Hardwood Hills Fall 8 hour

How I felt at the end.


I came into this race a bit low. Fighting a cold, knees causing major pain and at one point not on my NRS1. The last problem was resolved Friday. Did the normal morning routine, food etc. Got to the venue just after 8 giving lots of prep time.

The weather was perfect but I was still trying to get my motivation up. Running into a bunch of friends did help alot and finally decided to put an effort in. My plan for this race was to be in the top 20 coming through the first lap. First lap was 29:01. This made the rooty section halfway through he course a breeze with no real chances of anyone getting stalled up. 2nd lap I went into the pace I would keep for the whole race. Andrew House caught up with me near the end of that lap. I knew I wouldn't keep pace with this guy. Andrew and I did our first solo's together 3 years ago. You will see him on a pro road team in the next couple years.

Lap 3 Jeremy was with me. This was in a way what I wanted. He let me control the pace which is defiantly what I wanted. Things were good till we got into the 4th lap. Half way through there were a few riders stopped and one down. I called out to make sure they were ok and lost my focus for a tenth of a second. BAMM, I hit something that stopped me dead. Launched over the bars and hit the ground flat on my back. Its been 25 years probably since I've had the wind knocked out of me. All I know is that it hurt alot. Jeremy checked me and went. I stayed staring at the sky for a couple minutes to regain focus.

Got back on the bike and tried to get back in my rhythm. Lost about 3 minutes that lap but things went down hill from there. Because of the hit my back was starting to seize up and had sharp pains everytime I hit roots or rough sections. The bike also started to feel really loose in the front end. Lap 7 was the deciding lap for me. I was out. Breathing hurt alot and I was starting to not trust the bike.

Hit the pits and got of my bike. Things changed quickly. Mom told me I was in third. Shit, Ok I can push another lap to see. Gord Keen got me an ice pack for my back held on with electrical tape and my hr strap. Changed out the front wheel and I was off. No motivation, RIDE MAD, the focus change got me back in it. At this point I was about 14 minutes behind Jeremy. Not sure if the bike was any better but I didn't care. Was back to 34 minute laps and slowly gained back time on him.

It was a little to late though. I pushed as hard as I could and was able to take about a minute of Jeremy every lap but the 5:30pm time was coming up quick. I was trying to calculate lap times to see if I could squeeze another lap in. At 5:26 I would still be good to go. I could pull a 34. I sprinted towards to transition tent to see 7:27:08 race time. Missed my 14th lap by 1 minute. I'm done. 3rd place. Happy with that considering I was not in the mood to even ride on Friday night.

The body end results, I felt my knees the whole time and they are going to get a well deserved rest. This cold that snuck up on me. My throat is so raw right now that I'll be living on throat lozenges for the next couple days. The crash, my left side mid back is so dam sore right now. I'll be using the hot tub a few times today. Breathing hurts and I don't want to twist at all. I have physio tomorrow so I'll have Dr. Bill take a look at it.

The vibe at the race was awesome. Alot of friends ended up kicking ass at this race. Welcome back Heather. Her first race back and Heather Stanely is already back up on the podium in 2nd place.

The mixed tag team division was tough. Congratulation to Brendan and his team mate from Sport Swap in 1st. Chris Bruckner and his teammate in 2nd. Chris was pulling triple laps. Good luck during the cross season.

The crew from Barrie Cycling Club with another podium finish. I don't think there is a race that they are not up there. Don Gain pulled the fastest lap of the day at 25:45.
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The boys from MountainView Cycling Club, These kids are going to be major threats for as long as their riding.

One of the women that kept me motivated on the course. Thanks Jenn.

Great job Brent. Now if only there was a run right after the race? Have to yell at Speedy about you having to race on a Kona.

Had a chance to talk to Andrew Parry and Tristen Smit before and after the race. Congrats guys with an awesome performance at the World 24 hour Solo. Thanks for the chat on course Dave. Hope the body heals and you'll be back out solo next year. Matt Wynen had a great race to muscling that SS 29r.

Today will be a recovery ride on the road bike. No bumps then some time in the hot tub. I have to give a HUGE THANK YOU to both my MOM and AUNT for doing support for me again. Thanks for pushing me to get back on the bike. Thanks to Gord and Judy Keen for getting my bike swtiched up quickly and for that amazing ice pack. MMM Ice.

And I'm spent. This was a race of personal demons for me. Lots of tough times but the end result was worth it. Full race report tomorrow. Right now its time for food and bed.

later

Bike is ready. Huge thanks to Dave of Georgian Cycle for getting the wheel fixed in time. Took off some stress. The knees well can't change them. As for this cold thing. The throat is not to bad. Feels like I have cotton batten on the top of my mouth and its hard to swallow. That and always dry throat. Hopefully its better in the morning.

This is the first time I haven't been excited about a race. I wish it was another week away but can't change time. More later. Report on Sunday.

back to some ice!!

3 strikes? Knees are still questionable, haven't heard from Dave yet about my wheel and I just woke up with a sore throat and backed up sinius. Load up on Cold FX and vitamin C today. Keep icing my knees and start into the Advil and keep my fingers crossed about the bike. What else can I do.

