A podium spot at O-Cup #6!!!!

Midland, ON was stop #6 on the Ontario mountain bike race series. Jay, Paiten, Stu (Norco) and myself were once again up early and on our way. Plans were to leave at 5:00 am but that meant 6:00 am (Stephens time, oops!) According to Mapquest we were in for about a 5 hour drive, not bad! The weather forecast leading up to the weekend was all over the map, one minute calling for rain, then heat, then clear, then thunderstorms........ I should know by now that my guess is as good as theirs! So to Mountainview Ski Hill we did go! Mountainview is known for its switchback climbs and descents and boasts some fast single track. Jay and Paiten went off on her course and I did 3 pre-laps getting used to the flow and trying to dial in the lines! I found the course fun and challenging. Contrary to last year, the climbs were not getting me!! Phew, maybe those climbing intervals of late have paid off!! The night brought great eating, relaxing, and a visit from 2 locals (Angela and Brandon, along with Stu). They joined us at camp for the bonfire until late in the evening. Before you knew it morning was upon us and we went back to the venue around 11:00 am to sign in and register Paiten. Jay and Paiten went out to ride some more and I spent time chatting (surprise, surprise) with fellow racers. The atmosphere was pretty laid back. Back to camp, more eating and chillin'. Jay and I sat around the bonfire under an umbrella at night, as the rain front moved in! Seemed to rain off and on throughout the night. At 7:10 am the watch alarm went off and I was waking Paiten up to have her get ready for her 8:30 am start. Not sure on how the morning was going to go, I stayed back at camp as Jay took her to the race. By 9:30 am they were back. Paiten was disappointed with her race (7th, still good!). She quickly snapped out of it and is ready to tackle the next one! Focus is on keeping it fun. Lightning and thunderstorm moved in around 10:30 am. I tell you the sky really opened up!! Jay and I found ourselves rethinking my tire selection! The tire choice was finally decided 30 minutes before the race. 1:30 pm, elite women to the line. The field was small but still strong, with Catherine Vipond (Norco) among the competition. At 'go' I didn't take the jump because the opening climb was one I just wanted to be steady going up so I could recovery at the top. The course was muddy, wet, and slick in sections, however there were open areas that looked like it had barely rained!! A stretch of about .5 km was not 'rideable', yep hike-a-bike it was! Staying on your feet was a challenge at times. There was one pitchy climb in particular that took everything just to get the bike up. I walked sideways, feet turned out, feet turned in, on my toes, and ended up on on my knees, just to get to the top! Some of the downhills were even more of a challenge with roots, rocks and off-camber trail. Fun, fun, fun!! After 4 laps I finished in 2nd! Yippee, a podium spot. Catherine Vipond (Norco) put in a strong race to take gold. I also need to mention that I have the best cheering section, our London, friends/fellow racers/riders. They give me the extra shout out and make sure that I don't back off. Their encouragement and cheers make me smile. This is what mountain biking is about!!
So you think the weekend events are over? Nope, we had to go back to camp to pack things up (thanks Stu for the help). Got things in the van and we were homeward bound. Approx. 30 minutes into our drive home we hit traffic and a huge storm. It down poured, and the thunder and lightning was crazy!!! It wasn't until we were about an hour from home that we finally saw things let up!!
It's sad to think I only have 1 more Ontario Cup race left this year! I feel like we just got started!!
Oh the good times, good times!!!

Cheers,

Sue