Jeff's Sporting Life: 2015

December 2015/2016 Capital City Rec Hockey League

Mon 28th, (Game #11) 1 Goal & 1 Assist
@ 8:00pm, University of Alberta Clare Drake arena Rangers vs. Ghostbusters 2 (L 6-5) On my goal we were on the power play and the shot from the point hit the goalie in the pads and I was there to get my stick on the rebound and the puck just went in. My assist I got a step on their defence men and had a shot from the side in tight and the goalie kicked out the rebound to a wide open Javan M who put it in the empty net. We really struggled in our own end at getting the puck out of our zone. They sealed off the point really well. They had lots of pressure in our end because of it. Both teams took some penalty's. We were down by three at one point in the third period and made it close at the end. They outshot us 38 to 28. Javan M 2G. Ryan S 1G & 1A. Harry A 1G. Howard C 1A. Daniel D 1A. Evan R 1A.

Thu 17th, (Game #10) 1 Assist
@ 10:15pm, Crestwood arena Rangers vs. Puckaneers (W 5-2) On my assist it was a chase to the puck and I lifted their defence man's stick and kicked the puck over to Chris K who had a nice shot to score. This was a really fun game to play in because they were evenly matched with us and not a chippy team. We got a good goaltending performance by Gideon L. We out shot them 32 to 26. Chris K 2G & 1A. Ryan L 1G & 1A. James S 1G & 1A. Blake M 1G. Ryan D V 2A. Howard C 1A. Evan R 1A.

Fri 11th, (Game #9)
@ 9:30pm, Leduc Alexandra arena Rangers vs. Toothwork Titans (L 2-1) We got outplayed in the first period. During the flood our GM had said lets play with us using our speed and in the second period we out played them. The third period was even. They scored with only eleven seconds left in the game. I had made a great back check to prevent a goal just twenty seconds before they had scored. The shots were even 20 to 20. James S 1G. Jeff M 1A and looked like Taylor Hall out there tonight.

December 2015 Training

Sun 27th, Went to gym @ the Meadows for 45 minutes did chest, arms, core, legs & road the bike for 45 minutes, Kms 20

Sun 20th, Went to gym @ the Meadows for 45 minutes did chest, arms, core, legs & road the bike for 45 minutes, Kms 20

Sun 13th, Went to gym @ the Meadows for 40 minutes did core, legs & road the bike for 45 minutes, Kms 20

Sat 12th, Went to gym @ the Meadows for 45 minutes did chest, arms, core, legs & road the bike for 45 minutes, Kms 20

Sun 6th, Went to gym @ the Meadows for 25 minutes did chest, arms, core & road the bike for 30 minutes, Kms 15

Sat 5th, Went to gym @ the Meadows for 35 minutes did chest, arms, core & road the bike for 35 minutes, Kms 15

November 2015/2016 Capital City Rec Hockey League

Mon 30th, (Game #8) 1 Goal
@ 10:00pm, West Edmonton Mall Arena Rangers vs. Garbage Goals (W 5-1) On my goal the puck was cleared and it was a race for the puck and the goalie came out to play it and fanned on it and I got it and tucked it in the empty net. I would say the score did not reflect how well they played. We were sluggish in the first period. Our goalie Ryan L stopped two breakaways and had two big pad stops. They out shot us 38 to 34. Javan M 2G & 1A. Ryan S 1G & 2A. Ryan DV 1G. James S 2A. Harry A 1A. Howard C 1A. Chris K 1A.

Wed 25th, (Game #7) 1 Goal & 1 Assist
@ 10:30pm, Glengarry Arena Rangers vs. Figjam (W 4-2) On my assist we were on a two on one and I got their defence men to come to me and then I saucer passed it to Robin M and she scored five hole. For my goal they pulled their goalie and I got the puck down into their zone and there was two of them and I came away with the puck and put it five hole on their defence men covering in the net. I had some really good back checking. We played a really strong game and had lots of sustained pressure in their zone. We out shot them 29 to 26. James S 2G. Ryan S 2A. Jeff M 1A. Alex H 1A.

