Terrascape Racing

Another awesome day of winter riding, sometimes they hammer somethimes they don't.

2012-01-23T09:23:00.011-07:00

Met at Cadence @10am with Craig S., Tomas, Andrew, Mark, Kevin and after a cup of coffee took off on a single track from Bowness through 12 mile cule.. a bit icy, but fun and certainly good for a warm up !!. Headed out towards Cochrane mostly on gravel roads that took us over 60kms to get there. Amazing scenery on the back roads with a bit of a head wind from time to time. On Big Hills towards 22x we got some nasty head wind with snow blowing into our faces, but stayed together and managed to go through. Stopped at Cochrane at around the 4 hours mark to have a hot meal (sandwich and more coffee) to fuel up and get ready for the last leg of the ride. Back to Calgary through Glembow park is certainly way better than Hwy1A these days, awesome pathway system that almost takes you to Calgary, amazing fast twisty down hills and three steep climbs to make your legs work. As I was getting ready myself for the last steep climb to get onto Hwy 1A I saw Mark and Craig standing and pushing decently hard, I tried to keep up, but in the last 300mts I was ready to quit..... no way I said to myself, if you get off your bike you will regret it !! darn !! I was pushing already high E4 just to keep Mark and Craig on my sight, never mind trying to close the gap... when I finally saw the top of the hill...... F.... that was the only thing I said after the F... climb.

Little over 100Kms and 6hours riding time I am still very exited about this winter rides.. They are fun, challenging, cold and sometimes wet or as they call these winter rides "sometimes they hammer sometimes they don't", that is probably why I don't ask what the plan or route is, I just show up and ride whatever the group is up to.

Winter Training, 2012

2012-01-10T11:59:00.006-07:00

With 2011 now behind is time to focus on the new year, 2012!. I officially signed up for 24 hours of adrenalin world championship in Canmore (Sep, 2012) and 24 hours round and round in Spokane, WA (May, 2012). Along with a few other shorter races, these 2 will be my major events for the year.

First rode ride in the winter was on Saturday January 7th. Met with Craig S, Craig M., Kate, Jon, Shawn and Graham at Cadence 10:00am and rode on single tracks and back roads all the way to Cochrane, and when I say "single track" I mean single tracks, not only that, icy and snowy single tracks which test your skills to the max !! I lost count of how many time I wipe out, but it was an amazing training for the races to come... We rode from Calgary to Big Hill Springs Road and then headed west on 526 until we got to the entrance of Big Hill Springs Provincial Park (where i thought we were just doing a quick stop to turn around).. well, I was wrong !! we crossed the darn park, all cow trails, single icy track, creeks, etc.... we ended up in Cochrane where we stop for lunch in "Guys' Cafe and Bakery" which I highly recommend now that I know how their sandwiches taste.. after Jon completed an eating challenge (2.5lbs sandwich + soup) and all the table got free bakery stuff we left for an epic way back through the GlenBow park with some in the group crossing the frozen reservoir AMAZING!! anyway, after 5:21hours of riding time and 81kms I was in Bowness.

Beans n' Barley pics

2011-11-20T13:04:00.003-07:00

Check out the pictures from the race. The link is below or click on the title of the post to take you to the pics. The sport category has no coverage because I was too busy falling down and hoping that my legs would stop hurting. Fumbled my way to 6th after a promising first lap.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dexpectations/collections/72157628069366057/

Enjoy.

Ray

This is it

2011-11-03T10:16:00.003-06:00

Well, this is it. I think racing is now over for this season./
Proud of a few things:
First, I hanged out with lots of cool friends during races and training.
Second, made new friends and learnt a lot from them !!
Third, I survived more than 10 races in the season without getting hurt !!!!!!!
Fourth, I raced in my single speed pretty much every race this year, from stage races like Furious3 to 24 hours solo.... managing to place 4th in Giver8er, 4th in Bow80, 1st in Provincials, 8th in Salty Dog and 8th in 24 hours.
I learnt many things, one of them that you set your own limits, you control where you want to go.
Now is time to focus and start training for 2012, where my main goals will be 24 hours ss solo Spokane, world championship ss solo in Canmore, leadville 100 (if I get in through the lottery), Furious3 and few other races along the way...

Crosstastic

2011-10-17T10:09:00.004-06:00

(Michelle gives this weekend the thumbs up. Photo by Mystique Photos)

Beautiful fall weather Sat and Sun saw some huge groups take to the start line. There was lots of cowbells and good suffer faces to be had.

Blow Street CX was put on by the Deadgoats. The course was almost dead flat so how come it hurt so much? Lonn came up with a challenging course using every inch of the park available with a diabolical pea gravel pit. Terrascape was well represented and was looking fast at all times. The sport group saw a plethora of crashes and mayhem in a field of 64 to start the day off with some excitement. Crashes were to be had in all the groups as some tricky corners, well placed sprinkler boxes and pretty yellow leaves on the ground made a recipie for disaster. Several top 10 finishes by Terrascape on the day including yours truly.

Riverbend CX in Red Deer on Sunday opened to a chilly but equally beautiful day. The course this year had 2 significant changes. A much more difficult sand pit section and an evil near vertical dirt run up with a sketchy decent. Only 4 Terrascapers (Andrew, Ryan, Cesar, me) made the trek to Red Deer but we all had fun none the less and learned a few lessons. Lesson one. If you arrive on time and race the correct category you have a much better chance of doing well. Lesson two. Weddings the night before a race make for some interesting responses from your body when you ask it for maximum power. Lesson three. Having the awards after all the racing is done makes for a long day.

All in all I believe that it was another great weekend of cross racing and my legs would have to agree.

Midweek at Canmore Park

2011-10-13T07:44:00.003-06:00

Another great night at the Midweek Mayhem Cross. We switched to Wednesday night to avoid the Tuesday night running group. It was always sporty trying to avoid them in the corners.

Last night in the A group there was 6 Terrascapers including Alana who raced up due to a dinner engagement. We put our practice into play and had a great start.

After the first long straight and corner the Kid and i had made the lead group. We lost contact after the first major corners and it was 3 of us sitting 5,6,7 after Peter Lawerence danced around us.

The Kid tried an early attack that was covered on the long straight. I made a move on the 3rd lap after strategically sitting in on the flats. I made a good gap but it cost me and I could not stay away. The Kid and a TRS rider caught back up and it was going to be us to the finish. The TRS rider made a gap just before the barriers, and held it to the finish. i was just in front of the Kid who probably could have beat me if he had used his lungs for riding and stopped cheering me on. It helped though, Thanks Ryan.

The other boys looked strong when i caught glimpses of them. We will have to see how the battle turned out.

More cross, at MidWeek, more Mayhem //-.-

2011-10-04T22:11:00.005-06:00

More cross, at MidWeek, more Mayhem. Thanks to Keith and his gang for putting together such awesome courses at midweek the entire Terrascape gang has shown up for an spectacular team work in the A and B groups. Tonight I just had a blast !! fighting (literally) the entire race with Amit for 3rd place was an amazing feeling.... I lined up in the front and went out pretty hard the first lap. I was in 2nd place for most of the third and fourth lap and wasn't sure if I was going to be able to hold it till the end. In the last two laps I found myself blocking Amit in the corners again the trees (well, we are racing aren't we??) I figure it was kind of fun blocking him as he was trying to pass in the inside and then making him work a bit harder to avoid the low branches from getting caught on his helmet LOL... half way through the last lap Amit and the other guy were slowing down a bit when I yelled at them "come on guys let's work together!!!!!" darn, when am i going to learn that I shouldn't be encouraging others to go harder???? anyway, i just thought we were slowing down and didn't want to get caught by the fifth guy. As we were running up the hill I was shoulder to shoulder with Amit (I bet been a ranger pays off, the guy runs up pretty fast).. up the hill and on our bikes at the same time and fighting in the down hill and last flat to the finish line !! got in 4th this time, but got pretty close to podium again. I never saw the guy that came in first after the second lap, I think it was an A rider sandbagging in B, so that will put me in the podium with an awesome 3rd place yupiiiiiii.

Flat out!! that's what CX races should be called

2011-09-29T11:09:00.007-06:00

Flat out till you die...... that is how I would describe cycle cross races. They are high intensity races where all that matters is the endurance to go anaerobic for the duration of the race. Sharp cornering, steep hills, fast down hills, jump off the bike and cross barriers, etc. and all that done in city parks covering approx 2kms per lap.
Last night was my 4th MidWeekMayhem race and I felt really good. I started at the front with Andy and Amit and soon I was on third place (not for to long though) as two guys from Spinergy that were working together passed me and I couldn't stay on their wheels.... Then I just had to focused on maintaining my 5th place. There was this one rider sucking up my wheel for the last 2 laps, I knew I could get him in the sprint (don't ask me why, but I just knew it) so I stop looking back and concentrated in the course. The bell announcing the last lap was ringing and I kept a good pace. In the last corners I was still thinking about the guy on my wheel when all of the sudden a BowCycle dude attacked on the left and took me a few seconds to respond... I contested the attack and it was a picture finish loosing my fifth place for about 5 inches..... what a race !!! omg

Bow80, 2011

2011-09-19T09:36:00.008-06:00

Bow80 was initially a MTB race over 80Kms, but as the weather is always bad this time of the year the organizers decided to change the course a bit and ended up been Bow65.
With over 7,000 feet of elevation gain/loss riding this course in my single speed was a hard choice, but I was up for the challenge and wasn't going to change my mind.....
I woke up at around 5:00 am to have a good breakfast (Andy's favorite as I referred to it) wholewheat pancakes, peanut butter, bananas and strawberry yogurt ummm (only thing though is that my baby ate the last banana and my wife the last yogurt the night before and that ruined my breakfast plan... still love them though). Anyway, had my breakfast with all I have left and headed out to TimHortons for an extra large coffee. 6:30 am and I was parking my Rav across from Station Flats. Rode my bike to pick up the race package and went back the the car to get ready to race. With the unpredictable weather we have in this part of the world I tried to have a few extras in the bag I was going to have access to half way through the course, so I packed extra socks, gloves, rain jacket, water bottles, a sandwich and gels. As for the start, I was only wearing my jersey, vest and arm warmers (that should be enough I thought). 7:30 am and there we go, without knowing how long the race was going to be I tried to go as hard as I could. I was feeling good and strong and was pedaling with the lead group for a while. Right after powder face and into prairie creek trail there was this big and deep Beaver pond (oh my god was it dark and nasty), didn't see the line on the right side and tried to go through it as if I had a boat instead of a bike !! big mistake, upside down I found myself swimming in that nasty Beaver pond. I was freezing now with my socks and gloves all wet, it was going to be a miserable ride if I hadn't packed those extras in my bag a few kms away from me by that time.
2 hours in and 30kms into the race when I made it to the feed zone where I had my bag with all these dry stuff. Put on dry socks and gloves, grabbed another water bottle when I saw Andy and the two dead goat ss guys passing by. Back on the bike as soon as I could to catch those guys, but ss on a gravel road with Andy in the front?? I don't think it was very realistic for me to be able to catch him, I could see him getting away from me as time went by... Finally, we started to climb and I started to close that gap between Andy and me (my first target), the next step was catching those two dead goat ss guys (Tim and Pat). There was a lot of climbing up Powder Face and on the descend of course Andy passed me once again. Catching him up again was tough, and when I did it I flew over the bars and bang off the bike I went !! got on the bike in one piece and now needed to catch two guys instead on one.... At the top of the trail everything was so familiar, maybe because I have ridden Pneuma quite a few times, so I knew that the end was coming. I love Pneuma and on a fresh day I could ride it with no problem, but yesterday every hill seemed steeper. I was running and walking sections, on and off my bike. I managed to pass Andy and stayed away from him during the entire climb. Down Special K I knew he was going to catch me, so I rode as fast as I could and when I got to Tom Snow trail I knew I was safe. I pushed really hard those last 6kms and Andy is almost sure that he saw me at one point, I didn't even want to look back untill the last 1k when I looked and no one was behind me... Through the finish line in 5:04 and ready for the next race.

