Day 1 of my 9 day vacation started with an early morning rise in order to prep myself for the Mount Washington cyclocross race, Top of the Rock Cross, race #2 in the Cross on the Rock series.

Saturday, the morning of the race, as I readied myself, my bike and my gear, the weather was trying to scare all the racers away. The city of Courtenay was being drenched in a downpour. I was somewhat excited about the potential of racing in the mud, but also upset at myself for not packing more...I had packed light, according to the weather forecast I checked Friday morning. The current wet mess was not part of that forecast! I kicked myself for not packing my fleece-lined skin-suit.

My partner and I borrowed my Dad's truck - which was a treat! Heated seats, and a rear space big enough to hold both bikes, without taking the wheels off. We loaded up all our gear, as fast as we could, into the truck and drove up towards the mountain. Luckily, the top of the mountain is about a half hour drive from my island home.

Driving to Mount Washington brought me a feeling of being back at home. When I lived in the Comox Valley, I worked at the mountain for five seasons (4 winters, 1 summer) and spent a lot of my free time snowboarding, hiking and mountain biking in the park. I can thank the instructors and staff at Mount Washington for getting me hooked on mountain biking -- I took a lesson one day, bought a used DH bike right afterwards, and have been riding ever since. So many good memories made up on that mountain!

Approaching the mountain from the Valley, we could see blue sky ahead trying to peak through the clouds. The rain began to lighten up. As we drove up the mountain, we came up into the fog and clouds...then soon, we were above most of the cloud coverage and the rain had stopped. There was a mixture of blue sky and cloud, with a few drops of rain tossed in there for good measure. What a beautiful day! I no longer cared so much about not having the skin-suit with me.

We eyed up the course with delight. There was a mixture of uphill, slippery, off-camber downhill, off-camber traverse, cobblestones, single-track, rutted, bumpy grass, stairs, barriers and pavement. This course was pretty much a mountain biker's dream come true. As I had hoped, the course was wet. There was mud. I had been praying for mud.

The beginner's raced first, and wow, was there a lot of them! Men, women and children all zipped around the course at their top speeds. The course was so packed with racers, that you couldn't really tell who was in first and who was last. The most impressive, in my opinion, was the tiny girl with the colourful bike who muscled her way up the steep run up with her bike in tow. Gosh, she moved faster than most men on that course!

The weather on the top of the mountain was ever-changing between cold and windy, to warm and sunny and then back to cold. I switched between wearing a wind breaker, and not wearing one, and then wearing it, and then not. I chose to race in just my jersey, but kind of wished I had arm warmers.

The intermediate group raced second. There were so many of us, that I was super pumped. Single speeders, men + women, and U17. For the women, there was nearly 30 of us lined up to get started. I couldn't stop smiling at the thought of having so many people to race.

Call-ups were done, based on the first series race of the year (Top of the Rock CX was race #2) and that meant that nearly every woman around me got called up...I was nearly the last one on the line. Hm....that's a lot of people to try and pass!

The whistle blew and we all flew from the start line and up the first hill. Why did they start us on an uphill?? ;)

I tried my best to get in front of as many women as I could, before the first section of the course and the first corners. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to pass too many, because in the first grassy corner, I got held up by someone trying not to fall over, stopped in the apex of the corner. I had to stop. I had to go around her.

Back in the race, I pushed and pushed and rode the corners, the ups and the downs. I flew as fast as I could up the hills, so that I could hold my spot down them. I didn't slip at all on my dismount before the left turn up the stairs and onto the off-camber traverse and right hand corner. I found it easier to run most of the traverse, rather than try to remount on the low side of the hill.

When it came to the slippery, muddy, wet, off-camber, zig-zag downhill section, which led to a grassy traverse and a HUGE muddy-grassy run-up, I chose to run the entire section, rather than ride. Although most folks chose to ride the downhill section, they all had to get off their bikes and run up the next bit, so I had a bit of an advantage. I saved time by dismounting where it was convenient and using all my momentum from the flat section to run up the hill.

As the laps went on, there were men starting to pass me. Corey passed me. Dammit. ;) I had no idea where in the race I was, how many women were in front of me, how many were behind me, or if I had even been lapped by the race leader. I just kept my speed up, kept trying to pass people, and kept my eyes on the lap board. A few laps in, and it started to rain.

Some people rode the course on mountain bikes, and though their hill climbs were a bit less speedy, they seemed to have a great advantage on the downhill and rutted grass sections. Gosh, shock absorption on a cross bike would be amazing!

