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Club News - December 21 2004
A Peg Hill Christmas Greeting
What's up with Peg Hill in Osoyoos? Still making wine, and trading in some bike time for tapping...
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Club News - November 24 2004
Simard Update - More Relaxed in France??
Krebs Rider Dave Simard decided to take a hop over the pond to race & train in France. With an offer to try out for Velo Sport Quimperois, of the City of Quimper near Brittany, he provides us with an update on the cycling scene en français
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Hi guys,
I am finally getting involved with the racing team and meeting a lot of
people here in Quimper.
There seemed to be a misunderstanding as to where I am. I am living in
Quimper (city where Thor Hushovd won his first Tour de France race on July
13, 2004) I live 2 minutes away from the finish line and I can still see the
name of the riders painted on the roads nearby. So, Quimper is in Brittany
which is on the North Atlantic coast of France, hence the cool weather we
get here.
I have been introduced in the regional papers three times so far. I have
meet over 100 club members who really enjoy the fact that I am able to speak
French. They are still scandalized when they realize that I don't drink, but
I joke around saying that they chose a French speaking cyclist over a wine
drinking Englishman (which is true, they fired a Britisher to hire me).
The workload imposed by the coach was apparently a technique to scare me
into docile submission, which worked wonderfully. I had my medical exam
yesterday, I have a good heart (resting HR of 45, it was 60 in
Vancouver!!!).
The racing team has been completed. There will be 10 Frencmen, 1 English, 1
Aussi, 1 Canadian, and 2 Polish kids who went to the Worlds three times in a
row.
Tomorrow, I should get a velodrome initiation. Lucky me the track is located
at the top of a 3 km hill which has to be over 15% gradient.
Cheers for now,
DAVE
The team may have found a job for me... working in a wine cellar?
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Club News - November 18 2004
Simard Update
Krebs Rider Dave Simard decided to take a hop over the pond to race & train in France. With an offer to try out for Velo Sport Quimperois, of the City of Quimper near Brittany, he provides us with an update on the cycling scene en français
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In hearing of the start of our first winter ride - sans montagne....
No hills, what are you trying to do?
Here in Brittany, I actually dreams of finding a road that does not have
hills. This land is impossible, there is a head wind at every corner and
your choices are roads with a few hills per kilometer or a lot of hills per
kilometer. Oh, and I forgot to add the rain, cause it rains more here than
in Vancouver. To give you a better idea of the topography of the region,
well it is similar to Columbia plateau, but with more people living in the
area.
I have trained with members of the club (not the race team yet) and they
said that I was miserable. So, the coach put me on a 250km/week plan so that I can ride at 35 km/h for
a 100 km by the end of December. Things are not at all like I expected them
to be, but that just forces me to improve and very quickly. I understand
that I am being evaluated each time the club members see me and they will
make a decision (to keep or ditch me) sometime in January.
There is a bright side to this, I am living for cycling right now and I am
enjoying it, though it does get lonely and I can't mingle with the Frenchmen
since they all smoke and drink in public.
Anyway, hope you guys have more recruits for your Sunday rides and hope that
everyone is well,
DAVE
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Club News - September 16 2004
Krebs Team Racing Results
XTerra Canadian Championships - Buntzen Lake, September 12 2004
Super Athlete / Super Mom Kathleen Negraeff raced to a spectacular 2nd place in her age category (and 3rd overall woman) at last weekend's XTerra Nationals event.
What is XTerra you ask?? A 1500m Swim, 24k Mountain Bike, 10k Trail Run race. A nice cross-over for trail riders to try out Triathlon.
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Masters 80k TT - Cowichan, September 12 2004
A late note... Graphics Artist extraordinaire Vince Lee once again shows his prowess on the bike, racing to a spectacular 4th place at the Masters TT. The tough Vince was not daunted by this grueling event.
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Club News - September 7 2004
Krebs Team Racing Results
Season Wrap-up
Can you tell it’s the end of the season? After months of lovingly pouring over my race reports, thinking up witty turns of phrase and summing up my life philosophies through cycling, it is now time to purge the last 3 Canada Cup race reports in one go. Actually, it’s not so much that I’m sick of writing and thinking about cycling – it’s more that I’ve already used up twice my annual vacation allowance and it’s been hard to find the time!
CC #4: Calgary, August 7 - 24th place
Please see World Cup summary for weather conditions. People who live in Calgary swear that the weather only goes to sh*t when we’re in town for a bike race, but they’re not fooling me.
I felt like I was actually racing today, as I traded spots with several girls all race. I powered up the climbs and slid through the descents, right into 24th spot, good for a few points in the overall series.
CC#5: Fernie, August 14 - DNF
I’d been floating around the hot, higher elevation towns in eastern BC and Washington long enough that I was actually comfortable in the heat and altitude – a first-time sensation for me at Fernie. Too bad about that flat tire halfway through the first lap. I hadn’t even made it to the feed zone yet! I fixed that one, made up a handful of spots on the next lap and was feeling great until I missed the sharp corner at the start of the technical downhill, went into the trees and pfffffffffffffffffft my OTHER tire went flat. Darn. Guess those lightweight Kendas do need a lot of air pressure.
CC Finals: Sunpeaks, August 21 - 24th place
This course is always an interesting one- not much chance to rest with its steep ups followed immediately by steep downs, peppered with some loosey goosey sand box troughs. My last race here was in Expert two years ago at the Nationals and it was my best race of the season. Before that, I’d done the course 3 times, all with intense suffering. My record stood against me. Today, I was feeling the elevation. Something wasn’t right anyway. I was cooking along for about ½ a lap and then all systems shut down. Why couldn’t I have had those flats today? I forced my legs to go around that course 5 times before the commissaire spared me the last half lap. I finished up in 24th, the last finisher, but good enough for a few points! I ended up 23rd in the overall CC series this year. Certainly a little below expectation, but some good lessons learned all the same.
AND IN CONCLUSION!
This has been a challenging season for me in many ways. What I can say for sure is that I know I am becoming a good mountain biker. Many of my skills have become automatic, so that I can almost hover outside my body and reflect on my fancy maneuvers! Don’t get me wrong - I still have some serious amateur moments and I still hold a full time job to keep me eating and breathing. It’s just exciting to actually notice that you are progressing. We spend so much time focusing on the future and where we want to get to, we sometimes lose track of just how far we’ve already come.
Before heading off for another early evening ride, I’d like to say thanks to Alyssa for running the show this year; Marshall for his endless generosity; Derek for keeping this website on track and the entire club membership for their great company and positive attitudes. And of course, thanks to our sponsors!
Cheerio for now,
Christy
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Vancouver Triathlon, Stanley Park - September 6 2004
With the last lap, Derek hears the call from Imelda: "Hurry up and finish. I'm Hungry."
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With the 3rd year of the Vancouver Triathlon's return to Stanley Park, it seems the
race manages to learn a bit from each go. After last years' swim loop finishing with
a direct line into the sun, the course direction was reversed. Too bad the current
didn't co-operate. Tie this in with many of the weaker swimmer (me) still getting
lost trying to find that last marker buoy on the way back to the beach made for a very
LONG swim. But a big part of the pleasure in this race is zipping around Stanley Park -
enjoying the roads as Lord Stanley must have envisioned: by bike with no cars!
Potholes be damned, it's still really fun despite the recurring climb up to Prospect
Point. The run course on the Seawall is always interesting. With the narrow path
still open to morning joggers lost in their thought & learning roller-bladers, one
wondered if bike helmets should have been worn for this leg of the race too.
Race organizers have yet to post official race results on the web. So until proof
is available, we'll say that....
Helen Tremlett kicked butt with a spectacular PB.
Ed Beange was cheated of his rightful winning medal.
Derek Sakamoto still has to find his pace.
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| Ironman Canada 2004 Race Report |
| Krebs racer Imelda Wong shares her experiences at Ironman Canada |
IMC2004 finishers show their stuff.
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Well, this was IM #4 for me. What I love about this race is that every year is different - my first
three were peppered with many highs and lows - hail storms, getting hit by a car 2 days before the
race, getting into the local paper, etc. But one thing always remained the same: I was always excited
and raring to go once that cannon fired.
