Tofino
December 26th 2009
It has become a bit of a Christmas tradition for our family to come up to Tofino over the holidays. We rent a cabin on Chesterman's beach which gives everyone in the family plenty to do, from walks/runs on the beach and surfing in the waves.
This is the first year in numerous where I am able to surf again. Due to various injuries in my arm/shoulder/ribs, I've been kept off the water for far too long. This year however, I'm back at it and am enjoying myself tremendously! It came back to me fairly rapidly as I shed away the rust and played in the surf in North and South Chesterman. The waves are perfect for me to get back to it, not to big and not too choppy, underneath a endless blue sky radiating nothing but sun. A very rare occurrence here in Tofino!
This year, our family is short one, as my sister Daniela is working in CAR (Central African Republic) for the next 9 months. She is there as a nurse working with the organization MSF (doctors without borders).
I hope all had a very Merry Christmas and will begin the New Year with a Bang! Happy holidays to all!
Canmore
December 20th 2009
After a stressful final exam period which demanded as much energy and stress as a psycho girlfriend would, I jumped on a plane and took myself to Canmore for a few relaxing stress-free days. Although my brain got a rest this past week, my physical fitness got a kick in the ass with daily skis and runs.
Magi whipped me into shape and made me feel incredibly out of shape and incredibly slow as she killed me every day skiing. While I was at or beyond my threshold, she would be cruising in front of me talking away, barely hitting her zone 1... As frustrating and humbling as it was, I was lucky to get some good pointers and tips from a top skier! Although the list of things to work on is too long to write down, I'll try and pick away at them in hopes to one day give her a bit of a workout when she comes out with me... (I know catching her is not an option)
If we weren't skiing, Magi took me on night time snow runs (deep snow in runners, good combo!) up and along the highline trail, we climbed up the back side of Chinaman's Peak, and amidst vigorous chastising, went backcountry snowshoeing with a few friends down here from Edmonton. Apparently "snowshoeing" is looked down upon here in Canmore as being 'lame'... although going through meter deep powder, jumping down cliffs, scrambling up gullies and crazy carpeting back down seemed anything but 'lame' to me! I will yet make a convert of Magi one day!
Back home it is today. Unfortunately not too directly and instead via Kelowna, a mistake on my part when booking the flight... but it will be a brief stay in Vancity as it's off to Tofino for a few days of surfing and Christmas with the fam.
Now that training's began again, there should be more frequent updates...
Term 1 Classes Done!
December 8th 2009
First term of classes are completed! This marks the time to get back into the swing of things with training. Being the first year I will spend in the cold wet north for the entire winter, I have decided to embrace winter and its activities and make the best of it.
I feel like I've grown out of the 6am road rides with a headlamp and 16 layers of cloths to protect myself from the pouring rain... instead, I've taken up running, (yes I know, hardly believable) XC skate skiing and ice skating. Along with a few gym sessions a week, this is keeping me well busy and active and will hopefully bring my fitness up to appropriate levels by the end of january.
Starting January, I will finish my last term at Langara College which will allow me to transfer to third year at UBC come September. I'm looking forward to moving on from Langara, away from the high-school atmosphere. I have set up courses next semester to accommodate some good consistent training. I don't ever start before 2:30pm, which will give me the morning to go riding (if dry) or then skiing up at Cypress. I'm looking forward to this as a regular routine has definitely been lacking these last few months...
Now with classes done, I only have 8 more days of stress and studying to fulfill my 5 final exams. I'm trying not to look beyond the week as I have a fun little trip planed after my exams...
Good Adventures
December 8th 2009
My friend Magi paid me a visit on her way home from Maui. Tanned and fit from riding 2 weeks in the sunshine, I took her into the snow as we went to do a run/hike up the Chief in Squamish.
We went up to the 2nd and 3rd peak in the grey and drizzly weather. I had only previously gone up to the first peak, so this was new for me too. As we leave the tree line and start scrambling up the granite slabs of the chief, the ground becomes covered in snow. It got quite sketchy and slippery as we walked up the rock like we were walking on glass balls. Nice and gingerly. Any sudden movement would result in slipping and subsequent falling. The tripod stance was a popular one, to try and get across off camber slopes of the rock.
Unfortunately, there were not too many great views to be had as we were fairly engulfed in clouds. As we made our way towards the third peak, we snuck a look between the rocks and were able to see down to Squamish.
Coming down from the third peak, the trail seemed to disappear. The trail had been taken over by the creek, which has now turned into a river. The terrain was so steep, we pretty much had to climb our way down a continuous waterfall, trying not to slip into the water. It was a ton of fun though, and Magi got all the style points on the way home as she boosted off rocks and logs and laid out her insane hang time with grabs and spins!
With delicious treats from Galileo (coffee shop) waiting for us in the car, we made our way home and towards the Canucks hockey game. This will be Magi's first initiation into live hockey!
More Gear!!!
December 5th 2009
More and more gear! This is a great start to the year! I have joined (or will attempt to join) the XC ski crowd this year in an attempt to stay off my bike when it rains.
Magi was kind enough to put together a great set of gear to get me started! Although my skill level is not on par for the quality of the gear, I hope to do it justice by using it very frequently this year.
I was lucky enough to get Magi to give me some 'pro' tips up at Cypress in the pouring rain. Now with a pass to Cypress, I will hopefully be well on my way.
Bikes!!!
December 1st 2009
Some new gear from Rocky has arrived! I've got a pair of sweet new bikes for the winter which will be a blast to get out on.
On the road, I've got a very pretty Solo 90 carbon bike which comes in incredibly light, right on the legal weight limit with the pedals, and rides super fast and stiff! I'm holding off putting on fenders until the very last possible moment...
For the dirt, I got a fun play bike, Rocky's "All Mountain" Altitude platform. It should provide me with some fun times on the rocky, wet and muddy North Shore Mountains this winter! Even with 5 inches of suspension on the front and the back, it still pedals like a champ of a XC bike! Fast, nimble and fun!
Good Adventures
October 31st 2009
As my 'holiday' from training comes to an end, here are a few things that have been giving me a break from school...
I took in a great Canucks win with my buddy Devon. We came across a pair of tickets the night of the game, graciously given to us by our friends Erin and Jaime. Thanks!
Halloween was a bit of a gong-show. Two nights of partying in a row left me pretty burnt out. I really felt like I was getting old when I couldn't hack staying out all night the second night... Dressed up as a 'Hipster'. The Vancouver phenomenon of skinny jeans, deep V-neck shirts, mustache and riding fixie bikes... what is wrong with people???
End of Season 2009
October 2009
Here is a quick update. My season finished after Trans-Rockies where Marty and myself took 6 stage wins on our way to the Overall Win!
Now, I am back at school at Langara College where I continue to work towards a Human Kinetics undergraduate degree. I am very busy at the moment, taking 5 courses but plan to get back to my preparation for the 2010 season very shortly.
I look forward to 2010 where I plan to do a few more stage races and work towards qualifying for the World Championships held in Canada at Mont-St-Anne, Quebec.
Trans-Rockies 2009
August 8th 2009
On my way to Trans-Rockies 2009 whoop what! Riding it this year again with Marty and we're looking to improve on our last year's 3rd place finish.
We are well equipped once again this year with Tara once again coming out to do some Massage and Physio, while my buddy Aaron is out for round two to wrench on our machines. Both Marty and Myself will be flying the Element Team for the race, complete with Maxxis UST tires and Lezyn seatbags filled with their tools.
This year we will be rolling in a quad cab Nissan V8 Titan all wrapped up in Rocky logo's and decals! It looks pretty sick! The truck will be towing the Federau Family RV trailer, a 26 foot luxury mobile which we will call home for the next 10 days! It even comes complete with green turf to spread out in front of it!
Believe it or not, but this RV is pretty much the first time that I've unpacked my bag since I've left Tucson! Feels pretty good, but it's pretty sad that it's gotta happen in an RV... Won't have much internet connection during the week, so look for updates after the event is over. I've posted some pics of our set up and some from the start of day 1.
Also, Patrick Graham asked me to answer a few questions for him that he post's up on his blogspot... feel free to check it out, link is below.
Well... here goes 7 days of pain! Why do we do this?
An epic day to say the least... (Part 2)
August 4th 2009
The shit show continued as I was icing my ankle and shins, the bike was getting worked on, and the monsoon like rains just kept falling. I've never seen it rain that hard for that long... It was the type of rain that is normally accompanied by a thunder and lightning storm and that passes by after a couple of minutes. But nope, not this one. An hour before the race it started and kept going right through the race.
Because of the rain, I elected to skip the warm-up almost completely, as I would have gotten colder if anything. I spun around for 5 minutes prior to the start did a few sprints, then bundled up in Valance's jacket and waited for the call up.
Race got underway and thankfully the organizers did do a good job in making the track mostly rideable. There was an insane amount of mud, and it quickly became a race of attrition. My start was half descent and I worked a keeping it consistant, and picking people off one at a time. This was truely a race where my experience in wet singletrack did me good as I was riding the back end of the course much quicker then most all of the Euro's!
I was running well, in the high 30's and well in front of the 80% cut off going into the last lap. I climbed the major climb, and was looking forward to the last 2km's of descending to finish this epic race. Just as I passed the last tech zone and started into the descent, I felt my bike slowing more and more. Soon, I was forced to pedal, then pedal hard while going down. It got so bad that eventually the bike just came to a dead stop. I got off and saw that my pads had worn right through the metal backing and the piston had come out so far (no pad to stop it) that it jammed out of the caliper and was no longer retracting, thus making it impossible for the front wheel to spin. I was choked big time as I tried to fix it and one after another, people passed me. That is so hard to take after you've put in 2 excruciating hours of work to be ahead of those guys by a few minutes...
