Rider Diaries

GOLD at Pan Am Track Cycling Championships!

By
LocalRide
 – March 7, 2012Posted in: News, Rider Diaries, Team Local Ride/Dr. Vie Superfoods+

by Laura

The 2012 Pan American Cycling Championships were held in Mar del Plata, Argentina. After about 30 hours of travel, we arrived at the beautiful ocean-front, European-inspired city.

We were only able to train twice on the track before race day, so we were quick to learn how to ride the track as a cohesive unit and get over the travel and jet-lag. It is autumn in Argentina right now, and during training we were faced with up to 50km/h wind gusts and some rain. Usually, the elements would not be an issue in track cycling competitions, but the Mar del Plata’s velodrome is outdoors, concrete, 250m. Thankfully, the three of us (Steph Roorda, Allison Beveridge, and myself) are experienced track riders and grew up racing on outdoor concrete velodromes in Canada (namely the track in Calgary, Alberta). We knew how to ride a team pursuit in the wind and we knew that not only our fitness, but our technical abilities would set us apart even more from the other teams present. We were confident and excited going into the qualifier on March 5.

We qualified 2nd next to Venezuela and earned our ticket into the Gold medal final later that evening. Despite posting a slower qualifying time than the other team, our team was motivated to show that we can go faster and stepped up with a new race plan and crossed the line in first place. It was a great feeling knowing we executed our plan perfectly and will go home with a gold medal.

Steph and I have been national team and road racing teammates for many years now, and it was great to be able to ride with youngster Allison Beveridge and get her hooked on WTP (Women’s Team Pursuit)! She is fresh out of the junior racing category and this was her first senior Pan American Championships. It was inspiring to ride with such an emerging talent and to be able to share as much experience with her as possible.

The 2012 Pan American Championships were the 2nd last event to gain Olympic qualification points and the final race before the World Championships in Melbourne, Australia in the beginning of April. Our WTP was sitting 7th (the top-10 teams qualify for the Olympics) and it was critical to come to this race and do the best we could to further solidify our ranking. After winning the gold medal, picking up a couple hundred points, and taking home a Pan American champions jersey, we feel like the mission was accomplished. Now we will recover and begin our build for the final race of the track season before the 2012 Olympic Games, the World Championships.

Thank you to everyone back home from their constant support and encouragement. We are thankful to have so many people behind us and cheering for us along the way. Thank you to Local Ride and Dr. Vie Superfoods+ for all you do!

Spring Series #1 River Road Race Report

By
LocalRide
 – March 7, 2012Posted in: Local Ride Racing, News, Rider Diaries

by Carsten

Tension for this race had been building all week – my first road race of the season aboard my newly built Giant TCR, and the second race sporting my new team kit. On one hand, this race was just for training, to get the feel of racing in a bunch, and to jump-start my race intensity for the rest of the season. On the other hand, I wanted to make a good impression for my new sponsor and team mates. With the promise of rain and cool temperatures, I was looking forward to a proper early spring hurt-fest. (un) Fortunately, the rain held off for most of the race, with just a few sprinkles midway through and puddles on the road. (I was hoping it would pour, because I enjoy racing in those conditions!)

The River Road course in Langley has a reputation for lots of crashes and aggressive riding. Although I knew this, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to see where my fitness was and how I stacked up against other riders. The group seemed content to settle into a pretty good pace – not too fast – which was perfect for me at this point in the season.

It was windy along the eastern and northern parts of the course, which I think turned out to be a decisive element in the race. Two of the course’s four corners were pretty interesting. We had to slow down quite a bit to squeeze between the cones and potholes. There seemed to be quite a few people caught out in the wind, because the peloton shrank significantly each lap. During the first six or seven laps, I was able to stay neatly tucked away in the group and out of the wind. I sprinted out of the corners to stay closer to the front, but I was saving myself for the last two laps. On the next lap, however, as I moved up through the group, I noticed two guys out front maintaining a pretty good gap. Judging by the pace they were setting, they looked like a pretty strong pair. I waited for someone to bridge up, but the group seemed content to let them sit out there alone.

