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| Like this, only harder. |
Well, after last year's broken shoulder debacle... or better known as "What a perfect excuse to dump biking and play video games for 4 months straight and whine about your shitty shoulder to anyone who's listening like a baby, while eating everything and proclaiming "DUDE YOU KNOW HOW MANY CALORIES I BURN".....
Yeah, an annoying and confusing time in my summer where an injury played with my mind and body in equally painful results... also resulting in my exit from Crank the Shield.
Later in September I rode in Pauls Dirty Enduro for the 30k with my buddy Mike. It was my first time really back on the bike and I did well on the SS in some sections. Overall I just went out to test the shoulder... and it held up so I figured it was time to stop whining, and get down to business.
Come November I was back on the bike doing Whatever the Weather rides on Saturdays, and doing Sufferfests as my turbo training go to. I was also back up to 270lbs and getting over the woes of letting myself gain like 25lbs.
Then I discovered base building, and it made all the difference. My Sufferfest benchmarks got faster as I slowed myself down and took the time to develop a good base.. I was able to complete longer rides without much effort, and I found ways to just keep trucking along on the bike. Developed my pedal stroke and keeping my knees into my top tube. Technique goes far apparently.
Fast forward and 3000km later:
Paris to Ancaster 2013.
I woke up on the wrong side of the bed at about 5:30 or so. I'm not sure why, but I was pretty blergh about racing. A lot of pre race jitters for this one, and a lot riding on my mind. After the scouting reports a podium looked like a moonshot, and top 10 was looking further and further from the truth, so my drive to ride hard kinda fell off the map.
I packed up the car with my bike and all my things. Noticing my camera hadn't charged over night..... I figured I'd try the USB charger in the car. No joy. Which sucked cause I was totally wanting to listen to something angry on the way over but was hoping to get video as well. So no Ipod for me, just 102.1... shitty emo deathcabforcutiewtfamilistiningto music.
Stop off at Timmies:
First Mistake: As with Nostril I didn't eat right before the race and I paid for it again. Its completely my fault and I'm an idiot cause I should KNOW BETTER THEN THAT. So my mistake.
Grab a Bagel with PBnJ, Ice Tea, coffee. And party on Wayne down to Ancaster. And park.
Half way there... get ANGRY leg syndrome. Suddenly I want to race, and badly. Might have been the AWOL Nation Sail at full volume... mighta been the sugar. I donno, but suddenly I wanted to ride.
Pull in, and grab my race registration, throw my bike in the shuttle truck, and consider getting into the bus early.
Barry parks right next to me, so instead of taking the bus over, he offers me a ride over in his new Audi. So I'm not going to turn that down, pretty VIP shuttle treatment right there.
Get to Paris and Barry heads out to warm up while I wait for my bike. Grab myself a clif bar *note this is where I realize I haven't eaten anything*. And start looking for my friend Mike. No can find.
Hop on the cross bike and do a couple of laps with a couple of pushes trying to keep warm, then I go get myself into the pen.
First things first:
I am not a small man. So I'm in a pen with a bunch of people that look very racer like. So as I squeeze my fat ass in, the looks of HURRSTUPIDHORSE were apparent. Meanwhile in typical fashion I make jokes about how people look and how they can feel free to draft me... 747's can't take off behind my draft, etc etc. Har har. Nobody's laughing, but rather making comments about how some people shouldn't be in the wave that are in the wave... I took the hint.
Fine. Up yers.
Our time to leave.
Aaand go.
PR 1.
Up the hill at 32.6km/h, got boxed in by some slower riders that started right at the front, finally made my way outside to the far end, and hammered. Eat a dick cycling club. Too bad you never caught me either... of course now I'm hyper angry and I've seen all these Clydes in the VIP and Wave 1, my new goal: Catch them.... I realize I'm with like 3 other guys at the front of this group and we roll into the next area. My goal was not to get caught on rail trail behind slow people. It can kill you in that section if you get caught and a train starts on your left....
Which leads me to PR 2.
The rail trail section along this area was a mixed bag. It was warm but we already started catching slow Wave 1 riders here.... which is bad cause I got caught behind a small train, and started to coast a bit to bring the HR down. Then I realized the guy was gapping the peloton big time. Shitsticks.
Head down, and hammer. I can't let that group get ahead. I manage to chase it down and ride with it to...
PR 3.
The incline is a shitstorm. The peloton blows apart, people immediately dismount, I manage to stay on, and ride it out. My HR goes through the roof, and I consider this my first burnt match. I actually passed quite a few people up the hill. MTB'rs actually passed me here quite a bit. The granny gear made it easy, and my tires are sinking in the gravel. Power through, rock my bike, get to the top and recover. I'll catch them on the road.... I hope.
PR 4.
