(Photos taken from www.ontariocycling.org)
So Toronto Cross Weekend. Lets just say it was nice to drive to B'ville the night before then have only an hour and a bit for Friday. Driving 8-15 hours can draw on you. Shocking.
So we had the pleasure of staying at Rick Meloft's house in Scarborough. Apparently he had never had any Shawarma...what is up with people in TO? No Shawarma...so we brought him to a make do place just South of Centennial Park, it was ok, but I told him Ottawa is king of Shawarma. Nor had he ever watched Little Britain...so we got him hooked on Daffid, Anday and Lou and of course Lady Emily.
Tasha rode an outstanding race Saturday...she was on strict directions from moi, (racer,bike mechanic,publicist, man nurse) to not “get her frigin bike dirty” if possible. So she was jumping over the huge puddle of mud and kept it clean in warm up. Doesn't she get the whole shot, claim the the barrier prime...get a gap and then slam herself into a stake after hitting her head on a tree in a corner, before the challenging mud bath. It was so funny to see her get caught in the tape (which by the way I told her if ever happened to just keep riding and eventually it will break) she just gingery gets off her bike, takes the tape off and jumps back on like she was on a pre-ride or something. So she was looking pretty darn smooth. She rode every stich of mud grass and hill on the course. I'd say that I taught her that but that's not true. I've been called a lot of things...and “smooth” is not one of them. So she just rode as hard as she needed to with NJ GP next week and shut it down with half a lap to go.
Men's race. Shit storm of rain...well not even, but just the kind of rain that makes it slippy slidy. So I actually stated off well into someone crashed in front of me and did some sort of break dance move on the ground and I lost all momentum. Then I started riding like someone sprayed my tires with wax. So that's all have to say about that. If we were playing hockey I would have got a 10 minute for unsportsman like cause I was not a happy camper after my race, and although I was trying to stay positive it just wasn't happening and I pouted a little then blamed it on my tire choice, pressure choice and I was over it.
That being said,the course was insane. Man if you love cross this course, these conditions...it was epic. Strange enough everyone who rode well had a certain mud tire-shocking as well.
I actually crashed so hard that I sprained my thumb, which I am just realizing right now as it is purple and broke my bars, a shifter and my arm looks like Freddy Krugger did a number on it. But I crashed so many times, I couldn't tell you when it happened. That's the funny part.
The course was designed by Scott Doel, man what a job he did. It was an off camber mud shit sling nightmare that he must have dreamed about after drinking a case of Stella and eating Frites and puking up pesto mayonnnaise. Even Tim Johnson said he crashed 12 times. It just makes you realize the simplicity and the complexity of the sport all at the same time. I mean I sucked, but it was good. It's kind of like if you ever been punched really hard in the face, had your bell rung, and just thought yah I knew that was coming and I deserved it. On second thought...like being punched repeatedly in the face and kneed in the kidneys and then being kicked in the face with a workboot so hard that your forehead reads "Kodiak" backwards. Seriously, it's good to have bad days like that. You get your choices of equipment wrong, you bobble, you fall, you suck...but funny enough not once did I think of quiting. I just kept on trying harder, I didn't give up to last the corner when I was running beside my bike and Tim H was starting his sprint...cause then it was actually over. On this course, on this day you could have given me a 10 minute lead and I still would have lost. I think you can get lulled into a sense of comfort racing bone dry cross, cause its just like a really technical crit, sort of. So this one of my favorite course designs ever. Obviously not cause I did well, but because I didn't.
Sunday...guess who rode like a champ....ok one hint...she...urggg, I guess I just gave that one away. Once again Tasha just kept her head on her shoulders and rode hard in a couple key sections (basically any time the gravity meter read 8%) to hold a steady gap to the finish. I got a Birdseye of this one, I stood in the pit...as I figured it really wouldn't affect today's race, I just wouldn't do that Saturday. So she rode clean, ever strong up the climbs and cautious on the descents. She pushed some serious power on the head wind section and she made it look easy. She did the patented one hand semi-pump on the finish line as 1) last time she did a double hands in Ontario she almost got fined 2) she has trouble riding no hands after 40 minute cross race.
