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Tuesday 29 April 2014

Paris to Ancaster 2014 Race Report

So after annoying Paul at my Local Bike Shop (LBS) BicycleWorks all week to get my bike ready for this race...Thanks Paul!!



Another epic Paris to Ancaster is in the books...and here is my view of the event.

The day started with a text from CptSydor, who alerted me that he had woken up with the flu (no, not even the 40Creek flu...the real thing...) and would not be racing.  Kind of a shame, cuz the P2A is one of the races he really focuses on, and he always does well in.  Next year, Cpt...luckily he has VV to take care of him.

VV


Then...as I went out to load my gear into the truck, I noticed a low tire on the truck...and this...





Yup....screwed!!  Well being the handy mechanic that I am, I quickly repaired it (ie: I drove to the gas station, to pump it up and hoped it would hold for the day), and on I went.

Lois drove Fig and I out to Paris, then took off with MaRiot (yes my mother is visiting this week)...to meet us at the finish later.  Fig and I joined up with his race team Rock & Road Cycle, where Saywell, Blaze, and Duke (who are all on the team) were preparing (and a few others who are too fast and skinny for me to remember their names).

Duke


We all wandered down to get into the start paddock somewhat late...we were well back in the paddock...




Yeah...Martin, and Spinner (evil opponents I was hoping to vanquish) were at the very front of this pack.  It would be tough to catch them...if not impossible.

Anyways off we went.  At fricken breakneck speed!!  Superfast start!!!  And I had not properly warmed up...I felt like I was riding in 3 feet of water...sluggish and slow.  And the start of this race is always a bit of a mess...from sketchy road corners, to sketchy potholed gravel...where a rider went down in the middle of the pack, causing mayhem....to a bottleneck in the railtrail.  The Rock & Road team had separated and pulled away from me in the mess...and I pursued, and managed to catch them...just as we came out of the railtrail.  Then it was up the first sketchy steep loose but short climb....and riders in front were off their bikes....and running.  So again, I got separated from the Rock & Road team...and the next kilometer after the loose climb was a soul sucking false flat...I could see them a couple of hundred meters ahead, but I had blown myself up to catch them the first time...and I knew I wouldn't catch them here.




What the heck is that??  I don't know...just thought it was funny...and it kind of fits...if you look at it out of the corner of your eye...

Anyways...it took me at least another half hour of racing to rightly warm up...then I was ready to go.  And so I went...catching a group and drafting (I am learning this skill...kind of...); waiting for a faster group to go by...then draft them.

The problem, for me...with the drafting thing is that you always feel that your group is going too slow...but they are going faster than you can go by yourself.

About an hour into the race...I reached into my 'bento' box for food....grabbed a gel and the entire contents of the box caught the wind and went scattering behind me.  Well great...no more food...well let's see how this plays out.  Hopefully, better than this...



(In the end, the missed food didn't really come into play...)

So through the rolling gravel roads...through the muddy double track...over the energy sucking, lung tearing soft grass of the farmers fields...and the crazy mudslides...

Here is a video from a buddy in one of the mudslides...it is kind of slow going in there...but 'hint'....at least watch to the 1'45" mark...

Stacking it in a mudslide

Anyways, on I went trying to catch anyone I knew.  I eventually caught Duke, and meandered on.  Then I caught Blaze unexpectedly on a road section...then I think he partially Figged out in one of the soft farmers fields....and off I went.

Blaze


After the final mudslide (which seemed to go on forever...), I knew there was only about 5kms to go...so I gunned it (well it felt like I gunned it...).  With about 3kms to go the course came down a narrow gravel road descent, under a bridge...was very, potholed and curving left.  Cruising under the bridge about 40km/hr I ducked inside the left curve to pass a small group of 3-4 riders...just as they cut left to avoid a pothole or 4.  One of them caught my front wheel, and boom!!!  Down I went...onto the hardpacked road.  I scrambled up before I could realize if anything hurt...gave my head a shake to work out the cobwebs...looked down to see a piece of my helmet on the ground, picked it up and put it in my teeth; then carried on...gunning it...sort of.  Felt kind of like this...



Then the last km...Martin's hill...a climb...muddy and deep holed at the bottom...starting at about a 6% grade...working steeper to a 12% grade near the top, of looser gravel with narrow bands of clean hardpack...a complete lung shredder after 65 kms of racing.  Really separates the determined from the sheep...many end up walking it.   Then once over the hill (ya that' me...over the hill), its about a 50m dash to the finish...(dash??  haha...)....then it is totally OK, to Fig out....Saywell....or just cry...

Anyways...as it turns out...Fig and Saywell had an epic race to the finish where Fig edged out Saywell (they beat me by 5 minutes...dammit).
Fig on the final climb (yes he is smiling cuz he is a few bricks short of a wheelbarrow)...


