Preparing for Gastown

               What goes into getting ready for the Global Relay Gastown GP

   I can't even begin to imagine all the work the race organizers put in to make a race like Gastown happen so I will just share a little of what I have done to prepare myself. If I take a step back I realize that my preparation for Gastown began almost 5 years ago when I decided to move to Vancouver in the fall of 2008 to pursue my goal of being a professional bike rider. I was more than a little green back then (having only done a handful of races outside the Yukon) and with little knowledge of what it would actually take to achieve my goal. I began to get a taste that first winter and although riding in the Vancouver rain wasn't always the warmest most comfortable activity I loved every minute. And all the hard work I put in that first winter paid off when I placed 2nd in the 2009 Tour de Delta Prologue, beating Pros like Ryan Anderson and Zach Bell. 

                                Photo Credit: Greg Descantes 

   To make a long story short I will fast forward to the end of last season, and fill you in on what I have done to prepare for this year and my quest for another BC Superweek Podium (I've had a dry spell since 2009). After a bit of a lack luster year in 2012 I knew I had to do something different for 2013. The first step was starting to work with a new coach from Catalyst Kinetics (Pinner) who had faith in my potential even when I was doubting it. The second step was getting healthy as January saw the return of a knee problem that I have battled off and on for the past couple years. Thanks to the help of Tara Lazarski I was able to get the knee healthy, and start some serious training. The third step was base miles the meat and potatoes of a cyclists training diet. That training came in the form of a month long stint in California, capped off with the Merco Cycling Classic the first weekend of March. My time in California consisted of mainly 3-4 hour rides in zone 2, (which for me is between 150-160 heart rate) and a little skim boarding. 

                                Photo Credit: Garrett McLeod 

   Heading into Merco the first real race of the season I didn't know quite what to expect. I had put in lots of base miles but nothing really to emulate the intensity of racing having only done two rides with intervals. As it turns out though my coach knew what he was doing and although the top end wasn't quite there yet I was feeling stronger than ever before. The next month and a half was filled with more base miles, but with a few more intervals and racing thrown in. That brings us to the Tour of Walla Walla (third weekend in April) and step four. Step four is all about confidence and confidence is something you need to win bike races. Although step four might sound easier than the previous three steps it is by far the hardest for me. Believing you can win is the quintessential first step towards actually winning. The beginning of this season has been about getting that confidence back. I recently read an article that described how easy it is to be confident in your ability when your winning, but how it becomes much harder to remain confident when you have a bad day or a bad week. It was a bit of a light switch moment for me, and its something I plan on working very hard on in the future because I know how easy it is for me to loose that confidence. So back to Walla Walla, although I didn't win any stages or the overall I did get on the podium and I was happy with my form and how I was racing. Fast forward through another month of racing and training, and we get to May 18 and the first day of the Mutual of Enumclaw Stage Race. After a second place in the opening time trial, and a win in the crit I was leading the race. Thanks to the work of my Trek Red Truck team mates who all rode incredibly well during Sundays final road race I was never put under extreme pressure and actually extended the lead, winning my first ever Stage Race.

                                Photo Credit: Amara Edwards 

   I have learned a lot over the past 5 years, as I have strived towards my goal of becoming a professional bike racer. One thing I have learned is that the Global Relay Gastown GP is a big deal ! And that results at races that are a big deal is what gets you a pro contract. This realization has lead to another goal, a goal of being on the podium in this years Gastown GP. So I would encourage you to come out and watch me fight to achieve my goal on July 10th. Last but not least I would like to thank Global Relay and Bridge the Gap for their support and all the work and resources they have put into bring back the Gastown GP ! 

