Sep 4

Sep 4 Wrapping up the 2018 Road Season

Not all of these bikes and kits made it through the season.

In my sophomore year of racing, I never thought I would jump up a few categories. By the end of that season, I would have never considered being able to finish a race with the likes of Ryan Roth, Jeff Schiller and a litany of other Canadian elite cyclists. That all happened on Labour Day weekend in Windsor.

My first road race ever was Good Friday, April 2017 when Marty said "You should do the Good Friday Road Race" and me, being the incredibly naive person I am, agreed. I managed to get a mandatory upgrade out of the Cat 4 carnage by the last race of the season which was 2017's edition of Tour di via Italia, the fastest four corner criterium in Ontario. Finishing 23rd overall (out of a field of 43) wasn't anything to write home about, but I was certainly hooked.

Fast forward to the 2018 season where Marty was nice enough to get me invited to the outfit he races with (Southpoint Racing). I was pretty stoked, they had a number of E3/E4 racers that could do some serious damage. And then they decided to almost all go to M1. Surprise double upgrade!

Brief aside for those not familiar with bike racing in Ontario:
The Masters cycling ranks are for those riders in their 35th year or older. The typical transition from E3 would have been to M2, where you could perhaps win a race or two and then optionally take and upgrade to M1. Masters Category 1 racing is basically where all the Elite people go when they can only dedicate 16 hours a week to training, as opposed to 20+. I was in over my head.

This year's campaign was wrought with learning opportunities. When you can't ride an unorganized field off your wheel and the guys you're racing against have decades of experience, you learn fast.

The 2018 Campaign in Pictures

Mosport - Dropped. DNF.

Climb, descend, climb, descend, miss an acceleration and you’re popped off the back. Game Over.

Lesson Learned: Attacks come frequently and violently, don’t get too far into the red. Someone will take advantage of that to break you off.

Steaming Nostril - 30/256

Cool race, mud, snow... ice?! Crash. Crampy finish.
Lesson learned: Still suck at bike handling. Could have gone harder with better nutrition.
Photo by Lauren Daniells

Ciociaro Race Series #1 - Crashed. DNF

Definitely not going to wreck another bike.. right? DEAN! F*&K NO! Broken chainstay.

Lesson Learned: Stay away from Deaner. Buy more than one set of kit. Mike Aston is a magician with carbon.

Paris to Ancaster - 183/1623

With exception to the back pain, this actually went really well until the last mud chute.

Lesson Learned: Take time to properly recover from an injury.

Photo by Railway City Cycling Club

OPC Crit - Lapped. 30/34

In the same way that my first M1 RR was eye opening, my first M1 Crit was equally so. Still not fully healed from the crash and then the P2A mayhem, accelerating was incredibly painful.

Lesson Learned: Heal faster. Go harder from the gun!

Photo by Lauren Daniells

Steve Bauer Classic - 25/49

Finally feeling better so let’s race up Effingham 8 times. First time in a 100km road race, first time racing in the rain and first time watching guys pee off the side of the bike.

Lesson learned: Nutrition! Calories needed for this race: 2300.

Photo by Lauren Daniells

KW Classic Road Race (Provincials) - 34/56

This was a weird race. We spent at least two laps neutral and/or combined with the E1/2 group as we managed to catch them. Oh, and the Saudi Arabian National Track Team was there too. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Lesson Learned: Take advantage of your strengths and hold position. Protect your teammates and position them for the win!

Photo by Lauren Daniells

Ciociaro Race Series #7 - Team 1st & 4th

This was a good race for me mentally. For the first time at the Chooch, I didn’t crash. Also a good race for me from a positioning and teamwork perspective. I got into an early break with Carlo to keep the heat off Brad and the team. In the final lap I got on the front to keep the pace up and position our guys for a sprint victory.

Lesson Learned: Hey, I can contribute and make a difference for the team! It is also possible to race with Dean and not smash my bike into the tarmac.

Kitchener Twilight Grand Prix - 13/27

A fast, fun, course! Just as fatigue was setting in, a major crash that neutralized the race for 25 minutes. Tried to help out Marty in the sprint but didn’t have the balls to take an opening to the front.

Lesson Learned: Take opportunities when they occur. Don’t crash into sign posts.

Photo by Lauren Daniells

Fieldstone Criterium of Cambridge - 18/27

The second part of the back-to-back Crit weekend in July, Fieldstone was a great event where I just couldn’t move up. I made it across to one move put on by McKee and Doddy but was unable to maintain the gap. Managed to lose to Marty in the sprint and he was only using a single leg.

Lessons Learned: Be aggressive and move the f&*k up. No one is going to wait for you.

Photo by Lauren Daniells

Bluewater International GranFondo - 5/113

This was a really cool event. While not technically a road race, it was still timed and had a winner… so I’ll take it. In the 150k ride, there were 4 timed sectors where the Toronto Hustle would just drop the hammer and you would hold on for the ride. An unfortunate crash took out a good portion of the peloton after 100k and before the last timed section which accounted for my result. I did manage to be the first across the line, which mattered for… nothing.

Lesson Learned: Stay near the front and you don’t get in trouble. Also, understand the rules of the race and don’t get out of position in the timed sections.

Photo by BIGF Flickr Account

Ciociaro Race Series #10 - Team Win

A strange and tactical race. Everyone was looking to do minimal work to maximize points. Brad had almost locked up first overall, so I took a shot at the first points prime to make sure it was a done deal. However, I missed the fact that Russ could have been third overall if we brought Doddy back.

Lesson Learned: Listen to the road boss more closely. Communicate on the road as needed.

Tour Di Via Italia (Provincials - Crit) - 37/60

WHAT A RACE! Hot, fast, and with a huge peloton AND PROS! Mentally though, I was really cautious. There was a ton of money on the line and I didn’t want to be the reason someone didn’t get it (by crashing or being an idiot). Too much race within the race BS. I saw the First Internet Bank guys go and should have jumped on - Top 10 finish possibility. I am no sprinter.

Lesson Learned: Race your race. Take more chances. Don’t let it come down to a sprint.

Photo by www.windsorite.ca

Major takeaway from the whole year: The mental part of racing needs a lot of work. People like Russ, Marty and Jeff have this in spades and it comes from experience. So... more racing required.

Now, on to CX...