This last weekend I got to experience a new course, for me, the Vanier Park cyclocross course.

A lot of people were excited for this race because:

1. It's easy to get to (being in the city)
2. It's more of a crit than a cyclocross course (it's fast)
3. It's well organized with good attendance of spectators and racers
4. There's some good prizes to be won 

I was excited and nervous for this race. Since everyone was telling me that it was fast and flat, I was worried the course wouldn't play to my strengths. I'm not the fastest rider on the course, but I make up for my speed in my technical abilities.

This would be my first day racing on my new bike too! Yes, new bike. I'll tell you about that soon.

The weather on Saturday had been wet and cold. I was hoping that the rain would continue on to Sunday too, and that we would have a mud fest. But, again, my hopes were crushed. Really, weather-man, weather-woman, weather-person! Is it that hard to order mud? That's all I want. Mud. Maybe with a bit of rain and mess.

While it wasn't raining or pouring on Sunday morning, it was a bit chilly. It was sunny and chilly. I was super happy to get to wear the skinsuit for racing again. That thing is cozy! A bit tight in places, but cozy.

We showed up early enough to catch the beginner's race start. There were a lot of people there, which was exciting. More than 100 people in the first race start. The first corner of the men's beginner race was so plugged up that people couldn't move. It was so entertaining!

I spent the morning ringing the cow bell, taking photos, eating waffles (thank you!) and enjoying the (cold) sun. My legs were stiff and sore from (I assume) moving and emptying the storage locker the day before. Multiple trips up and down the stairs of the apartment building, carrying heavy items...made me feel stiff and tight, almost as if I had just gone for a run. I tried to warm up before the race, but I was limited to busy pedestrian-bike shared pathways and the road. It didn't make warming up very easy.


There was a pretty decent turn out of women to the Intermediate race. There were 22 women on the start line - a mix of U17, masters and intermediate. A lot of the same faces from the previous races and a lot of new ones. Even a Continental Crit Nasty racer out on the cross course. It was nice to see cyclists from various disciplines out to race.

I got a call up based on my previous race results. We started off, and for most of the first lap I kept in pretty good sight of the first few leaders. I also kept a pretty decent sized group of women behind me. The course was certainly a good course if you had power and speed, but if you didn't have cornering abilities, you would suffer. I loved all the tight turns and corners that the race course designer tossed in there. It really helped the course feel less like a crit, and more like a cross race. The barriers on the uphill section were tough for my little legs, but I managed.




It was a lot of work holding those women back, and when it came to the flat straight sections they would get ahead of me. Then, we'd get back in the corners and I'd gain back on them.

I was having a riot. I get so pumped when there's racers in my sight and when I can hear them behind me. It fuels me to push harder and reach deeper for strength.

Hecklers along the course, cowbells ding-dinging, people cheering, spectators hollering and team mates pelting people with marshmallows, made the race even more entertaining. Honestly, is there anything better than racing cyclocross? How did I live before I came into this sport?



About 25:00 minutes into the course my back started to give me intense amounts of pain. Every push of the pedal felt awful. It felt like I was over stretched, and the pain was taking away from my enjoyment and my ability to keep my power up. I guess this is what I get for hopping onto a new bike part way through the cycling season.



It only took seconds for the women behind me to take advantage of my plight and pass me. I couldn't prevent them and barely had the ability to catch up. I actually had to slow down and take a bit of a break. I re-positioned myself on the bike. I kept pedalling, more people passed. I kept going. I wasn't about to give up. It was so close to the end. Another lap or two and the race would be finished.

The pain in my back was so bad that when I got to the barriers, I had trouble dismounting. I had even more trouble trying to pick my bike up. My wheels rubbed along the top of the wood barriers as I made my way over. My remount was pathetic.



35:00 minutes into the race and I was still feeling pain, but I was far too stubborn to give up. I kept going, however slow I was being. I was swearing under my breath when it hurt more. I was cursing. I was showing a pain face for sure!

Last lap bell finally came on, and I tried to pick up the pace. The more straight that I sat, the better my back felt, but the less speed I was able to carry. Knowing it was my last lap made it a bit easier. Corey was there with my dog (I had been dogless for 2 weeks!) and I was excited to finish. I had no sprint to the finish line. I was done.


I crossed the line and immediately headed off the course. I felt stiff. I didn't even feel as if I could lift my leg to get it over the bike. I waited a few moments for the pain to subside a bit, and then I laid on the grass. I tried to stretch the pain out. It hurt. I wanted to hug my dog.

As I cooled down and was not longer pedalling, the pain got more and more manageable. I made my way back to the team tent. High-fived and congratulated everyone on their performance. Then, I got to hug my dog! Two weeks, it had been since I dropped him off with Grandma to have a dog-vacay while I embarked on my 9 day racing vacation. I hate leaving him, but it's impossible to take him everywhere. He was equally as excited to see me, and he covered me in snorts, snuffles and hair.We were reunited at last. ♥

It was a really fun race, and I think I managed to take a 9th place overall in my category. Not the worst, considering how slow I was going along the end. I was impressed with my ability to keep up my speed on this course, especially since I was so worried about that in the beginning.

Next step, is to get my bike fit done and do a few more rides with the new positioning so that my back adjusts accordingly. I don't want this pain to occur during the next race.

I'm holding a third place spot in the series standings right now for points. I'm excited to see where the series ends up in the end, and SUPER excited for some of the courses we have yet to race.

You can view my Strava details here: https://www.strava.com/activities/732586352

You can view the race results here: http://vcxc.ca/results/vanier-cx-2016-results/