STAGE 1: Porcupine Rim
The start was in town at a local school; it was really cold, around freezing at start time, and it was pretty hard to decide what the correct kit would be at the start. I started with knee warmers, arm warmers, and a vest. I also had a jacket and a warmer pair of gloves in my jersey pocket. The start was neutralized behind a police car as we began climbing into Sand Flats Recreation Area. I thought the climb was going to be hard, and it didn’t disappoint. Mid-pack in the front group, we completed the first 20 minutes of the climb at an average power of 284W. It was uncomfortable at times but seemed manageable as the washboard gravel pace at the front seemed to stay steadily hard. There was a section where the gravel road narrowed and got steep, and through this next phase, I did 1 minute at an average of 326W and a peak of 808W. At this point, the group split, and I didn’t make it. I was in good company, though, with Maghalie Rochette right beside me. We formed a small group of about 6-8 and began to ride together. It started to get really windy. I was motivated to catch a larger group of about 20 that had fallen off the front group, and as we made inroads into them, we lost riders from our group, and it eventually came down to 4 of us. At this point, I was really motivated; however, I think I was the only one, as the effort to get there was going to be pretty big. It seemed that every time it got steep, I was getting closer, but then it would level off, and the group would get further away as the wind battered me. I would take a rest in our group and then try again, over and over. Eventually, I would tell the group that I couldn’t make it, and Maghalie told me I did amazing and thanked me, and I slowly watched her and the other two guys ride away from me. At this point, we were an hour in, and my Normalized Power of 270W would go down from there. For the next 20 minutes, I rode steady but alone, and then it all fell apart. For the next 6 and a half minutes to the top, I pedaled squares and watched 8 to 10 people pass me. It was rough, but I was ready for the descent.
The first part of the descent was really hard for me as, on the climb, my right hand had gotten so cold that my thumb was completely numb and couldn’t operate my dropper lever. I used the heel of my hand to make it work, but it was clumsy and awkward, sometimes resulting in me hitting my lockout lever, which made things go from bad to worse. Eventually, my hand and thumb warmed up, and I really started to find my groove. I was smashing full speed through this rock garden when I saw someone on the right side fixing a flat and another on the left right after. I decided to take it down a notch, as it was faster to go a little slower if it meant not getting a flat. After that section, I just kept feeling more and more comfortable and was riding really well. The soil had gotten wet overnight, and it made it a lot faster than the loose stuff I pre-rode. I managed to move up 5 positions overall on the descent, and it felt really good.
After the finish, I waited for Emma, and when she got there, we talked a bit about the stage, fueled up, and rode the rest of the trail down to the end. There is a lot more trail left after the finish, and it was great to link up with a few people and do it at party pace.
Time: 2:17:36
Distance: 36.7 km
Avg Heart Rate: 177 bpm
Max Heart Rate: 195 bpm
Normalized Power: 236 W
Place: 8 th in Div 48 th Overall
STAGE 2: Bar M/ Klonzo
The start ripped down a sandy double track with three small ditches running across, which I had identified as a place where there was very likely to be a crash. Sure enough, as the front got to the third and biggest ditch, they braked going into it, and it created an accordion effect. I felt my rear tire get hit and heard a commotion, and when I was able to look back, I saw the right line had a long gap behind me. I think I started too far back, as the first section of the race really played to my strengths, and I ended up having to make a lot of passes shortly after the start. The first third of the stage was extremely quick and overall full of double track and single-track flow trails.
The middle section of the stage is bumpy rock with both climbing and descending, and I really struggled with this. It seemed that I was putting a lot of effort into not going very fast. I’m not sure if it’s a practice thing or a setup thing, but I didn’t get it in my pre-rides or during the race. The final third of the race was back to double track with one gnarly little descent called Killer Bee. Next up was a long bike path climb followed by a short single track climb and finally a rip down gravel double track with two 90-degree corners to the finish. From the long bike path climb, another rider was chasing me from a distance, and I was pretty tired, but I kept an eye on him and metered my effort to stay ahead. When we got to the single track climb, he had closed the gap to about 20 feet. I sent the downhill double track pretty hard, and the gap stayed the same until the first 90-degree corner where I started to slide and had to dab my foot to stay upright. I clipped back in and continued as hard as possible, but there was no more gap. The final corner to the finish line was tight, and I hugged the inside line to make sure I didn’t get boxed out; we went hard on the brakes and both slid out to the outside of the corner where we both put our heads down and sprinted the final 50 meters to the finish in the same position.
Time: 2:33:16
Distance: 46.57 km
Avg Heart Rate: 174 bpm
Max Heart Rate: 188 bpm
Normalized Power: 226 W
Place: 5 th in Div 39 th Overall
STAGE 3: Mag 7
The course started on a gravel road and had a steep climb right away. My strategy was to attack the climb and get to the single track before just riding at my own pace the rest of the leg. That is exactly what I did; 9 and a half minutes later, I was at the top of the climb with an average power of 286W. We descended down the other side and entered the long sand pit before pitching up again and into the single track in 21 minutes at 270W. Now I just wanted to pace myself, as although not specifically steep, the climb to the top of the course was an hour and twenty minutes from the start. The climb had everything from gravel, sand, rocky single track, and fast dirt single track. The problem for me came towards the end as you climb some of that bumpy rock like the day before. It really took a toll on my back, hips, and even my arms. My power dropped significantly, and it was really hard to get fuel in with the constant rocky, bouncy climb.
The descent was rocky, but it was certainly a lot more fun. Bull Run is a real beast, almost completely slick rock and really fast. I made a few errors and found myself off my bike once, but I made up a couple of places and generally felt good about it. There was a really fast single-track dirt section which was incredible to ride before heading into more bouncy rock. We basically looped around and came out onto the gravel road across from where we originally entered the single track. The final section was the first section in reverse. We went down a steep pitch, through the long sand pit, up a rocky gravel climb down the other side, and finally onto a gravel road to the finish.
Time: 2:38:42
Distance: 47.69 km
Avg Heart Rate: 172 bpm
Max Heart Rate: 189 bpm
Normalized Power: 214 W
Place: 8 th in Div and 41 st Overall
I came to Moab Rocks with no real goal other than finishing each stage and pushing myself to get through this early season stage race. A chance to feel the emotions and pain without putting too much pressure on myself. This race was on Lindsay’s wish list, and we were planning on attending it this year together. This was truly the first real race without her and my first time traveling without her. I needed and received an incredible amount of support on this trip and have a number of people to thank. First off, Emma Maaranen, who agreed to let me meet her at the finish line and discuss each stage right when it was fresh, the way Lindsay and I always did. Tascha Piciga, who talked to me each day and shared fond memories of racing with Lindsay in single track 6. Emma and Tascha also invited me over and cooked the best meal I had the whole trip. Quinton Disera and Carter Nieuwesteeg, friends from back home, who were always available before the start and after the finish for a chat and a story. Maghalie Rochette, one of Lindsay’s all-time favorite bike racers, who I got to ride with a lot more than I thought I would, talked about Lindsay and shared in her story. The TransRockies race crew is an incredible group of people, especially Jen Ashton, who not only know how to put on amazing events but also make you feel at home and included. Back home, I have also had amazing support from my friend Lauren Robb, who took care of my cats and house while I was away, giving constant updates with pictures and video calls. My mom, who constantly worried about me riding next to cliffs here, made sure I texted or called every day. My coach, Adam Walker, who missed out on being here and racing, instead texted me every day with encouragement. And Lindsay’s family who have supported me with encouragement and love throughout.
Book of Chad 
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