29erlove

Winter Riding and Carnage

2012-01-07T21:15:00.000-08:00

In preparation for Actif Epica, a winter fun race coming up this February in Southern MB, Mike and I rode the northern section of the route in order to get a handle on our available gear and to see how we work as a team. The route consists primarily of gravel and dirt roads on a section of the Trans Canada Trail also known as the Crow Wing Trail. We began in Niverville and looked to ride about 50km back to Mike's place in South Osbourne. The temp was a windy but balmy -5 as we started out after getting dropped off in Niverville. Spirits were high and riding pace was much quicker than expected due to a decent tail wind.

Although technically not the ideal weather for training for a race that could get much colder and snowier, we did get some affirmations of our gear choices.

1. We did not over dress. So basically, even though it was as warm as Cuba outside, we were not drenched in sweat.

2. Our navigation seemed to be generally solid despite riding 4 miles out of the way at the very start in search of the trail head!

3. We over-packed. No, maybe not, but at least for these temperatures. Still a good sign considering the alternative.

4. We began with warm water and ended with slightly warm water. Simply put- our water sources were kept warm enough at -5 that there was no major change in temp and no issues with freezing. OK- so -30 will look a bit different- but at least its good to know we are on the right track.

5. We were well stocked with emergency supplies that ended up coming in quite handy.

6. We didn't end up like this deer did.

Windblown Snowpak- ride-able in places

Fun on the drifts!

As we rode the last section of the floodway before St. Anne's road, I slipped on the ice and slid on the ground, tearing a deep hole into my knee. Something had sliced the skin cleanly and it turned out to be a used Co2 cartridge which was frozen to the ground with the punctured end up. Despite the blood I was able to keep focused and get it gauzed and bandaged enough for us to get into the city. After 5 hours at the hospital i had everything cleaned up and had the opportunity to take a few photos of the carnage. Here they are- not for the faint of heart.

That sure is a big log-barrier....crack....ouch....

2011-10-31T14:00:00.000-07:00

While KK might have had the most awesome wipe-out over the log barrier at Halloween Cross yesterday, I may have done the most damage to myself. I think around the 5th lap I landed a bit sideways and heard a loud pop from my right calf. I was sitting in 3rd place at at the moment and really didn't want to have heard that... I was worried I'd broken my leg or something but could feel no strong pain so I thought either I was totally ok or totally in shock. I slowed down a bit to see what had happened and, although I did feel something strange, I decided to keep going, eventually holding out against a storming Chris H. for 5th place. It is now apparent that I have a pulled or strained muscle on the side of my lower leg, probably the Soleus, Peroneus Longus, Flexor Hallucis Longus, peronius srevis. Ok- so I don't know a thing about muscles. At any rate- that may be the end of cross season for me- hopefully it's not a terribly bad injury. I've never done that before and don't have much of a frame of reference. That said, it ended on a fantastic note- the race was fantastic, put on by our friends at Red River Racing, and they did a fantastic job even after overcoming a venue change and make a totally awesome course. Lots of fun costumes as well! Very memorable.

Southern Cross Random Pix

2011-10-16T22:57:00.001-07:00

photos HERE. What a great race! FANTASTIC course- great job Abes!

Very Excited!!!

2011-08-26T19:32:00.000-07:00

Thor de France

2011-07-15T08:19:00.000-07:00

Inspiring

2011-06-27T21:53:00.000-07:00

Here are some inspiring photos of the great folks I had the priviledge of racing with this past weekend at Grand Beach 2.0. They didn't just race, They did it with STYLE!

Here is me avoiding the opportunity for awesomeness that Wayne and Paul (above) took and DESTROYED!

Fantastic Photography courtesy of Dave Benson.

Happy B-day!

2011-06-22T22:04:00.000-07:00

Race next weekend!!

2011-06-19T15:03:00.000-07:00

Details Here!

I like tenting... but this is ridiculous!!

2011-06-17T06:41:00.001-07:00

Photos and post on: http://neighborhoodofgod.blogspot.com/

TTT Crash!!