The road section was good but I think this is where I made my first riding mistake. I got complacent behind a group that I could have out rode. I was torn between resting after the massive gravel climb, and wanting to go fast. About half way down I feel good enough to push, figure I'll take my pull, then drop the 4 guys I was trailing and got caught up to quite a few guys that had passed me on the rail trail earlier. Funny thing about that as well. Gravity works for bigger guys. The downhill before the up really helps, so I got going as fast as I could before the climb. I think I peak here at 50km/h or so. I really tried to hammer as hard as I could once I got around them.
At this point I'm doing some system checks. Heart rate has been pinned for a bit but tolerable and my legs feel warm an humming so I'm not worried, I am starting to get hungry though already. I try to drink it away but its at this point I realize its going to be a problem. We turn down the road and into the first bit of "single track". Which is a savvy term for "Mud induced crying".
The singletrack was a bit messier this year then I remember it, I had to get off the bike and push, only to realize my tires are caking up.
The more technical section with the steep down had a lot of people on the ground when I went through. I'm not sure what happened but I managed to get through without much issue. I hope nobody was hurt. Looked very pileupish.
Second Mistake: Those MSO's are AWESOME ON GRAVEL. They are NOT in the mud. I will never race with them again through muddy conditions. They caked so badly everywhere. I spent easily 10 min trying to clean that out. Not to mention the resistance it provides. So painful, this combined with my lack of food easily explains my fade at the end of the race. But we'll get there.
Howell road added an orchard to the mix. It was a fun ride around but the mud started to get pretty soul sucking in some sections. The fact you were going up didn't help much either. At this point I met up with another Clyde named Al and we worked together for the next 20km or so giving eachother wheels to grab.
Through gravel, and the soul sucking farmer field. I had to get off here and trudge. The mud was too much for me and it was getting into everything on my bike. I tried to shoulder run the bike as much as I could through it, then back onto the roads again to clear off the tires.
PR 5.
After Jerseyville, onto the rail trail. This is usually my undoing every year. Its flat, bumpy, and a painful hammerfest. I'm also riding solo here and catching people. At this point, the people that are going to be ahead of me, are, and the people that I'm going to catch are fading badly.... theres something different this year though.... Then I realize, my back isn't sore. This is the part where my back would suddenly start to cramp up on me and I'd have to slow down to stretch. Nope 28.6km/h baby, and full on hammering. I stand here and there to stretch the legs and keep them loose.
At this point I look at my GPS, it can't be right in my mind, but I figure I keep on keeping on.
The small first Mudchute teaches me that my bike isn't going to shed the mud. At this point I have to try to run down, but my bike is heavy with caked mud, and I'm worried about my derailleur.
Out of the first mud chute, and the worst is that I have some chain skip in my granny gear. Not worried yet, but what I am worried about is my calves and quads are NOT enjoying walking.... this does not bode well for Martin Hill.
Onto the second Powerline Mudchute..... the king of mud.
I tried to ride as much of it as possible but the mud was just so bad.... BUT
PR 6.
I make it out unscathed. I pass at LEAST 20 people at the bottom of this thing with broken chains, broken derailleurs, broken souls. I feel pretty bad for everyone involved. What gets me is that they HAVE TECHS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL. Why for the life of me do you add this to the race if you know its going to destroy bikes knowingly placing techs there. Seriously. Its a well known landmark for P2A. Its also where I bailed out last year starting my run at the bottom.
I spent about 5-10 min here cleaing out my tires, and trying to lighten my bike up. I hear rubbing and leaves and whatever after I leave this section. I can feel the drag but I'm happy I haven't experienced any mechanicals to this point. I also figure there's no way I'm placing top 10. Its game over so you might as well finish i.... OH TO HELL WITH THAT, GET ON YOUR HORSE.
Hammer off even though my legs are now screaming at me. And by screaming at me.... I mean I haven't felt this much pain in a long time.... and I'm getting tired, really tired, and worse, I know Martin Hill is around the corner...
PR 7.
Its muddy, and hellish. I ride some, walk some, then when it gets steep, I try to keep my sanity by singing to myself. My legs at this point feel like they're on fire. My heart feels like its going to explode. I mount up right after the steep hill is over, and make it across..
Check my GPS:
2:44.
Naaawww.
502 overall out of 1345 riders.
9th place in Clyde.
Actual Time: 2:42:02 THATS RIGHT.
7 Broken PRs
I made mistakes this race, big ones, and I know what I can do for next year to correct, and it started back in November. But if my numbers are looking the way they are.... I am super stoked about riding this summer both competitively and for shits and giggles. So I'm disappointed I didn't take my previous day prep more seriously, and my nutrition. My gut told me to swap tires but I ignored it thinking I'd be better off in the mud... man I was wrong.
I will return in 2014 for P2A. My beef is settled with the race, but next year, I'm looking to take home hardware. I'll train when you're sleeping, when you're awake, when you're thinking about training, and when you are training.
Overall: Happy with my performance, underwhelmed with my choices. But still managed to shave 30+ min off my time from last year.... even if it was 3km less mileage.
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