Nationals - a loooong drive but worth it!!

So.... making the drive out the St Felicien Quebec (3+hrs north of Trois Rivieres) takes some real committment... not only to the racing but to the drive!!!  But I had a great trip out with Zach Tatem Mechanical Master (check out his mobile bike repair company at Bicycle Repair Company) and made it there in just under 10hrs.... it's amazing how tired you can get from sitting around in a car!!
After settling into our Multiple Trek Canada Rooms, it was Friday and time to do a few laps on the course... a course that I have raced twice before and have always really enjoyed... quite possibly the best course I have raced..... and it was even better this year!!!
Awesome features, tough climbs, sketchy downhill chutes..... so much fun!!!  And as far as I could tell... all the Big Dog from previous Nationals were in attendance.... making for a real show down!!
Friday afternoon added another competitor to the race - Mother Nature.  She dropped a whole lot of rain on the course Friday evening and overnight, and it didn't let up for the Elite Women's race on Saturday morning.... or even the Elite Men's race in the afternoon.  Super Shout Out to the other Trek Canada racers for their performances - check them out at our Team Webpage at www.trekcanada.ca
The rain came down so hard on Saturday night before my race day that we lost power in the hotel.... gonna be fun!!

Once race time arrived, the rain had stopped, but the damage had been done.  A lot of slick and sticky mud would make it a great battle, and we were off for the starting charge up the long gravel climb of the start loop.  I knew that Rob would want to lead this out, and he was followed by Eric Jobin (usual battle partner) and Brian McKewon from New Brunswick who I have battled with before.  I was 4th wheel as we started the first lap, and noticed a small gap starting to form to Rob, so I jumped up to him and looked back to see that no-one else had bridged across.
Rob and Barnes... pretty common place...

We exchanged the lead a couple times, and knew that I would have to dig deep to stay with Rob on the long singletrack climb since he typically as more seated power than I do.  The first time up though wasn't that bad... and I was happy about that!!!  We swapped the lead a few more times before I took over at the start of the 2nd lap and made an effort to keep the pace high and maybe force some errors.  I went pretty good up the single track climb, and noticed that I couldn't hear Rob's breathing when I got to the double track at the top.  A quick glance back showed a gap of about 10 bike lengths, so I took Emily Batty's advice and used that double track to throw an attack to break away.  It was earlier in the race than I had hoped for ... but if Rob was having a bad day, then I had to take advantage of it!!

I finished the 2nd lap of 5 with a 30sec lead, and focused on riding smooth in the singletrack to avoid mistakes and putting as many people between us on the double track.  With a lap to go, my lead was almost 2min, and I realized that it was my race to lose.  I just had to keep it upright and with air in the tires.  It's a nice feeling to have a gap at the end knowing that the "Real" work was put in a few laps ago, so I continued to be aggressive on the doubletrack and flowed the trees nice and smooth....
Came across the line with a 2min lead for another National Championships.... over a local rider and McKewan in 3rd.... Rob really did have a tough day finishing 4th.

Happy to have conquered the mud, rocks, hills and competition.... and thankful for all those who help me get there.  Amazing sponsors like Trek Bicycle Store, Hammer Nutrition, ESI Grips and Bontrager, a great wife and kids who yell at me while I race (I could almost here them 10hrs away!!) and a great Team of racers who take care of each other even when we can't be together.... Makes for an amazing Trek Canada Team!!!

Bling Bling....

So... I made the final stop at the Trek Store Toronto before heading off to Nationals in Quebec... and was treated to not only a tuned up Superfly.... but also an Upgrade!!!

It looks like James has been watching "Pimp My Ride" .... and threw some wicked decals on my Rock Shox SID to match the High Viz on the rest of my bike.... SWEEEEET!!

The added colour is good for At Least 30sec faster per lap....

Albion OCup Ouch!!

The OCup series returned to Albion Hills after a few years off.... and it was another great day for racing.... and a tough course for all!!  The famous Green Monster has returned to bite our legs... followed by the Wall of Pain to cramp our backs and 2-step finishing hill to really make sure you're beaten up before starting the lap all over again!!!

A much better start this race... and gap was created with Rob and I very early.... but this time  we had company!!!  A strong CX and road rider was stuck to our wheels... and was able to bridge back up on the climbs after we created a gap in the trees...

I did my best to control the pace of the race.... take charge of the singletrack, hills and double track... but some lapped riders started to play with my Real Estate of Attacks.... and we were a group of 3 heading into the final lap...

On the 2nd last piece of single track - a smooth, flowing downhill in the big pine trees - I tried to come up with a plan to stay as lead wheel going into the very end and try to squeeze out a finishing sprint win...

"OK Barnes.... on the last climb, the left side is the smooth side, so lock out the fork, go hard up the left, force them to pass on the rough side and stand all the way to the singletrack...."

