Canmore Iron Lung

I'm glad the Iron Lung was this weekend. Without the draw of a race, it would have been easy to just sit around and despise the weekend's weather. I enjoy racing in "crummy" conditions, not exactly sure why, but it seems to magnify the main attraction of racing for me - seeing what's inside.

Tori left earlier in the morning with Pat Not Doyle (thanks both of you, I'm becoming more of a princess lately demanding adequate sleep). She was busy hammering the hills by the time I was in the car. As it turns out, there weren't enough girls for the Novice category, so Tori raced sport. Not as if the categories really matter, both she and I are out there for the fun of it and hanging out with the "gang" of iron legged, iron lunged cyclists that make up the Alberta scene.

As I left town, Jon and Craig passed me, so our commute out turned into a bit of a proxy for a hammer ride, trading pulls. I might need to lay off that to keep my no-speeding ticket record going through my thirties.

When we arrived at the Nordic Center, it was a rather meager afternoon - rain was coming down sporadically, sky was gray, and everyone racing was covered head to toe in mud. Tori found me right away, and let me know that she had finished second in her race. Sweet stuff, last couple of races she's been filling out our carpool with another podium position. But really the reason I think she's started taking to mountain biking more is a) everyone knows and likes here there, it's kind of like walking into Cheers, b) there's other people who can't ride over every log, and c) if she didn't come out, she might never see me? Tori can fill me in where I'm wrong, but that's my guess.

I knew from my first warmup lap, that wasn't actually much of a warmup lap, that my legs and body were feeling good, so I spent most of the remainder of the pre-race time hanging out. John Chambers spotted me riding before I recognized him, he looked happily mudded up from a ride with his brother in law Eric de Nys. We'll all be doing the 24 hours of Adrenaline on a team in a month or whatever it is. I can't wait, and rumor had it John was out doing 6 hours in the saddle just so he could crush the remaining guys on our corporate team when the time came ; )

Despite the crummy weather reference in the intro, today wasn't really a "see what was inside" kind of day for me. I've got this new strategy for racing, which I don't recommend to anyone. Try to waste as much time as possible on the first lap, then attempt to dig yourself out of that hole. Within one hundred meters of the start, on the climb that was supposed to string everyone out, I crashed. I don't usually crash in races, and can't really think to any in a peloton where I was the middle of what went down. Without going into play by play here, let's just say this... I obviously didn't mean to crash myself, and sorry Canmore guy, I know you didn't want to go down either. Trust me, I don't start races looking around for who I can derby with.

After that little schmozzle, I red lined it back to the start/finish area to try to get myself even remotely near the riders I wanted to be near. Devin and Mike were way up front, and we started into the technical trails I hadn't pre-ridden. The first steep descent was muddy and slippery, but I didn't find it too bad to ride the first time through. After that, I'd been on many of the trails before, so I wasn't particularly uncomfortable. Considering where I was in the group, I was riding the single track slower than I would on my own, and with more dismounts on obstacles that were giving people a hard time. After another kilometer or whatever of muddy XC trail, we hooked right for the day's big descent, some off camber descent that dropped away to the left, with lots of loose soil and wet roots to make sure you were going to end up somewhere down in the ditch. I walked it the first time, as everyone in front of me did, but started thinking about the next lap...

It opened up again to XC trails, with the remainder of the lap being dedicated to making up the vertical back to the stadium, with some single track mixed in. A highlight was a high speed XC trail corner where I managed to stay upright through a 3m full on two wheel drift in the mud, that was pretty fun. Lots of climbing, including the longer Georgetown climb. I had dressed for the expectation of poor weather, and thought it was "too nice" at our start to last consistently through the race. I was wrong, and I roasted up the climb, which became the foundation for time wasting maneuver #2, on the first pass through the feed zone I pulled a 45 second take helmet off, take jersey off, remove undershirt, put jersey and helmet back on special race against the clock ordeal. By this point I've thoroughly shot myself in the proverbial foot.

By the time I was rolling again, Canmore fellow whom I aided in wiping out at the start passed me, and he let me know it as we were on the trail. I passed him on a short uphill, then he pushed ahead on the downhill. Once we hit the single track, I wasn't working too hard. I didn't think the "let me pass next time you need to dismount" line was going to go over too well, so I stayed behind until we got to the steep off camber downhill, which instead of walking, I "bulldogged" (right leg out as tripod and 2/3 riding the bike, but not pedaling). A root grabbed him halfway down and shot him a few meters off trail, and I was on my own. The Georgetown climb felt great with just a jersey on in the cool air, and I focused on pacing myself out for the remainder of the lap, and deciding where I was going to spend the most energy on the next laps.

For the last two laps, the single track took on new meaning. I'd pass the occasional rider from another category, and a couple in our group, and a couple with mechanicals from either the elites or our group, but generally was unhindered in the tight stuff. I can't believe how good my tires were hooking up in the slick stuff, I had them both at [top secret] psi in the parking lot. For a low tread tire, they're certainly doing what I wanted... I have to say I'm not missing the Nobby Nic's at all.

Not much to report on other than mud and hills for lap three, and the joy of just riding my own pace. Lap 4 was entirely the same, until the last 1/3 or so of the lap, when all of a sudden I heard Pat Doyle trash talking me from behind, only about 10 seconds back. For crying out loud I was now going to have to pin it for the last 1/3 of the lap in an attempt to save my pride (Pat eats the pride of other riders for breakfast, lunch and dinner as he was chasing me down on his single speed!). He kept my finish honest and rolled in 10 seconds or whatever behind me.

Once I could breathe again, I took note that Mike and Devin were the only other two in our category standing around looking beat, so it seemed I had lucked my way into a third spot somehow, which made me happy. I could also now take a minute to see how far grease and mud had pushed their way into my calf by the way of introduction from my big chainring during the wipeout at the start. Nothing lengthens healing time on a few punctures like having some Finish Line Cross Country Wet Lube making friends with my epidermal layers.

Mical came rolling in a few seconds after Pat, after starting 2 minutes (I think??) behind us, and working her way through the entire field. Sweet!

The Team Bow Cycle Cyclemeisters had awesome prizes and draw prizes, I was sent home with a nice Specialized saddle, just the kind I like, for my result, and a Pedro's shop apron for a draw prize, which will serve me well. Tori received an "I Love Bowness" girly t-shirt and a big haul of Enervit products. Nice!

Shawn "Whole Wheat" Bunnin, as coined by Roddi, graced the podium with his GQ post race wardrobe in 2nd after chasing the flying Dutchman around for 2+ hours, Mr. Heemskerk. A team Saskatchewan rider whom I don't think I know rounded out the elite men. Hopefully Shawn can blow all his prize money on his sister's birthday dinner tonight, and to reward mom and dad for being good bike supporters! Bummer for Andrea who crashed and gets to commute home to Saskatchewan tomorrow with sore ribs.

Great rainy day event, see you all at the Summer Solstice in a couple of weeks!