HIGH SCHOOL MOUNTAIN BIKING HAS ARRIVED IN OCEANSIDE

An Interview With Head Coach Steve Stuart

Cow Pie Classic, 2013 - Photo by Phil Beckman, PB Creative

By Kristen Gross

“High school athletics, in my opinion, is probably the most fun a kid’s ever going to have in sports,” said Steve Stuart, who has taught at El Camino High School in Oceanside the past 25 years, and now coaches its newest team: mountain biking.

A former physics teacher, Steve is now an educator in the physical education department. Knowing his history of coaching in the water — swimming and water polo — I asked Steve what drew him to the “dirt side.” He answered passionately on the benefits of mountain biking both for the athletes and their coaches.

“I wanted to do something with the kids that gets them outside, and keeps them active for a lifetime. This is still a relatively new sport, it’s a lot of fun, and one that I can participate in when I’m coaching,” he said with the hint of a smile. “Someone has to go out and ride with the kids.”

Steve’s own mountain biking experience goes back to the’ 80s, almost to the sport’s birth. In college, he worked at a trade show where one of the first off-road bikes was on display: the “Mountain Goat.” “In 1981, I was a part-time event attendant at Long Beach Convention Center while going to Cal State Long Beach. One evening I was on the cleanup crew at the Long Beach Bike show. I walked into the exhibit hall and for the first time at my job there, I didn't get a lot of work done. I remember staring at the Mountain Goat bicycle and thinking ‘Wow! What can you do with that? Would that be fun or what?’ Of course it was 11 p.m. at night and nobody was there to answer my questions except the security guard.”

Today’s bikes have come a long way, but for many kids they are still just shiny objects of desire, rather than attainment. The cost of even a used mountain bike is a barrier to access for students. That’s why Steve’s primary focus for the growing team is to track down support in the form of loaner bikes. “We want to introduce the sport to as many kids as we can,” said Steve. “If they come out for a season, and they love it, they’ll find a way to save up for a bike of their own – but until then, we could use a little help.”

So far, the team’s roster includes a young woman ready to race, and a Chinese exchange student looking to experience all he can while he’s here. There are some BMX racers interested and even some members of the wrestling team are thinking about committing later in the season, once their bouts are wrapped up.

Though the team has already started training together, the official race season starts in February and goes through the end of April, or the second week of May if a racer qualifies for the State Championships to be held in NorCal.

The El Camino High School team is part of the SoCal High School Mountain Bike League. Every school competing is set up as a “club” but the league has hopes to become as ubiquitous as traditional sports like football, baseball and basketball have been.

The League, governed by the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA), is working to encourage participation, especially for female riders. Points are awarded to every rider who finishes the race so no matter where an athlete places, they’re contributing to their team’s point total. The girls’ points are weighted even more heavily. “Basically the point system is set up to encourage lots of riders, not just the best riders. And it’s also set up to encourage girls. It’s very difficult for a team to be a top contender unless you have girls racing,” said Steve.

Most teams do two to four workouts together a week. Parents are also tremendously involved, helping to make sure bikes and riders get to school for practices, home again, then of course weekend rides.

But races are the biggest commitment for parents and volunteers. They help out with set up, tear down and course marking. They volunteer in the pit, to direct traffic or supervise the athletes. Events run five or six weekends, sometimes in the middle of nowhere, sometimes in a county park.

One could interpret it as pretty challenging stuff, but Steve easily lays out the benefits: it’s a chance to help out, give some kids a meaningful experience, ride some new terrain with the athletes, make new friends and spend the weekend camping, enjoying the outdoors.

“High school mountain biking is truly family oriented which is something I really like,” explains Steve. “My son played volleyball so as parents, we’d go up to Anaheim and hang out in a gym I-don’t-know-how many times a year. We got to know the other parents pretty well, and we got along really well — but with mountain biking it’s even more. They’ll have a blow up screen to show movies, bonfires and a festive, fun atmosphere — the stuff memories are made of. We’re outside, camping, having a really fun time.”

