Snowshoeing

I have had a few good days of Snowshoeing, Nordic Skiing, and Trail Running (in deep snow).  Here are a few shots from today's shoe. Note the pre snowshoe snack... 75grams of homemade rye bread with loads of Skippy on top. You can pre make this snack for any meal of the day!

Trail Run by ericbatty at Garmin Connect - Details

Trail Run by ericbatty at Garmin Connect - Details

Snowshoeing photos

I got a chance to get out on the "shoes" yesterday up in Muskoka. There wasn't quite as much fresh snow as I was hoping for but still fun none the less! I was busy scoping some new trails and some possible photo locations. Here is a couple shots from the day with Peter (owner of Muskoka Outfitters).

I was typing this for something else.

They are a few quick close calls that I have encountered in the last few years.  I was typing this for something else but i thought I better not waste all the typing....

I have had:


1) had a party dump their haul-bag above us on Cannabis Wall, Squamish. (idiots).
2) I had Louise Falls fracture at the top of the curtain, collapse and engulf most of my partner's gear. He was going to do the first pitch, I the second. We were racking up when we heard a "Crack, Boom"! I looked up and snow was in the air.... First I thought it was a avi coming over the top... But there was absolutely no potential for that... Either way I ran down hill and cut left towards the trees, all the while I can hear the massive amount of whatever it was crushing to the ground on my heels. I lunged behind a boulder and tucked in as tight as I could. After a bit, I yelled to my partner at the time to see if he responded, I feared the worst. He yelped back that he was ok and he had thought I was a goner!

He had managed to quickly climb up and take cover under the massive overhang on the right hand side of the route and he watched as I was being chased down my the massive amount of ice coming from above. I was at the base of the route playing with my tools and waiting for him to hurry up and finish racking. Little did I know what was about to come from above me. It wasn't until we started to dig for his gear that we realized the massive amount of ice that came crushing down! It was as close as I had ever wanted to come to something like that. Even though it happened in mere seconds, it felt like a eternity.

On the way down to the trail, we were met by a few of Canada's most prominent and distinctive Ice and Mixed climbers. They had planks on their feet and just happened to be up at Surprise Pass doing a easy ski loop. They came down to see if we were ok. They just happened to catch the route coming down from a pretty good view. They got to watch it all happen.

Needless to say it spooked the shit out of me. I had a few other incidents that season and this was just the cherry on the top. It was too close.

3) While spending the summer in Squamish I took a massive wipper on a Orange Alien. It was roughly a 40ft fall and the ironic part is that I had just purchased the cam that morning at the gear shop (it was a typical Squamish rainy morning) and the afternoon seeping crack got the best of me. Mmmmmm wet crack...

4) Climbing on Yam one spring, I was climbing with a guy who had done more routes on Yam then most people that I knew put together. He climbed under the radar and purely for himself. He was a tough dude, I guess that's what years of working on the "Patch" will do to you. We ended up climbing a spectacular scree field route with a bunch of crappy pitches and one fantastic pitch in the middle. We ended up topping out in good time, but while on the 2nd last pitch we looked over to our left and there was a 2 man party looking like they were having some trouble. They were slightly above us and looked like they were about to pull the crux roof on the route. We kept climbing and topped out. We decide that we should take a hike up and see if they topped out ok and say hello. By the time we got there the leader had pulled the roof and was on top trying to rig shrubs and sling blocks to make a anchor.... (Yay). We got chatting with him and it seemed his 2nd was having trouble and he asked us to stick around incase his less experienced partner had trouble with the crux roof. My partner and I knew we came up here for good reason, we both had a gut feeling that they were going to need some help.

It was very windy and impossible to comunicate with the climber over the lip and below the roof. After 15 mins passed and there was no movement on the rope, we all decided to haul his ass up, Great! You rig the anchor and I will make the tea! LOL. Seriously rigging a haul anchor out of pebbles and living sticks stuck in the ground is hard.. go figure.. Moving on, we rigged what we could and tried to haul him. It was a insane effort and we got absolutely nowhere. We pulled, modified the system, pulled more. All we were doing was stretching the shit out of the rope. I decided that I best run down the mountain and around the front side so I could see WTF he was doing. Once I got to where I could see him I tried to yell to him with no possible way for him to hear me. He was stuck under the roof, his helmet clipped to his harness (figure that one out) and looked like he still had a piece to clean. He had fallen getting to that piece and couldn't reach it. He seemed to be fumbling around doing something... I (we) hoped that he knew how to rig a prusik system and clean the gear so we could haul his ass up. Time had passed by now and dark seemed to be not to far away, I wanted him to do all of us a favor and do one of the most basic of skills and save us from 1) calling it in or 2) rapping over the top and helping him that way.