2011-06-16T09:54:00.001-07:00

First road race for me, Lyle, and Mark. First lap was a good learning experience, second lap... well... ended like this at 40km/h:

Photo by Mark Reimer

Hell-hounds Abide on Greenway Trail

2011-06-07T08:59:00.000-07:00

Did I miss something? Or was I just unaware that the Greenway trail is an off-leash area? Well... dog owners... it's NOT. I have no issue with dogs per se. I like dogs for the most part... except when massive hell hounds like this one attempt to dismember me as I pass by on my bike! I very nearly had my right leg turned into hamburger when I had the sense of mind to use my new-found cyclocross skills to dismount on the opposite side of the bike, pick up the bike and prepare to fight for dear life. This product of toxic waste and fur charged me no less than five times and was uncontainable by it's bewildered owner. After informing the owner in louder-than-inside-voice language that if the dog actually bit me i would be responsible for sending it back to whence it came, i attempted to leave the scene by crossing the road through traffic. Just about to the other side, i realized that the drooling devil was still intent on pinning me down and was charging me again strait through the moving cars! This time I hopped on my bike and easily outran the tyrade, reaching 50km/h pretty quickly.

At least I escaped unscathed- but seriously, dog owners, keep your f@##$$#ing dog on a leash around Winnipeg's walking and cycling paths.

Falcon Lake Course 2011

2011-06-02T05:41:00.001-07:00

Thanks Dylan and Paul!!

FGBC Spring Ride

2011-05-30T06:21:00.000-07:00

It was, as expected, an epic weekend! We rode at falcon trails on Friday followed by a steak night. Saturday was the trek out to Eagle's head from Ingolf- absolutely fantastic riding! The ride was followed by the dog-fest complete with Juan's disco-fried potato chips and fireside shinannigans. Already counting the days till next year's ride!

Wednesday Night Blood

2011-05-11T00:12:00.000-07:00

Good luck to all you Wednesday Night Racers!!

Brandon Hills Cup#1 Report

2011-05-09T06:59:00.000-07:00

After a rainy ride out with Brad and G., we crossed the water-inundated Assiniboine river behind a pace car. Construction crews were building huge aqua-dikes on both sides of the road. Apparently Wal-mart and the Corel center may just be overtaken by the river! By noon the main river crossing in Brandon was closed too- forcing us to return to Winnipeg via the Patricia avenue bridge on the east end of town.

We arrived quite late and had to hurry to register and get ourselves ready including a short warm-up. It was G's first time in the Brandon hills. It is definitely nice to get back on the MTB! The day turned out to be a beautiful 18 degrees with no rain. the course was pretty much in perfect condition. It included the regular kilometer-long double track climb to start things off then into single track for most of the rest of the lap.

The course was very well marked and the organizers (A&L cycle) did a fantastic job on the day- especially considering they had never hosted a MTB race before. I heard there were 70 registered riders making the day a real success. Thanks also to Greg Sherwin for making some killer new trails and helping with course design. It was a great atmosphere and everyone seemed very happy to see each other again as well as be back on the trails. They even had a guy maintaining the two wooden bridges on the first climb to make sure that the entrances and exits to the bridges stayed smooth and rut-free. Totally over the call of duty! Also a big thanks to Sean Zayak for taking on the commissaire's role all by himself... you ROCK.

As for my race, I felt pretty good and was generally happy with my riding, despite receiving a general spanking from Chris Pendergrast and Jeremy Trask (SASK). I rolled off the start line in 3rd place for 15 experts. I had just wanted to stick to the front group for entry into the single track. Toward the top of the climb it seemed that the two leaders wanted to really put it on and I decided to ride my own race with hopes that their initial output would cause them to burn out and fall back. This was not the case obviously! I ended up riding by myself for the whole race by myself which is not as fun, but the riding more than made up for that. Lots of super flowey single track descents winding through the trees... did I mention trees? Being a taller rider I had to be on the constant lookout for head-aiming trunks and branches. I luckily reserved contact with the trees for my handlebars which were more than happy to oblige!

Good friends, and good riding. It was nice to see Leon from Kola out as well!

Next up: Grand Beach!

1st day of soccer!

2011-05-04T21:53:00.000-07:00

Daddy is Proud!

Ma(r)y is ccccoold...

2011-05-01T11:44:00.000-07:00

Yep. Two days ago it was a balmy 23 degrees and sunny. The wind was gentle and from the south. Six laps of Burr Oak followed by a windows-down drive to Juniors with the kids for some grease was the perfect start to spring. I was feeling pretty good about April.

Jinx.

Enter the month of May, which apparently follows it's own rules. It's like being stuck in the gate, steed at the ready.

BHP ride 3pm tomorrow

2011-04-23T12:40:00.001-07:00

anyone interested?

Bruxelles Race Report

2011-04-18T05:57:00.000-07:00

It was cold. It was wet. It was hard. It was fun. It was classic.

a new home for mary

2011-04-16T10:45:00.000-07:00

Summer "Approaches"!!!