Robert Cameron Law Cycling Series Ft. BC Road Champs and Bastion Square GP

             Part I: Rumble Time Trial

Viclandia once again proved to be an excellent place to ride/race bikes. It all kicked off Friday evening with the Rumble Time Trial a short 5km race against the clock. Traditionally TT's and even more specifically short TT's are my "jam", but I wasn't putting much pressure on myself going into Fridays race, with my main objectives being Saturday and Sunday. With that said I took a pretty relaxed approach to my preparation for the TT. I was using a team turbo trainer to warm up on before that start and due to close start times and only 3 trainers I only got in about 15 mins on the trainer. It was not ideal but I was in a pretty relaxed mood so I didn't stress it too much. Turns out I was a little too relaxed as I showed up at the start ramp about 35seconds before my start. Which you could say is perfect timing or actually pretty bad timing. I got away with one this time, I got underway without any problems. Once underway I was confronted with another out of the norm situation. I was doing the TT completely "blind". I don't mean blind in the literal sense I mean "blind" in the sense I did not even put my Garmin (cycling computer) on my TT bike. You might be thinking "so what", and you have a point. But we cyclists have gotten quite technical in the way we gauge our efforts especially in time trials. We base our efforts not on perceived effort but on the actual amount of power we are producing which is measured by a Power Meter of some sort. I used a crank based meter that basically measures how hard I am pedalling and then that number is displayed on my Garmin so I know exactly how hard I am going. This can be very usefully especially when you are trying to pace a long TT. This TT however is not very long so there is not quite the same amount of pacing needed as you are basicly just going as hard as you can for six and a half minutes. I did however have a plan of where I was going to go the hardest and where I would ease off a little. Without going into too much detail I didn't push too hard for the first quarter of the race, the middle half I knew I had to leave it all out there and then the last quarter is just adrenaline, seeing stars, and just keeping your speed high. I wasn't sure how it had gone because without my Garmin I had no idea what my time was. It had felt pretty good (and by good I mean it hurt in a good way) but that could mean I just didn't push hard enough. Turns out it felt good because I have some good form right now, and I had actually put down a pretty good time. Good enough for second, which I was happy with because I didn't really have any expectations going into it. But it also reminded me that you should always race to win, because if you don't you most likely won't. I gave 100% during the race but not in my preparation. If I had gone into it focused on trying to win I think I would have increased my chances by a lot. I wasn't as focused as I should have been because it wasn't a real big priority race but every chance you get to practice trying to win a race and actually winning is extremely valuable.  So thats what I took away from TT.

How I Almost Made it Though Monday: Todays TIp of The Day explained

  I am sure you are all asking yourselves "why should I not watch The Voice ?" Well ladies and gentlemen let me explain. The first folly of watching The Voice on a Monday evening is that it airs from 8-10pm. Which is of course way past the bedtime of any reasonable person, and that alone is a good reason to PVR it and watch it the next morning while you are eating breakfast and wishing the Giro was still happening ! I failed to do this however and set into action a chain of events that I am quite positive have altered my life forever... well at least the sensory receptors in my nose. By not PVRing The Voice last night and staying up to watch the whole show I pushed back the time at which I took my girlfriend's dog out for her night time poop walk. This turned out the be fatal mistake of my Monday, which up until this point it had been a pretty good day ! I had played some Tennis (by myself) and only lost one tennis ball ! I had launched this Blog, and... well that's pretty much it. But it had been a good day ! So we embark on the poop walk with nothing out of the ordinary (except the time, much later than recommended). We were almost done the walk,(be it an unsuccessful walk as no poop had emerged) when disaster struck ! Disaster is the name of a notorious neighbourhood skunk and Disaster didn't so much strike as she did spray. I know I probably don't need to say anymore than that but I will.

  Most of you probably think you know what it smells like when a skunk chooses to emit the most foul of odours, because you have driven or ridden or walked by an area where a skunk has been run over or frightened. But let me tell you ! When it happens a meter from where you are standing and there are only a few scraggly shrub branches to protect you, it is decidedly more potent ! This whole event happened as I was fishing the keys out of my pocket to open the front door of the apartment. And in so doing enter the apartment and end the poop walk. That's how close I got to making it though my Monday !! If I could have just made it three more steps ! But alas I did not, and so began the task of de-skunking myself (mainly just my clothes) and the dog. I finally got to bed at about 11:30 which is way past a bike racers bedtime. I left all the windows wide open in a hope the lingering head-ache inducing stench would clear by morning. Which I am not convinced it has, I feel like I may have just gotten used to it. Needless to say there are a lot of ways one could avoid finding themselves in this situation. Number 1: Don't babysit your girlfriends dog, seems pretty obvious but not an option for me. Number 2: Don't live in a building that has shrubs leading right up to the door because skunks love hiding in shrubs, again not an option for me at the present but I am working on it. And last but not least number 3: Don't watch The Voice on Monday evenings because it will delay the poop walk from about 8:30pm (it is still light outside at 8:30 and thus the chances of a skunk being in the shrub are greatly reduced) to about 10:07pm when it is dark and there was a 100% chance of a skunk being in the shrub. So as you can see option 3 was the only one available to me, and that kids is why I chose it as the tip of the day.

Yes, I do have a face for Radio !

I was stoked to get the chance to talk bikes with Dave White on CBC Radio recently.

http://www.cbc.ca/airplay/episodes/2013/05/22/yukon-cyclist-bags-win-in-washington/#.UZ1jZjD0Yb0.twitter

The "Claw"

Mutual of Enumclaw Stage Race 2013  "We Played Our Cards Right"

This year marked my third time racing the "Claw", and although the saying goes "third times the charm" this time the "charm" had little to do with it being my third time at the race and everything to do with my Trek Red Truck Racing p/b Mosaic Homes teammates. In case you haven't heard WE won the race ! Now I guess I'll tell you how we did it. It all started Friday with a large Mexi feed after our post travel spin, which we used to recon the TT course. The TT was the first race on the agenda Saturday morning, and with the burrito rocket fuel ready to burn we took to the start. Craig Ritchey was our first man off at 10:44, and his time of 12:52 over the 6.5 mile course put him in the hot seat. I started a minute behind Craig and was able to go just a little faster putting us 1-2. With quite a few guys left to go we weren't sure if we would stay on the podium, but when all was said and done only Jelly Belly Pro Serghei Tvetcov was able to go faster. Although we didn't win the TT we were in good shape with Craig and I within 20 seconds of the race lead and lots of racing still to come. Bailey and Cody also had excellent rides and were in the top 12, meaning we had lots of cards to play going forward ! I also have to give a HUGE shout out to Dustin for letting me borrow all his aero gear, and B-rad for volunteering to sleep on the pullout bed, thus letting me sleep in the real bed. Thanks guys ! 


