Here we go ... again....

So it's hard to believe that the "rest" period of my season has ended so quickly. I took a couple weeks off the bike... still did some active stuff with the kids and at school but no official training. So here's the story of my first REAL training ride... i head out to the forest with Emily Batty for a couple hours of mountain biking... turned out to be the last ride in the forest before the snow fell. I go into the forest feeling good and looking nice in my white and red Trek Store coat... but come out feeling banged up with a whole lot of dirt on my clothes. "Who's the old guy riding with Emily that keeps falling? He should just get out of her way...".... yeah... 3 crashed later we get out of the trees and head home. Training has started pretty well... had a bit of a sore knee for a week or so, but i've stretched that out and am fine now. Just building base hours and will start serious training for next year come January. So for now... i just want to brag that i will have the coolest bike in the world next year... "So Barry... what bike am i riding next year?" .... "Well Jon, you did pretty well last year so i guess i have to upgrade you to the Fuel 9.9"... "Sweeeeeeetttt"....

I hope i get all the crashes out of my system in the winter..... Time to get the cold clothes out of the closet and get used to a 15min dressing procedure before actual training.... or spending hours in the basement watching re-runs of Lance Armstrong's Big 6.... oh well... it's better than getting fat....

Another Sad Ending...

So this is an unexpected post about another sad ending.... the life of a colleague and friend from West Hill PS where i work..... On friday Brent Trick passed away at the young age of 29.... too early by anyone's standards. It was a very hard day for teachers and students alike... and this week promises to be the same. You will be missed by all of us Brent....

The end of a good run....

So now it's over... all those months of preparing, training, eating well, sleeping (never enough) travelling and racing have come to a close... but i can't be upset with how things played out this year. The last 2 'cross races of the year were pretty good ones... although i never REALLY got into 'cross this year. Finished with a strong 3rd place at Hardwood... and a good suffering at Provincials. Had to make the trip to Ottawa for the final race... spent some time with the relatives and friends... and raced at Mooney's Bay. Tough course.... good competition.... skipping gears.... bad choice. Was riding well in 3rd half way through until i got caught again by Derek... rode his wheel and tried to ride the run-up hill (i did it every other time.....) but of course i slip out, stumble off the bike and lose the wheel... never to be re-gained again. Like i said... can't be upset about 4th on the day and 3rd in the Province. So now i look ahead to a few weeks off and active recovery before starting to build again for next year. Plans for the upcoming season? If my wife had her way... i'd sell all my bikes, give up on racing and use the money to hire a 21 year old Scandanavian massage therapist for daily treatments.... but i think i'll just keep racing. Quebec races? Yes.... Nationals in Canmore? Yes.... All the O'Cups? Yes..... Head to the US for a NACS Race? I hope so..... Crank the Shield? Hmmmm.... that could be fun.... But for now i just need some rest, some time with my kids and wife... and a few extra cookies to satisfy my inner demon....

UCI 'Cross Race

okay... so sometime soon i need to start having some GOOD luck with 'cross this year... because the UCI race at centennial park was another bad luck race. I felt really sick on the thursday before the race... "Don't think that you're racing on saturday after being sick a few days ago"... "Yes dear".... so i missed saturday which is more my style of race. Sunday goes on a nice day and a pretty good start... well 300m... until there's a crash around a blind high speed corner which catches a lot of us... get my bars tangled with someone else and then start again in 2nd last spot and a long ways back... but i was feeling good so i started working with Paul Green to catch up... got up to 7th and could see 5th and 6th coming back to me pretty quick... Not sure if i blinked, stopped thinking or a few brain synapses failed.... "ok Barnes... still gaining on them, should have them with 1 to go" WHAM.... "Hey... why is my bike way up there and i'm laying on the ground? What's wrong with my rear shifter? I guess i'm running single speed now".... so i got caught again by Dermont and Green... but finished okay in 9th spot... Good news is i felt really good for the race... Bad news is that i still can't find a rear shifter and had to go flat-bar MTB style for the next couple races. Feeling pretty good right now getting ready for Barrie and then Provs in Ottawa... time to give Peter Mogg a run for his money :)....

My Alter Ego...

