2015 Nationals

This year was going back to basics for Nationals, after the convoy of support I had with me last year, with Luc for logistics and coaching, Shawn Marshall as mechanic keeping our bikes in pristine condition, and the Cormier’s and Whitman’s for company, this year was much simpler; My Dad and I packed up the car and drove up over two days. We were able to book the same hotel as last year which was nice to go back to, It was a bit more cramped without the trailer for all the bikes and wheels, but no complaints, we made it work. We arrived around noon the day before the TT, we did a pre ride of the course, and it was a hard one, two steep climbs per lap and more gradual ones as well, all on a highway. It was much more interesting than last years, but much more difficult as well. I had mixed feelings about it, hoping I was off early to dodge with strong winds on the 80+ kp/h decent. I felt rested and ready.

Of the NextGenU23 guys, it was looking like it was going to be just myself and Will Elliot representing the program, with the others preparing for Pan-Am Games on the track. I was the only one doing all three events, as Will wanted to focus on the road race. The ITT had less starters that I expected, only 57 out of 125 signed up for the road race. I was starting 27th, with some strong riders chasing me down, I had ambitions of catching my minute man and hopefully holding off Ben Perry and Peter Disera. The plan was thrown out the window about 10 km into the race. I did my warm-up and I didn’t like the sensations I was having, felt very similar to the previous year when during my warm-up I was not able to push through the pain barrier and really open up my legs, I kept on the trainer as long as I could before my start, wishing I had gotten on a little bit earlier as I needed more time to try and fix the problem, but there was nothing I could do, my Dad and I switched out the wheels and I rolled to the start. I started very conservatively, I knew how hard this course was going to be so I was focused on not pushing too hard in the first 5 km and trying to pushing for a negative split, It felt pretty easy when I got to the first of the four climbs, and I stayed on the aero bars as I climbed the 1500 meters at 8% avg. My power was lower than I had planned for the climb, but I was not ringing alarm bells yet, still thinking of what is to come, so I decided not to leave the saddle and try to get up to that effort just yet. I rolled over the top did the first U-turn and pedaled down the hill at 75 kp/h. I had about a kilometer before the next U-turn where I head back up the same hill for the second time of asking. I told myself now it’s time to push hard. I got to the hill and the numbers were still too low, I got out of the saddle and accelerated, sat back down to settle in and watched as the numbers dropped back down, I tried again and again to regain the speed and get comfortable at the effort(numbers) that I had been training at the week previous. At the completion of the first lap I was getting caught by Ben and Peter, I was crushed, as I did yet another U-turn and started the second lap I told myself I can still do this, I raised the pace and gave my all to get up to where I planned to be. I found myself pushing the numbers now but my cadence was in the pits, I could not spin the gear like I had been in training. I gave it one last effort on the third climb but still could not push the gear. I was suffering just as much as I planned, still felt all the usual pain, the performance was not there to match though, very frustrating day. I think I have since pin-pointed the reasons behind it all with Luc, but it still hurts to miss the target that bad when it really mattered.

My mind quickly turned to the road race, a ride of redemption was in my mind, this year was shaping up like last year, where I had a terrible day in the ITT, and then I used that anger in the road race to push me to a great result. I was hoping for something similar this year. I felt good, I mean properly good the day of the road race, the course suited me and I was looking forward to fighting to make the lead group. The course climbed for the first 25 km until we plunge down to the circuit which we complete eight times before climbing out of the valley and riding the same road back to the finish line. The race started and the pros were at the front waiting a few km’s until the road kicked upward; when it did so, they wasted no time at all as Christian Meier launched the first move up first real incline. I was mid pack and quickly found myself out in the wind passing by many riders to get up to the front. The first 30 km until we got to the circuit had terrible roads so I had been slowly drifting backwards trying to stay vigilant with so many holes around. After that first hill we did a 200 meter decent turned a sharp right and then faced a rolling climb of about 2 km. I was moving up well in the pack and the attacks had calmed down, the pace was still very high and the peleton was single file with Christian still driving it. When it flattened out a bit I made my way around an H&R rider who was suffering and I was then at the back of the 30 man group, everyone behind me was still single file.