Getting a little concerned. Bike is not ready. Having issues with the rear wheel and of course since nothing is standard on a Mavic Crossmax hoping the parts will be in in time. Worst case is running my xt wheel and that leaves me with no back up bike. Not that the bike should be an issue for anything else BUT you never know.

The second problem. The knees are not getting better, had a massage tonight and tore apart the I.T. bands. Laser is going at them, ice etc. I also have a physical job which means no rest for them at work either. Advil will be my best friend for this race. I'm off the bike till the race. I know that there will be no permanent damage done and the biggest cure is rest, then rebuilding all stabilizers.

What I have is basically called runners knee. Over use is the main cause. I'm also dealing major muscle imbalance which throws the patella of track when I bend my knee. The result is inflammation and a ton of clicking and popping. I know I will be sore on Sunday. I see Dr. Cameron on the Monday after the race. Will start making the plan for recovery then. All back to that dam adventure race and the trail run. Aww well live, learn, don't do it again next season.

later

Went out on the road bike tonight for some intervals. I haven't done much since Hot August Nights and I really needed to see where the knees are. There were some good and bad results to this ride. The legs and lungs felt good. All the rest have been beneficial BUT the knees are still not good. I've got the laser on the right knees as I'm typing this. Still popping alot and the only cure will be rest. Well that's 2 weeks away.

So the latest update for racers. One is out a couple other fast guys in. I was disappointed to find out that Dave Stowe is out. Sounds like the Dirty Enduro was really demanding. The back to back long racers can really knock the shit out of you. I'm thinking that not racing this weekend was a good thing. Craig (Big Ring) hasn't posted a report yet. No results up yet either.

Matt Wynen from Cambridge Cycle is in now. I've raced with him before and I 'll be watching him. This is a course that there is no disadvantage being on a single speed. The big threat will be Andrew House. He has one before. This guy has gotten really fast in the last couple years. Its looking like a tough event. Good.

I'm thinking that this will be a race of major control. There are a couple O cup guys that will go full out and hope to hold on and then there are a few 24 hour racers who will get into a great pace and just maintain. I'll be going full out on the first lap just to deal with that section of single track where people will get stalled up. From there things should spread out quickly. Hopefully they don't do the 10 minute behind start like they did at Mansfield.

Not the planned weekend but kinda what I needed. Prerode the Hardwood 8 hour yesterday. I wasn't feeling to hot because of a few extra brown pops the evening before. The reminder of why I don't drink heavy. The course will be a fun one. Its basically the old serious weekly series course.

No major long climbs only the climb out of the start line. The favorite of everyone with the wood chips and hay. The first half is pretty mellow with fast hard packed flowing single track. It then switches into sections of tight switchbacks. This is where the course will breakdown. There are not alot of long climbs but lots of short technical ones with lots of roots on them. Its going to be a course where lots of people will get stalled up cause everyone to run up the hill.

It finishes up back onto hard pack fast single track. Some rain will really help the course but I didn't see any in the forecast. I rode it with Brent who will be doing his first solo. He has come along way this year with his riding on the road and tri's now he wants to try the mtb side. We did a couple laps and found a good pace for him for the race. It will be tough for him to slow himself down for the first couple hours but I think he will do pretty good.

As for me, the list is up of most of the solo's registered. It won't be a walk in the park. Brian Cuthbert and Dave Stowe are in along with Scott Luscombe. Scott and I have been battling every race with me taking him at Mansfield. He beat me at the summer race finishing 3rd. Brian is in the over 40 now but usually a contender for the overall top place. I will probably hook up with Scott right from the start. I won't have cramping issues at this race. I heard through he grape vine that Tristen Smit won't be racing as he is still baked for the worlds. Understandable.

Times for this course should be in the low 30's for the solo guys and with the cut off for last lap being 5:30 it will probably top out at 14 laps. The middle section will definatly be the most important section to have a clear track.

The knees have finally stopped grinding and popping. A few days extra rest was what they needed. I'll be back on the bike this week to get things fired up.
The bike is back in at Georgian Cycle. Snapped a couple spokes on today's ride in Copeland and had to cut things short at an hour. Just enough to get the legs stretched out but really had the craving to be out longer. The rest was good for the mind set also.

The bike is back and the look on Dave's face when I picked it up was what I expected. I hadn't told him about the course when I dropped the bike off but after the tear down I think he had a pretty good idea.

The biggest cause of the shifting problem was a frozen derailer pulley. Pretty understandable. This isn't my bike but these were taken at the finish line.



Full results are still not up but a few times are posted. There were racers out there for 6.5 hours. Most were in the 5-6 hour mark. Some big name adventure racers were defintly hurting on the course. Makes my even happier with my performance.

The rest has been doing me good and the legs are starting to feel good again. Of course the weather is going to be perfect this weekend for racing. Awwww I'll still play.

Well time for work

Pulling the plug. Not going to race Paul's Dirty Enduro. The legs are not recovering as quick as I thought they would. I'd say that the drag-a-bike slide and fall routine during the race would be the main cause. Both knees are cracking and popping still. They were healing well before that race. I'd still do it again.

With the weekend clear its going to be some fun rides. I'll preride the Hardwood course on Saturday for a few hours. Sunday the club is doing a big group ride in Copeland Forest which will be on the list also. The weather is looking perfect for the rest of the week.

