Atherton Project

Episode Ten

This week's episode follows Gee and Dan to the World Champs in Australia. With Dan's disappointment in the 4X at the World Champs the Atherton's season hangs in the balance. It's not all bad news though, with former World Champ and World Cup winner Rachel Atherton well on her way to recovery and eyeing a successful 2010 season

Back to School!

A couple weeks ago, I got tickled by the idea of returning to my mountain biking roots and turning the pedals for a University Cup Race. The idea became even more tantalizing with some cyber smacktalk between myself and fellow O-cup racers KK and Ashley. The two of them had been leading the series and with Sunday being the final race, I thought I'd throw my hat in too.

Except, while they assure me they haven't been training, they have still been racing every weekend ... whereas I haven't been on my bike since Provincials due to lack of interest and also the persistent shoulder sprain thingy (which seems to now be a-okay, btw.) Oh, and I was also staying up late, eating garbage and happily drinking some wobbly pops on weekends.

And so out-gunned, I lined up on a rare warmish and kind of sunny October day relying on residual fitness to get me over the first big hill.

And it DID! I WON THE HILL CLIMB! and then died shortly thereafter when all the snot and mucus I had in me tried to make its escape through my nose and mouth, and my lungs shrunk to the size of a sandwich bag. It is REALLY hard to breathe with that stuff hanging off your lips. I grossed out Falco (an old friend from U of T and random photo-shoots) who was kind enough to ride with me nonetheless and compliment me on smooth pedal strokes thus taking attention away from the slime stuck to my arms and legs.

I found out that throwing a race into your rest and relaxation program is ill-advised ... I haven't hurt like that in a race in a really long time. It is amazing how fast the fitness goes if you don't take care of it. Good inspiration to stay on top of winter training!

The three leaders got away, and Morgan called out a three minute split at which point I remembered that as an "alum" I wasn't getting any points for this ... so I decided to quit the suffering already! I just rode the rest for fun, which isn't hard to accomplish at Ganaraska.

The course was super tacky, not very technical, but some sections had some serious flow to them that brought me straight to my happy place. I'm super glad I went, even if I did open up an opportunity for the annual cold/flu. The results are posted for your viewing pleasure.

The rest of the afternoon we spent enjoying the University Cup BBQ, beers, fun and prizes. It was so great to see Derek and Morgan from Sweet Pete's '08. Got to see Eric again, and his lovely fiance (and their new pup, Sammie) who all took an extra-long ride in the minivan (thanks to badly placed detours!). Caught up with Falco post-race and covered a wide range of topics, most notably his two-month touring adventure to Newfoundland. And perhaps my favourite part of the day was watching KK shotgun a beer faster than a bunch of college dudes.

In closing, I'd like to thank U of T and especially Dave Wright for their dedication to the sport and in recruiting more and more riders every year. A lot of the racers in the "B" category had never rode a mountain bike until this year, let alone raced one. I was one of them, back in the day! Ganaraska was the site of my second-ever mountain bike race in 2004 and I'm so happy to have met the people I met, learned what I learned and used that knowledge to lead me where I am today: still loving the ride, and still racing my heart out. I wear my Blues jersey proudly!

The Atherton Project

Episode Eight

The Atherton clan hit up round seven of the downhill World Cup in Bromont, Canada. Mechanic Stevie gets loose on the dancefloor, while Dan stomps his way into the 4X final following a few words of wisdom from trainer Roberts. Will he survive one of the season's biggest pile ups and grab that ellusive top spot?

Episode Nine

Dan and Gee train for the World Champs in Aus, while back home Rachel's getting stronger, preparing for a full-on assault on the 2010 downhill scene.

Still Hungry!

G and I returned from the rugged terrain of Northern Ontario, reluctantly, and have now been back at it for more than a week. Someone I met this week put it great: "vacation is funny ... you get back and you think, 'uh, why was all this so important again?'"

But for the most part, the 'vacation effect' has been super duper positive. Didn't realize how I tired I was until I'd had a break from everything and got that wonderful "recharge" feeling. Ah! So that's what it feels like to be me!

However, finding an outlet for my new energy has forced me to broaden my horizons. My shoulder is still bunged up from the Mountainview crash so riding is on the back burner. My chiro tried accupuncture the other day. He said we'd plateaued in recovery and thus decided to try something more invasive. Translate: I told him I stopped doing my exercises as diligently (since there were no races to keep me honest) and he punished me by sticking needles into my shoulder. Anyway, since then I feel more tweaked than ever so that's a battle. I still ride to work, but anything longer than an hour results in a lot of advil.