Calgary Corporate Challenge

2011-09-13T17:00:00.004-06:00

With the Calgary Corporate Challenge now over, 2nd place in the MTB event and my second sub 40min in the 10ks (00:39:14) it is time now to focus on CX season and Bow8o!! My legs are still sore from the 10ks and I don't know how they will respond tonight in the second MidWeekMayhem xrace..I have been trying to recover from the races on the weekend, but not enough time to do so....:-///. The 10ks on Sunday left me pretty sore, it was a tough course with quite a bit of elevation gain/lost (20mts in the first 5k and 45mts in the second 5k), as I was passing the 7k mark I thought I could pick up the pace and hammer the last 3k, but I couldn't make my legs go faster than 4:10p/k pace and thought I wasn't going to make a sub 40...... I sprinted the last 400mts and as I was crossing the finish line my quads started to cramp all over the place and I almost fall ./--- Well, I sure felt good after I stop my watch in 39:14; ran to the car to grab my camera and went back to the finish line to wait for the rest of my team. With all of them in and with a fifth place over all we were all ready to go home and relax for the day...

Tonight will be the second cx race and after that I will definitely take it easy for the rest of the week and prep for an amazing Bow80 in my single speed!!.

CX season just started on Sep 1st with MidWeekMayhem series !!!

2011-09-08T09:29:00.003-06:00

What can I say.... pre-rode the course for about 3 or 4 laps (yes there were about 2kms long) and even doing that and been aware of the course got lost for a bit on lap one and crashed on lap three.. Anyway, the race was a lot of fun (more than 70 riders lining up on B). I was in the front with an eye on Andy on my left and Amit right beside him. I knew we had to sprint off in order to take the first downhill without anybody around... I managed to get to the first corner on 8th place and hammer to stay ahead.
Off the bike to jump the first barrier and there was a bit of traffic as riders were trying to get back on their bikes.. With only three steep hills in the course it was tough to get away. I think that it was in the second downhill when I missed a turn and got a bit off track, but soon someone was yelling at me and got me back on the right direction.
As I was riding in the front and Amit missed one corner when we got to the finish line to complete lap 1 we were stop for a few seconds as a penalty for cutting corners (isn't that unfair???). Back on the race I was trying to stay right behind Andy and Amit who were the only riders from the same team working together, it was an amazing teamwork show put on by these two Bike-Bros guys.
Second lap and I was still felling good with Jeff Neilson cheering me on the top on the hill !!. on lap three as I was yelling at Amit and Andy in front of me to go hard, my front tire slided and bang I was on the ground.... tried to get on the bike as soon as possible, but my chain was off and it cost me losing Amit and Andy for about 10-20 seconds/
As I was finishing lap three I heard the bell for the last lap (and God I was happy to see the end....), I decided to close the gap with Andy and Amit and tried to go flat out for the last five minutes, finishing 5th overall and getting my first point on a CX race !!! can't wait for next Tuesday./

XTerra ATB Financial off-road triathlon, after the race

2011-08-17T15:17:00.004-06:00

Beautiful day for racing in Canmore, although it was a bit cold in the morning.. My friend Steve picked me up at the campground and we both headed out to T1 to set up the bike. With T1 ready we drove to T2 to set up our running shoes, cap and glasses.. Pre-race meeting completed and we were getting on the bus to head down the the Quary lake.
Swimming was good, although I wasn't as fast as I wanted too (22min for 1,000mts), out of the water running to my bike my heart rate started to climb up !! I am so glad that I was wearing my jersey underneath my wetsuit, because otherwise it would have been a nightmare to put it on while I was still wet !! It took me forever to put on my gloves (will never attempt to put on gloves with my hands wet again, not worthy). Off I went on my bike for 1hour and 40min for 22ks, lots of climbing and technical downhills. I was feeling really good on the bike and was chasing down Adrian (another terrascaper) all the way (couldn't get him though, and he was only 5 min ahead) darn, I was so sure I was going to get him !! anyway, finished the bike and with my running shoes on off I go again to chase him down in the run. The trail running is a bit different, and at Canmore with all the climbing and loose terrain for the downhill it was tough to keep up the speed.. Finished the 8ks in 45min and I was completely spent..
Another great race to keep me motivated to train more and try to get faster !!

XTerra ATB Financial off-road triathlon

2011-08-09T15:31:00.004-06:00

Few more days to train and tapper before heading out to Canmore for the XTerra triathlon. 1000mts swim on the lake, 22k of MTB and 8k of trail run.... yeap, that is the full distance tri course set up for 2011 and I am ready for the chalenge.
Really llooking forward to this race since the MTB course is the upper section of the 24hrs course and two laps will honestly feel like nothing after riding that course for 24 hours straight just a few weeks ago.
I was debating whether or not to use my ss, but I think that if I want to have legs for the run I'd better ride my geared bike.... Will write next week my experience on this race, and let you know how my ss specialized s works 29er is coming along (I hope to have it ready for Bow80ish..)

24 hours of adrenalin, single speed solo, Canmore 2011

2011-07-27T08:37:00.014-06:00

After a few days of rest and recovery I am starting to feel my hands again and can actually type!!./ yeap, it seems like I have cyclist's palsy after the race......

The weather wasn't any good when Maria, the baby and me headed out to Canmore on Friday for the 24 hours of adrenalin race. I was planning on pre-riding the course with Steve Friday afternoon, but we figured it wasn't going to be any fun due to the pouring rain.

I decided to set up the pit instead and spent the rest of the afternoon in the trailer deciding what tires to use for the race.

Saturday morning it continued to rain and I went down to downtown for coffee and a few bags of ice for the cooler. Got back just in time for the pre-race meeting and to do the final touches in the pits.

What a great start, muddy, but tacky, yeap, for the first two laps the entire course was wet !! after the first lap my shoe's clit came loose and was struggling for about half an hour. Luckily got to the pits I Craig was able to tide it up in a minute.

Back on the bike again for a second lap and the course was getting worse and worse.... super wet and slippery, never mind the slippery roots and rocks.

By lap 3 the course was drying out a bit and I was feeling better as I was able to climb pretty much everything.

For some reason I started to have negative thoughts and was pretty much set to quit the race, but kept thinking about a excuse to do it. It was 8:30pm when i was getting ready for the next lap and needed to have my lights on in order to go out again, so I mounted the helmet light that I borrowed from Ray and started my sixth lap. Exited about the night ride I was feeling a bit better, but those negative thoughts still there in my head. Catched up with Steve and told him that I needed a riding buddy to keep going, and therefore was going to hangout with him at least for the night.. Although he was encouraging me to keep going and pick up the pace I decided to take it easy and ride with him. At around mid night he wasn't feeling well at all and started to get sick, so despite we tryed to stay together it was tough not to push in the climbs as I was in my ss and it is difficult not to push on the climbs. Got to the pits at around 2am and waited for him to go out again./

Out we went and was starting to feel a bit better, so we managed to ride together for the remaining of the night.

It was freezing (probably 7c) and had to put on a few extra layers, couldn't stop thinking about the day light and warm sun. Just before finishing my tenth lap the sun was out and I turned out my lights, I was so happy to see that we have made it through the night and that the end of the race was approaching.

Longer pit stop at this time to have a nice and hot breakfast and out again for lap 11th. I was feeling great on this lap and was hammering pretty much everything. Back in the pits again to eat a bit more and drink some coffee to go out, but this time for what it was the worse lap, almost walked half of the course as I didn't feel the strengh to pedal any more. Was set to call it off and decided that it was going to the the last lap, after all I was already top 10 and I was happy with that.

Back in the pits after lap 12 and Steve's wife convinced me to go out one more time and finish with what I have started, so I told her I would wait for Steve and if he was going out for one more lap I would go out too. Of course the sucker didn't say no and we headed out for the last lap. Surprisingly we both were feeling better and did a fairly fast lap.

Finished 8th in the solo category, and very happy that I was able to do it in my single speed.

24hours of adrenalin Canmore 2011

2011-07-21T16:13:00.002-06:00

Where to start, that is always the big Q. With only 2 more sleeps before one of my biggest challenges of the racing season I still fighting a cold and trying to get as many things organized as I can. Thinking and planning about food, hydration, pacing, etc... luckily my wife "pit manager" is getting a bunch of things organized for me (love you bella). We will be heading out to Canmore Friday noon and set up our trailer to be all rested Saturday morning. I am planning on pre-riding with my buddy solo Steve and Andy and see the new changes they made to the course this year.
With this been my 5th time participating in a 24hours event, but only my 2nd time solo I am starting to get nervous and anxious at the same time. I am not very good at tapering and with a week doing nothing I am feeling pretty anxious and desperate to go out and hammer the trails !!
I washed my bikes last night and oiled them pretty well, good thing about single speed is that you don't have to worry to much about gears, cables, changes, etc...
I selected a gear ratio of 32/20 and I hope that my legs still alive after 24hours. The course is 17.3kms long with over 430mts of elevation gain... the goal AS MANY LAPS AS I CAN IN 24 HOURS OF PURE ADRENALIN.

