Written by Edmond Mellina, Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs Race Team Member.

The Provincials at the Holland Marsh was the last race on my road racing calendar for 2012. I had designed my training plan to bring me there with a second peak of form. Everything was going according to plan… until I got hit by a nasty bronchitis with less than two weeks to go. The doc put me on a 10-day regimen of antibiotics. The good news was that I would finish the treatment the day before the race, which hopefully would mean clean lungs to tackle the hills of the Holland March. I told myself there was nothing else I could do apart from getting as much sleep as possible, eating well and staying hydrated. At least I should have fresh legs.

The evening before the race I sorted the registration list on OCA’s website by team. The conclusion was clear: I could forget about the squads / competitors on which I keep a close tab when I race in M2. Indeed, the sorted list showed two large M1 squads: Wheels of Bloor and Sound Solutions. I knew there both were top teams. Since I didn’t know their strong men, I checked the latest O-Cup Master 1 standings as well as the results of the Master B Nationals in early July. I wrote down five names: Robert D’Amico, Ian Scott, Wieslaw Matuszcak and Chris Firek of Wheels of Bloor; and Chris Wood of Sound Solutions. I printed the headshots of the Wheels of Bloor guys (I found their racer profiles on their team’s website).

Given the hilly course and the fact this was a championship, I expected a hard race of attrition with a key move during the last three laps. At least one of my five-guys-to-watch should be in that move. So my strategy was simple: save as much energy as possible during the first five laps, stay near the front, move up for the last three laps, watch these five guys very closely, and try to go with the first one who makes a move.

I went to bed with mixed feelings: not sure I would have my legs given the antibiotics; but nevertheless confident I had done my homework in preparation for the race! Before falling asleep, I looked again at the headshots of the Wheels of Bloor guys to memorize the faces.

When I arrived on the circuit, the first thing I saw was fellow LapDogs racer Julie Marceau powering pass the finish line. She was leading a two-woman breakaway. I shouted some encouragement in French (“Allez Julie, vas-y!!!”). Given the gap they had on the peloton, I thought that Julie was on her way to collect a new championship jersey. I decided this was a good sign for all of us Lapdogs. At the signing table, I took the time to write down on my left arm the BIB numbers of the five guys I had decided to watch. The nice ladies handing out the BIBs must have thought: “What’s wrong with this guy?” In the parking lot, I recognized Wheels of Bloor’s Matuszak – thanks to the headshots I had memorized the night before!

Two other LapDogs were in the race: fellow M2 Roderick Grant and M1 racer Lorne Anderson. Unfortunately, we were unable to warm up together because the start time was fast approaching. As I completed my warm-up routine, I saw Julie who confirmed she was the Provincial Champion!!! Since she was going to take care of the feed zone for me, I told her she could find my bottles under the trunk of my car.

I went straight to the start line and positioned myself on the second row. I looked at the BIB numbers around me and was able to quickly spot the five racers I had decided to watch. In order to recognize them more easily during the race, I took note of the brand of their bikes, the colour of their shoes / socks and the shape of their legs. I was ready to go.

The race started at a good pace. As we climbed the steep hill for the first time, I did a quick check of my body: lungs were fine; legs not super, but not bad either. I had a brief chat with Roderick and Lorne. But as we reached the top of the hill the pace picked up so we had to focus on the wheels ahead. By lap four, I was finally able to move up near the very front – close enough to see a breakaway starting to form. I got concerned when I realized several teams were represented. I could see black jerseys – the colour of Wheels of Bloor! I spotted two of my five-guys-to-watch around me, but not the other ones. Were they in the nascent breakaway ahead? If such was the case, then I was missing the key move. Gasp!..

At that time the gap was only about 100 meters. So I decided to jump to try to bridge to the breakaway. I looked behind my armpit and saw that the peloton had not had any problem catching my slipstream. In an attempt to shake the racer on my wheel, I jumped again while moving quickly to the other side of our half-road. It didn’t work. I decided there was no point in pulling the peloton any further. Fortunately, during the next lap the bunch was able reel back in the breakaway. Phew…

Suddenly, as we started climbing the steep hill for the fifth time, I felt very hot. What was wrong with me? It was not a food or fluid intake issue. Indeed, I had been eating and drinking very well up to that point. Furthermore, I had the benefit of cold bottles: I had followed a friend’s advice by putting all my bottles in the freezer overnight. As we reached the top of the hill, a massive thunderstorm burst. There was nothing wrong with me, the humidity was simply at its maximum before the storm.

