So Sunday was the "East (Ottawa) meets South (Toronto area) 'cross race" in Kingston. I was looking forward to the course, since it was a fun one last year! Also because Steve and Carolin were going to be there, and Jamie was racing! I got there in plenty of time to watch the first race go off, and watched some of the carnage on the 'terraced' section, which has some nasty tight corners and steep downhills, just like last year. As I was wandering around the course, I heard someone yell my name--it was WATSON! He was up from Barrie to contest the race--one of the favorites. I chatted with him a bit, and showed him a few of the gotchas on the course (especially the uphill barrier on a 180 off-camber after a downhill which was hidden behind a stump and (ideally) required a right-side dismount).
Jamie, Steve and Carolin all rolled in shortly before our race, and by that time I'd already ridden a warmup lap. The course was much the same as last year, although the 'pop-up/jump' from last year was removed, one of the terraced sections was eliminated, and an extra stair run-up was added. The finish was a bit different, with a tricky off-camber corner with a big rutt running perpendicular if you got on a bad line. Tricky!
The race started with a big group, and I was well in the rear right off the gun. The pace was INSANE right from the start, so I ended up well back before we even got going...and would pretty much remain there the entire race. I slipped up on the terraced section on the first lap and went down (actually not even sure what happened--I was clear of the corner already, and went down on the straight!) and lost a few more places. The laps were long (2.5kms) so by the 4th lap, the leaders came by me (wow.. brutal!) and I noticed that Watson was in 4th place (later turns out he was probably 3rd, and there was a lapped rider in between). I yelled at him to catch up, since he was not far behind the lead pair of Osmond Bakker and Derrick St. John. I rode a very consistent race, with lap times of 5:32 (modified first lap), 10:14, 10:08, 10:11, 10:12, 10:08, and 10:08 (yes, apparently I did 3 laps all exactly the same to the second, and all the others within a 6 second range.. go figure). Too bad I wasn't just consistently FASTER! :-Þ
Overall, not my best race, but a super-fun course, and a really competitive group (Watson ended up third, behind Bakker and St. John, and ahead of Fillion and Morse--what a field!) Read Andrew's full account of the race here, spend hours looking through over 1000 photos, and check out the full results on this page (if you scroll waaaaay down, you'll see me!)
You may wonder why I made no mention of Shawn or Keli this week, and that's because Shawn was off kicking ass and taking names, winning Quebec Cyclocross Provincials!!! CONGRATS to Shawn! You can read all about his weekend here.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
'cross madness (aka Rock & Roll in Rochester)
OK, once again I'm negligent in posting; somehow I bet my one reader is not surprised! However, that doesn't mean nothing has been going on--in fact, quite the opposite. A few items of note since my last posting
- 'cross season is in full swing! (duh!)
- two weekends ago was the first OBC 'cross race
- one weekend ago was my canoe trip to Algonquin Parks Barron Canyon (SPECTACULAR!)
- Spin Classes at the shop started last Tuesday, and I went for my first one of the year on Thursday...heading back tomorrow as well. Once the existing classes fill up, I will likely be teaching a class again--but we'll see how it goes for now!
- this past weekend was 'cross madness in Rochester NY for the Cobb's Hilly 'cross! (a few more details about this item below)
- Monday following the race consisted of a fantastic ride from Gatineau with Shawn and Keli out to Carp, with Turkey and all the fixings afterwards. What a great day--a huge thanks to Chef Keli for the food, and of course for putting up with me for another weekend ;)
- The Sport X end of year party is a go for Oct. 24, with ROLLER RACES officially a go! Can't wait!
OK, so a few details about the race in Rochester:
After last year, we just had to go back to Rochester for the Cobb's Hill Cyclocross! Shawn had his title to defend after a great win last year, and I had some revenge to take on the course that broke my chain after one lap thus ending my first ever 'cross race far too early! So, with great enthusiasm, Shawn, Keli and I made another road trip to NY. We left Saturday evening after Shawn finished work, and arrived to a great hotel room for some rest. In the morning we prepared for the race, and headed to the park.
