Hard to believe that Canadian Cyclo-Cross Nationals are next Saturday. All the preparation and hard work is in the books and now it is time to just have fun.

I’m really looking forward to racing next weekend in Edmonton. Funny, I thought I’d be stressing about the race. But I can proudly say that I’ve come a long way this past racing season. I’ve gotten stronger. I’ve gotten smarter. I’ve become confident. I am ready.

I realized today while out on my road bike that I’m pretty lucky. I’m entering the elite nationals race with absolutely no pressure. No one really knows me (I spent the last few seasons racing masters) and no one expects anything from me. I recognized and admitted today that the only pressure “comes from me”.

I want to do well. I know how I can race. I have a goal. But that is all about me. Not anyone else. I think this is key – worry about yourself – not anyone else. I can only control my race. Heck everyone in front of me could either fall down and/or get a flat tire – then who knows what could happen?

Suffice it to say, I’m good to go. My training has been going so well. My numbers are higher than predicted. My health is bang-on. No nagging injuries. Both bikes are running super smooth. My race clothing is slick. I’ve got top notch people helping me work on my technical skills. My head is on straight.

This all leads to one thing:

Confidence. Commitment.

The true test of an athlete. To be confident in the work put in and to be committed to the race.

I am so ready.

Can’t remember if I linked to or posted about this site before. If I did, oh well. If not, well here goes.

I was just poking around pdxcross. Some fine photos here. These photographers really capture the action and heart of the sport. Go take a look.

I predict you’ll feel a wee bit inspired.

Just did a quick site update. Added one photo to the photos page (day 2 of Catamount, VT.).

Update the race calendar with more races. Jam-packed schedule. Cool.

The weekend is here. Yes. For most of us this means cyclo-cross racing. A great little escape from the day-to-day of Monday to Friday. We load up our cars with bikes, gear, and hit the road to join the crowd heading to a ‘cross race. What a way to spend a weekend. Kind of like a mini-vacation. Different people, different location, never really know what is going to happen, and smile all around.

This weekend, I’m not traveling. Staying local here in Ottawa and I’ll be racing in the madison at Brittania Beach on Sunday. The madison is a classic race in the Ottawa Bicycle Club cyclo-cross series. In fact I think my very first race way back in 1994 on my Specialized Rockhopper might have been the madison. I find the madison one of the hardest races. It is a pure interval work-out. It is also one of the most fun races – on the “off” lap you have a chance to hang out and cheer on the other racers. Pretty smooth. So if you’re in town, why not come out and race the madison. All skill levels welcome and encouraged to come out.

I came across this article on Velonews the other day. Monique Ryan discusses nutrition requirements for cyclo-cross. Worth a read. Nutrition for bike racing is always a struggle. Every rider has different requirements. I know for me for cyclo-cross, I need to have my last meal 2.5 hours before the race. Typically this last meal is three english muffins with natural peanut butter and banana and I also eat one bowl of Ezekiel cereal. About an hour before the race I drink one bottle of eLoad. Then if I remember, 15 minutes before the race I have a gel. During my warm-up, I’m constantly sipping water. This works for me. If I eat any closer to the race start, I get a very upset stomach before the race. You’ll notice that my pre-race meal is combination of carbs and protein. I’ve found I need a lot of protein in my diet – not only to keep me full but also to help me keep my weight down. I rarely eat “bread” products such as english muffins – only on race days. The night before a cyclo-cross race, I’ll probably eat some “extra” carbs as well. Especially on a double weekend.

After the race I drink a recovery drink mixed with glutamine and powdered calcium. Then I do a little cool-down ride. If it is the first day of a double-weekend, I try to eat pretty much right after the cool-down. Last weekend this was a whole-wheat tortilla with turkey, spinach, cheese and hummus and then I ate an apple.

This is just an example of how I handle my nutrition needs for cyclo-cross racing. Of course the key to effective nutrition is flexibility. You never know what will be available at the grocery store, what will happen after the race, etc.

As for riding today. Just a little 90 minute recovery ride. Smooth. Yesterday I did the ‘cross ride in the morning and then a 2.5 hour ride in the evening with a 45 minute temp block. Wow – it is cold outside! Will be a chilly one today. Okay – gotta ride. Have a good one. Have fun racing.

As I was training this morning with my ever-patient and supportive training partners (Marc and Steve), I realized I was having a lot of fun. The air was crisp. The wind was strong. But still, I was having fun. Can’t beat it really.

Good training session last night with the Ride with Rendall crew. We’ve got a new location that offers a lot of skill/drill options. I pick up a couple nuggets of information that really pay off. Last night it was the reminder about weighting the outside foot and how to improve my running. I spent some extra time on the running technique last night. Definitely an area of weakness for me. As usual a good supportive group out last night.

This morning the three of us hit up our “secret” training park (mainly because we forgot our flags) and worked on high speed/loose terrain corners. This was cool. I couldn’t figure out why I was struggling with the corner. Then I learned that it is okay to use the front brake on straight sections… Once I learned this, my cornering improved a lot. Thanks guys for the help. One more nugget to put in the bank. We also spent time talking about the bikes – things to keep an eye on between the two bikes, etc. Steve made a good point about having the brakes set up the same on both bikes. Oh, and I’m running 4ZA brakes not TRPs…

I received an email last week from a long-ago Ottawa resident now residing in Edmonton – Mike, sent this course description for the big race next Saturday:

Here is a pre-race (Nationals) report from Alberta; I’ve raced variations of this year’s Nationals course a few times. If the weather is dry, it will be a fast course since Alberta grass is sparse and the ground will be hard. If the weather is wet, most of the water will drain into the ravine – there might be some mud before the second run up. The first part of the course is on a soccer field, so it will be smooth with no roots (not like Moonies BayJ). A couple of turns before the stair run up, there is a decent on asphalt with a sharp 90 degree turn at the bottom – warning; this can be slippery if wet. The decent just before the second run up is on a dirt/pea gravel path – the corner is a little off camber and is usually ridden slowly (at least by me). There will be some small logs on the second run up to prevent people riding it – it’s not too steep and has same elevation gain as the stair run up. After this, there is a bunch of 180’s. At the far end of the course there is a bit of straight off camber riding – slippery when wet. The last run up is short and steep. The next two 180’s are on a slope – so it’s a small gear grind around the corners with little momentum. After that you’re on pavement headed towards the finish with a few grassy corners before reaching the line.

Thanks Mike – much appreciated. We’ll see you next weekend.

Okay, gotta go. I’ve got another ride to do today. There are new photos up on Paul Weiss’s site – I’ll try to get some up here later this evening…