We are home. Made it safe and sound on an uneventful but full-of-crying-children flight. Thank goodness for the in-flight entertainment system and headphones.

Had a little bit of time to think about the weekend. Wow – what a difference a year makes. Perspective is so important. Especially when things don’t go exactly to plan. Last year I was racing in the masters category. I didn’t even think about racing elite – in fact I would have been lapped if I’d tried. Last year I was third at ‘cross nationals – in the masters category. This year I was 8th in the elite category.

A lot can happen in a year.

So, I didn’t meet my initial goal. But I came a long way. In a short period of time. And I’m not done yet. I’ve got some more fitness to gain, more skills to learn, and a few more bullets left. This past weekend does one big thing for me – reinforces all the hard work I’ve done. Proves that determination and focus does pay off. For some not meeting the goal might be a failure.

In fact on Saturday and on Sunday, it felt like failure to me. But now it feels different. Yes, it is still disappointing. But my results this weekend prove that I’m making many strides in the right direction. I’d say this weekend is a bold checkmark in the “win” column.

This only “fuels my fire”. I’ve got lots more races in me. And I have a feeling there are a lot more good results to come.

I’m working on some new season goals. When I have them worked out, I’ll post them here for you to read.

I’ve posted a few photos on the photos page. Thanks to Mike Johns for the pics.

I’ve got a bunch of photos from my dad to post later as well. Stay tuned.

Today was day two of racing here in Edmonton, Alberta. The morning came way too quickly for us today – funny how that happens on day two of the double-header.

Marc was up first in the Masters B race (Steve raced Elite today). It was cold. Like really cold. After a short delay, Marc and Rob were off. Off like a shot. Rob took the hole shot with Marc sitting third wheel. It was a Ride with Rendall clinic there for the first part of the lap. Eventually it came to being Marc and Sean Barr riding together. Marc crashed and lost Sean but Norm bridged up to Marc so these two worked together to try to catch Sean. Rob was riding just behind in a group of three. It was a pretty exciting race today – got to do a bike change for Marc. It started to rain so with Steve’s help (okay Steve did it all) – we quickly changed the wheels on the spare bike to have the “correct” tires on them and Marc picked up this bike through the pits. Thanks Steve and Keirnan for helping me out! In the end Marc finished 3rd and I believe Rob was 6th. A great race – fun to watch and a good way to start the day. Congrats Marc – awesome ride – super proud of how you rode today.

I raced at 1:00. So after some food and warming up in the Juventus club house I hopped on the course at noon for a warm-up. The course did not change from Saturday so it was really a matter of scoping out the lines again and getting the groove back. I’ve got a race report posted here. But long story short, my result was not stellar today (13th) but the effort was very good. I had a bobble in the bowl section that cost me but other than that I felt like I rode quite well today. I worked super hard all race to catch back to a couple of girls. Didn’t catch them but I tried.

I must admit I had a tough day mentally on the bike today. I really had to convince myself to keep going. I know part of this happens because the brain is sending signals to get you to slow down and to stop “hurting”. But another part of it for me was really trying to get over my disappointment. My goal for close to a year now has been to qualify for the World Championships in Holland – well, I didn’t qualify. So it was hard to feel pumped and motivated to race. I’m four races into my cyclo-cross season, and I did not meet my goal. Over the next week I’ll sit down and evaluate and set some new goals for the season.

After my race, I changed quickly and got out on the course to cheer on Steve. Pretty cool to watch him race with the Elite men today. Steve rode super well. He had some bad luck with a couple (maybe three) crashes but he came back super strong and did not give up. The sun was shining by this time and it was perfect to be out cheering on a super friend, training partner, and good guy. Nice ride Steve.

Marc and I had a super evening thanks to the Adamson family. We met Sean in Belgium last year and he and his family invited us over for dinner this evening. What a treat. We had a great meal, shared some stories and lots of laughs. Thanks so much for the hospitality – great way to close off our trip to Edmonton.