Because IM is at the end of the summer, it is often a time of reflection. This year has been a difficult
one for me and I came in hoping for that things would be the same so that I could get centered again.
But as with every year, things evolve and move forward. The course was slightly different, transition
was completely different, friends that normally come up to cheer did not come, and people I started
racing with were retiring. Things were changing and I guess I was a bit melancholy. When that cannon
fired, a part of me did not want to start because I was in denial that things have, indeed, changed.
It was going to be a long day....
The first thought in my head was, "oh, I guess we started. Perhaps I should start moving my arms so
I don’t get swamped". The swim was rough - I got beat around like most people did. I figure this is
a race for water polo players because there are some dirty tactics are apparently common practice.
(Side note: I may be guilty of some of these). In addition, some goofball beside me kept waving at me
under water. Oh - Pierre - I should have recognized that slender frame. I should have clobbered you
too (JK) no bad karma here. I came out at about the same time again which made me wonder where all my
swim improvements went this year.
Transition was great; some nice lady helped me put on my socks. Gotta love a race that has hundreds of
'moms’ helping out. Good thing too, because I couldn’t find my bike in transition. I nearly ran off
with a Kestrel.
Riding the lonely rolling hills.
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This year the bikes paraded down Lakeshore Dr before heading out the course. One of the hardest things
for me to do is to turn left on my bike - don’t ask why - I just never could do it. So to magnify my
little problem, I had to maneuver a left hairpin turn in front of hundreds of screaming spectators. I
nearly took them out. Serves them right for standing too close!
Two days before the race I blew apart the saddle on my bike. (Mighty buttocks) Luckily, the bike gods
were smiling on me because a bike store in town carried the exact same saddle that I use! The same bike
gods were probably laughing themselves silly because I had to break in my saddle during the race. 180 km
on a brand new saddle - yah - THAT was fun! The only song in my head all day was ‘Misery’.
Climbing up Richters, I was sore and feeling very sorry for myself when I saw a spectator walking up the
side of the road. As I approached her, she suddenly raised a sign over her head which read ‘Suck it up
Princess’. I took that as a sign and hoped that she would trip on her shoelace sometime that day. Funny
I saw that sign and missed all the chalk writings on the road where Derek had wrote "Imelda is King".
To keep my mind off things, I practiced my Spanish with all the Mexican athletes I came across. What a
great group of people. I swear they had tequila in their goodie bags. Speaking of which: I managed to
get stung by a wasp but didn’t realize it until I stopped for my bag. I felt a little light headed which
I just attributed to the race until I fell over still attached to my bike. It was nice of everyone to
stare at me and not offer me a hand up.
Stomach problems plagued most athletes and I was no exception. I was cramping right from the onset and
I thought about all the people I knew who were training with salt tablets. Perhaps I should have considered
this too. And then I saw little empty packets of McDonald’s salt; how nice of Mike (click for Mike McArthur's IMC
report) to leave me a trail so that I could find my way back into town...
Onto the run...
I love the run and I am a not a very good runner. I love it because it really is the equalizer in the race.
Anyone can have a great day or a bad day and it is dictated by the run - it is the part of the race that
Closing in on the final mile.
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brings the most surprises. And for me, for my first time, it was going to be a VERY long run. Plagued with
Achilles problems, I was running flat footed. Not to mention, someone who will be experiencing very bad
karma wrote a huge sign that said "Imelda will Fail". I know who this is, and buddy, I will be tormenting
you and your DNF all year. I concentrated on helping my friends who had given in and pretty soon, the
miles started to clock by. My friend Sherrie was right behind me and closing fast so I couldn’t make any
stops at the porta-johns. 11.5 hours without a bathroom break is not pretty!
It was a hard day but looking back, I had a great time and I’m stoked to keep doing this for a while. What
a weird way to spend your day.
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Club News - September 3 2004
| Ironman Canada 2004 Race Report |
| Krebs racer Mike McArthur shares his experiences at Ironman Canada |
My first IMC in 2002 was done with the goal of finishing. That being said, I did think I could finish in under 12 hours. Well, a massive nutritional mistake on the bike took care of that. With low blood sodium levels, I bonked so bad I don't remember much of the bike into Penticton or transition 2. I walked 6 of the first 9 miles of the run when I finally got some chicken soup in me and returned to a functioning level. Finished in 13:16:52.
Fast forward to IMC 2004, my training motto was to do the minimum amount of training to get the race done. It has been a difficult year so I wasn't interested in huge training hours. I started swimming in April and that also marked the first long ride of the year. May and June were building periods with KREBS weekend rides and longer runs. A few 4000 metre swims and there was a bit of a base for IMC. July was all long swims, rides and runs. I had discovered the secret to not bonking on the bike: Poptarts and salt packets from McDonalds. One of each an hour on the bike and I actually felt stronger at the end of it. There were 3 brick workouts, the longest being the Squamish triathlon with a 2:14 finish.
Sunday August 29, IMC.
Standing in the water I thought to myself, I don't really feel like doing this! The cannon went off and so did I. I had seeded myself in the thick of things and until the second turn I was boxed in, kicked, swam into and over, all the usual swim fun. The last leg was fairly uneventful and was getting boring so I was happy to get out in 1:02. A 6 minute transition got me out on the bike with the crowd roaring away and I was thinking how excited I was to be doing this again. The first leg to Osoyoos is downhill and I was going hard to take advantage of it. Averaging 36 km/h I began thinking that it was too fast but then the first of the mini Tour de France shot by me. They were all the guys with disc wheels and Cervelo P3's. An official finally started calling out bib numbers and they spread out. Richter Pass blew apart anyone who had regrouped. They must not have done any hill training as I passed many people with minimal effort. Thank God for the Northshore mountains. The seven hills after that were no problem but the flat between there and the out and back was tough. Head down and spin is all I was thinking. I was happy to see the road rise up to Yellow lake because I like climbing but got a flat half way up. On to the top I caught all the guys who passed me on the flats with their ZIPP wheels and the crowd was great.
Fueled with Chicken Soup, Mike heads home.
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The last 20 km in to Penticton were a nice break since they're all downhill and I nearly fell off my bike when I saw 5:15 on my bike computer as I rode past the airport. I finished in 5:33 total time, more than an hour off my last IMC. Rushed out of T2 and the legs though stiff, felt pretty good. Our names were on our bibs so people were calling out personalized encouragement. The first 7 miles of the run was great, walking only the aid stations. Then it started getting hot and I started getting sleepy. At one point I almost dozed off while running and had to start taking longer aid station walks at 9 miles and walking the hills. The next hour was pretty ugly as I got more dehydrated and couldn't drink anything. I knew I needed salt but there was no chicken soup yet so I suffered badly swearing I was NEVER EVER going to do this again. I told someone at an aid station that Ironman was the stupidest thing ever invented. I kept running even though it was very painfully slow and couldn't believe how much my quads hurt. Around mile 13, the chicken soup arrived and 5 minutes later I was feeling much better. I started picking up the pace around mile 15 and the last third of the run was as good as the first. I didn't count my blessings though until I turned the corner onto Lakeshore Dr. and saw the mile 25 marker. I had a huge smiile on my face and the crowd's cheering kept it there until I finished strong at 11:13:33. More than two hours off my first IMC. An awesome day.
I was on a high for 2 days and of course I'll be doing another Ironman, what was I thinking during the run? Not next year though. All in all an amazing race and a great personal goal to have reached. I don't know how the body does it but it just keeps moving forward no matter how much you want to curl up in the ditch and sleep.
Mike McArthur
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Club News - September 1 2004
Krebs Team Racing Results
BC Criterium Championships, North Vancouver - August 22
Ian Fingler showed that he was still Krebs's premier critster. During his 20
laps race, he was always strategically positioned. He conserved his energies
by not sprinting for the primes, he had the win in mind and certainly had
every right to believe in his victory. Coming into the last hairpin corner,
a crash happened in front of Ian which blocked his line. Thus Ian had to
find a way through fallen cyclists to sprint uphill to the finish line. He
nonetheless made it to 5th place. Great job Ian!
