O Cup #2 - Mansfield - the pre-ride story

Race report for Ontario Cup #2...Mansfield...

having fun and kicking butt (mostly mine) in Master Sport Women +40 category!

Usually (at least in my experience which isn't that long), Mansfield is our first race.  The start climb is pretty big and is usually the worst part of the course since all the fun swoopy trails are on the top of the escarpment.  So we go up, ride around, go down, repeat. 

Not this year.

This year Mansfield is our 2nd race.  And maybe since we have had extra time to prepare, this year they made a love it/hate it course.  Like golf.  One minute you hate it and are wondering why you are doing such a stupid annoying activity and just as suddenly it's all forgotten when you fall in love with a few swoopy fast fun turns heading down.

It all started at pre-ride.  Saturday morning, the day before the race.

I headed up the start climb.  The usual big wide slog of a hill with some sandy areas and rain ruts to watch for to not waste energy pedalling through, but generally the same deal as in the past. 

At the top, the course headed into a super fast 29er speed dream world. I know people complain about too much double track but this was pretty fun being able to ride as fast as you can without worrying about someone coming the other way, or walking their dog, etc. I felt like I was getting air cresting the hills and totally flying up with momentum.  Soooo fun. So my plan was to have a little gas in the tank at the top of the start climb so I could just pin it immediately and hopefully pass all the tired riders at the top.   The rest of this section following was pretty easy, really fast too...and went on for long enough I was starting to get suspicious...

Until I arrived at the wall.  When you look waaaay up and all the way is so steep they put snowmobile tracks along the center and tons of footprints on the sides that is never a good sign.  OK.  Plan to ride up as far as I can without killing my legs, hop off and hike the top.

Then some new trail.  Exit Wound it's called.  Well I don't want one of those...so I carefully carefully squeaked down...on foot...hmmm  Didn't want to crash with no one around to pluck me out of the trees so my plan was if I was riding behind someone who's skills I trusted...I'd follow them down...otherwise I'd just walk the too steep for Mommy parts.  Need to work on my downhill switchback skills.  Getting better but still not totally confident and because I am a control freak I need to be totally confident of my ability to ride something especially in a race.  I know what I'm supposed to do...just actually being perched on the side of a hill freaks me out! And probably since I've fallen off the edge down into a zillion hurtful trees before, the memory of that does not help!  If there are no trees I can totally do them.  No prob.  Duntroon has a couple on the front hill, and there were lots in Moab...all with no trees...
Anyway no prob, the new trail section is cool - need some bravery - should be ok.

Then down to the bottom, along the driveway....and....
Up up up up up up.  More up.  Too steep can't pedal anymore have to hike.  Seriously?  Gross.  As I'm hike-a-biking I'm getting more upset with myself.  What am I thinking?  I thought my fitness wasn't too bad but this is terrible!  I am even thinking I'm sorry I'm already signed up to race because I can't even ride this.  I suck!  And I am completely exhausted already and this is supposed to be an easy pre-ride lap...I might not go tomorrow...
Then...
I turn a corner on the totally evil hike-a-bike section...and see some people ahead.

Also hike-a-biking.
Immediately I feel better!   As I catch up to them, they are suffering like me!  I feel better again!  I don't suck!  I joined in their little group for a bit.  Chatting, complaining, laughing, and hiking on...getting the nasty climbing done.

And then immediately the course goes back to fun fun fun... flowy trail...happy times again...back in love with mountain biking!

While in the middle of the last fun section a group of guys caught up to me.  All decked out in matching race kits.  Lookin very speedy.  Asking to pass...basically wanting to get ahead before the next singletrack section to not get slowed down. Which is totally cool - they were completely friendly and nice too - all thanked me, etc.

They were a pretty big group - maybe 7 guys.  Not all of them managed to get ahead of me in time for the trail to start.  Now normally that would freak me out and I'd pull off immediately and let them all go by.  I used to be much slower.  I really didn't want to stop - or even worse - have to clip out fully...to let them by. After all that hiking I just didn't want be off my bike again.  So I just joined in the middle of their line and rode on until the next double track section to let them by then.  And I was glad I did!  I had no problem to keep up with their social pre-riding (non racing) speed. Another boost of confidence!  I don't suck again!

