Lake of Bays Road Ocup #4

Yesterday was the fourth Road Ontario cup in the circuit starting at Deerhurst Resort way up north in the small town of Huntsville and I decided to give the road racing side of things another shot since it was just up the highway from me and it was on roads I had ridden quite a bit in the past. Little did I know it would turn into a mid-May snow storm that forced many riders to pull out due to the freezing cold and wet conditions.

The race started out with a neutral 1.5km rollout so I decided to use this as my warmup although it was far from warm given the nice refreshing hail and snow to keep us moving. I also noticed pretty early on that I had made a rookie mistake and didn't check my brake pads well enough before the race, my front brake was almost worn out and was starting to make a delightful grinding noise against the rim and my back brake pads wore out before the end of the day as well just to add to the excitement. There were attacks pretty quickly after the neutral start that continued on throughout the lap and I definitely had to dig deep a few times to stay with the group on the short punchy climbs in the rolling hills of the opening 20k or so.

Once we got onto the wide open hwy 60/35 the group spread out and slowed up a bit so everyone could grab a drink and gel before driving on again. The sun came out as well so this made it seem as if the day wouldn't be quite so bad.

This brief clearing continued for a bit but a little later along this section, just as we were coming up a gradual hill, the paved shoulder ended abruptly and a rider didn't correct in time so ended up on the gravel shoulder. This would have been alright normally but unfortunately there was a nice little ledge to get back onto the road and so when he tried to get back, he fell onto the road and took a few other riders out right in front of me. I noticed in time luckily and put the brakes on but still ended up hitting the dirt. Once I picked myself and my bike up I saw that the field was moving away quickly and it would be tough to chase back on.

I dug deep and pushed hard to get back but realized I really wasn't making much ground on the group. There ended up being a group of 4 of us as a few riders had dropped off the back of the field that I caught up to. Luckily a follow car offered to pace us back to the field since we were in a crash and let me give them the thumbs up or down to dictate the speed. After some tough work I was finally able to get close to the group, I looked back and realized the other 3 in my group had managed to drop off of my wheel, I then gave a quick sprint and managed to get back onto the group for some much needed rest on a downhill.

The lap continued with more attacks including a few right after the feed zone in Baysville, which probably caused a bit of havoc for some of those getting musettes for a feed. It was really strung out for a while along Brunel and South Portage rds and the pace was pretty high. My legs were definitely starting to feel the efforts and it seemed as if the cold had really sunk into them. Along South Portage we hit a super steep little section and I worked hard to stay with the group up it but unfortunately I had cooked myself for the next little climb section right after. I dropped back from the group along with Steve N, Yuri and Conor and we tried to work together to pace back to the peloton ahead but I was pretty destroyed and couldn't be of much help. Once we realized we weren't getting back the turn to head back to the finish line was coming up and the policeman directed us that way anyway so we decided to turn back since we were freezing and the group had hammered away from us.

This was the end for me and I quickly realized I probably wouldn't have made it much further as I struggled to even make it up a couple steep hills on the 10k ride back to the finish line. My legs felt horrible and could not put out any power. Once I got back I notified the commissaire of my DNF and headed straight for the car to put on some warm stuff and get a bite to eat. I was feeling a little better but still shivering quite a bit and my legs were cramping like crazy. When I got changed and some food in me I went into the registration/awards building to find that there were a bunch of others like me that hadn't headed out for the second 70k lap and there were only 16 who had. This made me feel a little better about my performance that day and I realized I was one of the last ones left in the group before the turnoff.

It sure turned into quite the wild day of racing and was definitely one of the hardest I have ever experienced, big props to those that finished on that crazy day. Now its time to rest up and prepare for the trip up to Tremblant and Baie St Paul for the first two mtb Canada Cups!

Once again will add pictures if I find any of the race in the next couple days.

Woodnewton Ocup #1

This past weekend was the first Ontairo Cup mountain bike race of the long standing series now run by Sean Ruppel of Superfly Racing. It was a great event and very well put together as always and it was an exciting way to kick off the season again this year.

This year I participated in a new event run by Mike G and the OCA/CCA called the 'Eliminator' on the Saturday, which turned out to be a very fun event and good prep for anyone planning to race in the Canada games this summer. It was a short circuit of around a kilometre with a rock garden section and a nice concrete dropoff with some tight twisty sections to break it up.

It began with the individual time trial on the course for seeding at 10am in order to build the heats for the race. I qualified with a time of 1:53, which did not place me very high in the rankings but I would definitely complete the course faster in the heats ahead in order to make it through. This then gave me time to complete most of an O-cup lap in between when my heat would start and once I got back I was feeling a little more warmed up and ready.

First heat I was slated against Marc-Antoine, Steve Noble and a couple others I didn't recognize. Steve ended up with second row position after the ITT, which did not help on such a short and tight course for making moves. I got a decent start off the block and settled in behind MA and the two of us then made it through to the semis.

