Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Enjoying The Ride

I've been sitting on a post I'd written about 3 weeks ago about training. I'd been tweaking it a little since I wrote it and was waiting for a good time to post it. Then I read this article and then considered that I'm not quite ready to really give advice on training. One reason could be that it's advice from a beginner racer and another would be that I want to beat Ken in at least one race next season, so I don't want him to know ALL my secrets.

On the subject of training I came across these videos:
Typical Pre-Ride Conversation


and this article:

The Knitted Bike (lol)

Training in particular seems like a very touchy and personal subject for most people. Everyone has their own training regime and some people even want to impose that regime on others. What some people fail to realize is that everyone is different and therefore what may work well for them, may not work well for others. Also I've seem some people go a little overboard with their training and seem to forget why they are training in the first place. It's OK to be serious about it...but it shouldn't take over your life. Training for racing is hard work and very demanding but it's good to take a break every once in a while and just enjoy riding your bike. Right after 'cross season finished up, I just went on nice slow and steady rides...no pressure, no heart rate monitor and no plan. Just going on those rides reminded me why I love riding my bike. During the holidays and partly because I need to give myself a break to let my back get better...I have not touched a bike in a few weeks...being off the bike has made me so much more anxious to want to start next season.



I tend to read of a lot of books, forums and articles on training and equipment. I also talk to a lot of different people who train in different disciplines. There isn't a single book I'd recommend everyone go out and buy as the Holy Grail of training because I don't believe there is one. To find an effective training strategy, I think you need to use a combination of all resources at hand. You also have to be willing to give everything suggested an honest try and be prepared to make adjustments to it. I found that after every race it was much easier to focus my training and make adjustments because it's right after a race that you reflect on what you need to focus on during training on to become a better cyclist.




Another subject is the use of heart rate monitors , powers meters and CompuTrainers. Although these devices are ultra cool (I'll still be getting a power meter one day of these days), they aren't totally necessary to becoming a better cyclist. Just like having a full carbon frame loaded with Dura-Ace/Super Record isn't going to instantly vault you into the Cat 1/2 ranks. They are all tools and you still have to work hard to get your desired results.

Just like many other cyclists, I find myself wondering how to keep my base during the winter. Also like many cyclist, I worry that I'll lose fitness over the winter and start back at square 1 next season. One thing I know for sure is that continuing to train at the same levels to make up for the lack of riding by pushing myself into exhaustion will only result in injury and burnout. During the next few weeks away from work, I'm planning on just relaxing and enjoying myself. It's been a long year with many life changes and I think it's a good time to take a break, reflect on the year past and then go into the New Year refreshed and excited to start another season of racing.

As promised, here are some of the resources I refer to constantly:

Resources:
  • The Cyclist’s Training Bible by: Joe Friel
  • Cyclocross: Training and Technique by Simon Burney
  • Endurance Sports Nutrition by Suzanne Girard Eberle
  • The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain and Joe Friel
Online links:




http://blog.bikeridr.com/ (A shameless plug, I know...but I find a lot of the stuff posted very useful)

...And all the links on the side bar.

I hope everyone has a good holiday and looking forward to seeing everyone back out at the races next year.


Friday, December 4, 2009

A Season in Review

It is now December and I have decided to take a bit of a break from the bike. Partially to avoid burnout and partially to help my body recover from the beating I gave it for 9 months straight this year.

When I look back, I would have to say that this season was a huge success. I’m really glad I decided to get into racing and I do not regret the experience at all. What I’m really happy about is that I was able to finish the season with no major accidents or injuries.


To sum it up by the numbers, my overall season would look like this:

  • ~4800 kms
  • ~200 riding hours
  • 19 races
  • 4 top ten finishes
  • 3 racing disciplines
  • 0 DNFs

I would say that is a good start for my first season of racing. But I don’t think a lot of that would have been possible without the support of my team and my friends. Always great to have people cheering you on from the sidelines, it totally makes you forget about how much your legs hurt. The cycling community has also been incredible and really changed a lot of the perceptions I had with bike racers. I’m already looking forward to racing again next year.

There were also a lot of resources that I used during the racing season that I wished I had discovered before. I’ll post them up here for anyone that is looking at getting into racing or improving their overall bike fitness. There were so many things to learn that I had not even thought about before, like proper athletic nutrition and racing tactics.

This season I’ve also met some truly amazing people and witnessed some amazing things. There are also a good number of cyclists who maintain blogs as well and I do like reading through them every now and again. Reading about some of the adventures that some of the riders have been on are really a good inspiration to just get out there and ride your bike.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Brian Kullman Memorial Provincial

Goal for the race: Finish the race
Secondary goal: Don't get double lapped

This was the last ABA race for the whole season. After this it would be a long break until the season starts again next year in April. The weather was pretty exceptional for November so it was an awesome way to end the season.

Most people have already heard my complaints about the provincial race format so I will not go over them yet again. So anyways, because I'm under 30, I would be racing in my first Elite race and also my first 60 minute 'cross race. Several people managed to talk me into doing this race because of the excellent training and experience it would give me.



The race was held at the Montgomery Juinior High School and the course was once again designed by 'cross course master, Keith Bayly. The course itself was really good for the space we were given. It had several steep climbs, a long stair run-up, a crit-like pavement section, some technical sections and a really steep dirt climb that became a run-up for many later on.

I was told through the organizers that they were not going to pull lapped riders from the race so I decided it would be a good chance to see if I can race for a full 60 minutes as opposed to my usual 40 minutes.

After getting to the site and watching a bit of the Master A/B race and cheering on my friends and teammates, I did my usual warmups and got ready for my last race of the season. After the call ups had been done for the top riders, I settled in at the very back with another rider who normally races in Sport with me.



Just before the start of the race, they announced that they were pulling lapped riders which was strange because I had heard otherwise but I figured now I was just going to go out and try and see how many laps I could do before getting pulled.

The race started and it was really fast, much faster then any Sport start. I was in last right at the start of the race and the gap was getting bigger with every second. I caught up to another other rider and we were pretty much in a race against each other by the end of the first lap.

We kept racing pretty much wheel to wheel for 5 laps when the race leader Aaron finally managed to catch up to us and lap us just before the Start/Finish. The other rider stopped riding right away and went to the Start/Finish to DNF his race. I rode by and said I was lapped but then they told us we could keep going if we wanted to and they weren't going to pull us (got so confused). I decided that I didn't want to call it a day so I got back on my bike and kept riding. Now my goal was to not get lapped again. I went out for another lap and was thought that would be my day but then they asked me if I wanted to DNF when I passed the Start/Finish. I thought to myself...no way I'm going to DNF...I haven't DNF'd a single race this year...so I got back to it to finish off the race.

I rode on my own for the rest of the race...getting passed by only a few more riders but they were pretty much just lapping me at this point, so I slowed down and got out of the way so they could keep going hard. Every lap, my team was cheering for me even though they all knew I was out of it. It was great that I had so much support from my friends and teammates.



As I was on the second last lap I just managed to make it to the Start/Finish before Schooler could lap me again so I had just managed to not get double-lapped. I finished off the lap with Dallas and was pretty glad I was able to finish off the race. I think I had a petty good race...it was totally out of my league but I kept going and never gave up. Who knows what will happen next season...but if I can do the race and manage to go 6,7 or a whole race without getting lapped...that would be a great improvement and show me if I've been able to progress in my abilities over the year.