Wed 18th, (Game #6)
@ 10:45pm, Callingwood Arena Rangers vs. Pylons (L 4-3) I thought that for the most part the game was even. The difference was that they capitalized on their chances. Early in the third period they scored to take a 4-0 lead. We did not give up and battled back to make a game of it. We out shot them 29 to 20. Ryan S 1G. Javan M 1G. Andy R 1G. Howard C 3A. Harry A 1A. Bruce C 1A.

Sat 14th, (Game #5)
@ 7:45pm, Tipton Arena Rangers vs. Ghostbusters 2 (W 6-3) We got out played in the first period. After the flood we out played them in the next two periods. We out shot them 37 to 28. Our passing was crisp and clean all night. This was the best I have seen our team pass the puck around. Howard C 1G. Coleby P 1G. Daniel D 1G. Robin M 1G & 1A. Javan M 1G & 1A. Ryan S 1G & 1A. James S 1A. Chris K 1A.

Fri 6th, (Game #4) 2 Assists
@ 10:30pm, Donnan Arena Rangers vs. Garbage Goals (W 6-1) On my first assist I won the face off clean back to the point to Howard C and his shot found its way in as I was in front of the net. My second assist we cycled the puck down low and I passed it to Ryan DV and then he went to Chris K who scored for his hat trick. We out played them in the game and I thought we had some good chunks of time spent in their zone. We out shot them 39 to 29. I played for them a couple years ago and they are a great group of guys over there. Howard C 2G. Ryan S 1G & 2A. Bruce C 2A.

November 2015 Training

Sat 28th, Went to gym @ The Meadows for 30 minutes did chest, arms, core & road the bike for 32 minutes, Kms 13

Sun 15th, Went to gym @ Kinsmen Sports Centre for 1 hour did elliptical trainer, legs, chest, arms, core & lane swimming for 30 minutes, Metres 1,000

Tues 10th, Lane swimming @ Kinsmen Sports Centre for 40 minutes, Metres 1,100

October 2015/2016 Capital City Rec Hockey League

Fri 30th, (Game #3)
@ 10:00pm, Canadian Athletic Club Arena Rangers vs. Pylons (L 7-5) We played as good as we could and in the third period we were at one point down 6-2. I don't think the score should have been that, as they had got a lucky bounce or two. We made a close game of it and I give lots of credit to our team for trying hard to the end. And to that point we lost because we took to many penalty's. We out shot them 46 to 28. Dallas H 2G & 2A. Ryan S 1G & 2A. James S 1G & 1A. Jeff M 1G. Robin M 2A. Daniel D 1A. Gideon L (goalie) 1A.

Fri 23rd, (Game #2) 1 Goal & 1 Assist
@ 10:45pm, Terwillegar Arena Rangers vs. Toothwork Titans (W 3-1) On my goal Alex H burst down the wing with lots of speed and I caught up and made it a two on one and he passed it across to me and I chipped it in over the goalie. On my assist I passed it behind the net to Coleby P and he passed it to Alex H at the point and scored on a slap shot. Our goalie Ryan L made some big time saves in the first period. The game was pretty even but I think we out played them a bit in the third period. They out shot us 29 to 26. Alex H 2G & 1A. Coleby P 1A. Jeff M 1A. Ryan L (goalie) 1A.

Fri 16th, (Game #1) 1 Assist
@ 10:00pm, Rexall Place Arena Rangers vs. Figjam (L 3-2 S/O) On my assist Jeff M passed it to me to break out of our zone and I passed it threw a couple players from our blue line to their blue line to send James S in alone on a break away and he made a great deke to fool the goalie and score. If your reading this yes we played on the same home ice as the Edmonton Oilers do. We went on after the WHL Oil Kings game. It was such a great experience. They even did the anthem. They announced who scored the goals and had the score on the big score board. The ice was really nice. I would have never thought I would ever play here. In the game we had a lot of down low fore checking and created a lot of offence and out shot them 34 to 20. We had a 2-1 lead and with only a few minutes left they scored late in the third period. We did four on four for three minutes where no goals were scored, followed by the shoot out where we scored no goals and they had one. Their goalie played really well. Jeff M 2A. James S 1G & 1A. Alex H 1G.

