A Year in a Nutshell

After World Championships I was feeling good. I got home, tired from the trip. What an exciting experience it was!

The day after I got home I proceeded to unpack, build my bike (not fully seeing it was clean and I did not want to dirty it again this year) and get my school things in order for Grade 12. Exciting (in the most flat, draining voice possible)…

Jet lag didn’t last long. Getting to school the first day was easy, I was practically sleeping into noon when I woke up for the bus, but by 5^th period on my first day, I was feeling a little tired. Let’s make matters more interesting: I missed about a week and a half, that’s a substantial workload. As well as that I had my first class of night school that night. That meant that night school running from 6pm-9pm was running me (on Austrian time) from 12pm-3am … class was swell.

Getting off the bike was very important for me. This entire season had been built on ‘what if’ scenarios. What if I make it to the Mont St. Anne world cup? What if I make it to Worlds? This put my coach and I under a little stress. It was a ladder we had to climb.

From the beginning of the year, Paris to Ancaster, right up to Worlds it was stepping stones. From starting the O-cups, making the Canada Cup project, to making the Nationals project, I was well on my way. The next was a big finish at nationals, but there were hurdles to hop. The week before nationals at the Albion Ontario Cup I hit a tree. Overcoming injury for nationals required patience and discipline. After making the North American World Cup start list, not the project, there were plans to make! Finding places to stay and such. Huge thank you to Opus, Trek Canada and the Waglers for touring me around and giving me a place to stay! After an exciting world cup experience with a 6^th place finish at St. Anne it became a waiting game. Wait for the announcement about Worlds.

Training proceeded as ‘normal’ and racing did not stop. I went to the Ontario Summer Games for the last time in my career and came out with 4 golds; winning the Time Trial, XC race, Relay race and Overall Team. It was a superb exit! I am excited to see how Quinton Disera does in the up coming OSG’s.

Then the announcement about worlds came out. All the support that everyone displayed was incredibly helpful and overwhelming at times. It was and is truly appreciated. The planning and such that happened is listed in other posts. I just wanted to thank everyone again.

And now we’re back, to the present, almost two weeks after worlds…

Cyclo-CROSS! Woot! Season starts up soon! Not excited about the cold weather but I think I’ll learn to live with it! I am Canadian, eh?

World Championships - The Race.....

I have always been told by my family and friends to never say sorry after a race. My girlfriend says she hates it when athletes apologise, they have already done so much...
Well sorry but I'm sorry...If you don't like me apologising then view it this way; I'm sorry to myself. The person I let down the most is myself. I was there! I could do it! I was physically prepared. I was mentally prepared for the 150% start. And then it happened...

The morning started at 5:45am. Up for breakfast. Then shower, chill about, listen to music, get dressed and head out in the 10 degree weather. Arriving at the tent we got out chips and headed out on a warm up. Ripped a lap of the start loop and then did some tempo on the road. We proceeded to get in the pens. After being called up and squeezing/fighting your way closer to the front, I had the ideal start position, two rows back, left. This was it.
All the people that had helped to get me here went through my head in a flash of nerves. Music. Crowds. I was numb. 15 seconds... "This is it baby!" I remember saying... BANG, and we were off. Zero to 40km/h in 30 feet. Insanity. Every time you heard brakes of gravel flying I cringed. It was a mad swarm, turning and flowing, everyone fighting for position. And then it happened, I heard 'him' hit the fence. 'He' went down and the whole pack went down. The sound of carbon, shoes and helmets on the pavement is something I will not forget. The only lane that made it out was my lane. I was lucky, but not safe. Even though no one went down in front of me I had a Scott bike hurled though the air towards me. Flipping and flipping until it took out the rider in front of me. I made it through, fazed, but quickly refocused. "Full gas. Full gas. I can do this." The start loop went quick and well.
Lap 1: Fast. Don't let up. This is Europe. Don't let up. Push yourself beyond your limits, block people to hold your position and keep it smooth. I was near the top 30 after lap 1.
Lap 2: Same thing, don't settle in, just blow your brains out. Now in the top 30.
Lap 3: First climb, really feeling it. Tasting blood, but keep going, push yourself. Made my way up to 25th at one point, but that didn't last long. And then it happened...Maple Syrup Falls. Steep, rooty, slippery and slightly scary. I fell on it first lap and second lap didn't feel it. I was going to drop my foot and rip it this time. all went to plan and the front tire found the groove. I leaned in to rip the turn, and apparently it just wasn't meant to be. I ripped the tire right off the rim... Remaining surprisingly calm I grabbed my Big Air. Screwed in my regulator. No sound... It wouldn't puncture. It wouldn't puncture! No! No! Now I freaked. All I wanted was a smooth race, no flats, no mechanicals and no injuries. This moment was a moment of utter disappointment, sadness and awe. No time for moping, RUN! And I ran. Nobody was making it past me without working for it. I was going to hold as much of my top 30 as I could. I ran the entire downhill. Just booking it. My tire had come off the rim, my rim banging against the rocks; another sound I will not soon forget. After getting a new wheel on and setting off in probably 80th. I was going to fight, fight for 79th, 78th, 77th...I was going to.
I quickly made my way up, making up positions. Working hard. Coming passed the feedzone again I made a gnarly pass! Took the guy on the inside, force him out. Aww yea. I quickly sprinted my way up to speed and then took a drink. And then it happened...One hand on the bar, drinking, and another really aggressive rider.. He bumped my bars as he went past. This sent me flying! I slid across the gravel on my side and back. Quickly I got up, swearing and bleeding. I was going to kill him.
Lap 4: Chasing this guy, I caught him and as I passed he made no motion to block. Right as I got in front he said he was sorry. I couldn't be mad. I decked him the turn before too. It's racing...
Unfortunately between flatting and fatigue, pain and injuries and constantly trying to refocus, I lost too much time. I got pulled. 1 Lap Down... Really a huge disappointment for me. I could've stayed up there. I could've done one more lap... Could've, would've, should've...DIDN'T...I'm Sorry.
Lap 5: Non Existent...

