Cardiac Classic - June 26

Elite women's podium. Jean Ann and Sandra 1-2.

by Sandra

Racing the Cardiac Classic was a bit of a last-minute decision, but since I had some race pace intervals on my training program, I thought: "What better way to do race pace than during an actual race?" So Jean Ann, Ryan, and I lined up on a sunny Sunday morning on Burnaby Mountain, ready to suffer. I was running some new fast tires and I had just managed to cut a pound off of Piglet II. He weighed in at a svelte 21.7lbs. I was feeling pretty pumped, as the Cardiac Classic is all about climbing.

I started off a little more conservatively than I did last year when I killed myself on the first climb and never really recovered. This time, my pace was much more sustainable, and I kept Jean Ann and Ryan in sight all the way up Cardiac. They were able to put down more power on the flat section at the top before the singletrack DH started, but I didn't worry. I zoomed down the smooth and newly groomed top section of Gearjammer and caught back up to Ryan and JA near the bottom. Another short gravel climb, some fun singltrack, and then back into the open, and my two beacons were still in sight on the feed zone climb, where Jeanine gave me a pro right-hand feed and Mike Charuk provided me with a split. Thanks guys!

The second time up Cardiac was much the same. Jean Ann and Ryan in sight, I felt pretty steady, but not strong enough to bridge the gap. They gapped me again at the top, but this time I did not catch them on the DH, and I think at that point they were gone. I didn't see them anymore on the climb and I kind of had a feeling of futility - and fatigue - set in. I just felt plain old tired. I went through the motions and finished off the climb as best I could, counting on the singletrack to boost my spirits - which it did. Then it was the home stretch through the feed zone, I carried as much momentum as I could along Dead Moped, popped back up onto the Trans Canada Trail, and then cruised down the sketchy gravel. The rollers at the bottom were quite taxing. One more piece of greasy singletrack to go before the finish. I cruised across the line in second place behind defending Cardiac champ Jean Ann. "As long as one of the two of us wins, it's all good," I said. Ryan ended up having an awesome race, dropping JA and going on to finish third in his category. Woohoo!

Master 30-39 podium (Ryan on the left in 3rd)!

Complimentary burgers, some beautiful medals designed by Alyssa Drown, and a fruitful draw prize session made all the suffering worthwhile. And then we stopped for cappuccinos, baked goods, and paninis at Il Divano in Port Moody on the way home... ah, racing close to home is sweet! Thanks to the organizers for a great event, and to Neaner for the feed!