Speaking of the race last weekend I've still not seen final results. No one has. I have heard that I was 15 minutes behind the winner. Not to bad considering that there were racers 1-2 hours longer than me. Still want to see the numbers.

I'm off teh bike right now until the weekend. It really sucks because the weather is amazing and its perfect time to do some night riding. Its killing me not riding but its better to let things heal.

Decisions, decisions. I'm debating about racing this weekend. I really want to do this event, 1:its a charity race, 2: its 100km of single track with no laps, 3 the weather looks awesome for the weekend. Why am I debating you ask. Well the legs, knees and back are still sore but are recovering quickly but I still have the Hardwood 8 hour on my mind. This was the main focus for September and i really want to do well there. I know that this 100km will take roughly 6.5 to 7 hours looking at last years results and some data off my GPS from other races.

I was out for a recovery ride last night. Still cool when I see and average speed of 27km/h and my heart rate average was 101. No there wasn't any climbing yesterday. This week is basically yoga, hot tub, laser and rest. Of course the weather is going to be awesome and it would be great to do some night rides. I've also not heard from Dave at Georgian Cycle with status of my NRS1 Hopefully he didn't find anymore damage that what I did.

I guess the other reason I'm debating is that its a 3 plus hour drive down to this race on Friday night, camp out, race the next day and then debate on driving back or camping again. I guess I'm looking forward to a couple mellow weekends of rest once the season is over. A trip to Killarney is defiantly on the agenda once racing is down. Get up there to see the fall colours and get some great hiking and paddling in.

If I don't race I'll preride the 8 hour course on Saturday and then go on the big group mtb ride planned for Sunday. I'll decide tomorrow. Right now I need to go stretch before work.

As mentioned earlier The Terry Fox Run means alot to me. Cancer is cruel. I wasn't feeling very energetic Sunday morning and it was down right cold at 7:30 but got the gear on, ate the rest of a peperoni panzorotti. Ya I know nice breakfast but it was what I was craving. The ride in was chilly at only plus 7 and windy but the sun was out. It was going to be a beautiful fall day.

Met up with some of the Tri Club members for the warm up and cheering before the run started. It was great to see this type of energy out for an amazing cause.


Because both knees are still far from healed I rode the course a couple times cheering on people. Got some great shots and its great to see everyone doing something active. Midland is a town of about 18000 but we had an awesome turn out.


Our lead out for the Run/Ride

Not bad for a smaller town.

My total for the day was 2 hours of mellow riding with a couple hard pushes. Spent to rest of the day looking over my Blue NRS which I listed the damage earlier. Toady was Physio and laser. I like this laser!!!! Tomorrow will be a couple hours on the bike. Not sure if it will be road or mtb. The Dirty Enduro is coming up quickly.

Awww Sundays the day of rest. Ya right. I didn't sleep very well. I was fighting a bit of dehydration from yesterday. Awww the race. I just finished cleaning the bike and assessing the damage. The chain is pretty much toast with some frozen twisted links. One derailer pulley is looking a little loose also. Either way it's meaning some new drivetrain parts before next weekends 100 km.

This list of parts
Middle chain ring
rear cassette
both derailer pulleys
chain
new shifter casing and cables.
new brake pads front and rear.
Derailer hanger.

Not exactly a cheap race. For anyone wondering what I ran for tires and gear etc. Michelen XCR Dry on the rear, Hutchinson Scorpion light on the front. The michelin actually worked out pretty good since its a low tread pattern. I wasn't able to get up some climbs but it cleared the mud pretty good and the road sections this tire setup rocked. I've been running this all season and really like the feel.

The new setup for grips was awesome. I'm running ODI grips but then wrap them in bar tape. Adds a bit of extra cushion and lets me relax my hands a bit more. The grip is amazing also. I never felt like I was slipping off the bars.

The totals off the gps were a little different than the ones from the website. Total race distance was 53.2 km with the additional cruise into the resort of 3km. For myself I averaged 12.7 km/h. Was I running? My body doesn't feel to bad considering. The legs are a bit cut up from the falls. One of the other racers on mtb review said it perfect. The dirty enduro will be a cruise compared to yesterday. This was a mental and physically demanding race. Of course I would do it again even in the same conditions, just not on my main race bike. Here are a few pictures of the cleaning process. Now remember that except for the shoes I had already spent 10 minutes with a fire hose cleaning the bike at the finish line





Time to relax. I did ride today more later. The main race review is below

Well I'm getting my report up earlier than expected. It turned into a much longer day today than originally expected. The prerace routine was nothing out of the ordinary. Brandon was running late so I was smart and left some dry clothes at the finish line. At the start line you could tell it was going to be a tough race with some top level racers there. The weather was, well, umm Cold, rainy and windy. It was going to be a tough race.

The start was tough, It was right to the top of Beaver Valley Ski Club. Great way to start. With everything so slick climbing was tough and it was a hike for half the climb. From there they got into a the first section of single track followed by a nice long downhill. Now I consider myself a pretty good descender and I went into this a little to confident. I passed a half dozen riders in the first section of the hill then caught a few more. People were going down but I just stayed off the brakes as much as possible. Then bam I was down. It was a smooth slide and popped right back up. Bam again I was down. The third time I came down on the derailleur side and I started having major shifting problem and chain jump.

