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| I am crossing the finish line after a very tough race |
On May 15th I headed over to Duntroon, Ontario for O-Cup #2. It rained really hard the day before so the event organizer cancelled the pre-ride. The temperature was barely above zero and it snowed early in the morning at the race venue. The snow melted that had fallen on the ground as the day progressed. The sun started to peek out but was hidden by more clouds that held snow and rain. My race was at 1:30:00 in the afternoon so I was able to chat with some racers earlier and get a general concept of what the race course would be like.
At the start line I definitely new that it was going to be a hard day on the bike. The start of the race was good but as soon as we all got into the woods it got really bad. There were at least 2 inches of mud on the double track and in the single track it was so bad that we couldn't ride it. All of the Juinor Experts were doing 3 laps and with every lap the course was getting worse. The mud was sticky so it was balling up and making it so everyone's bikes were almost unrideable. I had to stop several times on each lap so I could scrape mud away from my rear wheel so it would be able to move. Some racers were having mud get plugged up in there front forks as well. I found that with my Lauf TR Boost fork there was lots of clearance and I didn't have any problems.
At the end of the 3 laps of a really muddy race I came in 6th place. It was the worst Ontario cup in history and it was definitely something to remember, I am glad that I finished it.
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| My bike covered in mud after the race |
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| The start of the 75km race |
The folowing weekend I participated in XC Marathon #2 that was held at Ganaraska forest. I was looking forward to this event since I have raced in the Ganaraska forest many times and I always love the course. The race was 75km long and I had some good competition in my category.
The race went off and I was 3rd leading the race out. Once the race got going I settled into my pace and I was feeling really strong. The single track as always was in great shape and I was having a great time. At around the 3/4 mark on the first lap I was eating and I had one hand on the handle bar when my front tire hit a small rock and sent me flying into the air, at this point I wish I had wings lol. I fell really hard and hit my head on the hard pack dirt. I got up and my head wasn't feeling to well. I quickly got back on the bike and was on my way down the course again. I was feeling a bit dizzy and I definitely could tell that I wasn't as sharp with my reactions as I was before the crash. I made it through the rest of the first lap but had some mechanical difficulties. The chain dropped off of the front chain ring three times and the last time it dropped I couldn't get it unstuck, so I ran into the aid station wich was very close and got it out with some help. That was lap one done and I was off for lap two. I was feeling better and my head had cleared up. I was still having mechanical difficulties but I managed to overcome them and I finished the race good and strong.
I placed 6th in the Under 35 Men category. Except having my crash and mechanical issues I had a great time. Got to have a great burger after the race and win a fantastic draw prize. Thanks to Dan Marshall who put on an awesome event.
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