A few minutes later, the commissaire on the motorcycle drove up the peloton to tell us the race would be stopped at the end of that lap. So we rolled to the finish and stopped at the line. Another commissaire explained we would have a minimum of 30 minutes delay before the race resumed; and he strongly advised all of us to move away from the finish line: we were in front of the lightning-loving metallic structure used by the race announcer!!!

By then, we were drenched and starting to get cold! I took refuge under the Morning Glory tent (we didn’t bring our own tent that day!). Roderick was there too. He explained to me that him and Lorne had a technical problem: they could not brake anymore. They had opted for carbon wheels with carbon-specific brake pads – perfect for this hilly circuit in dry condition, but totally ill-suited to the same circuit under torrential rain!! I offered to go pick up my spare aluminium wheelset from the neutral car. But since the brake pads were not compatible with aluminum rims, my solution was not viable.

I got colder and colder. As I watched other racers keep warm on their home trainers under their tents I wished I had brought mine (I prefer to warm up on the road; the forecast was clearly saying no rain during warm up; and frankly I didn’t expect the commissaires to have to stop the race. Lesson learnt…). At that point I was so cold that I left the tent to go to the car. As I was about to get inside I heard the announcer say: “Racers, the race will resume in five minutes”!!!

Everyone was rushing back to the start line. I got there two minutes before the new start. The commissaire shouted a long series of BIB numbers, explaining these were folks who had fallen behind the peloton before the race was stopped and therefore would not be allowed to start again. I looked around to spot Roderick and Lorne, but I didn’t see them. I concluded they couldn’t resume the race given the wet roads and their equipment. I felt sad for them.

The commissaire told us we would just do two laps as opposed to the three laps that were officially remaining. He gave the new start. Right away a two-man breakaway formed. I had started in second row but with the yellow line rule and teammates of the attackers blocking, there was no space to try to join them.

I noticed the road was still quite wet. As we entered the first corner a Vinyl Bilt guy went down. As we got out of the corner, a Morning Glory racer did the same. We were going full gas and I was not cold anymore. I asked one of the Wheels of Bloor guy whether one of the two guys ahead was from their team, which he confirmed. I tried to move closer to the front but I couldn’t. With the yellow line rule, there was simply no space. A couple of guys tried to be smarter by passing from the other side of the line but the commissaire on motorcycle disqualified them right away. This kept everyone on the right side of the law!

We passed the finish line again and heard the bell – last lap. As we approached the first (right) corner, the bunch moved left in one big wave to cut across the apex of the turn. The Morning Glory racer immediately to my right decided it was the perfect opportunity: he jumped straight to the front of the peloton from the right. Remembering how the bike reacts in the tricky conditions of cyclocross, I thought: “With that speed there is no way he is going to make that corner on such a wet surface”. For a split second, I thought he was going to prove me wrong. But then his bike disappeared from under him and he hit the pavement quite hard. Things were starting to get pretty hectic. We were now descending at full speed. As we started to climb again, we could see the two breakaway companions just ahead. We caught them on the steep hill. With the yellow line, the positions were now set. Apart from a few guys who were losing their legs on the steep hill, it was impossible to pass anyone. We reached the top of the hill as a compact bunch. I thought: “Three kilometers left. Flat. Windy. Translation: bunch sprint. Conclusion: I’m stuck, nothing I can do now, no more opportunity at this stage…” I crossed the line in 26th position.

What about my five-guys-to-watch? Although one of them did not finish (maybe the same equipment challenge as Rod and Lorne?), the other four finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th. At least I was watching the right guys!! Wheels of Bloor swept the podium. Kudos to them.

That’s it, my road racing campaign for 2012 has come to an end. Although I didn’t bring back the results I had trained for, I had lots of fun fighting out there with my teammates. My focus in now switching to preparing my cyclocross season. I will be chasing podiums in the fall!!!

Photo Credit: Peter Kraiker, Studio f-Stop

Written by Rick Froner, Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs Team Director and Racer.

For the first time this season, the M2 team had a chance to race with the Elite 3 senior men, and thereby bolstering our team with youthful legs. Gio was the lone entrant from the LapDogs in the E3 category, and perhaps our best bet at a win or podium, as this race normally comes down to a bunch sprint. Edmond, Roderick, Michael Bandurchin, Mark Besednik and myself were the entrants for the M2 category. Also on the line were the dreaded Juniors, a rag tag bunch of miscreants with no sense of decorum or self preservation. We would have to keep a sharp eye out for these young punks.

For those of you not familiar with the CHIN race course, it is best described as an amalgam of Toronto Indy meets Rollerball. The 1 mile course consists of no fewer than 8 corners, some wide sweepers, while others are very tight including the chicane located directly after the start finish line.

