California, Girl!

Exciting news for 2011 training!!

I'm taking some time to check out Matt P and Peter Glassford's California operation.

So next week, I'll be winging down to LAX before catching a ride up to their house "30 seconds from the beach" just north of the City of Angels in a place called "Oxnard".

Then it'll be four days of mountain biking, eating [fresh local strawberries], recovering, listening to Katy Perry and reading "Gidget".

I don't know how much of a "base miles" benefit I'll get over such a short trip, but making friends with my new bike and giving myself the gift of riding in a new place with people who know where to go will be pretty much the best thing ever.

Stoked!

Parting is such sweet sorrow ...

It all seems so sudden.

Just a few days ago, we were frolicking in the late season conditions of Hardwood Hills. and now, an empty space on the rack where you used to rest.

Dear bike, how I miss you already.

I remember the first day we met. It was at the shop, and the boys wouldn't let me take you home because you looked too good in the window.

Our first ride, and how fast we bonded.

Our first time off-roading, which was also my first time ever riding in BC. Together we conquered some of Squamish's most amazing singletrack, including the Test of Metal.

It was with you that I first attempted the Tremblant Canada Cup ... which was also my first race in Quebec.

On your back, I had my best season ever with all kinds of podiums, PBs, and just amazing rides.

And lately, we've just managed a great three for three podiums for the end of 2010, including a 100km ride I wasn't even sure I could do -- but we did it, together.

I wouldn't be the rider I am today without you.

We've spent so much time together, playing, working, hanging out. It's hard to imagine a replacement. Will it be as good? Are the best races yet to come?

I hope you'll be happy in your new home. And at the same time I feel like a loser for suggesting you'd even know the difference.

Afterall ... you're just a bike.

Right?

How can I resist??

The 2011 Trek line up has arrived for your viewing pleasure. www.trekbikes.com has got all the beauties. Top of my wish list:

This is the Top Fuel 9.8 WSD. Chic lavendar paint job. New OCLV Mountain Carbon stands up to any log or rock you knock around in the line of duty. Cables run inside the always-striking Top Fuel frame.

My financial advisor would have a hissy fit but if there was ever a year to buy a bike, this is it. Resist I must ... le sigh.

Race Report: Paris to Ancaster

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/30561151

The race I love to hate. Just getting to the start line is more hassle than I'm prepared to deal with and this year was no different, with the added bonus that the community centre was not open at the expected time, thus causing me to dance around like a moron while I debated giving up my wicked parking spot in favour of driving to the nearest Tim Horton's, or continuing to contribute to future kidney stones.

Once the doors were unlocked, there was registration to deal with. My name had never actually shown up on the "start list" prior so I half expected a problem. Luckily, my packet was there ready to go, but I had to fight for my $15 bus ride which I pre-paid and they didn't acknowledge. After a lot of "the customer is always wrong" sort of BS, I finally got my ticket.

The next part of the pre-race gong-show is my favourite: hand over your precious baby to a man in a cowboy hat to pile up haphazardly with all the other bikes in the back of a cube van. My girl's first scratch was obtained this way last year. But the other choice isn't very good either: park in Paris at the start line and then go back there to get your car at the end of the day. Boo.

So, after spreading my bad attitude around a little more at Paris to Ancaster registration, I got on the shuttle to take me to the start line. This part is tough too, because anything you bring with you on the bus, you'll have to ride with (or so I thought) so layers to stay warm have to be chosen very carefully. Later, I found out that there's actually a "bag truck" to take your stuff back to Ancaster. Doh.

Once on board the bus, I realized I forgot one very important thing: gels. Wow, see this is why you do a "warm up race". So I had to suck it up and ask other cyclists in Paris if they had any to spare. I was lucky enough to round up three this way. They weren't my brand, but beggers can't be choosers, can they. This would later come back to haunt me -- I use Clif Shots, because they're organic and don't have any of the usual chemicals found in energy gels. Turns out while I forgot about the good reasons for making this switch, my body did not and I was feeling very ill for the rest of the day. I got home and passed out for 3.5 hours, woke up, struggled to get some food in me, and then passed out again for a very fitful sleep full of nightmares about rail trails.

