2010 Racing Season

Ok it's been a while since the last post. I only did 3 races in 2010. The 8x12 weekly Series was cancelled. I missed the Squeezer due to the fact that we sold our house and were moving that week. I was looking forward to racing at the Valley Park CX race in September but that race was cancelled as was the Winter W.O.W Race. Luckily my Sponsor "All the Right Gears" was very understanding. So this is what I accomplished this past year. April 35 km St. George/Ancaster Race. Held in conjunction with the Paris/Ancaster 60 km Race. Overall 126/541 40-49 Men Cat 32/107 Time 1:44:18 This race has some very fast riders in it. In my category, if you want to finish on the podium you have to be fast enough for the overall podium. Unfortunatly, I started near the back of the field. I had to make one last trip to the washroom, which caused me to be a little late getting to the starting line. At the start of the race, I stood there watching the leaders ride down the road and out of town. It felt like an eternity until I could start out and do some racing. I made great progress through the course until I got to Powerline Rd. Instead of shouldering my bike down the mud slide I chose to ride it out. Doing so caused my back wheel to get so jammed up with mud I had to dismount and clean it with a small stick. Once it became free I set out to make up for lost time. My race pace resumed and I started picking off competitors once again. The race is finalized by a crippling climb on Martin Rd. I always practice this climb on recreational rides so I know how fast I can tackle it. On this day I ascended faster than I ever had before. Picking off casualties, walkers and riders all the way up. If I could see them I passed them! At the top of the hill I hammered all the way to the finish line which I heard the voice of my Mother in Law calling out my name. She sounded surprised to see me! I wanted to turn around and do it again I loved it so much. I can't wait until next year to do the 60 km race. Fathers Day: The Lake to Lake Classic 55km Race Overall 274/684 40-49 Men Cat 74/180 Time: 2:43:24 This was my first attempt at the L2L. I didn't really know what to expect. I thought there might be more road than there was. So I started up front in wave 2. This was my first time starting at the front of a wave so I wanted to take advantage of the position. Upon the first km We were riding around 38 km/hr. I pushed hard until I found myself in the top ten of the wave. In my attempt at cycling glory I neglected to pay attention to my Heart Rate. 15 km in I realized I was hammering at my climbing Heart Rate! This mistake caused me to develop serious leg cramps by the half way point of the race. I was forced to ride the rest of the race in recovery mode. I was very upset at myself but vowed to race smarter from now on. The finish line follows a tricky descent that you can get some air time part way down, then bottoms out in sand at the beach. As I crossed the line the race announcer saw me and said "crossing the finish line with a smile!" That moment always makes me smile now. As for the 3rd race, lets just pretend it didn't happen. Lessons learned: 1 Shoulder the bike though the mud. 2 Line up at the front. 3 Recover frequently. 4 Pay attention to the HRM! I'm planning on entering more races in the 2011 Season. Frost Bike, Tour of Pelham, P2A, L2L, Weekly Races at Kelso, the Squeezer and maybe a couple of Ontario Cup Races. It would be nice if the 8x12 Series started back up! I plan to make the people that helped me get here very happy. More to come soon: Steve