Cyclocross and wrapping up 2016

Since returning from the Tour of Alberta in early September, I have been settling back into life at home. It has been really nice to settle down for an extended period after spending nearly all of my time on the road since January 5th. I always enjoy having structure in my plans and doing so at home is very easy. I’ve been going back to work at the Canada Games Center and training on my favorite routes along the coast- oh, how I’ve missed it.

Recently I have also begun online courses at Athabasca University. I am really looking forward to getting back into school after nearly two years of being fully committed to cycling. I will still be 100% committed to cycling as I have taken on just one course at present, but once I get a better understanding of how the school operates I will be stepping it up. I am very excited to be at least starting on my way in this regard.

Being at home in the fall also means that I was able to get a nearly full cyclocross season in. Cyclocross is where I started my adventure into cycling and ever since I have always looked forward to the fall season. Our local series, the NSSP has really stepped up this year with the help of amazing volunteers and new venues to keep things interesting. The NSSP has been incredible in supporting young athletes as well, partnering with Bicycle Nova Scotia to send a provincial team to the national championships in Sherbrooke, Quebec.

I was very excited to go and take part in my first big cyclocross (CX) race at the national championships. Having only ever done local CX races I had no idea how I would stack up nationally. The drive up to Sherbrooke was 15 hours but it really wasn’t so bad, (especially when I get to sleep the whole time). But JB and Lazza were really funny, never a dull moment. The day after the drive we built our tent city in the pit area and got to ride the course. The weather plays a much bigger part in CX compared to road, so I crossed my fingers hoping for sun; I didn’t get it. The course was manageable during the pre-ride on Friday before the nationals on Saturday, even for my lack of skills.

The morning of the race was super easy, everyone rolled out of bed and gathered for the coffee pot. All but Lazza who had to race at eight AM. He started the day off right for us by clenching the victory in the 50+ masters field. I was hoping to contribute to the jersey collection, but my confidence took a hit when I got to the course and saw the mud. Well over 50% of the course was now deep muddy, slippery, tire ruts. I was able to get one lap in before my race but it was not looking too good. My plan was to make the most of the power sections of the course and take a lot of risks in the mud to try and keep up with the more skilled guys.

After my mediocre start (which is all I can manage being a roadie) I slotted into about 10th place. Peter D and his brother Quinton had amazing starts grabbing first and second going into the first technical area. My first lap I made my way up to fifth. Then took a major fall on one of the slick downhills and got my bike tangled in the tape. I was back up and the race was starting to spread out, Peter had a minute over the chasing group starting lap two. On average I crashed twice per lap, which is definitely a lot, but I was determined and never let it get to my head. I made my way back up to fifth after a few laps. First and second were all but settled, however 3rd-5th were still up in the air all being within about 25 seconds. The last lap I was slipping and sliding down one of the off camber muddy hills. I picked myself back up and decided to commit to running through the remainder of the technical section, many others were doing the same. I managed to catch the 4th place rider and pass him as he threw his bike down and dislodged the chain, getting it caught in his wheel.

I held him off for the remainder of the lap to clench 4th place, minutes down on first but only 20 seconds off the podium. I was definitely upset not to make the podium as that was what I came to do. Looking back on it now, it was a crazy race and with the conditions and my lack of experience in those mud filled courses I was happy to come away with 4th. All the people in front of me are great riders and definitely no shame in being beaten by the likes of Peter, his brother Quinton and Trevor. I think I will be back next year as it was a fun trip. It was great to watch Andrew L in the elite men’s race getting 7th after a huge battle. Andrew also stuck around for the second race the following day and got second! And our pro moto-cross racer Tyler M clawed his way up to 7th! We won’t talk too much about my race that day as the conditions had me on my ass more than ever, but great to see the Nova Scotia crowd getting some awesome results.

Cyclocross was super fun all around. I hope that next year I will be able to do even more than I did this year. For any U23’s or juniors reading this, you have to get yourselves on a cross bike for next season. It is amazing training for MTB or road and helps to develop skills that are needed as a cyclist to be able to succeed. Hope to see some more of you out for next year.

Up next for me is a trip to China with the Canadian team, and my trade team, RaceClean. We will be doing a two week trip with two stage races, Tour of Fuzhou and Tour of Shanghai. Stay tuned as we hope to get some good results. I am super excited for my first trip to Asia and to cap off my 2016 season. Though there won’t be too much rest, because after the trip it will be time to start building up for 2017. Stay tuned for another update from China.

Thanks for reading, be sure to share!