From there it was gong back up. It continued to rain and the trail was pretty much a skating rink. We made it into the Kolapore singletrack and it was surprisingly good and ride able. I was still having a hard time getting my rhythm but things finally started to click about an hour into the ride. Before that point I was probably in the top 40. After the I finally got settled in I started to reel in riders. Before leaving the kolapore single track I passed 10 riders. Of course I was happy with the progress and was pushing a pretty good pace. Awww then there was the bridge crossing. Or more the bridge sliding. With all the mud the wood was like ice and I thought I was going swimming.

Hit the first feed zone and topped up one of my bottles. Went to pour in my ziplock bag of Cytomax and to my great surprise it wasn't in my jersey. One of the organizers there said he saw it right after the start line. I was riding with two bottle one of Eload and one of Cytomax. Well this was going to make things tough. Left with the water and took two gels in. Hit a great section for me with a good road section. Hit the big ring got down on the bars and hammered. Caught up with the owner/manager of Arrow Racing on this section and he grabbed a wheel. I hoped we could work together to catch the next rider in the distance. I should have pushed a bit harder and dropped him allot earlier but he kept paced till the last big climb on the road. This would come back to bit me later on as he caught me in 3 stage and eventually beat me by about 2 minutes. I could have put that on him in the road section.

Let the fun begin. 3 stage is an awesome place to ride. One of my favorites when its dry. Its all clay and with all the rain this last week I want you to use your imagination of the worst mud you have ever ridden and times that by 10. The first double track section wasn't to bad but when we got into the single track it started to really get slick. Riding the berms and banking corners were completely out of the question. Some of the off camber stuff was basically holding on for dear life with one foot unclipped to try and catch myself before I would go down. Oh this is the great section of the course. From here it got tough. That's an understatement. Climbing was almost impossible. There wasn't a tire out there that would have got you up most of the climbs. This also when the clay turned closer to cement and started to jam up every moving part. This includes wheels. There were times that you would just drag the bike. Now this also made even walking a complete nightmare.

These are mountain bike trails not good hiking trails. It was so slick that trying to get up some of these rises took every ounce of strenght and balance. I slipped many a times. I know 3 Stage really well I trust me when I say that I was happy to see the final segments of single track heading to Line 2. Considering how slow I was riding I still managed to pass half a dozen riders plus in this section.

Now I was starting to feel like crap out there. Because of the conditions it was very very difficult to drink while in motion and the walking sections you needed both hands to keep the bike moving. I was also running a bit low on energy so as I hit the 2nd feed zone I had one of the guys throw me a banana. I didn't slow down as the 10 or so riders that were stopped moved me up in the standings. Everyone was hurting by this point. I would ha ve stopped to but I had the guy from Arrow Racing in my sights. Eating a banana as 40 km/h with no hands going down hill is very interesting. Oh and this was on gravel. I smoked it down Line 2 and into the next run of double track.

I really figured that most of the climbing was done. Ya well I was wrong. This section was cruel with most of it almost unrideable. Oh and then came the bridges. I swear I should have been in the river a couple times and my knees are feeling the twisting slides. There was only around 3 km to go but it was really tough. It was still hike a bike up most of the step climbs. I hi the timing tent at 4:14.

Bill Trayling from Running Free had was up on the road and screamed down to me. "Well What do you think?" My response. The section through 3 stage was stupid. I shouldn't have been in there today. Its not that I didn't like the course. My initial time calculation for a dry course would have been about 3 hours. Over an hour longer than planned. There were still a ton of riders still out there and I would not be surprised that some of the slowest would be pushing the 6 hour mark.

So why do I think 3 stage shouldn't have been in there. A few reasons. One everyone there knows that its slicker than ice when it rains there. With that it made it dangerous. I love technical but there were some sections in there that someone could have been hurt really bad. There is know real access for first aid either. I did see a few riders come in with some minor wounds. Second the damage down to the trail was not worth it. Because of the skidding and hiking the trail will have some major damage done. Th e Kolapore section was much safer and they could have ran two loops through there instead. I think if the weather had be agreeable it would have been an amazing course. The other issue was the time frame changes. with 2 feed zones and the times being dramatically longer there were gong to be alot of riders bonking out there. I was running pretty low and I was prepped to handle up to 4 hours. Some wouldn't be. I passe some 30 km racers and you could tell they were not having fun. Actually most that I passed were not. For me I don't mind the pain but this was defiantly a new pain. The Uxbrige Icebreaker wasn't this muddy and everyone saw the picture of me at the finish line.

So overall I was happy with my performance. As for the event I will say that it was amazingly well marked and every road crossing had cops there letting us go riping through. Lots of volunteers which was awesome. The course plan was awesome and in any other weather conditions would have been very fast and flowy. My complaints were the damage to 3 stage and the safety issues. Also. The other big one. The idea of parking cars at on venue and then having to wait for a bus to return to the vehicle was stupid. As was the fact that we were limited to where you could go to warm up, get cleaned up and eat etc. There will be alot of sick racers tomorrow because of that.

