Nationals & EOCX#8
End of season report.
Levis, Quebec home of the Canadian CX Championships this year…and next. Left for the solo trip Thursday late morning, trouble free drive to my buddy house in Kemptville. Continued on to Levis Friday morning hoping to get there around noon. The course was open for practice 10-2:30. They had an overnight low of -10 up there so assuming frozen conditions until noon anyway.
Long and very nervous drive. I have to say, I’ve never been so nervous for a race. You know that feeling you get when crossing the boarder, while I felt like that for the whole 5 hour drive.
All I was doing was going to pre ride, eat and sleep, heck save the nerves for Saturday morning.
The main parking lot was packed and mostly VIP so everyone was using the ample street parking. I thought I’d checkout the over flow lot they mentioned, its empty with a great view and 5min ride on a trail over a bridge with rapids, f ya! Parking here.
Got ready, rode over and right onto the paved starting road. After the start banner the course turned left onto the grass, wet, frozen rutted grass. Then into the ruins and stairs, wet icy stairs, Then right over to the woods for an icy descent and steep, long run up of half frozen soil and mud. All this in the first 2min of the race.
Meet up with Tim McClure here at the descent into the woods. I said, what’s with all the riders here hanging out. I’m use to seeing riders on mtb courses practicing technical features, but not at a cx race. Lol I took a quick look and just hit it, wasn’t that bad. Except the ice at the bottom, Stupid run up lol, that is going to hurt, so early in the race too. Didn’t really ride with Tim, I wanted to go quicker then he was practicing. The course was awesome, not what I’m use to as it was a true cx course, euro style, minus the sand 
. It was really rough in the power sections, hard to get good speed. As the day when on, it dried out. By the time the relay happened late pm, it was almost a dry track.
The low Friday night was around +1 with the showers not starting until mid morning into afternoon. Racing at 9am was kinda looking ok now. Actually thinking about using fast tires.
I mounted Limus just before leaving on my spare wheels 80% sure I’d be using them. Tim Gale supplied me with his cx bike for the pits, I mounted my other mud runbber onto those wheels and got a good test in Thursday morning at home. Kevin Goertz was going to be my help in the pits at the race, as he was there supporting his boys later in the day. Tim McClure was also in need of pit help and I could tell he was trying to ask if Kevin could help him too. Which he did, but the agreement was if we came in together I’m first lol. Had dinner that night with Tim and baby Jon at a fancy pizza joint, loved that cause I eat like crap when I’m out of town solo. I got Butternut Sauce Ravioli.
100% decided mud tire it was, swapped my 40t cassette over to the mud wheels, pinned up the jersey, good! Nope…unpin jersey, last minute kit change decided, re pin jersey, now good!
Race day, fuckin nervous omg, so weird for me.
I’ve studied the pre reg list, I know it’s either myself, Tim or Eric Jeannotte, that’s the top 3.
I don’t know Eric, but I’ve raced him at mtb nationals years back, I know he’s small thats about it.
8am at the venue, it’s not raining, not too cold either. Watching the u17 and 55+ race, they don’t look too muddy. A Chuck of the course right off the start was taken out, so now basically right into the ruins and run ups.
The morning is a blur and in no time we are lining up, still wasn’t sure if they were starting us with the 45+ guys or before. Thank God we got a 30sec head start, not like they needed it.
Call up, shit I guess I have 0 points, I’m 317, last.
Tim is 301 lol. So that’s 2 rows and then me in the 3rd row solo.
That’s hourse shit as Will Farrel would say.
About 30 sec to start, I back up the bike length too get a better start. Worked OK, good start, it’s a hammer on the road uphill to the banner. Only got in about 5th , passed Tim 3rd corner, but didn’t do the big run up right and lost spots, in the orange too🌡, not good. Came out of the woods, and I’m 4th maybe, Tim’s gapped me and the leader Eric is gone already. Towards the end of the first lap I got things together, passed Tim and Jeff on a muddy hill and road away from them. But someone is on me quick, really quick. It’s the top 2 45+ guys, holly hell. They go by me and I can hold the wheels upto the banner to end lap 1, then I had to back off. I’m in 2nd comfortably now, but Eric out of sight.