Men's race. Better. My warm up was very serious, did a few bunny hops in the beer tent, it's actually amazing how high that aluminum bike can get, with the tires too, its so smooth. Then someone dared me to jump onto the picnic table...I didn't really want to with the carbon wheels and all...but as I can never turn down a chance to dance, I jumped onto the bench part with one wheel balanced a bit and took one hand off the bars...the crowd went wild...I looked at the hill a lot and watched people ride it over and over and just got tired watching them so that was enough for me. Oh yah and I did lots of stretches while I was in the pit for Tashas race. Ask Marc Boudreau, he saw me stretching up a storm, I felt like Richard Simmons.
Good initial jump, great reaction but had a little anerobic fog hesitation that cost me a few spots and had a little trouble with descents as although my pressure was Derricously low they just wouldn't bite in...yah so we will bevaddressing that this week...Anyways I had some fire today, if the down was good as the up I would have been 100% happy. But as I am never really fully satisfied until I kill it, it was about 80% good today...which is a lot better since there have been a lot of hit and miss. Finished up 10th today and 10th overall, so made a few dollars and as per the Dynamic Duo Foundation I get to keep a whopping 95$(As most of the money has to be put back in to pay expenses for the cross budget) So she hands me the cash tonight and this is the first time I have held money since September as I give her all the money...so she hands it to me...T says this is yours....then she changes her mind and rips the bling out of my hand and says...no you don't need this right now and that was that. Apparently I will get the money next time we go to the bank....right. I've played that game before. Funny thing, it felt like so much money...I thought I was rich for a second. Ez come ez go. I could have probably made more doing tricks in the beer tent and
I could have stuffed it in my shorts and never even told Tasha!
It was nice to see all the Ottawa crew, especially John Fee get the hole shot in the M1 race, seems like having kids makes him ride faster... I was impressed. All the RWR's Robbie O, K bomb, Nick V..all but the R himself...we'll make sure to hassle Glen a lil before we leave for the Netherlands...Also, Connor, Karl, and Mike all out there racing hard.
So we had the pleasure of staying at Rick Meloft's house in Scarborough. Apparently he had never had any Shawarma...what is up with people in TO? No Shawarma...so we brought him to a make do place just South of Centennial Park, it was ok, but I told him Ottawa is king of Shawarma. Nor had he ever watched Little Britain...so we got him hooked on Daffid, Anday and Lou and of course Lady Emily.
Tasha rode an outstanding race Saturday...she was on strict directions from moi, (racer,bike mechanic,publicist, man nurse) to not “get her frigin bike dirty” if possible. So she was jumping over the huge puddle of mud and kept it clean in warm up. Doesn't she get the whole shot, claim the the barrier prime...get a gap and then slam herself into a stake after hitting her head on a tree in a corner, before the challenging mud bath. It was so funny to see her get caught in the tape (which by the way I told her if ever happened to just keep riding and eventually it will break) she just gingery gets off her bike, takes the tape off and jumps back on like she was on a pre-ride or something. So she was looking pretty darn smooth. She rode every stich of mud grass and hill on the course. I'd say that I taught her that but that's not true. I've been called a lot of things...and “smooth” is not one of them. So she just rode as hard as she needed to with NJ GP next week and shut it down with half a lap to go.
Men's race. Shit storm of rain...well not even, but just the kind of rain that makes it slippy slidy. So I actually stated off well into someone crashed in front of me and did some sort of break dance move on the ground and I lost all momentum. Then I started riding like someone sprayed my tires with wax. So that's all have to say about that. If we were playing hockey I would have got a 10 minute for unsportsman like cause I was not a happy camper after my race, and although I was trying to stay positive it just wasn't happening and I pouted a little then blamed it on my tire choice, pressure choice and I was over it.
That being said,the course was insane. Man if you love cross this course, these conditions...it was epic. Strange enough everyone who rode well had a certain mud tire-shocking as well.