Giver8er 2011

2011-05-30T21:34:00.006-06:00

Well, another MTB race in the season. This time right here in Calgary at COP, Giver8er!! 8 hours of endurance, lap after lap with 235mts of elevation gain in 9.5kms.

With all the preceding week raining I honestly thought that the race was going to get cancelled, but Saturday came and with it the rain stopped!. I checked the website for updates about the race and it was still on !!.

I headed out to the course for a pre-ride with my single speed and after a lap I knew I could do it, just needed to change my tires for mud tires just in case and I was ready to ride. Woke up on Sunday at 6:30 and have Andy’s favorite breakfast (whole wheat pancakes with peanut butter, bananas and strawberry yogurt), packed all my stuff, bought a coffee and met super D at the course to set up the tent for the big day.

With a little time to plan the race, I organized all my food and bottles in one corner of the pits. I had 2 bottles with water melon juice (my secret weapon) and the rest with water and sport drinks. We all take off with the gun shot and I manage to stay in the front line with the first 20 riders. Up the hill cranking up those pedal with a 32/18 gear that later in the race I realized it was to small to handle the climbs for 10 laps. My laps went like this: 1^st lap 00:37:20, 2^nd lap 00:39:35, 3^rd lap 00:40:10, 4^th lap 00:41:41, 5^th lap 00:48:08 (my chain broke first time), 6^th lap 00:56:49 (my chain kept coming off until it broke again…), 7^th lap 00:45:38, 8^th lap 00:48:37, 9^th lap 00:48:19, 10^th lap 00:45:58.

During the race I ran into Deane, Mike who was doing an awesome job, Richelle and Jason who were all racing, it was nice to see so many terrascapers in the course. Steve was also there in the pits always offering a helping hand and taking some pictures.

Laps went by and as I finished each climb my energy was coming back and my heart rate coming down as well, on every climb I thought it was going to be the last lap, but as soon as I hit the flats and the down hills I knew I could go for another one!!

I finished lap 9^th after 6 hours 45 minutes and stopped in the pits to consider another lap, and after talking to Mike and Nicole grab my last bottle of 3 in 1 juice (another secret), a bite of a hotdog that my wife had drop off earlier and hoped into my saddle for what ended up being a 45min lap !! With 10 laps in my single speed, 95kms and after 7 hours and 34 minutes I was ready to get off my bike and go home...

2011-04-11T11:27:00.003-06:00

Finally we made it out for the first Team Ride of the season. With Jeff and Andrew riding from Calgary, Lisa riding from Bragg Creek, and myself riding as well from Calgary we met in Cochrane and rode the Horse/Grand Valley loop. The weather was awesome 12+ and the wind wasn't that bad at all...

Pam showing off her brand new cycle-cross bike sure enjoyed the ride. Jason L. attacked a few times (while we were stopped chatting...) and of course we couldn't get him, but "next time buddy" we will get you !!. we had a couple non-terrascapers joining us (Michelle and Steve) that managed to get some "free" draft, but that is cool, we will be riding on their tails one day too LOL. We finished the loop in under 2:00 hrs (45kms with a lot of climbing) and some continue their rides to Calgary and Bragg Creek (for sure with a hell of a tail wind). Stay tune for the next group ride.

2011 race calendar.. at least my own calendar.

2011-03-31T15:38:00.005-06:00

After a long long winter and a gigantic change in my life called Nicholas (my baby boy) I am putting together a race plan for 2011 !!
1. April 17 Prairie Roubaix (road race) CANCELLED
2. May 15 Salty Dog (MTB) 8th place
3. May 29 Giver8er (MTB) 4th place single speed
4. July 1-3 Furious3 (MTB) 37th in my age group single speed
5. July 10 Stampede (road race) didn't atend
6. July 23-24 24 Hours of Adrenaline (MTB) 8th place single speed
7. August 14 XTerra Triathlon 4th in my age group 27/88 overall
8. August 27 Provincial Championship (MTB) single speed 1st place !!
9. Calgary Corporate Challenge MTB and 10k run (2nd place and 5th place)
10. September 18 Bow80 (MTB) 4th place single speed

It is official now, ridding outside is on

2011-03-31T09:18:00.002-06:00

Went out yesterday for a ride with my buddy Andy and did the Horse/Grand Vallley loop. As usual, we started really hard and it only kept getting harder and harder. With a strong headwind that in parts became sidewind working together was a must to survive a fast pace. I counter attacked in every hill, but my legs are not there yet... and was cramping a bit by the end of the 2 hours ride. The roads were great, and even though we were ridding in our cycle-cross bikes it wouldn't be impossible to use the road bikes because there is not a lot of gravel.

First ride of the season !!

2011-03-30T10:37:00.002-06:00

Well, after a long winter in Calgary things seem to start getting better and the weather is probably ready to give me a break. Went out yesterday and climb the Big Hill (Cochrane) to get my blood pumped. It was really nice to be outside in my cross bike, without my commuting gear and saddle bags.. I sent an invite to ride this coming Sunday (Horse/Grand Valley) and I am crossing my fingers for a decent weather..

Richelle's 2010 Xterra World Championship Race Report

2010-11-18T16:25:00.000-07:00

Looking forward to Terrascape representing at Xterra World Championships next year!

We arrived at the race and headed straight for transition on the beautiful Makena Beach golf course. It was warm out already which was so nice; a change from the usual freezing race mornings I am used to in Canada. I got my transitions set-up and headed to get body marked. It was a very relaxing morning with only 600 racers and hardly and lines to get things done. I wandered around and found other Calgary folks who were not racing - they were all amazing support. Lots of hugs and high-5's to calm any nerves.

I found Madi and we warmed up. Then, all racers were called out of the water to get a Hawaiian blessing by Reverend Alalani Hill, before heading to our preferred starting spots amongst the other athletes for the mass beach start. I found Kristie Schneider and we stood on the beach together in the crowd of racers. We laughed that we were actually here at the World Championships! The helicopter swirled overhead making it seam even more surreal! Finally the cannon went off; we screamed, grabbed each other’s hands and dove in.

I got into a rhythm fairly quickly and focused on swimming to 1 buoy at a time (it was crowded but surprisingly I did not get kicked or punched). Each time I hit a buoy I would not allow myself to focus on more than the next buoy. This made for a more relaxing swim as I tend to focus how much more swimming I have to do. I finished the first lap and came out to run the 75m beach run before diving back in for the second lap. My heart rate had skyrocketed due to the beach run and I struggled to get back into a rhythm again (that and the fact that the waves had picked up and made it very hard to sight or take smooth strokes). I also got a few mouthfuls of salt water due to the waves. Despite the rough lap, I couldn’t help love that I was swimming in the ocean. I stayed very happy throughout the swim.

T1 went well and was fairly fast. I was organized and knew my routine. I grabbed my bike and off I went. I was very excited, yet very nervous to get on my bike. Normally with mountain bike racing you pre-ride the course but, at the Xterra World Championships they do not let you pre-ride the course. It is read and react as you go. This weighed on my mind as I headed out of T1.

I got one entire bottle of Eload down before we got into the climbing section, as that was what Jordan had told me to do. Then up Heleakala – all the way up to 1400 feet. I worked to stay calm, at my appropriate heart rate, and continued to get calories in. The course was congested and so many people were on the side with flat tires. I also passed a girl who had fallen and her shift level had actually punctured her arm! Luckily medical staff was already there. We continued to climb for several miles and I worked to stay hydrated, keep getting calories in, and enjoy the experience. The lava rock was definitely interesting to ride on, and you had to worry about the lava rocks actually slicing the side walls of your tires if your tire pressure wasn't right or you hit the lava rock the wrong way. There were also the crazy Kiawe thorns that could puncture your tires. Many competitors were on the side with flats. I prayed for no flats.

When we finally hit the downhill I loved it. Not technical enough for my liking, but still so much fun! I took very aggressive lines on the way down trying to make up time for being so slow of a climber. I didn't really seem to make up very much time though, as during the uphill sections I got caught by many of the people I had worked so hard to pass on the downhill sections. I took it a bit easier and enjoyed some of the views from Heleakala as we headed back towards Makena beach.

I was feeling great off the bike and heading into transition. I had paced well on the bike and had gotten in enough calories (not the usual case for me in an Xterra). I found my bike rack right away, as a competitor I had met in transition had placed a bright orange shoe lace on the sign for our rack. I scrambled to get my bike gear off and gather all of my run gear as the helicopter swirled overhead (I knew this meant the first pros were finishing). It was loud and chaotic and I tried to yell Rose that Madi was OK out on the bike course. I was rushing and when I started to run I realized I went in the wrong direction out of T2 and had to run back the other way to the run exit. I was like a chicken with my head cut off. Worst T2 ever for me! But hey, I had made it onto the run.

As I headed along the road I felt like I was taking the shortest, baby steps and moving nowhere! I was running but, because so many others were running so well it magnified how slow I was going. I was happy though. I was on the run of the Xterra World Championships and I had survived the swim and bike thus far! I did pass a few walkers and tried to encourage them but one girl said “English, I don’t speak well”. Oh right, this is the World Championship. When I hit the climb I just tried to push forward with a combo of walking and running; survival under the Hawaii sun. I walked ever water station with the routine of asking for two waters – one to drink, and one to dump on my neck in an attempt to cool. When we finally turned to go down, I quickly realized the down would not be much of a reprieve. I ran as fast as I could on the loosest, rockiest, gnarliest terrain I have ever seen. I went over on my ankle and when I can back up couldn’t believe my ankle was OK. However, my toes started tingling and the side of my foot ached. I sucked it up because that is what Xterra athletes do! I focused on running strong while having fun on this amazing course.

When I hit Makena beach, which was the first beach run (a ¾ mile beach run), I worked hard to remember to shuffle and not push off to hard so I wouldn't sink in the sand. A lovely competitor with whom I had been on the bike with passed me and offered me an ice cube. So nice! The beach seemed to go on so long and I was thrilled when the flags directed us up off the beach. Next up I hit the spooky forest – over and under trees and logs. I was so tired and very worried I would hit my head, or trip over a log and land flat on my face but I managed to get through the forest without incident. Then, the next beach run which was thankfully fairly short, and then onto more lava rock! I walked/ran, trying not to slip as I knew I was so close to the finish.

I was relieved to hit the golf course grounds. I jumped over the last rock wall, and ran strong headed for the finishing shoot. I was so excited to see so many friends as I headed into the finishing shoot and crossed the line. I survived the Xterra World Championships!