Final result: 9/12 (Down 1 lap)

I found out later there was a crash and two guys DNF'd so I was able to move up a little bit more. I did 9 laps which is the most I've ever done in a 'cross race and kept riding through the pain even though I didn't have to. My dismounts seemed smooth and I was really starting to flow through the course. I have at least 3 more years of racing Elite for the Provincials/Nationals so I might as well get used to it.

Also our team once again dominated the podium. Craig and Devin respectively took Gold and Silver in Master A, while Cindy took Gold in Women B. It's great that so many people on our team had a very successful racing season with lots of representation on the podium. Hopefully next season, I'll be able to see what the view is like from there.

All Photos: Brent Topilko

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Beans N' Barley

Goal for the race: Finish in the top 10

I can't believe it's almost all done for the season. This was the last ABA Cup race and then it's Provincials next week.

Today was a local race, so my parents decided to come out an watch. For some reason I always feel more pressure then usual to do my best because I want them to be proud of what I'm able to accomplish. My last race they got to watch me suffer as I ran up a muddy hill and slid down the other side just barely missing getting lapped in the process so I really wanted to do well today.

The race was at Shagannapi Park which is a really good venue for cross. I did a practice here at the beginning of the 'cross season and I did a Midweek Mayhem race so I knew what kind of terrain to expect. We got a later start then usual which I like because I don't have to get up super early to get my breakfast down in time before pre-race meal cut-off. The weather looks like it was going to be brisk but sunny which is great to race in and the course would probably fairly dry despite the weeks weather.

The course was not overly technical but had quite a bit of off-camber, 2 run-ups, barriers and plenty of steep climbs. All in all..today's race was going to be super painful but super fun as there were lots of people out and Terrascape had 2 members providing color commentary. After doing my warm-up lap and stretching I got to start in time and lined up right at the front this time.


For some reason the Calgary races always have these weird non-countdown surprise starts so I was ready this time for the random start. The starter yelled "Go" and I sprinted hard to stay up in front. I fell a few places going into the first climb as it was pretty tight so we had to file up before going into the technical off-camber section. On the dowhill I lost a few more places as guys were bombing down at full tilt. Then came the first run-up...it seems some people were struggling into this one as I was able to shoulder and run as hard as I could. A few more twists and turns and we got to the 2 steep climbs. I powered my way up each climb and passed a whole bunch of guys.

I dismounted a little early for my first barrier set but got my bike shouldered properly right after and transitioned into the second run-up without losing too much steam. First lap down and I checked to see the damage. I could still see the race leaders and to my surprise I was right up there with Brent. I stayed on his wheel for a bit but then decided to go for a pass. Brent and I rode together pretty much the rest of the race.

I finished off the second lap and I still felt pretty strong. Everytime I went by my parents my mom kept yelling at me to ride harder (I don't think she realizes how much it hurts). Everytime I would get to the first run-up, Tim was there shouting "Get that guy, Kyle, c'mon run harder!". Third lap in, I wasn't sure how many laps I had to do and if my legs would be able to hold on. I think this was my fastest race yet. 4th lap in, Brent put his hand on my back and gave me a little push and told me I was doing awesome and to keep going hard. We had two more laps and I was getting really tired. Each run up hurt more and more.

My last lap I was trying to catch a guy from Pedalhead. I pushed so hard and finally managed to pass him on one of the climbs. I went hard to gap him but after the descent on the second run-up, I couldn't clip in my left pedal so I had to slow down going into the final climb to find my pedal as I needed to power sprint the last climb and go for the finish line. I caught up to him but I wasn't able to pass as the section into the finish line was pretty technical. I finished 1 second behind him.


Result: 6/34

By far my best race this season and it couldn't have come at a better time. It was unbelievable to finish that high up along with Brent who always finishes well in every 'cross race. It wasn't a podium...but for once it was in my sights. I was so glad my parents got to watch me in this race and see all the work I put in all season finally pay off. Also Brent's encouraging push gave me the confidence to keep going hard and push through all the pain in my legs. It was awesome finishing next to him in the race.

It was ironic that a series of firsts took place at one of the last races of the season:

- My first ABA points

- My first series ranking

- My first single digit finish

- My first cash prize

It turned out to be a really good day for the team as well with Craig and Devin placing 4th and 6th respectively in the Elite category. Also for one of my teammates it was his first 'cross race and he managed to stay in to the end without getting lapped. I also wanted to thank everyone for all the cheering and support, it was very much appreciated.

All Photos: Bill Quinney

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Pedalhead Roadworks Super Prestige

*I can't find any photos of this race for some reason

Goal for the race: Finish in the top ten

After the race in Devon, I talked to Brent who wasn't able to come up and he told me to "&*@! that Italian up!" (lol) in the next race. I was prepared to deliver the hurt to Andrew....even if he did manage to beat me...I would ensure that he would be wrecked fighting for his placing.

The course was a pretty simple loop. Not really technical, a pretty big climb, a long sand pit and some pretty high barriers. I was getting worried now...the course looked like it was going to be really fast and favor power over technical skill. The ground was only slightly damp in the forest but for the most part pretty dry. The whole course width was also like 12 feet wide which is rare for a 'cross race so it looked like a go-kart track.

After walking the course, we got changed and rode a few pre-laps. The climbs were pretty decent. Not overly steep but fairly long for a 'cross course. What goes up must come down and there was a long downhill where you could probably easily hit 50km/h through the hardpack and leaves. Then came the sand pit...usually I just ride around them and test to see how deep and firm the sand is. The sand looked like a pretty long run with 2 short steep hills as you came out of it. Then it was a long hard pack straight to the start/finish line.

As usual, I was a little late for the call up and started in 3rd row. There were more guys out today and a few mountain bikes. Once again...this course was made for 'cross bikes. Another proper start and we were off. The pace started out fast going into the first climb and was single file going into the first descent. I sprinted up the next climb to pass the mountain bikers as they are usually harder to get around on the barriers. I gained a few places on the barriers but lost some as some riders were rocketing down the first downhill.

Then it was the big long climb...I grinded up to the top and was glad I put on my mud tires. Grip was not an issue today but I was worried if my legs could pace the climb another 4-5 times. I was able to get my positions back on the climb but was taking the downhill a little slower then most...I didn't know what was beneath all the leaves so I though it best to follow other riders and play it safe the first couple laps. Then came the sand pit...I was able to see ahead and everyone was riding it! I had to make a decision on the spot...if I wanted to stay in the race I'd have to attempt to ride through the sand. I sped up, stayed to where everyone was riding and pedaled through. I almost made it all the way but ended up in deep sand trying not to run into another rider.

Second lap I was still feeling really strong. I caught up to Andrew who told me that his legs just weren't firing today....so much for putting the screws to him today. On the downhills lines were being made in the leaves for me to follow. It was time to start taking numbers. I would target a rider, bridge and then pass. After each pass I would see another rider to bridge up to. I got to the sand and made it all the way through and didn't feel totally drained.