We were expected to complete 45 minutes of racing before being given the 3 laps to go directive. The plan, simple, stay near the front and attempt to have a presence in any break that went away. IF it came down to a bunch sprint, the lead-out train was to make its appearance. Edmund, then Roderick, then me and lastly Gio, the Cavendish of the group. Sounds easy right? Wrong.

Right off the gun, the pace was quick. I attempted to make the first move off the front and was quickly joined by wily veteran Elgar Vaivars. We managed to open a small gap and held it for just over a lap, but the peleton would have none of it. More attacks were made by various other teams, with Roderick and Edmond in the mix with numerous break attempts. Michael spent the first half of the race learning the nuances of the corners, and the sketchy riders before moving up the field and joining the mayhem up front. Gio meanwhile conserved energy for the sprint by staying in the top 15 riders and keeping his nose clean. Mark, unfortunately, had some problems with his injured knee and was forced to abandon three quarters thru the event.

It was at this point that a small break of two riders somehow rode off the front of the field without one of us present. With some big efforts from Roderick, Edmond, Michael and myself we tried to pull them back, but to no avail. With 3 laps to go it was clear that the break would stick and we were sprinting for 3rd. With two laps to go, Edmond unleashed a viscous attack, stringing out the field to make it more safe for our lead-out train. The elbows were flying and the pack was on the limit. Roderick and myself got separated at this point due to the crashes and near misses that ensued. I managed to pick up Gio with one lap to go and tried to haul him up to the front for the final gallop. All was going well until two riders directly in front of us decided that they wanted to lay down on the pavement for a rest on the back straight. Luckily, we both just managed to make it thru the blood and tears and crossed the line in the top 15 in the sprint. Edmond, Roderick and Michael also all made it thru the final lap carnage unscathed.

Although we did not manage to make the winning move, or feature prominently in the bunch sprint, it was a victory of sorts, given that we all survived with our skin still intact.

Good job lads!

Ours Team’s Results:

Master 3 Men
Colin Mcdarmont – 13th
David Chong – 16th
Mark Montgomery – 21st

Elite 4 Men
Mark Van Doormaal – 6th

Elite 3 Men
Gio Piccollotto – 8th

Master 2 Men
Rick Froner – 7th
Michael Bandurchin – 15th
Edmond Mellina – 17th
Roderick Grant – 22nd

Elite 1-2 Men
Christopher Bradbury – DNF

Written by Michael Bandurchin, member of the 2012 Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs Race Team, Road Squad.

I was looking forward to the Niagara classic. 6 laps of a 12km circuit, ending in an infamous climb that can demoralize riders and break up the pack. For the Lapdogs Masters 2 team, a lot of email discussion over the days before kept us speculating about how the race would unfold. What kind of attacks the larger teams were planning, and how we would need to react. Edmond Mellina and I both had ambitions for this race, considering ourselves strong climbers. Roderick Grant had more modest expectations for himself, and committed to do whatever needed to keep us in the game. Consensus was that we should expect a break to form with strong climbers from one or more of the bigger teams, and we didn’t know what lap it would occur on, so we had better get to the top of the hill in the top 10-15 each lap.

Sunday morning we arrived, got registered and warmed up with some of the Senior 3 LapDogs. It was a warm day, as we lined up at the start you could already feel the heat. Roderick and Edmond were lined up near the front, I rolled up near the back a few minutes later, already a disadvantage if anything happens early.

Riders rolled out in a compact group, with an official on a motorcycle repeatedly warning riders about the center line rule (the center line was hard to judge with no lines painted on the road, riders pushed there luck with occasional warnings). Coming along Kilman road is the last descent before the rollers and the big climb. The descent has a curve to the left then an S turn, with limited visiblity around the curves. Last year I was a bit terrified of this section, riders would be passing me left and right, I would be worried about crashing. This year I felt a bit better, seems I’ve learned my primary focus should be on where the road is going, not on the rider in front of me. I must be descending faster, because not many riders were going around me.

The route turns onto Effingham and I know I’ve got to advance on the rollers and on the long climb. The pack is all together at the start of the climb, but streched out as we turn to go downhill. No break this lap, but the field has spread out and thinned out. The second time up the hill is just as hard, and there seems to be more urgency about a possible break. As the course turns onto a flat section leading to the first downhill I catch the wheel of a couple guys hammering to catch the break, at the bottom of the hill I see Edmond behind about 5 MGCC riders starting a rotating paceline. One of the MGCC riders is looking back, evaluating the situation and seems to decide that now is not the time, too many riders have caught up. The pace eases a bit, but just a bit.

