Wildcat roubaix

Wildcat Roubaix was a very difficult 50km race consisting of close to 18% grade gravel hills & plenty of other difficult rollers.

Dallas Morris hosted a great event that turned out to be an incredible sufferfest for all who participated.

It was a group start for the open A/B Men/Women as the total field was only around 40. Great turnout for the first race!

A lead break away quickly formed at the first climb which happened to be the KOM consisting of Shawn Bunnin, Troy H & 2 other strong riders.

I raced tempo with Top Gear teammate Craig Fraser along with Speed theory Trev W. & Synergy's Mark M. & other fellow riders to try & bridge the gap. I was able to latch onto an independent rider trying to bridge to the breakaway & we were able to bridge starting the final lap. I wasn't able to recover quickly enough at the back of the group & with rollers ahead got dropped by the now 5 man breakaway.

Ended up working well with Trev W. & Craig D. all the way up to the final big hill.

Trev gapped me near the peak but I was able to close it down near the top & nipped him in a sprint finish.

6th overall no ABA points but this race helped set the tone for the beginning of 2011.

Thanks to Dallas & all the volunteers for making this race happen!

Quotes From Cavendish

Passion was the difference between riding at 100 percent & 110 percent. Passion allowed you to suffer through pain. Passion was emotion, not science; racing, not performance. Passion was what separated me and dozens of more talented lads whom I was beating and would continue to beat.

I had two things he couldn't plot on a graph: passion & ability to suffer. To me, there was no limit. There was no universal rule of cycling except that the bloke who rode faster won the race.

Time To Step It up in JB's absence

Over the weekend athletes & friends of Jon's wished him the best as he embarks on his Olympic journey. He heads off to Maui for a 3 week training program & will continue his training at the NTC in Victoria.

Jon & I met about 3-4 years ago when I needed some swim guidance. I contacted him & he suggested I come out for a few sessions to work on my swim technique. From that point we developed a training/coaching/mentorship relationship that has become a strong & valuable friendship.

We also took an a very challenging goal of riding our bikes from Penticton To San Diego with a month deadline to complete. This is the type of trip you remember for the rest of your life. A trip that pushed us to the limits physically & mentally but ultimately this has led to a better understanding of eachother & in turn a stronger compatibility as friends & athletes.

I wish him the best in his endeavors to compete with the best triathletes in the world.

In his absence I strive to pick up my level of motivation & intensity that the Birdman brought to every coaching session & training ride.

Onwards & upwards trying to stay injury & illness free as race season slowly approaches!

xmas is upon us

found an interesting quote today that holds some value when your aspirations take a temporary tail spin.

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all." Dale Carnegie

Power test went very well the other day achieved a PB & am excited to see what additional fitness can be generated between now & race season.

enjoy the holidays!

Riders Making It Happen In Canada!

Training away laying those base miles consistently. Got a power test on Monday with the Birdman so it will good to see where I'm at.

I'm pumped to announce joining Calgary Cycle's Top Gear roster for 2011! The team has great leadership & has recently announced some substantial roster additions like Chris Mcneil & Mark Mcdonald formerly with H&R Block cycling now with Top Gear. The direction of the team is clear & I intend on applying all my efforts on following that direction.

Congratulations to Lachlan Holmes for making the 2011 H&R Block elite cycling team. I trained with this guy & he is super strong on pulling away on hills. A humble rider & I wish him the best.

Another congrats goes out to Jamie Sparling getting a pro contract with Team Raleigh for 2011. This guy is gonna do some great things for Canada in the near future.

Consistency

Off season consistency is something I have struggled with in the past.

Besides being sick this past week I have been able to get 2-4 rides per week in which is what I'm aiming for rolling into the off season.

When the white powder starts falling down on Alberta it will be the focus to keep the mileage up in the winter months so that I can continue with progressing towards a strong base build for 2011

Cross Season & Off Season Plans

Been an interesting past 4 weeks as training has been minimal at best due to the hematoma that hasn't yet completely diminished.

I also happened to cut open my hand the other day with a window scraper which required 4 stitches which meant no cross bike riding for a week unless I wanted the wound to re-open.

I am excited to get on the cross bike for mid week mayhem & potentially race a few ABA races before cross season is over. I don't know how competitive I can be in the Sport category (where I will start) with pretty much a 4 week injury hiatus but I will try to work back into it.

This off season will be a mixture of Base Training with Coach/Triathlete Jon Bird's ETS Cycling class at the talisman centre 3 days a week where the primary focus will be building fitness & lowering the heart rate over the off season.


I have some lofty goals in 2011 & I want to note them now.

1) Become Eligible for Cat 3 racing early season
2) Win a race (Time Trial, Crit or Road Race)
3)3 Top 5 finishes

4) The loftiest of them all is attempting to acquire enough ABA points to become eligible for Cat 1/2 before the end of the 2011 season.

A lot of hard work ahead.