Halton Road Race

Last weekend, three of us showed up to the soggy Halton O-cup road race. Conditions were grim, early in the morning with steady light rain. By the time the Cat 1/2 riders were off the rain seemed to stop just in time. Things were looking great. The course was especially my kind of course, given the hills.
Minutes before our race, the three of us took a quick spin and had a pre-race chat. I then realised that the tires I was riding on were over-inflated for the wet conditions. 140 psi for a 145 Ibs rider was too much for wet roads. I got off my bike and let some pressure out, but I let too much out by accident. Now I had to find a pump to put a bit more air in. Luckily, I found someone, who I asked to inflate my tire, but the pump head couldn't fit properly on the short valve stem. Instead, air was completely let out of my front tire and I now had a flat with four minutes to go. I desperately ran up to anybody asking for a pump, but nobody seemed to have one ready, until I reached a cyclist who had finished his race and was waiting in his car for the last race to go. He saved my life with his pump! I was all inflated and made it to the start on time. That is a mistake I will never make again!
Seconds after our race started, the rain came in with a vengeance. For nearly 4 hours of the 153km race, it poured off and on. At times we would be descending at high speeds almost blinded by the spray of water. Isaac, Justin and I were feeling good, chasing attacks. At one point, Justin got into a good chase group. The field eventually re-grouped with a few riders up the road still. Justin rode impressively into the top ten while I finished with the group about a minute behind. Isaac pulled out due to his recovery from a cold he got while training in the rain a couple weeks ago. He also rode well.

OBC Grand Prix Gatineau

Riding behind the Garneau-Crocs(in pink) as they chase.
Last weekend was my first race since Nationals, and also the start of a new phase. I am concentrating on building up base again, and making plans for upcoming races.

I headed down to the Gatineau Grand Prix in Ottawa which is always a great race. I have done this race for 4 years now and the organisers always do a fantasic job. The course is very hilly which best suits me.

Having no teamates at this race, I knew I had to be even more aware of every move. I stayed near the front at all times, and moved up on the hills so that I wouldn't have to fight my way back up if someone in front of me couldn't handle the pace. I chased down breaks that looked good, but strong teams would rally to the front and reel everything back in. I figured it would come down to a bunch sprint. I was almost right, given that less than a handful of riders made it clear of the field and finished just seconds in front. The main field had a bunch sprint for top 10, but no podium spots. The 130 kilometer race was just not enough to shatter the field, although many riders couldn't keep up.

Nationals

The first week of July I headed down to St. Georges de Beauce Quebec with my family for the National Cycling Championships. Alot of hard training and some confidence from being selected to represent Ontario, and I felt prepared to race against Canada's best cyclists.

The day of the time trial, I felt anxious to get going on the 40km journey. My start time was in the first third of the 77 elite/u23 riders taking part. I knew going into this time trial that it wasn't going to be an easy ride, having done the exact same course last year only shorter. Bad roads, hills, extreme wind and 40 kilometers of all-out riding were elements that I had to tackle. After a good warm-up, I headed to the bike check where officials with black/white referee shirts checked if my bike setup was legal. Once I got the all-clear, I sat down on a chair to await my start. Every minute, another rider was off from the start ramp, and the riders waiting their turn would move on to the next chair, each time closer and closer to the start house. Finally it was my turn. All I could think of was the task at hand and I blocked everything else out of my mind. There was a serious headwind the entire way out for 20km and it was all uphill and very hard, but that was the time to gain time on other riders. The way back was downhill with a tailwind, and I reached blazing speeds. When I passed the finish line I knew in my mind that I could have given it more. I finished in a respectable 25th overall and 13thU23.

The road race took place 2 days after the TT, not far from that course. Nearly 150 riders took to the start line of the 180km race. It was a really hot day with the sun beaming down on all riders. The first few laps were pretty easy in the peloton. A break had gone up the road with a handful of riders who were gaining on the field. After the first few laps, The peloton decided it was time to lay the hammer down. The entire field of 150 riders was strung out, and then the inevitable; riders couldn't take the pace and started leaving gaps open which eventually shattered the entire field into small groups. I was suffering badly and all the self-convincing that was going on in my head to keep going wasn't cutting it anymore. Eventually I dropped from my group. At the time, I didn't realise just how many riders had pulled out and how many still remained. I couldn't believe that out of 150 riders, only 35 finished. It turned out to be a disappointment for me, but there's much more racing this season, and I have to pick myself up and use those experiences to propel myself.