The brake was unfixable, and by that time, nearly everyone that had not gotten lapped out had passed me. So, I slung my bike over my shoulder and started to run the remaining 2km. It took forever, but on the positive side, it at least happened on the last lap and allowed me to finish up. I eventually finished over 20 minutes back well after everyone, in 47th place. Still very respectable considering the circumstances.
Waiting for me at the finish by the Rocky tents, was the PoPo, wanting to debrief the accident. So wet, cold and bonking, I jumped in the cop car and word for word had to describe the incident. It took forever since the cop was a Frenchy and wrote super slow and totally phonetically in English.
Now it was Poutine and Ice Cream time!
An epic day to say the least... (Part 1)
August 2nd 2009
I don't really know how to start this report. I don't know how to prioritize the various events that made this day so epic... So, I will just begin from the beginning, and take you through my August 2nd, in Bromont Quebec.
We woke this morning in the hotel in which we'd been staying for the past week. We set up a nice little kitchen in the corner with a plug in 2 burner stove top, had our majic bullet and coffee grinder ready to go and our dishes neatly put away in the chest of drawers. We were at a fairly swanky hotel on a golf course where I got the impression that we stuck out like a sore thumb. They already didn't like the fact that we brought our bikes into the room, and came knocking a few times inquiring about the 'scent' that would waft out of our room when we were cooking. So, Sunday morning, morning of the race, we slept in, made breakfast, then started relaxing before we'd head up to the race pits to get ready. In an untimely decision, the hotel was overbooked and we were informed we would have to change rooms that morning. This was shortly before we had wanted to leave and the rain was starting to come down outside. We started lugging up all our stuff to the new room, up a floor, in the elevator less hotel. Of course, our new room had just had it's carpets cleaned and it stunk like wet dog in there. We had no time to argue as the rain was starting to get harder and harder and we needed to get up to the pits to change our tires.
After moving it all, we got all suited up and started out for the race site which was a 10-15 minute ride away. We were cruising along side by side going up a straight hill, without any oncoming traffic on the other side. It was a 50 km/h zone and part way up the hill, we hear a little toot of the horn behind us. Marty looks back, and I move in closer to him, giving the car plenty of room to pass us. A split second later, I am greeted by the car's front bumper, and got a salut by the car's mirror on the way through, as I get flung into Marty beside me and we both end up a ways to the side in the ditch! I pick myself up, separate my limbs and my bike from Marty's and start up towards the culprit's car which had stopped 50 meters up. Marty secured the witness who was in the car behind and full of rage, adrenaline and fury, I start giving the driver a solid piece of my mind. I made sure to pick words that even a francophone would get the idea of what they meant. Without any remorse or concern, the older lady in her 50's, simply said that it was our own fault because we were riding side by side. I was beside myself but knew that arguing would lead no where. We got her and the witnesses information, and started back up towards the pits, now complete with bumps and bruises, to get ready for the World Cup.
While the crew at Rocky Mountain checked over our bikes and put on the appropriate tires for what was now full on monsoon season in Bromont, the police were called so that we could file a proper report. An incident as deliberate and malicious as this one was should not go unpunished.
Now was the challenge of trying to refocus for one of the biggest and without a doubt one of the fastest races of the year... all while holding some bags of ice to my body...
Race report and pics of the race to come in next post.
World Cup Saint-Anne
July 26th 2009
Why is it always that when we leave for a trip out east to go racing, we seem to always be leaving Vancouver in it's prime with beautiful weather, and a few hours later we land somewhere in the dreaded east under cloudy skies and rain. I'm sick of it. It is no different this trip as I spent last weekend racing in Saint-Anne, the first of the two Canadian stops on the World Cup Circuit, in 12 C rainy weather when there is a 30+ C heat wave at home. These weather and temperature discrepancies will never change my negative outlook on the east and as Marty so eloquently put it the other day, we are still trying to figure out what makes 'la belle province' so "belle" anyway???
Back to the race. As I said, first stop of two Canadian destinations on the UCI World Cup Calender and I'm out here with my team-mate Marty and our team manager Peter for these next two weeks. This year, the field at Saint-Anne was particularly packed as the race venue will host the UCI MTB World Championships next year. So you had all the countries and athletes sending their top riders over to scout out and preview the course for next year. The course was new from previous years and I must say I found it to be one of the hardest and most technical races that I've ever done. There was a man-made rock garden decent that gave me a good scare on every lap.
With a stacked field, I started well at the back of the field as this was my first World Cup of the year. In fact, 94th was my start position, and after everyone seemed to pull the 'euro' maneuver of moving up before the start while I wasn't paying attention, I quickly found myself even closer to the back. For those of you unfamiliar with World Cup starts, they are mass starts with everyone going balls out up the first climb to try and get ahead as much as possible before the field hits the first bit of single track where the pack inevitably bottle necks. Bottleneck indeed happened and 2-3 after the gun, I found myself having revved my engine 110% to 0 as I was back to standing in the trail, waiting everyone to fit between a large rock and a tree. Great! It's not like I'm not already racing the fastest guys in the world, but it seems that I'm even giving them a head start...
After a while, things started to finally spread apart and I found myself a rhythm. I was cruising along well, felt like I had power in my legs and was picking off riders one by one. Cyclists tend to bunch together, so I would try and jump ahead to a group and throughout the lap work my way through them.
The way world cups work is that if you are within 80% of the leaders time, they pull you off the course but still give you a ranking in the order that you're pulled. They do this so that the leaders don't need to overtake lapped riders and every world cup, more then half the field gets pulled. Up until last weekend, I had never finished a WC, in fact, the closest I ever got was getting pulled with 2 laps to go. It's hard when you are starting at the end and after the bottle neck, you are already placed at such a disadvantage... So knowing this, the strategy for WC's is usually not to pace yourself but just go balls out for as long as you can, because you don't know how long they'll let you race. This is what I did but unfortunately, or fortunately, however you look at it, I came around for the last lap completely ready to get pulled but no, i was sent out to complete the race. I was gassed, no more power, finished, hosed, however you want to say it, I was in rough shape. I crept my way around the course for the last lap which made my day in the saddle much longer then originally expected and much longer then I am used to. I was in so much pain during that lap... I can't even describe it. I must have had a winning suffer face on! That being said, I was very pleased with my race, quite happy to have finished it in its entirety. Glad that my legs were feeling better then they have.
Next weekend is Bromont World Cup. Lets hope for another good showing.
Canadian MTB Nationals 2009 update
July 11th 2009
Quick update after nationals. We went off at 2pm, an hour or so after it started raining pretty good. The course held up but the roots and rocks just got a bit slicker.
The start was fast and I was having difficulties staying with the chase group. I eventually was forced to drop off a bit and settle into my own pace. I was eventually joined by Erik Batty and Adam Morka (the trio from Tucson) as we rode a few laps together. Morka dropped off the pace a bit, and I made a bit of a move to get away from Batty, but unfortunately I had a big yardsale of a crash shortly after. I scrapped myself and my bike off the rocks surely leaving quite a few skin cells behind, but get back on the steed, still in rideable condition but sans front lockout and a severely damaged lower leg on my forks. It was all mostly still working so it was up to me to get it back together and get my mind back into it. I coasted in no mans land between Batty and Morka for most of the last lap but started picking it up again near the end, closing much of the gap to the 8th place Batty.
I didn't quite track him down and ended up in 9th place, only 2 or so minutes out of 6th place. 6th-12th were all incredibly tight with all of us capable of beating each other on any given day.
Half an hour after the race, after a quick cleaning and a quick snack, we were 3 abreast in Mark Lazarski's pimp, 1993 Lincoln Town Car! After a hot, muggy drive back through rainy quebec, we arrive 6 hours later into montreal, grab a hotel for 4 hours of sleep, then it was back to the better half of the country on a 7am flight. We were in vancouver by 9am, enough time for brunch, nap, unpacking and a spin!
Canadian MTB Nationals 2009
July 9th 2009
Yesterday I went out to ride and preview the course which I will race this Saturday. The weather finally turned and we saw the first bit of sun of the trip! The course is in great shape and is a ton of fun to ride. The ground is nice and tacky, and despite the recent rain, there is almost no mud on the course. This will be a welcome change from last weekend!
The organizers have done a great job with the course making it very spectator friendly by having it lap around itself numerous times. Without even moving much, you can probably see the racers 5-6 times per lap! There are a bunch of man-made sections and berms that make the course flow very well and allow you to keep your speed into the corners. There is even one part of the course which has the racers riding underneath a waterfall! Pretty sweet stuff. I'm looking forward to Saturday, although it will be killer hard but knowing that it'll be fun at the same time.
Today, is just an easy spin on the road, still trying to locate an elusive coffee shop that has an espresso bar, but I'm close to giving up, it seems to be a hopeless case in rural Quebec...
Cool Pics from Canmore 2009
July 8th 2009
Here are some sweet pictures from the Canada Cup in Canmore that Patrick Graham took.
They're some pretty cool colour separation photos.
To see more of his shots, visit his Flickr account which is linked below.
