Just got back from what is so far my biggest race of the year... Tremblant's Canada Cup. It has been 5 years since i raced Tremblant... and things have definately changed. Many of the really rough, rocky sections that i remember struggling through have been filled in with gravel or had lots of the rocks taken out, so it made for much faster riding in some sections. But the downhill has changed since 5 years ago, and it was pretty wild. Another major change was getting to play in the AquaDome with the kids before and after the race... not really a "Pro" thing to do... but definately fun!!! So after some traditional Quebec Hospitality, i was able to weasle my way up to the second row at the start, and marked the top 4 that were called up from Baie St. Paul the previous weekend.... "Don't let them get away, Barnes." So off we go.... really hard.
I dropped back from about 5th wheel to about 15th in the matter of a minute, but once we got to the feed zone, everyone backed way off, so i kept my pace and found myself in 2nd at the singletrack. Rode with the leader for a bit and then jumped ahead before a tricky section of bridge / rocks to try and get a gap, which i did. So it was half a lap in, i had the lead and was feeling pretty comfortable... until a Quebec rider caught me and pulled through. "Hmmmm.... he must be fast in the singletrack so i'll ride his wheel until the village and then jump him...." Not so fast in the singletrack.... and not much of a draft on the bike path since he was sitting on a lapped rider from the previous group. "Have a rest, drink and take him in the village Barnes...." so when i pulled through, i pulled through pretty hard. I got a nice gap and then kept riding a hard and comfortable pace that i knew i could hold. Had a bit of a panic attack in the 2nd lap when i crashed pretty good on the downhill.... cut my knee and scraped my arm... but the first thing i checked was the bike.
"You can heal, Barnes.... but the bike needs to stay in one piece...." Phew.... Came out of the downhill the last time very fast and hammered the bike path... a nice way to finish a hard race, up through the village with all the spectators. I finished in just over 1:30, so we probably could have done 1 more lap, but overall i was quite happy with how i rode the rocks, steep hills and tough descents.
Next week it's off the Hardwood Hills... one of my favourite places to ride so i'm hoping for another good finish at my sponsor's main event. Now i just need some time to let my knee heal and some sleep.... travelling with the wife and kids is great... but the Luke and Jake were too excited to sleep past 6am....
I dropped back from about 5th wheel to about 15th in the matter of a minute, but once we got to the feed zone, everyone backed way off, so i kept my pace and found myself in 2nd at the singletrack. Rode with the leader for a bit and then jumped ahead before a tricky section of bridge / rocks to try and get a gap, which i did. So it was half a lap in, i had the lead and was feeling pretty comfortable... until a Quebec rider caught me and pulled through. "Hmmmm.... he must be fast in the singletrack so i'll ride his wheel until the village and then jump him...." Not so fast in the singletrack.... and not much of a draft on the bike path since he was sitting on a lapped rider from the previous group. "Have a rest, drink and take him in the village Barnes...." so when i pulled through, i pulled through pretty hard. I got a nice gap and then kept riding a hard and comfortable pace that i knew i could hold. Had a bit of a panic attack in the 2nd lap when i crashed pretty good on the downhill.... cut my knee and scraped my arm... but the first thing i checked was the bike. 
"You can heal, Barnes.... but the bike needs to stay in one piece...." Phew.... Came out of the downhill the last time very fast and hammered the bike path... a nice way to finish a hard race, up through the village with all the spectators. I finished in just over 1:30, so we probably could have done 1 more lap, but overall i was quite happy with how i rode the rocks, steep hills and tough descents.
Next week it's off the Hardwood Hills... one of my favourite places to ride so i'm hoping for another good finish at my sponsor's main event. Now i just need some time to let my knee heal and some sleep.... travelling with the wife and kids is great... but the Luke and Jake were too excited to sleep past 6am....
But i was greeted with smiling faces and hugs from Barry Near, Emily Batty and Adam Morka... a great day for all of us, and a great way to spend my birthday.... and Happy Mother's Day to Sue!! The Trek Toronto Race Team finished with 7 or 8 podium placings... WOW!!!
So day of rest, some hours of bike cleaning and a good weekend of training has prepared me for Canada Cup #2 (#1 for me) in Mont Tremblant... should be a fun weekend away with the family and a great place to race. Check back in a week for the report from Tremblant....
