Cat UP!

Another weekend, another race. This was the final in a trifecta of races over the last three weeks. This time, Canada Olympic park in the bustling metropolis of Calgary, AB. The drive there was super nice. I went through Kootenay National Park this time instead of going south through Alberta on the 22 which proved to be really relaxing and helped to lessen the blow of having to go to Calgary.

With the last couple races in my mind and knowing that I did well in them, I decided to sign up for the Expert class for this Summer Solstice race. It sure is nice to be up there in terms of rankings but I didn't think my skill was going forward and I wasn't learning as much from races as I would have liked to. There was also the recommendation of some friends to try a higher category, see how it goes. So for this race I was in the Expert category, in the league with the big boys.

COP - Calgary, A.B.

Signing up to a higher category without being told to by either the Alberta Bicycling Association or Cycling BC created some confusion as I was signing in for the race. In the end, one of the reps let me in the Expert class based on my previous results. This was good as now I did not have to drive back to Cranbrook without getting my tires dirty.

Race time was at 1:00pm. The people in my category now looked even more serious and hardcore when lining up at the start gate. This, I knew, was going to be a true test of my skill. The whistle goes off and everyone is battling for position. The course starts out on an open lawn to a short stretch of pavement but quickly turns into smooth singletrack. I was keeping what I thought was a comfortable pace and staying about midpack. There was a few short, gradual climbs on this course but by lap four those same climbs turned into long, steep climbs of destruction. The rest of the course was surprisingly techy with quick turns, wet roots, and super muddy sections. This was a tough, yet fun course.

I stayed about midpack for the duration of the race, making a few spots on some of the climbs. Then lap 4 came. This course was 24km long, with 6km laps. Lap 4 felt great to get to in the position that I was in but it would have its share of problems.

The riders around me, and including myself, started to feel the effects of going hard for that long. Riding started to get sloppy and the pace started to decrease. For the first time ever riding my bike I had the craziest cramps I have yet to experience. Anytime I would shift to a different position on the bike my legs would start to lock up. This also took effect as I was set to pass a rider that had slipped on a wet root. Instead of passing him I pedalled right into his back wheel, coming to a stop. All because of cramping.

Lesson 1: Figure out how to avoid cramps.

I thought I might be able to catch up on a few of the riders towards the end of the last lap but everyone's pace increases right at the end. No one wants to lose where they are.

24km later I ended up in 9th position out of 15 in my category. Not too shabby. There were a great deal of things learned in this race and I have no doubt that it will progress my riding to be in a higher category.

Summer Solstice Results

Over the course of 3 weeks I drove over 1800km to get to and from races. Seems crazy but I guess if I'm having fun it's not so crazy. I think it is time for a weekend off though.

Next up? I'm not too sure. I know Round the Mountain in Kimberley is right around the corner and it would be awesome to defend my spot in that.

I went for a ride last night on the Hungry Hound with some friends. It got me thinking. What if I wasn't into biking? Life would be totally different. Much of my life is based around riding and people that I have met through riding bikes. If all of that were just gone one day, what would I do? Wow, that is way too deep to think about right now.

Thanks for reading my blog.

Peace out.

Hammer Time

The day began early. 5:30am early. That's too early. But it's okay if you're going out to ride your bike. That's what happened today in the awesome riding area of Herron Park, near Kalispell, Montana. The trails are super smooth, and blazingly fast.

About this time last year I headed to the same event not knowing at all what was going to happen as it was my first year racing and that was my first race. I ended up placing 8th and learning a lot about racing.

This year the course was completely changed up, but still had a lot of the same characteristics of last years course. Smooth course, tight switchback climbs, and a great crowd.

I was in the first row lining up to the start. Horn goes off. Everyone wants it so the speed right off the bat is a bit quick but now is not the time to get left behind. I stayed within the first 3 spots as the rest of the group also settled into their spots. There was a climb within the first km and 3 of us broke away from the rest of the group. The pace at this point was not as fast as I would have liked it but I didn't want to haul ass too early as I had no idea what the rest of the course had in store. There was no way to gauge my speed to see what I needed to save for later. So I tagged along in 3rd spot until the first downhill section came. Wow. I think it might be that I started off DH-ing when I moved to Cranbrook which is what gives me the skill on the way down. The two I was following were not going nearly as fast as the course allowed. The next extended hill climb came and I decided to make a leap to start the pace a bit faster. One of the racers amongst us three started at the same pace that I was now doing. At this point I thought we were pretty equally matched. The top of the climb came and now was the downhill right to the start/finish area. I made up a lot of time on the other two racers on this section. I thought I had it. The first hill climb was under way for lap 2 and the guy that was following me made up a bunch of time and apparently has mad climbing skills. He passed me at a good pace on the way up and I didn't see him again. I thought I might be able to catch him again on the way down but he was just too quick of a climber. The rest of the race was filled with harder hill climbs as energy was decreasing. I think I might have given 'er as hard as I ever have in this race cause my legs were aching by the end of the 30km course. In the end this course was super fun and I would end up with 2nd place, and a nice prize bag to top it off.

