I've never been an overly speedy cyclist, and racing is new to me. Though I had been on a mountain bike for years before I started wearing Lycra and getting into drop-bars, I was certainly the slow and steady style rider, preferring to take the easy ride-rounds than the crazy-ass-obstacles. I never raced a bike or had any desire to speed up, until I met cyclocross. Heck, I had never really done much racing of any kind! (Unless you count Mario Kart)

So, you can imagine my surprise when I dished out money for an entry-level CX bike, signed up for my first race (Donkey CX 2015) and landed a not-so-bad result for my first time! You can imagine my even further surprise when I finished the 2015 season strong, and started racing Intermediate women in 2016. I didn't podium at every race in 2016, but I did enough that for this year, I am moving myself up into the Elite/Expert women category.

Before the start of this season, to prep myself for racing the faster, stronger women, I hired a coach to help me learn to train. I've NEVER trained for something like this before. I've never run a marathon, the longest triathlon I've ever attempted was a sprint distance, and I can't run more than 5km without my knee wanting to dislocate from my body. I eat donuts like they are going out of style, and I still ride pretty slowly when no one is watching. I am not, I repeat, fast. Sure, maybe I'm faster than I was when I started, and maybe I'm faster than some other women out there (who are just starting) but compared to the women racing Cat 1-2, I am NOT fast. So, my goal with a coach was to learn how to train myself to get faster...

Give me a technical course, or give me death. Honestly, those straight, flat sections in CX races kill me. Give me mud, roots, technical bits, and less straight, flats, and not only will I have more fun, but I'll perform better too...relatively speaking, I need to work on my SPEED.

See the trend here? I'm not that fast.

I prepped myself mentally for the reality that I would be facing in the 2017 CX racing season...moving up into the elite/expert category would mean that I was no longer going to be at the front of the pack. I was no longer going to be on the podium. I had become so accustomed to winning, or being top 5, in the last two seasons, that I knew it would be a shock to my system when I lost. Don't get me wrong, I've been last before! (CrossVegas USAC, fat bike racing)

I had my first taste of racing the faster women at the MIVA Mid-Season CX Race in Nanaimo, where the field was broken into two groups, one faster, one slower. I came in dead last after my closest competitor dropped out mid-race. Needless to say, I was sad. I was embarrassed. Heck, I had my mom come out and watch, and she got to watch me lose. Certainly was not proud of that result.

Last weekend, at the first Cross On The Rock race of the season, Pro City GP in Victoria, I again, did not place in the top half. I was second to last, and only because there was a brave soul racing on a single speed bike (KUDOS to you!!).

The hardest part about not being able to keep up with the pack, is that you end up racing alone. The race becomes a mind game and it becomes overly tempting to give up. I personally find that I slow down and don't "race" when I have no one in close sight to chase or get away from. It's far more fun to race when there's people with you.

So, with the race season on the mainland kicking off, and my determination to keep trying, because I LOVE CYCLOCROSS, I am mentally telling myself that I'm OK with losing. I'm OK with bringing up the back of the pack. If I can get to the point where I am no longer getting lapped by my own field, then I'll be happy. If I can get comfortable getting passed by the elite men, I'll be happy. If I can be content knowing that I'm not going to podium, I'll be happy. I know that each year, with more training and effort, I will get better, faster and stronger. Maybe 2017 isn't my year to shine, but perhaps 2018 will be a bit brighter.

On that note, ladies, I urge you to reconsider which category you'll be racing this year. Take a look at your lap times and compare them to the people you're racing. Are you faster than they are? If you're in the beginner field, are you tired of racing just 30 minutes? That extra 15 in the Intermediate race gives you more time to play on your bike and reach for hand ups! If you're in the Intermediate field, have you managed to podium a few times? Are you sandbagging? I urge you to CAT UP! Even if you know you won't be at the front of the pack of your new field, if we all re-consider our categories and move-up as needed, we'll all have someone to race. Besides, I'm sure you don't want to be the one that everyone mutters about under their breath, as you take ANOTHER podium, you sandbagger, you. ;)

Let's keep the women's CX racing alive and well, and let's keep it growing. Encourage your friends to come out and try CX! There are so many clinics and camps to choose from, that no one should be left out. Are you on the island? Great! Come ride CX with me!

The take-home tidbit of my story today is this: you won't get better by staying stationary, and getting better takes time and hard work. There's no shame in coming last, or not being top 5. Challenge yourself by CAT-ING UP and come play bikes with me.

See you all at Donkey CX and Ladysmith this weekend!

Queen's Cross - October 8, 2016

Mud.