2011-04-15T20:05:00.001-07:00

More of that darned white stuff. OK, fess up. WHO ORDERED THIS?

If it was me, I appologize... I've been trying to think of what I might have done to jinx the weather.

1. Put slicks on my cross bike.
2. Got my Niner ready to rock the trails.
3. Said "this is nice weather finally!"
4. Put away the winter-option clothing.
5. Decided to head out to BHP to see if all the snow is gone.
6. Decided NOT to bike to work today??
7. Put Parmesan on my pizza.
8. Bought my MCA License and registered for Bruxelles.

OK... I'm digging...

See y'alls on the WET gravel on sunday!

Bikes, Beer, ..... Beards?!

2011-04-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

Aerodynamics

2011-01-28T07:33:00.000-08:00

Yep. New "h20 based cowling" on the wind-facing tubing of my Trek Soho is definitely decreasing the wind drag. LIKE A FREAKING ROCKET.

Here's Too...

2010-12-31T19:50:00.000-08:00

Here's to 2010. Here's to family. Extended family. New friends and old friends. Here's to adventures, thinking about adventures, and those not-so adventures too. Here's to making goals, sometimes achieving, sometimes falling short- but at least giving it a good shot. Here's to pleasure and to pain (wouldn't have one without the other). Here's to the good times and that bad, the wins and the losses. Here's to new beginnings and to re-beginnings. Here's to the One who gave us yet another year. Here's to 2011.

Barba-Bike

2010-11-30T18:29:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I was reading one of my childhood stories to my daughter. The book is called Barbapapas Christmas. It's about a family of rather odd shape-shifting folk who get a group of tropical birds from Santa for Christmas. Living in the far north (Winnipeg), the birds get very sick and in an attempt to keep things warm for them, they employ a variety of electricity-generating feats, all of which are doomed to fail. The above picture is one of their grandiose schemes to make the birds happy. I wonder if this was one of my initial points of interest in the ideas of both green energy and riding a bike?

AAAhhhhhhh..... Commuting

2010-11-29T20:45:00.001-08:00

MMMmmmm.... Nutella

2010-11-25T10:11:00.000-08:00

What a B-day

2010-11-10T10:15:00.000-08:00

Sunday was my birthday. Aside from the usual affair- great food, family, raclette, cheescake, etc., I was privy to two special gifts this year. First off, As far as I can remember, it's never been 15 degrees and sunny on November 7th. What a day! Second, I won gold in my age category at the Manitoba Cyclocross Provincial Championship! Definitely a fantastic day.

White Rabbit

2010-11-05T19:30:00.000-07:00

I was on my way home from work in the dark tonight looking forward to a relaxing evening with my wife watching the (relatively) newer version of Alice in Wonderland. As I pedaled across the empty field by the Nairn Street overpass, i was joined by a large (actually massive) white hare who bounded across the field in front of me. I swear the ears on this thing must have been nearly a foot long. There are obviously tons of rabbits around the city, but I haven't happened on many of these... so I decided NOT to follow it as it darted temptingly off under the bridge. But now I'm beginning to wonder what might have happened if I had...

School of Cross

2010-10-18T20:01:00.000-07:00

I've been sent back to school. But unlike High School I'm actually having a blast. A definite re-introduction to pain. I've been getting pretty used to longer events and these races are so intense that it's a real shot to the system. At least the dis/remount practice at the local garbage hill has slightly paid off as I have so far avoided sacking myself during a cross race. I try to save those great times for Tuesday night rides! Can't believe I didn't get into this sooner. What a great time this last weekend!! Great friends, good times!

Night Time Cyclovia

2010-10-10T07:16:00.000-07:00

MMMMM.... 35km of brand spanking new asphalt- freshly painted lines, freshly washed- Pretty Darn smooth!! Ok so the renovation of the TC's westbound lane from St. Anne to Deacons corner may be frustrating for cars, but it made for a pretty epic (and safe) road ride last night. Open highway with a slight tailwind... NO CARS!

Family Cross 2010!

2010-09-27T18:18:00.000-07:00

JP (A race) - 1st cross race ever! (It was a blast- and it hurt like they said it would!)

Vanessa (B race) - 1st cross race ever! (My Lungs were burning- isn't that bad?)

Katherine (K race) - 1st cross race ever! (I don't think I can do this...)

Good times! Rainer is next!