You can watch 2010 Xterra World Championship race highlights here:

http://www.xterra.tv?bcpid=96876705001&bclid=30080813001&bctid=649834914001

Beans n' Barley 2010 photos

2010-11-10T08:41:00.002-07:00

I've finally gone through my pics of the great event and so check it out!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dexpectations/sets/72157625228333927/

Ray

Beans N' Barley - Best cross race of the year....

2010-11-02T11:15:00.003-06:00

Or so we have been hearing! Thanks so much to everyone who volunteered and raced to make it the superb event that it always is.

Few housekeeping notes:

Lost and Found:
Black multitool/allan key set
Black lobster gloves
24h Adrenalin water bottle
LowePro camera case
Men's work boots (left outside at Shag).

If you are missing these, please post a reply or email me. I will post on ABA site as well.

Lots of photos were taken - here's the first set by Dale Firth.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12311701@N03/5134165033/

Keep checking for more great photos of costumed and skinsuited racers!

Gearing up for the B n' B

2010-10-13T22:19:00.007-06:00

Plans are going smoothly for this year's Beans n' Barley. We hope to have more people in character or costumes than ever!
We have a few more tricks and treats this year.....you normally don't want to fall into the money pit, or the loonie bin, but be sure to keep your eyes and ears open.
Our announcers might just give some hints, if they are not too busy ironing their polyester suits.

This guy looks like he could use a new kit!

Thanks to our title sponsor, Custom Fibreglass Contractors for ensuring the 2010 B n'B is another superb event. Get your costumes ready and we'll see you on Halloween!

Perfect weekend of Cross

2010-09-20T22:17:00.001-06:00

What better way to kick off the cross season with one of the craziest weekends of cross racing....where else but just outside of Seattle.....StarCrossed and RadRacing!!!!

Friday night, I picked Regan up from work, we loaded the new cross bikes up and headed down to Redmond, WA. Nothing like driving at midnight in what I'd call torrential downpour (hydroplane crazy) to pump you up for cross season. You definitely can't have a dry cross season, that's just not right. Checked in to the Silver Cloud Inn (great find!!) and hit the pillow both totally wiped out by 1am...yuck.

Saturday morning was a great sleep in!! I did set the alarm though for 9:30 so that we wouldn't miss the continental breakfast. Love the conti breaky where you get to make your own waffles right there....Canada needs some of these joints! After stuffing our faces we headed down to Marymoor park to claim a big cement pavillion and set up the Trek Pro City tent to create "Canada Corner" . Pretty neat how many Canadians, particularly from Victoria, made the journey south for this weekend. StarCrossed racing didn't start till 2:15, Regan raced at 3:00 and I didn't get to start till 7:00 pm.....night races are sooooo cool.

Most of the categories were totally maxed out at the 80 racer limit....and there was over 600 riders!!!!! Unfortunately the Elite Women's category was relatively small at 27, but it's still the largest cross races that I've had the chance to race in. All day it was beautiful, sunny, hot and dry.....5:30 the dark clouds rolled in and the expected rain started coming down. By the time we started at 7, there was standing puddles and chewed up muddy corners to make things exciting. I blew the start, not expecting the gun to go off 10 secs after the "Within 30 seconds" call....bobbled the pedal a couple times, almost lost my handlebar...and by the time I got myself sorted out I found myself looking at all 26 women swarming by me...so much for my front row call up...haha.

Off the long cement straight starting block, there was a nasty right hand almost 180 degree corner onto wet grass (well, no grass left at this point). I had grabbed as many gears as I could and was hammering my guts out trying to catch back up to the leader group. By the time we reached the first run up, a short hill with 4 logs across for a forced dismount, I had managed to bridge back up to Wendy Simms, Katerina Nash and Sue Butler. We road hard together for a lap, putting some time inbetween us and the rest of the pack. Going into the second lap Katerina and Wendy made a move, and I reacted by finding an opening around Sue and catching back up to their wheels. At this point, I came around a slick corner, trying to power out of it and found myself going sideways, sideways, sideways...it felt like really slow motion.....and still hanging onto the handlebars I hit the ground and slid. Jumping up as fast as I could, I lost contact with Wendy and Katerine, and Sue passed and gapped me. It took me a couple seconds to get back into the groove....but then I was on the hunt.

For the next however many laps we did, Sue yo-yo-ed just off the front of me. It'd catch up to her through some of the technical corners and dismount/remount sections, and she would power away from me on the open sections. The barriers were right in front of the beer gardens and it was so neat having so many people yelling and cheering you on to catch her. In the last couple laps, Canadian Natasha Elliot was coming on strong making up time fast, until the last lap and I was able to put a little more time back into the gap to 5th. Super happy with finishing 4th at my first big cross race!!!!

Sunday was an early morning for RadRacing as the first races of the day were at 9:00am. It was made even more painful due to the fact that we didn't eat supper until 10:30pm (Subway....quick and open) and didn't get to bed until almost midnight again.....weekend of no sleep. Definitely not the best recovery strategy...but how could we not stay and watch the mens race???

Regan raced at 9:45....and had an awesome race!!!! With over 150 men on course during his race, it was extremely exciting to watch, and even more so seeing him passing guys left right and center. Unfortunately we still haven't seen results for this category :(

By the time we started at 3, the entire width of the course the entire length of the course was one big inch plus deep mud puddle......except for the 2 beach runs...hehe....gnarly. Definitely good technical training on slick corners!! I had an amazing start, leading out to the first corner, where Sue Butler slipped by me to lead through the first couple corners. Wendy and Katerine were right there and they made a move around us and quickly put a little gap on us. Entering the first beach section, Sue got off to run and I powered by on my bike......ohhhhh the poor drive train!! Quick remount, slick corner, down a slick ramp and into the second beach run. Here that sand was so deep, and I could see Wendy and Katerine both dismounting, so I didn't even try to ride, but shouldered the bike and ran. At the far end I had put a small gap on Sue, remounted and struggled to clip back in.......wet sand packed in the pedals and cleats is harder then mud to clip in with.

Got myself sorted out and started hammering.......until a left hand corner with a good little rut....haha...damn rut grabbed my front tire and I slammed hard in the mud :) Sue passed me again....grrrrrr. Regrouped myself again and started the chase again....this time with Natasha Elliot and Devon Haskell in tow. Devon passed me through the barriers, and I grabbed her wheel to catch as much of a muddy draft as I could. Second last corner of the first lap I found myself smack on my ass again, loosing contact with both Devon and Natasha.

At this point Kathy Sherwin was breathing down my neck and we battled for the next 3 laps. I managed to clean the rest of the race, I think the mass amounts of rain that started to come down actually made the course a little less slick....if that's possible, but my legs didn't quite have the punch that they had the night before. The last lap I passed Kathy in the final sand run, managed to clip in relatively smoothly, and set my sights on Devon in 5th place. I managed to put some serious time into her on the last half of the lap, but not enough to catch up...and finished 6th on this day.

After cleaning my bike I found that my rear derallieur was jammed with so much mud and grass that I couldn't even move the cage....no wonder I was having troubles shifting or even staying in a gear...hehe. My new Trek XO2 worked absolutely amazing, the newly designed front fork is so stiff and responsive...I love it!!!! Thank you again Barry Near and Trek Toronto Store for helping me out this year.

Oh ya, I got mommed by Wendy Simms twice this weekend as she finished 2nd on both days. I'm excited she's back and I get to race her this year at the Island Cross Races....that's gonna me fast!!!...haha

StarCrossed Interview

Visit beta.cyclingdirt.org for more Videos

RadRacing Interview

Visit beta.cyclingdirt.org for more Videos

May

2010-08-21T15:36:00.004-06:00

The usual season starter for the mtn bikes is the Coulee Cruiser in early May.... which none of us made it to. The combination of poor weather, and no hill climb or road race did not entice those of us looking for a bigger weekend. The Perogy XC conflicted with another standby of the marathon mtb crowd: the Salty Dog. It's warm, dry and a whole pile of fun when our Calgary trails are, well..... not. There was a big showing of Terrascapers, new and old. P-Ro, Jeff, Nic, Lisa, Adrian, Cesar, Lavigne, Jason C., the Kid, and myself. Jeff had a great race, coming second in the Open Men (an overall) to Big Brian Cooke, and was mano-a-mano with Leighton Poidevin for the majority of the race. A gentlemen's agreement allowed them to finish their race after 9 laps, even though they really had time for one more. Cesar overcame Adrian after a good battle during their 7 laps, likely as a result of his ginormo pack (it was so big, one can't call it a camelback).
Perhaps that is where his second set of legs are hidden. Nice work on the top-20 finish in the under 40 Sport category. P-Ro squeaked in a top 30 result in the same category, besting Jason Copan - but still with 7 laps in the muggy heat. And Lavigne - what to say. Lavigne ground out those 6 lasp, despite those screaming leg cramps. For those who were there, you may recall that screaming with a bit of a shudder. But pretty good for a guy whose bike was stolen the day before.... grrrr.

Now the ladies: Nic had a solid race, coming in 3rd in the under 40 Women, also overcoming heat cramps, dehydration, and the un-funness of both of those. As is usual, it was left to our Master rider LL to bring home the pie.

Lisa rode a very strong race for 7 laps, finishing second to 40+ Deadgoat specialist, the great Trish Gracjsyk.
The Kid and I (and Zeech) had an off race - the Kid being injured, me being very sick and keeping the entire BnB up with my bronchitic spasms, and Zeech (Nic's hubby) impersonating the Kid to just get a lap in. But it was more than compensated for by the Log Bog Friendship Farm, where we stayed. Serious.

The race atmosphere was fun as always, but the numbers of racers are increasing, and the trails are showing it a bit. It still can't be beat for the early season training race. And thanks to our superb support crew - the Terrascape Pit.

Then there was the GivR8'er. If you recall, that was the start of our less than stellar summer. It was cold, wet and rainy, and the course was inevitably going to be slick and gross - but we decided we might as well. I was racing single speed with Trish, Jeff and the Kid teamed up and Jay and Lisa decided to go for the coed.It was a brisk start in the morning, but once one the bike, the temperature was perfect. Once you stopped to let your teammate do a lap however..... yikes!

The trail actually became perfectly tacky, but still pretty muddy in many sections. Derailleurs suffered. Singlespeed was definitely the way to do - although my poor v brakes were not that effective, and my 1999 fork with 1/2 " travel was destined to be trouble. Luckily late the night before Jeff switched over a new fox float, with an old front disk brake - wobbly and loose, but better than v-brakes! Terrascape again rocked the podium, with Trish and I finishing first in the women's duo, and Lisa and Jay rounding out the co-ed duo in 3rd.