On the third climb I focus more on conserving energy, staying in the saddle and spinning as long as possible, out of the saddle just for the steepest part, rolling over the smoothest pavement. After this climb and the following downhill we’re down to just over 20 riders in the lead group, and some at the front are pushing hard. I see Edmond again, we are both staying away from the front. The pace is hard at this point, and it hurts, we’re passing some straglers from Senior 3, and eventually a big group of S3 riders. I’m reminded of jokes made at the start line, “I think I’ll do this one solo”… “solo off the front or the back?”, and the idea of just letting the group go, doing a “solo off the back” at 30Km/h until I get pulled becomes appealing. But I know I can keep going, and will feel better later.

My race ended soon afterward when I crashed in the rollers leading up to the big hill. Two riders in front of me went down, and I realized I would be going over the back wheel of a bike lying on the ground, I’m not sure why I couldn’t remain upright, it happened rather fast. When I got back up my seatpost and stem were both turned 45 degrees, wheels rubbing. In retrospect I probably could have got assistance to straighten things out and continue. The mishap started with a dropped chain, the rider reaching down to get it back on the rings, not one of the crash scenarios I had worried about.

Congratulations to Edmond, who finished 20′th despite severe cramping in his legs 5Km from the finish.

Here’s a look at the Tour de Bronte race written by Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs racer, Edmond Mellina

The Tour de Bronte is the “Strade Bianche” of Ontario: held at the Bronte Creek provincial park in Oakville / Burlington, the race is 50% asphalt and 50% dirt on winding, narrow road.

A few days before the race, the organizers announced the normal categories would be combined due to low registration levels. As a result, the last race (S1-2 and M1) became an “open race”. Marshall Eidinger and Giordano Piccolotto (both S3) and myself (M2) decided to join Christopher Bradbury (S1) and race with the “big boys”!!

Before the race, we talked race strategy via e-mail. Christopher led the discussion, sharing his insights and wisdom about racing at this level on this unique course. We had a sound plan and Marshall, Gio and I were committed to help Christopher as much as we could.

Last year in M3 I flatted after 20 kms, while in the lead pack that was chasing the eventual solo winner. I made the mistake of raising my arm too slowly, so the wheel car missed me and I ended up dead last and way behind everyone else.

This year I was better prepared, having bought a brand new pair of Vittoria Pave clinchers especially for Bronte. Well, that’s what I thought: I pinch-flatted 14 kms into the race! Contrary to last year, I put my arm up immediately and moved to the right side. The car saw me and gave me a new back wheel relatively quickly. But I lost a good minute in the process and I was now on my own. The first peloton was going at full speed: they were chasing a breakaway that had taken off after 5 kms, with four guys including the 2^ndfrom last year. That’s what is great about these top categories: a mere 5 kms into the race and the favorites are already taking risks by getting on the offensive. Kudos! When they took off, I was just beside them in maybe 8^th position of the pack; I hesitated a moment, but the pace was already pretty fast so I chickened out and decided to stay in the peloton.

Up to the time I flatted, I wasn’t doing too bad – able to keep and regain positions without too much effort in all the technical sections. It’s amazing how much cyclocross has helped me with both technical skills and confidence for this kind of courses. However I don’t know how long I would have kept up the good work if I hadn’t flatted. That 2^nd lap was not as easy as the 1^st one for me.

After my flat, I chased solo for a few kms. Just before the end of that lap, I reached Christopher who was cruising along on his own: unfortunately, with all the dust that day he had lung problems which forced him to pull out of the race.

I caught another guy and we worked well together for a couple of laps until a small pack came back from behind (about 10-12 folks). It was a mix of racers who fell, flatted or got caught behind. I was happy to see an orange, green and black jersey in the group: Marshall. Later on, we caught Gio back. The three Lapdogs in the race were together.

As it’s often the case, very few people were working with us at the  front. As usual, I got mad and yelled at the “slackers”. Gio advised me I should take it easy. He was right. So I moved to the back of the group to cool down my “hot head” a little.. and get some gels. Over the next few laps, I made several breakaway attempts with the stronger racer of our bunch. But we got caught back very quickly every single time. The “slackers” were not that “cooked” after all…

Two laps before the end, the same strong rider decided to do what he had to do: since none of us who were willing to attempt a breakaway with him were strong enough to make a clean break with him, he took off on his own. He got 15 seconds on us and kept it to the end. Well done!

In the last lap, because I’m not too keen on sprints, I tried two or three more times to take off. But the group reeled me back very easily / quickly every single time. I didn’t have the legs. My last attempt died a few kms from the finish, while exiting the last dirt section.

