2nd Place!

Well, not for me, but for Noelle in the kids race! More on that later.

The Mansfield 8 hour was this weekend and since I haven't done a lot of riding I really went into it with an open mind just to have fun with complete disregard for results. It was quite refreshing actually.

The morning started in a bit of a frenzy trying to get the car packed. I had to fit 5 bikes into the car plus 2 coolers and a bunch of riding gear etc in the minivan. The neighbour didn't think I could do it but as you can see below it worked. I think I need some bike racks now that everyone wants to bring their bikes to the races.

After a stop at Tim Hortons for breakfast we were off. It has been awhile since I drove to Mansfield and I forgot how far it really is. We rolled in around 9:15am to see the Solo area pretty full. We decided to park in the main area since it was closer to the action anyways for the kids. We found a bit of a quieter area so we had some space to ourselves so the kids could play without bothering too many people. I went and registered then back to the car to get changed. By the time I changed I could hear Chico say "2 minutes to start". Uh oh. I still needed to take my cooler up to the start area so I would have access to it each lap. It was too heavy for my wife on her own so we walked together. I wasn't even halfway there when I heard "GO". Finally made it to the barn area and put my cooler there, hopped on the bike and started up the hill already a few minutes late. They had already taped it off and there were people everywhere. Nothing like starting dead last! It didn't take me too long to catch the tail end of the group due to the congestion in the singletrack...at that point it was just a passing game. Gradually I was with a group of people that were about the same speed as me and that lap turned out to be one of the most enjoyable with the company. I've been reading a lot of peoples write ups about the race and the common theme seemed to be the difficulty of the course and how technical it was and beat up your body. I'm not sure why but I just didn't find it that way. I actually enjoyed the course quite a bit. Near the end it was getting a little rutted up but that happens anywhere. The thing I liked about the course was the longer gradual climbs vs the short steep stuff like Albion. Plus I didn't find it to be a constant up and down either.

I turned out 4 or 5 laps and then the kids race was beginning so I wanted to watch that and it was a good chance for a break. It was the first time for both kids racing and it was exciting to see them go. They had them in different age groups and each group did a different number of laps. It was a lot of fun to watch and I rode around to different points of the 1.2km course to see them go by. Noelle ended up getting 2nd place in her grouping. It was so great to see....you couldn't wipe the smile off her face all day.

After their race was over I went out for a few more laps. I ended up running into a bunch of people on the course I knew. Jeff & Ryan from last weekends ride. And Craig Barlow who I saw a few times out on the course while he was passing me. At the end of the day I did 8 laps which I was satisfied with. I had a good time. The kids and my wife had a good time and that's about all you can ask for. Below are a few more pictures capturing the day.

The kids had a good time.

So did my wife (I think!)

Last lap

Anyways, the 24 hour should be interesting. I'll probably go into it with the same perspective and see what happens. Hopefully I can get some more riding in between now and then and be in slightly better condition....we'll see.

Steve

Did a 5 hour slog in the rain yesterday. A few people were planning a long distance ride in Hamilton and since I usually ride alone for long rides I thought it would be fun to have some company. Plus I've never ridden any of the trails in Hamilton so it would be a good chance to get a look. The forecast wasn't looking too good for Sunday but I kept my fingers crossed anyways and headed out. Met Jeff and Ryan for a 9am start and we were off. Weather was dry but cool and windy. We immediately hit some fast downhill single and double track which was a lot of fun. After about an hour of riding the rain came but it wasn't too bad since we were mostly in the forest and the canopy was keeping us dry. Eventually we had to hit the road for awhile and proceeded to get completely drenched from head to toe. We made it back into the trails but by now they were pretty bad as well so we cut them short to prevent trail (and bike) damage and stuck to the road and gravel paths. There was a fair bit of climbing (from my perspective) and I definitely had trouble keeping up with the other two. Something to work on over the summer. We were near the end of the ride and had the choice of taking the long way with a big climb or take a set of stair up the escarpment to the cars which was the short way. We were all cold so I suggested the stairs but I suspect the riding the climb would have been better. See the pictures below. All in all a really good ride...good training which I need and good company.

Thanks to Ryan for the pictures.

Steve

8 hour

I'm in for the 8 hour at Mansfield in about 10 days.

Got in an early morning trail ride so at least I'm riding a little so I'm not totally fatigued after only 2 hours of racing. It will be interesting to see how I feel after 8 hours though. I think my kids are going to try the kids race as well and my wife is going to bring her bike to ride around the venue. I want to bring both the rigid and the fully so that means 5 bikes to bring. Not really sure how I'm going to get those all bikes into the car!

2 years ago I finished right about mid pack....if I can do that again I'd be pretty happy.

Steve

Change in plan

Plans for this season have taken a major change. With a major illness in my family that hit in early March and the subsequent passing a week ago, my focus has been anywhere but cycling. In fact there has been virtually no cycling for 2 months. The past 2 months put a lot in perspective and cycling just didn't hit the radar. I'm trying to move forward now and I'm sure it will be a challenge but I've got a great wife & kids as well as family and friends for a support network. I'm still signed up for solo at Summer Solstice and might even try the 8 hour in a couple of weeks, but it will be strictly for personal satisfaction and not to attempt to make a comeback or anything. I've packed on a few pounds after spending countless days & nights at the hospital but I'm really not too concerned about it. I did get out for 2 hours of riding yesterday and 5 hours today which felt nice.

So if you've wondered why this blog is completely out of date now you know why.

See you at the races....(maybe the 8 hour).

Steve