Countdown to a Race!

 What goes into a race weekend? Clearly to be successful there's a lot more to it than showing up and riding your bike really fast - There needs to be some form of preparation, in this case going as far back as mid August. As such, I present to you my countdown to Provincial Championships!

Dawn of the First Day:
3 weeks remain
This race is obviously a bit more important than the others - it's the championships! As a result, preriding is open much further in advance than the other races. What better way to spend time than practicing the course I'll be racing on? (Not like I'd be doing anything else)
This stage is all about the recce, or the reconnoiter. I travel the course at a very reduced pace so I can learns the ins and outs, the ups and downs and the lefts and rights. I experiment with different lines so I can find the fastest way around the course with the least amount of effort. Take this rock garden for example...

There's a bumpy bit of trail and it takes a few runs to see the best way through and to be able to do it at race pace. After just a couple of times through it, I'm feeling confident enough to move on. Three total laps on the day and it's back to training

Dawn of the Second Day:
2 weeks remain
Another early preride. Got to ride the course with Adam Morka and he was able to shed some light on the more tricky sections. This time saw some more recce laps as well as some at race pace.

The course has a lot to offer - twisty singletrack, steep climbs, wide open descents and ruthless rock gardens. Not to mention some jumps...

Dawn of the Third Day:
24 hours remain
Last day for preriding and I'm kinda dreading things - There's a rainfall warning for the area, the most we've had all at once this year in fact - 50mm. That does not bode well for the course. Considering how technical things are if you add slippery conditions into the mix it's going to make a tough course a living hell. Especially when that slippery is because of a torrential 50mm of water. Before heading up I check the organizers web page - preride is cancelled, they want to preserve the course for tomorrow. A very smart decision. There have been plenty of opportunities to preride the course and riding on it in these conditions won't gain you anything but some smelly laundry and a dirty bike.
I still have to get some intensity in before the race but I just end up doing that on the road near my house rather than on the race course. At least it saves me three hours of driving...

Training over, it's time to prepare for the race day in earnest..

7:00 pm
18.5 hours remain

Time for dinner! Classic chicken and pasta in a home-made tomato sauce. Nothing special here, moving along...

8:00 pm
17.5 hours remain

Time to fill up the car! Nothing sucks more than leaving the next day and realising that you have to stop for fuel on the way. It just ruins the groove! No longer driving to the races in a '98 Town and Country, I get to do it in my WRX. (This make me happy)

10:00 pm
15.5 hours remain

This step is pretty straight forward, lay out the race kit and put it in a bag. Don't want to rush in the morning trying to find things. The next step is the final tuneup on the bike. This is where I take it into my shop
(shown here http://beyondthebonk.blogspot.ca/2012/07/a-tour-of-my-shop.html)
At this point I've already given the bike a thorough cleaning and it's just minute adjustments at this point. If I have to replace brake pads or replace cables then I've left it far too late. I make sure it's shifting properly, the calipers are properly aligned, the tires are pumped and the chain is lubed. The last thing I do to it is attach the race number for Ontario Cups, #613.

11:00 pm
14.5 hours remain
Now that all of my equipment is taken care of and it's all staged in the foyer I start to prep myself. Cue the hot shower and shaving...

 And don't forget this is a cycling race! The leg hair has got to go!

That's more like it.
Immediately after it's time to hit the sack.

Dawn of the Final Day
4.5 hours remain

 9:00am means wake up time. Starting the races at 1:30 has been by far the best part of racing in Expert. In Sport we had to start at 11:45. As you can imagine, waking up this late wouldn't be possible.

10:00 am
3.5 hours remain
Time to break fast! I eat my breakfast about three and a half hours before race start. The goal is to hit the start line feeling full on an empty stomach. I have pancakes because they burn pretty clean and some eggs because they're easily digestible protein. A glass of OJ washes it all down and aids in digestion.

After the b-fast we pack the car and head out. Once I get my contacts in I only truly worry about three things
1) The bike
2) The shoes
3) The helmet                           As long as you have these three things you can race

12:00 pm
1.5 hours remain
I arrive at the race site an hour and a half before race start. Normally I do my race check-in the day before but since it was closed I pop in quickly to get my name on the start list. At around 12:45 I start my warmup and end it right before the race starts so I can hit the line running.

1:30 pm
The Beginning of the End
Race start. Four laps of physical pain and mental anguish. The body cries for an end to the torment but the mind wills it on harder.

I'm inside the top 10. I went easy for the first lap and wanted to push harder as the race went on. Halfway through my second lap however I noticed that steering the bike became a lot harder. Anytime I tried to turn the bike it wouldn't track straight and it would roll to the outside on any sharp corners. As I came through to the jump I realised I must have a slow leak in the front tire. The only option is to race as long as possible and hope the tire stays on the rim.

Alas it wasn't to be. About a quarter of the way through the third lap I was riding on my rim. My race was over...
Not a way anyone would want to end a race, but there's still plenty of racing left to do this season. As I ended this series with a DNF, I can only improve on it. And you know the best part about cycling, besides the actual riding bit?




The recovery of course!

Special Thanks to the girlfriend for taking all the pics!
.... And to Bailey who cares so much about my racing :P