Ontario Provincial Championships - from another angle (worth the read)...............

(Provincial Championships Podium) (Provincial Overall Series Podium (minus Emily Batty))

A different point of view....

I asked Jay to write this blog for me as he always has some sort of smart ass comment about my quick race re-caps. Please feel free to comment and hold nothing back.............

Enjoy the post,

Sue


Keeping with the O-cup theme for 2009 the weather wasn't looking good for the Provincial Championships. We had planned on doing the usual leave from home Friday morning, arrive early afternoon, get some riding in, camp, chill, camp and then race day, but opted to travel up to Kelso on Thursday, ride and come back home. The decision was made due to the fact that the whole family was making the weekend trip and camping in the rain is simply no fun. On Thursday we arrived around 1600hrs and Sue turned a couple of her laps at a comfortable pace. She said her laps hovered around 28 minutes or so and she felt pretty good about the course. Paiten and I did a couple of laps of the 0830 course which included the opening climb up the gravel service road. The climb was loose rock and if you (Paiten) got caught straying off line it was tough to regain momentum. Paiten wasn't too happy with the climb and expressed it to me in the way only a twelve year old could. Once on top of the hill the trail began to flow more and Paiten forgot about the climb and her 'mood' quickly changed. The original idea was to do her course but it wasn't completely marked so we ended up straying on the 1330 course for a fair bit of the ride. From what I saw the course was going to be wide open and fast...depending on the weather.

Kelso is a completely different course than the rest of the O-cups. It is almost as unique as Buckwallow, but in a different way. You start with the opening climb which was anywhere from 4 to 6 minutes long depending what category you race in. From there you basically rode around on top of the escarpment which consisted of fast single track and even faster wide open flat double track. Then it was back down the hill on a strip of technical single track and right back up to the top and quickly back down again. Missing from the course was momentum robbing slow ups and quick downs of Hardwood, the free speed you can muster at Albion and Mansfield and the tough rooty/rocky technical riding we've all come to enjoy at Buckwallow. As discussed on the way home we all thought the course was in really good shape but were eager to see how the predicted weather and the opening climb would affect the outcome on race day.

On Saturday we arrived at the venue at around 1400hrs. Sue and I set up camp and just did nothing for the rest of the afternoon. The kids biked, fished, explored the side of the escarpment. Sue did get on her bike for a little bit and just rode around the parking lot and campground with the kids. I simply sat back and enjoyed my purchase from Bell's that I had been saving all week. That's one of the perks of not having to race the next day. We were hoping that Pak and Kim were going to come up and join us for the night but they opted out due to the distance and the anticipated rain. More Bell's (beer) for me!

Speaking of the weather I guess it had rained quite a bit the night before but the chances of rain for Saturday and Sunday had dropped compared to what was previously predicted.

On Sunday morning I was up early with Paiten and helped her over to the start of her race. When we arrived at the start Paiten was relieved to hear that Chico divided the Peewee boys and Peewee girls start into two separate staging areas. The starts are pretty chaotic due to the large field, so this was a good move for the young riders. I won't go into the details of the race because it doesn't really matter at this stage in the game. She crossed the finish line with a huge smile and she said she had a really good ride and made most of the opening climb. Good for her.

After Paiten's race I spent most of the morning working on Sue's bike getting it ready for her race at 1330. Sue went back to bed in the tent and slept for a couple more hours. I guess that's her way of dealing with the pre-race nerves. I learned that the course was in really good shape despite the rain on Friday night. The weather and course conditions plays such a big role in tire selection and tire selection in turn plays a big role in the bike's handling. The optimal tire set up would be a fast rolling tubeless tire for the hardpack conditions and occasional sharp rock. As luck would have it the bike was already set up with Shwalbe Racing Ralphs which saved me the trouble of having to change them and deal with the mess of the Stan's sealant which I had very little left.

Sleeping beauty woke up at about 1200hrs and began prepping for her race. She went over her water bottles with me for the feed zone (yes, I work on her bike and I feed her at the races) and she began to get ready. During Sue's warm-up Pak and Kim showed up at the camp site. They were only 24 hours late but it was still good to see them.

At around 1315hrs Myself, Pak, Kim and Sue's four genetically connected personal cheering section headed over to the venue. Pak, Kim and the kids walked up the hill to wait along the opening climb to cheer Sue on. I stayed at the starting area knowing that I would be handcuffed to the feed zone for the remainder of the race.