Menno Cross - 2010

Cross-Tastic 2

2010-09-19T21:11:00.001-07:00

Cross-Tastic!!

2010-09-18T19:32:00.001-07:00

Well It's officially cross season! Although I haven't personally raced a cross race as of yet, it looks like a lot of fun. You're all as loonie as I was expecting. It was nice being a spectator as opposed to racing for once... but I may just have caught the cross bug! Here's a few pictures from Wildwood today... and a link to about 400 more. Enjoy!

XC8 2010 Race Report

2010-09-13T11:26:00.000-07:00

It looked like a bad weekend for racing. It poured rain falcon style for several days beforehand. When Gord and I got out to Buffalo Pound it was still wet everywhere. Rob and Janice had just pulled in before we got there. It was after 6pm and looked like rain, but we chanced the pre-ride. The course was super greasy. We were spinning constantly on the climbs and our tires were totally coated with mud. The normally fast single track descents were extremely slippery. It took us over an hour to pre-ride, and by the time we got back to our tent trailer clouds had blocked out the dusk light and it was nearly black. Rob and Janice were still out on course... We were close to going back up with lights to search when they showed up back at the campsite, apparently having the clarity of mind to abandon the trail in the middle, cross a field to the highway, and navigate back instead of attempting the remaining trail in the dark.

At night the stars came out and by morning it was sunny with a stiff breeze. on the first lap of the race there was already a big difference in the manageability of the course over the evening prior. Starting to tack up nicely. Except for "roots", which is a groovy decent through a long gully that stayed a mud bath all day.

The course designers had added a long section of Dale Cramer style single track which replaced the last half of the infamous "1/4 mile of death", upping the overall course length more than a kilometer. It was definitely a hard course. 1300 feet of climbing. Hard to tell if it was faster or slower than last year, but it was noticeably longer. The traditional lemans start included a 1/2 climb up the "1/4 mile of death" followed by a steep descent down the old ski hill in front of spectators only to climb it again.

It ended up being a perfect race day for me as the temperature was much more hospitable than last year (17C as opposed to 32C) and there was a nice cooling wind. Since the opening single track of the new "Twister" section was very tight, my game plan was to try to start in the top 20% to avoid bike jams on the steep single track climbs. It was a good call and I think I was actually in the top 9 or so when we got to the single track for the first time.

It was in and out with about 4-5 guys for the first few laps. I ended up riding for a good while with a Cat 1 roadie from Vancouver. He told me that he was heading down to Trinidad next week with the national team for a 7 day stage race. For a roadie he definitely had fantastic bike handling skills on the descents- it was hard for me to hold his wheel at times. Still I was eventually able to drop him, as well as the others I had been exchanging places with. People were super friendly on the course- it was awesome. No animosity at all, even in the tight sections. When i would yell "rider up" people would literally jump off the trail to accommodate. Lots of Cowbells and cheers from spectators and other riders alike.

As it turned out, despite several no-shows, we had a decent effort for Manitoba. Kat Horbatiuk crushed her field with 7 laps completed taking home first place in the solo female category. Janice Brigdon finished in second place. I sat in second place from my fifth lap on. Although I felt very strong and was gaining time each lap, I was unable to prevent Sasketchewan (Jeremy Eerdman) from winning their first XC8 title (sorry guys... Dave or Greg... i thought that was your responsibility!). I crossed the finish line around 7 minutes after the final cutoff, having completed 9 laps in approximately 7 hours and 37 minutes, approximately 12 minutes off the lead. Still, I am very happy with my ride. My lap times were consistent and I was having a freaking blast.

Thanks XC8 crew for a fantastically run event. On time, great prizes, smooth organization. Great atmosphere. We ended up having a bonfire with the 'tobans after the race. Kat, Rob, Janice, Karl Chandler, Gord, Myself, Dave Johnson and his wife and two of our new friends from Kola (sorry... can't remember your names right now). Let's do it again next year!!

MTB Provincials Report

2010-08-29T19:52:00.000-07:00

First off, just want to congratulate all the organizers and volunteers on a FANTASTICALLY run event!

Everything was top-notch. Given that there was an absolute downpour in the morning, the extra time needed to prepare the course was understandable.

Here were my highlights:
-good friends, good times!
-a sweet new course layout with new trails (one of the best marked courses I've raced)
-if this had been any other course, the rain would have made it a mucky nightmare. Thanks Sand!!
-well attended- good competition in most categories (Mine was great!)
-yummy food
-nice MB Bison medals!