Summer Recap.....

2010-08-21T15:28:00.002-06:00

Well, it's been a dreadfully long time since anyone has posted about their endeavours, which isn't to say that Terrascapers have been sitting idle. On the contrary, there has been much riding, training, racing and relaxing since the Prairie Roubaix, trips to Moab, and of course, Mike's unfortunate accident. He is happy to report that he is now free of his neck brace, after 12 long weeks. I shall do my best to recount some of the highlights from the past few months, and hope that some of my teammates correct where I have erred.

Only 8 months late

2010-06-16T08:13:00.002-06:00

Well I was checking out the blog and it seems we never posted the pictures from the Beans and Barley Cross Race. So if you get a moment check them out.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dexpectations/sets/72157622648788425/

Mike's (aka Splatman) Moab Porcupine Rim Crash Site

2010-05-22T12:48:00.007-06:00

Here is where I crashed, about 2-3 miles from the end of the trail. I am not sure what line I tried to get down the multiple drops. Danika is standing, shielding me from the sun as I wait for the EMTs. The ledge behind her shoulder is probably where my front wheel dropped into, launching me over the handle bars, onto my head. Apparently the easiest line was blocked by a person walking through this section. Normally I am quite the chicken and dismount. I was feeling great that day. We took the Upper Porcupine Rim Trail for the first time and were smiling all the way down. Next time, I might just walk this section. Mike Zelensky

Early Spring Ride

2010-05-17T10:56:00.000-06:00

Early Spring Ride. on Vimeo

GUNTHER'S Fine Baking Recovery Stroudel

2010-05-17T08:33:00.003-06:00

Gunther's has been a long-time sponsor of Terrascape. Team member Mark Stranzinger's Dad owned the bakery that has generously provided stroudels for prizes and the buns for our Beans and Barley Cyclocross Race. Many a racer can confirm the recovery qualities of the stroudel; the baked apples and dough taste so good and just hit the spot. Mark's Dad is retiring and the bakery has been sold to an employee that continues to support Terrascape.

Mark visited me on Saturday to deliver a stroudel and provide moral support. Moab's Porcupine Rim Trail is an epic ride that I have done 8 times before. That day I chose a bad line and tried to ride a section of trail beyond my capabilities. I normally balk at tough sections and walk them, but on that day I felt great and just went for it. Bad decision, now, I have to wear a neck brace for 12 weeks, but at least I survived my head plant. On July 27th I will have Xrays taken to see if the fractured neck is healed. Then I can start physio to strengthen the neck muscles.

Gunther's stroudel was wonderful and I instantly felt better. Thank you Mark. Please support our sponsor http://www.gfbaking.ca/

SPLATMAN

2010-05-08T07:17:00.002-06:00

Hi team. I am writing from my hospital bed in Salt Lake City on Saturday morning. On Wednesday afternoon with about 3 km to go on Porcupine Rim I did the pile driver of all endos. I was riding confidently through the drops but the last drop of a triple drop caught my front wheel while my rear wheel was launched from the second drop. Graham was riding behind me and saw me vertical in the air, feet up, dropping into the rock ledge. My head was numb at first but Graham wouldn't let me move. He held my neck steady and the numbness passed in a few minutes. No loss of consciousness. Then the pain in the neck set in. Fortunately an EMT was just behind us and took over control. The accident happenned at about 2 pm and I was in the Moab Hospital by 6 pm. Search and Rescue took me down the trail on a backboard balanced over a unicycle wheel.
A CT scan at Moab showed my C2 fracured in three pieces, my T4 and T6 compressed and my 3rd and 6th ribs cracked. But here I am typing so I was pretty damn lucky that my spinal cord survived. I was airlifted to Salt Lake City that night as they could not do the surgery in Moab. Further Xrays, MRIs and CTs convinced the doctors that surgery wasn't necessary. So I am leaving on a jet plane tonight and don't know when I'll be back again. I guess I get a new Bell helmet now.
I will have to wear the neck brace for 2-3 months. I am still quite sore but am inproving everyday. Life as I know it will be changing for the next few months. I look forward to hanging out with you while I recover. So no races for me this year, sorry Lev I was looking forward to the Canadian Nationals and St. George World Senior Games.
Mike

Prairie Roubaix Photos

2010-04-27T19:02:00.008-06:00

Here are some Terrascape Team photos from the Prairie Roubaix!

Cesar planning his race strategy.

Lisa getting kitted up.

Lavigne checking out the competition.

And they're off under gloomy looking skies!

Ray and Jason working together on the first lap.

Look out! Here's comes the Terrascape Freight Train!

Jason all smiles crossing the finish line.

Ray finishing close behind!

Cesar crossing the line after a hard fought race.

Some serious intensity from Lavigne!

Mark following close behind.

With Mike right behind too!

Lisa and Alana powering towards the finish.

Alana crossing the line.

Coach Jeff did two extra laps in his category and looked strong crossing the finish line!

Nice work Terrascapers!! Can't wait for the next race!

Prairie Rouxbaix Training Ride

2010-04-18T22:43:00.003-06:00

That was fun. Thanks to Speed Theory for puttng on a great training ride. Nine Terrascapers register. Jeff in Cat A, the rest of the newbies (Jason, Cesar, Ray, J), females (Alana and Lisa) and out of shape old farts (Mark, Mike) in Cat C for beginners. After Jeff leaves the start for 5 laps , the rest of us have time to get nervous about our 3 laps. Off we go. Why are there always hills at the start? The peloton is fragmented by the top of the hill. I am with J, M, and L. Jason, C and R are in front of us, but we are not sure where A is. The J,M,M,L group ride as a team for the first lap, sharing the load and picking off riders. One lap done, and Alana latches back onto our group, with an amaxing show of intestinal fortitude. J,M,M,L,A continue to work together, taking turns and catching a few positions. Last lap of three and time to make a move. Heading west on Range Road 262, into the wind, the boys go hard, sort of. We are somehwat strewn along the shoulder of the road, and I finally catch back up to J when he dropped his chain. We pulled together up to Mark and then split up as we entered the gravel. J the diesel powered on through as Mark and I ate his dust and tried to keep up. We passed a few more in the gravel and it felt great when we hit the downhill pavement again with the finish near. Then at the 200 metre to go sign it went uphill again. Ouch, this hurts. But I am done now and feeling good about riding with THE team. J,C,R finished ahead of us and L and A came in just behind us. Coach Jeff finished high in Cat A with cross tires and totally dehydratred after loosing a water bottle. Pilsner apparently works wonders as a recovery drink.
Another weekend, another race, another smile after riding with the team.

Many Moments of Truth

2010-04-14T20:30:00.002-06:00

First race of the season. I was up at 5 am and could not fall back to sleep. I could't be nervous, I've raced hundreds of times before. I always forget something. This time my aero helmet for the TT left at my front door. No worry's I had my road helmet. It was cold and I had no ear ban. New Edge 705 GPS to record my race. But I forgot to hit start. I was told my start time was 11:24 so I arrived early and went for a pee. Upon returning to my bike I was called to the line with 30 seconds to go. No problem, gloves on, push the lap button at 15 seconds and away I go. Downhill at first and then into the wind. Felt pretty good, all of thoes spin classes paid off. Up a hill and a screaming descent on the aero bars, 70 hm/h, too scared to pedal. More hills, I am feeling pretty warm, where is that turnaround? There it is, then back into a headwind? Now a tail wind, feeling pretty good. But feeling a little too warm. Here comes the screaming descent in reverse. 40 rpm with a 23 tooth gear, 10 km/h, maybe I should get off and run. Spin classes don't prepare you for this. GRAVITY SUCKS. Almost back to the start. Hit the lap button, it is noon. Cooldown with my team mate Lisa who thought she had a time of 38 minutes. I thought I had a time of 36 minutes, wow, I beat her, spin classes really do work. Get back to vehicle and strip off soaking wet clothes, I guess I really was overheating. Get back home and download my GPS. Oh, yeah, I forgot to hit start. Won't forget to do that again. Get the official results, I started 4 minutes early so Lisa (who happens to be the World Champion Master A Womans TT and Single Speed MTB Racer of Alberta) had a time of 39 minutes and I had 40 minutes. I can live with that, and can't wait for the Truth be Told TT in the fall to catch her. Thanks to Jeff's spin class I survived my first race. But what will I forget at the Prairie RouxBaix?

Moment of Truth ITT

2010-04-12T08:22:00.002-06:00

Every time I got up to go to the bathroom on Saturday night I checked the deck to see if the predicted snow had hit yet. (There were several trips that night as Alana, Steve & I had a long windblown 120km ride out to Bragg & I was playing catch up with my hydration when I arrived home).

In the AM I was slightly disappointed to still see no snow & would actually have to make a decision: to ride the ITT or go ride with all my buddies who were doing the Roubaix Recon. The weather forecast said it was currently -16 in Kananaskis- that did it I was riding with Terrascape.
Somehow I ended up at Sibbald Flats at the start line with many fast looking guys...

The course had some decent hills on it, with a strong headwind going out for 10.2 km. When I came down the first hill, the moderately strong cross wind, quickly changed to a head on & from the opposite side. At 62km/hr I was praying I would stay on the bike, on the road! I don't feel very stable resting on my elbows on a light bike- getting blown around in a tornado! At the turn- around point, we were suddenly heading back into a headwind- story of my life lately! We had one big climb which was preferable to the crazy descents, but mostly it was downhill on the way home.

It was a well organized race, a good early season ITT. In late September The Truth be Told is held on the same course- just to keep us honest! Thanks to the vounteers who stood out in the cold for all of us.
There were 25 people crazy enough to turn out & race, 2 Terrascapers- YEAH! Way to go Mike!

LL

Penguin Stew

2010-03-19T07:03:00.003-06:00

ALana and I have been living with our friend The Kid (Ryan) for the last month. He is named the kid because he is the youngest member of our race club at the ripe age of 28!!!! I think Mical has him tied but she has been with the club so long she gets a by.

The kid has had lots of renters over time and has aquired many ?things? in his freezer. Some are obvious frozen corn and tropical fruit mix. Others not so much, as in the frozen bag of white meat. Alana thought it was a bag of perogies. Upon further inspection it was a very old, freezer burnt bag of chicken breast. Having a good laugh at this I called the item in question penguin. Anything that has been in the cold that long has got to be transformed. The only solution was to slow cook it.

It got a pass from the kid and I thought it was yummy. Alana sampled and gave it a good grade too. Proving the point that it is impossible to screw up something in the slow cooker.

