Huge thumbs up on this one! A new event, made up of timed and transition (a.k.a non-timed) stages. It sounded fun, and given the low number of mountain bike races after the month of June, it seemed like a good time for an extra race and to try something new. Totally worth it!

The timed events were fairly short - about 5 to 7 minutes - followed by transition stages of about 30 minutes of awesome single track. My great challenge was to really race the timed stages, without having pre-ridden the trail. With each rider going at 30s intervals, there were no line to follow, and each was really a mini TT. Realized pretty quickly the importance of looking ahead, as I made a few small mistakes like cutting a corner too tight.

I thought I had a good battle going with Carlene, but given the TT-nature of each stage, it was hard to know who was ahead at any point. In the end, I picked up silver, but only by 6 seconds.

OCup 7 - Highlands Nordic
Last OCup of the season! The Boy and I came up to check out the course earlier in August, and by lap two, I was having fun on it. Same drill for the pre-race pre-ride - first lap felt awful, but the second lap was good fun, and I was feeling excited to race. I pre-rode with Mike, and we had a good time. It was nice to have someone about my speed, and similar technical ability, so we could help each other figure out some of the sections. After many, many, many re-tries, I finally nailed the long, flat rock garden. It wasn't really that bad a feature, but it was definitely the one thing from my first ride at Highlands that I couldn't ride, and I needed to conquer it before it became an issue. Having accomplished that, I was feeling pretty good about racing the next day!

We stayed in Collingwood, at the Mariner Motor Hotel. It looked to be just the right combo of dodgy and cheap but not scary in the photos online, and it was a good choice. Best part was the random bunnies living across the street. Reminiscent of Canmore, and the Boy managed to get pretty close for some photos and to feed them by hand. Random morning cuteness done, we headed to the race!

I was feeling a bit lazy once we got parked, and totally stalled on my warm up. May or may not have included seeing if I fit in the trunk of the car.

Anyway, finally got myself warmed up and to the line. The lap starts with a long climb, and I managed to stay near the front, in 3rd. I drifted back to 5th within the first few sections of single track, but managed to catch back up to 4th before the end of the lap. We were still in a small group when we hit the rock garden, and I was pretty nervous about people behind me. I ended up flying through it so much faster than any of my practice runs, I scared myself! Second time up the hill, I was passed like I was standing still (did I mention that I was racing against an Olympic rower? She was killing it on the climbs!), and was back to 5th. Lap 2 was pretty uneventful, but I was definitely feeling more comfortable on the trails and having a good time. Just as I started my last lap, Kate caught me on the line... I was pretty sure she was ahead of me before, but I learned she had had a flat. I was really hurting, so I let her lead up the climb and through the single track. Once we started going down, she gapped me pretty well, and I didn't really catch up to her until she was by the side of the course, and withdrawing... a second flat. I was on my own for the rest of the race, enjoying that sweet course. Fun way to finish the OCup series. I ended up 4th in the race, and 4th in the series.

Next up: road trip! Leaving tomorrow for the annual trek to St Felicien, and my second stab at a not-very-serious solo 8-hour.

Thunder in the Don

2011-08-27T23:31:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, I was out with the Boy. I needed a guided refresher on a couple of trails in Taylor Creek, so we skipped most of the regular trails from Pottery, taking the bike path right up to the "teeth", and hung a right under the DVP. After a short warm up on Training Loop, we rode up the path to the entrance of Boomerang, the trail I wanted to check out. We were partway through, and it was getting darker and darker. We knew that a storm was coming, and we were riding on borrowed time.

We decided to cut the exploratory ride short, and came out after the first third. We headed for shelter under the DVP, and got there just in time to catch our breath before some serious rain hit.

We stayed under the bridge for about half an hour, and the water rose about 5 feet in that time. It was crazy to see the water rising so quickly. We had to leave before the rain stopped completely because our access bridge was close to being flooded out.

race report - O Cup 6, Kelso

2011-08-16T22:40:00.000-04:00

Let me start with telling you about the best-worst pre-ride ever. I wanted to get my pre-ride done early in the week, especially since the trail run the day before the race meant to pre-riding until 1pm. Not the most favorable day-before schedule for getting a few laps and a good recovery done, so I took advantage of the holiday Monday, and went up with Mike to check out the loosely-marked course. It was fantastic! There were a couple of uphills that I struggled on, but nothing major, and best of all, no terrifying pointy-rock gardens or descents that made me want to pee my pants. Woohoo! I was getting pretty excited for this race - hence the best pre-ride ever.

Fast forward to race day. Mike and I made it through the torrential downpour on the 401, and only briefly contemplated bailing on the whole thing. The rain was seriously nasty! But luckily it cleared up quite nicely as we parked and got registered. It was still hot and humid, but wet, so a great opportunity to try out the non-warming embrocation. Loved watching the rain bead on my legs while I warmed up! I think it made more dirt stick to my legs in the end.

After a record number of Senior Ex Women at the last race, we were back down to a small group of 5 for Kelso. The pace was pretty quick off the start, but I felt more prepared for the race effort than I had at Buckwallow, so we all stayed pretty well together. I was last wheel by the time we hit the top of the climb, but 3rd and 4th were not far ahead, and I was able to catch and make up a couple of spots by about the halfway mark. All good, cruising along the double track, getting ready to make the next right into the single track... and I am met with course tape. Turns out the "loosely-marked" course on Monday was missing an entire section! A section which contained some rock gardens that I really would have benefited from practicing in a pre-ride! Not fun at race speed, and with the recent rain, not something I wanted to do on the fly at race-pace, so I ran the majority of the bumpy bumpy rock gardens - hence the worse pre-ride ever.

I made it to the end of the first lap sitting in third, only to fall back to 5th by the top of the climb. As before, I made up those spots by mid-way, and was back to third as we headed into the last lap. This time, I only conceded one spot on the climb. Something was different this lap - even though I was working pretty hard, by the mid-way point, I had not caught my third place rabbit. I pushed even harder, but didn't really catch sight of her until we were back at the bottom. As I came into the feedzone climb, I could see her, just at the top. I pushed as hard as I could to close the gap, but all I got was a major cramp in my left quad,. Finished up in 4th, absolutely cooked from the effort, but happy with a good race.

back to training

2011-07-26T20:29:00.000-04:00

I've been ramping up the volume the last couple of weeks since the OCup. After taking that unplanned long break, I re-vamped my training to see me through to the end of cross, just using the last few mountain bike races as training. I've also added a couple more training races - the Boy and I have been tossing around the idea of doing a tag team 9-hr in August (which sounds super fun... it includes a pie-eating contest!), and we've decided to go to Quebec again in September. I'll probably do the 8-hr solo in St-Felicien, but like last year, I'll just ride and have fun on the technical trails until I'm ready to stop!

Last weekend was another trip to Buckwallow, with Tara (who I am linking to in the hopes that she may sometime blog again) and her boy. His goal was to hit every piece of single track - we did quite well, but after getting home, I realised we missed Weasel. Next time! Despite falling short of this goal, it was still a great day - sunny and hot, and even though Mike told us it was busy, I hardly felt like we saw many other people on the trails. Trying to get to all the single track meant I went on a few that I'd never ridden before, and it took a lot of the "I can't ride that it's too hard" mystique out (even if I couldn't ride the whole thing). Sadly, no photos exist of this awesome bikey day because I seem to have lost my camera! I'll try to dig it out before the next OCup.

race report - O Cup 5, Buckwallow

2011-07-19T21:00:00.000-04:00

This year, I pretty excited to race at Buckwallow. Since the Boy and I go a few times a year, I've learned to really enjoy it, rather than being as intimidated as I was the first time I was there. Plus (in case you've already forgotten!) - new bike. With front suspension! I was excited to try it out on the rocks, and to see test myself on the more technical trails.

At the same time, I was not excited to race that weekend, because I had just returned from my trip, and was tired, jetlagged, and missed being home.

Saturday was pre-ride, and I rode most of it with the Fishers, who helped me a lot in picking lines and practicing stuff. It was a good pace, and Lee helped me a tonne by bossing me around until I got something. I think my favorite quote from her was "You're so chicken! No, go back, do that again!" It honestly helped. I did one full lap, and then Lee and I did the first and last sections of single track (Loam Rider & Moose Mayhem) a couple more times. By the time we were done, I was super excited for racing because I was comfortable on the whole course, and cleaned everything on Moose for the first time ever.

I was out and helping with my "in-law" team for the 10am race. In reality, I was scoring brownie points to guarantee myself a feed later!

We had 10 women in Senior Expert! I think the first thing I forgot about this course, is that you really need to go hard for that long double track opening. Since I hadn't raced in a month, it was just this weird "oh right, go fast, we're racing!" reaction. I was hanging onto the back of the pack, and was really having trouble moving up. I went into the single track pretty far near the back, and spent the first lap riding with Danielle and Christiane, sort of yo-yoing off the back and catching back on. I moved up to second wheel towards the end of the lap, and then took the lead when Christiane crashed in Moose Mayhem. Danielle was right with me, and very patiently rode behind me through Loam Rider. I can only imagine how annoying my wheel must be in tight single track, but she was kind enough to let me lead! She did, however, pass me shortly after we hit the double track! I drafted Danielle for a little bit, and decided that I wanted to up the pace a bit, and she would probably catch me in the single track before too long. At various points, I could see Elyse and Ali battling it out ahead, although I never managed to catch either of them. By lap 3, Danielle still hadn't caught me, and I rode a good hard lap to come in in 6th.

Not my best result this season, but I was definitely happy with how I rode!

Midsummer Break

2011-07-18T23:33:00.000-04:00

New Bike!!!
It took a bit longer to get the new bike together, but it is done, and not a second too soon! I basically had enough time to ride it up and down the street a few times on Friday night before packing it all up for racing on Sunday.

Summer Solstice
Mari organized a large group of great women into a 10-person team for Summer Solstice. It was a great weekend - excellent company, fun course, hanging out with the True North team, and of course, the new bike. Last year I skipped the the 24, and the year before it was a soggy, muddy 12hr. With warm weather and brief showers to keep the track tacky, it was the perfect year to come back for this race. I really liked the atmosphere for our 10-person - it was very different from being on a five-woman team in contention for the podium. But I think I get enough serious racing from the OCups - I am happy to have one race that's more about hanging out and having fun!

Oregon
Go west, young woman! Quick little solo vacation and family time, first to visit friends in Seattle, and then to hang out with my family in Hood River. Awesome riding in Hood River, and since Bronwyn and Mike recently took up mountain biking, I was able to go on a ride with both my sisters! Bronwyn and I rode two days in a row (we left Meg and her beau to do a DH/Super D run and there was a lot of getting lost and getting separated). Other highlights: Bronwyn's birthday, super awesome house with great views to relax at, Lost Lake, mom's cooking.

a new lesson

2011-06-21T07:10:00.000-04:00

Last night's lesson is that you shouldn't work on your bike by yourself at 11:30pm. It may result in knocking yourself in the head with the crank arm, misplacing a heck of a lot of the tools you need, and tears (and a smart decision to get to bed) when the crankarm won't come out of the BB. All this to take a few things off the current bike so they can go here:

Woot!

race report - O Cup 4, Albion

2011-06-21T07:04:00.000-04:00

Before anyone gets to wondering about my counting skills, I did skip O Cup 3 at Hardwood. Things were a bit busy, Hardwood is not my favorite course (especially on a rigid bike), and I thought I'd take the weekend to run a few errands and ride for fun. In fact, one of my fun rides was at Albion, where I pre-rode the course there, eliminating the need to pre-ride the day before race day.

As a result of my race-skipping and advance-planning, Saturday was pretty sweet! Very relaxing, for sure. I had a quick ride, then brunch with a friend, some time around the house, dropped in on Brad and Rachael to meet Winston, and then got my race stuff together. Whew! Ok, maybe not that relaxing, but it sure felt like it since I didn't have to rush out to Albion to check out the course!

Since I was flying solo for this one, the first order of business was to find a feed - no problem with the large and friendly crew from CSAJ. I got warmed up, got my bottles organized, and got to the line. I had an ok start, and quickly got on the pain train, led by Jenn and Ali. Jenn pulled away, eventually winning it wire to wire, and I managed to keep Ali in my sights for most of the first lap. I knew Danielle wasn't too far behind, and we nearly came through the lap together. On lap two, I was already starting to suffer on the climbs, and about midway through the lap, I lost my focus and things came apart for a bit. Danielle passed me with some encouraging words, and I decided I needed to stick with her as best I could. She got a decent gap, and I never closed it, but I was able to pull myself back together to keep up the chase and maintain my position. You really need to keep pushing in this category because we're all pretty close in ability and fitness - positions 3 to 7 each finished 30s apart! I was right in the middle of the category in 4th, and just felt happy to have rallied for my last lap.

halifax

2011-06-02T22:48:00.000-04:00

Work has been a bit crazy lately, but there's been an upside to the extra hours. Conference time!

I flew into Halifax on Sunday afternoon, and was a bit surprised by the fog and cooler weather. Has spring arrived anywhere?

It was an engineering conference, so I'm not going to bore you with that for content. The conference was great, though, with lots of great presentations on cycling and sustainable transportation. And I had two presentations, both of which went very well. The weather improved, just in time for the bike tour, and I also got in a run up to the Citadel (which my quads are still sore from), and of course, some great seafood.

race report - O Cup 2, Woodnewton

2011-05-22T22:51:00.000-04:00

Sunday was the most recent iteration of the 2011 O Cup Series. Woodnewton is a good early season venue, with lots of fun single track and lung-busting climbs. And luckily, pretty good at holding up in the wet, since Saturday afternoon/night and most of Sunday was raaaaaainy.

Pre-pre-ride (does that even make sense?), my instruction from The Boy was to try and find a spot where I could try an attack. I did the world's fastest pre-ride ever on Saturday morning, since I was short on time and worried about rain (no time to try to find the right line in the rock garden - the alternative line is good and fast, and I need to go now!). I did give some thought to places to attack, keeping my strengths in mind. The Boy and I talked about it again on Saturday night, and I was ready to try to shake things up in my race.

Sunday morning came, and despite my experience with freezing cold and rainy October weather, I had a hard time motivating myself to warm up properly. Off the start, I wanted to keep an eye on Ali, who had taken a flyer early in the last race, and very nearly rode off with the win. A few metres off the line, I heard bikes coming together just over my right shoulder, as a couple of girls got tangled and went down. There was a loud snap, and I later learned that one girl broke her frame, but not wanting to cause another crash by looking, I kept my head down and pedaled. I was near the front of the train as we headed into lap 1. After Alison fell in the slick single track, and I decided to capitalize and go for it a bit earlier than planned. Kate came around me on the double track, and was never seen again - she had a great race, after getting slowed up by the crash, she rode through the field and took the win. In the meantime, I threw caution and pacing to the wind, and pushed myself hard to hang onto second place.

Lap two I kept pushing, but by the end of the lap, I knew Alison was on my wheel and it would be tough to dislodge her. She rode a smart race, pacing herself much better, not to mention riding way smoother in the single track. She passed me just as we head into Matty's Mahem, the muddiest, slickest single track. I was expecting her to make that pass, since it was exactly what I would have done in her place. I was fading a bit from my previous efforts, and while Alison put an impressive minute and a half into me by the finish, I managed to hang onto third place for another stop on the Expert podium. Yay!

(yeah, yeah, no photos. The Boy and I are having a hard enough time sorting out feeding when we race back to back, so my official photographer is now either feeding me during my race, warming up, or doing his own race!)

O Cup 1 Race Report - Mansfield

2011-05-03T22:53:00.000-04:00

So, I kinda took the plunge and upgraded to Expert over the winter. I decided that a win and a handful of 3rd and 4th place finishes, as well as enough points to upgrade were hinting that I was ready to step it up a level. I know it's early days for the season, but I am so excited about racing in Expert, I can hardly contain myself! I think there will be some great battles this season, and I can't wait to keep riding with this great group of ladies.

Shall we back up to the pre-ride? It was pretty good. I was mostly trying not to kill myself on the climbs, and remembering what my mountain bike felt like on dirt. I got in two laps - one easy to check it all out, and one trying a bit more speed on the single track. I had originally planned on three laps, but it was pretty hot (nice, but I wasn't used to it), and I was at risk of getting tired and frustrated.

Saturday night was great. I rarely comment on my pre-race routine, but I continue to be so damn proud of myself for somehow getting my bag packed, dinner made, bottles prepped, and Sunday's dinner done and in the fridge for an easy post-race evening. Oh, and I made it to a friend's going-away party, too!

Sunday was race day, and I learned the first bonus of racing Expert: not needing to wake up and leave the house at the crack of dawn. Leaving at 9am felt so civilized - we even had time to get coffee from Sam James Coffee bar, and traffic was not too bad. Got to Mansfield in good time, and got in a decent little warm up (necessary, since it was a bit on the windy/chilly side). Tried to keep race-tummy and related bathroom breaks to a minimum, but I admit to having pre-race nerves. I had no clue what to expect in Expert, and I was nervous and excited to find out!

First lap was really good - I was riding in a little train of 4 girls, sitting at the back and taking it all in. It was so much fun! It was a good pace, but not killer, and was just fun to be racing so close to others in my category. After the first lap, I had a pretty good idea of where I might be able to open a gap - on a steep uphill, which a couple of the girls were dismounting for. On lap 2, we shuffled order a bit on the opening climb. I went a bit earlier than planned, but I wanted to make sure I got into that single track climb with a clear run at it. Jennifer pulled away from me shortly after, and I never saw her again. On my last lap, I could see another woman from my category ahead, just as we headed into the last section of single track. She had made an early escape, and nearly stayed away the whole race, and was all I needed as a carrot. I pushed to try and catch her. She gained some ground on me on the open gravel downhill, and I gave it my all to catch her wheel through the last corners, but it was not in the cards. I finished in 3rd, less than 10 seconds down from 2nd. And Christiane finished a mere 30 seconds behind me - I hope this means lots of good, close racing this season!

Paris-Ancaster

2011-04-19T23:08:00.002-04:00

What a day for Paris-Ancaster! I don't think I've ever dealt with weather like this for such a long race before - I expect it for late-season cross, but it's only 40min, which makes it somehow more manageable.

First, many, many thanks must be given to my awesome teammate Mari, who came to Ancaster very early on Sunday, specifically to deliver me and the Boy to the start in Paris with our bikes (we registered a bit too late for the pre-race bus). So Mari basically bailed us out, and she brought cute little doggies with her!

The start was surprisingly good - I felt like I was going backwards a bit as we headed up the road, but I got my head screwed on and started moving up before we hit the rail trail. I managed to avoid getting tangled in a crash when someone two wheels ahead suddenly hit the deck and took out the guy in front of me. I steered into the ditch and managed to get around unscathed. There were times in the tailwind that I worried that I was overdressed for the day.