Once again Scott and the team at Full Moon Vista put on an amazing race, with a great course running through Cobb's Hill Park in Rochester. With a good mix of terrain, including a short singletrack section (my downfall!), a killer uphill (the only place I could pass anyone), an equally killer downhill (although different than last year, with more twisty off-camber stuff this time around) and some twisty turny grass sections (where I got out-handled by everyone but the 12 year old girls), the course had a bit of something for everyone! Of course, this type of course just happens to suit Shawn very well, since he's a good technical rider (thanks to his MTB background), can descend like a bat out of hell, and doesn't fear climbing (as his membership in the Club des Cinglés du Mont-Ventoux proves).
Keli's race went off first, and unfortunately we weren't able to watch much as we had to get changed and ready for our race which followed. Keli had a very good ride once again, and finished 5th place in a much stronger field than last year. Congrats Keli!
Our race started not so well for either Shawn or I. We got to the line a bit late, and Shawn had to fight his way up to the front, but only made it up to about 3 rows back. Thus, he had to chase for most of the first lap to catch the lead group. I started further back (by design of course) but ended up too far back even for my liking. I ended up running the entire single-track section the first lap due to a huge bottleneck of riders in front of me. Boo! On about the third lap, I managed yet another wipeout (third this year for those that are counting!) as I tried to remount after the barriers. I think the bike hit a bump right as I was jumping on, and kicked me off and over onto my side. I ended up sprawled out with the bike on top of me! I had no idea how Shawn was doing, since I didn't get a sight of him for most of the race. However, with about three laps to go I heard them announce that the leaders were coming through the line, lead by "Last Year's Winner from Canada, Shawn Marshall!. At this point I knew they were close to passing me!
I was getting tired, and having my fair share of difficulty on the twisty stuff, so wasn't really making up any ground (not loosing too much either though). I manged to ride the single-track cleanly a couple of times which felt good! At one point, I got a glimpse of Shawn, and noticed he had a rider right on his wheel! The next few times I saw him again, he still had the guy literally glued to his wheel! At one point on the grass section, I knew they would be catching me, so of course I starting thinking about it too much, and ended up riding a very poor line into a corner right when they were behind me. They got by, but I lost some momentum for sure! Once they went by, I noticed that no other riders were even close to them for third place! It was a two man race all the way!
I didn't know the final result until I finished. It turns out that Shawn had lead the whole race after he caught the leaders, but Eric Grimm had been right behind him the whole time, and came around right at the end! So, a great race, with a hard fought second place for Shawn (tough to take after riding such a great race, but Grimm rode smart!). I ended up 28th of 47, 3 minutes and one lap back. Not spectacular, but about normal for me! I need more practice on the twisty stuff (and courses with less singletrack would help ;))
Full results are here, while you can read Shawn's take on events here.
All for now!
- 'cross season is in full swing! (duh!)
- two weekends ago was the first OBC 'cross race
- one weekend ago was my canoe trip to Algonquin Parks Barron Canyon (SPECTACULAR!)
- Spin Classes at the shop started last Tuesday, and I went for my first one of the year on Thursday...heading back tomorrow as well. Once the existing classes fill up, I will likely be teaching a class again--but we'll see how it goes for now!
- this past weekend was 'cross madness in Rochester NY for the Cobb's Hilly 'cross! (a few more details about this item below)
- Monday following the race consisted of a fantastic ride from Gatineau with Shawn and Keli out to Carp, with Turkey and all the fixings afterwards. What a great day--a huge thanks to Chef Keli for the food, and of course for putting up with me for another weekend ;)
- The Sport X end of year party is a go for Oct. 24, with ROLLER RACES officially a go! Can't wait!