It's ridin' weather!

2010-03-05T22:09:00.002-07:00

2010 brings another exciting year for Terrascape. We've had some changes in our membership and welcome Jason Coban, and Cesar Martin to the team. They have already got some big plans to debut in Cat 5 at the Coulee Cruiser road and hill climb with teammates Ryan Young and Jason Lavigne. Should be some great teamwork!

Mical is representing the colors out West, having moved to Victoria, and is loving the extended warm riding season. She continues with her Trek sponsorship, riding with Trek Canada this year, and plans to mix up her World Cup circuit with the 2 Canadian stage races again this year with fellow Terrascaper Jeff 'The Mule' Neilson.

Lev is back on the racing circuit, and will be again focussing on the Masters races, and the Huntsman with past road tripper Mike.

Mark had a great 2009, with his successful completion of the Raid Pyrenees, and looks forward to some local races this year.

Paul had his introduction to mountain bike stage racing in 2009 at the Cape Epic, and will delve further into the enduros with the Salty Dog, and is tackling the BC Bike Race.

Lisa and Alana will also be returning to the BC BikeRace and joining their Terrascape teammates. Alana will continue with the enduros, and will be racing the TranRockies with Deadgoat superstar Trish Graczyk.

Deanne will be the Terrascape superfan, and feeder, as she and Jason Lavigne are expecting their first child in July. Congrats!

Look for Nic at the Test of Metal, along with much of the team, as well as the Salty Dog.

We have also committed to trailbuilding days in 2010, and invite all clubs to join us. See you on the road and trails....

Beans n' Barley Another Superb Event!

2009-11-02T08:23:00.003-07:00

Thanks again to CNRL and our other sponsors. And check out today's Metro - we have the cover shot, with Jon Enevoldson, and Dave Jetz making good time over the barriers!

http://reader.metronews.ca/digital_launch.aspx?id=6110ee03-acdc-472b-9d71-212e65655f9d

Unfortunately, a set of wheels went missing from the tech zone/wheel pit sometime during or after the Sport Men's race. If you mistakenly grabbed these wheels, please post a reply, or send an email to ABA or one of our race organizers.

cam@albertabicycle.ab.ca
lanhiz@hotmail.com
mzelensky@shaw.ca

We also have a lost and found - a few items - so if you are missing something, please ask. They will also be brought to Provincials next weekend.

Thanks again to all the racers, it looked like everyone enjoyed the course and the event. Here's some great feedback from the Edmonton United Cycle crowd.

http://unitedcycleraceteam.spaces.live.com/

Check out the results on the side bar! See you next year.....

Beans n Barley looking good!

2009-10-28T23:06:00.002-06:00

Everything is coming together for another Superb Beans n' Barley Cross Race. We have some great new sponsors for really good swag, and excellent support from the bike shops for draw prizes. And of course, the chili chefs have been slaving away at master culinary creations all week. But it doesn't stop there. We have a few new additions to improve the quality and uniqueness of our race, and to raise the bar yet again. You'll have to register to find out....
Spread the word to racers, and to your recreational riding neighbours. We have a citizen category and a kid's race - hoping to get more people involved in the 'Cross community.
See you there!

www.zone4.ca to register.

Technical Document:

http://www.albertabicycle.ab.ca/uploads/files/Beans%20and%20Barley%20Final%20Technical%20Guide.pdf

Terrascape rocks the 2 greatest Canadian stage races!

2009-09-21T15:22:00.006-06:00

Jeff Neilson and Mical Dyck

BC Bike Race 2009: Placed a solid second in a competitive mixed field, racing hard against professional and sponsored athletes, national champions and olympians. On a fun but very technical course, Jeff and Mical were consistently on the podium for each of the 7 days, and maintained their 2nd place overall througout the week behind pro's Georgia Gould and Ryan Trebon.

Jeff was in his glory surrounded by women, particularly when he happened to be pulling a paceline that included our national athletes Alison Sydor, and Catherine Pendrel. He and Mical were a smooth machine, that worked well together, and performed well.

Mical ripping down Whistler.

Team Kona (1), Team Terrascape/Trek(2), Team Monavie-Cannondale(3).

AND THEN....

They performed so well together, and had so much fun, they decided to keep going, and entered the TransRockies. With rain every day, this was a tough year for teams. Cold, wet, muddy conditions challenged bikes, as well as motivation. Mical and Jeff rose to the challenge, and took first each day, beating out the visiting Belgians.

Congrats to our Terrascapers Jeff and Mical, and to Trek Toronto Store for sponsoring Mical. Have a look at each of these racers' blogs for the nitty gritty details.

Mical is headed down under for Worlds!! Woohoo!

2009-08-13T20:55:00.001-06:00

The Canadian Cycling Association announced today an 8 member Senior and 3 member U23 team for the 2009 MTB XCO World Championships, September 1st – 6th 2009 in Canberra, Australia.

The Senior Team will be Lead by 2009 Mount Ste Anne world cup winner and 2009 National Champion Catharine Pendrel of Kamloops BC and 2009 Bromont World Cup winner and 2009 National Champion Geoff Kabush of Victoria BC

The U23 Team will be Lead by National Champions Emily Batty of Brooklin ON, and Raphaël Gagne ofLac-Beauport, QC.

Elite Men

Geoff Kabush Victoria, BC

Derek Zandstra Trenton, ON

Max Plaxton Victoria, BC

Seamus McGrath Victoria, BC

U23 Men

Raphaël Gagne Lac-Beauport, QC

Elite Women

Catharine Pendrel Kamloops, BC

Marie-Helene Premont Chateau Richer, QC Amanda Sin Collingwood, ON

Mical Dyck Calgary, AB

U23 Women

Emily Batty Brooklin, ON

Mikaela Kofman Toronto,

Spring Europe Trip '09

2009-05-18T13:40:00.001-06:00

Houffalize

Finally home in rainy, snowy Calgary after almost 2 months of trying, not always successfully chasing the sun. After working up north for the winter I decided to head south to Arizona in the middle of March for some much needed sun and miles. I spent a quick week frying myself in the Tucson sun, followed by 3 weeks dodging snow and rain in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Halfway through my stay in Albuquerque I got a call from the Canadian mountain bike team coach Dan Proux inviting me to go to the second and third World Cups in Europe….heck yeah!!! But before Europe I had to suffer through Sea Otter. Every time I compete at Sea Otter I somehow forget just how painful it is, yet I continue to sign up for it…hehe, maybe a little masochistic.

So that brings me to the World Cups. After a hectic night of packing and driving, I hit the airport for a long day of flying. After a long day of planes and airports I finally met up with the Canadian team in the Frankfurt airport. Two hours later we were in Offenburg.

The course in Offenburg, Germany is amazing; I’d have to say it’s one of my favorite. The course is kind of like Terwilleger but a lot more technical. There’s plenty of flowing singletrack, big scary drops (first of which claimed me during the pre-ride when my front tire rolled off the wheel – good way to get the first crash of the season out of the wayJ), and crazy fans, oh yes, very crazy fans..But that’s a whole other story.

With plate number 65 I was over halfway back off the 100 plus women starting pack. And the start, oh my goodness, I know I don’t have the intensity right now, but I really don’t remember the starts being this fast. After the initial shock of the starting pace, I was able to settle into a solid consistent pace. Fellow Canadian Jean Ann McKirdy and I jockeyed back and forth for a couple of laps and we maintained mid 50’s positions. In the final lap I managed to find a little extra gas in the tank and pass a handful of girls to finish in 52nd place, about 14 mins back from the lead. Catharine Pendrel had an awesome race finishing 6th place, and Emily Batty had an amazing breakthrough race finishing 9th overall and 1st in the Espoir category. Super great turnout overall by the Canadian contingency.

From Offenburg we traveled the Monday after the race to Houffalize, Belgium for the third stop in the series. Houffalize is the oldest race on the XC World Cup circuit and it’s easy to see just how important to European culture. The course circles right through and surrounding the town of Houffalize. With the expo and all of the events of the weekend, the small town basically shuts down for the weekend, you can barely walk through town there are so many people.

A slightly better call up of 58 out of about 110 really doesn’t make that much of a difference on the start of this course. Off the start we are sent straight up the main road though Houffalize, which turns off onto a 16% grade. The top of the climb kicks up even more and I taste blood (yikes) before the course turns off and we enter the first singletrack. I find myself in the 50’s again (though that totally didn’t feel like a 50’s start effort) for the majority of the race, but as Amanda Sin (Canadian rider for 3 Rox) catches me I make it my sole goal to stick with her. We jockeyed back and forth for 2 laps, picking off multiple spots. On the last climb I couldn’t hold her wheel and I had the metallic taste in the back of my throat again (oh my poor throat) trying to hold on. In the end Amanda finished in 43rd, and I followed 25 seconds later in 45th….yippee, cracked the top 50…and only 11 and a half mins back from the leader. Being dry this year, I have to say this is a pretty cool course, very challenging but very rewarding at the same time.

My trip to Houffalize was capped by an amazing crepe with nutella, a chocolate coated waffle, French fries, coffee and a sausage on a baguette….yup, I’m on a diet now that I’m home. Awesome trip, really motivating and I’m extremely glad that I got the opportunity to travel with the Canadian team. Hopefully I get the chance again in the near future….like Worlds in Australia…now that would be super cool. Next though, Hardwood Hills Canada Cup, and I’m really stoked for the two Alberta Canada Cups, hope to see y’all out there…..Ciao.

Terrascape Hits Lethbridge and the Coulee Cruiser!

2009-05-07T19:29:00.011-06:00

I wasn't sure how we'd fit four people, four mountain bikes and all our gear into my Subaru, but by 9:15 on Saturday morning, there we were...hwy 22x, all packed up and and ready to head down to Lethbridge for this year's edition of the Coulee Cruiser. Ryan, Alana, Lisa and I met up with Chris and Nicole on the outskirts of town to make our way down to Lethbridge. At the very least, we were doing our part to lessen our carbon footprint with some very impressive carpooling!

Needless to say, we were all a bundle of excitement and nervous energy as we headed down south for our first mountain bike race of the season. For Ryan and Lisa, it was their very first ABA race! The trip went by quickly as the car was filled with chat about race strategy, fueling, goals and of course a call to Coach Jeff for a last minute pep talk!

By 12:15, we had registered and were off for our pre-ride of the course. I had never raced the Coulee Cruiser before, but I had always heard mumblings about the course itself. "A real test of your early season fitness" so they said. No kidding!! My heart rate was maxed at the top of the first climb! I seriously began to question what I had gotten myself into! Not to mention that I had only ridden my mountain bike once at Nose Hill prior to this race! But after about 5 min, I started to get some flow to my riding, and the heart rate settled down a bit as I straggled behind my fellow speedy teammates.