The race made me realize that Cranbrook must, and does, have a lot of talented riders. We have such a variety of varied terrain here. Most of us riders would laugh at the rock section they set up and power way harder on the downhills.

It was awesome that a good friend came along who also rode the course and ended up with 2nd in his category. Way to go Colin. We both ended up with some pretty sweet shwag and it was a great day for riding bikes. Results

Next up? The Deadgoats in Calgary are putting on The Summer Solstice race at COP this weekend. Time to take out some Deadgoats. This will complete a trifecta of weekends racing my bike. Maybe a weekend off after that is in order...

Wheelie

It's good to get the first one out of the way.

There were a lot of things to prepare for leading up to my first race of the season, especially since there were a lot of changes from the beginning of this year to the beginning of 2011. I was losing some weight, getting better endurance, and having more fun on my bike then I ever have. But probably the biggest change to 2012 is the bike. I was a little hesitant to jump back on a hardtail after not riding one for a whole lotta years. But thinking about how the bike would work in certain situations for the better, and seeing many racers on hartails last year, I knew it was a good idea. Throw 29er into the mix and you have a fast, climb like a billy goat sorta bike.

The new ride, on the stickered up ride

The stage was set. Race: Coulee Cruiser. Location: Lethbridge, Alberta. My old stomping grounds. Where I grew up and pretty much fell in love with mountain biking. A lot of riding happened in these coulees, and now I wanted to see how I could do in race pace on a rig so different then the one I grew up on, a Norco Kokanee.

I arrived a couple hours before my group was set to go so I took the road bike out for a couple k's to warm up the legs. In doing so I saw a lot of racer types doing the same thing. The nerves started to go a little bit but I figured I was also starting to be a 'racer type' so it should all be good.

Our group was set to go at 11:34am. The family was there rooting for me and I was feeling pretty good on this 27 degree day.

The start of it all

The course was smooth, so smooth. Filled with wide turns and long straight sections, I knew it was going to be a sprint for the whole thing. Just the way I like it. The course was about 6.4 km long and we had to do 3 laps. Game on.

After a sufficiently steep descent into the valley right off the gun, the first hill climb lay ahead of us. Ahead of me was Kevin, a racer that I met at the Edmonton Canada Cup in 2011. He organized the Coulee Cruiser and was also racing in it. But then he dropped his chain on this first climb of the race, not more then 5 minutes in. This was an issue as I was following him closely as I knew his skill and wanted to stay with him. He came to a stop and I had to think quick and try to get around him without running into him. In the process of doing this, somehow my rear axle dropped out of the frame. I have narrowed it down to only one cause. I did not tighten it enough that morning after cleaning my bike. This has never happened before and I am sure it will never happen again. I didn't realize what was going on right away so in the end I probably lost half a minute getting it all geared up again. After all the racers passed me I was on the trail again giving it as hard as I could to regain some spots.

There were 3 decent climbs on this course. All of which were smooth and still fast. I made a lot of time up on them and passed people, which was a bit of an issue everytime as there were no good passing spots so I was forced to go into the grass not knowing if a cactus was right beneath my tire. Luckily enough there were no flats.

The rest of the race went smooth. Really smooth. The bike felt great and my legs were just givin 'er. I threw back an energy gel and forced on. The dude that dropped his chain on the first climb came into sight. I knew I had to pass him.

After passing him I had no idea where I lay in the pack. I just kept pressing on thinking about the finish. Nearly 20 km later the finish came and I was pretty stoked on how I did.

I ended up passing 13 racers to gain a position of 4th, 2 minutes off the leader. Pretty decent I think for my wheel falling out.

This was an awesome course and I am thankful to Kevin from the Lethbridge Headwinds for putting on a spectacular race.

Coulee Cruiser Results

What's next? There are a couple things lined up. This next weekend there is a race in Kalispell, M.T, the Herron Hammer. Not too far away but still takes gas to get there. It was an awesome race last year and I'm sure my new hardtail would haul ass on that course. Maybe take a weekend off and do the Summer Solstice XC #3 in Calgary on May 26th.