Bianca 7th in Canmore Canada Cup #5

On June 20th Bianca had her best Canada Cup race of the season, to finish 7th in the pro/elite category in Canmore AB. This is an excellent result, especially since this is her first year in the category and she was racing in an internationally competitive field. She finished just under seven minutes off of leader Emily Batty, and was the 3rd U23 woman. The team is ecstatic for her, and we are looking forward to all racing together in the National Championships in Saint Felicien QC, on the 11th and 12th of July.

Bianca getting ready to climb like a mountain goat. Photo by Ron Adolf.

And look at her go! Canmore's long climbs and technically demanding singletrack were a great match for Bianca's skills: she is an excellent climber, and fast and experienced on the rooty descents. Photo by Patrick Graham. Thank you Patrick!


Here is Bianca's Race Report:

This race was a blast! It turned out to be one of my best of the season. Going into this race I wasn't really sure what to expect. I didn't set any specific goals, I was just going to do my best. After the last two races (Mt. Tremblant, Quebec and Hardwood Hills, Ontario), which I was kind of disappointed with I really wanted (and needed!) to have a good race. Heading to the race I was really excited, this was my favorite course in the Canada Cup circuit. In the past two years I had done quite well in this race. Even though I was confident I could ride this course well, I wasn't sure how I was going to place against the other more experienced riders in my new category, but it was a good race right off the line. Normally, starts aren't my strength, but I was quite happy with this one. In the first 20 seconds of the race I was holding a solid top six position! Not sure if I was going to be able to maintain it, I settled into a good, comfortable (but tough!) pace. Throughout the entire race I did a bit of switching positions with a few other riders and ended up finishing 7th overall, 3rd U23. I would have loved to place in the top five, but 7th was already an improvement over the past two races were I placed 11th. Cant wait to race on this course again next year, but next up is Nationals in Quebec!

Rollercoaster June

The Local Ride Elite Women's MTB Team has definitely experienced its fair share of ups and downs this month. We'll start with the good news:

1. Local Ride's 3 Fast Women are back home in B.C.

2. On June 6, Jean Ann and Sandra, along with their Local Ride Racing brothers and sisters Paul, Sue, Ryan J., and Jeanine, congregated in beautiful Squamish for a Test of Metal pre-ride. The weather was pleasant, the trails were phenomenal, the company was fabulous, and the post-ride beer, burgers, and yam fries were priceless. Not only was it a great training ride for the Test (www.testofmetal.com), it was a perfect way for Sandra to start the big countdown until BC Bike Race (www.bcbikerace.com). "BC Bike Race is going to be the highlight of my season," she said. "I'm so excited to do it!" BCBR kicks off June 28 in Vancouver. Stay tuned for more updates and info.

3. On June 7, Jean Ann joined Local Ride Racing's women's road team for the TNA Westside Classic BC Cup #1 and played an integral role in team leader Laura Brown's victory. Jean Ann won the first lap prime, along with the Queen of the Mountains prize, and drilled the pace with the help of team mates Chelsea and Shani, which allowed Laura to unleash her devastating sprint to capture the win. Congrats ladies!

4. Jean Ann and Sandra were recently featured in video interviews at www.pedalmag.com! Watch the videos below for insight on Jean Ann and Sandra's racing so far this season, what's up next, and a peek at their beautiful blue Xprezo hardtails.

Jean Ann



Sandra


5. Sandra spent last weekend training with Coach Keith in Kamloops and Revelstoke. "I had a great time rockin' the trails in Kamloops and Revelstoke with Keith," she said. "I'm feeling so good on my bike right now, especially on the singletrack. The Revelstoke trails were super cool and practicing how to ride those fast will really help me in BC Bike Race, which has a tonne of skinny, twisty trails."

6. Jean Ann had a beautiful photo taken of her by Patrick Graham in Edmonton during last weekend's Canada Cup there. Jean Ann was riding well, moving up steadily on the fourth and final lap of the race, with her sights on third place when disaster struck.

Jean Ann missed the "good" line by millimetres on a very tricky, steep, rooty downhill and took a hard fall, landing with her back against a tree. She bravely shook it off, picked herself back up, and attempted to run to the finish, but she only made it about 10m before her back went into spasm, and she needed to be helped off the course courtesy of a friendly spectator, a paramedic, and a quad. She then spent eight hours in Emerg to discover she had badly strained her back.

Luckily nothing is broken. Jean Ann came home early and will not be well enough to contest the Canada Cup in Canmore this Saturday, June 20. Never fear, however, Bianca will be there to represent and make us proud! Jean Ann is in good spirits, however: "I'm obviously bummed this happened, but I'm optimistic I'll be healed and ready to go for all the big races, which don't start until mid-July." Get well soon Jean Ann!

Stay tuned for news after Bianca takes on the Canada Cup XC #5 in Canmore this Saturday. This is an ideal course for Bianca, who is an excellent sustained climber, and a wicked fast technical descender. Sandra will face some stiff competition at the Test on Saturday. Olympian Catharine Pendrel will be on the start line, and rumour has it that MTB legend Alison Sydor will contest as well. Good luck ladies!

