The Burn

Another year and another first.  The Tillsonburn, aka, The Burn, set in Tillsonburg, Ontario on Good Friday each year.  A distance of 50, 100 or 160km. I of course, took the middle ground and did the 100k.  I thought this would also give me the last little push in my training for P2A.

This is a race/ride put on by Jeff and his wife (owner of Indigo Lounge) and there is no fee. Bring a donation and money for chili and you'll be doing your part in helping some well deserving teen with a new bike.  What a great concept.  And, the day was absolutely perfect for it.

On the way there, I'm thinking, this will just be like the D2R2 except on flat; well, everything appeared to be flat leading into Tillsonburg. Gone are the distant memories of randonneuring some 2000m in elevation with some of the hardest roads I had ever climbed.  And just like the D2R2, you cover the course in a self-sufficient manner.  Similarly, it's a mixture of paved, gravel, dirt roads, along with some rail trail and single track.  It didn't take me long to figure out why they call it the Burn.  In full, its not a misprint and to abbreviate it, is not to save room on paper.  My legs were on literally on fire and everyone just kept saying, including the event t-shirts "just one more hill".  Did I mention, I'm slow on hills?  I always get left behind. Definitely, a skill I need to improve.  Back to speaking of hills, haven't we heard that a million times and each time, we know its just plain BS.  There is always another one.  In this case, there was plenty more. 

One section of road, between two paved roads, was this muddy sandy mixture that really kept my focus.  I was being overly cautious not to get dragged into the soft spots.   Now, had it been
quicksand, it may have been a blessing for me, well, as long as no one came along to haul me out.  However, I thought to myself, if I'm going down, as least this seems like a pretty soft landing.  Also, I may get dirty, but, at least I won't be all scraped up.  I usually save my war wounds for mountain biking.  Still go down at least once with every time I go out. 

At 50k, there was a descent down to the lake and there was a public restroom, which would have been ideal had it been open. This is where I found Cornel  He decided to wait for me after losing me some time ago on one of those hills.  To be honest, I had gone down after hitting some loose gravel after turning to talk to someone ascending the hill. I don't think he was impressed that I had a lack of focus.  Okay, so, I like to talk?  I can be very social, especially if it takes my mind off the task at hand.  That was a bitch of a hill anyway.  Its was a good tactic to earn the right to walk the rest.

We hit the 70k mark on the rail trail and although I may have slowed my pace, I still had energy.  At this moment, I felt good about where I was at for the P2A.  This year will be my second attempt at racing that.  I guess for me, its more like a ride as I only averaged 20km per hour.

Soon after, we hit some single track and I lost some time there as I was a little gun shy after my wipe out at Hardwood Hills last year during the Epic 8 hour relay race.  I need to find my confidence again.  Its out on the trail somewhere.  The mixture of the terrain on the course was incredible though.  A good mix and well designed course. Kudos to Jeff on all his efforts in bringing it together. 

Although, I was happy when it was done, I am looking forward to doing this one again next year.  One last note of mention, when the flyer has a caption at the bottom, that declares, "this is no sissy ride", pay heed.

Happy Trails My Friends

 

70 P2A

70 K Paris to Ancaster Classic Cycling Race

The fridge is becoming empty....not the contents, but, the postcards that adorn the front of it.  Well, until Cornel finds some new races that he is anxious to try and let me tell you, there is plenty.  I get weekly emails with links and YouTube videos of races all over the world, with the majority being held in North America.  I have to admit, I am pretty fortunate to have found an equal when it comes to his sense of adventure.  

So, our latest race, was the 23rd edition of the 70k Paris to Ancaster.  The course takes you over a terrain of rough farm lanes, trails and gravel roads.  I must say, I felt like a kid again, with the amount of dirt I ate that day.  The route takes the riders down dirt corridors with trees on either side and rolling hills of grass amongst the dirt and rocks, but, the sun was on your face and the robin egg sky blended into the green horizon.  It doesn't get any better.  I almost forgot to mention the mud pits; the last being the worst of all.  I took my honey's advise and walked down the Powerline portion, so I wouldn't have to clean my chain and derailleur after making it through. Not sure that I would have kept the momentum going anyways, so I spared myself some time, but, mostly the embarrassment of being covered head to toe in mud.  The course nicely finishes with Martin's Road, which is a climb of 1.3 km.   I will get to see this road again (8x) in about a month when I attempt my first 100 Miler at the Dundas Conservation area.
   

We had fabulous weather considering how unpredictable the Spring can be.  I was checking reports daily to ensure I would be mentally ready for the chance of rain or snow.  Thankfully, the day settled on mostly sun, fortunate for me with the gear I packed.  Cornel and I were in Wave 3, which nicely starts at 10:15.  I have to admit, I love races where you also get to sleep in, or relatively speaking.  We decided prior that Cornel would race and I would chase and this worked out essentially well for us as we both hit the times we were aiming for; if you subtract the time that we were delayed due to the course sabotage.  Its a shame that someone had decided to cut down mature trees to prove some sort of wayward point.  It takes all kinds, doesn't it and I'll leave it at that.  

This was also my first race on a CX bike, after just getting it in March.  I have to admit I love the
responsiveness compared to my Mountain bike.  It provides the ability for turning over the legs fast once you come out of a turn. Its got the power.  Cornel felt it was appropriate for the race and as always he was right. I'm looking forward to our next undertaking, whatever that may be.   

Happy trails my friends!