After a little wait we were then ready to race in two very stacked heats to qualify for the finals. Mine consisted of Kevin M (who was destroying the course), Andrew L, MA again, and two Quebec riders. I didn't get quite as good of a jump this time and was chasing down Andrew, Kevin and MA the whole time, not quite being able to hold on to their wheel. Down the finishing stretch I eased off a little since I realized I wasn't going to qualify, which was a big mistake as one of the guys behind me passed me right at the line and gave me a second row position in the small final (didn't realize there would be one at first).

The small final went off before the finals and we were racing for our $5 entry fee so the competition was fierce! Evan took the early lead and I sat in my poor position after starting in the back row and didn't seem to have the power to get by. Marc after missing a pedal off the start was able to make some slick passes and take the win in the final stretch for his prize winnings.

Was very happy with my riding today and it was great to be racing with everyone again after having to take some time off at the end of last year. Great event and hope it grows in popularity so we can have some more in Ontario this year.

Now after some rest and recuperation Saturday night it was time for the big day on Sunday, my first Ontario Cup back after my injury. Everything seemed to be going well, I was feeling in good shape, my new Norco was feeling awesome and super light and I felt very prepared for the race as well.

It was quite the field this year as over 50 riders were on the start line with a few different Provinces represented, which is more than I've ever had in an Ontario Cup for sure. This made it very important to have a good position in the starting grid since there was little room for passing on the start stretch. After some warmup laps on the practice loop near the finish line, I headed down to the start line and luckily got there early enough to secure myself a decent spot near the front of the race.

The start went off pretty quick and it was actually not too bad just sitting in the pack to draft for the first flat section. Then once the first steep climb came I really started to feel the hard pace that was being laid down. Gaps began to open up on the first climb right away and a fairly large lead group formed after the first lap. I didn't quite make this group but felt I was riding a good race and the second lap was spent trying to recover a bit from the crazy hard first lap effort, which destroyed my legs. I settled into a rhythm and was trying to keep a couple Quebec riders in sight for laps 2 and 3 until unfortunately my right cleat had come loose and I had to stop to tighten it, which caused a pretty large gap to form. Kevin M then bridged up to me by the end of the 3rd lap, and I tried to hold his wheel for the next lap or so but some lap traffic got in the way a few times and it broke up just enough that he got away.

Picture from the Top of the Rock Garden Section

The final lap I gave it all I had to finish strong and weaved my way through lapped riders from other categories as I saw that Tyson W was just in sight. I almost managed to catch him by the end but in the last singletrack section I almost got taken out by a lapped rider who tried to go for a pass at the same time as me and luckily I just managed to stay up. I sprinted across the line for 18th place in a stacked field of riders and felt very satisfied with my ride, what a great feeling it was to be racing my mountain bike again and I really had a lot of fun out there.

Elite Men's Podium

Can't wait for the next one in two weeks at Tremblant for the first Canada Cup. Hope to keep improving and building on each one as I make my way back into racing again.

Big thanks to my sponsors: Norco who provided me with such a sweet bike, LG for all their great equipment and race fuel and Cycle Solutions for their constant support. Also many thanks to Emma and Johnny for always making sure I have everything I need and Peter Glassford for being such a great coach to put me at the level where I am.

Queen's Crit was a success!

Well it's been a while since my last post once again, but I thought that this past weekend deserved to be documented from my perpective.

The organizational team of Drew, Jeff and I have been hard at work the past few weeks preparing for the Queen's Invitational Criterium Event and the intensity picked up quite a bit on the weekend for putting the final touches in place.

At the same time I knew that it would be great to get some of the visiting schools out on a ride so we took a break from the madness on Saturday and had a nice group ride around Desert Lake with some visiting Carleton racers (Evan M and Davis) as well as Ottawa (Kevin M) and Trent (Brayden McGregor). It was great to have a mix of schools with the Queen's team out on the ride and everyone seemed to have a fun time despite the cold temp and winds.

Later that night Jason and I cooked up a nice pasta dinner for the Queen's road race team as well as some visiting Guelph members to fuel up for the race the next day. This weekend was becoming better by the minute but I was slightly nervous about how the race would go the next day and whether everything would turn out ok.

The morning started bright and early with the team of Drew, Jeff, Jason and I heading over to the course around 6:30am. We spent the next few hours quickly setting up the course and getting registration up and going and then we were set for the women's race. The women's categories ended up having to be combined into one for the day but it turned out to be quite the battle with 3 primes up for grabs and a close sprint for the win, with Karen Duquette from Ottawa narrowly beating out Robin Vornweg of Queen's and Amanda Schevers taking third:

Photo Courtesy of Ted Correa

The Men's B race was a close battle with a pretty sizeable field of around 30 riders that split up almost right away with a high pace being set by Jeff Waters and the Queen's team. A breakaway rider from McGill ended up taking the win but Liam Steers had the race of his life and won the sprint for second place and Jeff was narrowly beaten for 3rd. Not a bad day for Queen's so far.

The Men's A/Open race was fast and furious and I had to really push hard to hold on and help bridge gaps for a good part of the race. Luckily with some well executed team work we ended up with Alex Cataford from Queen's in the break and he was able to just hold off the chasing peloton with Stephen Keeping and take the win. Etienne Moreau took the sprint for 3rd in a group of about 10 of us and I rolled in for 9th place on the day.