I did see the 45+ leader catch him too mid way through lap 2.
I remember that happening at mtb Nationals 2014, Eric Batty was leading and John Barnes catches me and then Eric to go on and crush us both.
Anyway, pushed through the course, started to rain, so was getting more slick each lap. We got lucky, might have been the best conditions of the day. The junior/u23 races after in the rain were muddy and elites later in the afternoon were doing lots of running.
Each lap a few more 45+ caught me, I was just hoping there were no 300# coming. I could see Tim back about a min so didn’t think anyone was infront of him for 3rd at this point.
Wasn’t until last lap, conditions at the worst I saw a 300# coming, with like 1.5km to go, hit the gas to empty the tank to the line. Shit man another lap and I might have been 4th. There were 2 of them coming, 4th place was a guy I usually beat by minutes so definitely off my game a bit. I was super happy with 2nd, would have been OK with 3rd even. But wasn’t my best race, maybe lack of mud riding, maybe lack of nutrition, maybe nerves got to me, but overall rode clean, no issues and accomplished a podium. I didn’t pit at all and after I know I should have. I’m not use to it and honestly the bike was performing fine, just pedals got gummed up. Tim finished 5th and understandably wasn’t a happy guy.
Congrats to Eric, shit guy won the Sunday C2 race by 3min lol.
So glad I went to race back in dry Ontario for the final.
Got to hang out all day because awards are after everything at 5pm. No complaints there with all the cyclocross to watch, I’m sure you have all seen my highlights. Great venue for pictures!
Loved every minute watching Orillia kick ass in the elite fields because Quebec kinda stole the show else where.
Isabelle and Ian were next level.
Packed up and heading back to Kemptville, stayed up too late with my friend that night, but race Sunday was at 1:30 so didn’t need to be anywhere early.
EOCX#8.
Keep it short, if you have seen the “speed racer reel” you already know what it was like. If not follow - Velofix KW .
Dry, fast, easy, fun about wraps it up. Definitely a Ottawa roadie cx race. Loved it, what a way to go out. Riding fast laps with those Celery guys. Beat a the guy I wanted to get too.
Had family and friends there to treat me like a celebrity, hence all the photos and videos. My cousin Andrew basically rode around filming like a drone. Finished 4th elite, they don’t do podiums, only $30 to race, no need to podium. I did get in an argument with a lapped guy at the end, this guy, big tall, bright as white legged tool. Wasn’t giving me the race lines, so before steep hill I pull beside, he’s yelling “nope, nope, don’t think about it”. At the top of this hill you cut right and back down. The line goes from left to right, I’m coming on the right, he had tons if room to stay left and let me pass, instead he cut through and shoulders me into the stake, didn’t even unclip I leaned back and muscle through. 3rd place kid was just 5sec ahead of me. So this tool had already been lapped by 3 others and costed me 5 sec. Trevor almost got it on film too. He filmed the finished incase there was a fight he said lol.
The guy eventually comes over to bitch, Dude you have zero argument, you are lapped rider, any other series and you would have pulled already. Best part…he’s says this, " you are half my age, show respect to the older riders, I’m 48", Go Home Nacey, but thanks for the compliment.
If you got through all this, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the reports from the front of the bike races. It was another great season, with the added bonus of provincial cx win this year.
Lets get Nationals next year!! I want a team up there next fall, the nerves get to you solo. I added heavy core to my workouts this fall, wanted to start in September, but only started early October. Definitely noticed, think maybe Tim McClure did too haha.
Next year I’m added to this, upper body and leg power workouts.
Thank you Waterloo Cycling Club & Faction Racing p/b WCC.
Special thanks to Kevin Goertz and family.
Vance Lai, Slow Rider, Alex VanderLinden for motivation.
Tim Gale for his part, sorry I didn’t get to use your bike.
Returning it soon, gravel tires on and sealed.
Mark Weymouth is the man!
Robert Daniells and family including Pivot
So…guess it’s zwift now eh…