I actually crashed so hard that I sprained my thumb, which I am just realizing right now as it is purple and broke my bars, a shifter and my arm looks like Freddy Krugger did a number on it. But I crashed so many times, I couldn't tell you when it happened. That's the funny part.
The course was designed by Scott Doel, man what a job he did. It was an off camber mud shit sling nightmare that he must have dreamed about after drinking a case of Stella and eating Frites and puking up pesto mayonnnaise. Even Tim Johnson said he crashed 12 times. It just makes you realize the simplicity and the complexity of the sport all at the same time. I mean I sucked, but it was good. It's kind of like if you ever been punched really hard in the face, had your bell rung, and just thought yah I knew that was coming and I deserved it. On second thought...like being punched repeatedly in the face and kneed in the kidneys and then being kicked in the face with a workboot so hard that your forehead reads "Kodiak" backwards. Seriously, it's good to have bad days like that. You get your choices of equipment wrong, you bobble, you fall, you suck...but funny enough not once did I think of quiting. I just kept on trying harder, I didn't give up to last the corner when I was running beside my bike and Tim H was starting his sprint...cause then it was actually over. On this course, on this day you could have given me a 10 minute lead and I still would have lost. I think you can get lulled into a sense of comfort racing bone dry cross, cause its just like a really technical crit, sort of. So this one of my favorite course designs ever. Obviously not cause I did well, but because I didn't.
Sunday...guess who rode like a champ....ok one hint...she...urggg, I guess I just gave that one away. Once again Tasha just kept her head on her shoulders and rode hard in a couple key sections (basically any time the gravity meter read 8%) to hold a steady gap to the finish. I got a Birdseye of this one, I stood in the pit...as I figured it really wouldn't affect today's race, I just wouldn't do that Saturday. So she rode clean, ever strong up the climbs and cautious on the descents. She pushed some serious power on the head wind section and she made it look easy. She did the patented one hand semi-pump on the finish line as 1) last time she did a double hands in Ontario she almost got fined 2) she has trouble riding no hands after 40 minute cross race.
Men's race. Better. My warm up was very serious, did a few bunny hops in the beer tent, it's actually amazing how high that aluminum bike can get, with the tires too, its so smooth. Then someone dared me to jump onto the picnic table...I didn't really want to with the carbon wheels and all...but as I can never turn down a chance to dance, I jumped onto the bench part with one wheel balanced a bit and took one hand off the bars...the crowd went wild...I looked at the hill a lot and watched people ride it over and over and just got tired watching them so that was enough for me. Oh yah and I did lots of stretches while I was in the pit for Tashas race. Ask Marc Boudreau, he saw me stretching up a storm, I felt like Richard Simmons.
Good initial jump, great reaction but had a little anerobic fog hesitation that cost me a few spots and had a little trouble with descents as although my pressure was Derricously low they just wouldn't bite in...yah so we will bevaddressing that this week...Anyways I had some fire today, if the down was good as the up I would have been 100% happy. But as I am never really fully satisfied until I kill it, it was about 80% good today...which is a lot better since there have been a lot of hit and miss. Finished up 10th today and 10th overall, so made a few dollars and as per the Dynamic Duo Foundation I get to keep a whopping 95$(As most of the money has to be put back in to pay expenses for the cross budget) So she hands me the cash tonight and this is the first time I have held money since September as I give her all the money...so she hands it to me...T says this is yours....then she changes her mind and rips the bling out of my hand and says...no you don't need this right now and that was that. Apparently I will get the money next time we go to the bank....right. I've played that game before. Funny thing, it felt like so much money...I thought I was rich for a second. Ez come ez go. I could have probably made more doing tricks in the beer tent and
I could have stuffed it in my shorts and never even told Tasha!
It was nice to see all the Ottawa crew, especially John Fee get the hole shot in the M1 race, seems like having kids makes him ride faster... I was impressed. All the RWR's Robbie O, K bomb, Nick V..all but the R himself...we'll make sure to hassle Glen a lil before we leave for the Netherlands...Also, Connor, Karl, and Mike all out there racing hard.
