ICU Mountain Bike Racing

One Lousy Racing Season

2011-10-09T13:00:00.002-04:00

Sometimes the best laid plans fall short of expectations. This season consisted of only 2 races due to some nagging injuries. The Tour of Bronte and the More Cowbells Cyclocross Race were the only races that I competed in. Due to some confusion with my registration, my name doesn't appear on the results page at the ToB. As well I'm listed as a DNS in the Dirt Dash. Next season I hope I won't have to worry about switching races. At the moment I prefer to race in the road bike race but we will wait and see. At the cross race, it was my first attempt at that discipline of cycling. I absolutely loved it although I selected to use a dry condition tire and the course was quite wet in some places and I had to ride at a conservative pace. Doing a cross race on a Mountain Bike didn't make anything easier either.
All I can do now is start re-training for 2012 and get to some more races.
I wish everyone a safe off season.

Tour of Bronte (I took a knife to a gun fight)

2011-04-11T20:09:00.004-04:00

The Tour of Bronte is now the first race for 2011. My wife Cindy and my friend Mike came out to show some support my way. I was originally entered in the Mountain Bike race but due to an unexpected rear wheel problem I switched to the Master 3/ Elite 3, 64 km race. I was entered as a Master 3 (35 yrs of age and up). I had no idea what to expect but all I can say now is that those elite guys are unbelievably fast. I got dropped at the opening sprint. All I could do was keep my pace and stay out of trouble. There was a crash on the first lap that took out a few guys and there were some mechanical DNF's. As for my bike, well, I should have brought my good bike. I took the 89 Concorde because I thought it would be more durable for the rough road sections. It held up well and one of the front runners said it was a sweet bike but I'm not as fast on it as I am on my Allez. Next year I'll be more competitive. I have no idea where I finished this year but it was somewhere in the back half of the Master 3 field. The next race is the Good Friday Race in Flamborough. Results will follow.

Here's a clip of me at the Tour of Bronte.

Racing Season is Coming!

2011-03-19T19:53:00.002-04:00

I am excited about the 2011 racing season. At the moment I will be racing in the Dirt Dash 30 km race at the Tour of Bronte. I will be in the 60 km Paris to Ancaster race as well. There are plans for the Liberty Bikes Summer Series, the Lake to Lake, the Squeezer and maybe one or two O-cup races. If the Winter W.O.W Race goes we might be there. The Crank the Shield Race is not running this year, but I plan to be ready for it in 2012
I've been slowly increasing my weekly riding. I think I may have overtrained last winter. During last summer I felt tired and had trouble finding speed. I know I can be fast, but I have to keep from burning out half wy through the season.
Right now I'm having a little trouble with Back Spasms but I think I can get past it. At least for the shorter races that is. The longer races like P2A and L2L may be painful. I may have to stick with races that are 40 km and less in length.
I was planning on doing the St.George to Ancaster but Shawn talked me out of it. If he beats me at P2A I'm going to steal his chain the next time we line up at the start of a race.

2011 Race Schedule

le Tour de Bronte April 10

Paris/Ancaster April 17

Liberty Bikes Summer Series May 18
(every second Wednesdy)

Lake to Lake June 19

Squeezer Sept 25

I'll keep you posted with results and remember, Go Hard or Go Home!
Steve

2010 Racing Season

2010-12-12T14:30:00.009-05:00

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

Training For The Squeezer

2009-09-20T20:37:00.002-04:00

It's hard to believe the Squeezer is upon us. I've been training for the past couple of weeks. I went with Shawn and Jay to Kelso and to the Short Hills with Shawn, Pete and Chris.
I think I'm ready to knock some time off of last years time.

Here's a Vid from Kelso

Sad News

2009-07-27T20:23:00.003-04:00

Michael R. Collins

February 14, 1944-July 24, 2009

Most of the people that know me, know that my Father was battling Cancer for the past two years. I am deeply saddened that on Friday July 24th at 10:00 pm he passed away. I will miss him greatly for the rest of my life. It's hard to believe he is gone.

This year I won't hear him cheer me on at Selena St. in the Squeezer but I know he'll still be watching from above.

I love you Dad

Race Update

2009-07-18T21:12:00.005-04:00

Its hard to believe how fast this season is going by. We have had seven 8x12 races already.

Race 1

May 13th finished 123th with a time of 1:01:54

I had a hard time with the run. The course was unfamiliar to me so I just wanted to do the best I could.

After that everything went for a crap!

I came down with a terrible case of lung congestion. I couldn't breathe at all. I was sick for a month.

Race 2

DNS due to being sick.

Race 3

June 10th finished 138th with a time of 1:01:50

Still sick but able to breathe a little better.

Race 4

June 24th finished 124th with a time of 1:07:53

Started to feel like my old self again. I was having a good ride and I felt stronger. The only problem was that my rear tire went flat 3/4 through the race.

I was upset by the flat but happy because the speed was coming back.