I had a decent race. I wanted to leave it all out on the course- although that was hindered by calf cramping which I experienced for the last 1.5 laps. Definitely dehydrated. I also often wonder if I have more to spend... just have to find ways to tap that. I guess I still have time to learn. I threw my back out after the 24hours of Falcon and never really got back into the rhythm of training... but i did get some great enjoyable rides in in Canmore in early August. Still, great competition from SteveH, KevinB, and NathanW. Kevin broke his chain part way through the second lap which was unfortunate as we had a real tight race going. It's always unfortunate to have a Mechanical when you're rocking. (you looked FAST on that 29er Kevin!) Good times. Looked like GregS and DylanH had a real sprint going on over in Elite- way to go you guys! Rob looked stellar as well!

24 Hours of Falcon Ridge

2010-07-27T22:50:00.000-07:00

Well, it was great to race, and it was almost as good to finally be done. The holes punched in the license plate represent 7km laps completed. Not an overly fast pace, the course was quite technical in places and fairly rooty and wet in the woods. Dallas told me early on that there would be sections of the trail that, after encountering over and over again, i would absolutely despise. He was right. There was that little mud hole just after the first climb. Had a way of draining my speed EVERY single time as i eventually gave up looking for that perfect line. There was that squishy swamp where i got stung in the butt cheek at least twice by wasps (pain then, Itch now). And there was that technical rocky section about half way through where several sharp rocks tried their hardest to puncture my sidewalls (luckily they were thwarted).

This was my first experience with a 24 hour race and in many ways it lived up to my expectations. There would be periods of intense desire to quit riding. There would be butt pains, hand pains, leg pains, gut pains, and all sorts of pain I'd probably never experienced. I did learn that i can stay on a bike longer than I thought I could. I learned that cantaloupe is the greatest thing in the world after 12 hours of racing. I learned that a little mud added repeatedly over the course of a number of hours has the ability to stop things from working. I learned that having someone to cheer you up and encourage you means that much more so many hours into the race. Vanessa is awesome. Thanks to everyone who was such a great cheering section for the racers (fgbc crew at the top of the list!) Renee T. even took a slow lap with me to help keep me human. Thanks dude!

Things that did not live up to my expectations:
-my butt is not sore from riding 23 hours. it is only sore from wasp stings.
-I had no idea i could last as long as i did.

I'm looking forward to getting feeling back into my left hand and being able to bend over to tie my shoes.

Great times.

some random photos here

24 hours of Falcon Ridge Official Site

Mmmm... Veggies coming!

2010-07-11T23:23:00.000-07:00

My mother-in-law's organic veggie garden. We help out. We reap the rewards. Nice flowers too!

How to (or not to) ride a plank bridge

2010-07-06T14:23:00.000-07:00

Upon arriving at Colert beach for Tinker Creek Cycle's inaugural Back 40 endurance race this past Sunday, my 5-year old daughter began cruising her tiny bike down the gravel road by the feed zone which ended in a 10-ft steep-ish drop. Before I could stop her, she had crashed at the bottom, blood pouring from her bottom lip. Luckily she was pretty much OK and was soon back on her bike even after saying that she would "never ride her bike again." As I couldn't let her be the only casualty, I made up my mind to one-up her crash during the first lap of the 80-kilometer race. As the following pictures will show, Johnny G. (winner of the butter belt) demonstrates a far superior entry from switchback-to-hardleftturn-to-plank-bridge than I had. I definitely learned once again that "checking one's speed" can be occasionally beneficial when faced with unfamiliar terrain. Unless of course you enjoy falling close to 10 feet and plunging head first into a muddy ditch. As I pulled my head out from the muck at the bottom of the creek I was actually quite surprised to be alive! (Thank-you Lord!) The bike was OK and i figured that the resulting chest pains were merely cosmetic... so.. back to the race baby!

All-In-All, a fantastic time with some great folks. Good times riding with Brad, Cory, Dave, Rob, and Paul.

Pre-Race Rain.

2010-06-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

Rain. Seems to be a virtual staple of this years MTB season... Sunday's BAF at Birch was no exception. It poured just prior to start making the course, which was in good condition, a sticky, greasy mess... I guess that's what semi-slicks are good for. Some smart folks quickly changed to more reasonable rubber. Good times! After the race... well, i guess there's no more need for rain, so it was pretty darn nice. go figure.

Falcon Lake Race damage inventory?