That said, I have surveyed the lay of the land and there are a few items on my hit list:

First, Hardwood Hills is running a "Single Track Challenge" for the first time. It's 50km, no loops, and takes place Oct 18.

Then there's the Winter WOW, a really fun event as long as it doesn't snow. And it hasn't the past two times I've done it (but I tend to do it only every other year because on the odds I've got a bike, and the evens, it's already been sold). So that's at Mansfield, Nov 22 and guess what! There's a chili cookout afterwards.

If I'd had my act together I'd consider the Squeezer, but maybe next year. Same goes for Crank the Shield -- by all accounts an awesome second year for Ontario's only stage race. Sweet.

So that's it for me, hope everyone's well and enjoying happy trails. Fall riding is really my favourite. No stress, great colours, perfect temperatures.

I'll leave you with a few shots from "What I did on my summer vacation":

A she-wolf stands watch

Playing on bikes-with-motors, we stopped at the river to check things out

Hiking up our "mountain" and looking out over the rock race to Lake Superior

Race Report: Provincial Championships, Kelso Conservation Area

And so the exciting 2009 season comes to an end. And what a finish! Today's race was intense stuff. Started my warm up feeling a little out of sorts but figured it was in part due to all the time off the bike to let my shoulder heal up from the last race.

Mom and dad came out today to help in the feedzone and cheer me on. Always always always appreciated. You guys are the best. So I met with them and handed over my bottles and then it was time to line up. Dad switched my warmup bottle for my first lap bottle (felt like the pit at a grand prix!), mom gave me a hug and took my ipod (and my gel wrapper) and then into the start gates I go.

11 of us came out today. Four of our top riders are in Australia at the moment for the World Championships to be held next weekend so be sure to check their progress! A little smaller than usual, the field got some last minute instructions from the commissaire and then we were off!

My first lap I felt ungood (I don't care what you think about that word). The course begins with a three part climb up the ski hill that takes about 6 minutes to clear, your heart beating in your ears at max power the entire time. When I got to the top, I was hot and cold at the same time and seeing stars. Bad wiring or something. But I somehow avoided a short circuit and by the time the second lap came around, I had found a comfortable groove.

Lap two I began what became the most exciting three laps of my life! Back and forth I went with Celine. On the climbs, I'd get around her, gap her on the flats only to have her reappear in the singletrack where traffic got us all bunched up. Then we'd repeat the process. On lap three, Tricia joined in our little game. We three finished within 30 seconds of each other and although I'd done a lot of leading, my timing was unfortunately a little off and it was Tricia, Celine and then me over the line. We had a good hand shake over that one. Good stuff!!



Because I was so busy all the time, I know I didn't drink or eat very well -- all the places where I could get away one-handed seemed to come up when I had some work/passing to do. Thank goodness the weather was cool today so I got away with limited hydration.

The course was great, super fun, and I managed to complete the race with only some minor calamities on the first lap (you know: a mistake here, a tree there). Even the weather held which is a first in the 2009 Ontario Cup series I think. Better late than never!

Once I was finished, we hung around to see what the overall results were. I knew I was in the running going in but didn't do the math to see what result I'd need to move up (I did that on purpose to avoid obsessing over arithmatic). I could see my dad was getting all Ocupped out so I suggested we just go but my mom said we'd stay and wait to find out. Thank goodness she was there! I would have missed my big moment! Collecting one last bit of prize money and standing up on the podium with the other top five Elites. So it was a great end to a great day. I came into the season ranked 11th (hence my super sweet number plate: 111) and i'm going out 5th. Don't worry, I patted myself on the back.



Thus marks the end of my race season. Usually at season's endI'm all too happy to put the bike away for a month of mental/physical relaxation, but this year I do feel a little bit sad. It was a great season -- my best ever. I got up on the podium more times than in the rest of my career combined; I rode in the east and even in the west; went for big goals -- some achieved, some to wait til next year.

What's next? Not Cyclocross, I can tell you that ;)

G and I are going to take a little breather up on the north of Superior ... so all's quiet on the blog front til we get back I suspect. Thanks for tuning in!

BMX park a labour of love for 60-year-old

Great article in The Star today!

BMX park a labour of love for 60-year-old

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The Atherton Project

Dropped the ball a bit on the Atherton Project updates so apologies -- here are the next two episodes for your viewing pleasure.

Epidsode Six

After heading to Maribor for the UCI World Cup, the Red Bull trio return home to Wales. While Dan and Gee hit the trails, Rachel heads out on her road bike in a bid to race at the World Championships in Australia.

Episode Seven

The 7th episode of Red Bull's Atherton Project, with Gee, Dan and Rachel. This one contains guns, explosions, time trials and Mont Sainte Anne World Cup action.