Each lap I was passing more riders. Some were tired from going out hard at the start but many seemed to be struggling on the climbs. The barriers werepretty high so that was catching some riders wheels slowing them down a bit. Even though my legs hurt I just kept on the gas. I wanted a top 10 finish today. Around the 3rd lap I passed my "nemesis"...I thought for sure he'd try and get me on the sand again but he was spinning the climbs.

When the final lap came I could see I was catching up to the second chase group. I kept going hard but I was passed by a rider on the downhill. I tried to stay with him during the climb but he was really pouring it on. I took the downhill faster then ever...going into full tuck and off the brakes. I blasted through the sand and sprinted for the start/finish.

Result: 10/30

Finally...I got my top 10 finish. I thought I was in the top 8 during my final lap...and I probably was but I let a couple riders get away from me. At the start of the race I was actually worried I was going to be lapped during this race so it was great to have a top third result. I feel I raced one of my strongest races and did everything right this race. I felt confident in myself during the race and just went hard the whole time. It was a great way to finish off another racing weekend. Only 2 more races remaining.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Devon Dairy Queen Double Dipper

Goal for the race: Finish in the top 10

After waking up fairly early and enjoying a fine continental breakfast at the Super 8 Motel (LOL!) we drove out to Devon for the first race. It was fairly brisk outside, but it was supposed to warm up to +5 or something, still better then the snowstorm in Calgary. For 'cross I much prefer the cooler weather...I don't reach for the water bottle that isn't on my bike.

After talking to a couple United Cycle guys they were showing us two of the new features "never before seen in a 'cross race:. The first was the Heemer Humps (dedicated to Elite 'crosser Tim Heemskerk) and the second the was The Clam (or Agitator). Unfortunately after the commisaire walked the course the Heemer Humps were removed for safety reasons so we just got to do the Agitator. The barriers were a little shorter then usual and the sand pit was super short...so that's considered rideable. The climb was a little muddy but the guys said it was a run-up during the afternoon yesterday...so were lucky as the climb was only a little tacky when we started. After doing a couple laps, it looked like this course was going to favor technical skill over power and mountain bikes would be at a disadvantage in our race.

This time we got a real countdown so we had a good sprint start. I started in second row but was not able to move up during the sprint so I was near the back of the pack. When we got to the hill I was able to ride up no problem but then a rider got stuck almost at the peek so I had to dismount to run around him. The top of the climb was extremely rutted so it was hard trying to find a line to put your bike back into for the descent. After the descent, came a few hairpins and then a fast turn into the sand pit. A couple guy were having to dismount to make it through the sand so I gained about 4 positions on myfirstshot through. Then it was on to the Agitator...this was so trippy. The video I posted below will show what it is...but pretty much it's a giant corkscrew which winds into the centre, hairpins and winds back out. Going through, it was hard to tell if riders were in front or behind you, as you were almost brushing shoulders going opposite ways...very cool.

The next lap, I rode pretty much by myself. Third lap I caught up to Andrew who had a huge gap on me. I passed him on the climb but he managed to bridge up and rode on my wheel for the next 2 laps. I didn't really mind as he was pushing me to keep going strong and we managed to catch a few more riders. All of a sudden I was leading the third chase group. On the last lap I just managed to gap Andrew on the climb as I cut in front of him trying to make the final push up the steepest part and forced him to dismount. I managed to a pass a couple more riders and figured I was sitting somewhere in the top 10. I went out as hard as I could...sprinting out of every corner to gap the riders behind me but I was losing time on the technical sections as I was having some traction issues on the wet grass. Andrew also managed to pass the other riders and was sticking on my wheel as we navigated the technical section.

When I got to the final stretch, I had a slight gap on Andrew so I switched into my big ring and started hammering for the finish. I looked behind and Andrew was closing the gap. I pedaled as hard as my legs would let me, but he was able to catch up and suddenly we were side-by-side in a sprint battle for the finish. I looked down and noticed he was gaining on me...why was the finish line so far? As I got to the finish line, Andrew managed to make a final push to gain a half-wheel on me just as we crossed the line. Wow...what an awesome way to finish a race. Andrew pushed me so hard for the finish that I almost puked when it was all over.

Result: 11/23

I missed 10th place by half a wheel and had been sitting in 10th for most of the last lap. It was a great battle in the end and it was great learning experience on what to do next time. Andrew raced really well and he made me push hard throughout the race (even if he did suck wheel for the last quarter of the race...hahaha). It was awesome to be able to finish with him as he is a much stronger 'cross rider then I am.

Below is a video by the Hardcore team of the Elite Men's race.
Note: Andre Sutton broke his chain at the start of the race...fixed it, started the race half a lap behind and finished 9/19...it was amazing to watch him get back in to the race after he was faced with the possibility of having to DNF.


Tuesday, October 27, 2009

CX Racing Weekend Part 3

It's still October? I can't believe this will be my third set of races in the same month.

Andrew kinda twisted my arm into going up to Devon and Edmonton on the weekend to race another series of double-headers. These would be my 6th and 7th cross races.

I really haven't trained as hard as I thought I would because of time constraints lately but managed to get in the last Midweek Mayhem race and a few session on the turbo trainer.

Taking a look at the weather reports, it looked like it was going to rain a little going into the weekend which meant in would probably be a little muddy in Devon. Learning from my experience at the Oval race, I decided to run a set of mud tires for the weekend and set the tire pressure down to just under minimum recommended pressure.

The first race was going to be the Dairy Queen Double Dipper in Devon. I read the technical guide and really wanted to do this race because they had "2 new obstacles never before seen in a 'cross race" and that of course piqued my interest.

The second race was the Pedalhead Roadworks Super Prestige in Edmonton and promised to be a really fast course no matter what the weather conditions.

Andrew and I booked a hotel in Leduc and drove up right after work on Friday night for yet another weekend of CX fun (or pain).

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Remington Cross For Kids

Goal for Race: Finish in the top half

Double-header races are funny. After every 'cross race, I feel totally spent, can barely feel my legs and my back is killing me. But then, for some reason, I always thinks it's going to be awesome to race again the next day. Next day comes around, my legs still hurt, I run a few laps...and I'm ready to go again. I must love pain.

Despite the title, today's race was definetely not a race for kids....although all the money they made from our suffering was. I woke up and checked the weather and it looked like they were expected sleet during the morning. It was sort of half-raining on my way to the course this morning...which could be a really good thing...or a really bad thing. The weather certainly always makes 'cross a more interesting sport.

As I said before the course was changed the day before the race because COP had decided to start putting snow on the hill early so we were moved the west side of the bobsled track. Keith B. had very little room to work with but somehow designed an absolute masterpiece of a course...probably even better then the original course. It had leg burning climbs, technical descents, flowy hairpins, stair run-up and ultra-long sand pit.

We all lined up for the start, which was on paved uphill climb, and had another surprise start. 30 seconds...15 seconds (5 seconds passed)....GO!!! I think some people were caught off guard...some way to anxious but it was a sprint to be the first to the top of the hill.

