Cross Practice

5 degress, wet, overcast, Fall.......The perfect time for Cross riding.

5 of us got together last night to practice racing. A short 4 min loop with corners, hills, sand pit, and cardboard barriers. Off the start I had the lead but I only think so because I made the course and everyone one wanted to see where I went. By Lap 2 Steve, pulled around after the sand pit and up the hill, Alana crashed into the cardboard barriers while battling Carlos. Lap 3 saw Katy and I chase Steve and into the last lap Katy put 2 bike lengths into me in the sandpit and had it in the bag until she slipped on the uphill run. Alana made a come back but could not reel Carlos in.

We were going for a few easy ones until Steve yelled "hot lap" and it was on again for 1. I laid everything i had into the flat parts and barely made it across the line. Plasma lung from start to finish. Now that's racing!!

Mt Ventoux

Having not done anything since the Tri off we go to summit Mt Ventoux.

We stayed in the small town of Carpentras the and, mistakenly, were not in a hurry to get going. The nights are coooling off and we thought we would start a little later so it would be warm. hmmmm.

WE had done a tiny bit of recon and knew it would take us between 1.5 and 2 hours. I gave Alana a 10 minute head start and we were off.

The route starts in a small town named Bedoin. We knew we were in the right place due to the fact that as we were changing in the parking lot over 50 cyclist passed us by. All different shapes and sizes. Bikes ranged from the 10,000 euro special to the 1988 pseudo mtb. A fair number of the mob were sporting the white hair.

The day was bright but the summit was covered in cloud. Jason had said to watch for this but we were going anyway. The climb can be divided into 3 parts the shallow approach to the forest which takes you thru Colombe which is unrelenting, the forest to Chalet Reynard which is forest covered and relentless, and the barrain upper slopes that are relentless.

Jason is correct in saying that this is an exercise in strength endurance. My cadence had to have been between 40-55rpm. There are only a few spots on the whole climb where it deviates from the average grade.

I met up with Alana in the forest and she seemed quite relaxed and as usual was chatting away and making friends.

Love the self protrait while barely going fast enuf to stay up right.

I must say that I did get a bit bored in the forest. I think I was going 11kph and I would stare at the next corner for a few minutes until I finally got there. Up, up and up. They have small markers on the way to let you know just how slow you are going but man do you climb. Hundreds of meters would fall away in such a short distance.

Passing by the Chalet Reynard you see cyclists who have summited and returned for a recharging cafe and snack or those still on their way up that need a little kick. We were doing this sans arret and roade right on by.

So about that cloud! You could feel some wind in the forest but it was refreshing. After the Chalet it was war. Mt Ventoux stands for Mt Windy and it is not just a play on a clever name. It got colder and windier the whole approach. The views where outstanding. This mountain rises from rolling vineyards. The "Giant of Provence" is seen from so many places and you can see so many places. Just before entering the cloud I took one last look and then it was dark.

The final push was exhilerating. The names of the TdF riders are on the road. This is where attacks happened, careers were made(lost), survival for some, victory for other. I turned the last corner in a bank of cloud and pow I was at the top. Masses of riders taking pictures, gear up for the descent.

22km, 1600m of climbing

Pastry Table of Champions

The ride down was not as fun as I would have liked. I was pretty chilled and developed the shivers. Not normally a concern but a bike that is too small, too loose, and too supple it is very un-nerving. I could only go for a bit then I would create my own speed wobble and have to slow right down. Jumping jacks and getting out of the wind helped and we flew down the final section.

I think I could get into this Col climbing thing. SO much to do so little time.

Monaco TriStar111-yep a Triathlon post

So what could be sillier than completing 2 stages races in 2 months......well 3 in 3.....but how about a 1/2 Ironman Distance Triathlon in Monaco?????

Yep, Alana's sister Barb is an avid tri sport athlete. She runs in the pool alot because there are not a lot of sidewalks on the narrow roads, and she rides some sensational routes around her house. Cote d'Azur on one side, mountains on the other.

It was a bit of a memorial event as Barb recently lost a friend in a car accident. Barb thought that doing something big, fun and with family would be good. We agreed.

Now to the business at hand how to finish the TransRockies 7 day mountain bike race and in 3 weeks swim 1km, ride 100km and run 10km?? My good friend Robb has this expression: "when is the best time to plant and oak tree? 20 years ago. When is the second best time? Right Now!"

We started to run a little the week after the race, we ran in Paris, we ran in Dijon (yes the Mustard Capital of the world), we ran in Grasse, we ran in Opio. 3 days before the race we had run 10.5km pain free, albeit slowly.

We started to swim after getting to Barb's house on week prior. We swam in her pool, we swam at the gorgeous outdoor municipal pool, we swam in Antibes, we swam in Cannes. 2 days before the race we swam 800m pain free.

