Juan de Fuca

Starting out

I hiked the Juan de Fuca trail with Tom this past weekend. When we left friday night the weather man in Victoria was calling for up to 10cm of snow in the Victoria area and we were sure that since we would be on the west coast where the weather is usually colder and wetter we would for sure be getting some nasty conditions. We left Victoria at about 5pm arrived at the trail head about 7pm and then hiked for the first couple of hours in the dark to Bear Beach where we camped for the first night. The first night of hiking was pretty un eventful with the most exciting thing being me slipping down the last six or seven steps on a set of stairs.

Tom eating Chocolate for Breakfast

The next morning we woke up bright and early at 7:30 after a 9.5 hr sleep and continued on our way. Now on the map it says during high tide look for red bouy's which will get you off the beach and be a bypass for the beach section. Well we took one of these and ended up back on the highway and had to walk back down amd by that time we had walked an extra 4km...not a big deal. The next beach we came to was Chin beach where there is also an emergency shelter located so after a quick stop for lunch we continued to try and cross the beach. Unfortunately the tide was up here and after timing the waves for awhile we decided to make a dash for it. This was great except for that we didn't actually know what was around the corner or how long we would have to dash for. I went first made it around the corner and realized there wasn't really anywhere to go except for this little clump of sliding rock face with some shrubs on it. While contemplating this another wave came and hammered me against the cliff but fortunately I saw it coming and was able to brace myself. I scrambled up on the falling ledge and turned around to wait for Tom. Tom also got hammered by a wave but his knocked him over and so he got a full soaker. We made it another few hundred meters down the beach and were about 100m from where the trail goes back up into the woods when we had to stop on a pile of drift wood with little trees and wait there for another hour until the tide was low enough for us to cross. neither of us wanted to risk trying to make it past a cliff where the waves would easily have been over our heads. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful with us covering a bunch of ground and stopping at Little Kuitshi creek for the night and an 11.5hr sleep!

Sunday was the final day and the tendons behind my knee which connect the calf and hamstring were sore but fortunately we only had to do 14km! 4hrs later including a short break for lunch we were done the West Coast Trail and starting our walk back to Port Renfrew (another 5km) where we would try and find a ride back to our car. if we hadn't been able to find a ride Jenny was planning on being there at 6pm to pick us up. Fortunately a guy came by just as we were at the edge of town and we were able to get a ride with him!

I also ate cheese and sausage for the entire time. Even if Tom thought it was disgusting.

Sombrio Point

one of the suspension bridges (the only one we crossed in the light)

My sister Emily also came to Victoria yesterday and is going to visit for the next week before she goes back to Whitehorse for Christmas.

another day in the short shorts

It's Sunday evening and my legs feel wrecked. I found myself walking slower then normal and thinking about sleep while I went to Capital Iron to look at everything from camping to kitchen ware and everything in between. But especially the kitchen and bakeware. I like that stuff! Really though my legs are just sore because I did the Gunner Shaw XC yesterday. a 10km running race on some rolling terrain with some good puddles. The race started well and I realized that it was going to take me about 40min which is longer then I have ran continous in at least the last 4 weeks maybe longer. Anyways the race went well and I was running in 7th for the majority of it but with a few km to go my ligaments started hurting and I figured a running race just wasn't worth an injury so I eased up and finished 13th. Apparently a bunch of runners were telling me that this course is a long 10k...well I don't know how 10k can be shorter or longer because the math I grew up with a kilometre is a kilometre and it doesn't change. Regardless I had a time of 40:34 and was happy with my new PB for a 10k. Thats right it's my first ever 10k and maybe my last time keeping track of these things because I really prefer PB on toast with honey...

Training is going well though and I had a good mountain bike ride today waking up at 7am and eating a couple pieces of toast with peanut butter and honey and then pedalling for 3.5 hrs in the rain and mud, a typical Sunday and an enjoyable one!

Next weekend I am going to do the Jaun de Fuca trail with Tom and I'm really looking forward to it! More on that next week and some photos!

finally an update

The short shorts really bring out the Tan lines....