The first lap went pretty fast but you could tell who had not fully recovered from yeterday's race. The climb was a killer and in 'cross you never have time to fully recover. As I rolled around to the second climb and I sprinted and caught about 5 riders. Then the sand pit came...which was rideable except for the sharp right-hand turn in the middle. The strategy here was to go as fast as possible into the sand, dismount and shoulder while your bike was still plowing through.



Then run for a the other half of the pit. This also turned out to a place where I pass many riders who had a hard time running and even those foolish enough to try and ride the whole section.


Second lap went well and was starting to wonder how many tims I could do the hill. My legs were also starting to burn while trying to run through the sand pit. I finished off the second lap, checked the counter to see how many laps were left, saw 4 and thought to myself "Are you serious??? I can't even do one more".

Going into fourth lap I had caught a group of four riders spinning up the hill and could see my teammate up ahead. One of my teammates yelled at me to attack and I dug deep and went hard to not only pass the group but bridge up to my teammate, Craig. As Craig and I are matched in 'cross ability my new plan was to stick to his wheel as long as possible and work as a team. Craig was taking awesome lines and it made it much easier having someone to race with. Craig is better technically then I am so he would gap me on the technical sections and I would catch up on the sand pit. On the climb we were always side-by-side. We stayed together for the remainder of the laps.

On the final lap we pushed hard. We caught more riders that just couldn't go anymore and I stayed as close as I could to Craig's wheel. I thought that if I could stay with him into the sand...I might be able to edge him out on te run. Craig went hard on the hills and gapped me so I was a little behind going into the sand. I went in full-bore into the sand pit, swung my right leg over and then my left shoe got stuck in the pedals as I tried to unclip. I ended up falling over into the sand and lost Craig while I fumbled around to shoulder my bike. I ran as hard as I could for the end but he was already on his way to the climb. I sprinted hard when I got to the climb but couldn't catch him...he beat by 7 seconds (which is the same time I beat him by the day before).

Result: 12/32

What a great race. One of my best results so far. I had a super clean race and only had the one mishap in the sand. I felt really good about my results and felt I had done almost everything well. Craig told me after the race then even if I caught him on the sand he wouldn't have let me beat him on the hill, he was saving his energy in the last lap for a sprint climb during the race in case I passed him in the sand section.

Keith and the rest of the Midweek Mayhem crew did an awesome job on the course and Midweek Mayhem held an awesome event.

I stayed the whole day and got to witness a scene that could only happen in 'cross. Keith and Jeff Neilson were in a tight battle for last place. After trying to see who could make the other puke first on the climb, they decided to spar in the sand pits with their bikes. Keith won the fight and left Jeff to suffer alone up the hill. Another lap later, Keith decided that he had enough of his own sufferfest...and needed a push up the hill. 'Cross is freakin' awesome!

Monday, October 19, 2009

Deadgoat Blow Street Super Cross

Goal for the race: Finish in the top half

Today’s race looked like it was going to be a good time: High of +15C, most of the snow gone and an awesome looking course.

I got to the site to help setup a little later the everyone else due to the fact I arrived home at 10pm the night before...by the time I arrived most of the course had already been done.

After setup finished, I got changed, did a couple warm-up laps and lined up for the race. The field was another great turnout, 33 in all. The race started with a long pavement straight away which put us into a single file peloton right away. The next part was pretty twisty so the straight was a battle for position going into the technical section. The first tight section we already had a couple crashes as we were all going pretty fast on some pretty sketchy terrain. My goal for the race was to try and stick to my teammates, Ken’s, wheel. Being that he is a stronger rider then I am, he could help me push a higher pace that I normally would have. Going into second lap , I still had him in my sights but was falling back a few position. I was on the wheel of a rider who was riding kinda sketchy so at the next straight I decided to go for a pass so I could get him before the upcoming left hand turn…all of a sudden…he makes a sharp right turn right into my front wheel which needless to say, takes me out, hard.


As I recovered from the crash about 4-5 riders that I was leading passed me. Determined I got back on my bikes and went out to try and get my position back. It took me about 2 laps but I was able to catch up to the rider that took me out and gap him on the straight away. As I passed him going into 4rd lap the rider apologized for taking me out…and although it’s part of racing and stuff happens, it was really a classy thing to do, so I told him thanks and that it was no problem. I had lost Ken’s wheel but I managed to battle back for my position. Later on in the lap I took a turn too hot in the mud, slipped out and crashed again. I picked up my bike and kept riding but noticed my handle bar was bent and my brake levers were caked in mud…but I was going to have to deal with this…there’s no time to stop in ‘cross and who needs brakes anyways?


As the race went on I found myself riding with my teammate Craig for the most part. Craig is an awesome mountain biker and this was his first ‘cross race so it was great that we were able to stay together. We both worked hard and bridged up to a group of riders who had smoked me at the Oval ‘cross race so I wanted to try and stay with them for a bit. Every time I would pass by Tim, he would yell “Attack Kyle!” and as I tried to attack, the group of guys in front would just hammer to try and gap me.


On the last lap I finally managed to pass a couple riders and then I was suddenly right behind my nemesis. My nemesis for the race was the rider who beat me in the Oval race by deciding to ride through the sand on his last lap and beating me by a few seconds to the finish. On the last stretch I was constantly trying to cut the hairpins sharp to try and beat him but he kept blocking me at every attempt. He got away from me in the last 100 meters but I kept going hard anyways. As I eyed the finish line, another rider was right behind me…I sprinted hard for the finish line and just managed to beat him…by 3 inches.

Result: 16/33

What a finish, just barely achieved my goal. That was one of the closest finishes I’ve had and probably one of the most exciting. After we crossed the finish line, there were handshakes all around…it was an awesome battle at the end. Although I took a couple bails, the race was still stupid amounts of fun. I only finished about a minute back from Ken so I felt pretty good about that. A teammate came up and said he was really impressed that even after my crashes; I got up and battled for my position…so that put me in a really good mood.

Friday, October 16, 2009

CX Racing Weekend Part 2

Well, after leaving the city for few weeks to get away from the premature winter, I was surprised to see that I would get to race in some awesome weather.

When I got back home from the airport I had about 10 hours to eat, get all my stuff ready, check my bike over, sleep, eat and get down to the race site to help set up.

The first race was the Deadgoat Blow Street Super Cross race so it was probably going to be a pretty big turnout from my team as always and the course looked like it was going to be tons of fun. Awesome seeing most of the team again and cheering them on.

The second race was at COP and was hosted by Midweek Mayhem who are the group who put on the Tuesday night crit and ‘cross series. The course had apparently been setup at the minute last due to COP opening for skiing and snowboarding a little earlier than usual which of course is where the previous course was going to be setup.

All in all it looked like it was going to be an awesome way to finish off my vacation from work even though I hadn’t touched a bike in just over a week. Wonder what the conditions are going to be like...

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Oval Cyclocross Race

Goal: Don’t get lapped
Secondary goal: Finish in the top half

“So you had some much on Saturday night at the Dark Knight ‘Cross you just can’t wait to race again.”
The technical guide makes it seem like such a great idea. Same race again...in less than 24 hours...why not?

Well just as the guide said it was the same course...but totally different conditions. Even though the course should have been engrained in our minds after having raced it yesterday...the conditions “modified” it to be almost a totally different race.


