National Championships Primer

At this time last week I wasn't sure if I would be able to race at the national championship in Burlington this coming weekend. One of the probes in the lab broke and I needed to really do a lot of work this week to recover from that to have any hope of finishing my thesis by August 15th. I went home with Nic T anyway to celebrate the wedding of my cousin and my Dad's 60th birthday but had to return Sunday and spend the week at work. My coach David Jack gave me some training to do to get ready for the Nationals whether or not I would be able to do them.

I was not able to compete in the TT (which was today) due to work obligations but will be lining up beside the best in Canada on Saturday for the road race. The course is in Burlington on Applebee line, turn right on 14 Sideroad, right on Bell School ln and back to Applebee by Britannia road. Those familiar with the area will know that this stretch of Applebee road contains a nasty climb just after Derry rd known to all cyclists as "Rattlesnake". The road climbs 100m elevation over 2km of road with some sustained sections above 10% gradient. What this means in the race is, a high probability of pain and suffering for all.

In road racing, it isn't all that hard to ride in a group with others that are stronger than you on a flat road, because drafting behind someone at high speed allows you to save a lot of energy compared to the guys riding on the front. This is not the case on a hill where everyone needs to overcome their own gravity, and on such a steep hill the speed is very slow, and hiding from the wind really doesn't do much to help you in this instance. I predict that this hill will blow the race to shreds and only the strongest will survive, because the strong guys will know they can make a difference here. After getting dropped on the big climb in Charlevoix, I am not sure I am going to be one of those guys, but it's my first time at the Nationals and I am going to see if I can surprise myself.

Wish me luck!