2010-06-23T23:17:00.000-07:00

So I've been to the various LBS(s) recently trying to round up all the parts I need to bring my bike back to life after the beating it took in last week's race at Falcon Lake. I hear that a lot of folks have had serious breakdown issues... lots of trips to the LBS, anyone care to share their damage inventory?

Here's Mine.
-seized bottom bracket. Looked for new bearings, ended up replacing.
-disk brake pads (front). Worn down to the calipers. Replaced.
-seized rear hub. Disassembled. Looked for new bearings. They are on order.
-seized chain tensioner bearings. Replaced.
-sad and unhappy Eggbeater SL's. Disassembled, removed corrosion, reassembled.

A good amount of work, but I'm a better bike mechanic because of it!

Doesn't Get Much Sweeter!

2010-06-23T22:46:00.000-07:00

Falcon Swamp'O'Rama 2010

2010-06-14T23:56:00.000-07:00

What a world cup course looks like? Perhaps not, but it does appear to be relatively common for the Canadian Shield, especially after nearly a month of rain. You have Precambrian Granite... and water... and a little mud and grass in between. I think it's something pretty special. Not fast-moving by any stretch of the imagination. When I rode the Mantario trail years ago it took me 19 hours to cover the 61km (with huge backpack). The latest installment of the Falcon lake race saw it all- 50-meter long swamps, waterholes with sharp rocks, former grassy trails reduced to a bowl of thai soup, and virtually unrelenting rock hopping with a few meters of fire road to stave off the suicidal thoughts. Double the trials of last-year's mud-O-rama. For sure. Remember the Swamps of Sadness from the "Never Ending Story"? Now imagine that your bike got very, very sad and sank all the way in... with you on it. There you go.

To sum up... It was AWESOME. Seriously fun. No world cup course... but FUN. A real Manitoba SPECIAL. Oh yeah, i should also say that it was also HELL. But sometimes HELL is...well...FUN. Maybe that's why I choose to do this in the first place.:)

Wet and Slippery

2010-05-30T14:15:00.000-07:00

I had a great time with the FGBC Spring Ride this weekend at Falcon Lake. Good times all around, despite a wack load of rain to make the trails into a soppy, slippery mess. Friday we rode all afternoon at the Falcon Trails, then Saturday at Ingolf. I forgot how awesome the riding is here (especially when you're not lost!). One of the best examples of Shield riding out there! Luckily nearly all of the 21 riders escaped without serious injury, a few swollen hands, sore backs, and bloody knees pretty much summed up the damages (minus Graham's harrowing experience). Other than that there was a tone of water (up to a foot deep or more at times) and lots of slick rocks and slippery roots great for improving both one's patience and technical skills. Lots of do-overs, endos, rock slides, and hilarious mud hole attempts. The evening included great conversation, food, beer, zombies, and a 911 call for Graham. Read here for the official account (expected soon).

Is this Legal??

2010-05-26T08:37:00.001-07:00

The stuff you see en route to Woodridge... (Sandilands). *note the quads (doing 80+) with no helmets.

No Pressure.

2010-05-17T06:50:00.000-07:00

I've never been great with pressure in the case of racing... don't exactly know why, but I'm working on it.

Brandon Hills Race Report:

Fun MTB course, lots of flowy singletrack with "surprises". Lots of last year's course run backwards. Some abrupt ups that I had to walk on single speed. Nice fast Skitrail downhill at the end.

After a relatively severe crash during the prelap (ARGGGG) where I road rashed up my arms and knee and broke my helmet, I was feeling a little off, but still good to go.

First lap was fast, the elites were out of site within a short amount of time, but the pace was good. Then it happened. My water bottle cage once again let go of another full bottle (as it did last race) as I bunny-hopped a gully. Crap. Only half a bottle left in my shirt, and i hadn't left any more in the feed zone. Time to buy a different cage. (although it was fine all last year - Axiom BTW)

I began to ride in "conservation mode", attempting to keep my hr down as to avoid heatstroke without liquids. I started riding about as fast as an ant. Passed by several riders. As I trudged out onto the ski trail for the last decent, confident that I was at least secure in my 5th or 6th place, I heard noise in the bush 20 feet behind. I turned around to see Cory S. in Attack position. He was standing and mashing and i was sure he was going to run me right over!

I was pissed. "Show some grit for once" i told myself. I entered an all-out spin. I could only guess that my RPM's were near 200. At the finish i was barely able to clip Cory for the position... "one more lap!" he said in passing, he was right. he would have kicked my butt.

Anyways, Great race to everyone! Thanks to all the organizers and volunteers and to Greg S. for picking me up in the morning.