With the pre-ride done and over with, we enjoyed our lunch of Subway sandwiches down by the river. It sure felt nice to finally have the sun shine on us for a change!

Enjoying lunch by the Oldman River.

By 2:00 we were organizing ourselves for our respective races..."spare tubes"? "check"! "air"? "check"!, "gels"?, "check"! The great thing about being there as a team was there was no shortage of anything...including lots of laughs! After a warm up on the bike path and nearby roads, Ryan, Lisa and I lined up for the novice start, and by 3:15 we were all gunning for two fast laps around the course! All three of us had great races with Ryan and Lisa both taking away the top spot in their categories.

After a cool down and a quick bite of food, the three of us returned to the start line in time to see Nicole and Alana off on their races. For Nicole, it was her first ABA race since injuring her finger and having to sit out the last half of last season. For Alana, this was her first race since being upgraded to the Elite Women's category. I think both of them were excited to be racing. I don't know how they both were so strong after four laps on that physically demanding course...I was thoroughly wiped after a mere two laps, but they both had fantastic races. Nicole won first place in the Women's Expert category and Alana came in fourth place with a few seconds separating her from second place!

Alana heading out on her last lap.

Alana closing the gap on third place.

Nicole on her last lap.

Racing down the last stretch. Just seconds separating!

No sooner had everyone crossed the finish line and cooled down than we were packing up the car (all while eating chips and home baked cookies..thanks Chris!). After some great door prizes and a fun podium ceremony, we were on the road again to wind up what would be a very long, tiring but fun day.

Ryan - Novice Men's Winner!

Lisa and I - First and second place in the novice women's category.

We were a tired, but happy crew on the drive back to Calgary. And of course we capped the entire day off with a well deserved trip to Dairy Queen! Hopefully we can carry this momentum through the rest of the season. Well done team!

Sunday in the Sun

2009-04-24T15:08:00.002-06:00

The sense of spring sprung last weekend as some members got together for a "spirited" 4 hour ride NW of Cochrane. Lisa, Alana, Mark, and Jeff headed out at 9am into the brisk morning awaiting the warmth of the day. the route took us to Cochrane, throwing in the HILL for good measure, up Horse Creek, Big Hill Springs and Lochend road. With the out and back the group was able to be in constant contact, although everyone one was riding strong and could maintain a visual.
Lisa and Mark threw down a bold attack on Lochend Rd that had Jeff in difficulty until the catch just before the stop sign on the return.
Alana rode strong in wind alone for the extra training.

Nicole and Dee were out south of the city starting to work on their tactics and efficiency before the BCBR.

Good job team!

If the colad and wet has you down for the weekend join Jeff at Preventous for a 3 hour spin Saturday 9-12am

Hope to see you this weekend.
Jeff

Terrascape at the Cape! Alana's Report from the Cape Epic

2009-03-20T19:54:00.010-06:00

Terrascape goes to South Africa!

Alana and 9 other Calgarians have ventured off to South Africa for the 8 day mountain bike race, the Cape Epic. Included in the motley crew are her husband and fellow Terrascaper Jeff, Terrascaper Paul, Schmoe Steve Walsh who will be Alana's teammate, and Greg who rides for Top Gear. Along with them are friends of Greg's - Matt, George, Faisan, Kim and Drew.

Read on as Alana describes the details of their race preparation and the first few days of their adventure in South Africa!:

Race prep has been happening ever since we decided to sign on. Jeff had done the race 2 years ago, and I had come for the traveling. He had wanted to come back and do it again, but there is a lottery system for registration, so you are never guaranteed an entry. So what the heck??...I threw my name in too! I had a good season of endurance mountain bike racing - but I shouldn't have been so surprised when I actually got invited to register. After much deliberation and budgeting, we decided we could both go, and I found a teammate in Steve Walsh - all around good guy, Schmoe Racer. Fast forward 6 months through 10 - 15 hours per week of spin, core, weights and snowshoeing to get me race ready. Thanks Coach Jeff!

In March, we decided that a little visit to my parents in Phoenix to loosen the legs, put tires on dirt and hang with the folks was an integral part of training as well. We convinced 8 of the 10 Cape Crew to join us for a weekend just before departing for the race. National Trail, Desert Classic, Trail 100, and the Superstitions were excellent warm-ups for us. And the boys enjoyed the all you can eat pancakes at the Lost Dutchman Resort - race fuel beyond compare!

Steve leading down National Trail in Phoenix

Jeff and my flights to South Africa took us through Dubai, and we were lucky enough to enjoy time with friends during our 13 hour layover. Thanks Bruce and Jenn, Lane and Lachlan!

Welcome to Dubai!

Bruce, Jenn and I with a banana tree

Finally we arrive at our favourite guesthouse - Stellendal, in Somerset West, which is 30km from the start line. The past few days have been busy getting used to the warmth, the time zones, and getting in a few rides. There have been fires in the hills for months, so much of the mountain biking trails have been destroyed. Road riding along the coast in South Africa has been an exciting adventure, getting used to riding on the left side of the road, and remembering to LOOK RIGHT first, then cross the street!! Yelling "Death comes from the Right!" usually reminds the front rider to get this straight!

We all piled in the rental van yesterday to register, and got a close look at the scorched hillsides of Table Mountain, where the prologue is scheduled to take place on Saturday.

Jeff, Greg and I are registered!

Table Mountain Fires, Cape Town

It was closed for preriding yesterday, but we are hoping that today we can pre-ride the prologue course. The prologue is 19 km up and around Table Mountain, with each team starting 30 seconds behind the previous team. Our finish times for the prologue will dictate which start chute we will be in on Day 1 of the race, so hopefully we will all be riding with our appropriate peer group. Ride fast!

It has been a bit of a challenge keeping 8-13 people together and organized, but we are moving forward! For now, it's breakfast time.

Where do you want to go this year?

2009-02-15T19:47:00.002-07:00

Yo, '09 is well upon us now and if you haven't checked the calendar yet, you should!
Any thoughts? Apart from all that racing stuff, what trails or routes are you planning on riding this year? I want to find the Dakota this year for sure, and spend more time in Fernie...

Where do you want to go?

Year End...What can you celebrate?

2008-11-05T19:43:00.002-07:00

So, the last 'cross race has passed and with it the cycling season. I look back at a year with some great rides, and though I admit to a love/hate relation with racing...I definatley didn't get to do all the races I wanted to. On the other hand the races I did do were awesome, and surprising. I need to stretch my memory all the way back to Jeff's Moose Mtn Hillclimb for my first race...I had no idea how it would go...as usual I just pinned it. The cool part of that race was seeing and sensing the pre-race nervousness that I feel in everyone there. I think Paul sums it up best as "that weird place between excitement and nausea." It's like that. I usually dread the start, but once the gun goes off I'm full-on focus. I recall the riding with Lev, and Scott...good rides for sure, until the last 15 km...ouch. I've got to curb the urge to lead everyone out for the first 15! I had a lot of fun at our pre-ride of the Stampede road race. Jack set us up into teams to race sections of the course...I learned something of my impulsiveness, and then Jack schooled me. That was cool. There was the ride to Highwood pass with Scott, complete with every type and direction of wind, some rain, and a big 'ol Griz running towards us down the side of the road. The Cochrane hill repeats with Mike...ouch.
I had an awesome adventure with two buddies on the Forget-Me-Not Mountain rounder...If you haven't done that yet, you must. It's a beautiful route. The surprise for me was the Hillclimb TT at Norquay. I had a goal for a time to beat...and I remember when I told Lev, he just dead-panned "Mark, you know goals need to be realistic." Well, we all need to dream. I can say that I lived that dream, and a bit more...I also want to thank the team for putting together another superb edition of our 'cross race. Somehow we set a new-higher standard each time, I am excited to see how it turns out next year. So yeah, I have lots to be happy about. How about you?

Beans 'n' Barely Cyclocross...Are You Ready For It?

2008-09-17T19:55:00.007-06:00

Terrascape Racing Club is proud to present another Superb Event for Alberta Cyclocross Fanatics:

The Beans 'n' Barley Cyclocross Race

presented by

Precision Geomatics Inc.

All you need to know is in the Technical Guide at the Alberta Bicycle Association

Here come the beans

2008-09-10T19:05:00.000-06:00

Chili making has commenced!!!!

Spring Racing

2008-06-09T19:46:00.002-06:00

Congrats to all the Terrascapers that competed and kicked ass in the Giver8er last weekend at COP...totally wish I was there, it looked like a lot of fun. As well as the Iron Lung this past weekend in Canmore..it's great to see a strong presence at these cool events.

Mical

April 11 2008 "8:48"

2008-04-16T10:45:00.004-06:00

April 11 2008, JVD sets a PB on the Cochrane Hill (2.71km) of it anyway in a time of 8 minutes and 48 seconds.

For the past 5 years or so, I have used the Cochrane Hill as a "test" of my fitness and fatigue throughout the season. My start line is the yellow deer crossing sign at the base of the hill. To avoid stopping and starting with traffic blowing by me, I typically ride to the start line at roughly 20kph and hit my computer. I stick to the main hwy (1A) as it remains nice and steep throughout. My finish line is at the green sign indicating 400m to turn into Glen Eagles. No rhyme or reason for this choice but it is what I decided upon the first time I got up the nerve to "time trial" up the highway - I also figured that these signs would always be there in the future.

On good days I can climb in the low 9 minutes range averaging 370W. When moderately fatigued I complete the hill in 9:30 to 10 minutes range averaging 346-353W. When tired I am maxed out but completing the hill in > 10:15 averaging 320W or less.

On this day I averaged 382W which I have dissected below in a WKO+ file - if you click on it it should expand for a better view;

As you can see, despite the climb being only 2.71km we can segment it such that you can prepare for when to shift gears, increase cadence, lower cadence, build speed and pace yourself. This is how I climb the hill which may not be the best way for everyone. Is it "sick" to think that this is "fun"??
If anyone is interested, post your time up the hill and we can check every one's progress.

See you on the climb!

JVD

"Long time listener, first time caller".

2008-04-11T09:23:00.002-06:00

tap, tap, "Is this thing on?" tap, tap. Hard to believe that this is my first ever "post" on cyberspace. Not sure if I am now considered old school as I am finidng it harder to keep up to date with the current trends in the computer or specifically the online world.

