Monday, November 26, 2007

Ontario Provinicals News

Marc Boudreau and Steve Proulx made the trip to Albion Hills this past weekend to compete in the Ontario Cyclo-Cross Provincials.

Both Stevens Cross team members competed in the Masters Elite division.

Battling the elements - including snow and cold, Marc and Steve both rode strong races.

Steve finished in 2nd place and Marc finished in 4th place.

Congrats on another great weekend of racing!

Thursday, November 15, 2007

US Gran Prix of Cyclo-Cross

Some members of the Stevens Cross team are heading down to New Jersey for the US Gran Prix of Cyclo-Cross.

The US GP cyclo-cross races attract the best 'cross racers that North America has to offer.

Should be some awesome racing this weekend.

Stay tuned for race results, photos, and race reports.

Monday, November 12, 2007

Mississauga Day 2 Results

Here are the results from the second day of racing in Mississauga, ON.

Steve Proulx - 2nd place M1
Natasha Elliott - 3rd place Elite Women
Marc Boudreau - 4th place M1
Osmond Bakker - 4th place Elite Men
Vicki Thomas - 9th place Elite Women

Mississauga Day 1 Results

Here are the results from the first day of racing in Mississauga, ON.

Marc Boudreau - 2nd place M1
Natasha Elliott - 2nd place Elite Women
Osmond Bakker - 2nd place Elite Men
Steve Proulx - 6th place M1
Vicki Thomas - 7th place Elite Women

Action Pic from the Weekend

The Toronto Star was out at day two of the Mississauga double-header this past weekend.

Check out the photo of Marc Boudreau of Stevens Cross racing over the barriers. Marc was fourth on Sunday and second on Saturday in the M1 elite race.



Check back for more photos and race reports.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Stevens Cross Racing Action

This weekend the Stevens Cross team is traveling to Mississauga, ON to race.

The double-header weekend will feature Ontario's finest cyclo-cross racers as well as racers from through-out Canada and the U.S.

Check back next week for race results, reports, and photos.

If you're in the area, come on out to watch some racing and check out our slick Stevens bikes.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Pics from Farmington and Northampton

Paul Weiss took some photos during the Elite Women's and Men's races this past weekend in Farmington and Northampton.











Monday, November 5, 2007

Nationals

I'd like to start my blogging with a Nationals report even though it was some time ago. Nationals was my biggest focus this season, as it should be, so it deserves to be my first post.

So as you know from Vicky's post we all went to Kamloops to compete on a very tight technical course. It was a course you couldn't make any mistakes on without paying a price. I rode strong and technically sound for most of the race riding second wheel most of the time waiting for the opportunity to strike. Well there weren't many places to strike and Chris MacNiel from Alberta did a brilliant job of controlling the few spots available to do so. My attack came on the last lap through the pit area leading into the sand run, much to the delight of the pit crew. Being 6'3" and having a good stride made the deep sand seem like a good place to give it a go, and given it led into the last third of the course, which was next to impossible to get around anyone, I went. Unfortunately MacNiel is just as tall and about a step faster than me getting out of the sand and he was back to his control game. At the next run up I just tried to get on my bike faster and was prepared for elbows but I stalled my pedal on a root rounding the corner and that took some wind from my sails and left a few seconds of gap. John Fokkema closed the gap from behind me and manged to out sprint MacNiel for the win leaving me in third which I'm happy with all in all.
I have lots of people to thank for helping me get to Nationals and get there with a chance to win. Huge shouts to Stevens Bikes, The Bryan Gormley Foundation for Poor Old Athletes, J Star my training partner (force feeding me intervals), Marc and Vicky for helping coordinate everything, without them I'd be lost (really lost) and the best bike shop in the world The Cyclery, they do phenomenal work on my bikes!

Cycle-Smart International

Raced the Cycle-Smart International in Northampton, Mass. on Sunday. This was the second race of the double-header weekend.

Another fast and fun course. Featuring lots of twists and turns, a technical sand pit, a tough run-up, and a flat and fast finish. Got to the race early in the day so I could warm-up with Marc and Steve as they prepared for their race. Worked the pits and then spend the next few hours relaxing, eating and getting into race mode.

This was my second elite race so my nerves were less heightened and I was feeling good. Started on the third row this time and had a decent start. Managed to pass a few girls in the first few corners and avoided the early race pile ups.

Set my eyes on a group of three just ahead of me and worked to chase them down the entire race. I continued to make up ground on the trio but would lose it on the steep run-up and climb.

I loved this race course. The twists, turns and constant accelerations really suited me. I focused on maintaining speed and working extra hard to accelerate out of every obstacle. All the cheering helped as well.

Finished off the day in 17th place. Met my goal of cracking the top 20. Couldn't have done anything more on the day. I learned where I need to spend some time practicing and had a lot of fun.

Excellent weekend down in New England racing.

Chainbiter 9.0

Raced the Chainbiter 9.0 race in Farmington, Conn. on Saturday.

This varied course has lots to offer racers - sand, grass, technical descents, twists and turns, a long gradual climb, and an uphill finish. The fall weather did not disappoint with rain starting to fall just before the start of the Elite women's race.

This was my first race with the elite women so I was not sure what to expect. I had a good call-up and started on the second row. Started well and was caught in a lot of traffic going into the first sand pit. My goal was to try and ride with some other racers. With the wind that afternoon, I knew shelter was important. Ended up yo-yoing with one a couple racers for most of the race.

Until I made a technical mistake which forced me to stop and and get back on course. From then on I spent the last two laps trying to limit my losses.

I finished 22nd - so not too bad. My goal was top 20 but I'll take 22 for a first elite race. Learned more about myself and my strengths and weaknesses on the bike. Also had a chance to try my new "race day" prep. Focused on staying relaxed through-out the day and feeding off the energy of my team mates.