Photo Courtesy of Ted Correa

What an amazing weekend and I hope everyone enjoyed the race as much as I did. Big thanks goes out to all of the volunteers, racers, sponsors, spectators and other people who helped make the race as great as it was. Can't wait to race with the Queen's team next weekend in the MIT X-Pot!

A beautiful week on Sanibel Island

I know it has been quite a while since my last post but I thought it was time I did another about my time down south for Christmas break. On boxing day we headed out from the first real bout of snow for a relaxing week on the beautiful island of Sanibel. We arrived in Orlando late in the afternoon after two full days of driving and went for some sushi and skating at the University of Central Florida (I know we left snowy Canada and the first thing we do is skate) with our Floridian relatives. Then it was off to Sanibel the next morning where the weather was beautiful and sunny.

I got a quick ride in just before dark as we arrived and I decided to explore the flat and smooth roads around Sanibel just enjoying the feeling of outdoor riding in only shorts and a jersey. The next few days were spent soaking up some sun on the beach and sampling the collection of restaurants on the island with some being familiar from the past and a few new ones to try out. Ate lots of fish, with it being fresh from the island, grouper, mahi mahi, tuna and salmon were great. Also got some nice rides in out to the beautiful island of Captiva that is connected by a short causeway and over to Fort Myers beach just across the channel. Challenged some KOMs on strava and managed to secure one just before I left, I'm new to the whole strava game and it has been pretty exciting so far. Noticed major improvements in my fitness and I am excited to see how my testing numbers will stack up in the next few days.

Played a few games of tennis before I left and drove some golf balls into the water at the Dunes golf course on Sanibel, where a live alligator proved to be a difficult moving target.

What a great week and I could spend much more time down there just relaxing, hanging out with family and riding in the bright sun every day but now it is time to get back to Canada for school. I will be back on the skis and trainer for a little while until California, which is the next big adventure!

Wine and Cheese with University of Guelph Cycling

Just arrived home earlier this afternoon from an amazing night spent at Guelph partying with the UGC (University of Guelph Cycling) team, which turned out to be quite the experience. Graeme and I from the Queen's team headed out yesterday afternoon, stopping to grab wine for the wine and cheese party and our fellow team member Etienne at Yorkdale Mall in Toronto. After being slowed down by an accident on the 401 near Guelph Line we arrived fashionably earlier for the party at around 6:30.

Chris took the other guys to get Mexican food for dinner and pick up some party guests and then the wine and cheese and UGC awards night could begin. The party got better and better as more delicious wine and palm bays were consumed along with some amazingly prepared cheese dishes and fondue platter and then it was time to hand out awards for the season. Highlights of the award ceremony included best male and female athletes to Schmidty and Stacey and most improved to James, as well as some heartfelt speeches made by the team captain Chris.

Everyone could then head downtown to a classy bar called Opus where the cycling teams of Queen's, UGC and U of T rocked the dancefloor until close, which made for an epic night. It was a tired drive home today and I am really looking forward to some rest tonight before a hectic week of school coming up...

Say goodbye to the halo

Alright so as of this past Wednesday my halo is now removed! I went down to Toronto for the day and got the ok from the Doctor to switch to a neck brace for the next 4 weeks. Currently, I am just in a soft collar neck brace that can come off when I need to such as for sleeping, showering and eating, which is a major improvement. It's been a long 12 weeks but things are now starting to head in the right direction.

Post-halo pic

I got on a bike for the first time in a while today with my first trainer ride of the off season and I was actually a lot more excited than I've ever been while riding indoors. It was just for half an hour but it sure felt great to be back at it again. It's only a matter of time before I will be out riding on the open roads again, can't wait!

First blog post - Life in the halo

Thought I'd start off my first blog post with a recap of what's been going on with me lately. If anyone has read Chris Fruetel's blog they probably saw the story or heard it firsthand but basically I've been restrained to wearing a halo to repair a broken neck for 12 weeks. I now have 2 weeks left and all I can think about is when I can ride my bike again whether it be road or mountain. Just to have that comforting feeling of the road underneath my two wheels again will be quite the triumph for me.

All of that aside, I will first be looking forward to a decent night's sleep and being able to turn my head from side to side again. November 7th is the big day when I finally get the deciding x-ray and the halo vest is removed for good. I will be in a neck brace from that point on for a few weeks until my neck is strong
enough to hold my head up but that will be a major improvement to now.

I'm not sure whether or not I will be back on the bike before the snow flies but I'll keep hopeful that I will be able to before I resort to the trainer. I look forward to a trip to Florida for Christmas time to visit family where I will get to enjoy some warm weather as well as enjoyment of the time spent seeing the relatives from down South again. I will also be able to get my bike legs again with the flat terrain there and that will feel pretty nice after the time off I've had. Also in the near future there is the February reading week trip to Peter's dream house in California, which is always a great time and I'm just planning out the flight details now. Turns out I get out of exams super early this year too on December 10th so I actually won't have an exam on my birthday this year!

I will try to keep this blog going but I haven't been doing anything super interesting lately with being confined mainly to my schoolwork (tons this year in my 4th and final year!) but I'll give a few updates when cool things come up.