The rest of the race was pretty much a blur. I shuffled between a couple of different groups throughout the race - never really sticking with one for long as I lost a few spots in one section, or tried to bridge up to the next group on another. As a result, I spent far longer on my own than I should have - I really need to work on being patient and working with a group. Well, except for that small group of mountain bikers who still didn't pull through when I was basically sitting up and riding in the ditch! I was really cursing the decision to go with file treads on some of the muddier sections. Later in the race, I was getting better at staying with other riders, even if I had to suffer somewhat in order to do so - something that paid off greatly with the massive crosswinds. Still, with primarily tail winds, I was feeling good and pleased with how I was doing for time.

And then in started to snow, and I was so glad I was wearing the layers I had! I had to take off my glasses, since they were fogging up really badly, but it kind of left me riding somewhat blind, as I tried to keep the dry little snow flakes from getting in my eyes. Rapid blinking is not recommended during a high speed corner! Towards the end of the race, I started getting some bad cramps in my right calf and left quad - the quad cramps getting particularly painful when I had to remount. I was pretty sure I was going to have to walk part of the final climb - the cramps were so painful. Unfortunately, just like last year, I saw people I knew, and they were cheering for me! It was very motivating to see some friendly faces, and I am pretty sure that's what got me up the hill and over the finish line. As much as I hate finishing on that hill, I far prefer killing myself on a hill at the end of a race, instead of at the beginning of a race... Pelham, I am looking at you!

Post-race details - I got third in my age cat! And a personal best P-A time (by about 50 seconds)! And I did the whole race with my heart rate monitor effing up and it didn't bother me once (you can ask the Boy, this is actually the most amazing thing of all. When my heart rate monitor is not working as it should I get all Hulk-like and Briana smash!). Two issues with the race from my perspective - first, I can't believe the gates were still closed on the rail trail near Jerseyville - not a big deal to scootch around them in a small group, but a potential problem for larger groups, likely travelling a bit quicker. Second, I wish they could move the podium presentations up a bit earlier, reducing the finish-to-podium wait to something under 2.5hrs. Still, all in all, a good day at the races.

end of season surprises

2011-04-12T22:01:00.000-04:00

I had two nice surprises recently, both from good consistent performances last year.

Loving the oxymoron of "Elite Sport", but it's nice to get something for a solid mountain bike season.

A plaque of my own to hang on the wall! I was somewhat disappointed with my race at Nationals last year, so this was a sweet reminder that I was still consistent over a lot more races.

Some excellent motivation as I try to balance the day job with training and those early season races!

Tour of Pelham

2011-04-06T23:05:00.000-04:00

So excited to see this one back on the calendar for 2011! Well, excited until I was mid-way through the suffer-fest today, when I kinda wished I'd stayed at home, and then excited again because I felt good at the finish (I won't post my very grumpy looking photo. I was excited to finish, in that so-exhausted-I-just-need-to-stop-coughing-long-enough-to-pass-out-so-don't-even-try-talking-to-me kind of way.)

The morning started painfully early so that we could be down in St Catharine's well before the 11am start. I find that I am so scattered at the first races, it is nice to have plenty of extra time for forgetting things/being slow/chatting. I had time for a quick warm up with a few laps around the parking lot, then it was time to head down the hill to the start. I went for a bit of a warm up on the road at the bottom, and nearly missed the start entirely because I thought it started about 200m higher than. Oops! Just missed a few intros on the start line - still got the major instructions, and more importantly, still made the actual start.

The start goes straight up the escarpment, with a killer climb. I paced myself fairly well, but couldn't recover well enough and lost a few places leading up to the single track. I could see at least one woman, just in front of me, and knew Leslie was also ahead. I spent a lot of time trying to bridge up to the next woman and her group, and finally pulled it off, just as we hit the road. When we turned down the Chute, I lost contact with the front of the group, and though I could see them ahead, I was never able to bridge that gap. I spent most of the race riding on my own, but close to a couple of juniors. We hit this absolutely soul-sucking and back-crushing cornfield, and just as I neared the end, I saw two women ahead - and neither were Leslie, who I figured was further ahead. Realized I was likely fourth place woman, but you never know in a race like this and anything can happen, so I kept the pressure on, hoping for the best. This years course had a fun section where the course doubled back on itself, and I got a boost of morale from the Boy as he went by in a great position. I made it through the killer hills around Shorthills Provincial Park, but as I headed back towards the single track leading to the finish, I couldn't see anyone ahead. The last bit of off-road was really chewed up, and my tire/fork combo was picking up mud and every leaf I rode over. I stopped to get the wheel moving and ran, but still needed to stop and unclog things again. Shouldered the bike, ran to the road, and hopped on to ride over the finish line. Done!

Did a quick post-race cool down, heard about Mike's bad luck with a tire, and got cleaned up and changed. I wandered back to wait for the Boy's podium, and got a nice surprise of making the podium as 3rd 19+ Woman. Wooot! Turned out one of the gals ahead is under 18, but I was so sure I wasn't on the podium, I wasn't wearing my jersey for the photo.

Heather (2nd) and I (3rd)... missing Leslie

Bike is running great, and the body is running pretty good for early season. Excited to be back to riding outside and racing!

ice race!

2011-02-21T12:43:00.000-05:00

The unofficial, but always important, first race of the season.

(photo by tocvo)

I swear, every year, I get more nervous about this race. In fact, I think I was more nervous about the 2011 Icycle than I was about 2010 cross nationals. I guess because I didn't have any major expectations at nationals, but being the 3-time reigning champ, well, my expectations for the ice race were a bit more easily defined.

I started getting nervous about two weeks ago. I admit that I need to work on my "short game" - I am not so hot in the corners on the short-track, and had great plans to get the bike set up and some practice in before the race, but it was cold, dark and I generally never felt like leaving the house to do it (thanks to the Boy, my bike was set up and ready to go). Ooops! I had major butterflies the day of, and contemplated not going, until the Boy talked me into it with this argument: I had two choices, I could go and fight to keep the crown, or I could go and someone would win it from me, but as the current champ, not showing up was not an option.

I immediately felt better once I got to the rink, and had a couple of laps on the ice. Lots of spectators, and lots of people racing, so I knew it would be a good night. As usual, it was a small group of women, and I knew that I was in for some serious competition when I saw Linda practicing!

My first heat was head-to-head with Linda. I had a good start, but Linda is a great rider, and she didn't let me lead for long. I was all over the brakes heading into the corners in the most obvious way, and Linda rode a great race, taking a deserved win. Afterwards, a spectator suggested to me that a mountain bike was better than my cross bike because "she didn't need to slow down in the corners". Sadly, I could not attribute that to the bike or the tires - it was all me.

My second heat was another head-to-head race, against Reba. Reba has been doing this longer than anyone I know, and shouldn't be discounted. We had a pretty close match, but I was happy to take the win. I was also starting to feel a bit more confident after a few more turns on the ice.

(photo by martinreis)

My third race was the final: 25 laps, around two rinks. I had a pretty good start, but when Linda came around me to take the lead, I didn't worry too much. It was a comfortable pace, and I was happy to sit on her wheel for a bit. After a couple of laps, Meghan passed both of us. I didn't like sitting third wheel, so after a couple of laps, I made a move to get back into second. I was pretty comfortable at that pace, though the photo looks like I'm staring so intently at the back of Meghan's head, I'm drilling a hole! I was feeling good, and pretty sure I could up the pace without killing myself. I waited a bit before making my move, and on the back stretch, got around Meg and got a bit of a gap on her and Linda. From there it was a matter of keeping the pace steady, staying upright, and bringing it in for the W. Success!

(photo by martinreis)

Every year, I am impressed by that there are more women out to try the ice race. It is super fun! And though I admit it is really intimidating, riding on the ice is far easier than you would believe. More women, please! As much as I like winning this one, I also like feeling like I fought for it, and it's really deserved.

thinking about riding in circles

2011-01-28T21:34:00.000-05:00

I keep pretending it's the off-season, but I know that those first races will be here before I know it. I think this was officially the longest I've gone between season's without structured workouts. Past tense, because it ended last week, when I found myself thinking often (and fondly) of riding my bike in circles. I knew I was ready to start working!

So I joined the gym, and started the gym workouts. I'll be adding some trainer workouts, and as long as it's not too cold, I'll try to get some time outside on the bike, too. This week's lesson is that when you are sore from lots of squats, doing more squats will not make it better.

In addition to re-building some fitness and preparing for the upcoming season, I am trying to figure out what I want to do for racing. Last summer, I decided that I really wanted to do Crank the Shield in 2011. I think the stage race format, as well as racing point-to-point, would really challenge me. That plan was kiboshed in the fall, when Chico announced that Crank would not be happening in 2011 as a three-day event. Fingers crossed it's on again in 2012, so I can give it a go. I am leaning towards adding a few marathon races to the mix this year, for mostly similar reasons - I have a ways to go with my technical skills, and testing myself with the longer distances and lack of pre-riding (and being able to read the trail/pick lines on the fly) are kind of appealing.

The other major decision, which I am nowhere near figuring out, is what category to race in. I got the requisite points to upgrade to Senior Expert, but from what I can tell, it's a small group, and not as competitive as the Masters category for mountain biking. After cross nationals, I was so down about my result, I really didn't think I wanted to race Elite there anymore, either. Now that I've had time and space to reflect, I have convinced myself that I can better that performance/result (though, honestly, it would be hard to make it much worse!), and I am contemplating staying in Elite to do just that, when Nationals returns to Toronto in November. Decisions, decisions!

new years fun

2011-01-08T23:24:00.000-05:00

This year I got an invite to the fun winter activities up in Collingwood chez Brad and Rachael. Two years ago, it was a total blast, and I knew this year would be no different.

I wanted to run a bunch of errands on Friday since I had the day off work, so we spent a chunk of the day in the city. We drove up in the afternoon. There was a wicked rainstorm near Orangeville, which didn't bode well for the xc skis we had rented. No matter - we got up to Collingwood around 6pm, just after dark, and just as the food was hitting the table. Impeccable timing!

New Years eve was fun - loads of great food, and a couple of fun games I'd never played before - Apples to Apples, and Taboo. I think the travel back from Victoria was getting to me, because my energy levels were starting to flag. Nothing an absolutely ridiculous dance to Michael Jackson on the Wii couldn't fix! We made it to midnight, and toasted 2011.

The next morning, after a stellar breakfast, it was time to welcome the new year with some fresh air, snow and exercise. We went on a great hike on the Bruce Trail (I think). Rachael and I remembered the last Jan 1 hike, when Tara took off her boots for one stream crossing. This year, there was lots of deep, fluffy white stuff, and we had a good time jumping into it and sliding down it.

After lunch, the Boy and I left to stay with other friends in Kearney. It was pretty low key, but nice to spend a bit more time visiting friends. I made good friends with the pups there.

Sunday was even less exciting, as we did the responsible thing and drove back to the city, spending a couple of hours moving the last of our stuff out of our previous apartment. On a positive note, it's nice to feel like the new year has started with all that stuff done!

happy holidays

2010-12-30T21:31:00.000-05:00

It's been a lovely break since the end of the season. Things were a bit busy at the beginning of December - the Boy and I moved apartments, but I think I can chalk that up to a good workout, too - second floor to second floor, I covered a lot of stairs that day!

Immediately afterwards, I put the Boy on a plane out to my parents place in Victoria, and I headed to my sister's in Portland. A lot of shopping and enjoying some great food in one of my favourite cities, and it was time to head to my parents, too. It was warm and sunny, mostly, and there were otters at the beach.

It was a fantastic time in Victoria, too. The whole family was home for Christmas, and since I rarely make it home, it's great to see everyone.

Santa was good to us!

We brought bikes, and got in a couple of nice road rides in the neighbourhood, as well as a couple of super fun ride at the Dump - one with my sister's boyfriend, and one just the two of us.

(The Dump, for those not familiar, is a mountain bike park outside Victoria. It's on Mount Work, directly next to the Hartland Landfill, hence the name. Awesome trails. The Boy describes it as "like Buckwallow, but on the side of a mountain". I would add that it is very, very green there, too.)

We came back to our new apartment and a big pile of boxes. The Boy has been diligently getting things put away, put together, and organized, as I've been at the office the last couple of days. Things are starting to take shape, and we're loving being in our first place that's 100% ours. Photos once things are a bit more put together... which will happen after the New Years winter fun in Collingwood!

race report catch-up time

2010-12-25T01:09:00.000-05:00

The season marches on! Since playing hooky from racing and hanging out in the Don a few weeks ago, there's been more fun on bikes.

SOCup 6 - Barrie
Holy hell, it was cold and windy! I found I had a hard time warming up for this one, it was so cold and other than the bathrooms, there weren't any indoor areas to stay warm(ish). I got a lap and a half in, and then it was time to head to the line. I think the break from racing took me out of the pre-race routine - I managed to pull together enough warm clothing to get me through the race, and ditched the HR monitor in favor of going with the flow and winging it. I didn't have a great start, I think maybe about 4th wheel when we hit the barrier. The girl in front of me came to a complete start to get back on immediately following the barrier - it was a slow spot, since it was on an off-camber... I ran around her and managed to keep with the chase group. At this point, no surprise, Mel was off the front in first. I latched onto Lesley and Kelly's wheels, along with Aly. Nearly every lap played out the same - I would catch up and get up to third wheel at either the run-up or the barrier, but lose that position when I had trouble getting clipped back in (using my new winter shoes, and which don't have the same clearance around the cleats). I would spend all the rest of the lap fighting into the headwind to latch back on, finally make it, and then have the same problem immediately following the next section where I had to get off the bike. On the last lap, I wasn't able to catch back on between the run-up and the finish line, so I had soloed in for 5th overall, 2nd elite woman.

SOCup 7 - Riverdale
Super fun! I always like this course, even though there's a lot of climbing. This year it was a bit shorter - well, the course, not the climbing - and I pushed myself better than in any other race. Guess I finally remembered how to hurt in a race! I went hard off the start, wanting a good shot at the prime for reaching the top of the first climb first. Unfortunately, I couldn't get around Leslie before the line, and I think that was the last I saw of her - she had an awesome race! I hung on in second for a while, but was soon passed by both Kelly and Lori. I was really starting to fade towards the end, possibly related to having cereal for dinner the night before. I was hoping to score enough points to get second overall in the series, which I did.

The Boy pretty much gutted himself in his own race, to the point where I wasn't sure he'd be able to get home. An inspiring ride that impressed many!

Subway Cross
This one was a non-race for me. I was really happy with how I raced and how hard I pushed the week before, and wanted to try to get there again for one last race. I feel like this year I haven't been able to really push and hurt in a race - not really sure why - and it was a nice feeling at Riverdale, so I wanted to give it another go. I like supporting Friends of Canadian Cyclocross Racers, too, so I was more than happy to help out with course set up the day before. Unfortunately, working in the cold nearly took me out for the whole weekend. I was bagged and asleep on the couch by 8pm, and didn't want to risk getting sick when things are really busy at work. Not only did I skip racing, I couldn't even get myself out of the house in time to spectate, and had to settle for meeting up with the gang at the season close-out party, instead.

fun in the don

2010-11-22T20:31:00.000-05:00

Last weekend the Boy and I decided that (another) break from racing was on order. I normally consider it pretty much sacrilege to skip a cross race, but the season is so much bigger than it when I first started racing, that I now find it pretty easy to burn out if you don't take a breather every now and then.

Instead, we spent two days in the Don on our cross bikes.

The first day had the best weather, and we wanted to make a bit of a date out of it, so we brought the BOB trailer and a bunch of extra gear for a picnic. We went up on the road to the top of Mandelbrot, one of the trails on the upper west side, and then did some riding and bushwhacking along a section of trail called Beaver Flats, which the Boy has been trying to clear before winter. On one hike-a-bike section, we looked down into the river and saw a large deer crossing to the other side (that blurry blog in the photo, just behind the stick that was apparently my focal point). A few muddy prints on the trail confirmed that he'd been there just a few minutes before.

Beaver Flats connects to PA just past a small stream crossing. We followed PA back out to the road, and then ran into Tara and Wayne as we backtracked to where we'd seen the deer come across, which happened to be at this little picnic spot right next to the river. We saw a couple of people try to come through Beaver Flats from our picnic site, and could see riders up on the ridge, too. It was sunny and dry, and it was great to see so many people out on trail.

After some cookies and hot tea, courtesy of the awesomest camp stove ever, we came down the Ridge trail. Even when he's towing a trailer full of stuff, I still can't keep up with the Boy on those trails!

Sunday was looking a bit more wet and dreary, but we decided to head out and see how the trails were, regardless. We took a different route north, still sticking to the road to the most part. I'm attaching a map for this one because I get so lost trying to explain it all.

Basically, we went up through Sunnybrook park, down a trail we call "Bobsled run" (if you saw it iced over in winter, you'd understand). We climbed out of the park onto Leslie, and crossed to Overland on our way through the streets to the rainbow tunnel. The rainbow tunnel leads to a trail that follows the east Don south again towards Taylor Creek, and despite the misty rain most of the day, the trails were surprisingly rideable. We had ridden a large chunk of this route in the summer with the gang from True North, and I am happy to say that despite being on my cross bike, I think I rode about the same percentage as I did on my mountain bike. It was still pretty challenging for me, and at one point (when we were still far from home) I could feel myself getting cranky. I managed to talk myself out of it, reasoning that it was a long enough ride home as it was - it really wouldn't be any more fun or go any faster if I were in a bad mood, too! And the rest of the ride was great - we had another tea and cookie break (this time using a thermos, as we were travelling much lighter), discovered a new little stretch of single track which we will be riding this weekend, and stopped for a nice warm coffee on the way home.

2010 Nationals

2010-11-13T21:16:00.003-05:00

So, my first real cross nationals have come and gone (when Nationals were at Hardwood Hills in 2005, it was my first year, and I did the "Open Challenge"). Before getting into my own race, I want to highlight the awesome race that the Boy had. He had a great race, grabbing the holeshot, and staying with the front group. He faded a bit partway through the race, and then rallied to recover a couple of spots and finish in 6th. Such a great ride, and really fun to cheer him through!

I wasn't going into this with particularly high expectations, but I did have some thoughts on what I thought was good and achievable. Unfortunately, I had a ride that I am far from thrilled with - I just didn't have the legs or the lungs on race day.

My start was, to be frank, awful. I went from the second row to the back of the pack in very little time (see the video for a "how not to start" lesson from yours truly). Riding in a pack is something I definitely need to work on to get more comfortable here. I was riding with a small group of about 3 girls, and it was pretty good. There was some back and forth, and after riding up the "run up" while they ran, I thought I might be able to pull away from them. Oh so wrong! I put it in the big ring at the top, and my legs rather quickly told me that they weren't down with that. After a couple of turns, the girl behind me powered past me, and though I put in an effort to stay with her, it was the last I saw of anyone else. Well, at least until Wendy and Katy blew past!