By the time I had made it back up and to the top, he had figured out a way to clean that piece. We started hauling, hoping to god that the anchor held. When the Doucher finally pulled the lip, or more accurately we pulled it for him, he was cut, bleeding and in good spirits. His helmet still hung off his harness and he acted like what had just happened was no big deal! I was pissed at the situation (glad it ended ok and that we could help) it was just the dude didn't realize how serious of a situation he had just been in. We both got a quick "thanks" I did a double check that the Doucher was indeed "ok" and we peeled out of there.

4) There is more....

Some new work.

List of Gear For Sale

1) SOLD Canon G10 Camera 9.5/10 condition. w/ 2GB ExtremeIII memory card. $350.
2)Canon 40D. Also 9.5/10 condition. Comes with everything as if you bought new. Including warranty until May 2011. $700.
3) Gregory Z30 Pack. Excellent condition. Asking $90. Retails for $140.
4) Granit Gear Vapour Trail. Reg size. Brand New. Retails for $220. Asking $110.

email: ericbatty@gmail.com for more info or enquiries.

A Fine Day Out.

Wicked day out rock climbing yesterday at Mt. Nemo. Here are a few photos from the day. On another note my giardia seems to be on the out and my energy levels are returning to normal. 

Day 11!!! Seriously..........?

I felt like death for the past 11 days.  Two weekends ago I felt "off". Two Monday's ago I was sick.... I went to work on both Monday and Tuesday and I really shouldn't have. Tuesday night I had a brief remembrance of what it felt like when I had Meningitis. Wednesday was slightly better! and Thursday I actually felt decent, not even close to normal, but I was up and moving and that was a great feeling. Friday I slowly started to have a exact replica of the few days previous. I was still sick...

Friday night sucked. I can't remember Friday night to Sunday morning. It was crap, period. Monday I was moving up on the scale and Tuesday I was still rising, again I was moving very minimally. Wednesday(today) I think I may be holding strong. Went out got some fresh air, did some running around and such.

It is funny you really don't appreciate all of life's simplest gift's until you are imobilized and bed/couch ridden for a extended period of time. (or toilet for that matter).... It feels good to go for a walk and not be always wanting to just lay down.

I am pounding some heavy hitting antibiotics, apparently fighting a infection somewhere in me. Possibly a large amount of little cysts attacking my small intestine. (ie Giardia).

Yay.

La Cloche Silhouette Trail (A Visual Journey).....

La Cloche Silhouette Trail Proper, including full 3 narrows section.

 Quick Facts: 

-Trail Length 78km.

-We ran roughly 81km.

-Time on the "actual trail"11hrs 55mins.

-Time from Trailhead to Trailhead 12hrs 23mins.

-Wrong turns made: 1.

-Extra time cost because of that 25-30mins.

-Somewhat hard route finding due to foliage on the trail: yes.

-Calories expended: 11495cal.

-Arguments with Peter: none.

-Bonks: 1 Full and 2 half bonks.

-Disputed elevation gain Me: 8600ft. Peter: 9900ft.

-People on Trail: 2 solo men, one at hour 6.5 and the other at hour 10.

-Wildlife seen: 1 BIG black bear at trailhead before leaving the car. 1 BIG black snake.

-Food Consumed: Breakfast pre-run: 2 Boost Plus. On run, 6 cliff bars, 1 boost plus, 5 scoops Perpetuem and 5 energy gels.

-Could I have picked a better partner to hammer one of the hardest trails I have found yet: No.

-Would I do it again: Yes, just as soon as my feet heel.

La Cloche Silhouette Trail

3 years ago I ran the La Cloche Silhouette Trail in Killarney Provincial Park with Peter Demos (owner of Muskoka Outfitters) in a fast time of 14hrs 15mins. We did the trail counterclockwise. I have spent many hours online, reading and emailing people trying to find a record that is better then the one that we already have...... so far the only one that comes close is 17hrs ish.

