Rundle's Revenge

Sorry, no brevity in the blog today ...

The forecast looked crappy all week for Saturday and not much ever changed. I was hopeful but, after my 5am wake up and getting on the road before 6am, it was clear from the low black clouds and heavy downpour, the trails were gonna be muddy at the Nordic Centre. We did strike some luck in that it didn't actually rain while we were on the course! Small mercies! The wet was already set.

I set out to do 50km today. I figured if I didn't care about speed and managed to pace myself well, I could finish. It didn't happen that way. I'd like to know if I could have done it were it not for the mud but I just don't know. It's definitely true that getting the bike through mud takes more energy than getting it around the track on a quasi-dry and nicely tacky trail. I suffered some suffering I wasn't expecting. I expected to be pushing through sore legs, moments of being out of breath, some bruised ego if I came off the bike from an error. That all happened! Ha ha ... but I also had a sinus headache, nausea, and my back was killing me with increasing pain every lap. My hydration bladder in my backpack was sitting right on my already-sore lower back.

The first 12.5km lap went as I thought it would. Things start out with the crowd of the start line pack and gradually everyone gets spread across the distances. The pace was nice and slow in the crowd and by the time things thinned out I'd done the heavy climbing and had some super fun rooty downhills to enjoy with some speed. Other than having trouble getting my clips into my pedals at times due to all the mud build up (the key here would be to never put your feet on the ground but, let's face it, I ain't that skilled!) things went well. My newly set up wheelset with the Nobby Nics seemed to be doing the trick to give me some bite when I needed it. The new brake pads, rotors, cassette and chain worked like a charm too! I ate an energy gel halfway through the lap and drank when I could. Back at the start line I had some bites at the feed table and shed my jacket at the Spin Sister tent. Then it was off for Lap Two!

No pack to work with on these climbs. Just Suz and I ... climb climb climb. I was feeling more and more pukey by now, back pain amping up, legs sqwuakin' but all good. Now though, the super fast racers are starting to lap us. The trick to this is to let them by when I feel like it's safe to pull off a bit. I felt/ heard a guy hot and heavy on my back wheel and looked for a spot to get out of his way. I picked a bad spot and bounced myself off the bike. Slow motion, no biggie. Get back up and carry on. Only my right side shifter was way out of position now. Awkward but everything was shifting well so, onwards!

I remember pulling into the start area after Lap Two feeling confident I had more in me but knowing I was fading a bit. My stomach and back were the biggest issues. Owie. Stopped for a snack and realized there was a mechanic available for us! Yay! A nice fella from Hard Core Bikes had my shifter back in place in no time and I was off again.

I'm not gonna lie ... the climbing was a slog. I was thinking about whether I'd have a fourth lap in me. I started imagining that I would decide this while laying down after this lap. Ha ha! I was ready for a break! But I pushed on ... stomach and back feeling gross, head pounding, but still I was happy out there for the most part. It's the Rockies! It's the forest! I'm outside and I'm on my bike! My friend and I are sticking it out together. All good! Climb, climb, ahhh ... down. Yes! The down was fun til about halfway through the good stuff. I still don't know what happened but I was slowing a bit for a turn and I heard my tire pop, LOUD, and then I was on the ground with the bike on top of me and in some pain. Suz heard the tire go and stopped below me ... another rider stopped behind me. It took a minute or two to sort out that I was ok and no real harm done. I tried to ride but the tire was half flat. My tubeless tires and good old Stan's inside meant I didn't have a full flat. A few pumps and I was off again. 4kms to go to the start area.

A few new pains sealed the deal ... no more laps for me. I'm mostly happy with the day. I wish I'd done the 50kms I set out to do, but 37.5kms, 3500 feet of climbing, and 4 hours moving time in mud ain't nothing to snort at for this beginner. :) It's definitely the most I've challenged myself physically and through it I gained some more fitness for the next race! Here are the details if you want 'em: Link.

Off the course and quick change into dry warm clothes, a cursory hose-down of the red bike, and it was back to the city for a shower and rest. I mustered up the energy to go pick up some yummy asiago chicken penne once my stomach settled down. And there's still a day left in the weekend! Yay!