Back Row L to R, Ryan S, James S, Harry A, Howard C, Me, Daneil D, Andy R, Bruce C, Ryan D
Front Row L to R, Alex H, Robin M, Jeff M, Chris K, Ryan L

During the anthem

Celebrating James S Goal

October 2015/2016 Capital City Rec Hockey League (Pre Season)

Sat 3rd, (Game #2) 1 Goal
@ 6:15pm, Tipton Arena Rangers vs. Puck University (L 6-3) On my goal I went to the front of the net by the crease and got a nice pass from Dallas H. Myself and Alex H had some nice break out passes to get out of our end. I think Puck U was the better team as they had more of the play in our zone. I thought we had a good third period. Dallas H 2G & 1A. Alex H 1A.

October 2015 Training

Sat 10th, Road ride w/ parents to Northern Bear Golf Course for 2hrs 10mins, Average heart rate =134 Max =178, Elevation gain 699 feet. Km's 44

September 2015/2016 Capital City Rec Hockey League (Pre Season)

Sat 26th, (Game #1)
@ 6:15pm, Tipton Arena Rangers vs. HSKT Dinos (W 2-1 S/O) I had suffered a bruised right knee back on July 26th during SingleTrack 6 MTB XC stage race in Thompson Okanagan. Over the past 60 days I have been going to Physio and trying to strengthen my knee. Tonight I was just trying to play the game and not make my knee worse. I passed the test as I feel good as I write this. I am so happy of how my knee feels. I played on the wing tonight, less skating. I played not that good. The team we played was about the same skill set as us but their goalie kept them in it. Ryan S set Javan M up for his top corner goal. We played 4 on 4 for three minutes and then went to the shoot out where Howard C scored the game winner.

September 2015 Training

Sat 19th, MTB ride to Millwoods Ravine for 1hr. Average heart rate =152 Max =181, Elevation gain 417 feet. Km's 15

2015 Mountain Bike XC Stage Race & MTB XC Marathon & MTB XC Racing Season Recap

SingleTrack 6 MTB XC Stage Race

Stage 1 @ Salmon Arm BC July 26th = 47th place out of 50 in Solo Open Men
Stage 2 @ Silver Star Vernon BC July 27th = 45th place out of 50 in Solo Open Men
Stage 3 @ Kalamalka Lake Vernon BC July 28th = 48th place out of 50 in Solo Open Men
Stage 4 @ Myra Bellevue Kelowna BC July 29th = 48th place out of 50 in Solo Open Men
Stage 5 @ Campbell MTN Penticton BC July 30th = 47th place out of 50 in Solo Open Men
Stage 6 @ Three Blind Mice Penticton BC July 31st = 49th place out of 50 in Solo Open Men

Marathon MTB XC

Organ Grinder @ Canmore AB June 7th = 36th place out of 50 in Solo Open Men
Rundles Revenge @ Canmore AB June 27th = 17th place out of 27 in Solo Open Men

Alberta Cup MTB XCO

Royal River Valley Rumble in Edmonton AB May 24th = 27th out of 32 in Sport
River Raid in Devon AB May 31st = 34th out of 35 in Sport
Iron Maiden @ Canmore AB June 6th = 42nd out of 46 in Sport

Corporate Challenge MTB XCO

Corporate Challenge in Edmonton AB May 30th = 3rd out of 13.

This was my sixth season of mountain bike racing, and second with coach Heather K. I raced 2 spring series road races. I raced in 2 Fat Tire Tuesday MTB XC races. I volunteered for 1 ABA Cyclo Cross race put on by my club United Cycle I went a total of 2,350 km's training and racing on the road and trails.

August 2015 Training

Sun 23rd, Road ride w/ parents Colchester Hall to Beaumont for 1hr 45mins, Average heart rate =114 Max =157, Elevation gain 430 feet. Km's 36

Sun 2nd, Swimming @ Penticton, BC in Lake Okanagan for 30 minutes.

