Saskatoon Chase Race

The Saskatoon Chase race was my first big none drafting triathlon. The chase race is a full none drafting Olympic Triathlon (1500m swim, 40km bike, 10km run) race where both men and women race for the over all title with an equalizing time. This year the women were given at 16min head start on the men.

I went into this race very excited and not sure what to expect. There were some big names in the field including Brent Mcmahon, Jeff Symonds, Sean Bechtel and Melanie McQuaid. I had been on my new TT bike for about a week and a half (thanks to Caledon Hills Cycling and Cervelo for the hook up) before this race so I was just starting to feel confident on the bike.

The swim was none wetsuit and a 2 lap beach start. I had a rough start and was pushed off the lead groups feet. The wind made the lake fairly choppy. I led the chase group out of the water. We where about 50sec-1min down from the main group. I had a quick transition onto the bike ITU style.

I caught Sean Bechtel and Jeff Symonds around 10km into the bike. It was a very windy day with about 23km/h winds with a mix of cross/head winds and some tail wind. The wind pulled my bike back and forth a little making holding a strait line a little tough. I was able to catch Brent Mcmahon just before 20km.  The last 20km of the bike was spent chasing down Jon Bird and the other women. I was able to pull of a 56.54 40km bike in the end. When ever I saw my power drop to low I would yell at myself to try and motivate myself.

Photograph by: Michelle Berg, The StarPhoenix

T2 was very fast with a quick change over to my running shows. Melanie McQuaid had about a 9 min lead starting the run. When I heard that I know it was going to be a very hard run. The first few km of the run I had a small cramp and my leg felt every heavy but I was able to start to get rolling about 3km in. At 5km I heard that Melanie McQuaid was 6min up and I new that there was very small chance of me catching her but I still pushed on. In the end of the day she finished about 2:40 ahead of me and I ran into 2^nd over all and 1^st male.

Photograph by: Michelle Berg, The StarPhoenix

Photograph by: Aqua Sphere Canada

It was a very fun and exciting day.

For full pro results see: http://www.sportstats.ca/displayResults.xhtml?racecode=108945

The race should be televised in about one month on TSN.

The Chase

I will be doing a few none drafting races this year to give myself a chance to test my bike and run strengths. The first none draft race that I will be doing is the Saskatoon chase race. Where the pro women are sent 12-13min before the pro men and who ever crosses the finish line first wins the race. The race was televised last year and will be on TSN again this year shown on a later date.

Last years Saskatoon Chase Race

Caledon Hills Cycling and Cervelo have out fitted me with my new TT bike. To see what rocket speeds I can hit. The fastest ride I have ever had.

Huatulco World Cup

Huatulco Race Recap

It was a hot and salutary day in Huatulco when the men’s race started, 35c with 90% humidity. The race was delayed so I had very little swim warm up but with the heat you did not want to start sweating before the race. John Rasmussen and myself put on ice towels to keep cool before the race started.

The swim was 1500m in the ocean. I had a good start and was able to find some fast feet after getting hit in the face. At the 1000m mark we came out of the water to do our second lap. John Rasmussen led the first lap and I came out in a good place just on the feet of Tyler Butterfield and Andrew Bysice. Diving back into the water was a shock and I had to relax to get my stroke back. I was able to hang on to the feet in front of me. At the end of the swim John Rasmussen was in the lead group and I was in the 2^nd chase pack. 

Tyler Butterfield and myself quick got to work and started to pull back the led group. I put the hammer down on the first hill catching the chase group. Then on the second lap of the eight lap bike we caught the main group. Sadly I had used up too much energy bridging and when Tyler Butterfield attacked I got drop on the hill on lap 6 off the bike.

The rest of the race was a hot suffer fest. The hard bike and heat greatly affected my run but I finished the day in 26th. Next I will be doing the 5150 Chase Race in Saskatoon on June 29.

Some footage of the race.