Canada Cup XC #3 - Hardwood - Sandra's Race Report

Jean Ann 2nd, Sandra 5th, Bianca 11th


(l-r) Sandra Walter (Local Ride Women's MTB) 5th, Jean Ann McKirdy 2nd (Local Ride Women's MTB), Emily Batty (Trek Store Toronto) 1st, Mical Dyck (Trek Store Toronto) 3rd, Amanda Sin (3 Rox Racing) 4th

Jean Ann, Bianca, and I lined up for Canada Cup #3 in cold, windy Ontario and it started to hail?!?! What was that all about?! Luckily, after only a brief spate of the white pellets, it just went back to being frigid with whipping winds again, although according to the Weather Network, only about 30 minutes North of Hardwood it actually snowed! Happy May 31, I guess!

I opted for short sleeves despite the weather, as I am generally warm-blooded (she’s hot blooded, hot blooded!) and I knew I would be overheating before the end of the first lap if I kept my arm warmers on. I was stoked to ride the 9km swoopy, fast course, because it had rained quite violently overnight, but that was perfect for the sand-based loop. On pre-ride the day before, it had started to get a little too loose for optimum speed.

Photo: Marek Lazarski
We started the four-lap race in a pack on a wide chip trail. Jean Ann and I got a front-row call-up, so we were in a good position to see what was happening and mark any would-be attackers. I didn’t feel like hammering off the start like last weekend in Tremblant, which was all Jean Ann “The Animal’s” fault. Luckily everyone stayed calm and let Emily set the pace. After a couple of short popper climbs at the beginning, Emily, Mical, and Jean Ann had already created a small gap, and I was kicking myself for letting it form. I was chasing in fourth and I could see them, but I just couldn’t bring them back. I felt amazing on the fast, twisty, buff singletrack. Railing the corners courtesy of my Maxxis Crossmarks, I would almost regain contact with the front three in the tight trees… so darn close to that comfortingly familiar DT Swiss rear wheel with shiny turquoise spoke nipples so lovingly built by the boyz at Local Ride -- that’s Jean Ann’s wheel I’m talking about! Yet, I couldn’t quite make it back.

So there I was, out in the wind, chasing by myself, pursued by my buddy Catherine. Eventually I lost sight of the front trio on the sinuous course, and Catherine passed me, but I latched onto her wheel, hoping to work with her to get a gap on the chasers behind and make up time on the escapees up front (I believe my exact words to her were: “C’mon, let’s do some damage!”).

Photo: Marek Lazarski

Little did I know, Catherine was having mechanical problems that were seriously hindering her. That sucks, dude! I was forced to pass and go it alone. Somewhere along the way, Amanda blew by me at such a fast pace, I couldn’t match it. Too bad I couldn’t, because for the rest of the race, I maintained a steady gap of 15-25 seconds to her that I was just not able to diminish. I saw her almost the entire time, but that short distance just didn’t get smaller, no matter how hard I pushed.

Dawn and Ron were great supporters, giving me splits, cheering me on, and informing me that my team mate, Jean Ann, was in second! That made me smile and motivated me to keep hammering… so I could share the podium with my friend and show off our beautiful new blue Sugoi jerseys (yes, I know we’ve had them for a week now, but they’re seriously never going to get old)!

According to everyone, Jean Ann was just killing it (Kyle Douglas even called her “Killer” when he cheered, and what Ontario race would be complete without Scotty Dawg spurring on “The Jeananimal”?! She finished less than two minutes behind Emily, who has been putting a lot more time into every other second-place finisher of late. I was pleased with my fifth-place ride, but not ecstatic. You know how it is, we competitors always want more. My legs felt like they were starting to come around after last week’s disappointing ride, but I still don’t feel quite like I’m on top form yet… just you all wait until July! But my steel Xprezo hardtail and I were a perfect team on the fun trails that made up much of the course.

Bianca had a solid ride, once again finishing 11th overall and third U23 rider. She should be very proud of herself. She’s riding incredibly consistently, even though she’s been thrown into the deep end of the elite field for her first season in the Senior category.

Thanks to Dawn and Ron for the wonderful place to stay and the great company and support, David and Antoine of Xprezo for the feed and tech support, and everyone out there for cheering! Next race for me is the Test of Metal on June 20. Jean Ann and Bianca will head to Edmonton this weekend for Canada Cup XC #4, followed by Canada Cup XC #5 in Canmore on June 20, while I’m getting pumped and trained up for BC Bike Race, June 28-July 4 - yeah baby!

Sandra :)

Sandra's Top 10 Reasons to Race in Quebec

I've had the opportunity to race all over the world, but here are my top 10 reasons why racing in Quebec is cool... possibly cooler than in any other province... maybe...? We'll do a top 10 after the Western Canada Cups and have an East vs. West face-off for the final decision... just like the Stanley Cup except with biking and not hockey... and the teams are all Canadian... and it's way better.

So with no further ado, the top 10 reasons to Race in Quebec are:

10. It's the beer, oui?!

9. Quebeckers make serious burgers!

8. "Telemarketing" with new pals.

7. Alternate pronunciations...

6. The race start can be delayed by 20 minutes and the world doesn't end... in fact, you can even get on the podium - all these ladies did!

5. Handsome gentlemen... wait a minute - these yahoos aren't Quebeckers!

That's better...

4. Le Petit Caribou...

3. Maple syrup and cabines au sucre (sugar shacks, baby)!

2. Bilingualism...

1. Getting to hang out with our new Xprezo friends!