RANT
UCI commissaries managed to get in a few bike checks on Saturday...and the pit..the whole green bracelet thing? I mean the rules say you have to have a mechanics accreditation, not just a UCI licence, so not even letting guys put their spare bikes in there...come on. Really bizarre. I mean if you are going to enforce the rules, enforce the right ones. The American riders thought it was funny. They asked if it was always like this.
The girl who came 2nd on Saturday didn't show up for "protocol", which everyone else except a certain commissaire calls podium, anyways she gets fined 200 Swiss Franks and no prize money money. Yah it was cold and all, but Tasha had to stand around...and freeze, so it's just kind of rude not show up at all. I guess we knew all this cause we actually went to the riders meeting and they said Protocol was 10 minutes after the race. I feel for her, cause they never really do that kind of stuff, but I also feel for Tasha who had to stand around and wait for ever cause the girls wern't there and also panic cause she didn't put my bike in the pit yet for my race starting in just 10 minutes.
Word to the wise, if you don't do a lot of high level races, you may want to go to the meetings if it's not too much of a hassle.
Cause they did say for the riders not to spray their bikes off with pit water and the Elite men ran out of water during our race cause no one knew and they all sprayed their bikes off there. If they were going to enforce one rule or thing it should have been that...cause I could have used a clean bike in my race. But the only people at the meeting were Elite men and Tasha. Cause I don't really think you can expect M1's and such to show up for the meeting, cause they work, have commitments ect, that kind of thing has to be hi-lighted in the tech guide, and you just outline the importance in saying blah blah blah do this get a fine, do that get a fine and people will know not to do it.
UCI commissaries managed to get in a few bike checks on Saturday...and the pit..the whole green bracelet thing? I mean the rules say you have to have a mechanics accreditation, not just a UCI licence, so not even letting guys put their spare bikes in there...come on. Really bizarre. I mean if you are going to enforce the rules, enforce the right ones. The American riders thought it was funny. They asked if it was always like this.
The girl who came 2nd on Saturday didn't show up for "protocol", which everyone else except a certain commissaire calls podium, anyways she gets fined 200 Swiss Franks and no prize money money. Yah it was cold and all, but Tasha had to stand around...and freeze, so it's just kind of rude not show up at all. I guess we knew all this cause we actually went to the riders meeting and they said Protocol was 10 minutes after the race. I feel for her, cause they never really do that kind of stuff, but I also feel for Tasha who had to stand around and wait for ever cause the girls wern't there and also panic cause she didn't put my bike in the pit yet for my race starting in just 10 minutes.
Word to the wise, if you don't do a lot of high level races, you may want to go to the meetings if it's not too much of a hassle.
Cause they did say for the riders not to spray their bikes off with pit water and the Elite men ran out of water during our race cause no one knew and they all sprayed their bikes off there. If they were going to enforce one rule or thing it should have been that...cause I could have used a clean bike in my race. But the only people at the meeting were Elite men and Tasha. Cause I don't really think you can expect M1's and such to show up for the meeting, cause they work, have commitments ect, that kind of thing has to be hi-lighted in the tech guide, and you just outline the importance in saying blah blah blah do this get a fine, do that get a fine and people will know not to do it.
I'm sure the M1 guys didn't know this...cause really there were only 12 people at the riders meeting. To tell you the truth this is the 1st time I've been to one, and it's just because Rick told us to go. So at any other race, I would have been the one not showing up, spraying my bike and complaining about stupid bracelets.
Good on them for trying to make things all official and I guess its good that random people can't walk into the pit and just take your machine. But it's not like we are all rolling around with our own mechanics and such.
It still didn't really take away from the weekend as Craig, Scott, Rick and the crew put on a amazing race, we were really impressed. The prize money that they were able to give out was awesome, and it helps us out tremendously to put back into our funds to go to Belgium.
D S J
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