We biked. We borrowed bikes off of Jen Potts, Barb's friend and past Calgarian. Alana's bike was a bit too big, my bike a bit too small. we adjusted as best we could and got in some spectacular rides last week. I was a little leery about going out on such narrow and twisty roads, however the French drivers are incredibly accomodating to cyclists. They will sit behind you for 4 minutes until there is a good place to pass, even in a 70kph zone going uphill. No honking, no fingers, no bad looks. It is so part of the culture that is evident by the 40 plus riders we saw on our route, Tuesday 10am. This is where people come to ride. The Tour de France came by here in 2009 and I road up the hill that they used in this years Paris Nice race. The names of the pros were still on the road.

Okay to the race. Mass start swim, water temp. 23.4 wetsuit cut off 24. Alana and I were amongst the select few without a wetsuit. Oh well. We let everyone into the water then joined the confusion and anarchy that is tri swimming. I don't really like swimming that close to people but who does. I had to keep calm and just swim. It worked. I was quite comfortable and started to pass people. I caught sight of Barb and moved over a bit.

All of a sudden they person in front of me stops dead and it is like hitting a buoy. Oh what, it was the buoy. I didn't look up, Barb just grazed it and I swam head first in to it. F&*#!ng Buoy.

Out of the swim and a sort of quick change on the bike. I saw Barb in T1 and we were off. Check out the bike profile. Yep 20km long gaining 700m altitude. It was like another day at the TR.

up and down all day long. I was riding my little bike that was very sketchy going down but managed to hold on only losing it in one switch back corner. I made good time on the uphills and just rode a steady tempo. As i passed the $6000 to $10,000 road machines on my old, small, creaky bike, looking like a chehuahua humping a football, all I could hear was The Kids voice : "Ya, ya did". Why is it fun to be the dirt bag??

There is no drafting in this race but as I climbed I would see groups working together or just sitting on a guys wheel. I passed a group of 9 guys and went by each on " drafting, tsk, tsk". A few got mad and blew past me on the flat sections but I reeled them back in and left them on the hill. I was not going to be beat by cheaters!!!!!

The bike was awesome the views outstanding. The last 15 km were downhill to the run in Monaco on the F1 race course. A quick stop in T2 and I was off. I felt okay and knew my legs would come around in time. That might have been the case if I didn't start feeling bonky! I thought there was an aid station just before the downhill but there was not. I did not really have any fuel in the 30 minutes leading to the run. I was okay until the hill we would encounter each lap. I made it to the top but felt like crap. I had a caffeine gel in my hand and did it in. I had to wait until the aid station to wash it down and had to go into survival mode. Once I got some water in me and on my head i cam around and started to pick up the pace. One lap to go and I knew I was going to do it.

Yep across the line in 4:42ish. I did not have to wait long for Alana at 5:20 and Barb at 6:00. A great day for us all. We had a slight route navigation problem the morning of the race but the day was enjoyable for us all.

Barb had the fastest downhill speed at 65.1kph Alana and Barb both got stung by jelly fish and I had to sacrifice a pair of underwear to make a number belt. The last time we did a tri was 8 years ago in Lethbridge with Barb, her husband Brent and Evan. I like these things. Maybe more in the future.

Yep, a full type A with their bike cover.

Alana at bike drop minutes before the start.

Celebrating with real Champagne from Champagne. Great job Team Heise-Neilson!

TransRockies 2010

So Mical and I headed back to TR after last years win. Lots would be different this year.



The competition was up all across the board. Wendy Simms and Norm Thibault were back after having baby Tycho. Wendy and Norm are seasoned stage race vets and have trophies and leaders jerseys from both the TR and BCBR. Gretchen Reeves and Cannon Shockley are from the USA and have done BIG adventure races and the Great Divide Race. Pros were there for the TR3 and Open Men. The starts would be fast and so would the rest of the day.



The course headed Fernie to Canmore, something it has not done in 5 years. Why? A brief history: Back in da day when TR started it was to be similar to TransAlps. But in Europe there is a road connecting everywhere to everywhere. Logistics are not that big a deal. In the remote Rocky Mountains linking two points can almost be impossible. Travel Alberta was one of the main sponsors and allowed passage thru some of these remote areas. Now from what I understand and is no way the truth, it became too big a pain in the arse to deal with all the permits and red tape. TR went to BC where they are happy that people use the outdoors.



Travel Alberta is back as a sponsor and asked TR to come back. Yes, they asked TR. So what does this mean? and why the tangent. Day 3! You can flash forward if you want but Day 1 and 2 are worth a quick read too.



