Yesterday I raced the Canadian National Championships at Hardwood Ski and Bike. The course was super technical and really pushed me to my limits. It was also a ton of fun once I figured it all out!
The course included a bunch of tough rock gardens as well as a couple big jumps and drops. My dad and I went up on Wednesday to learn the course. I crashed once when my reflexes had me jamming on the brakes right before going off a big drop. It made for a pretty comical crash video! (If you turn up the sound you can hear my dad sigh in the background)
Following that jump there was another one that I managed to ride smoothly without crashing :)
This trail was especially steep and so much fun to ride!
This is the race I've been working towards my whole season and it is also the last qualifying race for the world championships happening in Quebec later this season. This meant I was dealing with a lot of nerves. On top of this it was super hot out on race day.
I geared up and got ready to go, making sure to drink lots and stay cool.
The race started on a wide, rolling gravel climb and, as always, the ladies were fast off the line.
I fell in behind the front group and pushed to stay on Kelly and Kaitlyn's wheels. Slowly the pack split into two and I was taking up the rear of the front group.
I stayed on Kelly and Kaitlyn's wheels, making attempts to pass but was unsuccessful.
Around the start of lap 2 of 3 I saw my opportunity to pass Kelly and Kaitlyn, and a third rider, up the climb. I was feeling strong and smooth and they seemed to be fading. I worked hard to stay ahead and eventually I saw my gap grow.
I rode pretty much alone for the rest of the race and came into the finish in 5th! Kelly and Kaitlyn have been super strong competitors all year and so I was really happy to finish ahead of them in this race.
This was a breakthrough ride for me. I've wanted to come top 5 at a Canada Cup all season, and to do that at the nationals was huge for me. My emotions were all over the place after the race. I was both crying and laughing at the same time.
Thanks to all those who supported me, wished me good luck and cheered me on this weekend!
Sadly, I don't think this ride will be enough to get me to the world championships. For that there's always next year!
We have one more Ontario Cup this year and then the Provincial Championships which I'll be training hard for!
Stay tuned for more! Happy riding :)