Normally I would have agreed, but I found myself out in the wind and unable to get back into the peloton near the front, so I jumped up to the break and helped out for a bit. I was feeling pretty good out there and we seemed to be building a decent lead when my legs gave out. I felt good, and then a few minutes later, I had nothing and I had to drop back into the peloton. I was able to hang on for a couple more laps, and would have finished happily in the group, but there were some pretty aggressive riders starting to stir things up. The tension in the peloton was growing and everyone seemed to be taking more risks. With just a few more laps to go, I decided to pull out and head home. I probably would have been okay, but I don’t have enough experience with that kind of intensity combined with hollow legs, to handle it safely. This race has given me some great experience and a good idea of what areas to focus on in my training. I’m looking forward to joining up with the rest of the team in the coming races.

A Bend Shred-cation

By
LocalRide
 – October 14, 2011Posted in: News, Rider Diaries
Thanksgiving long weekend some of the Local Ride Crew made the trek to Bend, Oregon for a “Shred-cation”. Check out some photos and maps from the trip.

By Steve

Day 1

For day 1 the goal was to ride the US National Marathon course from this past year. It is a 50 mile loop that starts and finishes in downtown Bend, and rides out towards the Kiwa Butte. It connects some classic Bend single-track with trails like Twiddlywinks, Storm King, Funner and Larsen Trail (as in Steve). Trick is piecing together all the twists and turns. We got a little lost but still had a great Day 1 ride, especially once we hit the jumps down Tiddlywinks.

map

Day 2

North Fork to Flagline- What an awesome trail! The day started out windy but sunny, and had a nice steady false flat towards Tulamo Falls. From there we climbed steadily upwards into what became a cold misty alpine area, with open meadows and rich forest. I suffered on the climb with extremely chilled fingers, but was lucky enough to warm up by really pushing it on the descent. We hit a few rock sections fast enough to really get my arms pumping and the blood flowing back to my fingers.

Tulamo Falls

Day 3

This ride was originally going to be an epic, up past Paulina falls to Paulina Lake and then even more climbing to the Peak. From there it was slightly back down and then around the Newberry Crater rim trail. Problem was it was so cold at the Peak, that an exposed ride around a ridge trail didn’t sound safe or fun. Who would of thought that an almost 8000 foot high mountain would have bad weather in October…? Anyways we played it safe and ripped back down some sweet singletrack.

Mike-looking

Day 4

We saved the “Farewell Epic” for the last because of it’s name, and in my opinion it was the best day of the trip. The weather was perfect, my body was tired but warmed up into the ride well and I was starting to get one with the bike feeling that only happens after multiple long days in the saddle. We started the day in the Phil’s Trail network, which looked to be the spot the locals go for and afterwork burn. From there we road though the “Boneyard” and again up to the base of Tulamo Falls where we found the bottom of the Farewell Trail. Farewell was probably the hardest climb we did in Bend, steeper and looser than the others it was over quicker. The view from the top was great, with the Three Sisters and Mt. Bachelor showing signs of fresh snow. The ride down was AWESOME! 13 miles of bermed swoopy smooth singletrack on a trail called Mrazek. The ride down was highlighted by bumping into none other then Adam Craig, a world cup racer, long time Giant Bikes rider, all around nice guy and a Bend local. He gave as a couple pointers on how to best make our way back to the car and posed for a group picture.

Adam-Craig

All in all, Bend is a great place to visit. The trails are smooth and fast, the people and town are amazingly nice and there’s no tax! Plus if you like hoppy beer, you’ll be in heaven. I highly recommend it for your next shred-cation.

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Bikes are Awesome

By
Local Ride Racer
 – September 21, 2011Posted in: Local Ride Racing, Rider Diaries

By Steve

This past weekend I went for a bike ride. No big surprise there… but it got me thinking, what would I do without my bike. I ride almost everyday, whether it’s commuting to work, training or just a fun MTB ride, I’m riding. If I wasn’t, I’m sure I’d be doing other things; rock climbing, playing on a soccer team, watching more movies. All good things, but would they enrich my life the way cycling has…? I’m not sure, but I thought I would share some pictures that show why I ride.

poco-cross-ride
Ok, not the greatest picture, (it was taken with a sweaty Blackberry), but I like it because it was a cyclocross ride where I didn’t touch pavement for more than 50 feet. Didn’t drive to a trail head, didn’t get past by any cars, just got on my bike and had a quality ride with Paul, Bill and Pete.