Tomorrow morning Peter Glassford and myself are going to see if we can best our time on the trail. We are shooting for a 12hr finish time and are running clockwise this time. I will be posting a trip report and gear list etc.... after we are done.

We are hitting the trail at around 0430.

"May we make wise choices".

Crank the Lil Wayne! Crank the Adventuresome Everything! Crank the Shield!

What a Adventuresome weekend! It was 3 days of hammer, eat, hang out, eat some more, nap, eat dinner then sleep.... 

Day 1 I felt like a garbage truck..... which sucked because PG and AW felt like Lambo's. I somehow managed to gap enough to the world that I followed a Bontrager Revolt and finished one of the crappiest days I have felt on the bike in a long time. (note: My ho hum cold was not so ho hum today). PG managed to pull my arse to the finish line in one piece and in first place. 

Day 2 was a flip of day one, I felt good and PG started good, but after a broken chain and a crash that made me clench my cheeks he was a friggin train reck for the rest of the stage. Toss in more mud, swamp and bog's then I think I have ever tackled and you had a damn hard day in the saddle. We lost a handful of minutes to the 3rox duo of DZ and TW today.

Day 3 we knew was going to hurt from the gun so we went right to work and with not much to lose other then to try and pull every trick in the "roadie tactics manual".  We were both feeling great and only one hour into the day we managed to flat and bust a carbon derailer. The 3rox boys were still riding strong enough that with two mechanicals in a 2.5hr stage we had little chance to catch them, let alone put the 5 min into them that we needed to, to take the big "W". 

It was a blur of a weekend that everyone that pedals a bike farther then to the corner store should give a go. Who know's, it may float your boat, or was it float your bike? 

Kidding aside, it was epic! and without the help of all the volunteers and staff from chico racing such a bad ass event wouldn't be possible! 

Thanks!

What a Week!

MSA World Mountain Bike Championships were Sick! I have never seen so many spectators at a Mountain Bike event! Camera wise I shot 9000 shots and now have to begin to sort and process them.... I had a great week of riding, climbing the 2100ft vertical ascent up Mont Saint Anne 10 times and logging 15hrs of Hammerfest Mtbiking on top of all the running around with my camera equipment. I honestly think that it may be easier to have just raced. Below are a few of my pics that I have pulled out that I think stand out for what the week represented.

Windham World Cup Finals

World Cup Finals were fun. I think everyone in the men's race flatted at least once! and some guys even flatted twice! It was a stacked field with most of the top dudes from around the world here in New York to shake out any jet lag before heading up to saint anne next week. I had a solid race (flat included) and finished 63rd. It was a solid course and despite having a flat I seemed to lose no more then 10 finish positions. 

I am in Saint Anne right now and I did 4 laps on the course today, it is one of the best race courses that I have ever ridden! I did a quick burn up the Mountain and had a 2000ft decent to look forward too.

We are going to be updating the Trek Canada site with race updates and insider info during the week. So stop by www.trekraceteam.com to see whats happening!

Provincial World Championships

Had a great race on the weekend at a new race venue very close to home, Woodnewton in Uxbridge hosted our Provincials this year.  The new course has much potential for future races and even being a brand new course it was still super fun and surprisingly very hard. It was a close race up front for the most part with my fellow two Trek Canada teammates taking 2nd and 3rd respectively. I rode most of the race with Cam Jette and together we worked hard together for the majority of the suffer fest. We however were passed by Adam and Peter halfway through the last lap. All in all it was a good weekend and now moving on World Cup Finals next weekend in New York.

If it doesn't work the first time, try a second then!

Point form for faster reading and the ability to cover more material in a shorter post (ie. less typing).

-Bromont Canada Cup Finals. Stacked field including NZ National team, Australia National team and a few fast Americans and a very fast Brit. I finished 8th.

-Drove home Sunday through crazy thunderstorms where many people pulled over because they thought that it may be raining to hard?  Obviously they have never been to Bromont for the previous years!

-Monday I did nothing. Period. I hated Monday and hope to never have a day like that again. I did absolutely nothing and am quite disappointed with myself for that. I Simply couldn't focus on any one thing! I pissed the beautiful day away......