SingleTrack 6 MTB XC Stage Race 2015 @ Thompson Okanagan BC, General Classification & Recap

General Classification
I finished 47th place out of 49 in Solo Open Men Results, (One racer did not finish one stage so he does not get a General Classification) Overall It took me 26 hours and was a total of 240 Kms with a total elevation gain of 26,553 Feet of climbing. In the timed descent general classification I finished 171 out of 172 in Open Men Results, and it took me 1 hour and 53 minutes for all the timed descents combined. Stage #5 did not count in the general classification due to some racers going the wrong way so the race organizers called it a neutral stage (Stage #5 results are un official), I know I went the correct way so I added that stage total to get all my final totals. You still had to complete all six stages in order to get your finisher medal and T-Shirt.

Recap Of The Six Days Of Racing
This was my first ever stage race and was by far my hardest race that I have ever done. August 1st, the day after stage #6 I went to the Penticton Hospital to get an X-Ray on my bruised right knee. Turns out It was infused and all kinds of fluid was all around it. The doctor there said that I have to stay off it for a couple weeks so that I don't damage the ligaments. It happened on a crash when I flipped over the handle bars hitting my right knee and head only 8km's into Stage #1. I road the remaining 232km's no where near 100% because my knee was so sore. By the time I got to stage #4 I had no power in my knee at all, It hurt like heck to pedal and I could barley jump off my bike to run up or down sections that were too technical, and I could not stand up on my bike when I was doing down hill descents. I had to change my pedal stroke with me using my good knee more than the bad one for generating power. Coach Heather K had me do dominate leg spin exercises over the winter and that came in very handy. I have trained really hard to get myself to peak for this event and I sure did. I was not going to stop and not finish, even though there were times where my body was saying NO, It was my mind and my perseverance and will to finish every day. I was powered by IB Profen and the help I got from the therapists by wrapping up my bruised right knee with red tape.

Stage 1 @ Salmon Arm, BC, Stage 2 @ Silver Star, Vernon BC, Stage 3 @ Kalamalka Lake, Vernon BC, Stage 4 @ Myra Bellevue, Kelowna‏ BC, Stage 5 @ Campbell Mtn, Penticton BC, Stage 6 @ Three Blind Mice, Penticton BC. I really enjoyed the race because every stage had different style of trails. All six days were long days for me and I like that. My favourite part was all the long climbs. All the races were fairly close in distance to drive to. There were Racers from all over Canada (BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, Yellowknife) USA (Illinois, North Carolina, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Washington, Texas, Nevada, New Mexico) and other Countries including Mexico, Brazil, Great Britain, Australia, Belgium, Switzerland, New Zealand, Germany, Norway, Austria. I really have to work on my technical riding, I knew I was weak in that area but I have never done a race with timed descents to see just how much time I lose so it put things into prospective for me. The final banquet was held at the Penticton Lakeside Resort and had amazing food, great stories to share with the racers and volunteers, and the slide show was fun to watch with this song playing through out the week by Lilly Wood & The Prick and Robin Schulz - Prayer In C (Robin Schulz Remix). This event was worth every penny. Two racers that I have met prior to this race and look up to were here racing including Cory Wallace who won ST6 in open Men (Yes that was my category) and Catharine Pendrel who won ST3 in Open Women.

Thank You
A huge thanks to Transrockies for putting on the race and to all the technical, mechanics, medics, masseurs, ambassadors and finish & checkpoint marshals as there was so much effort put into organising a huge first class event like this. One volunteer made me PB&J sandwiches at the finish line each day, very thoughtful.

I was so proud that I did not quit and powered on to finish all six days. Pic by http://raveneyephoto.com/.

SingleTrack 6 MTB XC Race 2015: Stage 6 @ Three Blind Mice, Penticton BC

Friday July 31st, I finished 49th place out of 50 in Solo Open Men Results, It took me 3hrs 55mins, It was a total of 36 Kms. Total elevation gain 3,761 Feet. My average heart rate was 140 bpm and max was 174 bpm. The temperature was 33 deg C and sunny. Check out my garmin data here. Before the start I stopped in at the medical trailer and got some IB Profen extra strength. One of the therapists wrapped up my bruised right knee with red tape to try to help the pain be less. Today there was only one climb, oh and it was 22 km's long with some technical single track with rock slabs to ride over, a bit of fire road, gravel path and some pavement. There was a couple sections of the climb that was almost flat. A couple rocks I did not make it up so I limped up them. The first part of the descent was very steep and lots of rocks and sharp turns and I jumped off and limped on down best I could. There was a few down hill sections that I road and had a lot of fun on. They made the race a couple km's shorter today as once we were done the timed descent that was also todays finish line. I am so happy that I finished today. It was pure determination as my pain in my right knee was very high as I had no power to pedal and most of all it hurt like heck to run up or down sections of the course. Now I get a general classification as I finished all six days. A huge thanks to Transrockies for putting on the race and to all the volunteers for their effort to help make this bucket list dream come true.