start-of-comfortably-numb
Another questionable picture, but you try sprinting ahead of these guys and snapping a pic while still riding up a bumpy road. This was the start of Comfortably Numb in Whistler. It’s one of those trails you should try and ride at least once. Annually is better if you can.

laura-at-westside
I didn’t race the Westside classic this year, but I took the opportunity to hang out with some friends and take some pictures. Here’s Laura of the Local Ride/Dr. Vie team railing the corner into the finishing stretch.

ryan-at-naramata
Bikes are also a great excuse to travel and see the Country we live in. Here’s a picture of Ryan “shredding the nar” in Naramata. Plus when you get tired (you can’t ride all the time) the Okanagan wine country has plenty of other things to do…

Check out the gallery below or go to Local Ride’s photo page

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Bike Racing – A Team Sport

By
LocalRide
 – March 28, 2011Posted in: News, Rider Diaries

By Steve Devantier

This past weekend I was reminded of the significant roles teams play in a cycling race. It may be common knowledge for the seasoned road racer/fan, but for the non-cyclist the importance of teamwork in cycling can sometimes be overlooked when glancing at results. For the past couple of years myself and Mike have been toiling away in cat ½ without a real team leader to ride for. Unfortunately neither of us are strong enough to take on the this role, which leaves us both purposelessly and hopelessly racing against much stronger teams and individuals. Not much fun. The EV Spring Series presents a unique opportunity for me to race with a team again by dropping down to the “B” group to act as a helper (domestique in cycling lingo) for LRR’s sister team Local Ride/Dr. Vie Superfoods+.

Jenny sprinting to the finish, photo: Barry Lyster

Sunday’s race in Aldergroove would be my last race in the Spring Series this year, and I am pleased with how it went. The team had 5 riders to work with, and the plan was to have Jessica ride hard in the beginning to try and initiate an early break, while Sarah watched for counter attacks and bridging riders. Jenny was our protected rider, and her goal was to keep her nose out of the wind until later in the race. Mike and I were given more of a free rein as the women were trying to build their team skills in preparation for the upcoming season.

The race started slowly, tired legs from the day before weighing some riders down. Jess, myself and Mike were all in/attempted early breaks. Jessica’s early solo effort allowed us to warm up into the race without having to be too attentive at the front. Out of the other early breaks Mike’s group was the only one that looked dangerous with them gaining close to a minute on the field, but it was brought back by the EV team. Eventfully it became clear that no break was going to stick, so Mike and I began the task of trying to spot the strong riders and make them do some extra work. There are different ways to accomplish this; if you’re strong enough you can let little gaps open and force them jump around. You can also try and leave them on the front, or attack a hill and wait for them to burn some matches bridging and then just sit on their wheel. The goal is to tire them out so that the team’s protected rider, in our case Jenny, has a better chance of winning. Meanwhile you also have to make sure that your chosen protected rider is safe and not doing any more work than is absolutely necessary.

Me at the finish, photo: Barry Lyster

These kind of tactics are one of the things I love about having a team to race with. It changes the monotony of turning pedals in circles around a course for 15 laps into more of a chess match. The other thing that I love about having a team to race for, is I find I can dig that much deeper into the pain locker when I’m racing with team goals. From about 4 laps to go during Sunday’s race my legs were cramping. Every lap I wasn’t even sure I’d make it up the hill with the group, but each time I found I way to hang in there. Then on the last lap it was time for one last effort. Making sure Jenny was near the front of the pack along Zero ave, I set myself up to crank out the hardest tempo I could as soon as we turned right onto 272nd. I made it up the first bumpy incline on 272nd in the lead with the pack strung out behind. Then still leading and with my legs absolutely screaming I sprinted out of my saddle over the second incline. Still nobody came around me. Hoping Jenny was well position I hammered down the small hill into the finishing climb my legs cramping with every pedal stroke. Completely tapped the group came around me for the finishing sprint up the climb. To my delight Jenny was beautifully positioned and managed a third place finish against some very strong men. Me…? I barely made it up the hill and finished dead last in the pack, and on this particular day I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

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