The team is supported by eight volunteer coaches — some are teachers at the school, some are experienced mountain bike coaches and all are excited to give back to the sport they love by helping to introduce it to the next generation of riders. Mountain biking teaches friendship, leadership, believing in yourself and surprising yourself. It comes with obvious health benefits, respect for the outdoors — and a deeper sense of connection to it — and of course, a lot of fun.

“I coached swimming and I was very competitive,” said Steve. “At the same time, as I get older, I realize, you know what? There’s one winner. And there are a whole lot of people who work just as hard, who don’t win. So you’d better enjoy the sport you’re in.”

The team is looking for help and is always open to donations of used bicycles, or the time of volunteers. The priority is to lower the barriers of access and to spread the word that El Camino High School has got a new mountain bike team with room for lots of members to get involved. For the kids, the mountain bike can be a tool for independence and discovery. And when they’re adults, it will be there to remind them of how it feels to be a kid. 

“Being out there, cruising through the trees and the bushes is very therapeutic,” said Steve. Before we finished our chat, I asked him what mountain biking has taught him for life:  “Learn to roll with it,” he laughed. “Any kid that comes out, who’s willing to put in the time, we’re going to find a way to get them on the team,” he continues. “We don’t want to deny any kid the experience, and lifelong enjoyment of mountain biking.”

Canada Cup 2010 - Posted!

Looks like the Canada Cup Schedule is up -- once again, no BC stops for XCO. Hmmm. Any one want to head out for the Test of Metal? No Canada Cup Races in June, so we can make The Test an unofficial stop on the Ccup Circuit.

Here's the sked at a glance for XCO. For DH/4X, click here.

#1 Baie St. Paul, QC May 16

#2 Tremblant, QC May 22

#3 Hardwood Hills, ON May 30

Write in: Test of Metal, BC June 19

#4 Edmonton, AB July 11

#5 Canmore, AB, July 18: National Championships

#6 Bromont, QC August 15

More photos from Sunday

I'm lucky I've got talented friends! Sean got some great souvenir shots of me from Downhill Day (and some unintentionally hilarious ones, which I'll mostly keep to myself). He was kind enough to forward me the jpegs so here you go! Thanks Sean!

This one makes me laugh because you can see the effects of a borrowed bike up close: Chris likes a wider handlebar than I'm used to and I've got at least 2 inches on either end in extra space! Also, at some point, my elbow pads became wrist guards. I didn't notice until it was time to take them off. Newb.

This one was taken during practice (I can tell because my elbow pads are where they're supposed to be)
This one is on the landing of the log drop. It's huckable but that's not in my bag of tricks yet. Well, a little huck maybe.

The log drop -- and amazing blue skies -- in the background. I saw guys landing outside this frame so I've got a long way to go!

Race Report: Ontario Cup #1, DH, Kelso

I'm exhausted, sunburned and totally stoked. Today was my first time racing Downhill and I'll always remember it.

Yesterday, as I mentioned, I was a little bit unsure of myself. I hiked the hill once to take a look at the course, sessioned some sections I had trouble with (read: every one of them) and then drove home thinking I was in way over my head. I even had a little heart-to-heart with my boyfriend about it in which we decided that maybe if things didn't look better in the morning, I would skip the race and thereby eliminate the risk to my XC season. It seemed clear to me that the potential for serious injury was high.

I woke up early so I could get there with plenty of time to run the course. Things didn't feel better. In fact, I'd had nightmares about the damn thing. But the sun was shining and I had some friends to collect on the way so off I went.

Sean, Jeff and I made the trip in the minivan. I came to race, they came to work on their picture-taking skills. Once I had the loaner bike and all the armour paraphanalia sorted out, we went our seperate ways. I was on a mission to figure out downhill. And I only had two hours to do it.

Photo cred: Jeff Monk. This is me during the race run, trying not to run over Jeff.