"Bunny Man".... as i'm known to thousands of school kids from the east end of Toronto.... and it's tons of fun!!! I've been "Rabbiting" for the last few years.... building from just being the-guy-on-the-bike to the-guy-on-the-bike-with-bunny-ears.... and now to the full pink fuzzy bunny suit.... The little kids go nuts for it, the intermediates just smirk and nod... and strangely enough the grades 4-6's are the ones with comments about roasting me, cooking me, cutting off my lucky feet and pulling off my tail.... whatever makes them run faster... Fun times for everyone...

Bad Bike Gods... Good Bike Racers

So you know those times on the bike or in a race when things just don't go your way? It happens to all of us... and it happened to me... but there is a good side. Did the Durham Classic 'Cross race last weekend.... less than a 10min drive from my house. Get out there nice and early to have a good warm up since i was sick for most of the week and just wanted some intensity. And then... i stripped the valve extender i needed to inflate my tires.... "can i borrow one from someone else"... can't find one.... "why don't i just put a new tube in?" ... forgot them at home... "can i trade a tube for one that will work?"... thanks to Nathan Chown for swapping with me... "OK... a short warm up but that's okay"..... and we're off!!! Almost crash hopping over a pothole on the gravel road start but settle in behind Dave Dermont for a lap and then pull through when i start to feel good... "Hey.. i have a bit of a gap"... "hey... i have more of a gap".... "Hey... i have a flat tire!!!!" ..... darn those rocks hidden in deep puddles... "Dave, do you have a wheel i can borrow?"... no luck.... so i keep running for most of the lap... until Jonathan Wilby goes by... "Hey Barnes... i have a set of Mavics in the pits you can borrow"... my eyes see the light at the end of the tunnel.... and i work my way back to 5th place... not bad considering being sick and the long run. So i stick around for the awards (FREE BEER!!!) and end up with a nice pair of PI carbon road shoes as a draw prize.... sweet.... So overall not the worst day of cycling. Now it's time to get ready for the UCI race at Centennial Park... should be fast!!!

Cyclo-cross (eyed...)

So now that the MTB season is done... and i've had a little time to rest... it's 'cross season!!! i took the first few races off, but made it out to Guelph last weekend for my first... and always painful.. cross race of the year. I knew that it would hurt... and keep hurting... and i was right. The only good news is that i was able to start with Peter Mogg, Andrew Crouch and Ted Ingram... but only stayed with them for 2 of the 9 laps.... once they got a bit of a gap and started working together, i knew there was no pulling them back. It turned out to be a nice day, and i was pleased with my first shot at 'cross this season.... and i even won $10!!!! I know what i have to do to get back into shape for it... and those days with come with the help of a great group of riders on Tuesday nites.... hard rides that make racing easier. I have plans to do at least one race on Thanksgiving weekend before doing both at the Toronto Cyclocross weekend.... and then a few more before provincials in Ottawa. The fun never stops....

Ride for Karen - the numbers....

People always say that numbers don't lie... and here are the heartwarming numbers from this year's Ride for Karen. Riders involved - over 300. Distance ridden - 160km. Ride time - almost 6hrs. Money raised - over $200,000. Number of kids helped - infinate. It was a great day... sun shining, great atmosphere, and little wind... and of course far too many cookies and muffins at the start line to tempt us. I was marshalling the 30km/h group... and it really was more like the 35km/h group... I did my best to keep the pace under control, but we had some peole who just wanted to go harder... and that meant that i spent a lot of time bringing people back up to the group. But in the end, we all got there safely and with a few more friends than we started with. After a great presentation, some speeches and a slice of the $1million dollar cake, it was time to head home and hug my own kids.... glad that i can tell them the stories of my ride rather than having them benefit from our efforts. Glad to be part of it.... proud to have helped.... and humbled by what Kirk and Kris can do. Thanks to everyone who helped with their financial and emotional support. Check out the Ride for Karen link on the side for all the details and pics.