I was really happy to hear that I was riding the run-up, while a lot of the girls just ahead of me were not. They were, however, pushing a bigger gear through the top section. Thanks to Brad and Rachael for ~~yelling at me~~ encouraging me to use the big ring - I needed a bit of a push to keep working, and it definitely helped. The Boy stationed himself at other painful points on the course, generally near the top of a climb, to remind me to keep going at times when throwing in the towel seemed like a really nice option. When I asked him point blank if I could quit, he told me to just keep going on the course to the finish area, where I could tell the commissaires I was a DNF. Of course, by the time I got there, I was feeling better, and just went around for another lap.

I finished one lap down, in 19th. I am pretty sure that on a better day, finishing on the lead lap was definitely achievable, as well as a couple more spots in the finishing order. One of the coolest things about racing was definitely the depth of the field. Definitely the strongest I have ever ridden in - honestly, how many times will I line up right next to Catharine Pendrel, Women's World Cup champ???

queen of consistency

2010-11-05T19:07:00.000-04:00

This year, Provincials was a bit early, making its appearance on the calendar in late October as part of the Kelso Cross weekend. I had a pretty good race - not the result I was looking for, since I've been aiming for a podium at Provincials for a couple of years now, but still both a better result than I've had recently, and certainly a better race. I had a really good start, and was in the front group until we hit the beach. I bobbled in the sand and had to run, and never quite latched back onto the front group. Fairly early in the race, I caught and passed Laura, who was not her usual speedy self. I had Ali breathing down my neck for a good portion of the race, and she did get ahead of me on the last lap, which motivated me to catch back on her wheel - I didn't manage, but she races Masters. For most of the race, my position seemed pretty secure - I couldn't see anyone in my category ahead or behind. Makes for some nice breathing room when you mess up a section, but not so motivating to keep pushing yourself as hard as you can. I guess I like having a wheel to chase or keep ahead of.

End result for the day was 4th place. Which is the same as last year! And the year before! Last year I missed the podium by a pretty slim margin and may have shed a tear over it. This year I've been landing a whole lot of 5ths at the races, so I am pretty happy with the result.

We took the following weekend off to do some fun riding. It was closing weekend at Buckwallow, so we wanted to participate in the potlucks and some relaxing. We stayed in Kearney, where we were treated to a snowfall on Saturday night, and a winter wonderland when we woke up on Sunday. There were demo bikes all weekend from Xprezo, and I did a little spin on a dually which was fun fun fun! Both days were fun, though I admit that my skills were all over the place. You know that first mountain bike ride of the spring, where you are so used to the trainer, you have to remember to steer the damn bike? Yeah. On Saturday I couldn't even remember the last time I'd been on my mountain bike! Still, those trails are even fun at a slightly pokier pace.

more races!

2010-10-26T18:32:00.000-04:00

Cross season is so hard to stay on top of, both for blogging and, in my opinion unless you are ultra disciplined, for training. It's all race, recover, recover, (workout), recover, race, repeat.

So I've missed reporting on a few over the last few weeks.

Turkey Cross - Another one close to home, at Spadina and St Clair. Great venue for a race, there's a reservoir there, so there's an awfully big hill, and lots of challenging terrain. It was a fun course, but I made the mistake of letting the off-camber section (which was long and steep) get into my head, and it was hard to ride it with the confidence I needed. I knew what I needed to do (attack it and keep pedalling), but couldn't seem to get my body to respond, and I was all over the brakes and unclipping the uphill foot. No biggie, but the peanut gallery kept whining at me "you need to pedal the whole section!", in case I wasn't frustrated enough. Luckily, one small section does not make an entire course, and the rest of it was pretty good! Another 5th place finish for me on that weekend.

Toronto Intenational UCI Weekend -What a great weekend! We had amazing weather, and a couple of fun houseguests who were here for racing.

Saturday's course had a decent amount of climbing, an uphill run, and some really tricky ups on this berm on the far side of the course. I kept heading out to warm up, and then worry that they were staging soon, so I'd hustle back to the start corral to see that nothing was happening. In any case, I didn't have a great start, and I was at the back of the group before we hit the first corner. I ended up battling with the two juniors in the race, and managed to stick with them pretty well. I think with about 2 to go, they gapped me, and I just kinda lost motivation. Until I realized I didn't want to get lapped, which motivated me to get back to work. Unfortunately, I did get pulled because I was very close to getting lapped... and almost more unfortunately, I misheard the Commissaire since I was way past him before he said anything to me and no other finish judge or Commissaire said anything, so I didn't know that I was being pulled, and ended up riding one last lap just for the fun of it, all by myself. I was actually pretty close to quitting partway through the race - I was hurting and thought it might be safer to save the legs for Sunday, but some quick math reminded that I'd get paid just for finishing, since it was a small women's field relative to required pay-out spots. So pro, eh? 13th place.

Sunday's course felt like it had a bit more flow to it. It had this one steep drop off the dirt road on the ski hill. I balked the first time in pre-ride, but I was determined to not let it get into my head like the off-camber at Turkey Cross. I kept telling myself it was a great course, and I really liked it, and in the end, it was all true. In fact, the drop was pretty fun, and had a nice long run-out, so there were no real issues there at all. Started about the same, not very fast off the gun, and back with the same two girls as the day before. The thing I like about Day 2 of a race is that Day 1 gives you a little taste of how bad you have to hurt, so Day 2 it's like you're more ready to go there. Go there I did - I was determined to have a better race, and to really just concentrate on each section of the course as it came. No stressing about where anyone else was, or what position I was in. I ended up having my best race so far this season - I pushed hard on all the sections that suited me, and focused on cleaning the technical sections. I made up a couple of places, finishing 11th!

This season's had some ups and downs, but Rachael said it best that I'm still kicking butt and having fun!

Oktoberfest CX

2010-10-05T22:29:00.000-04:00

Second cross race, and feeling much better. Though, someone, please be honest - am I slower this year, or is the whole women's field that much faster??

This race had the very special distinction of being about 5 blocks from home. No bumming a ride, no rental car, no early morning departure... just a nice, regular breakfast and coffee, packed up the bike trailer, and off to the races with plenty of time to spare.

In my "pre-warm-up" course inspection, I toppled over on a paved uphill section. It seems that I forgot the golden rule about quick releases needing to be *really* tight, and with my massive power, managed to pull the wheel out of the dropouts, locking it up and sending me down on my side. One small bruise on my leg, one large bruise to my ego.

The race itself went much better. I spent the first lap or so with a group (yay!) before it fell apart. I'm not even sure what happened - suddenly, there was a gap, and it got a bit bigger until I was riding by myself in no-man's land. I was loving the backside of the course. Well, maybe not the giant run-up, but the off-camber bumpy descent was awesome for just letting the brakes go and getting lots of free speed!

Same result as Guelph (5th place Senior Women), but feeling more confident about progress I can make, and just having fun trying to do so. Bonus: didn't get lapped by the lead woman this week!

Guelph CX race

2010-10-01T20:17:00.000-04:00

So... that was not such a great start to the season!

First cross race of the season, and a major shock to the system. Obviously, the pacing for a cross race is quite different than that fun eight-hour! And, well, the time off between races didn't really help my cause a whole lot, either.

The first lap was not too bad, but I was definitely surprised by how fast the whole field was. Or maybe I'm getting slower? Either way, I was hurting pretty bad, and fell back a few spots before getting settled. Settled, that is, until my back decided it wanted out, and I had to soft pedal the last two laps. Never before have I wanted to quit so bad, but well, the prospects of a DNF when it's within my control (i.e. not a mechanical, and I haven't broken anything) doesn't sit well with me, so I toughed it out and called it "good training".

Things I cursed during my race:
- the hill (3 x per lap!)
- the course designers
- my lower back
- my own busy-ness/laziness for not riding for the entire week leading up to the race (yeah, yeah, I know)

Thank god I still think cross is fun, and the people are awesome, and the Boy won a case of beer, or I may never go back. I'm already ready for more suffering this Sunday in Christie Pits.

2010-09-24T23:41:00.000-04:00

First solo endurance event – done!

Last weekend, the Boy and I went to St. Felicien, Quebec, to participate in the 12-Heures Clorophylle. This will, no doubt, remain a regular even for us despite the distance, because it is really, really fun and low key. Also, the race is great value - $35 for 8 hours of racing! Yes, please! Great way to end the season.

This year we decided to do it up properly for the trip (read: no 12-hr drive from Toronto Friday after work, no signing up for the 12-hr but dropping out at dark due to lack of lights (the Boy, not me!), no driving back to Toronto via Ottawa, returning in time for a few hours of sleep before work on Monday). We flew to Quebec City, spent the morning wandering around a bit, and drove a relatively short 4-hrs to St Felicien. Much better!

We ended up going up to the race course at Tobo-Ski on Friday night for a social visit with Eric and his buddies. The Boy got to know Eric well when he was in La Belle Province for Nationals last year, and really got to like the riding at Tobo-Ski.

On Saturday morning, we returned to get registered, put the bikes together from travel and set up for the day. I had to go to the riders meeting, which was in French, and relay any information back to the Boy… pretty sure I understood and passed on all the major details! Back to the car to get ready, and before we knew it, the start gun went… just as I was on my way to the start line! No worries – 8hrs is a long race, and I’m not about to sweat 30 seconds off the start.

Lap 1 – It seems that the mysterious “extra” spacer belongs in my headset stack!

Lap 2 – Much better without the additional bounce from the errant spacer. This course is really fun!

Lap 3 – Big crash – evidently, I didn’t tighten up my headset and stem appropriately after I “fixed” it. Wheel turns one way, handlebars turn the other, Briana goes down.

Break time, to get changed, relax, fuel up, and get ready for two more laps.

Lap 4 – Got into a good pace on the course. A climbing-heavy first half, followed by a pretty bumpy, root and rocky second half.

Lap 5 – A bit hungry, forgot to grab a Larabar before heading out. The first half is starting to feel bumpier, and I’m understanding why I haven’t seen any other rigid bikes.

Break time, another clothing change, warm up by the fire, and ready for another double. Bonus: overlap with the Boy taking a break, so I actually get to see him today!

Lap 6 – The start suddenly seems way more bumpy… my forearms are actually sore and bruised from riding over the roots – and I haven’t even hit the “rough” sections yet! Definitely calling it when I finish this one, and I’m looking for the smoothest lines for the rest of the course. That, and I’m getting suspension next year!

I came in with about 15 minutes before the cut off, 45 minutes before the race ended. I had only managed one sub-50min lap the whole race (on lap 1), and the beating of the rigid has taken enough of a toll, I know I can’t do it again now.

Results – 8^th solo, 1^st (and only) woman. I’ll let you guess how big the solo field was! Definitely satisfied with my ride. I don’t ride in new places very often, nor do I try to ride new terrain at speed, so a good chance to do both. They had a photo guy with an awesome set up to print posters and photos that look like trading cards, too. As a side note, notice how very differently we take the exact same corner!

The rest of the weekend was also great, though less bike-y. We drove to L'Anse-Saint-Jean, following the Routes des Fjords. We, completely lacking any foresight, had pre-booked a 3-hr kayak on the Saguenay on the Sunday afternoon. Yes - the day after an 8-hr mountain bike race, we thought we'd be able to go kayaking. Funny, eh? Neither of us could lift our arms long enough to even get near a kayak, so that wasn't happening. Instead we did a short & easy hike to a waterfall to keep from getting too stiff, and had an amazing dinner at the Auberge de la Fjordelaise, where we were staying.

Puppy Pedal

2010-09-14T21:23:00.000-04:00

This one could pretty much be called "the awesome weekend that almost wasn't".

About a week ago, we found out that the Puppy Pedal was happening the same day as the Marathon championships, we decided to do our hard racing on Saturday at the cross race in St Catharine's, and for Sunday take the more relaxed route, with the Puppy Pedal. The Puppy Pedal takes place largely at Torrance Barrens, which has been high on the "want to ride there soon" list, but we never seem to make it. I booked a rental car for pick up on Saturday morning, and we were ready for a lot of driving (obviously as well as a lot of great riding).

Saturday morning, though, the powers that be turned against us. We were a bit behind schedule when we arrived at the car rental place, but still ok to make it down to St Catharine's. They didn't have the size car I'd requested. Ok, we'll take the mini van. No problem - or so I thought. Every few minutes, it was something else - it needed to be cleaned, the tire air pressure was low and it had no gas, it won't take long to fix. I slowly become more grumpy and agitated, as I watched my course recon time, then my warm up time, then my registration time, and finally my driving time, all dwindle away. We finally left with a vehicle at 10:20 - definitely not enough time to make an 11:30 start! We were both seriously grumpy at this point, as it had been a bit of an effort to get there with all the race gear and it felt sucky to throw in the towel, but we just didn't want to bother with the drive at that point. The Boy didn't care if he raced, so we just canned the whole trip.

We went home, and re-packed the van for mountain biking. We went out for second breakfast and coffee, and after a few errands, hit the road for Kearney, where we were staying for the night. The Boy's friends live on a large property, where the Boy himself has done some trail building. We hiked the trails, had dinner, and watched a movie (Breaking Away! on DVD!!) before bed.

The next morning, we left a little late to go back down to Gravenhurst. I know, I know, you are sensing a pattern here, but I honestly had nothing to do with our lateness on Sunday morning! We got to the starting point about a 30min after the group left. Prosser, another fast boy, rolled up as we were getting dressed, and we immediately set off chasing down the group. The pace was pretty high right off the start, but I wasn't too worried - as long as it didn't get tight and technical, I knew I could hang enough to draft off the boys on the road. I was working pretty hard to do it!

After some nice paved cottage roads, the route turns onto Old Stone Road, this dirt/mud/rock road that was used to transport granite stones. Super fun at speed on the mountain bike! It comes out, and almost immediately follows a rolling gravel road. Finishes with some rolling pavement, and were greeted at the Barrens with homemade cookies.

Based on the attacks that started on the last gravel bit, I didn't think I'd want to be chasing them all afternoon. I went out with a couple of other guys at a more mellow pace, and got a tour of the two major loops. So fun - it reminded me of Cattle Point, where I used to go play on the rocks in high school. Lots of huge flat rocks, some ledges, and multi-line sections. Really great. The small drizzle didn't dampen my spirits. We got to ride the same gravel and dirt roads back to Gravenhurst, where there were tonnes of prizes and pub time.

busy busy

2010-09-09T23:03:00.001-04:00

Some non-riding stuff going on. Busy-ness, but fun times!

Evidently, houseguest season has descended upon our apartment.

First, it was Ka-Hay, staying two nights as she moves back to Canada after 3.5 years overseas. Even though she'll be in Vancouver, I am so excited to have her back "home"! She was jetlagged and busy, so no photos of the visit, but she's threatened to be back later this month for a longer stay, and has taken advantage of our baggage storage services until then.

Next up, Holland was here for a week. She had some of her own things to do, but there was still lots of time to do stuff together. We used to live together, in an apartment quite close to here, so it was nice to hang out with her in our old 'hood. We got in a nice bike ride to the Spit, made some yummy meals, went to St Lawrence market, and went saw Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (which, was awesome).

One of our activities was canning! I loved home-canned peaches, but it's hard to find the time to do it. Luckily, the rainy holiday Monday provided just plenty of time in which I didn't mind being indoors. We started on Saturday with a trip to St Lawrence market, where I bought 9 baskets of peaches and we brought them home on the bike trailer. It must have been quite the sight! We bought them a few days early since I found they often need a day or two to ripen enough for canning. I thought I got a deal on the peaches because I bought so many, but then saw them for even cheaper at my local grocery store (Fiesta Farms ftw)! I also picked up 24 empty jars from a co-worker, using the bike and trailer.

On Monday, I realized we didn't have a pot big enough to do the canning in. I was a bit tired of the massive bike errands, so I used Autoshare for this one, which turned out to be a great decision - my large stock pot, stored at my old house, was still too short, so I had to make another stop across town at Canadian Tire (thankfully open) to get a bigger one. It was either that, or smaller jars, but my old stock pot is nearing the end of its life, so I was glad to get a replacement.

We finally set up the assembly line around 1pm. We started with Holland boiling the peaches briefly to skin them, and then I would pit and cut them. I cannot stress the importance of freestone peaches! I bought clingstone (by accident) one year, and it was such a pain in the ass...

Once we'd done 3 baskets, and had a sufficiently large bowl of peach slices, we made a syrup. I wanted to hot-pack them, so we boiled the peaches in the syrup, and packed it all into jars. The real rate limiting step in the process was the canning - we could only fit 4 jars into the pot at a time, and you had to bring the (large amount of) water to a boil before letting it boil for 25min. But once the first batch was boiling away, we got back the the prep work. We had 6 more boxes to get through!

We certainly found a good groove to get the work done in, and while it was tiring to be on my feet for so long, it was fun and felt productive. All in, it took 6.5 hours, from the first blanched peach until the last canning batch was complete. We needed less than 14L of syrup (useful to remember, since at one point, I thought we may run out, so I made a small batch to have at the ready), and those nine 3L baskets filled 23 jars - mostly quart, a couple of pints, and a few a bit bigger.

Unfortunately, one didn't seal properly, so we had to eat it the next day! ... and it was delicious!

Woodnewton OCup Provincials

2010-08-28T23:24:00.001-04:00

Things that could have gone wrong:
brand new shoes
brand new cleats
lots of low intensity riding over the last few weeks and no hard workouts

Things that went wrong:
absolutely nothing

From the gun, I knew it would be important to push hard on the long false flat. With lots of double track climbs, this looked to be a good course for me. The cooler temps and muddy conditions felt like 'cross season, so I had was feeling a little bit of extra motivation as my tires slipped around some of the slick corners. So fun!

I held onto second place for the entire first lap. I was thrilled to ride a couple of logs that for, one reason or another, were causing me loads of frustration while pre-riding (if you rode the course, feel free to feel embarrassed on my behalf... but I still seem to have a mental block on anything higher than 6" that requires lifting my front wheel).

As we came through the start area again on lap two, I could see first place just up ahead, and saw 3rd close behind me. I shifted into the granny ring on one of the steeper climbs at the beginning of the lap, and was suddenly spinning circles - dropped chain. I jumped off and got it back on, but couldn't get back on to get going, so ran the rest of the hill. Sara came past me to grab 2nd position, and she was towing another woman in our category. Damn!

I was really pumped about the prospect of a podium, so I pushed to close that gap. On the next double track section, I was able to jump by, though Sara had pushed ahead by then. I worked on trying to build a gap on 4th, hoping to be able to catch Sara. Things were going well, until the one section of the course which was not draining well, and was a slippery, slidy mess. I had to get off on a short uphill, and ran for a bit. Second place was so close... I thought maybe riding would be faster, so I did a slowspeed cross remount (slow was all I could manage in the mud). Nope... hardly moved, and while I was trying to get going, I got passed by the woman in 4th again! Ok, back on my feet, and trying to stick with her. She got a bit of a gap through the next (rideable) singletrack section, which had a bunch of steep downs and bermed corners and was 100% fun. There was a long, grindy climb after it, followed by a long false flat. When we hit the false flat, I hit the gas, and re-took 3rd position. I had a minor slowspeed slide out on one corner, but otherwise, a nice, clean finish to the lap.