The last lap bell was rang, and I was so thankful. Although I was having a great time, I was extremely thirsty and starting to feel exhausted on the climbs. The course didn't really have a section where you could recover, so the entire race was spent pushing, pushing and pushing.

I finished the race. Tired. Happy. Muddy.

Somehow, I managed a QOM on the run-up, of 5 seconds, as well as a QOM of 5:42 for a lap of the course. Later, upon receiving the results, I see that I managed to come in 7th overall of women, U17 girls and SS women -- but 4th in my category. Not a bad result considering I started from the back of the pack!

I had no idea what place I was in, and results didn't appear to be getting posted anywhere anytime soon, so we packed up, said our good-byes and headed back down the hill so that we could catch the ferry that evening and get ready for racing in Port Coquitlam the next day.

You can view my Strava details for this race here: https://www.strava.com/activities/715767119
Full race results can be found here: http://www.crossontherock.com/php/race-results/?raceid=67

Can you believe it, that cyclocross season is nearly upon us?! It's literally under 48 hours away from starting.

A few weeks ago, we got to pretend that it was cyclocross season. And I mean, "pretend."

The organizers behind VCXC organized a grass crit race, to give us all a little tease of the CX season to come. It was a blast. I was there with cowbells-a-blazin' and beer just waiting to be drank.

You can read my report over at the Hole Shot. Please click through the link to read my account of the day and see some pictures.

Below are some more photos from the event, feel free to download or share on your social media, tag your friends, make a t-shirt, frame and put it on the wall. I'd be honoured.

Some people have been asking me lately, why it is that I wanted to be a part of the Ride to Conquer Cancer. Yes, I've mentioned on my fundraising profile that I'm riding in memory of my grandmother and in dedication to a few people in my life who are fighters and survivors. That's all very true.

Then I mention that I'm riding it for me. That's very true as well.

What I don't go into detail of, is why I'm riding it for me.

I can say all of those inspirational lines, such as "to prove how strong I am" or "to do something good in this world..." and neither would be false. I am doing the ride to prove to myself just how much I can do and to do something good. My karma cup is feeling pretty low these days. But those aren't the real reasons I'm doing this ride.

I'm doing it because I too, have had a close encounter (too close for comfort) with cancer.

My partner is known for going on really, really long bike rides. 200km, 300km, 400km rides...followed by an 'easy' ride recovery day of 100km +. He's a bit nuts. But I like it.

He has done a few bicycle touring trips, and he really enjoys them. I had never done anything like that. Until this weekend.

I agreed to go on a mini bicycle tour to Vancouver Island, to the city where I was born...Victoria.

Day 1 - Vancouver to Tsawwassen, Swartz Bay to Victoria

I booked us a cheap hotel, packed my bag, sent the dog to a pet sitter, and pulled on the lycra.

We hopped on our bikes after work on the Friday, and headed towards the Tsawwassen ferry terminal. Since bikes aren't allowed to ride through some tunnel, we had to take a long way around - riding all the way down River Road, and then over the Alex Fraser Bridge, and all the way back along River Road. Of course, the distance was only worsened by the fact that we had to fight a head wind nearly the entire way on the second half of River Road and all the way to the ferry.

We were also on a deadline. The ferry would leave at 7pm. We didn't leave any space in our timing to get lost or for any mishaps. So what happens? We get lost, of course! We took one wrong turn and ended up having to find our way through the scenic Ladner, rather than the more direct route.

The change in route, and slower pace, meant that we were ultimately late for the ferry. It wasn't as if we didn't try to catch the 7pm. I tried best as I could to sprint as if my life was ending, to keep up with Corey, in a head wind, with a big back pack, and we still missed the ferry. We were a couple minutes too late. 5 minutes after 7. The ticket clerk wouldn't let us on or sell us a ticket...even though the ferry was not finished loading yet.


What a stump in our trip plans!

After finding something to eat at the ferry terminal, we impatiently waited for the 9pm ferry to arrive. Once on the ferry, I tried to get a hold of the hotel we booked, to let them know we would be late. There was no answer and no answering machine...turns out that the hotel closed at 9pm. So not only would we be arriving into Victoria late, but we would have no hotel booked.


We arrived into Victoria, Swatrz Bay after dark, around 10:30pm. It began to rain just as we left the ferry and the rain drops continued for about a half-hour. It was around this time that I realized that my chamois was not comfortable, something was rubbing, and I was starting to get saddle sores. THIS WAS NOT NORMAL! I haven't had too many issues with saddle sores...and here, on day one of our bike-packing trip, I was developing some. SHIT. Wieners.