Mud Wrestling with bikes in Bromont
July 7th 2009
Well, I'm back out east... for what seems to be the hundredth time this summer. It seems like taking up residence here for the summer months would be the smart thing to do but... that would involve actually LIVING here. Visiting on race trips is already plenty for me, as i'm spending the next 5 of 6 weeks out here for the final round of the Canada Cups, Nationals, and 2 World Cups.
I arrived in Montreal last Friday and made my way to Bromont for the 6th and final round of the Canada Cups. The series has not gone as planed this year, so my goal for this race was just to get a solid ride in, and build momentum towards the following week which is Canadian National Championships.
After leaving a beautiful british columbia amidst 30+ degree weather, I was welcomed into quebec with a thunder and lightning storm. Dark and mean looking clouds were all that could be scene and the rain was coming down furiously. Great, another fantastic looking trip to my 'favorite' province.
The rain continued on the next day as I went out to pre-ride. These were rain showers that would soak you within minutes and which as I quickly discovered, turned the race course into a sloppy mud field. Between 4-8 inches of deep thick mud were found pretty much everywhere on the 5 km course and made many sections completely unridable. On came the mud tires, a thin tire to try and cut through the mud, armed with long studs on it to try and dig deep into the ground to give you some form of traction.
I woke up on race morning to find that the rain had finally stopped. Many of you would think that this is a good thing, but contrarily, it made matters much worse. The mud became thicker and peanut buttery, sticking to everything and making riding now not just difficult, but impossible. My fears were confirmed as the race started and within 300m of the start, the pack was off their bikes and walking up the hill. This was not the only walking section as I quickly learnt that over 50% of the course would be walked, or run, where possible.
I finished up just over 2 hours after starting, and a disappointing 7 minutes off Rapheal Gagne's lead. To be fair, he did have a large gap and I was only 2.5 minutes removed from a top 3. This race was one of attrition and in the end, I calculated that if I'd strapped on my soccer cleats and ran the whole thing, I could have come out in a better position. This in my opinion would not be considered the 'optimal' mountain bike racing! Matt Hadley, who finished up in 3rd position, had a GPS which recored his total average speed of 12km/h, nearly half of what the speeds normally are!
Now I find myself 6 hours up north in the doldrums of quebec in the small town of St. Felicien. Here, the Canadian National Championships will take place on Saturday, July 11th. More on that tomorrow after I preview the course.
Race Face Blog up and Live
June 19th 2009
Not like this site isn't enough for me to keep updated, but I now have a blog spot on the Race Face Components website. Race Face is one of my sponsors and they provide the team with great handlebars, stems, cranks and seat-post.
Some of the posts between the sites will be unique, but other times when time is tight, I might do the odd cut and past between sites. This one WILL remain my first priority and main site. (so if you only want to check one, this is the one.)
Below is the link to the Race Face Blogs. From there, select the 'Factory Riders' in the top menu, then find my picture profile (near the bottom, in alphabetical order) to see my profile/posts.
Edmonton Canada Cup
June 18th, 2009
A few days post race, I finally find the time to print up a bit of a report on the race last weekend. (who knows where the time goes...)
Edmonton was round 4 of the Canada Cups. After the first 3 rounds were botched with mechanicals, I was happy to have had a clean race. It was a killer hot day and with a 2 pm start, we were racing in the peak of the heat! The course was located directly downtown in the city's river-valley. It was truly a urban course, but still managed to offer up a hard, relentless and technical course. It was incredibly rooty with with short steep climbs throughout the 22 minute lap.
Right off the bat, I could feel that the legs were not firing on all cylinders. This was something that I was expecting, as I had tailored my training towards the first 3 Canada Cups, and now am rebuilding towards National Championships, 4 weeks from now.
Legs not firing every day comes with the territory, so after hanging on to the leading group for the first lap, I decided to back off a bit and manage what strength that I had that day. I dropped back and rode my own race. This unfortunately had me riding alone for most of the day, which was particularly tough on this course, where you could benefit from drafting in a group.
After 1 hour and 49 minutes of agonizing pain and suffering, not only coming from my legs but also from my ailing injuries, I was glad to be done, and not thrilled but not disappointed with my 6th place finish. The way my training is formated, I'm hopping to improve every week from here on in. I look forward to this upcoming weekend which will serve up a completely opposite course to last weekend. Lots of climbing and knarly descents in the heart of the Rocky Mountains.
Brief Canada Cup #4: Edmonton
June 13th 2009
Finished 6th. No mechanicals!!! finally!!! Legs were a bit flat, but that was expected. Report and pictures coming soon.
Preview Canada Cup #4: Edmonton
June 13th 2009
Former city of Champions, E-town, Deadmonton... however you want to call it, this is the first time a Canada Cup has been held here. What made this new location unique was that the race was held right in the middle of downtown. Edmonton has the river valley that run directly through town which is lined with parks full of fun twisty turny and rooty trails.
Having a race in the middle of a metropolis city is a first, and in my opinion, should be done more often. It exposes the sport and race to a limitless number of people who might otherwise never come across it. Not only does this expose our sport to new people, but it also gives sponsors within the industry a greater population to draw upon. This is the classic situation of which comes first, more money from sponsors to great more exposure, or more exposure to the sport which in turn with attract more sponsors... by brining the race into a downtown area, you are virtually creating a huge market population with even trying. This is why these types of locals and race venues within cities must become more widely used and the norm for races in our circuit. No one benefits from a race that is tucked away a few hours drive from the closest town.
After pre-riding the course today, I was especially impressed with this urban course. With not much elevation to work with, the organizing team managed to create a deceptively tough and hard course. It is spectator friendly and scenically placed with the bow river, downtown edmonton and the old high-level bridge for it's backdrop. The course has a couple of very tough sections in it where you need to carefully pick your line to successfully negotiate the thickly rooted sections.
With a huge industry expo starting to come together by the start/finish area, I look forward to seeing it all come together tomorrow. 2 pm start, and it's supposed to be HOT!
Battered but not Beaten
June 11th 2009
Off to Edmonton and Canmore it is tomorrow for the next two rounds of Canada Cups. Since my last race in Hardwood, my body has been hard at work trying to heal itself. The list of injuries was getting lengthy with a sprained left thumb (I am now shifting with my palm), bruised hip, locked SI joint, fractured rib, and minor concussion. Yep, not good. Headaches and pains on both sides of my body does not make sleeping all that easy...
Last night, I had a scare whether or not I would even be able to take the trip when I found myself in the ER at UBC hospital with severe pain in my ribs. I went down hard in hardwood and know that there was something not quite right in the few areas of the body, rib cage being one of them. After my ride on Tuesday night, something shifted around in there and cause the pain to intensify severely. Unfortunately with ribs, there is not much to do, and the doctor would only confirm that yes indeed, there was a fracture in there and that as long as I could manage the pain, I could race on the weekend. That part was 'good' news for me because I know that there is not much pain greater then what you experience racing, and combined with the adrenaline of race day, I was sure it would be fine!
Off to Edmonton it is!
Brief Canada Cup #3: Hardwood Hills
June 1st 2009
Another rough day at the office. Writing about bad days is always hard. After a bad day you try and put it behind you and move forward, and to write about it you need to rehash it up all over again...
First off, my legs just were not there in the same way they could have been the last two weeks. They felt a little flat and didn't have as much zip in them anymore... I got off to a good start, staying up with the lead group, but could feel the the tempo was a bit higher then I would have liked. I cranked back the tempo and started to ride my own race. The temperature was extremely cold and I was having troubles getting into a rhythm. Unfortunately, my bad luck continued and I was having front derailleur issues on the bike. This limited me to only using the middle chainring for the duration of the race and for those of you who know the hardwood course, that is not a good thing.
Hardwood is a fast tempo'd race with not much climbing in it. Normally, this is a race where you rarely take it out of the big chainring, of which I was unfortunately missing... as i've said before, such is racing and one must roll with the punches. I had very little mechanical mishaps in my season last year, and I guess they are catching up to me now.
After finishing off 3 races with 3 mechanicals, I can very well say that this trip was a success... I am very disappointed and it is a very bitter pill to swallow. It's hard seeing all the hard work you've done and feeling physically fit and prepared but having unavoidable mechanical issues spoil the party.
Now I am off home finally to try and put all of this behind me. Next race is the Canada Cup in Edmonton in 2 weeks. I will now head up to Hornby Island for some camping to try and clear the mind and refocus for the rest of the season. Hopefully the hippy's and spiritual kind up there can bless me with some better karma then I've had recently!
Brief Canada Cup #2: Mont Tremblant
May 23rd 2009
Not much to say here. Another disappointment! Another good start, running in 3-4th position all race when I flatted on the 5th of 6 laps. Unfortunately this happened trying to pass someone in another category (that was going much much slower) in the downhill single-track, but got pushed aside the trail straight into a rock...
One day the CCA will realize that racing 4 categories of widely differing abilities on the course at once is not a good idea. On a national level circuit, the elite categories deserve to get to race on an open course.
Canada Cup #1: Baie-St-Paul
May 17th 2009
Today was Canada Cup #1. A 6 race national series which I look to improve on last year's 3rd overall placing.
First race unfortunately did not go to plan... It was a disappointing day for me, but that's all part of racing...
The race started out under an overcast sky, with the sun pushing through. There was a good field on hand, most of all the major racers in town. Thanks to my good season last year, I recieve a good starting spot, a 4th place call up, putting me right in the middle of the first row!