Ride for Karen

This coming weekend... September 13th... i'll be taking part in the annual Ride for Karen.... a charity ride created by friends and team-mates who lost their mother to cancer. It is a 160km ride that leaves from Maple Ontario and heads through some amazing roads... Proceeds from the ride go to help send kids with cancer to camps in the Muskokas... so they can just be kids again. In the last 9 years, the ride has collected nealy a million dollars and sent countless kids for a great summer experience. The link for Ride for Karen has all the info... and if you would be willing to sponsor me in this ride, it would be greatly appreciated. Sometimes we ride to get faster... sometimes to test ourselves.... and sometimes because it makes a difference... Secure on-ine donations to my efforts can be made at: http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=2324864

Provincials at Kelso

So i get a phone call AND an email from the Ontario Cycling Association on friday.... 2 days before provincials.... "Hey Jon... it's the OCA calling.... just wanted to remind you that as the National Champion for this year you are required to wear your National Champion's jersey this weekend at the race.... see you there.".... made me feel a little bit important that they were thinking of me... so instead of just wearing the jersey to bed.... i had to actually wear it to a race... although i didn't want to get it muddy... and the forcast did NOT look promising. But i strap on the Red and White on sunday for what turned out to be a nice day for racing... not too hot and the rain from saturday dried up nicely and left the course very fast. Feeling good in the corral before starting... i say to myself "So... who's going to go absolutely nuts up the long fireroad climb on the first lap? not me... that's for sure"... and sure enough it's Jason Everaert who definately brought his A Game for the entire day... he had a great ride and was pretty tough to shake off my wheel on the flat power course (which suits him over me)... but i was able to ride away after riding his wheel for the first lap and then leading him for the next lap.... i got a gap of 3:00 by the end. As always... i like to think that i'm still young and compare my lap times to the Elite Men.... and then add a couple minutes since they do an extra lap. Usually i'm just inside the top 15 for time... but Sunday i had a pretty good day and would have cracked the top 10... THEORETICALLY.... but it's nice to think that way sometimes!!!

So now it's time for a nice easy week... and back to school :(:(:(:(:(:(:(:( .... and then cranking it up fro cyclocross season... we already have a good group of fast guys for our weekly training rides... so they should be fun... and painful!!!

Tip of the hat to Eric Batty (fellow Trek Store rider) who was leading the Elite Men with less than half a lap to go.... before clipping a tree and going down HARD... nice whelts on his head, face and shoulder from that one.... but still finishing 3rd.... and to Peter Glassford who hung in their for a 2nd place finish... GO TEAM!!!

Cottage Training Camp

Got back a few days ago from a great 10 day vacation / training camp at the cottage in the Muskoka's... we had amazing weather and the riding up there is spectacular. There are so many long and beautiful loops that you can do on the road up there that you never get bored of the scenery... and 3hr rides go by very quickly. Aside from spending lots of great quality time on my bike preparing for Provincials this weekend.... the rest of my days were spend fishing, swimming, playing and enjoying my the family.... and we had Jake's 4th birday and Luke's 6th birthdays while we were away. Such a great trip that we really didn't want to come home... but 'tis life sometimes.

Funny story about how small the world can be.... so i finish my 3hr ride (which in itself deserves the Rolo Ice Cream bar that i ate) and pull into the marina to get some gas in the boat. I notice the pretty young girl behind the counter and quickly suck in my gut before pulling out my credit car to pay. She smiles at me, looks me up and down and says "Trek Store Toronto.... my boyfriend's uncle owns that store"... to which I promptly say in a deep, manly voice "Who's his uncle?".... "Barry Near".... so we continue chatting about the store and riding and Barry... and i slowly let out my gut because i realize that she only looked me up and down because she was reading my clothing... :(

Before i head into another race weekend... and a big one for me at that... i just wanted to throw out a big thanks to everyone at the races that cheer me on... i may not always look your directions or recognize your voice... but i do always hear you and it motivates me. Yet another great thing about the sport is that spectators encourage everyone... not just their friends or families... but also their friend's competitors because we are all in our little worlds of suffering and hearing someone call your name and tell you that you look strong.. even when you don't feel that way... makes it that much less painful. So thanks to those of you who come out to cheer and those of you who follow my efforts through this blog... it all makes my legs just a little bit stronger.

And speaking of encouragement.... a huge best wishes and "telepathic transference of strength" goes out to Emily Batty who is competing at the World Championships next week....

Give 'em hell Em...