Also the fact the the buses were not on schedule really started to piss me off. The 5 o'clock bus didn't show till closer to 5:30 and so on for the following buses. Because of that I missed my concert. Sorry Scott. It would have been tough sitting n a tight concert hall though after this event. I know that there were some complaints from other racers on the bus schedule and the fact that we had to leave our bikes in a secure location instead of bringing them back to the cars on the bus. I'm hoping the organizer are aware of the bad things that happened because I can see this become an awesome event with some planning revisions.

So as for me. I haven't really ridden much since Hot August Nights. The climbing legs were not all there but this really wasn't a good test. The final results were not up but I'm figuring that I finished in the high side of the top 20. My bike, I'll deal with that tomorrow but it's going to need some drivetrain repairs. My body overall isn't to bad but I've got some new war wounds from all the falls. Oh and a good stat number. I fell more today than I have all season. Tomorrow will be a recovery ride at the Terry Fox Run. On the road so zero mud to deal with. I hope!!!

I'm going to have a crazy busy weekend. It goes from this Saturday.

To this Saturday night.

To this Sunday morning.


Its been raining on and off today and its going to make the course tomorrow very interesting. the section of course going through 3 stage is all clay. Mixed with water there isn't a tire out there that gives you traction in this stuff. Its also supposed to drop down to 8 tonight and continue to rain through out the night. As sick as it sounds I like it when its shitty. Gear is packed and I'm now meeting Brandon at the Resort base which is great. We can leave a car at the finish line now instead of waiting for the shuttle.

It will be a late night tomorrow so I won't have a race report up till Sunday night. I'm looking forward to the Terry Fox Run. I'm going to ride it though. Because my knees are still not 100 percent and I still have races to go running would be a really dumb idea. Dr. Cameron agreed. I'll take lots of pics from both events. I may bring my camera during the race. There are enough road section that I can ride and shoot. Good luck to everyone at the Ontario Cup Finals on Sunday. I'm going to try and make it down for the elites to cheer on some friends

Went to MountainView tonight to get the legs warmed up and the eyes in line. Took a little to get that bike feel back. I haven't ridden any real single track since Hot August Nights so it took a few km's to get the feel back. Took the Molly monster with me since she needed a good run. The bike felt good and gave it a last once over and cleaning. You know the season is coming to end when there are a ton of sticks and crap all over the trails. The gunk in the drivetrain showed it. The legs took a bit to get going but climbing didn't feel all that bad. I will defiantly be taking up to an hour to warm up.

This event is sounding really cool but there are few things that I'm still not to impressed with. We register at one site then have to drive to the race start and leave are cars there. Now at the finish they have arranged for transportation back to our cars. this isn't to bad but we have to leave our bikes in a secured location. they have a few different time frames for the buses back to the cars but it still comes back to: 1 leaving my bike, 2 the awards are in the middle of the
2nd bus run and 3 having to come back afterward to pick up the bike in the village.

I've been studying the course map and I'm pretty much planning on finishing the race and riding back to the car. I've figured that I should be done at least an hour before the first bus back to the start line is ready to roll and the distance to the cars looks like only about 30km. I'm going to drive the route I would ride back on the way out to eh start line. If I knew how long the ride was exactly I would be inclined to park at the finish line and use the ride out as a warm up. Its still very tempting. With the combination of road and double track sections in this event I'm figuring it should take me just over 3 hours to do the 60km. I'm bringing my friend Brandon out with me also. I guess I'm pretty much stuck driving since the warm up might be to much for him. He is prepping for Ironman so maybe.

The logistics for next weekend 100km race are start to come together also. More on that later in the week. This weekend will be nuts with the race, then a concert followed by the Terry Fox Run. Sunday afternoon will be spent sitting on a chair in the back yard relaxing.

The weekend is coming. The race is one thing but I need to remind everyone of something that is so important to me. With what I've gone through in the past this Sunday means more to me than any race. The annual Terry Fox Run is on and I'm hoping everyone will be at their local event.

I have alot of respect for people that have dealt with cancer and survived. We have some great people that have helped the cause like Lance Armstrong. I respect the fact of what he has accomplished in cycling and in his personal life but I consider Terry Fox a hero. He has been listed as the Greatest Canadian and I think that is an understatement to what results his initial idea have brought.

I've read a few books on him and every time I do it makes me think of what I was like at the age he did his Marathon of Hope. Hell all I cared about was getting into some beers and chasing women. He was looking at making a difference. It was the impacted book I've ever read. He made us all look at ourselves on what we have done and what we are capable of accomplishing. He's first foot steps have have made a difference in millions of lives. Cancer has affected my life with both my father and grandmother. Its a cruel disease that doesn't care age, race, sex. Because of Terry's dream people have survived this disease. There is hope.

I hope that everyone will take some time out of their busy lives and put a few foot steps in this Sunday.

Bailed on the trail ride tonight. Its been pouring all day and I've got the race bike ready for the weekend. Don't feel like cleaning it again. It would have been a mellow ride with the boys but I opted for the rollers to do some controlled spinning. Spent an hour on them and things started to really feel good after about 20 minutes. This just means a really good warm up on Saturday. The knees are feeling better every day.

