Nationals Individual Time Trial

Wow! What an exciting experience! 

The scene, Lac Mégantic, Quebec, beautiful green rolling hills, fast ripping roads and French people. Good times for sure! 

The individual time trial was the first event. I do not own a time trial bike for the record, instead I borrowed one from Matthias Schmidt. I had nice little training ride three days before the race. This was my first time riding a TT bike. I rode it for the second time doing course recon. The course was a rolling, turny course with some elevation gain. I was extremely concerned about the climb that was in the course as for it was a solid kilometre or two. Besides that, to a mountain biker it just looked like road - not much to it.

Race day I was nervous for no apparent reason! I had never done a TT before. This was my third ride on a TT bike. This was going to be experience. However, I was still nervous. Lining up in the start gate with my borrowed beauty I took a few deep breaths and went for it. I was told to not go too hard off the start, keep it just chilled out for a while then crank it. There was a tail wind on the way out so I just ripped like mad. Beautiful junior gears allowed my to tuck down the climb. At the turn around I was ready to turn the gas on. Into the head wind and up hill. Cranking out some good watts I had caught my 2 minute man. Riding it like a mountain biker with some good digs on the climb and recovery on the decent. At the lap turn around I almost hit the fence - I like going fast around turns ok. On the way out for the second time it was flying time! I had to save a little for the way back though! At the turn around someone yelled to me that I was in the lead, my immediate thoughts: "you're lying." After thinking about it a little more I thought that maybe they were right as I just came from the tail wind section; then it hit me. What if I could hold it throughout the head wind section? Giver!!! And that's just what happened. Cooking up the climb and sprinting my face off (in an aero position) I came out with a time of 39:09 for 30km. It was a fantastic result as this was my first time and I astonished myself. Apparently I was in the lead. Only Adam Jamieson had to finish. When Adam came in for 4th place I knew I had done it! 

National Individual Time Trial Champion! 

Woot!

Shout out to Will 'Nub' Elliot and Jack 'ITT' Burke for their podium finishes! 

 

Pizza and Pasta - Val di Sole World Cup, Italy

What an adventure! 

Val di Sole Italy was the place this round. The purpose, World Cup XCO and XCE. 

First off let's set the scene. Picture great pine trees, grass and bush covered mountain with snow caps on top. After a long flight over to Milan Italy we got in the cars. It was a 5 hour drive up to where we were staying. A few stops at some Auto Grills on the way were as I was told 'necessary' we arrived. The venue was just off a two lane highway, in the middle of two mountains, about 2 hours away from any major cities. The town we were staying in was one I would categorize as a 'Classic European Town' with all the twisty roads, tight parking spots and beautiful old world architecture. The place we were staying in was a beautiful hotel. It was very nice. For example, the shower had an electronic display to control the radio, lights, fans, Bluetooth, and volume. It was so cool! Well, enough about the setting, on to the course!

The course in Val di Sole was hilly. I don't consider myself a climber, I survive but I wouldn't say I excel at it. Well, this course was a collaboration of 8 climbs per lap. It started off on a start loop, then up. 7 of the climbs were what I would call steps. There was very little down, if any, between these climbs. After the 7th climb (which had a section that my Garmin said hit 47%) it was party time.  I'm sure the view would've been very nice if I wasn't cross eyed from going so hard. Next up was the downhill. I heard people talking about how this was the longest World Cup downhill. It was some switchbacks with some drops. Then a gnarly chute. That section was fun! Then it shot you down the ski hill. Good good times going 50km/h down that. Then it was feed zone time, and up the last climb. The last climb was gnarly. Straight up! Woo! The whole lap was 4.18km and roughly 210m vertical. 

Race day was awesome. I love racing early because there is no time to think. The key is to not think, don't use your brain and you can't get nervous. Starting at 9:30am, 5 laps, #45. Ready? Go!

Pacing was key for this race and especially for me. I did not want to blow up. Chilling out on the start loop and letting everyone else just blow their brains out around me, I held strong, doing my thing. Come the 3rd lap I was hurting, but apparently not as much as other people as I was able to make up some spots. Thanks to Head Coach Dan Proulx for keeping me calm and on track. 4th and 5th laps I gave it! Finishing just behind 6th and 7th place in 8th place. 8th at my first European World Cup! I was super pleased with that! 

Thank you to Team Canada and some awesome mechanics. 