Midland O'Cup

Another OCup down... and another good ride for me.... although my legs were feeling a bit "tender" after my CrossFit Run on friday... won't make that mistake again. I didn't get a chance to pre-ride the course... but it was basically the same as the Provincials Course from last year... a great one for me and my riding style... except for the first 400m. And in that first 400m which consisted of going from the bottom straight to the top of Mountainview Ski Resort, Jason Everaert went up that hill like he wanted to catcht the Pro Men.... man he went up it fast... but i bridged up by the time we hit the singletrack. I actually crashed 3 times in the first 1/2 lap... i was riding like a Minime Girl.... hitting every tree, rock and root out there..... When i finally settled myself down, Eric Jobin and i caught up to Jason and i rode with him for most of the lap. I had a pretty hard 2nd and 3rd lap and got a good gap, and finished feeling pretty good. The story of the day was the heat and humidity. They were saying on the Weather Network that the Humidex would take it to 40degees.... and i totally agree!!! I haven't sweated that much in a few years.... i've never had drips of sweat fall from my helmet while riding singletrack.... it was wild.... and even worse when we stopped. It took me a good 10min to put on my Podium Kit.... way too hot.... but the Rolo McFlurry went down REAL nice...

So i've changed my mind on the Marathon Race... turns out it would be a 2hr+ drive from the cottage.... not into a 10hr day just to do a long ride... i'll have better training riding with Eric Batty (fellow Trek Store Dude) on some of the amazing roads up in the Muskokas...

Branching out...

Time for O'Cup #6 this weekend... up to Midland and the Mountainview Resort.. last year's provincials site and a great course. It has lots of climbing, some really good singletrack and a real good challenge. I just finished a pretty good / hard 5 day block getting ready for it... now it's just time to recover. I'm tossing around doing the Marathon Race next weekend... leaves from somewhere near Bracebridge (perfect since we are already at the cottage) and wanders around Haliburton for 80km or so. Might also be a real nice piece of training before Provincials at the end of August.... hmmmm....

Or I'll save myself the tired legs, stay at the cottage and play trucks and fish....

Now I remember why I don't road race anymore....

Because it SUCKS!!!! ... okay.... only part of it sucked... well.... i guess i had some fun.... alright... it was still a good time. I decided to race road Provincials last weekend... and it would have been a tough course in dry conditions... but of course we had crazy weather and some wild lighting and heavy rain. With so many tight corners and downhill S-bend chicane right near the finish line... it made for some nervous riding for a while. Once it finally stopped raining and dried up a bit it was much more fun and i was feeling much more aggressive.... but the rain returned and i had no intentions of ending my mountain bike season with a crash in a road race. With 3 laps to go... and dry roads... i had the intentions (and the legs) to do some good hard work to get Steve Heck into a good spot for the final sprint.... but as the corners became wet again, Steve was on his own. And unfortunately he wasn't on his own sliding across the road in the S-bend.... went down hard into the curb and banged himself up pretty good. So i'm glad to have finished ON my bike and with some good training in my legs. I was only in the Red Zone once during the race and never found myself in difficulty. Glad the legs were there.... So since there is no pictures of the road race.... here is a few pics of my kids... aka the Schlek Brothers of the Future...

Jake at the start of his first "race" at Buckwallow...Luke leaning into the corners.... A really big fish we caught....

Buckwallow OCup

So after a quick rest at the cottage after Nationals, it was time to get ready for another race... Buckwallow's OCup in the beautiful Muskokas. Always a great course... and hopefully good weather.... will result in another good day. I did the weekly race on the OCup course the thursday before .... and it took me about 250m of going hard to realize that i wasn't yet recovered from Nationals... damn my Master legs... they don't recover quickly any more.... But i took a few easy days and had a nice short / hard ride the day before the race... and it took me 250m inot the race to realize that i was feeling again. The rest of the 'boys let me lead out most of the very long double track start..... but they never let me lead the first part of the single track!!! Rob Parniak came around and let myself and Eric Jobin for the first few sections of single track... i was very happy to sit in for a bit... before pulling my usual "I'll lead for a while Rob" trick. I created a bit of a gap in some the rocks and trees.... but they worked well together on the double track to catch me again.... but just seeing them close again gave me the ambition to go hard for a while. Once i got another gap... i just kept growing it.... finishing about 1:30 ahead of Rob who finished about 1:00 ahead of Eric. Buckwallow usually beats me up pretty good... but the worse part of me was my back... the power on the flat sections is always hard. I felt really good at the end of the race... and the days after. It was nice to have Sue and the kids there again... they both did the Kids Race just before i started... i'll post some pics when i get them off the camera.... so fun to watch and i can't wait until they are both racing in the Big Leagues... Now i've had a pretty nice week and a few hard bursts... and i think that i'll race Ontario Road Provincials... my first road race this year but it's a course that should be suited to me... lots of climbing!!! I'll let you know how it goes....

