Paris-Roubaix Ottawa Valley Style

Its Wednesday night, its raining, and many a rider in the Ottawa Valley is thinking of Saturday, race day. Indeed for some, Sunday's Ontario Cup road race at the Calabogie Speedway will also be on the mind. Some will race both events, but most will likely chose one or the other. For us green bastards, the weekend is all about Saturday, Roubaix. A Saturday in Hell? Maybe. Probably not, the race is too short too make riders feel like they are dying...I hope. That sensation should be reserved for Paul's Dirty Enduro and cyclocross.


Five years ago, a number of our motley crew rode the Ottawa Bicycle Club's Roubaix for the first time. In an effort to keep the mood light, and level any disparities in fitness, we all rolled on our fixed gear bikes with fat tires. We chatted, looked around, shared chocolate with some ladies chasing from the back, stopped at the store for snacks. Each year we got a bit more serious about the event. In 2009, I raced a spring classics inspired event every weekend in April, from New York state to Toronto. With all the time we'd been spending exploring dirt and gravel backroads, the classics format was becoming our thing, the sort of races we spent all winter preparing for and looking forward to. 

Kids pick up a lot. My daughter, who is 6, took this photo of Road magazine that was sitting around the house and set it up as the background on our iphone last month. She knew I'd love it. Sure did. 

In 2010, a bizarre race landed me on the podium. Every edition of the Roubaix, like its mother race in France, brings surprise and intrigue. Saturday will be no different. The rain that falls tonight will meet the frost rising from the ground and conspire to create a slurry of dark matter, laying in waiting for our tires, and perhaps, bodies. If the forecast holds, we will ride through steady rain from start to finish, unlike any Roubaix I've done thusfar. Welcome it, embrace it, use it. The rain defeats many before they take their first pedal stroke. This Saturday morning will be all about the Belgian toothpaste; circles, brush in circles. 


The route will differ from last year's edition, and the map can be found at www.cyclocross.org, along with important registration information (register before Thursday night to save $10). The route is beautiful, so even if you don't feel like you've got much race in you, pack your rain cape and come on out for a great ride. Just be sure to run tires 28c or larger, or pack lots of tubes. There's no broom wagon for this Roubaix.


For your amusment, check out the set-ups I've ridden over the last four years:

2007, fixed gear on the good 'ol Cross Check. Heavy wheels, heavy tires...Grand Bois were still a twinkle in Rodd's eye.

2008, we decided to run gears and try to hang. The elastic snapped after the second woods. It was really wet, so everyone in the bunch appreciated the frienders. 

2009, serious this time. I rode this bike in three classics in April, and it was great, save for the lack of clearance for anything bigger than 28c. I used Challenge Parigi Roubaix's here, no flats...except Battenkill. 

2010, problem solved. Custom Steelwool with room for fattie fat tires, up to 32 and 35c knobbies front and rear. I ran Grand Bois in 30c here, and suffered a flat caused by a cut. Despite/because of that, I finished 3rd. I still love these puppies, they are fast. 

2011, Steelwool Truffle Pig team edition prototype. Same kit as above, but with Stan's Alpha/Chris King R45/Sapim CX-Ray wheels with Stan's Raven cross tires in 35, tubeless rear, latex tube front (blemish on casing precludes tubeless). This bike is best suited to the Roubaix of any I've ridden. I'll post some pics with more detail later on; it has a matching saddle now!

Clarence-Rockland Classic: How to get Rendalled

Photo by Cam Cam

Battenkill and the Almonte Roubaix were carrots all winter for Jim, Jamie and me. I don't think I rode the trainer once without thinking about these races for at least a moment. With the poor riding weather through March, preparation for the kickoff in New York did not quite match 2010. Nevertheless, I was ready to go. Unfortunately, circumstances shifted for both Jamie and Jim, and both were forced to cancel the Battenkill plan and refocus on Clarence-Rockland. Fortunately, Jamie and I rode the course the previous weekend, and Jim had raced it in 2010. I was happy to spend the weekend with my family and still get to race. We'll hit Battenkill in 2012.