I hiked up the ski hill about six times. The lift was taking way too long and I was wasting valuable practice time just standing around. Each run I'd figure out another little thing. But still, before the race I hadn't yet been able to string a clean lap together. My riding was full of dabs [putting a foot down], erroneous braking and expletives. The course looked something like this:

1. Start gate then a straight with lots of room for pedalling, but with a jump (I'm an XC rider and even the smallest possibility of my tires leaving the ground makes me squeamish)

2. Gnarly rock garden starting with a pump section (three undulating bumps that you have to use your whole body to work the bike through or else lose all your momentum)

3. Six foot drop ... which I went around via the "chicken line", which was still steep and covered in rocks and roots, with an off-camber out

4. Flatter pedalling section (yesssss!)

5. Two sets of jumps

6. Log drop to off-camber berms and more rhythm sections

7. Gnarly rock garden

8. Wide open track to the finish ("pedal, pedal, pedal," roar the crowds).

By the time the race rolled around I was exhausted from walking up the hill all those times with a 30 pound bike, fullface helmet and armour (and nowhere to put a water bottle). I did a couple warm up sprints while doing my best not to watch as the other racers took off in 30 second intervals. It would mess with my brain way too much if I saw someone eat it on those rocks. So I just sat in the sun and prayed to Jesus to keep me safe.

Then a miracle!

After spending the whole morning talking about how scared I was, how over-my-head I felt and resigning myself to last place (if I finished at all) I took my spot in the start gate. The numbers beeped down, and I swear, I literally felt a "click" up in my brain and the competitor in me took the wheel. I was focused, calm, relaxed and at last! That smooth run I'd been trying for all morning just happened. I finished happy, and all in one piece so I'd already accomplished all my goals for the day. But to my surprise, my smooth-at-last race run was the fastest of the day for the women's field. I'd won a gold medal! And not like yesterday's ... today there were three other very fast, experienced and respected ladies to compete with.

Downhill was a great adventure, and an exercise in the power of positive thinking. I had such a fun weekend, and only wish I could be in two (or three!) places at once so I could come out to some more, but for now, I think it's back to XC.


After the race, the boys took me to Swiss Chalet, where I was given a yellow balloon and yellow pie in honour of my yellow medal.

Check out the shop's coverage of the event -- a great weekend for Sweet Pete's!

Race Report: Ontario's First Ever Super-D

I was awarded a gold medal today, but I didn't win it. I got it just for showing up to Ontario's first ever Super-D race put on by Sir Bikealot Racing in conjunction with the first Ontario Cup DH race to be held tomorrow.

I watched the pre-registration list throughout the week but there was no sign of other females stoked to try a Super D. So I told myself they must be planning on pre-riding the course, then deciding and registering at the event. Since Super D is a new discipline in Ontario, I thought it made sense that people would like a taste before they dropped 39 bucks on their entry fee. But as it turned out, I knew I'd won the race before I even started. You'd think that'd be a good feeling, but really it just kind of took the wind out of my sails. To keep it interesting, I decided I'd push to see how far into the men's category I could get instead.

Before I tell you about my day in gravity sports, let me lay out some basic information.

What is Super D?
Super D is somewhere between downhill and cross country mountain biking. Although the course points down, you still need to pedal. There are a few uphills, but mostly your momentum carries you. Throw in a some flowy single track, the odd technical section (nothing scary, girls!!) and it's all over in just a few minutes. It's basically everything that's fun about XC (unless you think long technical climbs are fun in which case you're out of luck.)

What kind of bike do you need?
I rode my Trek today which is the same bike I ride for XC races. People also rode 4X bikes and burlier trail bikes (6-inch travel) but certainly you'd be fine with 4 inches of travel and a hardtail. For the record, both the women's and men's fields were won by XC racers ... so I'd say it's kind of our thing.