I was pretty tired with all my efforts throughout the race, so I thought that I would be drifting to the back and remain there safely. But, having just been caught, I got into the last left corner in 2^nd position (3 kms from the line, near the park’s entrance). Then I saw the “slackers” move to the front for the sprint… and the adrenaline took over! I stayed patiently in the top five-six positions. With about 1.5 km to go, Gio jumped hard, but he got caught back. Then another guy, same thing. At the 600m mark, it was Marshall’s turn to jump hard but he got caught with maybe 250 m to go. I was now in 3^rd spot, on the center-left of the very narrow finish straight…

One of the “slackers” jumped on my left and took a bike length. No way! I pushed as hard as I could on the pedals, put a smaller cog, got back to him with 25 m to go… and I left him behind with 10 m to go, i.e. finishing first of our small pack of “left-behind’s”. I didn’t know I had that in me! Granted, it was a sprint for the 32^nd spot. But most of the folks in that group were M1, i.e. one level above my regular category.

Overall I am happy with the experience, despite the fact I could only play in the first peloton for two laps due to the flat. But flats are part of racing. It was a hell of a workout though. It was also a good confidence booster: technical skills, overall fitness and small-pack sprint surprise at the end!! It was also great to race with fellow Lapdogs from the other categories.

One thing for sure: the big boys make their races everything but dull. It makes you want to progress to their level to play with them!!!

Here’s a look at the Springbank Criterium race written by Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs racer, Giordano Piccolotto.

Whew…so Springbank…What do they call it now? Blood-bank, crash-bank? Whatever, it’s a s#!tshow. An 18 lap criterium format race around a 2.2km loop at Springbank Park in London Ontario. This year’s race lived up to it’s previous monikers.

Our day started with a 5am wake-up (personally I’m not a fan of these. They screw with your sleep pattern and throw you off your groove. Just not my thing) and a two and-a-half hour drive to London (also not big on this). We arrived with a good amount of time to prepare for the coming test so we went to collect our numbers and go about our personal duties.

The day was really turning out quite nice. The sun was out the air was warm and the wind was pretty low. Good conditions especially for a crit. Walking to the start line our director(the illustrious Rick Froner) told us to watch out for the headwind in the finishing straight. I scoffed, there was hardly a breeze. Personally, I didn’t think it was going to affect the race.We went for our pre-ride of the course taking it easy, checking out the pavement conditions, and looking through the turns. Looked good. The sand that had cover sections of the road last year was gone, the asphalt was dry and warm from the sun. You couldn’t really ask for better.

We were called to the starting area and asked to assemble behind the line. Looking around I saw the familiar faces, the guys I knew I’d have to watch out for. But cycling is a weird sport. Some of the guys you race against are friends even though they are on an opposing team you align yourself with them because you know they have the ability to work hard and you can help each other out. Yet a part of your mind knows that you have to watch them because at some point in the race they will inevitably be forced to betray you. Friends and yet enemies. It’s a balance.

The commissaire reads out the rules for the days race cautioning and wishing us to be safe, a good omen right? And said the race would start within the next ten seconds. The whistle went and it was on. Hammering right out of the gate. This is the stuff I love about crit racing, hanging your guts out dry, giving an inch and losing a mile. It’s no quarter, as rough and tumble as road racing gets. The first lap showed that some of the participants were jittery, with some squirrelly riding getting the better of a few, particularly some of the junior racers. These guys are under 19 and apparently have no apprehension about losing their life. By the the third lap some still hadn’t settled down and were yelled at to either hold their line or get to the back.

A good chunk of this race is a blur with a key moments popping out in my memory. Somewhere around the sixth or seventh lap I heard what I could only assume was a gunshot. I next, heard a lone scream of what sounded like terror, then swearing from many voices behind me and the distinctive sound of carbon and aluminum meeting each other. Luckily this was all happening behind me, but it sounded bad. Like hospital bad. I was sure I was going to swallowed up by the crash that was happening behind me. I remember thinking of the fiery Death Star escape by Lando (you’re welcome Steve and Larry). It was still early, was this a mark of things to come?? Hopefully not but probably I thought. We hadn’t picked up the pace yet and there were still the final two laps which are always even faster.

The breakaways were starting somewhere this point, the pace was increasing and the day was getting hotter. I was glad to finally be racing in a bib and jersey only. This years bib shorts are amazing by the way. Sugoi has outdone themselves with the fit and materials, and quality with this year’s iteration. A few guys attempted to to get away but were left out to dry in the hot sun and reeled in without causing too much stress within the peloton.