A race start decision had been made to cut off much of the off-camber steep sections as many people were forced to walk/drag their bikes through much of it because of the mud. It was going to be a few hundred meters shorter...but I’m sure the laps took almost the same amount of time to run as they were slower than the day before.


The race started and right away after the barriers I could see how the race was going to go. I decided to shoulder my bike and run up the hill as it was extremely muddy on the descent and I wasn’t sure if I’d have any traction. On the off-camber top section I made a decision that pretty much cost me the race. I decided to dismount and run the whole top section as I saw guy sliding out and thought it’d be faster. I was getting passed on my run and I kept slipping anyways so that idea turned out to be a bust.


The next few laps I was still shouldering on the run up and trying not to slip and fall while carrying my bike on the descent but I decided to ride the top off-camber section to make up some time. It was about this time that it started to become more and more difficult to clip into my pedals because my cleats and my pedals were clogged with mud and grass. By the last lap I was losing time (and places) from having to slow down to bang my shoes on my pedals just to be able to clip in to pedals up the climbs. The last lap I had to run a climb because I couldn’t get my pedals unclogged and ride the off-camber section with my shoes sliding all over the pedals.


My last lap was pretty much déjà-vu from the night before. There were two of us side-by-side going to the running sand section. I was running as hard as I could when I heard a sound to my right. One of the riders decided to ride the sand section. He was going super hard and was beating me through the section. I secretly hoped he would tire out and be forced to dismount but he kept going. There was no way I could catch up because he didn’t have to remount. After the race I went up to the rider and told him that was awesome that he rode that...he said he only rode it that one time because he figured he had enough energy to do it only once.

Result: 23/30 (did not get lapped)

Not close to what I wanted but I know what I did wrong in that race right from the get go. Really this race came down to 2 things...tire pressure and tire choice. Had I run the right pressure I probably would have been able to ride the steep section and probably would have been able to descend. I would have also been able to go a lot faster on the off-camber section because I wouldn’t be trying to control the sliding. I’m still building up my collection of ‘cross tires but I’m sure a set of mud tires might have made a difference.

Oh well...it still felt like a real cross race...fun and muddy.

- Kyle

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

The Dark Knight Is Upon Us

Goal for the race: Have Fun!
Secondary Goal: Finish in the top third

My equipment was packed, my bike tuned up and my legs fresh. This race was going to be epic.

I got to the race site quite early so I would have time to change and do a few warm-up laps. After finally getting all my layers on and doing a few warm-up laps, my initial impressions were that it was going to favour power over technical skills. The course seems to be divided into two parts, the first part consisting of many short, steep off-camber climbs and the second part being flat with plenty of hairpin turns and 2 sand sections.

I decided to race category C for this race and it turned out to be the largest group. Even before the race started there were plenty of my teammates out. I must have counted about 9 of us which was great to see. We were told that the group was going to consist of 65 racers...this was going to be chaos. Awesome.

After meeting up and talking to some of my teammates I lined up and got ready to put this race into the books. I looked behind and there was a huge crowd of bikes, plenty of spectators and lots of smiles. When the whistle finally went, I went out hard. I wanted to get in the top tier of racers so I wouldn’t get stuck behind big bottlenecks. This paid off as the as I went came upon the first descent there were already 2 riders down. After I cleared them, I could hear more riders crashing behind me. The pace was pretty fast and I could already see the top riders pulling away. During the first lap I decided on the fly to see if it was possible to ride the sand section. I made it about a quarter of the way before it was too hard to steer and I had to dismount and run the rest of the section.



Second lap was a little more spread out so I could start grabbing onto wheels and picking off people. Even though I tried to remain focused on the race I could feel the excitement in the air and could tell the crowd was enjoying the show. I was also starting to see that people on mountain bikes had a little bit of an advantage as they had lower gearing for the climbs and were able to ride the sand parts when I had to dismount and run.

My second last lap I was taking a steep descent and was braking with only my rear brake for whatever reason. I was going pretty fast and went to make the hairpin turn when my back wheel slid out and I somehow manage to turn a near crash into an awesome drift into the hairpin. A rider cam eup to me during the lap and said "Dude that was amazing, how did you do that?" and I said "that's a cycling tip I like to call luck, you can have that one".



During the my last lap I went out a little bit harder to finish up the race. I remember someone calling out "on your left" during the second half of the lap and went out even harder to try and gap the person behind me. I did a quick check and the rider was on a mountain bike which means I had to develop a good gap so that they wouldn't be able to beat me on the sand section. The sand section came u and I dismounted and started running. The rider behind me was suddenly side-by-side riding though the sand. I started going into a full out sprint and was able to beat her to the end of the section. I went out hard into the final 100 meters and finished off just a split second ahead of the other rider.



Results: 26/65??? (The results are so messed up...but that's why they pulled the race out of the ABA schedule).

The race definitely lived up to all the hype. It was so much fun. Probably the most fun I’ve had in a race. The course had a lot of variety and the weather was great for racing (although maybe not so great for spectators). During the race, I truly felt like a professional ‘cross racer, from the loud music, to the constant clanging of cowbells to the camera flashes in the dark, I felt like a world class athlete. A bunch of my friends came out to watch the race and that made it a memorable event for me. I can’t wait to do the race next year and I hope anyone who is reading this, who enjoys biking, comes out and gives it a try as well.

- Kyle

All photos: Bill Quinney

CX Weekend Part 1

Well,

I’m currently in Beautiful British Columbia taking a much needed break from work and training, so I finally have some time to post about my races this past weekend.

Some of you may know I have been waiting a whole year for this event. For half a whole season I’ve had to deal with all the guys on the team telling me how much fun this race was last year and it was annoying me...because I was gong to do the race last year but something more important came up.

I remember constantly checking the registration during the weeks leading up to this race as I wanted my spot secured. There was a field limit of 60 people per category and the amount of buzz generated about the event meant it would probably fill up super fast. When registration was finally available, my friend Brent phoned me and I got my spot right away.

So why the big fuss over this race in particular?

Well, it’s ‘cross so it’s already guaranteed fun but this one is at night with loud music, crowds and lots of cowbell. I’ve watched so many euro ‘cross races and it looked like we were going to have one of our own. The race was also removed from the ABA schedule which meant that it wouldn’t count for anything and was to be a fun event. The Oval race the next day would be the ABA race so that one was a little more important and it was only for the licensed racers.

The week leading up to the race was a constant visit to the Weather Network website as they were predicting cold weather and 5-10cm of snow for the day for the race. This changed pretty much every day and finally it settled on just being cold with a maybe a little bit of rain and maybe a bit of snow.

The next day, some of us would be racing the same course but during the day and probably worse conditions.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Campus Cross Madness

Goal for the race: Don't get lapped

Finally, the kickoff to the ABA Cyclocross series.

This race appeared out of nowhere as the Midweek Mayhem series opener was moved because of a conflict with the Bow 80 race. I wasn't doing the Bow 80 (which turned out to be a good decision) so I went to this to get a real race in before the Dark Knight race.

The Friday before the race I was at a season wind-up party with the rest of the team and it seemed I was the only one not doing the Bow 80 (which turned out to be a bust as 3/4 of the field DNF'd due to weather...but congrats to those that did finish...you guys are crazy!).