Thank you to Norco, Louis Garneau and Angry Johnny/Emma!

And mostly all of my supporters! 

Check out the interview! http://youtu.be/iYO6zGi_1Rk

Next up is road nationals! Time to switch gears!

West Coast

The Golden State.
Thank you to the Ontario Cycling Association for a wonderful time down in Oxnard, California. What a sweet time it was!

LA - What Up?!

After an insane travel day - 22 hours - we finally arrived. We didn't even unpack, just straight to bed. The next morning we built the bikes and were off to the races!
On the first couple days we rode along the Pacific Coast Highway and into some of the smaller mountains. California is a beautiful state. Riding along the ocean was breath taking.
On day three of riding we ramped it up a little. Gibraltar was the weapon of choice: a massive climb, situated just in from the coast and venerable to all of the ocean winds. It was a gnarly time. At the top of Gibraltar, after racing up it, we continued to climb a little. After hitting snow at 3600 feet it was time to descend. A tight, windy, steep descent was what awaited us. It was fantastic! It wouldn't have been terrible for the ride to have ended there, but this was not the case. It just so happened that i got into the group with some of the fast U23s, we held 45-55km/h going down the PCH for about 45 minutes. It was ridiculous. Just a fantastic time!
The rest of the camp included more mountain passes, riding through Malibu (seeing some sick cars), battling the head winds in the strawberry fields, and some attempted surfing. I celebrated my birthday while I was in California. Pretty cool to turn 18 in such a cool place. The team organized a Throwback Thursday themed party, equipped with cakes and thrift shop attire. I got an amazing suit out of it.
California is definitely one of my favourite places now. Living on the ocean, riding in the mountains and chilling with movie stars is a lifestyle I could adapt to easily. I look forward to making many more trips there in the future.

Cyclo-Cross World Championships - the Race

The 2013 Cyclo-Cross World Championships in Louisville, Kentucky started off a bit interesting. With tornado warnings early in the week, hot weather turning to snow, and then potential flooding the races were bumped up to Saturday. This meaning that all four of the categories would race on Saturday. Not a huge deal for us juniors seeing our start just became an hour or so earlier.

On the morning of the race, it was cold obviously, and there was a fresh dusting of snow on the ground. This was going to make for an interesting seeing just two days before everything had been a mud pit. Meaning that all of the mud and muddy ruts would have become frozen bobsled tracks. Almost too Canadian for comfort...

The course was open for training for an hour before our start. The boys and I headed out for a lap or two before retreating to the heated trailer to jump on the trainers. After a good warm up it was time to make our way to the start boxes. The start was the part of the race that I was most worried about. It was going to be violent, fast and potentially deadly. I was sketching out a bit, not going to lie.

Rolling up to the line I was the 20th call up. Quickly forcing my way up a bit towards the front and I became second row. This was going to be a good race, I felt good, confident, but insanely nervous. When the light turned green, we were off!
Sprint, sprint - BREAK! (As buddy here almost takes you out flying across in front of you) Around the first turn and down the straight, settling into single file, picking them off one by one. Over the first sand pit, avoid the cartwheeling American. Up the stairs on the flyover, run over the German that tripped. Up the switchback, sliding on the icy ground. Battle for your spot, don't give in, don't give up a position - this is worlds!

The first three laps or so were successful, moving my way up from 21st to 12th. Then it started to slip away a bit on me. A position here, a slip there and I found myself in 17th. Battling with two British guys where I found myself in some tough competition. Between the screaming back muscles and the phlegm ridden breaths I held it, all the way until the icy off camber section. I slide out and they were quick to go past. For the last lap I chased and chased but couldn't pull them in. 19th is the position in which I finished. 19th in the world.

Good day at the office.

Kentucky is sinking man, and I don't wanna swim!

Finally arrived in Louisville KY.
It was a long drive after finishing up my remaining two exams early in the morning. We, my father and I, arrived at the hotel around 1am where i quickly got settled and was quickly off to bed.
The next day a group ride went out at 10am on the road. The course had not yet been open to pre-ride. However, the masters course was open; and boy was it messy. The road leading to the venue is covered in mud. Cars and trucks parked at the side of the road have sunk up to their axels in the mud. The masters course its self was partly submerged in areas. There are pictures covering Instagram and Twitter with water up to people's axels as they ride through. Good times, good times for sure.
It has been good that they have kept our course closed and consequently in good shape. There is a solid 1-2cm of water between the blades of grass on the flat sections. Anywhere you step water rushes out of the ground eager to soak your foot. Unfortunately it doesn't seem like it's going to be a full out mud fest. Tonight and tomorrow night it is supposed to drop down to -11C - basically making any of the mud rock hard. At the moment we are scheduled to start in -5C weather. Should be a real good time.
All for now. Time to get out on course on the bikes!