Overall, great first 3 laps! I got where I needed to be, I was still able to see the front in the start, I was there. A few crashes, I was not impressed with my technical riding, stupid mistakes. But I made it here. I'm in Austria. I just did a race with over 100 juniors in it! I survived the start crash!

I finished 73rd - 1 lap down.

World Championships Course

After some rain early on in the week, the sun finally came out. Bathing in this new found glory and happiness of warmth we hit the course. Riding the day before was like driving in the winter; brake well before the corner. It was a day of peanut butter trails; don’t touch the front brake unless you’re going straight or end up on the ground (slightly exaggerated). The gnarly off camber trails were a lot of fun! Roots quickly became nicely polished and were like riding on ice. You really had to be paying attention! Pressure control, brake control and balance were key!

With the continual sunshine the course started to dry up. The roots and polished rocks are still very slippery but on the steep drops braking was ultimately doing something! Looks like a great time!

Team Canada was very lucky to be able to ride the course at such an early time (Monday). Tuesday and Wednesday were absolutely nuts, with about 50 people crowding around the ‘Rock Drop’ and another couple dozen around ‘Maple Syrup Falls’ (check it on Strava). It was insane trying to get a turn to try it and get people out of the way!

Ok! More about the course so you know what I’m talking about!

Starting on an oval track and shooting straight up the road for the start loop! The climb is 8.5% for 600m. Pretty gnarly… Then you shoot down a grassy decent back to the stadium and out the oval to the first flowy single track. Then the climb starts. It consists of 1.2km of bumpy double track up, anywhere between 4-15% with it getting continually steeper near the top. You also cross a stream twice and get wet.

Then you hit up ‘Maple Syrup Falls’. It is a hard right into a log drop that you can roll, then a 35 foot gnarly steep section with roots and rocks and the works! At the very bottom it’s an awesomely hard, off camber left turn! People would just shoot right through the turn! Check the video of it! http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/photo.php?v=496122823732573&set=vb.100000045780492&type=2&theater

So then you rip through some tricky roots and more slippery off camber trail. It’s so gnar! Lap traffic may pose an issue, but just run the person in front of you over, right?

Then you hit a fast root covered double track with some sweet slippery turns and then hit the feed zone! Up the road climb (same as start loop).

Next you’re into the ‘Rock Drop’! Some switchback climbing to start, then drop in down another off camber right-hander. Over some slippery roots and hook a left, BOOM, drop that. The rock is fairly large and has a knuckle, meaning it kicks your rear wheel up (as in flipping you). But these guys can hit it up quite well! Just drop it!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/photo.php?v=496115260399996&set=vb.100000045780492&type=2&theater

After a series of turns and small log drops, you hit the grass! Or as coach Dan says, ‘Hit the grass, hit the gas’ Crazy Canuck style! You go a decently fast speed with some sludgy turns.

Following getting your face plastered around your ears you hit the biggest fly-over I have ever ridden. It is 4.7m high! Once you survive coming down and not rolling your tires then it’s quickly through the feed zone again. And then you have arrived at the final chute – quick drop/roll over, loose sand and gravel, down some rocks…easy.

Quick loop around the track and you’re done!