Arriving in Ottawa and the GP Charlevoix

This is where my summer really takes off: 6am, my parents Jetta packed up with bikes and gear, and a long trip to Ottawa ahead of me.  The plan was to take the Digby ferry across to Saint John, NB, and stop at a friends place in Montreal (thanks Phil!) before finishing the trek to the nation's capital the following day.  All in all the drive went well; I had a nice sunny day for all but the final couple hours to Montreal, and once I lost the last English radio station upon entering Quebec, my sisters burnt CD's which I found in the dash kept me going.

While in Ottawa I'll be staying with relatives.  I'm incredibly thankful that they agreed to take me in for a couple months this summer.  It's making the transition into a new city so much easier, and is so nice to have family around to take my mind off bike racing.  All this being said, I wasn't in town more than two days before it was time to take off for the weekend and get back into bike racing.


GP Charlevoix

On Friday morning Justin and I loaded up the Jetta with our road and time trial bikes, a few extra wheels, tools and luggage and took off for Baie-St-Paul Quebec.  The Grand Prix Cycliste de Charlevoix was on the calendar for the weekend, a four stage race over three days which includes a crit, time trial, hill climb, and road race.  I had never done the race before, but had ridden in the area before and knew the terrain would be very hilly with some seriously steep gradients.  It would be my first race in quite a few weeks, and I was looking forward to getting the legs moving again after recovering from some hard training at home.

Cornering in the crit
Photo cred: Velogazette

We arrived with plenty of time to spare before the crit Friday evening, so we moved our things into the hotel room we were sharing with a few friends from the McGill Cycling team and enjoyed a bit of relaxing time before kitting up and rolling over to the course.  I didn't scope out how many riders had registered for the race, so it was a nice surprise to see some 77 bikes on the start line.  The crit ended up being pretty fast with a couple tight corners which I enjoyed as I got back into the feel of riding in the bunch.  The plan for the day was to get through the race as efficiently as possible and save my legs for Saturday's time trial and hill climb.  To that end it was a successful outing, however I probably should have moved up from my place at the tail of the group in the last few laps as a gap opened up at the finish and myself and a few other riders received a finishing time that was fourteen seconds behind the day's winner.

It was a bit too warm in our hotel room that night so I didn't end up sleeping very well, but in the morning my excitement for the time trial covered any fatigue I might have had.  I was targeting a top 10 finish in the 15.7 km race against the clock, and after a good warm up I was feeling ready to rock.  In the end I was fairly happy with my effort on the day, however my speed was lower than expected for said effort.  I placed 16th, thirty-one seconds out of the top ten.  I continue to underachieve in time trials compared to what I feel I'm capable of doing, but as I continue to develop as a rider I'm sure I'll get it figured out.

The afternoon's hill climb stage certainly didn't suit me -- being one of the largest riders in the pack -- but I was hoping to surprise with a strong ride and result.  However, once we hit the bottom slopes of the hill, those plans were quickly dashed.  The gradients were far too steep for my liking, reaching upwards of 20%, and I ended up grinding my way up as I watched riders move by me.  Once the pitch eased up a bit I was able to pick up the pace and move through some of the field but finished well back of the leaders.

The last stage was a hilly 120 km road race on Sunday morning.  This was essentially what I came to Charlevoix for, a hard effort before taking on the Grand Prix Cycliste Saguenay and the Tour de Beauce in the following weeks.  Unfortunately I had another poor night's sleep in the hotel, so I was basically running of caffeine and motivation, but that seemed to be enough and I was still able to do a good race.  After the first 95 km of punchy climbs, battling for position, and avoiding crashes, the race all came down to the major climb of the day.  I had ridden up it in a training ride a couple years ago, but I didn't remember it being so steep.  Similarly to the last stage, I went backwards on the 20% grades, my cadence dropping below 50 rpm, but after that section I was able to move up through the shattered field.  The climb took a little over six minutes, and by the time I reached the top I found myself having just about made contact with a chase group that had around ten riders.  This group made contact with what was left of the main pack, and in total we were about thirty riders with only 12 km to go.  I knew the last 7 km were all downhill, but before that there were a few steep punchy climb.  On the last of these, I was starting to fall off the back of the group with several other riders as we covered the steepest section of the two minute climb.  However I was able to stay with the bunch by putting in an all out sprint for the top in the final thirty meters before the crest.  This effort paid off, as none of the racers behind me made it back into the group as we headed for the finish.  Despite being all downhill to get there, the finish was on another short (but not so steep) climb into a stiff headwind.  I came into the last couple hundred meters of the race at the back of the small group, and waited behind riders sprinting ahead of me to fade in the wind before moving around and going full tilt for the line.  Four riders finished in a breakaway in front of the group, and I finished 20th.