Anyway, I finally have something news worthy to write about so to speak. Straight to the point is that I will NOT be training or targeting triathlon this season but rather coming back to being a cyclist.

As many know I have been having problems with my left Achilles tendon since completing Ironman Couer d'Alene last June. Running has been the only activity to aggravate the tendon and has not allowed me to run pain free for sometime now. In January I under went some injection therapy (Traumeel and Zeel) on my left tendon and within three treatments I was feeling strong and was able to progress my running volume from 3km up to 11km with no ill effects.

Then one afternoon running from Talisman Centre to Sandy Beach my right Achilles started to bother me but I was still able to run without too much trouble. After returning to work and checking messages, I found that my right ankle had locked up leaving me limping the following two days. I went back to my chiropractic clinic and resumed injection therapy but now for both sides. This was in mid March and mentally I was frustrated and in a state of panic as I should have been comfortably running 3-4 times per week by now. As such I had set up a date in my mind (March 31st) as my kill date for the triathlon season.

It was a tough decision but once I made it I felt a weight of relief come off my shoulders. Thank goodness that cycling (my favorite discipline in triathlon) is not affected by this injury!! Now instead of training to endure for long periods of time at a steady pace, I now have to re-train my body and mind for the anaerobic efforts, pack riding, holding a max effort for 60minutes or less and the painful finishes of bicycle racing. I am excited!

It is also exciting to see how full the ABA calendar is this season with more races than ever. I can't wait for the Banff BikeFest in June and the Provincial ITT in Canmore where I will go under the hour again.

I am still holding out some hope that I can do a sprint or Olympic distance triathlon this season. I jumped in the pool last night with the Talisman Centre Triathlon Club and was able to complete the 2200m workout despite not having been in a pool in 5.5weeks.

Perhaps this injury is a sign for me to re-group and re-build for the 2009 season and I am now at peace with it and moving forward. I can't wait to put the hammer down on April 20th at the Crankmasters 20km ITT!

JVD

Tails from the south

2008-04-10T22:00:00.002-06:00

Howdy ya'll (yeah, I've got my finger up my nose again)

Finished and survived my first two weekends of racing, can't believe it's that time of year again. First weekend in Fontana, California, the warm weather was definitely welcome after a couple of cold ones in Calgary. However, the smog level was pretty unpleasant, you couldn't even see the very large mountain just outside our hotel window..yuck.

Picked up my bike from the Trek tent on Thursday afternoon, it's a beauty, and test rode it on the course thursday and friday. Saturaday was the XC, same course as two years ago, with some steep climbs, fast descents and a ghetto with lots of glass. The race started good and I found myself in the top 10 feeling great. The first two laps I pushed the pace pretty hard and worked my way up to 5th, which I battled back and forth with Emily Batty (Trek Toronto) and Kelli Emmit (Giant). Half way through the third and last lap, I found myself in 7th place just behind Emily again and had my first good crash of the season....and honestly thought "if I lay here long enough, someone will take me away". I'd gotten the stem hard enough in the groin to wind me, and the elbow deep sand didn't seem to break my fall that much. I almost managed to hang onto 8th place, but fellow Trekkie Lea Davidson got me with less than a km to go. All in all, happy with the 9th place finish.

Sunday was the short track. For those who have never had the pleasure, it's basically an off road crit. Again, I had a great start, top ten off the line. The course went up the bottom of the 4 cross course, and each time up I found the energy to punch it a little and move up. After three laps I was in no man's land in fourth place with the lead group of Georgia Gould, Katerina Nash and Wendy Simms just ahead, and the chase group of about 5 just behind. What do I do here? Sit up and wait or hammer? I choose the later and spent the next 20 minutes time trialing away managing to hold onto fourth place, my first ever NMBS podium.

Off to Phoenix for a week of riding and getting ready for the second NMBS weekend. As you can tell, we really enjoyed our practising our culinary skills here :)

Friday evening was a Super D race (this weekend was a stage race, so we had to do all three events). If anyone has ever been to McDowell Park just outside of Fountain Hills, you'll know there is very little elevation change, so the Super D should really have been called a TT. It was actually a pretty fun course, fast and lots of swooping corners. Off the start I somehow managed to beeline it for the first cactus in sight and thus road the entire 20 minutes with painful thorns in my glove. Had a solid ride, jumped a rattlesnack, felt strong and finished in 5th place.

Saturaday evening was the Short Track, with call ups based on the Super D from the previous day, so needless to say, I had my first front row call up. The course had a lot of false flats and a steep loose run up section, so it made for a very challenging race. Off the start, I felt great and decided to try to hang with the leaders...but slowly my legs decided they had other plans and I had to let off the gas a little. Dropping back a couple places, I found my grove again and battled it out the girls there, and finally finished up in 9th place.

And finally, Sunday was the XC race. With each lap being 10 miles long and bout 40 minutes, the women's race was cut to 2 laps, which was very welcome due to to the 31 degree heat. I had a great race, battled back and forth with various racers through out the whole first lap. Slid out in one corner in the first lap and lost half my shin to the sandy pea gravel, but managed to jump back up and stick with the group I was with. Going into the second lap, I was feeling great and pushed it hard to make up a couple of spots and move into the pack just ahead of me. This is a great course for working together and sharing the workload, so slowly we started picking off racers. After cresting the last longish climb, I found myself in the group of 2nd to 5th place, with Katerina Nash, Catherine Pendrel and Delys Star (Australian national champion). At this point I was feeling really good, and moved around Delys who was starting to drop off the back. With less then 10 minutes to go, all I hear is PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSST. What's that you ask? A rear flat :( I put in a shot of CO2 and it holds, so I hop back, not having lost much time, and the tire blows again. This time I check and there is a cm gash and all the stans is ooozing out. By the time I put a tube in and limp my half flat tire back in, I've dropped back into 24th place and lost about 6 minutes (got to work on the tired change).....yes, I'm a little bummed about this one. I finish the stage race in 11th place overall, not bad considering the xc.

I'm home now, for a week of school and recovery from some serious bad guts, and I'm heading over to Europe on Monday for the World Cups and chocolate waffles..mmmm.

Ciao

Mical

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

2008-03-25T22:18:00.001-06:00

Mike Zelensky has won 2007 Alberta BAR (Best All Round)!

2008-03-20T10:22:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to send out a huge THANK YOU to everyone.

4 Spectacular Hours of Power

2008-03-16T12:02:00.006-06:00

From a taking it in via the camera lense view, I must proclaim last night as one of the very best indoor events I have witnessed to date. Despite the extremely poor lighting TC offers, the environment provided an exceptional opportunity to capture (digital style) true sportsmanship, camaraderie and the best suffering this side of the cycling season.
I can only imagine how our Mical felt hearing the roar for fans and athletes alike...
Please have a look at the slideshow in the right hand column and vote on the event above. Results will be posted as soon as El Presidente gets them to me - er, I mean when we get them all web-ready.

Thank you for all your efforts. Athletes. Volunteers. Enduring fans of the sport.

Hey gang

2008-02-01T17:11:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to test the potential of our new blog. Besides the 2 new passwords my stuffed brain has to remember it looks like this has it.

Good post to the ABA el presidente. You know, and now we know who is da man.

I run a core class Monday nights and a spin class Thursday nights at Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Association. There is always a drop-in potential. If you are interested just email me. It would be great to see you there.

Cheers,

Jeff

New Picasa Web Album

2008-01-30T21:47:00.001-07:00

We now have an album started on Picasa that also spools a slideshow on this blog (look to the right of the page).

If you have current photos of a specific race or an album you would like to see featured, let me know and I will upload it to the site.

New photos are always welcome. Ideally, we would have a few albums highlighting different races or disciplines. Keep checking back for constant updates and new images.

ABA Lowers the BAR

2008-01-27T20:09:00.000-07:00

Team, I sent this to the President of ABA

Alan
At Terrascape’s last meeting I committed to attending the President’s meeting. However, since the 2008 Racing Committee’s decision with respect to the 20007 BAR results, I have decided not to attend. I am not sure if you are aware of the situation. You have photographed me and many other racers, including at the 2007 Provincial Championships in Edmonton. I was there to chase BAR points, since according to the 2007 Racers Handbook, this was a BAR race. The problem is mountain bike racers are not run by age categories and the BAR is. This is not a new problem. I raised this with Andy in 2005, the first year I won the BAR. Why should a 50+ be required to earn points against much younger racers? The solution was simple, let the racers race and settle up the points later based on their participation and results. This works great if all of the racers are in the same category. This occurred in 2005 and in 2006 when Don Fox won the BAR.

I was aware of the potential problem in the 50+ category because there could be several expert riders and emailed the race organizers for the 2007 Provincial MTB race. They said it is the race Committee’s responsibility. I spent time and money competing for my goal of winning the BAR. I work on the quantity principal, not the quality. This is what makes the BAR unique, it encourages participation in many disciplines, then you hope you are healthy on race day. On race day, Mike Steneker and I raced the Sport category, and then Dave Whitten raced in Expert, on a different course. I knew this would be interesting to resolve but trusted the 2007 race committee would continue to apply the same principals as in previous years. To my surprise, they decided not to give any BAR points in mountain biking, except to elites. I got a ZERO, as did FIFTEEN other racers from SEVEN clubs.

The BAR was important to me, I missed family events and traveled back from the World Seniors Games, arriving Saturday night just so I could compete in the Provincial Cross Race on Sunday morning. Because of their decision, I finished second in the BAR: with the 12 points I should have gotten I would have been first. The 2008 Racing Committee have lots of reasons, many which will improve the 2008 BAR, but the bottom line is they did not meet the promise made in the 2007 Racer’s Handbook that MTB is a BAR category. Why the 2008 Racing Committee decided on the 2007 series I do not know, but they affected 15 other racers too. This is why I will not be at the President’s meeting. Sporting awards should be decided on the course amongst the competitors, not in a meeting months after the event by the officials. I hope that this mess is documented in the SPIN magazine.

I trust you will consider my concerns about the 2007 BAR results. Based on my emails with Jim Smith I know this will not happen again.

Mike Zelensky

Problems?

2008-01-21T20:26:00.001-07:00

If you are encountering any difficulties with this blog, please contact Tibbitts or terrascaperacing@gmail.com.
Thanks!

Welcome to our blog!

2008-01-21T16:44:00.001-07:00

Terrascape Racing has been in action for almost 10 years and is taking advantage of the information super-duper highway.
Find out where we are, what we are doing and how you can be a part of it. Races, results, photos and bad jokes involving Jeff's legs. Get it all here!
Please contact us anytime...we love mail.