What do you wear?
I made a point of wearing lycra today because I was in DH-land and they can't stand it. I thought I'd better represent. Full face helmets are necessary on the DH course, but not on the Super D -- I just wore what I wear to XC races. Some people wear ski-style helmets with goggles though. I wasn't too sure about the steeze on that one ... I guess it's cool?

What can I expect?
This morning, rolling into the parking lot, I thought "This'll be easy! Rock n roll!" Turns out you shouldn't expect easy. I was pretty much redlined for the entire 4 minutes and 39 seconds I raced. It's downhill, but it's a sprint too. Plus, unless you're willing to wait in line for an hour to get up the slowest lift in the world, you've got to ride up the ski hill at least two times to the start. In Super D, you must do two practice runs and the commissaire has to see you do it, and mark it on your number plate. Otherwise you can't start the race. I'm not sure how it is in other places (I think some Super Ds run heats?) but at the Ontario Cup, we were started one at a time at 30 second intervals.

That pretty much sums it up. Next time, I really hope more girls and more XC racers go out to show those gravity dudes what's up. It was such a fun course, and it teaches you a ton about carrying speed and cornering. I'm glad I did it, even if it was lonely in the ladies' category.

My day started fairly early as I wanted to practice on the course before the racing started at 1pm. The weather was pretty fair, but once in a while it did rain a bit. It seemed to get colder as the day went on as well so I ended up racing in knee and arm warmers again. I made friends in the morning with the only other person in lycra. We rode the chair-lift together, one back from our bikes dangling precariously by their back wheels and decided we'd just skip the chair for the rest of the day. *shudders*. I chased him down the course a couple times. He races Elite as well in XC so we were both on a little field trip to the gravity side of things. He won his race too. We must have had a lucky chair that morning.

I prerode the course, and also whipped around on the single track gloriousness at Kelso. I ended up doing alot more riding today than I anticipated, and that's a good thing! I didn't really know anyone so I hung out in the minivan eating my lunch and reading a book until it was time to climb the hill to the start.

My race run was fantastic. I did everything the way I wanted to, hit my lines, got some great, positive comments from the spectators, nose-wheelied the finish (although that was an accident ... tee hee) and even gave a young girl a pep talk at her dad's request. I think she'll be ripping it up next Super D. And so should you!!

Once that was all over with, I went back to the car and put on my DH disguise. I grabbed the bike I'm borrowing ... thanks Chris! ... and hiked it up the mountain. The switch from being clipped in to flat pedals was scary. The rocks were scary. The jumps were scary. The drops were scary. Respek to downhillers who make that rough stuff look butter smooth.

Tomorrow is race day again, so I'm off to bed, hopefully to dream about how to string together a good DH race run.

My loaner bike -- Trek Remedy. Suuuch a nice ride.

ABP and X-0 Equipped!!

Obligatory down tube shot ... and custom sticker job

Spy cam captures his royal cuteness. Only 11 weeks old!

Race Report: Ontario Cup #1, Mansfield

The Ontario Cup mountain-bike series kicked off today at Mansfield Outdoor Education Centre near Alliston. The weather man promised sun and warm temperatures, and that had most Ontarians stoked for the first nice weekend -- especially mountain bikers. It is a little tradition of mine that my first day in shorts (and my first sunburn of the year) occurs at the Mansfield race.

For as long as I have been racing, Mansfield has been the first stop of the provincial series. Because of the unpredictable nature of the weather and conditions this time of year its sandy, well-draining soil makes it an excellent early-season venue. No matter what mother nature throws at us (notwithstanding lightening or Armageddon), chances are the racing will be a-ok. Plus, it's a nice mix of flowy tight single track and climbing which makes it a little easier on racers getting out on their first course after a winter of accumulating cobwebs. The course caters more to riders' fitness than technical skills.

The weather was indeed unpredictable, and the forecaster was totally off-base. Instead of a 30 degree sunny sky, we were treated to a 6 degree deluge. The sunny, hot pre-ride from the day before was a distant memory as we scrambled to find yet another layer to keep warm and dry. We were early for the race to help out Tara, a fellow racer who's start time was a couple hours before ours. So we mostly just killed some time chilling in the minivan, trying to stay out of the weather.