Thanks to Becky's husband, Steve, for the course photos.

Road Trip to Squamish for Test of Metal

This was a wet road trip weekend. Kate raced the Test of Metal in Squamish so I joined in for a road trip and to volunteer at the race. I'm planning to race the Gear Jammer later in the summer which is on the same trails as this longer race so it was good to see how things roll over there in Squamish. We left Thursday after work and arrived in Squamish Friday. I chickened out on pre-riding some of the course with the elite riders, Kate and Alana, and did my own short ride with Sante through the rain forest. Ironically, it was one of the few times over the weekend when it wasn't actually raining. The trail was puddled and soft but nice grades and switchbacks.

Saturday I woke up and pedaled over from the hotel to the race start in the rain and joined the crew setting up the start line. You can see our fine work in the photos and video. :) A second soggy weekend in a row for me but at least it was warmer this time. I met some great people and had a good time setting up and watching the racers as they arrived and got set, asking when they'd be able to enter the chute. Until they were allowed to do so, they were positioning their bikes outside the chute where they wanted to start from while we finished setting up. They were allowed to shift the bikes into the chute about half an hour before start time. Everyone picked their estimated finish time and started in the chute with that grouping. Elite riders had a reserved section at the front to start from.

It took 2+ minutes for all 900ish racers to get through the start line once the anthem was over and the clock started. Pretty cool to see! Once they were off and riding, our crew tore down the start line, had a soggy sandwich, and went our separate ways. I took the pups for a soggy walk then headed to the finish line to see how Kate was going to finish in a race where she was up against pro riders.

30 guys came through the finish line, every one of them caked in mud and shivering, before the first female rider, Wendy Simms crossed. The announcer had been talking about Brandi Heisterman the whole time being in the lead and we never heard another woman's name. I figured I should get the camera ready ... Kate might not be far behind. Five more guys and 2+ minutes later, then I spotted a muddy figure I only recognized by the way she rides her bike. It's not like I could recognize her kit or her bike -- they all looked the same after the mud fest. Then some white teeth gleaming through the mud with a big smile and a fist pump. Happy rider! 2nd place finish at 3hrs9mins. Two females within a minute behind her: Brandi Heisterman and Mical Dyck. Nice finish Kate!

And that was that ... after a hot-water hose down, a shower, and a podium appearance for the racer, we were off to Kamloops. Kate and Alana (who met us there with Jeff and Brian) paired up for an enduro there before we left Alana to finish the race and we headed all the way home to Calgary on the rainy highway.

Now back to reality, and a week of adding miles for my own riding. A few rides planned this week before my first solo 50km race in Canmore this weekend. Rundle's Revenge! I'm putting my request in now for some nice weather. Please.

Tuesday Night Ride

At the top, grabbin' a snack.

Well the sun was out and the temperature was in the high 20s in the city. Time to get out for a real ride and put all my new learning to work! Suz and I skipped the Spin Sisters ride since we felt like doing our own thing and wanted to start earlier than their 7:00 starts. And I wanted to take Sante along. We were geared up and at the trailhead at 6:00pm. West Bragg Creek is so quick to get to!

Neither of us had done the trails from Station Flats before but I found a map online and read that Thom Snow up to the top and Ridgeback down was a fun loop. Though I'd read it was a 25km loop. It was significantly shorter at 14km. Suited us just fine. We were 2 hours out on the trail (1.5hrs moving time) ... time enough to get home and clean the caked mud off my bike, my dog, and myself before hitting the sack.

Anyway, the ride was exactly what I needed as the trail was well suited to my skill level with some good climbing, some fast downs, some twisting through tight trees, over some rocks, and, of course, through some mud. I didn't need any "above my pay grade" technical challenges and just wanted to go out and get a good, fun, workout in with a friend and my pooch. I also wanted to get out with my newly fixed up brakes! Kham at Bow Cycle bled my front brake line and replaced my pads for me Tuesday night. New rotors on order but even without the new rotors, the improvement made for some extra confidence and smiley descents!