And so I finished the OCup series with another podium, in 3rd. Woot! And, despite doing only 5 races, it was enough for 2nd overall in the series. Also, the new shoes were very comfortable and felt great. Very nice way to finish up, although I've got two mountain bike races tentatively planned before the year is out.

(no action shots, sadly, but a podium photo is always fun)

the best laid plans

2010-08-20T23:14:00.000-04:00

What was that thing about the best laid plans of mice and men? Oh right, that they often go awry.

Thursday night didn't entirely go awry, but it didn't exactly go as planned, either. After getting a look at the Provincials course at Woodnewton last Sunday, we wanted to give it another go. And since Durham weekly series was hosting a race on Thursday night, what better chance time than then? Trying it at race pace with other people on the course sounded perfect. So I skipped out of work a bit early, and came home so we could get out there.

Not perfect: trying to get across and out of town during rush hour. In my mind, the worst case scenario would have us take an hour and a half (150% of googlemaps' estimated drive time), so if we left at 4:30, we'd be there in plenty of time to register and get lined up for 7pm. So first, it took us a bit longer to get going, and it was closer to 5 when we hit the road. And then... traffic. It took us two hours to get there, delivering us to the parking lot with about 10min to spare for all the pre-race stuff: getting changed, registered, that last bathroom stop, putting the number plate on, etc.

Honestly, it was enough to make me wonder who could possibly pull this off. The effort of a weekly series from a 9-5 job is incredible - and that's just to get to the race! Both the Boy and I swore that, unless we could ride to it, it would be a long time before we attempted that feat again.

The other unfortunate element is that shortly upon arrival, the Boy realized that his front brake was more than a little messed up, and would not be functioning at all, so no race for him. I felt bad about dashing off and jumping into the race while he would be sitting around, but there was no sense in going through the pain of that drive only to turn around without anyone riding!

Off we went. I recognized a few faces, but didn't really have anyone to mark. So I set off just trying to do course recon at race speed. We were doing two laps of the 8:30am course, and I just tried to stay on a few wheels for the first lap. On the second lap, I decided that I would probably benefit from a slightly longer lap, so I took some detours to recon the 9:30am course, which is what I'll be racing on Sunday. It was very tacky, and the trails were in awesome condition, so it was super fun.

Racing finished up around 8, and it was time to head home. We had to stop for dinner on the way in, as I'm pretty sure I would have gnawed off my arm otherwise. We got in just before 11pm, which again has me in complete awe of the folks who manage to get there on time, do the race, and get up again to go to work the next day. Once was plenty hard for me.

niagara mini-break

2010-08-09T22:37:00.000-04:00

Last weekend was awesome. It was the perfect combination of hanging out at home & relaxing/getting errands done, and having a little getaway. Long live long weekends!

Started early on Saturday, with a Don ride with Wes. For some reason, I find it impossible to get out the door by 8:30 in order to get to work on time. However, ask me to be ready to ride by 8am, and I am totally set! Our ride was part ride and part photo shoot - and part flat-fixing workshop. I hadn't ridden with Wes in a while, so it was nice to hit the trails, and it was early enough that it was still fairly cool. And felt totally deserted! We planned to do a figure 8 around the lower Don - Starting at Pottery, it was the Ridge up to Don Mills, cross over to the River trail, and at Cricket, come south on the ridge, and finish on the River, going through the dirt jumps. Wes needed to take some photos for a feature in Dandyhorse's next issue, so we stopped near Loblaws for some camera time. I was coming off a two week break, so I was taking it pretty easy, just enjoying being out. The trail was dry and great... until we were doing the northbound River section, and I heard that familiar pop followed by hissssssssssssss, and felt my rear end get rather squishy. The valve was nearly pulled right out. Luckily, the Boy had talked me into taking CO2 and a spare tube, and even though I was a bit slow, I got it all changed up. It was a nice reminder of how to use my CO2 valve, since it doesn't normally see a lot of action.

We continued on our ride, but when we came out at Cricket, realized that it was much later than anticipated. And Wes had a deadline for getting home. So we turned around, and came back down the River. Wes was ahead of me and, again, I heard the dreaded pop. Seriously?!? I hadn't had a flat in years, and here I was with my second one in half an hour. I kept riding, hoping Wes would eventually realize that I wasn't with him, since I needed a tube, which is what happened... eventually. After getting my required supplies, I let Wes go so he wouldn't be late(r), and took my time changing the tube. Same problem - big hole, right at the base of the valve. This time, I put lots of extra air in, and rode home as gingerly as possible to avoid any other problems.

The next morning, we lazed around the house for a bit, and at about 10am, threw our shit together for the 10:30 GO train to Niagara. We packed up camping stuff onto the trailer, and headed out to Exhibition Place. There were a few other cyclists waiting, and on-board the special bike cars (bike racks on the first level!), it was busy. Awesome! The two hours to Niagara Falls passed by quickly, and it felt so euro to just hop off the train and ride off on our own.

Saturday was the "low mileage" day - we took a look at the falls first, and then had a picnic lunch before heading south. Mostly concession roads on our way to Lake Erie. Our first break was Crystal Beach. We stopped for a break and some food, and it turned into about an hour at this little burger shack, after I got hit with the worst combo of heat stroke and/or bonk. I went from "feeling good, ordering food, looking forward to ice cream dessert" to "pretty sure I am going to barf" in about 5 min, coupled with overheating. It was bad! I managed to eat the chicken souvlaki, but it was slow-going. I had a ginger ale, and lots of water. You know I am not feeling well when I pass on ice cream! We took it easy along the Friendship Trail for most of the afternoon, going through Port Colborne, where we stopped briefly but didn't really want to deal with the Canal Days crowds with bicycles and a trailer of stuff. The map showed camping at Camelot Beach, just outside of town, but we didn't see anything. We just kept going until we found a beach that was somewhat secluded, and seemed quiet enough, so we stopped. 70km done - in three hours of riding time, but about six hours of real time. Made dinner, ate, and set up camp as the sun went down. We could see the Canal Days fireworks back over the bay, which was a nice little show before bed.

The next morning, we were up early, and after breakfast, headed back into town for coffee, and then up along the canal for our day of riding and exploring. I had ridden along the Welland canal before, and remembered a smooth paved path, with minimal hills. Hmmm, that must have been the other side of the canal - on the east side, the road eventually gave way to a gravel road, which we gave up on after about 10km. I'm pretty sure it would have taken us as far as St Catharines, but on road bikes, it was far from ideal. We exited onto some concession roads, and followed a small river for a bit, heading back to Niagara Falls.

At one point, we realized we had two options - pushing the pace to grab the 12:30 train back to Toronto, or maintain the more relaxed pace, plan lots of stops, and go home at 7:30. We chose the latter, so in a circuitous route, we went from Welland back to Niagara Falls, along the parkway to Niagara on the Lake, and followed Lake Ontario to St Catharines. Highlights were: descending the escarpment into Queenston, coffee break in Niagara on the Lake, and hitting a bit of a wall, energy-wise, shortly after arriving in St Catharines (yet before navigating industrial-land to the train station). We ended with a massive wait for the train - 7:30pm being about two hours or so later than ideal - most of which was killed at a Starbucks. 105km, all told, at a pace that was good but gentle on my stomach, which was still feeling a bit weak from the previous days' malaise. It was near-impossible to stay awake on the train, and we pretty much collapsed into bed as soon as we got to the apartment. Still, such an awesome little break from the regular, and a trip easy enough to do on minimal notice should the desire strike again (as I'm sure it will).

alberta - part 4 (the animal part)

2010-07-25T23:23:00.000-04:00

No riding this week, as I'm taking a wee break before starting the official countdown to cross.

In the meantime, let me entertain you with the awesome wildlife we saw in Alberta*:
bears (1)
coyotes (1)
deer (4)
marmots (3)
horses (10)
chipmunks (12 or so)
squirrels, including golden mantle ground squirrels (which, as has been established, look like overgrown chipmunks) (12 or so)
bunnies (nearly 100) (these guys totally rule Canmore)

*not counting cows and horses who were clearly on farms, nor dinosaurs at the Royal Tyrrell Museum.

alberta - part 3 (the race part)

2010-07-19T19:58:00.002-04:00

[scroll down for previous parts]
One of the primary reasons for choosing southern Alberta and Canmore as our hot vacation spot this summer is that it's the location for Nationals. When I first told my mom about the trip, she sort of exclaimed "you race at a national level?!?". Um, nope, but the Boy does. And today, I rode my own race, the National Challenge - pretty much the same course, with fewer laps and no current world cup leaders on the start line.

I did a total of two pre-rides, one on Thursday and one on Friday. On Friday, I managed to convince myself that this terrifyingly steep loose drop called the Eyedropper wouldn't be in my race, so I didn't even bother ~~pre-riding it~~ throwing my bike down and sliding on my feet/bum. There were two other places I flagged for cross-style dismounts, and since I was only here to ride and have fun, just didn't worry about the things I couldn't do (and possibly could have, if I spent more time practicing them).

The first major thing for this race was the riders/managers meeting, where I learned I'd be doing 2 laps. Oh, and that the Eyedropper would be in my race. Hmmm, guess I should have given it another go in practice! I knew from looking at it and from experience, that it would actually be harder to run/slide down than to ride, and it was more a question if I would have the balls to do it on race day.

We had one day, Saturday, off between pre-riding and race day. On Sunday, we woke up early and nervous. Not sure why I was so nervous - I think partially wondering how I'd do with the course, and partially just pre-race nerves, which apparently happen for me whether the race matters or not. We got up to the Nordic Centre, and I had a short warm up before they were calling for riders to the start area. It was a pretty small group, even though they had put the Minime, Novice and Sport women all together for the start.

The course starts with a lot of climbing. Out and up on the gravel access road, under a bridge to come back, and then onto a little section of single track leading to the dreaded Eyedropper. I flubbed the corner before it, and decided that I did not yet have the balls to ride down it. With two riders close behind, the safest thing was to wait for them to pass, and then slowly make my own way down. After I was safely back on terra firma and on my bike, I started up the main climb. More gravel road, winding up to the start of the single track. I caught Lee and a Calgary woman pretty quickly, and stayed ahead for the first downhill single track - a swooping section, which I really enjoyed. It led out to more climbing, mostly single track. I was making pretty good time, and caught one guy from the tail end of the previous group. Up, up, up, followed by a nice, easy double track descent, followed by Laundry Chutes, which was my next section for hoofing it. It was here that Lee caught and passed me, and the Calgary woman caught me, and passed me when I messed up another corner a bit further down the track. I could hear her bear bells ahead of me for much of the rest of the race, but she was stronger in the single track, and I never closed that gap again. So, back out into some climbing (gotta love a trail called EKG), and by this time, my lower back was hating me. I was considering DNFing when I came through the start/finish - I was in pain, I wasn't having much fun, and I just didn't want to do those climbs again. One of the last sections of single track included a long-ish steep chute, and it was another place I kept balking in pre-ride. Today, I kept telling myself it was no worse than anything in the Don. So I rolled up to it, and pushed myself back off the saddle, and rode it. It was so fun! I was super happy, and that kept me going right through the last few fast sections of the course. In fact, it kept me going right to the start/finish, where I forgot that I wanted to DNF, and went back out for lap 2.

Lap 2 was basically the same, except that I rode the Eyedropper. It was so thrilling! I made a mistake and dabbed on the corner previous to it, but there was a woman at the top who talked me through the whole thing. She reassured me that I was still ok, and I could do it. She coached me as I rolled up to the top, and let go of the brakes and rode down. I was so elated, I let out a good "Woot!" at the bottom. All these people who had seen me walk down on the first lap saw me ride that sucker for the first time, and it was so exciting, I actually wished I weren't racing so I could go back up and do it again right away! Otherwise, there were no changes. I nearly caught the bear-bell woman at the top of the course, but she as just far enough ahead that I never caught her.

Final result was last for the Sport women (and actually beaten by the Novice ladies, too), 13min back from the leader. But somehow still one of my most satisfying races, so definitely no complaints.

After a quick cool down, it was time to see the Boy off for his call-up and spend some time in the feedzone. Unfortunately, it was not a good day or a good course for him... altitude, lots of climbing, and very little by way of technical. I heard one of the elite women describe it as "I climbed all that, for this?!", and I definitely had the impression than several riders didn't think it was as good as they could have done. Regardless, the Boy made me proud, riding as best he could despite feeling like he could hardly breathe on the climb. In the end, a double flat ended his day partway through lap 3.

alberta - part 2 (the mountain part)

2010-07-17T21:47:00.003-04:00

[scroll down for part 1]
From Lethbridge, we drove our packed little rental car to the Rockies, stopping only on the outskirts of Calgary for a quick lunch/gas break. Not much to report, other than the drive is breathtakingly beautiful. Is there anything prettier than the mountains?

We made a stop in Canmore to pick up race packages and to check out the course for Sunday. Lots (lots) of climbing, and some pretty tricky (for me) downhills. Most of the single track is totally do-able and really fun. The climbing, though - holy smokes! I consider myself to be a somewhat decent climber, but my legs and arms were jelly, and my heart was pounding. Ah, elevation! The highlight was seeing a bear on the course, followed swiftly by the lowlight of realizing that the camera was in the car.

We spent our first night in Banff, where our accommodations were the Banff YMCA. I had stayed there once before with friends about 6 years ago (Hetti: I am sad to report that the cute guy from the front desk isn't there anymore. Or had the day off.). When we first brought our bags in on the ground floor, we were bombarded with what appeared to be a large tour group comprised of kids. I briefly worried that I am no longer age-appropriate for the Y and similar hostel-type accommodation. Luckily, we got up to our room (with private bathroom, because I am kinda done with dorms and common showers) and it was quiet and relaxing. Played it pretty easy that night - a little walk up to the Banff Centre, and I think that was it.

The next morning, we went to Sulphur Mountain. Although the hike to the top would be nice, I don't think either of us wanted to subject our legs to that kind of walking two days out from a big race. So we opted for the gondola. The Boy had never been in a gondola before, so it was worth it for that alone, although the views from the top were also worthwhile.

And the cute, friendly little wildlife!

I liked the squirrels just fine, until they got really close and I started to wonder how hungry they might be, and how sharp their little claws must be to fend off predators...

Afterwards, we hustled back to the Y to check out, and then were back to Canmore. I made lunch while the Boy set up bikes for another pre-ride. Love the outdoor kitchen/workshop!

Then we checked into the Bow Valley Motel, which is awesome. In addition to having a great location, right in town, we have a small kitchen, which makes food so much easier. After settling in, we split up - the Boy to have a proper RMT try and work some magic on a shoulder injury from Bucky, and me to my first ever Nationals rider meeting. After, the Boy tried to ice his shoulder by taking a dip in a glacier-fed reservoir (that didn't work so well), and we got to play "spot the bike racer" at the grocery store, where several cyclists were seen stocking up.

Today were the Elite races, so there were no opportunities to pre-ride. Ok, I'm lying - there was one, but it was at about 7am, and I am still on vacation, so that wasn't happening... We hung out in town for coffee and breakfast, and then went for a short spin up the road. We stopped by a small lake where the Boy did manage a dip (I think it's still glacier-fed, maybe just by a smaller glacier?), and we saw about 2 minutes of the elite women race before realizing we needed to get back into town to make lunch ASAP. We ran a few errands in the afternoon, followed the Elite races on Canadian Cyclist, and generally relaxed. We made another pre-dinner trip to the lake for another "ice bath"/dip.

Time to prep bags and bottles for the racing part of this trip.

alberta - part 1 (the flat part)

2010-07-17T12:49:00.000-04:00

The Boy and I started our summer vacation with a trip to southern Alberta. Many may not know this, since I wear my raised-in-BC-heart on my sleeve, but I was born in Lethbridge.

We had one day post-Buckwallow to unpack, do laundry, re-pack, and get our butts to the airport. Those 7am flights often seem like a great idea when you are booking them, but when the cab rolls up at 5 to pick us up, I am always cursing my itinerary-making skills. Anyway, painfully early wake up call led to an easy flight, and before we knew it, we were in Calgary. I picked up the rental car while the Boy found our bags and bikes. We were heading straight through town when we decided that we really needed a bit of fuel, for ourselves and the car. We made a second, longer stop to pick up a few other supplies, and then made our way back to the highway, and headed south.

Our only stop on the way down was Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. It's a really cool old site with a cliff used for hunting buffalo (in case you couldn't figure it out from the name). I hadn't been since I was a kid, and as it was the Boy's first trip to southern AB, it was a good little stop to stretch the legs.

From there, it was on to Lethbridge, where we spent two nights visiting with my grandparents and great uncle. Living so far from my relatives, it's hard to see how much they've aged between visits, but everyone is in good health and good spirits. It was also fun to check in on some of the places I remember from visiting my grandparents every summer after we moved to BC.

Next part of the trip: to the mountains!

at least i'm consistent

2010-07-12T15:52:00.000-04:00

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!

Collingwood weekend

2010-07-09T21:45:00.003-04:00

For some reason, it always feels hard to get things together for a weekend in Collingwood. The upside is that the only hard once we get there is the riding. Everything else – the company, the accommodation, the food… all good and easy.

The Boy and I drove up on Thursday, following a rather circuitous route via Guelph and a visit to True North. I picked up a demo hardtail for me to check how I like a squishy fork, and got my new team kit. We continued on to Orangeville, where Rachael took us for awesome sandwiches at Pia’s Bakery. From there, we continued on our way to Collingwood, via Dufferin Forest. Our plan was to get a little spin in for an hour or so, but unfortunately, it didn’t pan out. First, we realized that the demo bike would need a little more love to be set up for me to ride – more than the Boy could give in a dirt parking lot with a multitool. Second, it was really hot, and the Boy was not feeling well and didn’t think riding would be smart. Third, I was worried about getting lost if I went in by myself – I’ve only been once before, and even that was two years ago! We abandoned the ride, and finally got up to Collingwood, only needing to curse Google’s driving directions a couple of times. I had the mandatory new-team-kit-fashion-show, and we helped with dinner and trying to light a barbeque that (according to Brad*) was “broken and will explode” . Good thing we weren’t successful!

Saturday we made a big breakfast of baked oatmeal and bacon. We packed the bike stuff into the cars and headed over to 3 Stage. The riding there is so good! I’ve only been a handful of times, and each time has been great. I find it pretty challenging, but not impossible. We rode around for about an hour and a half, including a game of trading bikes – I was on Rachael’s fun new Kona, and Brad and the Boy switched rigs for a while, too.

