The first two days of the Canada Summer Games was a whirlwind. Some of the athletes were up and at em’ from Squamish at 3am on Thursday morning to make our 5am checkin at YVR. It was a smooth flight with a warm (and rainy) welcome in Sherbrooke. Our first evening we received our accreditation, built up our bikes and snuck in a few hours of shut eye before getting up early on Friday to get in some training.
Fridays training was terrific. The sun was out and the track was FUN! Lots of tight single track, rolls, jumps, drops and even a step up, it was hard not overdoing it on a track this fun. After training we headed back to the village for an early dinner and made our way to the opening ceremonies. It was a pretty neat experience to see all the athletes from all the provinces in one place, there was even a crowd cheering for us all.
Today was race day! It began with some torrential rain to start off the women’s race and some sun and thick mud for the mens race. The course was constantly changing!
“I was definitely a little nervous going into this race – its the biggest XC race I’ve ever done. I felt strong on the bike throughout the race and used the long climbs to my advantage. Over the course of the race my confidence grew and some of the lines I was struggling with in practice were coming together. Thanks to Team BC, Cycling BC and all our sponsors and supporters for helping make these games happen “-Tarryn Cote
“Today’s Mountain Bike race was a good one. It was wetter, muddier and more technical than your average XC race. I went into the race with only performance goals, I wanted to ride good bumps and hills and get my tech on! I feel that for the most part I accomplished my goals. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the people who made these games possible and all the Team BC Staff!” – Quinn Moberg
Tomorrow is training day for the relay on Monday! Stay tuned for more updates.