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.