The pre-ride tally:
'Love it' wins.  Though the 'hate it' section is large.. I won't be the only hike-a-biker out there so at least I won't be totally embarrassed!

Still wasn't totally excited to race on Sunday. Which is unusual for me.  Yup - those hills are that hard!

Mmmmm buttertarts

Ya hoo the first summer long weekend!
On Saturday my hubby and I were able to get up to Buckwallow for our first ride together for 2013!  (Thanks Mom for watching the kids!) Probably our most favourite place to ride and so so fun as always.  Met up with some friends in the forest, visited a bit with Mike, rode lots while chatting all the way enjoying a mellow cottage country vibe...a great 'date' ride for us!

On Sunday - back to family and yard work...plus perfect weather for some early pool time!

Then holiday Monday...and a plan for a little morning ride - a mini 'Tour de King' through the woods across to Jane St. and the King Trails.  A little gravel road, dirt road, road allowance and a couple loops of singletrack trail...

Beautiful 'short cut' through the thick Oak Ridges Moraine forest

Birds sounded like Hunger Games...made me go fast!

A couple fun laps in here

Then back again home  - about 35km return and just in time for lunch and one of these...mmmmmm

April...waiting...

April waiting time...snow melting...frost leaving the ground...mud & mush to drying up...so while waiting to ride...

Zach held a party at the Trek Aurora store to get us all revved up and signed up for the King Weekly race series which runs Wednesday nights at the King trails (Centennial Park) from May until end of August.  It's a really fun series - friendly people, fun riding & this series is the one that got me hooked back into riding!      (visit www.racekingcity.ca for details)

Then there was another party...this time the Trek Women wine & cheese held at the Barrie store!  Meeting lot of new people plus barely recognizing others well known (helmets would have helped!)...this party made me even more excited about the Trek Women events!  I figure if we can have fun just standing around imagine how much fun we will have on our bikes!  Ya hoo!

Then off to Hardwood for 2 days at the NCCP instructors course.  Very cool learning how to teach riders all the important cycling skills. Also really interesting to learn different ways of teaching the same skill.  I think my own riding improved just taking this course!  Especially wheel lifts...I think we must have done 500 million of them!

And then to finish off the month...finally some FANTASTIC weather for the first O-Cup!  (and a respectable 6th place finish...with a bonus goal accomplished...I did not get lapped by Barry Near & he's pretty fast!)

I don't care...I love it!

It is snowing outside my window...and I should totally be working on something else...instead I found a cool highlight clip from the women's pro XC race at Bonelli Park in California (March 16/17 2013).  

So wicked!

Plus I always have a song in my head while riding & racing --- this tune is perfect!  

http://www.cyclingdirt.org/video/701425

Chocolate Bunnies & Ride Ride Ride!

I think I have recovered from the March Break crazy times with the family.   We packed up the kids and toys and drove down again to visit my parents in Florida.   The loooooong drive is not too bad actually and our kids are very good travelers ..and I admit now that they are old enough to love electronic games is totally the reason for peace in the car - not our excellent parenting.  There was lots of singing in the car too...but very thankfully no more 'wheels on the bus'...just revised versions of various top 20 tunes like the new Pink song "Try" instead..."gotta get up and drive drive drive".

I like to think of it as practicing for a 24 hr race.  Tag team with my hubby. We've gone all soft too - no nights.  No tent either-just a fast hotel sleep 1/2 way.  Just gotta suck it up and get it done. We pack a cooler with healthy snacks & water (to offset the chips & Twizzlers purchased along the way) & I call it the 'feed zone'.   Waking up at 5 or 6am to drive is almost like someone tapping your tent to do a lap.  Kinda sort of....  

Meanwhile, when we were away lots of planning has been going on to get everyone ready and psyched for riding season!