Pic by http://raveneyephoto.com/.

This was not my finish time as we finished after the timed descent. Pic by http://raveneyephoto.com/.

The start for today in beautiful Penticton, on Lake Okanagan. We climbed up the mountain over by the Penticton sign.

SingleTrack 6 MTB XC Race 2015: Stage 5 @ Campbell Mtn, Penticton BC

Thursday July 30th, I finished 47th place out of 50 in Solo Open Men Results, It took me 3hrs 38mins, It was a total of 36 Kms. Total elevation gain 4,209 Feet. My average heart rate was 147 bpm and max was 181 bpm. The temperature was 32 deg C and sunny. Check out my garmin data here. The race organisers are calling this race a neutral result. I asked the crew at the timing tent what it means and they said that today's result just will not count in the overall general classification. This happened because there was over fifty racers that went the wrong way on the course. All I know is my elevation and distance matched the tec guide so I know that I made all the right turns and I finished today. Before the start I stopped in at the medical trailer and got some IB Profen extra strength. Then I saw one of the therapists and she wrapped up my bruised right knee with red tape to try to help the pain be less. We started out the day with a 7 km long climb that was off camber and a few spots I had to run the bike up, it was technical. Once at the top of the mountain we did a really cool fast and fun flowing descent with big high berms. Then before the climb back up the mountain there was a section where we road on a trail that if you fall you would go a long way down resulting in serious injury, so I just scooted along it so there was no risk. There was great views of Lake Okanagan. I grinded out another day and thought I did well considering my right knee bruise. I really enjoyed these trails. A huge thanks to Transrockies for putting on the race and to all the volunteers for their effort to help make this bucket list dream come true.

Pic by http://raveneyephoto.com/.

This was where our start/finish was today in beautiful Penticton, on Lake Okanagan

SingleTrack 6 MTB XC Race 2015: Stage 4 @ Myra Bellevue, Kelowna‏ BC

Wednesday July 29th, I finished 48th place out of 50 in Solo Open Men Results, It took me 5hrs 25mins, It was a total of 43 Kms. Total elevation gain 4,944 Feet. My average heart rate was 145 bpm and max was 180 bpm. The temperature was 31 deg C sunny with a few clouds. Check out my garmin data here. We started right out of the gate with a eight km long climb on single track trails. Then we hit the five km timed descent where the trails were fast and flowy. Then after that we did another eight km climb on different single track technical trails. Once at the top we descended for the next ten km's. To finish up the day we climbed back up another five km's. The trails were filled with lots of rock slabs and loose dry dirt. There was some really steep down hill and up hill sections where I had to run down and up because I knew I could not ride them. I did ride some steep descents that I did not think I could ride. My right knee is very bruised and it was getting really sore with every pedal stroke today, It happened on day one when I wiped out. I had to battle out there as I was in so much pain. I did not want to quit, but just grind it out. The views were spectacular at the top of the mountain looking over Lake Okanagan. There was a deer on the trail today. A huge thanks to Transrockies for putting on the race and to all the volunteers for their effort to help make this bucket list dream come true.

Pic by http://raveneyephoto.com/.

This was where the race started today. The view from the top of the mountain was breath taking.