Massive shout out to my dad. He was awesome this weekend. Really, we would have been quite lost without him. You name it – he did it. Picked us up at the airport. Drove us all over the place. Sat through lots of conversations about biking. Was up at the crack of dawn both days to get Marc and Steve to the race and hang out while they warmed up. Stood at the start with a spare set of wheels and collected our warm-up clothes. Was all over the course, cheering us on and taking lots of pictures (yes, I’ll post them – look for them on Tuesday or Wednesday). Was at the finish with warm clothes and a smile. Helped us pack our bikes. Let us store all our bikes and bike boxes in his room. Phew – I’m tired just remembering everything he did for us this weekend. Thanks Dad! You made a real difference in our racing this weekend. So very much appreciated.

Okay, we’ve got an early start tomorrow. (Oh yah – my dad is driving us to the airport tomorrow before driving the 8 hours back to Nipawin.) Awesome. Have a good Thanksgiving. Congrats to everyone who raced in Almonte today. Thanks again for the support and encouragement.

Well, the 2008 Canadian Cyclo-Cross Championships are in the books. What a day. What a great day. Started early with Marc, Steve, and Rob racing at 10 a.m in the Masters B race. I had a blast watching these three guys race. Phenomenal racing by all three.

Steve, Marc, and the eventual winner (Sean) got away early and opened up a sizable gap. The group broke apart in the bowl – but with all three solidly riding away from the field. Sean was leading, Steve was in second and Marc was in third. Unfortunately for Marc he flatted and lost some spaces. Lucking a quick bike change was all he needed. Congrats to Steve for finishing second – a most impressive ride. Marc finished in 6th place – a great finish considering the flat and the distance to the pit. Rob had a great ride and finished 10th. I must say watching these guys raced helped me get excited for my race.

After the guys’ race I jetted back to the hotel for some food and relaxation. Then it was back for 12:00 to get in some laps of the course. Marc rode a few laps with me to help me see the lines and to give me some pointers. I felt pretty confident and relaxed. I was not letting myself get worked up and managed to keep my distance from the nervous energy happening. My race went okay – actually it went well. Just not the result I wanted or needed today. (I’ve posted a race report – go check it out for a full race recap). Essentially today I needed to finish within 105% of the winner’s time – this would have put me on the list for the World Championships – I didn’t do it. Sucks. But I’ll just have to work extra hard and try to get the 125 UCI points by Dec. 9 or somehow finish in the top 5 at the USGP in New Jersey (hey – it’s bike racing – anything can happen).

Okay, I’ve got to jet. Need to get a shower, grab some food and then chillax this evening. Racing again tomorrow so it will be another opportunity to get out there and have some fun (not to mention get some more UCI points).

Thanks for the support. The emails and positive vibes helped so much today. Huge shout out to Vince at The Cyclery for the incredible support – the bikes worked flawlessly today (this is also thanks to Steve – the best mechanic in Ottawa). Thanks to coach Steve for getting me so fit and fast – he has done wonders with me this past year – whenever I tell him what I want to do he simply says “okay – lets do it”. Thanks to Kingsbridge for their support – it makes much easier to travel to races when you have someone helping you out. I ate a lot of Clif product this weekend – gotta say I’m kinda addicted to the Banana Bread Clif bars and I love the Espresso gel. The Giro glasses rocked it out today – fit so smoothly with my helmet – thanks OGC. Body felt nice and limber as well – this is thanks to the power yoga sessions at Mountaingoat Yoga – gotta love my six-pack as well – this is all thanks to Heather’s tough sessions.

Quick post:

Steve Proulx – 2nd in Master B National Cyclo-Cross Champs
Marc Boudreau – 6th? in Master B National Cyclo-Cross Champs
Rob Orange – 9th? in Masters B National Cyclo-Cross Champs

Exciting race. Steve, Marc, and the winner Sean got away early. The small group got broken up with the riders riding with Sean followed by Steve and then followed by Marc. Marc had some bad luck and flatted. This caused him to drop out of third position. He fought back hard though and dug in deep to finish I think 6th.

Steve was awesome. Power. Smooth.

Rob started really well and dug in hard on the last lap.

Great ride guys! It was fun to watch.