Just some of the power double track that hurts....

Finally a chance to sit up and stretch my back!!!

National's Pics...

A collection of the pics Mark took.... Heading up the switchback climb....

Just one of the cool rock collections in the "Velo Park"....

Halfway down the downhill section....

Exiting the fast downhill section....

I was on "Attack Mode" all day long....

Just a cool picture....

Nationals Report

Home once again from a VERY long drive to nationals this weekend... did the drive with Cindy Batty on thursday (12.5 hours of on the road / montreal traffic time) and then split the drive home after racing. As bad as the drive was... it was totally worth it!!! i've been racing for 14 year and all the time my favorite course has been Canmore... until i rode St. Feliciene.... man was it great. Some really tough climbs, fun descents, fast switchbacks and a few totally fun spots in the "Velo Park" with rock drops, berms and a waterfall!!! So i pre-rode with the rest of the Trek Store Crew on Friday... loved the course and then decided to feed everyone for their races on Saturday. Congrats to Emily (U23 Women's champ), Eric (8th Pro Men), Peter (10th Pro Men), Adam (11th Pro Men), Cam (2nd U23 Men) and Mical (4th Pro Women)... (a special thanks shout out to Mark Batty who stuck around to feed me, encourage me and keep me company on the long drive home... you're a great friend...) and yes congras go to me.... Master Expert Champ!!!! A very tough race to go fast on... as much fun as it was.... but Mathiew Bouche (who won Bromont's Canada Cup) was out like a shot up a very tough start loop climb. Even if i wanted to... i couldn't have ridden with him up that hill. So i settled into third for a few minutes and then jumped to second... not wanting Mathiew to get too much of a lead. After a lap he had 30sec on me... and for the rest of the race i heard either 30 or 40 seconds... a few spots he was better at, a few spots i was better at. So i decided that if i was going to catch him... i had to go like crazy on the 3rd lap and bridge it up to be able to ride with him / pressure him in the last lap. But as hard as i went.. i never really got closer.... but in the last lap where i was just trying to keep the same pace as the earlier laps... i think i was catching up a bit... until i caught him running his bike half way through the lap. Turns out he flatted his rear tire and didn't have anything to fix it. So i went like mad again to get a lead in case he was just looking for flat ground to fix it or had wheels in the pits.... and then was careful not to lose it all on the descent home. What a great feeling getting on that top step of the podium and putting on the Red and White jersey.... been dreaming of that for 14 years of racing.... funny to think now that i'm old... and still fast... it happened. What a race... what a trip.... and now we get to do it again for Buckwallow this weekend... only a 5 minute drive from my parent's place in Gravenhurst so that will be a nicer trip!!! Next post is just all pics... enjoy...

2 Days to go.....

So i'm sitting here with the batty's and the morka's... 2 days before i race nationals up here in St. Felicien.... and it's great. The course is amazing ... probably one of the best that i've ridden in 14 years.... and in perfect condition. They are calling for rain tomorrow afternoon... but it should hold up well even if it does get wet. Should be a great, hard race... and i'm sure there will be some fast guys to chase. Mark got my bike running nicely, my legs feel good, i love the course... and i should be nice and excited after watching the elite's race tomorrow. I'll let you know how things went when they are done...

Bromont C-Cup

Just got back from Bromont's Canada Cup.... and what a weekend it was. If you were anywhere near southern Ontario over the last week or so, you will know how much rain we got... and Quebec was not given any mercy either. Poured rain for the 4 or 5 days before the race... but was actually nice for race day... although more rain would have meant more traction. 90% of the course was the consistency of peanut butter.... 10% was gravel road (nice...) and the last 10% was the consistency of pudding... better but not good. So needless to say... it was a mud bath... and more of a running race than a riding race. I finished a nice block of hard training before heading out to Bromont as prep for Nationals this coming weekend... so my legs didn't have that much snap. After a bit of a slow start... i decided that this was one of those races you just need to get through. I figured that i was sitting in 5th or 6th for most of the race... but the guys between me and the winner apparently wanted to go home more than i did.... so i finished 2nd. Even though this is in my list of 5 worst cycling experiences (and i've ridden in some wild winter storms and more than 1 'cross race that is cold and snowy) it was also one of those races that i'm pretty proud of... just for being able to put my head down and get it done. With a bit more rest and a few hard kicks this week... i think i'll be in pretty good shape for Nationals.... except for the 11hr drive to get there. So for now, it's time to let the sore ankles and rock scrapes heal, clean the bike (again!!!) and do some more packing. It was a nice weekend away with the family, but sometimes i wonder if they even realizes that i was racing....

