Category: Race Reports
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Burnt Bridge Classic Gravel 2025
I have done the Burnt Bridge Classic more than any other gravel race, and over the years, the long course has grown in both distance and elevation. What is now the medium course was the long course of only a few years ago. The long course is now the medium course of 78.6 km and…
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River City Gravel 2025
This was my first time racing the River City Gravel race, and although I had ridden mountain bikes in the area a handful of times, I had never ridden much gravel. I was told that it would be fast, not have any singletrack sections, and not a lot of climbing. I went to the race…
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Moab Rocks
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…
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2024 COTR #7 – Beban Park
I wasn’t sure I would race again, and I wasn’t sure I would write again, but here I am trying to do something that felt normal before in the hopes that it would help me feel normal again. What you don’t know is Lindsay and I both wrote race reports; only hers are in a…
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2024 COTR #4 – Bowen Park Nanaimo
Bowen is my favorite course in the Cross on the Rock series. For me, it’s a true cyclocross course that incorporates all aspects of a European race. The start features a long, slightly uphill road section that leads into a steeper single track with dirt and roots. At the top of the climb, there’s a…
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2024 COTR #3 – Twin City X in Port Alberni
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,…
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2024 COTR #2 – Coal Cross in Cumberland
In the air on a cross bike. Ian Condron Cumberland features a mix of long and wide grass straights, tight corners, and mountain bike terrain. This year was no different. The race began with probably the longest runway before the first real corner I have ever raced. Starting in the second row was not a…
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2024 COTR #1 – Topaz in Victoria
Topaz is back after being off the calendar for a few years, and it is always well attended. Being in Victoria and early in the season, it attracts many first-timers, and with the course being more like a grass crit, it has a low barrier to entry. It was pretty awesome watching large groups from…
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Single Track 6
STAGE 1: Castlegar The start went up a fire road, and the first minute of the ride started quickly, not xco quick, but 400 watts average for the first minute quick. I managed to sit on as the front group got strung out by the likes of Rob, Peter, and Quinton. Two guys ahead of…
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Island Cup XC #8 Hammerfest Final
I was a bit nervous going into this race. I knew that I was close to coming away with an overall podium; however, it was pretty hotly contested based on this race offering double points. I have had some bad experiences at Hammerhead in the past years. A year ago, I was doing an enduro…
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Island Cup XC #7 Nanaimo
The Nanaimo course was another limited climbing course; however, it felt like climbing for the first half of each lap, and the elevation chart on training peaks agrees with that feeling. The uphill just wasn’t very steep, which means a lot of pedaling. I am happy to pedal, though, as it seems the more time…
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Island Cup XC #6 Campbell River
The course profile at Campbell River was very flat compared to most XC races. Although there were a couple of short, punchy climbs, the less than 180m of elevation gain per lap made the overall course feel pan-flat. This, of course, meant that there were not going to be a lot of rests for long…
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Island Cup XC #5 Powell River
Powell River is a bit of a stretch for being part of the Island Cup XC Series, but a welcome one as a group of locals always seems to make it over for the XC and the CX events. I spent a few weeks working and riding in Powell River in 2021 and really liked…
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Island Cup XC #4 Cumberland
The Cumberland course was remarkably flat although it 723m of climbing it had neatly double the distance as other recent races. I Lined up for the start in the regular spot with the regular group of guys. When the start went it was really quick on a slightly uphill fire road. Then things slowed way…
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Island Cup XC #3 Cobble Hill
I historically have really enjoyed the Cobble Hill race. The course features a long steady climb trail with plenty of room for passing. It’s a true threshold climb that really works well with “roadie” power output. This year’s course was different than previous years however still featured the major climb. I rocked up to the…
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Island Cup XC #2 Jordie Lunn
When they announced there was going to be an XC race at The Jordie Lunn bike park, I couldn’t really picture how they would be able to make a reasonable XC loop there. I didn’t really think it could be done without crisscrossing in the middle somewhere. So hats off to Cody Canning and whoever…
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Island Cup XC #1 Hartland
If my first race of the year could be a learning experience I would normally be pretty happy about that, however, this was probably not the kind of learning I would have expected. I have been gearing up for a big XC year and am focusing on a marathon XC stage race near the beginning…
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CX Nationals and Trek Bear Crossing
CX Nationals I wasn’t sure what to expect going into the race after my feelings and abilities at nationals. The conditions were slick but not boggy, I hoped these would be the conditions to highlight my technical abilities while hiding my current lack of power. The first part of the course was a grassy frisbee…