Saywell on the final climb (see Fig in the background gaining on him...)



Fig and Saywell made up at the finish...


Sorry guys!  Had to fit one more cat pic in somewhere!!  :)

Anyways...Oggie...a machine of an adversary I am working to catch...beat me by 2 minutes;  Martin and Spinner (remember...the front of the paddock boys...) beat me by 1 minute.  John kicked all our arses, finishing 55th!!

John

One last Kat pic (actually this is John's motivation...)






OK, OK...that's it...really.



There...more appropriate.

Anyways..I finished at 2'29".  236 out of 1218 overall.  26 out of 226 in my category.  Not terrible....but not great; was hoping to do much better.  Poor start...bad crash...So more work to do.  What does that mean??

Stay posted!


PS:  If you are not completely bored to tears yet...here is a local TV stations (CHCH) report on the race.

CHCH Race Report



Friday 25 April 2014

Paris to Ancaster - The Preview

So the P2A is upon us once again....this weekend.  What??  You know not of the P2A??  Inspired by Paris to Roubaix, the Paris to Ancaster has taken place for the past twenty years, covering approximately 70 kms from Paris, Ontario, to Ancaster, Ontario over the roughest farm lanes, trails and gravel roads in the area. Combined with unpredictable spring weather and the largest field of riders assembled in Canada, it has become a classic race experience for everyone from average riders to Canadian Olympians.  And it is happening this Sunday!  (Sorry, this paragraph kind of sounds like a radio ad or sumpin....anyone looking for an ad writer??) 

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!!!!   

OK, OK, enough already!!

Anyways....back to the race.  For the most part the race is rolling gravel and rail trail (where I really have to learn to draft, if I want to do better than I have in the past)...have to learn to tuck in and be incognito...




Unfortunately, I kind of stand out...






Anyways...from my perspective...here are some significant points in the race....

The weather...so unpredictable for this race; there have been years of heat, wind, snow, sleet...all weather imaginable...but almost always wet, considering the time of year.

Kind of like this...




Seriously...this was my deck just last week.






The race starts off on road, but within a kilometre enters into railtrail...bottleneck city!!  The wet railtrail always sprays you with a fine mist of mud coating your glasses...take them off and get blinded???

Then after about 10kms of railtrail the trail opens up into Sharps lane, a steep loose rocky hill, that if I am in front (unlikely), or if there is a gap in front of me (more likely) is rideable...otherwise it is off the bike to run up the climb with others.  Then the hill is followed by about 1km of soul sucking false flat that is a great opportunity to attack and pass struggling riders.  (Really, I do on occasion pass someone...).

I think I passed these guys once...





OKaaay...next...
Somewhere mid race we hit Rose Farm...a training area for horses...always slow, deep sticky mud...in a fairly open field where the wind and weather adds to the pleasure (not the ribbed kind of pleasure...that's different...).  Often a decision whether it is faster to get off and run, or ride.

There are a couple of fun (sarcasm), mud slides...Powerline mudslide (about 100ms), and Jack's mudslide (about 25ms)...steep, muddy, slippery descents with rocks and roots hidden under the deep mud.  It is not at all uncommon to see this happening here...



Have to give credit to Fig for drawing this pic of my skill level...

And these mudslides always have dozens of 'fans' watching...and photographers...wonder why??  (No it's not cuz EnglishJim will be hanging out naked...that's not till the end of the race...)





Anyways...next...
After passing through Georgetown, back onto gravel road there is a spot where kids set up a wooden ramp just outside their family's driveway...just so doofs like me can pull out of the race briefly to hit the ramp...the kids get a great kick out of it...

The Johnson's Farm.  The raceway comes off the gravel road and runs through the farm where the paved driveway gives way to the loose gravely farmyard, where the Johnson family and friends cheer you on, beers in hand, and watch as riders get sketchy passing from the pavement to the loose gravel.

Finally, after 70kms of full on race pace, when the legs are beginning to cramp, and screaming to quit, comes Martin's hill.  A long, steep, gravelly climb to the finish.  Where fans on both sides of the road remind you of the great shame involved if you get off your bike to walk...don't do it...ride it until your legs scream at Jen's Voigt to shut up!!  Never, ever, ever Fig out!!

(OK...let's explain that...Blaine came up with the term 'Fig out' to define a full on, I quit, fall over bonk...which Fig is often prone to.  The term has since become synonymous with catastrophic failure.  Sorry Fig...)

Don't get mad Fig....I'm not a fighter...




This is more my style...at least post race...and post race beers....





So...that's my preview....

As far as the group I ride with and keep an eye on...most of them will be in front of me ... maybe...

I will let you know with the post race review...so...

Stay posted!!!