Day 1-Rain!!!!!!!!!!!!! After last years flood and cold weather I was not impressed to start our week in the rain. It had been pouring in the afternoon for days and the course was WET!!! It was a Time Trial start. We started 30 seconds behind Wendy and Norm and 30 seconds in front of Gretchen and Cannon. Fun way to start a race but slow and wet. We caught Wendy and Norm before the first big climb, Wendy was having chain troubles. Gretchen and Cannon caught us 1/2 way up the first climb and passed us. We were able to keep them in sight for a while but the overall is not won 45 minutes into a 26 hour race. Mical and I went at a good but doable pace and finished 2nd on the day. 1:43 back but with a small buffer over Wendy and Norm. No jerseys or as Wendy says: "gotta do laundry".



Day 2-Way Too Fast!!!!!!!!!!!



So I have always been impressed with Mical's riding. She is very good technically but her starts are awesome and she has just gotten faster, as I painfully, very painfully found out this day. The day started out of Fernie and up the Coal Creek Road. It looks heinous on the profile but is not that bad a grade, UNLESS.........you are trying to keep pace with a train of pros and top riders going 24kph up hill. I was able to hold on for 20 minutes but then had to call Mical off as I popped. We tried our best to get back on with some of the guys but we all seemed to move at the same pace. Gretchen and Cannon passed about the hour mark and we had to let them go again. I was trying to recover and Mical had to draft for me for the rest of the day.



We went over the top of the climb into a trail called Porky Blue. A ballistically long descent that you could not take your hands off the brakes. All you could smell was burnt brake pads and metal. I alternated between front and back just to let them cool a little. The issue was that if you took your brakes off you would get going too fast to be able to brake for the next corner. There was some fun stuff and some switch backs that would be really good if you were not racing. I made it to the last one and decided to walk it. Good Call! I then tried to get back on my bike with 200 meter to go to the road. Bad Call!! I fell down hill and had to pick myself up and run to the road. From there on in I had to hang on Mical's wheel and was able to give her a break every now and then.

I was feeling pretty bad that I could not help out but as Mical said "that's what being a team is all about." Thanks Pardner!!



Shuttle buses to Elkford, where they are always excited to see you and put on a good host. Terry Ann from Embody was there and we poached a 30 minute massage. Wow did that set us right!



Day 3-Elkford to Etherington- Remote Wilderness.



So back to the prologue. We went up and over Fording Pass. It has never been done before for a race let alone a MTB race. Why? Part of the dealings with Travel Alberta. They asked TR what they needed and they said better access. They got it.



Crazy start on an logging/access road that was slliicck after all the rain the night before. Mical made a point to move to the front again and I was able to hold on a bit longer. I had to call her off the front peleton again but we were around other fast riders so it was not that bad. We hit the aid station fast and then had a long hike a bike. We may not be proud of it or like it but Mical and I can push our bikes fast. The steeper the better. We had a jump on the other teams and were going hard up the climb. We saw them at one point several minutes back but then did not see them again for the day. Fording pass is awesome!!! there are huge cliffs and valleys. Straight up walls of rock. The pass itself is desolate. You really do feel like you are in the middle of nowhere. This is what makes the TR special.



A crazy fast descent where we caught Marty and Steph from Rocky Mountain. They had to single speed there bike after tearing off the derailer. I was following Steph and he got a flat, seconds later I got one. I did not want to give up the lead and lose our advantage by stopping but I would have to ride to gingerly to the finish line. Mical and I had the tire fixed in less then 1 minute!!!!! It was unreal. We charged hard to finish and got our win and a good gap of time. We were 12 minutes in the lead and would not have to do laundry that night.



Day 4-Etherington to Achor D- Grass Pass!!!



Good thing we have Mical's parents as support. They are always there at the finish with some real food and water, a change of clothes and shower supplies. Dave washes bikes, Brenda takes care of the host tent. They know that you get grumpy, tired, and can't think at times but it just rolls off them. Dave also likes to ride when he can. He scouted the start of Day 4, good thing he did. He said the single track comes up fast. I checked it out in my warm up and knew Mical and I had to get tactical. We would go for the hole shot; we wanted to be the first ones in so as not to be having to fight around the other riders. With the TR3 crowd gone we didn't think anyone would want to charge hard off the start. After the first corner I went to the front and started to slowly wind it up. Barry Wicks said to Mical "I guess you are leading us out". Mical responded with a hehe as she knew exactly what was going to happen. I thought the Pro Men would come around but they didn't. Mical and I really did get the hole shot and lead the entire field for the first 25 minutes. It sounds great but I was full of anxiety that I was going too slow and holding people up. No one complained so we kept on going. We got to the road hooked a ride down the pavement, rode strong up Grass Pass, hike a bike over Sullivan and charged to the finish. We had a good day that showed we were back in action.

From the TR report that day:

"though the ride of the day must certainly be credited to the Open Mixed leaders Mical Dyck and Jeff Neilson. After leading the field in the first section of single track they stormed through the race to be the 4th team across the finish line overall and first in their division."