Pop quiz: On the big squishy bike, I was having fun but having a lot of trouble adjusting to:

(a) the bouncy bouncy rear end

(b) the Gripshift

(d) all of the above

Getting back on the rigid bike still took a bit of getting used to! Brad, Rach and I rode an extra hour, most of which was uphill (or at least it felt that way), with the exception of the switchbacks and super fun section immediately following it.

Back to the house for a quick bite of lunch, getting changed and grabbing the dog, and then back out the door for swimming. The beach was so nice and sunny, I think we all could have sat around for a lot longer. The only thing that managed to drag us from the waters edge was the fact that the cheese shop was closing, and we wanted asiago dip (among other tasty things). After picking up a few groceries, it was back to the house and our massive and delicious dinner was made. We took a walk after dinner and tossed a Frisbee until we had enough space for a bit of strawberry-rhubarb crumble, enjoyed during a game of Trivial Pursuit. Both Brad and the Boy are impressive in their knowledge of trivial things! Honestly… who knows the name of the visible part of the sun?!?

(Are you wondering how that all happened in one day? No wonder we were so tired when we finally crawled into bed!)

Sunday was a supposed to be more on the bikes. Brad and Rachael took us to Kolapore. It was, again, pretty hot and humid. Unfortunately, the Boy was not feeling well, and with no energy was not enjoying the ride (nor the heat). I was a little bit concerned when he walked an uphill section, but was definitely worried when he opted to walk a downhill section. In light of this, the two of us took a shortcut back to the parking lot, keeping the ride to an hour. There was a really long rocky section, and I was doing really well over it, until I suddenly seemed to just lose my concentration. That stuff is hard!

Some relaxing at the house, and then it was time to pack up the car and leave. So sad! Already looking forward to going again, and the Boy is looking forward to really riding the trails next time.

*he was still at work, and we didn't call until we'd already tried to light the bbq a few times already

true north team ride

2010-06-23T23:07:00.000-04:00

Two of my excellent teammates organized the first social event – a team ride in the Don (apparently a foreign and exotic ride locale for the non-Torontonians), and BBQ. After a few weather issues, we ended up with a group of 6 on Sunday, heading out to tackle the trails. (Unfortunately, most of the non-Torontonians were not able to make the Sunday playdate, and we ended up with a crowd that rides in the Don with some frequency. Fortunately, the Boy guided us to some trails that were new to virtually everyone, so even the more seasoned Don riders got some new.) We picked up a few friends in the trails, and our little pack grew by two more (also fast) riders.

Asides from having to work really hard to keep up, and getting somewhat dehydrated and more-than-somewhat dropped, I had a great time. (Note to self: install second bottle cage on bike tonight.) It was hard work keeping up with Juliette and the boys (and trying to guess the direction when I was further off the back). It was frustrating at times, and as I got more tired, my concentration and technical skills went down. I admit to being pretty grumpy by the end, but despite my grumpiness, I knew that I had to suck it up and use it as a learning experience to help me get faster (some lessons don’t need hindsight or time to reflect).

Anyway, after a shower, an easy spin to High Park on the cruiser for the BBQ and a beer, the grumpiness was long forgotten. Hopefully next time we'll have more out-of-towners able to join in, too.

tour de dufflet

2010-06-21T21:09:00.003-04:00

Tour de Dufflet is an awesome Bike Month event with the tagline “Eat more cake, ride more bike”. The Boy and I set out on Saturday to see what it was all about. The premise is to visit all Dufflet locations in one day, by bike, and be rewarded with treats at each stop.

Our plan was to head uptown to the Yonge Street location first, so it would all be downhill from there. I rode my mountain bike, as we had plans to take a “shortcut” through some trails in the Don, and get some trail time in at the same time. The highlight of the ride up was definitely the section on Yonge, southbound from Lawrence, where they had recently repaved, and still had sectioned off. Our own private lane on Yonge, with smooth, fresh pavement!

First stop was the lunch stop. I was hungry – best not even joke about taking away my spanakopita, or I may stab you with my fork. We also got Tour de Dufflet water bottles, and much needed (and very refreshing) water.

From there, we went back north on Yonge, and cut across into some ravine, cruising down some trails the Boy knew. See, the adventure was part easy road coffee shop ride, part Ted ride. A Ted ride, as some readers know, involves trails and ravines in territory unknown, has an exploratory/expedition kind of vibe, and may feature hike-a-bike sections. They are often more demanding than other rides, but they are also more fun. The first section of ravine was really fun, and we cut all the way through to Sunnybrook park. We took the bike path most of the way down, and then took a “shortcut” through Taylor Creek. This section was not quite as much fun – it was hot, the trail was in the open, had these boggy little sections that I was not doing well with, and ended with a big hike-a-bike out under the O’Connor bridge. But we were right at the top of Woodbine, and only had to cruise downhill to stop number 2 (by which I really mean: cruise down some side streets, hop a fence, ride down a big grassy hill, race down Woodbine and duck through a back alley).

Second stop was in the Beach(es), where I opted for the sour-sour combo – lemonade and a lemon square. The Boy enjoyed a brownie and a coffee.

Time to head back west, as our last stop was on Queen West. Mostly just ran across Eastern – the only rough spot is going over the DVP, otherwise it wasn’t too bad at all - and over to Richmond on the other side of the river. We went through the CBN’s back alley before swinging back around to Dufflet. Two spots of shared history with the Boy – the place where we originally met in 2005 (the Community Bicycle Network), and the place where I finally agreed to our first date in 2009 (Dufflet).

Harder to decide what to have, knowing that this was the last delicious reward. I finished up with another lemonade and a square type of thing containing peanuts, peanut butter, rice krispies, caramel, and held together by chocolate. I’m getting hungry again just thinking about it!

Our Tour (including not-so-short shortcuts and off-road sections) was 37km. The whole thing gets huge thumbs up, and I can’t wait to do it again next year.

Other awesome bonuses: $5 off my next large cake just for finishing, plus the $5 registration fee goes to the Toronto Cyclists Union. Win-win-win!

back to training

2010-06-17T22:48:00.000-04:00

Race reports are done, at least for the foreseeable future. I still haven’t quite figured out how they come to this race schedule, with more than half the OCups done before mid-June, and the rest all kind of dragged out until the end of August. Meh – more potentially gorgeous, sunny Summer days for riding!

The last little bit of riding and racing was wearing me down, and essentially bought me a week of rest. Lots of days off riding. A massage. A few easy rides. All done, and all really good. It reminded me of the taper I got to do in 2004, in advance of the last race of my triathlete nerd days. (Training for a half ironman (2km swim, 90km bike, 21km run) was a lot of work, but nothing will ever beat how rested I was and how well I slept for that two week taper. Effin’ glorious)

Last night, ready to move on and get back to riding, I attempted to fill in a month-worth of as-yet-unrecorded workout details (thankfully, where my mind is failing, my heart rate monitor can tell me whether I worked hard or not), then sat down and planned this week’s workouts (something I have not done in about a month). The planning part kind of fell aside, not because I ceased training or preparing for workouts, but more because when it’s a block of weekend races, I find I do better to stick to some general guidelines (time to recover, a workout to keep the skills sharp, a workout to keep the fitness sharp, pre-ride, race… repeat as necessary) rather than adhering strictly to something planned before I know how I really feel. I’m not sure if I’d see more “success” if I were more rigid, but I would probably just end up overextending myself or hating cycling or something like that. And honestly, these days I’m having enough trouble keeping my head in the game on the whole “*racing*” thing and not getting expectations/pressures out of whack, I’m pretty sure I don’t want to go there!

Mountainview - OCup 4

2010-06-15T22:46:00.002-04:00

Mountainview is the course I both love and hate. More specifically, I hate half of it, and love the other half. (As an aside, I told someone that it's a really good course, to which he replied, "really? I'd heard it was pretty technical, I'm surprised to hear you say that." And then I pre-rode, and remembered that I hate the very-technical, rooty first half, and love the fun, flowy second half. Always ending on fun means always walking away thinking it's all good.)

On Saturday, it had just finished raining, so the trails were a bit tacky, but mostly dry. Very fun stuff. Lots of opportunity to practice stuff. I have a few bruises and I killed the paint on my bike by dropping it in the rock garden. I rode with DD for a lap, while the Boy played with the elite kids, and then he and I did a lap together. It was pretty good, and I felt ready to race.

It rained all night overnight, resulting in a very wet and muddy course. They took out a few sections off the start (including the rock garden), which probably benefit me overall. I opened up a rather large gap on the opening climb, and was off the front for a bit. One rider wasn't too far behind me, and she got past me just before heading into the second single track section. Two more riders got by about halfway through the lap, after I had a lovely, muddy slow-speed crash, and had to get up the world's slickest muddy hill. Oh, how I was wishing for toe spikes in my shoes on that section!

I lost a bit of drive at the start of lap two, especially when I realized that the drink I ended up with was too gross to consume while racing (I say "ended up with" because there were some... let's say 'feed zone errors', which resulted in a lot of bitter muttering in lap two). I knew 5th was close behind, which gave me enough impetus to not give up altogether. Another 4th place, and definitely one of the most challenging races of the season.

Hardwood Canada/O Cup

2010-06-02T22:03:00.000-04:00

Race report time!

After the "pre-ride of tears" from the previous Friday, I knew that if I didn't check out the course at least once more, I would pay dearly on race day. And so on Saturday, the Boy and I hitched a ride with DD and Prisca for another look at the course. I was worried it would be more crowded (it was... but my actual race felt even more crowded, so I guess it was a bonus for race preparations). It was tough to not succumb to the peer pressure of riding with the group that had formed, but I knew that I had to do things a bit differently and really focus on certain sections, so the Boy and I stuck to our original plan and struck out on our own. The good: I managed to avoid any major meltdowns (a victory within itself), reminded myself that riding was fun, and rode a few things that hadn't clicked the first time around.

Race day, and suddenly my intimate little Sr Sport category was part of this massive wave of women - at the Canada Cups, we started with the Master Sport women, creating a very busy starting corral. It was a little confusing when the race official doing roll call thought the senior women belonged in a different corral. Mild panic, but it provided me a good opportunity to get into a better position for the start, which was behind a lady whom I know to have race experience and I could see was not starting in her granny gear. (I kind of think that at this level, worrying about details like this is a bit silly, but I also know that I want to do my best and that the little things can really add up. And I know that a good start is really important - my feeling always being that you probably won't win a race with your start, but you sure as hell can lose it there.)

Anyway, start doubly important when there is a long two-part climb, and you are awesome at just such a thing and want to get into the single track first. Which is exactly what I did, avoiding the gal who clipped a directional arrow on the side of the course, making up a bunch of places over the first part of the climb, and then attacking to get a gap over part two. And then I got kinda overwhelmed by all the traffic in the single track, and I dabbed a few times and got swarmed by little trains of fast Masters racers (including the occasional girl in my category), and lost some places. The rest of the lap was pretty good - I wasn't feeling particularly "racy", lacking motivation to really chase or kill it on the double track, but just pushing myself enough, and trying not to kill myself in the single track. Awesome things I saw: this guy do a wicked endo on Coffee Run, Lee manage to do a nose wheelie off a jump on the inner loop and somehow manage to save it - based on language, I would guess that was not what she meant to do.

Lap two was much much better. I'll skip the section-by-section play-by-play, but let me please toot my horn to say that I rode the downhill section on Coffee Run that I had not yet done, as well as the bmx stuff at the end of the lap. The bmx stuff is neither faster nor slower than the alternative lines, but it's fun so I rode it both laps.

It's Wednesday, and my legs are tired from all the racing and riding. One more this weekend, which I'm already looking forward to, and then I get a sweet, sweet rest week, for which I have already booked a massage.

more riding!

2010-05-27T23:16:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, after 3 days of mountain biking, I discovered to secret to fun and sanity (and lack of tears). It is this: more riding, less racing.

Friday The Boy and I went to Hardwood to pre-ride the Canada Cup course. To say it did not go well would be an understatement. See, I get it all in my head that if it is in my race, I should be able to ride it. And then if it scares me or I don't think I can ride it, I put all kinds of pressure on myself and get frustrated that I can't/don't want to ride a particular feature. This sometimes results in tears, much to the surprise of The Boy (really, he should talk to DD about that... Friday was not the first, and will likely not be the last time, I cry during a pre-ride.).

So, mountain biking lovey feelings lagging a wee bit, I was not too sure how I felt about the rest of the weekend - two days of riding at Buckwallow, one of the more technical places in the area.

As it turned out, I had nothing to fear - those two days were awesome! I didn't ride everything, but I did challenge myself and learned to ride a few things that I distinctly recall scaring the crap out of when I raced there last year. The best part was that I didn't put any silly pressure on myself to ride everything, so I was relaxed and able to ride and learn stuff, and I didn't cry once. Not even on Sunday, when I clipped a tree and fell over and scraped my leg.

So let's review - riding is fun when there's no pressure. And I'm not thinking "oh crap I need to race on this, I must be able to ride this". And riding is less fun when there is pressure, which can also result in tears. So let's say it again: more riding, less racing.

(I'm really repeating it here to try and drill it into my own head... since I seem to have a hard time passing up on an opportunity to race, so I'm not sure how well I'll actually follow through on that 'more riding, less racing' thing.)

Pre-riding Hardwood again on Saturday to try and conquer a few more bits of that course, and then racing on Sunday. See, I'm already doing a poor job of racing less and riding more!

spring epic 8-hr

2010-05-18T22:40:00.003-04:00

I've discovered that, among many awesome things about the Boy, since he also races, he understands the whole racing thing - when I need to train, or when I'm tired and cranky (and need time off). Which means that we can do some races together, which is what we did on Saturday at the Spring Epic 8-hour. It was so fun!

We went into it as a training exercise, smart considering I'd never done a tag-team 8-hour before, and the Boy had not done any intensity training at all this year (don't be fooled, he is still mega fast). I think we are both pretty competitive personalities when it comes to a race, though, so despite all the "it's only training" talk, I'm pretty sure we were both interested in that podium. Or, maybe it was just me?

The Boy came up with our lap strategy, which ended up really pushing us and really was great training. He did 4 laps off the bat, and had us in first. I got caught by another team on my first lap, and because of that, I was frustrated for a good chunk of time (that whole competitive thing). I did 3 laps, which were getting progressively slower, but were good for me because that's a whole lap more than I ever have to do in an O-Cup. Then the Boy did 3 laps, in which he cramped really badly on the last lap, and by this point we were bouncing around in 6th or 7th, so I was far less worried about being competitive, and more interested in riding each lap as well as I could. I did a double, and then the Boy went out for his last lap. By now it was getting late in the day, and the Boy had had trouble with cramps on his previous set, so we knew he'd be doing a single, and I could pretty much decide for myself if I wanted to do one more. Between that and the time-limit (must start last lap by 6pm, must finish by 6:35pm, I needed about 44min to do a lap), I got dressed and fueled, but wasn't so sure I'd be heading out. Or that I wanted to head out. The Boy came in around 5:50, which meant I had exactly 45min to do that lap. After I made it known that I wanted the timing chip (he was... waving to adoring fans? I'm not sure) and got a quick kiss, I was back on the course. Oh, and I had a gel running down my leg, because I made the mistake of ripping it open when the Boy came into transition, and tucked it under the bottom of my shorts to eat (?) on course, and half of it dribbled down my thigh. Yum! Anyway, I knew that I needed to push a little bit to make this lap count, and if I was spending the energy going back out, I damn well wanted it to count. I knew all the sections where I could push a bit harder, and the single track sections totally clicked for me. I got to the "5km to go" sign with 25min left to finish the lap, and I knew I could do it. The last climb was pretty brutal - I bobbled on a root, had to walk a bit, and endured a few cramps when I got back on the bike, but it was all totally worth it when I dropped that little timing chip in the box at 6:31pm, and learned I had turned in my second fastest lap! High five!

It was really exciting to work really well as a team, and to have everything run smoothly on the bikes. Especially since the Boy put together one bike for himself on Friday afternoon, and then his new frame came on our way to dinner, and he stayed up to take apart the first bike and build the new one. Finishing a new build the morning of a race is not exactly my style, but whatever works!

We had a Ford Transit from Autoshare, which gave us lots of room to hang out inside between laps, get changed, have a nap, have some food, etc. Mari had wisely recommended bringing a thermarest, so we even had something soft(er) to lie or sit on. We brought a dry erase board, which was helpful for leaving notes because there was very little time to chat between laps or when we were handing off a bottle. Even though we each had fairly lengthy breaks between (fairly lengthy) sets on the course, I still found it hard to take in much food. On the other hand, I never felt like I was bonking during my laps, so I guess the nutrition thing just worked itself out, which in itself is amazing. The course was awesome, although the downhills were getting rutted enough that they kinda sucked on a rigid bike by the end of the day.

All kinds of fun, and probably something we will be doing again.

Albion OCup

2010-05-10T23:01:00.001-04:00

A lot of "firsts" from this one!

- First OCup of the season for me (I skipped Mansfield in favour of a learn to RACE road clinic that turned into a learn to RIDE clinic. I cut my losses halfway through day two - I consider myself quite proficient at taking my waterbottle out of the cage without looking, don't need to ride in circles at 15km/h practicing, thanks.)

- First time getting to the start line and thinking "There's no reason I can't win"

- First time leading the women for the entire first lap, and then some. I am normally mid-pack at a mountain bike race, and I normally get passed by the fast older ladies who start two minutes back. This time, I was distinctly not mid-pack (yay!), and was not passed by any Master Sport women until partway through lap two.

- First time not getting lapped by the mega-fast DD.

- First first! Actually, first solo mountain bike podium ever! It was pretty exciting (though nerve-wracking, what with leading the whole race and not knowing what kind of gap I had), and I felt really smooth in the single track (that's actually another first for me, right there), and had all kinds of power on the double track (yeah, I know it's a boring part of the race course, but it really is where I kinda shine).

Paris-Ancaster 2010

2010-05-01T13:50:00.003-04:00

Right, so the racing season has started (two weeks ago!), and some race reports should follow. This time of year is a fuzzy one. When friends find out that I've started racing again, an invariable question is if it's cyclocross or mountain right now... and it's mountain, those a few early early races ~~can~~ should be done on the cross bike.

I did the Paris-Ancaster pre-ride this year, and actually had to talk a guy down from using his mountain bike. I wonder what he did in the end? He had borrowed a cx bike, but after seeing the Powerline Mudslide, thought his mountain bike might be better. Sure, for that section, but distance on road >> distance of mudslide (or, "Slide of Death", as renamed by Helen Wyman). The best part of the pre-ride was meeting Kona Pro Helen Wyman, who was really nice and encouraging.