Brandon is now racing this weekend. Its nice to know a few competitors. I've been checking the map along with the elevation of the course. Its going to be a tough start with some big climbs in the first 10 km. Good way to split everyone up. Fueling is going to be about my only issue. There are 2 feed stations, I hate racing with a camelback so it will be 2 bottles. I'll have to hit one of them its just the decision of when. I'm estimating this race to take just over 3 hours.

Mellow tonight, physio tomorrow and riding at Mountainview on Thursday evening just to get a bit of bike feel back. If things go well this weekend I will pickup the riding intensity next week.

The Keen 60km race is on. Registered today. I'm really looking forward to this event. Being only 60km its basically a sprint for me. I'll just start warming up when I cross the finish line. My legs are feeling alot better and the knees are coming along also. I spent 45 minutes on the rollers today just to get the legs moving. I think this is the least amount of riding I've done all year. I've noticed that I've put on a couple pounds because of it. I'll lose them in a week, no worries.

This race should be fun. They have it gong through 2 awesome trail systems, one of them being 3 stage which I know inside and out. There are some nasty rock sections and some fast rolling single track. They have projected the course to be 60% single track and the rest a mix of double track and country lanes and gravel roads. Means some big ring sprinting. I'll be studying the map closely since I won't have a chance to preride the course. There will be a good fast section from the end of 3 stage down to the resort finish line. Should be interesting.

I'm still keeping my riding to a minimum this week to give my knees as much time to heal. I see Dr. Cameron mid week for some more abuse. As long as it works I'm happy.

My holidays are almost over and I'll be back racing in no time. I did a kinda sorta recovery ride today. Not even sure how to clasify it. About an hour on the bike path on the mountain bike at Molly's pace. In other words, stopping at every puddle, river, good smell etc. For those that don't know, Molly is my training partner (dog). From there I did my hour yoga routine. My knees are coming around and not poping as much. I stood a couple times during the ride and the pain in them has started to deminish. This is making me feel alot better.

So with the body improvements I'll definatly be dong the 60 km race this weekend. I'm still planning on staying off the bike most of this week just to get a full recovery. I'll get a short ride in before the race to get the legs firing. I'm also using a laser on my knees to help speed things up. Depending on the results I may invest in one. This new approach to fixing my body is giving me alot of hope. Dr. Cameron has got my hopes up on eliminating my back problems. It will be a tough off season though with lots of power and stabalizer muscle work. It wasa bit of a shocker for me considering I thought I had a strong core. I do but its that things are not balanced. Yep lots to do. For now I'm enjoying a beer

T

Back from the Provincials. I'm kinda wishing I would have competed but I think it was the right decision to skip it. It was a new experience though. Brent being a junior has to have gear restrictions. At first know one explained anything to me on what was happening with his bike setup. Finally talked to someone from OCA and they really explained alot. Juniors are only allowed to have a maximum gear ration of 52-14. Concerns of joint damage which does make sense. With this rule it forced us to lock out 2 of his gears giving him a final drive of 53-15. What did this mean. He ran out of gear and was spinning at 115rpm. He did really well though for first time event. Lots of fast riders there.

Brandon started a couple hours later and hammered right out of the block. He left harder than everyone. He had a great result also finishing 13th in Elite Men. The course was different than in previous years and was hillier causing slower times. Still both of them did well.




As for me. Well I did ride for all of about 15 minutes with Brent during his warm up. The knees are feeling a bit better already with a little less grinding. I just finished a round of the laser and will be in the hot tub tonight. It so strange not being on the bike. In a week from now the rest will pay off. Time to relax

Picked up Brent and Brandon and got the car packed. I felt like I should have an armoured car with the wheels I had packed in the back.


Calm night. Dinner, once over the bikes and off to bed. First rider rolls out at 9:00am tomorrow so it will be early to bed for the boys. Brandon will be racing Elite 40km. Brent is in the under 17 15km class. Me I'm playing coach this weekend.

Had a great session today with Dr. Bill Cameron. In a very general answer my body is pretty f#$%ed up but there is light at the end of the tunnel. I few weaknesses in my leg stabilizers along wit some imbalances in the legs. Well the season is coming to an end so I have lots of work to do in the off season

I don't know what to do with myself. I want to ride but I keep saying NO NO NO. Then I hear my knees pop and that thought of riding is out of my mind. I'll spend an hour today doing yoga. I'll bring a bike to the TT's just to get around the course but I'll keep the riding to a minimal.

That dam 10km trail run is the root cause of this. Anytime I get anything strange with my knees I'm always concerned. One surgery was enough. There is no pain which is a very good thing but and its not bothering me on the bike but a good week of rest will really help. I'll probably not do any real rides till the middle of next week. By then I will probably be walking on the ceiling with pent up energy.

I'm thinking the rest will be well worth it now with the revised race schedule. 5 weeks of racing left for this season. I'm going to limit how much running I do during the off season and it will definatly be limited to the road. I will be getting ready for x-c skiing though. The main plan focus for this year will be the Mountainview 24 hour x-c ski race. Yep a winter 24 hour race and it will definatly be a solo event for me this year. Last year I'd considered it solo but with the lack of snow all the way into the middle of January and still being a fairly new skier my lack of base training put me onto a 4 person team.