-Tuesday I was having no Monday! I got up early and had a good 3 hour road ride in before lunch time! I then kept on the productive train and did some running around in the big city. I even made it home before any crap traffic! (thats a first in quite some time). Since I made it home in great time I had to go play farmer on the tractor for a few hours. After dinner I had a few hours of computer work to do and I got everything I needed to do, done and in a timely and efficient manor.

-Wednesday....... Well I woke, ate and went ridding.... 25 min in I turned around.... I had a harder workout planned today and I am trying to get ready for the Ontario World Championships this weekend! I came back to the house and realized that I may possibly be tired or hungry? Sweet!  ( I just had a crap Monday and with only one productive day between then and now it best be that I am hungry and will eat then go ride again). I chowed a bunch of paleo butter tarts and after letting them digest for about 20min hit the road again. I did a good long warm up and 45 min of tempo in 2.5hrs ride. I felt good! 

Times and or quantities may vary in the above statement(s).

Solid Week....end!

Sunday was O-Cup #"I forget" at Kelso. It looked like it was going to pour on us and it didn't! We had a few guest racers from the New Zealand National Team racing which added a bit of friendly competition. I was coming into this race a bit on the tuckered side, I had a few solid weeks of calorie expenditure and with a few big races coming up this month, kelso would be a good leg stretcher for the 3 races that followed. It was a pretty quick start and after the first half of the first lap I went right to the front and just raced my own pace. Finishing the third lap I had a crash that was Bad. Usually it seems that I have one of the classic "bad crashes" once a year.... well this was mine. I went down so hard I didn't even know what had happened. I bounced up as quick as I could and got going again. There were a few spectators that were around when it happened and apparently it looked "Deadly". Anyhow racing, racing, racing I was slightly rattled at what had happened and continued racing fixing my bike on the fly. I had a broken brake leaver and a rear disc that was dragging like a "mo fo". Adam caught me up on the 4th lap and we raced together for most of that lap. It was good to see that he had some speedy legs today and he road very strong taking the win. I finished in a solid 2nd place happy with how my fitness is shaped up for August. I am off to Bromont for Canada Cup Finals this weekend, Ontario Provincials the following weekend and I wrap the up month with World Cup Finals in Windham New York. Over and Out.

Summer?

When you think of summer what comes to mind?

Quick Update....

Currently in Swift Current Sask. and running from a rainy day in the mountains......(sigh). I had a solid race last weekend at Nationals in Canmore finishing 8th. I have also had a great week and I have uploaded a few pics to share.

Road Trip

Here are some highlights of the things that have happened and are followed up with some photos that I have pulled out.

-Drove across Canada, the car has rolled over 5600km so far on this trip.
-Had a solid race in Edmonton finishing 5th and feeling good especially because nationals are next weekend.
-Camped a few nights in Kananaskis.
-Had a few good days of riding and hiking.
-Seen more bears (especially grizzly's) than I have ever seen out here!
-Hiked a Mountain.
-Did a handful of laps on a great Nationals course! Much better than last years.
-Visited most coffee shops.... many times.
-Toss in a drive up the parkway and back, a few more rides and hikes, a bison burger and so far only one day of rain and you have a amazing trip!!!

Slightly Better.

So Yesterday was the short track and it was long! Almost 30 minutes of hammering around one of the best and yet one of the toughest short track course I have raced on. After what had happened to me yesterday I was seriously contemplating if I should be racing or not? I decided to giver a go and see what happens. I did a long 2.5hr warm up on the road before hand and that seemed to loosen things up a bit. I wasn't to worried that what had happened to me yesterday was going to happen again today. History of this has shown me that I am fine the next day (after a solid 12hr sleep!). I quite enjoyed the road riding around Mount Morris Wisconsin and would come back again anytime!

I had a poor call up (surprise) and had to battle from behind. I passed as many racers as I really could have and finished 13th. I was pacing the leaders for most of the race so that was reassuring that I had some gas in the tank again. I felt about 1000 times better than yesterday and was happy that I was able to pass about 40 or so riders in such a short span of time.

Today we (adam, taylor and myself) had the honour of getting a behind the scenes tour of the Trek Factory here in Waterloo WI. It was seriously unreal how amazing that place is!!! I am not to sure how much I am allowed to say but it can be summed up in pretty much one word...... AMAZING!!.

Anyways we are hitting the road home tomorrow morning at first light and have a solid 13hr drive ahead of us.... yay.

Not Good.