The ride into downtown Victoria was pleasant, especially after the rain stopped. The bicycle route was well-marked and spacious - we were able to ride side by side nearly the entire way. Some of the route was a gravel pathway through trees and farms, and very quiet and eerie. I nearly got hit in the face by a bat, who decided it didn't like the way I looked. Holy f'n scary! I've never seen a bat that close before, and it nearly made me fall off of my bike.


We arrived into downtown Victoria near midnight, found a hotel along the bike path and got a room for the night. It was a bit more expensive than the hotel we had booked, but it was a place to sleep and clean up. Showering felt amazing!

The hotel bar downstairs was still open, so we treated ourselves to a beer. We just rode about 100km...it was a very well deserved beer. A Facebook friend of mine came to join us, and took us on a cruise to a local pizza joint --- delicious!

The night ended late and we zonked out quite quickly.

Day 2 - Victoria to Sooke, to the Meadery, and Return

On the second day, we checked out of the hotel, cycled across a bumpy pedestrian bridge to Esquimalt, found coffee and breakfast, then headed on a tour towards Sooke.

The cafe we found in Esquimalt was super neat! It was a bike shop, combined with a bakery, combined with a coffee bar - they all shared one space, but had separate service counters. We shared a meaty, bready sandwich; I had a tasty Americano.

After our tummies were satisfied, we found our way to the (again, well marked) bicycle path, and started the trek to Sooke.

The roads were peaceful and quiet for the most part, and the bicycle lanes were well-marked. In many parts, the bicycle paths were off of the road and hidden in the bushes, they were wide, but shared with pedestrians. They felt like bicycle highways. We had no problem navigating our way to Sooke and only ended up minorly lost once. The highway out to Sooke was clear of debris and quick. Though, the saddle sores I had accumulated the day before were really being a pain in the ass. Literally. No amount of chamois butter was helping.

When we got into Sooke we were hangry. Almost to the point of fighting. So we made rest at a restaurant and devoured lunch. I attempted to eat a gigantic bowl of poutine...to no avail. Corey had the most amazing soup and sandwich. Once full, fat and happy, I decided I wanted to cycle the extra 10km further and visit Tugwell Creek Meadery. I had heard about the place when I worked at the fruit winery, but I had never been. Now was the time.

It was actually kind of a romantic sort of ride.

It was almost a year ago that I bought my first road bike, slid into some Lycra and learned how to clip into and out of the pedals. It's crazy to think how much can go by in just one year.

When I bought my road bike, I had one goal in mind - completing the Whistler Gran Fondo. I set myself a training plan, got on that bike, and rode, and rode, and rode. I completed the Whistler Gran Fondo no problem, and with energy to spare. Training to get to the point of readiness was not a hard feat - once I had my mind set, I realized I could do anything!

The whole process of setting a goal, making a plan and seeing it through to the end was amazing! I felt empowered, I felt healthy, I felt mentally strong. With each bike ride, I could feel myself growing stronger, and I felt more determined to ride farther than the last ride. That's not to say I didn't have my off-days - trust me, I had them - but I didn't let those off-days derail me from the plan for long.

Road cycling eventually turned into cyclocross (CX) racing (of which, I am now completely in love with!) and discovering that I really do have a competitive side. After nearly a full season of CX racing in the beginner category, and placing no lower than 5th place in all my races (including Provincial's Master's 30+), I plan to continue training for and racing CX, and move into the Intermediate category...and, hopefully, with hard work and determination, move up into racing Elite.

It's incredible what you can do once you put your mind to it. You are so much more powerful than you realize. It's for this reason, that I have set myself a new goal - to ride the 4 Peaks 4 Parkinson's 2016.

The ride isn't a race - it's just a ride - but it includes riding up four rather long hills: SFU mountain, Seymour Mountain, Grouse Mountain and Cypress Mountain...all in one day. It's a gruelling 140km ride with 3,000 m of elevation. This will be the longest and hardest ride I've done, to date. I have 8 weeks to train, and I've been pretty dormant all winter - so my mileage is pretty low. I've set myself a training plan in order to succeed, and I have the help of my boyfriend (along with my stubbornness) to get me to that goal!

I'll be sharing my training plan online, as well as my nutrition and diet regime. On my Instagram, I'll share photos along the way. It's a charity ride, and I'll be seeking donations towards the cause very soon.

I'd love to hear what you've been doing, what goals you've been setting and how much you've impressed yourself when you've stuck to those goals. Tell me about it in the comments.