Alright so after a warm up, finally, my mood began to perk up a little to the idea of going really fast on my bicycle and despite the freezing cold temperatures and even a little rain, I was getting stoked. I ripped around the local roads more out of the necessity to keep warm as opposed to official "warm-up" and then made my way to the starting gates, where the body heat of the crowd was much welcomed.

KRIS!", I heard behind me. So far the only people I'd seen that I knew were Daffyd and Paul from RPM Spinning so I was very happy to see Mandy had decided to come out. We both remarked on what a shame it was that KK wasn't there to race this year and played a little catch up on goings-on over the winter.

And then we were off.

The start is the best part (well, besides the finish) -- it always feels like you're making huge gains as you rip up the outside past all the cross-dressers in their peleton who can't handle potholes or sticks, or grass like my mountain bike can. But then we get on the rail trail, and it's the first taste of the straight-line boredom that is the P2A.

On the first rail trail, it was easy to move up -- just latch onto the back of whatever train is moving the quickest. We were out on the road in no time and then my favourite part: the first loose gravel climb up into the farmers' fields. This is where all the cross-dressers have to get off, and where anyone on a mountain bike gets their's. So I left Mandy and some other girls in my dust and didn't see them again until the halfway mark.

Paris to Ancaster used to be called a mountain bike race, but this year especially, it seems to be all about the cross-bike. Thus, after a few road sections, I found it kind of lonely out there. I just couldn't hold their skinny-tired wheels for that long while I was pushing all that extra rubber (physics yo!) and so I often found myself off the pace line, sucking wind on my own. But when it was mountain bike time, I was super happy with the way I was riding. My favourite cross-bike moment: We're in a big long train through the single track when voices up front called back "whoa-up, slow down!" I veered into the rougher trail to the right to see what the problem was. A mud-puddle. "Slow down??" I exclaimed, "hell no, speed up!" and then I ripped through that mud puddle and splashed a few of them as they were shouldering their bikes. Tee hee.

Anyway, the race went on, and on and on, in that never-ending straight line style Paris to Ancaster is famous for. And that's when it taught me a lesson. I was following a cross bike very closely, trying to laze my way through some rail trail when it kicked up a sizeable stone. It was a perfect shot, right into my front tooth. I yelled about it for awhile "ow ow ow ow ow" trying to see if I tasted blood or if my tongue could detect a chip. Safe. Goes to show: never shit-talk the P2A because it'll come back and hit you right in the teeth. That's what I'm reading into the incident anyway.

So, now we're about half way. The half-way point is fun because there are kids handing out bananas and they set up a ramp too. I almost rode by when I heard a mom say "hit the ramp!" which I then noticed to my left. I had to really veer into it which meant my aim was a bit funny and I ended up hitting it at speed and crooked, which translated into a sweet little tweak on my air. To me this was full on panic time, but the kids were fooled, and they cheered and I somehow landed. phew.

The only thing left to look forward to now was the famous "Power slide" which is a rutted out ditch of a road, filled to the hubs with thick, sticky muck and I suspect manure as well. If it isn't muddy on its own, the race organizers take the trouble to hose it down for us. THANKS!

Funny, I'm stilly happy to see it though because it means we're almost DONE!! I rode it last year, but this year it was too much of a bog to pass so I had to put my feet in it, which I really detest. blech. At last, I was through and racing down the pavement with the excess mud flying off my tires into my face and my treads slowly regaining traction as they shed the muck.

One more thing to go: the dreaded Martin Side Road climb. Only 3.5 km left to go, all uphill, and steeper as she goes. But wait ... could it be??? No!! But it is!! MANDY!! Somehow, I'd closed the gap on Mandy and we were right back where we finished last year!! I gave it the gas, but she in turn was chasing another girl and I am confident didn't even realize I was behind her. I tried and tried, but it wasn't to be and the finish ended up being a repeat of last year: Mandy finishing just a small margin in front of me.

