2011 Nationals report

Well, I've been putting this blog post off for a while, with the hopes of finding a sweet photo to upload, but no such luck.
Nationals was a pretty awesome race. The course was at the Canmore Nordic Centre, and involved a lot of climbing, and fun trails. There was one somewhat sketchy descent that was taken out of the race (sad face!) but other than that, the course stayed the same as it was from pre-riding. I got to Canmore on Thursday afternoon, and only got to spend one day on the course, but I think that was enough. I had most of it fairly dialed by the time I got called up to the line on saturday morning.

The race start was super fast. I felt very sluggish off the start, and just didn't have that top gear. I think the altitude was affecting me. Off the start loop, I was sitting about 3rd from the back of the pack. Not good. So, I just started going harder, and gradually passed people. The race continued like this. I feel like I never really "got going" but I was climbing better than the people around me, and just kept on the gas, eventually dropping the people that I was battling with. I came across Cam Jette, who had blown up pretty badly. I told him to get on my wheel. He stayed with me for half a lap, then attacked. I spent the rest of the race chasing him, but never was able to close the gap. Overall, I finished 16th. Last year was 17th. Not quite the improvement I was looking for, but still pretty good.

I had a blast riding the course, and being out here in Canmore is Awesome. With a capital A. Sunday involved a hike up a mountain, plus a mtb ride. Monday was a 3+ hour hammer fest, then a hike, and some rock climbing. Tuesday was a 5+ hour ride, on which I bonked severely. Wednesday looks like easy recovery, and then maybe some more climbing, if the bad weather passes.

I'm not sure why, but I'm really digging Canmore this year, and find myself checking out rental prices. uh-oh! Tomorrow, Eric and I leave to head up to Edmonton, for a Canada Cup on saturday. Should be fun.