The Cycling BC Nationals project and peak of my season has come to a close and it was definitely a successful trip. I started it off with a 4th place at the third Canada Cup in Sudbury which gave me a confidence boost going into nationals knowing I can race with the top guys. I raced the Eliminator on the Thursday before nationals which was super cool and a great warm up for the main event. There is only one category so I had the opportunity to race against some of Canada’s best like Leandre Bouchard. The national’s XC race on Saturday didn’t go very well for me. First lap I was just back of the main group and making ground but I just didn’t have it in the legs. Some people have good days and some people have bad days this wasn’t my best. I tried to sit in and ride consistent for the rest of the race and I ended up coming 8th. I raced a majority of the race solo in no man’s land, between the lead back and the main chase pack, which was mentally tough at times. I would like to thank everyone at Cycling BC and especially Mike Charuk and Tara Mowat for making this project happen. Now its time to head home and focus on the last Canada Cup during Crankworx Whistler!
-Luke Di Marzo
This was my first trip with Cycling BC, and I am going home with a big smile on my face. I have been racing bikes for as long as I can remember and I love travelling so when I heard I was invited I was nothing short of ecstatic. Racing and riding in Ontario was a lot different then back home, which added to the experience. At our first race in Sudbury, which was a Canada Cup, I placed 7th which wasn’t really what I was hoping for but it was still an awesome experience. After this race we headed back to Hardwood Hills to prepare for Nationals, the biggest race of our season. The course was incredibly fun and well put together, and I was going into the race feeling confident. However, right off the start things didn’t really go to plan, I didn’t get with the group I wanted to be with and my legs just didn’t feel quite up to par. I also had some problems at the finish line and ended up 7th again, but I know that I tried as hard as I could during the body of the race and I nailed all of my lines so I still see it as a great success and yet another awesome experience. Overall this trip has been amazing. I’m moving up to Jr. Expert next year and have a lot to do between now and then – but I feel that this opportunity and experience to race against Canada’s best will help set me up for success in 2015. I would like to give a huge thank you to Mike Charuk, Tara Mowat, everyone at Cycling BC, their supporters and sponsors and my fellow team mates for making this such a great experience!
– Ethan Toom
It’s the end of the BC Nationals Team Project and all I can think is that I don’t want it to end. This was my second team project that I had the opportunity of being apart of this year. And while I thought the last one was awesome this team project was even better. I had the chance to ride two very different types of courses, and was given the opportunity to compete in two new mountain biking races. We arrived in Ontario with time to spare before our first competition, the Canada Cup in Sudbury. So as a team we headed to Hardwood Hills to pre-ride the Nationals course a week before the rest of the other teams. The Hardwood Hills National course was very different from what I had ever ridden. The majority of the course was man made, every jump, climb, rock face and descent was not like the natural features found back home in BC. For me it made it a lot easier to refocus after every obstacle on single track. After spending some time on the Nationals course I had expected the Sudbury Canada Cup to be somewhat similar, however it wasn’t even close! The Canada Cup course was almost completely natural terrain. There where no real easy place to refocus on the Sudbury course, you needed to be on it the entire time. You would climb for a short thirty seconds and then get shot right into the descent with roots and rocks bouncing you around every which way. All in all I really enjoyed my time with the team, and absolutely loved the mountain biking with the team. Thanks to everyone who allowed me to experience such a great opportunity.
– Kelsey MacDonald