Final thought: you know when you get a bad hair cut? and you go home and stand in front of the mirror and you say to yourself: "remember this feeling. When you think you want to do this again, remember where you're standing RIGHT NOW, and resist!" So ... P2A ... I bid thee farewell.

Unless someone has a cross bike I can use.

PS, disclaimer: save this blog and show me when I sign up again next year, cross bike or not. P2A, the race I love to hate.

My girl (and shoes!), all Power-Slid out.

Final result: 5th of 23 women in the 19-29 age group, 16th woman overall.

Overall Women:

Helen Wyman (British cyclo-cross champion), KONA

Melissa Bunn, STEVENS RACING

Laura Bietola, 3FOX RACING

Overall Men:

Mike Garrigan, JETPOWER

Andrew Watson, NORCO

Peter Mogg, THE HUB RACE TEAM

Outside Ride!

Not sure where Winter went, but today, it wasn't here! Hopped on the bike around 2pm with a teammate. Our plan was to visit the horses up at Sunnybrook. However, despite the dry, amazing conditions on the city streets, the rec paths were not faring as well and since my training partner today was on a road bike (while I opted for my mtb since the road bike is all trainerized) she vetoed any further attempts at exploration.

Thus, we decided to head down to the CNE and see what could be seen. The boat show, I think! Or at least that's what I'm guessing from the blue Yamaha bags and a dude walking out with a sweet wake board. Ah, dreams of warm summer days!

Since the CNE was kind of a zoo, we decided to just keep on riding the "Blue Edge" ... ie the waterfront trail. I lost my training partner to cold hands and feet at the Roncesvalles bridge. Since it was such a nice day, I continued solo.

Not long after her departure, I met a man who was playing with his RC car in one of the parking lots. I was going to challenge him to a race, but thought I'd be embarrassed: that thing was quick. I think I missed a good photo opportunity. Oh well.

The next interesting pause came when I met Peter. By the time I'd arrived he'd only been there for about an hour and already he had an army of balanced-rock formations. I stopped to take a photo of his masterpieces, and got to meet their maker at the same time. When I got home, I looked him up online, and he's done some pretty amazing stuff. A Toronto treasure, for sure. He rocks.



Today was the first time I'd been that far west on the bike trail in a long time and I was happy to find it was just a little bit longer! On the way back, I turned off to get a photo and found the Humber River Trail (Number 15, people). I'd come down it once before, but never up. I figured I'd give it a shot. A bit snowy/icy in spots but totally navigable on the Trek and a really lovely ride. As I was exiting "The Old Mill", a man rolled down his car window beside me and said he'd "never seen a cyclist take on this hill!" which kind of made my day. (Although, caveat, it wasn't a particularly nasty climb or anything.)

After a quick street ride down Jane, I was back on the waterfront path. I decided to go see what was happening in Ashbridges Bay. Mostly, people were out doing the same thing as me: enjoying mother nature's little gift! I saw runners, rollerbladers, other cyclists, some tennis players (for real!) and even the skaters were out at the skate park.

With the sun going down, it was time to head home. Although most of the roads were dry, some weren't so nice so I had to figure out a way to clean up my girl so the salt and grit didn't do too much damage. I've seen it done ... but never had the guts to try it myself, seeing as I live with two others. So shhh, don't tell them but ...



After I cleaned the bike, I cleaned the tub and then I had a shower too -- one of those ones where the warm water makes your frozen toes feel like they've had too much hot sauce.

A snack, some stretching, a flop on the couch and that's a day folks.

Time for bed now -- spin class bright and early! ... and I'm cooking this in my sleep:



Here are some other shots I snapped along the way ...

From left to right (click to enlarge): 1. "And I thought my feet were cold!" 2. The Humber footbridge 3. Peter's people 4. A gull over the skyline from the base of route 15 5. The Humber 6. Bridge over frozen water 7. Tennis. In January. 8. Sun going down over Ashbridge's 9. A pile of kids were at the Ashbridges Skate Park.