After a slight delay to the start, we were off at 12:20pm. I got a good start, settling myself into the top 5 going into the singletrack. I felt great, not feeling too overextended in the start, and held onto Rapheal Gagne's (Rocky-Maxxis) wheel. Zandstra went right off the front and quickly got a gap on the rest of us. Fillion, Gagne and myself made up a chase group but it look as if Zandstra was too strong today and was still pulling away. Fillion and Myself were pushing the pace and it looked as if Gagne was not having his best day and was looking like he was struggling.
Close to halfway through the race, my race was ended by a mossy 1 inch thick stick that desided that my wheel looked like a good place to wedge itself in... I was climbing when I noticed that as it worked itsway around with the wheel, it destroyed all in it's path, unfortunately including the carbon cage on my XTR derailler, the frame's derailler hanger, and bending the wheel, cassette and chain. This was not good, and after a quick inspection, I saw that there was no way I could keep going.
This was not the way I was hoping for the season to start, and after feeling so good in the first few laps of the race, this was extra disappointing. But as I said, it's part of racing, and everyone needs to contend with a mechanical here and there. At least I can take solace in the fact that I had some good legs under me, and hope that I can extend that feeling for the next couple of week and exact my revenge at Tremblant.
This week, between the two races, Roddi and me are staying at Kathryn's (Roddi's wife) brother's place in Ottawa, in a nice apartment on the 18th floor of a building. It's right close to downtown and has a killer view! Here until thursday when we'll drive up to Tremblant to get ready for a Saturday race.
Canada Cup #1 Preview
May 16th 2009
I find myself back on the east side of the country for the debut of the 2009 Canada Cup series. I will be on the road for close to the next 3 weeks, as I plan to compete in 3 races, the first two in Quebec, and the last in Ontario.
I flew into Quebec city on Friday along with Kris Sneddon (Kona) where we met up with Roddi Lega (Pedalhead) making his comeback to racing after a year off. Rental car a go, we made our way 2 hours up the Saint Lawrence to the town of Baie-St-Paul.
Saturday, we got up late, trying to adjust to the time change, and made our way out to the race site to go pre-ride the course. Unfortunately, our timing seemed to be off as there was racing going on and we had to wait around for close to 2 hours to be allowed to get onto the course. Once on, we turned a few laps, some easy, some hard to get a feel of the course, and for me, to get a feel for my new bike, that I was riding off road for the first time! I was saddled up on one of Rocky Mountain's brand new Carbon hardtail Team bikes! Although it's been close to 4 years since I've piloted a hardtail, it felt great and when it's coming in at under 20lb. (!!!) there is no complaining to be had.
The course was rocky and rooty, with what seemed to be a ton of steep single-track, technical climbing, which I did struggle with on the new ride but after a few laps, I was starting to feel better and better./p>
Tomorrow, we go off at Noon (EST) and will turn 6 laps of the course. Going by my 19 minute 'hot' lap that I did, this should turn out to be just under 2 hours for the race.
A big bowl of pasta and a good night's sleep, and I should be good to go for tomorrow!
BC Cup #1: Rat Race
May 13th
A few updates to pass along to you.
I started my provincial MTB racing debut last weekend on the sunshine coast, where I took part in the season opener for the BC Cup. Pleasantly surprised with the turnout, it looked to be the largest elite field that BC has captured in years. With no major nationals races conflicting, almost all were present for what set up to be a fun jam.
Marty, Tara and myself took the ferry over onto the coast the morning of the race. We arrived, registered, then went to warm up by doing part of the course. From what I could see, and what proved to be right, the course was a blast, full of great flowing single-track and some long steady climbs.
We went off at noon, and after only having done a half-ass warm up, the start was a grunt, with Calhoun driving a fast pace right off the start and Sessford and Richey (Blue Competition) quickly joined him, helping to put me in the hurt locker. I put my head down, grit my teeth and held their wheels as I knew the first climb was soon to be over. Right before entering the long single-track descent, I moved into the lead and blasted down the trail. To my surprise, at the bottom, I had managed to put a few second gap onto the rest of the field. This was not my intention, as I was hoping to ride with a group up front, as riding alone was much harder to hold off a group that was driving for you.
Starting to climb up again, I chose to set a good tempo, but not kill myself to try and stay away. If they would catch me, that would be alright with me... however, lap after lap I would look back to see no one in sight. At this point I was starting to hit the climbs hard, wanting to stay away. I felt quite good, but made sure not to go all out and kill myself, afraid of blowing too early.
The race went on like this as I soloed in for my first victory of the season. I had held a 2 minute gap on second place Craig Ritchey for most of the race and one of my team mates, Evan Gutherie came in for third place in his first attempt at competing with the Seniors (he's still a Junior!). Marty suffered some bad luck on the first lap having flatted, but came back strong to pass through most of the field to take 4th in the end.
Satisfied with the weekend, I was happy with how my legs felt, and was looking forward to my Canada Cup debut in Quebec next weekend!
Now it's time to set up, pack up and get ready to fly out on Friday.
Hornby
May 2nd, 2009
With my sister coming home from her kayak trip, my temporary residence was being repossessed, and with no clear place available to go and the weather shaping up beautifully for the next few days, it was a perfect time to escape town and go camping for a few days.
At the last minute, I rounded up a few peeps at 5:30am, I dragged myself on my bike loaded with all my camping gear to the bus and sea bus, where Marty was waiting to pick Brandon and myself up to catch the 8:30am ferry. Off we were and 3 ferries later, we arrived on my families little waterfront piece of forested land on Hornby, Setting up camp and getting settled in, we were close to getting ready to quickly go shred a couple of trails of the sweetest single-track in the world before it got dark.
Unfortunately, we ran into a bit of a hick-up before even getting going... as I was messing around with the dull rusty hatchet we keep up there making some kindling for the evening fire. Unfortunately, my aim was pretty much as good as my throwing skills as my finger got in the way of the wood... no joke, 20 minutes after arriving, I thought I had just totally ruined my trip. The axe went clean through the nail and the cut was nice and deep. More disappointed then in pain, we all didn't quite know what to do. The chance of a doctor being on the island was probably pretty slim and how to find him was even more of a mystery... so as per usual, Tara (Marty's GF) was giving us advice via the speakerphone on Marty's Iphone. Of course, being super organized and probably knowing that something like this would happen, she had pack a elaborate first aid kit for Marty. First out of the pack came gloves!!! Marty jumped on the opportunity to slip those bad boys on, and assume the role of my Dr. On the cooler lid, he lay out all his tools and dressings, getting ready to fix me up. Layer after layer of steristrips were placed over the cut, then tape rapped around it all until the whole finger was mummified. Assessing that the finger should be held in place, I slipped my hand into my glove and we set off for our planed rip through the forest.
By the end of the ride, my finger had started throbbing and the glove started getting soaked in with blood. I figured that as good as Marty's expertise were, I might want to go seek some educated help before my finger fell off. So on the way home, we stopped by the portable trailer which acted as the island's doctors office, right in front of the islands dentist, located in an old school bus. To my luck, a doctor was actually working that day and yes, seemed to think it was necessary to sow it up. Not to undermine Marty's craftsmanship, the young Dr. did have a few extra tools in his first aid kit and before sowing her up and going right through the nail, froze it up nice and good with 5 cc of fluid, enough to swell up my whole hand!
All sown up and good to go, the trip went on as planed, with a Canucks viewing at the Thatch Pub, plenty a bond fires on the beach, and tearing up all the trails the following day on Mt. Geoffrey! Spence, a friend of ours from Victoria, booted up to meet us on the second day. We ate like kings with true flame broiled meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and indulged plenty of chocolate and wine to satisfy any cravings I've been building up over the last 3 months.
The clouds and rain rolled in on Saturday, making us depart slightly earlier then planed but after 2 days of 20+ degree weather, we had nothing to complain about! Now it's back to couch surfing and what it seems like - riding in the rain this upcoming week...
Back home - Race the Ridge road race.
April 25th, 2009
Home sweet home. For the last 3 weeks, I was ready to come home. Weather seemed to be improving and I was looking forward to some familiarities that are unavailable while living on the road. Not to mention, I was looking forward to seeing some friends and family, and having some company as passionate as me to watch the Canucks game with.
I arrived back home, not even a week into the first round playoff series with the blues. I was thinking I would get in some good viewing in a tightly fought series... little did I know that my viewing pleasures would be capped at 1 game as the Canucks romped through the blues, taking 4 in a row!
The travel home was smooth after sea otter, as Marty and Tara drove home with my bike and much of my luggage. It made flying much nicer, not having to lug a bike around with you everywhere, not to mention, saved me the risk of being charged another $200 in excess baggage! At home, I settled back in on the floor at my little basement apartment where one of my close friends is subletting it for the remainder of the year. For the first week, he put up with my couch surfing and early bed times/rises, until a bed opened up at my sisters for a few days while she was away on a trip. I guess it was too much to ask or think that I would get away from living out of a suitcase...
This past weekend marked that last weekend of one of my training blocks and I wanted to cap it off with a solid workout. I jumped into the Race the Ridge, a 3 stage BC Cup road race consisting of a circuit race on Saturday, TT on sunday morning and a crit on Sunday afternoon. Not having road raced in earnest for at least 3 year, I was rusty in my decision making and had forgotten how tactical the racing was. I was one of the few riders there flying solo without a team, which made it incredibly hard to join any moves or create any of my own. Right off the bat, I missed what turned out to be the winning break and tried without much success to bridge up to it later. Any move I made was marked instantly by a member of each team. Resolute to staying in the peloton, I made of the race what I wanted, getting in a solid 3h workout out of it.