All in all it was an enjoyable weekend, and a great way for me to get some racing legs back.  Upon returning to Ottawa I've been focused on recovering and preparing for the races coming in the next few weeks.  They're going to be by far the biggest races I've ever been in, and I'm hoping that I'll have the energy to post stage recaps as the races unfold.  We'll see how it goes... I'm both excited and terrified.

Things are getting pretty exciting here!  Thanks for reading.

Back in Nova Scotia / Falmouth Flyer

With the April behind me, I packed up my Montreal apartment and made the move back to Nova Scotia for a few weeks.  There are no major races on the calendar in early May, so it made sense to recharge my batteries at home before shipping off to join my new team, Ride With Rendall, in Ottawa.

It's been great to be home and spend time with family.  I've enjoyed the increased sleep and improved food.  I've been able to get out for a few long road rides so far, a couple mountain bike rides on Yarmouth's new mountain bike trails, and generally get back into the swing of training after some rough weeks to finish exams.  Preparation for the rest of the season starts now.

I was also able to see another sort of family this past weekend; the folks that make up the maritime racing scene at the Falmouth Flyer.  This is the only race on the calendar while I'm home, but I'm glad it was there and that I had a chance to see everyone as I won't be around as much this season.

Navigating the hairpin turn early in the race
Photo credit: Jennie Fougere

The race itself was a good time, although fruitless in terms of getting a result.  Over the past few years it's been fantastic to see maritime racing growing quickly, and with that teams have emerged and created more exciting, tactical racing.  Being on local teams myself in the past, I've seen first hand how strong solo riders tend have a hard time against well organized squads.  My ambitions for the day weren't really to get a good result, but to have a strong ride.

As a whole the race was pretty exciting as a few decisive moves paid big dividends for the aggressors, but my part in the story was pretty dull.  Thus, I'll keep this short.  I missed both of the decisive moves on the day, and when I finally tried my own flyer with two laps to go it was covered by attentive riders with teammates up the road.  With 20 km left to race the break of five had a two minute gap and the pack seemed to have no motivation to chase.  Uninterested in racing for sixth place, I decided to go to the front and make a big effort to finish the day.  After one lap of effort, the gap had only reduced to a minute and a half, but after hammering into a long stretch of headwind, we made the hairpin turn to make the run in for home and for the first time could see the break not far ahead.  I got pretty excited and with the help of one other emptied the tanks to try and pull the break back and play spoiler.  Alas, we came up about a kilometer short.  The pack finished right on the heels of the break, with one of the five being caught just before the line.  I rolled in easy, having nothing left for the final climb.

Regardless of the result, it's always a blast to race with the maritime crew.  Big congrats go out to my friends and training buddies Jeff Muise and Mitchell MacDonald on their podium places, and also to a couple of juniors I noticed racing up in the A-category.  They know who they are; great riding!

Unfortunately there isn't another road race before I take off, but I believe I'll be back for awhile in July, with better form and on the hunt for some better placings.  In the meantime I'm going to keep getting keep training hard so I'm ready to ship off at the end of the month.  Until next time!

Getting in some hard miles on the front
Photo Credit: Brianne Steinman

April Recap

I had a feeling this might happen.  It's been a long time since my last post, but I guess that's what happens when you start a blog in the final months of an engineering degree.  School was pretty crazy in April, and my training hours took a serious dip, but I was able to finish well and get some nice racing in along the way.  Below I share a few of the things I've been up to.