Race day was a bit on the chilly side. I always find the pre-race was to be a challenge for getting dressed because you can't make last minute decisions. Or you can, but you have to hope you can find someone with a car to give your stuff to. I had a terrible start. Seriously terrible - I felt to unsure and cautious in the corners with the pack, and ended up pretty far at the back, missing the big train as it hit the rail trail. The rail trail still went by quickly, and I felt like I was making up good ground, moving up from group to group, but never caught back on to anything really big. I ended up seeing Barry a couple of times - I'd pass him, get stopped for some reason or another, he'd pass me, and we'd do it all over again. I had few other mishaps, except for a bobbling on a small rock pile, and getting rear-ended (literally in the rear) by DD and Chris on the tandem. I also got a kinked link from some poor power application, and had to stop on a very open, always head-windy section of rail trail. DD stopped long enough to throw a chain tool at me and confirm that I knew how to use it, and it wasn't long before I was off again. I was starting to feel the race around the 2:10 mark, and got a leg cramp at the bottom of the final hill that had me wonder if this would be my first year to walk it. Nope - I turned a corner and some people were cheering me on by name, making dismounting far too embarrassing a proposition to even consider! Done - and in 2:36, only 6min off my best time.

royal hat trick

2010-02-25T23:13:00.000-05:00

Ice race!!! This year was high drama on the ice, with the closest races (men's and women's) I've ever seen. We had 7 women, including some serious competition from Montreal. Miraculously, I held onto my title of "Ice Queen" with a third-year victory.

photo credit: Martin Reis

My first heat was nothing to write home about - I was tentative in the corners, was giving up good lines easily, basically not racing. Since then, I've had a few people tell me that they seriously doubted my ability to repeat in the final. And frankly, so did I!

No matter - I put it aside, and the "semi final" was a bit better. Better start, went backwards a little bit when I got nervous in the corners, but pulled it together to hang on for second. Still, I wasn't trusting the bike or the tires like I needed to be.

By the time the final came around, I had had a cookie and a bit of bourbon (thanks to Ms. Pfeiffer). With the longer course and more laps, I was pretty confident I could overcome any mistakes (or maybe that was the bourbon thinking?). I went for it right from the start, and got the hole shot, and pushed for the first few laps. I was feeling good, and by about lap 4, I had a pretty good lap on the field. With my typical inability to pace myself over a longer distance, I started to slow down a bit and second place, Claude, was catching up. By lap 10 (of 15) she was on my wheel, and was not to be dislodged.

Last lap was an exciting one - in corner 2, Claude tried to pass on the inside, but didn't have enough room. She knocked the cone over, and it went skittering under my bike between the wheels, while I prayed to not go down. Corner 4, she made one last attempt to pass. I'm not entirely sure what happened, but she didn't have enough room to pull it off. I could feel her front wheel buzzing my rear, and I just kept my head up & powered on while she crashed into the boards behind me, mere feet from the finish.

photo credit: Martin Reis

The men's race was also pretty exciting - defending champ Shawn went down and lost half a lap, which he managed to make up on the two leaders, and outsprinted Kuz at the end.

Ted pulled off the win in the rubber tire race (of course). Fun times on the rink all around!

an announcement, of sorts

2010-01-19T13:48:00.001-05:00

New team for 2010: True North Cycles

with thanks

2010-01-19T12:05:00.003-05:00

For 2008 and 2009, I raced for Sweet Pete's. It is an awesome shop downtown Toronto which supports a very friendly, welcoming team.

Between those two seasons, I made 22 trips to the podium, and having the great support of Sweet Pete's played a huge role in that success. Definitely couldn't have done it without such great encouragement at the shop, and excellent wrenching from the mechanics for the jobs I couldn't figure out on my own.

A good local shop is so important for cycling, and I really lucked out to be close to this one, and to be able to race with them for two years!

provincials '09

2010-01-07T21:15:00.003-05:00

This year, my top goal was to podium at Provincials. I got 4th in 2008, and I was determined to get on those steps.

As I have alluded to a few times, I ended up working on a very intense, very busy project for at least half of the season. By the time it ended, I was tired, frustrated on my missed training, not racing as well as I wanted to (isn't that always the case??). In any case, I was pretty sure my bid to podium was done before it really started, but I really wanted to go to Ottawa - I love road trips and racing, and it seemed a good chance to get away with the boy.

I had two weeks to try and pull together a bit more fitness - I was more selective about the last few races, in an effort to come back mentally from Kelso Day 2 (where I was really unhappy), and to get some quality, competitive racing in. I was happy with what I pulled together, given I was tempted to end the season at Kelso.

Saturday was a good pre-race day. We went for a short ride in the Gatineaus - only 5min away - mostly on the road, but we got a bit of riding on the trails, too. Last chance to tweak a few settings on my new bike, and do a few harder efforts. Felt good and rested. We then had lunch in Chelsea, visited with Fiona in Chelsea, and drove down to the race site for some re-con. Not sure where the time went, but it was about 4pm by the time we got there, and we walked the entire course. It took a while, but was totally worth it, and by the time we finished it was dark, so we headed into Little Italy to get dinner, and then back to the B&B for bed.

Race day was a bit misty, with a bit of fog. A little chilly, but warm considering it was mid-November. Everything pre-race ran smoothly. I got in a couple of laps on the course, including a few trys at a some of the trickier sections. While I registered, Ted awesomely set my bike up on the trainer for me, and while I warmed up on the trainer, he put the spare wheels in the pits. Boyfriend as personal mechanic/soigneur is a pretty great system!

On the line, mistake 1 - not being aggressive about being on the front line. I was disappointed that they didn't have separate starts for Master and Senior women, and I found myself boxed into the middle on the second row. On the other hand, probably good to practice not starting in the "ideal" position (whatever that is), so I went with it.

Most of the race is a total blur. I know I was working hard. I knew that I was in the top 10 overall, but since they started the Masters women at the same time, and there were women from Quebec (not eligible for Ontario provincial medals) in the mix, it was hard to say. I should add that I had long ago forgotten the hope of podium, but really wanted to see where I was at. All I really remember is seeing Sarah C drop out, and about halfway through the last lap, I was passed by another woman. I tried to stay with her, but flubbed a remount after a short set of stairs, and opened up just a bit of a gap. I caught my breath, and tried to close the gap as we headed into the finish. Sadly, it wasn't too be, and I finished about 2 seconds back from her. Then I nearly killed the boy because I was exhausted from the effort, and he had locked the car (and was nowhere to be found). I just wanted warm clothes and a drink! My friend Mel won, in a very tight race! Awesome to see how much she has improved in the last two years. And when they posted the results, I learned that I got 5th Elite woman, 4th Ontario Elite. Yes, missed the podium by those 2 seconds! And yes, shed a couple of tears before we left - coming that close to my goal and missing it was a tough pill to swallow.

There's always next year!

a season, in brief

2009-12-22T19:52:00.000-05:00

I keep putting off writing some kind of season summary. You know, since I already put off writing all those individual race reports. We're at late December already??

In the very least, a set of lists from the season (or really, season post-Guelph):

Good races (felt good, happy with my results)

Barrie Cross - awesome fight for 3rd with Lori
CSAJ Racing at Riverdale - good weather + win + friends + Jet Fuel
Kelso Halloween Stage Race, Day 1
Toronto International Cyclocross, Day 2
Willow Beach

Not so good races (felt awful, was unnecessarily pouty re: results)

Hillbilly Hustle - it's been a long time since I've been lapped by the women's leader!
Kelso Halloween Stage Race, Day 2 - just did not care while racing and gave up, which was worse than anything else

Things I learned

Sometimes work takes up a lot of extra time and energy. That's normal, and you aren't a complete slacker for failing to train as much as you had planned however-many months ago.
Your attitude is more important than results ever are.
Not allowed to decide to quit racing/sell all bikes until at least 4 days after a "bad" race. At which point, you probably feel really dumb and/or melodramatic, and won't really want to quit at all. And if you do, you can post that stuff on ebay now!
goals --> motivation --> momentum to get through difficult points in the season. Although sometimes it still just comes down to "discipline before desire" (aka "do it because you know you need to, not necessarily because you want to").

Still, overall, a great season. Provincials deserves its own post (which, at the rate I am blogging, you can expect sometime in February). No complaints, just lots to look forward to for next year.

guelph triple threat

2009-12-03T22:21:00.000-05:00

This was the best weekend of racing in a long time. Possibly ever! You could not have more fun with events involving bikes, cowbells, beer, costumes, and hospital visits. Wait... it might have been better without the hospital visits... but three races, one party, and seriously fun people kept the whole weekend on the up.

True North Cross
First year for this race, and despite a very bumpy course (a bit of rain would have softened it up just enough), it was a blast. Small women's field - 4 seniors and 2 master racers - but tough nonetheless. Good off-camber sections. Killer flat, windy sections. A couple of hills, including a barrier that was near impossible for the short-of-leg to get over easily. My first win of the season, as I barely managed to keep Ms. Mirvish from closing a very narrow gap. Thank god for lots of horsepower for the headwind on the back stretch!

SS Nationals
The most epic costume fail ever. Do NOT try to race your bike in a big frilly skirt! You may sustain injuries from laughing too hard. You may also need help being removed from the bike when the skirt becomes so wrapped around the seat stays/rear brakes that you cannot get off the bike by yourself. Lots of costumes, lots of beer hand ups, lots of (other people) impressively dismounting for barriers without spilling beer, lots of fun.

Speed River Guelph Cross
Too much beer and too big a gear at SS meant my legs were far from feeling "good". Still, it was a good race, which (since I am now finishing this post in December) I have forgotten all the details of. But I do recall getting 2nd, and winning beer! And getting beat by some very fast Masters women!

Some other kind of season summary to come. I admit, I have been inspired by Ms. Nicholls to try and blog a little bit more. She is, after all, living, breathing proof that there is at least one person reading!

reassess

2009-09-30T00:38:00.000-04:00

I find keeping up with training and regular life hard enough on it's own - the cross season in southern Ontario is short, but gets bigger each year - this year, there are 19 races to choose from! It's kind of overwhelming, generally in a way that I totally love.

This year, work is keeping me on my toes, and eating into the training time & energy reserves. Which is ok - I mean, I get paid to do one thing (my job), and I do one thing because I just love it (bike racing). At the end of the day, I have to keep up with the thing that pays the bills! Sometimes I don't have the energy or time to train, and I feel ok about it... sometimes I still try to cram it all in, but that typically just puts me deeper into a whole on the whole energy/time time.

I've had to reassess what I hope to get out of this season. I don't know if I've landed on final goals yet, but they're percolating in the back of my mind, and may sometime find their way here. Along with a race report from the most wicked awesome weekend of racing ever. Yes, ever!

sweet taste of suffering

2009-09-14T14:17:00.001-04:00

First race, Cowbell Cross. It's nice to see this one grow each year, it's a fun course and a good season opener.

I feel like my training isn't quite where I had hoped it to be, and definitely not where it was at this time last year, so I had extra jitters heading into this one. We got to the course nice and early, lots of time to get a few laps in before the 10am start.

Finally time to line up, with Rachael's help, I got wedged into a spot on the front row. Mel was off the line first, but managed to take herself out in one of the first corners. I snuck around her, hit the barriers first, and with it, grabbed the $20 barrier prime. Sadly, the next minute or so were all I saw of the front of the race - Mel was quick to get back up to speed, and staying on her wheel was beyond me.

The rest of the race stayed pretty much unchanged - Mel had a gap of about 40s on me, and I had a pretty comfortable gap on Rachael. I was really focusing on how I was cornering, trying different things to see what felt more comfortable.

I spent some time riding with Chris in M2. We came through the finish together, and got the signal for one to go, so I picked it up a bit for my "last" lap. Came through the finish again, but no one said anything at the line, so I rolled around the next corner, slowed down and called "Is that it?". The response: "Nope, you've got one to go." Aaaah, frig. I was pretty fried, and so flustered, I nearly took myself out on the barriers. It took me a while to find my rhythm again, and to push myself through some of windy straightaways. Dear race organizers, please remember lap cards!

All in all, a good day. Nice to start the season with a podium finish, and feel like I can improve from here. Heck, just nice to start the season!

Your Guide to the Change in Seasons

2009-09-03T09:40:00.000-04:00

Yes, kids, it is coming. Cyclocross season is almost upon us. I know, I know, it always comes up so quickly... suddenly you are pinning numbers for that first race, wondering what happened to all that time you had to lose 5lbs, practice technique, and get in at least a few secret training sessions, while hoping you remembered how to handle an off-camber corner without high-siding yourself.

There are signs of the coming cross season, but you need to know what to look for:

1. Increase in communication from cross-specific friends. The fall is a time to be using cross-specific skills, and to see people you really don't see any other time of year. If you race mountain bikes, maybe it's a roadie who is out on the asphalt all summer. It starts out as a link to a video here, a question about travelling to races there... next thing you know, you are exchanging a dozen emails a week.

2. Increased traffic at CXO. In the very least, it's reassuring that you aren't the only one who can't stop thinking about mud and skinny tires.

3. Cooler weather and/or changing leaves and/or other people complain about summer ending. Ignore these other people - but when someone mentions days getting colder or shorter, you'd best have at least started gluing those tubulars!

4. Other people complain that you never shut up about cyclocross. With increase in thoughts about CX, it's inevitable that you will bore your friends and loved ones to death talking about equipment options, race schedules. By the time they hit a breaking point and tell you to shut up, that first race is probably just about a week away!

birthday ride

2009-03-03T00:43:00.000-05:00

My original plan for my birthday had been the trainer + a good movie. But a friend emailed in the morning, wishing me a happy birthday, and asking if I wanted to go out for a social birthday ride. The sun was shining... it was hard to say no.

I admit - it was cold. Like, -8C, and a bit windy. Brrr! Didn't get out of the house until just past 5, and we went west, meeting up in Etobicoke, and riding from there. I was well dressed for the cold, in fact I was wearing such a thick combination of socks, I had to take the insoles out of my shoes in order to fit my feet in! It was still great - really good conversation, beautiful sun, nice opportunity to move my legs. It was getting dark as I returned home, and I was just in time to shower and head out for dinner.

I had pins and needles in my toes as they unthawed in the shower, but I still can't think of a better activity for a birthday.

the ice queen reigns

2009-02-24T21:14:00.000-05:00

Saturday night was the fabled Icycle Race, at Dufferin Grove Park. An annual favorite, for sure.

Last year, I stepped up from volunteer extraordinaire to give racing a shot, on a set of tires made with DD's help & free labour. It was a small women's field, and I managed to pull out the win.

This year, the women's field was just about double, though at 7, it still wasn't breaking any records. With a few new girls on the ice, we actually had two separate preliminary heats though! In my heat, I went for the hole shot, making sure I got to the first corner first, and held my lead from there. Wire to wire, baby! I was cornering pretty aggressively, and a couple of times, I was really worried I was going to go down, but those tires held so well. In the other preliminary heat, Ms. P put in a pretty solid ride to keep T at bay.

We were all in for the final, and with both rinks open, there was plenty of room. I still wanted to get to the front ASAP, and stay out of trouble. Had a great start, and again got the hole shot, so I went into the first corner exactly where I wanted to be. Things went a little awry when we went onto the second rink, though - no one had put any cones down to mark the corners, so it was a bit of a free for all! T took a shorter line than I did, so she came out ahead. I didn't want to panic, but since the race was only 5 laps, I didn't want to leave any moves until too late. She led for a full lap, while cones were put in place to keep us on track. Going into corner 4, I took the inside line, and came out ahead. Super fun to have such a close race, and to have more women out!

the open road

2009-02-09T09:57:00.000-05:00

A little bit of sunshine, some unseasonably warm temperatures on the weekend, and it all leads to a couple of hours outside, riding in the fresh air. Love it. Nothing recharges me in winter training better than a real ride!

I met up with some bikenerds for coffee and a brisk ride out to Ashbridge's Bay, and back along the water to the Humber. We had a gorgeous tailwind heading east, so most of the ride was into a steady headwind. Toes were cold, but the sun was out, so overall, it was all-round good.

At 38km in 2hrs, we weren't exactly breaking records, but it was just so good to feel the road under those tires.

february already?

2009-02-04T12:55:00.000-05:00

It's still winter, which means the temperature is not so conducive to riding outside. That's ok - I am still finding the gym to be a novel thing, likely because working with J has me starting a new routine every 3 weeks or so. Coincidentally, that is about when I start to get bored and lose motivation!

Unfortunately, none of my winter cross training makes for entertaining blog fodder - not that I think my in-season escapades are all that fascinating, either...

Gym. Work. Cardio. Yoga. Rinse and repeat.

london calling

2009-01-26T09:33:00.000-05:00

Saturday was another trip down to the track. Other than feeling a wee bit hung over, I had a really good time, and was starting to really get a good feel for it.

We drove down bright and early for a Rec session, where I spent most of my time on the black line, just practicing following wheels and modulating my speed. Getting behind a slower rider was always a good reminder that you don't need to pin it to get around the corners without slipping - even though it sometimes felt slow, it was still pretty easy to grip. DD convinced me, at one point, to come up to the blue line to try getting into the paceline. It was going fairly well, and I took my turn at the front, but just as I signaled my intention to pull off, someone decided they wanted to go faster, and would pass over top of me. Aw, thanks! I just let him by, then went up track, let the paceline pass, and dropped back down to the comfortable black line.

We stuck around during Track 1, got some food and water, and they took part in the Skills and Drills session that followed. This was a great opportunity to get more practice in, with a bit more guidance. I liked it a bit more, since I felt like I had more to do than just keep riding in circles. We did more practice with pacelines, which helped quite a bit.

Overall, I got in 2.5hrs of riding, which is a good chunk for me for this time of year. And, best yet, it was really fun!

gold sprints

2009-01-21T09:31:00.001-05:00

Last night went to an awards party, telling myself I would leave by 10pm so I could still get up early to go to the gym. When I got there, and saw that there were Gold Sprint roller racers, I told myself that I wanted to race, but shouldn't since I was wearing office clothes from a Women in Leadership event I had gone to earlier.

Lies. All lies!

I got talked in to racing against J, who is insanely fit and helping me become so. Admittedly, twisting my arm to race wasn't that hard. Getting on the bike, I realized that it wasn't that indecent in the skirt. Well, I haven't seen photos, so I hope this holds true. Not only did I have to work hard in that first sprint, J beat me by about half a second! My bike racer ego was wounded, and I wasn't ready to let it go that easily, so we decided to give it another go. Second time around, I came out with the victory, but it was another close race!

We had the fastest women's times, so we were in for the final. A new Crumpler bag was on the line, and after the men's race, we had at it one more time. This time, J. had a better start, and we were working at about the same rate, so I was having trouble catching her. I looked up at the clock halfway through, saw that I was behind, and just gave it everything I had left. Fast legs, fast legs, fast legs. Our race was so close, Navid insisted on playing it back for us, and in the last quarter, I pulled it out and took the win. I also got my fastest time of the night - 26.89.