I guess everyone who knows Thom Snow Trail knows it's boggy. I didn't. But that wouldn't have stopped me picking the trail. I only got stuck in some deep mud once and had to drop a foot. Brrr ... that stuff's pretty cold splashing up all over you every time. Given all the water in the area I think we must have gotten a ride in JUST before the mosquitos all hatch!

We got to the top at the range road before turning back to grab Ridgeback. Super fun down for a little while before Ridgeback had us climbing again for a little while more. The good kind of climbing though, nice and steady. All in, we climbed 1300 feet. I can't wait to go back and explore some more of the trails from Station Flats and do the upper section of Ridgeback that we didn't hook onto this time around.

XTerra Race Night and Trek Dirt Series Weekend

Thursday Night Race Night

Let's start with Thursday night. That was the first night of the COP mid-week race series. You show up, pay your ten bucks, and race your mountain bike. All skill levels welcome. No winners, no times, just you and your lungs off the start line with a lot of spandex-clad cyclists. You can do a single 6km lap or double up and do it twice. I threw myself into it. Only 6k right? What the heck ... Yeah, I got cocky and passed a couple people out of my saddle on an early hill only to discover the hill continued beyond the turn. Ugh! That's not what I call pacing myself. I suffered and couldn't catch my breath for the longest time. I slowed down but it was too late. Eventually I had to just stop and wait 30 seconds or so for my heart rate to drop before I could continue on. (I never did get passed by the people I passed on the hill though. :) Did the lap in just under 32 minutes and went home coughing up a lung. The coughing lasted a few days. 

Moose Packers Trail

Friday I took it easy on the body and enjoyed some park time with my doggie buddies and got ready for the big Trek Dirt Series skill camp weekend. Woo! Two long full days of learning and talking with mountain biking chicks. Fun! Mother Nature wasn't all that on board with things but I took the snow as an opportunity to practice even more new skills: downhilling through snow. Saturday morning I was in the "Riding Skinnies" and "Mastering Drops" sessions. That followed with some trail time up on Moose Packers Trail.

Sunday I opted for "High Speed Cornering" (gotta work on putting all that together in the real world) and "Climbing." Then our group rode the top part of Pneuma. Eep! Definitely challenging ... thankfully, we rode snowless on this trail. It's rocky and technical and I mastered very little of it! But learned a lot.

To top off the great learning weekend, I won a draw prize of 50% off Sugoi clothing until the end of the year! Woohoo! I'm gonna save a lot of money ... by spending it! Gear me up!

Pam showing us a trail we're NOT doing: Jean Guy On the Rocks

Saturday Group

Pneuma

Moose Packer Dead Fall

Ratcheting

Keith, sweeper, bailing on a rock.

Jumpingpound Loop

A couple of laps of Jumpingpound Loop today with Heather, her friend Kate, and two happy dogs.

The riding was tough on my lungs today. I considered sitting out the second lap but pushed through; it wasn't any tougher than the first time through. Small mercies ...

Good news is the 5 fallen trees we hauled our bikes over last time were cleared. Thank you trail maintenance peeps!

Quick Brother/Nephew Visit!

Doug, Matthew, and Tito came down for a quick visit Friday night to Sunday morning. I got a two hour pathway ride in Friday after work before they arrived. Saturday we hiked the Douglas Fir Trail right here in the city, then went to see The Avengers in 3D. I also got the Rav hooked up with an additional bike rack on the roof. Spiffy!

After that we had some home made rotisserie chicken on the BBQ followed by a few rounds of Waterworks! Classic 70s family fun. I retrieved that game from the collection of family board games in Mom and Dad's basement a couple of years back. It's fun even if you don't dress like the family on the box cover.


There are a couple photos from the weekday activities too ... the Tuesday night ride in Canmore shows a gnarly little downhill we are going to conquer NEXT time. Haha ...

I signed up for two more races. One in June: Rundle's Revenge (Kick Ass 50km) and the Gear Jammer in Squamish in July (45km). Solo!

Today I'm off for a ride with Heather and the dogs. Back on the red bike!