I had a not so good day today here in Wisconsin. I am not sure what is going with my body so I am keeping the details out. All I want to say that I am very optimistic that it is not as bad as it could be and all I need to do is figure out what is causing this. Anyways I am trying to decide if I should be racing tomorrow and what may be the outcome if I do.....hmmmm.......

Good Samaritan!

I was out for a very solid MTB ride on some of my good old favorite trails on Friday. 15 minutes in I had a bumpy shift and herd the all to familiar sound and feel of my chain breaking.... Yay what a great way to start the day! I checked my handlebar for the spot that I usually tape my powerlink to and it wasn't there! Yay again! I was planning on cleaning my bike post ride so you can only imagine what my drivetrain was looking like.... Yikes! Just before I was about to go to town on the grease fest and fiddle a link in, two riders came over the hill from where I was standing. "Are you alright"? they asked. "Nope, I just blew my chain apart" I replied. Then they offered a powerlink for me to have! I already forget their names (insert poor memory with names). I have often helped cyclists on the road or trails that needed a spare tube, co2, or even just a extra hand to fix something. Never have I ever really needed a hand with anything over the years riding until Friday afternoon. I am very glad that I was able to finish my MTB ride on a gorgeous day and it goes to show that what goes around, comes around.

Trek Toronto Canada Cup #3 Hardwood Hills Ont.

Last weekend was the Trek Toronto Canada Cup held at Hardwood Hills just north of Barrie. On Saturday we (my teammates and myself) had a "come ride with the team" day and we had a fantastic turnout! It was really motivating to ride with the next wave of up and coming cyclists! We did a little "meet and greet" in between the two ride times and signed a few pro cards and team posters. It is always a good feeling when you see little talented cyclists looking up to you and aspiring to one day be racing competitively.

The weather on the weekend was hot, dry and extremely dusty. We had a full men's field chomping on the bit to go giver for the third weekend in a row. I had a decent start and hit the first singletrack somewhere in the top ten. Hardwood is a hard place to race if you are not from Ontario and it is very easy to blow up really fast. I tried to make sure that I paced myself well and hoped that I would be able to maintain my momentum and keep my average speed up. I got in a train with two of my other team members (Adam and Peter) and we hammered together for almost 4 laps! Each of us taking solid pulls on the front. Near the end of the 4th lap Adam and Peter were attacking hard and I wasn't able to up the pace with them. I was racing at a consistent pace and couldn't up the pace to join them. I rode the last lap with the boys just in sight and did the last lap in no-man's land. I ended up finishing in 7th place with a Mechanical free race. The last two weekends I had some bad luck and my goal for today was to have a clean race with nothing going wrong and I did. I didn't have the snap in my legs that I had last weekend but still it was a solid ride. Everyone else on the team had very good days out, Adam 4th, Peter 5th and Mical 2nd.

A BIG THANKS TO TREK TORONTO FOR A GREAT WEEKEND!

Probably should update this thing......

Canada Cup #2 Mont Tremblant Quebec. We had 5 laps of a very similar course to what it has been for the last few years. The weather was great! (hot and sunny). I knew that I felt pretty good in my warmup and after having some bad luck at Baie Saint Paul last weekend I was hoping for a clean mechanical free day and the only worry in my mind was flat tires. I made it 4.6 of 5 laps before I ripped my front tire open. I was in a very solid top 5 position and had a very good chance to be top 3. I was gassing it really hard on the last lap emptying the tank on the final climb before we hit the nasty decent onto the bike path and then into the village. Starting the decent I came up on a group of riders (being lapped) and some of them had a hard time understanding that I am lapping you and that you need to get out of my way. When a pro rider is lapping you that means they are going a substantial amount faster and that by not moving out of the way you will be costing them time, placings, UCI points and of course some cash. It usually works out for the best of both riders (the lapped and lapper) to just move. Now there is always certain situations where you cannot pull slightly out of the way but that is very rare. Some pro's are much more agressive than others and holding a rider that is lapping you up could possibly work out not so well for both party's. Some of the top Pro Men will be passing you no matter where on the course they are and if you let them or not, they are going by you. Another great situation is when you are passing a group of racers (being lapped) (and for example a group of 4) the first 3 in the group move out of the way as soon as they hear "pro rider" being called out, the person at the back of the group decides to take the opportunity to get passed 3 more riders and pass them! What they don't realize ( not sure how they don't) but they are being lapped too! It gets really good when you get the classic " I am racing too" or how about a few "F offs"? I received both of those comments on Saturday and they could of easily been avoided by just pulling out of they way! When I personally approach a lapped racer I call "pro rider". And on that call you should move. If not you get another "pro rider lapping you, please move". If the racer is still infront of me after two pretty obvious calls to pass I am not warning you anymore and I am going to come by. I will call either "on your left" or "on your right" as I am going to pass you.