SingleTrack 6 MTB XC Race 2015: Stage 3 @ Kalamalka Lake, Vernon BC

Tuesday July 28th, I finished 48th place out of 50 in Solo Open Men Results, It took me 4hrs 41mins, It was a total of 45 Kms. Total elevation gain 4,724 Feet. My average heart rate was 157 bpm and max was 184 bpm. The temperature was 27 deg C sunny with a few clouds. Check out my garmin data here. We started out on a paved road followed by a small climb where I moved up many spots. Then there was a two km down hill section and I jumped off my bike and ran down parts of it, many racers passed by me. Then today's race saw us climb for the next 12 km's on technical single track with rocks and roots, sharp turns, steep sections, switch backs and I found myself pass well over thirty racers as I hit my pace and stride. When I got to the top I thought I was day dreaming when there was a couple of cow's and a bull on the course. Then there was a series of really steep technical descents that had lots of rock slabs and roots and I again jumped off my bike and ran down most of it and the parts I could ride I went slower on. A lot of those same racers I passed by on the long climb passed me on the descent. There was amazing views looking at the lake and it was blue. A huge thanks to Transrockies for putting on the race and to all the volunteers for their effort to help make this bucket list dream come true.

Pic by http://raveneyephoto.com/.

I saw this view during the race. Pic by http://raveneyephoto.com/.

This is Kalamalka Lake, and was less than one km from our start, the water is so blue.

SingleTrack 6 MTB XC Race 2015: Stage 2 @ Silver Star, Vernon BC

Monday July 27th, I finished 45th place out of 50 in Solo Open Men Results, It took me 3hrs 47mins, It was a total of 40 Kms. Total elevation gain 3,779 Feet. My average heart rate was 156 bpm and max was 182 bpm. The temperature was 19 deg C with a mix of sun and clouds. Check out my garmin data here. Silver Star is a down hill ski resort in winter and a mountain bike park in summer. They have built single track XC trails there so it is not just down hill mountain biking. The trails were in mint condition. They had a lot of flow built into them. My favorite was the pump track for one km as you can just let it rip down there. There was some long climbs mixed into the fold. I felt good on todays stage. A huge thanks to Transrockies for putting on the race and to all the volunteers for their effort to help make this bucket list dream come true.

Pic by http://raveneyephoto.com/.

As you can see the Downhill Mountain Bike riders get to use the chair lift. Not us as our Legs are the lift.

SingleTrack 6 MTB XC Race 2015: Stage 1 @ Salmon Arm, BC

Sunday July 26th, I finished 47th place out of 50 in Solo Open Men Results, It took me 4hrs 33mins, It was a total of 40 Kms. Total elevation gain 5,136 Feet. My average heart rate was 164 bpm and max was 194 bpm. The temperature was 16 deg C and cloudy. Check out my garmin data here. The race started out with a long climb most of it was on a fire road. Then there was about a three km decent where at the bottom of it I went right over the handle bars landed on my right knee and hit/grazed my helmet on the ground. It definitely slowed me down a bit as I lost my confidence on the down hill sections. Then we climbed to the twenty km mark of the race. Some of the climb was hike a bike as many racers had to walk/run their bikes up. Then the climb went to a fire road, it was a long climb. We started to slowly descend down and the rain the night before made some of the roots pretty slippery. I went down again on another wipe out and slid down on my side. The final ten km's was sections from a popular race Salty Dog and I road this part better and re gained my confidence on the down hill sections. I found today hard. A huge thanks to Transrockies for putting on the race and to all the volunteers for their effort to help make this bucket list dream come true.

Pic by http://raveneyephoto.com/.

I took this after the race, it is very close to the start line today.

July 2015 Training

Sun 19th, MTB ride @ Mill Creek Ravine for 2hrs (Zone's 1-4) Average heart rate =143 Max =187, Elevation gain 1,148 feet. Km's 20

Sat 18th, Road ride to Uncas School for 2hrs (Zone 1/2), Average heart rate =138 Max =162, Elevation gain 653 feet. Km's 55

Sat 11th, Road ride to Uncas School for 2hrs (Zone 1/2), Average heart rate =134 Max =152, Elevation gain 611 feet. Km's 50

Sun 5th, MTB Inter Club ride UC to Gold Bar Park for 4hrs (Zone's 1-4) Average heart rate =157 Max =194, Elevation gain 2,805 feet. Km's 40

Sat 4th, Road ride w/ parents to Northern Bear Golf for 4hrs (Zone's 1-4), Average heart rate =147 Max =185, Elevation gain 1,230 feet. Km's 101

