This weekend is the last hurrah for cx this season. There’s a double header in Milton, really the venue is south of Guelph, and it’s a very short drive.
Saturday is a citizens event and Sunday is Provincials.
As usual this season registration for each event closes Wed. at 11:59 pm
These two events are put on by Andrew Paradowski. We rented the start/finish barricades, commissaire stand and power washers from him. He was a great help at KWCX and is an all around good guy looking to grow the sport. Hopefully a few people can make it out to support his events.
Also, looks like $10 discount if you race both days. I’m hoping to set the tent up Saturday and leave it all weekend.
Current forecast looks like maybe a bit of rain Saturday, but dry Sunday.
I think I’ve earned the dubious distinction of being the only club member to race Milton today, and NOT be signed up for tomorrow. I figured I’d share some thoughts about the course for those who are racing Provincials tomorrow:
The Site:
I loved the property; it’s a beautiful plot with rural feel and I welcomed the different sense of place compared to most other CX courses. A “let’s explore the woods and fields” vibe, combined with the constant drizzle, made for a feeling of getting “out there”. A real late-fall-in-the-countryside atmosphere. The course runs through mostly meadow and some wooded areas. Also nice to get that only 30 minutes from KW.
The Course:
The course itself seems like a solid power course, with many opportunities to put down seated power in the rough grass and pass, or be passed by, other riders. You’re not on fancy turf grass here, it’s mostly recently-mowed wildflower/grass. Very climby, which I liked, but low traction due to the wet and bumpy terrain made climbing out of the saddle sometimes awkward. I had a ball with the descents-into-corners, which provided a perfect surface for power slides. Still, not really very technical, with zero dismounts other than one over-the-bars for me. Watching out for rocks in the course is key:) There is zero sand and there were no barriers today.
I think someone whose strength is putting down extended seated power over rough terrain will be well suited. There are some fast descents, so confidence sending downhill and into corners can make up some time, as well as being good at maintaining climbing traction.
The course was a little unusual, though I really enjoyed it and hope to go back. Curious to hear what others think after tomorrow.
lol, you are the first and only one that had anything positive to say other than a race is better than no race.
The venue reminded me of Albion a few years ago with a bunch of rocks and a ton of mud thrown in. Most were grateful for the mud as it soften the harshness of the course. I’m hoping that if they run it again that the ground will have been run in a little from this year and should be a bit smoother, but if the course is dry it will be miserable. The bumpiness make it much harder to put power down and the rocks required high pressures. I was 5 psi higher than normal and still lost count the number of times I hit the rims.
As much as the course wasn’t great it was still fun racing in ever changing conditions. By the end of the M2/E3 race sections were getting close to unrideable, reports were that they deteriorated considerably by the end of the day. it at least looked much better today for traction.
I agree with Mark that it was really beautiful. Later in the day today, with the sun peaking between the clouds, the vista north from the top of the hill was spectacular. I don’t think any other CX venue comes close to that. There were some challenges as a venue, though. The back half of the course was almost entirely inaccessible; this wasn’t ideal as a spectator, but it was moreso, I think, a safety concern. I won’t speak to the cycling itself, since I wasn’t racing.
Agreed on that a beautiful venue, organised well. Sometimes you have to work with what you have and that was done pretty well. I’m hoping in a sadistic way the venue returns,but it should definitely be near the end of the calendar to help ensure softer conditions.
On the safety aspect that was definitely a hindsight issue. Spags may have fractured his leg yesterday, Innes was nearby and he spent 5 minutes on the ground before continuing, she wasn’t able to reach anyone. Devin got his foot stuck in his wheel and was apparently foolishly calling for Mum whilst laying on the ground, she and nearly everyone else was at least a km away. Me being the excellent parent had no idea and proceeded to heckle other kids, thankfully other riders sent someone to help. To give the organiser credit the OCA noticed he was taking too long to come around and had sent several radio messages to look for him and were mobalizing the medics incase.
After a bit of time has gone by, I’m starting to think it wasn’t such a bad venue.
If they had walked the course and removed many of the rocks it would have been better
Or if they go and spread dirt (maybe with some grass seed) now or in the spring that could make for a better 2022 race
The “rock garden” got significantly worse on Sunday. I chose to dismount and run to save my tubs. I saw at least 2-3 flats per race running to the pits.
Definitely not a very spectator friendly. Maybe they cut some more walking paths between the race trails?
All that being said, it was still fun, and it had a more “natural” feel. I’d say it felt more like a mountain bike race than a CX race for atmosphere.
But we did have the tent up on the hill, by the pits, right next to Lantern Rouge, so that made for some good entertainment, even though the walk to the tent was a bit far.
Congrats to Dan S for 2nd in Masters’ A, and to Alex and Andrew for top 10’s in the elite race. Luke and I almost had a battle in Master B. I had to stop and clean my jockey wheel and that let Luke zip by, never to be seen by me again - but he was closing in anyways, so it could have been a sprint finish Sophie and Shane were also both racing Sunday, though Shane double flatted lap 1 and Sophie had to pit to refill a tire.
Dan on the podium (sorry for the low res shot, it’s all I could find)
Sophie and Shane were also both racing Sunday, though Shane double flatted lap 1 
and Sophie had to pit to refill a tire.
