Kurzawinski Coach - Team News

2011 Paris to Ancaster

4/17/2011 9:00:00 AM

2011 Paris to Ancaster | Race Report by Martin Davis

I did the Paris Ancaster race yesterday in absolute epic conditions but first let me set up the race. There were a record 1950 registered riders for this event 1350 in the 60K and 600 in the 35K The 60 K race featured three starting waves The first wave was for the pros of which there were 5 (Seamus McGrath, Mark Walberg, Mike Garrigan, Peter Mazur, Sue Palmer Komar) plus another dozen or so notable riders Nathan Chown, Erik Box, Peter Morse, Jarod Stafford and a long list of guys names you would be familiar with any given race weekend. The first wave also included licensed riders and past top 250 spot finishers basically this was the fast group. The second wave was for fast but not so serious riders and the third wave was for cyclo-tourists out for a challenging ride.

The weather was the first major challenge of the day as winds were gusting up to 45kph and were so bad that several bikes were blown off of car tops on the highway to the start line. During the race there was intermittent rain, freezing rain, snow and just for giggles clear blue sky oh and did I mention the wind, more on that later. As it had rained hard on the Saturday and couple of times during the week the single track sections and the famous mud slide section were especially muddy (most sections 6” of sucking mud) with several deep puddles to navigate. Basically the course was the hardest it has been in years as there is approximately 15KM of single track and the balance of the 45k broken up between paved, unpaved roads and rail trails. Being a point to point race the wind is a major factor but mercifully the wind was at our backs for several sections making for some fast riding but when you turned the cross wind was so hard that even an echelon worked only if you were side by side and if you were on your own faggetaboutit you would be done in short order.

I went to the front of the first wave corral about 50 riders away from the pros and when the race started it was fast as we took to a short road section then immediately turned on to a broken road and then turned again onto a rail trail for approximately 6-7 K with the wind at our backs wailing down this section at 40+ KPH in a steady pace line that I enjoyed but most of the people around me found difficult. I managed to work my way up quite a ways in the field drafting wheels here and there then a sharp right turn up a steep gravel pitch that most dismounted for and then ran up remounting for 2K of farmers road and then out to a paved section for a few hundred meters until the first of three single track sections separated by gravel roads but on the second single track section my front derailer started to rub horribly and I could not shift up or down which was very annoying to me and all around me with the constant noise. Not being able to shift into the big ring on the gravel sections sucked as I could not get going enough to keep pace and was losing spots on every section but then would catch up on the single track finally after the third section I had to stop and fix the blessed thing (fortunately I had my multi tool in my back pocket) as it had slipped in the bracket 3-4 minutes later I was able to shift again and no grinding for the rest of the race but I lost at least 20-25 spots in the repair process. However we just started on a long road section with the tail wind and I put the hammer down holding a 50KPH pace for the next 5K and no one could hold my wheel I managed to regain about 10 spots in the process. Then we entered another long single track section where I caught up to a good group that was moving well and working together and stuck with them for the next 20 K or so helping with pulls occasionally but mostly using them as shelter from the horrible cross wind. After a long section of rail train we worked a nice pace line until we made a sharp left turn onto a muddy bit with a fallen tree that had just enough space to squeeze under with your bike or run around I was going under no question BUT the rider in front of me dismounts suddenly and kicks my right shifter in the process and bends the lever so bad I can barely shift gears for the rest of the race. So with 15 K to go I had 4 effective gears to choose from and if it was not for my cross top brake levers would not have rear brakes. Then the power line mudslide a 400M section of mud that is a feature of this race every year regardless if it is dry for weeks this is always muddy but after the rain it was mud soup I was determined to ride it but 5 riders dismounted in front of me so I was forced to do the same a walk not run down this section but in the process of shouldering my bike I broke off the water bottle with the whole holder (what else was going to go wrong with my bike) Then a short road section and then THE HILL which is the finishing section 3 K of dirt road that finishes with a 18% pitch right at the very end. I saved myself for this section and managed it great for me but slow for others and lost a few more spots in the process. I crossed the line with Rick Meloff announcing my name over the loudspeaker with a time of 2:25:31 beating my personal best time by more than 20minutes in brutal conditions.

Now the results, my time was good for 263 overall out of 1350 starters and 99 of 350 for men 40-49. Without the mechanical issues I would have broken into the top 200 overall for the race but racing is racing and there were over a hundred starters that did not even finish. Seamus McGrath had some mechanical issues and finished in 153th so even the pros can have bike issues.

All in all it was and epic day but I am now looking forward to road races with hopefully no mud to grouse on about.

Martin Davis