Well I guess it's about time I updated everyone on what's been happening over the last month or so.




I started my training again a few weeks ago and am enjoying it. I enjoy the structure that comes with the training program and the workouts. One thing I have been doing that is a little different this year is I have a motor-pacing girl. Jenny comes along on her motor bike and rides beside or in the vicinity while I am doing my intensity. So I guess it's not really motor pacing since I don't draft but I find when the weather isn't the greatest or near the end of the intervals I am able to stay motivated and continue pushing hard to the end.

Tom (on the left) was able to convince his work to set up a tent so he could race while working..





On Remembrance day I entered a running relay with some friends. Thetis Lake relay is a 20km cross-country race with 4 people each doing 5km each. My team consisted of Nathan Doering who was our starter, Tom Skinner, Michael Jordan and myself finishing. We all had a good time and finished 4th out of 120 teams. So even though none of us are really runners I guess we're decent. Next race will be the 29th of November and we will all be running there, although it will be a 10km event mass start.

Jenny running her 5km

Work has also been going well and this friday we will all be going to watch the local WHL team The Salmon Kings play which should be exciting although I never watch hockey and all the guys at work do. Jenny is coming along and the plan is to make some huge Salmon cut-outs that say #1 on them so maybe we can be the best fans just not the most informed...

My birthday also was a good time with me going for a good ride with Tom and Craig and then doing some quality couch time at their place before we all went over to Jenny's place for dinner which she made along with a great birthday cake!

Anyways things have been going well and I'll post again after the Gunner Shaw XC on the 28th.

Working Man

I've now been in Victoria for two weeks and I have just completed my first week as a working man. I'm working for Island Precision Manufacturing, a cabinetry shop that makes high end products for big projects. Right now we're building all the cabinets for the Ritz Carlton in Lake Tahoe. The work is pretty good, I enjoy it and the people are very freindly and good to be around. Oh I also commute 17km each way and I have to be there at 7 am to start which means my mornings are early waking up at 5 am but then I am off work at 3:30 which gives me the whole evening to ride and go for runs. I like it.
Anyways I am off to eat some breakfast now and go for a morning run.

made it to Victoria

I made it to Victoria and everything went well. The flight was good and the bus ride over and the ferry all went smoothly.
My place in Victoria is nice. It's a 4 bedroom basement suite that I share with 2 other guys. Both of them ride bikes so its pretty good. We also live part way up Mount Tolmie so at the end of every ride a get to do a little climbing to make it home. Tonight I did the Aviawest group ride which was good and it wasn't super quick so it was a nice way to start riding a road bike again since I haven't really ridden one since June.
I also bought myself a bike for commuting on today! It's a Norco LRT 2 and it came with fenders and a rear rack which I also bought a basket for to carry my groceries in. Should be pretty good and I am not worried about leaving it locked up in a bike rack.
Now I just have to find a job.
Oh I am also going to do the Bear MTN hill climb on Thursday, it's not a huge climb about 7.5min and then after there's a buffet dinner so it's probably one of the best races for value since it's a $10 entry fee.

Moose Hunting

I went moose hunting with Martin Owen this past week. The plan was for me to arrive in Dawson City and meet him there on the monday the 1st of September and then we would head out early in the morning of the 3rd and be there until the afternoon of the 7th. So early Wednesday morning we headed out before light and just as it was getting light we saw a couple of grouse so we stopped and got those for our lunch later on. We then stopped at one location but never saw any fresh signs and tried calling a bit but continued on towards where we were planning on hunting. About 30min drive away still we saw a Cow moose with a calf so we stopped and looked at them for awhile before continuing on our way. As we came around the corner and were able to look out over the valley we planned to hunt we spotted two moose about 1km away and we could see that one was a bull! We then started our hike into the valley and slowly getting closer and about 300m when we could see them again we realized they were actually two bulls and they were fighting! Just the one bull only had small antlers and we couldn't see them from far off. We were able to get to 150m with a large grassy opening in between so I shot from there. Then it was time to find a way across the river to them and we figured we would be able to drive an old road up the other side of the river fairly close so we hiked back out drove to the other side and realized the moose was actually on an island! The area around there was super muddy as well otherwise we would have driven through the river to get to it but with all the silt and quick mud we would probably lose the truck before we were half way across.