This was the state of things for the next few laps, my teammate Marshall had moved up as well now and was relaying info and asking how I was. Apparently there has been another crash but it had happened while I was near to the front so I was barely aware of it. I was starting to feel a little fatigued though, my legs didn’t feel like they had the jump I was used to or maybe we were going that fast but it just seemed like holding my position was harder and harder to do. I found myself slipping into the middle of the group, a place I didn’t want to be in this kind of race. Boxed in with nowhere to go if one of my marked “allies” made a move. And that’s exactly what happened. One of the juniors attempted to break and guy I was supposed to be marking had managed to stay on his wheel and the two were off. I was left cursing the situation and hoping that they’d either blow up in the attempt and have nothing left for the finish or that the group would speed up and catch them. I got lucky this time and they we caught. The headwind on the finishing straight, the one that I had scoffed at Rick over, yeah that one, well it’s what I suspect allowed us to catch all the breaks that were attempted that day. I’d talk to Rick about it later.

After being caught with my pants down on the last break I decided I had to make sure I was in a position to react from now on. I knew there’d be more and that some I wouldn’t have to worry about, but I wanted to be there for the ones that I did. I moved up. I waited for the small hill and made my jump. moving up about seven positions within 10 meters.now In had to hold. I was in int top 10 leading into the final two laps but I knew I’d have to fight to stay there.

the peloton was together as we crossed the finish-line for the second last time. The bell was ringing letting us know it was the final lap. We rounded the first turn and the pace quickened again. It always the way. The last lap is always a hot lap. it’s exhilarating, scary, fast as all hell. Every one is uncertain, ad jockeying for position. Good thing about it being so fast is that it makes it just as hard for people to pass and come around you. i was able to hold my position into the final straightaway. At 200 meters the sprint started. Everyone was waiting for the sign no one had the guts to go any earlier, myself included. Out of the saddle everyone was mashing on the pedals willing their bikes to go faster. There were what seemed to be a lot of juniors in front of me, they didn’t matter. What did was that two of the men I’d marked at the start-line were. and they we strong sprinter too. To my right a rider in blue lost lost control of his front wheel(or mind, I’m not sure) and swerved very hard to the right. it looked like he was going to take out the entire right side of the sprint. He recovered but over compensated and was now swinging left, into me and the opponent slightly in front that I was beginning to overtake. I thought this was it. I had survived the entire race and was going to be taken out 50 meters from the finish, and hard too, we were going 55km/h at least. I don’t know how but he managed to recover a second time and jerked his bike right again, this time though he did plow right into the right side of the sprint taking them all out. I watched it all happen in an instant the initial wobble the recovery and the over compensation the second recovery and then carnage. All in an instant i felt a little bad but glad. may way forward was totally clear. not a rider to dodge I still was at full speed and I was gaining. Everything was perfect in my little slice of cycling heaven. I caught my marked man and kept pushing, I was gaining on the other but the finish line came just a bit too soon. Just missed him… and the podium. That’s the worst thing about finishing fourth, it’s knowing that the podium was just right there, and you just..just missed it. It’s frustrating deep down. I’d rather finish fifth than fourth, but I shouldn’t complain. Marshall came in just behind myself dodging the crashes and finished seventh in his first ever S3 race. Pretty impressive.

So that was race day, a good day, a 40km/h crapshoot around and around Springbank Park on a warm sunday morning.

PS. Springbank definitely earned its Blood-bank nickname this year. After completing my cool down lap I passed the bodies of racers that had been taken down in the sprint lying in the grass. One was being bandaged and another had his head held in place and was waiting for what I assumed was going to be a stiffboard. There were more, but yeah…

PPS. Rick Froner was 100% right about the finishing straight. I finished 5th and Michael Bandurchin finished 6th right behind him in the M2 category.

Insight’s into a first O’Cup mountain bike race, by Bevin Reith.

I’ve ridden socially all over Southwestern Ontario. Friendly rides at a spirited pace and rides where the point was to attempt an obstacle again and again until we succeeded or learned we had more to learn. I’ve participated in the organized side of the sport via charity events, endurance races and charity races. But I had never experienced the phenomenon of a cross-country race day until the 2012 Ontario Cup season opener in Mansfield. With the goal of ‘more fun’ in mind I waded in.

Pre-riding the course the day before the race proved that I could in fact make it up the big climb. Even better, it proved the attack and recover techniques learned in LapDogs Cycling Club’s Bootcamp interval training could be applied very directly to the rising and falling terrain. One slow obstacle sighting lap and one fast race line lap seemed like enough but I added a third lap just for fun. I asked for and received lots of good advice from other Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs there at the same time. Picking up my number plate for the season put an official seal on the day and I headed home for a nice big healthy meal – the fourth such monster meal of the week.

