Sandra’s National Championships - Race Report - July 11 - St-Félicien, QC

Going into Nationals, I had no idea what to expect of myself, since race day was exactly a week after I finished the seven-day epic BC Bike Race. I knew I wouldn’t be completely recovered, yet on the other hand, I had just ridden nearly 400km of singletrack in one week - very handy on a course that was heavy on twisty, skinny trails.


Photo: Martin Moreau/www.eyeofglass.com

I arrived in St-Félicien late on Thursday, after a long flight to Montreal, followed by a six-hour solo drive north through the woods to the Lac Saint-Jean region. When I arrived, I was chaperoned to the small, hand-built cabin in the woods, only 1km from the race course that was to be my home for the next four nights. Originally, I planned on travelling and bunking with the two other fast women on the team, Jean Ann and Bianca, but the former was still not up to race form after her back injury, and the latter was ill. So it was all up to me to represent the squad.

I loved the 6.5km twisty, technical course that was almost identical to the one I rode at the 2007 World Cup, where I logged my best World Cup result of my career to date. One of the only additions was a waterfall to ride under - a very neat feature. The organizers and trail crew did an amazing job of building and maintaining the course in the Tobo-Ski area, with beautifully manicured berms, bridges, and rock structures, and everyone was raving about the loop, which was also set up perfectly for spectators.

On race morning during my warm up, I went by my cabin for one final pit stop and a new bottle. I was only inside for a minute, when I heard a thump on the porch. I glanced out toward the window and saw that my blue Xprezo was still there, so I didn’t think anything of it. I stepped outside and put my shoes on, followed by my left glove - but where was my right glove? I could have sworn I had taken it off at the same time as the other, but there was only one glove on the porch. Maybe I had taken it off inside…. I proceeded to search the entire cabin, followed by the outside perimeter, but no sign of my right white Time glove. I started thinking of suspects, with the black bear I had sighted, and the puppy that had jumped all over me with muddy paws at the top of my list. I didn’t have time to search any longer, so I hopped on my bike and pedaled back to the race site, where I sought out Keith (my coach), and exclaimed: “The puppy stole my glove!” and raised my naked right hand as proof.

Okay, back to the race… After I donned a borrowed glove of Catharine’s I lined up with the relatively small field of elite women who had travelled north for Nationals, and we raced off under heavy, humid skies on our first of four laps. I had a pretty slow start, coming through in ninth after the first lap, but I was loving the course, looking forward to almost every upcoming section as I rode, especially the “Bike Park,” which consisted of built up rock structures, fast berms, and a pump section.

Throughout the race, I didn’t feel bad, my legs were just a bit flat. I was efficient and smooth in the singletrack and steady on the climbs, but I lacked that punch I needed to stay with people who passed, and to bridge up to those I saw up ahead. I managed to battle up to seventh spot, which I held through to the end - a solid ride for me, which is not bad considering the huge amount of fatigue from the stage race. Once I get fully recovered, I’ll be flying! Thanks to Steve for the feed, Kika for the glove, and Keith, Dan, Johanna, Bruce, Jane, Eric, Elizabeth, Duncan, and everyone else for the cheers. Huge congrats to Catharine on her first National Championship victory - woohoo!