OK, so a few details about the race in Rochester:
After last year, we just had to go back to Rochester for the Cobb's Hill Cyclocross! Shawn had his title to defend after a great win last year, and I had some revenge to take on the course that broke my chain after one lap thus ending my first ever 'cross race far too early! So, with great enthusiasm, Shawn, Keli and I made another road trip to NY. We left Saturday evening after Shawn finished work, and arrived to a great hotel room for some rest. In the morning we prepared for the race, and headed to the park.
Once again Scott and the team at Full Moon Vista put on an amazing race, with a great course running through Cobb's Hill Park in Rochester. With a good mix of terrain, including a short singletrack section (my downfall!), a killer uphill (the only place I could pass anyone), an equally killer downhill (although different than last year, with more twisty off-camber stuff this time around) and some twisty turny grass sections (where I got out-handled by everyone but the 12 year old girls), the course had a bit of something for everyone! Of course, this type of course just happens to suit Shawn very well, since he's a good technical rider (thanks to his MTB background), can descend like a bat out of hell, and doesn't fear climbing (as his membership in the Club des Cinglés du Mont-Ventoux proves).
Keli's race went off first, and unfortunately we weren't able to watch much as we had to get changed and ready for our race which followed. Keli had a very good ride once again, and finished 5th place in a much stronger field than last year. Congrats Keli!
Our race started not so well for either Shawn or I. We got to the line a bit late, and Shawn had to fight his way up to the front, but only made it up to about 3 rows back. Thus, he had to chase for most of the first lap to catch the lead group. I started further back (by design of course) but ended up too far back even for my liking. I ended up running the entire single-track section the first lap due to a huge bottleneck of riders in front of me. Boo! On about the third lap, I managed yet another wipeout (third this year for those that are counting!) as I tried to remount after the barriers. I think the bike hit a bump right as I was jumping on, and kicked me off and over onto my side. I ended up sprawled out with the bike on top of me! I had no idea how Shawn was doing, since I didn't get a sight of him for most of the race. However, with about three laps to go I heard them announce that the leaders were coming through the line, lead by "Last Year's Winner from Canada, Shawn Marshall!. At this point I knew they were close to passing me!
I was getting tired, and having my fair share of difficulty on the twisty stuff, so wasn't really making up any ground (not loosing too much either though). I manged to ride the single-track cleanly a couple of times which felt good! At one point, I got a glimpse of Shawn, and noticed he had a rider right on his wheel! The next few times I saw him again, he still had the guy literally glued to his wheel! At one point on the grass section, I knew they would be catching me, so of course I starting thinking about it too much, and ended up riding a very poor line into a corner right when they were behind me. They got by, but I lost some momentum for sure! Once they went by, I noticed that no other riders were even close to them for third place! It was a two man race all the way!
I didn't know the final result until I finished. It turns out that Shawn had lead the whole race after he caught the leaders, but Eric Grimm had been right behind him the whole time, and came around right at the end! So, a great race, with a hard fought second place for Shawn (tough to take after riding such a great race, but Grimm rode smart!). I ended up 28th of 47, 3 minutes and one lap back. Not spectacular, but about normal for me! I need more practice on the twisty stuff (and courses with less singletrack would help ;))
Full results are here, while you can read Shawn's take on events here.
All for now!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
OBC 'cross #1 - Photos
OK, I know.. I have been negligent in not keeping the site up-to-date. Sorry! To tide you over, here are some pics of me from the first cyclocross race of the year. Full report to follow...eventually...
Click through for bigger versions, or check out all the pics at www.velociclofoto.com
Click through for bigger versions, or check out all the pics at www.velociclofoto.com
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Week #22: Longest Post Ever!
OK, so if a picture is worth a thousand words, this is my longest post ever! Some pics from Monday and Wed:
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Week #21: Daylight Fading :(
Nights are getting short.. much too short :(
On Monday we had a smaller group, and set out into the cool night with a short route in mind, to beat the setting sun. Steve took the BSW at Kilmarnock, although it was uncontested. I took Jasper on the way in, as well as the railway tracks, which of course doesn't count, but I like to mention it anyway ;) Of note was that both Jenn and Greg made it out on the same week! Fantastic! Otherwise, a fairly quick ride but nothing crazy--49km at 31km/hr.
