the mountain bike season

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.)

Adventures in la Belle Province

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

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

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

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

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

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!

a new lesson

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

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.

race report - O Cup 2, Woodnewton

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

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!

happy holidays

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!

queen of consistency

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.

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

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.

Woodnewton OCup Provincials

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

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.

alberta - part 3 (the race part)

[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.

at least i'm consistent

 
 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Collingwood weekend

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

            (c) the reversed brakes

            (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