Car-pooling to the course gave plenty of time for conversation on what to expect. It was great to arrive in time to see the 10:00 groups start their race. Encouraging other LapDogs and carrying their warm-up clothes and bottles to the feed zone was a great way to see firsthand exactly what I could expect for my own start at 11:45. Knowing that my category would be lapping the 8K course 3 times I would be able to skip my customary hydration pack and rely on a quick bottle snatch from other Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs in the feed zone just past the start finish line.

With a twenty minute warm-up complete I made my way to the start line with approximately 15 minutes to go. My strategy was to start near the front or my corral, push hard to keep my place up the hill, then rely on my training to allow a recovery and attack cadence timed for the climbs. If someone were to prove themselves faster they were welcome to pass but I was determined to make them work for it. I made all the climbs clean, recovered while still maintaining an aggressive pace on the backside of every hill and set a strong time through all of the single-track. Coming to the end of the first lap I ended up behind a slower rider on the downhill and stayed on the brakes for most of the section rather than chance a pass. This left me with plenty of breath to whoop it up for the crowd in the feed zone at the bottom of the hill and I was rewarded with lots of cheering from LapDogs and non-LapDogs alike. I now knew that I needed clean air in front of me for all of the descents since the Mojo loves a good gravity run after earning it on the uphills.

The second trip up the big start climb spaced out the contenders a bit more. I caught and passed several people on the following sections but still had enough breath to engage in some good natured banter with them and also the riders who earned their way past me. Pushing hard still felt good and I managed to set a blistering pace on the final downhill en route to the feed zone and some fresh water.

Lap three started hard up the big climb. Encouragement from a passing rider to “keep the pace” was exactly what I needed and I flowed well through the last lap by focusing on where I was strong, pacing myself to prepare for the technical bits but not allowing myself to slow too much on the flats. I had been chasing a rider who had passed me on the big climb all the way around the course and when he missed a technical feature I jumped past. Opening a gap on the downhill I continued to push on the final section and stayed in front across the line. A satisfying finish to a great 90 minute ride.

In the end the Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs had a great day and I had a good time chatting with some familiar faces after the race. I was impressed by the wide range of people participating in the event. Folks with kids out to race early in the morning, photographers capturing the excitement, spectators along to support the racers, hardcore and light hearted racers on a broad spectrum of bicycles all mingled together. The LapDog camaraderie was strong as we cheered on the final 1:30 start group and I expect I’ll see many more friendly folks as the racing continues. Looking forward to a fun season!

Written by Giordano Piccolotto, Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs Road Squad.

Planning for the S3 road race in Calabogie was pretty minimal.

Racing solo doesn’t lend so well to team tactics, so I was forced to go into this race with a dynamic game plan. That started with dinner the night before. From the get-go a shoddy set of knives kept me from making the julienne fennel salad I had intended and the homemade sausages that had to be use instead of ground beef for our pasta sauce kept me on my toes. In the end dinner was good and filling, a good omen entering into Sunday. It set the theme of the weekend for me which was adaptation.

I woke up Sunday morning (at Calabogie Highlands Resort which is fantastic by the way, highly recommend staying there if you plan to do this race) relaxed and without an alarm which was fantastic. Breakfast was yogurt and granola with a bagel, banana, and one of Dave Hamel’s homebaked cookies. I watched some TV while I got ready and braced myself for the cool temperature outside and made sure everything was in order on my bike and my nutrition was set up.

We were housed approximately 7km from the track so the ride to the course was a great way to warm up. I was able to catch the finish for my M3 compatriots, and with Dave Chong finishing 28th and Dave Hamel finishing 12th in his second race ever I couldn’t help but feel a little pumped up in spite of the chill morning.

11 o’clock rolled around and we were called to the starting area and assembled at the line. I looked around to see who I’d be dealing with today and saw some familiar faces. Some that I knew and planned to work with and others that I knew I wanted to make regret ever making the trip north to Calabogie. With no teammates to back me up I’d have to play it very safe particularly with two opposing squads that were both strong and had numbers.

It was going to be a hard day. The race started and the pace was high, there was no warm up lap. The guys at the front wanted to break a few spirits early. Maybe they did, I don’t know as I stayed towards the front for the first lap to make sure I didn’t get caught in any early gaps. The pace settled down a bit by the second lap. That might have had something to do with the wind picking up as the race progressed. There were certainly sections of the track that the pace dropped to about 22km/h as we rounded corners into the wind.

