Centurion Cycling - Canada

Thanks for checking in again!

I have been laying low the past week+ as my body does it's best to recover from the beating that was the Village of Blue Mountains Centurion Event on September 19th. The event was put on by NA Sports, the same group that owns Ironman Canada and used to run Lake Placid, California, Wisconsin, Florida Ironman events before selling them to the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC runs/owns Kona and the brand "Ironman") I emphasize the organizer because Graham Fraser and his team put on the best events period. I have raced his events and events that are not his, and by far his are the best!

The event is set for the masses, 25, 50 and 100 mile options through the steep hillsides of the Niagara escarpment in Collingwood. The point being to bring every level of cyclist together to enjoy an epic day of bike riding. This met that goal and was impecably organized. Many of the Ontario riders I race against throughout the year, usually really tight with race fees and such, commented how they so received their money's worth from the $110 race fee vs. half that fee for Ontario Cup races. MEaning, Ontario racing really does suck. We had OPP escorts, helicopters, feed stations, safe roads, incredible roads, great course, buffet food, timing chips, swag bag, rock bands...list goes on. Ontario racing you get fined, cursed, shit courses. It's why our team goes to the US and Quebec to race a lot. Ontario racing = training!

Anyway, as for my race, it was the last of a long season and I did everything I could to try and break up the group and get away over 100 miles. I didn't succeed. I cracked so bad I almost fell off my bike at 101 miles. The race was long, I didn't account for that and cracked bad. I finished 26th on the day but should have been up front top 5. Humbled, lesson learned in bike racing...don't do the work, that's someone's else's job!

Great event, highly recommended.

Click on this link for my power file from the event: I spent 55% of the time above threshold; 20% at max...over 5 hours that adds up!!! Hence, the cracking and sudden darkness-:)

I can't wait for Graham's team to learn and grow the event. Talk is already started of a hill climb TT the day before with combined time winning stage race type format!! If anyone can do it was excellence, its his team.

and finally it happens - CRASH!

On Sunday we fielded our full team for the Kitchener-Waterloo Ontario Cup road race. I went down to the race early to carpool my friend MAdelyn Smith to her first bike race! She did awesome, always at the front of her race and easily covering moves on the climbs. Then I didn't see her and knew something was up. She finished a few minutes back after crashing when getting squeezed by the group as the race vehicle came by. NOT a good start to her bike racing career but she is ok and a trooper.

Me on the other hand has gone 10 years without ever hitting the deck. Only one minor skid out on wet leaves at 15km/hr is the extend of my bike riding crashes. That is about 15,000 kms a year without a single scrape until Sunday.

Our full team was there and we had a good plan in place and were executing it pretty well for the first half of the race. Then I attacked to try and bridge to 2 riders up front. I was catching them and a group from the peleton were catching me. Down the descent, hang a right, pedal in the 53/14 around the corner; drop 2 hears to the 53/12 and gliding at 70km/hr (so says bike computer) I look back to my left to see a few guys coming. Then Peter Mogg swerves around my right hand side. I lose my line slightly looking right and next thing I know Peter is coming around me really, really tight. BANG, his rear wheel fully into my front wheel and what felt like forever was from that point to the deck. I played this out last night and here is everything that went through my mind in those 10 seconds from going down to stopping:

1. Hang on tight, DO NOT LET GO OF YOUR BARS!

2. F-C-K!

3. hitting deck I felt my head crash into roadside and I thought "I'm dead" but the lucky Bell Volt helmet came out on top of that battle!!

4. Get your feet first like going down river!

5. roll onto that grass in front of you!

6. look for other riders coming your way so you don't get run over!

7. Stopped, feel for broken bones....nothing? Are you kidding me = DODGED BULLET!

8. PAIN, LOTS OF PAIN; SCREAMING PAIN! OMG PAIN!

9. put me back on my bike

10. F-K my bike, I need to cry.

11. a few minutes of "shock" ensued. Deep crying, deep calve cramp pain, unbelievable amount of self talk to stay lucid, "what's my name? what's my birthday? where am I?" All answered correctly.

12. I AM OK, holy shit!

I am bandaged up along the right side calve, knee, hip, shoulder, elbow. left shoulder has a nice strip off too and the left hip stings but is ok.

Worst injury in terms of keeping me off my bike feels like a left groin pull which probably came from being clipped into my pedals and flinging the bike over me as I rolled.

Here are some before and after photos.

O