Dave Simard, on the other hand, is not a premier critster. In cat 3, the field was
only 11 deep which gave hope that Dave could actually finish his 3rd crit
ever. After the first lap, Dave and Chris (Coastal) looked behind them to
see a slow pack, thus they worked together and rapidly gained a 20 seconds
lead over the pack. Unfortunately, Dave had not been well in the past week,
so the effort required to make the breakaway work was too great for him.
When two guys bridged up, Dave withdrew to the pack. At this point the pack
broke in two and Dave got stuck in the last pack. Unhappy events occurred to
ruin Dave's race, a guy wiped out in a corner in front of him, thus he had
to chase back onto the last group. Then in the final sprint, when Dave could
hope for 6th, a guy went to the ground again in front of Dave. Finally, Dave
placed 8th. Though this is very disappointing, we have to remember that this
is the third time Dave finishes a crit.
Also Paul Blanchette placed 14th in the cat 1/2.
Congratulations to Team Coastal Cycling for organizing an awesome event (as
always). The circuit they offered for the prov. champ had an uphill stretch
with a slight change of gradient in the middle (Start/Finish). This was
followed by two rapid corners leading to a downhill section with a head
wind. The course also included a hairpin which was sufficiently wide so
braking was not required.
This circuit is, with Tour de Delta, my favourite course. With warmer
conditions, I am sure that more spectators would have come out to cheer us
on. This course is fun and all Krebs racers should try it next year.
This brings an end to the road cycling season. Thank you to all roadies who
contributed to Krebs having another great season. The colours have been seen
far and wide from Oregon and Washington states up to the Canadian Nationals.
This season also concludes my stay in Vancouver. I wish to thank all Krebs
members who have helped develop me into the cycling nut that I have become.
Particular thanks to Marshall for all the coaching.
Cheers,
DAVE
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Olympic Distance Triathlon Canadian Nationals - Kelowna, August 22
Rain, rain, go away. Who said the Okanagan is a desert? Thunder & lighting made the
swim too dangerous; roads became rivers with the deluge making the bike course unrideable.
All Canadian hopefuls vying for spots to race for Canada at the 2005 Worlds in Hawaii
were shut out due to incliment weather. Look to qualify in an early season race next year!
Ironman Canada Triathlon - Penticton, August 29
The nasty weather gripping the Okanagan from the previous week broke out into a glorious day for Ironman.
Over 2100 racers toed the line to start the race comprising of a 2.4mi swim, 112mi bike, 26.2mi run.
Hats off to the Krebs racers:
Bob Chew: 50th M30-34, 226th overall
Mike McArthur: 75th M30-34, 340th overall
Imelda Wong: 15th W30-34, 480th overall
Katherine Warrendorf: 24th W35-39, 669th overall
Lisa Lindall: 88th F30-34, 1428th overall
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Club News - August 16 2004
Krebs Team Racing Results
BC Provincial Time Trial, Squamish BC - August 14
AT LAST!
After so many races, DAVE has finally been able to climb to the tallest step
of the podium. Yes, DAVE has renewed with victory in his master subject...
the TT and has been able to stop Jim K.'s (Coastal) winning streak by
edging him out by only 18s at the Provincial TT in Squamish. The TT started
in a very hilarious fashion when I realized that the guy behind me was Svein
Tuft (Canadian TT champ who had a 10 min lead over me at the Nationals).
That did not bother me because I was focused on GJ. Yes, my mental
visualization consisted of always going faster, otherwise GJ would not
accept me. I guess this trick worked for once.
The Cervelo really was on fire today.
Results
So with the juniors included Paul Blanchette finished 7th overall and I placed 17th.
In the elite men Paul placed 4th and in cat 3, I won.
Cheers,
DAVE
PS.: If you have not guessed who GJ is, just think of cute small French
cyclists... come on, you know this!
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Trans Rockies Challenge - August 8-14
Coach Marshall Cant and Krebs Prez Alyssa Myshok have begun their assult on the TransRockies Challenge.
This race is an epic seven day mountain bike race through the majestic Canadian Rockies. 600 kilometres, 12,000 vertical metres of elevation, 300 teams.
The Syncros/Krebs team soldiered through this grueling event to finish in style. Congrats!
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Xterra - Canmore, August 7/8
Kathleen Negraeff: 1st women 35-59, 2nd overall
Barb Belcher: 2nd women 35-39
Tara Laycock: 1st women 30-34
Allterraman off road triathalon - Campbell River, August 15
Kathleen Negraeff: 1st women 30-39, 2nd overall
Tara Laycock: 2nd women 30-39
Barb Belcher: 4th women 30-39
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Club News - August 9 2004
Krebs Team Racing Results
Trans Rockies Challenge, Stage 1 Fernie to Crowsnest Pass: 95km - August 8
Coach Marshall Cant and Krebs Prez Alyssa Myshok have begun their assult on the TransRockies Challenge.
This race is an epic seven day mountain bike race through the majestic Canadian Rockies. 600 kilometres, 12,000 vertical metres of elevation, 300 teams.
The Syncros/Krebs team pushed through the first 95km in just over 7hrs for a 20th overall placing in the Mixed team category. Today, they're riding from Crowsnest to Dutch Creek.
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Club News - August 3 2004
Krebs Team Racing Results
Gearjammer BC XC Champs, Squamish, July 24
I’m going to sum this one up in a few short words and a bit of poetry.
So, spending a long Friday working at the company golf tournament maybe wasn’t the ideal pre-race preparation. I think I am still dehydrated. All I could think about during the race was how much I wanted an icy cold glass of water and how little the warm Accelerade in my camelback resembled one.
In a haiku:
Hot sun and sore legs;
Fun downhills the small reward
For warm water sips.
I finished 5th in Elite and 13th overall for the women, in 3:16:05.
Little Matty Drown, the only other Krebs rep at this one, rolled in, dripping blood (ask him!), at 2:55:17, 18th in Elite and 65th overall.
Hemlock BC Cup, Mission, August 1
Matt Drown was the lone Krebs rider at the second last stop in the BC Cup series. He described it as 5 long laps, crazy downhill sections, hard climbs. – in other words, a typical beautiful BC mountain bike race. Matt finished 11th out of 16 starters and at least beat out several guys who couldn’t make it to the finish line!
Cheerio,
Christy
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Club News - July 30 2004
Krebs Team Racing Results
BC Super Week Summary
Tour de Delta Criterium 3/4
Ian 20th, Bob DNF
Tour de Delta Criterium Pros
Brent DNF, Paul 34
Tour de Delta Road Race
Paul, Brent DNF
Tour de Gastown
Paul 43rd
Tour de WhiteRock Criterium
Bob DNF
And... Dave's experiences with Super Week:
Delta
Hill Climb - 500m uphill (9% grade), then 100m of sprint on flat road, so we need to climb in the big ring.
I dropped my chain on the starting block, shortly after the start I
unclipped my left foot... got it back in, then the right foot came loose.
After cursing in French, I hammered myself onto the backwheel of my opponent
(Basse Clement of Solo). Unfortunately, I caught him just before the flat,
so when I did catch up, I was dead by my effort, hence he sprinted away from
me. What a bad start of SuperWeek.
Criterium - VERY, VERY fast start. Got disconnected on the 2nd lap and completely
dropped on lap 3. The commentator made fun of me on lap 4 and I was lapped
on lap 6. Welcome to the world of pro crits!
Road Race - I was eager to do good and show that I deserved my upgrade (temporary).
140km with four loops in Delta, then 10 loops in Twassen. Bang, fast start!