Ramping it up

So i finished my much needed rest week... although it was a busy time at school still. I was away for 3 days with the Gr. 8's on their year end trip... means no riding but lots of being busy... and a little short on sleep. I had a good week last week with building some hours again... nothing hard, just some nice endurance. So now it's time to ramp it up with the harder rides and finish getting ready for Bromont and Nationals in a few weeks. So here is the start to my week... Mark Batty: "Hey Barnes, wanna go out for a few hours with a bit of hard stuff on Monday?" Jon: "Sure... i'll call you when i get home and we'll head out" .... Jon: (after seeing Mark on his TT bike) "Uh oh..." Mark: "I'm in a bit of bad mood from a long day of cutting hay... " Jon: "Uh oh..." Mark goes hard. Mark keeps going hard. Mark is still going hard. Jon is getting tired. Jon is getting really tired. Jon wants to stop but remembers that there is no shame in sitting on Mark's wheel and just staying with him. Jon: "Hey Mark... puff.. puff.. can we stop now?" Mark: "Yeah... I guess." So after what felt like hours of Mark's race pace.... and about 10 sign sprints.. only 1 of which i won because Mark didn't know it was there.... it was time to head home for some dinner and rest. As much as i dislike tired legs... i know it's good for me. No fun but those are the rides that make a difference...

Boler Picture Post

Emily and Barry took some good pics after the O'Cup at Boler Mountain last weekend... Any sweat stains? Podium with Jason Everaert (2nd) and Eric Jobin (3rd)...

Me, Adam and Emily sporting the Red Neck Hardware.... Me, Barry, Emily and Adam "sharing" the top spot on the podium... but Barry and Emily are occupying it for a reason....

Just finished my rest week... phew.... and now it's time to try and peak again for Nationals in 4 weeks... I'll keep you posted as to how things are developing...

Boler "Mountain" O'Cup

Just recovering from stop #4 in the Ontarion Cup Series... Boler "Mountain" in London.... probably the worst drive in the circuit and possibly the least interesting course. I did well there last year (first win after getting over pneumonia) and i was feeling pretty tired going into it. I was peaking for Hardwood last weekend.. and now i was just trying to hold onto some of that peak for this last race before some rest. Being busy at school and having a sick wife never makes it easier... A few of my bigger competitors were not attending, so as much as i wanted to have an easier race... Andrew Croutch and Jason Everaert decided to show up and make me work. Not a bad thing, but i just had to get my head in the game. Andrew flatted after 2 laps and Jason still doesn't have his race fitness after some knee problems, so i was able to get away on lap #3 and stretch out a gap. Funny story of the race for me... along what may be the least enjoyable section of trail on ANY race course... going along the back rutted, dried out, rough, slightly uphill and dusty straight away.. i was hating it every time. The only good thing about the section was that that finish line was 1km away. And of course Barry Near (sponsor and cycling massochist - he loves to see us suffer) was at the end of this section. Last lap.... coming into this piece i thought to myself "Ok Barnes... just get it done... go hard... stand the whole thing... big gear... impress Barry with a strong finish".... which quickly turned into "OK Barnes... Barry's not here anymore... just sit down and take it easy".... How quickly we lose our momentary enthusiasm. I almost started my recovery week before i crossed the finish line.... So that makes it 4 for 4 with the O'Cups... a good start to the year... but now it's time to build another training block to get ready for Bromont and Nationals.... should be fun.... Congrats to the Trek Store Team.... 1st place for Elite Women (Emily), Elite Men (Adam) and the Old Man Category (me)...Emily has some good pics on her camera.... i'll post the as soon as i get them.

Hardwood Hills CC Pic Post

Hey there... i found some pics from Hardwood's Canada Cup last weekend.... Following Sean Ruppel's wheel for the first couple laps... Heading down the "Boneshaker" ...

Done at last... a long and cold day... but a good day...

Still smiling?... i must not have gone hard enough!!