We had reached the top of the climb and started a downhill that was covered in bad holes. About half way to the circuit there was a crash. I was sitting on a good wheel, middle of the road with good vision, I was in a good place. Off to my left I heard a tire and carbon wheel explode and then there was a bike without a rider floating around the peleton. It took out about 20 riders holding up many more. I was one of the last riders to go down, landing on top of many bikes, I stood up immediately felt no pain so went looking for my bike, found it, saw that it was beat up but functioning. I had to scramble to find both of my bottles because I knew that it would be a huge mistake to leave them behind, I got both of them but my bottle cages had both snapped so I threw them in my pockets, put my chain back on and then got to chasing. As I rolled away I started to notice the yelling that I was pulling away from, later my Dad told me that a number of riders had broken collar bones. I was 100% focused on getting back to the pack and quitting was not in head at all. It took a pretty big effort to get back but luckily the pack was not going 100%. I caught back and then started to take toll of the crash, I was bleeding from my ankle and found a chainring had gone through my shorts on my left hip, handlebars were bent, but the real pain was in in fingertip, which had been cut off by someone’s spinning wheel. I was still not thinking about quitting and I started to move my way back up the pack. I was taking my time trying to keep moving forward without using too much energy after all that I had burned to chase back on.

We were about 3 km before the decent onto the circuit, where nothing but good roads and fast racing awaited, sadly, I never made it there with the pack. I was in the pack and no nearer the front again, but someone in front of me swerved last minute to dodge a hole and I had no time to react, I hit it hard, not as hard as the guy behind me who snapped a carbon wheel on it, but hard enough to instantly puncture. I pulled over, still not completely mentally crushed, but starting to hurt now. Neutral support came up and changed my wheel, he did a good fast job and I thank them for that, I got back on and he gave me a push I looked down and realized that my rear wheel had also gone flat. I came to a halt again about 75 meter in front of the stopped car, the peleton was now turning the corner up ahead and the chase back was looking more and more impossible as the seconds passed. The neutral mechanic came running up to me and changed the rear wheel, gave me another push and I was off. I had was chasing hard, as hard as I could. I was alone now with the peleton about 800-900 meters in front me, I had time to reassess my goals for the race, I wanted to get back to the pack and finish the race. Even that was going to be a tough ask, as it turned out, too tough.

I chased for the 3 km to the circuits and then one full lap, I will admit that about half way around the lap I gave up. The gap was not getting smaller and I had burned a lot trying to chase. I could see the convoy of cars probably 4-5 minutes in from me, an impossible gap solo. I was caught by a small group of five riders. We rolled to the feed zone at the start of the second lap and that is where I pulled out. I stopped and was caught off guard by how many riders were already there. I had a few people to chat with, and when the ambulance came round I got a quick check and bandaged up my scrapes. I watched a few laps of the race and rode another myself with a friend. I found another Maritimer in Stuart and we rode the 30 km back to the start finish. I have no regrets about that race. I was feeling good even after the crash, but luck took me out of it. I was still frustrated about the TT, but the road race was just not my day. I got back to the hotel after watching the exciting finish to the race and felt my body tightening up and the bruises appeared.

I decided to go for a spin early the next morning to try and loosen up and see if starting the Crit was a possibility. I decided to start, I didn’t feel amazing, had kinks all over me but I wanted to be in the race. I hadn’t had enough racing for a nationals, I didn’t get much more after starting the crit. I made it about 10 of 33 laps into the race before I found that I was just hurting too much to continue, and certainly was not going to be a feature in the race. I pulled out along with many others. Of 78 starters only 18 finished. I was even more disappointed now, as we started our trip home. I have had ups and downs in Saint-Georges, last year claiming the title, and this year not even cracking a top 15. It hurts, but I am keen not to dwell, time to re-focus, and start planning for the next race. Year one in U23 was a bust, but I’ve still got three to go, and I have big ambitions for the rest of the season.

-Edward Walsh