My Last Collegiate Race

Pushing the pace up the climb in the "crit"

I had one last chance to go race with the McGill Cycling team at MIT, and it proved to be a great weekend.  I should rephrase that; I raced great, but the weather was horrendous.  After another lacklustre time trial Saturday morning (I know, I know, I'll get it together eventually...), the sky opened up and provided us with steady rain for the afternoon crit.  Not that you could really call it a crit though, it was more of a short circuit race that went straight up and down a short steep hill every lap.  Normally this kind of course is my downfall; last year I pulled out of the race after being dropped after five laps.  However, to my surprise I was able to hang with the group this year, and take fifth in the uphill sprint for the line.  It was a great result on a course that didn't suit me, and it gave me confidence that I've made improvements in the weaker aspects of my cycling.

Working hard in the road race

On Sunday the long (and epic) race course MIT had planned had to be scraped and rerouted due to flooding from the rain the previous day.  The new race course was much shorter, so I raced hard from the start.  We were able to reduce the pack down to just six riders by the end, and I could feel a win on the way.  However, when the group gave me a gap coming into the final kilometer I got baited into jumping way too early.  As I approached the line, my vision was getting hazy, but I was still able to see a few of the chasing riders slip by my fading effort in the final fifty meters.  So, no collegiate win for me in my final year, but the races were a ton of fun and got me ready for the big challenge the following weekend...

The Tour of the Battenkill

New team, new kit!

This race was a beast.  160km rolling hills and short punchy climbs, with a quarter of the distance composed of dirt roads.  With no UCI race on the schedule this year, all the top racers and continental pros lined up with us in the Pro/Cat 1 division.  This was already going to be the longest race I had ever done, and with the caliber of riders and the difficult terrain included, there was a reason it was highlighted as my early season objective.

My two weekends of collegiate racing showed me that I had good legs, but due to road race cancellations on both trips, and being busy with school, the last time I had ridden my bike for longer than two hours was back in South Carolina at the beginning of March.  If there was anything that was going to hold me back, it would be my endurance.

Side note: this was also my first race with my new team.  I've joined the Ride With Rendall squad out of Ottawa for the season, which is really exciting as it's going to allow me to race in more big events this year.  I'll have more on this and the team at another time.

I expected the start of the race to be incredibly fast, but it was quite the opposite.  The pack coasted along as a large breakaway tore up the road.  The race began with three circuits which included a couple steep pitches, the second of which (Juniper Swamp Rd) was dirt and split the field every time.  I was well positioned going into the bottom of the climb all three times, but the first two times I crested just off the back of the leading group and chased in no man's land with a few others before sitting up and getting absorbed by the second group.  However, on the final time up I made the extra effort and just hung onto the tail end of the lead group.  This proved to be very important, as only a small group of riders managed to rejoin awhile later, tired from their chase.

It was at this point in the race that I realized I had finally been on the bike past the two hour mark and realized that I really needed to focus on riding conservatively in order to make it to the finish.  No sooner did I have this thought than the race winning move went away.  We were on stretch of rolling hills with a headwind, and I was near the front of the pack when Optum's Scott Zwizanski (former winner of the Tour de Beauce) attacked with a couple other pros.  In that moment I felt I had the legs to follow the move, but knew I'd be getting in over my head.  In the end I stayed in the main group. I think I made the right choice.

The rest of the race was more of the same.  Every time we tackled a significant climb (dirt or paved), the group drilled it and split in two pieces.  Again, I was often in no man's land, sometimes making the front group.  At one point there was one dangerous looking split that myself and two other riders bridged across to, only to have the second group catch us a handful of kilometers later.

I was really starting to feel the length of the ride by the 140km mark.  I could tell my brain wasn't working as well, and it showed.  We came down a pretty sketchy dirt descent with a hard ninety degree left turn onto pavement at the bottom.  Me, probably pretty glycogen deficient at this point, came down the hill with a ton of momentum and started breaking too late.  Once I did the breaks didn't seem to be grabbing that well, and I realized there was no chance I was going to make the turn.  Instead, I didn't even try.  I went straight across the paved road at the bottom and took the 2-3 foot drop into the ditch head on.  My mountain biking friend will be proud of me; I stuck the landing, managed to unclip, dismount, and yank my bike out of a bush before scrambling back up to the road and taking off.

The whole mishap only took thirty seconds to sort out, and with 20km left I took off down the road to reintegrate myself into what was the main pack of the day.  Five kilometers later I made contact, and proceeded to sit at the back and suck wind, knowing there was one more dirt climb ahead to finish the day.