On the way to Cyclo-cross World Championships

The countdown has begun to the 2013 CX World Championships in Louisville KY. As expected, the nerves have begun to accumulate. This is going to be an exciting experience and something that I have never done before. Not only is it CX Worlds but it is also a race in the very early season. Since I am primarily a mountain biker, my basement is normally the pain station for the winter. It is going to be an exciting and new experience racing mid winter. I have, and will continue to, prepare my fitness for the event; however the absence of outdoor experience on grass and with other racers is unnerving. Solution? Go ride outside! A warm spell experienced at the start of January has assisted.
Preparations are being made for departures and equipment. Thanks to Norco I have a beauty of a bike to ride for the race! Timing is going to be exciting for this as I finish writing my last exam and then jump in the car to drive to Louisville with my father. What a great way of finishing a semester!
Well, all for now!
Updates will come pre-race!

Cyclo-cross Nationals: MUD, SAND, GRIT



A Little Wet

November 15th, 2012...and beyond, 
After great success at cyclo-cross provincial championships, Will (Nub) Elliott and I made our way out west. Our destination: Surrey, British Columbia and Cyclo-cross national championships. 

The weather was as we predicted, slightly wet. It was a solid decision to come across the country with mud tires, the forecast was only rain. 

Once arriving in Vancouver, Will and I made our way onto the transit system. We had a bit of a journey ahead of us to get to Surrey. Might I add that the Vancouver transit system is very good and convenient to a pair of underage guys trying to get around. We arrived at our hotel, built our bikes and went to bed. 

The next day was jammed packed with exciting Jackie Chan movies and some homework. We left for the course at 3pm to meet up with our coach's sister, "The" Wendy Simms, to pre-ride. Pre-riding went well as it was only damp. The course was barely destroyed by the end of the day, but that would soon change. The night before the race it rained and rained.

Race day was cold and wet. It wasn't raining in the morning but as Nub and I began to get ready to leave the skies opened up. This was going to be a very cold and wet day. As we made our way out to the course, the spare clothes that we brought got wet. During some pre-race laps we noticed that the course had changed to a great extent. Most of the off-camber was un-rideable as it was just too slick. The race would become very interesting now.

As we lined up behind the elite women the tension gained. There was a solid amount of water on the ground at the start. Up the road, over a curb and into barriers was the first 500m. It was going to be carnage. As the start got underway, a couple wobbles here and there, everything was good so far. Surviving the turn, the curb and the barriers was a great success. Next was just full gas, slip and slide, and elbows. Good racing I’d say. The group quickly broke up and I found myself in the lead group of three. This was going excellent. The course and conditions were such that pack riding offered little value. Riders in front would kick up way too much mud and riders behind would slide into you on turns. Because of these factors the ‘group’ wasn’t much of a group and the lead changed consistently. By the final two laps we had dropped another; two riders in the lead and I was one of them. Superb! With the final section the make moves approaching I gunned it! With no resistance from my opposition I figured I had it. Apparently he knew better. As we were running across one of the off camber sections I lost my footing in the mud and he passed me. Bad news for me as my cables we so clogged with grit my gears wouldn’t have been changing fast enough for a sprint finish. However, as I got back on in pursuit, he fell. It was super unfortunate to have to pass a fellow racer while he was on the ground tangled in the tape, I truly felt bad, but this is racing. Pulling out of that section and down the path, having only a bit of a lead, the sprint had to be mine. Some solid effort put in that day – came across the line 1^st. I had finally achieved my goal to get a national champion jersey. It was amazing!

Big thank you to Cycle Solutions/Angry Johnny’s Racing and Trek Store Barrie for helping with support, it was greatly appreciated.

Next, WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS! Yes, you read that right; I will be attending Cyclo-cross World Championships in Louisville, Kentucky in February. Thanks to everyone for your support and stay tuned.