Joyride 150

The rumours are true ... Markham's new indoor mountain bike park is the shiz. Since I didn't have any Christmas appointments until dinner, I decided to check it out. A quick visit to their website confirmed they were open, and I was on my way, telling myself I'd just ride for an hour "to see".

Two hours later and I had to drag myself out of there.

They have a great XC track with berms, log-overs, flow and corners aplenty. There's also a pump track, skills section, and even a foam pit. Wish I'd brought both bikes!

Of course, I did have to "pay to play". Allow me to share my wipe out story: I had that masochistic thought -- just one more skinny -- that's up there with calling 'last run'. Never a good idea. I rode all of the skinnies on offer but my favourite (haha, they were all my favourite!!) was a real 20-foot log with a flattened top. It was teamed up with a ladder bridge ending in a cool little multi-line oval.

At the end of the log ride, there was a wedge-ramp. My back wheel hit it with a bit of oomph, it broke a small piece off, and I slid out, landing shin first into the neighbouring ladderbridge.


The skinny in question ...

So much for showing off! So off I hobbled to the change room and even despite a stinging lower-leg, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face if I tried. JOY ride indeed. And afterall, isn't Joy what Christmas is all about?!

Let me know if you ever need company for a trip to Joy Ride. I'm IN!

Women's Specific 2010

It's a fun time of year: racing is over, training for 2010 is just in its baby stages and that leaves tons of spare time to drool over the next year's bikes on offer. I am not in the market for a new rig this year as I am far too attached to my Trek to let it go just yet.

However, there's never any harm in looking.

One thing Trek really stands out for is their understanding of what women who race really need from their bikes. If you look at the specs on their racers, the geometry is exactly the same (I did actually look -- the one size that is available in both women's and men's model is the 17.5 and all angles and measurements are equal). Having taken some Trek University courses (true story), I found out that that's because -- as I always suspected -- women who spend a lot of time in the saddle need to be fitted just as "racy" as men. The difference comes in the sizes available (WSD: 14.5, 15.5, 16.5, 17.5; "mens": 15.5, 17.5, 18.5, 19.5, 21.5) and the colours.

I give you exhibit A: Two equally racy machines, much coveted and sought after. Almost exactly the same, right down to the components.



Trek Top Fuel, 9.8 and Trek Top Fuel 9.8 WSD (with pretty aqua trim)

Then, for fun, I started looking around at other manufacturers' "Women's Specific" designs. I was a little disappointed. Take Giant for example. Last season, Giant introduced the new "Anthem X" and it is back on offer this year in a fancy red paint job. The women's counterpart gets points for not copping out like I've seen in the past with a sissy paint job (stealth black is always in style) but what's with the recreational position? This is the bike they have listed under "competition" on their website but it looks like something my mom would like to try out (no offence intended and I'm sure she'd be the first to agree she's not into "competition").

A closer inspection reveals that there are no small sizes offered for women (you can get the same sizes in the red one) and the geometry has got the female rider racing more upright, with a shorter top tube, on a shorter wheel base. Hello! That equals slower.

Observe, exhibit B:




Giant Anthem X1 and Giant Anthem X1W

So where does that leave us girls? If you want a racy set up, both Trek and Giant have served me well. Since I'm a firm believer in Trek's stance that if you are a woman who races bikes (ie spends a lot of time in the saddle), you don't need much in the way of "Women's Specific Design" it stands to reason that I could just forget all about Giant's "W" option.

But to Giant I say, if you're going to do it, do it. And don't even get me started on the mish mash of components on the Women's rigs. It's like they just throw whatever's left lying around the factory on the W bikes. My impression is that Giant just treats the women's bike as a marketing opportunity; not as a way to progress the sport for women, which is too bad for them because more women than ever want to ride, and Giant's response is kinda weak!

/end rant.

And now just for fun, top-of-the-line 2010s: doesn't matter if you're a boy or a girl for these beauties. Just gotta be fast.

Trek Top Fuel 9.9 SSL and Giant Anthem X Adavnced SL 0