WNS#1 Report

2010-05-12T20:41:00.000-07:00

Conditions: Excellent. In fact, it could have been the best trail condition I've ever ridden at Burr Oak. A solid base of gentle rain over the last week helped the ground absorb just enough without it pooling on the surface. Almost surprising that there weren't even any puddles, not to mention no mud. Several guys had sub 20minute laps. My previous best AVG speed was 22km/h on one lap. That was bested on the first lap of the race in a feverish pace following Kevin B. and DJ C. 22.8km/h. Sweet!

My only regret was that I went into this looking at it as a training ride, and I was not expecting much after riding close to 70km yesterday and not getting sufficient sleep, which left me feeling lethargic most of the day at work. Still, a race is a race and you can't help but at least try to giv'r...!!

Turnout was actually quite small, especially considering it was a perfect evening. No wind, nice sunset, coolish temps.

Gordo won the Sport Class. Way to go man! Raphael has moved up to junior expert- probably fitting as he's really stepping it up. I think I was 3rd in expert behind DJ and Kevin B. Tristan and Paul B. pretty much destroyed. (elite)

Great to see Tomek out again on the bike for once! I'm sure it's only a matter of time before i see him streak past me in a blaze of glory...

Recognize this?

2010-05-09T20:57:00.000-07:00

OK, it's the staging area for the old Sandilands race course, or what used to be the staging area after it was destroyed by a massive forest fire that devastated a large section of the Sandilands Provincial Forest two years ago this month. A sorry sight. I wouldn't even have realized where we were if Gordo hadn't pointed it out...

We rode some of the old trail last week and the first technical section (run counter clockwise) is still intact (virtually unburned) including several of the deep gullys. That was great to see, and several of the Body-driven guys are already planning and cutting a new course. Who knows, might be even better than the old one! There's a good chunk of elevation to utilize.

Ready for K.O.M.?

2010-05-09T20:51:00.001-07:00

He Might only be 2 1/2 years old... but my little guy was sitting on the steel "bike" outside Olympia this week going "Pedal, Pedal, Pedal...". He also looks so grown-up with the Tims cup holding my Peugeot.

Kudos to the "new" Raphael Gagné!!

2010-05-03T08:34:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not talking about the Canadian Pro MTB racer, but rather the FUTURE Canadian pro! The youngest member of the Body Driven Club, Ralph started racing last spring on a 33lb hardtail. His enthusiasm and enjoyment of riding and racing was hard to miss. He came out to as many races as he could, since he was still 16 and had to get rides from his folks. Whenever we would prelap, Ralph would try to go harder than everyone else. Panting and red, we'd try to remind him that this wasn't the race yet, and that he should just relax, learn the course, and try to conserve his energy for when it counted. Obviously the kid is competitive! On our annual trip to the Maa Daa Hey trail, he did his best to keep up, but nearly passed out several times, and eventually took the last morning off to recover. There were a few times we thought he wouldn't make the trip....

Enter the NEW and IMPROVED Raphael Gagné. He's been training with Team Manitoba since last fall. He's Dropped (or at least appears too) 30lb or more. What's left is a developing machine with pure potential. And, Yesterday, at the Grand Beach race, he got 1st place in the sport class, beating out a large field of riders!

Congrats Ralph on serious dedication and drive to really make a difference!!

MB Cup#1 Grand Beach

2010-05-02T17:12:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Olympia organizers Ian Hall and Hal Loewen and all volunteers for a great start to the 2010 MTB race season. It was wet, it was cold. Turnout was great and the racing was even better. Post-race specialty sandwiches and fruit were awesome!

GPX INfo.
Vertical up: 1082.7 ft
Vertical down: 1079.4 ft

Mission Accomplished

2010-03-22T18:45:00.000-07:00

Mission: First trail ride of the year
Date: March 22, 2010
Ride time: 1.5hours

After hearing that some of our friends had actually ridden trail at BHP this past weekend i just had to ride it for myself! 8 wonderful degrees of awesomeness (for this time of year), lack of wind, and nice sunshine made for great riding weather. The trail was nearly free of snow, and there were only a few sections of standing water. Albeit fairly damp and muddy, it was still drier than that infamous WNS race last summer.... the one with the funnel cloud, hurricane-like winds, falling trees, torrential rain... etc.... remember that one?

I capped my ride off with a quick 12k loop of the BHP loop. I was going for a fast cadence. I ran the loop at about 31km/h, not much to speak of, other than that it was on my single speed MTB with a 34/16 ratio! Yeah, I must have looked a little funny! Oh well... mission accomplished.