Or so that WAS the plan... because halfway through my thought process, I was interrupted by a tree saying "Hey... you're not paying attention, I think I'll grab your handlebar and throw you on the ground...."

Clip... Whoa... Thump.... Urgghhh..... followed by "Yeah, I'm OK guys..."

But my bike has some twisted handlebars and a warped front wheel.... good enough to twist back and roll carefully to the finish... but a good reminder to Focus Focus Focus like Barry always says.....

The Boys were back at it again.... with a tough start staring them in the face and a really fast, high speed course to power through....

Great day for Luke finishing up in his usual 6th spot, but closer to the racer in front of him...

Great day for Jake finishing up in 8th and making it through a ride WITHOUT crashing!!!  (Unlike his daddy...)

Creating Monsters!!!

After making the drive to Hardwood for 2 years... They finally talked me into making the drive and Coaching while I am at Hardwood... So glad they did!!  

I spend my time with the Bronze Race Crew from THT and love it!!  The kids are so much fun to be with... So excited to ride their bikes and learning so much.... It's great to be a part of the Group. 

With Hardwood being closed for the PanAm race Sunday (Go Emily!!) we spent our weekly training day at the Copand Forest... Great trails and great times... As long as you could out-ride the Mosquitos!!!  

Hardwood Slip 'n Slide!!

Hardwood Hills... a place that I have typically really enjoyed racing at and have done pretty well at... was the next stop on the CCup Circuit, and it was a great course.  Long and tough... tons of power climbs rewarded with fast descents, groomed singletrack and tough features.... and threatening skies to make it all that much more fun!!!

The day started off with some sprinkles of rain and humidity high enough to guarantee there would be no drying out of the course... so it was time to throw on the XR2's for added traction and insurance in the trees....

After a HORRIBLE start ... "Go.... Barnes is in too big a gear, Barnes bumps shoulders with the guy beside him,  Barnes has to put his foot back down, Barnes finally finds his pedal, Barnes is in 12th spot at the top of the first climb, Barnes has to burn a Match to catch back up to the lead wheels and a chance to make up for my stupid-ness...."

Rob and I were back and forth for a lot of the race... and I tried to take as much control as I could.... and found myself waiting patiently behind him, waiting for my chance to take the lead and try to get a gap... so that is what I did going up the Feed Zone Climb at the start of my 3rd lap.... got a small gap going into Big Z and was just focused on putting people between us...

 When the Real Rain hit, and the dirt turned into grease and I knew that it was to my advantage... evening out Rob's greater power and allowing me to continue to build my lead....
From that point on... it was time to push as hard as my tires would let me and keep it upright in the trees..... and I crossed the line muddy and happy... 2 W's in 2 Weeks!!!

The Kids had some good races in the morning also, and had to make up for some bad starts as well!!!  Chasing is never an easy thing, but Luke worked his way back up to 6th spot and Jake found himself finishing 8th overall.  As tough as those starting climbs are for the Adults... it's even tougher watching those kids push their bikes up them!!!  Great work all around by THT - representing well on our Home Soil!!

Can't wait to see the PanAm Athletes battle it out on the same course..

Horseshoe CCup Hammer Fest!!

The first of a  Back to Back Canada Cup weekend started at Horseshoe Valley resort... and after last year's Mud Fest - it was great to see the sun shining and blue sky!!  We started the weekend with a Team Photo Shoot.... always fun trying to get all of us to smile at the same time!!

I have been working on my starts so that I don't have to use a Match to get back onto the faster starters, and was able to start clean and fast - and on the front set of wheels.
As we (Rob and I) started rolling, it was clear that we had broken away from the others fairly quickly and that it would be another battle of 2...

I decided that I wanted to take charge a bit more in the races - setting the pace, picking the lines and being in charge of passing lapped riders.... so I did my best to stay at the front and keep the foot on the gas.
I felt really good and put in a bunch of charges to test my legs, and knew that it would come down to a battle for the beginning of the final singletrack at the top of the long road climb.... but it would not come to that.

 Rob clipped something and flatted... giving me an uncontested ride to the end.  Thinking of Hardwood's race next weekend..... it doesn't mean that I could slow down at all, so I kept pushing hard and chasing anyone that I could see ahead of me.  I caught all but 1 of that Master 30-39 racers that started 2min ahead of us, and a great confidence boost going into some big races.
Now I just need to make sure that I eat properly and get some sleep during the 4 days in Montreal / Ottawa with the 120 Gr 8's that I'll be spending the next 4 days with!!!

The kids also had a great morning for a race, and we have been working hard on fitness, skill and race strategy.  Luke rode really well and pushed to keep up with the leaders, finishing a strong 6th place.

Jake made a come-back from his slow start to work up to 6th as well.  It's great to see the Boys (and the rest of the Hardwood Crew) ripping it up on the trails.  I'm loving coaching them and see everyone improve in their own ways.....

You don't have to be the best - you just need to always try your best!!!