This year will be different. I'm set up with a set of rollerskis which I will start playing on after the last bike race. With our Tay Trail complete I have 30km of perfect pavement to train on to get my skating technique up to par and get the base training in during the fall. 24 hours of skiing is in most cases harder than a 24 hour on a bike. Even gliding your still using energy to stand so it will defintaly be great prep for next years season. I will be spending alot more time on the rollers this winter also.

VROOM VROOM. Well that's what I was hoping the engine would sound like. The bike is ready to roll. Thanks to the Keens for the Hed wheels. I'm excited just looking at it and from the insight I got on the course, I should be more than capable of running in the low to mid 40's average. To bad I'm not going to race. I've been watching my legs and knees and I'm going to go to the Provincial TT Championships as a coach and a spectator.

I have been debating the last 3-4 days about it and kept saying to myself, "get registered just in case. It's only an hour or less, you have lots of time to recover before the 100km race" and so on. I've been taking it easy with some long slow paced rides but things just don't feel right. The final decision came last night riding with Greg and the crew from Nebs in Copeland Forrest. It was an easy pace for me but I could feel my legs just did'nt have that extra kick. Plus my knees were achy this morning, its raining which doesn't help but I think its the best thing. So the TT bike will stay home this weekend and I'll bring the road bike and my camera.

It was a great ride last night and its great to see the enthusiasm of newer riders. Sometimes being to focused on training and hammering in the trails can almost take the fun out of it. To just ride and screw around is so needed from time to time. Stopping at a long stunt to see who can go the farthest etc. Stuff that when your preped for racing you look at as something that would slow you down and you just hop it and start sprinting again.

Now not all is lost. There is a cool 60k race in 2 weeks over in Collingwood which I think I'll do. It goes through some of my favorite areas like 3 stage. So the master plan for now. NO bike lots of rest and stretching. I'll be doing a bike check with Brent tomorrow but I will not push at all. Hell put on the Triple ring and leave that shifter alone. Naw not that bad. The one good thing with this decision is that I can let Dr. Cameron beat the crap out of my legs on Friday. I['ll give him the run down of my revised race schedule and see what he can do to have me ready.

On another note, my race NRS is back and in good shape. After that famed mechanical when I crossed the line at Hot August Nights there was no major damage. I'm going to try a couple things for the 60km race to see if the adjustments will help my hands.
Day two of my holidays, time for another coffee.

With me being on holidays and in recovery mood from racing I'm going to go completely off topic tonight. It is still sort of related. My buddy Craig had mentioned it once when he was down for a race. He said in a not so quiet voice at a restaurant "man everyone here is fat". You know what, he is right. This obesity issue is dramatic and getting worst. So this is my two cents worth on this problem.

Is it food? Is it physical activity? I chatted about it with Mom one time on the way to a race. Now she said she was completely inactive as a teen and didn't eat all that great. Now with that said, the bad foods in the 50's and 60's is no where near the bad foods we eat now. Hell some people don't even realize that they are eating bad food. With advertising etc. Lets put it this way. If you can buy that meal at a restaurant that has a drive thru window it is probably not good for you. I know that they say everything is good in moderation but I think we need to look at what we are moderating. You do need to treat yourself and I know myself I can't give up my beer. But I still eat as healthy as I can. McDonalds hmmmmm ya right. Not just for the general public but if you are a athlete and eat this
crap why bother training. Everything you just did was counter acted with all the crap you just ate.

Speaking of drive thru's Are you that dam lazy. Tim Hortons lineups 15 cars deep but no one in the lobby. Well it does make it faster for me. These are the little things that do burn all those excess calories. Walking into a restaurant instead
of sitting on your fat ass. We have gotten into a world of convenience that has made things almost to easy. Have you ever noticed that you very rarely have to open a door anymore. Its all automated. Lucky that we don't rely on our arms to do much.

This leads into the inactivity of our generation. When I was a kid it was playing outside all the time. Now technology is great and I love my laptop BUT when did playing a game of basketball on the computer beat out playing the real thing in the school yard. In the summer it was racing up to the school after dinner for a couple hours of hoops or in the winter playing hockey. I never see that anymore. Now what has caused that. I know that they had eliminated physical education from the school a few years back but have since reinstated it. Hell that was my best subject in school. It was also a stress relief. Is it that parents are afraid to let their kids out of their sight thinking that someone may steal their child. Awww whats a couple lost kids for the cause. Just kidding. Is it that all sports need to be structured and protected. kids can't just play because they might get hurt. Back to the a few lost for the greater cause.

I laugh at some of the attitudes of people involving health. Actually that's a bad way of phrasing it. It scares the crap out of me that my tax dollars are going to a bottomless pit because people don't take care of themselves. Some say that sports are expensive. No they are not. A pair of shoes is all that is needed to go for a walk. Its the little things that you can do to make it better. Don't try to get that close parking spot at the mall. If you need that coffee park the car and walk in. I can guarantee that you will be out in 1/4 the time as the people in dive thru and you are also causing less impact on the environment.