Watching the rain come down I was oddly calm. It wasn't long ago the thought of slippery roots and muddly trails would have had me tense with nerves, but I really think my weekend in BC helped with my comfort in that department.

Soon enough, it was time to suit up, get the bike ready and head out for a warm up (which considering the pummeling the elements were throwing at us turned out to be not very warm at all!) Problem ... where the eff is my skewer? I looked everywhere and couldn't find it, then thanked myself profusely for being prepared enough to bring a spare. It didn't have a quick release, but at least my wheel would be attached!! After that bit of drama, I was off to the warm up, and then the start line.

The weather was cool enough to require arm and knee warmers. When I put my arm warmers on, they were still a bit damp from my sweat the day before -- the result of overheating on the balmy pre-ride. Sigh.

Off the start, KK sprang into action. She charged up the first climb and Mandy (of Paris to Ancaster podium fame) was right on her wheel. I was third wheel and well aware of it. At the crest of the hill, we were treated to a long fast descent and I pedalled up into the big ring -- the meat and potatoes -- and closed the gap. Just as the course pitched up into the first single track, I surged forward and jumped in first. "Holy shit, I'm in front" I thought and then did my best to gap them. I led the pack for the entire first lap, pulling away, then getting pulled back and getting away again. I was so excited I could hardly concentrate but I wanted it. Bad.

KK let me have my lap of glory (sadly at the wrong end of the race ...) and teammates cheered from the side of the course and the feedzone as I hammered through first. Then KK took her turn at the front and never looked back. She went by me like I was going the other direction. I gave chase, but knew I couldn't maintain the pace on the climb we were grinding. I hoped to see her again in similar fashion to the first lap, but she was long gone.

Perhaps I went out too hard, but shortly after KK got by, Mandy appeared again. She passed on some of the more technical climbing on the course and got away. I kept her in sight, kept the pressure on and we battled for two laps giving and taking. At last, at the end of the third lap, I got by her for the last time. She commented, "not going to give it up this time are ya?" in reference to the Paris to Ancaster tilt from last weekend. "Not today!" I called over my shoulder and went in for my final lap.

I chased in vain for KK, while stressing out about another Mandy-coup, and then it was over. It seemed like I had been begging god for it to be over only five minutes before. But when I crossed the line, I had to check with other racers to make sure I got my lap count right. It felt like it flew by.

I grabbed my complimentary chocolate milk, high-fived KK and rode off smiling my head off to spin out my legs. Today was my first time up on the Elite podium. Oh what a feeling! Rounding it out were KK with the gold and Mandy with the bronze.




Hardware!
Last season's model of oak leaf ... nothing more to see here.

The Ocup Circus is in town!
KK and I chilled out (literally) trail-side
Liz, post Sport race, hiding from the downpour

Stay tuned for a more coverage from the OCA report and just for fun, check out Andrew's version of the 1:30 race from the Expert male cateogry.

Canada Cup Series - Edmonton Preview

Still a long ways away, the Edmonton stop on the Canada Cup circuit is tentatively on my race calendar for '09. I was poking around the internet last night and found a sneak peek! Watch the video for a helmet cam view of the XC course.

Edmonton Canada Cup Preview from Mike Sarnecki on Vimeo.

Course Map:
6.6km lap
136m of climbing

Elevation Graph:

Race Report: Paris to Ancaster

It took about 15 minutes for the sound of my alarm to penetrate my thick skull, but as I struggled to the surface, two long-missed words flashed across the insides of my eyelids. In neon. Race Day!

Behind schedule, and still not quite packed after the minivan mission, I sprang into action. I admit, my race day prep left something to be desired, but that's what the first race is for: practice.

I had a pretty modest breakfast -- just a bowl of cereal and a glass of water -- and then threw my gear into a bag and packed up the minivan. I promised myself a stop at Tim's for some caffeine and a bagel, but didn't realize I broke the promise until I picked up my race registration package in Ancaster. So much for that.