So, instead of home at 10, it was a little closer to 12.30. And rather than up early to go to the gym, I slept in, needing a bit of extra sleep. And as long as the photos of me in a blouse and skirt, spinning my heart out, aren't too indecent, it'll be worth it!

roller hell

2009-01-13T09:30:00.000-05:00

Last night, I pulled out the rollers for the first time in a long time. I used them with some consistency last winter, and even got to a point where I only needed one supporting wall to get on, rather than being in the doorway.

I was feeling pretty shaky. As in are you sure you know how to ride a bike? shaky. I know I'll get the hang of it again, and they will be really good for me to work on a smooth, round pedal stroke. I just need to get over my fear of falling off, and keep plugging away...

power camp - day 1

2009-01-11T10:30:00.000-05:00

Thursday was the first of a 6-week power camp, led by PP, one of my fave local 'crossers. He knows his stuff. It was the dreaded threshold test, which consisted of 2 8-minute all-out efforts. I had a bit of trouble pacing myself between the two. I really gutted myself on the first one, and as a result, my wattage dropped a bit for the second. Not substantially, but enough to reinforce for me that steady power output is something I need to work on! It did not help that I was suffering some pretty bad calf cramps between the two efforts, likely as a result of not getting the saddle position quite right on the spin bike.

Nonetheless, 219 watts seems a good place to start, and I am looking forward to seeing this improve over the next 6 weeks.

with thanks

2009-01-07T12:25:00.000-05:00

I'm still sort of wrapping up thoughts on the 08 season, and my great year was really with thanks to a number of people.

Sweet Pete's is my local shop, and a good one, at that. Friendly guys at the shop, and a nice group of people to race with. Close to home, very supportive.

DD & Ms. P are probably closer to the typical definition of "team" for me. Without the wonder couple, I wouldn't even be able to get to races - and this is before I start to get into the support, mechanics, feeds, training companions, technical tips, occasional massage and meals. There are honestly not enough ways to thank them for the ways they help me out.

There are quite a few local promoters who organize the races that we all love. We have a great series, and it's an awesome little community that grows a little every year. The most notable contributors to this community are the CXO boys, and the Midweek cycling club - I honestly think without these two, we wouldn't have half the quality training, racing, or venue to chatter during the week.

planning

2009-01-06T08:36:00.000-05:00

It's the new year, and it's time for me to start planning out 2009. If you know me, you know that I am a long-time planner - not necessarily long-term, but it just takes me a long time to come to a plan. I think I just like to make sure my plan is really sound, but as a result, I probably spend a long time in the pre-planning phase. Rolling stuff around in my head, trying to imagine how things will fit together.

Last night, I finally pulled out a calendar, and started to look at how things will shape up. I have plans for a big trip in late May, so I'm not planning as intense a summer of racing - which means I am not going to be building to a major peak in the summer, instead really focusing the bike training on June, to build to cross season. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out in terms of racing. I think I had a lot of residual fitness from such an intense summer, and I am hoping to maintain and build on it, without burning out. Still planning on some mountain bike racing, and possibly some road races, as well (Dear OCA - please post your road schedule, thanks!).

Short term, I'm working with a personal trainer to help me get quality workouts in the gym, and to get my nutrition in order. Add a bit of running, a spinning class with PP, and flexibility to snowshoe, run, hike or spin on the weekend, and I'm pretty happy with the cross-training/prep I've got set for January.

one last race

2009-01-04T19:18:00.001-05:00

Closed out 2008 with a final race, on December 31. The New Years Cross Race, now in it's second year, is a fun tradition to finish off the year. Definitely worth coming back to Toronto for, despite cold winds and snowy weather!

Due to some seriously delayed bags from my trip home, I was missing a critical element for riding - my pedals. I put out a call through the internet, and a good friend went above and beyond to help me out. After volunteering his spare pedals, and forgetting them day-of, he hustled to get me a set to borrow while I froze on the side of the course, manning the Cupcake Hand-Up at the top of a snowy run-up.

After the first race, I did a quick change, got some help pinning a number, yelled to a few guys to get the cupcakes going for the second race, and got to the line just as the race was starting. I started at the very back - partially due to arriving as the race was starting, but I also realized, as I rolled up, that I had forgotten to re-attach my front brake cable. Not the first time I've started a ride, only to realize this mistake! Because of the snow, though, traffic was slow, and it was easy to catch back on. There were only three women, but the race is just for fun, so I just wanted to avoid getting lapped by all of the boys, and have a good time. I wasted minimal time getting ahead of Ms. P and Korina, and then just focused on how I was riding different sections - picking a good line in corners, taking it easy on ice, and forcing myself to ride down the snowy downhill. The downhill had me a bit sketched out at the beginning, but it was actually pretty fun once I became more comfortable with it! I did get double-lapped by a few of the men, but finished 16 of 19 in the second race.

Post-race, we headed to a nearby pub, where an insane waitress served us very, very slowly. Caught up with people I probably won't see until racing starts up again in the spring, ate a decent burger and had a beer. One of my favorite races on the calendar - what's not to love about a low-key atmosphere, a great course, and fun people to hang out with?!?

ouch

2008-12-19T09:13:00.000-05:00

So, it's the off-season, and other than a brief foray down London-way to try the track, I have pretty much been off the bike. I've kept up with a bit of running and cardio at the gym, but nothing serious. It's pretty nice to be unstructured, and to not kill myself trying to fit a workout in. If the day fills up, and I don't have time or energy, no worries, I can get that run in tomorrow.

I need to start ramping up to more structured training, so last night, I decided to see if I like BodyPump, a weights group class at the gym.

Um, ow.

As I type this, I want to curl up and cry. It's been a while since I've done any work with weights, or done anything for my upper body. My triceps were killing so bad after the class, I honestly could hardly hold my upper body up for the ride home.

season counts

2008-12-12T16:10:00.000-05:00

28 races done, February through to end of November (and one to go, on New Years Eve):

17 cross races (including P-A)
8 mountain bike races
2 road races
1 'other' (iiiiiice raaaaaace!)
14 trips to the podium, including 2 wins
more really good, really fun races than I could possibly count

Just under 300 hours on the bike. It's been a good year!

subway cx

2008-12-08T11:02:00.000-05:00

Last race of the season was a good one. New course, 10min from home, and surprisingly good turnout - I thought most people would pack it in after Provincials.

I started the day by freezing my ass off, volunteering at registration. I will never give someone slow at running registration a hard time - it was so hard to keep everything straight and have it run smoothly! The craziness was compounded by the lack of safety pins, and the number of riders who hadn't raced cross at all this year. I thought it would be easy-breezy, but in a matter of minutes, the table looked like a hurricane had hit it! I then managed to spill coffee on my jersey while pinning my numbers.

I wasn't worried about pre-riding the course, since I'd been privy to a sneak peek a few weeks earlier. Pretty much unchanged, except for one field that I had expected to be a few back-and-forth straightaways, and instead was a dizzying maze of tape, just over 1km long. Every time you thought you were almost done, you turned left and headed back in!

Just prior to the start, I was having trouble shifting, so I asked Keith to have a look. He and Maki discovered the real problem - my bottom bracket was coming loose, and was about 1cm out on the drive side! Shit! Luckily, Maki is a whiz with the multi-tool, and got me rolling with about a minute to spare. I jumped onto the line, pulled off my spare clothes, and we were off!

I was sitting second wheel through the maze, and feeling pretty good through the back section, when I downshifted to go up a gravel hill, and got some serious chain suck. I had to get off the bike to fix it, and even though it only took a few seconds, it put me back into 8th overall, and gave the lead women a gap that I was never able to close. Guess those technical twists and turns still need some practice!

I didn't waste any time getting myself back as close to the front as possible, but ended up riding in no-mans land in 3rd for much of the race. It was windy, so riding alone really sucked. To top it off, I was getting a whiff of coffee depending on the wind direction, from my earlier mis-hap in number pinning. No further mechanicals, and a podium finish, were a nice way to finish off the season.

Provincials

2008-11-25T21:19:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday was Ontario Provincial championships, in (surprisingly) snowy Riverdale Park. I pre-rode the course the day before, and between the snow, the mud, and the off-camber sections, I had a feeling it would be hard to really lay it down anywhere, and that it was likely to be a case of trying to make the fewest mistakes. I was feeling pretty good about the race, and even though my goal at the beginning of the season was top half of the field, I felt pretty good about my chances for a podium finish.

please, please, please, please make this corner where the camera is

The race was really, really fun. Unfortunately, I didn't get the podium I was looking for, as I made a few mistakes, went down a couple of times, and couldn't make the time back up. The course conditions were definitely the hardest thing about the race - some sections were so slick, it was unbelievable. I bailed climbing on one lap - one minute I was moving forwards, then I was sideways, and just as quickly, I was flailing on the ground and trying to unclip, with Teddy standing over me on the sidelines shouting "Woman down! We've got a woman down!". Tons of spectators, including a bunch of my city cycling friends, and overall it was a great event and one hell of a spectacle.

FTW

2008-11-21T21:47:00.000-05:00

Last weekend was 'Wallow' Beach, so named because of the massive mud-pit the course turned into. I was debating whether I should race or not, since I had spent the early part of the week trying to decide if I was getting sick or not. In the end, I was feeling better as the week went on, so I decided to make the trip up the 401 to get some points.

Unfortunately, not many people made the same decision. It had been raining heavily the day before, possibly a turn-off for some, but in my mind, a great way to get more experience with the mud. And experience was got! I only did one full pre-ride of the course - it was so muddy, I didn't want to weigh my bike down any further, or get dirtier than necessary before the race.

We lined up, and it was the smallest women's field at any race - 6 in total, 5 of whom were Master Women. I took the hole shot, and by the time we cleared the beach, I had a gap and never looked back. I changed my race focus to riding things cleanly and smoothly, getting the legs turning over. I managed to catch a few of the M2 riders who had started a minute ahead, and then waffled between getting "strategically lapped" so as to end the race early, or try to catch more. In the end, I decided I didn't want to get lapped, so I kept slogging through the muck.

While getting the win was fun, it wasn't the most satisfying race I've ever had. It was lonely up there on the podium, and as NB said, "way to beat up on the old women!".

countdown

2008-11-20T23:34:00.000-05:00

... to the off-season.

Is watching cycling movies a reasonable facsimile for actually riding your bike??

Two races left, and this season is done as quickly as it started.

UCI Racing in Toronto

2008-11-11T23:05:00.000-05:00

This weekend, it was like the pond exploded, and there were a lot of much bigger fish around. The UCI C1 races brought out a host of American racers, who really dominated the elite fields.

Day 1 was on the western side of the park, with lots of short, punchy climbs, off-camber, and lots and lots of mud. Also: it was freezing. And I almost missed my start, jumping on the line with 2 min to spare, and being lucky that Carolyne and PP were on hand to take my jacket and tights, and just calm me a bit. I ended up racing the whole time with my arm warmers in my pocket (handy, eh?) because I just didn't have time to get them on before the start!

Anyway: muddy, wet, lots of off-camber and short climbs. Overall, it was pretty good. Although I was riding with the girls I am normally close to in a local race, this local race had a much deeper field... and we were pretty much all at the back! Still, it was an exciting race, and the conditions made for the need to constantly reassess how certain sections should be tackled. Some of the rides were rideable, but sometimes not. One, in particular, had a watery mud pit at the bottom, that was surprisingly deep. I realized pretty early on that if I decided to ride it, I would probably slow down so much, I would be faster on my feet. This paid off, as I was able to pass two riders in exactly this way. A second climb was rideable, but barely, and I was also able to get up it on foot just a smidge faster than the girl on her bike. She passed me while I remounted, but it was such a good reinforcement of the Kelso Day 1 lesson: just because you can ride it, doesn't mean you need to.

Finished up 15th (of 20) - not great, but happy with my race. Totally not within 10% of the winner, but pretty consistent lap times, within 30s of one another, so that's a bonus.

Day 2 we were on the ski hill side, so I was ready for lots of climbing. Lots of climbing! I was there earlier, since karma dictated that I should use the fact that I was driving for good and give someone else a lift. It was relaxing to be there early, with lots of time for numbers. Only got in a couple of pre-ride laps, but wasn't keen on going up the hill more than necessary, so I was ok with that. Watched Ms. P and the Teammate put in excellent races. It was windy and cold, so I warmed up on the trainer for about 20min, determined to get to the start in plenty of time for call-ups.

After some last minute tire pressure advice from DD (who was still racing, as he called to me on the trainer), I hit the starting area. Had a pretty good start, probably not as aggressive as I need to be in a larger group, but not that bad. First time up the hill, though, I got some bad chain suck, had to get off the bike to fix it, and ended up at the very back. Didn't take long to chase back into the group. It was a pretty exciting race - I was very close to MelB pretty much the whole time. We exchanged places a couple of times through the race, but she was ahead on the last two laps.

At the top of the final climb on the last lap, the Teammate, her boyfriend and her dog were cheering like mad for me to make an attack. Which, I did, and amazingly, carried through the last half of the course. I was confident in my decending, and knew I could probably come out of that section ahead. I don't think I've ever worked so hard - and it was for 13th place! I definitely followed PP's advice from the previous day that I could go harder.

Still outside of 10%, but I did improve my placing, finishing up 13th.

The rest of the day: warm clothes, recovery spin, beer tent, men's race, mad scramble back into the city, dinner & race talk with others. good. times.

Barrie/HH race

2008-11-03T00:15:00.000-05:00

Still feeling disappointed about this one!

Felt good during warm up, with the legs feeling good. I was ready to go. Started strong, leading off the line and through the first lap, without feeling like I was too far in the red. Mel B came around me at the beginning of lap 2, but I kept her within a few seconds. Lap 4, I started to pull my socks up, and was closing down the gap. Got excited, took a sandy off-camber 180 turn a bit too hot, and bit it, going down. Took me a minute to get my bike off the stake and to get back on my way, and by then, first place was long gone. I really had the wind knocked out of me, and was passed by 2 other women about half a lap later. I held on for 4th, but am disappointed to have come so close, only to take myself out.

I guess I am realizing how much needs to come together for a win. Good legs and good luck, focus and patience. Keeping the rubber side down really helps!

10% finish: Yup, less than a minute down
Consistent lap times: Pretty good, within about 20", with the exception of a slower lap due to crashing
Other positives: Good lesson in patience, and not taking stupid chances. Good opportunity to dig in mentally - crashing hurt, I have a nasty cut from it, and it was a mental battle to push myself to keep going, and keep going hard.

7, 8, 9, 10

2008-10-31T00:41:00.000-04:00

Durham (7)
I was really looking forward to this one, as it's a really fun course, probably rewards mountain bikers a bit more than roadies, and I was hoping to put my recent mountain biking experience to work. Instead, we were treated to a new course, with lots of grass, plenty of twists and turns, and 4 trips next to various outhouses. Oh, and free beer!

My big story from the race is busting my rear derailleur in pre-ride, just before the start. As in, 15 minutes before the start! Sucky... still not sure how such a small stick can do so much damage, but I pretty much tore it right off my bike. While this was bad, I was able to see how much help a girl can get at a cross race, which was cool to be on the receiving end of. I was able to borrow a bike from Pappy, which sort of fit, while someone else talked to the organizer about delaying the start by a few minutes. What followed was a real Nascar-style pit change: 4 people, all taking part in swapping pedals and wheels, adjusting brakes, and otherwise getting things ready to go. I had people helping me whom, honestly, I don't even know (but thank you!!!!). At one point, I was standing over the frame, someone was tightening the bolt on the seat, and a third person was cleaning the wheels with a brush. I've never felt so pro!

I had a really terrible start, and did the entire race in the little ring, something I haven't done in about 2 years. Let's just say that a 5o-tooth ring is not ideal cross gearing for me! Throw that in with a frame that fits a bit too short, and some poor shifting because I nearly destroyed my rear wheel in the derailleur debacle... not my finest showing. I eked out 4th, but was not feeling very strong by the end. I was, however, lucky just to race!

Since we were heading straight to Kingston for racing on Sunday, I needed a new rear derailleur, stat. One of the other racers called the local shop, and they were expecting me, so I got awesome service, and a chance to check out Impala bikes. The guys there were super nice and helpful, and got me set up quick. Love it.

No data to compare against the season goals, since results were a bit of a shitstorm.

Kingston (8)
Next day was Kingston, where we followed the Ottawa Cross set-up - only two starts, and elite women racing with the elite men and M1s. For a full 60 minutes! It was a really fun course - great technical features, and some killer power sections. Overall, really good, though really tough, and a great all-round course. I settled into a rhythm pretty early on, and though I was struggling in the power sections, I was able to ride the technical parts pretty cleanly - with many thanks to a tutorial on the "sunbathing ridges" from Ms. P. I had a back and forth battle for a while with some guy on a Kona Dew - I actually had no interest in battling him in the standing, and was just trying to get a bigger gap on the next woman back, but he was not about to go down without a fight! In the end, he won it, but I still kept my gap, so I wasn't too heartbroken when the duel finished up and he pulled ahead. The Ottawa women cleaned up at that race, sweeping the podium, and with one of them finishing on the lead lap as the elite men. Though the hour nearly killed me, I was happy to finish up in 5th.

10% finish: No - one lap back, about 9min.
consistent lap times: Yes - within 25 seconds.

Kelso 1 (9)
Kelso Day 1 was the first part of the Speed River Halloween cross stage race. I had pulled together some yellow and black cycling clothing, purchased some wings at Walmart about 10min before closing the night before, and had a bumblebee thing going on.

The race itself, though it started fairly well, was terrible. I wasn't feeling all that great, and didn't feel like I had any power on the bike. Which sucked, since there was a lot of mud and a massive hill, and I was not able to keep up the initial pace. I slowly drifted backwards, losing time in both of those sections. The mud was so bad, and resulting in massive clogs of leaves and sticks on the frame, I had to stop at one point to clear the chain stays in order to get the wheel moving again.
During the men's race, I went back to the muddy section to see what lines the fast boys were taking... and they were running almost the whole section.

Lesson learned: you don't have to ride everything, you just need to get through it as quickly and efficiently as possible.

10% finish: Yes - 3'48" back.
consistent lap times: No - my first two laps were fast, but I was about 45" slower on the last three (though they were consistently slow!)

Kelso 2 (10)
Day two went quite a bit better for me - I finished on the podium (though I missed the podium presentation because I was still getting changed), and I felt like I had decent legs. I love Day 2 legs... they always seem to be better. The course seemed to suit my riding better, and it was much drier. The hardest part was the beach section, followed by a leg-sucking off-camber uphill, followed by a run-up/hike that completely killed your legs. There's a pavement downhill heading to the beach, and in my warmup, I hit it with so much speed, I didn't think I was going to make the corner at the bottom - I just went straight through it onto the grass, and scared the shit out of myself in the process!