Next morning was the TT, out at the Pitt Meadows airport. It was a 16km out and back course where riders were started at 30sec intervals. This is where I felt the most out of place. I believe I was one of the only riders lining up without a full TT specific bike, long-sleeve skin-suit, aerodynamic helmet... etc, and felt like I was at a Protour Race over in Europe. These guys were decked out to the nine's with gear and I was there lining up in my flashy 2 piece pink kit, with the same bike that I rode the previous day in the road race. My hair was all over the place, and I was probably frowned upon by the elitist road scene there. Oh well, I got my ass handed to me as I was terrible in my TT, pushing less wattage then I do alone in some of my interval training's of the same length...
After a 3 hour nap between race and some delicious pre-prepared smoothies and sandwiches, the crit in the afternoon was my best showing, feeling like I could have done something had I had somewhat of a team behind me. The legs were there but my tactical sense wasn't. Good learning experience, but I don't think I'll be jumping at the opportunity to do another road race anytime soon.
Sea Donkey Weekend: XC Racing
April 19th, 2009
Just a quick update while I'm watching the hockey game here... Raced the XC today in temperatures in the high 30's. With the world champion Sauser present, the race was quick and aggressive. Hard start but my legs came around after the first 20 minutes of excrutiating pain, then I started reeling in 1 rider after another and moved up from the 50's and eventually finishing in 11th. I am very pleased with this result, as it finished me as the 2nd Canadian, after Plaxton who finished in a strong 3rd.
More details later on... now I need to focus on this game!
Sea Donkey Weekend: Short Track Racing
April 18th, 2009
Day 1 of The Sea Otter began with Short Track racing. Short Track is a spectator friendly race consisting of a mass start lap race around a short loop, that goes on for 20 minutes + 3 laps. This means that it's an all out effort, lung and leg burner. Unfortunately, with this being an American US Cup and Short Track not being an internationally recognized discipline, the call up was based on last year's overall short track series results. Not having competed in the series, both Marty and myself had terrible call ups, starting the race near the back of the 85 man pack. With such a short course (and riders getting pulled if in danger of getting lapped) placed us at an severe disadvantage right off the bat... not harm, no foul, the race was good to get the travel cobwebs out of my legs and get ready for the XC tomorrow.
In the end, I moved up through much of the pack, but not enough to avoid the grasp of getting pulled... finishing off 31st in the end, I was neither pleased nor disappointed. Now it's time to get fed, rested, and get ready for the real show tomorrow!
With the Canucks game 3 going off at 4pm tomorrow and the race starting at 1:30pm, it will be a race to finish up and get myself to a bar to water myself up, and enjoy what will hopefully be another wildly entertaining game in the St. Louis - Vancouver series, resulting in a third straight Vancouver victory... As a result of this, and update from the race might be delayed a bit, but will try and get one up as soon as I can.
This weekend is the last stop of my Canadian Winter Escape, and I will be returning back to Vancouver on Monday.
Trip to Sea Donkey: Tucson to Monterey
April 17th, 2009
Well actually, it's called the 'Sea Otter' and has historically been the unofficial season kick off in North America. It is the largest cycling event in the continent, including all cycling disciplines events: MTB XC, ST, DH, 4X, Road and BMX. The events are held at the infamous Laguna Seca Raceway, by the seaside town of Monterey.
The trip started out on a rough note, being homeless in Tucson for the week leading up to the race as our lease was up. Luckily, TJ was generous enough to offer up his futon at his place for a few nights, until my flight left on Friday. After having learnt that United Airline decreased their luggage weight limit to 50 lbs, I had to leave behind most of all my food I had been planing on taking, and ended up packing until late into the night in order to get it to the right weight... Shuttle to the airport in the morning, and it was goodbye to Tucson, my home for the past 3 months but... Not so fast, there was still a $200 USD fee in the way of me leaving this #@%$# state! $200 USD for taking my bike?!?! What? My ticket cost $75 and my bike cost almost 3X that much? How does that possibly make sense? So for all traveling with bikes (or not) please try and avoid United Airlines for these ludicrous policies!
Off I was to San Francisco, where Marty and Tara (who drove down from Vancouver) picked me up at the airport in one hideous red PT Cruiser (who buys those things???) and we were on our way to our ghetto Econo lodge motel room in the sketchiest neighbourhood in Salinas. Between the 3 of us, we converted the room into a bachelor pad, plugged in the 2 burner stove i've been traveling with, stuffed the mini fridge with fruits and veggies, and converted the writing desk into our kitchen counter. (half my 50 lbs luggage was occupied by the makeshift kitchen I was carrying with me)
Harley Hwy Cruising: Day 2
April 6th, 2009
My second day aboard the sportster took me south east of Tucson towards the small town of Bisbee. I had a long route of 500+ miles planned out for the day but weather had different plans for me. I awoke early, wanting to get a jump start on the day, wanting to hit every road and town in the vicinity. Lunch prepared, daypack set, I motored off, first towards Sanoita. Once out of town, the desert dust winds started to kick up, and as long as it pushed me along they were manageable, but when I switched directions, they quickly became a menace. Rolling along at 70 mph, while confronting 40-60 mph wind gusts proved tiring more then anything as the bike itself negotiated like a rock, steady and straight and kept true to it's path.
Three hours later, I rolled into the town of Bisbee, wind blown and exhausted but very happy with the ride. I knew off the bat that there wasn't much of a point to try and hold course on the schedule i had prepared, so I set out to discover this displaced town which made me feel more like I was in europe then in the southern american desert.
Bisbee was a old mining town, 50 or so miles from the Mexican border, that was founded in the late 1800's in search of gold and copper. The town has maintained much of it's old feeling with it's brick buildings and old mining shacks having been restored and preserved. The town is located on the side of a mountain, making most of the housed only accessible by a network of steep stairways working their ways from door to door. A refreshing site in town was the lack of any corporate businesses or fast food franchises, with all the vendors in town being locally owned and operated. Throughout my walking tour around the town, I frequented no less the 6 different places for an afternoon of sampling the town's best coffee, baking and lunch spots. Vegetation and flowers lined all the houses and streets, which was also a nice break from monotonous red and brown earth of the desert. With 2 family own coffee roasters in town, I often got a nice whiff of the roasting smoke working it's way up the valley with the wind.
In true Tucson fashion, the wind of course, changed it's direction by the time I jumped back onto the bike and once again, I had a nice head and cross wind all the way back to the moto dealership. I arrived, a few hours late, parched, with chapped lips, wind burnt face, and ears ringing from the combination of the rumblings of the bike and the wind rushing by the helmet. I was absolutely exhausted, and never would have guessed that sitting atop an engine would take it out of you that much. It was pretty much straight to bed and off to sleep satisfied and happy! Now I really can't wait to get a bike, and might be thinking that a dual sport might not be the only bike coming into the stable...
Harley Hwy Cruising: Day 1
April 4th, 2009
As I mentioned previously, I had a fairly 'easy' week of training following last weekend's US Cup in Fontana. To give my mind a rest and excuse the pun, switch gears, I traded in my two wheeled pedal bike for a motorized version with a fair amount of horse power more then my legs can produce.
As a few of you might know, this past winter, I took a week long motorcycle licensing course. Since that rainy cold week of instruction in October, I have not had the opportunity to jump back on a bike to take advantage of my new Drivers License that now sports not only the class number 5, but also that great number 6, which apparently signifies my competence upon 2 motorized wheels. I found a place only 2 blocks from my place here in Tucson that rents out Harley Davidson Motorcycles. With my reduced hours atop the pedal bike, I was able to squeeze in a 24h period to go cruise the open road in Sunny Arizona!
My ride of choice was a Harley Sportster, a 1200cc 2 cylinder highway hog that put out over 70 horsepower and has a dry weight of 500 lbs. This was far heavier and more powerful then the bike I learnt on, a Suzuki DR200. Not having had much experience atop a bike at all, this boost in size/power had me a little nervous at first. This nervousness was quickly dispelled by the thrill and joy that riding it produced. The bike was very stable and I felt very comfortable riding it.
So, I picked up the bike after my ride on Thursday afternoon at 2pm. After having packed a small backpack with some dinner, snacks, water and clothing, I set off for my first adventure towards Kitt Peak. Remembering my safe lane positions, follow distances etc. with which I was armed with in my fall course, I safely made my way across town and onto an open, straight desert road which allowed me to get used to the bike at higher speeds. Unfortunately I arrived at the base of Kitt Peak road 15 minutes after they closed it down for the evening... Not to worry, I had a nice route planned out going through some small towns, country and mountain roads, and winding my way south/east down to Madera Canyon.
After getting lost a few times, ending up on dirt roads, dead end roads, and riding well into the dark, I wound my way up Madera Canyon Rd. through a couple of herds of cattle (with some close calls) up to my dinner spot under some great stars and overlooking some distant lights of the city. It was a great way to end the first day of cruising the desert roads!
US Cup #1: Post Race Report
March 30th, 2009
Race one of the season is in the books. Now, back in Tucson, after a long drive back home from LA last night after the race, I'm rested, fed and treated myself to a nice piece of chocolate mouse cake on my spin to epic coffee shop today.
