Canada Cup #4, Baie Saint Paul, QC UCI 2

                Baie Saint Paul is a small village about 75k north east of Quebec City that overlooks the Saint Lawrence River. No one speaks much if any English up in this area of Quebec which makes for a very interesting trip. Trying to book lodging is not so easy. I had to use a translator way to much in my emails and I am sure they didn’t sound all that nice to whoever was reading them.  Although the directions I received to the house I rented were clearly taken from an online translator as well, so I didn’t feel too bad about using one.

                I wasn’t originally planning on going to Baie-Saint Paul when I first put together my race calendar back in the late winter.  My budget didn’t allow for it and I wasn’t sure what I was going to be doing for work. Plus I wasn’t expecting much in terms of results this year. Well after solid results at Bromont and Tremblant, both UCI 1 events, I had no other choice but to go to Baie-Saint Paul. My parents really wanted to be able to come to a big race this year and they are going to miss out on Mount Snow, so when I mentioned Baie-Saint Paul to them, they were more than thrilled to come along. Hattie was even able to get the time off from work to come along! On top of that we also brought the family dog, Maggie. It was less expensive to bring her then it was to board her at the kennel, plus my mom doesn’t like leaving her.

                So the five of us loaded up the Explorer and headed north Friday morning. It seemed to take us forever to make it up to Canada. We had a few stops on the way, lunch in Jackman, Maine, and the border crossing to deal with so it wasn’t a fast drive north. The steady rain fall didn’t seem to make the time pass any faster either. By the time we approached Baie-Saint Paul the skies had let up and it actually became sunny! John and I were able to get out for a good spin once we got to the house. My legs were pretty cramped sitting with two others in the back seat. Turns out our rental house was only a few kilo’s from the course.  I remember the course being somewhat short from last racing her last year, so I decided to take a lap.  I was surprised that all the rain that we drove through on our way north hadn’t reached the course at all! The track was actually dusty!

                The course is about 6.3k(?) on the side of a hill. The climbs are short and steep and favor a rider who can really put out a lot of power to get up the rocky rooty climbs quickly. The descents are just as rocky and rooty as the climbs which makes for a very challenging descent.  Tubeless tires are a must, as the sharp rocks and massive amounts of roots will surely cause a pinch flat. Despite all the rocks and roots, the track is pretty buff and a full suspension wasn’t really needed. I was out on my Salsa Mamasita and I thought it was the perfect bike for the course. The big wheels allowed me to roll faster through the rock gardens, and gave me extra rolling momentum on the open four wheeler sections. I was very glad to be racing on such an awesome frame!

                Saturday was another day spent resting and waiting to ride my bike. I pretty much lied around the house all morning waiting for the course to open. Around 2 in the afternoon John and I were able to go put in a few more laps on the course. The weather was partly sunny, but the humidity was unreal. It was so humid out that parts of the course were starting to get muddy! I wasn’t feeling so hot on the pre ride. I wasn’t super confident on the bike and was thinking maybe my training hasn’t been good enough. I tried to stay positive and think happy thoughts. I even told my parents and Hattie I was going to get a top five tomorrow.

                That night Hattie again stepped up to the plate. She cooked dinner so I could stay off my feet, she cleaned up so I could stay off my feet, and she even gave me another leg massage. I swear my results this year have a lot to do with the support I receive from her.  She supports me 110% and is an amazing girlfriend!

                Sunday morning- Race day: Hattie got up early to make me my traditional pre race meal so I could stay in bed longer. After a relaxing breakfast fueled with Chris Cyr’s own Cyrus Java Coffee it was time to get the car packed.  Our race started at noon, and we had to be out of the rental at noon.I was feeling pretty good warming up, but still not 100%. I was really nervous to be honest. Nervous about what, I don’t know, but just nervous. Turns out my call up was pretty good, 2^nd row to be exact. After the gun went off I found myself in the top 15. I thought hey this is pretty good all I have to do is hold on to this. Then reality kicked in. I unleashed my inner warrior and moved up to 4^th place within the first 3k of the race. At the end of the first lap I faded back to 7^th but wasn’t far from 4^th. I passed another two guys on the climbs moving up in the ranks, but still wasn’t happy. I had more to give. On the second lap I saw one guy give up due to a flat. He was in the top 4 and dropped out of the race because of a flat. Who does that? Well at any rate this put me into 4^th. When I went through the feed zone I was only 30 seconds back from 2^nd. I tried to close the gap, but it never happened. I started to blow up. The last lap and a half I was on damage control. I was trying to hold off a 20-30 second lead over 5^th place. I wasn’t going to give up though. My legs were burning and my heart felt like it was going to burst through my chest during that last lap. As I finished making my way down the mountain and through the technical sections I knew I had held off the attacking 5^th place rider. I went flying through the neutral feed where someone through a cup full of water on the side of my head. I then had water in my eye, and down my ear! I almost at it right there as it completely through me off balance and the ground was pretty soft and sandy. Thankfully I was able to keep my balance and make the final turn into the finish shoot where I crossed the line in 4^th place!! 5^th place was maybe 10 seconds back. I am very lucky I didn’t lose my balance in the feed zone.

                All the pain I encountered during the race was gone when I crossed the line. I was on the biggest high of my life. All those nights dreaming of being able to stand on a podium of a national event finally came true! Now all I had to do was clean up for the awards! This meant opening the roof top carrier on top of the Explorer, getting my duffle bag and finding clean bike clothes for the podium. From now on I will have a clean set of clothes for the podium in an easy to get location. The venue was a campground so there were showers available which made the cleanup process quick and easy.  This also made the car ride home more enjoyable for my parents and Hattie. When it came time to go up to the podium I was still in disbelief that I actually made it up there. The announcer was speaking 100% French and I understood nothing other than my name.

                The award ceremony was quick, but the memories will last forever. This race was made possible by my grandmother. When she passed away she left me with a few stocks. Lately to get by I have been resorting to selling them to pay for these bike trips and all the bike parts. It really stinks having to give up your life savings/ retirement fund, but this has been worth it. I am sure if my grandmother could see what I am doing she would approve. I am not just spending money, but I am working on accomplishing long term goals and making dreams come true. I was even able to walk away with a pay check from the race! The money is greatly accepted, but don’t be fooled, I am still in the red on this trip! But more important than the pay check are the UCI points I earned. I believe I picked up 12 UCI points. Now I am only 8 points shy of racing in the world cups. Should I go to Deer Valley in Utah to try and get some more points??

Thanks for reading.

3/4 of a tank of gas, donations please!