I heard a really interesting report from a private health insurance company. They are adding a surcharge to their premiums for people that smoke, high blood pressure, over weight etc. Normally I hate insurance companies. I own a company and deal and give them lots of money. This is the first time I totally agree. When I did my physical for my own personal insurance and they called me to say they will lower my rate because of my extremely good health I was happy. Now I work hard at being healthy so why shouldn't I be rewarded. I don't strain the health system because of heart attacks, etc. Why shouldn't it be the other way. people that neglect to take care of themselves should have to pay more because of that. I'm a former smoker and lived the total crap food life so I know from experience. They have proven the effects of obesity on the system. There are reports out the claiming that the generation of kids growing now will more than likely die before their parents do. Now even with all our amazing modern medicine it still comes to the fact that you can not put crap in your body with out seeing bad results. My training partner Molly (the dog) started eating the cats food for a couple months. It took a bit for me to catch it but her energy level dropped and she started to get fat. This is a high strung dog that now just wanted to sleep. She is all back to normal but it was the same effect as someone who lived on ice cream. It tastes so good but doesn't do much for your health. Maybe people believe that modern medicine will find a cure for everything. Are people that naive? Take some pride in yourself.

For those that say I don't have the time. That's B.S. put down the cookies and make time. For those that say that you are to tired, well exercise give you energy. There are a few that do have uncontrollable reason for being over weight but for the general population there is no reason for it.

All right I'm done ranting for now. Lets crack open a bag of potato chips and dip it in chocolate sauce covered ice cream. Ya right.

My short ride today turned into a lot longer than planned. The club has started a sane paced ride and with my legs still feeling kinda crappy thought a couple hours would be a great recovery. I didn't know what route they had planned but let Brent know that he should come. The ride int was nothing much but then the group said they wanted to do the Big Chute loop. What I thought would be a 2 hour ride would eventually be a 4.5 hour ride. I wasn't complaining but I really wasn't prepared for that. It was a nice size group and surprisingly the pace wasn't all that bad.

We ended up stopping at the Big Chute for some food. This was a bit of a bonus because my stomach was pushing for food. French fries were great. The nice thing with this ride was the ability to actually chat with the other riders. Most of the time we are at a pace that you have a hard time breathing let alone talking. Gave me a chance to plan some strategy with Brent for next weekend. I'm still debating
on racing, my knees and legs are just not in a happy place right now and I'm thinking rest may be a better answer. I've also convinced a couple more club members to do the fall 8 hour race. I'll be giving Karl and Sherrie some prep tips over the next couple weeks. Brent is also going to race. Blue bikes is getting him setup on a hardtail carbon. Not bad way to start. Once the TT is done we will focus on his prep for this race.

Got a chance to talk with Dr. Bill Cameron also during the ride. Smart man and someone great to pick at his brain. I'm going to see him on Friday to look at my sciatic nerve and back problems. I can maintain the pain but hell if we can get rid of it all together I'll be a happy guy.

The 24 hour World Solo Championships are just finishing up as I'm typing this. We had some good Canadians in the field
including Tristan Smit. I've raced against him many times in the last couple years. He was in the top 10 overall the last time I checked the standings.
He is a carrot at our Ontario events. Matt Klymson was registered but looks like he didn't start. Monilee Atkinson is from Ottawa now in B.C.
She was in 4th which is just amazing. Great to see people we know up there in the standings.

Its funny that after watching the movie 24 SOLO and hearing alot of people talking about John Stamstead as one of the first to ride it solo we all need to thank a friend of mine for being the first lunatic to do it. Ed Hunt is a local from Midland and pushed and pushed 24 hours of adrenaline to let him race solo. Now I will say things have changed since his first time. Now there is no sleeping, hell you don't want to even get off the bike if you are capable. Ed is still here in town and owns a local gym, Hunt Fitness with his wife. Races cars as his latest addiction and was even on t.v. on Discovery Channels show Star Racer. A great guy and someone I'm going to recruit for the winter to help with weight training.

I will say that the off season is starting to look really good. It has really seemed to be a long season so far and I break will be nice. I'd considered Cyclocross but I'm missing the bike, I'm thinking that a very calm month of doing absolutely nothing. It will be a nice change. Rest day tomorrow

I'm officially on holidays. WooHoo!!!! SO what did I do for my first day of rest. Well I did ride. Had to drop my work truck in to the shop for some service so threw the TT bike in. I figured I better get a few k's on it and make sure everything is feeling perfect before provincial championships next weekend.

My knees have been bothering me a bit the last couple days. I don't think I was anywhere near recovered from that adventure race. Awww well things heal. But with the feeling from the knees I knew the bike wasn't right. I have a minor tweak to do at the seat. I did do a short TT on the Tri clubs old route. Pulled a 37km average for one loop which is just a hair over 15 km. I know I will have to maintain longer but I'm not to concerned. My heart rate wasn't anywhere near my normal race pace.

So from there I came home and started cleaning. Not bikes but the house. We have had such amazing weather all summer and with all the races and training the house was in need. It wasn't bad but I'm a boarder line clean freak. Not enough that I need medication. Most that know me have never ever seen my bikes dirty unless its during the race. Well I like to keep the house as clean but its just not as fun doing this job as tuning a road or mountain bike.

Provincial Time Trial Championships are still not 100 percent for me. I'm going because I'm bringing Brent down. I guess you could say I'm his cycling coach. I'll be registered but if the body is saying no I will sit on the sidelines with a camera. I still have 3 more major races left which are much more important to me. Alright since I'm holidays I'm going to get a few beers into me. I'll be out with the club tomorrow morning for a easy group ride.