After a long winter, and a cold beginning to spring, consensus in the parking lot Sunday morning was that we deserved the mild weather and absence of precipitation. We'd start in the dry for certain, with a slim chance that it would start to rain late in the race. 85 or so kilometers of gravel and pavement to come, launching at a very agreeable 10am.


Launched by the town's Mayor, we were off at a reasonable pace, headed for the two climbs that come about 5k into the route. No one was interested in riding away just yet, so the pace was fine up these. Turning onto coarser gravel, we had our first taste of how dicey things would become. Staying up front and out of trouble was the best approach; Rob and Rodd were right there churning away.


Imad opted to ride away early on, and was joined by one or two. We didn't want to chase him down, as it was still early, and I personally was a little reticent about the wind. As is so often the case, the pace felt easy, as nobody wanted to do much work on the front. The tide turned as we rolled through a winding gravel section about 35k in. Being an open field, the whole Rendall team was present in the bunch. WIth their strength and numbers, it was certain that they'd start making moves; the question was when.  Casey Roth, Derrick St. John, and Aaron Fillion began taking turns attacking. Neil, Rob and I would chase them down, then the other would go. It was a methodical rotation of attacks we had no choice but to follow. The were wearing us down, and we knew it. 


A crash occurred right off my left elbow as Connor (I think) overlapped Aaron Fillion's wheel. I held firm as the rider toppled in my direction, but he went down and some carnage followed. Aaron was moving to the left, as one of his team-mates was 30 meters up, and another bridging. I picked my way through a few riders to follow Aaron, recognizing he was going, and this was the move that was going to stick. Plowing through soggy dirt, Aaron hit the gas, and I followed. But I just could not get his wheel. He opened a gap, then pulled himself up to the other two Rendalls, along with Warren McDonald. I held the gap, with nary a reinforcement on my wheel, for a couple minutes. Then I was done, and I knew I'd just lost my chance to contest the race at the front. Unless we could generate some team-work to drag them back. 


Regrouping, Neil and Rob were ready to chase. We started rotating through, with about 25 trailing. Duncan Beard got into the rotation, as did Evan McNeely. Once Evan got revved up he was a juggernaught, too strong for the rest of us. I tried to recruit others to do work, particularly those who had no team-mates ahead. I guess they either figured there was no chance of catching, or they had faith in us pulling it off, because they were not willing to pull. On it went. Eventually, we decided to ramp it up and try to break off the riders we were dragging around, which led to attacks and counters from some of the guys who were obviously feeling pretty good. 


Rob, Neil and I held tight and found ourselves turning the corner of the last paved section before the final climb sooner than I expected. We'd reeled in a few from the breaks ahead, and could tell that the final three or so were to far to catch, so this was it, the final group. Rolling into the base of the final climb I didn't know what to expect, from either my legs or the others, so I just kept it in the 50 tooth and churned up, legs protesting. A few came around, but we formed a group of about 10 at the top and continued on at a good clip. Martin Zollinger was off my elbow, and I knew he'd have a strong finish. We worked to Neil, Marty and I pushed the pace heading into the final two descents, and I took the lead position into the drop into the final kilometer. From here I knew I'd want to grab a wheel, and managed to get third or fourth as others came around. The sprint opened up a little early, and I had enough of my wits firing to wait. After three went I opened it up, head down. Alas, it was about 20 meters too early, and I was forced to sit before the line, which allowed a few to come around (I'd love to see this on video to compare against my memory, as its so foggy). Rob wound up right beside me without me even knowing it! So, it was a bit of a botch job with the sprint, but we managed 9th and 10th, which is nothing to be sad about amidst a strong field. 