I am in the back again, but I am working up. First loop was decently fast
which allowed me to recognize the course. Lap two... ouch. The speed is up
and 20 guys behind me have been dropped, so I must move up in order to avoid
the same faith. I that group (dropped) you can find Paul B and my new
teammate Brent K. Third lap, while we are descending at 75km/h I just see
wheels fly over heads in front of me, then I see guys voluntarily crash to
avoid fallen riders. I manage to get off the road and onto the gravel, stay
upright, then back into the race and onto the pack... the rest of it. I
guess that about 20-30 guys went down in that crash. I am a bit shaken, but
I am still riding. After lap 4, we head out to the other city via a flat
road on which the wind just blows away. With such a wind, you hope for a
slow tempo, but the pros are hammering at the front and I am pushing a 53-12
to stay on the wheel of the guy in front of me. Finally, groups started
falling off and I ended up in the last group which caught up to other
groups, merged, then disintegrated. Arriving in Twassen, half of my group
jumped onto the group ahead, but I was not able to make that jump. So I got
dropped and had to battle to the wind by myself. In Twassen, there is a
major climb and a wicked descent. I had all the space I needed so I could
use four lanes to get a good line on the corner at the bottom of the hill. I
was having fun, I was sprinting when the crowds were big enough to get
louder cheers. Unfortunately, my fun ended with 5 laps to go, when the
breakaway group lapped me. Tour de Delta is awesome.
Gastown
I was on the OPS crew so I exhausted myself so much that I had to
forfeit both the HC and the crit of WhiteRock.
White Rock
Road Race - I was on the second row of starters (best position yet). Unfortunately,
I was last after the first climb. On the flats I managed to move up, but the
second climb got into my legs and I got dropped on the first lap. I
struggled badly on all the course. I just could not climb any hill, nor
hammer the flats, nor get my heartrate down. Finally after 50km out of 130
km, I pulled out voluntarily. Yes, for the first time ever DAVE has quit a
race. I feel bad, but I was so exhausted from my small effort, that its
probably best that I did so.
I have two more races in Vancouver, so I must relax and concentrate on them.
DAVE
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The BC Provincial Short Course Tri event was held on Sunday July 18 at the Peach Classic in Penticton. Against stiff competition Barb Bain placed well in her age group at 26th, while James Fry, in for his first ever triathlon, race to a 14th placing.
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Club News - July 21 2004
Krebs Team Racing Results
The start of BC Super Week began this past weekend (July 16-18) with the Tour de Delta race series. Friday evening was the hill climb event, where Dave Simard finished well.
On Saturday was the always exciting Criterium. Paul Blancette powered to a 34th placing, with Dave Simard and Brent Kirkpatrick battling hard in the CAT 1/2 race; In CAT 3/4, Ian Fingler raced to a 20th spot, while Bob Chew was a victim to the tough pace.
The festivities ended with the Sunday Road Race, where all CAT 1/2 Krebbies met their match against the N.Am Pro teams.
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The BC Provincial Short Course Tri event was held on Sunday July 18 at the Peach Classic in Penticton. Against stiff competition Barb Bain placed well in her age group at 26th, while James Fry, in for his first ever triathlon, race to a 14th placing.
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Club News - July 14 2004
| Trail Report by Christy Love |
My First World Cup, July 3, 2004, XC, Calgary
I have now raced against the fastest XC women in the world!
My mom and I made the drive to Calgary on the Thursday and installed ourselves at the Sandman downtown Calgary.
Friday morning, I drove out to Canada Olympic Park to register and ride the course. I survived a mini meltdown when it seemed Canada Olympic Park and the UCI were conspiring against riders without trade teams and managers to look after them. I got 5 different stories about where I could park; wandered to three different buildings looking for registration; and then had to return twice when I realized they hadn’t given me my park pass. None of which was really a big deal, but in my quivering-chin reaction to these small set-backs, I realized that I was actually quite nervous about this race!
Come race day, after outfitting my mom as my official feed zone support and warming up, I waited in the corral as they called up 40 starters ahead of me. I chatted with an Albertan girl who was also at her first World Cup. It calmed me to see that she was more scared than I, although I was still trembling slightly as we waited for the start horn.
I stayed out of trouble on the start loop and therefore held my position at the back. I felt really strong in the climbs, but once we got into the slick muddy singletrack, I lost a ton of time. Despite a night of thunder and rain, I had high hopes that the trails would dry out as quickly as they had when I pre-rode on Friday after it had been raining. I suppose I should have distinguished between mild summer rain (Friday) and intense summer rainstorm (Friday night). The mud clung to my chunky low profile tires like magnets. With next to zero traction, I kept sliding off the trail and collecting a tire full of foliage. I felt like a rolling compost heap; technically impressive I was not on this day!
I still had a lot to enjoy. The climbs were inexplicably great. The spectators were incredible. People yelled out my name and urged me along right to the finish, which made the whole experience worthwhile. I was satisfied to have met my goal of finishing at least 3 of the 5 laps before being pulled. My last lap was the fastest, as I could hear the lead motorcycle rumbling in the distance and I knew there a Quebec racer somewhere close behind. I just wanted to finish 3 laps! In the end, I came 38th out of 43 starters and 40 finishers.
And now I know what stands between me and Gunn Rita, the current world champion, World Cup leader and winner of the Calgary World Cup. 6 or 7 minutes per lap is as gigantic as the difference between 5 and 10 years of training, but it has the aura of a small manageable number that I can fit in two hands and carry around with me on those long winter rides on mucky trails…
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Club News - July 12 2004
Krebs Team Racing Results
The masochistic Team Coastal Hill Climb was held this past Saturday July 10. Dave Simard placed well at 7th in the Cat3 Men's race
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The ever popular Squamish Triathlon was run this on July 11th, cloggin' up the roads to Alice Lake for a spell... Mike McArthur placed 3rd on another fine day of racing in Squamish.
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Club News - July 7 2004
Krebs Team Racing Results
Congrats to Krebs riders who raced in the Yaletown Crit on Wednesday June 30. Nothing but rave comments about the great venue! Krebs rider Bob Chew rode to 20th place in the Cat 4/5 Men's race.
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Imelda Wong and Derek Sakamoto made the trek to Stony Plain (near Edmonton) to race in the Canada Triathlon Long Course Nationals. The Great White North Half Iron was held on an overcast & chilly Sunday July 4th. (Thankfully not rainy or windy as can be typical of this race.) Given the Nationals title at stake, this well run event attracted many high profile racers.
Battling a mental breakdown on the bike (where she claimed even a comatose rider could have passed by her), Imelda put in a strong effort to qualify for the Canadian Nationals Team for Long Course Triathlon. She'll be representing Canada in Denmark in August 2005! Meanwhile.... despite his usual lack of training, Derek ran a respectable 51st placing in his age group.
The ever popular Canada Day Post to Post 10k Run was held on July 1st. Running Room's Steve Mattina placed 10th overall, and 3rd in his age group.
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Club News - June 28 2004
Krebs Team Racing Results
| Dave Simard's Pavé Update |
Congrats to Krebs riders Paul Blanchette and Dave Simard for a spectacular showing at the Canadian Road Nationals this past weekend in Kamloops.
We'll await Dave's personal report, but recent results show both riders placing well in the Road Race yesterday, and Dave placing 28th on the ITT last Friday.
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| Trail Report by Christy Love |
The feared, the revered, the Test of Metal
Krebs members abounded at this most famous of off-road cycling events, braving the 30+ degree heat, the 9-Mile Hill, the Plunge and over 800 other competitors to come out laughing (screaming? It’s hard to tell sometimes).
Alyssa and Marshall held us all together with their unwavering feed zone support. Matt Drown added a bit more blood to his scabby legs, but still managed to come impressively close to his target time and set a new PB. Matt V. reached the Senior Expert Men’s podium with a stellar ride in only his second attempt to conquer the Test. Robyn P had leg cramps and lay somewhere in the Plunge, unable to move for several minutes, while rumour has it Glen D. lost a water bottle and got very thirsty in the heat. Tara Laycock’s casual attitude garnered her another first in her category, which reminds me: I’ve been testing a theory about whether it’s more often those who envision victory that achieve it than those who don’t expect it. So far, the self-depreciating spelling bee nuts in Spellbound and Tara have the odds in favour of low expectations yielding big results.