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Coming back from injury, CoweX and provincial championships
Cowex It has been hard to sit back and watch four cross-races go by from the sidelines. I have had a serious amount of FOMO and I don’t know if watching was good or bad for me mentally. I showed up, I volunteered, I cheered on Lindsay and I heckled friends. Finally, I was ready…
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Triple Shot Cross Fondo and Injury Update
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…
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Cross on the Commons
Qualicum Beach’s Cross on the Commons, to me I a mixed bag of a race. There is everything that can be found in a year’s worth of cross-races compressed into one race. It has something for everyone and the weather makes a difference in who it will suit. This year it would be dry and…
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Burnt Bridge Gravel Fondo 2023
There is something about Burnt Bridge that has eluded me since I started racing it. I have never got it right or felt like I had it figured out, this year was no exception. As we left the start line the pace ramped up it wasn’t immediate but by the time I realized that we…
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2023 COTR #1 – Coal Cross
Coal Cross in Cumberland is usually one of the first stops in the racing calendar. It is famous for being dry and having a whirly-whirl section, although this year’s course was a bit different it was largely the same. Heading into the race I knew it was going to be a bit of a struggle…
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Rebecca’s Private Idaho: Queens Stage Race
Rebecca’s Private Idaho Queens Stage Race (QSR) is an iconic gravel cycling event situated in the breathtaking landscapes of Idaho. Founded by the renowned cyclist Rebecca Rusch, this race draws participants from around the world to tackle challenging terrain. The QSR is a 3-day stage race where the 3rd day is part of a larger…
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Forbidden Gravel Experiance
Forbidden Gravel Race is my personal favorite. Out of all the gravel races I have entered Forbidden sets itself out to be the gnarliest. This race has the most climbing and the most single track. However, what I think everyone walks away remembering is the loose, long and fast decents. For me this race has…
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Belgium Waffle Ride Canada
Leading up to the race. 3 weeks before the race I entered an enduro to get a friend who is quite good at mountain biking into racing. The day before the race we pre-rode the course and on one stage right after where the finish line would be was a bridge my back tire slid…
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Island Cup Series: Hammerfest XC
We went to Hammerfest a day early to get a good 4-hour training ride the day before. It was cool to do some laps of the course then head off and do some freestyle exploration of the area. During our practice laps, we enjoyed the company of Cody Scott, and Rob Britton, as well as…
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Island Cup Series: Hartland XC
I have not raced an island cup series race since before the pandemic. Lindsay and I both got new XC bikes at the begining of the pandemic with the plan to race XC and well a few things have come up since. We had of course the pandemic but then when the racing started up…
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A Bridge too far: Thunderbird Circuit Race
Lindsay and I decided that we would start our year with this spring race to shake out the cobwebs and early-season jitters. We travelled over the day before and went straight to the race course from the ferry to see what the course had in store for us. After one lap in the car, we…
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Cornwall: Cascade Cross
We love heading to Washington state to race in the cascade cross series. The cascade cross series is a vibe, they beat to a different drum and they don’t care what anybody else thinks about them. This is the third trip down for Lindsay and I and we alway are long finished our cross season…
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CX Nationals and UCI C2
I didn’t have the best prep coming into nationals weekend. The previous weekend while out on a training ride, A stick found its way into my front wheel. Breaking a valve, and a spoke, and sent me flying over the bars. Besides the broken wheel I also had a broken helmet and a mild concussion,…
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COTR #6 Beben Park Finals
Destroyed still from last weekend’s Provincial Championships I was looking forward to the final race in this year’s Cross on the Rock series, however, I was not feeling very competitive and was just heading out to have a fun race on a fun course. This year the Beben park course was fairly different because of…
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BC CX Provincial Championships
The trip out to Kelowna is a long way to go for an hour of entertainment, but I would say it is worth the trip. Knox mountain park is a venue for cyclocross. The course has flat gravel straights, some elevation and a muddy run-up. To me, the perfect cyclocross course has sections that suit…
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COTR #5 – CoweX Cross
This installment of Cross on the Rock is in Cowichan Vally for a new venue just north of Duncan. A new venue is always an exciting prospect, and this one, in particular, was very exciting. The race was held on the Cowichan Exhibition grounds which in general terms is a large cow pasture, how coulda…
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COTR #4 – Broad Street GP
We’re in Victoria now for the latest installment of the Cross on the rock series. For the second year, we are in the Jordie Lunn mountain bike park. The course features a cement pump track, fire road climbs and a whole lot of single track. The course is probably the most technical of the season,…