Post-ride pub talk was about many things... some crazy runners are talking about the Glen Tay Block Race (this Thursday night, I'll be there--on the bike of course--taking pics!) Ian's son has signed on with Astana for a two-year contract as a mechanic (since his last stint in Europe with Postal/Disco, he's been in North America with Symmetrics). I guess if Bruyneel called me up and offered me a job, I'd probably take it too ;) Oh, and talk is already turning to spin classes--hopefully I'll have a regular session this year...although it's much too early to starting thinking about that! The 'cross schedule was just posted, and the first race is Sept. 28 at Brittania. Think I can convince anyone else to get in on the action this year? Oh, and Shawn's already talking about defending the title in Rochester at the Cobb's Hill 'Cross. Hopefully I'll be able to join the newlyweds on that one again! (I may have something to prove, and Shawn does have a leader's jersey to defend!)
Tonight's Perth ride was great, with Carolin making it up this way on her day off. We made it just past Playfairville before turning around...too bad we didn't have another hour of daylight so we could have done a bit longer tour!
All for now!
On Monday we had a smaller group, and set out into the cool night with a short route in mind, to beat the setting sun. Steve took the BSW at Kilmarnock, although it was uncontested. I took Jasper on the way in, as well as the railway tracks, which of course doesn't count, but I like to mention it anyway ;) Of note was that both Jenn and Greg made it out on the same week! Fantastic! Otherwise, a fairly quick ride but nothing crazy--49km at 31km/hr.
Post-ride pub talk was about many things... some crazy runners are talking about the Glen Tay Block Race (this Thursday night, I'll be there--on the bike of course--taking pics!) Ian's son has signed on with Astana for a two-year contract as a mechanic (since his last stint in Europe with Postal/Disco, he's been in North America with Symmetrics). I guess if Bruyneel called me up and offered me a job, I'd probably take it too ;) Oh, and talk is already turning to spin classes--hopefully I'll have a regular session this year...although it's much too early to starting thinking about that! The 'cross schedule was just posted, and the first race is Sept. 28 at Brittania. Think I can convince anyone else to get in on the action this year? Oh, and Shawn's already talking about defending the title in Rochester at the Cobb's Hill 'Cross. Hopefully I'll be able to join the newlyweds on that one again! (I may have something to prove, and Shawn does have a leader's jersey to defend!)
Tonight's Perth ride was great, with Carolin making it up this way on her day off. We made it just past Playfairville before turning around...too bad we didn't have another hour of daylight so we could have done a bit longer tour!
All for now!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Week #20: Rained out, but...
So on Monday I drove down to the shop and chatted with Jenn for an hour or so. At about 5:30, it was pitch black and looked like 9:00pm! Needless to say, there wasn't a lot of motivation to ride...so at 6, we left. Of course Mike was standing outside where we didn't see him--ready to ride. I had already decided not to go at that point, so wished him a good ride before heading home. Turns out Chris joined him a couple of minutes later, and they got in about 40kms in the pouring rain. Good for you guys!
On Wednesday night, the Perth group had seven riders out on a beautiful night. A new route for some took us out 10 to Richardson Side Rd, across highway 7, and up to 511 on County Rd 7, then up to Balderson and back via Glen Tay for about 44kms. Good ride!
On Saturday, Matt and I did a bit of a tour up to Ashby Lake. We set off at 7:30 for a 118km ride through some of the nicest roads in the area! However, we once again managed to pick one of the hottest days for a long ride, and it turned into an epic ride. By the last 30kms or so, we were both pretty much dead, and were crawling along just praying for the end. Of course, instead of the end, all we got was more hills! We arrived at Ashby Lake in 4:06 or so, for an average of 28.8, which is pretty good considering the last hour or so we maybe averaged 22! Our ride back on Sunday was looking a bit touch-and-go, since my legs were toast! The remainder of the day was spent swimming in the lake, sitting and socializing on the dock, BBQ'ing and the like.