As for me, I finally had a decent race: well paced, had fun, beat out a few rivals, rode some new sections of the Plunge and only made one girl crash that I’m aware of. Don’t you hate it when your bike bounces off your head like that?! I pulled a Jan Ullrich and let her pass me afterwards as a courtesy; only trouble was it turned out to be another of my competition, so I had to pass her back! I beat my old PB by 5 minutes, good enough for 10th in my category and 12th overall for the women. Steve Turner had better watch out!
Tara Laycock : 1st citizen women 30-39, 3:49:02
Robyn Pickering : 6th master expert 30+ women, 4:16:31
Glenn Dorey : 20th Master expert 40+ men, 3:47:09
Matt Drown : 22nd Senior Elite men, 3:08:37
Christy Love : 10th Senior Elite women, 3:41:37
Barb Belcher : 16th Senior Elite women, 3:57:11
Matt Vensellar : 3rd Senior Expert men, 3:23:55
Steve Turner : 30th Master Expert 30-39 men, 3:39:28
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The weekend saw another closure of the Burrard Street bridge for (of all things) a foot race. The Scotia Bank Half Marathon was run this Sunday, with Krebs racer Mike McArthur placing 28th in his age group. Well done - this race brings in some international talent!
Racers Paul Pierobon and Tracy Hall drove to Idaho for the Coeur d'Alene Ironman Triathlon on Sunday the 27th. Paul placed well with a 10:11:20 race; Tracy raced the swim & bike, but with held from the run (with her stress-fracture injury).
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Club News - June 24 2004
Krebs Team Racing Results
Secret spin training
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Tri-race fans... there's been a bunch of events this past month attended by Krebs racers:
The Oliver Half Iron on June 6th (2mi swim, 66mi bike, 13mi run) was attended by Paul Pierobon (4th), Helen Tremlett (9th) & Barb Bain (35th); Pro racer Tracy Hall was sidelined from this event with a stress fracture. Heal well Tracy!
At the popular New Balance Half Iron in Victoria, Ed Beange and Barb Bain raced well in their age groups. Competition is always stiff at this popular event.
The fleet footed Kathleen Negraeff raced to 3rd at the 5 Peaks Trail Running Series Race on Mt. Seymour on June 19th.
Meanwhile, as per our latest photo, Imelda Wong continues her specialized tri-training.
Tales From the Trenches
Canada Cup #3, Hardwood Hills
Fun's Return Travel Report by Christy Love
Hello lovely friends and family. Here is my "race report" from Canada Cup #3 and the end of my spring pilgrimage out east.
Thanks Hillian for the great company in Montreal!
3 rental cars later, nearly 3 weeks, and 6 destinations later, I arrived at the last stop on this Canada Cup tour - Hardwood Hills in Barrie Ontario. Dry trails, warm weather, no breakdowns, a working bike, good company; finally this trip had a slight vacation feel to it. Doesn't make for as interesting a story perhaps, but it's good for the constitution!
I signed up for Saturday's Short Track and hung in as best I could against 14 of the fastest girls on the circuit. This was an exciting and painful event! Hammering up a good climb then down the BMX track for the 1km loop, I had at least a couple of crashes to negotiate - luckily I wasn't the one on the ground this time! Got to practice my banked corners, and then after the race, my ability to keep lingering liquids and solids in my stomach. Dinner was a challenge. I began eagerly, shoveling down pasta with pesto, brie, and tuna until very suddenly, it was time to lie down and keep very still.
So yeah, it took most of Saturday to recover from the short-track and its resulting headache, but I'm still glad I did it, as my legs felt ready to go on Sunday. My strategy for the week leading up to the race was to get drunk in Montreal (ie two whole pints of Boreale Rousse) and then drink wine with dinner as many nights as I could before the race. You know, have a little fun. Things may have gotten a little too serious these past couple of weeks and these past few months. And I felt great come the weekend!
My race strategy was to go like hell off the start and then keep going like hell to the finish. Well, I felt I was going fast off the start, but I had a bit of trouble moving up in the pack and everyone else seemed to be going faster. I moved up several spots on the first of three twisty turny laps, moved back down several spots on the second lap and then held my spot on the third. Results-wise, it was nothing impressive, as I only finished 28th out of 35 starters, but I have to say, I felt like myself again. I had fun. I rode with confidence and control and only sort of wiped out once! I rode up the "big rock" every time and cleaned both The Boneshaker and Cookie Cutter. In short, I think I remembered how to race my mountain bike again.
There was quite a mix-up in the results this time around too. Karen DeWolfe and Wendy Sims both had mechanical troubles and several of the other front runners I talked to were feeling the hurt after three weeks of racing. Sue Trimble from Gears came out on top this time around and it'll be interesting to see the latest series standings. I have yet to get on the board myself, but here's hoping...in the meantime, it's time to mix it up on the local circuit. Stay tuned!
Hope everyone is doing well and behaving themselves.
Love
Christy
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Club News - May 19 2004
Krebs Team Racing Results
Half Knacker 25km Trail Run
In this nutty monster trail race, Krebs racer Glenn Dorey placed 2nd in his age group and 9th overall; Robyn Pickering also edged in 2nd in her age group and 14th overall woman.
| Canada Cup Trail - parts 1 & 2, Trail Report by Clove |
Canada Cup #1, Bromont PQ, May 22 2004
Purgatory for Bike Racers Travel Report by Christy Love
I've been focusing more on mental training this off-season - visualizing, positive thinking and all that good stuff. The past week has been one of those where my positive response is to laugh in hindsight. So many things went awry since the say I left fair BC that they warrant a list; a timeline of incredible mishaps leading up to a most lacklustre 2004 Canada Cup debut.
Wed, May 19
01:00 The Budget Car Rental Agent at Pearson International informs me that he is unable to help me this evening as my driver's license has expired.
01:20 Take $60 cab ride to my friend Tierney's to await the next day's fate. Have nightmares about taking Greyhound and hitchhiking to race sites with bike box and large suitcase.
11:00 (eastern time) I speak to ICBC and arrange a temporary out of province licence. Apparently they deal with "people like me" all the time.
12:00 A courier company (Purolator, for the record!!) is secured that can pick up the license and deliver it to my door by 9am Thursday morning.
Thurs, May 20
09:00 Ready to make the drive to Bromont, but no sign of the courier company.
10:00 Place a trace on my delivery. No one at Purolator knows where it is.
11:00 Learn that the package went with the wrong driver and that they won't be able to deliver the envelope until Friday.
12:00-15:00 I make sure that whoever at Purolator has any power whatsoever knows that I need that envelope today, as promised. Cathy, local manager of such-and-such will do her best to get in touch with a unit manager who can contact the driver...
15:00 An operator calls to let me know that the envelope will be delivered that afternoon.
19:00 The envelope arrives, delivered by some dude who doesn't even work for Purolator.
Christy Love Racing at Bromont
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Friday, May 21
08:30 Pick up new rental car and head to Bromont.
15:00 Get stuck in long weekend Montreal rush hour.
17:30 Arrive in Bromont to discover that my last message was not received at the National Training Centre and our reserved beds are now occupied by other bodies. Looking for options, all we find is one deluxe suite in a nearby hotel for $150. Natacha at the National Training Centre offers to set up their small conference room as a bedroom. She had a couple of spare mattresses...it actually turned out to be a cozy arrangement!
18:00 The rental car will not shift into park. I can turn off the car, but can't take out the key. I leave it in neutral on flat surfaces with a shirt over the ignition until after the race.
18:30 Pre-ride the course. Great course, but now my bike is shifting funny too...
Sat, May 22
12:10 Race starts. I have a good warm-up and get off to a decent start.
12:13-14:40 My chain falls off on the first steep climb and gets jammed between the cassette and wheel. This happens three times in the first half lap. I am in last place. I regain a couple of spots on the first lap, but then my body collapses under the accumulated stress. My entire body aches and I want nothing more than to stop racing. Instead, I take a couple of breaks on the last two laps and soldier on to a stunning last place finish. 33rd, 40 minutes back. Well, 4 DNFs had it worse than me. It's not supposed to hurt that much when you're moving that slow!