Once we had it all quartered and piled by the river we then drove back into Dawson (90km) and borrowed a canoe from Malcolm who also agreed to come along with us and help pull it out, Which was super nice of him! We had to paddle up stream for about 1.5-2km before we got there then load everything into the canoe and Malcolm agreed to paddle it back down the river since he had the most experience canoeing and Martin and I would hike back out. Anyways it all worked out and 22hrs after setting out on our hunting trip we were back in Dawson, very tired but also happy.

Selling haro group 1 sx pro

I'm selling my "Haro group 1 sx pro" bmx and it's in excellent condition. I bought it spring of 2007 rode it a few times on the road and never made it to a bmx track.

Shimano Deore V-Brake and Brake lever system
Full Chromoly race fork
Full Chromoly race handlebar w/7.5” rise
TruVativ XR alloy race crank w/sealed Euro BB
Sun RhynoLite rims w/rear machined sidewall

$400 and you can contact me at dsessford@hotmail.com

ouch

I entered the weekly tuesday night fun run in Whitehorse today. For my second run of the year it was good, painful especially now that I am done and my legs have seized up but I kind of knew that would happen after pounding pavement for 5k when the longest run I have done so far this year was two weeks ago and only thirty minutes in length. I was happy with my time of 18:32 and was thoroughly crushed by two people who actually run. Shane and Luke Carlos, Shane with a time of 15:30something and Luke with a time of about 17:30.

King of the Canyon 2008

We held King of the Canyon yesterday August 18th at Schwatka Lake boat launch and it was great way to end a long weekend up here in the Yukon!

The weather was good with lots of sunshine which definitely was better then last year when it started snowing part way through!

The course was 55km in length with only about 1km of that being road and then about 5km being double track. Oh and it also had a lot of climbing. no really long climbs but almost all of the climbs were typical Whitehorse climbs which are short and steep. Short as in maybe 200 metres but you also gain 50 metres in elevation. The thing with the KOC course is that the first half is pretty much rolling with these steep climbs and gradually gaining elevation before you finally reach the highest point and you are able to cruise pretty fast down the Yukon river trail to the finish. Well you can go fast unless the previous 45km of rolling climbs hasn't wrecked your legs.

19 people showed up to ride and for soem of them it was the first time they had ridden those trails, which is what the whole event is about.

The winners for the men and women were also awarded the crowns which Sydney Vanloon who won the womens race commented "I feel like I'm wearing a dunce cap" well Syd that'll teach you for over achieving and riding fast.

Some Pics from Bromont

Running the 2nd climb

This descent was actually ridable but there was a short steep climb right before which was faster to run so it made sense to run the short down as well.
Matt and I at the start area

Mud and More mud in Bromont

Today was my final race in the 2008 season and I am happy to say it was a good one! Last week was the Mont Saint Anne stop of the World cup and the race wasn't that amazing for me. I finished 58th but just wasn't mentally prepared for the speed.
This weekend was much better! Its been rainign here in Bromont all week and the course was super muddy, which suits me well. I like riding in the mud and it's kinda fun to be sliding all over the place. The start of the race was probably my best start of the year with me moving up as far as 18th by the top of the first climb and then droppign back a bit to 23rd on the 2nd big climb before entering the main single track. My main problem today was having chain suck. Chain Suck is when the front sprockets (chain rings) on the bike are worn out and the chain is no longer able to drop off the teeth freely at the bottom and instead continues to wrap around causing everything to jam up. I was havign this happen to me at least once every lap usually twice per lap, so I would have to get off the bike fix it and then keep going. It also only happens when the chain under load which means the majority of the time it happens while climbing. despite losing positions every time this would happen I was still able to chase back close and ended up with my first top 30 in a World Cup finishing 28th!! It's a good way to end the season!
I'll see if I can find some pictures of the race over the next few days.