The TT was only the beginning and after various amounts of food, sleep, and bike adjustment we headed to downtown Enumclaw for our 5:10pm crit start. Our plan; be aggressive, and win time bonuses. With the minimal time gaps in the TT it was possible for us to take the GC lead if we played our cards right. To make a longish story shortish we played our cards right. I think Bailey attacked ten times in the first 15 laps which meant he pretty much was setting the pace for a quarter of the race. Unfortunately the pack didn't want to let him get away. Cody, Dustin, Adam, and Craig did an excellent job of covering attacks, attacking and just keeping the pace high at the front. So I pretty much had a lead out train the whole race which enabled me to win two of the 3 second time bonus primes. Inside the last five laps the boys were still keeping it fast on the front, and with a lap to go Cody helped me move up into top 10 wheels. Cody also gave me that little extra reminder between corners 6 and 7 on the last lap that it was now or never and I charged corner 7 hard. I was first wheel out of corner 8 and with only about 150 meters to the line I was able to take the win clear of the hard charging bunch. With the win came a 10 second time bonus, and when combined with the time primes moved me into the GC lead by 7 seconds. 

Sunday morning again dawned rather ominously with the clouds threatening to rain on our TRT  Parade. And I mean that in the most literal sense as there was a TRT parade at the front of the race all day ! Going into the RR we knew we had our work cut out for us defending the GC lead against a strong field. Which included several Pros, who were only a few seconds down. The pre race plan was to let a small break go with either Cody or Bailey in it and then control the pace and keep it within reach. Henry, Brad, and Dustin were going to be the guys doing most of the work at the front in the early goings. Craig and Adam were my lieutenants, tasked with helping me out towards the end when things would undoubtedly get quite spicy. That was our plan and to say things went according to plan would be a bit of an understatement because I don't know how they could have gone anymore to plan. 

The course for the RR is comprised of 6 laps for a total of 86 miles. The lap consists of flat road criss-crossing fields, you then enter a wooded area for a few kms before starting the twisty undulating 3km climb. When you reach the top there is a left hand turn and a few more kms before starting the highway decent back to fields below. The Start/finish is just a couple kms and a couple turns off of the main lap at the bottom of the hill. Now that you have a vague picture of the course lets get back to the race. Seconds after the start Steve Fisher of Hagens Berman attacked and Bailey jumped on his wheel. Having a break that we liked go so quickly was awesome. Brad, Henry, and Dustin set up shop and started doing work on the front, with the rest of us close behind. Its pretty cool to be the team controlling the race. As the laps ticked by Cody and Adam pitched in setting the tempo and keeping it steady on the climb. After two laps the boys started picking up the pace and with two to go Bailey and Steve were almost back in the bunch. Steve decided to give it another go and attacked Bailey right before they were caught and took off solo. Which was again a good situation for us as one guy isn't that hard to bring back. I haven't done justice to how hard the guys were working though, it was windy up front and although there was a break up the road, attacks were still happening. Some of them by serious GC contenders. The guys turned themselves inside-out covering and bringing back the moves, I only had to stick my nose in the wind a once or twice. With one lap to go Steve was brought back, the group was all together. The attacks were hard and serious now with both Ian Crane of HB and Morgan Schmitt of Jelly Belly firing every thing they had. Adam and Craig did an amazing job shutting them down, and allowing me to save my legs for the last time up the hill. After Adam had covered multiple attack in the kms before he strung the group out at 45km/h for 5km into the base of the climb on the last lap, a herculean effort to say the least. This allowed Craig and Cody to take a breather before the climb and make it over in the front group and close down more attacks over the top. They also got me to the front at the end and I was able to win the bunch sprint for second on the stage. 

Photo Credit: Amara Edwards (Wheels in Focus)

To sum it all up every single one of the guys did everything they could to help me defend the jersey, and I couldn't be more proud of them ! We won the GC, and had 4 stage podiums ! The weather held off so there was no rain of any kind on the TRT parade. We had a loaded deck and we played our cards very well. I want to say thank you to everyone on the team, it was a true team effort this weekend that I am really proud to have been a part of. Also last but not least thank you to everyone involved with making this team a success we the riders wouldn't be able to win races without your support ! Also I guess a true last but not lease thank you to our fearless, people loving manager/director Dave Vukets.