Day 5-Anchor D to Little Elbow Campground

Another Crazy start. Mical was sitting 5th wheel behind Kona and Rocky Mountain. I truly believe she was one of the fastest riders in the race. She seemed quite content to hang out with the big boys as the start went up several hundred feet in less than a km and left most people in difficulty. There was some good single track off the start and a crazy behind the seat descent. Mical wiped near the top and I followed suit at the bottom. We rode a conservative day, still first and looking forward to Day 6.......that is until we crossed the finish line.

We were the lucky ones we got in under 5 hours and that is when one of K countries infamous summer storms arrived. Tents were being blown around. Rain and hail was threatening to collapse the pop up tent and the temperature dipped and never did recover. Wet and cold, just like last year.

I got my belt buckle today recognising that I had entered 5 TransRockies. What a sucker I am!!!

Day 6-If you are going thru Hell, just keep going.

It is one thing to head out in to the unknown, face adversity, bare down, grit teeth, and triumph no matter the suffering. It is another to head out knowing the discomfort and suffering you are going to face. Day 6 was not unlike the Bow 80, 2009. Cold and raining at the start with only colder and rainier at the top. Mical did not do the Bow 80 last year but she can now relate to all that did. Soaked on the road and heading up Jumping Pound Wendy and Norm caught us and passed us. The climb was wet and slow and after 5 days of riding - I walked a lot.

We had heard that they may divert the course before Cox Hill at the Summit trial approach. They did but not for us. We were apparently "too fast". They ended up diverting most of the field at the first entrance and sending people down the road. Others, Alana and Trish, made it to the Summit trail and worried about safety, correctly diverted themselves down.

This is one of the only criticisms I have of the TR. The motos left early to see how the trail was and the weather up top. They obviously did not leave a person at the safe diversion point and that allowed about 27 teams to go "Over The Top". They were informed, even before the race, from people such as Cory Wallace, Pat Doyle, and Trish Grajczyk that going over Cox was a bad idea. We had all done it last year at the Bow 80 and they had shut the course down for the first time in history.

Never the less there was no course marshall at Summit trail. Since we had no idea where Wendy and Norm were, it was turn down and lose our overall or go "Over the Top" and vie for seocnd place on the day but retain our overall. I road past the turn off by 100m and waited for Mical. I looked at her, soaked to the bone and cold, and asked if she was okay. She said yes, I didn't waste and time chit chatting and we went for it. Not so bad when you are climbing but miserably cold descending. I slowed to talk with Mical only once and could not coherantly talk as my jaw muscles were locked up from shivering so much. It came out as " w ha to ke gon to ke war" (We have to keep going to keep warm). That is when Mical let me know she had worn thru her back brake and was doing the Cox Hill descent with just the front. We made it down and warmed up on the road a bit. We got to Aid 2 and there were tons of people there????????????????? They had all huddled in a warming tent that looked ever so enticing.

Mical and I had a hot chocolate, food and water. I could see Mical looking at the tent. Alana came out and explained that they had diverted people and the stage was a mess. Still with Wendy and Norm in front we had to keep going. I told Mical that we could not get involved with the warming tent and we had to just finish the day. Off into the cold and muddy wilderness. We at least were on home turf and knew where we were going. My eyes were full of mud as my glasses were covered and useless. I picked up a particularly big chunk about 3 km from the finish that did not flush out.

Wendy and Norm got the stage win. We got "Mommed".

We crossed the finish line and were instantly attacked by our support and other helpers. Mike Sarnecki had a wet towel and got rid of most of the debris around my eyes. Dave Dyck had to help me out of my clothes as none of my fingers or thumbs worked. I didn't even know they were there except that I could see them. Off to the showers to get warm and spend 20 minutes cleaning mud and horse shit out of my eyes.

I still could not see properly and the medics said I had scratched my cornea. My sight in my left eye was like looking thru a frosted glass window. They said it would get better, even by the next day.

Day 7-Back to Canmore

The last day is never gifted to you. Maybe because they design it that way or maybe because you are so tired and just want it to be over. Alas, Mical was set to once again work on her World Cup starts and hammered. I had to call her out of 5th wheel and she quite pleasantly towed my sorry ass down the Trans Canada to Quaite Valley trail head.

I was to find out that she enjoyed very much laying the boots to me all week. Something about the mix of how great she was feeling this year and a small measure of payback????????

We cruised at a good pace when Pat Doyle and Craig Bartlett caught up to us. They were in second place in the Mens 80+ and were looking for a stage win. We tried to stay out of their way and got to follow fro a while.

Results: First Day 7 and First overall!!!!! We had newspaper interviews and TR interviews. Another week of bike riding and some new shirts.

Thanks to everyone who helped out on the week. Tim and Tracy drove our car back for us and then drove it to Canmore. What service!!!!

We won entry to next years race and will have to see how things pan out for that.