Wow, that went by fast! 2015 is now coming to an end, with the last race being 3 months ago already. There were certainly a lot more ups than downs this year, and I consider it my best season of racing yet!
In the BC Cup and North West Cup series, I achieved top 5 finishes with only two exceptions. You can read about my Sun Peaks crash and my experience in Mt. Hood. I achieved 7 podiums, 3 wins, and my worst result being 13th at Crankworx is something I can be proud about. Winning the Sr. Men overall for the BC Cup was pretty cool too!
I had high hopes coming into the first BC Cup in Kamloops after the off season of hard training. I struggled with the track and was only able to pull of a 4th. The next three races went much better, with my first ever race win being in Port Angeles for the first Pro GRT. I was very surprised being faster than the 54 other riders in my category! Coming back with another 1st and a 2nd place in the next two races really boosted my confidence.
I got first out of 54 riders in my category, nearly 3 seconds quicker than second place.
My Favorite race in 2015 was the Silverstar BC Cup. In 2013 I dreamed of winning my first race there and I’ve always liked the track, but unfortunately I got injured practicing for that race and I wasn’t able to compete. This year I was able to win the race, despite spending most of Saturdays practice replacing blown tubes. It was also my first BC Cup race win.
The race where I think I struggled the most was the Panorama BC/Canada Cup. I’m not really a fan of the track and I struggled to find speed the whole weekend. This year, there were two really awkward up hill sections which were constantly changing and multiple sections that were on my mind and were probably distracting me from the rest of the course. I still managed to finish second, but I felt like there was definitely a lot more time I could have pulled back. Next year I guess, right?
Crankworx was interesting. I underestimated my fitness in the Garbonzo DH and held back way too much on the top of the 13 minute track. I was really enjoying my race run and was disappointed coming out with a 9th place. This was one of the races where I felt like I was riding quite well, I just needed to up the intensity. I had a wake up call in my Air DH race when I was called up to the start gate 25 minuets before I was suppose to race, and right before I was about to start warming up. I felt like I was playing catch up the whole run and wasn’t able to mentally recover. That is something I am working on in case it happens again next year! I felt more prepared than ever for the Canadian Open because I knew exactly where I needed to be in the lower woods which is where I was struggling last year. Unfortunately I struggled to adapt to the rain on Saturday and rode quite conservatively for my race run.
The two mud races, Kicking Horse and Fernie, were disappointing because I was really looking forward to racing those two courses. Unfortunately, the rain and freezing cold kind of took away that anticipation and I was just trying to make it down the mountain without crashing. I was a little bit confused at why I wasn’t able to perform as well in the wet conditions because that’s what I was riding all winter! That’s something I’m working on and will continue to improve for 2016!
This years results and accomplishments can not be credited to myself. I believe that I would not be where I am without the support of Todd Schumlick of PerformX, Cory Leclerc of C4 Rider Training, and James Willson and Lou at Obsession Bikes. Todd and Cory put me through the paces of what it takes to be on top. Todd trained me physically in the gym and on the multiple assortment of bikes as well as the mental side of racing, and Cory had us grinding out drills and timed laps on the bike and helping the whole crew at the races. James and Lou had the unfortunate job of having to get parts for my bike and give advice on how to fix it when things went wrong! And last, but the most important, thank you to my Mom and Dad. Without them this definitely wouldn’t be possible and I am so fortunate to have parents who believe in me and are behind me 100%
Thank you to GT Bikes, Obsession Bikes, C4 Rider Training, Crankbrothers, and Spy Optics for the support this year!
A special thanks to Jason Latreille with GT Canada, supporting me for the past two years of racing and always being a cheerful face to ride with and return to the pits to!
That’s a wrap! Stay tuned for what’s happening for 2016!
Team C4
Panorama Podium
Sunshine Coaster Practice
Whoops…
