Giving in to peer pressure, I entered my first bike race which took place at the local off-road trails I usually ride in St. Catharines, Ontario at the end of September. It’s only been a couple years since I started riding mtb, and not much longer on a bike in general. I’m 30, barely over 5 feet tall and not far from weighing 100 pounds, and to boot I was never fit at all until my mid 20s and I’m terrified of everything, so it’s been strange to see that I’ve progressed well in any sport at all nonetheless one that requires skill and nerve. But it has also been quite satisfying to see that the hard work I’ve put into becoming a better rider this past year has paid off, and it’s been an overall enjoyable experience getting more fit and being on my bikes. Riding for fun and racing are two different things however, and sometimes it doesn’t matter how well-prepared you think you are for that day.
I doubted entering the expert category, even knowing I was more than capable as well as the others who talked me into it. For the 8 weeks preceding the race, I had been training on Zwift as well as doing trail rides and some other outdoor riding on the hardtail I would race with, focusing on technical segments and practicing climbing steep, tricky areas. The Zwift Academy was also starting right at the beginning of the 8 week block, so I made up a calendar and scribbled a plan that would work. There were some hiccups like a broken mountain bike, computer issues, and the occasional forgotten heart rate monitor that affected Strava data along the way, but it went well and smoothly overall. The academy helped get my FTP back up in the 200 range and navigating the trails solo for the first season was helping me perform better in the woods. I even felt confident and strong enough to finally try my first real Zwift race near the end.
Two weeks before the race I was feeling a little fatigued from training, but was onto gentler rides and should’ve recovered fine. I felt fantastic the previous 7 weeks and unlike the first time I dove into this sort of thing I never felt like I was over-training. There was one thing I did have to be concerned about though, just one tiny little thing that could pop up and throw everything off, something well beyond my control. Something that could be tracked on a calendar, and it was looking like the race would have event conflicts.
My whole fertile life has involved struggling with a biological function that has caused me much disruption and pain. Unfortunately I had noticed it affecting me previously during training and riding season, and I had my fingers crossed that I wouldn’t get my period around the race, or at best it wouldn’t affect me much. Three days before the race, I cursed about my bad luck.
My final week leading up to the race involved easy and quick recon rides, but I wasn’t feeling at my best like I should’ve been. Race day warm-up was just as concerning. It was wet and cold for the first time this year, and I didn’t feel well enough to eat as I normally would have prior to riding. Paired with my racing inexperience, it wasn’t a good start off the line and I quickly found myself stuck with groups I could normally out-pace, feeling sick and sorry for myself, trying to ride just well enough to make it through.
Knowing the trails helped me. Despite feeling unwell in the first half which involved a lot of climbing, I still rode downhill and through tight and narrow sections better and faster compared to others around me (mainly men), which came as a surprise (and slowed me down). Everyone seemed to ride clipped in and struggled in areas I often did fine in on flat pedals. Made me feel better about my poor technical skills but it also did slow me down more than expected. Passing could’ve been more aggressive on my behalf but I didn’t know if there was enough energy to keep ahead so I lost some more time trailing close behind riders in multiple flatter sections, and even some climbs. There were some minor issues with my franken-drivetrain but that’s not really beyond the norm (but it does eat some time). Managed to pass a few on the final couple kilometers to the finish but still missed hitting my goal time of 1 hour 45 minutes, which was pretty disappointing even knowing how bad I felt.
On the plus side, I finished my first race, it was in the expert category, and I gained some experience. It also wasn’t as wet as expected (but was pretty wet), and my tire choice for that day gave me lots of confidence in the conditions (even though I had to worry about running a tube in the rear). I didn’t crash, and there were no serious mechanical issues with my bike. It seemed like the event went off without a hitch. And of course I got some nice mementos. Maybe next year I’ll actually earn my medal, even if it remains a small race category.
Thanks to the Energy crew and all of the workers and volunteers that helped make the race possible. I just learned that the Crusher was only in its second year, thinking it was a long-standing event when I signed up. Looks like it will be growing in popularity!
With this race and final prep taking place a few weeks back now, I’ve had time to reflect on everything and I’m proud of my effort regardless. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone in a lot of different ways and despite how the day went, it showed me once more that I’m more capable than I tend to give myself credit for. This past year on bikes has been a lot of hard work and consistency but it has also paid off and been totally worth it. Hopefully it will only get better, but I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to shake being a lone wolf.
Feel free to find me on Strava. I mostly post bike photos but I’m pretty open with my ride data and use the profile as a little journal.
*Credit to Philip de Vries Photography for race snapshots
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