Hardwood Hills Canada Cup

So i just finished a busy weekend up at Hardwood Hills... one of my favorite places to ride and a course that i usually do well on. The Trek Store Toronto team was having some fun on the Saturday with a group pre-ride that people could have signed up for, some photo shoots and just a good time getting together... it can be somewhat stressful racing every weekend, so it's nice to get together and laugh when we can. After a great day Saturday, the weather turned a bit ugly for sunday's races... i was driving up and came across "hail" (it was really snow.... but i refuse to use that word so close to June) falling and blowing across the snow... and the temperature didn't get above 8 degrees. It felt more like 'cross season that the middle of mountain bike season. The course was amazing and very fast, so off we went. The Ruppel brother, Sean (the anaeorbic animal) and Adam (a former national level racer) decided to step out from behind the microphone and join the race.. and they are always fast. It took a while to shake off Adam, and i found myself riding with Sean for a few laps. He was riding great until i got a bit of a gap and he crashed on the 3rd lap, and i just kept the pressure on. I was feeling pretty good, although Hardwood is so hard to race if you are not in great shape. The rolling hills and power never let up, so it's tough on your back and legs. In the end, i finished up beating Sean by almost 2min, which i was quite happy with since i haven't seen Sean that fast (or ripped) in a long time. I don't have any pictures of the race to post right now... my family (and camera) decided to stay home and keep warm... probably a better choice considering the temperature and the wind. Even though the weather did not agree, it was a great race, well run by the crew at Hardwood, an amazing course and nicely put together by the one and only Barry Near from the Trek Store... just one more reason why he's the best. So now i'm getting ready for another O'Cup in London this weekend, and then a few much needed weeks off. The Canada Cup at Bromont and Nationals are the next big focus, so it's time to create another training block so i can be ready for those big races. I'll do my best to get some pics and post them soon.

Tremblant Canada Cup

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....

Albion Hills O'Cup #2

Step #2 for the Ontario Cup series is now in the bag.... and it was a tough one. I was going in feeling really confident and happy to be wearing the leader's jersey (Lifesaver Stripes)... and then i came across Andrew Croutch (True North) in the parking lot. Oops.. forgot about him and how strong he is. We were at each other for the entire race... him working me hard in the power, rolling double track and me working him hard in the single track. We were out front for the whole race and it came down to the last 3km. After Long, Running Mud Bog #1 there is a slippery climb that i was climbing pretty well with my mud tires, but Andrew was having a hard time with his tires packing up. I got a bit of a gap, looked back and saw that he was still running his bike, and gave it everything i had left. Flew through the last bit of single track and hammered the lap of the finishing field to end with a 35sec lead.... a very hard, long and tiring race. 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....

One of those days...

We've all had them... payback for the Good Luck Days when we've just missed the rock that would have given us a flat, when tires hooked up again just before we crash, and when we somehow make it past the crash at the start of a race... but when the Bad Luck Demons visit... there's nothing you can do. So it started with a 3.5 year old yelling "Daddy Daddy come find me!!!" at 5:56am... going to be a long day.... Riding home from the kids swimming lessons.... tempo day and the weather looks pretty good... until 30min in.. Uh Oh... those are some pretty dark clouds and the temperature is dropping. Start the tempo and things are going okay... a bit tired but understandable. Finish the last 20min tempo session when... Uh Oh.... i'm out of water and food and i still have an hour to go... i can make it... Uh Oh... that nice tail wind i've been enjoying is now going to make it 1:20 to get home.... Uh Oh... starting to bonk... small breakfast and small lunch before riding.... Easy spinning gets me to a gas station for water.... but... Uh Oh.... forgot my money for a snack... i can still make it... Uh Oh.... the wind if kicking up and blowing harder in my face.... Almost home... all i can think about is a Coke and brownie... Chris Carmichael says that would be best... Uh Oh.... just flatted 10min from home.... great... call the wife for a pick up... Uh Oh... she's nowhere to be found.... Wobbly legs and fuzzy head finally gets the flat fixed... at least i brought a tube... Finally get back home.... stummble downstairs looking for Coke... only diet.... iced tea... only diet.... 1 last Ginger Ale ... phew... Now for my brownie... The only good thing about bonking.... i can have a second brownie... Glad today wasn't a race day.... :)~

The boys are back....

