Book of Chad

It has been a few years since we last raced in Port Alberni, and I have always enjoyed the courses there. McLean’s Mill has been a real highlight for me in years past. This year, we had a new venue at the fairgrounds, and it really has a lot of potential. The area has sand, gravel, woods, and dirt—all of which are great ingredients for a cross course. The course was really good this year. It utilized all these features and even included logs, barriers, and a mud pit that was artificially made by the local fire department. There was something special set aside for the elite race. They skipped a small section of the course that everyone else did and had us plunge down a steep gravel path, only to arrive at the longest run-up in history. I was especially worried about this part since I am still healing from an ankle injury. There wasn’t much I could do about that, though, as we lined up for the start.

I had a great start and settled in quickly. The first obstacle was a small log, which I hopped over, then dismounted to tackle a much bigger log. Back on the bike, I headed straight into a sand pit. The next section, past the team tents, was a sandy, compact area with fast turns. From there, it was through the barns and across to the “spectator” section. It seems like a theme is developing this year, with dedicated sections for spectators to watch a jump or something similar. This section started with smooth, flat corners before doubling back on itself to reach the jump or planks, with an added log in the middle. Immediately after, I went through the man-made mud pit and up a muddy slope, which led to a downhill pile of wood chips. At this point, the open-only section began. We made a sharp right onto a downhill gravel road, followed by a fast left turn and a couple more left turns, all while descending at speeds of up to 60 km/h. Then came a sharp left turn leading to the mandatory dismount section. We ran, walked, or crawled up for the next few minutes, navigating a back-and-forth switchback dirt trail. Back onto the main course, we entered the muddy woods, which featured another log to hop and a muddy ditch to cross. After a few more corners, we were back at the start/finish stretch.

During the first lap, I reached the bottom of the run-up in a good position, feeling somewhat optimistic that my ankle might hold up. But only 30 feet into the climb, I realized it wasn’t going to happen for me. Despite that, I felt like the rest of the course was going well, as I kept catching up to and passing riders who were out of sight after the run-up. However, with each lap that passed, I caught fewer and fewer riders and eventually found myself at the back of the group. Overall, I’m happy with my performance on the course, except for the run-up, so I’m leaving Port Alberni with some good feelings. Hopefully, there will be fewer run-ups in the upcoming races.

Race: COTR #3 Port Alberni
Time: 1:03:13 Laps: 7
Avg Heart Rate: 179
Max Heart Rate: 195
Place: 20th