The race took place at the Red Deer College campus and I was glad to get out and race in much nicer weather conditions. I went down with a friend from Bicisport whom I've been practicing and racing with the past few months so that made the drive seem much shorter.

The course was really interesting. It had pretty much everything jammed into one race which made it a lot of fun. There was a sweeping turn on a baseball diamond, 2 runs through a volleyball court, off-camber barrier set, steep run-up, sketchy descent, some single track through the woods, a few hairpin turns and a fast gravel road section. Not much elevation on the course so there were a few power sections.

The amount of running worried me as I still had a huge bruise on my right-shoulder (the shoulder where I put my bike during running sections) so I wasn't sure how I'd be able to cope with the pain. A teammate said to me that my legs will probably hurt so much during the race that I'd forget about my shoulder.

The race started kinda abrutly with no countdown or anything so that was a little odd and that caught me off guard. I ended up in the back pretty quickly and was conserving my energy as you don't know how laps you need to do until 2 laps in. My dismounts were going pretty smoothly and I barely noticed any pain in my shoulder. I was bracing the downtube with my arm to take some pressure off so that might of helped. The off-camber uphill barriers were what really messed me up, I kept catching them with my front tire or barely made it over.

During the first lap and second there was carnage on the steep downhill section. So many crashes as guys were taking it way too fast and not being able to make the sharp left hand turn at the bottom. I gained about 3 positions after the first crash as I somehow manuvered around the fallen riders. Canti's don't stop bikes...they just slow them down!

As the race progressed I was playing cat and mouse with a few guys the entire race. I would catch up on the running sections but they would just hammer the straight-aways. The last few laps the wind was just brutal. I had to go onto my drops and try to just power through even though my legs were killing me. The running through the sand almost became the best part of the course.

Near the end of the race the thing that was really hurting was my back. Super rough single-track on a rigid aluminum bike...not good. My back took a lot of punishment during the race and I couldn't wait to finish it off, if only to stretch out my back a little.

Result: 16/28 (did not get lapped)

Not bad for my first race. I was racing in the Sport category which includes both Cat 4/5 Road categories and Novice/Sport mountain bike categories so I felt that I did fairly well racing against guys who had a few season under their belts. I felt I did everything pretty good and didn't have any crashes or bails. I just need to develop more power through the straights, gauge my energy reserves a little better and get faster at remounting. I also didn't trip on any barriers or on the run-ups like I thought I would. I really enjoyed the course and now anxiously awaiting the Dark Knight 'cross race.

- Kyle

Friday, September 18, 2009

COP Fall XC Race

Goal for the race: Have fun!

This race had been circulating the Alberta biking clubs to see if there was an interest in reviving a weeknight XC racing series. I decided to attend this event purely to show some support for the idea so that we might have a training race series next year. I had no intention of going out super hard as I had a real race coming up.

This was going to be my last mountain bike race of the season so I decided I would just take it easy and have fun (although technically I should always be racing for fun). At first we were told we would be racing the CCC course which is a really easy 3 km course...which would have been 30 minutes of racing at $20. Closer to the date it was announced that we would be doing the World Cup XC Course. My category was set to do 3 laps of the roughly 5 km course.

I arrived at the site pretty early and after registering for the race, I went to bust off a quick pre-ride lap. The first half of the course was the Giver-8-er and the second half was the CCC course. The one part that worried me was the single track dowhill that had been turned in a stream from the earlier thundershower.

We all lined up for the mass start which was going to be a LeMan's start (running about 80m to your bike). The whistle blew and I went out into a light run...which turned out to be a bad idea mainly because when I got to the first climb I ended up soft pedaling behind a bunch of people who were dismountng to walk up. There was nowhere to pass on the tight single-track so that was about the point where I would no longer be able to contest the top 3.

There was an area of the course that I had ridden at least 10 times that had a skinny bridge to a sharp left turn. I called out to the rider behind me there was a bridge and I was going pretty fast. I went to make the turn into the single track and my wheel slipped off the bridge and got stuck in a rut catapulting me off my bike. I crashed pretty hard and ended up smashing my right shoulder into a root (later on I found out I had just missed breaking my collarbone). I picked up my bike and checked to see if anything broken and kept going.

The single-track down the stream was super slick, really muddy and took a toll on my drivetrain. On the hills my small gear was locking up my chain, forcing me to either run up steep hills or hammer out the climbs in my middle gear during the rest of the race.

The next 2 laps were fairly straight forward. No more crashes or close calls and pretty much jsut raced my race. It was a really fun course, except for the 200m down a stream of mud each lap.

Result: 5/8

When I finished the race which took me about an hour with the top time being 45min I washed off with my water bottle and went inside for a BBQ. At the BBQ it was announced that COP will really try to bring in a XC series next year based on the turnout. Hopefully this makes a return and more people in Calgary will be able to participate in a fun local race with no pressure. The only issues we could think of was that $20 a race is way too much to charge every week so that will have to come down if they want a good number of people to come out and race.

I'm looking forward to see what transpires and hopefully more people will come out and see what racing is all about and help revive the XC MTB scene in Calgary.

- Kyle

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Cyclocross Rhymes with Pain

Since I won't be having any major races for a little while I thought I'd do a write up on my first cyclocross race experience.

So, what is Cyclocross?

The short answer: It's a portion of road biking, with a side of mountain biking, a sprinkle of steeplechase and a dash of running served with a nice tall glass of pain. Sounds like chaos? Well, quite frankly...it is...but it's insanely fun.

I have honestly been waiting all season to do cyclocross. This is the reason I wanted to race this season. It's probably the most pain you'll ever experience in 30 - 45 minutes...but at the end you can't help but smile.

The kickoff race was in Laycock park and Keith B. did an awesome job of throwing together a great course that did not disappoint....although it would be awesome to emerge covered head to toe in mud...it's not Europe and I'm sure we all want to be able to use the park next year.

My first race went pretty good. I didn't get lapped and I could see the race leaders for the most part. Not sure where I finished...but really...I was having to0 much fun to care.
The turnout as you can see below was incredible.


Jumping the barrier...this sport is ridiculous


Really...this is fun....though the picture suggests otherwise

If you've never been in a bike race but you want to try...I highly suggest you give 'cross a try. The community is awesome, the atmosphere is positive and we are all out here just having a blast. You don't even need to own a 'cross bike...a mountain bike will do, no one will judge you...I swear!

Don't own a bike? Come out anyways and watch some awesome bike racing, have some entertaining conversation and enjoy the last days of summer/fall.

Bike racing ain't over yet so come out and see what it's all about. Never before has pain been so much fun!

- Kyle

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Speed Theory Stage Race - Day 2: Road Race

Goal for the race: Finish in the top half
Secondary Goal: Don't get dropped

"Stay out of the wind"

Those were last words I heard from Cyrus before we went to the staging area. Those five short words were the most important words one could give as advice and it echoed in my head throughout the race. We could feel it in the staging area...today's race was going to be an open road battle against the wind.

The race was going to be two 35km laps on the northeast portion of the new ring road. The only major elevation changes were the turnaround at 16th ave and the turnaround at Metis Trail.