With a bit of rest overnight (I think I may have actually slept for 8 hours, which is quite impressive!) and a fantastic breakfast (thanks Jim and Lorna!) we set off to do the same route as Saturday, only in reverse. Luckily the temperatures were a bit cooler, and there was little direct sunlight to fry us on the pavement! After a tentative start to get a feel for the legs, we got into a comfortable pace that took us most of the way home. Consciously hydrating myself (Saturday's bonk and headache could only have been from dehydration) and eating more consistently must have helped, as I was feeling quite strong. The miles ticked by and before I knew it we were 30kms from home. Seeing this, and judging how much was in my legs, I asked Matt if he was feeling ok--the affirmative reply lead to a bit of an increase in the pace, and especially for the last 18kms or so from Playfairville to home we hammered in pretty good. Our average at the end of Fallbrook road was 30.8km/hr, and I figured we'd be able to get it over 31, so a bit more of an effort took us to Glen Tay, where Matt turned in a huge pull to lead us back into town. The time check as we rolled into my driveway put us at 3:46:48 for an average speed of 31.27! That's a bit better than Saturday!
Once I get a chance to download the GPS data and route profile, I'll add a link here. My feeling is that there was an overall downhill trend on the way home. That and the tailwind certainly helped with the average speed! Overall, it turned out to be a fantastic ride, but shows just how important proper hydration and food consumption is!
On Wednesday night, the Perth group had seven riders out on a beautiful night. A new route for some took us out 10 to Richardson Side Rd, across highway 7, and up to 511 on County Rd 7, then up to Balderson and back via Glen Tay for about 44kms. Good ride!
On Saturday, Matt and I did a bit of a tour up to Ashby Lake. We set off at 7:30 for a 118km ride through some of the nicest roads in the area! However, we once again managed to pick one of the hottest days for a long ride, and it turned into an epic ride. By the last 30kms or so, we were both pretty much dead, and were crawling along just praying for the end. Of course, instead of the end, all we got was more hills! We arrived at Ashby Lake in 4:06 or so, for an average of 28.8, which is pretty good considering the last hour or so we maybe averaged 22! Our ride back on Sunday was looking a bit touch-and-go, since my legs were toast! The remainder of the day was spent swimming in the lake, sitting and socializing on the dock, BBQ'ing and the like.
With a bit of rest overnight (I think I may have actually slept for 8 hours, which is quite impressive!) and a fantastic breakfast (thanks Jim and Lorna!) we set off to do the same route as Saturday, only in reverse. Luckily the temperatures were a bit cooler, and there was little direct sunlight to fry us on the pavement! After a tentative start to get a feel for the legs, we got into a comfortable pace that took us most of the way home. Consciously hydrating myself (Saturday's bonk and headache could only have been from dehydration) and eating more consistently must have helped, as I was feeling quite strong. The miles ticked by and before I knew it we were 30kms from home. Seeing this, and judging how much was in my legs, I asked Matt if he was feeling ok--the affirmative reply lead to a bit of an increase in the pace, and especially for the last 18kms or so from Playfairville to home we hammered in pretty good. Our average at the end of Fallbrook road was 30.8km/hr, and I figured we'd be able to get it over 31, so a bit more of an effort took us to Glen Tay, where Matt turned in a huge pull to lead us back into town. The time check as we rolled into my driveway put us at 3:46:48 for an average speed of 31.27! That's a bit better than Saturday!
Once I get a chance to download the GPS data and route profile, I'll add a link here. My feeling is that there was an overall downhill trend on the way home. That and the tailwind certainly helped with the average speed! Overall, it turned out to be a fantastic ride, but shows just how important proper hydration and food consumption is!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Cooler nights bring...
...the first hint of fall, and thoughts are turning to 'cross season. And who can think about 'cross season and not think of "Thongs and Cross"?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