I pre-rode the world cup course for sunday today. Its almost the same course as Nationals with an additional technical section at the top of the climb and another chute descent near the end of the lap. Its a fun course and right now it's super muddy but the sun is shining for the first time in the last week and it may dry up. Although I will be happy with racing in the mud!

photo courtesy of Marek Lazarski www.lazarskiphoto.com

Nationals report

Nationals this year was 6 laps on a course which was super fun to ride and had a lot of climbing with fast technical descents and even some technical singletrack climbs!
The start of the race went well for me and I was sitting in the top 10 going into the second climb and feeling good. At the start of the second lap things were still going well. The only thing is I often forget to eat or drink during races so part way through lap 2 I was fading. On the third lap I was starting to come around again and I hit my rear derailuer on a rock causing the cable to come out of the routing and I had to stop and fix it before continuing on. On the fourth lap I hit the back of my knee with my pedal while running and when I got back on to pedal hard there was a ripping feeling and I could no longer pull up on my pedal. It pretty much felt like the tendons on the back of my knee exploded. (It's feeling better today and I was able to ride for my 2 hr training ride) At this point I was more racing to finish rather then for position since it was so painful to pedal and coming through the feedzone I was not happy knowing I still had two laps to go with 1900ft of climbing per lap. Then on the fifth lap I got a flat and stopped a couple of times to add air before making it to the tech zone where I had a wheel change and started out on my 6th and final lap.
I finished 19th and although I am not happy with it as a result it is my best finish so far in Elite Nationals.
Next Sunday is the Mont Saint Anne World Cup and with proper nutrition during the race it should be good!

preparing for nationals

I arrived in Quebec last night and was picked up at the airport along with some friends who conveniently had an arrival flight at the same time. Well actually I thought my flight was at the same time as there but once I was travelling realized that no actually my flight arrived 1.5hrs after theirs did so they sat around the airport like nice people wondering if i even had the right day.

Were at Mont Saint Anne now and Nationals are on Saturday so hopefull things go well for me. The course has lots of climbing and fast technical descents with some single track climbing so it should be fun!

Here some photos from today(me at top, Craig Richey-centre and Craig, Brian Bain and I as we leave to go ride the course) and I received my new hardtail today which is super sweet!

Canada Cup Overall - 9th

with the Canada Cup circuit now done the points have been tallied up and I finished in 9th place for the overall with Raphael Gange winning his first Canada Cup overall.

complete results can be found here http://canadian-cycling.com/cca/documents/cancup/canmore_xcme.pdf

Canada Cup finals-Canmore

Canmore was the finals for the Canada Cup circuit, fifth race of the series with three of the events being held in the east and two in the west. In the Elite mens catagory we would do 4 laps with 2 big climbs each lap and fast technical descents. The weather was also much mellower compared to the previous weekend and we were treated to a nice 23 degrees. At the top of the first climb I was sitting in about 9th and feeling great. Well I was probably redlined but who isn't when you have just completed a 2km climb in less than 10min with the final pitch being steep enough that a 22 tooth chainring was used by most of the elite men! By the end of the first lap I had moved into 6th position and was riding strong on the climbs and could occasionally see 5th. I wasn't riding the best in the singletrack though and was losing time there. About three quarters of the way up the first climb on the third lap I exploded. Sometimes people ask what it means to "explode" or "Blow" Basically you've built up so much lactate acid in your legs and muscles that your body stops functioning at the level you would like and it becomes difficult to even turn the easiest gears. Or for me I knew I had exploded when I felt like there was no way I could pedal any harder and was standing up to attack the flat sections but was riding in the easiest gear I had in the back (32 tooth cog). So with one lap to go I was struggling and slowly moving backwards to finish in 11th for the final Canada Cup of the season.
This year has been super consistent for me in the Canada Cups with three 10th place finishes and two 11th places. Better then any past season but I am definitetly looking to improve.