I handed over my baby to a man with a big truck and hoped for the best. He promised I'd see it again in Paris at the start line, so I took care of some final touches on my prep then got on the shuttle bus headed for the start line.

Wasn't long before I located KK. She peer-pressured me into doing the race, so in return we agreed we'd work together. Paris to Ancaster is a point-to-point race of varying terrain over 60km. It is billed as Ontario's Paris Roubaix, a spring European road classic. However, racers ride CX or XC bikes for our version -- it's not a road race.

The course includes some doubletrack, rail trail, farmers' roads and fields, paved roads, gravel roads and pretty much zero single track. Combined with today's near-constant headwind, it was a real winner out there. But at least it didn't snow!

P2A also boasts that they have the largest field of riders assembled in Canada. According to the results, more than 1,200 finished the race.

KK and I warmed up, then sidled up to the start line. We didn't have a terrible spot, but it wasn't awesome either. The race started and we didn't even really notice. It took another minute before the riders in front of us were moving and we were off, threading the needle over dusty roads trying to beat as many as possible onto the narrower rail trail.

I felt good right away. KK stayed on my wheel and expertly took her pulls too. In fact, I think I swallowed a rock her wheel kicked up. The two of us have been hacking up mudpies ever since we crossed the finish line.

The middle of the race was pretty much the same old boring P2A ... long stretches of straight roads, switching off pulls into the headwind. There were a few notable highlights: we passed some kids with a "sweet jump" built in their driveway, so I hit it and they cheered. There were some other kids in a farmers' field that wanted high fives and so of course we obliged. You'd think we were handing out gold bricks for how excited they were!

The end of the race had a good tilt. We successfully navigated the sloppy, muddy, sticky, clay-based mudslides (bike still caked -- too tired to care) and rounded that last corner onto the famous final climb. KK pointed out a mark for me and sent me on my way to chase her down. I was still feeling really good so I went for it. My legs didn't let me down and I passed her after a moderate effort and some mountain bike handling (she was on a CX bike which is basically a road bike but with knobby tires). I gapped her and started to focus on the ever-increasing pitch of the climb. I had my face almost right to the bar when I decided I ought to check back. I think that look over my shoulder added another couple logs to her fire because the next thing I knew she was passing me back. I battled with her for a bit, but not knowing her category or my ranking, made an oxygen-depraved decision to let her go. I finished right after her as the finish line was basically the crest of the hill.

I finished strong, felt like a champ and put to rest my insecurities about having worked alone (ie without a coach) this winter to prepare for the season. So if I'd just got into the car and come home straight after my cool down, I'd have been super stoked. But it turned out there was a bonus! All that work added up to a silver medal! So I got to take home some hardware along with my big grin. KK was right behind me and shared the podium too. Oh yeah, the girl on the hill won our category. I'm lazy and she deserved it :)


Women's 20-29 Podium: KK bronze, Me silver, Mandy gold

Overall Women's Podium: Alison Sydor, gold; Melissa Bunn, silver; Michelle Cordy, Bronze
Crowding around to check results

The first thing you see when you come into the arena ... priorities!

A little piece of history (belonging to a giant).

The Coke side of life

"Want a beer?" Bruce asked, holding out a Bud as we all sat down to watch He-Man: Masters of the Universe.

"I can't," I said with a sigh. "I rode three hours today, and I need to do another three tomorrow ... if I have a beer, my legs will be shot."

After the usual group-discussion about how beer is actually good for you (duh!) he relented.

"Do you want a Coke then?" he asked, and I immediately felt like a giant cliche but grateful for his understanding. Normally I'd have to resist at least five times before I'd be left alone in beerless peace.

Coke is supposed to be on my personal list of banned substances (I used to be a Coke-a-day kinda girl ... got the cavity to prove it. And not that diet crap either!) but it's lower down than beer, so I accept -- it's Saturday night afterall. Woot woot, cola!

