A New Best Friend and a New Season!

You know the friend that is always there? The one who's moves you can forsee? The one you would drop everything for? I found that this weekend on the twisty, tough course in Port Alberni. I hadn't been able to get a feeling for my new bike, I would start to feel steady on it, then it would send me for a loop...until this weekend:

This weekend kicked off the Island Cup Series this race series is a gem here on the island. The organizers up and down the island put together 10 cross-country/marathon races that go from March to September. The people that show up range from high-profile pros like Wendy Simms to the hard-core guys on fully rigid single speeds. There aren't podiums until the finals, just lots of draw prizes and maybe a few beer here and there. It isn't a race series for the weak at heart or fire-road loving, the courses are rough, technical, with big climbs and tough descents. The expert women race the same number of laps as the men, which means the races can be up to 2.5 hours long--it is by far the best way to kick off the race season!

The race was in Port Alberni, about 3 hours north west of Victoria. We headed up early in the morning and hit a deep snowstorm in Nanaimo. Drew's car wasn't happy about the snow on the road, and I wasn't looking forward to racing in a snowstorm. We opted to drive to the turnoff just in case the snow subsided. Less than 20km later we were on clear roads under a blue sky--typical Vancouver Island!

Last year's Port Alberni race was rainy, cold, and MUDDY! The course has a just-steeper-than-false-flat climb that has a steep push at the end that heads straight into a technical downhill section with a skinny rock ledge, some steep slippery rock ruts, and steep loose dirt/mud sections. From there it gets fast and flowy with burmed corners, twisty root sections to the bottom where the single track dumps into a quick mud-puddled fire road. After dodging the mud puddles the course throws you back into more awesome single track with bridges, mud, and steep popper climbs, logs, and roots until you get another rest on the last piece of fire road before the final flat push to the end with more of the above singletrack.

I've been feeling great in training, but definitely didn't feel ready to race. I approached the start (which went immediately into a steep road climb to thin the crowds before the singletrack) with a bit of hesitation. I haven't done intervals or intensity since cross season, so I opted for a slow start with just enough effort to get me into the single track ahead of the crowds. Once into the singletrack with my legs burning from the effort I settled into a rhythm with the guys around me to the top of the climb where I fumbled and had to remind myself not to get to rushed. Down the descent I went, with some ungraceful dabbing and (admittedly) some running--commitment practice is needed! I had forgotten about the few moments of fast and flowy singletrack and almost whooped with excitement when I got to it--the trailbuilders that I was cursing moments before became my new heroes!

By the time I got to the flat section--which is best described as a BMX pump track littered with rocks, roots, mud, and the occasional short climb--my arms were burning. The key to the last half of the lap is to maintain momentum. The faster you can go, the easier the terrain is as you can float over some of the roughness. My arms continued to burn and scream at me for my dislike of upper-body gym workouts....and then I got a stick stuck between my fork and front wheel--I stared at it and tried to mentally will the thing out of my fork before it lodged iteself in my wheel and broke spokes..to no avail. Instead, I almost crashed into a small stump off to the side of the trail--time to pay attention to the trail. The stick finally dropped away from my bike as I headed up to the first lap point. More of the same for the second lap, except that I got caught by Kristenn Magnussen halfway through the lap. We rode together for the remainder of the lap and into the final lap. I knew she was making time on the descent, so I hammered up the climb and into the descent trying to get as far ahead as possible. I entered the descent, rode what I was confident about, then tossed away my pride and just ran the sections of the descent I had been having trouble with all day.

I spent the last 30 minutes of the race willing myself on, cracked, just below completely bonking, and rode past the finish till someone yelled to let me know I was finished....whew! Hardest race of the season! But overall I felt great! It was a great way to start! Now it is back to the drawing board for a month until the next Island Cup in Cumberland on April 5th.