Niagara Classic

(Thanks for snapin some flicks Rob W.)

Niagara classic was another solid race. Legs decided they wanted to cramp up again so I couldn't do as much as I was capable of.

Ignored the first couple moves, cause I knew I would not survive off the front the whole race. Everything was being chased fairly hard anyways, so it would be wasted energy. There wasn't too much interest in catching the first move of 2, and I found myself on the front riding easy and still no one would come around.

Closer to mid race, with a portion of the winning break up the road, still in sight, I went for the bridge. Max had the same idea, as did Bayden and a Dark-horse rider. We got a bit of a gap, working hard, but were brought back fairly quick. Max and Bayden kept going as the pack latched on, and this lead to Bayden making contact with the leaders. Nice work! I regret not continuing on, but I was positive that move was shut down. So from then on, I just sat in and followed moves that looked like they would stick.

Forget when but a big group went clear, and I missed out. Already feeling cramps, I knew my chance of a high placing was over, so I helped chase a little. We kept this group close for a while, then our group ran out of steam/cooperation and slowed a bit.

Some of us worked, others sat in, one guy from London rode off the front for a lap or two, then Anton went and soloed the last lap putting huge time into us, and snagging 10th. Each time up the hill my legs felt more and more messed up. Muscled were locking, pulsing and twitching like crazy. Last time up all I could do was keep the cranks turning. No way I was contesting the sprint!

So I have some researching to do to find a cure for cramps. I did drink a ton through the race, HEED in most bottles, and I got 4 gels down, as well as a powerbar sport (used to help my cramping during marathons). All this seemed to do nothing but bloat my stomach and make me feel like pulling over to puke. Managed top hold it down but it wasn't fun. I did take some magnesium too, the stuff that everyone says stops their cramps.

So next race (excluding 12 miles) is Green Mountain. Hoping to race with team Ontario, just waiting to hear back from Mike G. GMSR is just under 3 weeks away, so I have planned a light week, a big week, and taper week to prepare for it. Then its back to school for a week before MTB provincials.

Still a lot of excitement to come!!!

Kelso O-cup

O-cup #6 was another solid race for me. Might have been better if it wasn't so hot/humid, but then everyone would just be that much faster. The conditions were great on the course, wet spots, but no mud, much better than dust!

So here are the race highlights:
- got called up for first time ever in elite, thanks to my 10th place in the series.
- Led for a second after nailing the pedal entry.
- Was able to save energy and slip back, rather than bust my ass to move up on the first climb.
- Crashing in a rock garden after slipping on a root.
- Getting stung by a hornet on the lip. Didn't swell much, but it still hurt!
- Drinking a ton, and still cramping as early as the 3rd lap.
- Having to spin for a while, to get the cramps out, and watch 3 guys ride away.
- Securing 9th spot and riding only as fast as I had to to stay there the last 1/2 lap.

Happy with the race as a whole, but I know I could have gone a lot faster. Fitness feels great, just need to up the electrolyte intake.

Congrats to Megan Fleury for crushing the cadet race, winning by 5mins. Other team results included Justin finishing it up and just missing the points, and Schmidt snapping a chain in the jr.x race. Too much power!!

Hope the weather improves in time for the 12mile race tomorrow! If not, the Niagara classic is next up, which I chose over marathon champs. Sad to miss it, but I want to support my club, and rep my sponsor close to home.

Later.

Canal Days MTB Race

The Short Hills Cycling club once again pulled off a great event at the Canal Days festival. The course going through the "Hood" was very similar to last years, but reverse direction. Rides just as well either way.

A dump of rain in the morning made some rocks and roots quite slick, but there was no mud to be found, and by mid race it was all dry.

Race starts, and I pin it to take the lead. On the fist trail I built a small gap, but just kept going steady as this race is fairly long, and takes a fair bit of energy to ride smooth. Looked back on the canal path, and saw some chasers maybe 30 seconds back. After that I started to work on building the gap, and got it to maybe a minute after the fist lap. Lap 2 was the same deal. Just kept it smooth and steady and really enjoyed the trails. Saw teammate Schmidt riding in second not too far back, and thought that was great, but unfortunately his front derailleur died on him and he fell to 3rd after a 3km run. Still a great result.

So it was Steve Deboer claiming second, and Justin came in 4th, very solid considering the working to riding time ratio being way off this summer. JC cut his tire open forcing a dnf, very unfortunate for the podium contender.

On the woman's side, Kaitlyn Dundas took the title, Nice job!

Post race I met some friends at the Smokin Budda for a quick bite and beer, then made it back to the after party with plenty of time to drink more beer before the podium.

Thanks SHCC for a great event. Looking forward to next year already!