Well a whole winter's worth of training has been tested.... and proved to be worthwhile. We had our first O'Cup race on Sunday at Mansfield, and although the weather was perfect on Saturday.... it was far from perfect on Sunday.... 10 degrees, rain and wind. I also woke up with a sore throat that Luke decided to share with is daddy.... thanks bud. The trails at Mansfield always take the rain well, so there was on majoy wet spots but a lot of damp sand flying around. I didn't pre-ride (not worth spending 4hrs in the car) so I decided to take it easy on the first lap and let Rob Parniak ... who's always strong... lead it out. I know that Rob usually starts strong, so it was nice to have an escort through the trees. The lead group was dwindling after 1 lap, so i offered to lead for a while. Rob knows me well enough to realize that means "I'll lead for a little while with the throttle wide open".... so i got a bit of a gap and kept riding steadily. The course really suited me, with some nice tight singletrack, so good climbs and some really fast double track. I finished up with a gap of almost 2min, but there were still several Big Dogs that were missing from our group... so we'll see who shows up at Albion Hills. So now that the season has officially started... it's full speed ahead from here.... races around Ontario, a few in Quebec and even some in the US this year. Looking forward to it....

Teach an old dog.... old tricks

So i've been around racing for a lot of years... this will be 14... but i still make mistakes. I had a great week of training over march break, got lots of hours and was feeling really good on the bike. I decided to keep riding through my rest day, did some harder intervals and kept building hours hoping that the added load would make me even fitter. But then my body reminded me of that old saying "A rest day is just as important as a hard day".... so my body turned off for a day. I rode in to school on the Friday, felt horrible on the bike and for the whole morning, was sick at lunch and did nothing but sulk on the couch at nite. Some good sleep though and some good food had me feeling a lot better the next day, so it was much nicer to get my couple EASY hours on Saturday with Mark Batty who was home for a short visit. I'm not young anymore.... i need to remember that rest is crucial. So now i'm starting a few days of forced rest.... got "neutered" today so i'll be off the bike for a bit. But i actually think that the rest will be nice for my legs before starting it up with some hard stuff before the first race. Not something that you would see on many racer's blogs.... but i am a MASTER you know... Adam and Emily talk about their rides up Mount Lemmon.... i have other topics to share.... Just wanted to throw out a congrats to the crew down south at the NMBS races and heading to Sea Otter in a week or so. Great work at the start of a long season... i know you'll all do great at the next few races. I'll just hang out here with my bag of frozen peas....

The Season in in Sight...

It’s been a long and inconsistent winter for many of us in Southern Ontario, which usually means that training is forced into the basement and onto trainers for FAR too long. But now that the warm weather is here … hopefully to stay…. it’s great to get outside and breathe the fresh air again!!! I’ve had a good winter of training… been doing some different and more specific training, and getting the strength back into the program. I’m feeling really good right now…. healthy, strong, comfortable on the bike and eager for the season to start. But that being said…. it’s always a test of the last 4 months when you step onto the starting line for the first time and test yourself against what everyone else has been doing for the last few months. With the dry roads, I’ve been able to get the new bike out for some rides…. Trek Fuel 98 with full XTR…. and boy is it nice!!!! It took some time to get used to a full suspension bike again after 2 years of hardtail and a rigid winter bike… everything just felt “soft” … but I found that my intended endurance rides turned into tempo rides because it was just so nice to ride!!! Here’s to more warm weather so that we can get into the trails soon… So my focus this year is going to be back on mountain biking… I really enjoyed focusing on the road last year but realized that my first love is the trails… so I’m back full time. I’ll do a few road races with the “boys” during the summer, but will be more willing to work for the team than worry about my own result. My goals for this year are pretty simple: stay healthy so I can have a consistent season (last year I started the season with pneumonia and took a while to fully recover from it), make a presence at the Canada Cup races in Quebec and a few of the bigger races in the US, perform well at Nationals… and have lots of fun this year!!! I love to ride / race my bike, and the people that I have met through riding have become some of my best friends, so when you can do what you love with people who are great… every day is fun. My first planned race of the year is going to be the Paris – Ancaster… I’ve done it a few times in the past and it’s a great early season test at race pace. We’ll have to see what the weather brings this year… it can be great or it can be nasty. That’s about all the news for right now… so I’ll sign off with a thanks to Barry and the rest of the crew at the Trek Store Toronto for taking such good care of me over the past couple years, and I look forward to another great year of riding and racing. Talk to you next post!!