Race 5

July 8th finished 97th with a time of 0:54:54

Now I'm feeling faster. 7 mins faster than the first race. I also had my personal best run so far. Usually I'm almost last in the run but this time I was about mid field at the start.

Well the season is past the half way point and I'm finally riding the way I was at Easter time.

I'm going to give it all I've got for the rest of the season and maybe we'll pull off some decent

finishes.

Race 6

July 22nd finished 88th with a time of 0:55:49

The race course had some greasy spots due to rain but it felt good. Until I hit a spot on Suzanne Trail that looked good but had no traction at all. My bike slid out and I hit a tree with my handle bar, my neck, my shoulder, then landed on my back. I was a little bruised, and my bike was fine.

It's probably a good thing I'm not really fast.

Race 7

Aug 5th finished88 with a time of 0:54:05

Not much to say about this ride except that I kept thinking about my Dad. I was hoping he was watching from above. I just wanted to get through the race with a decent time and get home safe. Enough said.

Race 8

August 19 finished 94th of 126 with a time of 0:51:42

Best race of the year! This was the last race so I pushed myself as hard as I could. I thought I was going to puke a couple of times from climbing hard. I knew it was going to be a good time and I'm quite happy with the improvement during the whole season.

Tour of Hamilton

2009-04-12T19:43:00.003-04:00

Happy Easter:

Due to the fact that I have a very supportive wife, I was able to get in a ride this morning. I started from home and headed to the lakefront. Basically I did an around the Bay ride, but when I get to downtown Hamilton I head for the escarpment. Then I head East to the rail trail that takes you to the top of Mt Albion Falls. From there I take the Red Hill Valley Trail home. I have no idea how far it is but it has to be at least 45km's. I did the tour in 2hr5min. I felt strong through the whole ride. In fact I think I could have put in about 15 more km's without feeling like I over did it.
The Paris/Ancaster Race is coming and it looks like I won't be making it. I'm not too upset about missing it.
The good news is I will be competing in the Liberty! Bicycles 8x12 Series in St. Catharines on Wednesday nights starting in May. I registered this week and I'm excited about it.
The schedule looks like this:
May 13 & 27
June 10 & 24
July 8 & 22
Aug 5 & 19
If you're in the area stop by and enjoy the fun.

More race dates to come. I'll keep you posted.
Steve

Riding with Stitches

2009-04-10T20:53:00.008-04:00

Hi everyone: This week I had an unfortunate accident. Cutting my left hand on the web between my thumb and index finger. The result was five stitches. It was very difficult to grab and hold onto things. I knew that riding would be painfull but I was more concerned about pulling a stitch. I decided to ride as far as I could. With a little help from the good people at Advil the ride went smooth. The only time I had trouble was shifting in and out of the chainrings.

I rode with some people that I met on the trails today. A couple of them sounded interested in the organizing a club for group rides. I hope that we can get something started. Riding in a group is a lot more enjoyable than riding solo. We have a lot of choices of where to ride so it isn't always the same route. Getting together and sharing the reasons why we ride mountain bikes as a club, makes for a strong community minded organization that can do more to help others.

Hope you like the picture of the goofy looking guy and his new bike. There is a certain type of joy that can only come from hitting some muddy trails!

So long for now,

Steve

2009-04-07T19:50:00.004-04:00

Hi everybody! Training is going well but this little cold snap outside has me a little down. Oh sure I could go riding but I started getting used to not having to wear three layers of clothes.
I found this video that was taken at the start of the '08 Squeezer. My cousin Ron is the guy on my left. Sometimes I feel like I'll always be trying to catch up to him. One thing's for sure, I'll always keep trying!

2009-03-31T17:39:00.002-04:00

I like this picture taken at the 2008 Off road sqeezer.

This is a '98 Devinci Cameleon. I've had it for several years but a knee injury prevented me from riding for quite a while. Last Spring I decided to get back on and see what I could do. Four months later, I was 50 lbs lighter and headed to my first race. The 32 km race was challenging and fun. My race time was 1hr 59mn. I was extremely happy with my finish. The most memorable part was hearing my dad cheering me on at the last hill before the finish line. I didn't see him but I sure did hear him. After I crossed the finish line and came to a stop, my dad, his wife Colleen and my wife Cindy all gave me a big hug for finishing. It is a moment that will stay with me forever.

The 2009 Squeezer is going to be the big annual event for us. Although I will now be riding a 2007 Specialized Stumpjumper. This new bike is awesome! I can`t wait to race it. This bike handles like a dream. Pictures are coming soon. See ya soon. Steve.

Upcoming Races

2009-03-29T18:25:00.003-04:00

Hey Y'all: Race season is starting soon and the training is going well. Long distance rides are feeling strong now. Technical rides are better than ever. I don't know if I'm going to make any races in April, but when May hits we'll be racing for sure. It's amazing that I'm planning a season of races since I've only been doing this for about ten months!

The whole family is excited about this summer. We are looking to have a lot of fun.

Update coming soon for the first race of the '09 season for ICU Racing.