Yesterday, US Cup #1 went off, with numbers and depth in the Pro Mens field closer resembling the heyday of the 1990's of Mountain Bike Racing. The field sported a one of the strongest collection of racers assembled together for a National race since the series was adorned with the NORBA title. With 110 pro men lining up at the start, I was grateful to the UCI points I had from last year which gave me a second row call up, surrounded by Olympians as well as the likes of Plaxton, Shultz, and the rest of North American's Best.
The course was redesigned from last year and greatly improved, sending us up and down closer to the proximity of the venue allowing for much better spectating. The course included one of the steepest climbs that I've ever seen included in an XC race. It forced all riders into their rarely used granny gear to creep their way to the top, trying not to loose traction in the process. A mix between high speed winding single-track and low speed rock garden technical sections, made for true rest on the course next to an impossibility.
In a race that I placed in the mid 30's last season, my expectations were not the loftiest as I rarely go my best at this time of the year. I came into the week having done some hard intensity work during the last 3 weeks which resulted in some mental and physical fatigue to my body. This race was to be the last day of hard work in this first build, and I was looking forward to some much needed rest in the coming week.
I surprised myself a bit in the race feeling much better then expected. I had some zip in my legs, even with some turbo kicking into them from time to time on some punchy short climbs. However when it came to the longer sustained efforts, the diesel engine took over as I tried to maintain contact with the racers around me.
I spend the first few laps riding in the top 15 with fellow Canuck Kris Sneddon (Kona) before I dropped my chain at the start of the steep climb on the 3rd lap (of 5) and slipped into the back end of the top 20. Unfortunately for most of the remainder of the race, I maintained the gap to Sneddon and Morka that had been created but was unable to close it back up. With no one coming up on me during the last lap, I fell apart a bit and let my pace slide a tad.
Overall, I finished up in 19th position and 10:42 minutes back of Kabush. Although not thrilled by the result, I am pleased with it and look forward to improving on it in 3 weeks at US Cup #2: Sea Otter Classic.
Fontucky, US Cup #1 Weekend
March 28th, 2009
On the day of my mom's 60th birthday (happy birthday mom), I find myself in Fontana California. Fontana is about 60 miles outside of LA, and really, not too nice of a place, consisting mostly of a plethora of dirty industries. This however, is the location of US Cup #1, the season opening race on the North American racing scene.
I drove up from Tucson yesterday with a fellow canadian, Cam Jette, (Trek Store Toronto) and we scored ourselves a sweet hotel room complete with a well equipped kitchen for a low price of $35! At this price, one would think that the place is a complete dive, but it's a newish hotel, clean, and quite nice in a great (for the city) area. Total score!
Today I rode out to the race course to turn a few laps to see what I'm up against tomorrow. What I found was a new course design over last year, considerably harder, with killer steep climbing and some fast tight single-track descending. Hard indeed, and at 5 laps tomorrow, should take just under 2 hours to complete. After having Fox take care of some minor issues on my forks, I rode back to the hotel for some bike cleaning and preparation for tomorrow.
It's an exciting feeling being back in the race weekend routine. It's something that you work towards all winter and every year, seems to creep up on you, making you wish you had just a few more weeks of preparation. Prepared or not, it's here now and it's all about making the best out of it.
Tomorrow, 2pm, it's go time, and the season will have started in earnest. With a big tasty dinner and a good sleep ahead of me, I will rest up to my fullest in preparation of the 2 hours of excruciating pain that I will voluntarily put myself through tomorrow... masochist? yep!
Mountain Biking Season has Begun!
March 25th, 2009
Finally, dirt season has begun after many long hours spent on the road. Rocky Mountain Bikes shipped my new MTB down here to the good folks at Arizona Cyclist, (the local Rocky Dealer) where I promptly picked it up and pieced it together in a hurry. I was excited to take it out and tinker around and fit it up to myself. The bike looks good, a new look paint-job for Rocky Mountain, leaving behind their classic red/white maple leaf fade for a more modern looking white dominated frameset. It looks sharp and matches up well with our Fox forks!
After having dialed it in and fit it up, off to the mountain it was. My first ride was up Mt. Lemmon with two Swiss compatriots that I met down here in Tucson. Both Thomas Zahnd and Renata Bucher ride for the Stockli - Craft, Swiss Cycling Team, with Thomas specializing in MTB Marathon and Stage Racing, while Renata is an Xterra specialist. Thomas showed us a great trail, real close from my house called 'Bug Spring Trail'. After climbing up the mountain for 12 miles, we had an hour long descent down flowing single-track with a mix of rocky technical sections, trail picking through slick-rock and cactus dodging around corners. It real nice to feel dirt under the rubber once again rather then asphalt, it had been much too long! A few days later, it was my turn to introduce Emily (Trek Toronto) to the trail to give her some off road practice before she flew out to Chile for Pan American Championships. (where she gold medaled in the U23 race!!!) The trail was as much fun as the first day as we wound our way down from the pine trees into the barren desert landscape.
After a couple of days and feeling more comfortable aboard my ride, it was time to take it out to the track and race it. Off it was to an Arizona Cup race, a two hours drive from Tucson. It was held on a US Military base where we were all instructed to bring along photo ID, and proof of vehicle registration and insurance. I was hitching a ride with a couple of Americans, TJ and Chloe, and foreseeing that my BC drivers license would most likely not do, packed up my passport, just in case. Sure enough, as we rolled up, I seemed to get 'special' treatment considering my Canadian Citizenship. The gate guard had a disappointed look on her face as she grabbed my passport and informed us that I being Canadian, was not allowed onto the base without a US Army escort... yep, that's right, my threatening stature was feared among the yankees and we had to wait outside the base until someone was able to 'escort us' to the race site. I did feel special, especially that they could think that I had it in me to 'espionage' or do some 'spy reconnaissance work' for my country, their neighbours up north. Shucks, now I was unable to take all those 'spy' photos with my escort standing by me...
There is not much to say about the race... it did not go too well. With Tucson being the chosen training grounds for many elite cyclists, the top end of the field was stacked, with some world talent lining up beside me. So much for hoping to find my racing leg while flying under the radar. Not so much... Off the gun, the Shultz brothers, Sam (Subaru Gary Fisher) and Andy (Titus Hayes) put on a clinic and time trialed away from all in the field except for Tim Allen. The race only confirmed my suspicions that I had built a pretty good diesel engine but had not yet added the turbo boost into my legs. That construction project was in my plans for the next 2 months of training. I finished 4th in the race, not a terrible placing, but a lengthy 6+ minutes back from Sam. (who had gone on to get Silver at Pan Am Champs last weekend...)
So, with a few training rides and local race under my belt, the time has come to try out my legs in earnest in a competitive setting. This weekend is US Cup #1, in Fontana, outside of LA California. The competition is sure to be fast, with everyone wanting to get the season started on the right foot and show everyone their winter training efforts. Although a good result would be welcoming, my approach to this race will be a little more conservative. Having just recently introduced some intensity into my training, I know my legs won't be in top form quite yet. However, this race will be a valuable tool for me to asses my current strengths and weaknesses that will help shape my training in the coming weeks.
I will try to keep the posts current this week and keep you guys updated on this inaugural race weekend. Also, more pictures of the bike will be posted once all our sponsored equipment and new clothing comes in. Please check back soon.
2009 Road Partnership with West Point Cycles
March 13th, 2009
For the 2009 season, I am thrilled to be representing West Point Cycles while racing on the road. Wearing their flashy pink and white kit, I will not be hard to spot within the peloton, hopefully making it even easier by placing myself at the front of the pack!
Throughout the season, I will be onboard a beautifully hand-crafted Titanium and Carbon 'Legend ST' Serotta Bicycle. This bicycle is one of the finest bikes I have had the pleasure of riding. It has a great balance of comfort and performance, making my long winter days in the saddle an ease and giving me the extra snap and performance when needed in races. I look forward to completing much of my training aboard the Serotta as well as pushing it to it's limit in races!
West Point Cycles is one of the most established and respect independent bicycle retailers in the Lower Mainland. In their 79 years of business, West Point Cycles has a storied history, with many of Canada's cycling industry pioneers having passed through it's doors and having had some of Canada's first mountain bikes constructed in their basement! They have two locations on the west side of Vancouver, one in West Point Grey and one up in Kerrisdale. West Point Cycles is a bike shop catering to all cyclist, from the recreational enthusiasts, to the working commuters and all the way to professional level racers. For more information on brands/products carried in the store and contact information, please click on link below.
New Supporters
March 10th, 2009
I am happy to announce that 2 new businesses have come onboard to support me in my endeavors for the 2009 race season.
Newly recruited this year is Dr. Clawson, a dentist operating in the Chilliwack, BC area. If you are located in that area, please help support my sponsors and consider his excellent services for your dental work. For business and contact info, please see link below.
Returning sponsor that has lent his support to me over the last few years is MC Equities. MCE is a Investment Property Acquisition and Management company that has it's corporate office in Vancouver BC and manages numerous properties throughout the United States.
Stay tuned for news on my 2009 road and mountain bike sponsors within this next week.
Updated 2009 Race Schedule
March 9th, 2009
Please note that there is now a 2009 preliminary race schedule posted in the 'races and training' section of the website. There are some conflicting races that have yet to be determined.
