Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Tremblant Canada Cup

Just got back from what is so far my biggest race of the year... Tremblant's Canada Cup. It has been 5 years since i raced Tremblant... and things have definately changed. Many of the really rough, rocky sections that i remember struggling through have been filled in with gravel or had lots of the rocks taken out, so it made for much faster riding in some sections. But the downhill has changed since 5 years ago, and it was pretty wild. Another major change was getting to play in the AquaDome with the kids before and after the race... not really a "Pro" thing to do... but definately fun!!! So after some traditional Quebec Hospitality, i was able to weasle my way up to the second row at the start, and marked the top 4 that were called up from Baie St. Paul the previous weekend.... "Don't let them get away, Barnes." So off we go.... really hard. I dropped back from about 5th wheel to about 15th in the matter of a minute, but once we got to the feed zone, everyone backed way off, so i kept my pace and found myself in 2nd at the singletrack. Rode with the leader for a bit and then jumped ahead before a tricky section of bridge / rocks to try and get a gap, which i did. So it was half a lap in, i had the lead and was feeling pretty comfortable... until a Quebec rider caught me and pulled through. "Hmmmm.... he must be fast in the singletrack so i'll ride his wheel until the village and then jump him...." Not so fast in the singletrack.... and not much of a draft on the bike path since he was sitting on a lapped rider from the previous group. "Have a rest, drink and take him in the village Barnes...." so when i pulled through, i pulled through pretty hard. I got a nice gap and then kept riding a hard and comfortable pace that i knew i could hold. Had a bit of a panic attack in the 2nd lap when i crashed pretty good on the downhill.... cut my knee and scraped my arm... but the first thing i checked was the bike. "You can heal, Barnes.... but the bike needs to stay in one piece...." Phew.... Came out of the downhill the last time very fast and hammered the bike path... a nice way to finish a hard race, up through the village with all the spectators. I finished in just over 1:30, so we probably could have done 1 more lap, but overall i was quite happy with how i rode the rocks, steep hills and tough descents. Next week it's off the Hardwood Hills... one of my favourite places to ride so i'm hoping for another good finish at my sponsor's main event. Now i just need some time to let my knee heal and some sleep.... travelling with the wife and kids is great... but the Luke and Jake were too excited to sleep past 6am....

Monday, May 18, 2009

Albion Hills O'Cup #2

Step #2 for the Ontario Cup series is now in the bag.... and it was a tough one. I was going in feeling really confident and happy to be wearing the leader's jersey (Lifesaver Stripes)... and then i came across Andrew Croutch (True North) in the parking lot. Oops.. forgot about him and how strong he is. We were at each other for the entire race... him working me hard in the power, rolling double track and me working him hard in the single track. We were out front for the whole race and it came down to the last 3km. After Long, Running Mud Bog #1 there is a slippery climb that i was climbing pretty well with my mud tires, but Andrew was having a hard time with his tires packing up. I got a bit of a gap, looked back and saw that he was still running his bike, and gave it everything i had left. Flew through the last bit of single track and hammered the lap of the finishing field to end with a 35sec lead.... a very hard, long and tiring race. But i was greeted with smiling faces and hugs from Barry Near, Emily Batty and Adam Morka... a great day for all of us, and a great way to spend my birthday.... and Happy Mother's Day to Sue!! The Trek Toronto Race Team finished with 7 or 8 podium placings... WOW!!!So day of rest, some hours of bike cleaning and a good weekend of training has prepared me for Canada Cup #2 (#1 for me) in Mont Tremblant... should be a fun weekend away with the family and a great place to race. Check back in a week for the report from Tremblant....

Sunday, May 3, 2009

One of those days...

We've all had them... payback for the Good Luck Days when we've just missed the rock that would have given us a flat, when tires hooked up again just before we crash, and when we somehow make it past the crash at the start of a race... but when the Bad Luck Demons visit... there's nothing you can do. So it started with a 3.5 year old yelling "Daddy Daddy come find me!!!" at 5:56am... going to be a long day.... Riding home from the kids swimming lessons.... tempo day and the weather looks pretty good... until 30min in.. Uh Oh... those are some pretty dark clouds and the temperature is dropping. Start the tempo and things are going okay... a bit tired but understandable. Finish the last 20min tempo session when... Uh Oh.... i'm out of water and food and i still have an hour to go... i can make it... Uh Oh... that nice tail wind i've been enjoying is now going to make it 1:20 to get home.... Uh Oh... starting to bonk... small breakfast and small lunch before riding.... Easy spinning gets me to a gas station for water.... but... Uh Oh.... forgot my money for a snack... i can still make it... Uh Oh.... the wind if kicking up and blowing harder in my face.... Almost home... all i can think about is a Coke and brownie... Chris Carmichael says that would be best... Uh Oh.... just flatted 10min from home.... great... call the wife for a pick up... Uh Oh... she's nowhere to be found.... Wobbly legs and fuzzy head finally gets the flat fixed... at least i brought a tube... Finally get back home.... stummble downstairs looking for Coke... only diet.... iced tea... only diet.... 1 last Ginger Ale ... phew... Now for my brownie... The only good thing about bonking.... i can have a second brownie... Glad today wasn't a race day.... :)~