Further back, Jim finished with some very strong riders, capping his best road race to date. Further on rolled in Rodd and Jamie, Rodd having fallen victim to the crash I spoke of. From there it was Andy and Anna, both of whom flatted, Anna twice! She took a wheel from the truck the first time, then borrowed one from Marc Boudreau, who'd broken his frame, later on. Nice sportsmanship Marc! Anna had to slog away alone for much of the race, but never considered quitting. That's a victory in itself. She didn't think about it, she just did it. Chapeau.

Two Steelwool's in the top 10. Beauty. The Truffle Pig was awesome. 

Classic leg shot.

Up front, Aaron took the win for the second year in a row, and Tricia Spooner captured the women's victory despite a flat. Emily Flynn took home the Junior Women's win, and Karl Hoppner took the Junior Men's title. Congratulations to all! RESULTS


So overall, the Classic was great. The course was marked well, the roads were in appropriate shape, and the traffic was controlled perfectly. A bit of food afterwards was welcome, and it was refreshing to see prizes for the mid pack finishers in each category. Great event Rendall's, thanks!

Clarence-Rockland Classic Pre-post

Battenkill out, Clarence-Rockland in. Hard race today, time to go to bed. I'll post a report on Monday, hopefully with at least links to some of the photos taken from the photo car. It was a great season opener, or perhaps for some, a season opener to recede into faint memory, the sooner the better. 


RESULTS

Green Bastards in Print and a Bit of Recon

Have you taken a look at the latest issue of Canadian Cycling Magazine? Look what's inside:

Yep, that's our  green bastard team on last year's Ride of the Damned, David, Rob, Todd and Rodd. I'm pretty sure I took the photo. I caught wind that the mag was putting together an article on cycling in Gatineau Park and looking for photos of road riding, so I sent them a couple from the RotD. I was pleased, though not entirely surprised, to see they ran this one with the covered bridge in the frame. Its certainly an iconic feature of the Gatineau Park. Grab a copy of the mag, its certainly Canada's best cycling publication. Ok, now on to my recon report.


I made it out for a ride in the wind Wednesday afternoon after two days off following the weekend's classics recon. While the legs felt fresh, I lacked motivation to push hard into the wind, so I didn't. Instead, I took the opportunity to scope out a few chunks of path and road we typically use for Cascades-Wakefield romps. 

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

First up was the bike/recreational path through Lac Leamy. This path allows us to avoid St. Joseph or the highway on the east side of the Gatineau River as we roll toward Cantley. Aside from a section of overflow ice under a bridge along the path, the route from Jacques Cartier Park to St. Joseph is mostly snow and ice free. It is completely rideable with treaded tires, perhaps slightly sketchy in a couple places with slicks. Totally navigable though.

I had a nice narrative drafted from here on, but lost it last night when Safari froze on me. So I'll do the rest of this quick and dirty.

The Chamonix neighborhood's dirt roads are in great shape. Oslo's steep climb is not too loose, and the descent to Clark is as good as ever. Clark usually retains ice in shady spots, but is now ice free. 

Cross Loop is undergoing construction near the entrance from the Wakefield end, but the construction seems to be around the road, not on the road, presumably for the highway 105 extension. The Loop is hardpacked; watch out for pointy embedded rocks along the way.

The trail running from Pine road into Gatineau Park is still under about 4-6 inches of snow. It'll be a two or three weeks until the trails are clear and dried out.

The bike path running from Mine Rd. toward the Parkway is partially covered in about 3 inches of snow, but was all rideable. Its going quickly. I accessed the Parkway at the bottom of Pink Lake from this path, and was not surprised to find the Parkway patched with snow. Again, it was all rideable. There is 3-6 inches from the base of Pink to the gate, with significant clear areas. Its melting well, and shouldn't be too long now. Sections on Fortune and Black usually take the longest to melt.

The bike path from the gate dropping down to Tache is still snow covered, as its mostly covered. 

Back on the Ottawa side, I was pleased to find the bike path from the Arboritum through Pinecrest Creek good to go, with only a couple tiny patches of snow that might already be gone. Things are rolling, spring is here.