Rundle's Revenge MTB XC Marathon Race 2015 @ Canmore

Saturday June 27th, I finished 17th place out of 27 in Solo Open Men Results, Overall I was 34th out of 54 for solo open and master open men category. It took me 3hrs 36mins, (Lap1= 53mins) (Lap2= 52mins) (Lap3= 53mins) (Lap4= 56mins) I went a total of 50 Kms. Total elevation gain 4,245 Feet. My average heart rate was 168 bpm and max was 187 bpm. The race was held at the Canmore Nordic Centre. The temperature was 20 deg C for the 8:00am start and when I finished it was 30 deg C. Check out my garmin data here. I felt really strong on the long climbs. I thought I had good cadence today. My breathing was really good considering it is at a higher elevation in Canmore than back home in Edmonton. I knew after the first two km's that I had good legs and lungs today. I was thirty one minutes faster in this years race. One area that I know that I gained some time was on the descents as I was on the edge today letting the bike roll including one root I slid off and wiped out, Thank fully I was ok. One blip for me today was on lap four towards the end I turned the wrong way and that took me a couple minutes to navigate back to the course as I am not a cheater. That is why my last lap was longer otherwise I think it would have been close to the first lap time. A huge thanks to Transrockies for putting on the race and all the volunteers for all their effort to help make this a great event to participate in.

Pic by http://raveneyephoto.com/

Organ Grinder MTB XC Marathon Race 2015 @ Canmore Nordic Centre (Alberta Cup XCM) #1

Sunday June 7th, I finished 36th place out of 50 in Solo Open Men Results, Overall I was 70 out of 98 for solo open and master open men category. It took me 4 hours 26 minutes, (Lap1= 50mins ) (Lap2= 49mins ) (Lap3= 53mins) (Lap4= 55mins) (Lap5= 59mins) I went a total of 50 Kms. Total elevation gain was 4,741 Feet. My average heart rate was 159 bpm and max was 182 bpm. Check out my garmin data here. This year the lap was 1 km shorter and we had five hours and fifteen minutes for our last lap to count. When I finished I still had forty eight minutes left. By the end my legs were getting sore and I knew that it was not enough time to go for lap six. I know that I was faster this year than last year in the same conditions. Some technical sections I road a bit faster this year. I road a lot of it with an Elite woman Katy C as she finished her five laps just ahead of me and ended up in third place in solo open category. I also road a bit with Louis B as we used to do spin classes together so it was fun. I am really happy with my improvement. The race was held at the Canmore Nordic Centre and the temperature was 28 deg C. A huge thanks to Cyclemeisters for putting on the race and the BBQ chicken sausage hotdog was great and all the volunteers for all their effort.

Pre Race @ start line. Pic by Caitlin C from Mud Sweat and Gears.

Devonian Drop. Pic by Higuchi Photos

Iron Maiden MTB XC Race 2015 @ Canmore Nordic Centre (Alberta Cup) #3

Saturday June 6th, I finished 42nd out of 46 in Sport Results. It took me 1 hour & 21 minutes. It was three laps and a total of 18 km's long. The total Elevation gain was 1,552 feet. My average heart rate was 176 bpm and max was 194 bpm. Check out my Garmin data Here. Today was one of my fastest starts that I have ever had, We had a long gradual climb right off the start and I was ahead of about six racers. I then lost most of those spots once we hit the first technical descent as I was not able to ride it (switch back with log drops) I struggled in the technical descent's today, I road some and the rest I dabbed my foot down for balance. This course had a combination of climbing and technical trails. My fitness felt good as I had some good strong climbing today. Normally in an XC race here it takes me one hour thirty minutes so I am really pleased with my continued improvement. The temperature was 26 deg C. I would like to thank all the volunteers and Spin Sisters for putting on the race including the great BBQ hamburgers for after the race.