I'm in Ottawa now, recovering mind and body at my Aunt Monica's, already feeling a thousand times better and looking forward to a smoother ride at Canada Cup #2 in Tremblant next weekend. Stay tuned for more racing action and less crisis management!
See you soon!
Canada Cup #2 - Tremblant, PQ May 29, 2004
Travel Report by Christy Love
Here's the latest. At least when you're at the bottom, there isn't far to fall and nowhere to go but up. Right??? That Trans ROckies is getting more tempting by the day...
I'm in Toronto now, hanging at Tierney's place, waiting for the rain to stop so I can go for a ride...
When it rains, you get really muddy.
..
When you're slow, you're slippery...
The course at Tremblant, Canada Cup stop #2 was MUDDY! I'd had a great week, uneventful after last week's, er, "challenges". I lounged about at my aunt's in Ottawa, waited out the rain, got my bike fixed up, and rode in the lovely Gatineau Park. I even had a massage to work out some of the impressive kinks and knots I'd accumulated over the past week.
The chilly pre-ride on Friday revealed an energy sucking mud pit with the odd rideable trail in between. Ah, it wasn't so bad, but it was slick and there were definitely some sections where you were better off saving your energy and running through. And there were some incredible puddles too! The sort where you had no idea how deep they were or what hard edges lurked just below the surface. You had to literally dive in and hope to emerge unscathed at the other side.
Come race day, I got off to a slow start after a bunch of girls crashed on the first gravel climb and those of us stuck behind had to get off and walk. Once we got into the singletrack, it was more of the same, a long line of girls walking their bikes through the mud.
We completed a half lap before doing three full laps. A little too heavy on the front brake, I crashed on the muddy descent on the half lap, bending my rear brake lever irreparably and giving myself a nice charliehorse on my quad. No matter, the brake still worked in its modified position and adrenalin took care of the charliehorse for the moment. The next lap I suffered, feeling the same drained feeling I had at Bromont. My race buddy Nancy caught up to me and we commiserated over our joint suffering. This would be a long race.
While Nancy opted for the 2.5 lap version of the race, I fortunately recovered somewhat over the last two laps, regained my confidence on the slippery descents, managed to pass a couple of girls and even have a little fun before finishing in 33rd place out of 40 starters, this time the second last finisher!! Well, I won the war of attrition, as the sight of girls shivering at the side of the feed zone or walking their flat tires out of the course gave me motivation to keep working. You just never knew who might be up ahead, just around the corner. Ah, there's one now, another girl who had given up, barely moving as she pushed her bike through the muddy singletrack, head hung low.
Again, not at all where I'd hoped to be at this time of year, but I survived another ego-refining, character building race. And I am still looking forward to another week! Next up is the last stop on this Canada Cup tour - Hardwood Hills in Barrie Ontario. This weekend I plan to stay on my bike and go for broke off the start.
Karen DeWolfe, from the east coast, has so far dominated the series, winning both races by a sizable margin. Other BCers of note - Catharine Pendrell, another east coaster, but a Victoria resident, has been doing well, podiuming at both races. Sandra Walter, the defending Champion, is still in the top 10, but is up against some stiff competition this year.
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Club News - May 19 2004
Krebs Team Racing Results
| Dave Simard's Pavé Update |
Masters Time Trial - May 15
Vince Lee 1st in age group
Mutual of Enumclaw - May 15-16
Time Trial:
Paul Blanchette 19th
Dave Simard 29th
Criterium
Paul finished with the 2nd group
Dave was pulled
Road Race
Paul sacrificed himself for his team
Dave 9th - hurray for the uphill finish
Dave 29th in the GC
Columbia Plateau - May 7-9
Matt Drown 45th in GC
Dave 23rd in GC (if the officials had not missed him at the finish line, b/c
officially I did not finish the race???)
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Club News - May 11 2004
Krebs Team Racing Results
| Running and other fool's endeavours |
Bare Bones Provincial Duathlon Championships 5k/32k/5k, May 8 2004
Krebs had a great showing with 4 racers toeing the line:
Paul Pierobon - 4th in age group
Tracy Hall - 1st in age group, 1st overall woman
Peg Hill - 1st in age group
Helen Tremlett - out with a mechanical on the bike
A race report from Paul:
Always one of my favorite races of the year. This year was well run as
usual. The weather was a little odd, warm, but windy and it looked like
it might rain. Every other year I can remember it has been hot and
sunny.
I found a large gash in my tire just before the start. I had enough time
to put a new tire on, but no time to warm up. I felt like I was running
pretty well in the first 5K, but I wasn't keeping up with Tracy. She
entered transition about 40 seconds ahead of me. At that time she was in
second place and about 30 seconds behind the first place women. Helen
was the fourth women in to transition.
There was a strong head wind on the first half of the bike course. I
passed Tracy in the first few kilometers and she didn't look like she
was having fun. The 32K went by pretty quickly, especially with the
tailwind in the last half. I left the 2nd transition and headed out on
the run, checking out the cyclists that were just finishing. I was quite
surprised to see one of them was Tracy. I was really happy to see that
Tracy had moved in to first place on the bike. Tracy's second run is
always strong. I was pretty sure she had the race in hand. My only
concern was if I would able to stay ahead of her:
Helen arrived shortly after we finished. She had some mechanical
problems in the last half of the bike and had to hitch a ride back to
the transition.
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Club News - May 3 2004
Krebs Team Racing Results
| Dave Simard's Pavé Update |
Results from the Salmon Arm RR, May 1/2 2004
It is with steam cooker conditions that Krebs' tag team set off on the
unique two person time trial in Salmon Arm last Saturday. The flaming
orange colors and the ING slogans certainly attracted the attention of many
people. This 36 km time trial was flat and had many corners, but our tag
team (Matt Drown and Dave Simard) just flew across the course.
Unfortunately, the heat and the lactic acid got hold of our team on the
uphill finish. They placed 7th, but at less than 30s from 5th position.
Paul Blanchette and Rocky newbie Wayne S managed to finish 4th in cat 1/2.
Salmon Arm organizers had put on a great time trial on Saturday, so we were
expecting an awesome road race the next day. We certainly were not
disappointed. The road race circuit was a 27 km loop with 1 km of pleasantly
steep climbs and 4 km of curvy downhill, the remainder was rolling flats with
a terrible head wind. Dave tried to animate the cat 3 race as much as he could.
He went on every breakaway, he chased, and he was in the final four men breakaway.
Unfortunately, with 5 km to go, his legs stopped spinning. Dave managed to
hook onto the peloton as it past him on the downhill. He finally placed 16th
out of about 22 riders.
Robert Major also finished 16th in cat 4.
Next up - Matt and Dave tag team again in Columbia Plateau. (May 7-9)
Cheers,
DAVE
| Straight from the Rat's Arse, Trail Report by Clove |
The Rat Race, Gibsons BC, May 2 2004
Race #1 on Cycling BC's new BC Cup Marathon Series, the Rat Race was a
killer opener! Jonathan, Dee (aka Pregnant Lady) and I hopped the ferry
over to the ironically titled Sunshine Coast in time for a Saturday night
rain shower and a big pasta dinner to fuel up for Sunday's race.
All we could find by way of information about this course that no one
seemed to have pre-ridden were a lot of rumours. All ATV track. Only 45 km
but tough and longer than the Test of Metal. Mostly climbing (somehow, this
is possible?).
Well, it was definitely slower than the Test, but what a fun course!
Ripping singletrack descents, tough singletrack climbs, ladder bridges and
creek crossings, peppered with some fire roads to make you feel like you
were actually getting somewhere. Pretty much everyone I saw after the race
was smiling.
Tara Laycock made the trip the morning of the race, deciding at the last
minute, yeah, sure, why not race? Not bad for a slacker, she killed her
category, winning the Master Expert Women's race in a time of 3:15:02.
Jonathan "trained through" this one (his excuse, not mine!), but still
turned in a mighty respectable 3:04:18 for 13th in his category. Pregnant
Lady spent the day riding in a truck, driving around to random spots where
she hoped to intersect Jonathan and pass him a coke.
