July 2012

My badge of honor - A reminder for me
NOT to try something so stupid again!

Well, what a great month for cycling in Alberta!
Historically, I seem to get in all my good mileage in during July, and this month was no exception.

Some highlights of this month include:

• Stage Race in Canmore
• Longest ride ever in Kananaskis - 171.59 km
• Successful completion of Strava's Rapha Rising Challenge (7,032 meters elevation in 8 days!)
• Broke records for distance, time, and elevation gain in a single month (as well as a best week)
• One Wednesday Night Race, a 41.4 km ITT - in which I averaged an impressive (for me) 39.5 kmph. This would have smashed my pre-season goal of breaking the 1:02 mark for a 40k. 
• A few more Strava KOMs, but also recruited a bunch more folks to strava - folks that will only serve to dethrone me soon enough...

Here are my stats for July:

• Run: 4 runs, 34 kms, 3 hours (yup, only once a week)
• Bike: 
• 38 rides, 
• 1,610 kms, 
• 56.25 hrs, 
• 13,595m elevation

Currently enjoying a well-earned taper week before the Alberta Cycling Super Week!!

This will contain Tour De Bowness (hill climb, road race, circuit race, criterium), Crankmaster's 20km ITT, and Jason Lapierre Memorial Stage Race (ITT, Crit, RR)... 8 races in 10 days, with general classifications prizes available for each weekend and for all 8 events! The best part is, it's all around Calgary!

RMCC Road Rage Stage Race, Canmore, AB

This report will be quite lame, not only because of my mediocre results, but because in a fit of sleep deprivation I accidentally deleted a full report I had written up right after the race!

Prologue:
Pre-rode the course and had high hopes for a good result in this course; basically a 4.25 km time trial along a rolling bike path in Canmore! Didn't pan out that well, I realized within a kilometre that my legs were not feeling very snappy. I think I started too hard, reeled back considerably, then turned it up in the 2nd half.
Ended up 16th.

Criterium:
Very fast paced. 8 corners, most of them tight, limited the opportunities to pass and move up.
I avoided the crash leading up to the prime lap by staying near the front.
Not near enough for the final lap and ended up boxed out going into the final sprint. Managed to surge past a couple guys for 11th place. Big crash after the finish line which tangled me up a bit, hitting the crash wall, again. Just a couple scratches, nothing serious.

Road Race:
Very hilly course, from Canmore nordic centre. Included 4 laps of out and back. Total distance was about 70k. My goal going in was to just hang on as long as I could and hoped to finish in chase group.
Ended up hanging to the lead pack of 11 right up to the very end. As the final accelleration began up the last climb I could not match it. Sprinted past one guy, had one guy sprint past me right before the line (didn't even know he was there). Finished 10th.