The Trek Women have set up a wine & cheese up at the Barrie store April 23 at 6pm.  I'll be there!

A social for the King Weekly MTB series is planned at Trek Aurora for April 17 - and if you sign up you can get a 1/2 price bike tune up which is a very sweet deal...fun friendly racing on a smooth running bike!  woohoo! I'll be there too!

And racing will be starting soon!   Durham's Thursday series starts April 11 - which was kind of a wake up call to get my race license - not that I'm planning to go to Durham (well...maybe) but I definitely will need it for April 28 - The first Ontario Cup of the season!  Yikes!

Just ordered my race license...I better get up and ride ride ride!!!!!

Fun times and a happy bum!

So I've been having fun times on a bike (on a trainer) at the Trek Aurora store.  Really!  Zach's spin classes are actually pretty fun - and hard!   And the 'bliss test' was successful!  The stuff actually works...and I now have a happy bum!

But even more fun times on a bike were happening at Joyride this past weekend.  It was my first time attending the Joyride Women's Weekend and wow it was very impressive!   There was instruction available for every section of the park plus a few other side areas covering stuff like mechanics & bike fit.   They had everyone covered from beginner on up.  And there were a TON of girls!  I never expected the turnout to be so big!  I heard there were probably 150 riders attending which is so amazing!

I was inspired to try out some new stuff.   I had on my crazy purple Joyride jeans and my new perfect Joyride bike (a Trek Ticket Stub dirt jump bike - thank you Santa!).  I was good to go!

First the foam pit.  Last winter I kept renting bikes and rentals aren't allowed in the foam pit so that was my excuse.  My kids keep telling me it's easy...well it is!  The hardest part is getting out of the foam without sinking!

Next - the Vert Room.  If you've ever been to Joyride it's the room tucked in the back corner but visible from the XC trail as it crosses the top of the building.  It's full of big stuff.  High walls, big jumps, a big bowl like a swimming pool, etc....kind of like a skateboard park but bike sized. Crazy. A place I never thought I'd be able to go in. So I went to just have a closer look. And then the nice kids in red shirts (all the instructors had the same red shirts) sucked me in. And before I knew it I was dropping in to the big scary bowl!  And it was really really really fun!!  

The vert room - everything is so BIG in here!!

Committed!

Wahooooo!

Then off to the street room where they were teaching wheelies, wheelie drops, banked turns, bunny hops, etc..  Cool skills to practice to make zipping through the forest easier and more fun!  

And to finish off with a few laps of the pump track...super fun & a great workout...and then I saw this girl there with the same cool bike...

Nice to meet you Charlotte!  

Ouch!

Wow!  It's January 2013!

I'm really excited about this year because last year I started the season a bit fitter than ever before thanks to a really cool MTB trip that one of my biking girls had for her 40th b-day in early March of 2012. Knowing I was going on this trip kept me from slipping into winter hibernation mode.  In preparation I did a couple spin classes at the gym (exactly 2) and did a little running & used the stairmaster a few times a week, and rode at Joyride at least once a week (I did the women's advanced course on Mondays through the winter).
I even tried XC skiing at Hardwood which was hilarious.  Apparently I need a lesson badly!  It was pretty embarrassing!  I think I wiped out at least 4 times maybe more!

But thanks to all these pre-Moab activities, when racing season started I wasn't dying quite as much as in previous years - which was awesome!

For 2013...something totally new...biking on a road bike on a trainer!  Check out my pretty bike...

It's a Lexa SLX and so far it's pretty comfy.  There is just one issue.  Kind of embarrassing too... my BUTT hurts!!  I thought there was no way that was possible since I ride quite a lot and haven't really had an issue in that department in a long time.  But here is my theory - I must ride standing on my pedals more than I realized.  Which makes sense on a mountain bike.  But not on a road bike!  Ouch!

So for tonight's spin class I'll be using some of this...

Hopefully I will feel the "bliss" instead of "Ouch!"    Stay tuned!