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.