The funny thing is, I was probably even more buzzed off that one Caramel E-150d-coloured can of carbonated chemicals than I would have been off the beer. All I know is alcohol makes my legs knot up and Coke doesn't, so it wins.

That got me thinking about Coke. It's actually got a pretty colourful history and during race season, it even gets promoted off my list -- from guilty pleasure all the way up the ladder to energy drink.


Coke Pusher

The story of Coca Cola begins in the late 19th century. It was originally used as a medicine, shedding new light on Mary Poppins' theory. It was said to cure conditions including morphine addiction, indigestion, neurasthenia, headache, and impotence.

When it was first manufactured, the two main ingredients were cocaine and caffeine. The cocaine was derived from the coca leaf and the caffeine from kola nut, hence: Coca-Cola (poetic license with the "K" for the marketing machine).

In 1903, the cocaine was removed (for obvious reasons) but the coca flavour lives on. There's only one plant authorized by the American Federal Government to process the coca leaves: Stepan Company in New Jersey. Coca-Cola Bottling Company gets the cocaine-free leaves, while the extracted cocaine is sent to Mallinckrodt, a pharmaceutical manufacturer in St. Louis, Missouri. It is the only company in the United States licensed to purify cocaine for medicinal use.

Caffeine remains in Coca-Cola and is in fact what makes it attractive to athletes. In a recent study at McMaster, published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism (and covered on CBC news), they found that caffeine can delay an athlete's perception of pain and fatigue. It also tricks your muscles into releasing more of the calcium they need to contract and relax.

In the Feed Zone at the race course, you'll often hear riders call out for Coke on their next bottle. When I first heard it, I thought it was a joke. A coke? At a time like this? "Wtf, would you like a burger to go with it?" I wanted to yell back. However, as I later learned, the request for Coke instead of water/energy drink has solid scientific backing. The night before a race, you open a bottle of "the real thing" and put it in the fridge to let it de-fizz. Cut it with some water and you've got all the sugars and 'pop' (excuse the pun) you need to get you through the last half of your race.

Team mate Derek collects his bottle in the feed zone -- not a Coke lap this time!

I haven't experimented with a Coke on-course, but I do have one on the drive up instead of a coffee. I find where coffee leaves my stomach feeling unsettled, coke just gets me going and feeling great (sometimes I substitute a Dr. Pepper, but that's beside the point). While on course, I get my caffeine from Clif Shots. Each gooey strawberry flavoured packet contains 25 mg of caffeine. But after two years of steady Clif Shot intake, I have to say I'm ready for a change. So maybe this year, I'll be the one riding through the Feedzone calling out my Coke-lap.

Interesting Coke facts:

• It's kosher at Passover!
• It's the same forumla it's always been (minus cocaine) -- in fact, Americans protested when Coke tried to change it in 1985
• Coca-Cola has been a sponsor of the Olympic Games since the first ever Games in Amsterdam, 1928; Caffeine has been an IOC banned substance (now restricted, but check my facts)
• The Coke formula is guarded under lock and key in a bank vault. Only two executives know it
• Cherry Coke is a Canadian thing. It was discontinued in 2000 (I loved that stuff)
• Coke has been shown to contribute to osteoperosis in women who drink a lot of it
• In one night, Coke can soften a tooth and melt meat
• Coke is great at cleaning coins, toilets, blood spots and washing paint off.

Toronto International Bike Show

Marked on cyclists' calendars from far and wide, March 13-15 was the weekend for nerding out on bikes. Held at the Direct Energy Centre, the recession didn't keep folks away from a day at the EX.