Forgot to mention on yesterdays post that Kevin Calhoun was the best man of the day when part way into the first lap he saw one of the masters riders lying passed out from the heat on the side of the trail and also saw a couple of kids running of with the guys bike and was able to put it together and chase down the kids get the bike back and then go back and pour water on the masters rider and get him to the hospital to be treated for heat stroke. (the masters rider had been there for an hour when Kevin found him).

Kamloops in the heat

Sooo hot out today! The course we raced in Kamloops was pretty flat with one longer climb and a another more gradual climb with a steep pitch at the end. The weather was super hot though and in the end it was the heat that did me in. The start of the race went well for me and was able to be in fourth for the first lap and then on the second lap the heat set in for me and I slowly moved backwards. With two feed zones per lap I was taking two bottles per lap and also having wet sponges to cool me down. At the end of the second lap I had to stop in the feed zone and have water dumped on me to help me with cooling down and then on the fourth lap stop to re-lube the chain (as well as the 5th lap) and also have more water dumped on me. I did finish though and it was insanely hot 41 degrees.
Next race is in Canmore and lets hope I can achieve a better result there (today I was 10th)

Kluane to Chilkat

The Kluane to Chilkat bike relay is a bike race from Haines Junction, Yukon to Haines Alaska. With a total distance of 240km. Competitors are able to ride in 8, 4 or 2 person teams as well as solo. I rode in a 2 person team with Jesse Reams and since it was a staggered start with over 1200 participants the 4 person teams left 15 minutes ahead of the 2 person and solo riders. This meant that in order to win the overall we also had to put some time into the 4 person teams.

Off the start I went at a good tempo into the first climb and at the top there was a group of 8 including two solo riders. for the next 100km we worked together to close the gap on the 4 person teams to 5 min. going into the last climb the group broke up more with only three of us making it over the top together.

The Second half of the race Jesse rode well through lots of rain and wind and took it in the sprint at the end giving our team the overall and the 2 person.

It was a super fun time and nice to do the race again!

Hopefully more pictures to come!

Dawson City and Kluane to Chilkat

Yesterday I went to Dawson City Yukon to visit my sister Annie. It was my first time there in the summer, every other time I have been up it has either been in the -40's or in the late fall when its cold and rainy during the day and below zero at night. So seeing Dawson in the summer was a nice experience! It was also nice to see my sister who I haven't seen since last summer!

I flew up there with my Dad and then biked with him from the Airstrip into town. He had been sure it was only about 4-5km which is fine but distances get a little skewed when you're driving at 140 or flying...Anyways it was more like 20km. Fine for me but my Dad doesn't ride so much. Basically when we got out of the plane I was happy to be sitting on a bike while my Dad was dreading the bike part and then it switched for the return to me not looking forward to the flight but my Dad could hardly wait. We had fun though and its always nice to see the Yukon from the air.

This Saturday is the Kluane To Chilkat bike relay. It's a relay for some, an individual event for others and goes from Haines Junction, Yukon to Haines, Alaska a distance of 240km. I'll be participating in a two person team with Jesse Reams. I'll do the first half up the Haines Summit and then he'll finish. This year it will also be interesting since they are starting the 4 person teams 15min in front of the 2 person teams so let's see if we can catch them! I also haven't done the event for 7 or 8 years, I'm looking forward to it!

Whitehorse

Arrived back in Whitehorse last night and even though its June its still for some reason a little chilly. It is warmer at times but this morning when I woke up it was raining and about +4. With fresh snow once again on the mountains...not just a dusting either. Training was a rather chilly at times, mostly because I decided to wear knee warmers and no rain jacket as it had stopped rainign by the time I was dressed. Still got soaked though from the leaves. It's funny actually because the last time I was riding on the trails in Whitehorse the weather was almost identical, only it was October not June. Sunny now though and yes it is warmer!

This past weekend I did a race in Baie St Paul and the legs were great (and the weather was 29 with lots of humidity) Anyways I was leadign the first lap when I flatted. I fixed it and kept goign slowly workign my way back up when I flatted again. Not much I could do once I had already used my tube and CO2. Anyways I ended up with a DNF. Not happy about that but considering it was my first flat in three years.

Anyways I think thats all for now...just trying to unpack and get everything organized this week.