I let myself fall back into the back third of the peloton for a good chunk of the race, marking certain people, sizing them up to see if they looked strong, and also to avoid the chaos at the front. People started weaving in third of 15 laps trying to shake people off their wheel in attempts to have them pull through.

After 10 laps of this I decided it was time to move to the front and over the course of the next two laps I jockeyed my way up. Stealing wheels and cutting inside some corners I found myself in the top 15 which was where I wanted to be, close enough to the front that I’d be able to react and deep enough in that I could find shelter. With about four laps left I found an ally on an opposing team sitting behind me. He jumped off my wheel and broke away coming across the finishing area with about a 50m gap. No one seemed interested to chase him down so I waited a little bit hopped out of the peloton and bridged with no one on my tail. Success.

We worked together for a lap but decided that with just two of us and the winds the way they were we would not be able to sustain the break. We eased up and allowed the peloton back in sight but made them work a bit to reel us in. I noticed now the some of my “rivals” were toward the front. Good, I’d made a statement and had got their attention. At this point I was determined to stay in the top five for the remainder of the race.

Six members from another team came straight to the front and asked if I would be willing to work with them. I couldn’t as I was completely alone and wouldn’t be able to hold off six guys if I found myself alone with them at the end. They understood and proceeded to lead a high pace and strung out the race. I held in sitting in seventh watching these guys echelon working the peloton over. A few of the guys I had been marking earlier came up and worked with the team of six and at this point I started to get a little worried. This was a bad situation no allies, a team of six that I had declined to work with, and a few rivals that I knew wanted to break me were controlling the race.

One of my marked riders attacked… so I went. I knew he was strong so I bridged the gap making sure to bring the peloton with me. I fell back into shelter and rested for the sprint. I was pretty sure I had made some enemies over the course of this race. With two laps to go it became distinctly more difficult to hold my position.

The pace had picked up some more and the guys that had done nothing all day decided now was the time to make their move. I was having none of it and yet still found myself slipping back in the final two turns. I began to wonder if I’d done too much work in chasing that solo attempt. It was too late now though and all of a sudden we were in the sprint. I was still seated and holding in, a good sign. I stood up dropped a few gears and mashed on the pedals, I was making my way back up. I could see myself passing riders in the blur that was the sprint, because that’s what it really is, a blur of wind, speed, emotion, and pain. I crossed the line knowing I’d finished well but how well I had no idea.

I really didn’t know who was in front of me or whether they were even in my race. Finished…tired, happy, sore. I find my results later. (editors note: Giordano finished a very strong 5th place – an amazing feat for a solo racer in a team sport)

A huge thanks to my teammates who were there to watch, and for their distinct cheers I knew it was you every single lap. Thanks guys.

A right of passage into spring for many riders and racers, the 2012 Paris to Ancaster event drew a huge crowd of cyclists of all levels and capabilities, including recently retired British Cycling Pro Roger Hammond, and Canadian Olympians Sue Palmer-Komar and Leigh Hobson. In what can only be described as one of the toughest editions of this Ontario Spring Classic we had a large group of Team and Club Racers participating along with almost 2,000 others in a race that became a battle of the elements.

Racers fought, rain, winds, mud, more mud… and still more mud. Following this event our best wishes go out to Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs racer Rob MacEwan who suffered a big crash early in the race. He went down hard enough that medical attention was required. Please know that he’s okay and will be racing again soon. Very special kudos go our to several LapDogs…, Robin, Ben, Tom, Michelle, Kate and Peter, who noticed that something was up with Rob. They all stopped and sacrificed their own races to ensure Rob was okay and waited by his side until medical attention arrived. A very classy gesture by all.

An additional shout-out comes from our injured Rob to Giro helmets… which, in his own words, prevented him from suffering a more serious injury. Sadly… the helmet did not survive the crash.

2012 Paris to Ancaster, Team & Club Rider Results

• Jennifer Crake, 1st, Women, 40-49
• Andrea Bowker, 8th, Women, 40-49
• Lenka Branichova & Alex Sanchez, 6th, Mixed Team
• Bevin Reith, 99th, Men, 30-39
• Stuart Duncan, 132nd, Men, 30-39
• Edmond Melina, 24th, Men, 40-49
• Jouko Haapanen, 45th, Men, 40-49
• Lorne Anderson, 54th, Men, 40-49
• Barry Cox, 113th, Men, 40-49
• Mark Besednik, 124th, Men, 40-49
• Mark Montgomery, 153rd, Men, 40-49
• Stephen Hart, 315th, Men, 40-49
• Peter Kraiker, 169th, Men, 50-59