We lined up and a pace car led us out. As we got settled into the pack it seems more like a Sunday afternoon ride then a race. We stayed at a pretty neutral pace with no attacks and no breakaways for the first lap because of the strong wind. I did a few shorts pulls at the front and could see why we were all staying together. The wind was brutal. Near the end of the first lap, one rider attempted an attack but was shutdown in a matter of seconds. Going off by yourself into the wind was tactical suicide.

After we completed the first lap and went into a second a group of riders attacked into the second lap. I saw the attack and tried to jump on a wheel. My legs just weren't ready...I tried to hang on but my legs would not push any more. The whole pack surged past me and I got dropped. I tried to close in on a wheel but the strong wind was resisting my efforts.

As I saw the pack pull away, I looked back to see who else got dropped. I kept pushing and then I heard the words I thought I would never hear in a Cat 5 race....

"Guys, let's work together and catch back on"

5 of us then grouped together, formed an echelon paceline and rotated turns at the front. Everyone pushed hard and soon we grabbed a couple other riders who got dropped. There was a section of the road that was extremely bumpy and was pretty much just a pavement patch job...so water bottles were getting bumped out of the cages and some riders were getting a few inches of air. We were really close to catching up when all of a sudden my bike hit a hidden bump in the road...my right hand was knocked from my handlebar and my front wheel was going crazy...I knew I was going to crash...

I managed to get my right hand back on my hood and correct my wheel. For a split second I thought it was all over...the adrenaline gave me that extra boost to help me push the last few hundred meters to catch back onto the pack. After I caught back on I thanked all the guys for making the effort to catch back on and then moved my way up the peloton.

We rolled as a pack down the last 16km stretch. As I wasriding beside one of the guys who had helped me get back to the pack, I said things looked way to calm and something was going to happen. During the last 10km it finally started to feel like a race and not a fast pace group ride. The were constant attacks and with every surge I responded right away to shut them down. Every small gap I jumped on a wheel and bridged.

I then starting watching my GPS very closely. I was waiting for the last 2km. As we approached the last kms things started to get chaotic...the attacks were becoming more aggressive...the leaders was weaving all over the road to try and shake the pack. I followed every move and at one point a rider rubbed his wheel on mine...I remembered how to deal with this from my road clinic and was able to get him off my wheel.

We approched the gate indicating the last km and now sleepers in the pack were all coming out in full force. I jumped a wheel and just went as hard as I could. I was pushing harder then I thought I could and it felt like my legs were just going cease up. I crossed the finish line and could only see about 9 or 10 riders in front of me.

Result: 11/32

It's hard to believe the it was probably less then a second difference between the guy in first place and me. When I started racing this season I never thought I'd be racing road as well so I'm glad to have done well in my second road race of the year.

On a side not: This was the first time since high school social class that Zane, Cyrus and I were all together in the same place...crazy!

Congrats to all my friends for their hard work and great results. And a big thanks to everyone who cheered me on and came out to watch the races....it makes a huge difference.

Also props to Speed Theory for putting on this awesome event. I can't wait until next year's races.

Now onto the next chapter of my season: Cyclocross

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Speed Theory Stage Race - Day 1: Crit Redemption

Goal for the race: Finish the race without getting lapped.

Well, I skipped the time trial for a couple reasons:
- 40km is a long way , especially if you've never done a TT, and this was the longest one of the year
- I wanted to save my legs to do well in the criterium
I got to the site just in time to see Cyrus fly past us in the ITT and grab second place.
Then after catching up and chatting with him then a few other riders I went to get ready and do a few warmup laps around the course.
This course was pretty interesting for a crit. Gradual climb, 3 hairpins, long straightaway. I had never done a race with a hairpin before...but I had pretty practicing a couple days earlier doing them so I wouldn't be as nervous taking them in the pack. The crit was also 40min + 3 laps which will be the longest crit I've ever done.
I lined up and went right to the front this time. We did a pace lap and then we were off.


Everything was going a lot more slowly then I expected...no one made a move at all until 3rd lap when I (stupidly) decided to attack and push the pace a little. All of a sudden I had a 30 foot lead on the pack going up a hill into a huge headwind....such a bad idea. Things were starting to heat up now.


This time I was determined to not let the break get away from me. As soon as I saw people moving up...I jumped on a wheel and moved up with them. Then 2 riders decided to make a break and the pack splintered into 4 main groups. 2 riders up front, 8 guys in the chase group and I was in the 2nd chase group of 5 and I think there was a group of 10 behind us.
We stayed together a good portion of the race eventually catching a rider that fell off the first chase group riding by himself and then we sorta managed to work together. We rotated our pulls but sometimes people would go off the front and have to slow down to join back up. We could pretty much see the entire race anywhere on the course. We saw the first chase pack catch the break so we were now the chase pack. We had them in our sights the whole time but just couldn't pull it together to bridge up.

When it was finally the last lap we picked up the pace a little but still couldn't catch up with the main pack. I can't believe I lasted as long as I did in this crit. I surveyed the field as we did the last climb and it looked like we were back about 300 meters on the main pack. I was really happy even before the race ended. I did my final sprint as per custom to make everyone suffer for their placing.

Result: 12/30

I quite proud of my result. My last crit was pretty discouraging, so this was redemption. I think I can finally stop beating myself up over the Bow crit.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Speed Theory Jason Lapierre Memorial Stage Race

This is a race that a lot of people were waiting for.

2 day-3 event stage race, new pavement, no cars and a chance for an interesting series of races using the new ring road overpasses. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity not to be missed.

The 3 events were:

40 km individual time trial (ITT)
Criterium (Crit)
Road Race (RR)

For me there was a little more to it. Cyrus told me he was considering coming down for the race. As soon as he confirmed he was coming down...I signed up for 2 of the races (crit and road race). It's been over a year since I last saw him and I was stoked to finally watch him race.

The week leading up was pretty crappy...but it looked like summer was finally going to arrive in Calgary, just in time for the race.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Crit Racing

Normally I don't post about the Midweek Mayhem crit races because:

a) They are training races
b) They don't really count for anything
c) They are almost social get togethers

A friend sent me something, which I have attached at the bottom of the post, and it inspired me to post this up.

When I did my first crit race back in May, I remember starting in the B group as there wasn't a C group yet, and getting dropped after the first two laps. I was then lapped 3-4 times by the main pack while I made several attempts to rejoin and hang on. While it was a little discouraging...I knew this was going to happen my very first race.

The next 2 weeks I decided to race with the C group which is the novice category and generally ride a little slower as everyone in the group is still mostly new to crit racing. I was really learning how to pace myself and stay at the higher intensity for longer periods of time. It was also much less discouraging because I didn't have to ride alone and it's easier to learn when you have a group to learn with. I was able to test my sprint ability as well as do attacks and pulls.

After my race in Edmonton, Keith, had said to me that I should moving up into the B group. The following week I raced my last race with C (Keith called me out before the race but I was feeling pretty tired from mountain bike racing on the weekend).