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COTR #3 – Mud Off Cup
We head over to Nanaimo for the third round of Cross on the Rock 2022. This is my favourite course of the season. I think it’s the closest thing to a world cup cyclocross course our island races offer. It has a road start that pitches uphill, followed by a single-track uphill section. When you…
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Burnt Bridge Gravel Fondo
Burnt Bridge, the Final instalment of the three-part series of gravel races on Vancouver Island. This year the race was longer and had more elevation than the other two. 120km and 2300m of elevation is one heck of a day on gravel. I led out the group from the start chute but kept it super…
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COTR #2 – Coal Cross
The second race of the year was in Cumberland. The course featured long grass straights, lots of grass corners and a section of single track. This year the course was very dry and the temperature was high. I knew before the start that it was going to be tough for me to keep up with…
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COTR #1 – Cross On The Commons
Qualicum Beach is the scene of this year’s first cross race. In previous years this course has featured the deepest mud, the most sand, and a BMX track (backwards). This year we didn’t have the mud or sand areas available to us, which made a significant difference to how the course flowed compared to previous…
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MIVA Unpaved
MIVA Unpaved, the second of the three-part series of gravel races on Vancouver Island. Out of the three, this one’s main attribute is that it is by far the smoothest course. At 110 km and 1800m of climbing it is still a pretty hard day in the saddle. The ride starts out directly on the…
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Caleb pike
I signed up for a Caleb pike B race since it was so close to home and I wanted to get some more crit racing in the legs. As I rode to the race my legs were still destroyed from the last couple or weekends of long hard races. However I knew I would probably…
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12 Hours of Cumby
Both Lindsay and I have wanted to compete in the 12 Hours of Cumby race for a number of years. The first time we wanted to get into it we had a scheduling conflict and the next two times the race was the victim of the pandemic. This year we were supposed to be away…
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Forbidden Gravel Experience
The Forbidden Gravel Experience is the first of a three-part series of gravel races on Vancouver Island. Out of the three, this one’s main attribute is that it is by far the hardest and roughest course. At 105 km and 2400m of climbing it is a pretty hard day in the saddle. The ride starts…
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BC Crit Champs
This was the race I wanted to do more than any other road race this year. I had only a few realistic goals in mind and a couple dream goals as well. The main goals for me were to finish the race on the lead lap and to participate in the race and not just…
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The Last Ever Speedway Race
This race has been a staple of the Victoria road scene forever, but with the sale of the speedway land for development this is the last year for the speedway and this was the last race for us. Tripleshot organizes the race and they wanted to make this one extra special. They had a new…
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2022 Provincial Road Race
Earlier this year I decided I was going to race the provincial road race. I didn’t have any real expectations other than I wanted to finish the race and not get pulled by the commissars. The day before the race I went out to check out the course since I would not have time the…
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Quick Catch Up
I am a bit behind on race reports so here is a quick recap of two Speedway races in one night and a Caleb Pike. Starting with Speedway #3 Bs this race had all the regular players. The race was pretty normal with nothing major happening until the last lap. When one racer went really…
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Caleb Pike #1
Caleb Pike. I have a love-hate relationship with this particular race. This is my fourth attempt at racing this race and up to this point, the previous attempts ended poorly. I have so far had 1 DNF, 1 Lap down, and 2 laps down. This time the only goal was to finish in the group.…
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North Saanich Crit #1
This racecourse is one of my absolute all-time favourites. It only started last year and it was immediately a hit with all the competitors. It is pretty flat and the “climb” is a two-part jaunt which ends in the only left-hand corner of the circuit. With a bit of a breeze from the south on…
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Speedway #2: Go Solo Cause YOLO
It started to rain as soon as I pulled up to the venue. I don’t like racing in the rain and I especially think that a motorsports speedway, which is covered in oil and other crud is probably the worse place for a bike ride in the rain. I think a lot of people had…
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1st Crit of 2022
The race started fairly slowly as everyone got into their first crit of the year. The usual suspects were all present and there was a slight wind on the back straight. The first 5 minutes were just trading pulls and going around in circles. There were a few small attacks, most notably were one where…
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Riding 200k with Adam and the BC Randonneurs
I think everyone who is into endurance cycling should do a ride with the Randonneurs. I have enjoyed the routes, the atmosphere and especially the stories. I started as most people do, I joined one of their Populaire rides. A Populaire is where the club puts on a ride for members and the non-members to…
Book of Chad 