On the climb everything was looking good, and I was starting to get excited that I'd go to the line with the group and be able to sprint for a decent placing, but with only a few hundred meters to go to the top, I blew up in a way I had never experienced (in a race) before.  All my power was gone: it was a bonk of epic proportions. I did all that I could to limp over the crest of the hill.  From there, six kilometers remained between me and the line, and they seemed like they would never end.  I ate everything left in my pockets and took off all my extra clothing as I suddenly realized I was getting way too hot.  I lost three and a half minutes to the group in the flat run into the finish.  They sprinted for 21st place, and I rolled in for 35th.

All in all, Battenkill was a tremendous amount of fun and I look forward to going back next year and landing a place further up the results sheet.  I would like to have been able to finish my race more strongly, but endurance is an easy thing to regain once school is over.  Being able to keep up at a race of this level is something I'm very pleased with and gives me confidence for the rest of the season.  

A bit of a longer post, but I thought this race deserved it.  Hope you enjoyed! 

First Quebec Races of the Season

Breakaway at Ste. Martine

After Battenkill, school took over for awhile.  I spent a ridiculous nine days entirely off the bike, and spent the time running around school finishing up a year-long final project, submitting other projects and assignments, and trying to squeeze a bit of studying in for my final exams.

I had to take a weekend off racing to focus on exam prep, but after the first three tests were done, I took a break and raced the first event on the Quebec calendar: GP Contrecoeur.  I didn't get much racing done though, as I crashed in spectacular fashion just three kilometers into the course.  An overlap of wheels as I was moving up on the outside of the pack led to a rear skewer going into (and breaking) my front spokes.  I had a cracked helmet and road rash on my right hip and shoulder, but looking back, I was lucky that no bones were broken and I was able to race in the following weekend's double header.

After two more exams I was able to take part in both the Beauharnois crit on Saturday and the Ste. Martine road race on Sunday.  Unfortunately, neither went well.  I suffered a mechanical problem that took me out forty-five minutes into the crit, and after being the second man into the winning breakaway at Ste. Martine, I suffered a rear flat and had to get picked up by the broom wagon for my third straight DNF.  Not quite what I was expecting going into these races, but hey, that's bike racing.

Finishing School

I feel I should write a bit about this, as finishing my Mechanical Engineering degree at McGill University is without a doubt the most important thing I did this April.  At times it was definitely pretty tough, and by the end I was very much ready to be done. But, I've enjoyed the subjects I've studied and the people I've worked with along the way.  It's a strange feeling once you're done school, and at the moment my future is a bit uncertain, but luckily I've got some time to figure it out.

First Race of 2014: ECCC at Bard and RPI

On the start line of the Bard Campus Crit

South Carolina is starting to feel like a long time ago.  The couple of weeks following the training camp included a lot of sleep and a lot of school work, which caused a significant break from the bike.  Not that it wasn't needed, it's left me eager to get back to work now that the early season racing calendar is in full swing.

First up was McGill Cycling's 2014 debut in the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference (ECCC).  For those unfamiliar with the ECCC, it's one of the eleven regional conferences that make up USA Cycling Collegiate, and they are friendly enough to open their races to schools north of the boarder.  These races are the highlight of McGill Cycling's year, and the first one took place at Bard University and RPI, both in the upstate New York region.

After classes on Friday evening, the seven McGill racers met up with their gear in hand and, after a quick game of bike packing Tetris in the back of Phil's Rav4, took off for the US .  These weekends always involve early mornings as all the lower categories have their races before the A group in the afternoons.  I don't mind hanging around the race course though; it's fun to watch your teammates race, take in the festive atmosphere and chat with racers from other schools.  Sometimes we even make friends.

Saturday was a criterium, a type of bike race that features many laps around a short loop and usually only lasts around an hour.  It's spectator friendly, and Bard had a great course.

I didn't have a set plan going into the race, but I started in the front row and felt eager to race aggressively.  After some attacks on the first few laps left the field strung out but gave me no separation, I was able to make it into the day's breakaway by using a smart tactic by Northeastern University team to my advantage.  They sent one of their riders up the road into the headwind while their two others sat at the front of the bunch to block and cover bridging attempts.  Before anyone was too organized I jumped away into the wind with one RPI rider on my wheel and we rode across to the lone escapee.  After some hard riding the pack finally gave up its chase and we were joined by two more riders (one MIT, one Queens) and I knew the winning break was established.