As for me (Christy), I had a great time out there, and were it not for a crash on the
first descent that had me rocked for a good 40 minutes, I might have been
in the running! If the race were an hour longer, I tell ya, I was getting
faster by the minute...I finished 5th in the Elite Women's Category, in a
time of 3:26:45.
Thanks to Tanya and Rod at On the Edge for another great event!
| Running and other fool's endeavours |
Kamloops Sprint Triathlon, May 2 2004
The triathlon season got rolling with the TriBC Race #1 in Kamloops. A change in
course brought an exciting multi-loop (and hilly) bike course, followed by a challenging
rolling run course. Imelda Wong and Derek Sakamoto were up to the challenge.
Imelda placed 1st in her age group, Derek placed 3rd.
Vancouver Half Marathon, May 2 2004
It looks like the weather gods were kind to runners in the Vancouver marathon / half marathon
this year. No pelting rain, no sub-freezing temperatures. Some outstanding efforts by
Krebs members this year in the Half Marathon, with the Paul Pierobon & Tracy Hall team both
finishing together in 68/69th place overall (16th & 6th in their age group respectively). Krebs
racers Barb Bain, Michelle Bowyer, and Lisa Lindall all put in sub 2hr efforts in this hilly event.
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Club News - April 29 2004
Krebs Team Racing Results
| Dave Simard's Pavé Update |
Results from the Warp Speed Time Trial, April 25 2004
Cat 3.
Dave Simard: 5th - back on the right track
Matt Drown: 13th
Cat 4.
Robert Major : 4th - he is eager to get into cat 3 and race with the big boys
Matt Venselaar: 6th
Vince Lee: 15th - stronger than last week at Race the Ridge
Cheers,
DAVE
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Club News - April 20 2004
Krebs Team Racing Results
| Dave Simard's Pavé Update |
Ian Fingler won the cat 4/5 crit at Race the Ridge (Maple Ridge) on Saturday
April 17. He pulled an acceleration on the last lap which left the other riders
wondering what had just stormed past them. It was an awesome win. (His 2nd or
3rd win of the season) so I believe he has enough points to upgrade... we may
want to pressure him a bit! This, on top of completing the March Spring Series Stage race
by winning the overall GC. To do this, he won the crit (no wonder, he is Krebs'
premier critster) and placed second on the TT.
I, however, am still struggling. I decided to break my rear wheel before
the Race the Ridge TT even started (disappointing 10th - first time I don't have a podium
in a TT). As for th crit, I could have done better, but I freaked out in the
last corner.
DAVE
Other past news include Dave's spectacular double crash at the Harris Roubaix Race
on April 10th. He finally got a photo on Canadian Cyclist, but it's none too flattering....
The race was also attended by Marcy Bennett & Derek Sakamoto, and saw the road racing debut
for Imelda Wong.
No results in yet, but future Trail News penner Christy Love finished 3rd in the
Race the Ridge XC on Sunday April 18th.
| Running and other fool's endeavours |
Some Krebs racers hit the pavement for the 20th Vancouver Sun Run on Sunday April 18.
Kathleen Negraeff, Derek Sakamoto, and Tracy Hall joined 49,000 others in this annual event.
Kathleen achieved a 10k PB, Derek a course PB, and Tracy... well, she's just
too darned fast, beating both Kathleen & Derek to the finish line without even properly training
for the event. Go figure.
Other past achievements include Ian Fingler's UBC Duathlon effort: 4th in his age group; and Dave
Roberts in the UBC Triathlon with 2nd in his age group. This race was back in March. Sorry for
my tardiness in reporting.
Tales From the Trenches
Krebs Rider Paul Blanchette formed the Solo by Rocky Mountain
racing team last year with some exciting results. We catch up with Paul to see how things have been rolling
and what's shaking up for year two.
KREBS: For some of the new Krebs readers who don't know you... can you tell us about your cycling background:
first a BMX racer (130lb & all leg muscle?), then transitioned to power lifting (180lb & no neck?), now a
hard-racin' roadie. Quite the transition... or was it? What led from one discipline to the other?
PAUL: I have always had the love for bikes. As with many good Canadian kids, I played a ton of hockey. I discovered
BMX on family trips to the states and started working at the local bike shop to fund my BMX racing. From BMX I
jumped into road racing. I had some good success on the road by winning the BC Summer Games, but stopped cycling
due to the distractions of late teens. I spent some time running and then decided bodybuilding was my next
physical endeavor. I trained myself up to 210 lbs and competed a couple times at 176. No, you can not see the
pictures. It was a great learning experience, but I am still trying to lose muscle mass. After 6 years off the
bike, I returned to cycling and started mountain bike racing. After a couple seasons I got the call back to the
road and slowly got back to road form. Oh, did I answer your question? I was always looking for new challenges.
KREBS: So this is year 2 for Steamer Racing & the Rockymountain/Solo trade team. Any lessons learned from your 1st
year? Or amusing tales / challenges about getting the new team rolling?
WOW, it is a ton of work! After the first year I thought it would be much easier. But with four more guys on board
and more sponsors to work with, let's just say I am looking forward to just training and racing my bike. I do enjoy
the team and our group is an excellent mix of super personallities. The team reminds me that you can't do it all.
Focus on your goals and go after them.
KREBS: Without giving up team secrets, what are the team's goals for 2004? Thoughts for the team in its future, say
in it's 5th year? Developing youth? women's team? Team bus?
PAUL: For 2004 my goal is to have more of a presence on the Pacific Northwest racing scene. Last year one of our guys
had mono, so many times there were only four of us at a race. This year with 10 racers we should always have 8
guys on the line and can do more team tactics. We are already more organized and I am sure the wins will start
stacking up soon. My plan is to solidify our team this season and work on landing a major sponsor for the next
few years. We have a great program and need the backing to bring our team up to the next level. I am keen on
youth development as it was lacking in my junior years. We have three new riders this season from the DEVO
program run by Jeremy Storie. He has an excellent program and we hope to give these young guys help to the
next level. As for a women's team, it would be great to do as well, but it is too much to try to run both.
Now if I won the lottery and didn't have to work... Team bus, same answer.
KREBS: Over the years, can you name any key things that stood out in helping your development as an elite cyclist?
What drives you to perform at your level? What fuels the ambition? What tools of the trade have you found
beneficial?
PAUL: There are a many people that have helped my development as a cyclist. Peg Hill was key to getting me back into
race shape and helping me get consistent and focused. The early days of her workouts and the founding of Kreb's
Cycle Club are great memories. Peg has a very good balanced approach that doesn't just teach you about becoming
a better cyclist, but also helps you be a better balanced person. Personally, I can tell you that this is not
always the easiest thing to do when you become single focused on bike racing. Some days I don't know how my
partner Louisa puts up with it all.
Marshall Cant has been a great support to me. First as a sponsor for myself and then my team through his position
at Rocky Mountain Bicycles. But more importantly, as a friend who is always there for support. The Kreb's Club
is lucky to have him running their workouts.
I know there are many others who have the same story about both Marshall and Peg. Linking up with quality people
like this are essential to get you on the right track.
Other keys to the trade; Join a bike club. Get a professional bike fit done. Get help with a training program
and spend the time on a yearly plan that works for you on and off the bike. Use your off season time wisely;
work on any nagging injuries or bike fit issues, tune your bike, decide on your next season goals, work out any
team/club issues and give your body and mind a break and stretch both in new directions.
I am driven to learn more about racing in a team environment. And I am always searching for new ways to get faster.
I plan to race the world master champs next year when I turn 40.
KREBS: Does the beard get shaved during racing season to improve aerodynamics?
PAUL: Hah, one year it was the bike helmet mullet, called the "Bullet", last year it was the old man beard as my team
mates called it, not sure what it will be this year? The hair seems to be deminishing, so maybe it will be the
aero dome of speed.
KREBS: Roller or stationary trainer, and why?
PAUL: I have always been a roller revival guy. It is an excellent form builder. Imelda and yourself are perfect examples
of how much rollers can improve your pedal stroke and help you get comfortable on the bike.