Big MTB Stage Race - Cherry Popped

Thanks to everyone who followed along with my Cape Epic campaign. Don't worry, I'm not going to give a detailed account of every aspect of every stage, but thought some anecdotes and some general impressions would be at least somewhat interesting.

Quick Stats:

Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Distance: 707km
Days: 8
Total Climbing: 15,000m (equivalent to twice up Mt. Everest)
We Completed In: ~36 hours
Total Cost: A lot
Ottawa to Cape Town travel time: 65 hour return trip
Overall Place: 87th out of 600
Masters Place: 16th out of 199
Canadian Place: 1st out of 10

General Impressions:

As the days went by, I couldn't help but have the feeling of a "bicycle fantasy camp". With so many top pros, the helicopters, the spectators, riders from around the world, and the pampering we received from our host and masseuse, the grim reality of daily life melts away. I believe that this is the appeal of these events, although; perhaps not consciously for some.

WARNING: This feeling is highly addictive and the "come down" not so great.

Cape Epic is a world class event. I've done one of those long triathlons marketed as "Ironman", and it's on par with that; however, the lineups for food and bathrooms were too long, the "DJ" played the same crappy twelve songs over and over again, and there were no hot podium girls. Other than that ....awesome.

Don't be fooled by Cape Epic's marketing material. I was given the impression that we'd be riding through a wild life wonderland, but all I ended up seeing was an ostrich, and many domestic cows and chickens. With wonder in my voice I would point to cows and say, "LOOK! ...a wild African cow!" ...my partner didn't find it nearly as funny as I did.

The Route:

Holy climbing! We sure do miss out in Ottawa not having mountains nearby.

Most of the route was on double track, dirt roads, and lots of slow grinds up some seriously big hills (a.k.a. "mountains"). Occasionally, they'd throw some single track at us. I know it sounds biased, but if you're used to riding Fortune, or Kanata Lakes you'd be amused at what they call "technical" sections. Unfortunately, there were some seriously long bits of hike-a-bike. Not because they were too technical, but because they were simply not rideable (too sandy, too loose, too steep, or too many riders sharing not enough trail).

Non Sequiturs:

On one particular climb in which a huge group of us were slogging our way up single file in granny gear, I dropped a bottle which caused a domino effect of toppling over about 20 riders behind me. It was funny to hear swearing in so many languages and accents at once.

Current world champion Jose Hermida had a mechanical failure early on during Stage 5 and worked his way up through the field. We rode together for a good 2 minutes! (out of a nearly seven hour day). It topped that time at an OBC cross race where I had to leave early so I went to the front and was briefly ahead of "to be national road champion" Aaron Fillion.

I met a fellow who had done Crank the Shield (CTS) back in September. It was very cool to hear about how well he thought CTS was run. Chico Racing has some international cred it would seem.

Some European dude at supper grabbed salad with his hands at the buffet. WTF?!

By Stage 3, a Pavlovian dog response had set in at the sound of the helicopter's engine starting 5 minutes before the start. (no drool, but stomach butterflies)

At the medical tent, there was a special area called the "Bum Tent". My partner Brett was anointed after Day 3 as having the most badly damaged butt! (fortunately for me, I had absolutely no problems in that regard).

Going against my primal instincts, I left my Tall Tree jersey at home and rode for Brett's shop in Cape Town called "Olympic Cycles". I was pretty stoked that they'd be there to support us and take care of our bikes at the end of each day. I was less stoked when they handed me quite a substantial bill at the end when all they had to do was apply oil to my chain and check my tire pressure. Out of principle Brett resigned the next day. What a wing man!

Final Thoughts:

A truly amazing experience, and I would recommend it to anyone. I'm not sure I'd do it again while living it Ottawa. The training was just brutal in our climate (although, with a snow-bike, that might change). I'm thinking La Ruta 2012 next (but don't tell my wife) ....anyone?

Some pictures.

Next up, Almonte ...and the smack down on our arch rivals from the Kunstadt squad. You know who you are.