2018 Ontario Summer Games ~ Eight Races for the Price of One
Last week I headed out to London to race the mountain bike portion of the Ontario Summer Games. This included 4 races:
The Short track- The idea of a short track is that you do as many laps of a 1.87 km lap as you can in 20 minutes. On our first lap Sierra McDonald went out hard and I chased. We both wanted to make the girls do as many laps as possible. On the second lap Ava Holmgren passed us and started to open up a gap. I took my opportunity on lap three when I noticed Sierra slowing down--she had gone out too hard in the first lap. I passed her and worked hard to chase down Ava who was on fire! Although I wasn't able to catch Holmgren, I still came first in the under 18 category.
The Team Relay- For the Summer Games you're also put on a team which you have to race on for the team relay. Each person on the four person team does one lap and then tags the next person so they can head out for their lap. On my team were Oscar Clark, Hendrik Wiersma and Grant Stewart. We all gave it everything we had left in our legs and pulled off a solid fifth place.
I was also asked to stay for the road portion of the Ontario Summer Games since they had a girl drop out last minute and needed a girl to fill her spot. I agreed, and so raced my first road race on a cross bike that I got last year. This also included four events:
Sprint Challenge- The sprint challenge was a 600 meter all out sprint. It was very similar in structure to the eliminator race. There were three heats for the girls and that would then be narrowed down to two and then into both a small final and a big final. In my first sprint I started strong and led the whole way until the end when someone else caught me right at the line. I was happy with this because it meant I would move on to the semi finals. In the semi finals I struggled. When I started I was on the tops of my bars instead of in my drops which threw me off. I still sprinted hard and just managed to throw my bike over the line to make top 3 and move on to the finals. I was super pumped to have made it to the finals in my first road sprint. The finals didn't go as well as the other sprints and I ended up in last. As a mountain biker I kept forgetting to draft off the other girls and so wasted a lot of my energy trying to get out in front before the finish line. I still had a lot of fun and am super proud of my sixth place!
The Points Criterium- This race was a bit more complicated. We raced 18 laps of a short course (a city block) and every 3 laps there was a sprint for points. The winner of the sprint wins 5 points, 3 points for second, 2 for third and 1 point for fourth. In the last sprint the points are doubled. The winner of the race is the person with the most points. I was really excited to race this race as I've watched crit races before and have always wanted to try them. When the race actually got started though, I struggled to gain points. I went out in front and tried to break away when I felt strong rather than when I saw the opportunity. I kept attacking at the wrong times and trying to get out in front on the non-sprint laps. I'm used to mountain biking where you try to get away when you're feeling good. Road was a big change because there's a lot more drafting that has to be done and, when you do try to open a gap, people are constantly grabbing your wheel and chasing. Although I didn't do very well in this race I learned a lot about how to road race and that was important knowledge that I used the next day.
The Road Race- This was the big 48 km race that I was very nervous for. It was my first road race and I was terrified of crashing and ending my season. After the crit the day before, my coach and my dad were both telling me to be more patient, wait for my opportunity and not waste my energy. This was a struggle for me as I'm used to using my energy and the power in my legs right away and then throughout the whole race. I managed to settle in with the other girls though, and made sure to stay towards the front to watch for breakaways. I took my turns on the front and waited for my opportunity. There were multiple attempt by girls to drop the pack but none were successful. We all rode together at a fairly easy pace until 10 km to go when I saw my opportunity. The girls had eased up a bit and I was near the front feeling strong. I went for it. I sprinted and quickly had a small gap. I was hoping at least one other girl would grab my wheel and ride with me so we could draft off of each other, but I had no such luck. I was alone, fighting to keep my lead.
Then, Amanda Kleinikkink, one of my good friends, broke away from the pack and started yelling at me to ease up so she could catch me and we could work together. She knew it was my first road race and she knew how much I wanted to win it and so she came to support me. For the next 10 km we drafted off each other with Amanda yelling encouragingly at me the whole time. None of the other girls seemed to be chasing and so we managed to both take the win in our age categories with a gap of 59 seconds. This was by far the highlight of the week! I am super proud to have won and so happy that I was able to ride in a breakaway with one of my good friends!
Team Time Trial- By my eighth race of the Summer Games my legs were feeling pretty dead. I tried to spin them out as I warmed up in hopes that they would come back a bit, but they didn't come back until I started the race. For the team time trial you have to race a 7.5 km lap with your Summer Games team. The team time is given based off of the third rider's time and each team is started 2 minutes apart. As the three of us girls started the race you could tell we were getting tired. For such a short race our speed could have been a lot higher had our legs been well rested. We still gave it everything we had left and encouraged each other the whole way. We managed a second place behind Amanda's team which we were all really happy about.
Overall I had a really awesome time at the Ontario Summer Games! I met a lot of fantastic people and I learned a lot of new skills. I was able to push my limits and discover how strong I am. A huge thanks goes out to Dave Clark, my mountain bike coach, and Molly McCracken, my road coach. Thanks to Clif and Endurance Tap for the fuel before and after races. And last but not least, thanks to all those who cheered me on!