I had been dreaming about it, wishing about it, wanting it...since the end of last year's cyclocross season, I had anticipated this year's cyclocross season. Well, with Queen's CX in New Westminster, I got what I asked for.

Mud.

Copious amounts of mud.

Along with the mud, though, came the rain. Buckets and barrels of rain.


It was pouring rain when we pulled up, and pouring rain as we unpacked our gear from the car. Our team's tent has no walls, so the rain was getting everything wet and the mud was getting everything dirty. I had to stop and remind myself, why in the world did I want mud so bad?!??



We had a small tarp to layer and pile our bags and race gear on, to keep from getting mucky on the ground. It helped, somewhat. Rain would pool in the weak spots on the top of the tent and we had to keep pushing it over the sides of the tent, causing cascades of puddles on the ground around us.

No one would leave the race dry or clean today. No one.

While a part of me was trying to stay warm and dry so that I wasn't cold by the time my race began, the other part of me (maybe the child within me) wanted to run around, get dirty, jump in puddles and embrace the mud-fest that was all around.



I spent my time ringing the cow bell and providing cheers and shouts to the racers in the beginner and elite categories, before braving the mud and going for a practice lap. Er, well, half of a practice lap.

The mud felt like soup. Thick, chunky soup.

I tried my best to keep my bright neon shoes out of the mud, but eventually I succumbed to dipping my feet into the mud at the first obstacle I came to. It was deep!


The rain let up a bit as I was practising. We would later realize, that this break in the rain was really just giving us a false sense of hope.

The course turned out to be long, slippery (from the mud) and had a number of hills and jump-overs. The first few categories didn't do too many laps, because the course was long and slow, and I didn't anticipate the Intermediate women being a whole lot faster. In fact, the more people that rode the course, the more mud and rut that was created.

I didn't even finish my practice lap when I decided to turn around and head back up the hill to the start line. I wasn't about to take a chance missing the race! Not when I was already getting mucky and gross.

As I approached the start line, the rain started again. You see, false sense of hope! I had already ditched my jacket at the team tent, and was already getting covered in mud. So, I did what any island/redneck/bush kid would do. I embraced the rain, the wet, the cold. I stopped trying to hide below the trees (which didn't provide too much cover anyways) and I took my place in the start line. I readied myself for the start --- which was a very muddy, slippery start.

I knew that some of the girls would struggle in this mud, and I wanted to use this to my advantage. As soon as the race was started, I did my best to get out in front, as fast as I could. Some girls ran with their bikes, some girls started by pedalling, some barely moved at all. I aimed for the hole shot....

The mud proved to be a great obstacle. It was deep and slippery, causing so many riders to fall, run and walk. Sludging through the mud was slow and energy sucking, but attempting to pedal sometimes was so slow that walking was more efficient.



There were sections of the course where mud hid wet tree roots, holes and dips. Countless people face planted into the mud. They would rise from the mud, half mud, half human.

More and more people attempted to avoid the muddiest sections by riding far to the left or far to the right of the course, but after a couple laps, these areas too were slippery. Tree branches at face level made it difficult to cut too far to the sides.

Two separate ditches in the course made excellent spectator locations. One ditch was ride-able if you picked the right line and kept your speed up, while the other ditch likely would have destroyed your front wheel.

Downhill, off-camber sections sucked you down, while uphill mudslides made the leg muscles scream. Each lap got more slow and more slow.

The barriers, which were strategically positioned in amongst the switchback muddy corners, were also a slippery mess. The mud on either side of the barrier made "jumping" the barriers difficult. Instead, as I sludged up to each barrier, I did my best to move one leg over them at a time, in fear that I'd be doing the splits and landing on some lady-bits that I honestly don't want to damage.

Photo by Jeannine Avelino

Each lap became more challenging than the previous. The mud ruts became deeper, the mud became more slippery and wet. More wet roots were exposed. Clipping into pedals became nearly impossible, as the gunk built up in the medals and cleats.

Running certain sections of the course was also ridiculously difficult. Each stride was taken carefully, again, trying not to slip.

With each lap, my bike became more and more entrenched with mud. It caked on. It fell off. It fell into delicate pieces. It smothered my shiny new bike...

Photo by Jeannine Avelino

I did my best to pass the other women in my category and each lap, one by one, I took more places. While I managed to keep my race clean with no real falls, other people were losing seconds and minutes each time they fell off their bike. Before long, I was at the lead of my category, though I wasn't aware.

Last lap bell was rung, and I was so happy to hear it! I tried my best to keep the last woman I passed behind me. I knew she was close and if I made a mistake that she would take me out. I kept pushing, trying to run sections that were now too slow to ride. As I neared the finish line, I heard a 'crack' and I suddenly had no ability to move my cranks. I couldn't pedal. I nearly fell right over as I tried to un-clip from my pedals.