The Bike show features all the manufacturers in the industry hawking the newest and greatest parts, gear, apparel and bikes. There's a marketplace where shops can set up their wares and sell them for special deals. (I gave all my money to Kona for their rad hoodies at low low prices! I even got to meet the "Kona Lisa", who's name is on every Kona women's bike.) Charity rides and bike tours take up a corner on the show floor, along with advocacy groups and race organizers. BMXers gather to watch pros and amateurs jam. At the indoor dirt-track set up for the weekend, 4X racers and tricksters show their stuff on mountain and bmx bikes. And for a real treat, Ryan Leech set up for Trials demos and a seminar offering his views on the mind game of riding.

The Show Floor

I set out from work as soon as I could on Friday afternoon to register in the 4x event and visit the boys at the Sweet Pete's booth. Once I was signed up, wrist-banded, bike-banded and armoured, I went to check out the dirt track.

I bought the STP last year after test-riding one at the show, and never expected to be strapping a number plate to its handlebars. Racing 4X is not in my area of expertise. But where else can you ride dry dirt in March? My $30 entry got me show access for the weekend, a ton of practice (read, FUN) on a decent course and three rounds of racing. Pretty good deal, considering the show is ~$15/day on its own.

My only race goal was to avoid breaking anything, so I won! In my first moto, ("moto" is to bike-racing what "heat" is to track and field) I tried to pass a girl on the inside of the final berm and washed out my front wheel in the loose dirt. Crashing in 4X isn't the same as in XC -- in XC, I usually know it's coming! I was caught completely off guard on this one and hit the ground lacking all grace and style. I brushed myself off and rode another two rounds, improving my performance only by not bailing. But I didn't embarass myself either. I was racing girls with a ton of experience and they didn't leave me in the dirt, so I count it a success.


The Race Track

Once racing was over, I decided on another mission: enter every single draw possible. So hopefully I win a car/weekend getaway/bike/gift basket/gym bag. That mission forced me to check out all the vendors' booths. Some cool stuff out there that's for sure. I saw bike boxes that don't look big enough to hold a bike, hold a bike. I saw skin suits that claim to help muscle recovery. Insoles that make your feet happy. I sampled some power bars that didn't taste quite so "power bar". I saw all kinds of fancy new bicycles. I saw foodstuff charged at four times what you'd pay outside the EX. Truly amazing stuff.

Probably my favourite part of the weekend was the talk given by Ryan Leech: "The Mind Game of Riding". He told us he was inspired by a book he read when he was 12 called "Inner Skiing" (he started out as a skier! who knew?) that changed his life. The seeds that book planted helped him become one of Canada's great cycling treasures. He talked about not letting your ego get in the way of your riding. The ego is that voice in your head that won't shut up. It's usually concerned with what other people think, or how whatever you're doing translates into self-worth. It's not the "self" you should be relying on. The "self" you should rely on is your "true self" -- it comes from a place much deeper than your ego. You know you're doing it right when you get into the zone. I call that my "Racy Place". It's really tough to get there, and once you're there, your ego usually starts yapping again and it's gone. When I'm in my Racy Place, everything in my head is quiet and the harder it is, the easier it is. I feel like a Jedi racing through the trees, but at the same time, it's like slow motion. Conversely, if I'm suffering in a race, I stop focusing on what I'm doing. I just get frustrated with other riders, clumsy, and very unhappy. Ryan's talk really helped put some more context behind what's happening upstairs when I'm racing, training ... existing in general.

Ryan and his adoring fans

All in all, it was a great geek weekend for riders. The best part of the show is seeing all your riding buddies, racing pals and shop friends all in one place. You get to hear about how they spent their winters preparing for the next season. And soon ... it'll be here!

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In 4X, where you start in the gate can be a huge advantage. To keep things fair, your moto-position is "in the cards." Here a rider draws a favourable spot!

The dreaded Gate Start. Riders must balance in the start gate until the green light drops the gate. There's an art to the timing of it all and a good gate will usually earn you a win. It's intimidating the first few times, for sure.

Here's me on the course. Photo cred: Liz!

Kona will give kids a sticker if they sing, break-dance, high five someone they don't know, or tip their caps to passing ladies. When they ran out of stickers they gave out Fun Dip instead.