Tribute to my sister's Frost...who is now enjoying the Rainbow bridge sitting on his dad's lap, and playing with his brothers Levi and Boothby.


Tuesday 15 April 2014

Homage To Ice Race Report...and Recovery??

The Homage to Ice is one of DanOfSubstance's races (Substance Projects...Dan's race promotion company); it is the first of a Marathon XC race series.  So I had this race scheduled for some time...Fig didn't; but I talked him into entering at the last minute.  Fig preferred to go the day before (go Friday for the Saturday race, there were cabins available at the race site), so that's what we did.  The cabin was great...although bunk beds can have their negatives...like this...







It was all good though.  Now, Fig is a bit of a sleeper-inner (actually he suffers from congenital sleep apnea...seriously)...(P.S.- congenital is not the same as genital...look it up).  Anyways...the race start was 8:30am; I was geared up and ready to warm up at 7am...this was Fig.






Sorry for the graphic pic, but be glad it wasn't more like this...






Anyways, Fig did get up...ate a pound of lasagna for pre-race breakfast, and drank two cups of beet juice.  Who can do that??  If I did that, I would have to find an outhouse on the course, plus pee 5 times!!  Oh well...it works for him...and proves the difference in individual biologies I guess.

OK...sorry for getting off track...back to the race.  After fumbling with my iphone/bike computer (this is a story for another posting...some day.)...I got started towards the back of the paddock.  Luckily Dan had the race start on a couple of kms of gravel road which gave me an opportunity to move up the pack some...then a small drop off a brick step, a small log drop into a grassy switch back (very creative Dan!), into a bit of muddy/snowy double track that led into '45'...a steep, loose, lung-busting trough of a hill..but the pack had not thinned out enough yet and the hill caused a bit of a bottleneck.

Then '45' finally opened into a short bit of clean fun single track (perhaps as much as a km) with a couple of small logovers.  The singletrack then came out into double-track/forest road...thick in snow just starting to soften up as the day warmed up.  And here is where I struggled...and got passed and passed and passed.  Just enough too heavy, I continually sunk through the surface of the snow...while many others, light racing waifs, floated over...

This went on for several kms (maybe 8-10?)...then thankfully we came out onto road (because of all the snow Dan decided to throw in some gravel road into the course...about 10km or so...very grateful Dan!!) where I managed to gain some ground and make a few passes.  The road had a turnaround point (indicated by Wilson the volleyball in the middle of the road), which directed you back up the road against the flow...which was awesome!  It gave you the chance to see who was in front and behind you!  As it turns out JeffS was well in front of me (the 'S' in JeffS stands for Superfast!!!...cuz he is...), Unglued was a couple of hundred meters behind me, Fig was close to 1km back.  (Fig kindly gave me the finger as we passed; which meant he was inspired to catch me!)

While the road was a godsend of a break from the snow, there were several long steep rollers ... enough to keep it challenging...but then of course it had to turn back into the snow trails.  Different snowy trails...but same story of struggle and woe.  Then the snowy double track/fireroad dipped into a couple of hundred metres of singletrack that Dan had cut into 2-3 foot deep, soft, heavy snow...then the cleared bit ended in a two foot wall (guess digging that gnarly snow was a bit of a back breaker, Dan?).  For the next 2 kms or so it was hike-a-bike (it is now determined that running with a bike through deep snow is not my forte...but at least it was mostly downhill)  then the singletrack openned up  back onto snowy doubletrack/fireroad trails where a combo of hike-a-bike and struggle riding continued.

Then the trail turned left and downhill for the lengthy descent into the start/finish to end lap one of two.  I got going a good 30 to 40 kph down the snowy hill...when my bike sank a foot into the snow...and I did my best rendition of metis superman...without superman's graceful landing.

Actually, I think this guy would make a better superhero than me.







Anyways, the crash actually hurt a bit...but at least the photographer missed it.  Get up, quick inspect of bike and man...and continue on to begin lap 2.

Lap two...started with more of same as lap one plus a front wheel washout wipeout.  Then JeffS went past me like I was standing still (apparently he took a wrong turn on lap one and ended up behind me). Then we hit the road Wilson the volleyball turnaround...and there was Fig behind me...close...less than 200 meters.  I pounded the road in an attempt to put some space between us before the snowy trails.  When I turned into the trails I looked back...Fig was nowhere to be seen...but I knew there was a good chance he would catch me in the snow.  And he did...the snow had gotten worse as the day warmed up.  Fig caught me as we turned into the singletrack hike-a-bike section.  He can run faster with his bike than I can...but he was still in sight as we dropped into the final descent to the finish.  I flew down in an attempt to catch him...just to do another spectacular superman...this time the photographer almost caught it...he was just a millisecond too early...you can see the pic here if you so wish.  I don't feel too bad; JeffS did the same thing and the photog caught a great pic of it here (don't tell Jeff I showed you!!).  Anyways, Fig ended up beating me by about a minute...kudos to Fig...deep, deep shame to me.  Riot 1- Fig 1 so far this season...