Sue was called up to the start line as she is second in overall points to Emily Batty (Trek) who was 1st but wasn't there for the race. Next to be called up was Catherine Vipond (Norco) who sits 3rd overall in the O-Cup points race. If we were to do the math the only way Sue could capture the overall title was to finish first at the Provincial Championships and Catherine would have to not show up or not finish. In order for Sue to come 2nd overall she would have to come first and beat Catherine which based on the last four previous years of racing is pretty much next to impossible. But this is mountain bike racing and anything can happen.

Before the race Sue said her legs felt pretty good and she thought she had a pretty good handle on the course. Her fitness comes on later in the season compared to most riders. She has a hard time getting more than 8 to 9 hours a week training in the off season and even less in the summer, so the accumulation of races that she does throughout the year is what steadily increases her fitness level. What never gets any better for Sue is her nerves. Sue puts alot of pressure on herself come race day and it usually takes about 20 or so minutes into the race before she begins to relax. Even though she cares how she places in a race she puts more emphasis on improving from the last race, having a good recovery on the climbs and good flow in the single track.

Sue's race started without a hitch. There were a couple unfamiliar faces at the start line which is usually the case for the Provincial Championships. High-level Cyclo-cross riders and road racers all of sudden think they can race a mountain bike at the elite level so they come out and give it a try. In my opinion this particular course, if any, would cater to the road or cyclo-cross racer. To be honest the more racers the better and its nice to see a growing interest in the sport.

From where I was standing Sue settled into around fourth or fifth up the climb. She told me before the race that she was just going to take it easy on the climb and push a little more in the single track that followed. The field went up over the top and out of sight. Then as a spectator I wait and wait and wait. Mountain bike racing is not a spectator friendly sport and over the last couple years I've learned how to sit and wait. I'll be honest it's not easy. There are some nerves involved as well. While wainting I sit and wonder how Sue's feeling. Did she prepare properly for the race? Did I make sure that I covered everything on her bike? What place is she in? Is she alright? Did she wipe out? Did she hurt herself? Did she have a mechanical? The list goes on and on and usually by the time I have thought of everything she comes around the corner and takes a water bottle.

The nice thing about the way the course was this year, you could see the racers twice per lap which broke up the wait. On the first lap when Sue came for her first feed she was sitting fourth about 40 seconds behind the leader, Catherine Vipond. She looked pretty strong but so did the other four women grouped around her. Sue tossed her used water bottle which was 3/4s full. She wasn't drinking enough and more importantly why am I standing here if she didn't need a water bottle? On the next lap she was in second but Catherine opened up a larger gap which was just over a minute. Close behind Sue was a cyclo-cross racer from Germany and just behind her was Ashley Barson (Coach Chris). It looked like Sue had her work cut our for her just to finish second. The third lap was the same with Catherine leading by just over a minute and a half. From what I saw Catherine was looking really strong and it would be her race. Sue had the German racer close on her wheel and Ashley was falling a little off the pace. On the final lap Sue had dropped the German racer and finished two minutes behind Catherine.

After the race Sue told me that she felt good and she had a pretty good ride. She said her second lap suffered a bit when a yellow jacket flew in her helmet and stung the front of her head. (flashbacks of when she was stung under the arm during a training ride and had a really bad reaction) She did what she could to get it out without stopping and hoped she would not have a bad reaction.

So that's it for another season in Ontario. Sue ended up finishing 3rd overall in the series behind Emily Batty and Catherine Vipond.

Jay


Okay to think I would sit back and not add my 2 cents is non-sense!! First, thanks Jay for posting, I held back on adding or deleting anything cuz' I did ask him to write. The race was nicely covered. I guess the only thing I could add is how I was feeling. I thought the course was fast and fun. The sting on the forehead took my mind off the legs as I focused on the constant burn and throbbing going on under the helmet. Sitting in 2nd at the time and still 2 laps to go, I prayed for no reaction. Phew, the bit of pain I could deal with. I also want to thank everyone who cheered for me. My London peeps, never disappoint! Pak, Kim and my family seemed to be strategically placed throughout the course, so that when I needed the push they let me have it!!! Hard to believe the 2009 O-Cup series is over!! As always Chico Racing did a fantastic job (top notch). However, I still have a couple big races to go and don't plan on slowing down until maybe December and then it will start all over again.

Cheers,

Sue