The first couple of O-Cup races didn’t go quite as well as I would have hoped. Mansfield involved dropping my chain into my spokes, and then a bunch of fruitless chasing, only to end up around 15th. Well, Woodnewton was considerably worse. I had no mechanicals to blame, only a serious lack of speed. Start was good, then I just slid back, all race long, to end up being passed by my teammate, Imad, on the last lap. Finished 16th. After Woodnewton, I had some serious searching to do. WTF was going on? Why was I so slow. I was rippin’ it up in Cali, but now I was slloooow.
After spending a few days with my thinking cap on, I thought that perhaps it might be some vitamin that I was taking. I searched around, and came to the conclusion that I had been taking too much selenium. Max tolerable limit is 400 mg per day. I had been eating 600-800 mg each day, via brazil nuts, for the last 2 months. Stupid me. Immediately I stopped taking them, on the Thursday before the Tremblant Canada Cup. I rested a bunch that week, pre-rode on Friday, then raced Saturday. Things went much better. Even though I never felt like I was really suffering, and I was riding the descents half-decent, I managed a 14th place. Woohoo. This was a confirmation that, yes, I probably did poison myself with too many brazil nuts.
After Tremblant, I went to my cottage for a few days, slept lots, raked some leaves up, repeatedly gave blood to the vast mosquito population, and rode my bike a lot. It was stellar. On wedneday, I came up to Ottawa, to do the Camp Fortune race. It was a lot of fun to see all the old faces, and old baby-heads of my youth. I grew up riding the trails of fortune, and LOVE riding there. Also, I helped build a lot of the re-routes, and trail fixes a few years ago, so its nice to see how my trailbuilding handy-work is holding up. Turns out I’m a rockin’ Trailbuilder. You might even say bitchin’. All the wet sections that I fixed 3 years ago are looking great, and it seems like no other work has been done on the trails.
Me and my teammates battled it out, with Imad launching the most intense first climb attack I’ve ever seen. I came around him, set the pace, and then just put some hurt on in the climbs. Neil had an unfortunate fall, that left him bloody. My best bud James and the “badger” were at the race, and we went to Chelsea pub afterwards. What a wonderful day.
Baie St. Paul is next up, then hardwood. BSP is an interesting course, because it’s quebec based, but not on a ski hill. So, there’s just a different vibe. A good vibe, just different.
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