The eastern portion of the Canada Cup circuit is now over concluding with the Hardwood Hills event near Barrie Ont. It was a chilly start to the day with light rain, wind and some cooler temperatures. I was able to have a good start and was sitting in 5th position going into the singletrack. At the end of the first lap there was the main group of ten of us and then a big gap until the next riders. Unfortunately for me I went down in a corner just entering the long straight flat section with a headwind making it extremely difficult to catch back on. I spent the rest of the race chasing finishing in 10th. So far this year we have had three Canada Cups with three completely different courses, the first a slower race withtwo very steep climbs, the second with 1 steep climb lots of mub and a long gradual clim and yesterdays course at Hardwood which was rolling but no major climbs and I have been consistent with two 10th place finishes and an 11th. So I guess I am consistent so far this season!

It was also nice to have my brother, his wife and my niece Kaitlyn there ringing the bell and cheering on the racers!

Mud and sunshine

Rain all week and lots of mud. The Tremblant stop of the Canada Cup was pretty much everything racers expect for this race. We had a the same course as always and this year it was muddy with the sun shining for all of today turning the mub into the consistency of peanut butter.
Of the start there was a group of three who were riding about 15 seconds ahead of the group I was with. I probably went to hard fo the start but I was wanting to race as hard as possible for the entire time to see what would happen and not worry so much about pacing myself. So start of Lap 3 I found myself in 8th but really hurting and ended up moving back a few positions and then on the 5th and final lap being able to use the last of my energy to put in a solid effort and attack the final mud climb going to into the single track.
Finished 11th and its actually my best result ever at Tremblant. I think until now I have always been in the 20's (or lower) So although I was going for a top 5 I'll take an 11th.
Next week is Hardwood hills.

Canada Cup #1

Well today we raced the Bromont stop of the Canada Cup for the first event of the Canadian season and it was .... DRY! I think its probably been three years since I have raced here and it hasn't been raining, and three years ago I think it was still muddy. Anyways the course had two big climbs right of the start. we rode straight up the ski hill then descended straight back down under the lift and went straight back up again to start the single track. Basically two climbs per lap each with about 200ft of elevation gain over a few hundred metres. So ya it was a toughy and we did 8 laps.
The start went well for me. I was a little nervous having not raced in Canada yet this year but got a second row start and when the gun went pinned it.
The course was crazy busy since the laps were about 15min for a lap and there were the Elite Men and women plus the Jr Expert men and women so lota of passing through out the race and lapped riders.
I'm happy with my finish though and was 10th so thats my best Canada Cup result so far and I think I can improve on it.

Just got to Plymouth New Hampshire yesterday afternoon as I make my way north to Quebec to start the Canadian season. The riding in Plymouth as always is great and its nice to hang out with Ben and Onda again. Ben's a super fast retired XC racer who does a bunch of the DH now and hard rides where he pinns it for multiple hours on end. Onda is a retired DH ski racer from Romania.
Todays ride was pretty sweet, we had a road ride and we climbed for 40min on a gravel forest service road then descended down the other side of the mountain on pavement where there were still patches of snow in sections!
Monday to Quebec

Ducktown

The SERC # 4 was held at the Ocoee recreational site just outside of Ducktown Tennessee. Same place the 1996 Olympics were held for White water Kayak.

The course for the weekend was super fast with us riding 53km in 2hr 11min for an average speed of 24km/hr pretty quick for so much single track and climbing! We started off heading up a climb and we pretty much climbed for the next thirty minutes before descending on a fravel road for about a km before hitting some more downhill singletrack and finishing the lap with another km on the road. So of the start there was a group of five of us who were together for the first bit of the climb which eventually went down to three of us Matt Hadley, Charles Pendre and myself. I honestly wasn't feeling the strongest on the climbs but was going to try and hang on for as long as possible. I got dropped about 15min in when Charles upped the tempo a little and I just tried to keep them within range. on the descent I would make time and then try and hold it and on the section of road before the start of the second lap I was able to bridge up to the two of them. I probably went a little hard to bridge up to them. Once we hit the start of the climb Matt went to the front and slowly rode away and me thinking (or not thinking) that we were about to hit the single track attacked and couldn't hold it and also realized there was still another section of climbing to do before the first downhill. So no more group of us and there was also a fourth guy slowly closing the gap on me. The third lap I rode as hard as possibel to try and keep my third position and every once in a while could see Charles so was also motivated thinking if I could catch Charles and hold of the guy chasing me I could be 2nd. I didn't hold of the Robert Marrion (the guy chasing) and ended up riding on his wheel until the gravel road descent but I did catch Charles which put me into 3rd at the end of the day.

