Mountainview....and sick.

So 0-cup four is a wrap, meaning that the season is half history already. Hard to believe.

Made it up to Midland around noon on Saturday, with Moote and Kerton for a pre-ride. Weather was sketchy, but the rain held for us, and we found the trails to be in great shape. Only a couple spots where wet. I did 2 laps, and rode the rock garden like 8 times.... just because I was enjoying it. I was feeling very comfy on the bike and felt rested....because I was. Being sick since Hardwood meant very little ride time. The little riding I did was on my MTB, but I only made it to some singletrack once.

I am not supper sick, I just have this bug that's been going around Niagara, that includes a cough, sore throat, stuffy nose, headaches, dizziness and loss of energy. A shitty combo indeed. I have been on Cold FX since Thursday, and it may have helped a bit. Could just be a placebo effect, but thats an effect right? And that alone justifies the $25 dollars spent. But I really do feel a bit better shortly after taking 2 in the morning.

So after the pre- ride Kerton and I set up our base at the HoJo. Got the repair stand up and dialed in our bikes. I discovered that my cranks spider lock ring had came lose, so loose that I could remove it with my fingers. So glad I caught that. Unfortunately I did not have the tool to tighten it, but I did my best using a flat head screwdriver and an adjustable wrench as a hammer. That was all I could do. My rear brake did some funny stuff to and I spent some time trying to get the pad clearance back to normal, but failed. Got it to spin without rubbing but barely.

After some rest we made our way to the Shack for some grub with Paul and Peggy. It was very good, much better than last time I was there, fall 2008. The steak was very tasty. After that it was time for a blizzard at DQ, then more rest. I was happy to see that the ratio of racers at our hotel was super high, so it would likely be a quiet night. We crashed at 10, just after the Two Wheel Express crew shut down there dance party.

I slept well, but woke up a little early around 6am. I found rain, puddles and a new waterfall coming off our hotels roof. Oh well I thought, at least it won't be dusty. I began the loading phase with some bread and nutella, than started to work on my giant bowl of oatmeal. I got some dates, and a banana in me as well. After some rest and some more messing around with my brake I made my way over to the hill to watch Kerton start. He was fourth man up the hill. Nice!

After meeting up with my parents I started my warm up. I found some good hills up behind Mountainview, and did some efforts up them. I felt all right. Not bad for being sick. I guess my voice is really messed because everyone new I was sick before I mentioned it.

So on to the race (finally).

Start was good. I was mid pack at the top, and felt all-right. Lost some spots here and there, but not to many. throat was hurting half way through lap one, but I could breath fine. My second lap sucked. I was feeling crappy. Kind of like hardwood, but not quite as bad. A train of riders came past, and I really wanted to jump on it, but needed to recover at the time. Luckily, the twisty flats provided good rest without too much loss, so I just went steady through the turns.

Lap three I felt better. But don't think I made any passes there. Lap 4 I was feeling good. I caught back up to Anton, and rode with him for a bit. He showed off his roadie strength by dropping me on the open double track. Never let him get too far, but couldn't close it up. I started to cramp somewhere on lap 4, and was forced to walk up Glassford's grind. I tried to shake em out, but there where there and kept reminding me when I pedaled hard. Shit; as soon as I'm feeling good I start to cramp? Damn.

On the final lap I managed to make up a spot or two with the cramps, but could not empty the tank without some serious pain. It was the inner thighs that hurt the most. Hydration was not the cause of these cramps. I drank tones, and skipped coffee in the morning. Maybe being sick has messed with hydration, or my legs just aren't used to going so hard for so long like that. Oh and my chainring spider was crazy loose post race. Lockring was just hanging on my a thread. So lucky it stayed on there.......

So I cruised in for 19th, just behind Anton. I was happy to pick up some points and learn how solid I can ride while under the weather.

Thanks for the driving and accoms Kerton, and I am very proud of your podium. Expert is just around the corner for you ;) Also everyone who cheered for me. It helps. I got a couple of "go whoever you are"'s too. Very motivational.

Peace.