My derailleur hanger had snapped off. Damn! I could see the finish line from where I stood. So, I picked up my bike, shouldered it, and began a slow and careful run to the finish line. My heart was pounding even faster, because I knew that the woman behind me could catch up at any moment.

I ran in the mud-sludge all the way to the finish line....I was in first place.



Post-race, my bike was barely recognizable with all the mud and muck on it. I was cold, and wanted a beer. I found solace in a communal portable heater...so many muddy lycra outfits all huddled under one roof, sharing the radiant heat. The mud-fest was over.

I took first place this day, and was happy with my performance. Sad that my bike decided to give up, but happy that it got me to the final lap.

Thank you to the sponsors and all involved in putting on such a great race!

Race results are here: http://vcxc.ca/results/queens-cx-2016-results/

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/

On to day two of my race vacation.

Back on the mainland, out in Port Coquitlam at Castle Park, to race DEVO/Donkey Cross. Last year, this was my very first race; my best friend, dog, sister, my mom, and a guy I was dating were there to cheer me on. I had bought my bike just the day before the race, and had spent the evening practising dismounting, running, carrying and remounting in the dark at the park across from my old apartment. I was quite excited to be out to race.

Not my image --- was sent my way, credit to???

So, it was nice to come back this year. A year later. A new category. A slightly different course from last year.

The CrossRoad Racing team had a tent set up right near the barriers and behind the waffle truck. It was a beautiful and sunny day, but the course had been touched by rain, so it was a little damp. I was hoping for a full blown mud fest.... #bitterdisappointment

Since I was racing Intermediate, I had all day to hang out, cheer people on, warm-up and get ready. That's one benefit to racing late in the day. On the downside, it's also the last race of the day, and the course is usually pretty chewed up and drastically different from how it starts in the morning. The grass had really been churned into a few muddy pits and slippery sections (insert big happy face here).

There were a few women racing in the Intermediate category, and it was nice to see some familiar faces. I was somewhat regretting racing two days in a row, especially with such a hilly and technical course the day before. My legs were feeling quite stiff.

This was our first race with a call-up, based on the previous race's results. I was happy to be brought up to the front line. Though...there weren't too many women left on the back line!

We waited for the single-speeders and the intermediate men to make their starts, then we queued to the line. When the whistle was blown, we did our best to explode off the start line and get a hole shot for the first corner. It's funny, when I was racing in the beginner category last year, my starts seemed so much faster and explosive. I guess, in comparison to the others racing, it might have been, but in comparison to the other intermediate women....well, they are all pretty fast too! My starts no longer are my advantage.

I was mid-pack on the first lap of the course. Again, getting stuck behind people cornering slower or not handling the technical sections well, slowed me down too. In a course as long and curvy as this, it really helps to get in front of as many folks as you can.

I really enjoy this course, mostly because of the pain it causes. You've got a mixture of fast sections, tight corners, energy-sucking grass sections, muddy uphill hikes, somewhat sketchy downhill-off-camber places, barriers that are almost always too high for me, off-camber corners, and muddy-grassy-uphill bits. It's a challenging course and one shouldn't take it lightly.

Image by TLBVELO

I was really losing steam at about the 30 minute mark. I was in the chase with another girl, fighting to keep in front of her and to keep on her wheel when she was in front. It was a back and forth battle, which I thought I had won when she stumbled on the climb...until she caught up to me on the last lap.

She and I battled it out constantly on that last lap. And then we got to the uphill mud pit in the grass, leading up to the last muddy grass sprint before the final corner to the finish line. She and another girl whipped by me in that muddy pit of wheel-death and kept their speed, while my legs decided they had no extra gas to give. I barely had it in me to sprint to the finish...not that I needed to - there was no one else in clear view behind me.

All-in-all, Donkey CX was tough. It was enjoyable and fun, and I'll certainly come back next year...but next year I'll have fresh legs. ;)

You can view all the race results here: http://vcxc.ca/results/donkey-cross-2016-results/ -- I'm in the Intermediate Women's Cat. I managed a 7th place finish in my category...second to last.

You can view my Strava details here: https://www.strava.com/activities/717222000
I had some pretty decent achievements, according to Strava, but not everyone uses Strava! So, it's not the most accurate source of info... :) ...but I'll take it!

I do want to say a big thank you to all the sponsors, organizers and volunteers that make cyclocross here happen. I wouldn't be able to have so much fun this time of year if it weren't for you. So thank you. Many times!

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.