Devonian Drop, Pic by http://www.kenandersonphotography.ca/

Soft Yogurt, Pic by http://www.kenandersonphotography.ca/

June 2015 Training

Sun 28th, MTB ride @ Canmore climb up to Whiteman's Pond for 1hr 11mins, Average heart rate =132 max =161, Elevation gain 1,391 feet. Kms 15

Fri 26th, MTB ride pre lap of Rundle's Revenge @ Canmore for 1hr 8mins. Average heart rate =136 Max =162, Elevation gain 1,040 feet. Km's 13

Sun 21st, Road ride @ Colchester Hall to Cooking Lake w/ Parents for 2hrs 41mins, Average heart rate =121 Max =179, Elevation gain 843 feet. Km's 70

Sat 20th, Road group ride @ Wye School to Ardrossan for 4hrs 30mins, Average heart rate =134 Max =185, Elevation gain 2,070 feet. Km's 111

Thurs 18th, MTB Redbike group ride UC to Patricia for 2hrs 18mins. Average heart rate =155 Max =190, Elevation gain 1,440 feet. Km's 32

Sun 14th, Road ride Colchester Hall to Beaumont for 2hrs (Zone 2/3) Average heart rate =131 Max =163, Elevation gain 633 feet. Km's 53

Fri 5th, MTB ride pre lap of Iron Maiden @ Canmore Nordic Centre for 1hr. Average heart rate =131 Max =168, Elevation gain 719 feet. Km's 10

Wed 3rd, MTB ride @ Terwillegar Park for 1hr 40mins (6 Hills @ Threshold) Average heart rate =128 Max =184, Elevation gain 1,086 feet. Km's 20

River Raid MTB XC Race 2015 @ Devon (Alberta Cup) #2

Sunday May 31st, I finished 34th out of 35 in Sport Results. It took me 1 hour & 17 minutes. It was two laps and a total of 19 km's long. The total Elevation gain was 1,381 feet. My average heart rate was 173 bpm and max was 191 bpm. Check out my Garmin data Here. The result is the same, a last place as the one behind me was a DNF. As I sit here writing this I wonder to my self how the heck do I move up in the sport men field. I ask am I mad with this result and the answer is no, and why is that? because on the same course and conditions as last year I was six minutes faster in this years race. That is an improvement. This was also a B race for me. Alberta Bicycle Association is making the MTB XC races shorter and want them to run no longer than 1.5 hours making them a 70 minute sprint, I am not built for that kind of race, as I am like a big diesel engine meant to ride for longer. The course was a lot of fun with lots of climbing, technical riding and open double track. I could not make it up one tight technical switch back climb and I could not make it down the long technical descent so both these sections I ran. A well known elite racer Matt H came out and raced, very cool to see him there today. My former RVC team mate Sheldon S and his son came out to watch and cheer at the race. The temperature was 22 deg C. A huge thanks to Evan W, Stew H all the volunteers for Devon Bicycle Association for putting on the race.

Pic by Nancy St-H

Approaching the finish line. Pic by Nancy St-H

Corporate Challenge 2015 MTB XC Race @ Terwillegar Park

Saturday May 30th, I did the technical single track course and finished 3rd out of 13. It was four laps long and 15 km's in total. It took me 46 minutes. My Average heart rate was 177 bpm and max was 195 bpm. The total elevation gain was 768 feet. Check out my garmin data Here. With my warm up I road 20 km's today. I got bottled up at the start and did not get to the spot I was hoping for in the single track. I did mange to catch up to a couple racers and pass them. I also got backed up on a few spots because when I was lapping racers and I said to your right they just stayed on the single track so I had to pass when we hit a corner or open spot. (They might not have known racer educate and that is fine) I had a sprint finish to the line and I was one second from catching him. This type of short race is like a sprint and that is not my specialty as I am more of a marathon guy. On my team was Teresa M and she did the 14km non technical course and she finished in 36 minutes and raced really well. She has a back ground in triathlons. The third member on the team was Pat M who did the 7km non technical course and he won it in a time of 17 minutes, Way to go! Pat has a back ground in XC ski racing and running races 10kms to half marathons. Our team Melcor won the silver medal. It is based on the size of your company. There were a lot of race team members from various clubs, including a couple elite racers and I saw some former racers that used to race a high level. The temperature was 9 deg C. Thank you Mike B and the team at Cooperate Challenge for putting on the race & all the volunteers to make this happen.

Me trying my best at the finish line in a sprint finish. Missed out by one second!

Trying hard at the finish line.

Silver lining - Teresa M, Me & Pat M.

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