2013 Tour de King

Sunday Sept 22nd was the 3rd annual Tour de King point to point race from Cold Creek Conservation area (on 11th Concession in King just north of King Road) to Seneca College King Campus on Dufferin Street.
It's a really cool fall event on a 50k course through road (paved, dirt, gravel), double track trail road allowances through the Happy Valley forest, some private singletrack, Centennial park (a.k.a. the King trails), and the fun singletrack trails at Seneca, finishing up with a great BBQ with all your friends at the end.

The weather for this year was calling for a great day - no rain & warm fall temps for the race.  However, the day before it rained a LOT.  And it even rained some more during the start and for probably the first few kms it was still raining.  Which meant mud.  Which for me was a good thing since I had not bothered to change my tires.  I have great tires on my bike (big knobbies) that are terrible for the road.

I don't have a biking computer thingy on my bike so I am guessing how far the sections are by counting concessions and figured the first approx 8-10 km is a mix of dirt and paved road.   I was really feeling slow along this part.  My tires were noisy, it was raining, the wind was blowing in my face, the wet gravel was splattering up from my front tire all over my glasses and I felt like I had to pedal a lot harder than I wanted to to just keep up with the people around me. Ugh. And it was only the beginning!

Smiling on the road - happy & warm in all my rain gear! Thinking maybe some fenders would be nice...

We turned up on to the 8th Concession and a couple hills later...the entrance to the first singletrack section. Sooooo happy.  Didn't even mind that the way in is straight up a big hill.  Bye bye people from the road.  My bike is perfectly setup for the forest.  No more wind, no splattering gravel, no slipping & sliding either - just happy times in someone's private forest full of trails.  Very cool.

Then back on to the road.  Another 6 -8 kms (guessing) until the next trail section which starts at the road allowance the end of the 7th Concession.  It goes up (first hill is steep but rideable), then crazy up (2nd hill is rediculous steepness up a giant trench with a deep rain rut down the middle...hike a bike city) and then up once more (steep loose gravel but also rideable).  Then fast down to the next double track trail road allowance at the 16th Sideroad heading East.  I was feeling awesome through here!

Then we pop out of the woods to cross Weston Rd, then over to Jane St. and up to the King trails.  Also great and the connecting trails out the 'back door' (and through someone's back yard - so cool of them to allow us to race through!).  We were routed through some neat little trails eventually popping out on to Keele.

Then down along Keele St.  Fully paved regular road. Windy & sunny...and LOUD!  Holy smokes my tires made my bike sound like a monster truck!!  By now I'm starting to feel my legs getting tired.  No idea how far I am in kms at this point but I was trying to tuck in and roll as fast down the hills as I could to avoid having to pedal on the up sides.  Still had to pedal up.  And thinking maybe I should have changed my tires!

Oh well - soon enough back on to trails again at Seneca so must be almost done!  Except that I think the course was set up to go through every single trail in the Seneca forest.  I kept seeing people winding through the trails in the trees everywhere and felt like I was turning around and around in a crazy maze and it would never end!

Nice mellow double track climb in the woods.  Still smiling!

 The trails in Seneca are pretty cool.  One day I will go there to just ride for fun with non-tired legs.  Riding in there near the end of 50k was slow going for me again this year.  My legs were getting crampy but still good to pedal...and granny gear was my best friend!  I never had to fully stop - just kept on going...until getting stuck behind 'sneaker guy'.

A little steeper...more serious face...c'mon legs...

Sneaker guy is my new reason to do the Tour de King next year with better fitness so I don't get stuck like this.  He was just fast enough and I was just not powerful enough.  Anything twisty/roots/or log over and he was off his bike. And blocking the whole trail. Which happens. But usually the 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) time you mess up a climb and have to get off and have a rider still on their bike riding up behind you - it is polite to let them ride by. Yes I know it's a race but really - it's not like we are fighting for the big money or anything.  But with crampy baby legs spinning granny through the woods I had no such bursts of power available and each time I had to clip out, hike behind him, and clip back in, my legs were screaming.

Until the last twisty climb out.  I didn't know it was the last one - but there we were - sneaker guy in front, he encounters a root, puts his sneaker feet down, gets off and starts pushing his bike...totally blocking the trail again...and I'm riding behind... I slow up to see if he would hop back on (nope) and then look up and noticed the trail twisting up.  Oh no!! He's totally going to push his bike the whole way up. I just can't unclip again.  So much easier to just keep spinning along in granny and I am seriously terrified the way my legs are feeling if I unclip I will cramp up and not be able to move (this happened in year 1 - I was locked up totally on the very last steep hill for 10 mins)!  So... I yelled at him.   Move over pleeeeease!  Still riding! (insert seriously irritated Mom voice) And he moved...and I pedalled up...and at the top was a long straight flat.

And now my head is all busy...I can't believe I just yelled at someone, my legs are yelling to me to stop, I'm yelling (now in my head - I think) to my legs to calm down just keep spinning...and wondering if this is going to ever end...(and why didn't I ask 'sneaker guy' to move over 100 hills ago when I was still able to speak calmly?).....
then I see my family and friends cheering at the end of the long straight!  It was the end!  Oh sooooo happy!

Done!  Good for 6th place in my category - 50k women age 40-49!

Right after finishing a race is pretty much the best part.  Relief, happiness, excitement all bubble to the top - groups of riders & friends & family at the finish area - all hyper to share what just happened with each other.  It is so cool and makes lining up at the start (even in the rain) totally worth it.  If you haven't tried it (and I mean any bike race at all) you really have to do it at least once.  Beware...it can be addictive!

And yes, for the record, I found 'Sneaker Guy' at the finish area and went over and apologized!  :-)