Have to give Kudos to DanOfSubstance...he is a race course guru...given the circumstances.  The course was challenging, somewhat of a gong show at points; we all went in knowing what to expect and, most importantly, it was fun!  Again...seriously...




So how does one recover from a race day?  Well, how about a 100 km hill training ride with a local race team?  Actually Fig rides for Rock & Road Cycle Race team (as does CptSydor, Blaine, and Adrian), they had planned a 100 km hill climbing training ride for the Sunday, and I was graciously invited to join them.  So Sunday morning I rode out to Figs house and from there we rode to Rock & Road to join the ride.  And hey, JeffS was also there.  How tough was it?  Well less than 10km in...riders were dropping like flies...literally, but that is a story for another day.  Then hills...hills...hills...1152 metres of climbing in all.

A couple of pics...courtesy of JeffS.
Blaine leading the group.





Adrian in the lead early on.











What the heck is that??  Well the pics were getting too serious.  And there was only one cat pic so far...I know how much you all (both) love them.

OK...back to the ride.  So, in some of the early hills Fig and I, attempting to conserve our energy to ensure we had enough to get to the finish, were spit out the back of the group...Blaine hung back with us to make sure we didn't pass out in a ditch.  Did JeffS conserve??  Heck no..he was up front the entire time with CptSydor, John...and the rest of the group...all blazing fast guys.  Did I mention, JeffS is an animal?!  We stopped about 60 kms in, at a country gas station to refill water, and grab a bite.  It gave me a chance to catch my second wind.  Enough to give me the opportunity to do my part and take a couple of pulls of the group on some of the flat sections.  Then, eventually...home...trashed....done.  A couple of recovery days then back at it.  Till next time...and what may that be?

Stay posted.


Thursday 10 April 2014

On Buttertart, Fig'sTdBronte, and Homage2Ice

So...Tour de Buttertart...a 100km road ride in my local 'neck of the woods' where we hit several (3) bakeries to sample their buttertarts...and end at Cafe Domestique for recovery.  Sounds like fun, eh?  And really it is...even if it is touted as a no-drop fun ride...much to the chagrin of those on their first ride of the season (Hint:  don't make a 100km ride of any pace your first ride of the season); the speed gradually (or not so gradually) ramps up as we approach the next bakery on the route.  Especially when you get competitive guys like Adrian and Blaine up front, or dirty players like CptSydor (who attacks from behind when you are at the top of your pull into the wind, or attacks when you pull out of the pace line to blow your nose...dirty, dirty, dirty), or guys like Unglued (sorry I can't say anything about Unglued....he is a lawyer...ooops...was that too much??).





What is this???  I don't know....lawyers and bad reincarnation kind of go hand in hand....don't they??  Plus I had to get a cat pic in...I didn't think this qualified...




Anyways, even more than those that made this their first ride of the season, I was impressed with Vern, who rode a rigid, single speed, Mountain bike (fat tires and all); with Oggie who set the pace up front the entire ride on a cross bike with the rest of us on 12oz (yes oz....ok maybe not oz) carbon, skinny tired road bikes; with all the female riders kicking my arse at half my weight (yeah, who am I kidding...virtually everyone out there was half my weight).

This is a pic of the group at one of the stops...




Anyways...a great ride was had, buttertarts were eaten, recovery beverages were consumed, and as my small town paper gossip section used to say; "a good time was had by all".

We were all lickin our lips!!




Yeah...stretchin it with this one...

Fig missed the Tour de Buttertart.  He was racing in the Tour de Bronte that weekend (Fig now races for the Rock & Road Cycle team).  The Tour de Bronte has a Dirt Dash (a mountain bike race on gravel roads) on the Saturday, and a road race on the Sunday.  Fig came in second in the Dirt Dash in his category (out of 5 entered...3 DNF'd...shhhhh); and he came in 5th in the road race on Sunday.  Fig won money, so he was happy...guess he's going pro now...




Actually, Fig's training over the winter has taken a hit for medical reasons...so he is not quite in the shape he would like to be in right now...but he says he's workin on it.  Hope so...he is my tag team partner for the 8hr races, and the 24 hr race coming up...

Maybe Fig should recover like these guys...






Or not...

Finally, I am gearing up for the Homage to Ice.  This is the first of Dan of Substance's (Substance Projects) XC MTB Marthon Race Series.  Around 65km of racing up in Mansfield this weekend.  I hope conditions are good, but they have had a ton of snow up in that area this winter...so it could be challenging.  Oh well....should make for good stories...or at least for a good blog post next week!

So...stay posted!!