From Sicko to PORTICO
February 23rd, 2009
This morning I woke up for the first time in a couple of days without an being severely bloated and my stomach pounding. Sparing you most of the juicy details, I have been sick for the last few days going without much of an appetite and unable to do much more then spend my days in bed trying to make up for the missed sleep of the previous night. Sleep did not come often and luckily, my illness fell on one of Canada's greatest days: 'Hockey Day in Canada', which kept me entertained for a full 9 hours of good wholesome Canadian hockey match-ups throughout the day!
This morning however, I felt like I had finally turned the corner. I was hungry for a good breakfast, was looking forward to my coffee, and was excited to get back onto the bike to try and see how the body would react. After fueling myself up and emptying myself out, I grabbed my ipod to make sure that it is charged and to upload the latest CBC Radio3 podcasts. There are 3 new podcasts that get released every week (Sessions, Grant Lawrence, R3-30) and I spread them out throughout 3 rides of the week as 'special' treats. Today, planing for only a short ride, I went to upload the new 'sessions' podcast; a weekly off the floor recording of a new canadian indie musik act. This week's recording was of the Vancouver group called "Portico".
It made me happy to see that Portico in session, who have in my opinion, reached another milestone in their path to indie rock stardom! Having been around when Lyn was putting together the band, I am super stoked on the achievements that her and her band have made in the last couple of years!
Lyn Heinemann, the band's lead singer and a friend of my older sister, moved to Vancouver back in 2004 and rented a room from my mom, where I was still living at the time as well. I remember her determination and enthusiasm when coming to Vancouver into a bigger musik scene, to try and follow her ambitions and start up her project, Portico.
The first step appeared to fall into place when she came home one evening, all smiles and fully inspired saying that she had talked to this 'amazing drummer' (Greg, who still drums for the band) who was keen on her project and had committed to giving it a try. It seemed like this was the budding of the her band, Portico. My mom's house quickly seemed to become home base for Portico, as Greg later moved into the basement suite and his suite quickly started doubling as the band's rehearsal space as the neighbors all became familiar with the early sounds of Portico.
Lyn always made it clear that she wanted to be a rock-star, a famous hot rocker chick. (haha, her words) She always said it so seriously and determined that it was easy to see her commitment to the cause. Her career path and mine are not all too different. Breaking through or gaining credibility is hard for both musicians and athletes alike. The percentage of failure heavily outweighs the chances of success, and seeing her this passionate and committed was very inspiring to me and my endeavors.
While living under the same roof, Lyn was the one who originally gave me a taste of some real musik. I remember one night when I was playing some 'Dido' before going to bed (btw, my musik tasts have vastly improved since...) when Lyn came down and told me I need to start listening to some real musik instead of that crap. Not knowing any better at the time, I was pretty insulted but she followed up her comments by making me a birthday mix a few weeks later, filled with Canadian indie artists that only years later, I came to explore and truly appreciate. She was the one who opened up the Canadian indie world to me. (without me even realizing it at the time) To date, there are a couple of those birthday mixes and to this day, I have never been able to compile a mix myself or had anyone else compile one with a better set of songs together!
The Canadian Independent Musik scene really exploded into my life when I started to listen to CBC Radio3's online web broadcast and started downloading their podcasts. The quality and quantity of musik out there was astounding and this was only from Canadian artists! Off Portico's second album Progeny Blues, came their radio hit 'Sincerely' which totally captivated me. (still my most played song in my itunes to date) The song has an unbelievable hook, great scathing lyrics and Lyn's totally unique, unbelievable voice. The song was an indie hit on Radio3 and making it onto Craig Norris' infamous R3-30 count down! (my favorite podcast) From what I gather (and I may well be wrong here) I think that song propelled Portico into the Canadian Indie mainstream (if that isn't too much of an oxymoron) and received many accolades from the public and musik critics alike.
After listening to the podcast and having bought (yes bought off itunes, not downloaded) their new album, (just released, April 11th) I couldn't be happier for Lyn and Portico for having found a way towards their goals. Amazing musik and amazing people. If you don't already have their albums, make sure you go out and buy them!
Congratulations Portico and Lyn, I'm super proud of what you guys have achieved! I'll try and follow in your footsteps and keep striving for my big break...
Day 7, Pumpkin Pie!
February 18th, 2009
Day 7. 1 day late, but completed the 7 recipes nonetheless. Last day, I had to treat myself a bit, actually, thought I'd treat all in the household with a couple of Pumpkin Pies! mmmm, something sweet an delicious, made myself a nice light soup for dinner so that I could save tons of room for pie and whipped cream!!!
As most that have lived with me know, when I do something, I do it right. No shortcuts, no messing around. Last year, it was our monstrous pancake breakfasts, this year, it looks to be pies. The recipe came from my mom, as she always made us pumpkin pies after halloween. (one of my favorites) As mentioned, there were no shortcuts, everything made from scratch, from fresh, whole pumpkins.
The process was very lengthy, from baking the pumpkins, draining them with a cheesecloth, and then whipping up both the egg whites and the cream by hand. (whisking for over an hour...) At the risk of getting premature carpal tunnel syndrome in my wrist, I went through with it and spend my 'rest' day primarily in the kitchen. The result, 2 perfect golden brown pumpkin pies that tasted as good as they looked!
This meal was definitely a 10/10 and I think my housemates would second that, as we all enjoyed a few slices of pie (with real whipped cream) last night.
As for the recipe, if you are interested in the details, you can email me at stefwid(at)hotmail.com and if you're worthy, I'll forward you the instructions ;-)
Day 6, Butternut Squash Risotto
February 17th, 2009
I've become a big fan of cooking with squash lately. Nice and easy, adds lots of volume and is pretty tasty. Today was a risotto with some squash mixed in at the end.
The meal had a nice mix of savory flavours from the parmesan (mmmmm cheese...), and the nutmeg adding a sweet taste to it. It was fairly easy to make, a little time consuming, having to spoon in the stock over the 20 minutes of cooking the rice, but other then that, very straight forward. I halved the recipe which mad the quantity perfect for me alone, but found that I needed to add some extra fluid to the rice at the end. (got too dry before it was done cooking) Even so, I still found that at the end, the rice with the squash mixed in was too dry and I probably should have added in another half cup of stock.
I like the idea of risotto, something different, but I think i'll try a different variation next time. I give this a 5/10. Also, to get my fix of veggies and protein in, I had a big salad (with brie AND feta in it. mmmmm cheese...) and a grilled piece of steak with it.
Pause in my week of cooking
February 16th, 2009
I've taken a 1 day hiatus from my cooking as we got invited to a dinner at some fellow canadians across town. There I took the liberty of letting loose a bit, had a couple of beverages (brown pop) and gorged myself in yam fries, steak and (yes) carrot cake and bite sized brownies. Heck yeah!
Day 5, Chicken Fajita Tortilla Soup
February 15th, 2009
Another easy day on the bike today had me looking for another lighter meal. Soups are good, large volume but mostly fluid. I found this Tortilla Soup which did not disappoint. Probably the easiest and quickest meal I've made this week but also one of the tastiest.
The recipe was followed, for the exception that I used a sliced chicken breast instead of chicken tenders, and I didn't make the guacamole. (not a big avo fan...) The fire-roasted diced tomatoes was key, giving it a nice smokey flavour to it. It was all served over crushed tortilla chips with cheese over them. (mmmm cheese...) The cheese melted and the chips got half crunchy/half soggy which was delicious!
Great quick easy meal. Give it a 9.5/10. Will definitely make this again!
Day 4, Tomato Sauce with Meatballs
February 14th, 2009
Rotini with Tomato sauce and Meatballs was served up today. The sauce and meatballs were made from scratch and to get my quota of veggies in, I accompanied it by a 'big' salad again. The meatballs were closely followed from the recipe and for the sauce, I used finely chopped tomatoes because I didn't have a can of crushed tomatoes.
The meatballs turned out great! Best meatballs i've made to date. In addition to the ingredients from the recipe, I added in some jalapeno for a kick and extra garlic and a scallion. Added those same things into the tomato sauce but without the caned crushed tomatoes, the sauce lacked the necessary juice which made it more of a minced veggie ensemble of peppers, tomatoes, onions and spices. So, sauce was 6/10 and the meatballs a 9/10.
Day 3, Orange-Scented Beef Stir-Fry over Rice
February 13th, 2009
For day 3, I changed up the chicken for a red meat recipe. I felt the need for some iron and blood! I've always enjoyed the orange, or lemon sauces over stir-fry's that you can often find in chinese restaurants. I've always wanted to figure out how to make a thick sauce that glazes and coats everything on the plate. This recipe looked promising.
This time, I stuck to the recipe pretty exactly except that I used sesame oil to stir fry, added a ton more veggies and only used 5 oz of meat. (because it was only for myself) It turned out very nice, and just like I was hopping, the sauce was thick, sweet and coated everything nicely. The ton of ginger used to stir-fry veggies turned out very nicely and it's flavour was very evident in the end! This meal was tasty as it was, but I'll give it a 7/10, only because I was wishing the sauce would be a little tangier or orangey. If I can get that orange flavour out of it a little more and balance it with the ginger, this meal will easily be a 9 or a 10.
Next time I try this one, and it will be soon, I think i'll try and add some lemon or orange zest to the sauce and maybe a few squeezes of lemon juice. Maybe a pinch of spice might also be good, perhaps a jalapeno or some chile flakes in the sauce.
Served over half a cup of rice, the veggies, meat and sauce without the salad came to around 1300 calories. This is again, if it is all eaten to oneself. Since my rest week (or 4 days) has come to an end, the larger meal was a welcome sight and was enjoyed with a beer and while watching a live Canucks game, streamed over the internet.