Thanks Derek and the Kreb's Cycle Club. Club's are the key to cycling and they take dedicated volunteers to keep
the wheels going. I encourage everyone to get involved in a club and ride on.
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Club News - February 10 2004
Krebs Team Racing Results
| Vancouver First Half - Half Marathon, Vancouver - Feb 10 2004 |
| Racer | | Category | | Place in Category |
| Kim Jow | | M40-44 | | 44 |
| Barbara Bain | | F30-34 | | 166 |
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Club News - January 22 2004
Krebs Team Racing Results
| Leppin Sport Half Iron Triathlon, Taupo NZ - Dec 13 2003 |
| Racer | | Overall Place | | Time |
| Steve Davis | | 26 | | 4:54:06 |
| Jennifer Davis | | 271 | | 5:49:18 |
Tales From the Trenches
Krebs Rider Tara Laycock entered one of the ultimate Mountain Bike events: the Trans Alp Challenge. This 8 day stage race takes riders through some
of the breath taking German and Italian Alps during 8 consecutive days of bike riding torture. Tara joins us with a recap of the events.
What kind of training did you do for this grueling event?
After Christmas (2002), I designed a training program that I thought would prepare me for the race. Around March my legs were feeling dead so I turned
to Darnelle Moore (D) for coaching advice. D took on the task of redesigning the program ( I’d been going too hard). This really helped me to stop
questioning "what I should do to train better". Instead, I "just did whatever D said to do".
As to mental training, I did very little. Aside from relying on past race and life experiences, I didn’t spend any specific time preparing for the
psychological aspects of the race.
Can you share your race experiences?
During the race I SUFFERED. Each and every day but especially during the first half. Turns out that my past experiences weren’t all that helpful or
preparatory?! This was an unfortunate reality (& not D’s fault). My training missed by a long shot what I had needed to do.
Regarding how my body felt each day..well my partner & I got off to a rough start. This continued each day until Day 4. So, I can honestly say that
each day was a monumental emotional/physical struggle having bonked on the 1st day (way too little water, way too fast a pace) and no proper recovery,
I went on to experience significant cramping and heat stroke on Day 2. Both days I had big bike issues with no solution in sight. However, my partner
was having a fantastic race and felt really on top of things. Conequently, each hour I went through that "negative inner talk" negotiating with myself
whether I should quit, whether this "was normal", whether it was physically damaging, what I was keeping my partner from achieving how much road vs
trail there was, etc. On Day 3 I started out but quickly realized that I didn’t have the where-with-all to maintain a certain pace so I quit! I pulled
off, told Nick to continue on (he did), had a huge long exhaustive cry, and then noticed that (despite this process) riders were still climbing past me.
I had thought we were at the back of the pack! Having cried myself out, I got back on my bike and started to climb again. Well, I learned it was the
right decision to stop; my body needed recovery. I climbed for an 1 hour and half, then turned and coasted down, then rode for another couple of hours
toward the next village where the riders would arrive. I made it there and went straight to the officials’ tent to tell them Nick was riding alone and
that I’d stopped. That whole time I was coming to terms with my emotion and thinking the race was over. You can imagine my surprise when they looked at
me and asked if I wanted a new partner to start tomorrow’s stage?! Oh God! you mean it’s not over?
I started Day 4 with a new partner from Denmark (Nick started with an Austrian). Things got better! To make such a long story shorter, my actions on Day
3 allowed me to recover enough to get progressively stronger. I learned that despite moaning and whining about "another hard day" your mind and body will
gear up for it if you get into a cycle. Even on little sleep, crap conditions, foreign food & circumstance, and all the rest of it, it can find a balance
between being "on autopilot" and being "in the moment" to push when needed and to feel the excitement of all those moments. Come Day 8, amazing but true,
I felt like I could get up and ride another week.
What was the European bike culture like? Fellow racers?
The atmosphere was absolutely fantastic. The Euro racing community is so large. Despite TransAlp not being "The Tour", many locals, villagers, support
crews, and the like came out to cheer, set the scene, and to take in what the crazy sports nuts were up to this time. The race route was really great
with tons of variety. It was designed to weave us in and out of the countryside & cobble-stoned villages, starting in Bavaria with cow-filled pastures
and ending us in Italy alongside vineyards laden with lush grapes. Fellow racers? For the most part they were friendly. About 85% of them had completed
the race before so they were full of advice and support. All the mobile homes formed kind of a caravan festival atmosphere complete with personal massage!
Other thoughts? Everything was a bit pop "Euro-style" - loud German announcements and they were, for the most part, pretty organized. Or I guess I should
say, what they’d chosen to organize. They did well but did miss on a few critical items (there were NEVER enough toilets).
A highlight? Maybe I’m a closet movie wanna-be but throughout the race they had a motorcyclist team cruising the route, shooting video. Everytime I saw the
team up ahead, or heard them approaching from behind, I’d get a slight adrenaline rush that made me feel I was part of something bigger and more fun than
I’ve ever experienced racing in Canada - even the World Cup didn’t come close? Too bad I was way too spanked to sit and watch the "daily video clip" they
put together each night? I have no idea if I’m a race star.
How did racing in the Alps compare to BC trails?
As mentioned before, the route was great. It was well marked and in Italy they had the police block traffic at every road/pathway we crossed. BUT as to
"trail"? Well, I’m still wrapping my head round the whole aspect of it as a "mtn bike race". We were definitely surrounded by mountains, and we definitely
climbed & descended a whole hell of a lot of vertical - but the actual trail portions were very small and disappointing. In fact, you wouldn’t even call it
"mtn biking" as we know it in BC. I’ve come to sum up the difference with a running analogy. Think of being used to running "the kneeknacker" (think trees,
shade, dirt, technical terrain) and instead running the Boston Marathon 8 times in a row (think pavement, no shade, no technical terrain)? But before I get
jumped on by others who know the route, I’ll admit that it did present tons of technical challenges - just not ones that I’m used to or anticipated. These
include descending hairpin, paved roads with patches of gravel on them, at Mach 10 with really really pumped up tires. Sound anything like what we find on
the Test of Metal? Not really!!!
Any new perspectives on racing & culture in Europe?
This is hard to answer but the Dolomites in Italy were spectacular. Every day there was amazing scenery that made my jaw drop and the pain seem a little less.
I’m not sure if I have a favourite because of the variety - Austrian glacial lakes, Alps that seemed to go on and on and on, limestone strata laid down and now
pushed up for full viewing.
I also gained a lot from seeing the different cultures. I’ve a close friend who’s German and she lives her life a very specific way and sometimes I’ve
questioned why everything has to be "just so". After experiencing her culture up close (she honeymooned in the village where we began the race), I now
understand little things like why she puts her flowers on her balcony the way she does, and why she always has that certain pastry, and why everything
has to be "in order". This was definitely an unexpected but welcome revelation. This would have to be a major highlight.
So would you do it again?
The whole experience was difficult, much more than I expected. But each day I received support - from Nick, Andrea (Nick’s wife), my new race partner from
Denmark, my parents (who I called during an physical/emotional meltdown), and from thoughts of everyone here who sent me away with HUGE encouragement and
motivation (so I wouldn’t quit). Sometimes I got through because of personal resolve to "get through". At other times I just thought about the descent! And
the days got easier as I figured things out.
Crazy but true - of course I’d do it again! If you asked me this Days 1 thru 4 I would have cursed my head off (or cried) and said NO WAY. But by Day 7 I was
spending my time strategizing who I might convince to do it with me again. How else will I be able to apply all that I learned the first time round? Unfortunately,
it’s a costly race regarding cash, resources, and vacation time - and training time leading up to it. So, 2004 is out but who knows - perhaps 2005? Any takers?!
Morse Code from Peg Hill
click image to enlarge
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Tap, tap, tappity tap, stomp, tap,tap,tap,tap, turn, stamp.
A Holiday Greeting.... (a bit late - with apologies from the webmaster)
If you recall from our interview with Peg, she has been pursuing activities outside of cycling.
One of those activites is tap dance, and she rekindled her tap skills with a recital last May.
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