On Thursday:
The Eliminator- For this event there
is a 1.17 km course that 4-5 riders are sent out
on at the same time. The top 2 (if 4 riders are sent out) or the top
3 (if 5 riders are sent out) move on to the next round. This
continues until there are only 4-6 riders left for the finals which
determines the overall positioning. I came first in my first heat and then third in the finals which I was super happy about! This was an intense race where you just go as fast as you can. It's a very different style of racing than I'm used to - I had a lot of fun.
On Friday:
The Cross Country Race- For this the girls did 2 laps om a 5 km course. I had a good start in this race but then on the second lap I started to come apart. Once again, Ava was really strong and out front from the start. Then, as my legs started to hurt and I slowed down, Elli Clark, Kelly Lawson and Isabella Holmgren took the opportunity to go by me and drop me. I finished this race second in my age category but fifth overall. I was absolutely shattered! The rest of the girls raced very smart and were super fast! I love this category because you never know who is going to win.
The Team Relay- For the Summer Games you're also put on a team which you have to race on for the team relay. Each person on the four person team does one lap and then tags the next person so they can head out for their lap. On my team were Oscar Clark, Hendrik Wiersma and Grant Stewart. We all gave it everything we had left in our legs and pulled off a solid fifth place.
I was also asked to stay for the road portion of the Ontario Summer Games since they had a girl drop out last minute and needed a girl to fill her spot. I agreed, and so raced my first road race on a cross bike that I got last year. This also included four events:
 |
| Taking the road bike on the bus back to the dorms |
Sprint Challenge- The sprint challenge was a 600 meter all out sprint. It was very similar in structure to the eliminator race. There were three heats for the girls and that would then be narrowed down to two and then into both a small final and a big final. In my first sprint I started strong and led the whole way until the end when someone else caught me right at the line. I was happy with this because it meant I would move on to the semi finals. In the semi finals I struggled. When I started I was on the tops of my bars instead of in my drops which threw me off. I still sprinted hard and just managed to throw my bike over the line to make top 3 and move on to the finals. I was super pumped to have made it to the finals in my first road sprint. The finals didn't go as well as the other sprints and I ended up in last. As a mountain biker I kept forgetting to draft off the other girls and so wasted a lot of my energy trying to get out in front before the finish line. I still had a lot of fun and am super proud of my sixth place!
The Points Criterium- This race was a bit more complicated. We raced 18 laps of a short course (a city block) and every 3 laps there was a sprint for points. The winner of the sprint wins 5 points, 3 points for second, 2 for third and 1 point for fourth. In the last sprint the points are doubled. The winner of the race is the person with the most points. I was really excited to race this race as I've watched crit races before and have always wanted to try them. When the race actually got started though, I struggled to gain points. I went out in front and tried to break away when I felt strong rather than when I saw the opportunity. I kept attacking at the wrong times and trying to get out in front on the non-sprint laps. I'm used to mountain biking where you try to get away when you're feeling good. Road was a big change because there's a lot more drafting that has to be done and, when you do try to open a gap, people are constantly grabbing your wheel and chasing. Although I didn't do very well in this race I learned a lot about how to road race and that was important knowledge that I used the next day. |
| Amanda and I |
The Road Race- This was the big 48 km race that I was very nervous for. It was my first road race and I was terrified of crashing and ending my season. After the crit the day before, my coach and my dad were both telling me to be more patient, wait for my opportunity and not waste my energy. This was a struggle for me as I'm used to using my energy and the power in my legs right away and then throughout the whole race. I managed to settle in with the other girls though, and made sure to stay towards the front to watch for breakaways. I took my turns on the front and waited for my opportunity. There were multiple attempt by girls to drop the pack but none were successful. We all rode together at a fairly easy pace until 10 km to go when I saw my opportunity. The girls had eased up a bit and I was near the front feeling strong. I went for it. I sprinted and quickly had a small gap. I was hoping at least one other girl would grab my wheel and ride with me so we could draft off of each other, but I had no such luck. I was alone, fighting to keep my lead.
Then, Amanda Kleinikkink, one of my good friends, broke away from the pack and started yelling at me to ease up so she could catch me and we could work together. She knew it was my first road race and she knew how much I wanted to win it and so she came to support me. For the next 10 km we drafted off each other with Amanda yelling encouragingly at me the whole time. None of the other girls seemed to be chasing and so we managed to both take the win in our age categories with a gap of 59 seconds. This was by far the highlight of the week! I am super proud to have won and so happy that I was able to ride in a breakaway with one of my good friends! |
| Hugging my dad after the road race |
Team Time Trial- By my eighth race of the Summer Games my legs were feeling pretty dead. I tried to spin them out as I warmed up in hopes that they would come back a bit, but they didn't come back until I started the race. For the team time trial you have to race a 7.5 km lap with your Summer Games team. The team time is given based off of the third rider's time and each team is started 2 minutes apart. As the three of us girls started the race you could tell we were getting tired. For such a short race our speed could have been a lot higher had our legs been well rested. We still gave it everything we had left and encouraged each other the whole way. We managed a second place behind Amanda's team which we were all really happy about.Overall I had a really awesome time at the Ontario Summer Games! I met a lot of fantastic people and I learned a lot of new skills. I was able to push my limits and discover how strong I am. A huge thanks goes out to Dave Clark, my mountain bike coach, and Molly McCracken, my road coach. Thanks to Clif and Endurance Tap for the fuel before and after races. And last but not least, thanks to all those who cheered me on!
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| Our team also came third overall! |
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