I have also been having some troubles with Allergies the past week where my throat was super sore and it made it hard to swallow food or water( I did the race on 1 bottle and no food or gels). But it is much better today and I have almost no sore throat at all. There was a flower in bloom in Georgia which I think was really bothering me.

Next race is Bromont!

Oh ya the cape is because I didn't know what else to do with a 10ft Schwalbe banner

Table Rock and Tour Of Georgia

The last couple of weeks I have been spending some more time in the mountains riding. First we went to Table Rock state park in South Carolina where we based ourselves out of. From there we were able to ride a lot of good roads with climbs up to 40min long and multiple ones throughout the day! The descents were also super fast and all the roads were nice with lots of corners.

While there we did a mtb ride in the Pisgah National forest which was fun and hard! It was basically either riding straight up or or down so we climbed for 1hr then descended for 10min and did it over again.

After Table Rock we went to Dahlonega Georgia to train there for a couple of days and also watch the Tour of Georgia as it made its way through the mtns. LOts of fun watching that and on the Brasstown Bald day we finished our training ride with climbing up to the top of Brasstown. A climb that is just over 5km long with an average grade of 15% and maximum of 25%.

Now its continue the training with more climbing for the next few weeks until the start of the Canada Cups Series on May 17th in Bromont Quebec. Looking forward to it!

FlatRock

Yesterday I raced in a Georgia State Championship held at Flatrock park in Columbus GA. The course was super fast with lots of corners and fast accelarations. I was actually pretty tired this weekend from training, so went into the race knowing it was for training and the goal was to ride hard. It ended up that I would chase Matt Hadley for the entire time and never actually catch him but we did finish 1st and 2nd with a pretty good gap over the rest of the field.

Fury Of the Yukon

Now have the website up and running for "Fury of the Yukon" a 3 day mtb stage race in the Yukon this August. Its going to be a great race with tons of singletrack and spectacular views. Still need to have some work done on the site but check it out at www.furyoftheyukon.com

Diggin ditches

Today I helped Chance with his yard. Pretty much his back lawn is so saturated with water that it's turning into a swamp. To fix this we put in 300 ft of ditch filled with 17 tons of crushed rock and slotted pipe. Of course we had to shovel all the rock into wheel barrows to move around the yard but we did rent a little excavator to do the digging, which was a huge help!

In the photos you can see the first two of seven ditches that we dug. Plus a lot of mud.

Some sights around Phoenix

Phoenix NMBS #2

This weekend was a stage race just outside Phoenix consisting of a a Super D, Short Track and Cross-country. A Super D has no real set guidelines its seems and this weekend could just as easily have been a Time trial. The course was a gradual downhill which took me 17min 50 seconds to complete not a stellar time putting me in the 55th position 1min 50 seconds back. The Next evening we had the short track which is 20min plus three laps and this week I did a little better then last completing 18.5min before being pulled and having a position of 37th. This left just the XC to complete today. Three laps on a 10mile course. I had an excellent start and was able to race well through the entire race fading with about 6km to go to finish 22nd. The course was super fast more like riding a roller coaster where you left it in the big ring and just shifted around the gears in the back depending on whether it was an uphill or downhill.

Tomorrow I fly back to Atlanta to continue training there until the Canada Cups start.

While packing up the bikes today I also shook out my wheel bag and a little scorpion fell out! it was pretty cool and my first time ever seeing one! (We caught it in a box to take a photo of it)

A guy with his cruiser in Phoenix