Book of Chad

A week and a half before the start of the cross fondo I fell at a Wednesday night cross club, it hurt and I was winded but I walked it off and rode some more laps. I didn’t think much of it really and I assumed I would be sore the next day but good after that. The next day I didn’t feel better, I was in agony and my chest and back really hurt. I had an appointment with my physiotherapist and we came to the conclusion I had cracked or bruised my ribs. I was in a bit of denial and as the week turned into the weekend I was feeling better. I went to a cross on the rock race in Nanaimo feeling like I would race. I did a single practice lap and knew there was no way I was going to make it. I got changed out of the kit and put my bike back in the car. A week to go to TSCF so I stayed on the trainer all week and was feeling great I had another physiotherapy appointment and was ready to go.

Lindsay and I rode to the event and I felt great the TSCF is a really fun event and truly has a bit of everything. One of the biggest distinctions is that there is no published course or Gpx file to follow. You have to keep your heads up for flagging and you will probably get lost a couple of times or more. I lined up for the start with the thought that I was going to race the event fully and if my ribs acted up I would change that to riding the event or if required I would pull out of the event.

The start was neutral behind a car and the contenders started moving up quickly, you could feel the vibe change as we rolled down the street. When the car pulled off Logan Edgar just drilled it with Cody Canning in tow. We entered a short single-track climb then a road climb followed by a straight road. Matt Mahoney and I chased hard and eventually, we had a group of 8 to 12 form on the road as we got close to a section called the Hector Connector. I think we all started to realize we were going to be going through this pinch point and the pace increased.

The Hector Connector made sure the group was single file however we stayed together going into Thetis Lake which is where it started to split up. Cody and someone else had gotten free, I was making my way from 6th through the group and I emerged out of Thetis with Andy Pitre and we were running 3rd and 4th. Things were going well and I felt really good. Andy was strong on the climbs and the road and I was strong on the technical and descents. We were able to work together for a bit and eventually, we were joined by a couple of others. The small group went through The Hartland bike trails together and then we hit the first flat bumpy field. This destroyed me. I fell off the back of the group as every bump went through my ribs and I let out an audible wince or groan. I got a bit lost and was joined by a small group, I rode with them on the road and the legs felt great we raced through the mud section, got lost, backtracked, and then we hit another bump field. The rest of the story goes like that played over and over again. Every time I got to a bump section it hurt worse than the one before. I thought of quitting multiple times but was closer to the finish than even riding home at any point since the first field. I made it to the finish line in pieces and had so much more to give.

I am disappointed with the result and with how much I had left in the legs. I am also disappointed that this means that I have to take it easy and miss some more races until I am healthy again.

Distance: 50 km
Time: 2:33:46
Avg Speed: 19.66 kph
Avg Power: 190 W
Normalized Power: 230 W
Elevation Gain: 1022 m
Place: 15th