Leading the breakaway over a small hill on course

It was great to be racing again (I might actually have been enjoying myself a bit too much) and our group of five rolled around the course fast enough that we actually ended up lapping the field.  While I was feeling pretty confident in my chances before regrouping with the pack, once we were all together my breakaway companions got a chance to recover some snap in their legs and things began to get more complicated.  Attacks started to fly and with only two laps to go I missed out on the winning move.  Three riders from the earlier break got away in a group that included fresher legs from the main pack and I was left to roll in twelve seconds behind and take fourth place.  I really want to win an ECCC race before graduating this spring, and don't have a lot of races left to do it.  I might look back on this criterium as a missed opportunity, but being my first race of the year the important things were that I had fun, assessed my fitness, and got back in the swing of things.

The following day we were supposed to be treated to an awesome road race loop but the event had to be cancelled as there was too much ice on course.  Instead RPI organized an individual time trial on some clear roads to replace the road race.

I wasn't expecting to do a time trail that afternoon, and thus didn't have some of the gear I would normally have, but time trails are something I want to keep improving this season, so I welcomed this race as an early season opportunity to get back in the time trialing mindset.  I rode a solid effort over the 11 mile course, but had a tough time sustaining my effort in the second half of the race as the pain built up in the legs.  I ended up taking sixth place knowing that I had more in the tank but struggled mentally to maintain the intensity.  My next race will be a time trial at MIT, and my number one goal will be to push myself further into the red zone get a 100% effort out of my body.

That's all for now, thanks for reading!

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Starting the Season off in South Carolina

High point of the week: the top of Blue Ridge Parkway, NC

Now that I've gotten several nights of solid sleep under my belt, I've fully recovered from McGill Cycling's recent training camp in South Carolina and decided to start this blog by sharing a bit about the week.  Over the past few years this camp has provided me with some of my best cycling experiences, and this recent trip was no different. It was my third year participating in the training camp, and my second year organising it.  In total we were nineteen riders, fourteen being McGill Cyclists, the others special guests.  I was really happy that two of my Nova Scotian teammates from last season, Tyler D’Arcy and Mitchell MacDonald, were able to make the trip with us.  

In an effort to keep these posts on the shorter side so they’re quick and easy to read, I’ll share some of the trip's highlights.  Firstly, our accommodations were spectacular.  We had a giant lake house with picturesque views, a large kitchen and living spaces, and comfortable beds which were much appreciated during a hard week of riding.  On a whole the weather was a bit on the colder side compared to previous years, but on our first few days we were greeted with temperatures in the 20°C range and plenty of riders took the chance to start developing some early season tan lines.  This was by far the fittest and fastest group McGill Cycling has taken down to South Carolina over the past few years, and it lead to some lively rides featuring plenty of racing to the tops of hills and the occasional town sign sprint (lead outs powered by Mitchell MacDonald).  My favourite rides include both days we tackled the famous Caesar’s Head climb and descended the backside into North Carolina for some riding on small scenic roads.  And of course there was the absolutely epic ride we did through the Smokey Mountains. It totalled 170km and just over 4000m of climbing, a new record for me!  Check out the ride details here: http://app.strava.com/activities/119066222

However, the best part of the trip might not even be the riding.  Being able to spend a large chunk of time with my friends and teammates is something I really appreciate, and it strengthens us as a group as we get ready for the racing and riding season.  Sometime I'll write more about the McGill Cycling team, everything it's done for me, and the amazing people that compose it, but for now I'll just say that I'm really happy that I was able to give back by planning a successful camp for everyone to enjoy during their spring breaks.

All in all it was a great vacation away from school, and a perfect week of training to give my fitness a boost before we kick off the 2014 racing season.  As mentioned in the blog description, this should be a big season for me (more info to come!) and I'll be sharing race reports, training tales and various other content so those who are interested can follow along.

For now I'm going to continue to keep trying to juggle training for elite level cycling with weekend race trips and the workload that comes with the final semester of a McGill Mechanical Engineering degree.   Speaking of which, I think I've got some homework to get back to.  Thanks for reading!

Group ride ending just before sunset in South Carolina