Full results from Hautulco World Cup

http://www.triathlon.org/results/result/2014_huatulco_itu_triathlon_world_cup/264351

Early 2014 Races

I started off the 2014 year with a 3000m on the track to get some speed and a PB. I went down to Mcgill with the McMaster Track team. I finished the race with in a time of 8:39 which was a small PB but more importantly I got in an early season race.

My first Triathlon of the year was in Sarasota, which was the PATCO sprint Championships. I came out of the water only 10 second from the main field and was able to bridge to the main chase group. The led bike group gained time on the main field in the twisty 20km bike course. I can off the bike fresh and negative split the run to come 14^th.

The next race was in China Chengdu. Sadly I got sick before this race and was not able to eat the two days leading into it. I started but was too week to hold my own in the swim so I had to pull out. It was a big disappointment to fly that far and not get to race my best. A small consolation was that I got to see a part of the world that I never would have see and I also got to see panda bears.

After I recovered from being sick in China I had to prepare for Dallas. Dallas was my first Olympic of the year and the Olympic PATCO Champs. It was a hot race getting up to 34c by the end of the race. I did not have a great swim come out at the back of the field. I tried to bridge the gap to the 3^rd chase group on the bike but just did not have the legs. After a long and lonely 40km bike I finished the day with a strong run.

Next up will be the Huatulco World Cup in Mexico on June 15

2013 recap

2013 was an exciting year with many ups and downs. It started with a few early season races in Clermont and Sarasota. They were nothing special but very important to prepare me for the bigger races later in the year.

Next race was in Mexico and after a long training camp in the Tuscan desert I was ready for the heat. The race was Huatulco World Cup with a 24% hill that we did 8 times. I came out of the water near the back of the field but was able to bike my way up to the chase pack. On the second last lap of the bike the heat and hard biking caught up with me and I was dropped on the hill. I was able to recover a little and run through some people. At the end of the day I was 20th.

A month later was the Canadian national Championships attached to the Edmonton World Cup. The race was a sprint with a very hilly bike and run course. Again I was near the back after the swim but was able to take advantage of the hills and bridge up to the main field. A crash occurred early in the bike taking out my teammate Andrew York. I was able to run my self into a 16th place finish in the race and claim 2nd place at the Canadian Elite National Championships. I also was the U23 Canadian National Champion.

Bridging Face or the wolf snarl 

My next race was in Spain for the Palamos World Cup. It was not a good day but I learned a lot racing in a 75 person field with some of the best swimmers in the sport. After the race I stayed in Spain for a month to train with the Canadian National team. It was very exciting and I learn a lot.

The rest of my season was spent racing in Canada. I went to Ottawa for the U23 Duathlon world Championships were I placed 6th. My teammate Connor Darlington placed 3rd. On the first run I was able to run with the chase pack. On the bike I did most of the work trying to bridge to the leaders and on the second run I was able to hold on for a 6th place finish.

After my Triathlon season was done I ran varsity Cross Country for McMaster University. The highlight of Cross Country was OUA (the Ontario University Championship). It was 1c and raining on race day making the the course a mud bath. After a cold and muddy 10km I finished 7th making the OUA All Star team. The team finished 2nd tying our best ever finish. Captain Blair Morgan led the team with a 6th place finish. I wrapped up my Cross Country career with CIS (The University National Champions) the team placed 4th which is the  best we have done in 10 years.

Muddy and Cold OUA

Finish with Captain Morgan 

KOS in Caledon

After a long time away I thought I would start posting again with a nice story about the Caledon Kids of Steel. A lot of athletes have good memories from the KOS races. My first triathlon was at the KOS in Caledon on a steel mountain bike. The most exciting part of the day as a volunteer was seeing the young 3-6year old do their fist mine tri on tricycles and with life jackets. The c3 High Performance team also did a fast triathlon100m swim, 1km bike and 200m run  to get the kids excited about the sport.  It was a fun day of volunteering and giving back to the sport. A little rain in the evening but all went smoothly.