I was held up on Saturday by a rider that I for sure knows how this situation goes! I called out to pass more than I should have and I got desperate to get by and with no racer in their category anywhere in sight of them, they didn't move so I took the pass. I flatted and had to run the whole decent to the tech zone where I lost 11 placings, UCI points and money. Anyways enough of a of a rant here, but it is very frustrating when racers still do not understand this topic.

I couldn't believe what my ears were hearing!

Peter Glassford ate a MUFFIN!!! Not just any muffin, BUT a Massive COSTCO muffin! I also witnessed a rather Large McFlurry be crushed too...!!!

Right, moving along then. We are in the Mont Tremblant region and there is a solid network of bike paths and MTB trails to be explored. I started today off with a "easy" cruise to the hill (via the amazing bike paths) a climb to the top of Mont Tremblant, followed by a few laps on a surprisingly dry course and finished with some more bike path cruising home. Sorry Forgot to mention my 4 blend cereal bowl and apple crumble muffin (thanks conti breakfast).

Yesterday I managed to stretch and foam roll followed by an icing session of the sore hip from Sunday. We (Peter G, Matt F and Myself) hiked to the top of one of the peaks north of Baie Saint Paul and were treated to some stellar views of one of the most beautiful areas in the east.

Canada Cup #1 Baie Saint Paul Quebec

Yesterday was The first Canada Cup in a block of three Canada Cups. Baie Saint Paul is one of the nicest towns in Eastern Quebec, it truly is what comes to mind when I think of the Province of Quebec. The Course is great! much like something you would ride on the west coast.
I had a pretty good start staying in the front group for the first lap. I rode the second lap mostly solo always still in sight of the leaders. Starting the third lap, crossing one of the only bridges on the course I somehow managed to ram my hip/quad into the handrail as I was entering the bridge. It was a minor setback as my quad was charley horsing like no tomorrow. I managed to kind of push through it as best that I could. It hurt, but the thought of not finishing because of something silly outweighed that. I gave'er and with a hungry group of talented fast racers behind me, I only lost a few placings.
I will be spending the week in Quebec (not too sure exactly where yet) and I plan on seeing and doing as much as possible before we race yet again next weekend in Mont Tremblant.

Whats The Date Again?

May 12th!!!. Hard to believe that the first Canada Cup is about to kick off this weekend in Beautiful Baie Saint Paul Quebec. Time is motoring by faster then I actually realized. I kind of forgot the last time I updated my blog was 2.5 weeks ago!. I have been busy logging many hours on the bike and even more hours planning some things coming up and burning far to much time sitting on my butt working on my computer (in my opinion, really anytime on my butt is too much time). The weather has been holding up and I have really just made my "on the fly" training program very heavily dependent on what the skies are saying. I have been working on a few photo Projects that I have on the go. Um so ya, if I don't have anything that interesting to write about, I prefer not to just write a bunch of jibber jabber. So peace out.

I have been sorting through files and files of older photos and came across one of my all time favorites.

O-Cup #1 Mansfield Ont.

The Ontario Cup Mountain Bike circuit is never short on some guys with some serious horsepower on the start line. Today the field included, but definitely was not limited to, my two teammates A.Morka and P.Glassford ( who are both riding super strong this season), Raph Gagne( Quebec's top Mountain biker and one fast dude), Cam Jette ( who also is riding really strong this season), then you have other strong men like M. Garrigan or Ryan Atkins who both could be a serious threat at the front.