Day 2, Squash-Chicken-Coconut Currie over Rice + Veggies
February 12th, 2009
Day two served up a Squash and Chicken Coconut Currie over rice and veggies. Following the recipe, it was meant to be a soup, but I ended up pouring it over some rice and a stir fry.
The 'soup', was based off coconut milk, half a pureed Kabocha Squash (after baking for 40 minutes) and some red curry paste. In it, I cooked 4oz of chicken, and added a few more ingredients to the recipe such as a crushed jalapeno, garlic, a shallot, cayenne pepper, basil, a splash of fish + soy sauce and replaced the water with chicken stock.
To add some more substance to the meal, I cooked up half a cup of rice in some coconut milk, and fried up a ton of veggies in sesame oil, chopped garlic and shallots. A bunch of spinach was stirred into the soup right at the end, and the whole thing was poured over the rice and veggies.
The meal came out very nicely with a good bite of spice to the 'soup'. I will definitely make this again as the squash thickens up your typical curry and adds a ton of volume to it. It is quite filling yet still a very light meal at under 1000 calories. (and that's if you eat it all to yourself - it's a big helping) The soup on its own would make a very good appetizer as well. I'll give this one an 8/10 as it was quite tasty and quick to prepare.
Day 1, Satay Peanut Salad Rolls
February 11th, 2009
Day one was a success. I used a 'Thai Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce' recipe and incorporated it into a spring roll meal. Please see link at the bottom of the post for original recipe.
I made a few changes to the recipe to ingredients I know add a tasty twist to it. I marinated the chicken according to the recipe the night before although used sesame oil instead of canola oil and the flavour stuck very well to the dirty bird. The satay sauce remained the same although I added and extra tbsp of coconut milk, a crushed clove of garlic, half a minced jalapeno pepper, and a tablespoon of sweet chili sauce.
For the spring rolls, I used some rice paper, and filled them with rice noodles and raw veggies. (carrots, cucumbers, bok choy, spinach, red/green peppers and onions) The rice noodles need to soak for 5 minutes in some warm water, and the rice papers also soak in hot water but only for a few seconds then you pull them out, let them firm up a bit again and stuff them! The rice paper sticks to itself so it's easy to make rolls out of them.
The meal was very labour intensive, and should not be made if you're on a time limit. I wasn't hurrying, but I was prepping away well over an hour but the final product was well worth it! Delicious indeed and fairly low calories as the rice noodles and rice paper are pretty light. Overall for 4 fully stuffed spring rolls with 110g of chicken, the complete meal contained under 800 calories.
If it weren't for the labour intensive process, this would definitely be a repeat meal. I'll give it an 7.5/10. It'll be a good meal for rest days when I have a lot of time on my hands.
Seven in Seven Challenge!
February 10th, 2009
One of the best parts of being a cyclist and being able to train full time is the food. Not only are you able to eat copious amounts of it, but you also have a vast amount of time to prepare a nutritious and delicious feast!
Although time is not an issue, I frequently resorts back to my 'favorite' or 'standard' meals, both for ease and familiarity. To break this habit, I started watching the food network at home on a regular basis. It quickly became one of my default channels to watch, to get inspired and try something outside of my 'routine/default' meals. It kept things interesting and my repetoir of meals started getting bigger and broader.
Down here in Tucson, with a lack of TV, I'm missing my 'food network' fix and my regular couch dates with Rachel Ray, 'Roger Mooking with Every day Exotic', 'Curtis Stone with Take home Chef', or 'Jamie Oliver with Oliver's Twist' just to name a few of my favorites... So, with my play-dates unavailable, I've resorted to scanning the thousands of recipes online at The Food Network (link below) for new inspiration. Although scanning recipies online is not as mesmorizing as sitting down one on one with my favorite chef's, at this point it looks like it will have to do, at least for the next few month, and it's allowing me to hand select some recipies that look like they're worth a try.
Over the next week, I will challenge myself to try and make 7 new recipes in 7 days. During this time, I will post the link to the recipe that I made, rate them, and give you all the details on them. I'm already getting excited at the thought of some of the meals that i've selected for the upcoming days! If you happen to want to try any of them and need any additional information or details, feel free to email me at stefwid(at)hotmail.com, or if you have any personal fav's for me to try, I'd very much appreciate them.
As 'hotrod' Lega often said, 'strap on your feed bag'! So, 'bon appetite' and enjoy!
Free Denny's Breakfast Day!
February 3rd, 2009
A week has gone by and I'm getting into the swing of things here. It's quite routine every day in fact: Wake up, Eat, Ride, Eat, Nap, Eat, Stretch, Sleep... and repeat! There is very little to take me out of the routine I've built for myself other then the grocery trips or the occasional sunny coffee shop basking. This morning however, we (all in the house) were up at the crack of dawn, the earliest awakening since I've gotten here.
My alarm went at 7am and I stroll into the kitchen to find Adam all dressed and smiling like a kid in a candy store. It seems as though everyone was all fired up and ready to go to... it was after all: Denny's Free Breakfast Day! Now I'm not sure if this event was limited to the US or if Canada was included in the fun, but this past weekend during the Super Bowl, Denny's had placed an ad (which cost them $3 million!) announcing that every Denny's location would serve a FREE grand-slam meal to anyone and everyone on February 3rd during 6am - 2pm. (no 'catches' to the deal) Since we find ourselves on Feb. 3rd, you now understand why there is a household of ever hungry cyclists itching to get a piece of the action down at the local Denny's!
We rolled up in the Batty's 15 passenger van to the expected frenzy in front of the 'restaurant' and take our place in line. Normally, waiting 30-45min for a subpar, unhealthy, greasy Denny's breakfast would be out of the question, but when you add in the novelty of it being free... well, then it's a whole different story. Wait we did, and when we finally got seated into an open booth 45 minutes later, Grand Slams all around it was! (2 eggs, 2 sausages, 2 pieces of bacon, 2 pancakes all smothered in delicious, salty grease!) The meal did not disappoint and it disappeared from the plate almost as quickly as the Canucks are falling in the NHL standings! After having consumed nearly 1/3 of my day's calories and already having ingested more bad fats then I have in the entire last week, it was time to get myself into that saddle before all the ill effects of this delicious free meal went into effect on my body ;-)
The house
January 28th 2009
I'm starting to get settled into my nook in our house. The place is nice. It's a 3 bedroom bungalow with a nicely renovated kitchen and a big living room, which because of it's lack of lighting, has become the bike room. Unfortunately, it did come unfurnished so we are trying to piece together couches/tables/chairs/lamps from craigslist as we go. Adam and Emily brought much of the kitchen stuff from home (they drove down from T.O) and have already gotten a couch and an extra fridge. (2 very large fridges - very key!)
The house is further East from where I was last year and typically, the further east you go in Tucson, the rougher/poorer it gets. Luckily, it seems like we're in a fairly nice neighborhood with a park and a school nearby, surrounded by the ghetto... That being said, it seems that our house is a fine target practice for the kids next door who always seem to have some sort of weapon in their hands. The holes in our windows (numerous) we believe were created at the hands of their bb guns, but if it's not guns in their hands, it's nun chucks or swords... while the mom looks on smoking from her bong and drinking from the keg on the deck! Let me tell you, this is the 'good' area in this part of town!
The inside is a mix between nicely renovated and ghetto and falling apart. Adam and Emily had come a few weeks before me and said the place was filthy and in rough shape. They did a ton of cleaning, flushing lizards down the drain and fixing light switches that were about to short circuit on your hands when you flicked them on... other then that and the washer/dryer/oven not really working, the place is great and will satisfy our needs ;-)
Back riding in the desert!
January 27th 2009
Straight into riding! Before even getting settled in our place, I was anxious to get out on the bike in minimal layering (truly only shorts and short sleeved jersey!) compared to the last few months! Feeling the warm arm on my skin is a welcome feeling after the last few months in, unusually snowy Vancouver. I waited all morning for my bike and bag to be delivered by United airlines as unfortunately it did not make the connection with me in LA yesterday... As soon as it got delivered, I was suiting up and itching to get going!
For my first ride, I went West from where we live, through campus and up into Gates Pass. Gates was one of my favorite loops last year and is a little climb about 10 minutes from downtown which gives you some nice views and a short thrilling decent down the West side of it. Although adrenaline was rushing, and all I really wanted to do was keep riding, my legs felt heavy from yesterday's flight so I decided to cool it, as there would be plenty of days ahead of me.
Checking out of the cold
Saturday January 24th, 2009
I left the cold weather in Vancouver behind me today. It was nice to step off the plane this evening into the warmth of the desert. Surrounded by palm trees, I find myself once again back down in Tucson Arizona, where I'll spend the next few months training in preparation for the upcoming season.
I'm looking forward to being able to focus my efforts onto the bike so that I can once again work towards having a successful season. Once my bag and bike arrive (oh yeah, which did not make my connection in LA) I'll post up some pictures of our place and the area.
Website is back up and running for 2009!
Sunday January 11th, 2009
I apologize for the long hiatus since the website has been updated. Through a series of unfortunate events to myself and my website designer, the project got placed on hold for the last few months. However, 2009 is upon us and a new season has begun for me. Updates will once again be posted weekly with tidbits of interest from my life.
Check back soon as I will post news and plans for the upcoming season in a few days.