While I rode strong and was consistent, I was unable to stay in the lead group, and spent most of the race in no-man's land, riding alone in third. It was good to focus on small things throughout the race - trying to clean the sand, accelerating out of corners, and trying to catch the M2 men who started 30s ahead.

10% finish: Yes - 1'11" back
consistent lap times: Yes - within 25" again.

Murphy's Law of Mechanicals

2008-10-24T23:12:00.000-04:00

If you are dumb enough to have someone do "minor" work on your bike the night before a race, it will turn into a major job in the blink of an eye.

To wit - my bottom bracket was clicking, and sounded like it was coming loose. I had had the same problem a few months ago, and re-tightening it seemed to at least alleviate it temporarily. This time, I was visiting with Toronto's best mechanic, and asked him to do it real quick before the shop closed. Which turned into the revelation that my bottom bracket was seizing, was totally stripped on the left side, and the bottom bracket shell needed to be re-threaded and re-faced. No longer a minor tightening, especially since we still had to find a new bottom bracket that would fit and be compatible with my crankset. I sat and watched, drinking beer & thinking happy, positive thoughts. Two hours later, everything worked out, and I was cleared to go.

Race 6

2008-10-16T00:14:00.000-04:00

Another one in the books!

I admit, this is not one of my favorite courses, although it wins serious bonus points because it is (a) in the city (and actually in the city, a mere 15min ride from home even when carrying race stuff and spare wheels), and (b) the location of my first cross race ever.

We were treated to some seriously un-cross-like weather. Hot and sunny, and very dry. Gorgeous day to be on the bike & hanging out in the park with friends. So, cross race... perfect combo of these two things, no?

I got up to Cedarvale a bit later than planned, but was counting on the ride up as part of the warm up. It took me a while to get my wheels set up in the pit after I registered - I took them up, leaving my bag at registration, then realized I had left the quick release skewers in my bag... I hopped on the course to check it out, swung by registration to grab the skewers, and stopped at the pit my second time through to finish getting everything set. I got in a couple of laps of the course, and then headed to the start. At the line, I was offered one of the date squares that had been brought by another racer. Rarely one to pass up baked goods (even 1min prior to start!), I grabbed a small piece, followed quickly be some water from a spectator to wash it down.

The women got in 6 laps. A few women went really hard right off the start, and it was tough to not go with them and to stay calm. They were eventually reeled in, and by lap 2, the top 3 were generally sorted out. With two to go, we were lapped by the lead Junior, and the lead two M2s. I really tried to reel in second place on the last lap, and I came pretty close to getting on her wheel, but it just wasn't meant to be. Too little, too late, I think.

The course has three short but steep climbs on it - after 6 times around, I was happy to see the finish. My lower back was killing me by the end of it!

Getting lapped by the M2s provided a bit of frustration - the first rider called that he was coming up, since we were about to go through a narrow section. At the last minute, the guy on his wheel calls that there are two of them... but they didn't seem to make any serious effort to get through it without slowing me down. Totally not cool, but also hard to deal with. I obviously don't want to impact the results of their race, but if they are only calling it so I don't "get in the way", and in turn, they get in mine... well, I'm racing, too! And while I had to slow for a second to let them through, I lost a bit of time on second. I don't think it's a make-or-break thing, but it's frustrating to feel like my racing is somehow less important.

Check against goals:

Finish within 10% of winner's time - I was 1:53 back, or 4%.
Consistent lap times - my lap times varied from 9:17 on lap 1 (which was a bit longer) to 8:09, generally around 9:20. Not as hyper-consistent as at Earl Bales, but still pretty good.

Possibly more fun is a look back at how much I have progressed relative to my first race ever... I seem to recall that I was lapped twice, and there was a short, steep single track that I ran down every lap except my last. I also seriously lacked fitness, and had to walk/run one of the hills that I was climbing without problem. Ok, it hurt - a lot - but I had enough fitness and strength to get up it despite the hurt! Very cool to realize how much I've improved in 4 years, and to feel like I am improving still.

remount

2008-10-15T00:49:00.000-04:00

Tonight at practice, I did my first (ever) proper remount! It was terrifying and exhilarating to nail it - no stutter step!!! Woo!

(race report from Sunday to come some day)

heart

2008-10-09T22:02:00.000-04:00

Cycling is such a huge part of my life, and I've certainly met a lot of people through it. Probably one of the main reasons I am always so excited about the race season is that it is such a great, fun group of people. And every year, it grows, with more people getting involved and more people who I could hang out with all day on the side of a race course.

The Women's fields are bigger - this year, we've had up to 18 at a couple of races. 18!! Such a great field, and excellent, fun competition. Love it.

My first season, the main thing I learned was that results were not nearly as important as just participating. I was doing it for fun, but the consistency and dedication paid off - I think I did all but one race, and got 2nd overall in the series. Since then, there are a lot more local races, but they don't all count for points in the series. I want to encourage participation and dedication, so I decided to pull together some prizes. The only eligibility requirement is starting all races in the series. I posted my idea, and was really happy that a number of people came forward with further offers of prizes to donate to the cause. Such warm feelings for this crazy awesome sport!

CX Races 4 + 5

2008-10-09T02:13:00.000-04:00

4 - Hillbilly

Friday pre-race was a bit hectic. I think I got home from work around 6.30, and we were scheduled to leave around 8. My stuff was half packed, but my bike was still dirty from riding on Thursday night. So, it was a quick turn-around, a take out dinner of with D & P, and we were off to stay with my non-cross-racing teammate in Collingwood. It was a long drive, but I was glad to not have to wake up super early to do it the next day!

The course was little changed from 2007, although the conditions were much, much drier. It was still muddy in parts, but last year had so much rain, Saturday's mud was minor in comparison. We had heard rumours of an American couple who were going to take part in the Hustle, and it was awesome to see a beautiful Rock Lobster just before the start. (I am suffering from new-bike lust so bad these days, it's not even funny. Seeing the RL in person did not help!).

Off the start, we went hard up the first hill, and into the muddy back sections. The front group of Miss USA, Anita, cb and I stayed together for about the first lap, but it didn't take long for Miss USA and Anita to slowly pull away. I had been instructed to focus on the second half of the race, so I stuck with cb for a few laps, feeling like I was working, but was keeping myself out of the red. I was feeling really good about how well I was riding some of the back section, so I tried to make move #1 on the double track leading out to it. No go - I was not getting around her without a fight. My second move stuck, and I basically worked to extend my lead without blowing up.

On the goals front, I again had success finishing within 10% of Miss USA (who quite handily won). Consistent lap times were not so hot, with my fastest lap at 8.31, my slowest at 9.20, and each lap progressively slower than the previous. No major dips in lap times, just 10 seconds here, 20 seconds there, but not hyper-consistent, either.

The rest of the day was hanging out in Collingwood, having lunch, and heading back to Toronto. I got to feel pretty close to pro (at least, that is how I am rationalizing a night spent in being anti-social) - D cleaned my bike for me, I got home around 8.30, and got in a quick spin to keep the legs loose, ate dinner & packed for racing on Sunday.

5 - Oktoberfest

Hometown race, if you count anything north of Eglinton as being "in the City" (which, for the record, I don't). I missed this one last year because I was in Portland, and was looking forward to seeing the course. I had heard much about it - including many criticisms of a concrete dismount leading to a staircase. Seeing it in person, um, yeah - the run up to it is between a brick wall and a series of metal posts. Not looking so good. Luckily, this year, we were on grass right up until the base of the stairs. This lack of sketch was made up for by a high speed gravel path at the back, complete with barriers you would hit pretty damn fast without trying too hard.

I managed to lose my sunglasses in warm up, and while it wasn't the end of the world, I wasn't looking forward to racing without them. Luckily, cross is awesome and full of awesome, helpful people. I asked a few people to keep an eye out, and was reunited with them on the start line!

Because the organizer is, well, insistent on always doing things a bit differently, we had a running start. This shook things up a little bit, and was a real test of the remounting skills, but the Women's field got through without any pile ups (the same cannot be said for the boys!). This race was another good, steady effort, with another third place finish. I am so excited to be finishing on the podium with some consistency this season! I don't think I managed a podium finish once all year! As another bonus, I get to put little check marks next to my goals from this reason. In fact, my lap times were wicked consistent, all within 7 seconds!

CX Race #3

2008-10-03T16:13:00.000-04:00

Good times for this race. First, it was my first chance to test out the tubulars (which I finished off with a coat of Aquaseal, oh, the nigh before the race, with P's help). Second, it was an opportunity to change my racing strategy a bit, and see if I could improve on my results by racing smarter.

The tires were great. Well, once I got enough air in them, they were great... my first little spin involved about 25psi, which felt, in the parking lot, a bit soft to me. But, I was told to just see how they felt, so away I went, checking out the course! As it turned out, it was a bit on the low side. The tires were folding over on every little bump, making the back end fishtail all over the place. Sketchy! A bit more air, and the tires were much better to ride. Excellent traction, very supple, very, very, very nice to ride!

The race itself was also great. My plan was to stick with a couple of women who are known to be strong, steady riders, and to try and push the pace a bit more later in the race. The front group stayed together a bit longer at this race, and by lap 3, I was in contact with the race leader, and not as far into the red as I have been in previous races. I was really focusing on moderating my efforts, rather than going hard & blowing too early. On lap 4, I pulled through to lead for a bit, but was feeling pretty weak, so Anne passed me and started to get a gap. We already had a small gap on the rest of the field, so I shifted my focus to keeping the effort up, choosing good lines, and riding as smoothly as possible in the technical sections. At one point, I came through the finish, and the lap counter said "5 to go". Frig - I didn't think I could handle another 5 laps! Luckily, they revised it before I came through again, by the next lap, there were only 2 left!!

I finished in 2nd, and was really happy with my race. I was also really happy to win beer! Gauging it against some of my season goals, I was successful in two - I finished only 44 seconds back from Anne, which is well within my 10%, and my lap times ranged from 7:10 to 7:27, which definitely qualified as consistent!

Up next: a double race weekend on the books!

Season Goals

2008-09-29T21:30:00.000-04:00

Before we get too far into the racing, I want to record what I hope to accomplish this season. This year I have been training more seriously, and I tend to be goal-oriented, so putting pen to paper on these things can be helpful.

1. Finish all races within 10% of the winner's time.
2. Produce consistent lap times in races.
3. Do all races in overall series.
4. Top 5 in overall series. I would love to podium, but there is a strong group of women, and from racing so far, it seems anyone could win any race, so that may be tough.
5. Finish in top half of field at Provincials.

The last two may be the most challenging, since it depends on how the competition is, but I think I have prepared enough that these are challenging and realistic. Still need some hard training, smart racing & fingers crossed....

adventures in gluing

2008-09-27T09:48:00.001-04:00

This year's big change in equipment for me will be tubular tires. I was resistant for a while since I figured then I would have to learn how to glue them myself, and when the hell would I have time for that?!?

Late in July, I just decided that I wanted to try it anyway, even if it meant having someone else do the gluing. I got a sweet little deal on a set of used tubular Ksyriums on craigslist, and when in Portland, purchased a set of Dugasts for myself and a set of FMBs for DD. DD is possibly one of the bigger reasons I finally said "yes" to tubulars - he is a handy kind of guy, excellent with mechanics, and always willing to help me learn. Setting up the tubulars with DD was the perfect balance of DIY and having someone else do it.

And on Thursday night, I spent the evening sniffing glue, I mean, gluing tubulars with DD. He had prepped the tires and the rims, applying five coats of glue to each, and letting it dry between passes. Thursday night I put a fresh coat of glue on the rim and on the tire, and after seriously botching the first one, had DD put the second tire on the rim. Botching is not the end of the world, because you can shift things around a little bit, but it is a major workout for the fingers and abs, lifting the most minute sections off the rim and re-setting it so it is centered. Both tires took quite a bit of fiddling to get them tracking straight or "straight enough".

Next step is to clean the rims and sidewalls properly, and apply some aqua seal to keep water out and keep the cotton casing from rotting out. Still not sure exactly how much/where to apply the aqua seal - a lot of web accounts suggest the entire sidewall. I am not, however, advocating for believing everything you read on the internet!

I may put off using the tubulars another week - it will probably be pretty wet tomorrow, and I'm not sure they'll be sealed and ready by 11.30am....

CX race 2

2008-09-23T23:22:00.000-04:00

Second stop on this year's series was in Hamilton - it's normally the season opener, so it is normally warm and dry. With this in mind, I spent a lot of time on Saturday getting my second wheels ready, since I generally like the Ritchie Speedmax on that course, in the early season conditions. For a variety of small reasons, setting up the wheels took longer than it should have... and the next day, after one pre-ride lap, decided that it wasn't the best tire choice for the course. I think the wetter summer will mean a pretty muddy season - despite a full week of dry weather.

I switched back to my regular wheels, regulating my hard work to the pits. I will pause here to praise Maxxis Raze. Of the 3 tread patterns I have used, these are by far my favorites, and would highly recommend them!

The race was really fun - we had a bigger women's field - 13 starters, almost double the previous week! Since that is typically the biggest field we'll get, I was a bit more concerned about traffic, especially with a relatively technical section pretty early on, so I went hard at the start to get near the front. I got through the first little bit (an uphill barrier, a short downhill, and back up to the top), and found myself leading as we went into a section of off-camber turns and boggy bits. Cool, I got to pick my lines and ride it without worrying about anyone in front of me! I led through the majority of the first lap, and lost a couple of positions to girls I knew would be tough (if not impossible) to stay in front of for 50min. Sat in third for a while, trying desperately to hang on with 2nd, but it all kind of unraveled with about 2 laps to go, and I faded back to 6th place, where I finished.

Good - making the cut, and being able to finish with girls who smoked me in races last year. A few people commented that I am riding much better, and am looking strong this year.

Not so good - not racing smart. I used to race a bit more from behind, and focus on reeling (a few) people in - I think I could benefit from not going full gas right from the gun. I am definitely having fun trying to figure out how to race!

CX race 1

2008-09-20T01:37:00.000-04:00

I love the first race. Hell, I love all races, but the first one... running into friends, catching up with people... it's so much fun.

And now, the briefest of race reports...

Hot and humid. The ground was pretty wet from rain earlier in the week, and ruts and muddy sections opened up courtesy of the 10am race. 7 women racing - 3 senior, 4 master. It was fast and hard right from the start. I was working hard to keep up with the first two women, which I managed for a lap and half. I even led for about half a lap, which is a first for me! We split apart part way through lap 2, and I ended up in third. The rest of the race was a lot of suffering... I have no idea how many laps we did, but I was pushing really hard the whole time, trying to maintain my gap over the 4th place woman and focusing on catching the M2 riders that were within sight.

My first podium, finishing 3rd!

it's finally here!

2008-09-13T19:16:00.001-04:00

The new season. First race was today.

Rock on.

VTT - saison terminé

2008-09-08T18:07:00.000-04:00

Finished off the mountain bike season on Sunday with the Provincials race. It was, as far as races go, not great. As far as rides go, it wasn't bad. Pre-riding on Saturday was pretty awful due to a variety of reasons, most of which were mental. Hell, I was mental! I was feeling pretty tentative about the idea of racing the next day, but I stubbornly didn't want to end the season on such a bad ride.

Sunday was wet and rainy in the morning, and I basically got dropped like a bad habit on all of the sections that were freaking me out in the pre-ride. Sometimes racing gets me in the right mindset to try things I didn't before... this was not one of those times! I hated it. I was slow. I couldn't ride anything remotely technical. I was worried about crashing. I contemplated quitting.

The problem with quitting was that I have never quit a race in my life (yet I have come last many times before). I have one DNF in my racing history (I was dropped and pulled from a crit this year), and I would probably regret racking up a second one. Besides, my entire first 'cross season, as well as most of the second, were all about being DFL, often getting lapped in the process... but I wasn't out there because I thought I could win - I did it because it was fun, I was improving, and I was always learning to do new things. To me, there's no shame in being last, but there is shame in quitting for no real reason (ie. injury or mechanical).

After I decided that I didn't really want to quit, I turned my ride around. I just relaxed, and decided that since I was already DFL, I may as well make the best of it. I rode what I could, and I focused on doing everything as best I could. Wasn't that the whole purpose of learning to mountain bike this summer, anyway? There were still sections I didn't ride, but I just didn't stress about it. I'm learning, and I'll learn to stay confident and ride those sections sooner or later.

The race does make me question if I'm ready to upgrade to Senior Expert, but I guess I have all winter to make a decision on that one...

ouch - redux

2008-09-01T01:00:00.000-04:00

In case hitting the pavement during a training race weren't enough, I managed to injure myself again only ten days later. Nicely done! Rather than doing the same boring trick, however, I basically fell over on my own, and landed with a rock lodged into my knee. (It felt about as good as one might imagine.)

No stitches (due partially to my own willful ignorance), but it doesn't hurt to bend my knee, and I am sure it will heal just fine on its own, although possibly a bit more slowly. There's a fair amount of bruising around the cut, so I'm a bit stiff walking, especially on stairs. Riding doesn't seem to bother it, and I will test that out a bit further tomorrow with a road ride.

First cross practice session is on Tuesday, but I'll be playing it by ear to see how I feel about running, dismounts and remounts.

Halfway through the bike conversion. I need to change the chain rings around, but that meant fiddling with the front derailleur and its cable. Didn't have the patience, so that's a job for tomorrow.

Halfway there

2008-08-27T00:09:00.000-04:00

Sunday: 3 hr mountain bike ride, on the cross bike. With knobby tires and road gearing. Not ideal for cross, but enough to get me more excited about the bike!

I'll be doing the full conversion on the long weekend. Like wearing white after Labour Day, it seems wrong to have any road gear left on my cross bike come September.

(you've lost) that loving feeling

2008-08-22T00:07:00.001-04:00

I think taking a break from training and racing was necessary, but I am really having a hard time getting back into cycling. I'm just feeling flat and uninspired - I don't dislike riding, but I normally feel much "peppier" when I get to head out for a ride, or am finishing one up. It's a weird sort of lack of energy combined with lack of heart (for lack of a better way to describe it).

In Victoria, I thought I would get tonnes of riding in, but just couldn't seem to push myself to ride on my own for much more than two hours. I had a great time on my ride with Mike in Portland, and felt pretty good on Tuesday before my crash... but I did hills with Ms. P today, and just wasn't feeling it - I felt fine going up them, and I felt like I was climbing well, but I just didn't feel like I was in a groove or my heart was into it.

I am a little concerned, because I don't want to push myself to train if I'm not loving it. On the other hand, cross season is just around the corner, and I want to be ready to ride well from the first race, which means I do need to put time in on the bike. I am thinking about putting the cross tires on the bike and getting in a longer cross ride this weekend - hopefully that will shake it up a bit, remind me of what I love about cycling, and inspire me to pick it up a bit!