The course was one of the best I have ever raced at Mansfield, it was fast and had great flow. The weather looked like rain but nobody actually got wet... We (Trek Canada) controlled the race right from the start with Adam taking a good pull on the first lap, weaning our group down to 7 racers. On the 2nd and 3rd lap I did the work at the front, trying to keep a good pace and our speed high. On the 4th lap Peter went to the front and like the tempo monster he is put in a very solid effort. Just after the longer climb starting the 5th lap I went back to the front and put in a bit of an attach with only Raphael staying with me. We jammed hard and had many people to pass. On one of the last pieces of singletrack I has a little washout from a sandy corner and Raph snuck by me. I Knew that in the last 1.5km of the course that If I was going to win, I needed to be infront. I chased super hard but Raph was attaching me with full force! Coming into the last bit on the course is where it is won here, Raph was out front and I tried to get back, but I was pretty gassed. I Finished 2nd only a few seconds behind him, with Peter taking 3rd not far back from me. Cam had a solid day finishing 4th and Adam rolling in 5th (note: on the drive home from sea otter, adam got food poisoning from an apparent fast food chain with a "Jared" spokesperson). So all in all it was a good day out for sure, not quite the World Cup that was in England, but still a pretty fun day of racing!

Well That's a Wrap...

It's Sunday night, 9pm here in Monterey California. I am at the Sea Otter Classic and the cross country was today. Temps were good and the course fun. I had a decent start hitting the first singletrack section in the top 15 ish. There was ton's of passing on this course and I wasn't to worried about moving up through the race. There were only two rock sections on the course (hardly even that) and somehow I managed to flat on the second lap in the first of two mini rock piles. I did a quick fix, through a tube in and got going again. Pinned it for another lap and about halfway through the 3rd lap I managed to flat again! This time it was out in the middle of a double track section! Nothing even around to blame! Fixed the flat yet again, this time only slightly slower than the first tire fix. I got back riding and as I came out to go onto my fourth lap I decided that I was way to far back to make up anytime and get back into the race. I did the "go or no go" and I chose "no go". I went out and did a few hrs on some nice roads instead. Anyways hopefully since I had two flats today that will make up for any other flats that I would maybe of gotten later in the season(fingers crossed). There is really no point dwelling on something that is mostly out of my control, all I can do is look forward to what's coming next. On that note it is still always a bit frustrating knowing that I am fit and that I would of probably done well today.
Next up? A 3am rise n' shine to hit the San Fran airport for my 745am flight back home.

Sea Otter Classic

We (Mical, Peter, Fred and I) are at the Sea Otter Classic. We arrived here Thursday afternoon and are staying at a very cool local Ranch. Laguna Seca is literally in plain sight of our guest house. The weather really couldn't get any better (20 degrees and sunny). The XC course is much different then it has been in the past, it is basically a short lap of around 5km and really doesn't leave very far from the Pit area. Which is good because it makes it way more spectator friendly and exciting for the thousands of fans that are out here to watch us battle it out. The expo area is as BIG and complete as I think I have ever seen it, with a bunch of really cool products coming down the pipe. We are racing the short track at 3:15pm Saturday (tomorrow) and the XC at 2:00pm on Sunday. The start list is a impressive one with many of the top racers from around the globe here to compete.

Home Sweet Home..... Sort of.

In Brooklin, have been for a week now. It does feel pretty good to be back in Canada where I can't stream online tv, where I have to pay double the price of gas but I get to play "roll up the rim". The weather the first week was pretty good, I must of brought some nice Sunshine back with me from Cali. I did 15hrs of Mountain Biking on my sick Trek 8500 in the first 4 days that I was home! It is such a fun bike to ride. I (we, peter and matt) left Fontana sunday night and made it to the bright city of Vegas that night. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were same old cross country driving, Boring and uneventful. I made it back to Brooklin late Wed night. I slept forever thursday, still made ti out for a 4hr mtb ride on my local trails, which were surprisingly dry. I went up to Collingwood for a couple days and did a few more BIG rides up and down the Escarpment. Fast forward to tues, which was 5hrs 15min in the pouring rain... yay so much for the nice weather. Yesterday (wednesday) it was the same as tuesday only slightly cooler and I decided I was going to maybe give the rollers a whirl. 3hrs on them was good and bad and I had 90 min of tempo prescribed for the day, which once I got going felt pretty good. Doing anything on the rollers is hard, you have nowhere to hide, no stop signs, no down hills, no coasting or even hills to jam up. It is just sit and pedal... I am headed back down to the Sea Otter next Wed and I am super excited that the organizer has finally changed the pro course to a more spectator friendly venue.

Anyways here is a few images from my suffer fest on the rollers..