The following week I started racing in B and got dropped after 3 laps. I went back to the start and joined up with the C group to finish off the race. The week after I started again with B and got dropped afer 5 laps. I managed to form a paceline with 2 other dropped riders and we kept ourselves from getting lapped by the main pack by alternating pulls.
After the race I got some really good advice from another B racer on how to stay with the pack and how to race smarter.
The following week I managed to stay with the B group the whole race and managed one attack into the last lap. I finished somewhere in the middle but I finished. The next week I had to skip as my racing bike was in the shop so I rode up on my cross bike and marshalled the B group.

This past Tuesday I finished in 5th place in the B and got my first points. Although these are training races...for me this showed some progress in my training. Don't get me wrong...crits are still hurt...and I still suffer...but I find I'm able to cope with the intensity a lot longer then when I started. Some people hate crits...but I love them....I love the intensity, the speed and the fact that you can always learn something new. I consider the crits a integral part of my training and so far this season I have only missed one. Now things to try and do would be contesting primes, attacking, counter-attacking, pulling off the front and staging a breakaway.

It seems I am learning the meaning of Greg Lemond's famous cycling quote:

“It doesn't get easier; you just get faster”

I checked my computer and I was with the group averaging 41km/h per lap...when I first started I never thought I'd be there 3 months later keeping up at that pace.

Anyways, I thought I throw this in here just to remind me of how important it is to not give up.

Quote:

"As my friend was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from the ropes they were tied to but for some reason, they did not.


My friend saw a trainer nearby and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away."Well," he said, "when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it's enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free." My friend was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn't, they were stuck right where they were.

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before? So make an attempt to grow further....

Why shouldn't we try it again?
Your attempt may fail, but never fail to make an attempt & CHOOSE not to accept the false boundaries and limitations created by the past..."


This seems like good words of advice for my upcoming crit.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Tour De Bowness Stage 3: Road Race

Goal for the race: Finish the race

This was a tough race to get ready for there was only a 14 hour or so break in between the crit and the road race. I had done 2 practice runs of my laps on the course so I knew I would have the energy to finish following the criterium. There had been a thunderstorm and 20 degreee drop in temperature during the night so I had trouble sleeping and had to wake up in the middle of the night to close my window. I woke up really early as I had a 9am start time and needed enough time to eat my race day breakfast and have time to digest.

We arrived at the race course and the course looked surprinsigly dry so it looked liked the race was good to go despite the chance of a thundershower. It was pretty brisk outside which is good for racing...not so good for spectators. My parents had also come out to watch me race which is the first time they have ever seen me ride my bike for an extended period of time.


After doing a warm-up going up and down the flat section of the course. We were ready to get get going. We all lined and up and were led out by a lead motorcycle and pace car. It was a neutral start for 1km so we could all get settled into the pack. After the first km the pace car pulled over and the race started. I managed to stay with the pack for the first lap. During the climb on the way to the start/finsih area I could see a gap developing so as soon as we reached the top of the climb I decided to bridge the gap and not let it get away from me this time. I caught up with the break group and moved my way to the middle of the pack as to not get dropped again.

During the 3rd lap I got gapped once again during the climb. While I think I could have powered up and stayed with the group I was concerned about having the do it another 6 times and suffering more each time a that pace. After the climb I managed to form a pack with 2 other dropped riders and we continued on together for the next 5 laps rotating pulls.

About lap 7 we managed to catch 2 other dropped riders and went through the 8th lap as a group of 5. We also finally got passed by the cat 4 riders who started 5 minutes after us. We could not see the main pack anywhere so we must have been over 2km back. During the last lap 2 of the riders of my group got dropped on the first climb. As this was the final lap we decided not to wait for them. We got to the last climb and dropped another rider. I decided to use everything I had during the climb to sprint for the finish. I was hammering so hard and just trying to finish off the race I forgot to check to see if anyone was behind me.

Just as I was about the reach the finish line...one of the riders I thought I had dropped on the hill had been in my draft all along and pulled out at the last second from behind me to beat me by a foot at the finish line. This was the closest finished I've ever had. As we coasted down the straight we gave each other the fist pound...it was such an awesome way to finish off the race.

Finally I had finished off my first stage race and my first ever road race. It was tough but I learned a lot during the course of the three days. I couldn't think of a better way to spend the long weekend. After every race...I always find out where I need to focus my training and I also find out just how hard I can push myself.
Result: 21/42
Not bad for my first road race. I'm so glad I was able to form a pack with a bunch of other riders. That made all the difference in the world and allowed us to get a chance to finish the race. I actually really liked this course and I can't wait to do it again next year.
I also got a place on the Omnium finishing 21/27 as I got points from my hill climb placing. There were probably about 50 participants in my category so I finished up in the top half.
A big thanks to my parents for coming out to watch and taking pictures.
Also congrats to my teammates Mark, Craig and Stuart for their awesome performances in the Tour. Congrats to Mark on his 3rd place in Cat 4 overall and Craig on his 2nd place in Cat 3 overall. It feels awesome to be on a team that always manages to end up with riders on the podium at every event.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Le Tour De Bowness Stage 2 - Criterium Delirium

Goal for the race: Finish with the group

Well today was the criterium race (crit for short). I went into this one feeling pretty confident becasue of my hill climb results. I hadn't done a crit for a couple weeks because my bike was in the shop so I wasn't too sure what the speeds would be in this one and if my legs could keep up.

The race started 40 minutes late because a bunch of cars had to be towed off the course so I tried to take advantage of the extra time and run a few more laps trying to see what lines I should tak and just get a little more warmed up.

The race started with a neutral lap around the course so everyone could get settled in (and clipped in) and I was able to settle in somewhere in the top half of the pack. After we did a lap the pace went up considerably but I was able to hang in the top third. After a few laps I decided to go for an attack to get into a better position. The key to crits is always positioning...and being in the front is better then being in the back...if you have the energy to hold on. I got to about the fourth wheel from the leader and tried to sit in but the pace was just killer. On the climb the pace didn't let up and I found myself drifting towards the back.

About 10 minutes in I noticed a bit of a gap developing on the power climb. Everyone was sprinting up the hill and I wasnt sure if I'd be able to sprint the hill at the pace and do it another 15 times. About 15 minutes in I riding with a pack of three other guys. After a few laps I ended up dropping all of them. No one was willing to work with me and form a pace line so we could rotate pulls and have a chance of catching up so I went off on my own....the only thought in my mind was to finish the race without getting lapped.
About the 30 minute mark I heard the lead motorcycle gaining on me and I knew that the paceline was right behind me. I got lapped right after the Start/Finish line. There was still 4 more laps to go but I knew I was going to get pulled fromt the race. I kept going hard anyways...and got a cramp in my stomach while trying to keep going.
As I approached the finish line...I was asked to pull out of the race. This is done so that lapped riders don't absorb themselves back into the main pack and contest the sprint.
I watched from the sidelines as my category finished up the race.
Today I was pretty disappointed. I was starting to do good in my training crits so I thought I had a chance at staying with the group during my first race. The pace was just a little too fast for me and it was much hotter outside then I was used to racing in.
A lot of people watching had very supportive words for me after my race and I was really grateful for that. People came up to me after my race and said they saw me working hard the whole way through which meant a lot to me.
Thanks to Kevin for doing an awesome job taking picture and to Shereen for coming out to watch me race. Also thanks to all my teammates and friends for all the support.
Race Result: 21/33