Biking On My Mind...

2010-03-07T19:31:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I've been doing it all winter, but as the snow starts to melt it takes on a new meaning!

Ice Castles

2010-01-14T05:05:00.001-08:00

I found her frozen solid...

Greasy...

2010-01-14T04:57:00.001-08:00

Gluttony...for some

2010-01-04T23:12:00.000-08:00

Gluttony Cross was fun. First event of the Fort Garry Bike Club's Nordic cross series. I managed to finish off 2 plates of East Indian Food... barely. Entry for the race was a pint of beer and 1 plate of food. For each subsequent plate (above 600grams) one would have to race one less lap. One guy managed 3 plates, and ended up winning since he only had to do 2 laps! Fun times, and new friends. It's great to start the New Year with a race!

I ran my commuter with full fenders and was the only guy on slick road tires... real smart-like... so the snowy river trails really beat me up!

Read more and pictures on the FGBC blog.

No More Skin

2009-12-08T23:30:00.000-08:00

Yeah... it's starting to get COLD! (-25C sheeesh...) Finally had to succumb to the full-face covering. Starting to think about the summer again...

Post-Fall but still awesome!

2009-11-20T17:17:00.000-08:00

Another BEAUTIFUL post-fall day. Vanessa and I rode some of the suicide loops in the sandilands. 8 degrees celcius. Definitely preferable to snow at this point!

1st Single Speed Trail Trial

2009-11-14T19:51:00.000-08:00

Ok...

So i've been intrigued by the whole single speed concept for quite a while now. Folks like Hal L. and Dave D. sparked my interest, while new convert Greg S. really made me want to try it out. Often this year I've experimented by choosing one gear for a given trail and sticking to it. I found that I wasn't any slower, and mentally i ended up being more relaxed. So as of Thursday, I converted my Niner EMD to a single speed. I rode a 32/19 on my first ride- figured out quickly that it sucks in the city- but is great for the long enduro (8 hours of spruce woods last month at 32/20). Today I rode at bhp (burr oak, blue stem, chickadee) with Kevin Miller, Jason Hiebert (also on single speed), and Gord Buhr (considering single speed). I tried a 32/16 due to burr oak's limited pitches and found it fantastic! Max speed would be about 30km/h and average could easily be maintained at 20. Only once did i feel the need for more gears on the trail, and it was only the trail conditions that slowed me down. There were blankets of fresh fallen leaves, creating a slippery surface for cornering and visually for trail detail perception. There are a few sharp climbs by the tower and no way to get proper momentum into them, and these were the only points of issue. So far... I'm sold. Perhaps for the mountains next summer I'll consider gears again.

Fun Fun!

November 11th....???

2009-11-12T09:29:00.001-08:00

WOW. What amazing weather and trail conditions. 9 degrees and sunny with no wind. Jason Hiebert and I had a nice 2-hour leisurely ride in the Sandilands yesterday. We rode the trail system near "Suicide Hill". It has lots of decent ups and downs, as well as some really flowy singletrack. This area is north of the 52 highway and was not burned in last years awful forest fire. It was pretty salad-like in summer but now the ferns and tall grass are gone leaving clear views of the terrain. Lots of potential in this area for future race course and new trail building! I just got my single-speed conversion items and new cockpit from Jenson USA (ordered Monday) and it came already!! Insane. OK, off to tinker.

C'Yas

8 hours of Spruce Woods

2009-10-20T13:55:00.001-07:00

Gord and I headed out for his final training ride prior to attempting the Maa Daa Hey trail (100miles) on November 7th weather permitting. We got a bit of a late start and were attempting to get in 120km. The trail is bumpy and meadow-ish, no long sustained flats, just lots of little ups and downs. Great training for MDH. Temp was 8 degrees with high humidity and a light north wind. We started our third and last 40km out-and-back lap at 5:20pm and new we'd be fighting the light, especially given the cloud cover. As we reached the 1/2 way point, it was almost dark, and we ended up in pitch black conditions for the last 1.2 hours, luckily Gord had his trusty MEC turtle light to illuminate a few blades of grass in front of his bike.... turned into a mild adventure! Good times! Completed: 121.4 kms, time on bike 8:14. Not fast, but a consistent pace.

Early October frost

2009-10-15T10:50:00.001-07:00

With each passing day the joy of summer activities is passing away...

Check out more photos from the Frost gallery in my links!